Status of sea cow Dugong dugon (Muller) along the Southeast coast of India

Observations on the stranding and incidental catch of sea cow Dugong dugon (Muller) along the southeast coast of India are reviewed here. The number of incidental catch and stranded Dugongs were greater in the Gulf of Mannar than in the Palk Bay region during 1994-2000. The need for protection and conservation of Dugongs from indiscriminate exploitation are stressed upon to evolve suitable management strategies

Antitumor and antioxidant potential of Tragia Plukenetii R.Smith on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice

This investigation aims to evaluate the antitumour and antioxidant potential of the ethanol extract of Tragia Plukenetii R.Smith (ETP) on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) tumor model. Tumor was inducedin mice by intraperitoneal injection of EAC cells (2x106 cells/mouse). Ethanol extract of T. Plukenetii (ETP) was administered to the experimental animals at the dose levels of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg/day after 24 h of tumour inoculation. The antitumour effect of ETP was evaluated by assessing in vitro cytotoxicity, survival time, hematological and antioxidant parameters. Oral administration of ETPincreased the survival time of the EAC bearing mice. The ETP brought back the altered levels of the hematological and antioxidant parameters in a dose dependent manner in EAC bearing mice. The results were comparable to that of the result obtained from the animals treated with the standard drug 5-flurouracil (20 mg/kg.bw). Thus present study revealed that ETP possessed significant antitumor and antioxidant activity

Prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a South Indian rural community

Background: To estimate the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in a rural south Indian community and to evaluate the association between metformin use and prevalent vitamin B12 deficiency in people with T2DM stratified by oral vitamin B12 supplementation.Methods: Using a cross sectional study design, a random sample of people with T2DM (N=438) was recruited from a rural community. Vitamin B12 deficiency was defined as serum B12 ≤200pg/ml. Data on metformin dose, duration of use, oral vitamin B12 supplementation, and diet were collected. Laboratory measurements included complete blood count, tests for hepatic, renal, and thyroid function, as well as serum vitamin B12 levels and HbA1c.Results: The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in people with T2DM was 11.2% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 8.2%-14.1%). The odds of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients receiving a metformin dose of 2 grams/day were 4 times higher compared to those receiving ≤1 gram/day, after adjusting for oral B12 supplementation (odds ratio 4.2;95% CI 1.5-11.8). The odds of vitamin B12 deficiency in those taking metformin and receiving oral vitamin B12 supplementation were lower compared to those on metformin and not receiving vitamin B12 supplementation (adjusted odds ratio 0.20; 95% CI 0.06-0.70).Conclusions: Vitamin B12 deficiency affects 1 in 10 people with T2DM, is associated with higher dose metformin use, and oral vitamin B12 supplementation mitigates B12 deficiency in this group

Relative abundance of trawl fishes in the Bombay-Saurashtra waters

With the help of skilled Japanese technicians very intensive commercial fishing by two pairs of bull trawlers, ' Arnalla'—' Paj' and ' Satpati'—' Pilotan ' (each of 29 meters length, 250 BHP and about 91 gross tonnage) of the New India Fisheries Company, Bombay, was carried out from April 1956 to October 1963 in Bombay- Saurashtra waters, landing a total catch of 26,304 metric tons offish sold at a whole sale price of about Rs. 1.6 crores (Anon, 1965). The annual effort varied from 2,850.97 hours to 5,453.27 hours and the catch rates from 601.60 to 899.70 kg. per hour of trawling for a pair of vessels. Fishing by these vessels was preceded by exploratory buU-trawling by the Government of India cutters, M. T. Ashok and M. T. Pratap of the Deep Sea Fishing Station, Bombay during 1953-'55. These cutters, prior to 1953 using otter trawl had annual catch rates varying from 94.4 to 195.4 lbs. per hour of fishing, but during 1953-'55 when they had taken to the Japanese method of paired trawling (bull-trawling) the average catch per vessel had gone upto 1,562.4 lbs. per hour of trawling (Jayaraman et al., 1959). The present report shows that the best of trawling grounds in Bombay-Saurashtra waters are in Kutch region, the fishery potential of which was hitherto unexplored

