A Study to Assess the Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Exercise for Stress Urinary Incontinence among Women in Selected Communities at Coimbatore

The present study entitled “A study to assess the effectiveness of pelvic floor exercise for stress urinary incontinence among women in selected communities at Coimbatore” was undertaken during the year 2011-2012 in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Nursing at KMCH College of Nursing, Coimbatore. This is affiliated to The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, Chennai. OBJECTIVE: Objectives are as follows, assess the level of stress urinary incontinence among women, determine the effectiveness of pelvic floor exercise for stress urinary incontinence among women, and associate the selected demographic variables and clinical profile with stress urinary incontinence among women. DESIGN: True experimental, non equivalent pre test post test design. SETTING: Kalapatti and Veeriampalayam community at Coimbatore. SAMPLE: Women of 30-50 yrs age, in which 31 were in experimental group and 25 were in control group. SAMPLING TECHNIQUE: Systemic random sampling. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: Ernwstine Wieden Bach’s Helping Art of Clinical Nursing Theory. DATA COLLECTION: Revised urinary incontinence scale to assess the level of stress urinary incontinence among women. INTERVENTION: Pelvic floor exercise intervention for experimental group. OUTCOME MEASURE: Stress urinary incontinence among women was measured by using revised urinary incontinence scale. RESULTS: Subjects who practice pelvic floor exercise had shown significant reduction in stress urinary incontinence than the subjects who do not perform pelvic floor exercise. This is proved by ‘t‘ test =2.9 (p< 0.05) it shows that the stress urinary incontinence was more effective in reducing stress urinary incontinence of women. CONCLUSION: The result supported that pelvic floor exercise was a very effective and practicable exercise for stress urinary incontinence among women

Plasmodium telomere maintenance: uncovering the Achilles’ heel for novel antimalarials

This review examines the potential of disrupting telomere maintenance in Plasmodium as a novel antimalarial strategy. Telomeres are repetitive DNA–protein structures located at chromosome termini, where they preserve genome stability and protect against degradation. Telomere maintenance is crucial for rapid growth, genome integrity, and immune evasion in Plasmodium parasites. Unlike humans, Plasmodium maintains continuous telomerase activity and uses unique telomere-binding proteins across its lifecycle. These features drive parasite virulence and antigenic variation. Emerging evidence suggests that Plasmodium telomeres harbor G-quadruplex (G4) DNA structures, which help stabilize telomeres during replication and may be good targets for small molecules to disrupt their function. Additionally, the parasite depends heavily on its telomerase catalytic subunit, PfTERT, for survival. Inhibiting PfTERT has shown promising results in blocking telomere elongation and impairing replication. Targeting this parasite-specific telomere–telomerase axis may offer a strategic means to destabilize chromosomes, weaken immune evasion, and limit parasite survival, making it a promising antimalarial approach. However, researchers must consider the risks of off-target effects in future drug designs. Though current studies are limited and remain inconclusive, we suggest that future research should investigate combining telomere-directed therapies with existing antimalarials to help overcome resistance and improve treatment outcomes. Herein, we review advances in understanding Plasmodium telomere biology, highlighting its distinct structures, critical telomere-associated proteins, and roles in pathogenesis. We further explore how selective targeting could exploit an Achilles’ heel in parasite survival, offering fresh possibilities for next-generation, parasite-specific malaria therapies

BOTOX’s Mechanism, Diversity Considerations, and Therapeutic Potential in Cosmetic, Medical, and Dental Practice

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the societal pressures of maintaining a youthful appearance and the increasing popularity of BOTOX injections for aesthetic purposes. It discusses the motivation behind BOTOX use for personal psychological gains, partly driven by social media pressure and societal expectations. Ethical considerations and potential psychosocial consequences of cosmetic BOTOX are also addressed.The article delves into the explanation of what BOTOX is and how it works, emphasizing its use for cosmetic and medical purposes, such as treating spasmodic dysphonia and hyperhidrosis. When used appropriately, it highlights the rarity of complications and adverse effects associated with BOTOX. BOTOX’s historical use and development, from its initial medical applications to its widespread adoption in cosmetic procedures, are outlined. Further explored is the prevalence of BOTOX use among different socioeconomic classes, races/ethnicities, ages, and genders, highlighting disparities and emerging trends. It summarizes the effectiveness and safety of BOTOX injections for facial wrinkles and its non-cosmetic uses (e.g., treating migraines, hyperhidrosis, and pain management). The review describes BOTOX’s uses in dentistry, including its therapeutic benefits and safety considerations.It also discusses the possible therapeutic advantages of BOTOX injections in managing psychological conditions, including depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). The diagnostic applications of BOTOX and its mechanism of action are briefly explained.The article concludes with a summary of BOTOX’s beneficial and adverse effects and the constraints on access to and use of BOTOX treatments. It acknowledges the limitations of BOTOX research and the need for further investigation to address these limitations.Abbreviations: BDD: Body Dysmorphic Disorder; FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration; QoL: Quality of Life; ROM: Range of Motion; SES: Socioeconomic Status; SNAP-25: Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25; TMD: Temporomandibular Joint Disorde

