Paradise under siege: Healthcare elusive under Kashmir lockdown

The famous poet, Amir Khusro, said of Kashmir: “If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here”. That heaven and crown of India has been under siege now for over four months

Cytogenetic Analysis of Down Syndrome Patients in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Introduction: Down syndrome (DS) or trisomy 21 is the mostcommon type of chromosomal abnormalities in new-born.There are three types regular (Free) Trisomy 21, Translocationand Mosaic Trisomy 21. One third cases of Down syndrome,clinical diagnosis may not be confirmed. Therefore, in thisstudy we aimed to confirm the suspected Down syndromepatients by a cytogenetic analysis and also evaluate the riskfactors associated with Down syndrome.Material and methods: Total 30 suspected Down syndromepatients with aged between days 2 to 20 years old wereincluded in this study, on the basis of well-defined inclusioncriteria. The cytogenetic analysis, karyotype was carriedout for all 30 suspected patients from peripheral blood andstaining with Giemsa (G-Banding).Results: Total of 30 children were included in which 16patients with Down syndrome and 14 with normal. Regular(Free) Trisomy 21 was found in 93.75% patients andtranslocation was seen in 6.25% case. Whereas Mosaicdown syndrome was not seen in any cases. Among Downsyndrome, 10 (62.50%) were males. The mean maternal ageat birth was significantly higher (31.94±3.04 years) in DownsyndromeConclusion: Our results suggest that regular trisomy 21 ismore common in Down syndrome cases. Moreover, highermaternal age was the major risk factor for Down’s syndrome

Street Peddlers and Poor Respiratory Health Outcomes in Lucknow, India

Introduction: There are few studies which aim towards theawareness of using protective masks and respiratory problemsamong street peddlers in India. The focus of this study wasto identify the major pollutants (i.e., PM 2.5, PM 10, etc.)present in the air which may be responsible for the adverserespiratory effect on the human population in street peddlersof Lucknow, India.Material and Methods: Street Peddlers, who were notindulge in smoking in recent few days and have no knowledgeof any diagnosed respiratory diseases, were asked toparticipate from roadside of different localities in Lucknowcity, India. Volunteering Members (n=30) described havinglower respiratory, upper respiratory, and other symptoms.Result: The result of the study was estimated on the basisof a self-analysis form. Symptoms of upper (sour throat36.3%) and lower respiratory tract (coughing 40%) and eyeirritation (40%) was present in all the participants None ofthe participants used the N-95 respirator (PPE: masks) in thisstudy. Some peddlers who is using PPE, are improper for thePM present in the air.Conclusion: Results suggests awareness about respiratoryproblems and proper use of protective equipment like theN-95 type respirator mask among street Peddlers in Lucknow,India.

Effects of Various Anaesthetic Techniques on Haemodynamic Stability and Inflammatory Cytokine (IL-6) Level in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery

Introduction: Multimodal anaesthesia techniques includeregional anaesthesia in the form of paravertebral block andvarious anaesthetic drugs which acts on different sites of painpathway with different mechanism of action, results in goodquality of analgesia with minimal side effects. They improverecovery along with early mobilization and rehabilitationand early resumption. This technique lowers the level ofinflammatory cytokines. Due to this we aim to evaluate theeffects multimodal anaesthesia technique on level of IL-6inflammatory cytokines in breast carcinoma surgery.Material and Methods: Patients were randomized intofollowing three groups (n=30 in each group) using a computergenerated random number tables. Group I: paracetamol 10 mg/kg, Group II: paracetamol at 10 mg/kg and dexmedetomidine0.5μg/kg, Group III: paracetamol 10 mg/kg, dexmedetomidine0.5 μg/kg and paravertebral block with levobupivacaine.Fentany (2 μg/kg) with general anaesthesia were common inall three groups. Statistical Analysis: All the categorical datawas compared by using student “t” test, chi-square test andparametric data by analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results: Patients of group III was haemodynamically morestable as compared to group II and I. IL-6 level was 358.15, ingroup I, 354 in group II and 346.65 in group III preoperativelywhile 324.85 in group I, 320.95 in group II, 278.35 in group IIIafter 2 hour surgery. IL-6 level was significantly different ingroup III as compared to group II and group I postoperatively.Conclusion: Multimodal approach is a better anesthetictechnique in terms of hemodynamic stability with decreasedlevels of IL-6 inflammatory cytokines.

Etiopathogenesis of vaginal discharge among married women in reproductive age group residing in rural area of Bhojipura District, Western Uttar Pradesh

Background: Vaginitis is one of common medical problem in women that often results in frequent medical consultations. Aim was to study the clinico-epidemiological profile and etiopathogenesis of various causes of vaginal discharge among females in age group 18-45 years residing in rural area of Bhojipura district.Methods: This Hospital based cross sectional study was conducted over a period of one year (March 2011 to February 2012) among 150 females aged 18-45 years presenting with the complaint of vaginal discharge. Information on sociodemographic data was obtained with the aid of questionnaires. Samples were obtained with two dry cotton-wool tipped swabs from vaginal fornices and were sending to department of microbiology.Results: The prevalence rate of vaginal discharge was found to be 24.6% among females in reproductive age group attending the outpatient department from rural background. Out of 150 patients who were enrolled for study 86 (57.30%) were diagnosed with non-infective discharge while 64 (42.60%) patients with infective discharge. Bacterial vaginosis was detected in 25 (39.1%), Candida albicans was detected in 23 (35.9%), T. vaginalis in 4 (6.3%) and mixed infections were found in 12 (18.7%). According to vagina flora morphology 85 (56.6%) had normal morphology, 30 (20%) had shift from normal flora and 35 (23.3%) had definitive bacterial vaginosis. About 20.5% females with Candida based etiology were diabetic.Conclusions: Some common reproductive tract infections can be diagnosed and managed at primary level health facilities. This promotes community awareness through behavior change communication which includes safer sex practices, awareness of HIV and appropriate and timely health care seeking behavior.

Rapid detection of alpha + thalassaemia deletion & alpha-globin gene triplication by Gap-PCR in Indian subjects.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Southern blot hybridization is the commonly used method to delineate alpha globin gene defects. This technique is time consuming, requires a large amount of genomic DNA and radioactive probes for detecting the mutations, which limits its use in diagnosis. The present paper emphasizes the efficacy of a well-established Gap-PCR technique in the Indian set up to detect defects of the alpha globin gene in clinics and laboratories engaged in the diagnosis of thalassaemias. METHODS: A total of 190 normal subjects (voluntary blood donors), 183 individuals with heterozygous beta-thalassaemia and 19 with homozygous beta-thalassaemia were screened for -alpha 3.7, -alpha 4.2 deletions and for triplication of alpha gene (alpha alpha alpha anti 3.7). RESULTS: The use of normal and mutant primers in Gap-PCR revealed eight (4.2%) normal individuals, 22 (12%) individuals with heterozygous beta-thalassaemia and 1 (5.2%) with homozygous beta-thalassaemia as carriers of single- -alpha 3.7 deletion. Amplified fragment of 1.8 kb indicated the presence of alpha gene triplication (alpha alpha alpha anti 3.7) in 4 subjects with heterozygous beta-thalassaemia. Normal alpha-genotype (alpha alpha/alpha alpha) was found in 250 samples. However, none of the studied samples revealed the presence of -alpha 4.2 deletion. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Gap-PCR is a robust, simple, rapid and non-radioactive technique thus useful in diagnostic laboratories for the detection of common alpha-thalassaemia mutations.