Growing up in rural India: An exploration into the lives of younger and older adolescents in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh

This technical report describes the situation of adolescents according to a baseline assessment conducted in selected villages in India. The objectives of the assessment were to explore the attitudes, practices, and behaviors of adolescent girls, their adolescent brothers and if married, their husbands, with regard to sexual and reproductive matters, including HIV; their perspectives on adolescent girls’ and boys’ vulnerability to HIV and ways in which it can be mitigated; and the perspectives of parents and other critical adults in the community on the vulnerability of adolescent girls and boys to HIV. Results will be used to: (1) enhance adolescent girls’ knowledge about sexual and reproductive matters and equip them with skills that enable them to address their vulnerability to HIV; (2) increase the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services from the public sector by adolescent girls and boys; and (3) develop a supportive environment for adolescent girls that enables them to adopt protective actions to reduce their vulnerability to HIV

Total laparoscopic hysterectomy in patients with previous caesarean section: experience at a tertiary care center in India

Background: With a surge in the rate of caesarean deliveries, the number of patients undergoing hysterectomy with a previous caesarean section for gynecological complaints has also increased. The presence of intra-abdominal and bladder adhesions to the uterus is the main concern in such cases, resulting in higher complication rates. This study aimed to determine the challenges and complications encountered during TLH in patients with previous caesarean sections. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study analysing data from the medical records of 243 patients who had undergone TLH for various gynecological conditions in a single tertiary care center from January 2018 to January 2021. Patients were categorized into two groups namely no previous CS (n=193) and previous CS (n=50). The surgical outcomes of those patients including major complications were measured. Results: The clinical characteristics of the two groups were comparable except for the patient’s age with younger patients in the previous CS group (p=0.001). There was no difference in terms of surgical indications, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and hospital stay between the groups. Operating time was significantly more in the previous CS group (p=0.001). One patient sustained a bladder injury in a previous CS group. The conversion rates to laparotomy in the previous CS and no CS groups were not statistically significant. Significant hemorrhage requiring blood transfusion was noted in two patients (4%) in the previous CS group and one (0.51%) patient in the no CS group (p=0.108). Conclusions: TLH can be safely performed with lower complication rates by an experienced surgeon in patients with prior history of caesarean section

Zinc Deficiency: Descriptive Epidemiology and Morbidity among Preschool Children in Peri-urban Population in Delhi, India

Community-based data relating to factors influencing zinc deficiency among preschool children in India are inadequate. Data of a large, double-blinded, randomized, controlled zinc-supplementation trial were used for assessing the descriptive epidemiology of zinc deficiency among children aged 6–35 months (n=940). In total, 609 children were followed up for 120 days for information on morbidity. Of these children, 116 from the control group belonging to the upper and the lower 25th quartile of plasma zinc status at baseline were selected for assessing the association of zinc deficiency with prospective morbidity. At baseline, demographic, socioeconomic and dietary information was collected, and anthropometric measurements and levels of plasma zinc were assessed. At baseline, 73.3% of the children were zinc-deficient (plasma zinc <70 µg/dL), of which 33.8% had levels of plasma zinc below 60 µg/dL. A significantly higher risk of morbidity was prevalent among the subjects with lower plasma zinc compared to those with higher levels of plasma zinc

Six-minute walk work in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background:Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) has demonstrated good reliability and validity as an assessment for exercise tolerance for moderate to severe COPD. 6MWD is a known to be a preferred outcome for this test; however, it does not account for differences in body weight that are known to influence exercise capacity.Aim of current study was to correlate of distance product (6MWWORK) with various variables in study group of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).Methods:Sixty patients of diagnosed COPD underwent pulmonary function test and 6MWT. Correlation coefficients were calculated for the 6-Min Walk Distance (6MWD) and 6MWORK with variables of pulmonary function and 6MWT.Results:The mean of 6MWD was 312.0 ± 21.2 meters and mean 6MWWORK was 31246 ± 2414 kg.m in the study population. 6MWD significantly correlated with age (r = 0.25), height (r = 0.42), body mass index (r = -0.32) and body weight (r = 0.48). 6MWORK yielded higher correlation coefficients than did 6MWD when correlated with FEV (r = 0.66 vs. 0.35), FEV1/FVC ratio (-0.46 vs. -0.24). The ROC curve demonstrated that 6MWORK had a significantly larger calculated area under the curve (P <0.05) than 6MWD with FEV1.Conclusion: 6MWWORK is an improved outcome of 6MWT to monitor functional capacity in patients of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Microenvironment generated during EGFR targeted killing of pancreatic tumor cells by ATC inhibits myeloid-derived suppressor cells through COX2 and PGE\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e dependent pathway

