Challenges faced by blood transfusion services in a tertiary care centre for recruitment of convalescent plasma donors for COVID-19

Background: The transfusion of convalescent blood products is an age old therapy in emerging infectious disease outbreaks. Convalescent plasma works on the principle of passive immunotherapy and Viral Neutralization. In the Current pandemic of corona virus disease (COVID-19), convalescent plasma transfusions can have therapeutic role as there is no specific preventative and therapeutic options. This study was done to see the challenges faced by blood transfusion services for recruitment of plasma donors.Methods: The retrospective study included challenges faced by blood transfusion services in recruiting Donors for convalescent plasma for COVID-19 and strategies followed for improving the donation at SMS Medical College and Hospital from April 2020 to October 2020.Results: This study evaluated challenges faced to recruit the recently recovered COVID-19 patients as donors, Setting up of plasmapheresis capacity, Role of social media in recruitment of Convalescent plasma donors, Financial aspects associated with Convalescent plasma donation, Role of NGOs in recruitment of donors and Success achieved in organization of donor mobilization and plasma collection.Conclusions: Recruitment of Convalescent Plasma donor from COVID-19 recovered patients is a big challenge for blood transfusion services. Different strategies to motivate donors should be implemented such as personnel communication, advertisement via classical mass media like radio, poster, newspaper and online media.

DEVELOPMENT OF COSMOCEUTICAL PRODUCTS FROM NANO-SIZED ACTIVE COLOUR CONSTITUENTS OF RATANJOT, SEABUCKTHORN AND ANNATTO

Objective: The objective of this research was to develop the nano-particles of natural colours from Ratanjot root, Seabuckthorn pulp, and Annatto seeds and use them in cosmetic products. Multiple herbs were used to have a good mix of active colour constituents and have a possibility to create a range of shades in the final cosmetic formulation without any side-effects. Further, with nano-sizing of the colour constituents, we aimed to obtain better activity and enhanced performance in the final product.Methods: The extraction of natural colours from herbal source was carried out under controlled conditions of temperature (max. 50 °C) and pressure (50-60 mm of Hg) to minimize the loss of actives during the process. The colour fractions separated by solvent fractionation were nano-sized by ultra-sonication using polyethylene glycol 400 as additive to distribute uniformly in the formulation. Active colour components were analyzed by HPLC and Lovibond Tintometer to maintain the colour strength in cosmetic formulation.Results: The nano-sizing of natural colour (purplish red dye from Ratanjot root, oil of Seabuckthorn pulp) has resulted in giving an excellent gloss, spreadability and prevention of skin damage due to their good anti-oxidant property. The goodness of Seabuckthorn oil has rendered a special effect of rejuvenating the skin cells to retain their elasticity.Conclusion: The promising results of these formulations have encouraged us to go for pilot trials to extend the study on animal and human subjects for the skin-penetration and kinetics of their healing power.Keywords: Bixa orellana, Arnebia nobilis, Hippophae rhamnoides, Herbal lipstick, Herbal lip balm, Body Massage oil, Cosmetics, Carotenoid

Factors associated with unmet need of family planning in Bihar, India: a spatial and multilevel analysis

Background: Many women in low and middle-income countries would like to limit or delay their pregnancy, but they do not enough access to consistent use of modern contraceptive methods. The concept of unmet need for family planning is focus to reproductive health policies, as it endures serious implications for the women, the child, family and the whole society. The aims of the study are to assess the spatial dimensions of extent of unmet need for family planning and also identify association between individual, household, community and district level covariates with the level of unmet need for family planning among married women of reproductive age group in Bihar, India.Methods: The study uses data from fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4). To meet the objective the analysis included descriptive, spatial visualization, spatial autocorrelation and multilevel logistic model. In the first step of analysis the multivariate analysis was used to know the levels of unmet need for family planning by selected background characteristics.Results: This study indicating that nearly one in five or more women experiences unmet need for family planning suggests that the problem remains of considerable magnitude and that action is needed to fill the gap in contraceptive use, which is currently estimated at a lowest 24 percent. Apart from providing a current estimate of unmet need, our study identified a number of relevant socioeconomic and demographic factors likely to shape the probability that a women experiences unmet need. It is observed across individual level, community/psu level and district level.Conclusions: Considering this fact, family planning program in Bihar should also focus on eliminating misconceptions and fear about contraception through proper counselling of couples and information, education and communication activities in the community and try to improve the quality of advice and care services related to family planning

Evaluation of panoramic radiomorphometric indices in Indian population

Objecitves: Radiomorphometric indices on dental radiographs can be used for screening of osteoporosis. However population-specific normative data is sparse. Aim was to establish radiomorphometric indices in Indian population and to determine role of age, gender and dentition on these indices. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study was undertaken from January 2010 to December 2010. OPGs of 80 samples were divided into four age groups. Mental index, panoramic mandibular index, mandibular cortical index, antegonial index were measured. Relationships with age and dentition were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS12.0. Student t-test, one way analysis of variance, Chi square test was used to find the statistical significance. P value < 0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: In most of the study population endosteal margins of the mandibular cortex were even and sharp on both sides i.e.C1 appearance except in 60-69 years females who showed increased tendency of lacunar cortical defects i.e. C2 appearance. No correlation between dentition and mandibular cortical index (MCI), mental index (MI), panoramic mandibular index (PMI) & Antegonial index (AI) (p value 0.583, 0.059, 0.491 respectively). Population’s mean of AI, MI, and PMI among males were 3.33, 3.97, 0.33 respectively and among females were 3.06, 3.64, and 0.32 respectively. (p value for AI, MI, PMI were 0.048, 0.028,0.037 respectively). Conclusions: All indices negatively correlated with age. There was a general downward trend with age until sixth decade, when values declined sharply. No statistical significance was found between AI, MI, and PMI and dentition

