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Background: Spiritual health is a state which not only increases the meaning of life but also increases mental satisfaction and gist in life. It improves the verbal communication between physician and patients, which reflects future patient care by strengthening their relationship. Aims and Objectives: (1) The present study was planned to assess the spiritual health status of undergraduate medical students of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Burla, by use of the Spiritual Health Assessment Scale (SHAS) and coping orientation for problem experiences (COPE) score and (2) to find the association between sociodemographic variables and spiritual health status of the students. Materials and Methods: For this study, 750 undergraduate students of either sex were recruited between August 2023 and November 2023. The data were collected through “sociodemographic characteristic questionnaire’s,” “SHAS,” and “cope score.” Results: In our study, most of the students were female, i.e., 56.94%. Majority of students were having mean SHA score (96.83 ± 4.72). Regarding copping score, we found that 287 students have scored high score between 42 and 46 (38.26%). A significant association was found between SHAS and type of family (P = 0.001), ritual gathering (P = 0.000), father’s education level (P = 0.009), and mother’s education level (P = 0.003) at P < 0.05. Conclusion: This study concludes that the spiritual health is directly and indirectly associated with lifestyle modification of the MBBS students which help very easily to overcome from stress and anxiety.

Background The extent to which reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are associated with poor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices has not been extensively studied. We aimed to determine whether poor menstrual hygiene practices were associated with three common infections of the lower reproductive tract; Bacterial vaginosis (BV), Candida, and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV). Methods Non-pregnant women of reproductive age (18–45 years) and attending one of two hospitals in Odisha, India, between April 2015 and February 2016 were recruited for the study. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect information on: MHM practices, clinical symptoms for the three infections, and socio-economic and demographic information. Specimens from posterior vaginal fornix were collected using swabs for diagnosis of BV, Candida and TV infection. Results A total of 558 women were recruited for the study of whom 62.4% were diagnosed with at least one of the three tested infections and 52% presented with one or more RTI symptoms. BV was the most prevalent infection (41%), followed by Candida infection (34%) and TV infection (5.6%). After adjustment for potentially confounding factors, women diagnosed with Candida infection were more likely to use reusable absorbent material (aPRR = 1.54, 95%CI 1.2–2.0) and practice lower frequency of personal washing (aPRR = 1.34, 95%CI 1.07–1.7). Women with BV were more likely to practice personal washing less frequently (aPRR = 1.25, 95%CI 1.0–1.5), change absorbent material outside a toilet facility (aPRR = 1.21, 95%CI 1.0–1.48) whilst a higher frequency of absorbent material changing was protective (aPRR = 0.56, 95%CI 0.4–0.75). No studied factors were found to be associated with TV infection. In addition, among women reusing absorbent material, Candida but not BV or TV - infection was more frequent who dried their pads inside their houses and who stored the cloth hidden in the toilet compartment. Conclusion The results of our study add to growing number of studies which demonstrate a strong and consistent association between poor menstrual hygiene practices and higher prevalence of lower RTIs.

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) practices vary worldwide and depend on the individual's socioeconomic status, personal preferences, local traditions and beliefs, and access to water and sanitation resources. MHM practices can be particularly unhygienic and inconvenient for girls and women in poorer settings. Little is known about whether unhygienic MHM practices increase a woman's exposure to urogenital infections, such as bacterial vaginosis (BV) and urinary tract infection (UTI). This study aimed to determine the association of MHM practices with urogenital infections, controlling for environmental drivers. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted on 486 women at Odisha, India. Cases and controls were recruited using a syndromic approach. Vaginal swabs were collected from all the participants and tested for BV status using Amsel's criteria. Urine samples were cultured to assess UTI status. Socioeconomic status, clinical symptoms and reproductive history, and MHM and water and sanitation practices were obtained by standardised questionnaire. A total of 486 women were recruited to the study, 228 symptomatic cases and 258 asymptomatic controls. Women who used reusable absorbent pads were more likely to have symptoms of urogenital infection (AdjOR=2.3, 95%CI1.5-3.4) or to be diagnosed with at least one urogenital infection (BV or UTI) (AdjOR=2.8, 95%CI1.7-4.5), than women using disposable pads. Increased wealth and space for personal hygiene in the household were protective for BV (AdjOR=0.5, 95%CI0.3-0.9 and AdjOR=0.6, 95%CI0.3-0.9 respectively). Lower education of the participants was the only factor associated with UTI after adjusting for all the confounders (AdjOR=3.1, 95%CI1.2-7.9). Interventions that ensure women have access to private facilities with water for MHM and that educate women about safer, low-cost MHM materials could reduce urogenital disease among women. Further studies of the effects of specific practices for managing hygienically reusable pads and studies to explore other pathogenic reproductive tract infections are needed.