Abstract Background Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are one of the major components of the immune-suppressive network, play key roles in tumor progression and limit therapeutic responses. Recently, we reported that tumor spheres formed by breast cancer cell lines were visibly smaller in a Th1 enriched microenvironment with significantly reduced differentiation of MDSC populations in 3D culture. In this study, we investigated the mechanism(s) of bispecific antibody armed ATC mediated inhibition of MDSC in the presence or absence of Th1 microenvironment. Methods We used 3D co-culture model of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with pancreatic cancer cells MiaPaCa-2 [MiaE] and gemcitabine resistant MiaPaCa-GR [MiaM] cells to generate MDSC in the presence or absence of Th1 cytokines and EGFRBi armed ATC (aATC). Results We show significantly decreased differentiation of MDSC (MiaE, p\u3c0.005; MiaM, p\u3c0.05) in the presence of aATC with or without Th1 cytokines. MDSC recovered from control cultures (without aATC) showed potent ability to suppress T cell functions compared to those recovered from aATC containing co-cultures. Reduced accumulation of MDSC was accompanied by significantly lower levels of COX2 (p\u3c0.0048), PGE2 (p\u3c0.03), and their downstream effector molecule Arginase-1 (p\u3c0.01), and significantly higher levels of TNF-α, IL-12 and chemokines CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CXCL9 and CXCL10 under aATC induced Th1 cytokine enriched microenvironment. Conclusions These data suggest aATC can suppress MDSC differentiation and attenuation of their suppressive activity through down regulation of COX2, PGE2 and ARG1 pathway that is potentiated in presence of Th1 cytokines, suggesting that Th1 enriching immunotherapy may be beneficial in pancreatic cancer treatment

Impact of micronutrient fortification of yoghurt on micronutrient status markers and growth – a randomized double blind controlled trial among school children in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Interventions providing foods fortified with multiple micronutrients can be a cost-effective and sustainable strategy to improve micronutrient status and physical growth of school children. We evaluated the effect of micronutrient-fortified yoghurt on the biochemical status of important micronutrients (iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin A) as well as growth indicators among school children in Bogra district of Bangladesh. METHODS: In a double-masked randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in 4 primary schools, 1010 children from classes 1–4 (age 6–9 years) were randomly allocated to receive either micronutrient fortified yoghurt (FY, n = 501) or non-fortified yoghurt (NFY, n = 509). For one year, children were fed with 60 g yoghurt everyday providing 30% RDA for iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A. Anthropometric measurements and blood/urine samples were collected at base-, mid- and end-line. All children (FY, n = 278, NFY, n = 293) consenting for the end-line blood sample were included in the present analyses. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable at baseline for socio-economic status variables, micronutrient status markers and anthropometry measures. Compliance was similar in both the groups. At baseline 53.4% of the population was anemic; 2.1% was iron deficient (ferritin <15.0 μg/L and TfR > 8.3 mg/L). Children in the FY group showed improvement in Hb (mean difference: 1.5; 95% CI: 0.4-2.5; p = 0.006) as compared to NFY group. Retinol binding protein (mean diff: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.002-0.09; p = 0.04) and iodine levels (mean difference: 39.87; 95% CI: 20.39-59.35; p < 0.001) decreased between base and end-line but the decrease was significantly less in the FY group. Compared to NFY, the FY group had better height gain velocity (mean diff: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.05-0.60; p = 0.02) and height-for-age z-scores (mean diff: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.02-0.33; p = 0.03). There was no difference in weight gain velocity, weight-for-age z-scores or Body Mass Index z-scores. CONCLUSION: In the absence of iron deficiency at baseline the impact on iron status would not be expected to be observed and hence cannot be evaluated. Improved Hb concentrations in the absence of a change in iron status suggest improved utilization of iron possibly due to vitamin A and zinc availability. Fortification improved height gain without affecting weight gain. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT0098073

Compliance with Home-based Fortification Strategies for Delivery of Iron and Zinc: Its Effect on Haematological and Growth Markers among 6-24 months Old Children in North India

Compliance is a key component in successful implementation of the delivery of micronutrients among children. The present study evaluates the compliance with two home-based food fortification strategies (fortified complementary food or sprinkle) for providing iron and zinc among children aged 6-24 months. A total of 292 children were randomly allocated to receive either rice-based fortified complementary food and nutrition education (Cf=101), sprinkle and nutrition education (Mp=97), or nutrition education alone as control (Ed=94). All the enrolled children were breastfed at the beginning of the study and were advised to continue breastfeeding. Biweekly information on compliance and anthropometry was collected. Complete haemogram estimation was conducted at baseline and end of the study. Compliance with the fortified complementary food was higher compared to sprinkle (Cf=81%, Mp=64% child-days). Consumption of the fortified complementary food for 6 months resulted in a significant increase in mean haemoglobin in the intervention group compared to control group (Cf 1.29\ub11.6 g/dL; Ed 0.23\ub11.3 g/dL; p&lt;0.001). Our results showed that fortified complementary food had higher compliance than sprinkle and is a suitable delivery mechanism for iron and zinc in preschool children