Need to reinvigorateTuberculosis research in India - A review of studies registered under clinical trial registry of India.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most serious public health issues in India. According to the global TB report 2020, India accounts for about one-quarter of the global TB burden. Despite considerable advances in mandatory notification of all TB cases, incorporation of the national health programmes with general health services (National Health Mission), and national drug resistance surveillance and many other accomplishments, much more needs to be considered in India to significantly decrease TB incidence. Research is the foundation for medical breakthroughs. In this study, all Tuberculosis-related studies registered under Clinical Trial Registry of India from its inception in July 2007 to February 2021 were reviewed and analysed using the keyword ''Tuberculosis'' in the 'Trial Search' section. A total of 31,196 studies were registered in CTRI, with 180 studies (0.58%) being related to tuberculosis. Of these studies, 76 (42.2%) were interventional in nature. These consisted of evaluating different management or treatment TB (50%, n = 90), diagnostic studies (19.4%, n = 35) and studies related to screening and prevention of TB (7.8%, n = 14). Maximum studies were conducted to evaluate safety and efficacy of anti-TB drugs (10%, n = 18) and to evaluate efficacy of shortening of duration of treatment (8.9%, n = 16). The studies related to extra pulmonary TB, MDR TB and TB in special populations and sources of funding and locations of the study sites were also analysed. These indicate that only minimal TB-related researches are conducted in India. It is indispensable to promote tuberculosis research in India in order to eradicate this infectious disease.

Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among private medical college students in South India: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Medical education is competitive across the globe. The long duration of the medical and paramedical courses and exposure to clinical settings potentially causes mental health issues. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among undergraduate students in a private medical college in South India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among paramedical and medical students at a private medical college hospital and research center in South India in the year 2021. The required sample size was calculated as 783 with an expected prevalence of 53%, 95% confidence interval (CI), design effect 2.0, and non-response of 10%. The study participants were selected based on simple random sampling. After obtaining informed consent, the data was collected using an email questionnaire. Standard data collection tools such as the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21) questionnaire were used. The investigator computed the odds ratio (OR) and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with a 95% CI. RESULTS: Out of 1200 students, 1015 (85%) responded to the email questionnaire. Among them, 639 were females (63%), and 925 were paramedics (91%). Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress were 59%, 43% and 11%, respectively. Almost 95% of students experienced moderate-to-severe stress in the last one month. Prevalence was higher among females and students of medical courses. Students of final year of college (aOR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.2-3.5) and students of medical course (aOR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.1-2.4) were independently associated with stress among the study participants. CONCLUSION: There is high prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among medical college students in south India. The final year of study and medical course were independently associated with higher stress than others. We recommend periodic assessment of mental health status and additional mental health care for final year students and medical students.