Evaluation of the rashtriya bal swasthya karyakram (RBSK): A national children healthcare program in a health district of West Bengal, India.

Background: The Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) was launched in 2013 to screen and manage birth defects, deficiencies, diseases, and developmental delays including disabilities in Indian children, with the help of designated mobile health teams and grassroot workers across the country. Objectives: Performance of the RBSK program in three selected blocks of a health district of a large Indian state (West Bengal) was assessed. Methods: The performance assessment was based on input, process, and output performances, using checklists based on RBSK operational guidelines. Results: While some essential evaluation tools were available in required numbers at the block level, many were unavailable. There were deficiencies in the number of health staff appointed. Although most screening camps were conducted as per microplan, some were not. Anthropometric measurements were not done in some camps; Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials were not used adequately. Issues with fund management were also noted. The intervention rate at higher centers (District Early Intervention Centre) was low with regard to the children referred for management. Involvement of grassroot workers such as ASHA was also found to be lacking. Conclusion: Frequent orientation training of medical officers and staff is needed along with the efforts to strengthen the referral system and the patient tracking system. Sensitizing the children and their guardians regarding the importance of the relevant health issues is also needed with the help of the proper implementation of IEC services.

Gastric adenocarcinoma in a patient re-infected with H. pylori after regression of MALT lymphoma with successful anti-H. pylori therapy and gastric resection: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been etiologically linked with primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) and gastric carcinoma (GC). There are a few reports of occurrence of both diseases in the same patients with H. pylori infection. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a patient with PGL in whom the tumor regressed after surgical resection combined with eradication of H. pylori infection. However, he developed GC on follow up; this was temporally associated with recrudescence/re-infection of H. pylori. This is perhaps first report of such occurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Possible cause and effect relationship between H. pylori infection and both PGL and GC is discussed. This case also documents a unique problem in management of PGL in tropical countries where re-infection with H. pylori is supposed to be high.

Ultrastructural morphology of Helicobacter pylori in post vagotomy dyspepsia.

31 patients of peptic ulcer (PU) treated in the past by vagotomy with Gastrojejunostomy (GJ)/pyloroplasty, later presented with dyspesia. These postvagotomy dyspeptic patients were investigated. Antral and corpus endoscopic biopsies were taken to evaluate for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection by inhouse rapid urease test (RUT), histopathological examination and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Dyspepsia score was done in both pre and post treatment phase. Hp positive patients were randomised to receive anti H. pylori therapy. Hp eradication was recorded by repeat RUT and endoscopic biopsy followed by SEM. Coccoid form of Hp were detected in 76.92% cases of vagotomy with gastrojejunostomy (GJ) and coccobacillary forms of Hp were seen in 75% cases of pyloroplasty. After treatment with anti Hp therapy coccoid forms persisted in 69.23% of GJ cases, whereas 22% of pyloroplasty cases showed coccoid transformation. Anti Hp therapy did not reveal any statistically significant improvement in 'Dyspepsia Score' in GJ group, whereas it improved significantly in pyloroplasty group (p=0.002).