Clinical and microbiological profile of pneumonia in severe acute malnourished children

Background: It is estimated that 57 million children are underweight (moderate and severe) in India. More than 50% of deaths in 0-4 years are associated with malnutrition. Pneumonia is common in malnourished children and is frequently associated with fatal outcome, especially in children younger than 24 months of age. The aim and objectives was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological profile of pneumonia in severe acute malnourished children.Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out on 60 severe acute malnourished children admitted at Department of Pediatrics, SSG Hospital Vadodara.Results: Most of the admitted children belonged to rural and tribal areas (81.7%). Children in the age group of 1-3 years were more prone to develop very severe pneumonia (51.7%). Blood culture yield was 80%. Most common isolate was Staphylococcal Aureus which was isolated in 16.6% of the patients.Conclusions: We concluded at the end of the study that malnourished children were prone to develop more severe pneumonia, required aggressive antibiotic usage as the causative organisms were strikingly different as compared to well-nourished children and needed a longer hospital stay

Knowledge, Perception and Practice of Telemedicine among Undergraduate Medical Students at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Telemedicine is crucial in supporting the healthcare sector in developing countries as it can assist in various scenarios, such as low physician-to-population ratios, lack of access to specialty physicians, and patient and physician needs in remote areas. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, perception, and practice of telemedicine among undergraduate medical students, recognizing the importance of equipping future healthcare professionals with the necessary skills and understanding of this technology. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 307 undergraduate medical students at a tertiary care teaching hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic information, computer literacy, knowledge, perception, and practice of telemedicine. Data entry and analysis were done using Microsoft Office Excel 2010. The mean, percentage, and standard deviation were calculated to describe the characteristics of respondents. This study found that 75.8% of participants were aware of telemedicine; however, only 18.8% recognized its use for prescribing drugs. Additionally, 59.9% had a low level of perception towards telemedicine. Although 45% agreed to incorporate telemedicine into medical education, 61% preferred traditional hospital visits due to concerns about information, expertise, and technical challenges. The study emphasizes the imperative for telemedicine training to address the existing knowledge gap. It underscores the critical importance of integrating telemedicine education into medical curricula at an early stage

A Study on Internet and Gaming Addiction, Hikikomori Trait and Insomnia Status among Medical Undergraduates at one of Cities of Western India

Background: College students appear more vulnerable in developing a dependence on the internet. Individuals with hikikomori are frequently reported to have social contact predominantly via the internet. Objectives: To find the prevalence of Internet addiction, gaming Addiction, Hikikomori Trait and Insomnia amongst medical undergraduates and to study their association with various determinants. Methodology: The present Cross-Sectional study was conducted among first to final-year medical students studying at various medical colleges in Indian City from February to May 2021. Data collection was done after obtaining the ethical permission of the Institute. A total of 400 students who gave consent were sent an electronic questionnaire. Results: The mean age of study participants was 20 ± 1.58 years. Internet addiction was present in 189(47.2%) participants, gaming addiction in 128 (32%) students and Hikikomori Trait was found in 98(24.5%) students. There was a statistically significant association between different grades of insomnia and internet, gaming addiction, and hikikomori trait (<?0.0001) in the present study. Conclusion: Internet addiction was present in almost half of the medical students while gaming addiction was seen in nearly one third of the students. Male gender and hostel stay had a statistically significant association with internet addiction, gaming addiction, insomnia and hikikomori trait

Cerebral ischemic damage in diabetes: an inflammatory perspective

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. A strong inflammatory response characterized by activation and release of cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, and proteolytic enzymes contributes to brain damage following stroke. Stroke outcomes are worse among diabetics, resulting in increased mortality and disabilities. Diabetes involves chronic inflammation manifested by reactive oxygen species generation, expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and activation/expression of other inflammatory mediators. It appears that increased proinflammatory processes due to diabetes are further accelerated after cerebral ischemia, leading to increased ischemic damage. Hypoglycemia is an intrinsic side effect owing to glucose-lowering therapy in diabetics, and is known to induce proinflammatory changes as well as exacerbate cerebral damage in experimental stroke. Here, we present a review of available literature on the contribution of neuroinflammation to increased cerebral ischemic damage in diabetics. We also describe the role of hypoglycemia in neuroinflammation and cerebral ischemic damage in diabetics. Understanding the role of neuroinflammatory mechanisms in worsening stroke outcome in diabetics may help limit ischemic brain injury and improve clinical outcomes

Micro Strip Patch Antenna Using Broadside Coupling

The prominent parameters of antenna are bandwidth and gain. For improving band width and gain there are many challenges for micro strip patch antenna. There are many designs for improving bandwidth and gain but there are some disadvantages of that design. The gain and bandwidth can be improved by using broadside coupling of patch. All designs are simulated with the help of HFSS software. Micro strip patch antenna used in mobile for communication purpose and also it is used in indoor and outdoor application for communication. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15010

