Utilization of Reproductive and Child Health Services and Client Satisfaction from Urban Primary Health Centers by Recently Delivered Women Living in Urban Slums of Lucknow, India

Background: Due to rapid urbanization, there is an increase in population in slums often lacking access to basic health services. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the utilization of reproductive and child health services by recently delivered women and their children residing in catchment areas of urban PHCs, to evaluate their level of satisfaction and to determine the factors associated with utilization of these services by recently delivered women. Settings and Design: The study was conducted in the catchment areas of urban primary health centre of Lucknow. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 women having children less than 24 months in the slums covered under selected U-PHCs, sampled through a multi-stage random sampling technique using a semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis used: SPSS-26 and MedCalc software were used for data analysis. Results: Utilization of RCH services by recently delivered women from UPHC was 39%. About 24% of recently delivered women availed ANC services from UPHC and 56.7% utilized family planning services and 95.8% immunization services for children. Child care services for diarrhea and ARI were availed by 9.9 and 3.1% of women, respectively. Satisfaction regarding maternal care and immunization services was seen in 84 and 95.8% of women. Poor satisfaction regarding child care was seen in 56.5% of women. Conclusions: The utilization of RCH services was found to be poor in the study population. Most recently delivered women were satisfied with all services except child care

Acute pancreatitis associated with dengue fever: An interesting and rare complication of dengue virus

In humans, infections with dengue viruses range from mild fever with thrombocytopenia to life-threatening forms like vasodilatory shock with hemorrhagic manifestations. Of the many complications known of dengue fever, pancreatitis is a rarely discussed event. We would like to present a rare and unusual complication of this common disease. A 17 year old female with past history of tuberculosis was admitted with complains of pain abdomen and fever along with thrombocytopenia. Besides features of dengue fever, the presence of typical abdominal pain, high serum amylase, ultrasound, and computerized tomography scan features suggested the diagnosis of an acute pancreatitis. This complication developed in the initial phase of the illness. The patient had mild-to-moderate pancreatitis that recovered uneventfully with conservative treatment. The awareness of this complication in dengue fever is necessary for timely management of patients which will aid in reducing mortality

Utilization of Fruit Peel Wastes for the Management of Chikungunya Vector, Aedes aegypti

Chikungunya, a widely spread viral disease transmitted to human beings by Aedes aegypti, is on rise in India, Africa and Asian subcontinent since last decade. Although chemical insecticides are used at a large scale for the control of Chikungunya vector, their applications have led to several undesirable effects including insecticide resistance, revival of pests species, appearance of secondary pests, environmental pollution, noxious hazards to human beings and non-target organisms forcing investigators to explore unconventional alternate strategies. As an environment-friendly approach, there is increased attention to devise and adopt suitable methods to utilize wastes as value-added products to reduce the problem of environmental pollution. Consequently, the larvicidal and adult irritant potential of hexane and petroleum ether peel extracts of three different Citrus species, C. limetta, C. sinensis and C. Limon, were assessed against Ae. aegypti. The results showed the larvicidal potential of all the three peels, C. limetta peel extracts exhibiting the least activity. Furthermore, hexane extracts were more effective than petroleum ether extracts, C. sinensis peels hexane extract being most effectual (LC50, 39.51 ppm) while petroleum ether peels extract of C. limon was the most effective larvicide with LC50 value of 51.25 ppm. All the extracts also exhibited significant elicit response and irritant potential against adults signifying their potential role in reduced mosquito bites and disease transmission. The qualitative phytochemical analysis of the extracts showed presence of certain components suggesting their probable role in bioefficacy of extracts. Further studies are needed to isolate and identify the active ingredient to formulate strategies for mosquito control

Evaluation of 15 Local Plant Species as Larvicidal Agents Against an Indian Strain of Dengue Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae)

The adverse effects of chemical insecticides-based intervention measures for the control of mosquito vectors have received wide public apprehension because of several problems like insecticide resistance, resurgence of pest species, environmental pollution, toxic hazards to humans, and non-target organisms. These problems have necessitated the need to explore and develop alternative strategies using eco-friendly, environmentally safe, bio-degradable plant products which are non-toxic to non-target organisms too. In view of this, 15 plant species were collected from local areas in New Delhi, India. Different parts of these plants were separated, dried, mechanically grinded, and sieved to get fine powder. The 200 g of each part was soaked in 1000 mL of different solvents separately and the crude extracts, thus formed, were concentrated using a vacuum evaporator at 45°C under low pressure. Each extract was screened to explore its potential as a mosquito larvicidal agent against early fourth instars of dengue vector, Aedes aegypti using WHO protocol. The preliminary screening showed that only 10 plants possessed larvicidal potential as they could result in 100% mortality at 1000 ppm. Further evaluation of the potential larvicidal extracts established the hexane leaf extract of Lantana camara to be most effective extract exhibiting a significant LC50 value of 30.71 ppm while the Phyllanthus emblica fruit extract was found to be least effective with an LC50 value of 298.93 ppm. The extracts made from different parts of other five plants; Achyranthes aspera, Zingiber officinalis, Ricinus communis, Trachyspermum ammi, and Cassia occidentalis also possessed significant larvicidal potential with LC50 values ranging from 55.0 to 74.67 ppm. Other three extracts showed moderate toxicity against A. aegypti larvae. Further investigations would be needed to isolate and identify the primary component responsible for the larvicidal efficiency of the effective plants

