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Since the independence of India, one of the biggest challenges that the country has been facing is reduction in poverty. More than six decades have been passed out; poverty has been persisting in the country especially in rural India (the real India) popularly known as "Bharat." India contributes a third of the global poor. China contributes 13 percent of the global poor. In respect of poverty, China is better off than India. From time to time, different studies have been carried out to measure the magnitude of Indian poverty, but the correct picture has not yet emerged. The present article tries to analyze emerging trends in Indian poverty on the one hand and on the other hand to discuss different issues which are coming up in regard to taking measures in reducing poverty The article further examines a comparison of India with China's poverty scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of lifelong exposure to drinking-water containing fluoride on tooth enamel microhardness was investigated. Dental fluorosis of teeth from adult subjects, who lived continuously since birth in areas characterized by the hot climate of India, supplied by drinking-water containing between 0·5 and 8·7 parts/10 F, was estimated by the Dean score. Tooth enamel sections were examined from the enamel surface towards the dentino–enamel junction (DEJ) for microhardness. Separated enamel crowns were pulverized and analysed for fluoride. Regarding the distribution of the fluoride concentrations in the drinking-water, we selected a partition below and above 0·8 parts/10 F as a criterion for comparison between the results. Tooth enamel of humans from Israel living in a drinking-water area containing about 0·5 parts/10 F was also examined. Positive associations were evident between fluoride in drinking-water, fluoride concentrations in the bulk enamel and fluorosis selection. A significantly high inverse relationship was evident between the fluoride concentration of the drinking-water and the subsurface enamel microhardness. In similar fluoride-concentration drinking-water areas of India and Israel the microhardness of the subsurface enamel was less for the Indian teeth. The microhardness of the enamel near the DEJ for the three different water fluoride-concentration areas was not significantly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cutaneous adverse sequelae of skin lightening creams present with myriad skin complications and affect dermatology practice, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where such products are widely used, with a prevalence of 25-67%., Objectives: To examine the skin lightening practices of both African and Indian women living in South Africa., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in the general outpatient departments of two regional university hospitals in Durban, South Africa. All consenting African and Indian women aged 18-70 years were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire., Results: Six hundred women completed the questionnaire, of whom 32·7% reported using skin lightening products. The main reasons cited were treatment of skin problems (66·7%) and skin lightening (33·3%). Products were purchased from a variety of sources. Twenty-five percent reported using sunscreen., Conclusions: The use of skin lightening cosmetics is common among darkly pigmented South African women, including those of both African and Indian ancestries. Despite more than 20 years of governmental regulations aimed at prohibiting both the sale of cosmetics containing mercury, hydroquinone and corticosteroids, and the advertising of any kind of skin lightener, they are far from having disappeared. The main motivations for using these products are the desire to treat skin disorders and to achieve a lighter skin colour. Television and magazine advertisements seem to influence women's choice of these products and, thus, would be efficient channels for raising public awareness about the dangers of using uncontrolled skin lighteners., (© 2015 The Authors BJD © 2015 British Association of Dermatologists.)