Association of liver related biomarkers with incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in the Hispanic community health study/study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a population-based cohort study

Background Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) increases risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite the high prevalence of MASLD among Hispanic populations, there is a scarcity of research on the associations between non-invasive markers of liver disease and incident CVD and all-cause mortality. In this study we investigated the association of liver related biomarkers with CVD events and all-cause mortality in a population based Hispanic/Latino cohort. Methods We included 15,216 participants from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) aged 18–74 years with no pre-existing CVD. The composite outcome combined incident CVD and all-cause mortality. Having “elevated ALT/AST” was defined as ALT &gt; 40 IU/mL or AST &gt; 37 IU/mL for males, and ALT or AST &gt; 31 IU/mL for females. We estimated adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) relating our composite outcome to elevated ALT/AST, FIB-4 and MASLD. Using interaction terms, we assessed whether the relationship between elevated ALT/AST and the composite outcome differed by MASLD status. Results The study population was 40 years old on average, 52.7% female and had 740 CVD or all-cause mortality events. Elevated FIB-4 had the strongest association with incident CVD or all-cause mortality (comparing FIB-4 &gt; 2.67 versus ≤ 2.67, HR:3.47; CI:2.34–5.14). Elevated AST was found to be associated with incident CVD or all-cause mortality (HR:1.53; CI:1.14–2.05). MASLD was not associated with incident CVD or all-cause mortality (HR:1.14; CI: 0.94–1.40), but it was associated with incident CVD alone (HR:1.69; CI:1.19–2.39). The relationship between elevated ALT/AST and incident or all-cause mortality was modified by MASLD, such that the strongest association between elevated ALT/AST and incident CVD or all-cause mortality was in the absence of MASLD (HR:1.95; CI:1.20–3.18). Conclusions Among Hispanic adults FIB-4 was strongly associated with CVD or all-cause mortality and among persons without MASLD, elevated ALT/AST were associated with CVD or all-cause mortality

A multicenter assessment of interreader reliability of LI-RADS version 2018 for MRI and CT

Background: Various limitations have impacted research evaluating reader agreement for Liver Imaging-Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS). Purpose: To assess reader agreement of LI-RADS in an international multi-center, multireader setting using scrollable images. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study used de-identified clinical multiphase CT and MRI examinations and reports with at least one untreated observation from six institutions and three countries; only qualifying examinations were submitted. Examination dates were October 2017 – August 2018 at the coordinating center. One untreated observation per examination was randomly selected using observation identifiers, and its clinically assigned features were extracted from the report. The corresponding LI-RADS v2018 category was computed as a re-scored clinical read. Each examination was randomly assigned to two of 43 research readers who independently scored the observation. Agreement for an ordinal modified four-category LI-RADS scale (LR-1/2, LR-3, LR-4, LR-5/M/tumor in vein) was computed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). Agreement was also computed for dichotomized malignancy (LR-4/LR5/LR-M/LR-tumor in vein), LR-5, and LR-M. Agreement was compared between researchversus-research reads and research-versus-clinical reads. Results: 484 patients (mean age, 62 years ±10 [SD]; 156 women; 93 CT, 391 MRI) were included. ICCs for ordinal LI-RADS, dichotomized malignancy, LR-5, and LR-M were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62, 0.74), 0.63 (95% CI: 0.56, 0.71), 0.58 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.66), and 0.46 (95% CI: 0.31, 0.61) respectively. Research-versus-research reader agreement was higher than research-versus-clinical agreement for modified four-category LI-RADS (ICC, 0.68 vs. 0.62, P = .03) and for dichotomized malignancy (ICC, 0.63 vs. 0.53, P = .005), but not for LR-5 (P = .14) or LR-M (P = .94). Conclusion: There was moderate agreement for Liver Imaging-Reporting and Data System v2018 overall. For some comparisons, research-versus-research reader agreement was higher than research-versus-clinical reader agreement, indicating differences between the clinical and research environments that warrant further study

