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Biomedical subjects

A K Prabhakar

Publications and source records attributed to A K Prabhakar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Clinical trials of Chitra band material.

Stainless steel band material was developed and tested for physico-chemical mechanical toxicological and in-vitro evaluation in dogs, at the Sree Chitra Thirunal Medical Institute, Trivandrum. Weld strength and tensile strength were measured with the Instron testing machine. A clinical pilot study was conducted at College of Dental Surgery, Manipal on 150 patients earlier. In the present study, Chitra bands were cemented on upper and lower molars on one side and Dentaurum bands on the other side, as controls in the same patient. The band was allocated to right and left molars at random. The study was a double blind trial. Thus fifty cases had Chitra bands on the left side and fifty on the tight side. Hundred cases were treated with fixed appliance treatment. The age, sex and technique of treatment were recorded. The spot welder and the cement used were also noted. The patients were recalled every month for nine months and the findings entered in the initial and follow-up proforma by another Orthodontist, making it a blind study. Loose bands, broken bands, broken tubes, broken welds, plaque accumulation, gingival bleeding and gingivitis were noted. The findings will be presented and the clinical applicability of Chitra Band Material discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

A rural population based case-control study of senile cataract in India.

PURPOSE: Senile cataract contributes to 75% of blindness in India and there is a growing backlog of cataract cases needing surgery. The present study seeks clues to the etiology of senile cataract, so that strategies to prevent or even delay cataract formation could be planned. METHODS: Using a community based case-control design, 258 cases & 308 controls from one centre and 301 cases & 591 controls from another were studied. The subjects were from rural areas and were aged 40-60 years. Logistic regression analysis technique was employed to study the associations between senile cataract and various variables. RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure, duration of exposure to sunlight per day were associated with senile cataract in both the centres (OR = 1.4 & 1.5 for systolic BP and 1.6 & 1.4 for exposure to sunlight). Utilization of rice gruel (OR = 0.5), duration of exposure to fire & dust per day (OR = 1.8), family history of cataract (OR = 5.0), use of cheap cooking fuels (OR = 1.8), increased height (OR = 0.7) and increased number of hours of work per day (OR = 0.7) were other variables that showed significant association in either of the centres. CONCLUSION: Senile cataract appears to have a multi factorial etiology. Though the study provided some clues to the etiology of senile cataract, further studies are needed to know the specific role of these factors in the causation of cataract, so that any preventive or control measures could be initiated in the community. Till such time, we have to fall back on the available surgical approach in control of senile cataract.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Chronic morbidity profile among elderly.

The most common health problems of the elderly are related to chronic disease as a result of increase in life expectancy. In India, sporadic data have been collected on different health problems of the elderly. While epidemiologic studies specifically targeted at the elderly population are sparce, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has carried out several studies on specific chronic disorders such as hearing impairment, blindness, cardiovascular diseases, cancer etc. The data from these studies covering the aged population have been utilised to provide a chronic morbidity profile of the elderly. Based upon the population estimates, the disease load in the Indian elderly population has been estimated. Hearing impairment is the most common morbidity, followed by visual impairment. The common risk factors associated with these chronic disease, are reported upon, and measures for intervention are suggested, wherever feasible. The paper does not cover common morbidities, such as locomotor, urinary and sleep disturbances, which have been reported in other surveys. The availability of population based data from India, and derives the disease burden due to chronic diseases in the elderly is emphasised. Such data can be used to generate the pattern of health problems in the elderly, for initiating appropriate intervention strategies and for fixing priorities for planning health care services amongst the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Age at marriage and cervical cancer incidence.

Cancer of the uterine cervix is the commonest cancer among Indian women accounting for 1/5 of the total cancer incidence. It is the estimated that by the turn of century 139,000 women in India would be developing cervical cancer. Age at marriage has been recognised as a major risk factor associated with cervical cancer. Over the past 8 decades there has been a rise in age at marriage varying from 14 years in 1901 to 18 years in 1981. Consequently the proportion of women married in the age group 15-19 years has fallen from 88% in 1941 to 45% in 1981. The present paper has attempted to study the effect of change in proportion married below 17 years on cervical cancer incidence for the year 1985 in India. The proportion of married women in the age group 15-19 years was constant around 88% from 1901-41 and from 1951 onwards the reduction in the proportion married has been observed. During the last 35 years, after the start of reduction in the proportion married in the age group (15-19) years, a reduction of 2097 cervical cancer cases or 6.3 percent reduction in the incidence of invasive cervical cancer is observed. It may be postulated that it will take a long time to expect a significant reduction in the incidence of cervical cancer if the primary prevention of rising the age at marriage above 18 years is adopted as a strategy for control of cervical cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Estimation of reduction of life-time risk of cervical cancer through one life-time screening.

