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The Sustainable Development Goal 6 aims to achieve adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and ending open defecation by 2030. Construction of household toilets does not always translate into its usage in rural areas, as open defecation has become a long-ingrained habit. The Swachta Status Report 2016 states that the majority of people in India (52.1%) practiced open defecation, 24.4% of households disposed of garbage in the nearby agricultural field, while 15.1% threw garbage around the house.METHODSIt was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in four villages of a selected block of the district. A total of 150 households were included in the study. Data was collected using a pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire and information was collected regarding their background characteristics, awareness, practices of sanitary latrine usage, and environmental cleanliness.RESULTSOut of a total of 150 participants, 54% practiced open-air defecation. The drainage system of most households was an open pucca type (73.3%), while garbage was disposed of at a common spot outside the homes in 48.7%. Most respondents were unaware that diseases can be caused by inadequate sanitation (55.3%). A higher age group was found to be significantly associated with the usage of sanitary latrines. (p=0.016). Sanitation practice was found to be significantly related to awareness of the mode of spread of disease (p<0.001).CONCLUSIONSBehavioural change communication is required to motivate people to break the habit of open defecation and remove the barriers which limit the use of sanitary latrines.
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Objective: Growth factor independence 1 (GFI1), a transcriptional repressor, is required for hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and self-renewal in addition to controlling differentiation and proliferation of myeloid cells. As murine studies have demonstrated that this transcription factor has a notable role in the initiation and progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) disease, the aim of the current study was to investigate and review the influence of GFI1 in human AML cells. Methods: GFI1 expression levels were measured by means of real-time polymerase chain reaction in 96 primary AML samples which were then compared to gene expression levels observed in 18 healthy subjects. Moreover, GFI1 expression patterns were analyzed based on specific AML subtypes including acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Finally, leukemic cells were stained to measure levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Results: This study reports that AML patients have significantly higher GFI1 mRNA levels in comparison to healthy subjects and that, when considering AML subtypes, patients with APL have higher GFI1 expression than non-APL patients. Conclusion: It is also concluded that GFI1 overexpression in patients with high MPO levels, such as those of the APL subtype, is correlated with favorable disease prognosis as supported by other studies which demonstrate that increased peroxide activity and GFI1 are independently correlated with a favorable prognosis
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Background: The utilization of social services, including health services, has never been equitably distributed in the society. Cost, distance, attitude of health providers, and other factors put the secondary care and private sector facilities out of reach of most of the poor residents. The socioeconomic factors also have a complex relationship with some of the supply factors, and often in the scarcity of good data, it is very difficult to explain the poor utilization of reproductive and child health (RCH) services.Methods: A cross sectional study conducted on 80 recently delivered women at home in the villages covered under the selected subcentre to interview all recently delivered women to find out the reasons for non-utilization of RCH services. The data was collected by using pre designed semi-structured questionnaire.Results: Most of the participants belong to age group of 20 to 24 (55%) and joint family (51.3%). Main reason for not having institutional delivery was found to be long waiting time in hospital/lack of proper facilities (50%) followed by non-cooperative hospital staff (36.2%). The study showed that most common reason for not getting money under JSY was found to be non-issuance of JSY card (33.3%) and non-cooperative hospital staff (33.3%). It was found that non utilisation of contraceptive services was mainly due to objection by husband (45.5%).Conclusions: This study revealed lack of knowledge, no felt need and financial constraints as the most common reason for not utilizing the different RCH services.
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Background: More than 1.2 million deaths occur each year on the world's roads. In India, the number of motor vehicles on the road is increasing with the population and economic growth. It has been estimated that if effective and immediate action is not taken, deaths due to road traffic accidents will become the fifth leading cause of deaths by 2020. Objectives was to assess the level of awareness and behavior regarding road safety rules among undergraduate medical students.Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in a Medical College of western Uttar Pradesh. In the present study 200 final and pre-final year, undergraduate medical students were selected with the help of simple random selection, who drive/use vehicles either of their own or others. The study period was from June 2019 to August 2019.Results: About 29 percent of participants responded that they do not follow lane rules while driving. Study showed that 72.1% and 42.0% were aware that what documents to be carried with them while driving among those who attend and did not attend any program on road safety measures respectively. About 58.1 % and 38.2% were aware that penalty for driving without a helmet can be imposed among those who attend and did not attend any program on road safety measures.Conclusions: Awareness of road safety measures among participants was satisfactory, but the gap was also seen between awareness and behavior patterns regarding road safety measures.
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Background: Vaccine potency can be lost when exposed to non-recommended temperatures. Hence for the proper running of the universal immunization programme (UIP) factors like vaccine cold chain and vaccine management wants great focus and attention skills and knowledge of the vaccine cold chain handlers so for good implementation of UIP vaccine cold chain handlers are important.Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study. Study duration was carried out from October 2017 to March 2018. All the 16 cold chain handlers of district Etawah were interviewed.Results: All 16 (100.0%) were male and 1 (6.3%), 2 (12.5%), 8 (50.0%) and 5 (31.3%) of the respondents were high schools, intermediate, graduate, and post-graduate respectively. It had been observed that the hundred percent of the cold chain handlers with the knowledge of vaccine cold chain. It has been observed from the study that 15 (93.7%) cold chain handlers had knowledge of temperature range for vaccine storage.Conclusions: Quality of immunization program depends upon cold chain management at peripheral health institutions. In our study, we have found that most of the vaccine handlers were reported to have appropriate knowledge regarding the cold chain.
