Knowledge, attitude and practices of contraception among the married women of reproductive age group in urban slums of Lucknow

Background: Despite the availability of a wide range of contraceptive and mass media campaigns and information, education, and communication programs, population control remains a distant dream to achieve. The low use of spacing methods is reflected by early childbearing and short birth intervals. The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of different contraceptive methods among married women in the reproductive age group.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 married women in the reproductive age group (18-49 years) attending the outpatient department (OPD) of urban health training centre and came mainly from the neighboring slum locality.Results: We have included a total of 230 participants in the study analysis. Almost all (98.6%) of the study participants had knowledge about at least one method of contraception. If we see the use of contraceptive methods, 163 (70.8%) women ever used any of the contraceptive methods. Less than half (40.9%) had knowledge that contraceptive methods reduce the economic burden on the family. A negative attitude towards the practice of contraception was found among 11.7 percent of women in the study. When asking about present (last 1 year) practice of contraception, 29.1% not practiced any method of contraception, 25.6% used oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), and 27.8% used condoms.Conclusions: The study reveals good knowledge and favorable attitude of rural couples towards contraception. Contraceptive knowledge and practice were influenced by exposure to family planning messages. Women's education and counselling of couples can play an important role in adopting family planning methods

The Elephant’s Tail of VAPP, VDPV in the Polio End Game

A lot have been achieved by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since 1988 after World Health Assembly passed the resolution to eradicate polio. Today, we have decreased the global polio incidence by 99.9% since GPEIs started working. We still have to remove polio from the few leftover pockets and get rid of the final 0.1% of polio cases. We have gained in positive terms that an estimated 16 million people today are walking and more than 1.5 million are alive because of the stakeholders’ strong, strategic and cooperative action. The journey to the last mile has some different difficulties and this article tries to provide additional insights into the strategies to achieve our goal of Polio eradication

Awareness, Practice and Level of Anxiety using Coronavirus Anxiety Scale among the Indian Population regarding COVID -19 Pandemic

Abstract: The most important aspect of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) involves the circulation of trustworthy and accurate information in the public health interest domain. Strict stringency measures such as nationwide lockdown impacted people's mental health. Hence, this study was planned to assess the knowledge, practice, and anxiety among the Indian population about the ongoing pandemic in the initial phase. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between August 1, 2020, to October 5, 2020. Coronavirus Anxiety Scale was used to determine dysfunctional anxiety. Results: Among 553 participants, 73.6% had overall good knowledge of COVID-19 with mean correct score of 6.9±1.1. Majority of participants (97%) wore mask regularly, and 93% of respondents regularly washed their hands with soap and water. Only 14 participants scored ?9 on CAS, suggesting probable cases of dysfunctional anxiety associated with the COVID-19 crisis. Conclusion: The knowledge and practices of citizens in a nation reflect their preparedness and ability to deal with a pandemic of such proportion. Good knowledge translates to good practices and therefore reduces anxiety among the population. It is deemed necessary that people's knowledge and habits, including the mental impact, be accessed at periodic intervals to track their adaptation to pandemics over time

Prevalence of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients and its associated risk factors

Background: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common and one of the severe complications of diabetes mellitus. It affects almost half the diabetic population and worsens quality of life of the patient. The present study was aimed to determine the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy and associated risk factors. Aims and Objectives: To assess the Prevalence of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) among Type 2 DM patients and its associated risk factors. Material and Methods: A community based survey was conducted over a period of one and a half year. Cluster sampling technique was used to collect the study sample in urban Etawah. Study participants aged ? 30 years residing in urban Etawah with known history of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus of ? 5 years were included in the study. Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (DPN) was diagnosed using 10 g monofilament test. Results: A total of 400 DM patients were enrolled in the study. Out of which 28% (n = 112) patients were diagnosed with DPN using Semmes-Weinstein (SW) 10-g monofilament test. Statistically significant association was also noted with Family history of DM, BMI, Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure, Family history of HTN and History of Smoking. Conclusion: The current study found a high prevalence of DPN (28%) and it was found to be significantly associated with advancing age, duration of diabetes and history of smoking

Prevalence and knowledge of hypertension among students of medical college of central Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: Hypertension is one of the biggest health challenges, which is continuously increasing among young adults, especially students. The aim of the present study was to find out the prevalence, associated factors and knowledge of hypertension among undergraduate students of a medical college of a rural area in central Uttar Pradesh, India. Methodology:  A cross-sectional study was conducted in one of the medical college of central Uttar Pradesh, India. Data were collected on socio-demographic and behavioral factors, and anthropometric assessments were carried out using standard equipment and procedures. Results: The present research involved 147 undergraduate medical students with a mean age of 21.9±2.2 years. Knowledge about hypertension was poor, average and good among19.7% (n=29), 76.8% (n=113) and 3.4% (n=5) students, respectively. Mean systolic blood pressure (mean SBP) was 127.07 ± 10.109 mm of Hg with a range 110 to 154mm of Hg, and mean diastolic blood pressure (mean DBP) was 80.5 ± 6.587 mm Hg with a range 68 to 94 mm of Hg. Conclusions: Smoking, alcoholism, non-vegetarian diet, body weight over 60 kgs and waist-hip ratio over 0.9 were recognized as risk factors of hypertension. Hence it needs a powerful surveillance program to find the exact problem

