Trend of handgrip strength in male and female medical students from North India

Background: Handgrip strength is the maximum force produced during a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) handgrip strength (HGS). The handgrip dynamometer is used to work out upper-body muscles, particularly those in the forearm and hand. HGS is frequently used as an objective measure of upper extremity functional integrity. HGS is a physiological characteristic influenced by a variety of parameters such as gender, age, and body size. Aims and Objectives: The objective of th study was to assess and compare HGS in healthy first-phase male and female medical subjects. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional research, 250 healthy 1st-year medical students between the ages of 17 and 20 participated. Maximum HGS was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. The grip strength of the dominant hand was assessed 3 times at minute intervals, as suggested by the American Society of Hand Therapists, with the higher value (in kg) reflecting the maximal HGS for each. Results: In comparison to female subjects (Mean: 31.87 kg), HGS in male subjects (Mean: 41.85 Kg) was statistically significant (P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in height, weight, and body mass index between men and women, despite the fact that there was no statistically significant difference in mean age. Conclusion: Male individuals had stronger grips than female ones. The purpose of this study is to provide a baseline of normative data (control values) among a sample cohort of GMC Jammu medical students. This study, however, was confined to medical students between the ages of 17 and 20. We believe that diverse age groups should be studied.

Distribution pattern of ABO and Rh (D) blood group system among 1st-year medical students

Background: Clinical studies, reliable geospatial data, and blood bank management all require an understanding of blood group trends. The prevalence of ABO in the blood group varies from one community to another. Every transfusion center/hematology lab is required to keep a statistical record of the blood group among their population, staff, and students. Aim and Objectives: Determining ABO and Rh blood group and study the pattern of these blood groups with an estimation of gene frequencies among first phase medical students of GMC Jammu. Materials and Methods: 250 medical students were recruited for the study. The finger-prick technique was done to obtain blood. On clean glass slides, a drop of monoclonal anti-A, B, and D was added to a drop of red blood cell suspension made from finger-prick blood and normal saline and thoroughly mixed. The agglutination results were subsequently recorded. Percentages were used to represent the data. Results: ABO blood group prevalent in this study was B, which accounted for 39.6% of all cases (36.8% B+ and 2.8% B-) followed by O with 34% (33.2% O+ and 0.8% O-), A with 21.2% (20% A+ and 1.2% A-), and AB with 5.2% (5.2% AB+ and 0% AB-). Among Rh group 95.2% were positive whereas 4.8% were found to be negative. The gene frequency for IA (p) - 0.1599, for IB (q) - 0.2571, and IO (r) - 0.5830. Conclusion: The B blood group is more ubiquitous than the others, with the AB blood group being the least common. Rh-positive is more common than Rh-negative blood types. Gender had no effect on the ABO and Rh blood groups.

Experiences of Stigma and Discrimination of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Health-Care Settings of Kashmir

Stigma and discrimination create barriers for women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA) in accessing quality health‑care services, affecting their well‑being and also increasing the number of cases. The current article studies issues of stigma and discrimination that WLHA experience in health‑care settings and highlights the importance of building awareness and sensitivity regarding HIV among all health‑care workers. This hospital‑based study was conducted in an anti‑retroviral therapy center in Kashmir. Twenty‑one WLHA participated in the study. The WLHA internalizes stigma and experiences shock, guilt, anger, and numbness while receiving a diagnosis. The stigma is socially constructed, having very little medical or logical basis. Verbal abuse, gossiping, expression of shock and disbelief of health‑care workers, discriminatory attitudes such as wearing multiple surgical gloves, denial of care and treatment, and disclosing their HIV‑positive status without their consent to their families and others have been learned. These experiences in health‑care institutions are disempowering for WLHA. Gender stereotyping and inequalities within health‑care settings and the discriminatory approach of some health practitioners toward women is the main barrier to accessing the services for HIV prevention, treatment and support services.

Awareness of medical students of the Patient's Bill of Rights / The Health Sciences Journal

Introduction @#Health care providers must develop awareness and understanding of the rights of patients in order to render quality care. The study aimed to assess the awareness of students of the College of Medicine of the Patient's Bill of Rights.@*Methods @#Medical students selected by stratified sampling were asked to answer a questionnaire on patients' rights. Respondents with scores of at least 80% were considered "aware". The proportion of respondents who were "aware" was determined.@*Results @#The results revealed that 84.6% of the respondents have >80% awareness level. More than 90% of the medical students sampled were aware of the right to choose a physician, followed by the rights to be shown respect, dignity, and consideration, to be provided healthcare service of best quality by skilled healthcare professionals, to be included in decisions and choices about one's care, and to religious assistance. Less than 70% were aware of the right of the unconscious or legally incompetent patient and right to access and transfer of care and continuity of care.@*Conclusion @#More than 80% of medical students exposed to patients are aware of the Patient's Bill of Rights.

