| 1. |
- Dahl-Jensen, D., et al.
(författare)
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Eemian interglacial reconstructed from a Greenland folded ice core
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 493:7433, s. 489-494
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Efforts to extract a Greenland ice core with a complete record of the Eemian interglacial (130,000 to 115,000 years ago) have until now been unsuccessful. The response of the Greenland ice sheet to the warmer-than-present climate of the Eemian has thus remained unclear. Here we present the new North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling ('NEEM') ice core and show only a modest ice-sheet response to the strong warming in the early Eemian. We reconstructed the Eemian record from folded ice using globally homogeneous parameters known from dated Greenland and Antarctic ice-core records. On the basis of water stable isotopes, NEEM surface temperatures after the onset of the Eemian (126,000 years ago) peaked at 8 +/- 4 degrees Celsius above the mean of the past millennium, followed by a gradual cooling that was probably driven by the decreasing summer insolation. Between 128,000 and 122,000 years ago, the thickness of the northwest Greenland ice sheet decreased by 400 +/- 250 metres, reaching surface elevations 122,000 years ago of 130 +/- 300 metres lower than the present. Extensive surface melt occurred at the NEEM site during the Eemian, a phenomenon witnessed when melt layers formed again at NEEM during the exceptional heat of July 2012. With additional warming, surface melt might become more common in the future.
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| 2. |
- Deepak, K G, et al.
(författare)
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Smokeless tobacco use among patients with tuberculosis in Karnataka : the need for cessation services.
- 2012
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Ingår i: National Medical Journal of India. - 0970-258X. ; 25:3, s. 142-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: India is home to the largest population of patients with tuberculosis and tobacco users in the world. Smokeless tobacco use exceeds smoking and is increasing. There is no study to date that reports smokeless tobacco use before and after the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. We assessed smokeless tobacco use among former patients of tuberculosis in Karnataka, India.METHODS: We conducted a community-based, cross sectional study among 202 men, who had been diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis (mean age 48 years), selected by multistage, random sampling. Using a semi-structured interview schedule, retrospective smoking and smokeless tobacco use were captured at eight time-points before and after the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.RESULTS: Most patients suspended tobacco use during treatment. A high 44% prevalence of smokeless tobacco use 6 months before diagnosis was reduced to just 8% during the intensive phase of treatment and climbed to 27% 6 months after treatment. The tobacco use relapse rate 6 months after completion of treatment was higher for smokeless tobacco use (52%, 95% CI 41%-62%) than for smoking (36%, 95% CI 26%-45%). We also found that many patients who were advised to quit smoking continued using smokeless tobacco after completion of treatment. Additionally, new smokeless tobacco use was documented. Of the 11 new exclusive smokeless tobacco users, 10 shifted from smoking to smokeless tobacco use as a form of harm reduction.CONCLUSION: Patients with tuberculosis are advised by their doctors, at the time of diagnosis, to quit smoking. Several patients shift from smoking to smokeless tobacco use, which needs to be addressed while providing tobacco cessation services.
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| 3. |
- Thankappan, K R, et al.
(författare)
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Risk factor profile for chronic non-communicable diseases : results of a community-based study in Kerala, India.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR). - 0971-5916. ; 131, s. 53-63
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Kerala State is a harbinger of what will happen in future to the rest of India in chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD). We assessed: (i) the burden of NCD risk factors; (ii) estimated the relations of behavioural risk factors to socio-demographic correlates, anthropometric risk factors with behavioural risk factors; (iii) evaluated if socio-demographic, behavioural and anthropometric risk factors predicted biochemical risk factors; and (iv) estimated awareness, treatment and adequacy of control of hypertension and diabetes, in Kerala state.METHODS: A total of 7449 individuals (51% women) stratified by age group, sex and place of residence were selected and information on behavioural risk factors; tobacco use, diet, physical activity, alcohol use, measured anthropometry, blood pressure was collected. Fasting blood samples were analysed for blood glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides in a sample subset.Using multiple logistic regression models the associations between socio-demographic and anthropometric variables with biochemical risk factors were estimated.RESULTS: The burden of NCD risk factors was high in our sample. Prevalence of behavioural and each of the biochemical risk factors increased with age, adjusting for other factors including sex and the place of residence. The odds ratios relating anthropometric variables to biochemical variables were modest, suggesting that anthropometric variables may not be useful surrogates for biochemical risk factors for population screening purposes.INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: In this large study of community-based sample in Kerala, high burden of NCD risk factors was observed, comparable to that in the United States. These data may serve to propel multisectoral efforts to lower the community burden of NCD risk factors in India in general, and in Kerala, in particular.