We evaluated the performance of oral swab specimen both health-care worker (HCW) collected and self-collected for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection with rapid antigen test (RAT) as compared to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Of the 529 participants enrolled, 121 (22.8%) were RT-PCR positive. Among the RT-PCR positives, 62 (51.2%) were RAT positive using oral swab. When compared with RT-PCR, RAT with oral swab had sensitivity and specificity of 63.3 and 96.8% respectively among symptomatic individuals. No statistically significant difference was observed in RAT positivity with HCW collection and self-collection, p  = 0.606. Ct values were significantly lower in RT-PCR and RAT positive samples (ORF gene: 18.85 ± 4.36; E gene: 18.72 ± 4.84) as compared to RT-PCR positive and RAT negative samples (ORF gene: 26.98 ± 7.09; E gene: 26.97 ± 7.07), p  < 0.0001. Our study demonstrated moderate sensitivity of RAT with oral swab in symptomatic individuals. Oral swab was the preferred sampling by almost all participants in terms of convenience and comfort as compared to nasopharyngeal swab. Oral swabs have utility for SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection among symptomatic individuals residing in remote rural areas and can serve as an initial screening tool during COVID-19 spikes when cases rise exponentially and laboratory capacities for RT-PCR testing become overwhelmed.

An HIV outbreak investigation during 2017-2018 in Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh, India, unearthed high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies among the study participants. We investigated these HCV infections by analyzing NS5B and core regions. We observed no correlation between HIV-HCV viral loads and clustering of HCV sequences, regardless of HIV serostatus. All HCV isolates belonged to genotype 3a. Monophyletic clustering of isolates in NS5B phylogeny indicates emergence of the outbreak from a single isolate or its closely related descendants. The nucleotide substitution rate for NS5B was 6 × 10 and for core was 2 × 10 substitutions/site/year. Estimated time to most recent common ancestor of these isolates was 2012, aligning with the timeline of this outbreak, which might be attributable to unsafe injection practices while seeking healthcare. HIV-HCV co-infection underlines the need for integrated testing, surveillance, strengthening of healthcare systems, community empowerment, and molecular analyses as pragmatic public health tools.

Objective We aimed to determine the ocular manifestation and refractive error prevalences among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Pune, India. Methods This cross-sectional study included HIV-infected adults attending a National AIDS Research Institute clinic. Ophthalmologic examination included visual acuity estimation, refraction, orthoptic evaluation, slit lamp and fundus examination, and photography. Results In total, 441 HIV-infected individuals were enrolled. The participants' median age was 44 (interquartile range 38–49) years and 227 (51.5%) were men. Refractive errors occurred in 132 (29.9%) individuals. Ocular manifestations were present in 93 (21.1%) participants and the most frequent was cataract in 59 (13.4%) participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that participants who were illiterate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47–5.33) and those aged greater than 40 years (AOR 5.59, 95% CI 2.69–11.61) were more likely to have ocular manifestations. The odds of having ocular manifestations were greater in participants with treatment substitution or changes (AOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.16–3.82). Conclusions Cataract and refractive errors were prevalent among PLHIV. PLHIV should be encouraged to have regular ophthalmic checkups. Individuals with lower education levels and older age should be counseled regarding eye care and timely reporting of ocular symptoms.

