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INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis C is a global health burden with significant morbidity and mortality. It primarily affects the liver and causes acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Common modes of transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are blood transfusion, needlestick injury, and mother-fetus transmission, among which transmission, blood transfusion is one of the most important causes. Blood transfusion is one of the pillars in the management of patients that saves lives and improves morbidity. Blood donation in India is done by voluntary and replacement blood donors of both sexes. The aim of this study is to determine the seroprevalence of HCV among blood donors in the Jharkhand state, a tribal-preponderant region of India, and to see the trend over the years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a nine-year retrospective observational study from 2015 to 2023 that screened for anti-HCV antibodies (third-generation kit: Abbott Diagnostics) using the chemiluminescence technique. RESULTS: In this study, in total, 249,461 units of blood were collected, of which the majority of donations were by male and replacement donors (RDs) comprising 230,757 (92.50%) and 188,047 (75.38%), respectively. The mean number of blood donations by replacement and male donors (MDs) was more than for voluntary donors (VDs) and female donors (FDs) (20894.11 ± 3041.71 RDs vs. 6823.77 ± 2332.96 VDs, p < 0.0001 and 25639.66 ± 2810.08 MDs vs. 2078.22 ± 828.16 FD, p < 0.0001), respectively. The overall prevalence of HCV was 0.63%, and all seropositive donors were male. CONCLUSION: Replacement blood donation contributes to the major part of blood donation and is primarily done by males in this tribal population-dominant region of India. Seroprevalence of HCV is high in the population of this part of India, and there is a constant or slightly upward trend in hepatitis C infection among individuals.
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Introduction Global health is still being impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Objectives We evaluated the antibody response in this study in individuals who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination, both with and without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methodology It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted among healthcare personnel at a tertiary institution of a predominantly tribal state in India. Results A total of 187 medical students made up the vaccinee group; the majority (152; 81.3%) were between the ages of 18 and 23; 128 (68.4%) of the students were female; and 104 (55.6%) had received the Covishield (AstraZeneca plc, England, UK) vaccination. Of the subjects, 51 (27.3%) had a history of COVID-19 infection. For those who were infected, the antibody titer peaked after six months, whereas it took twice as long for those who were not. Up to a year later, the antibody titers for Covaxin (Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad, India) and Covishield remained equal; however, Covishield titers drastically decreased while Covaxin stayed constant when an infection history was present. Conclusion The study's findings show that immunization in individuals who have previously contracted COVID-19 induces a higher level of antibody response than immunization in individuals who have not previously contracted the virus.
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BACKGROUND: Increased glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels have shown an association with an increased risk of stroke in patients admitted to a tertiary care center in Jharkhand. OBJECTIVES: To find out and estimate the risk of acute ischemic stroke in patients with increased HbA1c levels compared with controls. METHODS: This observational case-control study was conducted on patients admitted to the department of general medicine at a tertiary care center in Ranchi from June 2021 to November 2022. The patients included in this study were those aged 18 years or older and who were clinically and radiologically diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke. Only patients with a first episode of stroke were included, and patients with hemorrhagic stroke or transient ischemic attack were excluded from this study. An equal number of control participants were also included. Ion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography was used to perform the HbA1c tests. The same method was used to measure HbA1c levels in the controls. All findings were recorded in a Microsoft Excel sheet (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA), and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). After performing a descriptive statistical analysis, the findings were classified over a range of values and described accordingly. For each variable, an independent t-test was performed to compare the cases with the controls. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to choose the appropriate potential factors to determine the association in the multivariable analysis. RESULTS: A total of 185 cases and 185 controls were included. The mean age of the cases with ischemic stroke was 63.77 ± 10.312, and that of the controls was 53.18 ± 11.35 (p < 0.01). The mean HbA1c level in the patients of acute ischemic stroke was 6.97 ± 1.84, and that of the controls was 5.99 ± 1.69 (p < 0.01). The mean random blood sugar (RBS) value in the ischemic stroke cases was 170.21 ± 84.16, and that of the controls was 150.03 ± 82.25 (p = 0.02). To compare the factors that were determined to be statistically significant between ischemic stroke cases and controls, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed. The HbA1c p-value was 0.01, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.280, and the 95% CI was 1.11-1.48. The other variables apart from HbA1c that were statistically significant between the ischemic stroke cases and the controls were age (p < 0.01, OR: 1.280, 95% CI: 1.06-1.11), hypertension (p = 0.618, OR: 1.130, 95% CI: 0.70-1.83), and high-density lipoprotein (p = 0.055, OR: 0.975, 95% CI: 0.95-1.00). When other cofounders were considered, it was concluded that with a 1% increase in HbA1c, the risk of stroke increases by 28% (OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.11-1.48). To compare the variables that were determined to be statistically significant between the control and ischemic stroke case groups, a multivariable logistic regression was used. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for HbA1c was 0.773 and RBS was 0.600. CONCLUSION: This study shows that higher HbA1c levels in patients increase the risk of ischemic stroke. This study brings to light the need to screen the population periodically for diabetes by routinely testing for Hba1c in those who are at high risk of diabetes. Stroke risk can be reduced with early management and intervention. This study also concludes that HbA1c is a better predictor for assessing the risk of ischemic stroke than RBS levels.
