Assessment of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices in rural areas of Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Introduction: The practice of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is critical for a child's growth and development throughout the first two years of life. Poor feeding habits in early childhood contribute to malnutrition and child mortality in India. Aim and Objective: To assess the IYCF practices in children under the age of 2 years. Material and Methods: In rural Uttarakhand, India, a cross-sectional study was undertaken from March 2021 to May 2021. A probability proportional to size (PPS) method was used to select 400 children under the age of 2 years. The World Health Organization IYCF questionnaire, was used to collect house to house data. An appropriate statistical test was used for analysing the data. Results: According to the findings, 47.5 percent of babies under the age of six months were nursed within the first hour of delivery. About 73.9 percent of babies were exclusively breastfed. Approximately 22 percent infants were given pre-lacteal feeds and 20 percent were bottle fed. In addition to breast milk, half of babies aged 6 to 8 months had solid, semi-solid, or soft meals, however minimum acceptable diet was provided to only 33.5 percent children. Odds of male child who were bottle fed in the age group of 6-23 months were 2.02 times higher to that of female child. Also the odds of male child in the age group of 6-8 months to be introduced with solids, semi-solid, or soft food were 4.91 times higher to that of female child. Similarly, odds of male child received minimum dietary diversity (2.35), minimum meal frequency (1.82), and minimum acceptable diet (2.35) in the age group of 6-23 months were found to be higher to that of female child in the similar age group. Total of six mothers reported coronavirus disease (COVID) positive status and only two of them breastfed their babies using COVID appropriate behavior. Conclusion: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) has been practiced in more than two-thirds of children, but early breastfeeding is practised in less than half of children. Only one third children of more than six months of age are getting minimum acceptable diet.

Village health, sanitation, and nutrition committee: Do the village level functionaries aware of their roles?

Background: National Health Mission intended to achieve decentralization and community participation through creating and supporting Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committees (VHSNCs). The services offered through VHSNC include maternal and child health, family planning, sanitation, communicable diseases and health promotion, and nutrition. The study was carried out to assess awareness on the implementation of the functioning of VHSNC implementation among village-level functionaries in the Dehradun district. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Doiwala and Raipur blocks of Dehradun district from June 2019 to July 2019. Members of VHSNC with at least 3 months of membership were included in the study. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic variables and questions about their awareness and responsibilities in implementing VHSNC. Data were collected by personal interviews using Epi-Collect and analyzed by SPSS 23. Result: Out of 69 members, 64 (92.4%) had formal education until high school. Only around 50% of members knew about the essential documents related to the VHSNC. Sixty-five members (98.48%) believed that the committee had the primary role in health-related services in the village, 54 (81.82%) members also marked providing safe drinking water as a function, 48 (72.73%) were in favor of access to clean public toilet and sanitation facilities while some others added role in Public Distribution System. Conclusion: Around half of the members were partially or completely aware of the functioning of VHSNCs. Providing them with further awareness is required.

Health budget in light of pandemic: Health reforms from mirage to reality.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has triggered changes and reforms in the health sector in India. As the pandemic points to a gap in the industry, it has led to the creation of new opportunities to solve problems. To help the country repair the damage caused by the virus pandemic, the Government of India announced that in the health budget 2021, promotion of health and well-being will be one of the six pillars. Investment in health infrastructure in the 2021 budget has increased significantly to welcome the much-needed increase in budget allocations of Rs. 2.3 lakh crore. Three areas will also be strengthened, including preventive health care and therapeutic health care. Special emphasis is placed on prevention, treatment, and health care. To promote primary health care, the country will establish 17,000 rural and 11,000 urban health care centers. Provision of affordable quality medical insurance will be provided by the government. The integrated and collaborative model of the public and private sectors in the provision of health services has led to a rapid expansion of work. This is an attempt to demonstrate the planned reforms in the health budget, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget of 2022-23 is about to be announced soon. It is to be seen how the financial allocation for the health sector impacts the health of the Indian people.

Adverse effects after first and second dose of covishield and covaxin: A longitudinal study.

