Urban Bangalore Research Articles

Awareness and attitude towards organ donation in Bangalore

Objective of the study 1.To assess the awareness towards organ donation 2.To compare the attitude towards organ donation and 3.To list the reasons for favorable and unfavorable attitude for organ donationMaterials amp Methods The descriptive study was conducted over a period of 7 months from March 08 to August 08 in urban Bangalore. 810 individuals were included by purposive sampling technique which included medical students non medical engineering students medical teaching staff non medical teaching staff 58 school teachers 32 engineering teaching staff.They were asked about various aspects of organ donation and brain death using a pre-tested questionnaire.Results 96 of the study subjects were aware about organ donation. Majority 56 were aware about eye donation. Television 68 was the main source of information. 85 of the study subjects had heard the term brain death but only few were aware about its importance in organ donation. 5 of study subjects have pledged their organs to be donated after death and 35 in remaining we are willing to pledge their organs. 32 of subjects who did not want to donate their organs after death stated spiritual reasons as the main reason.ConclusionMajority are aware about organ donation. However very few are willing to donate their organs after death

Are eating disorders a significant clinical issue in urban India? a survey among psychiatrists in Bangalore

It is believed that cultural changes such as urbanization and westernization can lead to increasing rates of eating disorders (EDs). A survey was conducted among psychiatrists in Bangalore, India to assess whether they were seeing more cases of ED in the last year. Contact details of all psychiatrists in urban Bangalore were obtained from the directory of the local psychiatric society. These psychiatrists were contacted by telephone, email, or in person. A brief proforma was used to record information about the number and nature of eating disorders they had seen in their practice in the last one year. Sixty-six psychiatrists took part in the study. Thirty-eight (56%) were in private practice and 28 (42%) in teaching hospitals. 45 (67%), reported having seen patients with eating disorders in the last year. The total number of cases seen was 74. Of these, 32 were diagnosed as anorexia nervosa (AN), 12 as bulimia nervosa (BN), and 30 as eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Sixteen (23.5%) respondents were of the opinion that EDs were increasing in Bangalore, 18 (26.5%) felt the rates were stable and 28 (42%) were not sure. Two-thirds of psychiatrists reported seeing at least one case of ED indicating that EDs are not uncommon in urban India. Epidemiological studies of EDs in India are needed to provide better estimates of their prevalence.

P1-S4.18 Using mathematical modelling to investigate the role of the hidden “population of men who have sex with men (MSM) on the HIV epidemic in Southern India”

BackgroundBiological and behavioural data for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, have mainly been collected from sites where commercial sex is prevalent. Consequently, the survey...

Impact of a course on human sexuality and adolescence.

This study was conducted as part of a course on Human Sexuality and Adolescence for school children to ascertain the prior knowledge of children, source of their knowledge and whether the course was a felt need of the children. Students were given a questionnaire before the course. Few selected questions were asked again after the last session. The course was conducted in a private co-educational English medium school in urban Bangalore involving 392 students 13-15 years of age. The course was designed by the authors and dealt with anatomy, physiology, social and psychological aspects of growing up, HIV and contraception. 55-70% of class VIII, IX and X students had learnt about sex from friends, 30% from movies, 15% from text books and only 10% from parents. Misconceptions about anatomy, childbirth, HIV were common. 90% of tenth class students felt that education in human sexuality was necessary. In spite of chapters on reproduction in textbooks, children turn to peers or media to gather information on sexuality. Education in human sexuality is required in our schools, as this need is currently not being addressed adequately in our society.

Primary pleural mesotheliomas in south India: a 25-year study.

In this report from South India, 15 patients with primary pleural mesothelioma have been diagnosed in the 25-year period 1, April 1966 through 31, March 1991, representing 0.02% of 76,239 biopsies received. The patients were mainly male with a mean age of 46.5 years. All except two had lived in urban Bangalore. None had been exposed to asbestos. The presentation clinically was peculiar, being continuous pricking pain, breathlessness, and cough with sputum. Physical and roentgenogram examination showed massive pleural effusion with irregular pleural thickening. Thoracotomy findings showed a distinct sessile nodularity with many slit-like spaces. Histologically, 14 were epithelial type mesotheliomas and 1 was a sarcomatous type. While the epithelial type neoplasms showed patchy squamoid differentiation, all showed mucin production. The CEA was always observed in areas of moderate differentiation. Spread occurred centrifugally to local structures on the same side as the lesion.