The purpose of screening for cervical cancer is to prevent the appearance of invasive disease by the detection and treatment of precancerous lesions. Based on data from the developed countries, recommendations have been made regarding the age at which cytology screening should begin and the interval with which rescreening should be performed. However, these recommendations may not be applicable for a developing country like India due to human and financial resource constraints. WHO has recommended that for countries where resources are limited the aim should be to screen every woman at least once in her life-time at an appropriate age. Hence, it is essential to determine the age at which screening may be offered to derive maximum gains. With this in background, based on the data of national cancer registries, an attempt has been made for Indian population to estimate the reduction in the cumulative incidence rate of cervical carcinoma which can be achieved in a cohort of women aged 20-64 years by screening once in her life-time at an appropriate age. Our findings revealed that the first screening offered at 45 years of age could produce gains to the extent of 20-27%, while the screening offered at 50 or 55 years produced the maximum gains to the extent of 25-29%. However, keeping in view the produce years of lives lost in younger women, it may be reasonable to offer once in life-time screening to women aged 45 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Cervical cancer in India--strategy for control.

The available information on the incidence of cancers by site in India have indicated that of incidence of cancer of uterine cervix among women is by far the highest compared to other sites in women. The epidemiology of cervical cancer has been studied extensively in India and in other countries. The majority of factors related to cervical cancer are associated with sexual behaviour. The available evidence for control of cervical cancer is through secondary prevention, namely--early detection through Pap smear. In the present communication the alternative strategies with secondary prevention for control of cervical cancer is worked out. Taking into consideration the number of cervical cancer cases saved, number of woman years saved and the cost aspects the strategy at present for India should be to provide one life time screening for women at the age of 45 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cancer projection by the turn of century-Indian science.

This is an attempt to understand the magnitude of cancer problem in India. The incidence data generated by the three population based cancer registries at Bangalore, Bombay and Madras and the population projections of country have been utilised for estimating the present and future load of new cancer cases. It is estimated that the total number of incident cases in males increased from 0.29 million to 0.43 million by the turn of the century as a result of change in size and composition of population and when adjusted for tobacco habits the estimates increased to 0.49 million. In females the incident cases of cancer for three registries increased from 0.32 to 0.42 million by 2001, with cancer of uterine cervix and breast being the major problems. The above results show an urgent need for strengthening and augmenting the existing diagnostic/treatment facilities which are vow fully inadequate to tackle even the present load.

Female↗
PubMed1990

Risk for development of cancer in three urban areas of India.

The probability of developing cancer by using life table approach has been computed for the population of three metropolitan cities of India based on data of population based cancer registries located at Bangalore, Bombay and Madras. It was observed that the risk for development of malignancy of all sites from 20 to 64 years ranged from 4.73% to 5.28% in males, whereas it was 6.76% to 9.18% in females. The increased risk in females was mainly due to the high risk of development of cancer of the uterine cervix and breast. The available morbidity indices such as cumulative incidence rate and cumulative risk do not account for the mortality experiences of population. The present exercise will be useful in evaluating the changes in the disease spectrum as a result of change in the mortality experiences and population structure.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

A simulation approach for estimating the loss of womanyears due to cervical cancer and probability of developing cervical cancer.

Using a simulation approach, the number of womanyears that can be saved by preventing cancer of the uterine cervix was estimated. Probabilities of developing cervical cancer in the lifetime were also estimated. The number of years saved varied from 42 in the women aged between 20 and 24 years to 2 years in women aged 70 years and above. Probabilities of developing cervical cancer in the lifetime varied from 5.2% in women aged between 20 and 24 years to 0.6% in women aged 70 years and above. The results indicate that a noticeable incidence starts only after 35 years of age and about 90% of the total years can be saved by preventing the disease in women aged between 35 and 64 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

A planned prospective evaluation of the anti-infective property of varying quantities of expressed human milk.

This paper comprises 261 low birth weight infants who were divided into four groups with different feeding schedules. Group I--expressed human milk for all the feeds; Group II--human milk for half the feeds and the nursery formula for the rest; Group III--colostrum, 20 ml three times a day along with the nursery formula; and Group IV--control--only the nursery formula. The groups were matched by means of a randomized block design for identifiable factors which could predispose to the occurrence of infection. Infections were found to be significantly less in the groups which received human milk (p less than 0.001).

Bacterial Infections↗
PubMed1982

A simple method of assessment of gestational age in newborn infants.

A simple method of assessment of gestational age based on only four characteristics, namely, the anterior vascular capsule of the lens, plantar creases, breast nodule, and ear firmness, is presented. Critical evaluation by appropriate statistical analyses has shown this to be a useful method of practical value with 95% confidence limits of 11 days. It is applicable to newborn infants, including sick babies, at any time within the first 2 days of life.

Breast↗