Background: COVID-19 vaccines have been rolled out recently in several parts of the world. Although the protective efficacy is frequently discussed, little is known about the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine adverse effects. The study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the occurrence of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) with two doses of covishield and covaxin and to assess factors associated with these adverse effects. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted for a period of three months in the adults above 18 years of age attending rural health training center (RHTC) either to receive their first or second dose of covishield or covaxin. After vaccination, the participants were observed at the health facility for 30 min for any AEFI and also followed up telephonically on seventh day from vaccination. Data was collected on predesigned and pretested questionnaire and appropriate statistical tests were applied. Results: Out of 532 participants, 250 (47%) came for their first dose while 282 (53%) came for second dose. In both the groups maximum participation was seen by males and those belonging to age group 18-30 years. Majority of the participants reported local tenderness (39.3%) after first dose of covaxin and fever (30.5%) after first dose of covishield. Mainly significant association was observed after vaccination in participants with comorbidities. Conclusion: The short-term adverse events with both the vaccines were observed, but these were mild and short lived. In this context, our study becomes more relevant in disseminating short-term safety data post vaccination. This will help individuals in their decision to accept vaccination.

Hacking Covid-19 with Technology.

The development, implementation and advancement of technology solutions aimed at combating the COVID-19 outbreak are rapidly taking shape in India. Governments, Venture Capitalists, Academic Institutions, Incubators, Start-ups, and businesses large and small are all doing their part to deploy new innovative solutions as quickly as possible. Various databases were searched to look for different advancements in technology during the current coronavirus pandemic. It is seen that on one end nonpharmacological measure (social distancing, self-isolation, clean hands, and face masks) are time-tested and low-tech ways to help mitigate the viral spread. On the other end, Science and technology sector constituting of data science, machine learning, rapid diagnostic tests, mobile-first telehealth and computational simulation systems for drug development, artificial intelligence, virtual collaboration, and data tracking are complex ways of using the technology that have strengthened our pandemic response.

Covid-19 lockdown: A greater impact on women.

It is well-documented that during a war, a natural disaster or a pandemic, women bear the worse brunt of the crisis. Worldwide, mental stress, domestic violence and cybercrime against women are widespread and under-reported during Covid-19. Creating boundaries in such situations is extremely important. It is imperative that policy-makers adopt a gender perspective to understand and analyse the effects of the pandemic and the lockdown on the economy, livelihoods and social structures. United Nations has called for urgent action and for governments to put women's safety first as they respond to the pandemic.

Meta-analysis comparing outcomes of catheter ablation for ventricular arrhythmia in ischemic versus nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation is an effective treatment for ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). However, results in non-ICM (NICM) patients are not satisfactory, and studies comparing differences between NICM and ICM are limited. We conducted a meta-analysis of procedural characteristics and long-term outcomes of catheter ablation for VA, comparing results between ICM and NICM. METHODS: Studies in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were systematically reviewed. Four studies reporting comparison of catheter ablation of VA between ICM and NICM were examined. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to appraise study quality. A random-effects model with inverse variance method was used for comparisons. RESULTS: Epicardial approach was significantly more undertaken for the NICM group than in the ICM group (odds ratio [OR]: 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09-0.18; P < .00001). Mean ablation time (P = .54), fluoroscopy time (P = .55), and procedural time (P = .18) did not differ significantly between the ICM and NICM groups. Procedural failure rates (OR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.24-0.89; P = .02) and VA recurrence rates (risk ratio [RR]: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.46-1.01; P = .06) were significantly higher in the NICM group than in the ICM group. However, all-cause mortality (RR: 1.37; 95% CI: 0.75-2.49; P = .31) did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Procedural failure and VA recurrence rates were significantly higher in the NICM group, despite significantly more frequent epicardial access. These highlight the limitations of catheter ablation for VA in NICM, given our current knowledge.

