Sociodemographic determinants of high tobacco use in Gond tribe of central India.

Background The prevalence of tobacco use is high in rural India, but limited information on tobacco use among the tribal population is available. We assessed the prevalence of tobacco use and type of tobacco use in the Gond tribal population. Methods We did a cross-sectional survey among the Gond tribal population residing in the Kundam block of Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh state in India. The study was carried out among persons aged 6 years and above during February-May 2017. Pre-tested interview schedules were used by trained field investigators to collect information on tobacco use. Results A total of 3351 individuals were included in this study, of which 58% were using some form of tobacco. The prevalence of tobacco use was higher among men compared to women, and it increased significantly from age 6 to 25 in both men and women. Tobacco use was significantly associated with age, gender and educational status of the respondents. Conclusion The study highlights a high tobacco use in the Gond tribe population. The high prevalence of tobacco use in younger ages is a matter of serious concern. The study establishes a need for information, education and communication and behavioural change communication activities; health camps focusing on the harmful effects of tobacco use and tobacco control campaign among tribal communities, tribal schools and ashrams.

Astrocyte end-feet in germinal matrix, cerebral cortex, and white matter in developing infants.

Astrocyte end-feet ensheathe blood vessels in the brain and are believed to provide structural integrity to the cerebral vasculature. We sought to determine in developing infants whether the coverage of blood vessels by astrocyte end-feet is decreased in germinal matrix (GM) compared with cerebral cortex and white matter (WM), which may cause fragility of the GM vasculature. Therefore, we evaluated the perivascular coverage by astrocyte end-feet in these areas. We double-labeled the brain sections with astroglial markers [glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), aquaporin-4 (AQP4), and S-100beta] and a vascular marker, laminin. Perivascular coverage by GFAP+ astrocyte end-feet increased consistently as a function of gestational age (GA) in cortex and WM from 19 to 40 wk. Compared with GFAP, AQP4+ astrocyte end-feet developed at an earlier GA, ensheathing about 63% of blood vessels for 23-40 wk in cortex, WM, and GM. Coverage by GFAP+ perivascular end-feet was decreased in GM compared with cortex and WM from 23 to 34 wk. There was no difference in the coverage by AQP4+ end-feet among the three areas in these infants. The expression of AQP4, a water channel molecule, in the astrocyte end-feet was not significantly different between premature and mature infants, suggesting similar risk of brain edema in preterm and term infants in pathologic conditions. More importantly, the lesser degree of GFAP expression in astrocyte end-feet of GM compared with cortex and WM may reflect a cytoskeletal structural difference that contributes to the fragility of GM vasculature and propensity to hemorrhage.