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The social identity development of adolescents in marginalized communities across the globe holds paramount significance in determining the overall well-being of its future population. Focusing on one such community, the Kodavas, an Indigenous community in South India, this study aims to understand the shifting configurations of social identity based on the changing sociocultural structure and its implications on identity perception among the adolescents belonging to the Kodava community in Kodagu district in Karnataka, India. This study used a qualitative research design to develop an analytical framework of social identity formation and its transitions in the context of the Kodavas. Data were collected from 188 adolescents (47% boys, 53% girls) between 13 and 17 years (M age  = 15 years), in the form of essay writing. The findings based on thematic analysis highlight the core traditional elements of Kodava identity, factors influencing the transition in identity, and its reflection in the contemporary period., (© 2024 Society for Research on Adolescence.)

Background & Objectives: Emerging zoonotic and vector-borne diseases are posing new challenges to public health authorities. Morbidities and mortalities due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) is a serious health problem in paediatric patients. We conducted serological investigations on AES cases from six districts of north eastern Madhya Pradesh (MP), India for Japanese encephalitis (JE)., Methods: The paired serum and CSF samples were collected from paediatric patients having signs and symptoms of encephalitis and admitted at a tertiary care hospital during the study period from August 2020 to October 2021. Demographic and clinical information was collected in predesigned formats. Serum and CSF were subjected to JE IgM specific ELISA., Results: Samples from 110 patients were collected during the study period of which 28 (25.4%) were reactive for JE IgM antibodies. JE IgM positivity was marginally higher in male children (26.6%) as compared to female children (22.8%). Out of 28 positive cases, 11 (39.2%) deaths were attributed to JE. Four districts of north eastern Madhya Pradesh showed JE activity. Maximum cases were observed in post-monsoon season., Interpretation & Conclusion: Our results show that JEV is an emerging threat in eastern central India and health authorities need to be vigilant. A systematic molecular and serological survey among humans and animals along with xenomonitoring will help in understanding intricacies of JE epidemiology in the region.

Objective: To determine the acceptability of keeping a self-written health diary among members of low-income communities, with the aim of generating needed health data., Methods: We identified three different types of impoverished communities (tribal, inner-city slum and rural) in north India, and conducted a baseline survey to establish the sociodemographic properties of the members of 595 (tribal), 446 (slum) and 51 (rural) households. We designed health diaries with a single page to fill in per month, each with a carbon duplicate, and distributed diaries to willing participants. Health volunteers visited households each month to assist with diary completion and to collect duplicate pages for a period of one year. We compared the frequency of illnesses reported in health diaries with baseline survey data., Findings: A total of 4881 diary users (tribal: 2205; slum: 2185; rural: 491) participated in our project. In terms of acceptability, 49.6% (1093/2205), 64.7% (1413/2185) and 79.0% (388/491) at the tribal, slum and rural sites, respectively, expressed satisfaction with the scheme and a willingness to continue. In the tribal and slum areas, we observed increased reporting of illnesses from health diaries when compared with baseline data. We observed that influenza-like illnesses were reported with the highest frequency of 58.9% (2972/5044) at the tribal site., Conclusion: We observed high levels of acceptability and participation among the communities. From our initial field studies, we have observed the benefits to both our study participants (timely preventive education and referrals) and to service providers (obtaining health data to allow improved planning)., ((c) 2021 The authors; licensee World Health Organization.)

Recent developments in modern biotechnology such as the use of RNA interference (RNAi) have broadened the scope of crop genetic modification. RNAi strategies have led to significant achievements in crop protection against biotic and abiotic stresses, modification of plant traits, and yield improvement. As RNAi-derived varieties of crops become more useful in the field, it is important to examine the capacity of current regulatory systems to deal with such varieties, and to determine if changes are needed to improve the existing frameworks. We review the biosafety frameworks from the perspective of developing countries that are increasingly involved in modern biotechnology research, including RNAi applications, and make some recommendations. Malaysia and India have approved laws regulating living modified organisms and products thereof, highlighting that the use of any genetically modified step requires regulatory scrutiny. In view of production methods for exogenously applied double-stranded RNAs and potential risks from the resulting double-stranded RNA-based products, we argue that a process-based system may be inappropriate for the non-transformative RNAi technology. We here propose that the current legislation needs rewording to take account of the non-transgenic RNAi technology, and discuss the best alternative for regulatory systems in India and Malaysia in comparison with the existing frameworks in other countries.