A study to assess undernutrition and its sociodemographic correlates in under-five children in urban and rural areas of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

CONTEXT: Nutrition is one of the most important factors that affect a child's health. It plays a vital role in the prevention and control of disease morbidity and mortality. It is a major public health problem in a developing country like India. AIMS: To assess undernutrition in under-five children and various sociodemographic factors affecting it. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among under-five children of rural and urban Rishikesh. A total sample size of 400 under-five children was taken. Multistage sampling was done to select the areas and systematic random sampling was done for selection of households. SUBJECT AND METHODS: A predesigned, pretested, and semistructured questionnaire was used to collect information on the sociodemographic characteristics and status of undernutrition in study participants. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data was entered into excel sheets and analyzed using SPSS version 23 utilizing appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: The prevalence of underweight was 37.3%, stunting 43.3% and wasting 24.5%. Underweight (40.5% v/s 35.0%), stunting (46.5% v/s 40.0%), and wasting (27.0% v/s 22.0%) was more prevalent in urban areas as compared to rural areas. Sociodemographic factors such as religion, caste, parental education, father's occupation, and family size emerged as significant predictors of under nutrition. CONCLUSION: Undernutrition in under-five children was quite high. Since childhood malnutrition is multifactorial, there is no single cause big enough to blame but a multifaceted approach is required to combat malnutrition.

A study of morbidity profile among geriatric population in Uttarakhand: A community based cross-sectional study.

CONTEXT: Population of elderly in India is growing day by day. Elderly population of India is 8.6% and in Uttarakhand it is 8.9%. Health needs of geriatric people differs from others. This study was an attempt to study the morbidity profile of geriatric people that may serve as a baseline data and also help in planning the health services. AIMS: To study Morbidity profile of geriatric population in Uttarakhand. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among geriatric people in rural and urban areas of Uttarakhand. Study participants aged 60 years and above were included in the study and a sample size of 400 was calculated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Predesigned, pretested and semistructured questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics and morbidity status of study participants. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data was entered into excel sheets and analyzed using SPSS version 23 utilizing appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS: Among 400 elderly people most common organ system affected was musculoskeletal (77.20%). Other commonly affected health systems were psychological (75.90%), digestive (73.60%), eye (56.67%), endocrine (35.90%), cardiovascular (33.08%), general and unspecified health problems (32.05%), ear (24.62%) and respiratory system (19.74%). Very few elderlies had neurological (6.67%) and urological (1.28%) problems. CONCLUSIONS: As shown in the present study very high percentage of morbidities were found in the study population. As a result, there is a need to further strengthen existing geriatric health care services at primary, secondary and tertiary level.

Awareness and readiness of health care workers in implementing Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in a tertiary care hospital at Rishikesh.

BACKGROUND: Right to health is one among the important components of basic human rights. The Government of India had announced "Ayushman Bharat for a new India-2022", during 2018-19 parliament budget sessions with two components namely, Health and wellness centers for strengthening primary care and national health protection scheme now known as "Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)" for enabling access to secondary and tertiary healthcare services. Current study was conducted to assess awareness and readiness of the health care workers in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital based cross sectional study was conducted with estimated sample size calculated of 236, with treating consultants and residents as study participants. Participants filled a self-administered pretested semi-structured questionnaire to assess the level of awareness and readiness in implementing PMJAY. Data was entered and analyzed using EPI Info 7 software. RESULTS: Total number of participants were 181. Mean awareness score was 4.5±1.96 and mean readiness score was 16±5. Mean awareness and readiness score among medical and surgical branches was not statistically significant. There was significantly high awareness score among faculty as compared to senior residents. Relationship between awareness and readiness was found to be correlated with Pearson's correlation of 0.206 and was statistically significant. Linear regression model demonstrated an increase of 0.531 units in readiness for every unit increase in awareness score. CONCLUSION: Mean awareness score of doctors was just around half of maximum possible score. Awareness is more among faculty members than residents. With increase in awareness there is an increase in readiness among the study population. There is a need to organize workshops on PMJAY for stakeholders.

Percutaneous coronary intervention provided better long term results than optimal medical therapy alone in patients with chronic total occlusion: A meta-analysis.

