The crisis in access to essential medicines in India: key issues which call for action.

The government is planning to introduce free generic and essential medicines in public health facilities. Most people in India buy healthcare from the private sector, a compulsion that accounts for a high proportion of healthcare-related expenditure. To reduce the burden of healthcare costs, the government must improve availability and affordability of generic and essential medicines in the market. It can do so because India's large pharmaceutical industry is a major source of generic medicines.

Changing landscape of acute encephalitis syndrome in India: A systematic review.

Background. Seasonal outbreaks of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) occur with striking regularity in India and lead to substantial mortality. Several viruses, endemic in many parts of India, account for AES. Although Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a key aetiological agent for AES in India, and has attracted countrywide attention, many recent studies suggest that enteroviruses and rhabdoviruses might account for outbreaks of AES. We did a systematic review of published studies to understand the changing landscape of AES in India. Methods. Data sources: Electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science and BIOSIS) from the start of the database to 2010. We also hand-searched journals and screened reference lists of original articles, reviews and book chapters to identify additional studies. Study selection: We included studies only on humans and from three time-periods: pre-1975, 1975–1999 and 2000– 2010. Data extraction: Independent, duplicate data extraction and quality assessment were conducted. Data extracted included study characteristics, type of study and aetiological agent identified. Data synthesis: Of the 749 unique published articles screened, 57 studies met the inclusion criteria (35 outbreak investigations and 22 surveillance studies). Results. While most studies from 1975 to 1999 identified JEV as the main cause of AES, many studies published after 2000 identified Chandipura and enteroviruses as the most common agents, in both outbreaks and surveillance studies. Overall, a positive yield with respect to identification of aetiological agents was higher in outbreak investigations as compared to surveillance studies. Conclusion. The landscape of AES in India has changed in the previous decade, and both outbreak investigations and surveillance studies have increasingly reported non-JEV aetiologies. Because of these findings, there is a need to explore additional strategies to prevent AES beyond vector control and JEV vaccination.

Chikungunya epidemic: an Indian perspective.

Chikungunya, caused by the chikungunya virus, recently emerged as an important public health problem in the Indian Ocean Islands and India. In 2006, an estimated 1.38 million people across southern and central India developed symptomatic disease. The incidence of the disease may have been higher but may have been underreported due to lack of accurate reporting. First isolated in Tanzania in 1953, the chikungunya virus belongs to the family Togaviridae (single-stranded RNA alphaviruses) and has 3 distinct genotypes: East African, West African and Asian. Previous outbreaks in India (1963 and 1973) were caused by the Asian genotypes, but the 2005 epidemic in the Indian Ocean islands and the 2006 epidemic in India have been attributed to the East African genotype. The virus is transmitted to humans by the bites of mosquitoes of the species Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus. Researchers speculate that mutation of the virus, absence of herd immunity, lack of vector control, and globalization of trade and travel might have contributed to the resurgence of the infection. Chikungunya is characterized by high fever, severe arthralgia and rash. Although viral diagnostics (culture, serological tests and polymerase chain reaction tests) can be used to confirm the infection, these tests are not accessible during outbreaks to the majority of the population. The disease is a self-limiting febrile illness and treatment is symptomatic. As no effective vaccine or antiviral drugs are available, mosquito control by evidence-based interventions is the most appropriate strategy to contain the epidemic and pre-empt future outbreaks.

Accuracy and reliability of palpation and percussion for detecting hepatomegaly: a rural hospital-based study.

BACKGROUND: Palpation and percussion are standard bedside techniques used to diagnose hepatomegaly. Ultrasonography is a noninvasive and accurate method for measurement of liver size, but many patients in developing countries have limited access to it. We compared the accuracy of palpation and percussion in a rural population in central India, using ultrasonography as a reference standard. METHODS: The study design was a blinded, cross-sectional analysis of a hospital-based case series. Three physicians, blind to clinical data and to each other's results, independently used palpation and percussion to detect hepatomegaly. Diagnostic accuracy was measured by computing sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio values. Inter-physician agreement was assessed using the kappa statistic. RESULTS: Of the 180 study patients, 36 (20%) had enlarged liver on ultrasonography. The likelihood ratios for findings at both palpation (2.2, 3.0, and 2.5 for the three physicians, respectively) and percussion (1.1 for all three physicians) as predictors of true hepatomegaly were low. The kappa values for inter-observer agreement between three physicians for the presence of hepatomegaly at palpation (=0.44-0.53) and percussion (=0.17-0.33) were low, indicating poor reliability of these techniques. CONCLUSION: Clinical assessment of hepatomegaly by palpation and percussion lacks both accuracy and reliability.

Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in a rural population of central India: a hospital-based case-control study.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data on the relative importance of various traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease among rural Indians. We conducted a prospective case-control study to determine the risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in a rural population of central India. METHODS: We recruited 111 consecutive patients admitted to our hospital with a first episode of acute myocardial infarction and 222 age- and sex-matched controls. Demographics, anthropometric measures, lipids, blood glucose, smoking and other lifestyle factors were compared among cases and controls. Multivariate analyses were used to identify the risk factors independently associated with acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: Elevated fasting blood glucose (odds ratio [OR] 8.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.5, 17.9), abnormal waist-hip ratio (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.7, 5.4) and income (OR 4.0 and 5.9 for the high- and middle-income categories, compared to the lowest category) were independently associated with the first episode of acute myocardial infarction. Abnormal triglycerides (OR 1.7; 95% CI 0.9, 3.1) and current smoking (OR 1.9; 95% CI 0.9, 4.0) were risk factors but were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Reduction in blood glucose levels and truncal obesity may be important in controlling the burden of coronary artery disease in rural Indians.

