Urban-Rural Disparities in Female Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Trivandrum, South India

                                  https://www.austinpublishinggroup.com/translational-medicine/

Significantdifferences in cancer incidence between urban and rural women have been reported and for the same type of cancer, rural women are generally diagnosed at a later stage and have decreased survival rates as opposed to their urban counterparts. This has been shown for cancers such as breast, colo-rectum in both developed and developing countries. Rural women may suffer significant inequalities in terms of access to medical care and health awareness and these women tend to be less educated with lower economic means. Poorer hygienic conditions tend to aggravate physical threats in rural areas. Conversely, mechanized life-style, stress and air pollution are more widespread in urban environment.

Currently,lifestyle homogenization, particularly in developed countries, and the increased opportunities to healthcare access in rural population, has led to a minimal difference in cancer pattern. However, within Asia, large differences in cancer pattern are found between urban and rural population. Incidence rates of cancers such as cervix uteri, esophagus, stomach etc. are generally low in urban than rural population. In contrast to this, cancers such as breast, corpus uteri, ovary, colo-rectum etc. incidence rates are higher in urban than rural.

Urban-Rural Disparities in Female Cancer Incidence and Mortality in Trivandrum, South India

                                      http://austinpublishinggroup.com/translational-medicine/

Significant differences in cancer incidence between urban and rural women have been reported and for the same type of cancer, rural women are generally diagnosed at a later stage and have decreased survival rates as opposed to their urban counterparts. This has been shown for cancers such as breast, colo-rectum in both developed and developing countries. Rural women may suffer significant inequalities in terms of access to medical care and health awareness and these women tend to be less educated with lower economic means. Poorer hygienic conditions tend to aggravate physical threats in rural areas. Conversely, mechanized life-style, stress and air pollution are more widespread in urban environment.

Currently, lifestylehomogenization, particularly in developed countries, and the increased opportunities to healthcare access in rural population, has led to a minimal difference in cancer pattern. However, within Asia, large differences in cancer pattern are found between urban and rural population. Incidence rates of cancers such as cervix uteri, esophagus, stomach etc. are generally low in urban than rural population. In contrast to this, cancers such as breast, corpus uteri, ovary, colo-rectum etc. incidence rates are higher in urban than rural.

Cancer incidence particularly breast cancer among women in Kerala, South India, is a growing threat to public health. In urban Trivandrum other cancers such as corpus uteri, colo-rectum and kidney are also reported as the highest in the country (NCRP 2016). In Kerala, urban-rural difference according to education among women is minimal (literacy rate: 84.6% urban vs. 81.6% rural) (Census of India 2011) and the distances by road between the main oncology centers in Trivandrum and the rest of the regions are small. It is therefore possible to hypothesize that urban-rural differences in health care access is minimal. However, the magnitude and pattern of cancer incidence and mortality may differ by type of residence due to the difference in socio-demographic and life-style factors.

Seasonal Variations of Zooplankton Diversity in a Perennial Reservoir at Thoppaiyar, Dharmapuri District, South India

http://austinpublishinggroup.com/aquaculture-marine-biology/fulltext/ajamb-v1-id1001.php

Zooplanktoncommunity is cosmopolitan in nature and they inhabit all freshwater habitats of the world. The zooplankton diversity is one of the most important ecological parameters in water quality and biodiversity assessment because they are strongly affected by environmental conditions and respond quickly to changes in water quality. Zooplankton is the intermediate link between phytoplankton and fish. The qualitative and quantitative study of zooplankton is very importance in the plankton diversity. Hence the present investigation was carried out in the Thoppaiyar reservoir (Lat. 11°57'21"N and Long. 78°6'28"E) at Dharmapuri District, South India. The physico-chemical characteristics and zooplankton diversity were studied for a period of one year from December-2010 to November-2011. A total of 55 species of zooplankton were recorded, which includes 19 species of Rotifera, 13 species of Cladocera, 15 species of Copepoda and 8 species of Ostracoda. The population abundance of zooplankton was noticed in the following order: Rotifera > Copepoda > Cladocera > Ostracoda. The present study revealed that the zooplankton productivity was found to be rich in Thoppaiyar reservoir. Further it is concluded that the Thoppaiyar reservoir could be continuously utilized for aquaculture, if proper water quality management measures are adopted.

The zooplankton (microscopic drifting or wandering animals) occupies a vital role in the tropic structure of an aquatic ecosystem and plays a key role in the energy transfer. Unlike algae or phytoplankton, zooplanktons are microscopic animals that do not produce their own food. Freshwater zooplanktons play an important role in ponds, lakes and reservoirs ecosystem and food chain. They are responsible for the eating millions of little algae that may otherwise grow to an out-of-control state. However, not all algae are edible and oftentimes it's the blue green algae that we would like to see disappear that cannot be eaten. In fact, as mostly filter feeders, a community of zooplankton can filter through the volume of an entire lake in a matter of days. The zooplankton community is composed of both primary consumers (which eat phytoplankton) and secondary consumers (which feed on the other zooplankton). The zooplankton forms a major link in the energy transfer at secondary level in aquatic food webs between autotrophs and heterotrophs [1]. Nearly all fish depend on zooplankton for food during their larval phases and some fish continue to eat zooplankton in their entire lives.