Retrospective analysis of donor deferral for plateletpheresis at a regional transfusion center, in North-West India

 Background: Single donor platelet (SDP) is one of the valuable component for thrombocytopenic patients for obtaining good post transfusion count increment, good yield of product is required. Proper donor selection has a crucial role in in safety and quality of product therefore proper screening of donor is mandatory. The aim was to find out reasons and frequency of plateletpheresis donor deferral and to encourage safety of donor for recruitment of new SDP donors.Methods: A retrospective analysis of data was done over a period of 1 year from June 2018 to May 2019 from the data centre of the institute.Results: Out of 1365 donors, 1200 were selected for plateletpheresis procedure and remaining 165 donors were deferred for various reasons. The predominant age of donors ranges from 25-35 years. Among the deferred donors temporary donors accounted for 93.33% and permanently deferred donors were 6.61. Most common cause for deferral were poor venous access 52 (31.51%). Low platelet counts 32 (19.39), low Hb 26 (15.75%), underweight 24 (14.54%), under medication 9 (5.45%), alcohol intake within 24 hours 6 (3.63%) and others like tattoos, infections/inflammations at phlebotomy sites 5 (3.03%) and most common reason for permanent deferral were sero-positivity for HbsAg 6 (3.63%), chronic diseases 4 (2.42%) (cardiovascular diseases bronchial asthma), others 1 (0.6%).Conclusions: For obtaining good yield of product, proper donor screening is required. Temporary deferred donors should be counselled properly and encouraged for further donation when comes under selection criteria. Donor selection criteria for apheresis may be revised

Dysregulation of Cytokine Response in Canadian First Nations Communities: Is There an Association with Persistent Organic Pollutant Levels?

In vitro and animal studies report that some persistent organic pollutants (POPs) trigger the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Whether POP exposure is associated with a dysregulation of cytokine response remains to be investigated in humans. We studied the strength of association between plasma POP levels and circulating cytokines as immune activation markers. Plasma levels of fourteen POPs and thirteen cytokines were measured in 39 Caucasians from a comparator sample in Québec City (Canada) and 72 First Nations individuals from two northern communities of Ontario (Canada). Caucasians showed significantly higher levels of organochlorine insecticides (β-HCH, p,p′-DDE and HCB) compared to First Nations. Conversely, First Nations showed higher levels of Mirex, Aroclor 1260, PCB 153, PCB 170, PCB 180 and PCB 187 compared to Caucasians. While there was no difference in cytokine levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-22 between groups, First Nations had significantly greater average levels of IFNγ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-5, IL-8, IL-12p70, IL-17A, TNFα and TNFβ levels compared to Caucasians. Among candidate predictor variables (age, body mass index, insulin resistance and POP levels), high levels of PCBs were the only predictor accounting for a small but significant effect of observed variance (∼7%) in cytokine levels. Overall, a weak but significant association is detected between persistent organochlorine pollutant exposure and elevated cytokine levels. This finding augments the already existing information that environmental pollution is related to inflammation, a common feature of several metabolic disorders that are known to be especially prevalent in Canada's remote First Nations communities

Outer Surface Protein C Is a Dissemination-Facilitating Factor of Borrelia burgdorferi during Mammalian Infection

The Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi dramatically upregulates outer surface protein C (OspC) in response to fresh bloodmeal during transmission from the tick vector to a mammal, and abundantly produces the antigen during early infection. As OspC is an effective immune target, to evade the immune system B. burgdorferi downregulates the antigen once the anti-OspC humoral response has developed, suggesting an important role for OspC during early infection.In this study, a borrelial mutant producing an OspC antigen with a 5-amino-acid deletion was generated. The deletion didn't significantly increase the 50% infectious dose or reduce the tissue bacterial burden during infection of the murine host, indicating that the truncated OspC can effectively protect B. burgdorferi against innate elimination. However, the deletion greatly impaired the ability of B. burgdorferi to disseminate to remote tissues after inoculation into mice.The study indicates that OspC plays an important role in dissemination of B. burgdorferi during mammalian infection

Morphological and Anti-microbial Study of Whey Protein Concentrate Prepared by Dehydrating Milk Serum

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) are an group of whey (Milk serum) based food ingredient. They are used in confectionary product, ready to eat cereals, nutritional bars,  and sports beverages.                                                                                                                                 Aim: The main aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological and antimicrobial study of whey protein concentrate after extraction from milk serum.                                     Methods: Proximate analysis was done for the determination of protein, ash, fat, and moisture content in whey protein concentrate. Morphological study was done using X-Ray Diffraction (X-RD) and scanning electron microscope. The antimicrobial property of whey protein concentrate was evaluated by Agar well diffusion method. Results: Proximate analysis reveals whey protein concentrates, protein (42%), Fat (4.40), ash (10.37), and moisture (4.27). The whey protein concentrate antimicrobial property also particularly effective against S. aureus (Gram Positive), E. coli (gram negative). SEM and X-RD results reveal micro structure and nature of the compound