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Blood centers, which are arguably the backbone of every hospital, depend on blood donors for a constant and regular supply of blood. Like many other fields, the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected blood donations. In this article, we aim to systematically search the studies done on blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic period, analyze the pandemic's effect on blood donation, and examine the methodology used to overcome the problem. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood donation. Two independent reviewers searched different databases, such as PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for overall study characteristics. We included a total of 15 studies. There was an overall decrease in blood donation of 25%, with some regions showing a decrease of as much as 71%. However, some regions were able to experience a 2-10% increase in blood donation after taking stringent and early measures to prevent such decreases. The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown greatly affected blood transfusion services, resulting in a progressive decline in blood donations that threatened the lives of many patients who were fully dependent on blood transfusion. However, by making appropriate and early decisions and taking action, policymakers and the rest of society can prevent such shortages, potentially saving millions of lives.
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Background: Immunological Survey or serosurveys have yielded useful information regarding the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population, but the impact of the continuing pandemic on the medical students in India is yet to be fully recognised. In this study we assessed the students who had received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for their antibody response. Methodology: A Hospital based, age-stratified, cross-sectional Analytical study design was adopted for the survey, carried out in tribal state of India among medical students. Consecutive sampling method was used where serum samples were tested for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein. Result: The vaccinee group comprised of 187 students mostly aged between 18-23 years 68.4% were females, 56.6 % were vaccinated with covishield. The mean IgG (Immunoglobin G) titre was 7343.74 AU/Ml, less than 1000 AU/Ml was found in 8% of participants, while more than 8000 AU/Ml was found in 32.1%. Participants who got the covaxin vaccine had a higher median IgG titre (median 6491.8 AU/mL, interquartile range 8898 AU/mL).The antibody titre of male was 0.328 times lower than that of female. Conclusion: Despite the fact that covishield's mean antibody titre was higher, covaxin's protection lasted longer.
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Introduction Stroke is a devastating and disabling cerebrovascular disease with a significant amount of residual deficit. The prevalence of stroke is in a rising trend in India. Larger studies are needed for the evaluation of risk factors. Material and methods This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the clinical profile of patients with stroke. The demographic details of the patients were taken, comorbidities were noted, and laboratory tests were done. Observation The most common age group who presented with stroke was 61-80 years, followed by 41-60 years, comprising 47% and 46%, respectively. Ischemic stroke was more common (60%) than hemorrhagic stroke (40%). Male patients were more than female patients. Alcohol, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, and proteinuria were present in the study group. Conclusion Regular evaluation of blood pressure, blood sugar, lipid profile, and proteinuria should be routinely done in patients with diabetes and hypertension who are more than 40 years old.
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Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The disease presentation ranges from asymptomatic to severe acute respiratory failure requiring intensive care support. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies are developed either by natural infection from SARS-CoV-2 or by vaccination against COVID-19. The persistence of IgG antibodies allows identification of the people who have been infected in the past, recovered from illness, and possibly become immune. 7 IgG detection and other serological assays will play an important role in research and surveillance. Aims and Objective: The objective of the study is to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titre among blood donors and to assess the decreasing incidence of COVID-19 in the department of blood bank, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand. Materials and Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the department of blood bank, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi, Jharkhand over a period of 2 months and 14 days from 06 February 2021 to 20 April 2021 who donated at least one unit of blood. Results: This study recorded a greater number of male donors with B+ blood group. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 titre were mostly young adults between 18 and 31 years of age. Conclusion: Seroprevalence was high in males having blood group B+ between 18 and 32 years of age.
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Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, mainly affecting female of child-bearing age group. Clinical scenario of SLE is not well defined in east region of India, especially in tribal region of Jharkhand. This article is mainly focused on clinical and laboratory characteristics of SLE in tribal region of Jharkhand. Materials and Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional single-centered study conducted at RIMS, Ranchi, a tertiary care center of Jharkhand, between November 2020 and October 2021. A total 50 patients were diagnosed as SLE based on Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics criteria. Results: Forty-five (90%) of patients in our study were female, with female to male ratio of 9:1. The mean age of presentation was 26.78 ± 8.12. Constitutional symptoms were found in 96% of patients, followed by anemia in 90% of patients. Renal involvement was found in 74% of patients, followed by polyarthritis (72%), malar rash (60%), and neurological manifestations (40%). Anti-nuclear antibody, anti-dsDNA, and anti-Smith antibodies were found positive in 100%, 84%, and 80% of patients, respectively. Conclusions: Clinical characteristics of SLE as per our study would help the health care professionals in this region to identify the disease at early stage and initiate appropriate treatment.