This study was undertaken to investigate the relation between household food insecurity and mental health problems in teenage girls living in urban slums. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 5 urban slums in Varanasi, India, between September 2016 and July 2017. A probability proportion to size (PPS) method was employed to select 5 of 210 urban slums at a first stage, and in the second stage, 418 teenage girls were chosen randomly from selected households. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and mental health inventory tools were employed to assess food insecurity and mental health status. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with at a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to assess the association between household food insecurity and mental health status. Of 418 respondents, 47.6% were food insecure; 64.1%, 57.7%, and 58.4% had high levels of anxiety, depression, or psychological distress, respectively; and 57.2% exhibited a medium level of loss of behavioral control. Furthermore, teenage girls from food insecure households were more likely to have high levels of anxiety, depression, loss of behavioral control and psychological distress than those living in food secure households. This study shows food insecurity is independently associated with mental health problems among teenage girls. Food insecurity in Indian slums should be addressed by specific public health intervention programs that provide access to sufficient safe, nutritious food.

Background: The combinatorial effects of Plasmodium infection, perturbation of inflammatory responses and the dichotomic role of TNF promoter polymorphism has potential clinical and physiological relevance during pregnancy., Objective and Methods: This coordinated orchestration instigated us to investigate the circulating level of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6) employing ELISA in a stratified group of samples and the plausible genetic association of TNF-α -308 G/A using PCR-RFLP/sequencing during Plasmodium vivax infection in pregnancy., Results: We observed significantly elevated concentrations of IL-1β were observed, followed by IL-6 and TNF-α in women with malaria (WWM) and in malaria in pregnancy (MIP). Further, elevated IL-1β, followed by TNF-α and IL-6 were detected in the non-infected pregnancy group. The differential dynamics of inflammatory cytokine concentration during each trimester of pregnancy with and without P. vivax infection were detected. For the first time, a high level of IL-6 was observed in the first trimester of MIP and high IL-1β in healthy pregnancies. In the second trimester, however, we observed a high level of IL-1β in the MIP group compared to a sustained high level of IL-1β in the healthy pregnancy group. In the third trimester, high IL-1β was sustained in the MIP group and healthy pregnancies acquired a high TNF-α level. The genotypic distribution for the TNF-α promoter -308 G/A position was observed to be nonsignificant and mildly associated during MIP (OR = 1.4) and in WWM (OR = 1.2). Moreover, based on genotypic distribution, we observed a well-correlated and significantly elevated TNF-α concentration in the mutant homozygote genotype (AA; p = 0.001) followed by heterozygotes (GA; p = 0.0001) and ancestral genotypes (GG; p = 0.0001) in both MIP and WWM subjects., Conclusion: The observation of elevated IL-1β and IL-6 in MIP and TNF-α in WWM may be regarded as a prognostic inflammatory marker of infection and pregnancy. Most particularly, the TNF-α concentration and its polymorphic variability in the promoter region may indicate genetic susceptibility and mildly influence the risk for P. vivax infection during pregnancy and in women with malaria., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cervical cancer is the second most common gynecological malignancy worldwide. According to HPV Information Centre, Spain (Aug'2014), in India approximately 1,22,844 women are diagnosed with the disease every year and of them 67,477 die due to the disease. CaCx is said to be mediated by HPV but recent data published reveal the role of Oxidative Stress in different Cancers. Arsenic is also one of the agents for causing Oxidative Stress. Arsenic has been linked with different types of cancer. Arsenic is considered responsible for generation of free radicals and eventually for apoptosis. Early diagnosis of CaCx is presently a matter of concern and clinical presentation in advanced stages become difficult for complete clinical response. For determination of oxidative stress, Malondialdehyde (MDA) was taken as an identifier and arsenic estimation was performed with the help of Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). RBC count and Haemoglobin levels were performed according to standard protocol. MDA was in direct proportion with arsenic concentration and inversely proportional to RBC and Haemoglobin in CaCx patients. Arsenic is one of the major causative agents for oxidative stress and hence may be a risk factor leading to cancer including CaCx.

Cervical cancer has a major impact on the lives of Indian women with an estimated 122, 844 new cases of cervical cancer in the year 2012. About 80% of these cases present in a locally advanced stage leading to high morbidity and mortality. Because of lack of public awareness and infrastructure for screening and early detection in developing countries, this late presentation is likely to continue in the coming years. Radiation therapy has been the treatment of choice for patients with locally advanced cancer cervix. Many clinical trials and meta-analyses have shown a significant improvement in overall and progression-free survival with decreased local and distant recurrences with the use of concurrent chemotherapy with radiation. Most of these trials have been done in women from developed countries where the patient and disease profile are entirely different from ours. Recently, few trials from India have also shown promising results in locally advanced cancer cervix with concurrent chemoradiotherapy but toxicities remain a major concern. Further exploration is required for the use of concurrent chemo radiation prior to incorporating it into routine clinical practice.

