Prevalence of Asthma and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Children Aged 5-10 Years in a Rural Area of Coimbatore: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Asthma is one of the serious health problems among children, accounting for a major proportion of lost school days due to absenteeism, decreased academic performances, and lesser social interactions. It can impair a child's activities like playing sports and also their sleeping pattern with frequent school absenteeism. In South India, only a few school-based studies to determine the prevalence of asthma have been carried out, and even fewer studies are done in community settings in rural areas of Tamil Nadu.

Effectiveness of tobacco counseling training module (TCTM) in enhancing the knowledge, attitude, ability to identify oral manifestations, self-confidence, and skills (KAASS) in tobacco counseling among undergraduate dental students - An interventional study.

Background: Tobacco use has emerged as a major public health issue with increasing tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Despite evidence that even brief tobacco counseling by health care professionals is effective in motivating a tobacco user to quit, there was a lack of customized tobacco counseling training module (TCTM) for students of dentistry in their existing curriculum. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a customized TCTM in improving KAASS in tobacco counseling among undergraduate dental students.

A regulatory pathway model of neuropsychological disruption in Havana syndrome.

Introduction: In 2016 diplomatic personnel serving in Havana, Cuba, began reporting audible sensory phenomena paired with onset of complex and persistent neurological symptoms consistent with brain injury. The etiology of these Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) and subsequent symptoms remains unknown. This report investigates putative exposure-symptom pathology by assembling a network model of published bio-behavioral pathways and assessing how dysregulation of such pathways might explain loss of function in these subjects using data available in the published literature.

Developing Script Concordance Test Items in Otolaryngology to Improve Clinical Reasoning Skills: Validation using Consensus Analysis and Psychometrics.

Background: Script concordance testing is widely practiced to foster and assess clinical reasoning. Our study aimed to develop script concordance test (SCT) in the specialty of otolaryngology and test the validation using panel response pattern and consensus index.

Materials And Methods: The methodology was an evolving pattern of constructing SCTs, administering them to the panel members, and optimizing the panel with response patterns and consensus index.

Systematic review: interventions to quit tobacco products for young adults.

Background: Young adulthood is an important period for smoking cessation; however, there is limited evidence of smoking-cessation interventions for young adults. The aims of this study were to identify evidence-based smoking-cessation strategies for young adults, examine gaps in the literature regarding smoking cessation among young adults, and discuss methodological issues/challenges related to smoking-cessation studies for young adults.

Methods: Studies tested interventions for smoking cessation among young adults (18 to 26 years old), excluding pilot studies.

A Critical Appraisal of the New Competency-Based Medical Undergraduate Curriculum in Biochemistry.

Unlabelled: The new competency-based medical education undergraduate curriculum (CBMC) was launched for the 2019 admission batch of MBBS students. The programme is designed to create an "Indian Medical Graduate" (IMG) possessing the requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and responsiveness, so that the graduate may function appropriately and effectively as a physician of first contact with the community while being globally relevant. Given that implementation of this curriculum is still in its infancy across the country, we stand to gain from a unified approach to its implementation.

Mapping the network biology of metabolic response to stress in posttraumatic stress disorder and obesity.

The co-occurrence of stress-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obesity is common, particularly among military personnel but the link between these conditions is unclear. Individuals with comorbid PTSD and obesity manifest other physical and psychological problems, which significantly diminish their quality of life. Current understanding of the pathways connecting stress to PTSD and obesity is focused largely on behavioral mediators alone with little consideration of the biological regulatory mechanisms that underlie their co-occurrence.

Instruments to measure e-cigarette related constructs: a systematic review.

Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are relatively new tobacco products that are attracting public attention due to their unique features, especially their many flavor options and their potential as an alternative to cigarettes. However, uncertainties remain regarding the determinants and consequences of e-cigarette use because current research on e-cigarettes is made more difficult due to the lack of psychometrically sound instruments that measure e-cigarette related constructs. This systematic review therefore seeks to identify the instruments in the field that are designed to assess various aspects of e-cigarette use or its related constructs and analyze the evidence presented regarding the psychometric properties of the identified instruments.

