Areca Nut

Chewing betel quid is a popular habit in tropical areas. It is also a known fact that oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in the Solomon Islands, where betel quid chewing is prevalent. This study explores the prevalence of betel quid chewing in the Solomon ...

Betel nut (BN), the fruit from the palm Areca catechu, is the fourth most commonly used psychoactive drug worldwide. BN's harmful effects include an increased risk of oral and upper aerodigestive cancers. Current BN consumption, preparation, age of use and health attitudes among the Yapese population, which has a strong cultural tie to BN was assessed. Surveys were conducted by trained Public Health staff during the Fall 2014, using a standardized instrument. Of 700 Yapese randomly interviewed, 88.5% are current users with the majority (87.9%) aware of harmful effects of BN. Yapese are introduced to BN at a mean are of 13.9 + 5.8 years (range 2 to 50 years) and begin routine daily use at 17.8 + 6.1 years (range 2 to 53 years), with no significant gender difference. Culturally sensitive educational efforts need to be directed towards the young to reduce adverse health risks associated with BN chewing.

Background:  Oral verrucous hyperplasia (OVH) is a premalignant lesion that may transform into an oral cancer.Methods:  Sixty consecutive OVH cases were collected from 2003 to 2004. Clinicopathological features and the 5-year malignant transformation rate of these 60 OVH lesions were evaluated and analyzed.Results:  We found that 84% of OVH lesions occurred in patients between 40 and 69 years of age. The most common site for OVH lesions was the buccal mucosa (48%), followed by the tongue (20%), palate (18%), gingiva (7%), and labial mucosa (7%). Approximately 91% of OVH patients were areca quid chewers and 89% were smokers. When 60 OVH lesions were classified into 30 plaque-typed and 30 mass-typed OVH lesions, the mass-typed OVH lesions had a higher malignant transformation rate of 17% (5/30) than the plaque-typed OVH lesions (3%, 1/30) during a mean follow-up period of 59 ± 7 months. The mean time for malignant transformation was 22 ± 11 months. Of the 6 OVH lesions with malignant transformation, 2 underwent total surgical excision and 4 did not receive any form of therapy.Conclusions:  We conclude that OVH lesions occur more commonly on the buccal mucosa and are highly associated with the areca quid chewing and cigarette smoking habits. The overall 5-year malignant transformation rate of 60 OVH lesions was 10%. The mass-typed OVH lesions had a higher malignant transformation rate than the plaque-typed OVH lesions and thus should receive an immediate treatment, such as total surgical excision or photodynamic therapy, after the histopathologic diagnosis.

Unmanned Micro Aerial Vehicle or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), popularly known as Drone, is an airborne system or an aircraft operated remotely by a human operator or autonomously by an onboard computer. To design and fabricate an Areca Nut Harvesting Module, relevant literature was studied to better define the objective. Engineering design is a methodological process and thus design process was started from vehicle configuration, harvesting module configuration, propulsion system configuration, aircraft geometry and analysis of different rotor configurations. Once deciding on the final design of aircraft, lift and drag force distribution was done on the model. By calculating loading over the drone shear force diagram and bending moment diagram was plotted manually and compared with ANSYS. Fabrication began with the process of selecting the ideal material for the harvesting module, cutting the material into required dimensions and assembly of the final model that would be mounted on the drone. The harvesting mechanism makes use of simple electronic components such as servo motors, brushless motors and speed controllers.

Areca (betel) nut (Areca catechu) is regarded as one of the most addictive masticatory substances in the world, with approximately 600 million users globally. Extensively grown and found in India, China and Indonesia; areca nut is also native to many other countries of the South and Southeast Asia. Its usage and beneficial effects have been reviewed since centuries. The systemic effects associated with areca nut usage have been in the limelight for many years. This review provides a narrative insight to assess and collate published data that reports the harmful effects of areca nut. An electronic search amassed literature from the NCBI and Google Scholar databases with the help of keywords. Various studies on the correlation of areca nut and its effect on the oral health, metabolism and the incidence of cancer were selected. Its usage is reported to be associated with cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, pharynx, liver and has been declared a human group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is also associated with the incidence of cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Hence, there is a dire need to identify the role of areca nut as a causative agent of cancer and several other health disorders. Clinical evidence has indicated and proved that the use of areca nut causes several types of head and neck cancers, as to effects on intracellular levels of GSH, and on tumor suppressing gene P53 are quite evident clinical evidence has indicated and proved that the use of areca nut causes several types of head and neck cancers, as to effects on intracellular levels of GSH, and on tumor suppressing gene P53 are quite evident.

The ‘lonely/low hero’ is a personage depicted initially as a pitiful, isolated, friendless, sad orphan or foundling, but who appears to prove himself to be a powerful representative of a high-ranking family as the story unwinds. We find those personages in different genres: ritual myths, epics, charms, curses and tales. Betel chewing as a cultural practice is of great importance in the depiction of key mythological figures, lonely heroes in particular.
The paper analyses the symbolism of betel chewing as compared to other chewing practices worldwide. Philippine folklore texts are being analysed to define motifs connected to the image of a lonely hero in the folklore of the Tinguian (Itneg), Kalinga, Yattuka (Kallahan), Ifugao and other highlanders of the Northern Philippines, and compares them to corresponding themes in Philippine non-Cordilleran mythologies and beyond.
Обобщающее исследование на стыке этноботаники, этнолингвистики, культурной антропологии и фольклористики, посвященное практике, мифологии, символике бетеля и других легких жевательных стимулянтов и релаксантов в традиционной и современной культуре народов мира.

