Background: India is currently facing a rising epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Identification of modifiable risk factors is of paramount importance to curb this menace. Fishermen are one of the most vulnerable occupational groups with unique characteristics that make them prone to acquire NCDs, as a significant share of their life is spent at sea. Hence, this study was planned to ascertain the burden of NCDs, determine various risk factors of NCDs, and measure the association between risk factors and NCDs among fishermen of Coastal Karnataka in South India.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 681 fishermen aged 18 years and above as per the semi-structured interview schedule for two years (2017–2019). A convenience sampling strategy was adopted. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v.15.0. The results were described in terms of proportions and their 95% confidence intervals. Continuous data were summarized using the mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range depending on the skewness of data. Chi-square test was used to study the association between NCDs and modifiable risk factors. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of NCDs.Results: The mean (SD) age of the population was 42.5 (SD 12.5) years. The mean years involved in fishing was 19.8 years (SD 10.9). More than half (59.5%) of the study participants had severe stress and most (80.3%) were ever substance users. Advancing age, not being able to contact family while at sea, poor dietary practice, ever substance use, increasing waist circumference were significant correlates of NCDs.Conclusions: The commonly prevalent risk factors of NCDs among fishermen included poor dietary practice, higher stress levels, substance use, increasing waist circumference, and inability to contact with family while at sea. Hypertension and Diabetes were the two common NCDs in the study population. There is a need for immediate attention in managing NCDs’ risk factors by promoting a healthy lifestyle by primary health care providers through a sustainable community awareness program targeting fishermen at a convenient time and location, either at the sea-port or meeting places. Harmful effects of substance use, healthy dietary practices, and the importance of physical activity outside their job need emphasis. In addition, screening programs should be organized with the help of boat owners and fishing associations at-least once a year to pick up NCDs at an early stage.

Background Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) finances 43.4% of total health expenditure in India, and emergency trauma—unforeseeable, unpostponable and costly—is among the sharpest tests of whether a health-financing mechanism protects households from catastrophic spending. Insured and uninsured patients are normally treated in different facilities at different tariffs, confounding the effect of the payment mechanism with the setting in which care is given. Methods We compared OOPE across three financing arrangements—Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), private health insurance and self-payment—using billing and admission records for 1,599 of 1,711 consecutive road traffic accident admissions through the emergency department of a 2,000-bed tertiary teaching hospital and regional trauma centre in coastal Karnataka, India, between July 2023 and July 2024. All groups were treated at the same institution under the same price schedule, so total charges are directly comparable, isolating the effect of the payment mechanism. Results Of 1,599 patients, 63 (3.9%) were AB-PMJAY beneficiaries, 262 (16.4%) were privately insured and 1,274 (79.7%) were uninsured. Median total charges were statistically indistinguishable across groups (₹90,979, ₹86,170 and ₹85,091; Kruskal–Wallis p = 0.70). Every AB-PMJAY beneficiary incurred zero OOPE. Privately insured patients paid a median of ₹11,598, averaging 25.6% of charges (median 16.7%) and ranging from full reimbursement to none. Uninsured patients bore the entire charge. At a 10%-of-income threshold, catastrophic expenditure affected 0%, 22.5% and 78.7% of the three groups. Conclusions Complete protection was achievable and was achieved for every identified beneficiary: the binding failure for the uninsured four-fifths was the absence of cover, not its design. India’s 2025 cashless trauma entitlement addresses that absence, but 23.7% of the uninsured patients here were billed above its ₹1.5 lakh ceiling.

COVID-19 has deeply affected the world in various aspects including the education system worldwide. In this study, we intended to explore the merits and demerits of online clinical learning and its effect on medical education from a student’s perspective. The study also assessed the perception and attitude of final-year medical students towards online clinical modules. This observational study was carried out in the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (KMC) in collaboration with King’s College London, UK (KCL). In our study, a total of 42 students were enrolled, with 37 students from KMC and 5 students from KCL. 81% of students reported that they were not willing to continue the online mode of learning. The abrupt switch to e-learning without prior preparedness has exposed some pitfalls that must be attended to. Contrary to other fields, the medical field places high importance on offline clinical teaching which has recently been impacted by online teaching. The survey responses were analyzed for improvisation of online clinical modules as well as to come up with better ideas and outcomes since this mode of learning may have to continue till the spread of the disease is under control.

Preoperative evaluation of gastric contents and volume using ultrasound in patients with well- controlled and poorly-controlled diabetes mellitus: An observational, cross–sectional study - IJCA- Print ISSN No: - 2394-4781 Online ISSN No:- 2394-4994 Article DOI No:- 10.18231/j.ijca.2025.035, Indian Journal of Clinical