Regulatory system to promote the culture of quality at Indian medical schools: Are we doing enough?

The replacement of the Medical Council of India (MCI) with the National Medical Commission (NMC) was an important change in regulatory oversight to bring about transparency in regulatory procedures for improving quality of medical education and meeting the needs of healthcare in India. Similarly, due to globalization of medicine including migration of health workforce and desire to raise standards of medical education and healthcare, efforts have progressed well towards transnational regulation and establishment of an overarching body, which recognizes regulatory agencies for their adherence to good practices. We describe the global collaborative efforts to improve the quality of medical education by the promotion of accreditation through the recognition programme of the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME), the publication of the expert consensus standards across the continuum of medical education and the Guidelines for Accreditation of Basic Medical Education.

Need and Viability of Newborn Screening Programme in India: Report from a Pilot Study.

India, a country with the second largest population in the world, does not have a national newborn screening programme as part of its health policy. With funding support from the Grand Challenges Canada, a pilot newborn screening programme was implemented for the Udupi district of South India to study the need and viability of a national programme in India. Six disorders were selected for the study based on the availability of funding and recommendation from pediatricians in the district.

Deep continental roots and cratons.

The formation and preservation of cratons-the oldest parts of the continents, comprising over 60 per cent of the continental landmass-remains an enduring problem. Key to craton development is how and when the thick strong mantle roots that underlie these regions formed and evolved. Peridotite melting residues forming cratonic lithospheric roots mostly originated via relatively low-pressure melting and were subsequently transported to greater depth by thickening produced by lateral accretion and compression.

Designing flipped classroom using Kemp's instructional model to enhance deep learning and self-directed collaborative learning of basic science concepts.

Background: The flipped classroom pedagogy allows students to introduce a topic and gather their own meanings outside of the classroom, then explore the topic and create their meanings or exclude their misconceptions during class. Our aim was to enhance the ability of self-directed learning (SDL) among medical undergraduates. Pedagogical benefits of the model are highlighted along with potential challenges to its use.

Replicating the Kerala State's Successful COVID-19 Containment Model: Insights on What Worked.

Although Kerala was the first state in India to report COVID cases, it was well prepared drawing on its past experience in managing effectively the Nipah outbreak and Kerala floods. It knew and initiated the measures required for containment because of its prior experience with mobilizing community-based groups, involvement of local-self government in decentralized planning, and participation in the containment and relief measure as well as a system-ready health system and infrastructure. The measures taken to "flatten the curve" that is unique to Kerala and the determinants of success are described in detail as "what worked" using the framework we developed post the Nipah outbreak containment experience.

Academia-industry collaboration to provide interdisciplinary experiential learning opportunities in public health professions education and improve health of female factory workers.

Background: The community medicine department of our medical school, in addition to addressing its mandate to prepare undergraduate students for primary care and graduate students for careers in public health, administers several community-based interventions. An international organization involved with improving health of female factory workers globally invited us to partner in their efforts locally. We used the Precede-Proceed model to design an intervention to deliver the desired project outcomes.

Evaluation of Long-term Stability of Bilateral Sagittal Split Osteotomy in Individuals with Different Growth Patterns.

Objective: Bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is a routinely used surgical step for the correction of a class III with mandibular prognathism. Many factors influence the stability of the surgical correction achieved. This study was designed to access the role of growth pattern in the surgical stability after a BSSO correction.

Mandibular Canine Calcification Stages as an Indicator of Skeletal Maturity.

Aims: The aim of this study was to verify whether there is significant relationship between stages of mandibular canine calcification and skeletal maturation and to determine whether the same can be used as a reliable diagnostic aid to assess skeletal maturity.

Materials And Methods: The sample consisted of 50 males and 50 females aged between 8 and 15 years. Two radiographs namely orthopantomograph and handwrist radiograph were taken for this study.

