A Sectoral Study on Family Friendly Policies for Women Employees

Improved education and employment opportunities for women coupled with rising costs of living have seen a steady rise in the number of working women in most fields. Pune is a growing hub for the different sectors and it is observed that there is a marked presence of women in all the sectors. Since a working woman shoulders more responsibility and needs to take initiatives both on family and job front, there is need for provision of family friendly policies for balancing both these responsibilities.  This paper attempts to throw light on the different family friendly policies provided for the women employees in different sectors, and explores the extent to which these policies are benefiting the women employees.  Lastly it brings out the expectations of the women employees regarding the different policies in place and also efforts needed further for maintaining work life balance. Keywords:  Family friendly policies, Work life balance, Equal opportunities

Evaluation of safety and tolerability of iron amino acid chelate therapy in pregnant women

Background: Anemia is a major health problem. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia during pregnancy. It can be associated with increased preterm labor, preeclampsia, and maternal sepsis. It can also lead to fetal loss or even perinatal deaths. The aim of the study was to monitor the oral iron therapy [Iron Amino Acid Chelate (IAAC) equivalent to elemental iron 30 mg] administered according to hospital practice and to determine the safety, and tolerability of IAAC in pregnant women.Methods: The data of pregnant women attending the outpatient department of the hospital for antenatal care between March 2020 and February 2021 and prescribed IAAC was retrospectively analyzed. It was of interest to note the changes in the Hemoglobin (Hb) levels and serum ferritin levels. These parameters were considered as the primary efficacy parameter and were analyzed by the paired t-test.Results: The data indicated very well tolerance to IAAC preparation with increase in Hb levels. After 12 week of treatment, there were significant increases in hemoglobin levels with mean rise in Hb level was 7 to 9 gm/dL. A statistically significant difference was observed at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks from the baseline value to each evaluation in the Hb level due to the supplementation of oral iron.  The change in the serum ferritin levels was found to be statistically significant at the 12th week from the baseline values. Most of the women tolerated the oral IAAC preparationConclusions: This retrospective analysis showcased a significant improvement in the Hb and serum ferritin levels of pregnant women after 12 weeks

Approvals and Timing of New Formulations of Novel Drugs Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration Between 1995 and 2010 and Followed Through 2021

New formulations of prescription drugs can improve convenience and tolerability for patients, but they also constitute manufacturer strategies to extend brand-name drug market exclusivity periods. We examined whether new formulations of brand-name novel drugs were associated with novel drugs’ sales and/or therapeutic value, as well as characterized first new formulations’ approval timing relative to the novel drug’s generic approval. We found that manufacturers are several times more likely to secure Food and Drug Administration approval for a new formulation for existing drugs that have reached blockbuster status. (Blockbuster drugs are the most profitable drugs with more than $1 billion in annual sales, but are not necessarily the most innovative or clinically meaningful drugs.) Manufacturers also dramatically reduced pursuing approval for new formulations once their drugs began to face generic competition. In contrast, companies did not develop new formulations for drugs that were considered the most therapeutically valuable, innovative, or clinically useful. Thus, while the modified formulations may not be innovative or clinically meaningful themselves, drug manufacturers frequently do not alter drugs that are particularly valuable and innovative to begin with. Our study shows that drugs’ revenue, as opposed to patient benefit, is the clear driver for reformulating drugs

Impact of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium multidimensional approach on central line-associated bloodstream infection rates in adult intensive care units in eight cities in India

SummaryObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) multidimensional infection control approach on central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates in eight cities of India.MethodsThis was a prospective, before-and-after cohort study of 35650 patients hospitalized in 16 adult intensive care units of 11 hospitals. During the baseline period, outcome surveillance of CLABSI was performed, applying the definitions of the CDC/NHSN (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network). During the intervention, the INICC approach was implemented, which included a bundle of interventions, education, outcome surveillance, process surveillance, feedback on CLABSI rates and consequences, and performance feedback. Random effects Poisson regression was used for clustering of CLABSI rates across time periods.ResultsDuring the baseline period, 9472 central line (CL)-days and 61 CLABSIs were recorded; during the intervention period, 80898 CL-days and 404 CLABSIs were recorded. The baseline rate was 6.4 CLABSIs per 1000 CL-days, which was reduced to 3.9 CLABSIs per 1000 CL-days in the second year and maintained for 36 months of follow-up, accounting for a 53% CLABSI rate reduction (incidence rate ratio 0.47, 95% confidence interval 0.31–0.70; p=0.0001).ConclusionsImplementing the six components of the INICC approach simultaneously was associated with a significant reduction in the CLABSI rate in India, which remained stable during 36 months of follow-up