The Role of Decision Support System (DSS) in Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background The potential role of DSS in CVD prevention remains unclear as only a few studies report on patient outcomes for cardiovascular disease. Methods and Results A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and observational studies was done using Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Amed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus databases; reference lists of relevant studies to 30 July 2011; and email contact with experts. The primary outcome was prevention of cardiovascular disorders (myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disorders and heart failure) and management of hypertension owing to decision support systems, clinical decision supports systems, computerized decision support systems, clinical decision making tools and medical decision making (interventions). From 4116 references ten studies met our inclusion criteria (including 16,312 participants). Five papers reported outcomes on blood pressure management, one paper on heart failure, two papers each on stroke, and coronary heart disease. The pooled estimate for CDSS versus control group differences in SBP (mm of Hg) was - 0.99 (95% CI −3.02 to 1.04 mm of Hg; I2 = 0; p = 0.851). Conclusions DSS show an insignificant benefit in the management and control of hypertension (insignificant reduction of SBP). The paucity of well-designed studies on patient related outcomes is a major hindrance that restricts interpretation for evaluating the role of DSS in secondary prevention. Future studies on DSS should (1) evaluate both physician performance and patient outcome measures (2) integrate into the routine clinical workflow with a provision for decision support at the point of care

Facilitators and barriers of heart failure care in Kerala, India: A qualitative analysis of health-care providers and administrators.

OBJECTIVE: Heart failure is a leading cause of death worldwide and in India, yet the qualitative data regarding heart failure care are limited. To fill this gap, we studied the facilitators and barriers of heart failure care in Kerala, India. METHODS AND RESULTS: During January 2018, we conducted a qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 health-care providers and quality administrators from 8 hospitals in Kerala to understand the context, facilitators, and barriers of heart failure care. We developed a theoretical framework using iteratively developed codes from these data to identify 6 key themes of heart failure care in Kerala: (1) need for comprehensive patient and family education on heart failure; (2) gaps between guideline-directed clinical care for heart failure and clinical practice; (3) national hospital accreditation contributing to a culture of systematically improving quality and safety of in-hospital care; (4) limited system-level attention toward improving heart failure care compared with other cardiovascular conditions; (5) application of existing personnel and technology to improve heart failure care; and (6) longitudinal and recurrent costs as barriers for optimal heart failure care. CONCLUSIONS: Key themes emerged regarding heart failure care in Kerala in the context of a health system that is increasingly emphasizing health-care quality and safety. Targeted in-hospital quality improvement interventions for heart failure should account for these themes to improve cardiovascular outcomes in the region

Development of an international standard set of outcome measures for patients with atrial fibrillation: a report of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) atrial fibrillation working group.

AIMS: As health systems around the world increasingly look to measure and improve the value of care that they provide to patients, being able to measure the outcomes that matter most to patients is vital. To support the shift towards value-based health care in atrial fibrillation (AF), the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) assembled an international Working Group (WG) of 30 volunteers, including health professionals and patient representatives to develop a standardized minimum set of outcomes for benchmarking care delivery in clinical settings. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using an online-modified Delphi process, outcomes important to patients and health professionals were selected and categorized into (i) long-term consequences of disease outcomes, (ii) complications of treatment outcomes, and (iii) patient-reported outcomes. The WG identified demographic and clinical variables for use as case-mix risk adjusters. These included baseline demographics, comorbidities, cognitive function, date of diagnosis, disease duration, medications prescribed and AF procedures, as well as smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, and physical activity. Where appropriate, and for ease of implementation, standardization of outcomes and case-mix variables was achieved using ICD codes. The standard set underwent an open review process in which over 80% of patients surveyed agreed with the outcomes captured by the standard set. CONCLUSION: Implementation of these consensus recommendations could help institutions to monitor, compare and improve the quality and delivery of chronic AF care. Their consistent definition and collection, using ICD codes where applicable, could also broaden the implementation of more patient-centric clinical outcomes research in AF