ABSTRACT
Growing resistance to antimicrobials has become one of the most important problems of the 21st century. The development of new antibiotics is a time-consuming process involving huge financial resources. An alternate approach is proper utilization of the existing antibiotics through the surveillance of resistance. An important component of surveillance is the informatics tool for collection, management and analysis of antimicrobial resistance susceptibility testing data. Based on the scope, antimicrobial resistance surveillance resistance tools can be broadly classified as collectors and integrators. Individually, both the integrators and collectors have limitations which restrict their use in India. There is a strong requirement to develop a hybrid AMR surveillance tool that captures standardized data from small laboratories and integrates data from multiple sources to present a complete picture of the country. Here we describe a tooli-AMRSS developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research for collection, storage and management of AMR data from collaborating institutes/laboratories and to generate real-time analytics and reports.
ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) has become a global menace; India being one of the high-burden countries contributes about 67 per cent of its users. Although research is ongoing on various aspects of SLT use and its effects, there is a need to identify the still under-researched areas in this field. This study was aimed at delineating the quantum of research on various topics of SLT, with intent to delineate research gaps for guiding future research priorities. Methods: Data about research in SLT were collected from PubMed database using ‘smokeless tobacco’ as a keyword and applying Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms filter. Data were extracted in XML (Extensible Markup Language) format and parsed into database to extract necessary fields such as PubMed IDs, authors' names, affiliations and MeSH terms. Quantum of research in various aspects of SLT was identified for individual MeSH terms and compared for global and Indian data. Results: Data analysis of 2857 records revealed that maximum number of articles was devoted to adverse effects (35.6%) followed by epidemiology (32.4%). In comparison, India contributed only 11.7 per cent of records with maximum number of articles on the topics of epidemiology (26%) and adverse effects (45.8%). Higher proportion of research was published on epidemiology, aetiology and prevention and control at global level, while adverse effects of SLT were researched more in Indian studies as compared to global data. Interpretation & conclusions: The present analysis highlighted the paucity of research studies on important topics such as economics and alternative strategies of SLT control, both on the global and regional levels.