Causality assessment, severity and preventability of adverse drug reactions due to first-line antitubercular agents

TB (Tuberculosis) is a common infectious disease affecting humans since very long time. Multidrug therapy with its associated adverse drug reactions is one of the major concerns for the management of TB. The current study has been conducted for identifying causality assessment, severity as well as preventability of first-line anti-tubercular agents. All the diagnosed patients of tuberculosis attending TB and chest department of tertiary care hospital of western India and received Anti-TB drugs over 6 months enrolled in the study. Demographic details, suspected drugs/groups, causality assessment, severity assessment, and preventability assessment were analyzed from reported suspected ADR (adverse drug reaction) forms. Throughout the research period of 6 months, 500 patients received Anti- TB drugs. Among them, (10%) 50 patients developed 121 adverse drug reactions. According to the WHO causality scale, 66 (54.54%) ADRs were classified as ‘probable’ and 53 (43.8%) ADR were ‘possible’. More than half of the reactions (31, 62%) were mild on the severity scale while most of the ADRs were definitely (34, 68%) preventable as per the preventability scale. Gastrointestinal system is the most common affected system (54, 47.62%) followed by dermatological disorders (26, 23.01%) and Liver and biliary system (20, 16.52%). Isoniazid (46, 38%) and Rifampicin (40, 33%) were the common cause of first-line antitubercular agents for ADRs. ADRs to antitubercular agents are a major concern for patient compliance. Patient education, intensive reporting, and management can be helpful to improve the outcome of antitubercular therapy

Risk factors of occupation related back pain and neck pain among patients attending tertiary care hospital, Ahmedabad, India

Introduction: Neck/back pain is one of the common health problems associated with significant impact on health resulting in sickness absenteeism. Neck/back pain is one of important causes of disability adjusted life years worldwide. The Objectives of study were: To identify various occupations related risk factors and their possible role in occurrence of back pain/neck pain and Visual analogue scale(VAS) assessment of their perceived pain. Methods: The study was conducted at one of the tertiary care hospital at Ahmedabad city, India. All patients above age of 18 years attending physiotherapy department for treatment of back pain/neck pain and gave consent were taken as study participants. Information about certain body postures in their lifestyle or at workplace which can have effects on back pain/neck pain were asked. VAS for perceived pain was anchored by “no pain” (score 0) and “pain as bad as it could be” (score 100). Data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed by frequency, contingency coefficient and Goodman & Kruskal’s Gamma test. Result and Conclusion: Total of 512 participants were included in study, among which 53 & 392 participants had Neck pain and Back pain alone, respectively, while 67 participants had both Neck and Back pain. Age, Marital status, socioeconomic class, BMI and type of occupation revealed statistically significant association with severity of pain. Various body postures like prolonged sitting/ standing, frequent bending at waist/knee, Pulling/Pushing heavy objects, frequent weight lifting > 10 kg. and repetitive movement of back/neck revealed as statistically significant risk factors for back/neck pain

PRELIMINARY PHARMACOGNOSTICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF AROGYAVARDHINI COMPOUND- AN EMERGING FORMULATED MEDICINE FOR METABOLIC SYNDROME

Context: Arogyavardhini Compound is an emerging formulated herbo-mineral formulation for treatment of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is group of risk factors like, increased waist circumference, insulin resistance, increased triglycerides, decreased high density lipoproteins and hypertension for coronary artery diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Arogyavardhini compound consist equal quantity of Arogyavardhini Rasa and single bulb garlic powder. Arigyavardhini Rasa having proven anti dyslipidemiac and weight reducing effect and Garlic having antidiabetic, antidyslipidemic, antihypertensive effect, the combination called Arogyavardhini Compound has been formulated for management of metabolic syndrome. Aim: Authentication of raw drug of Arogyavardhini Compound and phytochemical evaluation of finished product. Materials and methods: Arogyavardhini Compound was evaluated on the basis of powder microscopy and analytical parameters like pH, Ash value, acid insoluble ash, water soluble extract, methanol extract and high performance thin layer chromatography. Results: Powder microscopy revealed the presence of Annular vessels of Musta, Starch grains of Vacha, Stone cells of Pippali, Stone cells of Chitraka, Oleoresins of Shunthi, etc. Physicochemical parameters such as total Ash value (15.91%), water soluble extract (13.5%), methanol soluble extract (17.2%) were assessed in preliminary physicochemical scanning. HPTLC revealed maximum 09 spots in short wave UV 254 nm. and 07 spots were obtained in long wave UV 366 nm. Conclusion: Pharmacognostical study revealed genuinity of raw drugs. Physico-chemical and HPTLC studies inferred that the formulation meets the minimum quality standards as reported in the API at a preliminary level. The inference from this study may be used as reference standard in the further quality control researches.KEY WORDS: Arogyavardhini Compound, HPTLC,Pharmacognosy, Physicochemical analysis