Awareness, attitudes and practices relating to Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control among members of tobacco control committees in a southern Indian state.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The tobacco industry (TI) has undermined tobacco control policy for decades. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 5.3 implementation guidelines provide guidance for preventing TI interference. Government officials responsible for policy implementation must understand these guidelines to manage TI tactics. This study assessed awareness, attitudes and practices of Article 5.3 guidelines among members of District Level Coordination Committees (DLCC) in Karnataka mandated with overseeing tobacco control activity. METHOD: A semistructured questionnaire survey of awareness, attitudes and adherence to Article 5.3 guidelines among 102 DLCC members carried out between January and July 2019. RESULT: Responses were received from 82 members, comprising 51 (62%) from health and 31 (38%) from non-health departments. Our study demonstrates a lack of understanding of Article 5.3 and its guidelines, even among those actively involved in tobacco control at the district level. Nearly 80% of respondents were aware that corporate social responsibility (CSR) by tobacco companies is an indirect form of promoting tobacco. However, 44% of members felt that CSR funding from the TI should be used to combat tobacco-related harm. A higher proportion (12%) of health respondents agreed that subsidies should be provided to tobacco agriculture compared with non-health (3%). CONCLUSION: Awareness of international guidance designed to prevent the TI influence on health policy among policymakers in this Indian state is low. Respondents from non-health departments were less aware of TI CSR. Those in health departments were more receptive towards taking a TI role in the future .

Technology-based Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Therapy (TaCT) for women with cardiovascular disease in a middle-income setting: A randomized controlled trial protocol.

Women are underrepresented in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) despite the benefits, and this is exacerbated in lower-resource settings where CR is insufficiently available. In this randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of the Technology-based Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Therapy (TaCT) electronic cardiac rehabilitation (eCR) intervention on functional capacity, risk factors, quality of life, heart-health behaviors, symptoms, and morbidity will be tested among women with CVD in a middle-income country. Following a pilot study, a single-center, single-blinded, 2 parallel-arm (1:1 SNOSE) superiority trial comparing an eCR intervention (TaCT) to usual care, with assessments pre-intervention and at 3 and 6 months will be undertaken. One hundred adult women will be recruited. Permuted block (size 10) randomization will be applied. The 6-month intervention comprises an app, website, SMS texts with generic heart-health management advice, and bi-weekly 1:1 telephone calls with a nurse trainee. Individualized exercise prescriptions will be developed based on an Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (primary outcome) and dietary plans based on 24 h dietary recall. A yoga/relaxation video will be provided via WhatsApp, along with tobacco cessation support and a moderated group chat. At 3 months, intervention engagement and acceptability will be assessed. Analyses will be conducted based on intent-to-treat. If results of this novel trial of women-focused eCR in a middle-income country demonstrate clinically-significant increases in functional capacity, this could represent an important development for the field considering this would be an important outcome for women and would translate to lower mortality.

Maternal Serum Zinc, Copper, Magnesium, and Iron in Spontaneous Abortions.

Twenty five percent of pregnant women have some degree of vaginal bleeding during the first trimester, and about 50% of those pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion (SA) because the fetus is not developing typically. As studies have reported that inadequacies of trace metals such as Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Magnesium (Mg) can predispose to various adverse pregnancy outcomes (PO); multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplementations are given without justifying their deficiency and toxicities on the fetus. Earlier studies on effects of MMN supplementations during pregnancy have not considered the need, duration, dose, and time of initiation of supplementations leading to inconclusive results. So, there is a need to optimize this to prevent their abuse and side effects. This study can help in establishing critical cut-offs of these minerals in maternal serum that can forecast future pregnancy outcomes. Study measured the serum Zn, Cu, Mg, and Fe in pregnant women who presented with (n = 80) and without (n = 100) SA at 5-2 weeks of pregnancy using iron -ferrozine method, magnesium-calmagite method, zinc reaction with nitro-PAPS, copper reaction with Di-Br- PAESA methods, respectively. Data analyzed using the student t test and cutoff value was established using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) by SPSS software. Maternal serum Cu, Mg, Fe, and Zn levels measured were significantly lower in SA as compared to that of controls (p < 0.005) (Fig. 1) and maternal age and Body mass index were not statistically significant different among study group. Maternal serum Cu, Mg, Zn and Iron (Fe) measured in 5-12 weeks of pregnancy has the potential to forecast future occurrence of SA. The study has been registered under "The Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI)," -REF/2020/01/030393.

Potential Risk Factors of Smokeless Tobacco Consumption Among Adolescents in South India.

