Mechanical, Mineralogical and Durability Properties of Pulverized Pond Ash Based Concrete

In recent decades, cement production and demand have significantly impacted the environment; enormous amounts of energy are required to produce cement. This led to a severe energy crisis in our country. In order to minimize the usage of cement and energy consumption in an eco-friendly manner, industrial waste materials with cementitious characteristics are drawn to attention. Hence, the study deals with the use of pulverized pond ash as a partial replacement for cement in concrete. The mix design was carried out for M 25 grade concrete by IS 10262-2019. Two significant mix proportions were prepared, namely, Conventional Concrete (CC) (100 % cement), and Pulverized Pond Ash Concrete (PPAC) (90 % cement and 10% pulverized pond ash). In this study, cylinder compressive strength, mineralogical analysis, sulphate resistance tests, sorptivity, and water absorption, were examined. The PPAC mix outperformed CC in compressive strength by 10.74 %, 13.09 %, and 13.66 % at 28, 56, and 90 days, respectively. At 28 days, ettringite peaks are minor, with both intensity and quantity increasing significantly by 56 and 90 days. The PPAC also showed higher residual compressive strength (1.08 %, 1.65 %, 2.32 %) and lower sorptivity (8.93 %, 10.14 %, 12.5 %) than CC at all ages. From the results, PPAC showed superior properties than CC at all ages suggesting for replacement of 10 % of cement with pond ash

A study of menstrual hygiene practices and associated environmental & social factors among adolescent girls in rural Puducherry

Introduction. Adolescent females were prevented from receiving the appropriate knowledge due to social restrictions and traditional beliefs, which in turn led to poor hygiene habits. Material and methods. A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study employing a semi-structured questionnaire was carried out in the rural field practice region of MGMCRI, Puducherry, between the 15th of March 2019 and the 31st of April 2021. The study was done in Puducherry. The comprehensive enumeration yielded a total of 528 countable teenage females. Results. The vast majority of the teenage females (89.2%) reported using sanitary pads, whereas just 6.6% and 4.2%, respectively, reported using fresh or reused towels. 65.3% of the girls changed their wet absorbent between two and five times during the day. The vast majority of the girls, or 60.8% of them, disposed of their spent absorbent by either burying it or burning it. 67.9% of the girls were cleansing their genitalia when they were urinating. 54.4% of people cleaned their hands using soap and water, whereas 1.4% utilized ash soil, muddy dirt, or other types of soil. There was a statistically significant correlation between the style of housing and the availability of sanitary latrines (p<0.005) in relation to menstrual hygiene behaviors. Conclusions. This research also highlighted the absence of sanitary toilet facilities in the majority of residences, which negatively impacted the girls' ability to maintain their privacy and led to bad practices around menstruation hygiene

Mental health and hypertension: assessing the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated factors in a tertiary care population

BackgroundAnxiety and depression are more common in those with hypertension. Identifying factors may lead to earlier assessment and treatment of depression and anxiety. So the study was aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression and examine the associated factors among hypertensive patients in a tertiary care hospital.MethodsThis cross sectional study was conducted over a six-months period (October 2023 to March 2024) in the Department of Medicine at Karuna Medical College Hospital, Kerala, India. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with anxiety and depression.ResultsAmong 262 hypertensive patients, the prevalence of symptoms of anxiety were 43.8% and symptoms of depression were present in 51.3%. Female gender [OR 1.607 95% CI (0.962–2.687)] and BMI ≥ 25 [OR 0.608 95% CI (0.361–1.024)] were found to be significantly associated with anxiety (p &lt; 0.05). Uncontrolled BP and stage1/stage 2 hypertension were found to be significantly associated with anxiety and depression (p &lt; 0.05). Whereas factors like age (&gt;50 years), living with alone, unmarried/widow, unemployed/retired/house wife, illiterate, living in rural area and patients with comorbidities showed to be non-significantly association with anxiety and depression (p &gt; 0.05) in patients with hypertension.ConclusionAccording to the findings, overall 50% of hypertensive patients experience anxiety and depression, which were significantly associated with uncontrolled BP, stage1/stage 2 hypertension, female gender and obesity. Healthcare providers can help identify mental health issues early, improving outcomes, with special attention needed for women with comorbidities and limited social support

