Information Needs of Rural Women Entrepreneurs

Poverty alleviation through self employment and entrepreneurship had been the major focus of government initiatives three decades. Several steps have been taken to support and promote entrepreneurial ventures but women’s participation has been low.  They find it harder than men to establish, run and succeed in entrepreneurial ventures due to several reasons.  One of the reasons is lack of access to information. A study was carried out to find out the information needs of rural women entrepreneurs and constraints surrounding access to information. The study was carried out in the hilly north Indian state of Uttarakhand. Eighty women entrepreneurs were part of the study and it was found that rural women need both managerial and technical information. Four types of constraints were faced by women while seeking information related to their enterprise. Keywords: Women entrepreneurs, rural, information need, India

Seroprevalence of antistreptolysin O antibodies in a tertiary health care centre in Haryana, India: a three year retrospective study

Background: Presence of antistreptolysin O antibodies in a patient’s sera may be an isolated evidence of recent infection by group A or less commonly, group C or G Streptococcus, especially in patients suspected of having a non suppurative sequel to this infection.Methods: A retrospective study was done on the sera samples received in the Department of Microbiology, PGIMS Rohtak, India for the detection of ASO, over a period of three years. The test was carried out by latex agglutination rapid test kit by Aspen.Results: A total of 4632 samples were received in the laboratory during the study period. Of these, 1058 (22.8%) were found to be positive for the presence of ASO having titre of >200 IU/mL.Conclusions: The prevalence of ASO was found to be highest in the age group 0-20. The presence of elevated streptococcal antibody titres in such a population reflects a high background prevalence of streptococcal infections. Thus, determination of ASO antibodies should be taken into consideration when evaluating the role of group A streptococcus in non-purulent complications of infections

Facing the conundrum: which first-line therapy should be used for patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer carrying germline BRCA mutation?

Pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy has been established as the preferred first-line therapy for treating metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) with programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1)-positive disease since its approval for that indication. However, the optimal sequencing of therapy remains an unanswered question for a subset of mTNBC patients who harbor germline breast cancer gene 1/2 (BRCA1/2; gBRCA1/2) mutation. This article aims to offer insights into the optimal therapy sequencing for mTNBC patients with gBRCA1/2 mutations and its impact on clinical decision-making. The perspective offered is based on the best currently available data and propose a practical algorithm to guide the management of this subgroup in the frontline setting

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) Dating of Sediments from Himalaya

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating gives the age of most recent daylight exposure or heating of samples to >400 degrees C or the formation events of authigenic minerals. These correspond to the age of sedimentation and burial, ages of thermal events like contact heating by lava flows and heating during faulting and sand dyke formation, and the formation of a mineral via chemical precipitation. With the first observation of OSL in 1985, this method now occupies centre stage in Quaternary Geochronology. The use of OSL method for sediments from Himalaya began over three decades ago. The method has since provided chronology for a variety of events, such as past glaciation events, formation ages of river terraces, paleo-lacustrine deposits, landslides, floods, seismic events with substantive new insights into timing and style of geological processes. Theoretically, the dating range of method is present to a Million years, and this critically depends on two factors, viz, luminescence properties of mineral and their radiation environments. The general working range using quartz is 200ka, and using feldspars is up to Brunhes Matuyam Boundary. Extensions beyond this limit are currently being explored

Hypercalcemia due to Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Hypercalcemia is one of rare metabolic disorders associated with hyperparathyroidism, malignancy and various other causes. Although common in adult malignancies, hypercalcemia is rare in pediatrics and purports poor prognosis. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is rare with no reported hypercalcemic presentation. We present here a case of hypercalcemia in a child of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A 10 year girl presented with backache for 1 month, epistaxis, cough, chest pain for 1 week alongwith anorexia and weight loss. Investigations revealed anemia and hypercalcemia (23mg/dl; normal range 9-11 mg/dl) with hyperphosphatemia, normal parathyroid levels. Hypercalcemic crisis was managed with saline, furosemide and bisphosphonate. Computed Tomography of paranasal sinuses revealed mass in right nasal cavity. Endoscopic biopsy disclosed undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma and the child expired. Thus, hypercalcemia, though rare, may complicate advanced tumors. NPC, being rare in children, requires high index of suspicion with careful clinicoradiological examination and timely management for better chances of survival

Etiological beliefs of patients with neurological disorders attending a tertiary care center: A cross-sectional study

