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SummarySingapore's obesity prevalence among adult Singapore residents aged 18-69 increased from 6.9% (2004) to 10.8% (2010). Among school-going children, the prevalence of overweight and severely overweight (body weight > 120% standard weight for height) increased from 1.4% (1976) to 12.7% (2006) for primary 1 students, and 2.2% to 15.9% for primary 6 students. Fundamentally, obesity is a function of excess energy intake (food consumption) and insufficient energy expenditure (physical activity). In 2010, about 40% did not have sufficient physical activity, and about 60% consumed excess energy. For students in the mainstream schools, only a fifth consumed at least two servings of fruits and vegetables every day, and a tenth were physically active for at least 60 min on 5 or more days a week. From a public health perspective, the most powerful levers for influencing population health lie in interventions that make healthy living convenient and an unconscious choice by targeting the social and environmental context. Recognizing this, the Health Promotion Board has in recent years made a strategic shift away from just public education campaigns aimed at individual behaviours, to focus on creating a ground-up social movement to enable and empower individuals to live out a healthy lifestyle.

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Background: PCOS is a complex   endocrine   disorder which is most common in women of reproductive age. PCOS may first present in adolescence, but the incidence of PCOS in adolescence is not known, as diagnostic criteria for PCOS in the adolescent age-group is still not defined, PCOS symptoms tend to overlap with normal pubertal changes making the diagnosis even more challenging. The objective is to study prevalence and symptomatology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescent girls.Methods: Prospective study between November 2017 and March 2018. 117 adolescent girls aged 15 to19 years attending OPD with oligomenorrhea and/or hirsutism were advised for biochemical, hormonal, and ultrasonographic evaluation for diagnosis of PCOS on the basis of Rotterdam’s criteria at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government Maternity Hospital, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad.Results: Prevalence of PCOS in the study was 11.96% in the study group.Conclusions: PCOS is increasingly encountered during adolescence, although the overall prevalence is low and evaluation of PCOS in adolescents is challenging. At this age, life style modification is imperative to prevent long-term metabolic and reproductive complications.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that all member states actively promote native medicines in their country. Ten Indian medicinal plants were screened for antibacterial activity specific to enteropathogens. Diffusion and dilution methods were used to measure the antibacterial activity. Allium sativum, Camellia sinensis, and Chamaesyce hirta showed higher activity when compared to the rest. They had a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of < 100 micrograms/ml and gave inhibition zones of more than 2 cm. Among the pathogens studied, Vibrio cholerae and Shigella flexneri were found to be highly susceptible to the plant extracts.

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