Voltage Gated Calcium Channels Negatively Regulate Protective Immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis modulates levels and activity of key intracellular second messengers to evade protective immune responses. Calcium release from voltage gated calcium channels (VGCC) regulates immune responses to pathogens. In this study, we investigated the roles of VGCC in regulating protective immunity to mycobacteria in vitro and in vivo. Inhibiting L-type or R-type VGCC in dendritic cells (DCs) either using antibodies or by siRNA increased calcium influx in an inositol 1,4,5-phosphate and calcium release calcium activated channel dependent mechanism that resulted in increased expression of genes favoring pro-inflammatory responses. Further, VGCC-blocked DCs activated T cells that in turn mediated killing of M. tuberculosis inside macrophages. Likewise, inhibiting VGCC in infected macrophages and PBMCs induced calcium influx, upregulated the expression of pro-inflammatory genes and resulted in enhanced killing of intracellular M. tuberculosis. Importantly, compared to healthy controls, PBMCs of tuberculosis patients expressed higher levels of both VGCC, which were significantly reduced following chemotherapy. Finally, blocking VGCC in vivo in M. tuberculosis infected mice using specific antibodies increased intracellular calcium and significantly reduced bacterial loads. These results indicate that L-type and R-type VGCC play a negative role in M. tuberculosis infection by regulating calcium mobilization in cells that determine protective immunity

Minimal residual disease in Myeloma: Application for clinical care and new drug registration

The development of novel agents has transformed the treatment paradigm for multiple myeloma, with minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity now achievable across the entire disease spectrum. Bone marrow–based technologies to assess MRD, including approaches using next-generation flow and next-generation sequencing, have provided real-time clinical tools for the sensitive detection and monitoring of MRD in patients with multiple myeloma. Complementary liquid biopsy–based assays are now quickly progressing with some, such as mass spectrometry methods, being very close to clinical use, while others utilizing nucleic acid–based technologies are still developing and will prove important to further our understanding of the biology of MRD. On the regulatory front, multiple retrospective individual patient and clinical trial level meta-analyses have already shown and will continue to assess the potential of MRD as a surrogate for patient outcome. Given all this progress, it is not surprising that a number of clinicians are now considering using MRD to inform real-world clinical care of patients across the spectrum from smoldering myeloma to relapsed refractory multiple myeloma, with each disease setting presenting key challenges and questions that will need to be addressed through clinical trials. The pace of advances in targeted and immune therapies in multiple myeloma is unprecedented, and novel MRD-driven biomarker strategies are essential to accelerate innovative clinical trials leading to regulatory approval of novel treatments and continued improvement in patient outcomes

Depression and HIV in Botswana: A Population-Based Study on Gender-Specific Socioeconomic and Behavioral Correlates

Depression is a leading contributor to the burden of disease worldwide, a critical barrier to HIV prevention and a common serious HIV co-morbidity. However, depression screening and treatment are limited in sub-Saharan Africa, and there are few population-level studies examining the prevalence and gender-specific factors associated with depression.We conducted a cross-sectional population-based study of 18–49 year-old adults from five districts in Botswana with the highest prevalence of HIV-infection. We examined the prevalence of depressive symptoms, using a Hopkins Symptom Checklist for Depression (HSCL-D) score of ≥1.75 to define depression, and correlates of depression using multivariate logistic regression stratified by sex.Of 1,268 participants surveyed, 25.3% of women and 31.4% of men had depression. Among women, lower education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.07, 95% confidence interval [1.30–3.32]), higher income (1.77 [1.09–2.86]), and lack of control in sexual decision-making (2.35 [1.46–3.81]) were positively associated with depression. Among men, being single (1.95 [1.02–3.74]), living in a rural area (1.63 [1.02–2.65]), having frequent visits to a health provider (3.29 [1.88–5.74]), anticipated HIV stigma (fearing discrimination if HIV status was revealed) (2.04 [1.27–3.29]), and intergenerational sex (2.28 [1.17–4.41]) were independently associated with depression.Depression is highly prevalent in Botswana, and its correlates are gender-specific. Our findings suggest multiple targets for screening and prevention of depression and highlight the need to integrate mental health counseling and treatment into primary health care to decrease morbidity and improve HIV management efforts