Search

Widowhood, in Indian society, is a dreaded condition of a woman after the death of her husband. It is an imposed performance that entails a set of ritualized practices and behavior to mark her transition to the state of a woman without. On many occasions, this state is ensured and maintained through multifarious rituals and practices, which range from restrictions on mobility, choices, and desires to injunctions on clothes, bodily demeanor, and food. This physio-social exercise of control and restraint alludes to a framework of religio-cultural discourse that renders widows as social and sexual non-beings. The present paper attempts to understand the state of widowhood through the analysis of two short stories in the collection, The Anger of Aubergines (1997) by Bulbul Sharma from the perspective of food. Food and eating, being the elementary aspects of everyday life, become important signifiers in studying the deprived state of widowhood. The paper intends to unpack the politics behind the imposition of a curriculum of gastronomic injunctions and food taboos on Hindu upper-caste widows. Further, the paper conceptualizes the appetite of widows as a subversive category not only in challenging the gender discourses behind their oppression but also in exonerating their status as desireless beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is a common mental health disorder that is characterized by loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration, insomnia or hypersomnia, and occasionally suicidal thoughts. Apart from biological factors, sociocultural factors also play a key role in development of depression Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression in the study population and to study various socio-demographic correlates of depression in the study population. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out in an urban slum area of Rohtak city during 2016-2017. A total of 600 study participants were selected and interviewed by using PHQ-9 depression scale. The collected data were entered in MS Excel spread sheet and analysed using SPSS software version 20.0. Results: Mean age of the study participants was 37.91 ± 11.75 years. Almost all (97.5 %) study subjects were Hindu. Majority (52 %) belonged to General category. Overall prevalence of depression was found to be 16.2%. The distribution for factors like gender, marital status, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, type of family, living arrangement, smoking habit and death of close relatives were found to be statistically significant with depression (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, divorce/separation, illiteracy, unemployment, lower socioeconomic class nuclear family living alone, smoking habit, presence of chronic morbidity and death of close relative in past one year, as independent predictors of depression. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression among adults in an urban slum of north India was found to be 16.2%. Our findings indicate that depression in urban slum is significantly associated with determinants such as gender marital status, education, occupation, SE class, family type, smoking, living arrangement, death of close relative, chronic morbidities like neurological disorders, diabetes and hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of appetite (LOA) may have a negative impact on a patient's well-being owing to loss of nutrition and associated conditions. The current study assessed the effects of an appetite-stimulating medication containing multivitamins, lysine, and zinc in Indian patients with a history of LOA. Using an investigator-initiated, single-center, open-label, single-arm design, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of the appetite-stimulating medication (15 mL) in 50 male or female patients (18–55 years old) attending the outpatient department, with a confirmed diagnosis of LOA after two weeks of therapy and assessed the change in Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) score and safety of the medication after two weeks of treatment. CNAQ scores were presented as mean (standard deviation (SD)). The mean age of patients was 42.1 years, with the majority (66%) being males. At weeks 1 and 2, a statistically significant improvement was observed in the mean CNAQ scores of 25.48 (5.10) and 25.48 (4.29), respectively, vs. baseline (22.08 (2.76); P ≤ 0.0001 both). Majority of the patients had CNAQ appetite scores of 17–28 at baseline (94%), week 1 (66%), and week 2 (78%) of treatment. For patients with acute and chronic illness, a statistically significant improvement was observed in the mean CNAQ score at week 1 (26.75 (3.69), P = 0.0256; 25.24 (5.33), P = 0.0004) and at week 2 (26.63 (3.46), P = 0.0027; 25.26 (4.43), P ≤ 0.0001) from baseline (21.88 (3.31) and 22.12 (2.69), respectively). No serious adverse events were reported during the study. The study findings suggest that appetite-stimulating medication containing multivitamins, lysine, and zinc could be a suitable treatment option for the management of LOA with no significant safety concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and its complications are the leading cardinal threats to public health. They are leading to a potential epidemic in India with more than 69 million diabetic individuals currently diagnosed with the disease. Depression is a common psychiatric syndrome leading to an increase in comorbidities affecting over 300 million people worldwide. Anxiety is another form of psychiatric disorder chronically affecting the day-to-day life of over 264 million people worldwide. Very few studies have been conducted that report the prevalence of anxiety and depression among diabetic individuals in India. Aim: To assess Type II DM patients for psychological problems like depression and anxiety. