Understanding Household's Access to Loans from Microfinance Institutions in Delhi Slums

The provision of credit is essential for poverty alleviation, but formal financial institutions often exclude the poor due to stringent criteria and collateral requirements, leading them to rely on informal lenders despite high interest rates. Microfinance aims to fill this gap by offering small loans to those lacking access to formal credit, promoting investment in microbusinesses and economic growth. However, microfinance often fails to reach the poorest, serving mainly those near the poverty line. This study takes up this issue and aims to identify the socio-economic factors that determine access to microfinance institution loans among 368 households in Delhi slums. The study reveals that MFIs aim toward poverty alleviation by providing loans to the poorer sections of society. They provide loans to “self-employed” households for investments in micro ventures which helps them in raising their income and living standards. Also, the level of education of the household's head and the age of a women respondent have a positive influence on accessing loans from MFIs

MFI’s Loans: Evaluating Adequacy, Utilization and Repayment Pattern among Urban Poor Households

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) offer loans to impoverished individuals for small enterprise investments and consumption expenses. Investment-oriented loans can create jobs and income for poor households while ensuring high repayment rates for MFIs. However, studies suggest that microloans are often too small for effective investment, failing to improve living standards significantly in the long term. This study evaluates the sufficiency, utilization patterns, and repayment trends of MFI loans. Using primary data from 104 households in Delhi slums collected in 2016, the descriptive analysis reveals that loans are nearly equally split between consumption and production purposes, sometimes serving multiple uses. Most respondents found the loan amounts insufficient. Repayments are typically punctual, though delays occur in some cases due to inadequate income, loan diversion for household consumption, and giving money to male family members

Developing a Poverty Measurement Scorecard: Predicting MPCE for Microfinance Clients in Urban Delhi

A scorecard is a poverty measurement tool (PMT) that helps microfinance institutions (MFI) to measure and track the poverty status of their clients. It uses some verifiable indicators from the national expenditure survey, to get a score that is highly correlated with poverty. In the present study, an attempt has been made to develop a scorecard using the stepwise OLS regression method, to predict the MPCE of MFI’s clients. The NSS 68th round (2011-12) data on consumption expenditure for urban Delhi has been used for this purpose. The predictive accuracy of the regression model (scorecard) is assessed by comparing the poverty status predicted by our scorecard with the “true” poverty status as established by the NSSO data. The “Total Accuracy” criterion is used which identified 89.39% of the respondents correctly. Thus, the scorecard appears to be a fairly accurate tool for assessing the poverty status of MFI’s clients

The role of digital tools in supporting the implementation of the international treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in MERCOSUR countries

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is a crucial agreement that aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of Plant Genetic Resources (PGRs). However, the effective implementation of the treaty in MERCOSUR countries requires the use of digital tools and technologies to support the collection, management, and sharing of PGRs’ data. This paper explores the role of digital tools in supporting the implementation of the ITPGRFA in Mercado Común del Sur (MERCOSUR) countries. The authors highlight: (i) the challenges and opportunities in collecting, managing, and sharing PGRs’ data in these countries; (ii) the potential of digital tools such as databases, digital platforms, and software applications in supporting the implementation of the ITPGRFA; (iii) the benefits of these digital tools in facilitating the exchange of PGRs’ data and promoting collaboration among stakeholders, including researchers, breeders, and farmers. However, the authors acknowledge that the use of digital tools in the implementation of the ITPGRFA raises important ethical issues such as data privacy, security, and ownership. Thus, recommendations for addressing these issues and ensuring the responsible and ethical use of digital tools in the implementation of the treaty has also been emphasized. The authors also underscore the need for ongoing research and development of digital tools to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of PGRs

Acute Kidney Injury, Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura, and the Infection That Binds Them Together: Disseminated Histoplasmosis

Untreated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be complicated by opportunistic infections, including disseminated histoplasmosis (DH). Although endemic to portions of the United States and usually benign, DH can rarely act as an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients presenting with uncommon complications such as acute kidney injury and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. We report a rare presentation of DH presenting with acute kidney injury and immune thrombocytopenic purpura in an immunocompromised patient with HIV

Evaluation of Safety of Spinal Anaesthesia in Patients Receiving Perioperative Antithrombotic Therapy Undergoing Infrainguinal Revascularisation Surgeries: A One-Year Prospective Clinical Research

