Live feed research for larviculture of marine finfish and shellfish

The major expansion of marine finfish and crustacean aquaculture since 1980s around the world can be attributed to the development of standard techniques for mass production of live feed. Even though most farmed marine animals are either carnivorous or omnivorous from their post-larval stage, microalgae are required for larval nutrition during a brief period either for direct consumption or indirectly as food for live prey fed to small larvae

Comparison of modified Bass, Fones and normal tooth brushing technique for the efficacy of plaque control in young adults- A randomized clinical trial

To compare the anti plaque efficacy of Modified Bass, Fones and Normal brushing techniques in young adults. An investigator blinded randomized controlled trial with parallel design was adopted to compare the anti plaque efficacy of three tooth brushing techniques. The study population consisted of 120 dental students aged between 18 and 30 years. At the baseline, the mean plaque scores were 0.74 ± 0.39, 0.77 ± 0.34 and 0.98 ± 0.36 respectively, for Modified Bass, Fones and Normal brushing technique. After 24 hours without any oral hygiene activity, the plaque scores increased to 1.04 ± 0.30, 1.11 ± 0.32 and 1.21 ± 0.40, respectively. After 1 week of using the intervention, the mean plaque scores were 0.78 ± 0.36, 0.94 ± 0.34 and 1.03 ± 0.43, respectively and increased to 1.13 ± 0.44, 1.14 ± 0.40 and 1.08 ± 0.34 after 28 days. The mean gingival scores were 0.23 ± 0.66, 0.02 ± 0.52 and 0.42 ± 0.74 for Modified Bass, Fones and Normal Brushing technique during baseline visit and after 28 days. There was a significant reduction in the amount of plaque with the three brushing techniques. Although the short-term outcomes with the Modified Bass method were promising, a long-term effect was not evident. Further, there was no significant difference in plaque control between the three groups

EFFECT OF ALENDRONATE ON THE HEALING TIME OF DISTAL RADIAL FRACTURES TREATED CONSERVATIVELY: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

  Objective: Although fragility fractures of the distal radius are common, osteoporosis treatment requires exploration as attempts to improve postfracture investigations have been only partially successful. Bisphosphonates may help minimize the risk of secondary fractures but being a potent antiresorptive agent; it raises concerns about adverse effects on the healing process. This observational study examines the effect of bisphosphonate (alendronate) on healing of acute fractures of distal radius through 66 patients aged >45 years admitted to two tertiary care hospitals in Mangalore from May 2014 to September 2016.Methods: The methodology consists of purposive sampling from two groups: Control having 33 patients not on alendronate therapy and cases comprising 33 who are on alendronate as part of prophylaxis for osteoporosis before fracture occurrence, with outpatient reviews at 2-week intervals starting from the 6th till fracture union seen. At each visit, plain radiographs of the involved wrist were taken to yield time to cortical bridging, with range of active movement of the affected wrist taken using a goniometer. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 17.0 for t values, p values and correlations and results were presented in the form of graphs and tables.Results: No significant differences were observed in the groups (as per p values) w.r.t. gender (0.804), age (0.835), time to healing (1.000), dorsiflexion (0.956), palmar flexion (0.670), ulnar deviation (0.441), radial deviation (1.000), supination (0.132), or pronation (0.302). Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score did not differ by >95% between the groups over the analysis period.Conclusion: It was observed that alendronate administration in distal radius fractures did not appear to delay fracture healing times radiologically or clinically

STEENBEEK FOOT ABDUCTION BRACE FOR CLUBFOOT: COST EFFECTIVE BUT IS IT EFFECTIVE? A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Introduction: Foot Abduction Brace is recommended to prevent recurrence after casting phase in Ponseti method. Various types of braces are described, most current braces with proven efficacy are costly(100-300$) and difficult to acquire especially for the common man in India. Steenbeek brace can be made with locally available materials and is very simple to make and is cost effective(10$). Its efficacy is largely untested.Aim: To evaluate effectiveness of Steenbeek foot abduction brace to maintain correction achieved and to study the reasons for failure and complications associated with the brace.Materials and Methods: In KMC Mangalore and allied hospitals between Jun'2014-Aug'2016 25patients (38feet) who were treated by Ponseti method of cast application were given the Steenbeek foot abduction brace and followed up for a minimum duration of 1 year. The Status of foot was assessed using Pirani score before brace application and at every follow-up. Compliance with the brace protocol was assessed and Compliance defined as brace application for 23 hours/day for the first three months, and nap time brace application for rest of the duration of study.Results: In 36 of 38 feet on the brace the correction was maintained(94.7% effective). In two patients(feet) there was worsening of the Pirani score after brace application and recurrence was seen. The reason for failure was found to be non compliance. The correlation between noncompliance and recurrence was significant(p <0.001) using Fischer Exact Test. Pirani score improved significantly in compliant group with significant worsening noted in noncompliant group. There were no other brace related complications.Conclusions: The significant correlation between noncompliance and recurrence shows that Steenbeek FAB is effective in maintaining correction and can be a cost-effective alternative to the more costly braces, for use in developing countries

