NMP has emerged as a significant cause of concern among both the groups. Standardized measures for identification and appropriate psychobehavioral therapy for those seeking help might alleviate the problem.

Background: Adolescence is defi ned as the teenage period of life, involving major biological changes and psycho-social development. In adolescence, the girls fi rst experience menstruation and good hygiene is essential during this period. Menstrual hygiene is an issue that is insuffi ciently acknowledged and has not received adequate attention in the reproductive health in developing countries. Aim: To elicit the knowledge, attitude and practice of menstrual hygiene in adolescent slum dwelling girls of Siliguri city. Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional, community based study was conducted in slums of Siliguri city of West Bengal and cluster sampling was used to select 798 post menarcheal adolescent girls residing in the slums. Data on knowledge, attitude and practices regarding menstruation were collected with the help of a pre-tested and semi-structured schedule. Simple descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data using SPSS 16 software (Chicago IL, USA). Descriptive statistics were applied to calculate proportion, mean and standard deviation and Chi square test was used to test the association between categorical variables and a P<0.05 was considered signifi cant. Results: The knowledge of the respondents was assessed and it was found that only 23.4% (187 out of 798) knew about menstruation before menarche, whereas 653 out of 798 girls remarked sanitary napkins as the ideal absorbent. Regarding attitude towards menstruation, 55% of girls attributed menstruation as a debilitating event and 37.6% of them agreed that their periods resulted in no negative eff ect. When enquired about the menstrual practices 71.3% used sanitary napkins as absorbent material. Majority of the study participants had fair knowledge and practice about menstruation. Conclusion: The results of the present study highlights the fact that more eff orts should be made to create awareness about hygienic practices during menstrual period, especially in underserved areas like slums.

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Lateral nasal wall of each nasal cavity provides the final common pathway of drainage of the mucociliary clearance of frontal, maxillary and anterior ethmoidal air cells. Anatomical variants like concha bullosa, Haller cells, agger nasi cells, enlarged bulla ethmoidalis may obstruct the mucociliary clearance through osteomeatal complex and cause rhino sinusitis. The objectives were to find out the anatomical variation of osteomeatal complex and its dimensions when present. The present study was a descriptive, hospital based cross sectional study carried out in the outpatient departments of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India, among patients aged 15 years and above. Coronal CT scan of paranasal sinus and orbit region was done. Data was collected with the help of semi structured predesigned and pretested questionnaire. Of the 44 study patients, 15.9 % had concha bullosa, 11.36 % had paradoxical middle concha, 27.3 % had Haller cell, 18.2 % had agger nasi cell. Lateral attachment and medial free margin of uncinate process were also measured in respect to medial body line. 77.3, 59.1 and 47.7 % had sneezing, rhinorrhoea and headache respectively. The harmony of mucociliary clearance and obstruction free osteomeatal complex is the key factor for ventilation and drainage of maxillary, frontal and anterior ethmoidal air cells.

A cross sectional study was conducted from February - May 2009 with the objectives to find out profile of injuries among municipal primary school children in Siliguri, West Bengal and to identify the related factor associated with injury. 20% of total primary schools under municipal corporation of the town were selected and a pre-designed, pre-tested schedule was used to assess the profile of injury and associated factors. The Chi square test was usedto determine statistical significance at the 0.05 significance level. Out of 956 participants, a significantly higher injury was observed among males (68%). Open wound injuries were commonest (59.6%) occurring mainly at the extremities. Falls were mainly responsible for overall injuries. Injury at home (41.8%) was also found to be more. Mother education, number of siblings and presence of caregiver were significant related factors to injury.

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Background: Biomedical waste (BMW) is waste generated during diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities. BMW is hazardous and can be injurious to humans or animals and deleterious to environment. Effective management of BMW is a legal as well as a social responsibility. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practice regarding hospital waste management among healthcare providers of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Departments of General Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Radiotherapy among 198 different hospital staff within 3 months with the help of a predesigned and pretested interview schedule to elicit the knowledge of BMW management. An observatory checklist is used to find out practices regarding BMW management prevailing in the above wards and staff of the hospital. Results: Majority (60.6%) of the study population belonged to the age group of 21-30 years. About one-third of the total study population were junior doctors and nurses. 35.8% worked for 1 year in the hospital, and 29.8% worked within 2-5 years. All the participants had heard about BMW management, but only 1.5% had formal training. 6.6% knew about five-color coding used for segregation of waste with red, black, yellow, blue bags and white puncture proof container. 31.3% knew correct disposal of sharps. All the participants knew about the use of personal protective measures while handling BMW and used in most of the time. 70.2% of respondents knew the use of gloves and mask together. In 33.3% of observation, it was seen that syringes were reused for the same patient. Four colored bins were used most of the time in the above-studied wards. Conclusion and Recommendation: The above study revealed certain paucity of knowledge among the healthcare providers in the field of BMW management which adversely affected their practice. There should be regular comprehensive training programs regarding BMW management for all level of workers and strict implementation of them.