Study of morbidity pattern and occupational hazards in sweepers working at a municipal teaching hospital in Mumbai.

Background: The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that more than 125 million workers are victims of occupational accidents and diseases in a single year. The important morbid conditions detected in the workers include the diseases of the respiratory system and eye, accidents, injuries, cuts and wounds, skin infections, animal bites, etc. Health Care Workers (HCWs) are attributed to the group at highest risk of occupationally acquired blood borne diseases as the result of contact with blood and body fluids. The present study was conducted to assess the morbidity pattern and occupational hazards in the sweepers working at the tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai. Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out in the various wards of Lokmanya Tilak municipal medical college & general hospital, Mumbai during the period of January 2008 to May 2009. Total 267 sweepers were interviewed. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to get information regarding the morbidity pattern and occupational hazards in the sweepers. Results: Out of 267, history of acute illness was elicited from 64 (23.97%) employees. 52 (19.47%) sweepers had history of chronic illness. Among the sweepers, 160 (59.9%) had some sort of morbidity present. The morbid conditions found in the sweepers were musculoskeletal disorders 55 (20.6%), hypertension 46 (17.2%), gastrointestinal problem 26 (9.7%), eye disorders 23 (8.6%) and respiratory system diseases 21 (7.9%). The present study showed that, 226 (84.6%) sweepers used some form of personal protective devices regularly and 41 (15.4%) didn’t use regularly. 113 (42.3%) sweepers had needle prick or sharp injury. 74 (65.5%) sweepers had single needle prick or sharp injury & 39 (34.5%) sweepers had repeated needle prick or sharp injury. Conclusions: Periodic examination should be done annually & immediate corrective measures should be taken to protect the health of employees at risk. Stress management principles must be implemented in the sweepers to enhance physical and mental health. There is need for safety training programme for all health workers including sweepers in the hospitals.

Domestic violence during pregnancy: a neglected and unseen public health problem.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), domestic violence (DV) is defined as psychological/emotional, physical, or sexual violence, or threats of physical or sexual violence that are inflicted on a woman by a family member: an intimate male partner, marital/cohabiting partner, parents, siblings, or a person very well known within the family or a significant other (i.e. former partner) when such violence often takes place in the home. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence against women are major public health problems and violations of human rights. They result in serious short- and long-term physical, sexual and reproductive, and mental health problems, including increased vulnerability to HIV. Near about 15-71% of women experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Violence against women (VAW) affects all phases of lifecycle of a women, as rightly pointed out by WHO, starting from sex selective abortion in prebirth period; female infanticide, female genital mutilation, child marriage or prostitution in childhood; physical, sexual, psychological abuse, rape, sexual harassment, dowry murders, forced pregnancy in adolescence and adulthood period; ending in physical and psychological abuse in elderly.

Study of Utilization of Maternal Health Care Services by Rural Women in Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital.

Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) care is an essential component of the primary health care services. The overwhelming reason for the low utilization of government health care is lack of proper facilities, which in turn limits the utilization of the resources available such as the staff. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the health seeking behavior of rural women for obstetric care in the rural area and the reasons for seeking care and treatment for delivery at urban teaching hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the rural women admitted in the postnatal ward of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College & General Hospital, Mumbai during the period of September 2007 to November 2007. A total of 73 rural women were included. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used for the study. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 15.0. Results: Out of 73 rural women from the study, 58 (79.5%) women were registered during antenatal period. 49 (67.1%) women were referred directly from the primary health centre to the tertiary health centre, followed by 48 (65.7%) women believed strongly in the health care provided in the tertiary centre. Conclusion: The study concludes that a large number of cases worth treating at the primary care level are also included in reported cases, increasing avoidable patient load at the tertiary care level.

Hepatoprotective activity of Leucas hirta against CCl4 induced hepatic damage in rats.

Methanol and aqueous leaf extracts of L. hirta demonstrated hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage in rats. The parameters studied were serum total bilirubin, total protein, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase activities. The hepatoprotective activity was also supported by histopathological studies of liver tissue. Results of the biochemical studies of blood samples of CCl4 treated animals showed significant increase in the levels of serum markers and decrease in total protein level reflecting the liver injury caused by CCl4. Whereas blood samples from the animals treated with methanol and aqueous leaf extracts showed significant decrease in the levels of serum markers and increase in total protein indicating the protection of hepatic cells. The results revealed that methanol leaf extract followed by aqueous extract of L. hirta could afford significant protection against CCl4 induced hepatocellular injury.

Lipoxin agonists: turn right! to path of resolving neutrophil

An impressive array of cellular and molecular adaptive responses achieves homeostasis. The inflammatory reaction is an adaptive response triggered by an insult to culminate into the overt cardinal signs of inflammation, eventually leading to resolution and returning the organism back to its original centered state. This article focuses on some aspects of the lipoxin A4 signaling pathway during the resolution phase, to better understand molecular mechanisms by which a neutrophil directs an inflammatory reaction to switch off and resume homeostasis. Defining the resolution state of a neutrophil at the molecular level will aid in treatments of diseases that are associated with an exaggerated and uncontrolled inflammation.