AIMS: Studies comparing the outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) along with optimal medical therapy (OMT) versus OMT alone in treatment of chronic total occlusion (CTO) are limited by observational design, variable follow-up period, diverse clinical outcomes, high drop-out and cross-over rates. This study aims to conduct a meta-analysis of published data of observational as well as randomized studies comparing long term outcomes of PCI+OMT versus OMT alone. METHODS AND RESULTS: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases were systematically reviewed. 15 studies meeting criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The New-castle Ottawa scale was used to appraise the overall quality of the studies. Random-effects model with inverse variance method was undertaken. Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) which comprises of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and un-planned revascularization were significantly lower in the PCI+OMT group (RR:0.76; 95% CI:0.61 to 0.95; P=<0.00001; I2 = 85%). All-cause mortality and cardiac death were significantly lower in the PCI+OMT group (P=<0.00001 in both). Myocardial infarction and stroke rates were lower in the PCI+OMT group, however they did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.24, P = 0.15 respectively). Unplanned revascularizations (of any vessel) were also similar in both the groups (P = 0.78, I2 = 88%). CONCLUSION: PCI of CTO is rewarded with better long term outcome, in terms of MACE, all-cause mortality and cardiac death with similar rates of un-planned revascularization.

Meta-Analysis Comparing WatchmanTM and Amplatzer Devices for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: For patients with atrial fibrillation who are at high risk for bleeding or who cannot tolerate oral anticoagulation, left atrial appendage (LAA) closure represents an alternative therapy for reducing risk for thromboembolic events. Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of the Amplatzer and WatchmanTM LAA closure devices. Methods: A meta-analysis was performed of studies comparing the safety and efficacy outcomes of the two devices. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to appraise study quality. Results: Six studies encompassing 614 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Overall event rates were low for both devices. No significant differences between the devices were found in safety outcomes (i.e., pericardial effusion, cardiac tamponade, device embolization, air embolism, and vascular complications) or in the rates of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, stroke/transient ischemic attack, or device-related thrombosis. The total bleeding rate was significantly lower in the WatchmanTM group (Log OR = -0.90; 95% CI = -1.76 to -0.04; p = 0.04), yet no significant differences was found when the bleeding rate was categorized into major and minor bleeding. Total peridevice leakage rate and insignificant peridevice leakage rate were significantly higher in the WatchmanTM group (Log OR = 1.32; 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.87; p < 0.01 and Log OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.50 to 1.72; p < 0.01, respectively). However, significant peridevice leakages were similar in both the devices. Conclusions: The LAA closure devices had low complication rates and low event rates. Efficacy and safety were similar between the systems, except for a higher percentage of insignificant peridevice leakages in the WatchmanTM group. A randomized controlled trial comparing both devices is underway, which may provide more insight on the safety and efficacy outcomes comparison of the devices.

A study to assess prevalence of anaemia among beneficiaries of Anaemia Mukt Bharat Campaign in Uttarakhand.

CONTEXT: Anaemia is defined as a decreased concentration of blood haemoglobin. It is one of the most common nutritional deficiency diseases observed globally affecting both developing and developed countries. AIMS: To find out the prevalence of anaemia among the beneficiaries of Anaemia Mukt Bharat and its association with age and gender. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Uttarakhand by AIIMS Rishikesh in a month-long campaign including 5,776 beneficiaries. Camps were organized at the hospital campus, schools, district hospitals, Community Health Centre (CHC), Primary Health Centre (PHC), subcentres (SC), Anganwadi Centres (AWCs), slum areas, adolescent health day celebration sites and Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHND) sites. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Data on age and gender along with haemoglobin level using HemoCue Haemoglobinometer was collected. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: These data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analysed to calculate the prevalence of anaemia and its association with age and gender using Epi Info software version 7. Pearson's Chi-square test was applied. P value <0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: Out of 5,776 participants 53.2% were anaemic. Females (54.6%) were more anaemic than males (45.1%). 33.5% of pregnant females were found to be anaemic. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of anaemia was very high among the study participants. It shows that anaemia is a major public health problem so efforts should be taken to reduce the prevalence of anaemia and promote the health of an individual, community as well as the country.

Treatment outcomes of tuberculosis patients detected by active case finding under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme during 2018 in Haridwar district of Uttarakhand.