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| 4. |
- Thankappan, K R, et al.
(författare)
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Smoking cessation among diabetes patients : results of a pilot randomized controlled trial in Kerala, India.
- 2013
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2458. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: India has the second largest diabetic population (61 million) and tobacco users (275 million) in the world. Data on smoking cessation among diabetic patients are limited in low and middle income countries. The objective of the study was to document the effectiveness of diabetic specific smoking cessation counseling by a non-doctor health professional in addition to a cessation advice to quit, delivered by doctors.METHODS: In our parallel-group randomized controlled trial, we selected 224 adult diabetes patients aged 18 years or older who smoked in the last month, from two diabetes clinics in South India. Using a computer generated random sequence with block size four; the patients were randomized equally into intervention-1 and intervention-2 groups. Patients in both groups were asked and advised to quit smoking by a doctor and distributed diabetes specific education materials. The intervention-2 group received an additional diabetes specific 30 minutes counseling session using the 5As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist and Arrange), and 5 Rs (Relevance, Risks, Rewards, Roadblocks and Repetition) from a non-doctor health professional. Follow up data were available for 87.5% of patients at six months. The Quit Tobacco International Project is supported by a grant from the Fogarty International Centre of the US National Institutes of Health (RO1TW005969-01).The primary outcomes were quit rate (seven day smoking abstinence) and harm reduction (reduction of the number of cigarettes / bidis smoked per day > 50% of baseline use) at six months.RESULTS: In the intention to treat analysis, the odds for quitting was 8.4 [95% confidence interval (CI): 4.1-17.1] for intervention-2 group compared to intervention-1 group. Even among high level smokers the odds of quitting was similar. The odds of harm reduction was 1.9 (CI: 0.8-4.1) for intervention-2 group compared to intervention-1 group.CONCLUSIONS: The value addition of culturally sensitive diabetic specific cessation counseling sessions delivered by non-doctor health professional was an impressive and efficacious way of preventing smoking related diabetic complications.TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2012/01/002327).
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Thankappan, KR, et al.
(författare)
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Authors' response
- 2014
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Ingår i: The Indian journal of medical research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0971-5916. ; 114:2, s. 197-198
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 7. |
- Thankappan, K R, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of a community based intervention program on awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in a rural Panchayat, Kerala, India.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Indian heart journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 2213-3763 .- 0019-4832. ; 65:5, s. 504-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Community based intervention to control hypertension is extremely limited in India. We conducted this study to find the effectiveness of a community based intervention program on the awareness, treatment and control of hypertension.METHODS: A baseline survey was conducted among 4627 adults aged ≥30 years (men 44%) selected by cluster sampling. Information was collected using a structured interview schedule by trained local volunteers. They measured weight, height, waist circumference and blood pressure using standard protocol. The volunteers monitored blood pressure at least once a month and educated the people in neighborhood groups on the need for regular medication and reducing risk factors of hypertension for a period of six years. A post intervention survey was conducted among 2263 adults aged ≥30 years (men 49%). Stepwise logistic regression analysis was done to find the odds of change in awareness, treatment and control of hypertension.RESULTS: The odds of awareness (OR 4.18, 95% CI 3.44-5.08), treatment (OR 3.44 CI 2.81-4.22) and control (OR 4.39 CI 3.36-5.73) of hypertension increased significantly in the post intervention survey compared to the baseline survey. Baseline hypertension prevalence of 34.9% (CI 33.8-36.1) was reduced to 31.0% (CI 29.1-32.9) in the post intervention survey based on age adjusted analysis.CONCLUSION: Our community based intervention using trained community based volunteers could increase awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among adult hypertensives.
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