Toward adapting the UN's healthy aging agenda for India: tailoring to unique historical context and traditions.

India is known for its rich cultural heritage with different cultures and customs. Indian historical traditions and cultures were molded in a manner that most older adults were cared for at home by their children. However, India is being urbanized and developing swiftly changing its socio-cultural scenarios. With globalization and the increased popularity of social media, the youth is more ambitious than ever and is ready to migrate and explore. Fueled by the rapid aging of the global population, demand is escalating for robust programs, policies, and activities to improve the lives of older adults. However, most of these schemes have not yet been fully implemented nationwide; several state governments have yet to realize their full potential due to the lack of resources and competing priorities. Aligning with the UN's healthy aging agenda, several programs and policies in India are contributing toward ensuring quality aged care services. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities for effective ground-level translation from precepts to practice.

The role of artificial intelligence based systems for cost optimization in colorectal cancer prevention programs.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC) has seen a dramatic increase in incidence globally. In 2019, colorectal cancer accounted for 1.15 million deaths and 24.28 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) worldwide. In India, the annual incidence rates (AARs) for colon cancer was 4.4 per 100,000. There has been a steady rise in the prevalence of CRC in India which may be attributed to urbanization, mass migration of population, westernization of diet and lifestyle practices and a rise of obesity and metabolic risk factors that place the population at a higher risk of CRC. Moreoever, CRC in India differs from that described in the Western countries, with a higher proportion of young patients and more patients presenting with an advanced stage. This may be due to poor access to specialized healthcare and socio-economic factors. Early identification of adenomatous colonic polyps, which are well-recognized pre-cancerous lesions, at the time of screening colonoscopy has been shown to be the most effective measure used for CRC prevention. However, colonic polyps are frequently missed during colonoscopy and moreover, these screening programs necessitate man-power, time and resources for processing resected polyps, that may hamper penetration and efficacy in mid- to low-income countries. In the last decade, there has been significant progress made in the automatic detection of colonic polyps by multiple AI-based systems. With the advent of better AI methodology, the focus has shifted from mere detection to accurate discrimination and diagnosis of colonic polyps. These systems, once validated, could usher in a new era in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) prevention programs which would center around "Leave in-situ" and "Resect and discard" strategies. These new strategies hinge around the specificity and accuracy of AI based systems in correctly identifying the pathological diagnosis of the polyps, thereby providing the endoscopist with real-time information in order to make a clinical decision of either leaving the lesion in-situ (mucosal polyps) or resecting and discarding the polyp (hyperplastic polyps). The major advantage of employing these strategies would be in cost optimization of CRC prevention programs while ensuring good clinical outcomes. The adoption of these AI-based systems in the national cancer prevention program of India in accordance with the mandate to increase technology integration could prove to be cost-effective and enable implementation of CRC prevention programs at the population level. This level of penetration could potentially reduce the incidence of CRC and improve patient survival by enabling early diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we will highlight key advancements made in the field of AI in the identification of polyps during colonoscopy and explore the role of AI based systems in cost optimization during the universal implementation of CRC prevention programs in the context of mid-income countries like India.

Quality of life and Its Determinants among Cervical Cancer Patients in South India.

INTRODUCTION: Cervical Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in India. It affects the patient's, physical and psychological state which results in lower quality of life (QoL). Women with cervical cancer may require counselling and time to enable them to deal with the disease and its treatment. The present study aimed to determine the quality of life and its determinants among cervical cancer patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken from April 2017 to September 2017 in a regional cancer centre in South India. Cervical cancer patients (N= 210) with histological confirmation were interviewed at the hospital. European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) questionnaire core module, QLQ-C30 Version 3.0, and recommended scoring algorithm were used to measure and analyse QoL. The Association of socio-economic determinants on quality of life was evaluated using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 210 cervical cancer patients enrolled, the majority 106 (50.5%) of women were between the age group 46 to 59 years and most, i.e.  167(63.0%) were not literate. The median score in the global health status was 50.0[IQR 33.3 - 66.7], 66.7[IQR 60.0 - 80.0] in physical functioning, and 83.3[IQR 66.7 - 83.3] in pain symptoms respectively which were poor compared to reference score of EORTC for all normal females and those with any cancer. The factors which were significantly associated with the GHS QoL score were the advanced stage of disease (OR:2.1, 95%CI: 1.1 - 3.9) and the age of the patients ≥60 years compared with ≤ 45 years (OR:18.4, 95%CI: 6.8 - 50.1). CONCLUSION: Cervical cancer patients had poor global health status compared to the reference score for all females with any cancer and the normal females. Advanced stage of cancer and older age have a significant association with QoL.

A comparison of nutritional status between children with and without disabilities: A community-based study.

BACKGROUND: Children with disabilities are expected to have poor nutritional status in comparison to children without disabilities. However, limited data on nutritional status of children with and without disabilities in rural settings in India. OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the nutritional status of children with and without disability. METHODS: A cross-sectional study among children aged 5-15 years was conducted in the rural practise area of a medical college in Karnataka. 290 children (145 with and 145 children without disability) of similar age and sex were studied. Age and sex-specific World Health Organization (WHO) BMI centiles, 24 h dietary calorie and protein intakes were assessed and compared. Median and interquartile ranges were calculated for quantitative variables. Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess the differences in quantitative variables among the two groups. RESULTS: As per WHO BMI centiles, 33.1% with and 37.20% without disabilities were undernourished. The median calorie consumed by children with disabilities was 1169.0 (946.5-1586.0) significantly lower compared to that of children without disability, that is, 1362.0 (1167.0-1641.0). The median protein consumed by children with disabilities was 28.0 (22.5-38.0) significantly lower compared to that of children without disability, that is, 32.0 (28.0-40.0). CONCLUSIONS: Children with disabilities had similar rates of undernutrition as that of their non-disabled peers and their lesser dietary intake in terms of calories and proteins.