Knowledge, attitude, and perception of the general public towards the impact of hemoglobinopathies on pregnancy outcomes: a questionnaire-based study

Background: Knowledge about hemoglobinopathies in the general public is unsatisfactory. Many couples are unaware of their carrier status and a child can be born with unexpected, serious hemoglobinopathies. Willingness to participate in screening programs can substantially help in bringing down the birth of children affected with hemoglobinopathies. To understand the knowledge, attitude, and perception of the general public on various hemoglobinopathies and their pregnancy outcomes we performed a questionnaire-based descriptive survey. Methods: After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee and validation by an expert panel we circulated a Google form consisting of 21 questions via WhatsApp which was made available for 3 months. Efforts were made to collect as many responses as possible. The responses were extracted onto a Microsoft Excel sheet and analyzed. Results: It was observed that though the majority of the population from various sectors of India agreed on the importance of early detection, only about 75.5% would consider signing up for screening themselves. Around 33.6% percent of the participants had not even heard about hemoglobinopathies and about 92.7% of the participants felt the need for the availability of more easily accessible information on the topic. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a need for more awareness programs among the general public as well as better access to information on hemoglobinopathies so that the implications of being affected are clearly understood, and strategies for prevention by timely screening can be strengthened

Community composition and status of avian diversity at Campus and Agricultural landscapes of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana)

Avian species diversity and their assemblage are responsible for maintaining the integrity and health of any ecosystem. Documentation of avian diversity in different habitats is sensitive tool for monitoring the environmental condition. The present investigation aimed to record the diversity of avian fauna at the main campus and agricultural landscapes of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana). Line transect and point count methods were used to taking observations on different species of birds. A total of 101 bird species under 17 orders 43 families and 86 genera were recorded; out of them, 78, 17, 5 and one species were resident, winter migrant, summer migrant and passage migrant, respectively. Species richness of order Passeriformes was highest, followed by Pelecaniformes and Muscicapidae, the most diverse family in the study area. Analysis of food and feeding guilds revealed that the insectivorous guild is predominant, followed by Omnivore, Carnivore, Granivore, Frugivore and Nectarivore. Out of the total observed species, 23 have declining population trends at global level, whereas three species (Alexandrine Parakeet, Asian Woollyneck, Black-headed ibis) are listed as Near Threatened and Common Pochard is vulnerable as per IUCN Red List. The species richness was significantly higher in farmland, followed by main campus and experimental orchards. Jaccard’s similarity index between habitats revealed that the main campus and farmland area has a maximum (0.73) similarity in bird communities. This emphasises the significance of these study sites as key habitats for bird species of conservation priorities

Impact of different grades of anaemia severity during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a prospective study

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is a universal health problem that may cause a number of obstetrical and neonatal complications. This prospective observational study aims to evaluate and compare maternal and neonatal outcomes in different grades of anaemia severity.Methods: A total of 400 pregnant women with anaemia in third trimester were classified into three groups according to haemoglobin (Hb) levels-group I with Hb:10-10.9 g/dl, group II with Hb:7-9.9g/dl and group III with Hb<7 g/dl. Maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with different severity of anaemia were analyzed and compared. Two groups means were compared by Student’s t-independent test and more than two groups means by one way analysis of variance test followed by post-hoc pairwise comparison using Bonferroni test.Results: The prevalence of anaemia in the study population was 35.2%. Mild, moderate and severe anaemia were found in 58% (n=232), 29.0% (n=116) and 13% (n=52) women respectively. A statistically significant difference in maternal outcomes such as Preterm labor (p=0.001), Prelabor premature rupture of membranes (p=0.044), Intrauterine growth restriction (p=0.002) and postpartum hemorrhage (p=0.001) was observed amongst the three groups. Cardiac failure occurred in 26.9% (n=14) and mortality in 13.4% (n=7) women with severe anaemia. Amongst the neonatal morbidities, the rate of low birth weight, preterm birth, respiratory distress syndrome, septicaemia, pneumonitis and jaundice revealed an increasing trend with rising severity of anaemia which was statistically significant.Conclusions: Targeted interventions addressing early detection and appropriate treatment in early pregnancy can prevent and avoid dismal maternal and neonatal consequences

