Immunization status of children in the age group 0-5 years in urban slum area of Pratiksha nagar, Sion, Mumbai

Background: In India, immunization services are being provided through existing healthcare delivery system. In spite of services being available, it is observed that many children are not immunized till date. This study was carried out with the aim to find the immunisation status of the children in the urban slum areas of Pratiksha nagar, Sion which is the field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, K. J. Somaiya Medical College and Reasearch Centre. Objectives of the study was to assess the proportion of children fully immunized, to assess the proportion of children partially immunized, to assess the proportion of children not at all immunized and to explore the reasons for partial immunization.Methods: It is a cross-sectional study. This study was carried out in  urban slum areas of  Pratiksha nagar, in Sion  namely Almeda compound, Shastrinagar B wing, Panchsheel nagar which are  the field practice areas of Department of  Community Medicine located in F north ward of Mumbai city.Results: 148 (76.29%) children were fully immunized and 46 (23.71%) were partially immunized. Out of the 46 children who were partially immunized, 23.91% respondents reported that child was ill when immunisation was due, so they did not take the child to health care facility for immunisation, followed by the other common reason that family was out of town (17.39%).Conclusions: The study highlights the need for educating parents that minor illnesses are not a contraindication for immunisation and that the child may receive the vaccine due in any health centre when they are out of town so as to avoid delay between the doses therein not interrupting the immunisation schedule.

Opposite Effects of Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Human Brain Function and Psychopathology

Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-9-THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD), the two main ingredients of the Cannabis sativa plant have distinct symptomatic and behavioral effects. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in healthy volunteers to examine whether Δ-9-THC and CBD had opposite effects on regional brain function. We then assessed whether pretreatment with CBD can prevent the acute psychotic symptoms induced by Δ-9-THC. Fifteen healthy men with minimal earlier exposure to cannabis were scanned while performing a verbal memory task, a response inhibition task, a sensory processing task, and when viewing fearful faces. Subjects were scanned on three occasions, each preceded by oral administration of Δ-9-THC, CBD, or placebo. BOLD responses were measured using fMRI. In a second experiment, six healthy volunteers were administered Δ-9-THC intravenously on two occasions, after placebo or CBD pretreatment to examine whether CBD could block the psychotic symptoms induced by Δ-9-THC. Δ-9-THC and CBD had opposite effects on activation relative to placebo in the striatum during verbal recall, in the hippocampus during the response inhibition task, in the amygdala when subjects viewed fearful faces, in the superior temporal cortex when subjects listened to speech, and in the occipital cortex during visual processing. In the second experiment, pretreatment with CBD prevented the acute induction of psychotic symptoms by Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Δ-9-THC and CBD can have opposite effects on regional brain function, which may underlie their different symptomatic and behavioral effects, and CBD's ability to block the psychotogenic effects of Δ-9-THC

Air pollution and respiratory infections during early childhood: an analysis of 10 European birth cohorts within the ESCAPE Project

Background: Few studies have investigated traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for respiratory infections during early childhood. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the association between air pollution and pneumonia, croup, and otitis media in 10 European birth cohorts—BAMSE (Sweden), GASPII (Italy), GINIplus and LISAplus (Germany), MAAS (United Kingdom), PIAMA (the Netherlands), and four INMA cohorts (Spain)—and to derive combined effect estimates using meta-analysis. Methods: Parent report of physician-diagnosed pneumonia, otitis media, and croup during early childhood were assessed in relation to annual average pollutant levels [nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), PM2.5 absorbance, PM10, PM2.5–10 (coarse PM)], which were estimated using land use regression models and assigned to children based on their residential address at birth. Identical protocols were used to develop regression models for each study area as part of the ESCAPE project. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted effect estimates for each study, and random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate combined estimates. Results: For pneumonia, combined adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were elevated and statistically significant for all pollutants except PM2.5 (e.g., OR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.65 per 10-μg/m3 increase in NO2 and OR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.00, 3.09 per 10-μg/m3 PM10). For otitis media and croup, results were generally null across all analyses except for NO2 and otitis media (OR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.16 per 10-μg/m3). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis of 10 European birth cohorts within the ESCAPE project found consistent evidence for an association between air pollution and pneumonia in early childhood, and some evidence for an association with otitis media.The research leading to these results was funded by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007–2011) under grant 211250. The BAMSE study was supported by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS (for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning), the Stockholm County Council, the Swedish Foundation for Health Care Sciences and Allergy Research, and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The GINIplus study was supported for the first 3 years by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology, Germany (interventional arm) and Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany (former GSF; National Research Center for Environment and Health) (observational arm). The LISAplus study was supported by grants from the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research and Technology, Germany; Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany (former GSF); Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research–UFZ, Germany; Marien-Hospital Wesel, Germany; and Pediatric Practice, Bad Honnef, Germany. The PIAMA study is supported by The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development; The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research; The Netherlands Asthma Fund; The Netherlands Ministry of Spatial Planning, Housing, and the Environment; and The Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport. MAAS was supported by an Asthma UK Grant (04/014); the JP Moulton Charitable Foundation, UK; and the James Trust and Medical Research Council, UK (G0601361). INMA was funded by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Health-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041, FISPI041436, FIS-PI081151, FIS-PI042018, FIS-PI09/02311, FIS-PI06/0867, FIS-PS09/00090, FIS-FEDER 03/1615, 04/1509, 04/1112, 04/1931, 05/1079, 05/1052, 06/1213, 07/0314, and 09/02647); Generalitat de Catalunya-CIRIT, Spain (1999SGR 00241); Conselleria de Sanitat Generalitat Valenciana, Spain; Universidad de Oviedo, Obra social Cajastur, Spain; Department of Health of the Basque Government, Spain (2005111093 and 2009111069); Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa (DFG06/004 and DFG08/001), Spain; and Fundación Roger Torné, Spain. GASPII was funded by The Italian Ministry of Health (ex art.12 D.Lgs 502/92, 2001

Changes in nucleus accumbens and neostriatal c-Fos and DARPP-32 immunoreactivity during different stages of food-reinforced instrumental training

Nucleus accumbens is involved in several aspects of instrumental behavior, motivation and learning. Recent studies showed that dopamine (DA) release in the accumbens shell was significantly increased on the first day of training on a fixed ratio (FR) 5 schedule (i.e. the transition from FR1 to FR5) compared with those rats that continued FR1 training, even though the rats on their first day of FR5 training received less food reinforcement than rats continuing on the FR1 schedule. Additionally, the second day of FR5 responding was marked by a significant increase in DA release in accumbens core. The present studies employed immunohistochemical methods to characterize the changes in cellular markers of accumbens and neostriatal neural activity that occur during various stages of food-reinforced FR5 training. c-Fos and DARPP-32 immunoreactivity in accumbens shell was significantly increased on the first day of FR5 training, while core c-Fos and DARPP-32 expression showed large increases on the second day of FR5 training. Additional studies showed that c-Fos and DARPP-32 expression in neostriatum increased after more extensive training. Double-labeling studies with immunofluorescence methods indicated that increases in accumbens c-Fos and DARPP-32 expression were primarily seen in substance-P-positive neurons. These increases in accumbens c-Fos and DARPP-32 immunoreactivity seen during the initial phases of FR training may reflect several factors, including novelty, learning, stress or the presentation of a work-related challenge to the organism. Moreover, it appears that the separate subregions of the striatal complex are differentially activated at distinct phases of instrumental training