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Ragging has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and has ruined the careers of thousands of students. A total of 717 cases of ragging were reported in the English print media alone across the country from January 2007 to September 2013. However, the media reports tend to focus on extreme cases and do not reveal the true extent of ragging. Moreover, in the absence of empirical data, it is difficult to understand the processes involved in, and the ramifications of, ragging. This study examines the prevalence and types of ragging practices in educational institutions. The study covered 10,632 students from 37 educational institutions spread across 12 states in India. Findings show that almost 40 per cent students admitted to having experienced some kind of ragging. College-wise analysis of the results showed marked variations in the prevalence of ragging among colleges, thus pointing to the role of institutional factors in the occurrence of ragging. Variations in responses are also seen based on the kind of course pursued, gender, and place of residence of student, thus indicating that these are critical factors in influencing the prevalence, severity and kinds of ragging practices.

Background: India has the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden, accounting for one-fifth of the global incidence and two-third of the cases in Southeast Asia with an estimated 1.9 million new cases every year. Identifying and treating latent TB infection (LTBI) can reduce the risk of development of active disease by up to 90%, thereby decreasing a major burden to the prevalence of the disease, and thus reducing potential sources in future. Aim: Early diagnosis of LTBI by tuberculin skin test (TST) and a newer interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Materials and Methods: Seventy-seven clinically asymptomatic household contacts (≤18 years) of confirmed pulmonary TB patients were enrolled to compare the performance of TST and IGRA to diagnose LTBI. At baseline, all participants underwent testing for IGRA and TST. Results: TST showed positivity of 22%, while IGRA demonstrated positivity of 40% in the diagnosis of latent TB. Kappa value at 95% confidence interval was 0.4753, indicates a moderate agreement between the two tests. This indicates that IGRA is a better predictor of latent TB. Maximum positive percentage was in the age group of 16–18 years in both the tests followed by 1–5 years. Conclusion: IGRA is a better predictor or diagnostic marker of LTBI. Although TST remains the preferred method of testing LTBI, IGRAs like ETB-Feron; a more efficient diagnostic test can be preferred based on patient affordability, logistics, and individual preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ragging has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and has ruined the careers of thousands of students. A total of 717 cases of ragging were reported in the English print media alone across the country from January 2007 to September 2013. However, the media reports tend to focus on extreme cases and do not reveal the true extent of ragging. Moreover, in the absence of empirical data, it is difficult to understand the processes involved in, and the ramifications of, ragging. This study examines the prevalence and types of ragging practices in educational institutions. The study covered 10,632 students from 37 educational institutions spread across 12 states in India. Findings show that almost 40 per cent students admitted to having experienced some kind of ragging. College-wise analysis of the results showed marked variations in the prevalence of ragging among colleges, thus pointing to the role of institutional factors in the occurrence of ragging. Variations in responses are also seen based on the kind of course pursued, gender, and place of residence of student, thus indicating that these are critical factors in influencing the prevalence, severity and kinds of ragging practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Type 2 diabetes is a major health problem in many countries including India. Yoga may be an effective type 2 diabetes prevention strategy in India, particularly given its cultural familiarity. Methods This was a parallel, randomized controlled pilot study to collect feasibility and preliminary efficacy data on yoga for diabetes risk factors among people at high risk of diabetes. Primary outcomes included: changes in BMI, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and cholesterol. We also looked at measures of psychological well-being including changes in depression, anxiety, positive and negative affect and perceived stress. Forty-one participants with elevated fasting blood glucose in Bangalore, India were randomized to either yoga (n = 21) or a walking control (n = 20). Participants were asked to either attend yoga classes or complete monitored walking 3-6 days per week for eight weeks. Randomization and allocation was performed using computer-generated random numbers and group assignments delivered in sealed, opaque envelopes generated by off-site study staff. Data were analyzed based on intention to treat. Results This study was feasible in terms of recruitment, retention and adherence. In addition, yoga participants had significantly greater reductions in weight, waist circumference and BMI versus control (weight -0.8 ± 2.1 vs. 1.4 ± 3.6, p = 0.02; waist circumference -4.2 ± 4.8 vs. 0.7 ± 4.2, p < 0.01; BMI -0.2 ± 0.8 vs. 0.6 ± 1.6, p = 0.05). There were no between group differences in fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, insulin resistance or any other factors related to diabetes risk or psychological well-being. There were significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, anxiety, depression, negative affect and perceived stress in both the yoga intervention and walking control over the course of the study. Conclusion Among Indians with elevated fasting blood glucose, we found that participation in an 8-week yoga intervention was feasible and resulted in greater weight loss and reduction in waist circumference when compared to a walking control. Yoga offers a promising lifestyle intervention for decreasing weight-related type 2 diabetes risk factors and potentially increasing psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a commentary on the move of Muslim men to wage jihad in India through love marriages. It explores the capture of Hindu women by Muslim men for marriage in order to increase the population of Muslims in the country. It asserts the need for social reform in the country to address the problem. The article attributes the practice to the creation of virulent masculinities.

The article discusses issues related to the shortage of human resources for health in India in relation to efforts by the Indian government to move towards universal health coverage. It presents a background of the country's commitment to providing a universal, affordable health care to its citizens. It cites the lack of a significant improvement in public health education due to the fact that it is restricted to medical colleges. The state of human resources in health is also described.

The article explores the small-scale studies on safe motherhood that were assessed in a workshop in New Delhi, India in February 2007. The workshop evaluated whether the studies could contribute new insights that might lead to policy proposals aimed at addressing the increasing number of maternal deaths in India. The papers presented at the workshop included studies from a the single district of Dharmapuri, survey and interview data from sub-district levels and ethnographic studies of villages, slums and hospitals in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal. A paper by Sarah Hodges placed safe motherhood initiatives in a historical context, while the research by Alaka Basu warned against two dominant understandings of the cause of high maternal mortality in South Asia.

Mohan Rao traces the history of the last five years of India's population momentum in relation to state and central policies. He argues that despite the Cairo rhetoric taken up in New Delhi this does not find reflection in policies in the states, and indeed in many other policies emanating from the centre. Looking at the laws and practices and the struggles of women's health groups in Indian states, he suggests that doomsday demo graphic discourses continue to dictate reproductive health policy based on the assumption that social and economic problems stem primarily from population growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]