Repurposing of Metformin for the prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis

The bidirectional relationship between tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major concern for medical professionals and epidemiologists as DM affects the severity, progress and outcome of TB and vice versa. Patients affected with TB have a higher rate of morbidity, treatment failure and mortality. Likewise, DM triples the risk of contracting TB and therefore poses a threat to the progress made in the reduction of TB incidence. Hence, it is pivotal to address both the diseases keeping in mind the each other. It is known that adjunct therapy with immunomodulatory drugs can enhance TB immunity among diabetic patients. Metformin, a commonly used anti-diabetic drug with adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation property, has shown the capacity to reduce the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis within the cell. This drug inhibits the mitochondrial complex and possesses anti-inflammatory action. Therefore, Metformin can be considered as an ideal molecule for host-directed or host-targeted therapy for TB

A scoping review on the presence of antibiotic residues in milk and the government strategies to control the use of antibiotics in milk industry in India

In dairy farms, antibiotics are administered for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. Lack of adherence to withdrawal periods and irrational use of antibiotics in the feed may lead to antibiotic residues (AR) in milk. Evidence suggests that the risk of AR in the milk is believed to be higher in developing countries due to multifarious reasons. The issue of residues in milk is predominantly concerning in India, as it has the largest consumer base in the world. Many studies have identified that consuming milk contaminated with antibiotics may pose myriads of health hazards and therefore is a matter of grave concern. This scoping review was conducted to collate all the information available on AR in milk, its associated health risks, and the government initiatives that are in place to combat the inappropriate antibiotic use in the Indian dairy industry. The review was conducted systematically using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines, 2020 as its framework. A comprehensive search was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Google. A total of 19 articles were retrieved for the AR in milk, and 11 grey literature were identified for the government initiatives to control the use of antibiotics. Analysis of the collated information revealed that tetracyclines were the most commonly occurring AR in milk. Additionally, maximum articles identified AMR as the most common health hazard that may arise due to AR in milk, followed by allergic reactions. Finally, the review concluded that there is a requirement for more stringent regulations to curb AR in the dairy industry in India

Assessment of infant and young child feeding practices among mothers of Paniya tribal children aged 0–23 months in Gudalur Block, Nilgiris District

Optimal infant and young child feeding practices (IYCFPs), despite being emphasized since 2003, are yet to be met in India. This study assessed these practices and their association with various factors among mothers of children aged 0–23 months in Paniya tribes in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. About 89.1% of the infants below six months were timely breastfed and 77.9% of them were exclusively breastfed, respectively. Complementary food was introduced to 25% of infants aged six to eight months. About 27.8% of them received a diverse diet. About 91.7% of them were fed egg and/or flesh food and 37% of them were fed vegetables and fruits. Illiterate mothers and mothers who had a vaginal delivery fed the infant optimally. The adherence to these practices was found to decrease gradually with an increase in the infant's age. The prevalence of IYCFP is higher in the study population compared to the corresponding indicators for the district according to the National Family Health Survey-5

Postpartum related morbidities among women visiting government health facilities in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India

Background: Maternal morbidities are considered a leading contributor to the burden of disease among women. Especially, if postpartum morbidities are left untreated, this can cause a negative impact on the quality of life. The study was conducted to determine the proportion and types of postpartum morbidities among women visiting government health facilities in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka and to find out the association between the morbidities and various factors. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in various government hospitals in Udupi Taluk, consisted of 229 postpartum women. These subjects were selected from mothers who accompanied their children for immunization from February 2013 to July 2013 using purposive sampling technique. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to find out the association between the morbidities and various factors using SPSS version 15. Results: Among 112 (48.9%) women who experienced postpartum morbidities, back pain (23.6%), and perineal pain (15.7%) were most commonly reported physical morbidities. Similarly, anxiety (10%) and irritability (7.9%) were the most common psychological problems. Demographic factors such as religion 2.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1, 5.4) and occupation 2.5 (95% CI 1.1, 5.9) were associated with the morbidities. Likewise, obstetric factors such as place of delivery 1.5 (95% CI 0.8, 2.9) and type of delivery 1.9 (95% CI 1.0, 3.6) were also associated with various morbidities. Conclusions: The findings showed a high proportion of postpartum morbidities being reported in our study settings. These observation priorities a need of health program for early recognition, treatment and improving awareness of postpartum morbidities among near mothers

Factors influencing the reproductive health of women in rural areas of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh

