Awareness of pubertal changes and reproductive health in adolescent girls: a comparative study

2016-11-13T23-38-57Z
Source: International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health
Rakhi Jain, Puneet Anand.
Background: Adolescent period is characterized by physical, psychological and behavioural changes and girls can show different reactions to these changes. Proper information can help them in handling these changes without any stress. Tribal females are a vulnerable population and lack health care facilities. Limited data is available on awareness of pubertal changes and reproductive health among tribal adolescent girls. Aims of the study were to study and compare the level of awareness about pubertal changes and reproductive health between tribal and urban adolescent girls. Methods: The study population consisted of 200 adolescent girls between 10-19 years age 100 each, from urban and tribal setting. A predesigned questionnaire, which consisted of questions designed to evaluate the awareness about pubertal changes and reproductive health was used for data collection. Data was analysed using SPSS software, student t test, Chi- square test and co-relation test. Results: Mean age of the study population was 13.76±1.2 years. Mean awareness of urban adolescent girls about pubertal changes and reproductive health was significantly greater than tribal adolescent girls. Awareness was more in older age and more literate adolescent girls. Conclusions: Information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns have to be strengthened to increase awareness on menstrual hygiene practices and sexually transmitted diseases among tribal adolescent girls as these are a vulnerable group.


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A Previously Undescribed Presentation of Mixed Adenoneuroendocrine Carcinoma

We report a case of mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) of stomach with tubular adenoma and well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor (WD-NET) in the primary tumor in the stomach giving rise to biphenotypic regional nodal metastases. A 35-year-old woman with abdominal pain was found to have a 1.8-cm gastric lesion, diagnosed as WD-NET (intermediate grade) on the biopsy. The resection specimen contained residual WD-NET; there was also a gastric adenoma adjacent to the NET and nodal metastasis with both adeno- and neuroendocrine components. The tumor was classified as MANEC. Of note, the entire gastric tissue was submitted and multiple deeper levels of the adenomatous lesion were examined; no adenocarcinoma was present in the primary lesion. While association of gastric adenoma with neuroendocrine neoplasm is rare, presence of biphenotypic metastasis originating from such a lesion is highly unusual and to the best of our knowledge has not been reported.

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Reassessing the Role of the Active TGF-β1 as a Biomarker in Systemic Sclerosis: Association of Serum Levels with Clinical Manifestations

Objective. To determine active TGF-1 (aTGF-1) levels in serum, skin, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture supernatants and to understand their associations with clinical parameters in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. Methods. We evaluated serum samples from 56 SSc patients and 24 healthy controls (HC). In 20 SSc patients, we quantified spontaneous or anti-CD3/CD28 stimulated production of aTGF-1 by PBMC. The aTGF-1 levels were measured by ELISA. Skin biopsies were obtained from 13 SSc patients and six HC, and TGFB1 expression was analyzed by RT-PCR. Results. TGF-1 serum levels were significantly higher in SSc patients than in HC (p

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Facile Synthesis, Characterization, and Cytotoxic Activity of Europium-Doped Nanohydroxyapatite

The objective of this study was to synthetize europium-doped nanohydroxyapatite using a simple aqueous precipitation method and, thereafter, characterize and impregnate selected samples with 5-fluorouracil in order to explore the properties and the releasing capacity of this material. The nanohydroxyapatite was doped with 3, 5, 10, and 20 wt% of europium. The obtained samples were characterized after they were dried at 80°C and hydrothermal treated at 120°C by 2 hours. The samples were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. Also, impregnation and release of 5-fluorouracil were assessed in PBS. The toxicity effects of all samples were studied using viability assays on human fibroblasts cells (HGF-1) in vitro. The sizes of the crystallites were about 10–70 nm with irregular morphology and present the phase corresponding to the JCPDS card 9–0432 for hydroxyapatite. The results of the toxicity experiments indicated that doped and undoped powders are biocompatible with fibroblasts cells. Hydroxyapatite samples doped with 5% of europium and loaded with 5-fluorouracil release almost 7 mg/L of the drug after 60 minutes in PBS and decrease the viability of HeLa cells after 24 hours.

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The Role of the Cognitive Control System in Recovery from Bilingual Aphasia: A Multiple Single-Case fMRI Study

Aphasia in bilingual patients is a therapeutic challenge since both languages can be impacted by the same lesion. Language control has been suggested to play an important role in the recovery of first (L1) and second (L2) language in bilingual aphasia following stroke. To test this hypothesis, we collected behavioral measures of language production (general aphasia evaluation and picture naming) in each language and language control (linguistic and nonlinguistic switching tasks), as well as fMRI during a naming task at one and four months following stroke in five bilingual patients suffering from poststroke aphasia. We further applied dynamic causal modelling (DCM) analyses to the connections between language and control brain areas. Three patients showed parallel recovery in language production, one patient improved in L1, and one improved in L2 only. Language-control functions improved in two patients. Consistent with the dynamic view of language recovery, DCM analyses showed a higher connectedness between language and control areas in the language with the better recovery. Moreover, similar degrees of connectedness between language and control areas were found in the patients who recovered in both languages. Our data suggest that engagement of the interconnected language-control network is crucial in the recovery of languages.

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Piloting Psychology Annual Reviews as a Method of Measuring Psychological Distress and Quality of Life in Paediatric Renal Transplant Patients

Psychosocial distress and poorer quality of life after renal transplantation are common in children and young people. This has implications for medication adherence and survival. Posttransplant psychology annual reviews were introduced in one Paediatric Renal Service in the UK as a means of measuring psychological distress and quality of life, as well as facilitating identification of patients and parents/carers who would benefit from psychological intervention. The process of completing posttransplant psychology annual reviews is discussed within this paper. The posttransplant psychology annual review appointments identified patients experiencing depression and/or anxiety and problems in quality of life. These assessments have led to appropriate referrals to, and engagement with, the renal psychology service as well as with community tier 3 child and adolescent mental health services. The posttransplant psychology annual review will continue to be completed at this UK site and discussions will be undertaken with other paediatric renal transplant services to consider whether these could be introduced at a national level to facilitate collection of longitudinal data regarding long-term psychosocial impact of paediatric renal transplantation and its effect on quality of life.

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Comparison of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates from Drinking Well Water and Pit Latrine Wastewater in a Rural Area of China

The present study was conducted to gain insights into the occurrence and characteristics of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- (ESBL-) producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) from drinking well water in the rural area of Laiwu, China, and to explore the role of the nearby pit latrine as a contamination source. ESBL-producing E. coli from wells were compared with isolates from pit latrines in the vicinity. The results showed that ESBL-producing E. coli isolates, with the same antibiotic resistance profiles, ESBL genes, phylogenetic group, plasmid replicon types, and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) fingerprints, were isolated from well water and the nearby pit latrine in the same courtyard. Therefore, ESBL-producing E. coli in the pit latrine may be a likely contributor to the presence of ESBL-producing E. coli in rural well water.

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