Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriers and the prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among medical students

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a dynamic and adaptable bacterium that has an incredible talent to attain antibiotic resistance. Nasal colonisation of S.aureus increases with greater exposure of students to the hospital environment. The prevention of staphylococcal infection and reduction of spread and emergence of MRSA are essential. Medical students would be a key target group to introduce awareness of hospital-acquired infections. Therefore, the present study aims at understanding the prevalence of carrier rate of S.aureus and MRSA among Medical students during their clinical postings.Methods: Nasal swabs were taken from 150 medical students. Their Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage was determined by plating on sheep blood agar and MRSA carriage by to Kirby Bauer Disc Diffusion method using Cefoxitin disc (30 µg).Results: The present study showed a 40% nasal carriage of S.aureus amongst medical students. Of the 60 S. aureus isolates 28%, 36% and 56% isolates were from 1st, 2nd and 3rd year respectively. The colonisation rate of MRSA in the present study was found to be 12.66% amongst the medical students of 6%, 10%, 22% belonged to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectivelyConclusions: The nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among medical students increases as their exposure to patient care increases. Medical students should be made aware of the risks of carrying S.aureus and MRSA and educated about the hand washing protocol and safety precautions to be followed while handling patients

Punica Granatum L - A Nutraceutical functional food

Pomegranate is a widely used plant having medicinal properties. Pomegranates and their extracts may serve as natural alternatives due to their potency against a wide range of bacterial and viral pathogens. The synergistic action of the pomegranate constituents appears to be superior to that of single constituents.Pomegranate provides health benefits, that is, a nutraceutical food. It is used in dentistry as an active ingredient such as mouth rinse for plaque control, treatment of various oral lesions, storage media for avulsed teeth, wound healing. This paper describes the uses of pomegranate, its mechanism and various therapeutic and dental applications

The Buzz Button to your Toothache – Spilanthes acmella : A Review

Spilanthes acmella, commonly known as toothache plant, is an important medicinal plant belonging to family Asteraceae. It has been reported to possess various biological activities like anti-pyretic, antidiuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, anticancer and antitoothache etc. The bioactive chemical component is spilanthol, an alkamide which is present in roots and all aerial parts of the plant. Spilanthol has high industrial demand for its use in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and toothpaste industry. S.acmella is quickly getting depleted from its natural habitat, because of its wider applications for commercial use

Comparative efficacy of two poeciliid fish in indoor cement tanks against chikungunya vector Aedes aegypti in villages in Karnataka, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 2006, severe outbreaks of <it>Aedes aegypti</it>-transmitted chikungunya occurred in villages in Karnataka, South India. We evaluated the effectiveness of combined information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns using two potential poeciliid larvivorous fish guppy (<it>Poecilia reticulata</it>) and mosquitofish (<it>Gambusia affinis</it>), in indoor cement tanks for <it>Aedes </it>larval control.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Trials were conducted in two villages (Domatmari and Srinivaspura) in Tumkur District from March to May 2006 for <it>Poecilia </it>and one village (Balmanda) in Kolar District from July to October 2006 for <it>Gambusia</it>. A survey on knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on chikungunya was initially conducted and IEC campaigns were performed before and after fish release in Domatmari (IEC alone, followed by IEC + <it>Poecilia</it>) and Balmanda (IEC + <it>Gambusia</it>). In Srinivaspura, IEC was not conducted. Larval surveys were conducted at the baseline followed by one-week and one-month post-intervention periods. The impact of fish on <it>Aedes </it>larvae and disease was assessed based on baseline and post-intervention observations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 18% of respondents knew of the role of mosquitoes in fever outbreaks, while almost all (<it>n </it>= 50 each) gained new knowledge from the IEC campaigns. In Domatmari, IEC alone was not effective (OR 0.54; <it>p </it>= 0.067). Indoor cement tanks were the most preferred <it>Ae. aegypti </it>breeding habitat (86.9%), and had a significant impact on <it>Aedes </it>breeding (Breteau Index) in all villages in the one-week period (<it>p </it>< 0.001). In the one-month period, the impact was most sustained in Domatmari (OR 1.58, <it>p </it>< 0.001) then Srinivaspura (OR 0.45, <it>p </it>= 0.063) and Balmanda (OR 0.51, <it>p </it>= 0.067). After fish introductions, chikungunya cases were reduced by 99.87% in Domatmari, 65.48% in Srinivaspura and 68.51% in Balmanda.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p><it>Poecilia </it>exhibited greater survival rates than <it>Gambusia </it>(86.04 <it>vs</it>.16.03%) in cement tanks. Neither IEC nor <it>Poecilia </it>alone was effective against <it>Aedes </it>(<it>p </it>> 0.05). We conclude that <it>Poecilia </it>+ IEC is an effective intervention strategy. The operational cost was 0.50 (US$0.011, 1 US$= 47) per capita per application. Proper water storage practices, focused IEC with <it>Poecilia </it>introductions and vector sanitation involving the local administration and community, is suggested as the best strategy for <it>Aedes </it>control.</p

