Role of visually impaired in screening of diseases and the way forward.

The role of visually impaired individuals in disease screening can be significant and beneficial. While visually impaired people may have limitations related to their sight, they can still contribute to and participate in various aspects of disease screening owing to their heightened senses, especially touch. It is important to recognize that each visually impaired individual's capabilities and preferences may vary, and their involvement in disease screening should always be voluntary and based on their comfort level. However, by creating an inclusive environment and addressing accessibility barriers, visually impaired individuals may be specially empowered to engage in disease screening, particularly of the breast.

Impact of social determinants of health on progression from potentially life-threatening complications to near miss events and death during pregnancy and post partum in a middle-income setting: an observational study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential associations between social determinants of health (SDH) and severe maternal outcomes (SMO), to better understand the social structural framework and the contributory, non-clinical mechanisms associated with SMO. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study. STUDY SETTING: Tertiary referral centre in south-eastern region of India. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand and thirty-three women with potentially life-threatening complications (PLTC) were identified using WHO criteria. RISK FACTORS ASSESSED: Social Determinants of Health (SDH). PRIMARY OUTCOMES: Severe maternal outcomes, which include maternal near-miss and maternal death. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Logistic regression to assess the association between SDH and clinical factors on SMO, expressed as adjusted ORs (aOR) with a 95% CI. RESULTS: Of the 37 590 live births, 1833 (4.9%) sustained PLTC, and 380 (20.7%) developed SMO. Risk of SMO was higher with increasing maternal age (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.04 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.07)), multiparity (aOR 1.44 (1.10 to 1.90)), medical comorbidities (aOR 1.50 (1.11 to 2.02)), obstetric haemorrhage (aOR 4.63 (3.10 to 6.91)), infection (aOR 2.93 (1.83 to 4.70)), delays in seeking care (aOR 3.30 (2.08 to 5.23)), and admissions following a referral (aOR 2.95 (2.21 to 3.93)). SMO was lower in patients from socially backward community (aOR 0.45 (0.33 to 0.61)), those staying more than 10 km from hospital (aOR 0.56 (0.36 to 0.78)), those attending at least four antenatal visits (aOR=0.53 (0.36 to 0.78)) and those referred from resource-limited facilities (aOR=0.62 (0.46 to 0.84)). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the independent contribution of SDH to SMO among those sustaining PLTC in a middle-income setting, highlighting the need to formulate preventive strategies beyond clinical considerations.

Review of the Screening Guidelines for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: How to Choose Wisely.

Currently, there is no international unanimity regarding the timings, the optimal cut-off points, and standardized methods of screening or diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The screening guidelines and recommendations for GDM evolved over time; concise information has been presented here in the review. We searched electronic databases for various guidelines for screening of GDM in PubMed, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Embase, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Scopus, Guidelines International Network (GIN library), National Guidelines Clearinghouse (NGC); Web sites of relevant organizations; and trial registries. The mesh headings derived after reviewing the articles and were used to further search the articles are: ("Screening Guidelines GDM" or "Screening Criteria for GDM") and ("Glucose Intolerance in Pregnancy" or "Gestational Diabetes Mellitus"). The articles published from 1960 till December 2022 were included. Key outcomes included the prevalence of GDM is 14.6% according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria and 13.4% according to Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) criteria, making the DIPSI criterion a cost-effective method for low-resource settings. The IADPSG) criterion diagnoses and treats GDM earlier, thus reducing the complications associated with GDM in the mother and newborn. The IADPSG criteria at a cut-off of ≥140 mg/dL have a sensitivity of 81% and specificity of 93%, whereas the World Health Organization (2013) criteria at the same cut-off has a lower sensitivity of 59% and specificity of 81%. The risk factors of having GDM are family history, history during past pregnancy, medical history, multiple current pregnancies, and raised hemoglobin A1c. The screening guidelines have been developed by different organizations and institutions over the years. The guidelines with the threshold values for screening and their standardization for detecting GDM in Indian mothers are yet to be established.

Longitudinal Assessment of Calcium and Magnesium Levels in Women with Preeclampsia.

The present study reports the levels of maternal serum calcium and magnesium from early pregnancy until delivery, along with cord levels, in women who developed preeclampsia (PE) and compares them with those without PE. A total of 324 pregnant women (216 non-PE and 108 PE women) were included in this retrospective case-control study of prospectively collected data nested in an observational cohort study. Maternal blood was collected at 4 time points during pregnancy (V1 = 11-14 weeks, V2 = 18-22 weeks, V3 = 26-28 weeks, and V4 = at delivery) and umbilical cord blood at delivery. Independent t tests were used to compare calcium, magnesium, and their ratio between two groups, and their associations with PE were studied using regression models. Calcium levels were similar between groups at all time points. Magnesium levels were lower (p = 0.021) at V2 in PE group as compared with non-PE group. Maternal calcium and magnesium levels were negatively associated, with blood pressure in early pregnancy. In fully adjusted logistic regression analysis, lower magnesium levels were associated with an increased risk of PE at V2 (OR 0.25 [95% CI 0.07, 0.94] p = 0.04). Lower magnesium in mid-pregnancy was associated with higher risk of PE. These changes were observed before the diagnosis of PE, thereby suggesting that they may have a role in the etiology of PE.

