Unique temperature patterns in 24-h continuous tympanic temperature in tuberculosis.

Body temperature monitoring in most healthcare institutions is limited to checking the presence or absence of fever. Our present study evaluated the 24h continuous tympanic temperature pattern in patients with fever in order to detect typical patterns seen in tuberculosis (TB). This observational study was conducted on 81 undifferentiated fever patients whose recordings were stored using the TherCom device. Unique temperature patterns were analysed and compared. TB patients exhibited a unique temperature pattern, namely a slow temperature elevation followed by slow temperature fall seen in 78.5% (22/28) compared to 24.52% (13/53) of non-TB patients. Recognition of this pattern may therefore be useful as a valuable diagnostic aid in the early diagnosis of TB.

Psychological evaluation of patients in critical care/intensive care unit and patients admitted in wards.

BACKGROUND: Psychological assessment for depression, anxiety and stress among ICU patients and the patients admitted to ward in a hospital in India. This aspect did not get much attention in India so far. Such studies were common in developed countries. Therefore we decided in this study, to analyse the psychological status responses from the hospitalised patients in Mangalore using a validated questionnaire. AIM: To assess and compare the depression, anxiety and stress Scores from the patients admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and those admitted to ward. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients admitted to hospital, 40 from ICU and 40 admitted to ward were recruited. They were explained the procedure and after taking an informed consent, they were administered Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS) Questionnaire, which contains 42-item questionnaire which includes three self-report scales designed to measure the negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. The responses were computed and tabulated. We analysed the responses with Student's t-test and Chi-square test, p<0.05 accepted as statistically significant. RESULTS: The results revealed significantly elevated stress, depression and anxiety among the ICU patients when compared to those in the ward (p<0.001). Above normal anxiety and stress levels were also seen in the ward patients, compared to the scores in normal range. 50% and 25% respectively showed mild and normal depression scores in ward patients, compared to 12% and 5% in those admitted to ICU. This trend was also true for Anxiety and stress scores. CONCLUSION: From the results we found that there were elevated depression, anxiety and stress levels among the patients and this was significantly higher in ICU patients. Various factors could influence the psychological wellbeing of the patients, including the hospital environment, care givers, presence of family members nearby apart from the seriousness of illness, apprehensions about possibility of death. Such studies were rare among Indian patients. The findings of this study could be useful in incorporating suitable psychological help to the patients in hospitals to improve their recovery and wellbeing.

Alcohol expectancy responses from teenagers: the early forewarning signals.

BACKGROUND: The Indian population is overwhelmed by the rapid developmental activities in the new millennium. This has brought in urbanization and several banes of the faster life. Alcoholism is one among the menaces which have to be tackled at an early stage. OBJECTIVE: To assess the subjective expectancies from alcohol intake in young college students. METHODS: We carried out a survey on the expectancy from youth of the alcohol effects, which in fact is known as the principal motivator of alcohol intake. We chose the pre-university students (n= 200; 100 males and 100 females) of one of the oldest and prestigious colleges of Mangalore (south India). The survey used the Comprehensive Effect of Alcohol (CEOA) where the students had to respond to two sets of 38 questions, in which they would mention whether they agreed or disagreed to the statement regarding the effects of alcohol intake. RESULTS: From the results, we found that these young students were in agreement of the view that alcohol could cause a positive reinforcement. They also strongly agreed that alcohol consumption could cause negative effects. This was significantly more pronounced among the girls. Strikingly, only 25% of the boys and 14.5% of girls had consumed alcohol before, who indicated a stronger positive reinforce response as compared to those who had not tasted alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal that the first exposure to alcohol consumption is the key factor which leads to alcoholism. If the experience of alcohol intake and the effects of alcohol are liked with the subjects, that becomes a motivating factor for future attempts. This needs a closer look by the clinicians, counselors and the parents, who need to actively interfere in educating the youth and in guiding them in the right direction during their formative ages.