Investigating the Prevalence of Menopausal Symptoms and Medico-Social Dimensions of Menopause in Rural Puducherry, India: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.

Introduction Globally, the health of women has been of great concern for healthcare providers for the past many years. However, the concern is limited to maternal and adolescent health and the life course approach is lagging. Thus, a need was felt to study the changes after menopause and its influential factors by determining the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and medico-socio-cultural dimensions of menopause among perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women.

Need for Interactive Data Visualization in Public Health Practice: Examples from India.

The world is full of data which is increasing by leaps and bounds. In health care, big data is becoming common with increased electronic health data accumulation and/or accessibility to public data previously held under lock and key. At the same time, health data visualization applications have become popular over recent years.

Assessment of Self Perception of Competencies among a Group of Dental interns in Pondicherry, India.

Context: The general dentist must not only have a broad biomedical and clinical education but also be able to demonstrate professional and ethical behavior as well as effective communication and interpersonal skills. In addition he or she must have the ability to evaluate and utilize emerging technologies, continuing professional development opportunities, and problem-solving and critical thinking skills to effectively address current and future issues in health care. But the extent to which the core competencies are taught and the students' level of proficiency in these competencies in Indian scenario is to be explored at large.

A Goal Unrealized: Patient Empowerment on Hand Hygiene- A Web-Based Survey from India.

Introduction: Each year, millions of patients around the world are affected by Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs). Understanding and assessing the global burden of HCAI is one of the key areas of work to improve the hand hygiene.

Aim: To assess the patient empowerment and awareness on hand hygiene among online users.

The Proposal of a BDS Syllabus Framework to Suit Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

Introduction: Higher education takes a new dimension universally in the form of choice based Credit System (CBCS). In India, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has made CBCS mandatory in all fields except for Health Profession. Not much attempts were made in designing a BDS syllabus to suit CBCS.

Student perceptions regarding the usefulness of explicit discussion of "Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome" taxonomy.

One method of grading responses of the descriptive type is by using Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy. The basis of this study was the expectation that if students were oriented to SOLO taxonomy, it would provide them an opportunity to understand some of the factors that teachers consider while grading descriptive responses and possibly develop strategies to improve scores. We first sampled the perceptions of 68 second-year undergraduate medical students doing the Respiratory System course regarding the usefulness of explicit discussion of SOLO taxonomy.

Prevalence of undetected cognitive impairment and depression in residents of an elderly care home.

The elderly population in Malaysia is growing rapidly. Some of the most vulnerable are in residential care. Research is needed into the characteristics of this population to aid clinicians and policy makers in addressing the needs of this group.

Primary hyperparathyroidism in Saudi Arabia: a review of 46 cases.

Records of 46 patients who were treated for primary hyperparathyroidism at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh Saudi Arabia from 1st July 2000 to 30th June 2006 were reviewed. Mean age at diagnosis was 44 years (range 13 - 70 years) and average duration of symptoms was 39 months (1 month to 11 years). There were 35 females and 11 males with a ratio of 3.

Body mass index and nutritional status of adults in two rural villages in northern malaysia.

There has been a change in the lifestyles of populations, including reduced physical activity and consumption of foods high in calories. Overweight and obesity are now replacing the more traditional public health concerns such as under-nutrition and infectious diseases as some of the most significant contributors to ill health. Determination of the body mass index (BMI) profile and nutritional status of adults of two rural coastal villages in Northern Malaysia was part of a community diagnosis in a community survey.

Byssinosis among male textile workers in Pondicherry: a case-control study.

Background: In India, 20 million workers are involved in the manufacturing of textiles. However, there are few epidemiological studies from India that have assessed the magnitude or the risk factors associated with byssinosis. In Pondicherry, textile mills have been in existence for over a century.

Scorpion envenomation as a risk factor for development of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: Though scorpion envenomation is known to lead to acute myocarditis and a reversible decrease in left ventricular function, it has not been implicated as an etiological factor in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We studied the association of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy with a history of scorpion sting as well as with socio-economic status, history of smoking and alcoholism, rural habitation, and history of snake bites.

Methods: Consecutive cases of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy were recruited for this study: The association with putative risk factors was studied using a case-control study design with two sets of controls.

Poliomyelitis trends in Pondicherry, south India, 1989-91.

Study Objectives: To assess the poliomyelitis trend, including study of the epidemiological features, and to correlate this with the immunisation coverage of infants.

Design: Three annual lameness surveys in children aged 0-60 months employing cluster sampling methods and a series of five cross sectional surveys of immunisation coverage in children aged 12-23 months of age were undertaken.

Setting: Pondicherry, India, 1988-92.

Community experience for medical students.

This article outlines the features of community postings for medical students in their second clinical year at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, in Pondicherry, India. Their exposure to the realities of preventive and social medicine in the field clearly helps them to cope with what would otherwise be only theoretical knowledge.

Infant mortality in Pondicherry--an analysis of a cohort of 8185 births.

Infant mortality rate is one of the 12 global indicators for monitoring Health for All. Reliable data on infant mortality are not available for the majority of developing countries including India. To plan strategies for bringing down the rate and, later, to evaluate them, 'Cause Specific Rates' would be necessary.

Serological response to tetanus toxoid: a field study in Pondicherry, India.

To study the serological response to various doses of tetanus toxoid given to pregnant women, 320 samples of blood obtained from 173 pregnant women were analysed using the indirect haemagglutination technique. Two doses of toxoid were necessary to achieve protective titres in women who were previously unimmunized. The antibody levels appeared to persist for up to 4 years.

Symphysis-fundal height measurement--a reliable parameter for assessment of fetal growth.

Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is one of the major causes of perinatal mortality in countries like India. Fundal height traditionally measured in relation to umbilicus and xiphisternum is of little value in predicting the fetal growth. Some workers have found that symphysis fundal height (SFH) measurements could be useful in screening pregnancies for growth retardation.