Prevalence of Anemia among Adolescent Girls in Uttar Pradesh and Sharing Field Experience of Community-based Anemia Management Program

Introduction: The anemia management program for adolescent girls (15–19 years) was part of Eastern Uttar Pradesh Health Initiative implemented by Tata Trusts in 9 districts and 19 blocks in partnership with block level community-based organizations. Objective of the Health Initiative was to build community-based platform (In the form of Village Health and Nutrition Day – VHND) to provide primary healthcare services for basic maternal, child and adolescent health. The anemia management component in the program was based on the National Iron Plus Initiative guideline.Objectives: To ascertain prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls registered in the program; to demonstrate a community-based model for anemia management with the help of adolescent collectivization facilitated by trained front line health workers.Materials and Methods: Total 26,982 girls were screened in first phase of the program from April 2014; followed by second and third screenings with average duration of 3–6 months between each screening. Total 18,428 girls participated in second screening and total 13,979 girls were part of all three screenings till September 2015. WHO recommended Hemoglobin (Hb) Color Scale Method was used as a screening tool, implemented by auxiliary nurse midwives and lab technicians. Girls’ collectivization was facilitated by the trained frontline health workers to spread awareness, mobilize girls for screening and conduct health education sessions. Data is from the project MIS and was analyzed with the help of Microsoft Excel and SPSS.Results: Project implementation level data across 19 sites for 3 checkups with mean interval between each checkup as 3–6 months, shows prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls was 86.80%. Mean rise of hemoglobin from checkup 1 to checkup 3 is 0.6 gm. Drastic reduction in severe anemia from 5.66% to less than 1% is seen in the program. In case of non-school-going girls, reduction in severe anemia was from 17% to 1.5%.Conclusion: Overall burden of anemia in adolescent girls (15–19 years) is very high in girls in late adolescence stage. As age increases, prevalence increases, non-school-going girls are worst affected with severe anemia. It is promising to implement anemia management program through a platform led by a trained frontline health worker facilitated adolescent girls’ collectivization. Community-based strategies and individual follow up is significant to reduce burden of severe anemia.

IOT Based Smart Agriculture And Soil Nutrient Detection System

Development of agriculture using technology will be very much useful in cultivation. For a new agricultural area, without knowing or monitoring the important parameters of the soil, cultivation will be difficult and so the farmers suffer financial losses. This project provides a brief overview of the soil monitoring system using sensors. Various soil sensors are used to measure temperature, moisture and light, humidity and ph value. The information from the sensors in the soil is sent to the MCP3204 A/D converter then from A/D converter it send to the cloud through Raspberry pi. Finally we can see the information saved to cloud on mobile phone as well as laptop. On the basis of information we know which crop is suitable with given soil parameter. Thus this advanced technology helps the farmers to know the accurate parameters of the soil thus making the soil testing procedure easier

What does quality of care mean for maternal health providers from two vulnerable states of India? Case study of Bihar and Jharkhand

Background: Quality instillation has its own challenges, facilitators and barriers in various settings. This paper focuses on exploration of quality components related to practices, health system challenges and quality enablers from providers\u2019 perspectives with a focus on maternal health studied through a pilot research conducted in 2012\u20132013 in two states of India\u2014Bihar and Jharkhand\u2014with relatively poor indicators for maternal health. Methods: Qualitative data through in-depth interviews of 49 health providers purposively selected from various cadres of public health system in two districts each from Bihar and Jharkhand states was thematically analysed using MAXQDA Version 10. Results: Maternity management guidelines developed by the National Health Mission, India, were considered as a tool to learn instillation of quality in provision of health services in various selected health facilities. Infrastructure, human resources, equipments and materials, drugs, training capacity and health information systems were described as health system challenges by medical and paramedical health providers. On a positive note, the study findings simultaneously identified quality enablers such as appreciation of public-private partnerships, availability of clinical guidelines in the form of wall posters in health facilities, efforts to translate knowledge and evidence through practice and enthusiasm towards value of guidelines. Conclusions: Against the backdrop of quality initiatives in the country to foster United Health Care (UHC), frontline health providers\u2019 perspectives about quality and safety need to be considered and utilized. The provision of adequate health infrastructure, strong health management information system, introduction of evidence-based education and training with supportive supervision must constitute parallel efforts

Inter-fragmentary compression using cannulated cancellous screws augmented with modified tension band wiring in transverse patella fractures

The classical Kirschner wires and tension band wiring technique, described by the AO foundation, has been the most widely used method for transverse patella fractures. In this study, we have adopted what we perceive to be an improved technique, the cannulated cancellous screws with modified tension band wiring. 20 patients with transverse patella fractures were included in our prospective single-blinded randomized control study with a duration of 3 years. All patients were operated on with modified tension band wiring with a 4 mm cannulated cancellous screw. Functional evaluation was made using the Tegner lysholm knee scoring scale. Roentgenograms were taken in AP and Lateral views to look for signs of radiological union and interfragmentary gap. The post-operative interfragmentary gap between fracture fragments with 65% of patients having a 0 mm gap, 25% of patients having a 1 mm gap, 5% of patients having a 2 mm gap, and 5% of patients having a 3 mm gap. The mean duration for the radiological union was 10 weeks. Mean Tegner lysholm score at 6 months was 88±4.7. We concluded that modified tension band wiring with cannulated cancellous screw is a safe, reliable, and better alternative method of fixation for transverse patella fractures with excellent union rate, range of motion, and functional outcome

