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Background: Breast cancer is a prevalent form of cancer in women. In a majority of the cases, it is detected either during screening or after a woman identifies an abnormal lump in the breast. As a result, it has become a significant health concern. Objective: The research goal of this study was to determine the perceived awareness of risk factors, health beliefs, and screening behaviours regarding breast cancer. Materials and methods: A descriptive survey was conducted among 200 working women selected using the simple random sampling technique. The following tools were used to collect the data: i) demographic proforma (19 items); ii) structured perceived awareness scale on risk factors of breast cancer (20 items); iii) structured health belief and screening behaviour scale on breast cancer (40 items). Descriptive and inferential statistics analysed the findings. Results: The majority (97.0%) of the participants had moderate perceived awareness regarding breast cancer risk factors. The mean scores of the subdomains of health beliefs and screening behaviours were found to be high. The relationship between perceived awareness with perceived benefits (p

The objective of this study was to observe the effects of the duration of handheld mobile phone usage on the salivary flow, salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) level, and salivary markers for oxidative stress.Eighty-one students were categorized into three groups based on their duration of mobile phone usage after age- and gender-matching. Students were grouped as: mobile phone usage20 min/day (Group A), mobile phone usage 20-60 min/day (Group B), and mobile phone usage60 min/day (Group C). Saliva was collected to evaluate salivary flow rate, salivary IgA level, and salivary markers for oxidative stress.The salivary flow rate showed no statistically significant difference between the three groups (The duration of handheld mobile phone usage did not show any significant effects on the salivary flow rate, salivary IgA, and thiol levels. There was an increase in the salivary MDA concentration in subjects using handheld mobile phones for a longer duration, indicating higher oxidative stress in salivary glands exposed to mobile phone radiofrequency electromagnetic waves for a longer duration.

Introduction: Menarche is the appearance of first menstrual bleed. Many factors leads to early onset ofmenarche, of which physical factors, genetic factors, environmental factors, nutritional factors and familyfactors play a pivotal role. Objectives: The present study titled “Factors influencing early onset of menarcheamong school children” was an attempt to assess the mean age at onset of menarche and to determine thefactors influencing early onset of menarche among cases and controls. Methods: A case control study wasadapted to identify the factors influencing early onset of menarche among 411 (137 in cases and controls274) children who were aged between 8-12 years. The schools were selected by simple random samplingtechnique and subjects by purposive sampling technique. Results: The study identified the mean age atonset of menarche among school children (including cases and controls) was 10.81 ± 0.821yeras. Meanage at which siblings attained the menarche for controls were at 12 ± 1.697 years and controls was at 13 ±1.697 years. The study also revealed statistically significant association between factors like consumptionof fast food (x2= 1.250, p

Objective: To assess the experience of postnatal mothers regarding sore nipples, to explore the remedies adopted for sore nipple symptom relief and to compare the experience of primipara and multipara mothers regarding sore nipples. Method: An explorative survey design was adopted and 200 postnatal mothers were selected by purposive sampling technique. The data were collected by administering demographic proforma, semi structured questionnaire on experience of sore nipple and remedies adopted for the management of sore nipple. Results and Conclusion: The study findings revealed that, 120 (60%) mothers developed sore nipple problem within one week. Pain persisted for more than one week for 120 (60%) mothers. Majority of the mothers, 180 (90%) used remedial measures for the relief of pain. Most of the primi para mothers, 160 (80%) expressed it as “very severe” “horrible” and “intolerable” pain compared to multipara mothers. The study concluded that despite of having sore nipple, all the mothers continued breast feeding, so that baby will not be deprived of its nutrition.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Celastrus paniculatus seed oil in preventing the onset of chronic aluminum induced cortico-hippocampal neurodegeneration and oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: An animal model of senile dementia of Alzheimer's type was produced by administering aluminum as aluminum chloride (4.2 mg/kg) intraperitoneally to male Wistar rats for 60 days and results compared to untreated control. Neurobehavioral investigations of Morris water maze tests, passive avoidance test, rotarod test and biochemical estimations of acetylcholineterase, malondialdehyde, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, and hemoglobin in blood were performed fortnightly which gauged the extent of global oxidative stress and progressive neural damage. Findings were fortified by the above enzyme assays and histology of brain at necropsy. Prophylactic oral C. paniculatus in two doses 0.5 ml and 1 ml, were given to animals and the results were analyzed in comparison to a similar rodent model with standard drug donepezil (0.5 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Results: C. paniculatus showed a significant prevention in onset of aluminum induced neural insult and overall systemic oxidative stress which was corroborated by the enlisted neurobehavioral, biochemical, and histological evidence. Conclusion: C. paniculatus is a putative decelerator of Al-mediated Alzheimer's like pathobiology.

Aim: Emerging evidence favors the important role of antioxidants, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), and nitric oxide (NO) in the healing of diabetic wounds. There is a lack of substantial evidence regarding the effects of negative pressure on antioxidants, MMPs and NO in chronic wounds associated with diabetes. Methods: A total of 55 type 2 diabetic patients with leg ulcers were divided into 2 groups: a limited access dressing (LAD) group (n = 27) and a conventional dressing group (n = 28). Levels of hydroxyproline, total protein, MMP‑2 and MMP‑9, NO and antioxidants including reduced glutathione (GSH) and the oxidative biomarker malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in the granulation tissue at days 0 and 10. Changes in levels between the LAD and conventional groups were determined by the Student’s t‑test. Results: After 10 days of treatment, the LAD vs. conventional dressing group showed increase in the levels of hydroxyproline (mean ± standard deviation = 55.2 ± 25.1 vs. 29.2 ± 1, P < 0.05), total protein (12.8 ± 6.5 vs. 8.34 ± 3.2, P < 0.05), NO (1.13 ± 0.52 vs. 0.66 ± 0.43, P < 0.05), GSH (7.0 ± 2.4 vs. 6.6 ± 2.2, P < 0.05) and decrease in MMP‑2 (0.47 ± 0.33 vs. 0.62 ± 0.30, P < 0.05), MMP‑9 (0.32 ± 0.20 vs. 0.53 ± 0.39, P < 0.05) and MDA (6.8 ± 2.3 vs. 10.4 ± 3.4, P < 0.05). Conclusion: When compared to conventional dressings, LAD induces biochemical changes by significantly increasing the levels of hydroxyproline, total protein, NO and antioxidants levels, and significantly reducing MMPs (MMP‑2 and MMP‑9) and an oxidative biomarker in diabetic wounds. These biochemical changes are thought to favor diabetic wound healing.