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study which was conducted at Urban Health Centre (UHC) for a period of two months. One hundred and twenty six individual diagnosed with Type II DM for a year were recruited as study participants (18-60 years of age). All the study participants were interviewed personally by the investigator at the UHC or their residence and the purpose of the study was explained to the participants in detail before asking them to participate. The 'Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale' (HADS) was used to assess the levels of anxiety, depression and the factors associated with it by standard scoring system. Results: Type II DM patients had 30.2% of depression and 31.8% had anxiety; depression was prevalent in illiterate (p=0.006), lower socio-economic class (p=0.034), sleep-deprived (p<0.001) and in those complaining of reduced appetite (p=0.001). Conclusion: Among the sleep deprived and reduced appetite cases, anxiety levels were significantly high indicating several factors playing a role in development of psychological problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Network analysis has been used to better understand relationships between depressive symptoms. Existing work has rarely examined networks of adolescents or individuals in non-western countries.Methods: We used data from 13,035 adolescents (52.5% male; Mage=13.8) from Bihar, a low-resource state in India. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and substance use was measured using a questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization. We modeled a network of depressive symptoms and a network examining connections between depressive symptoms and substance use.Results: The most commonly reported depressive symptoms were sleep problems, poor appetite, and low energy. In the depression network, feeling like a failure and sad mood were the most central symptoms, and somatic symptoms clustered together. To our surprise, depressive symptoms were only weakly associated with substance use.Limitations: Our study uses cross-sectional data, which are not sufficient to draw causal inferences about the relationships between symptoms. Additionally, we used an exploratory data-driven approach, and we did not pose a priori hypotheses about the relationships between symptoms.Discussion: Our findings suggest that feelings like a failure and sad mood are highly central symptoms in Indian adolescents; future research may examine if these symptoms are strong targets for intervention. Sad mood has commonly been identified as a central symptom of depression in western samples, while feeling like a failure has not. We offer avenues for future research, illustrating how network analysis may enhance our ability to understand, prevent, and treat psychopathology in LMICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important disease in some parts of the developing countries and is now categorized as an emerging infection and a global threat. The present study was carried out to ascertain the alterations on the hematological, hepatic, and renal parameters in the infected people. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study and was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in India. Data were analyzed in people who were diagnosed to be infected by B. pseudomallei during January 2010–December 2016. A total of 28 people were included in the study and compared with healthy individuals who were tested negative for any infectious and chronic diseases. Results: The results indicated that the infection caused diverse clinical manifestations such as fever, cough, dyspnea, joint pain, headache, bodyache, weight loss, swelling, and decrease in appetite. There was significant difference in the various hematological and hepatic endpoints, while there was no such difference in the renal function test parameters. Conclusions: For the first time, this study indicates that acute infection with melioidosis causes alterations in hematological and hepatic parameters in people with melioidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Internet has become a must-present factor in our day-to-day life. As like any other substance like plastic, the Internet also demonstrates threats which affect health and thereby life also. Objectives: To find the prevalence and impact of internet addiction on health and lifestyle of medical students in a private medical college in Kerala. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students for a period of 1 month. A questionnaire was used to document the sociodemographic details, internet addiction by young's Internet Addiction Test, and questions regarding impact of the Internet on life. Results: In the present study, we found that 71% of students (mild 107 [54%] and moderate 34 [17%]) had internet addiction. Internet addiction was significantly associated with male gender, mobile/tablet usage, eye strain, time to initiate sleep, frequency of sleep trouble, hours spent on the Internet, money spent, presence of backache, and appetite change with internet addiction. Conclusion: The study finding of presence of internet addiction has to be considered seriously along with tobacco and alcohol consumption. Awareness has to be made relating to the right use, right amount, and right time of using the