Semi-urban District Research Articles

Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, Vietnam

Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome, Vietnam

Project ‘RAMBO’: an initiative to improve rickshaw pullers’ earnings

Rickshaw pulling is a large, labour-intensive, unorganised sector in India, involving 8 million individuals belonging to the lowest social strata. The article describes an initiative to increase the daily earnings of rickshaw pullers by training them to retail branded products, on a ‘bulk-buying retail-selling’ model. The article reports on a project that began with 30 rickshaw pullers in Jaunpur, a semi-urban district of eastern India. Critical issues related to the sustainability and future of such projects on a large scale are discussed.

Prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions in Vidisha

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions in patients and to assess their clinicopathological attributes. 3030 subjects belonging to a semi-urban district of Vidisha in Central India were screened. Patients were examined with an overhead examination light and those who were identified with a questionable lesion underwent further investigations. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS software.Findings8.4 percent of the population studied had one or more oral lesions, associated with prosthetic use, trauma and tobacco consumption. With reference to the habit of tobacco use, 635(21%) were smokers, 1272(42%) tobacco chewers, 341(11%) smokers and chewers, while 1464(48%) neither smoked nor chewed. 256 patients were found to have significant mucosal lesions. Of these, 216 cases agreed to undergo scalpel biopsy confirmation. 88 had leukoplakia, 21 had oral submucous fibrosis, 9 showed smoker's melanosis, 6 patients had lichen planus, 17 had dysplasia, 2 patients had squamous cell carcinoma while there was 1 patient each with lichenoid reaction, angina bullosa hemorrhagica, allergic stomatitis and nutritional stomatitis.ConclusionsThe findings in this population reveal a high prevalence of oral soft tissue lesions and a rampant misuse of variety of addictive substances in the community. Close follow up and systematic evaluation is required in this population. There is an urgent need for awareness programs involving the community health workers, dentists and allied medical professionals.

RNA Viruses Are an Important Cause of Community-acquired Pneumonia in Nepalese Children Living in a Semi-urban District in Kathmandu Valley

RNA Viruses Are an Important Cause of Community-acquired Pneumonia in Nepalese Children Living in a Semi-urban District in Kathmandu Valley

Prevalence of Obesity, Overweight, and Underweight in Qatari Adolescents

Overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions in Arabian oil-rich countries and are threatening to become a global epidemic. Excess weight has a great impact on the health and quality of life of individuals. However, prevalence of underweight in the developing world has shown a decline during the last decade. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity, as measured by body-mass index, in a representative sample of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in the State of Qatar. Qatari schoolchildren (n = 3,923) from 30 schools in urban and semiurban districts responded to a sociodemographic questionnaire. Body-mass index was calculated and the prevalence of overweight and obesity was determined on the basis of cutoff points of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) values (above the 85th and 95th percentiles, respectively, for overweight and obesity). Underweight was defined on the basis of CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) less than 5th percentile of BMI for age. The final sample consisted of 1,968 boys and 1,955 girls. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was 8.6%, 28.6%, and 7.9%, respectively, among adolescent boys and 5.8%, 18.9%, and 4.7% among girls. The prevalence of underweight was highest at 16 years of age among boys (10.5%) and at 17 years among girls (8.9%). The prevalence of obesity was highest at 12 years of age among boys (11.7%) and at 13 years among girls (6.4%). The 95th percentile curve for boys was above the IOTF standard curve; the 95th percentile curve for girls was below the IOTF curve. Adolescents living in the State of Qatar are at high risk for overweight and obesity. There is a need to establish a national program for the prevention and treatment of obesity and related complications.

Growth patterns of Qatari school children and adolescents aged 6-18 years.

