Background: Career choices of undergraduate students are influenced by many factors. The present study was conducted to elicit the most preferred specialty and to ascertain the factors influencing such choices.Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among the final year and students undergoing internship at a private medical college in South India using a pre designed self-administered questionnaire.Results: Out of three hundred and fourteen students who participated, 298 want to pursue specialization. The preferred specialties of choice are medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics and orthopedics. The two most important factors which supposedly influenced their career choice are scope for self-practice and stable and secure futureConclusion: Most students prefer clinical subjects and there were few takers for pre and para clinical subjects. There is a need to analyze the reasons for such preferences and undertake corrective modifications to increase interest in other subjects.

Background and objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in developed countries, contributing to ∼24% of cases worldwide and includes non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. NAFLD is characterized by lipid accumulation rather than alcohol consumption. There are several diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers for NAFLD including CK-18, ALT, AST, GGT, and haptoglobin, but with limited sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, high-throughput OMICS approaches have been used to characterize NAFLD conditions for the identification of potential molecular signatures or differentially regulated molecules (DEMs) and early detection of NAFLD. Methods:We analyzed the publically available data set (accession number: GSE63067) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) using the GEO2R program. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were filtered using the criteria where genes with p-value ≤0.05 and fold-change ≥2.0-fold (upregulated), and fold-change ≤0.5-fold (downregulated).Results: We identified 264 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between NAFLD and normal liver tissue samples, where 211 were upregulated and 53 were downregulated in NAFLD. Additionally, we identified novel genes SGMS2, and WNK3 that were not well understood in the molecular pathophysiology of NAFLD. Further gene ontology-based analysis revealed that among biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions were also dysregulated in NAFLD. Collectively, this integration of a systemic-cum-meta-analysis approach suggests that an OMICS-based analysis may provide better solutions if microarray and other high-throughput study-based DEMs are to be cataloged systematically for sharing with the scientific community. This will allow potential candidates (DEMs) to be interrogated either alone or in combination with existing biomarkers for effective early detection and or diagnosis of NAFLD. Conclusions:Our study shows that meta-analysis of publicly available data could be a good source for identification of DEGs in NAFLD, and it can be easily extrapolated in other disease conditions.

Purpose This study aims to conduct a systematic literature review to investigate the mental health problems during COVID-19 and the role of nutrition in minimizing mental and health-related issues during COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach A literature search was done electronically on April–May 2022 in the databases Google Scholar, PubMed and Cochrane Library, reviewing all the articles published in English. There were no limitations for the study (such as study design, region or any time frame). The quality assessment was done. The beginning database search picked out a total of 654 articles, 47 in PubMed, 575 in Google Scholar, 22 in Cochrane Library and 10 records from other sources. A total of 565 (duplicates found 89) were found after removing the duplicated articles, after reading the title and abstracts were further decreased to 88 full-text articles. These 88 studies went for full-text analysis, which excluded 56 studies and generated a final 32 articles for systemic analysis. The quality of the included study for the systematic review was assessed in two ways: one is evidence-based and another one on the JBI checklist. Findings People in social isolation and home quarantine suffer from severe anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness, anger and panic attack. During COVID-19, the vital role of diet and nutrients in mental health has been acknowledged and helps mitigate COVID-19 infection. Many studies showed stress and anxiety due to increased unhealthy eating and lifestyle practices. Originality/value This review will explain the interlink between diet and mental health because what we eat and think is interconnected with the gut–brain axis. The dietary elements and psychobiotic help in improving the immune system and psychological distress during the pandemic. This paper describes the role of different nutrients, psychobiotics and phytochemicals, to minimize mental and health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper also contains a balanced diet plan to withstand COVID-19.

Background Improvement in people’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS and reduction in stigma and discrimination have been key factors in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The objective of the present paper is to examine the mediation effect of comprehensive knowledge on people’s attitudes towards HIV positives in India. Methods Data for the study have been drawn from nationally representative India’s National Family Health Survey, 2015-16. Statistical methods of data analysis included odds ratio and logistic regression models. Results Two in every five men and of women with comprehensive knowledge held a positive attitude towards PLHIVs. The people in rural areas and females against their counterparts are less likely (OR: 0.85, p < 0.05) to have positive attitude. The mediation by comprehensive knowledge, contributed to 46% of direct effect from gender perspective on comprehensive positive attitude. Among males, aged group 25-44 and among females age <25 had most positive attitude towards people living with HIV (PLHIV) as compared to their counterparts. Conclusions There existed a difference between males and females in attaining comprehensive knowledge and having comprehensive positive attitude. The mediation by comprehensive knowledge contributed, though partially, direct effects from gender perspective on comprehensive positive attitude. The findings are programmatically relevant to device content analysis of the material in the information, education and communication strategies. Key messages The mediation effect of comprehensive knowledge on people’s attitudes towards HIV positives has been substantial in India.

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