Accuracy of physical examination in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism: a cross-sectional, double-blind study.

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism is a common, potentially treatable endocrine disorder. Since hypothyroidism is not always associated with the signs and symptoms typically attributed to it, the diagnosis is often missed. Conversely, patients with typical signs and symptoms may not have the disease when laboratory tests are performed. AIMS: We aimed to determine the accuracy of physical examination in the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. SETTING AND DESIGN: Prospective, hospital-based, cross-sectional diagnostic study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Consecutive outpatients from the medicine department were screened and an independent comparison of physical signs (coarse skin, puffy face, slow movements, bradycardia, pretibial oedema and ankle reflex) against thyroid hormone assay (TSH and FT4) was performed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Diagnostic accuracy was measured as sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratios, negative likelihood ratios and positive and negative predictive values. RESULTS: Of the 1450 patients screened, 130 patients (102 women and 28 men) underwent both clinical examination and thyroid function tests. Twenty-three patients (18%) were diagnosed to have hypothyroidism by thyroid hormone assays. No single sign could easily discriminate a euthyroid from a hypothyroid patient (range of positive likelihood ratio (LR+) 1.0 to 3.88; range of negative likelihood ratio (LR-): 0.42 to 1.0). No physical sign generated a likelihood ratio large enough to increase the post-test probability significantly. The combination of signs that had the highest likelihood ratios (coarse skin, bradycardia and delayed ankle reflex) was associated with modest accuracy (LR+ 3.75; LR- 0.48). CONCLUSION: Clinicians cannot rely exclusively on physical examination to confirm or rule out hypothyroidism. Patients with suspected hypothyroidism require a diagnostic workup that includes thyroid hormone assays.

Central retinal artery occlusion: an unusual complication of snakebite

Snakebites are endemic in some parts of India, being associated with a number of complications. Ocular disturbances are rare, except for injury to the cornea or conjunctiva when the eye is directly exposed to the venom. In this work, we present a case of central retinal artery occlusion caused by snakebite.(AU)

Poor accuracy of the Siriraj and Guy's hospital stroke scores in distinguishing haemorrhagic from ischaemic stroke in a rural, tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: In India stroke is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. Bedside clinical examination does not always help in distinguishing cerebral infarction from intracranial haemorrhage. We evaluated the accuracy of the Guy's hospital and Siriraj stroke scores in distinguishing haemorrhagic from ischaemic stroke in a rural setting. METHODS: Patients with suspected stroke admitted to a rural teaching hospital were prospectively enrolled. Two investigators collected data for computing the Guy's hospital and Siriraj scores. Cut-off points, as described by the authors of the original scores, were used to predict haemorrhage and infarction. The scores were compared in a blind and independent manner with the computed tomography (CT) scan. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios and agreement between the two scores were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 259 patients admitted for suspected stroke, 134 patients (73 men) underwent both clinical evaluation and a CT scan. The Siriraj score discriminated haemorrhage from infarction with a sensitivity of 78.5% (95% CI: 66.5, 87.7) and specificity of 71% (95% CI: 52, 85.8). The likelihood ratio of a positive test was 2.7 (95% CI: 1.54, 4.75) and that of a negative test was 0.3 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.53). For the Guy's hospital score the sensitivity was 81% (95% CI: 68.6, 90.1), specificity 76.2% (95% CI: 52.8, 91.8), likelihood ratio of a positive test 3.4 (95% CI: 1.57, 7.39) and that of a negative test 0.25 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.54). Both scores, when combined, were 80% sensitive (95% CI: 66.3, 90) and 80% specific (95% CI: 51.9, 95.7). The agreement between the two scores was modest (kappa = 0.51), but very good (kappa = 0.93) after exclusion of equivocal score results. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that neither of the stroke scores is sufficiently accurate for distinguishing the type of stroke. CT scan, and not history and clinical signs, can accurately identify haemorrhage from infarction in acute stroke.

Attitude of teachers towards teaching.

INTRODUCTION: Teaching is an art and the quality of teaching depends on the love, dedication and devotion of the teacher towards the subject of the knowledge. The quality of any teaching programme cannot rise above the quality of its teachers. In medical colleges it is the teacher who is responsible for influencing a student's learning of the subject. METHODS: We assessed the attitude of 31 teachers working at MGIMS. Twenty one of them were of the rank of Reader and above and had more than five years teaching experience. Ten were of the rank of lecturers with three years of teaching experience. The assessment was done by a likert type scale containing 20 items on various aspects of teaching. All the participants were given the scale and requested to mark the agreement or otherwise on a scale i.e. strongly disagree, disagree, cannot say, disagree, strongly agree. OBSERVATION AND CONCLUSION: The mean score was 3.808, which indicates a positive attitude. There was not much difference in attitude of teachers in different group. Thus indicating that our study group has predominantly positive attitude for most of the items. This positive attitude helps the teachers to be role model for the future generation of students.