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Endemic fluorosis was detected in 31 villages in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Out of the 109 drinking water sources that were analyzed, about 67 % were found to contain high concentration of fluoride above the permissible level of 1.0 mg/l. Dental fluorosis among the primary school children in the age between 8 and 15 served as primary indicator for fluoride intoxication among the children. Urinary fluoride levels among the adults were found to be correlated with drinking water fluoride in 10 villages affected by fluoride. Intervention in the form of alternate safe water supply in five villages showed significant reduction in the urinary fluoride concentration when compared to the control village. Urinary fluoride serves as an excellent marker for assessing the effectiveness of intervention program in the fluoride-affected villages.

Background: Intestinal infections with Helicobacter pylori mainly occur during childhood. If contracted, these infections may cause chronic gastritis, frequently leading to peptic ulcer disease in later life. This study aims to detect the prevalence of H. pylori infections in patients with active gastritis. Methods: The study included 150 participants who were consuming daily anti-gastritis drugs to reduce the gas and were considered active gastritis patients and were recruited from Pokhara metropolitan-30, from May 2018 to March 2019. They were screened for H. pylori antibodies for detection of infection by the immunochromatographic rapid detection kit, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 2016. Results: Serum anti-Helicobacter pylori antibodies were used to detect the presence of H. pylori in these participants. Among the 150 participants, 54 were males (36%) and 96 were females (64%). The results showed that 47(31.3%) of the patients were positive for anti-H. pylori test. The age group 30 to 40 had the highest prevalence of 21(14.0%). Using public water as a source of drinking water showed the highest prevalence of H. pylori with a P value of 0.04. Conclusion: There should be an additional aspect required for the diagnosis and treatment of gastritis, which is the healthcare providers' and patients' awareness of the cause and most efficient treatments for this medical condition. Using only anti-gastritis drugs is not sufficient; treatment against H. pylori requires the right pathway of treatment by the use of several antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]