Axial length and cone density as assessed with adaptive optics in myopia.

Aim: To assess the variations in cone mosaic in myopia and its correlation with axial length (AL). Subjects and Methods: Twenty‑five healthy myopic volunteers underwent assessment of photoreceptors using adaptive optics retinal camera at 2° and 3° from the foveal center in four quadrants superior, inferior, temporal and nasal. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 (IBM). Multivariable regression analysis was conducted to study the relation between cone density and AL, quadrant around the fovea and eccentricity from the fovea. Results: The mean cone density was significantly lower as the eccentricity increased from 2° from the fovea to 3° (18,560 ± 5455–16,404 ± 4494/mm2 respectively). There was also a statistically significant difference between four quadrants around the fovea. The correlation of cone density and spacing with AL showed that there was a significant inverse relation of AL with the cone density. Conclusion: In myopic patients with good visual acuity cone density around the fovea depends on the quadrant, distance from the fovea as well as the AL. The strength of the relation of AL with cone density depends on the quadrant and distance.

Differential systemic gene expression profile in patients with diabetic macular edema: Responders versus nonresponders to standard treatment.

Introduction: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a vision-threatening complication of diabetic retinopathy. The current practice of management is a” trial and error “method of using intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)’’ or steroids to treat the patient and watch the response. However, if the patient’s genetic profi le helps us choose appropriate medicine, it would help customize treatment option for each patient. This forms the basis of our study. Materials and Methods: A case-control, prospective, observational series, where DME patients were treated with bevacizumab and subclassifi ed as treatment naïve, treatment responders, and treatment nonresponders. Blood samples of 20 subjects were studied, with fi ve patients in each of the groups (nondiabetic- group 1, treatment naïve- group 2, treatment responder- group 3, and treatment nonresponder-group 4). Whole blood RNA extraction followed by labeling, amplifi cation and hybridization was done, and microarray data analyzed. Genes were classifi ed based on functional category and pathways. Results: The total number of genes upregulated among all three experimental groups was 5, whereas 105 genes were downregulated. There were no common genes upregulated between the responders and nonresponders. There was only one gene upregulated between the diabetic and diabetic responders postt reatment. There were 19 genes upregulated and 8 genes downregulated in the infl ammatory pathway in group 2 versus group 1. There were no downregulated genes detected in vascular angiogenesis and transcription group. There were identical numbers of genes up- and downregulated in the infl ammatory pathway. Seventeen genes were upreguated and 11 genes downregulated in receptor activity, which remained the predominant group in the group classifi cation. Discussion: In summary, this study would provide an insight into the probable signaling mechanisms for disease pathogenesis as well as progression. This type of study eventually would aid in developing or improvising existing treatment modules with a rational approach towards personalized medicine, in future addressing the diff erential responses to treatment.

Evaluation of endoscopically obtained duodenal biopsy samples from cats and dogs in an adapter-modified Ussing chamber

This study was conducted to evaluate an adapter-modified Ussing chamber for assessment of transport physiology in endoscopically obtained duodenal biopsies from healthy cats and dogs, as well as dogs with chronic enteropathies. 17 duodenal biopsies from five cats and 51 duodenal biopsies from 13 dogs were obtained. Samples were transferred into an adapter-modified Ussing chamber and sequentially exposed to various absorbagogues and secretagogues. Overall, 78.6% of duodenal samples obtained from cats responded to at least one compound. In duodenal biopsies obtained from dogs, the rate of overall response ranged from 87.5% (healthy individuals; n = 8), to 63.6% (animals exhibiting clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease and histopathological unremarkable duodenum; n = 15), and 32.1% (animals exhibiting clinical signs of gastrointestinal diseases and moderate to severe histopathological lesions; n = 28). Detailed information regarding the magnitude and duration of the response are provided. The adapter-modified Ussing chamber enables investigation of the absorptive and secretory capacity of endoscopically obtained duodenal biopsies from cats and dogs and has the potential to become a valuable research tool. The response of samples was correlated with histopathological findings.

Single embryoid body formation in a multi-well plate

Embryoid bodies (EB) formed from murine embryonic stem (ES) cells recapitulate many aspects of a developing embryo. Of specific importance, synchronous differentiation of EB recapitulates organ-specific development and is achieved in culture by formation of uniformly sized EB. The method described here demonstrates a simple and cost-effective way of generating EB from murine ES cells. Single EB are formed in a multi-well plate format and large numbers of EB are generated using a 96-well multi-well plate. Uniform single-sized EB formed in the multi-well are an ideal system for screening compounds and determining differentiation effects. Since EB contain all three germ layers, they are appropriate for studying small molecule effects on differentiation of ES such as is performed in high-throughput screening protocols