Interpretation of Biochemical Tests for Iron Metabolism in Hyperthyroidism

Objective: Several studies suggest that thyroid hormones may affect erythropoiesis. However the mechanism by which thyroid hormones alter the ferritin concentration is not well known. Therefore, the present case-control study was designed to determine the changes due to hyperthyroidism in serum ferritin, iron and transferrin levels and to investigate the inter-relationship between these parameters.Material: This study was conducted on 50 newly diagnosed hyperthyroid patients and the results were compared with 50 age and sex matched healthy controls. Serum ferritin was assessed by two site sandwich immunoassay using direct chemiluminometric technology. TIBC and serum iron were estimated by colorimetric method.Results: Serum ferritin (314.43 ± 68.7 ng/mL) and iron concentration (159.88 ± 36.28 µg/dL) were found to be increased in hyperthyroid patients as compared to healthy controls (255.23 ± 45.5 ng/mL and 110.52 ± 20.52 µg/dL respectively). There was a significant difference between hyperthyroid patients and healthy controls in serum levels of ferritin and iron (p0.05 for both). Serum ferritin and iron were correlated significantly positive with thyroid parameters while a significant negative correlation was found with transferrin.Conclusion: Our data suggest that alterations in thyroid status in a given individual produce significant changes in serum ferritin, iron and transferrin levels. Increased ferritin levels seem to be protective against increased oxidative stress seen in hyperthyroidism but these also increase atherosclerotic risk. However, a large scale study is recommended to establish the fact

Evaluation of Ferritin and Nitric Oxide Levels in Breast Cancer

Breast carcinoma is one of the commonest malignancies in females. It is curable, if detected, at an early stage. Levels of serum ferritin and nitric oxide are found raised in various cancers including breast carcinoma. These parameters are sufficiently interlinked to be used as markers for breast cancer. In this study, the levels of ferritin and nitric oxide were estimated in 30 patients of early stage (stage I and II) and 30 patients of advanced breast cancer (stge III and IV). These levels were compared with 30 healthy females as controls. Serum ferritin and nitric oxide were found to be raised (p0.001) in all breast cancer patients as compared to controls. The rise in their levels was significantly more in advanced stage as compared to early stage carcinoma (p0.001). Treatment had a curative effect on these parameters also as shown by a decrease in their levels in both the groups. Thus, estimation of ferritin and nitric oxide may aid in diagnosis, assessment of severity and monitoring of breast cancer patients though results will be highly reliable in conjunction with other tumor markers

Imatinib and Thyroid Dysfunction in BCR-ABL Positive CML Patients

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is a known adverse effect of some tyrosine kinase inhibitors like sunitiniband sorafenib while imatinib hasbeen shown to induce hypothyroidism and increased requirement of levothyroxine in thyrectomizedpatients. Very few retrospective studies are available for CML patients treated with imatinib,which havedemonstrated conflicting effects on thyroid function.Experimental design: We have prospectively studied thyroid function at baseline and at 6 months of imatinib treatment in 30 newly diagnosed BCR-ABL positive CML patients.Results: Two (6.7%) patients had subclinical hypothyroidism at diagnosis with the prevalence not being different from general population. Though the TSH levels increased significantly from baseline (3.80±2.00 mIU/L vs. 3.14±1.65 mIU/L, p =0.016) after6 months of treatment, 90% of the patients remained euthyroid. Only 3 patients had subclinical hypothyroidism.Conclusion: Imatinib did not have any significant impact on thyroid function in CML patients but may possibly alter the peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormones

Comparison of effect of simvastatin and metformin monotherapy on lipid profile and testosterone levels in polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome has consequences like insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism and dyslipidemia. Metformin is commonly used for treatment of this disorder and its effects on various biochemical parameters are compared with a cardioprotective drug simvastatin. Method: Fifty patients of polycystic ovary syndrome were divided into two groups depending on metformin or simvastatin administration for a period of 6 months. Levels of serun glucose, insulin, and testosterone and lipid profile were estimated before and after treatment and compared statistically for both the groups.Results: Metformin and simvastatin reduced levels of insulin and testosterone and improved lipid profile in patients of polycystic ovary disease. The effects of two groups were found to be statistically comparable. Conclusion: Efficacy of simvastatin is comparable to metformin for treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, though more studies are required to support this view

Quantitative Determination of Ivermectin in Raw Milk Using Positive ESI LC-MS/MS

Ivermectin, a veterinary drug, is commonly used endectocide for animal husbandry. The drug is available in the form of subcutaneous or topical formulations. Its application may cause accumulation of its residues into the animal tissues, which ultimately find their way into the food products, such as milk and meat products. In order to determine the residues of ivermectin in milk, a comparatively simple, sensitive and rapid method was developed and validated using LC-MS/MS. The MRM transitions corresponding to m/z 892.71>569.6, 892.71>551.5 and 892.71>307.3 were used for the purpose of quantification and evaluation of other parameters of the method. The limit of detection of the method was found to be 0.1 μg/kg and the limit of quantitation was calculated as 0.2 μg/kg. The method was found to be linear in the range of 1.0 ng/mL to 100.0 ng/mL with correlation coefficient of 0.9992 for pure calibration curve and 0.9990 for the matrix- matched calibration curve. The recoveries of ivermectin from the spiked samples of raw milk were found between 85 to 105%