Biosocial predictors and blood pressure goal attainment among postmenopausal women with hypertension

ObjectivesIn postmenopausal states, women may not maintain blood pressure (BP) in the same way as men, even though most women follow their treatment plans and prescriptions more consistently than men. Biological and lifestyle factors influence the progression of hypertension in postmenopausal women (PMW). This study aimed to determine biosocial predictors associated with achieving the target BP in PMW with hypertension.MethodsA prospective observational study was conducted in the General Medicine Department at Karuna Medical College Hospital, Kerala, India. The definition of BP goal attainment was established based on the guidelines outlined by the VIII Joint National Committee 2014 (JNC VIII). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse biosocial predictors, such as educational status, employment status, body mass index (BMI), number of children, age at menarche, age at menopause, and number of co-morbidities, associated with BP goal achievement.ResultsOf the patients, 56.4% achieved their BP goals on monotherapy and 59.7% achieved it on combination therapy. Level of education [odds ratio (OR) = 1.275, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.234–7.172], employment status (OR = 0.853, 95% CI: 0.400–1.819), age at menopause (OR = 1.106, 95% CI: 0.881–1.149), number of children (OR = 1.152, 95% CI: 0.771–1.720), BMI (OR = 0.998, 95% CI: 0.929–1.071), and number of co-morbidities (OR = 0.068, 95% CI: 0.088–1.093) did not show a significant relationship, and age at menarche (OR = 1.577, 95% CI: 1.031–2.412) showed a significant association with BP goal attainment among hypertensive postmenopausal women.ConclusionHalf of the hypertensive postmenopausal women did not achieve their BP goals. Interventions are required to expand screening coverage and, under the direction of medical professionals, there should be plans to improve hypertension control and increase awareness of the condition

Clinical and diagnostic features of central nervous system tuberculosis in Indian children – a descriptive study

Children with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) present with diagnostic challenges as they often have atypical clinical features

Selection of single sampling attribute plan for given AQL and LQL involving minimum risks using weighted Poisson distribution

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the single sampling attribute plan for given acceptance quality level (AQL) and limiting quality level (LQL) involving minimum sum of risks using weighted Poisson distribution.Design/methodology/approachFor the given AQL and LQL, sum of producer's and consumer's risks have been attained. Based on weighted Poisson distribution, the sum of these risks has been arrived at, along with the acceptance number and the rejection number. Also, the operating characteristic function for the single sampling attribute sampling plan, using weighted Poisson distribution, has been derived.FindingsIn the final inspection, the producer and the consumer represent the same party. So, the sum these two risks should be minimized. In this paper, the sum of risks has been tabulated using weighted Poisson distribution for different operating ratios. These tabulated values are comparatively less than the sum of risks derived using Poisson distribution.Originality/valueThe sampling plan presented in this paper is particularly useful for testing the quality of finished products in shop floor situations.</jats:sec

Mortality in soft-tissue infections: Is it predictable?

Background: Soft-tissue infections are a common emergency surgical problem. The delayed presentation will lead to significant mortality and morbidity. There is no proper prognostication model available for this disease. Hence, we proposed this study to find factors predicting mortality in soft-tissue infections. Methodology: We conducted a case control study with a calculated sample size of 110. All the patients with soft-tissue infections who presented to our hospital were included after written consent. The data collected were analyzed for finding significant parameters predicting mortality using both univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The factors that predicted mortality are, the requirement of ventilation during the treatment with a P = 0.000 (confidence interval [CI] - 0.001–0.074), and dialysis with a P = 0.026 (CI - 0.004–0.701). If these parameters were present during treatment for soft-tissue infections, the chances of mortality are high. Conclusion: Patients who require ventilator and dialysis assistance during treatment can be anticipated to have mortality from soft-tissue infections