Background: A woman’s health is an integral part of any country. There are numerous factors that influence a woman’s decision of her reproductive health. A better understanding of these factors could help address gaps and barriers influencing the reproductive health choices of women in rural areas.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out among women of ages 18-45 years in rural areas of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh to study factors influencing the reproductive health choices of women in rural areas of Ujjain. 300 women were asked comprehensively about their reproductive health via a semi structured questionnaire which comprised of domains from their menarche history to their menopausal history. Data was analyzed and chi square test was used to find factors influencing the reproductive health choices of women.Results: The median age of the participants was 30.8 years (IQR: 25, 36). Around 61% of the participants were aware of the family planning methods but only 29% of the participants used modern contraceptive methods. Age, educational background of participants, employment, partner education were all factors significantly (p<0.05) associated with the reproductive health choices of women.Conclusions: The reproductive health of   women was shown to be significantly associated with her education, her employment status, her age, and her partner’s education. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness among women, their partners and, the family members about importance of the reproductive health of a woman

Design and development of a novel colorimetric assay and a portable optical system for the detection of aminoglycoside antibiotics

In recent years, environmental contamination with antibiotics has become a severe threat to humankind requiring urgent attention. Presence of incompletely metabolized antibiotics in water bodies, leads to their entry into food chain via live stock and serve as a severe threat to human health. Hence it is imperative that the antibiotics are detected at the source itself. Aminoglycosides are broad spectrum antibiotics known to be more toxic and resistant to multidrug resistant (MDR) organisms compared to other classes of antibiotics. Accordingly in the present work a selective, sensitive and low-cost detection technique for aminoglycoside based antibiotics has been developed. An iron-dependent lipid peroxidation has been explored for the first time to develop a rapid and sensitive colorimetric assay for detecting aminoglycoside antibiotics. A lab-on-chip model (LoC) was designed and developed to miniaturize the colorimetric assay based model for its applications in the real-time analysis of antibiotics. The LoC was integrated with optical fibers, electronic components and associated signal processing circuitry to construct a portable device for antibiotic quantification. Interestingly a selective response towards gentamicin amongst the tested antibiotic was observed. The formation of a colored product within five minutes of reaction time enables a swift and less cumbersome analysis and compared to existing sophisticated analytical techniques. The detection method was validated for gentamicin spiked environmental samples and showed a recovery of more than 90%. This method can serve as a suitable alternative in limited laboratory setups and provides a generic platform for developing a rapid, user-friendly and economical detection methods for environmental monitoring of antibiotics

Factors influencing utilization of reproductive health services among mothers in Meghalaya, India

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the basic components where it can provide pregnant women with an expansive scope of well-being, health promotion, and preventive health services. However, still 830 women die every day from preventable pregnancy-related causes, and 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries, out of which 20% of these deaths were from India. Objectives: The objective of this study is to explore the factors influencing the utilization of reproductive health services among mothers and to find the association between various factors and utilization of reproductive health services. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted during January–June 2017 among 160 mothers who had an infant aged <6 months in Mawkyrwat Block, South West Khasi Hills District in Meghalaya. Respondents were selected through simple random sampling, and semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16. Results: Mothers attending four or more antenatal checkups were 10.6%, where 53.5% of the mothers registered their first ANC checkups only by the second trimester and 57.5% preferred home delivery. Nearly 52.9% of the mothers were staying more than 5 km away from the health-care facilities. The usage of family planning methods was very low, i. e., 96.9% of the mothers are not using any of the family planning methods. Conclusion: Study finding reveals that the utilization of health-care services was low. Area-specific approaches such as health camps and mobile clinics might result in improved utilization of reproductive health services

Malarial trend in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka: An epidemiological assessment from 2004 to 2013

Background: Malaria is one of the main causes for morbidity in India and many of the tropical countries. Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka is one of the Malaria endemic districts. Various efforts to contain the transmission of this deadly disease by National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) has been effective up to an extent. Methods: A retrospective report based study over a period of ten years was conducted in Dakshina Kannada district. The community based data of confirmed cases of malaria was collected and analysed. Results: Highest cases of Malaria were recorded in 2005 (16,154) . The incidence of Malaria ranged from 26% to 85% in the last ten years. The magnitude of Plasmodium falciparum %(Pf%) ranged from 6.8%-30.9%. Conclusion: Prevalence of malaria has been on a declining trend but some of the malariometric indices have been on a fluctuating trend. This is indicative of a multidisciplinary approach to curb the disease