Enhancing identification and counseling skills of dental undergraduate students using a customized Tobacco Counseling Training Module (TCTM) - A piloting of the process using ADDIE framework.

Background: Tobacco use has emerged as a major public health problem. But, most graduates in medical and dental schools receive limited systematic training. The objective of this education innovation project was to enhance dental undergraduate student's ability to identify tobacco users through oral manifestations and improve their counseling skills using a customized Tobacco Counseling Training Module (TCTM).

A critical review of new competency-based curriculum for community medicine using various curricular review frameworks.

The purpose of the present review is to examine the new competency-based undergraduate curriculum in community medicine against the established frameworks and criteria and suggest the way forward for achieving competencies expected of the Indian Medical Graduate (IMG). The new Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2018, is based on Harden's concept of the curriculum. Hence, we reviewed the components of new curriculum against Harden's conceptualization of various components of the curriculum, and since it claims it is competency-based, we used Tyler's Goal/Objective-Based Evaluation.

Are our rural adolescents eating healthy?: Implications for redesigning school health interventions - A cross sectional study in rural Coimbatore.

Background: Adolescence is a period of transition where independence in thinking and behavior is established and food choices that are made are followed for several years, and this can influence their health in adulthood. Hence, understanding the eating habits are necessary to plan effective nutritional interventions in adolescents.

Objectives: The main objective of the study is to find out the extent of malnutrition among rural adolescents as well as evaluate their eating habits against recommended dietary food groups and to compare eating habits across gender and age groups.

Development, validation and use of appropriate assessment tools for certification of entrustable professional activities in community medicine to produce a competent postgraduate: A pilot study.

Background: Adoption of competence-based medical education (CBME) is the need of the hour.

Objectives: The objective of the study is to develop and validate appropriate assessment tools for the community medicine entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and to assess the usefulness of the validated tools in the assessment of postgraduate (PG) students.

Methods: An interventional study for 14 months was done in the department of community medicine.

Evaluation of Changes in the Alar Base Width Following Lefort 1 and AMO with Conventional Alar Cinch Suturing: A Photographic Study of 100 Cases.

Objective: To assess the changes in alar base width in patients who underwent Lefort 1 osteotomy with anterior maxillary osteotomy (AMO), where conventional alar cinch suturing was done to control the alar base widening.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted on pre-operative and post-operative photographs of 100 female patients aged between 18 and 30 years who underwent Lefort 1 osteotomy with AMO. The derived values were then compared and analysed using test.

Nipah outbreak in North Kerala - What worked? Insights for future response and recovery based on examination of various existing frameworks.

Asia Pacific region has been witnessing numerous public health emergencies in recent years with the Nipah outbreak in North Kerala (2018), India, needs special mention. Threats posed and experiences gained have compelled health systems to draft frameworks nationally and internationally for preparedness, outbreak response, and recovery. Our failure to obtain comprehensive guiding frameworks for application in the Indian context for Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Influenza A (H1N1), and Nipah outbreaks led us to the search outside India for frameworks that have worked in the past.

Effectiveness of multi-strategic health screening cum educational intervention model in promoting health of school children in rural Coimbatore.

Background: Schools are the best setting for health promotion activities, and in India, for many, the schools are in fact the only nurturing and supportive place where they learn health information and have positive behavior consistently reinforced. Therefore, health promotion addressing the nutrition and personal hygiene habits among school children would improve health of school children and mold them into healthy productive citizens of tomorrow.

Objectives: The objective of the study is to find the effectiveness of multi-strategic health screening cum educational intervention model in promoting the health of school children.

Comparative Assessment of Force Decay of the Elastomeric Chain With the Use of Various Mouth Rinses in Simulated Oral Environment: An Study.

Aim: This study is aimed to assess the effect of different mouth rinses and its active components on the force decay of elastomeric chains. Listerine, Colgate Phos-Flur, Clohex Plus mouth rinses, 26.9% alcohol, 0.