BACKGROUND: In India, the active case-finding (ACF) strategy began in 2017 under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme to find its missing tuberculosis (TB) cases. Few studies have been conducted in India to assess the treatment outcome of TB patients detected by ACF. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the treatment outcomes of patients detected through ACF campaigns during the year 2018 in Haridwar district, Uttarakhand. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study which used the existing data and records. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ACF campaign records of 2018 were extracted from six TB units of Haridwar district. Details of sociodemographic, clinical profile, and treatment outcome of 100 diagnosed patients were obtained and analyzed. RESULTS: Out of the total 100 TB patients detected, the site of disease was pulmonary in 98% of patients. Almost all (92%) the patients were diagnosed microbiologically and treatment was initiated by 78% of the patients. The proportion of successful treatment outcome was found in 64% of the patients. The median time interval from diagnosis to treatment was found to be 2 days. CONCLUSION: In spite of these efforts of ACF, a high proportion of initial loss to follow-up (22%) and unsuccessful treatment outcome (18%) among ACF patients is a major concern. Findings of ACF campaign pose a concern for active follow-up after diagnosis and close monitoring during treatment.

Psychosocial and stress-related risk factors for abnormal menstrual cycle pattern among adolescent girls: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Menstruation is a normal physiological process among reproductive age group females. Although some of them show the abnormal menstrual pattern, which is influenced by several factors, including sociodemographic status, psychosocial stress, improper sleep level, etc. The identification of these risk factors associated with abnormal menstrual patterns may permit risk stratification among adolescent girls. This study was planned to determine various factors which depict menstrual cycle pattern among adolescent girls in urban India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A school-based case-control study was carried out in urban India from May to December 2019. Urban locality and schools were randomly selected, and data were collected in two phases. Adolescent girls in the age group of 10-19 years studying in government and private (both Hindi medium and English medium) schools of urban India were screened for the abnormal menstrual pattern. Equal numbers of age-matched controls were also enrolled. Data were collected with the help of self-administered predesigned pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, unpaired t-test, and McNemar tests were used to analyze data using SPSS version 23.0. RESULTS: A total of 100 cases and 100 age-matched controls (mean age 14.8 ± 1.5 years) were included in the study, almost half of the cases and controls have normative menarche. Improper sleep patterns increased stress levels, and low education status of mothers show statistically significant (P = 0.047) association with abnormal menstrual patterns. CONCLUSION: More stress, improper sleep levels, and low education status of mothers among school-going adolescent girls were strongly associated with abnormal menstrual patterns with more symptoms during menstruation.

Role of Tamponade in Vitrectomy for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy with Vitreous Hemorrhage.

AIM: To analyze the role of tamponade in vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy with vitreous hemorrhage. METHODS: A retrospective chart analysis of patients who underwent vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) between 2006 and 2013, with a minimum follow-up of six months, was done. The data collected included age, gender, control of diabetes, pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), retinal detachment, type of tamponade, and recurrence of vitreous hemorrhage (VH). Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 2.0 and p values <0.05 were taken as significant. RESULTS: A total of 73 eyes of 73 patients were included. The patients were analyzed in four groups: Group 1: no tamponade; Group 2: air; Group 3: gas; Group 4: silicone oil (SO). Eighteen (24.7%), 18 (24.7%), 15 (20.5%), and 22 (30.1%) patients were in the four groups, respectively. The mean preoperative BCVA in logMAR was 1.61, 1.84, 2.25, and 2.03 and the mean change in BCVAs at six months was -0.98, -0.94, -0.97, and -0.19 in four groups, respectively. Recurrent vitreous hemorrhage was noted in 11.1%, 11.1%, 6.7%, and 9.5% of patients of four groups; it was not statistically significant. The retina remained attached in 100%, 100%, 93%, and 90% of patients in the four groups, respectively, at six months. CONCLUSION: The use of an intraocular tamponade in eyes with vitreous hemorrhage due to PDR was not found to be superior to no tamponade in reducing recurrent vitreous hemorrhage. Therefore, the use of a tamponade in eyes without retinal break is not beneficial.