Pandemic Democracy in Manipur: By Elections and Covid-19

This article provides an initial assessment of the many risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the conduct of genuine and transparent elections in Manipur. It begins with explaining why elections are a vital part of democracy and then using the notion of the electoral cycle, constructs a risk matrix that assesses the relative impact and likelihood of risks to the cycle, as well as proposes a number of potential mitigations to these risks. The root cause of the by-elections in Manipur is to be the election of the Rajya Sabha which held on June 19, 2020 by indulging in cross voting in favour of BJP candidate. There is a clear that the rise of Covid-19 cases be increased during the democratic process of by-elections such as, mass rallies, congregation etc. without maintaining SOPs. The number of elections dimensions of the electoral cycle that can be disrupted and the need for solution raises significant questions about the future of democracy itself.Copyright © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.

Complications and Outcomes of Peritoneal Dialysis in Indian Subcontinent: Two Decades of Experience from a Single Centre

Introduction: Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) was first introduced in 1990. It is now being considered at per or even better than MHD in many centers in India. Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS),Imphal is a tertiary care hospital in Northeastern part of India which is surrounded by neighboring states and border states of Myanmar where communication, transport, renal health care system is least developed. Many patient used to die due to lack of availability of hemodialysis facility. Since September 2001, CAPD programme was started at RIMS hospital, Imphal to treat the patient of CKD in Manipur, other neighboring states and Myanmar. It has been already more than 21 years and 736 number of PD catheter insertion is done at RIMS till September 2022. Method(s): Tenckhoff catheters were implanted either trans-peritoneally by surgeon or percutaneously by the nephrologist under local anaesthesia. All the details data about the patients were collected and accumulated. Accumulation and collection of data is constantly done by designated analyzers in RIMS centers in order to be continually updated on the demographics of renal patients using PD. These data were constantly documented and analyzed to assess the outcome and complications of PD. A total of 736 CKD patients were implanted with CAPD catheter between September 2001 to September 2022 and their detail data were analysed. Result(s): Out of total 736 PD cases there were 276 episodes of peritonitis. 58.6% cases had single episode of peritonitis as in Table -1. Out of 276 episodes of peritonitis 27 cases were culture positive.The leading causative agent of peritonitis was Staphylococcus aureus (37% of culture positive cases). Staphylococcus epidermidis was responsible for 18.5% of culture positive episodes as shown in Table-2. The incidence of ESI was 0.03 per person-years.The most common infective organism was S. aureus which was responsible for 12 (52%) of cases Table-3. Out of total 736 PD cases 72 patients were shifted to HD over the twenty one -year period, refractory peritonitis was the most common cause of technique failure ( 41.6 %) (Table- 4). A total of 125(16.9%) patients among 736 had PD catheter tip migration of which 46% were surgically removed and re-inserted. Omentectomy was require in 14.4 % of patient due to omental wrap around PD catheter (Table 5). There were 443 admissions to the hospital by these PD patients during the study period, of which 173(39%)were due to peritonitis. Non-peritoneal infections were the second most common cause responsible for 98(22.1%) hospital admissions. The non-peritoneal infections included covid 19 pneumonia in 5 patients (Table 6). Out of 736 patients, 145 patients(14.7%) were continuing on PD and12 patients (1.6%)underwent renal transplantation(Table-8). Conclusion(s): Our study suggests that there has been considerable improvement in overall outcome and mortality in patients on PD over the 20 years period. Peritonitis is the most common complication associated with PD. Having a well-trained staff will decrease the complications. This modality of renal replacement therapy in terms of long-term survival and quality of life and should be encouraged at the national level. No conflict of interestCopyright © 2023

Performance of micro and small foodpreneurs in Manipur during COVID-19 pandemic

To critically assess the performance of micro and small foodpreneurs during COVID-19 pandemic in Manipur state of India, an online survey was conducted during the year 2020. The survey data was subjected to non-parametric statistical analysis using PROC NPAR1WAY and Dwass, Steel, Critchlow-Ffigner multiple comparison analysis. The findings suggested that during COVID-19 pandemic, the micro and small foodpreneurs faced multifaceted challenges with respect to the number of employees, working hours, supply of raw material, selling mode, production, sale, turnover and the extent of loss, etc. The performance of different categories of foodpreneurs was compared based on the change in various performance indicators between pre-pandemic and pandemic period. The study also highlights the major problems faced by the foodpreneurs and remedial measures. This is the first report on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on foodpreneurs from North East India.

SARS-CoV-2 Positivity using Closed System RT-PCR at a Tertiary Care Medical Institute in Manipur, India

Introduction: Rapid cost effective, Point-of-Care (PoC) Truenat assay for the diagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been developed to shorten the Turn Around Time (TAT) of reporting with a wireless data transfer system. Aim: To explore the SARS-CoV-2 positivity using closed system Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Materials and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was carried out in Molecular Laboratory of, Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur, India, using Truenat RT-PCR (Molbio diagnostics) and data was entered from May 2020 to April 2021. Manufacturer's literature was followed while performing the test. Screening of sample was done with Envelope (E) gene test and confirmed with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene (RdRP) gene test. Statistical analysis was done using Microsoft Excel sheet by calculating the percentage, proportions. Results: A total of 1,528 individuals were tested for SARS-Cov-2 and 73 tests were reported positive. The positivity rate by age was highest among 21-30 years. The positivity rate was higher among males than females. Among 1,105 asymptomatic individual, 27 (2.4%) were positive and among 423 symptomatic, 46 (10.9%) were positive. Conclusion: Using Truenat, positivity rate among symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) suspected persons was about four times more than positivity rate among exposed contact persons who are asymptomatic.

A Survey Of Undergraduate Students On Online Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic In The Indian State Of Manipur

This research looks into how undergraduate students used social media and video apps for online learning during the Covid-19 lockdown. In Manipur, online learning or teaching online is a relatively new phenomenon. Theoretical concepts of Communities of Inquiry (COI), such as teaching, cognitive, and social presences, were applied to online learning during the pandemic. Survey questionnaires, focus interviews, and various research methodologies were used to assess online learning and its impact. A total of 188 undergraduate students were administered the Google forms, and 10 undergraduate students provided focus interviews. Using SPSS, cross-tabulation and Chi-Square tests were done to look for significance. Students' attitudes toward critical thinking and provoking debates were found to be significant findings, indicating that there is a teaching presence. Students were encouraged to think critically and ask questions. Students trust teachers as knowledge givers, as evidenced by their 82 percent approval that the lecturer possesses the knowledge. For sharing class notes, lecturers used WhatsApp, and for conducting formal classes, they used the Zoom app. Even though one-third of the students had poor Internet access, they could still communicate with their professors, though this is a flaw that needs to be addressed appropriately. The lecturers were forced to learn a new paradigm to deal with a changing context, and as a result, they became capable of completing the task at hand.

PANDEMIC DEMOCRACY IN MANIPUR: BY ELECTIONS AND COVID-19

This article provides an initial assessment of the many risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the conduct of genuine and transparent elections in Manipur. It begins with explaining why elections are a vital part of democracy and then using the notion of the electoral cycle, constructs a risk matrix that assesses the relative impact and likelihood of risks to the cycle, as well as proposes a number of potential mitigations to these risks. The root cause of the by-elections in Manipur is to be the election of the Rajya Sabha which held on June 19, 2020 by indulging in cross voting in favour of BJP candidate. There is a clear that the rise of Covid-19 cases be increased during the democratic process of by-elections such as, mass rallies, congregation etc. without maintaining SOPs. The number of elections dimensions of the electoral cycle that can be disrupted and the need for solution raises significant questions about the future of democracy itself.