Objective: To evaluate anaesthetic outcome, patient outcome and timing of perioperative antithrombotic therapy in relation to intrathecal injection in patients undergoing infrainguinal revascularisation surgery, for peripheral artery disease (PAD) in spinal anaesthesia. Material and Methods: A one-year prospective observational study was conducted; from May 2019 to May 2020, in a tertiary care centre. This included all consecutive patients undergoing infrainguinal revascularisation surgery for PAD under spinal anaesthesia. Preoperative antithrombotics were stopped, as per standard guidelines, to achieve a normal coagulation profile before spinal anaesthesia. Perioperative data related to the patients, antithrombotics, anaesthesia, surgery, and complications were recorded. Primary outcomes measured were anaesthetic outcome in terms of spinal success and spinal safety. Secondary outcomes measured were timing of perioperative antithrombotic therapy in relation to intrathecal injection and patient outcomes defined as: good, morbidity or mortality. Results: A total of 102 patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 54.69±16.36 years (91% males, 9% females): 58% had medical comorbidities. A single dose of intravenous (IV) unfractionated heparin (5,000-7,500 IU) was given intraoperatively at 24.97±3.69 minutes after intrathecal injection. Anaesthetic outcome was good in all patients; in terms of spinal safety (100%), as none of the patients developed spinal related complications. All had spinal success (100%), as no patient required conversion to general anaesthesia. Postoperatively, 98% (100) of patients had good outcomes, and mortality only occurred in 2% (2) of patients. Conclusion: Spinal anaesthesia is safe and effective for infrainguinal revascularisation surgery. If the patient has a normal preoperative coagulation profile, and the timeline to stop antithrombotic therapy is strictly followed, administration of IV unfractionated heparin (5,000-7,500 IU); at approximately 25 minutes after intrathecal injection, was found to be safe

Evaluating the Impact of Microfinance on Household Welfare: An Empirical Study in Delhi

Microfinance institutions, through the availability of credit to low-income households, create opportunities for self-employment, facilitate the expansion of existing businesses, and positively impact their welfare levels. Many researchers support the view that access to microfinance loans considerably increases household consumption expenditure, while others argue that it has minimal or no impact on average household consumption levels. An attempt has been made in the present paper to study the impact of microfinance on the welfare of households in the context of MFIs in Delhi. The welfare is broadly measured through an increase in households\u27 (HHs) monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE).  Using the Logit regression model, an empirical analysis is carried out based on primary data collected from 368 households in Delhi Slums in 2016. The key findings reveal that access to MFI\u27s loans has a positive impact on the MPCE of its clients as an increase in the consumption expenditure after MFI’s loans is larger for HHs in the ‘treatment group’ as compared to those in the ‘control group’

Terphenyl derivatives as “turn on” fluorescent sensors for mercury

New terphenyl-based reversible receptors 1−4 with pyrene and quinoline as the fluorophores have been designed, synthesized, and examined for their cation recognition abilities toward various cations (Sm3+, Nd3+, Pb2+, Hg2+, Ba2+, Cd2+, Ag+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Fe2+, Fe3+, K+, Mg2+, Na+, and Li+) by UV−vis, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy. The prepared receptors showed the highly selective and sensitive “Off−On” fluorescence signaling behavior for Hg2+ ions in THF and mixed aqueous media (THF:H2O, 9.5:0.5)

Long QT Syndrome Unveiled by a Fatal Combination of Medications and Electrolyte Abnormalities

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) can present with syncope and seizure-like activity in the setting of torsades de pointes (TdP) with hemodynamic instability. Electrolyte abnormalities and medications can predispose to TdP in the setting of latent LQTS. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is needed if patients with TdP continue to be symptomatic despite medical treatment. We report a case of a patient who presented with seizures and was found to have prolonged corrected QT interval (QTc). During her admission, she was treated with ondansetron. She went into torsades de pointes and continued to have prolonged QTc. She underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement and remains asymptomatic to date

Antidote or Poison: A Case of Anaphylactic Shock After Intra-Articular Corticosteroid Injection

Although glucocorticoids are often used as an adjunct to epinephrine to treat anaphylactic shock, glucocorticoids can also be a rare cause of anaphylactic shock. Only through the administration of a challenge dose of different glucocorticoids and different substrates that glucocorticoids are delivered in can the determination be made about which glucocorticoid or accompanying solvent may be the culprit which caused the anaphylactic reaction. These challenge tests should only be performed in a controlled environment as repeat anaphylaxis is a risk, especially if the patient has a history of glucocorticoid-induced anaphylaxis