Most tribal and ethnic communities in India have preserved the knowledge of edible insects as a source of food and traditional medicines. Mayurbhanj being a tribal-dominated district in Odisha state, is inhabited by many tribes that find their source of livelihood from forest products. A major part of Mayurbhanj is surrounded by the Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) which offers varieties of insects throughout the year. In this current study, the traditional uses of edible insects were documented through field surveys and open questionnaires from village elders in the three tribal dominated blocks (Kusumi, Bangriposi and Saraskana) in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, India. Out of 15 species of edible insects documented, Oecophylla smaragdina , Macrotermes subhyalinus , Antheraea mylitta , Apis indica , and Myrmeleon were the most commonly consumed insects in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Further, most of the perceived edible insects were season-specific and found between June to September month which are pre-monsoon and post-monsoon periods. Thus, mostly the Santhal, Kolho, Bhumija, Khadia and Bathudi tribes utilize most of the edible insects for their nutritional and medicinal applications. These edible insects can be employed to have a prominent role in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formulated by the United Nations as these edible insects can provide employment as well as nutrition to the tribes inhabiting in forest hamlets. These insects with their unique health promoting advantages can supplement meals with exclusive pharmacological properties.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) rise first among the causes of death occurring due to non-communicable diseases in the world. The majority of cardiovascular deaths are due to ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Among the major risk factors, dyslipidemia is an important risk factor. Hence, the prevention of dyslipidemia results in the prevention of ischemic heart disease. Dyslipidemia can be corrected by drugs but more importantly, it can be prevented by lifestyle modification. Aim and Objectives: Our aim is to observe the impact of yoga on lipid parameters in different age groups. Materials and Methods: We included 54 subjects between the age group of 30 and 60 years for this study. They were categorized into two groups: Group I having ages between 30 and 45 years (n = 23) and Group II having ages between more than 45 years and <60 years (n = 31). The lipid parameters were measured afore of yoga training, at the end of 2 months and after 6 months of yogic practices. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS version of 20.0. A P value of less than 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. Results: Our study revealed that yoga induces a decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and very LDL cholesterol and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both Group I and Group II subjects which were statistically significant. Conclusion: Yoga tends to improve dyslipidemia, a major risk factor for CVDs. A yoga lifestyle can be considered a preventive measure for CVDs.

Coastal agriculture in India, where it serves as an important economic pillar, operates under escalating climate variability, fragmented landholdings, and risks in marketing and socio-economic conditions. Integrated farming systems (IFS) provide a system-based approach for smallholder farmers to improve resource-use efficiency, diversify income streams, and become more resilient to climatic conditions and other forms of risk. This study outlines the current status and determinants of IFS adoption in coastal Odisha using primary data gathered from 208 farm respondents selected through a multi-stage random sampling design across three coastal districts during 2020-2023. Principal Component Analysis included nine socio-economic variables that were used to describe five latent components that explained 86.67% of the cumulative variance. Probit regression analysis (McFadden's pseudo-R  = 0.712; 95.95% correctly classified) indicates that access to institutional credit (marginal effect = 0.286), education (0.174), market connectivity (0.213), labour availability, and family type significantly increase the adoption probability (p < 0.05), whereas age and operational landholding exert negative effects. Economic comparison revealed significant differences in gross income among farming systems for marginal farmers (F = 124.63, p < 0.01) and medium farmers (F = 9.89, p < 0.01), and in variable costs for marginal farmers (F = 247.57, p < 0.01) and small farmers (F = 15.56, p < 0.01). Tukey's post-hoc analysis further confirmed relative economic differentiation among farming system models. The Crop-Livestock-Pisciculture-Resource Generating (vermicompost and FYM)-Mushroom model, integrated for additional income generation and resource recycling, demonstrated the highest economic performance, whereas Crop-Livestock systems were more suitable for smaller holdings. The findings underscore the need for targeted credit mechanisms, specially designed location specific extension services, and promoting region-specific IFS models aligned with agro-ecological conditions and farm-size categories for enhancing livelihood resilience and aligning with broader sustainability targets.