Frequency of fokI and taqI polymorphism of vitamin D receptor gene in Indian population and its association with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels

Background: The VDR protein is at the centre of the vitamin D endocrine system, a complex physiological system with substantial feedback regulatory mechanisms involved in maintaining serum calcium and 1, 25 dihydroxy vitamin D3. Variations in VDR gene are shown to have implications in several diseases and have also been implicated as an important genetic factor affecting bone mass. Aim: To determine the frequency of Fok I and Taq I variants in healthy Indian individuals and its association with 25-OH-Vitamin D levels. Settings and Design: Blood samples were collected from 143 unrelated normal individuals (Male-84 and Female-59) and their genotypes determined. Materials and Methods: After amplification by polymerase chain reaction, each polymorphism was genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism. For 100 normal healthy individuals 25-hydroxyvitamin D estimation was done using DiaSorin kit method. Statistical Analysis: Graph pad software was used to calculate the P values from the Chi-square. Results: Out of 143 samples analyzed for FokI and TaqI polymorphisms the following genotypic frequency was obtained FF 59%, Ff 36%, ff 5% and TT 49%, Tt 43%, tt 8% respectively. Conclusions: Results indicate that the distribution of the polymorphic loci Fok I and Taq I vary considerably not only in different populations, but also within India. Furthermore, when the genotypes were analyzed with respect to 25-OH-Vitamin D levels, a significant association was seen for the Taq 1 SNP but not with the Fok I

Optogenetic stimulation of the brainstem dorsal motor nucleus ameliorates acute pancreatitis

IntroductionInflammation is an inherently self-amplifying process, resulting in progressive tissue damage when unresolved. A brake on this positive feedback system is provided by the nervous system which has evolved to detect inflammatory signals and respond by activating anti-inflammatory processes, including the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway mediated by the vagus nerve. Acute pancreatitis, a common and serious condition without effective therapy, develops when acinar cell injury activates intrapancreatic inflammation. Prior study has shown that electrical stimulation of the carotid sheath, which contains the vagus nerve, boosts the endogenous anti-inflammatory response and ameliorates acute pancreatitis, but it remains unknown whether these anti-inflammatory signals originate in the brain.MethodsHere, we used optogenetics to selectively activate efferent vagus nerve fibers originating in the brainstem dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMN) and evaluated the effects on caerulein-induced pancreatitis.ResultsStimulation of the cholinergic neurons in the DMN significantly attenuates the severity of pancreatitis as indicated by reduced serum amylase, pancreatic cytokines, tissue damage, and edema. Either vagotomy or silencing cholinergic nicotinic receptor signaling by pre-administration of the antagonist mecamylamine abolishes the beneficial effects.DiscussionThese results provide the first evidence that efferent vagus cholinergic neurons residing in the brainstem DMN can inhibit pancreatic inflammation and implicate the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway as a potential therapeutic target for acute pancreatitis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa: un patógeno persistente y enfoques actuales de tratamiento microbiológico

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) represents an important bacterial pathogen, mainly because it may infect immunocompromised hosts, hospital patients, and people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Antimicrobial resistance has risen due to monitoring nosocomial P. aeruginosa infections, with tendencies toward model drug and carbapenem resistance. Some of the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance include the downregulation of outer membrane porins, -lactamases, and multidrug efflux pumps. Toxins that be secreted and can build BioFlim (BF) are examples of virulence mechanisms. Effective therapy of infection caused by P. aeruginosa requires early delivery of the appropriate antibiotic medications, source control measures, and, where possible, prevention. Antibacterial de-escalation is supposed to be considered within patients by a positive clinical response, particularly as antibacterial susceptibilities were identified. Less common antibacterials, including Colistin, may be needed to treat multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa, although additional anti-pseudomonal antibacterials should become accessible soon.Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) representa un importante patógeno bacteriano, principalmente porque puede infectar a huéspedes inmunodeprimidos, pacientes hospitalizados y personas con fibrosis quística (FQ). La resistencia a los antimicrobianos ha aumentado debido a la vigilancia de las infecciones nosocomiales por P. aeruginosa, con tendencia a la resistencia a los fármacos modelo y a los carbapenemes. Algunos de los mecanismos de resistencia a los antimicrobianos incluyen la regulación a la baja de las porinas de la membrana externa, las -lactamasas y las bombas de eflujo de múltiples fármacos. Las toxinas que se secretan y pueden formar BioFlim (BF) son ejemplos de mecanismos de virulencia. La terapia eficaz de la infección causada por P. aeruginosa requiere la administración precoz de los antibióticos adecuados, medidas de control de la fuente y, cuando sea posible, prevención. Se supone que la desescalada antibacteriana debe considerarse en los pacientes por una respuesta clínica positiva, en particular cuando se identificaron susceptibilidades antibacterianas. Es posible que se necesiten antibacterianos menos comunes, incluida la Colistina, para tratar la P. aeruginosa multirresistente, aunque pronto se debería poder acceder a otros antibacterianos antipseudomónicos