Advancing the application of systems thinking in health: understanding the growing complexity governing immunization services in Kerala, India

The study calls for greater consideration of dynamics of vaccine acceptability while formulating immunization policies and program strategies. Governing immunization services in a way that achieves and maintains desired population coverage levels is complex, as it involves interactions of multiple actors and contexts. A complex adaptive system lens helped to uncover the ‘real’ drivers for change in an immunization program experiencing declining coverage in northern districts of Kerala. The analytical approaches adopted in this study are not only applicable to immunization or Kerala but to all complex interventions, health systems problems, and contexts

Experiences of a new cadre of midwives in Bangladesh: Findings from a mixed method study

Sophie Witter - ORCID: 0000-0002-7656-6188 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7656-6188Background Bangladesh did not have dedicated professional midwives in public sector health facilities until recently, when the country started a nation-wide programme to educate and deploy diploma midwives. The objective of the findings presented in this paper, which is part of a larger study, was to better understand the experience of the midwives of their education programme and first posting as a qualified midwife and to assess their midwifery knowledge and skills.Methods We applied a mixed method approach, which included interviewing 329 midwives and conducting 6 focus group discussions with 43 midwives and midwifery students. Sampling weights were used to generate representative statistics for the entire cohort of the midwives deployed in the public sector health facilities.Results Most of the midwives were satisfied with different dimensions of their education programme, with the exception of the level of exposure they had to the rural communities during their programme. Out of 329 midwives, 50% received tuition fee waivers, while 46% received funding for educational materials and 40% received free accommodation. The satisfaction with the various aspects of the current posting was high and nearly all midwives reported that a desire to work in the public sector in the long run. However, a significant proportion of the midwives expressed concerns with equipment, accommodation, transport and prospect of transfers. The scores on the knowledge test and self-reported skill levels were varied but reasonably high.Conclusion While the midwives are highly motivated, satisfied with many aspects of their current jobs and have adequate knowledge and skills, there are some bottlenecks and concerns that, if unaddressed, may derail the success of this programme. To capture the career progress of these midwives, additional research, including a follow-up study with the same cohort of midwives, would be beneficial to this programme.This research has been funded by South Asia Research Hub, Research and Evidence Division, Department for International Development (DFID), Government of United Kingdom (UK). The authors from DFID were actively engaged in the design and writing the manuscript.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-020-00505-818pubpu

Setting the agenda for nurse leadership in India: what is missing.

BACKGROUND: Current policy priorities to strengthen the nursing sector in India have focused on increasing the number of nurses in the health system. However, the nursing sector is afflicted by other, significant problems including the low status of nurses in the hierarchy of health care professionals, low salaries, and out-dated systems of professional governance, all affecting nurses' leadership potential and ability to perform. Stronger nurse leadership has the potential to support the achievement of health system goals, especially for strengthening of primary health care, which has been recognised and addressed in several other country contexts. This research study explores the process of policy agenda-setting for nurse leadership in India, and aims to identify the structural and systemic constraints in setting the agenda for policy reforms on the issue. METHODS: Our methods included policy document review and expert interviews. We identified policy reforms proposed by different government appointed committees on issues concerning nurses' leadership and its progress. Experts' accounts were used to understand lack of progress in several nursing reform proposals and analysed using deductive thematic analysis for 'legitimacy', 'feasibility' and 'support', in line with Hall's agenda setting model. RESULTS: The absence of quantifiable evidence on the nurse leadership crisis and treatment of nursing reforms as a 'second class' issue were found to negatively influence perceptions of the legitimacy of nurse leadership reform. Feasibility is affected by the lack of representation of nurses in key positions and the absence of a nurse-specific institution, which is seen as essential for creating visibility of the issues facing the profession, their processing and planning for policy solutions. Finally, participants noted the lack of strong support from nurses themselves for these policy reforms, which they attributed to social disempowerment, and lack of professional autonomy. CONCLUSIONS: The study emphasises that the nursing empowerment needs institutional reforms to facilitate nurse's distributed leadership across the health system and to enable their collective advocacy that questions the status quo and the structures that uphold it

Breast cancer risk variants at 6q25 display different phenotype associations and regulate ESR1, RMND1 and CCDC170.