English for Specific Purposes World Second Language Acquisition through Task-based Approach -Role-play in English Language Teaching

Abstract Language teaching is not just about teaching languages, it is also about helping students to develop themselves as people. Task-based language teaching (TBLT) proposes the use of tasks as a central component in the language classroom because they provide better contexts for activating learner acquisition processes and promoting second language learning. Task-Based language teaching has attracted the attention of second language learning which was coined and later developed by second language researchers and educators in reaction to other teacherdominated, form-oriented methods. Role play is a technique in which students are presented with a real or artificial environment and they are exposed with some find of case or situation and they need to exhibit the same in form of roles. A brief outline of task-based teaching and a brief historical sketch of role-play is given in this paper. This paper focuses on the need of task-based language teaching in classrooms and role play as a instructive method which serves as a multiskill developing weapon where the students not only develop a broader perspective about a task or new role but also the horizon of understanding others behavior resulting into empathy, team work, better communication, interpersonal skills and management development

North Korea and the Quest for Nuclear Deterrence: Its Implication for South Asian Security

The study sought to examine deterrence and the quest for nuclear weapons using North Korea and its implication for South East Security. One of the objectives of this study is to ascertain the motive behind North Korea's nuclear weapons. To this end, the study adopted deterrence theory as its theoretical framework. The study was anchored a qualitative research design. Content analysis was adopted based on the nature of phenomena under investigation. The findings proof that deterrence is the crux of North Korea's nuclear development programmed. The study discovered that sanctions and military threat cannot deter North Korea from pursuing nuclear weapons. Therefore, the study recommended among other things that all sanctions imposed on North Korea in relations to its nuclear weapons programmed should be lifted and military threat should be totally discarde

Mobile Phones as a Source of Nosocomial Infection in the Radiology Department of a Teaching Hospital

Background: Mobile phones were first introduced in the United Kingdom and have become an important means of communication among doctors, other healthcare workers, patients and the general public. Objectives: This study was aimed at establishing that mobile phones are sources of nosocomial infections in the radiology department of our teaching hospital and also to determine the pathogens that are responsible for these infections. Methods: This was a prospective study that involved collection of swab samples from radiographers’ mobile phones. Three different samples were collected from each mobile phone. Thirty (30) mobile phones were used for this investigation and ninety (90) samples were totally collected. Samples were collected on arrival of the radiographer to the department, after handling patients and after washing hands. Samples collected were sent to the microbiology department for culture analysis. Descriptive data analysis was performed and results presented in frequency tables. Results: On arrival at the department, samples collected revealed that 22 (73.3%) of the phones were contaminated before commencing work for the day while 8 (26.7%) were not contaminated. With direct patient contact, 27 (93.3%) were contaminated and after washing hands it was observed that 16 (53.3%) of the mobile phones were contaminated. The major cause of contamination was staphylococcus aureus especially noted in swabs obtained after direct patient contact. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were also identified as contaminants of the phones. Conclusion: Radiographers’ mobile phones harbour bacteria and could act as a source of nosocomial infection in the radiology department.</p

Mobile Phones as a Source of Nosocomial Infection in the Radiology Department of a Teaching Hospital

Background: Mobile phones were first introduced in the United Kingdom and have become an important means of communication among doctors, other healthcare workers, patients and the general public. Objectives: This study was aimed at establishing that mobile phones are sources of nosocomial infections in the radiology department of our teaching hospital and also to determine the pathogens that are responsible for these infections. Methods: This was a prospective study that involved collection of swab samples from radiographers’ mobile phones. Three different samples were collected from each mobile phone. Thirty (30) mobile phones were used for this investigation and ninety (90) samples were totally collected. Samples were collected on arrival of the radiographer to the department, after handling patients and after washing hands. Samples collected were sent to the microbiology department for culture analysis. Descriptive data analysis was performed and results presented in frequency tables. Results: On arrival at the department, samples collected revealed that 22 (73.3%) of the phones were contaminated before commencing work for the day while 8 (26.7%) were not contaminated. With direct patient contact, 27 (93.3%) were contaminated and after washing hands it was observed that 16 (53.3%) of the mobile phones were contaminated. The major cause of contamination was staphylococcus aureus especially noted in swabs obtained after direct patient contact. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli were also identified as contaminants of the phones. Conclusion: Radiographers’ mobile phones harbour bacteria and could act as a source of nosocomial infection in the radiology department