Introduction: Studies suggest that ethnicity and racial factors has an important role in the variation in epidemiology of stroke. The present study was conducted to assess the subtypes, risk factors, and outcome of stroke in the tribal community of Jharkhand state and to compare it with that in the non-tribals from the same geographical location., Methods: We carried out a hospital-based prospective observational study at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences-Ranchi. Patients of acute stroke, reporting to the medical outpatient department and emergency department from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010 were studied. Computed tomography scan was done immediately and again after 24 h to confirm the diagnosis of stroke. To compare the findings between tribal and non-tribal patients, we used chi-square test/Fisher exact test as appropriate., Results: Of the total 1156 patients included in the study, 536 were tribals, while 620 were non-tribals. Significant differences were found in tribal stroke patients as compared with non-tribals: mean age of tribal subjects was 53·8 years (60·8 years in non-tribals); stroke in young individual was present in 25% of tribal subjects (17% in non-tribals, P = 0·01); primary intracerebral hemorrhage variety was present in 31% of tribals (18% in non-tribals, P-value < 0·001); the 28th day case fatality rate was 43% among tribal subjects (35% among non-tribals, P = 0·02). Hypertension and alcohol abuse was found to be associated with intracerebral hemorrhage in tribal subjects, although no such association was found in non-tribals., Conclusion: Tribals have early onset, poor outcomes and higher proportion of ICH compared to non-tribals. [Correction added after online publication 7 Aug 2012: The sentence "Tribals have early with non-tribals." in the Conclusion section of the abstract was deleted.]., (© 2012 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke © 2012 World Stroke Organization.)

Chaff cutter is an extensively used machine in Indian rural households to chop fodder for feeding draft and mulch to animals. A survey was conducted in five villages of Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh (a northern state of India) to determine the causal factors responsible for chaff cutter injuries. It was observed that major injuries were caused during children playing with the machine and workers feeding the fodder in to the chute. Further, a survey of chaff cutter manufacturers was conducted to determine the critical dimensions of the machine so that safety interventions could be developed. Based on the survey results and mechanism of injuries, three safety interventions were developed to prevent the injuries. These interventions can be retrofitted on old machines and can be incorporated in new machines as well. Experiments were conducted using different fodder crops to observe difficulty in chaff cutting with the safety interventions. It was observed that incorporation of the interventions had no effect on performance of chaff cutting operation. These were retrofitted on existing machines at different locations and the response was very positive.

The operators of power tiller are exposed to a high level of vibration originating from the dynamic interaction between the soil and the machine. The vibration from the power tiller is transmitted from the handle to hands, arms and shoulders. In the present study, experiments were conducted in three operational conditions i.e. transportation on farm roads, tilling with cultivator and rota-tilling with rota-vator. The highest vibration values were observed in x-direction in all the experiments. The maximum vibration rms values for x-direction were 5.96, 6.81 and 8.00 ms(-2) in tilling with cultivator, transportation and rota-tilling respectively. Three materials were used for intervention development to reduce vibration magnitude. The maximum reduction of 25.30, 31.21 and 30.45% in transportation; 23.50, 30.64 and 20.86% in tilling with cultivator and 24.03, 29.18 and 25.52% in rota-tilling were achieved with polyurethane (PU), rubber and combination of PU and rubber intervention. It was found that the maximum vibration reductions were achieved with the rubber in all three operational conditions. The average exposure time for occurrence of white finger syndrome increased by 28-50% with incorporation of intervention in different operations. Physiological and postural parameters also improved with incorporation of interventions., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.)

Prostate cancer (CaP) is a common reproductive cancer among men. This study was conducted to correlate the cancer incidence with Gangetic zone and to correlate the tumor marker prostate specific antigen (PSA) level in serum with different age groups and stage of malignancy. Patients suffering from CaP in the pathology unit of Mahavir Cancer Sansthan (Hospital and Research Centre), Patna, Bihar, India were studied from June 2009 to May 2010. PSA level in the serum of CaP patients was estimated by ELISA method. CaP incidence was highly recorded in Gangetic zone than the non-Gangetic zone. Maximum patients were in the 56 - 75 years age group with a marked predominance. Results of PSA examination showed that serum PSA level was not correlating with the age of patient and stage of malignancy. Significantly, elevated level of more than 10 ng/ml of PSA was recorded among the studied cancer patients. In this study, it is concluded that Gangetic zone habitat have high risk of CaP and elevated level of PSA was marked in Bihar, India.