Randomized Clinical Trial of High-Dose Rifampicin With or Without Levofloxacin Versus Standard of Care for Pediatric Tuberculous Meningitis: The TBM-KIDS Trial

Background. Pediatric tuberculous meningitis (TBM) commonly causes death or disability. In adults, high-dose rifampicin may reduce mortality. The role of fluoroquinolones remains unclear. There have been no antimicrobial treatment trials for pediatric TBM. Methods. TBM-KIDS was a phase 2 open-label randomized trial among children with TBM in India and Malawi. Participants received isoniazid and pyrazinamide plus: (i) high-dose rifampicin (30 mg/kg) and ethambutol (R30HZE, arm 1); (ii) high-dose rifampicin and levofloxacin (R30HZL, arm 2); or (iii) standard-dose rifampicin and ethambutol (R15HZE, arm 3) for 8 weeks, followed by 10 months of standard treatment. Functional and neurocognitive outcomes were measured longitudinally using Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) and Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Results. Of 2487 children prescreened, 79 were screened and 37 enrolled. Median age was 72 months; 49%, 43%, and 8% had stage I, II, and III disease, respectively. Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 58%, 55%, and 36% of children in arms 1, 2, and 3, with 1 death (arm 1) and 6 early treatment discontinuations (4 in arm 1, 1 each in arms 2 and 3). By week 8, all children recovered to MRS score of 0 or 1. Average MSEL scores were significantly better in arm 1 than arm 3 in fine motor, receptive language, and expressive language domains (P < .01). Conclusions. In a pediatric TBM trial, functional outcomes were excellent overall. The trend toward higher frequency of adverse events but better neurocognitive outcomes in children receiving high-dose rifampicin requires confirmation in a larger trial. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02958709

Prevalence of osteoporosis in selected post menopausal women

Osteoporosis is a bone disorder, characterized by low bone mass with micro architectural deterioration of bone leading to enhanced risk of fracture. On aging the strength of the bone tends to deteriorate, hence this is a degenerative process. Osteoporosis and risk of subsequent fracture is one of the most prevalent community health problems affecting the elderly population and its prevalence is increasing. Although osteoporosis can affect both men and women of any age, women are four times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis. All over the world as the population increases women are outnumbering the men in osteoporosis cases and it is becoming women's public health issue. During the post menopause period in women, bones become weak leading to osteoporosis. Therefore, Cummings claims osteoporosis as on increasing clinical and public health problem

Evaluation of intranasal midazolam for preanasthetic sedation in paediatric patients

Most of the preschool children suffer from severe anxiety and apprehension before operation. This can largely affect the smooth conductance and emergence from anaesthesia. Above all this can lead to development of maladaptive behavioral responses in later part of life. Midazolam in current time has emerged as an ideal premedicant having all the desirable properties in this regard. It has been used by several routes for premedication. Each has its own advantage and disadvantage. The search for an ideal route and dose still exists. So the current study was planned to find out the efficacy of midazolam intranasally. Forty five paediatric patients of 2-5 years of age belonging to ASA I& II, scheduled for minor elective surgery were selected for this study. Patients were divided in three equal groups to receive normal saline (Group I), 0.2 mgkg-1 midazolam (Group II), or 0.3mgkg-1 midazolam (Group III) intranasally. Vital parameters and level of sedation (using a sedation scale) were assessed before administering the drug and at 5 min interval up to induction of anaesthesia. Standard anaesthesia technique was used intraoperatively. Recovery parameters were assessed in the recovery area using a recovery scale. A statistically significant change in the level of sedation was found at 5 min in group II and at 10 min in group III compared to control group. Parental separation was significantly easier in midazolam groups. Mask acceptance rate was also found to be significantly higher in midazolam groups. There was no statistical difference in recovery parameters in any group. No major adverse effect was seen in any midazolam group. No major advantage was found with higher dose of midazolam. Therefore we conclude that 0.2 mgkg-1 intranasal midazolam is an effective method of producing anxiolysis and sedation in paediatric patients

DETECTION AND FEATURE EXTRACTION OF MRI AND CT IMAGES USING MEDICAL IMAGES

An efficient procedure for specifically defining the tumor boundary present in an input MRI picture is proposed in this article. Various mammogram photographs were taken and examined for the comparative analysis. CA segmentation and other existing algorithms such as Otsu's thresholding and canny edge detection were used to model brain MRI images. CA segmentation is the best choice out of any of these segmentation processes. Its simplicity over a single slice and lower susceptibility to initialization, reliability in terms of computation time, robustness against diverse and heterogeneous tumor forms, computational efficiency, and ease of use are all factors. In oncologic imaging, segmentation of brain tumors on diagnostic photographs is important for cancer management and surveillance. With the advent of image driven surgical methods, it is becoming more common. Outlining the brain tumor contour, which is normally performed manually on contrast enhanced T1-weighted MRI in current clinical practice, is a critical phase in preparing spatially localized radiotherapy. Cellular Automaton-based seeded tumor segmentation is used to segment solid brain tumors in this article. It aids physicians and researchers in the preparation of radio surgery and the evaluation of treatment reaction. The findings show that the collected pictures may be used to make an accurate diagnosis. &nbsp; &nbsp