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Our study suggests that somatic chromosomal mutations, especially in exon 6 of Tp53 gene, among esophageal cancer patients of an ethnically homogenous population of Kashmir valley are closely related to continued exposure to various common dietary risk factors, especially hot salty tea, meat, baked bread and "Hakh", that are rich in nitrosoamines and familial cancer history.

Background: Substance abuse disorder is among the leading public health problems in modern day world as they cause enormous human suffering in terms of morbidity, mortality and economic loss; and threatens the very social fabric of almost all communities around the world and as such is a great threat to the global health, economy and peace. Like most social behaviours the etiology of substance abuse is complex, varying through time, geographical regions and by demographic characteristics. Among young people, students are the most vulnerable group as the initiation into substance abuse first starts during this period. Aims & Objective: To find out the prevalence and pattern of substance abuse and its association with various sociocultural and demographic variables. Material and Methods: Multi-stage random sampling method was adopted to select the study subjects. The study subjects were asked about the substance abuse and related socio-demographic variables by means of WHO model core questionnaire format and results were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The overall lifetime prevalence of for substance abuse among college students was found to be 31.3%. Male students had significantly higher prevalence of substance abuse as compared to female counterparts(37.5% versus 19.6% respectively).The most common substance being abused was Tobacco products(22.5%) followed by solvents (10.0%), alcohol (6.2%), sedatives (5.9%), cannabis (4.4%), amphetamine products (2.1%), hallucinogens (0.5%) and cocaine (0.3%). Age, gender and family type were found to be strongly associated with substance abuse (p<0.001). Conclusion: Prevalence of substance abuse among college students is high and causes significant problems in this population; therefore there is necessity of targeted interventions to reduce this huge burden.

Background:Treatment with antipsychotics increases the risk of developing diabetes in patients of schizophrenia but this diabetogenic potential of different antipsychotics seems to be different. Moreover, there may be an independent link between schizophrenia and diabetes. So we plan to study the prevalence of glucose dysregulation in patients of schizophrenia before and after treatment with various antipsychotics.Materials and Methods:Fifty patients (32 males and 18 females) diagnosed with schizophrenia were evaluated for glucose dysregulation using oral glucose tolerance test, initially (drug naive) and after antipsychotic treatment. Age- and sex-matched healthy volunteer group of 50 subjects (35 males and 15 females) was taken for comparison. Results were interpreted using American Diabetic Association criteria.Results:Though the glycemic status of the patient group was comparable with healthy controls initially but antipsychotic treatment was associated with glucose dysregulation. For first 6 weeks the antipsychotic (olanzapine, risperidone, haloperidol and aripiprazole)-induced glucose dysregulation was comparable, which was seen to be maximum with the olanzapine-treated group at the end of this study, 14 weeks.Conclusion:We conclude that antipsychotic treatment of nondiabetic drug naive schizophrenia patients was associated with adverse effects on glucose regulation. For initial 6 weeks the antipsychotic-induced glucose dysregulation was comparable, which was seen to be maximum with olanzapine at the end of study, i.e. 14 weeks. Keeping this at the back of mind we can stabilize a patient initially with a more effective drug, olanzapine, and later on shift to one with less metabolic side effects.

Though still in infancy, the field of psychiatric genetics holds great potential to contribute to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic options to treat these disorders. Among a large number of existing neurotransmitter systems, the serotonin system dysfunction has been implicated in many psychiatric disorders and therapeutic efficacy of many drugs is also thought to be based on modulation of serotonin. Serotonin transporter gene polymorphism is one of the most extensively studied polymorphisms in psychiatric behavioral genetics. In this article, we review the status of evidence for association between the serotonin gene polymorphism and some common mental disorders like affective disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, suicide, autism, and other anxiety and personality disorders. Going beyond traditional association studies, gene-environment interaction, currently gaining momentum, is also discussed in the review. While the existing information of psychiatric genetics is inadequate for putting into practice genetic testing in the diagnostic work-up of the psychiatric patient, if consistent in future research attempts, such results can be of great help to improve the clinical care of a vast majority of patients suffering from such disorders.