Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern from clinical isolates at a tertiary care teaching hospital of rural Bengal: a pilot study

Background: Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern from clinical isolates can reveal important information that can help in drafting the hospital antibiotic policy as well as help improve prescribing patterns and patient outcome in a particular region.Methods: Data from the results of the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of clinical isolates of the patients between 1stJuly and 31st December 2018 were collected on a pre-designed and pre tested case study form and analysed with the help of descriptive statistics.Results: A total of 75 blood culture reports were obtained which showed 58 gram positive cultures. Further 46 of the gram positive samples were positive for Coagulase negative Staphylococcus. A total of 305 urine samples were obtained for culture which showed gram negative cultures. Paediatric and medicine wards were the common yielding sites. A total of 242 pus reports were obtained which showed 47 gram positive cultures. A total of 154 wound swab samples were obtained which showed 47 gram positive cultures. For pus and wound swab samples, surgery wards were the common yielding sites. Common gram negative organisms seen were Klebsiella sp., E. coli, Citrobacter sp., Pseudomonas, Proteus and Enterobacter. Gram positive organisms were commonly resistant to Erythromycin, orally active Penicillins, Vancomycin and Teicoplanin and gram negative organisms were commonly resistant to Cephalosporins, Aminoglycosides, Colistin, Fluroquinolones and Meropenem.Conclusions: This study showed that over six months samples of body pus, wound swab, blood culture and urine showed high levels of resistance to commonly used antibiotics. This would provide an outline for development of an effective hospital Infection Control Policy

Current Developments in 3D Bioprinting for Tissue and Organ Regeneration–A Review

Thefield of Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that work toward creatingfunctional tissue-constructs mimicking native tissue for repair and/or replacement ofdamaged tissues or whole organs have evolved rapidly over the past few decades.However, traditional tissue engineering approaches comprising of scaffolds, growthfactors and cells showed limited success in fabrication of complex 3D shapes andinvivoorgan regeneration leading to their non-feasibility for clinical applications from alogistical and economical viewpoint. In this regard, 3D bioprinting, which is an extendedapplication of additive manufacturing is now being explored for tissue engineering andregenerative medicine as it involves the top-down approach of building the complex tissuein a layer by layer fashion, thereby producing precise geometries due to controlled nature ofmatter deposition with the help of anatomically accurate 3D models of the tissue generatedby computer graphics. Here, we aim to provide a comprehensive review of the 3Dbioprinting technology along with associated 3D bioprinting strategies including ink-jetprinting, extrusion printing, stereolithography and laser assisted bioprinting techniques.We then focus on the applications of 3D bioprinting technology on construction of variousrepresentative tissue and organs, including skin, cardiac, bone and cartilage etc. Wefurther attempt to highlight the steps involved in each of those tissues/organs printing anddiscuss on the associated technological requirements based on the available reports fromrecent literature. Wefinally conclude with current challenges with 3D bioprintingtechnology along with potential solution for future technological advancement ofefficient and cost-effective 3D bioprinting methods

Measuring Resilience of Urban Slum to Climate Induced Disasters: A Study on Barishal City Corporation, Bangladesh

Measuring urban resilience is one of the important processes toward understanding the potential current and future risks of cities, assessing the challenges of urbanization and to guide the development of urban areas. The research was conducted in a slum named Bangabandhu Colony under Barishal City Corporation (BCC). The purpose of the research was to measure the urban disaster resilience and to find out a better way of future urban disaster resilience in this area. Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) was used to measure climate-related disaster resilience by considering five dimensions: physical, social, institutional, economic and natural which shows resilience level ranging from 1-5 where 1 representing very poor and 5 best. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting the primary data and the secondary data was collected from secondary sources. Results revealed that the resilience level of physical, social, institutional, economic, and natural dimensions was 2.76, 2.79, 2.29, 2.53, 2.59 respectively, which indicates a medium resilience level of all dimensions. Finally, the research depicted that, the resilience level of the area will increase through hand to hand working of people with government and non-government officials, conducting public awareness programs, campaigns, seminars and discussions. The findings of the research can be used by researchers and development workers for enhancing disaster resilience of other areas under Barishal City Corporation as well as other city areas of Bangladesh

Design of a three level boost converter for fuel cell applications

This paper presents a simple 3 level DC-DC boost converter for fuel cell applications to boost voltage from 48 V DC to 210 V DC. The main advantages of this converter are its simple design, presence of a single switching element for easy controllability, compact size, low cost and high power density. It is basically a simple boost converter with 3 stage voltage multiplier connected to the output side. Simulation and Hardware results for a power level of 250 W are provided in this paper

Therapeutic uses of Tamra (copper) Bhasma - A review through Ayurved Samgraha and other texts

Materia Medica of Ayurveda is using best scientific and applied Rasa Chikitsa and Rasa Ausadhi occupied an important place in the field of Ayurvedic practice. It deals with metal, minerals and poisonous drug. Starting from 9th century AD to 16th century AD was the sunshine period of Rasa Chikitsa, then gradually decline probably due to introduction of western medicine. It’s efficacy is superior than plant formulation due to its unlimited expiry, effective in small dose, abundant resource and quickly effective on the target tissue even it can handle emergency situations also but the most important background of Rasa Ausadhi received highly technical processing (Shodhan, Marana, Jarana[1]) for the treatment of diseases. In this content liver function test and estimation of renal profile (before and after) will help for gaining confidence both in patient and physician prior to use compound formulations containing Tamra Bhasma. Tamra Bhasma is a metal compound which is used for treatment of various disease like Jwara, Bala Roga, Grahani Roga, Pandu, Visarpa, Brishya, Yakrit Roga, Pliha Roga etc

Three-year review of a capacity building pilot for a sustainable regional network on food, nutrition and health systems education in India.

BACKGROUND: In Kolkata (India), there are high rates of malnourished children (45.9%) under the age of three, impacting growth, organ development, function, and cognition. Mothers have a major role to play during this crucial development stage, with research showing nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of mothers are important determinants of childhood malnutrition. AIMS: To document 3 years of capacity building towards a sustainable nutrition education network in Kolkata, India, while assessing the ability to perform data collection in the form of needs assessments, impact assessments and capacity reviews. METHODS: Descriptive review and analysis of engagement and impact from 3 years of work by the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health, initiating locally led nutrition education interventions. Mapping to the Indian National Nutrition Strategy was also performed to review adherence to nationwide priorities surrounding nutrition and determine the wider application potential of the network. RESULTS: Two simultaneous projects were taken forward by a team of local healthcare professionals and student champions. Project 1-medical college workshops for medical student nutrition education with added focus on underserved populations, Project 2-preparation for a 'Mobile Teaching Kitchen' (MTK) in marginalised communities to empower local women as nutrition educators.Data collection methods used for analysing markers of impact and sustainability were semi-structured interviews of the community members, and KAP questionnaires to assess response to educational sessions. CONCLUSION: With local support it is possible to create and sustain fieldwork for an extended period with meaningful outputs and impact. This initiative demonstrates that it is possible to use healthcare professionals, students and volunteers with low-intensity training and a low-cost approach to produce action research with considerable impact and results in rapid, reliable and robust manner