Impact of health education on knowledge and attitude of self-breast examination among female nursing students

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and a leading cause of death worldwide, including in India. Breast cancer usually shows a slow development rate, and when it is recognized in the early stages, successful treatment results can be achieved. Breast self-examination is a screening option for young women. Health awareness programs on screening and early detection are the cornerstones for reducing the morbidity and mortality resulting from breast cancer. Objective: To assess the impact of health education on knowledge and attitude of self-breast examination among nursing students. Study Design: The present interventional study was conducted between September and October 2019. Setting: This study was done among 79 nursing students of a tertiary care hospital situated in a central district of Uttar Pradesh. Main Outcome Measures: The self-reported pre-designed and structured questionnaire was used. It included three sections: 1. Sociodemographic profile 2. Knowledge regarding self-breast examination (SBE) 3. Attitude regarding self-breast examination (SBE). Knowledge and attitude scores were calculated and divided into the poor, average, and good categories. Results: There were 87.3% of girls had prior knowledge of the self-breast examination, while 12.7% of girls were not aware of the self-breast examination. Post-intervention, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in their knowledge about self-breast examination. Conclusion and Relevance: Planned teaching intervention had a significant impact on the knowledge and attitude of self-breast examination. The knowledge and attitude were poor at the early stages, but it had increased significantly after the health education intervention

Prevalence of needle stick injuries, its associated factors and awareness among nursing staff at tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Needle Stick Injuries (NSIs) are defined as accidental skin penetrating injuries caused by needles. It is the single greatest occupational hazard to a medical personnel. In developing countries, needle stick injury is associated with the highest global prevalence of HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Aim & Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of needle stick injuries, its associated risk factors and assess the awareness regarding needle stick injuries among nursing staff. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among nursing staff who were working at a tertiary care hospital in Northern India during June 2019 to November 2019. The study commenced after taking prior approval from institutional ethics committee. A census method was used to include the participants. Results: Around 66.7% of the nursing staff was exposed to NSIs during their working hours at the hospital. There was significant association of needle stick injuries with place of working and education of nursing staff in multivariate binary logistic regression. About 26% of the nurses were unaware that recapping should be done or not for used needle, and 35% of staff nurses recapped the needle after the use. Conclusion: Needle stick injuries can be prevented by continued education, effective training, providing better safety devices, a positive work environment

Altered expression and editing of miRNA-100 regulates iTreg differentiation

RNA editing ofmiRNAs, especially in the seed region, adds another layer to miRNA mediated gene regulation which can modify its targets, altering cellular signaling involved in important processes such as differentiation. In this study, we have explored the role of miRNA editing in CD4+ T cell differentiation. CD4+ T cells are an integral component of the adaptive immune system. Na¨ıve CD4+ T cells, on encountering an antigen, get differentiated either into inflammatory subtypes like Th1, Th2 or Th17, or into immunosuppressive subtype Treg, depending on the cytokine milieu. We found C-to-U editing at fifth position of mature miR-100, specifically in Treg. The C-to-U editing of miR-100 is functionally associated with at least one biologically relevant target change, from MTOR to SMAD2. Treg cell polarization by TGFβ1 was reduced by both edited and unedited miR-100 mimics, but percentage of Treg in PBMCs was only reduced by edited miR-100 mimics, suggesting a model in which de-repression of MTOR due to loss of unedited mir-100, promotes tolerogenic signaling, while gain of edited miR-100 represses SMAD2, thereby limiting the Treg. Such delicately counterbalanced systems are a hallmark of immune plasticity and we propose that miR-100 editing is a novel mechanism toward this end

B cell repertoire sequencing of HIV-1 pediatric elite-neutralizers identifies multiple broadly neutralizing antibody clonotypes

IntroductionA limited subset of HIV-1 infected adult individuals typically after at least 2-3 years of chronic infection, develop broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs), suggesting that highly conserved neutralizing epitopes on the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein are difficult for B cell receptors to effectively target, during natural infection. Recent studies have shown the evolution of bnAbs in HIV-1 infected infants.MethodsWe used bulk BCR sequencing (BCR-seq) to profile the B cell receptors from longitudinal samples (3 time points) collected from a rare pair of antiretroviralnaïve, HIV-1 infected pediatric monozygotic twins (AIIMS_329 and AIIMS_330) who displayed elite plasma neutralizing activity against HIV-1.ResultsBCR-seq of both twins revealed convergent antibody characteristics including V-gene use, CDRH3 lengths and somatic hypermutation (SHM). Further, antibody clonotypes with genetic features similar to highly potent bnAbs isolated from adults showed ongoing development in donor AIIMS_330 but not in AIIMS_329, corroborating our earlier findings based on plasma bnAbs responses. An increase in SHM was observed in sequences of the IgA isotype from AIIMS_330.DiscussionThis study suggests that children living with chronic HIV-1 can develop clonotypes of HIV-1 bnAbs against multiple envelope epitopes similar to those isolated from adults, highlighting that such B cells could be steered to elicit bnAbs responses through vaccines aimed to induce bnAbs against HIV-1 in a broad range of people including children