Vartika Saxena

A study on substance abuse among school going male adolescents of Doiwala Block, District Dehradun.

Adolescent boys are recognized as a vulnerable group to substance abuse. The present study has the objective to study the biosocial profile and habit pattern of substance abusers. The study was conducted on 511 male adolescents, students of 10 th to 12 th class from the four intermediate schools of the Doiwala block of Dehradun district. 46.9% students accepted substance abuse. In 75.5% cases, friends were providing the substances. 80.2% substance abusers expressed their desire to quit the habit. The study is indicative of need for developing a supportive environment involving both parents and teachers so that adolescent can decide and sustain with the right choices for healthy life.

Age-Wise Association of Carotid Intima Media Thickness in Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Ischemic stroke is often a sequel of atherosclerotic risk factors. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is a surrogate marker of early atherosclerotic changes. Purpose: It was hypothesized that CIMT is associated with ischemic stroke in adults across all ages. Methods: A case control study was performed on 163 diagnosed cases of first-time ischemic stroke and age- (±1 SD) and gender-matched healthy control attendants reporting at a tertiary care hospital. Data were collected on atherosclerotic risk factors for ischemic stroke. CIMT from both the carotids was measured using carotid vascular Doppler. The demographic profile and CIMT with atherosclerotic risk factors of cases and controls across different age groups were compared using unpaired t test if they passed the test of normality, else the Mann-Whitney test was used. OR for vascular risk factors for the development of stroke was calculated. The relationship of CIMT to atherosclerotic risk factors was analyzed by using Spearman correlation and regression analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Age-specific value of CIMT was significantly higher in stroke cases than in age-matched controls across all age groups. Right CIMT, along with the history of hypertension (HTN; OR 2.3), are important risk factors for ischemic stroke in the younger age group (20-40 years). With increasing age along with the history of HTN and right CIMT (OR >7), presence of plaque (OR 6.3) and daily smoking (OR 5.1) are also significant risk factors. CIMT is significantly related to the daily alcohol and smoking intake and the presence of plaques. Right CIMT is positively related to increasing age in normal population (R2 = 0.041; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Right CIMT and comorbid HTN are significant risk factors associated with the development of ischemic stroke across all adult age groups.

Assessment of Folic Acid Supplementation in Pregnant Women by Estimation of Serum Levels of Tetrahydrofolic Acid, Dihydrofolate Reductase, and Homocysteine

Background. Status of folic acid use in pregnant women of the hilly regions in North India was little known. This study was carried out to assess the folic acid use and estimate folate metabolites in pregnant women of this region. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study is comprised of 76 pregnant women, whose folic acid supplementation was assessed by a questionnaire and serum levels of homocysteine, tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA), and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) were estimated using Enzyme Linked Immunoassays. Results. The study data revealed awareness of folic acid use during pregnancy was present in 46.1% and 23.7% were taking folic acid supplements. The study depicted that there was no statistically significant difference between serum levels of THFA and DHFR in pregnant women with and without folic acid supplements (p = 0.790). Hyperhomocysteinemia was present in 15.78% of the participants. Conclusion. Less awareness about folic acid supplementation and low use of folic acid by pregnant women were observed in this region. Sufficient dietary ingestion may suffice for the escalated requirements in pregnancy, but since this cannot be ensured, hence folic acid supplementation should be made as an integral part of education and reproductive health programs for its better metabolic use, growth, and development of fetus.