The study was conducted to analyze the patterns of growth in height and weight and the prevalence of over-weight among Qatari school children aged 6-18 years. Weights and heights of a cross-sectional sample of Qatari school children were measured. These children were selected randomly, in equal proportions of age and gender, from different schools from urban and semi-urban districts. Appropriate statistical procedures were performed to produce smooth percentile curves for boys and girls using a two-stage approach. Initial curve smoothing for selected major percentiles was accomplished by various paramet-ric and non-parametric procedures. In the second stage, a normalization procedure was used for creating z-scores that closely matched the smooth percentile curves. The height and weight results were compared with the international reference values of National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCHS/CDC). The prevalence of over-weight was calculated using the new International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) reference. Of 7442 Qatari children studied, 50.3% were male and 49.7%' female. The mean values for height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) increased with the age for both boys and girls until the age of 18 years, except BMI, which stabilized at the age of 16-18 years at around 22.6 for boys and at 21.6 for girls. The growth patterns of the Qatari children, aged 6-18 years, appeared to be comparable with those of the NCHS/CDC reference. The weight-for-age centile curves of the Qatari boys tended to be superior to those of the NCHS/CDC reference until the age of 15 years, less so those of the Qatari girls. In contrast, the height-for-age centile curves of the Qatari children tended to deviate in a negative sense from the NCHS/CDC reference curves, for boys and girls from age around 11 years and 13 years respectively. The deviation of the smoothed median height-for-age curves from the reference in adolescence could most likely be attributed to a later maturation among the Qatari children. The prevalence of under-weight, over-weight, and obesity for the Qatari children was quite below the CDC and IOTF rates, except for girls aged 6-9 years. More males than females were over-weight or obese according to either the local, the CDC, or the IOTF reference, and the prevalence increased with age. A good percentage of the Qatari children was at risk of being over-weight, which needs more attention because the development of obesity results in different types of diseases associated with changes in body composition.

The sensitivity of HIV-1 DNA polymerase chain reaction in the neonatal period and the relative contributions of intra-uterine and intra-partum transmission

To derive reliable estimates of the sensitivity of HIV-1 DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the neonatal period and to quantify the relative contributions of intra-uterine and intra-partum transmission. After reviewing studies on the early diagnosis of HIV-1 infection, investigators were asked to provide published and unpublished PCR test results on prospectively followed, non-breastfed, vertically infected children. Age-specific estimates of the sensitivity of PCR were derived using distribution-free methods for interval-censored data. Data on 271 infected children were combined for analysis. PCR detected HIV-1 DNA in an estimated 38% [90% confidence interval (CI), 29-46] of HIV-infected children tested on the day of, or day after, birth. Sensitivity was observed to rise rapidly in the second week of life, reaching 93% (90% CI, 76-97) by 14 days of age. The sensitivity of PCR in the neonatal period is higher than previously reported. This affects the clinical interpretation of an early negative test result and encourages the use of PCR as an endpoint for trials to evaluate interventions to reduce vertical transmission in non-breastfed populations. Approximately one-third of vertically acquired HIV-1 infection could be attributable to intra-uterine transmission.

Geographic determinants of leprosy in Karonga District, Northern Malawi.

Geographical differences in leprosy risk are not understood, but may provide clues about the natural history of the disease. We report an analysis of the geographical distribution of leprosy in Karonga District, a rural area of Northern Malawi, between 1979 and 1989. Cohort study of the incidence of leprosy based on two total population surveys. Area of residence was determined using aerial photographs, which allowed identification of households, as well as location of roads, rivers and the lake shore. Incidence rates were between two and three times higher in the north compared to the south of the district, and lowest in the semi-urban district capital. The most obvious environmental difference between these regions is the north's higher rainfall and more fertile soil. There was no overall association between leprosy incidence and population density, although highest rates were observed in the least densely populated areas. Looking at the entire district, incidence rates increased with increasing distance from a main road, but declined with increasing distance from a river or from the shore of Lake Malawi. The negative association with proximity to rivers may reflect the larger number of rivers in the north of the district. Apparent differences in incidence rates between groups speaking different languages reflected confounding by area of residence. There is a marked variation, not explained by socioeconomic or cultural factors, in the incidence of leprosy within Karonga District. Our results are consistent with a theme in the literature associating the environment, particularly proximity to water, with leprosy.

Denatalità e invecchiamento nella provincia di Modena

The Italian demographic reality has made evident an unhealthy situation which would obviously get worse with the birth-rate decreasing even further. The research was intended to verify if evidence does exists, such as to supply at least an inversion trend of the phenomenon. The province of Modena, made of 47 districts, was taken as an example. As shown by some scientific surveys, Modena is one of the most advanced at a socio-economic level. The detailed nature of the survey required a specific and through examination by a previous partition of the of the territory (according to its altitude and the tipologies of the districts) and the calculation of the indices of the demographics dynamics in its essential components, as well as regarding to the renewal of the working population of those areas. From the contrasting typologies, a progressive growth of the birth-rate has become evident in the semi-urban and urban districts for the considerable decrease of the same phenomenon in the semi-rural districts. However, the optimistic trend will have to face serious obstacles in order to a reproductive behaviour appearing irreversible. In the meantime it cannot be excluded that the individual might come to attach social value to procreation, perhaps with the help of government provisions of a socioeconomic nature.