Objective: We retrospectively studied our cases of Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney (MCDK). The review was aimed at identifying the pattern of the disease in Indian Scenario and the required management thereof., Methods: We studied the clinical, radiological and nuclear scan findings of 22 patients with unilateral MCDK. They were diagnosed and/or treated in our unit from 1999 to 2007. The diagnosis was achieved by Ultrasound and further confirmed by DMSA scans. Other ancillary investigations like Micturating cystourethrogram were done if indicated. These patients were followed and followup investigations consisted of renal ultrasound, blood pressure measurement, and urinalysis and blood biochemistry, Results: A total of 22 patients (18 boys and 4 girls) with unilateral MCDK were investigated and followed for a mean period of 41 months. MCDK was detected on antenatal ultrasound only in 12(55%) and postnatally in 10(45%) babies. Mean age for postnatal diagnosis was 20 months. Follow up ultrasound revealed complete involution of MCDK in 3 patients and partial regression in 11 patients. The size of dysplastic kidney was unchanged in 4 patients and a further 4 patients underwent nephrectomy. Indications of nephrectomy were parental anxiety in 2, hypertension in 1 and palpable mass in 1., Conclusion: Large proportion (45%) of patients in presented series are diagnosed post natally contrary to western world where more than 80% are diagnosed antenatally. Uncomplicated isolated MCDK carry good prognosis with nephrectomy required in only a few patients. Association with other urological anomalies in ipsilateral/contralateral genitourinary tract is important to identify as they have worse outcome in terms of ultimate renal function. All patients with simple/complex unilateral MCDK should be advised long term follow up for the possible development of hypertension and/or hyper infiltration injury.

The relationship between insulin resistance and abdominal fat distribution was studied in Indian patients with PCOS. Subcutaneous fat, together with a family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, was the best marker of insulin resistance.

Background: Indian tractor drivers operate their tractors and other implements/equipment in an environment which can have extreme temperatures and high level of suspended particulate matter. In addition, Indian tractors do not have adequate vibration and noise attenuating designs features. This cross-sectional study compares the hearing status of tractor driving farmers (TDFs) (study group) and non-tractor driving farmers (NTDFs) (control group) matched for age, sex, generic/ethnic group, land holding, education levels, and work routines., Method: Two groups of 50 experienced tractor-driving farmers and 50 non-driving farmers were selected from 2 villages, 50 km from Delhi. All participants were interviewed for details of work routine and noise exposures. An audiogram was performed and noise measurements taken on tractors and other machines., Results: Self-reported hearing problems were similar (4 cases each) in both the groups of 50 farmers. However, audiogram analysis showed higher prevalence of abnormalities in TDFs. TDFs (24) had more often high frequency hearing loss when compared to NTDFs (14). The noise levels observed on tractors in different operations were in the range of 90-110 dB (A)., Conclusions: Tractor noise levels exceeded the recommended safe limits of OSHA and NIOSH prescribed standards. TDFs had higher high frequency hearing loss than NTDFs. The mechanism of damage and prevention needs to be studied further., (Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

From a total of 22 broiler flocks 347 serum samples were screened by the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and 114 (32.9%) were positive for antibodies to egg drop syndrome 1976 (EDS'76). The HI titres of the serum samples ranged from 2 to 9 log2 and the overall geometric mean titre was 3.9 log2. Of the serum samples 82.5% showed HI titres between 2(2) to 2(5) and the most frequent titre was 2(3). All the flocks were positive and the flock prevalence of HI antibodies ranged from 13.3 to 46.6 per cent. The age distribution of HI antibodies and their titres have also been recorded. The widespread prevalence of EDS'76 virus infection in broilers and its likely significance are discussed.

India is considered to have a low incidence of HIV infection so far. Nevertheless, an epidemic of HIV infection has been reported recently among intra-venous drug users (IVDUs) in Manipur, a north-eastern state of India, bordering Myanmar (Burma). This report describes the epidemiology of intravenous drug abuse in the state of Manipur. Four hundred and fifty IVDUs were interviewed. Their age (median 24 years) and sex patterns (95% male) differ from those reported from western countries. It is estimated that there may be approximately 15,000 such addicts in a population of 1.8 million and 50% of them could be positive for HIV. Knowledge of AIDS and its transmission is significantly higher among the addicts than non-addict controls. Free availability of heroin was found to be the major factor responsible for the high rate of addiction. It is presumed that two other neighbouring States which are well-connected to Manipur and also have a common border with Myanmar (part of the 'Golden Triangle') may have a similar problem with HIV infection.