Health systems in India.

Health systems and polices have a critical role in determining the manner in which health services are delivered, utilized and affect health outcomes. 'Health' being a state subject, despite the issuance of the guidelines by the central government, the final prerogative on implementation of the initiatives on newborn care lies with the states. This article briefly describes the public health structure in the country and traces the evolution of the major health programs and initiatives with a particular focus on newborn health.

Care of newborn in the community and at home.

India has contributed immensely toward generating evidence on two key domains of newborn care: Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and community mobilization. In a model developed in Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) in the 1990s, a package of Interventions delivered by community health workers during home visits led to a marked decline in neonatal deaths. On the basis of this experience, the national HBNC program centered around Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) was introduced in 2011, and is now the main community-level program in newborn health. Earlier in 2004, the Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses (IMNCI) program was rolled out with inclusion of home visits by Anganwadi Worker as an integral component. IMNCI has been implemented in 505 districts in 27 states and 4 union territories. A mix of Anganwadi Workers, ASHAs, auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs) was trained. The rapid roll out of IMNCI program resulted in improving quality of newborn care at the ground field. However, since 2012 the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare decided to limit the IMNCI program to ANMs only and leaving the Anganwadi component to the stewardship of the Integrated Child Development Services. ASHAs, the frontline workers for HBNC, receive four rounds of training using two modules. There are a total of over 900 000 ASHAs per link workers in the country, out of which, only 14% have completed the fourth round of training. The pace of uptake of the HBNC program has been slow. Of the annual rural birth cohort of over 17 million, about 4 million newborns have been visited by ASHA during the financial year 2013-2014 and out of this 120 000 neonates have been identified as sick and referred to health facilities for higher level of neonatal care. Supportive supervision remains a challenge, the role of ANMs in supervision needs more clarity and there are issues surrounding quality of training and the supply of HBNC kits. The program has low visibility in many states. Now is the time to tap the missed opportunity of miniscule coverage of HBNC; that at least half of the country's birth cohort should be covered by this program by 2016, coupled with rapid scale up of the community-based treatment of neonates with pneumonia or sepsis, where referral is not possible.

Hepatocellular carcinoma.

The number of papers published regarding hepatocellular carcinoma between 1999 and 2001 increased from previous years. This year a study confirmed the increase in incidence in the United States. Also, several studies established for the first time that tobacco smoking was a risk factor for the development of this tumor. Several studies established that the process of angiogenesis is critical for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, and one paper indicated that inhibiting this process might lead to possible treatment of this tumor. Resection was compared with liver transplantation for the first time in two studies. It was shown that transplantation offered the overall best long-term option, but in a certain group of patients without portal hypertension and well-preserved liver function resection is the best option.

The ultrastructural architecture of the tissue/hard-tissue replacement interface.

This investigation examined the tissue response and interfacial bonding between bone and hard-tissue replacement (HTR) using scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy. Twenty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and a hole (1.0 mm deep by 2.0 mm wide) was drilled in the calvarium. Subsequently, HTR was implanted and the wound closed. The implants and surrounding tissues were removed at 7, 14, 28, and 56 days and prepared for examination by SEM or TEM. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed a typical inflammatory response that subsided by day 14. At that time, a fine layer of collagen fibrils (fibrous envelope) was observed covering the polymeric surface. Energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDXA) showed no sign of mineralization. Ultrastructural analysis demonstrated that the fibrous envelope was bilaminar; it consisted of a relatively undifferentiated cellular layer adjacent to the polymer and an outer fibrous region. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of 28-day implants showed that osteoblasts had migrated onto the outer surface of the fibrous envelope and that calcification had been initiated as judged by EDXA. Electron microscopic examination confirmed previous observations of an undifferentiated cellular layer along the interfacial boundary, but also showed both macrophages and foreign-body giant cells. At 56 days, bone was observed to contact and cover the fibrous envelope surrounding the polymeric bead; however, EDXA showed that the fibrous envelope remained noncalcified. Transmission electron microscopic analysis revealed that the inner cellular layer was beginning to mature, as indicated by the presence of numerous cellular organelles. This maturation was accompanied by an increased incidence of macrophages as well as foreign-body giant cells. Within the time constraints of the experimental design, it is apparent that a bilaminar layer of cells and fibers remains between the HTR and the bone. Additional studies will be necessary, over extended time periods, to determine whether the bilaminar layer remains a constant feature between the HTR and the surrounding bone or whether this region is gradually supplanted by the ingrowing bone.