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Background: Pregnancy is nothing but a process of maternal adaptation to meet the increasing needs of the growing foetus. Significant changes in the highly sensitive respiratory system occurs during pregnancy to fulfil increased demands as well as to combat stress of pregnancy. Although many studies have been done in India to study the Pulmonary Functions during pregnancy, but due to paucity of such study in central Uttar-Pradesh this study was planned.Methods: This study was carried out on 353 2nd trimester pregnant women coming to ANC clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of Uttar-Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Saifai, Etawah, pulmonary function parameters were recorded using Computer based Digital Spirometer. Data were compared with pulmonary function parameters of age matched 353 Non-Pregnant controls. Parameters studied were FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR and MVV.Results: FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and PEFR was found less in pregnant women as compared to Non-pregnant women, difference was statistically highly significant (P<0.01). MVV was also found less in pregnant women but it was insignificant (P >0.05).Conclusions: All parameters of PFT are deranged in pregnancy. Matching of other attributes of cases and controls like height, pre-pregnancy weight of cases and weight of controls, Haemoglobin, BMI, could possibly further explain the established relationship of pregnancy and PFT parameter derangements. Perhaps, a longitudinal study in expectant mothers by measuring their PFT parameters in non-pregnant states and then serial follow-up PFT measurement during their pregnancy would be a better approach to look for the effects of pregnancy on PFT parameters.
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Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical, socio‑economic, and demographic factors associated with the severity at presentation among juvenile primary open angle glaucoma (JOAG) patients. Materials and Methods: Age at diagnosis, family history, baseline intraocular pressure (IOP), access to health‑care, socio‑economic status, and glaucoma awareness among 80 unrelated JOAG patients presenting between 10 years and 40 years of age were analyzed for their association with the severity at presentation. Severity at presentation was graded based on worse eye visual field using the advanced glaucoma intervention study score and on binocular visual field defects at presentation. Results: Patients with a positive family history presented 4 years earlier (P = 0.045, confidence interval [CI]: 0.09‑8.8) compared to those without a family history. Lower socio‑economic status (Odds ratio [OR] 5.7, P = 0.01, CI: 1.5‑22), and higher baseline IOP (OR 7, P = 0.003, CI: 1.9‑26) were associated with severe glaucomatous visual field defect at presentation. A negative family history was associated with a 10 times likelihood of presenting with a severe glaucomatous field defect (OR 0.1, P = 0.007, CI: 0‑0.5). Conclusions: Clinical, socio‑economic, and demographic factors are contributory to the severity at presentation among young patients with early onset glaucoma. Presence of a family history is associated with an earlier presentation among these patients and a reduced risk of the severe presentation
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Context: Von Willebrand disease is the most common inherited bleeding disorder with a prevalence of ≈ 1% in the general population. Studies available from India are limited, showing a prevalence of ≈ 10% of vWD amongst inherited bleeding disorders. Aims: This study aims to know the prevalence and subtypes of vWD in patients presenting with various bleeding manifestations to university hospital. Settings and Design: We investigated 840 patients presenting with bleeding manifestations in the period from August 2004 to August 2008 for bleeding disorders. Materials and Methods: Tests performed for the diagnosis of vWD included platelet count, bleeding time (BT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), Factor VIII:C assay, von Willebrand Factor Antigen assay and Ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation. Results: Amongst 840 patients, 230 (27.38%) had inherited bleeding disorder. Out of these, 40 (17.39%) patients were identified as vWD. Type 1 in 17 (42.5%), Type 2 in 11 (27.5%) and Type 3 vWD was present in 12 (30.0%) patients. Patients' age ranged from five months to 45 years, with 17 males and 23 females. Positive family history was seen in 12 patients (30%). Muco-cutaneous bleeding was the most common presentation. Menorrhagia was present in 100% women of reproductive age group, and hemarthrosis was seen in two male patients. Conclusions: We felt that Type I vWD with infrequent and mild bleeding episodes remain undiagnosed either because of unawareness of the disease in society or due to paucity of diagnostic facilities available in our country. Therefore, an awareness program along with enhancement of diagnostic facilities for vWD is required in our country to identify these patients for proper management thus avoiding hemorrhagic complications.
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We herein present an extremely rare occurrence of primary intratesticular leiomyosarcoma. A 65-year-old patient presented with painless enlargement of the right testis. A high inguinal orchiectomy was done. Histopathological examination of the excised mass was consistent with high-grade leiomyosarcoma. Pertinent literature is reviewed and the importance of excluding the germ cell tumor and the paratesticular neoplasm is emphasized.