Comparison of Cord Blood Thyroid Stimulating Hormone with Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Levels from Venous Samples on 3rd Day of Life in Detecting Congenital Hypothyroidism in Newborn- A Retrospective Study.

Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common disorders related to mental impairment and growth retardation in newborns. The main objective of screening is to detect and treat them early so as to prevent or minimize the neuropsychological damage which can be irreversible if the treatment is delayed beyond the first few weeks of life. In our institution, we do concomitant T4 and TSH after 48 hours of birth for screening. This study is aimed at assessing the usefulness of cord blood thyroid stimulating hormone (CBTSH) screening compared to TSH on 3rd postnatal day. METHODSA retrospective study was done in 272 term neonates at birth to analyse the cord blood TSH levels and TSH levels were tested for on 3rd postnatal day. The values were statistically analysed using Fisher’s exact test.RESULTS272 babies were enrolled in the study. 17 (6.25%) babies had cord blood TSH above 20 mIU/ml and 11 (4.04%) babies had TSH values more than 10 mIU/ml in the 3rd day sample. The mean value of CBTSH was 9.68 microU/ml (SD +/-8.47) and that of 3rd day TSH was 3.76 microU/ml (SD +/- 3.17). 4 out of the 11 babies with elevated TSH levels on 3rd day was found to have congenital hypothyroidism on further follow up.CONCLUSIONSThis study reveals a high proportion of congenital hypothyroidism when compared to national and international references, thus highlighting the need for universal screening. According to our study, cord blood TSH cannot substitute the 3rd day TSH for diagnosing congenital hypothyroidism

Anatomical Characterization of Nine Taxa of Genus Acmella Rich. (Toothache Plant) in India

Abstract The present study is aimed for anatomical characterization of nine taxa of Acmella to supplement data specifically for its current sectional classification and species circumscriptions. Anatomical characterization of this genus is little explored. This study focuses on internal structure of leaves, petioles, peduncles, stems, roots and cell inclusions to determine its taxonomic importance. In stem anatomy the number of hypodermal collenchymatous layers and the arrangement of parenchymatous cortex together place an important role in the identification of Acmella. Root anatomy was similar in all the examined taxa except in the arrangement of xylem vessels. In A. tetralobata xylem vessels arranged in pentarch fashion while rest of the species possess tetrarch arrangement. Several cellular inclusions such as calcium oxalate crystals and oil bodies were observed. The petioles were crescent shaped having bifacial surfaces with both surfaces pubescent. Peduncles possess ridges and furrows in its outline. The leaves are dorsi ventral and possess single layered epidermal cells covered with cuticle having anomocytic, anisocytic and diacytic types of stomata in both adaxial and abaxial surfaces. The present study provides a tool for the microscopic identification of the genus.

Quality of life and sociodemographic factors associated with poor quality of life in elderly women in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Background: India is going through a phase of demographic transition leading to population aging and feminization of aging resulting in increased proportion of elderly women than men. Problems faced by the elderly women are more critical than men due to family and social conditions prevailing in India. Objective: The study made an attempt to assess the quality of life (QOL) using the World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) scale and sociodemographic factors affecting QOL of elderly women residing in a community setting in South Kerala. Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study to assess the QOL of elderly women using WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Data were collected from 160 elderly women. Results: 2.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.07-4.84) of the study participants were having "very good" QOL. 38.8% (95% CI: 31.2-46.4) had "good," 43.1% (95% CI: 35.4-50.8) had "poor," and 15.6% (95% CI: 9.98-21.22) had "very poor" QOL, respectively. QOL was least in the psychological domain followed by physical and health-related, social, and environmental domains. Logistic regression revealed age above 70 years (adjusted odds ratio [OR] - 11.3), nonpossession of property (adjusted OR - 8.99), neglecting attitude by family (adjusted OR - 6.9), and absence of visit by friends and relatives (adjusted OR - 9.9) as risk factors, whereas residing in the urban area as a protective factor (adjusted OR - 0.1) for poor QOL. Conclusion: It is possible to improve the QOL of elderly women by providing financial security, ensuring care, and by enhancing social relationships of elderly women.

Determinants of childhood tuberculosis - A case control study among children registered under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in a district of South India.

Aim: To study the determinants of Tuberculosis (TB) in children between the age group of 0-14 years receiving treatment under Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) . Methods: A case (registered under RNTCP) control study was undertaken with 41 cases and 82 controls. Results: Factors found to have significance according to binary logistic regression were low-birth weight (LBW) [Odd’s ratio=3.56],Malnutrition [Odd’s ratio=3.96], Passive smoking [Odd’s ratio=6.28] and exposure to fire-wood smoke [Odd’s ratio=6.91]. Conclusion: LBW, malnutrition, passive smoking and fire-wood smoke are the risk factors to be addressed to prevent pediatric TB.

Environmental factors of households in five districts of Kerala affected by the epidemic of chikungunya fever in 2007.

Background. Two epidemics of chikungunya fever were reported from Kerala in 2006 and 2007. We aimed to investigate the environmental factors of households affected by chikungunya fever and to estimate the proportion of population that suffered from the disease during the epidemic in 2007. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the 5 heavily affected districts of Kerala during October–November 2007. The 2-stage sampling technique was used to collect data from 10 clusters, each having 18 houses from every district, by interviewing the subjects using a structured questionnaire. The sample size was 900. Results. The proportion of the population affected by chikungunya fever was 57.1% (95% CI: 52.8%–61.4%). There was a significant association between location of houses and disease status. Houses located near a public conveyance facility (within 250 m) were relatively protected from the disease (OR 0.19 [0.06–0.60]). About 69% of the households perceived mosquito infestation as a problem and 46.6% used fumes to avoid mosquitoes. More than 42% of households were not using any anti-mosquito measures at the time of the survey. Stored drinking water was the most common potential breeding source in the houses (23.5%). Households which did not store water inside were protected from the disease (OR 0.22 [0.08–0.65]). Conclusion. The study indicated the persistence of favourable domestic and environmental factors after the epidemic, reflecting the necessity to strengthen anti-mosquito campaigns.