Thermally Comfortable Affordable Housing: A Study on Residential Building Code In India

On an average, India has more than 3000 Cooling Degree Days (CDD). The multifamily public housing being constructed under India’s Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) is aimed at providing formal housing to the society’s Economic Weaker Section (EWS). It is essential that this housing delivers thermally comfortable in-doors to the occupants. This study mapped the design and construction practices followed under PMAY Urban (PMAY-U) against India’s Residential Energy Building Code, Eco Niwas Samhita (ENS). The metric prescribed in ENS is Residential Envelope Transmittance Value (RETV). For 80 PMAY-U projects, information related to spatial design, and walling assemblies was collated. 30 projects were short-listed for detailed analysis. The RETV for selected projects was calculated. The analysis demonstrated that walling assemblies and technologies having a lower thermal transmittance value (U-value) resulted in meeting the ENS prescribed RETV numbers, hence, code compliance. The study further extended to assess the energy performance of the housing unit by exploring the change in walling assemblies. The change in thermally comfortable hours were reported in the range of 4145 and 6034, and Energy Performance Index (EPI) of the dwelling units were reported between 64 and 68 kWh/m2/year for the various walling assemblies

Attitude and Practice of Dental Practitioners Towards the Oral Biopsy Procedure: A Questionnaire-based Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Dentists, the first medical professionals to be consulted for conditions involving the oral cavity, have the distinct advantage of being in a position to screen patients for oral cancer. To effectively manage patients, dentists must be familiar not only with where, when, how and why to perform biopsies, but also with when to refer them to specialised institutions. Aim: To assess the attitude and practice of dental practitioners towards the oral biopsy procedure. Materials and Methods: The present questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, from July 2023 to August 2023. Fifty dental practitioners with a minimum academic qualification of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) participated in the study, which was designed to collect information regarding the importance of oral biopsy, methods used to obtain biopsies, tissue preservation, diagnosis, referral to higher centers and the attitudes and practices of dental practitioners in examining oral mucosal lesions. The questionnaire was prepared using the Google Forms app. The received responses were compiled and statistical data (percentage) was calculated using Microsoft Excel 2020. Results: Out of total, 42 (84%) dentists encounter up to 10 oral mucosal lesions, such as potentially malignant disorders, in a month. Despite this, only 22% (n=11) of them performed biopsies themselves. Furthermore, 6 (12%) dentists did not know the proper medium for preserving biopsies. Of all, 24 (48%) dentists felt the need for proper training in biopsy techniques to be included in the undergraduate curriculum. Conclusion: Despite being aware of the importance of biopsy as a crucial diagnostic procedure, not many dentists perform it routinely due to reasons such as lack of training, patient non compliance and medicolegal implications. Hence, dentists should be educated in performing the oral biopsy procedure, including handling of specimens and referral to specialists

A CLINICO-ETIOLOGICAL STUDY OF ADVERSE CUTANEOUS DRUG REACTIONS AT TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN SOUTH INDIA

Objective: The objective of the study was to study the most common aetiology, different clinical manifestations of adverse cutaneous drug reactions (ACDR), and to assess the association of morphological cutaneous pattern of ACDR and etiological group of drugs. Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out at dermatological department of a large tertiary care center in Southern India. All clinically suspected ACDRs due to allopathic drugs, presented during two year period of all age groups and both sex were included in the study. A written informed consent was taken from patients and data were collected by means of pre-tested Performa including detailed clinical history, examination and relevant laboratory investigations. SPSS (Version 23.0) was used to obtain the results. Results: About 46% were between age group of 19–40 years. Majority were female (54%). 59% had generalized lesions, 98% had cutaneous manifestations, and 30% had mucous involvement. Itching was the most common presenting feature (48%). However, only 6% patients were asymptomatic. Most common etiological group of drugs responsible for ACDRs are antibiotics (27%) and NSAIDs (19%) pointing toward its rampant use with and without prescription. Among the Antibiotics, Ciprofloxacin was noted to be the most common responsible for ACDR. Diclofenac was found be the most common NSAID followed by Ibuprofen and Ketorolac. Majority of ACDRs, that is, 72% comprised of probable ACDRsas per “Naranjo’s algorithm.” The most common type of lesions observed was plaques (29%), macules (19%), papules (6%), and edema (6%). A predominant pattern of correlation was noted between antibiotics and erythematous drug eruption, SJS, vasculitis, erythroderma, and AGEP. The most common clinical pattern of ACDR observed was Urticaria (19%), Fixed Drug Eruption (13%), Erythema Multiforme (9%), and Lichenoid drug eruption (8%). Conclusion: The significance of this study was to study the profile of ACDR and to emphasize the awareness to the health-care providers on vigilant monitoring of ADRs and promptly reporting the same to prevent the occurrence of reactions in the vulnerable population. A systemic comprehensive monitoring and documentation of ADRs can curtail many untoward reactions in patient care and will lead to an effective drug administration. More studies are essential to create awareness of possible ACDR and to assist in the early recognition which, in turn, aids in the implementation of effective drug safety measures

Abstracts of Scientifica 2022

This book contains the abstracts of the papers presented at Scientifica 2022, Organized by the Sancheti Institute College of Physiotherapy, Pune, Maharashtra, India, held on 12–13 March 2022. This conference helps bring researchers together across the globe on one platform to help benefit the young researchers. There were six invited talks from different fields of Physiotherapy and seven panel discussions including over thirty speakers across the globe which made the conference interesting due to the diversity of topics covered during the conference. Conference Title:  Scientifica 2022Conference Date: 12–13 March 2022Conference Location: Sancheti Institute College of PhysiotherapyConference Organizer: Sancheti Institute College of Physiotherapy, Pune, Maharashtra, Indi