Internet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Depression is a common mental disorder seen across all age groups, including children and adolescents. Depression is often associated with significant disability in children and adolescents. Aim: This review aims to evaluate the Indian research on depression in children and adolescents. Results: Available data suggest that the point prevalence of depression/affective disorders ranges from 1.2% to 21% in the clinic-based studies; 3%–68% in school-based studies and 0.1%–6.94% in community studies. There has been only one incidence study from India which estimated the incidence to be 1.6%. With respect to the risk factors for depression, studies have reported various education-related difficulties, relationship issues with parents or at home, family-related issues, economic difficulties, and other factors. A limited number of studies have evaluated the symptom profile, and the commonly reported symptoms include depressed mood, diminished interest in play activities, concentration difficulties, behavior problems in the form of anger and aggression, pessimism, decreased appetite, decreased sleep, anhedonia, and somatic symptoms. None of the studies from India has evaluated the efficacy/effectiveness of various antidepressants in children and adolescents with depression. Conclusion: There is a wide variation in the point prevalence reported across different studies, which is mainly due to methodological differences across studies. Limited data are available with respect to symptom profile and factors associated with depression in children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Upon identifying the need for an alternative treatment option in the management of hepatitis C to decrease viral load and improve health parameters, the investigator has developed the hepatitis C virus (HCV) nosode. Methods: An open-label observational study in 24 HCV-positive individuals was conducted by using the HCV nosode at 30C and 50C potencies. Results: In this clinical trial, the HCV nosode was administered to HCV-positive participants. From week 12 to week 24, the mean viral load decreased; the median viral load decreased by half, from 1,557,567.50 IU/mL to 789,265.50 IU/mL. However, at 24 weeks, the average viral load increased significantly ( p = 0.2206) in the participants completing the trial. The study has shown a double population: a large set of responders with marked improvement (week 12 [ p = 0.0120] and week 24 [ p = 0.0304] and from week 12 to week 24 [ p = 0.0028]) and a small set of nonresponders with increasing viral load (week 12 [ p = 0.0120] and week 24 [ p = 0.0304] and from week 12 to week 24 [ p = 0.0028]). Most participants in this study showed improvement in appetite and weight gain. The treatment using the nosode was found to be safe in the tested population. Conclusion: The HCV viral load was affected by using ultra-diluted preparation sourced from HCV, as per the Law of Similars, in responders. Further studies of longer duration in patients with uniform baseline characteristics and those that adjust the potency to the individual participant's requirement are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many aspects of spiritual experience are similar in form and content to symptoms of psychosis. Both spiritually advanced people and patients suffering from psychopathology experience alterations in their sense of 'self.' Psychotic experiences originate from derangement of the personality, whereas spiritual experiences involve systematic thinning out of the selfish ego, allowing individual consciousness to merge into universal consciousness. Documented instances and case studies suggest possible confusion between the spiritually advanced and schizophrenia patients. Clinical practice contains no clear guidelines on how to distinguish them. Here we use a case presentation to help tabulate clinically useful points distinguishing spiritually advanced persons from schizophrenia patients. A 34-year-old unmarried male reported to our clinic with four main complaints: lack of sense of self since childhood; repeated thoughts questioning whether he existed or not; social withdrawal; and inability to continue in any occupation. Qualitative case analysis and discussions using descriptions from ancient texts and modern psychology led to the diagnosis of schizophrenia rather than spiritual advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activities such as cooking, feeding, and eating speak to the pleasures and difficulties of caring for a person with dementia. In this article, I draw on ethnographic data from Delhi to examine the links between three types of food and caregiving in relation to sweetness and pleasure, drug foods and containment, and the feeding tube and sustaining life. I will illustrate that food offers ways to retain identity, build relations, improve function, and show love. In so doing, I contribute to our understanding of how care is conceived cross-culturally and offer potential insight into how interventions using food can enhance personal relationships in home and institutional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents information on the processing of bamboo shoots in north-east India. It mentions that bamboo shoots are low in calories and fat but are rich in fibre. Bamboo shoots helps to decrease cholesterol, blood pressure and increases appetite due to the presence of phytosterols. It offers that the tribal people of the north-east uses different indigenous techniques to process bamboo shoots which includes slicing, shredding, fermenting, pickling and drying.