We analyzed 3,872 common genetic variants across the ESR1 locus (encoding estrogen receptor α) in 118,816 subjects from three international consortia. We found evidence for at least five independent causal variants, each associated with different phenotype sets, including estrogen receptor (ER(+) or ER(-)) and human ERBB2 (HER2(+) or HER2(-)) tumor subtypes, mammographic density and tumor grade. The best candidate causal variants for ER(-) tumors lie in four separate enhancer elements, and their risk alleles reduce expression of ESR1, RMND1 and CCDC170, whereas the risk alleles of the strongest candidates for the remaining independent causal variant disrupt a silencer element and putatively increase ESR1 and RMND1 expression.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.352

Eleven policy recommendations for harnessing the potential of marine fisheries in India

A high-level policy-oriented workshop was organized under the aegis of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala, and the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), on 5th January 2024 at ICAR-CMFRI Headquarters, Kochi, India. The workshop was titled “Harnessing the Potential of Fisheries in the Marine States” and primarily intended to serve as a platform to garner ideas and opinions towards developing strategies and options to optimize the harvest and utilization of marine resources in India’s EEZ. The workshop was attended by Shri. Suman Bery, Hon. Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, and Prof. Ramesh Chand, Hon. Member (Agriculture), NITI Aayog, and senior officials and delegates representing the NITI Aayog, Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala, Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), office bearers of Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), scientists and staff of ICAR-CMFRI, Fishery Survey of India (FSI), ICAR-CIFT and other research and academic institutions, representatives of fishermen associations, civil society of organizations and other stakeholder institutions. The forum enabled experience-sharing between coastal states, facilitated discussion on key challenges, and aided deliberations on a variety of potential solutions. The presentations and discussions also focused on how technology and policy changes can make fishing more efficient, while also encouraging a shift towards mariculture and land-based fish farming. This brief note delves into the eleven key recommendations proposed as part of the workshop deliberations by Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, Director, ICAR-CMFRI towards harnessing the potential of marine fisheries in India. Implementing these critical policy action points will require careful consideration at the highest levels of the government and a coordinated effort from all stakeholders within the marine fishing industry. These priority areas were chosen by carefully considering the challenges to growth within the sector, the need to ensure the sustainability of marine ecosystems, opportunities to tap into new resources, and our national and global commitments. The prioritization was also guided by recent research findings in the field of marine fisheries and experiences of interacting with various stakeholders associated with fish harvesting, marketing, processing, trade, and other extended value chains

Determinants of durable humoral and T cell immunity in myeloma patients following COVID-19 vaccination

Objective: To describe determinants of persisting humoral and cellular immune response to the second COVID-19 vaccination among patients with myeloma. Methods: This is a prospective, observational study utilising the RUDYstudy.org platform. Participants reported their second and third COVID-19 vaccination dates. Myeloma patients had an Anti-S antibody level sample taken at least 21 days after their second vaccination and a repeat sample before their third vaccination. Results: 60 patients provided samples at least 3 weeks (median 57.5 days) after their second vaccination and before their third vaccination (median 176.0 days after second vaccine dose). Low Anti-S antibody levels (<50 IU/mL) doubled during this interval (p = .023) and, in the 47 participants with T-spot data, there was a 25% increase negative T-spot tests (p = .008). Low anti–S antibody levels prior to the third vaccination were predicted by lower Anti-S antibody level and negative T-spot status after the second vaccine. Independent determinants of a negative T-spot included increasing age, previous COVID infection, high CD4 count and lower percentage change in Anti-S antibody levels. Conclusions: Negative T-spot results predict low Anti-S antibody levels (<50 IU/mL) following a second COVID-19 vaccination and a number of biomarkers predict T cell responses in myeloma patients