Anemia among school-going children in the perspective of socio-economic disparity in Punjab, India

A survey was conducted to assess socio-economic disparity in the prevalence of anemia among schoolchildren (11-17 years) in few regions of Punjab. Two hundred and ten children from government schools of Punjab were selected and their blood hemoglobin levels were estimated; clinical examination was done for various signs/ symptoms of anemia; and dietary iron intake was analysed and compared with the recommended dietary allowances of ICMR (2010). Analysis of variance followed by Tukey's post-hoc test was applied to assess socio-economic disparity in the prevalence of anemia. Overall, 97% of the children were anemic, out of which 80 vs. 17% were moderately and mildly anemic, respectively. Statistically, no significant difference was found in the mean hemoglobin level of the subjects with respect to family income, parent’s education and religion, whereas, substantial disparity was noted with respect to caste. Scheduled caste subjects had the highest prevalence rate than general category and Backward Class and Other Backward Class subjects. Dietary iron intake of the children was grossly inadequate, ranging from 35 to 41% of the ICMR (2010) recommendations. Therefore, it can be established that anemia prevalence depends more on food habits and dietary behaviour of the children than on socio-economic factors. Dietary diversification should be canvassed at the root level, as anemia is likely the result of predominantly starch-based monotonous poor quality diets with minimal amounts of meat, vegetables and fruits

Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography Study of Pterygium in Conjunctival - Limbal Autograft Transplantation

  Introduction: Progressive, gradual, non-malignant proliferation of fibro-vascular tissue, occurring due to repetitive limbal stem-cell irritation & neovascularization, is referred to as pterygium. It is widespread in equatorial regions of the world, with a prevalence of 22% over a well defined ‘pterygium belt’. pterygium excision leaving bare sclera leads to the re occurrence, where as supplementing bare sclera with conjunctival autograft reduces the recurrence up-to 6%. Objective: Assessment of pterygium thickness pre-operative ly & post-surgery keratectomy area along with graft thickness after conjunctival limbal autograft transplantation (CLAT) surgery by anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS- OCT). Method: 50 patients with primary pterygium were distributed age wise in 4 groups of 20-39, 40-59, 60-79 & 80-99 years. Anterior segment imaging was performed with RT-vue spectral domain AS-OCT. pterygium thickness pre-operatively & keratectomy area along with autograft thickness after CLAT surgery was evaluated for a follow-up period of 3 months. Results: the pre-op pterygium & 3 months post-op keratectomy area thickness at apex for (group 1) were 854um & 573um, (group 2) were 855um & 578um, (group 3) were 859um & 574um and (group 4) were 868um & 575um. Similarly at limbus for (group 1) are 1.13um & 720um, for (group 2) are 1.14um & 725um, for (group 3) are 1.19um & 718um, for (group 4) are 1.24um & 714um. Reduction in graft thickness in 3 months follow period for (group 1) was 311um, (group 2) 304um, (group3) 303um & (group 4) 313um respectively. Conclusions: CLAT ascertains to be the ideal treatment modality for pterygium management in terms of decreasing the complications & recurrence rate. Also, AS-OCT is the optimal investigating modality in assessment of pterygium before & after CLAT surgery

Tuberculous Orbital Abscess Associated with Thyroid Tuberculosis

Purpose: To report an unusual presentation of tuberculosis. Case Report: A six-year old boy presented with left upper lid swelling of 15 days′ duration and an asymptomatic midline neck mass from 2 months ago. Imaging studies, and microbiologic tests which demonstrated acid-fast bacilli in the fine needle aspirate of the thyroid mass, both confirmed a diagnosis of cold tuberculous thyroid abscess with presumed hematogenous spread to the orbit. The patient demonstrated marked improvement of both lesions with antitubercular drugs. Conclusion: This case illustrates a very rare association of orbital and thyroid tuberculosis

Orbital melanoma with calcification: A diagnostic dilemma

Primary orbital melanoma is rare and has varied initial presentation. A 28-year-old female presented with proptosis and decreased vision in the left eye. Computed tomography scan showed an orbital mass with contrast enhancement and calcification around the optic nerve leading to a diagnosis of meningioma. The patient chose to be on observation. Loss of vision with an increase in proptosis was seen at 6 months follow-up. On surgical exploration, a well-defined pigmented mass was seen encasing the optic nerve. Histopathological analysis revealed a malignant melanoma. Metastatic workup was negative. Left eye lid sparing exenteration was done. A high index of suspicion is necessary in a rapidly growing suspected optic nerve sheath meningioma and a differential diagnosis including orbital melanoma be considered

Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Low-Energy Assisted Nanohydrogel of <i>Azadirachta indica</i> Oil

Plant-based bioactive compounds have been utilized to cure diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms and as a substitute to reduce the side effects of chemically synthesized drugs. Therefore, in the present study, Azadirachta indica oil nanohydrogel was prepared to be utilized as an alternate source of the antimicrobial compound. The total phenolic compound in Azadirachta indica oil was quantified by chromatography analysis and revealed gallic acid (0.0076 ppm), caffeic acid (0.077 ppm), and syringic acid (0.0129 ppm). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of Azadirachta indica oil revealed the presence of bioactive components, namely hexadecenoic acid, heptadecanoic acid, ç-linolenic acid, 9-octadecanoic acid (Z)-methyl ester, methyl-8-methyl-nonanoate, eicosanoic acid, methyl ester, and 8-octadecane3-ethyl-5-(2 ethylbutyl). The nanohydrogel showed droplet size of 104.1 nm and −19.3 mV zeta potential. The nanohydrogel showed potential antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans with minimum inhibitory, bactericidal, and fungicidal concentrations ranging from 6.25 to 3.125 (µg/mL). The nanohydrogel showed a significantly (p E. coli compared to Gram-positive S. aureus (8.34 log CFU/mL), and in the case of pathogenic fungal strain C. albicans, there was a significant (p Azadirachta indica oil nanohydrogel possesses great potential for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities and therefore can be used as an effective agent