Telah dilakukan penelitian pembuatan papan komposit dari serbuk upih dengan lem polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Perbandingan takaran volume lem dan serbuk upih yaitu 1:3. Variasi sampel yaitu semua serbuk, tegak lurus arah serat dan sejajar arah serat. Pembuatan papan komposit dilakukan dengan tekanan 200,37 kgf/cm 2 pada suhu kempa 40 o C-100 o C. Parameter pengujian hasil papan komposit yaitu uji kerapatan partikel, uji keteguhan lentur dan uji keteguhan tarik. Standar yang digunakan yaitu SNI 03-2105-2006 Papan Partikel. Hasil pengujian kerapatan partikel untuk ; semua serbuk 1,27 gr/cm 3 , tegak lurus arah serat 1,19 gr/cm 3 , sejajar arah serat 1,38 gr/cm 3. Hasil pengujian keteguhan lentur untuk ; semua serbuk 154,18 kgf/cm 2 , tegak lurus arah serat 171,37 kgf/cm 2 , sejajar arah serat 317,07 kgf/cm 2. Hasil pengujian keteguhan tarik untuk ; semua serbuk 0,44 kgf/cm 2 , tegak lurus arah serat 0,67 kgf/cm 2 , sejajar arah serat 0,66 kgf/cm 2.

Kata kunci : papan komposit, papan partikel, upih pinang, kerapatan partikel, keteguhan lentur, keteguhan tarik.

Abstract: This report is a compilation of references and abstracts of all research on tobacco in India from 1985 to 2003. Studies are organised by subject matter, and within each sub-topic, are arranged by year of publication with most recent studies listed first, and for studies published in the same year, alphabetically by author’s last name. The studies include tobacco use surveys, studies on tobacco-related mortality, tobacco-related diseases both cancerous and non-cancerous, according to body system and site, and other health problems associated with tobacco use and environmental tobacco smoke. Other topics include the toxicity of tobacco products, educational interventions and the psychology of tobacco use, tobacco control measures and policies, reports on tobacco advertising and sponsorship and research into the tobacco health hazards faced by tobacco workers. It also includes studies on tobacco employment, tobacco growing and technology, and the economics of tobacco. The following databases were searched: Pub Med, Medline, and J-Gate (a new Indian database). The keywords used for the searches were ‘(Tobacco OR smoking) AND India’, as well as names of diseases known from international research findings to be associated with tobacco, ‘AND India’. In some cases, reports were excluded if they were duplicative, or the methodology or findings were unclear.

Areca nut is widely consumed by all ages groups in many parts of the world, especially
south-east Asia. The objective of this review is to systematically review and collate all
the published data that are related to the systemic effects of areca nut. The literature
search was performed by an electronic search of the Pubmed and Cochrane databases
using keywords and included articles published till October 2012. We selected studies
that covered the effect of areca nut on metabolism, and a total of 62 studies met the
criteria. There is substantial evidence for carcinogenicity of areca nut in cancers of
the mouth and esophagus. Areca nut affects almost all organs of the human body,
including the brain, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive organs. It
causes or aggravates pre-existing conditions such as neuronal injury, myocardial
infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, hepatotoxicity, asthma, central obesity, type II diabetes,
hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, etc. Areca nut affects the endocrine system,
leading to hypothyroidism, prostate hyperplasia and infertility. It affects the immune
system leading to suppression of T-cell activity and decreased release of cytokines.
It has harmful effects on the fetus when used during pregnancy. Thus, areca nut is
not a harmless substance as often perceived and proclaimed by the manufacturers of
areca nut products such as Pan Masala, Supari Mix, Betel quid, etc. There is an urgent
need to recognize areca nut as a harmful food substance by the policy makers and
prohibit its glamorization as a mouth freshener. Strict laws are necessary to regulate
the production of commercial preparations of areca nut.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infects the squamous epithelial cells of oral cavity and cervix leading to formation of warts that develops into the cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 and 18 encode E6 oncoprotein, which binds to and induces degradation of the tumour suppressor protein p53. A common polymorphism of p53, encoding either proline (Pro) or arginine (Arg) at position 72, affects the susceptibility of p53 to E6 mediated degradation in vivo. Oral cancer is a pressing problem in India due to the widespread habit of chewing betel quid, which plays an important role in etiology of this disease. In the present study an attempt has been made to analyze the genetic predisposition of the Indian population to HPV infection and oral carcinogenesis. In our study a total of 110 cases of Oral Cancer highly addicted to betel quid and tobacco chewing are analyzed for HPV 16/18 infection and its association with polymorphism at p53 codon 72. Of these a total number of 37 patients (33.6%) have shown the presence of HPV, among which the presence of HPV-16, 18 and 16/18 coinfection is 22.7%, 14.5% and 10%, respectively. Our results also indicate that the p53 codon 72 genotype frequencies in Indian Oral Cancer patients are 0.55 (Arg) and 0.45 (Pro) as per Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In our study, striking reduction in Pro/Pro allele frequency has been found in HPV positive cases, indicating Arg/Arg genotype to be more susceptible to HPV infection and oral carcinogenesis. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.