Prevalence of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among school going adolescent in Chandigarh.

CONTEXT: Depressive disorders often start at a young age. There is a need for early identification of depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) and prevention. The present study was undertaken to find the magnitude of DAS among adolescents. AIMS: To find the mental health status of school going adolescents in Chandigarh. The objectives were (i) to study the prevalence of DAS among school going adolescents and (ii) to study the correlates of DAS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A Cross-sectional survey of students of four classes from 9th to 12th studying in government schools. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ten government schools in Chandigarh were randomly selected through lottery method. In each school, for each of the four classes, a section was randomly selected again by the lottery method. Forty students were selected from each school reaching sample size of 470. DAS scale 21 questionnaires were used. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The data entry was done in MS Office Excel 2007. The analysis was done in the form of frequency tables, charts cross tables. For statistical significance, Chi-square test and correlation was found between various factors. RESULTS: The prevalence of DAS was 65.53%, 80.85%, and 47.02%, respectively. Overall, comorbidity between depression and anxiety was 57.65%. Extremely severe depression was very less (3%). The prevalence of DAS was higher in females. For depression and anxiety, the peak age was 18 years. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of DAS was high among school going adolescents in Chandigarh. There is a need for early and effective identification of DAS that can prevent many psychiatric disorders at their nascent stage.

Sexual behavior of adolescent students in Chandigarh and their perceptions regarding family life education.

BACKGROUND: With rapidly changing lifestyle and exposure to the Internet and mass media, lifestyle and sexual behavior of adolescent students are also changing rapidly. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the sexual behavior of adolescent students and to study misconceptions prevailing among them. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 1022 adolescent students aged 14-19 years as a part of an Indian Council of Medical Research sponsored survey. Sexual behavior explored by interview method. Logistic regression analysis for finding correlates. RESULTS: Intimate friendship was reported by 19.2% respondents. The sexual behavior included 89% exposure to sex-related material, 74.7% were aware of sexual intercourse. Awareness regarding at least one contraceptive was found among 95.5% (94.5% of condoms and 67.2% of emergency contraception). About 6% respondents reported some sex-related problems and 2.5% of all respondents consulted some doctors for these problems. Awareness of HIV/AIDS was quite high (about 99%), and 96.4% of them were of the opinion that it is spread through sexual intercourse. Knowledge regarding transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through sexual contact was found among 89.2% respondents. Avoidance/abstinence from sex (84.7%), faithful to one partner (81.7), and use of barrier methods (90.3%) was main reported preventive measures for STI's. About 33% want that the discussion about sex should be open and frank, and 69.4% showed the need of sex education in the schools mostly by doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual behavior of adolescent students is changing, and awareness about sex acts is also increasing. There is likelihood of indulging in risky behavior by adolescents. Family life education was felt necessary mainly by qualified medical staff.

Application of WHO 'Near-Miss' Tool Indicates Good Quality of Maternal Care in Rural Healthcare Setting in Uttarakhand, Northern India.

INTRODUCTION: Women who experienced and survived a severe health condition during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum are considered as 'near-miss' or severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) cases. Women who survive life-threatening conditions arising from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth have many common aspects with those who die of such complications. AIM: To evaluate health-care facility preparedness and perfor-mance in reducing severe maternal out comes at all levels of health care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was carried out over a period of 12 months under the Department of Community Medicine. The cross-sectional study included all the women (937) attending health-care facilities, at all levels of health care i.e. Primary, Secondary & Tertiary level in Doiwala block of Dehradun district. This study was conducted as per the WHO criteria for 'near-miss' by using probability sampling for random selection of health facilities. All eligible study subjects visiting health-care facilities during the study period were included, i.e. who were pregnant, in labour, or who had delivered or aborted up to 42 days ago. RESULTS: It was found that all women delivering at the THC received oxytocin to prevent postpartum haemorrhage. Treatment of severe post-partum haemorrhage by removal of retained products was significantly associated with levels of health care. Majority (94.73%) women who had eclampsia received magnesium sulfate as primary treatment. CONCLUSION: Application of WHO 'near-miss' tool indicates good quality of maternal care in rural healthcare setting in Uttarakhand, North India. The women would have otherwise died due to obstetrics complications, had proper care not been provided to them in time.