Primary angiosarcoma of the oral cavity in a young adult

Angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasm, constituting only 2% of all the soft tissue tumors and most frequently involves the skin of the head and neck region in elderly males. They are extremely aggressive tumors with high rates of metastasis and poor outcomes. We report a unique case of angiosarcoma involving an unusual site – upper alveolus and maxilla in a young patient highlighting the diagnostic challenges in such a scenario. A 29 years old female presented with a non-healing wound of the oral cavity, which had progressed to the current maximum size of 6.4 cm within one month. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed the involvement of maxilla up to the floor of the orbit and adjacent soft tissue. However, no distant metastasis was detected on Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. Biopsy of the lesion showed an irregular, highly pleomorphic, and mitotically active epithelioid soft tissue tumor conclusively diagnosed as angiosarcoma

Organic Farming in India and its Way Forward

India is home to 30% of the world’s organic growers and is likely to expand in the coming years. The solutionto the issues of sustainability, global warming, land degradation and food security is Organic Farming, which is seen as a sign of dynamic change for the agricultural industry. Organic Farming discards the use of synthetic fertilizers and promotes sustainable agricultural practices. Organic Farming holds immense potential to revive the degrading state of the agricultural sector in the world by offering environmental benefits, quality products and conserving non-renewable resources. It is a promising alternative to conventional farming and is expanding quickly. Organic Farming is gaining worldwide attention with 2.30 million hectares of land being used for the purpose. It helps to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improves soil fertility, boosting productivity and crop health. Organic Farming can also be used for land reclamation purposes. The aim of the present study is to examine the development of Organic Farming in India and globally, as well as identify any potential barriers to its implementation

DGAT1 and ABCG2 polymorphism in Indian cattle (Bos indicus) and buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) breeds

BACKGROUND: Indian cattle (Bos indicus) and riverine buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) give a poor yield of milk but it has a high fat and protein percentage compared to taurine cattle. The identification of QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci) on BTA14 and BTA6 and its subsequent fine mapping has led to identification of two non conservative mutations affecting milk production and composition. Our objective was to estimate the frequency of K232A (DGAT1 – diacylglycerol – acyltransferase 1) and Y581S (ABCG2 – ATP binding cassette sub family G member 2) polymorphisms in diverse cattle and buffalo breeds of India having large variation in terms of milk production. RESULTS: We screened the reported missense mutations in six cattle and five buffalo breeds. The DGAT1(K )and ABCG2(Y )alleles were found to be fixed in Indian cattle and buffalo breeds studied. CONCLUSION: This study provides an indirect evidence that all the Indian cattle and buffalo breeds have fixed alleles with respect to DGAT1 and ABCG2 genes reported to be responsible for higher milk fat yield, higher fat and protein percent

AMELIORATIVE EFFECT OF NARINGENIN AGAINST ANTITUBERCULOSIS DRUGS INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF RATS

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of naringenin against antituberculosis drugs (ATDs) induced alteration in hematological parameters in rats.Methods: Rats were administered with ATDs for 8 weeks (3 days/weeks) followed by naringenin at three different doses (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) conjointly for 8 weeks (3 days/weeks) orally. After 8 weeks, animals were euthanized; blood was collected by retro-orbital sinus method for the analysis of hematological parameters.Results: The results of this study show decreased in red blood cells, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, platelets, and eosinophils along with increase in the number of lymphocytes in ATDs induced rats. Treatment with naringenin encountered ATDs induced hematological parameter alteration which was evident by significant reversal in hematological indices toward control in dose-dependent manner.Conclusion: The present study concluded that ATDs exposure caused adverse effects in various blood components and conjoint treatment of naringenin reduced hematological alterations toward control due to antioxidant activity

EFFECT OF RUTIN AGAINST HIGH-FAT DIET AND ALCOHOL-INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN HEMATOLOGICAL VARIABLES OF RATS

Objectives: Alcohol abuse leads to several diseases and millions of death worldwide. High-fat diet (HFD) is major contributor of non-alcoholic liver diseases and obesity. Combined consumption of HFD and alcohol has deleterious effect on blood cells. This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effect of rutin against combined consumption of HFD and alcohol-induced hematological alterations.Methods: HFD 30% and ethanol 10% were administered for 4 weeks for induction of toxicity. Rutin (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) and 50 mg/kg dose of silymarin were administered along with HFD and alcohol for 4 weeks.Results: Combined consumption of HFD and alcohol increased mean corpuscular volume, total leukocytes count, eosinophil and monocyte, and decreased hematocrit and platelets. Administration of rutin improved hematological variables altered by HFD and alcohol consumption.Conclusion: The present study concluded that administration of rutin may alleviate HFD and alcohol-induced hematological alterations by scavenging free radicals generation