Background: The understanding and management of neurological disorders is undergoing revolutionary changes over the last three decades in the background of ever increasing advances in medical technologies, diagnostic techniques, therapeutic processes and, molecular and genetic medicine. The fruits of these advances can reach patients only if the psychosocial hurdles in their delivery are identified, acknowledged and addressed. Aim: To explore the beliefs and practices of patients with neurological disorders in a tertiary care center in the eastern Nepal. Materials and Methods:One hundred patients attending neurology/medicine outpatient for neurological disorders were interviewed about their beliefs regarding the triggering factors, causation and treatment seeking behavior particularly from traditional healers. Result: Of the 100 patients (49 males, 51 females) recruited in the study, 51% expressed having ‘no idea’ about their illness. Only 20% patients gave medically congruent explanation for their illness. Psychological factors were attributed as triggering factors by 16% of patients, of which two thirds were females. Chance, destiny and ‘jadu tona’ topped the list of triggering factors. Forty four percent patients had sought help of traditional faith healers (‘Dhami Jhakri’) before seeking medical help. Traditional faith healers were approached by patients irrespective of their educational background. Fifty nine percent of patients who first sought traditional faith healers, believed in ‘jadu tona’. Of those interviewed, 16% were planning to go to a faith healer in near future. Conclusion: The beliefs of patients with neurological disorders frequently do not conform to current medical opinion. There is need for greater communication and education of patients by their treating physicians

Comparative evaluation of efficiency of different file systems in terms of remaining dentin thickness using cone-beam computed tomography: An in vitro study

Background: Endodontic therapy treats inside of the tooth and its success is based upon the triad of thorough canal debridement, effective disinfection, and obturation of the canal space. Thus, one of the most important steps is biomechanical preparation, which is the key stage of endodontic treatment with a predictive success factor if performed properly. Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate and compare the cleaning efficiency of different file systems in terms of remaining dentin thickness. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty permanent extracted anterior teeth were taken for the study and was divided into three groups – Group I – Manual Protapers, Group II – Rotary Mtwo, and Group III – Reciprocating WaveOne file systems. Pre-cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan was taken followed by biomechanical preparation by the respective file groups. Post-CBCT scan was taken and the pre- and post-CBCT scans were compared for remaining dentin thickness. Data were analyzed with ANOVA (P = 0.001). Statistical Analysis Used: ANOVA test was used in this study. Results: Protaper showed minimum reduction in dentin thickness followed by Mtwo and WaveOne showed maximum reduction in dentin thickness, but the intergroup comparison was found to be highly insignificant. Conclusion: WaveOne is a highly recommended rotary endodontic instrument which does not cause significant lowering in remaining dentin thickness after biomechanical preparation

Serum procalcitonin in bacterial & non-bacterial meningitis in children

Abstract Background Bacterial meningitis is a paediatric emergency with high mortality and morbidity requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment. Clinically, it is often difficult to differentiate between bacterial and non-bacterial meningitis. Several studies have demonstrated the raised values of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in bacterial infections including meningitis but without definite cut-off guidelines. Hence, this study was done to evaluate serum PCT as a marker to differentiate bacterial and non-bacterial meningitis in children and assess its efficacy. Methods It was a cross-sectional study done over a period of 5 months (Aug 2016-Dec 2016) in the department of Paediatrics, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS). Fifty children aged 3 months to 15 years with suspected meningitis were enrolled and investigated with relevant investigations like complete blood counts, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis along with serum PCT. Patients were classified into bacterial (22) and non-bacterial meningitis (28) according to clinical & CSF findings and data analysed using SPSS software. Results Serum PCT levels were significantly higher in bacterial meningitis group (median = 2.04 (1.2–3.18) ng/ml) compared with non-bacterial meningitis (median = 0.35 (0.18–0.35) ng/ml); p < 0.001. The sensitivity and specificity of serum PCT in diagnosis of bacterial meningitis at cut-off level of 0.5 ng/ml were 95.45% and 84.61% respectively. Procalcitonin showed maximum area under receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve 0.991 (0.974–1.00) (p < 0.001) compared to total leukocyte count and CSF cytochemistry. Conclusion Serum PCT has high sensitivity and specificity for early diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in children. Hence it can be a useful adjunct in differentiating bacterial and non-bacterial meningitis for prompt and better management of the children