INTRODUCTION: Although most of the disease burden internationally is due to tobacco smoking, smokeless tobacco (SLT) use contributed to an estimated 76 000 deaths in 2017. We have studied the potential risk factors for SLT use among adolescents in South India. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of all students in grades 6-8 in schools in the Udupi district of Karnataka State ascertained SLT use status and potential determinants of SLT uptake. Ever SLT use was defined as any reported consumption of any SLT products, currently or at any time in the past. Independent effects on ever SLT use status were estimated using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 46 706 students from 914 participating schools, 39 282 (84.1%) provided questionnaire responses sufficiently complete for analysis. Ever SLT use was reported by 775 (2.0%) participants and in a mutually adjusted model was significantly related to age, male sex, family use, or friend's use of SLT, low socioeconomic status, high rebelliousness, and low self-esteem. After controlling for these effects, the odds of ever-SLT use were significantly higher among students who had least awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use (odds ratio 3.7, 95% confidence interval [2.9, 4.7]) and significantly lower among those not exposed to tobacco advertising (odds ratio 0.7, 95% confidence interval [0.5, 0.8]). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of SLT use among children in Karnataka is relatively low when compared with other studies in India. The significant potential risk factors of SLT use include low awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and tobacco control policies and exposure to tobacco advertising. IMPLICATIONS: The prevalence of SLT use among school going adolescents in South India is relatively low. The potential risk factors for SLT use among adolescents in southern India are similar to those for smoked tobacco. It includes age, male gender, family or friend's use of SLT, low socioeconomic status, high rebelliousness, low self-esteem, exposure to tobacco advertisement and least awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and of tobacco control policies. The present study lays emphasis regarding creating awareness about tobacco harms and control policies for further reducing tobacco use among adolescents.

Regulatory Compliance of Health Warnings on Tobacco Packs in Karnataka, India.

INTRODUCTION: In September 2014, the Government of India introduced legislation requiring all tobacco packaging to display a health warning covering 85% (60% pictorial, 25% text) of the principal display area of the pack, of at least 4 cm in height and 3.5 cm width, with legible text in a white font on a black background and in English and/or the same Indian language as the language used on the pack. We evaluated compliance with this legislation in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. METHODS: We procured one example of every tobacco pack of cigarettes, beedis, chewing tobacco, and snuff sold by a convenience sample of retailers in one urban and two rural areas in each of the five administrative blocks of the Udupi district between June and August 2018. For each pack we measured the size of the health warning, calculated the proportion of the pack covered, and assessed the legibility. RESULTS: A total of 365 packs were collected from retailers, with 357 of these branded and eight, all packs of snuff, unbranded. Warnings on 320 (87.3%) packs did not reach the legally required proportional magnitude, warnings on 140 (38.4%) packs were not legible, and warnings on 117 packs (32.1%) did not meet the language requirement. Only 45 packs (12.3%) were fully compliant. CONCLUSIONS: Compliance with warning legislation in this district of India is low, highlighting the need for more effective enforcement. IMPLICATIONS: Warnings on tobacco packaging are an important and inexpensive means of communicating the harms associated with tobacco use. However, relatively few studies have explored regulatory compliance with warnings. We collected all unique tobacco packs from 66 retailers in a district in Karnataka in India and assessed whether each met the legislative requirements in terms of warning size and proportion of the pack covered, legibility, and the language used. Of the 365 packs collected, only one in eight was compliant with the legislative requirements. This study highlights the importance of assessing warning compliance and the need for enforcement in India.

Exposure to tobacco imagery in popular films and the risk of ever smoking among children in southern India.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to smoking in films is a recognised cause of smoking uptake among children. In India, in an attempt to protect children, films containing smoking are required to include tobacco control messaging including audiovisual disclaimers, on-screen health warnings when tobacco imagery is displayed and antitobacco 'health spots' before and during the film. We report a study of the association between ever smoking and exposure to tobacco imagery in locally popular films among children in Udupi district of Karnataka state in southern India. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of all students in grades 6-8 in schools in the Udupi district ascertained smoking status and potential confounders of smoking uptake, and whether children had seen any of 27 locally popular films we had coded and found to contain imagery of actual or implied tobacco use. Ever-smoking status was defined as any reported smoking of cigarettes, beedis or other tobacco products currently or at any time in the past. Independent effects on ever-smoking status were estimated using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 46 706 students enrolled in grades 6-8 in 914 participating schools, 39 282 (84.1%) provided questionnaire responses sufficiently complete for analysis. Ever smoking was reported by 914 (2.3%) participants and in a mutually adjusted model was significantly related to age, male sex, living in a home where smoking is allowed, having parents or siblings who smoke, low paternal education, low levels of family wealth, low self-esteem, rebelliousness and poor school performance. After allowing for these effects, the odds of ever smoking were not increased among students who had seen any of the listed films containing tobacco imagery when included in the analysis as a binary exposure (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.4 to 2.0), and decreased in relation to level of exposure graded into tertiles of tobacco intervals seen. CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional study, children in southern India who had seen films containing tobacco imagery are no more likely to smoke than those who had not, indicating that the tobacco control messaging mandated by Indian law may be attenuating the effect of tobacco imagery in films on smoking uptake.

A cross-sectional study to identify the determinants of non-communicable diseases among fishermen in Southern India.

BACKGROUND: India is currently facing a rising epidemic of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Identification of modifiable risk factors is of paramount importance to curb this menace. Fishermen are one of the most vulnerable occupational groups with unique characteristics that make them prone to acquire NCDs, as a significant share of their life is spent at sea. Hence, this study was planned to ascertain the burden of NCDs, determine various risk factors of NCDs, and measure the association between risk factors and NCDs among fishermen of Coastal Karnataka in South India. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 681 fishermen aged 18 years and above as per the semi-structured interview schedule for two years (2017-2019). A convenience sampling strategy was adopted. The data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v.15.0. The results were described in terms of proportions and their 95% confidence intervals. Continuous data were summarized using the mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range depending on the skewness of data. Chi-square test was used to study the association between NCDs and modifiable risk factors. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify risk factors of NCDs. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the population was 42.5 (SD 12.5) years. The mean years involved in fishing was 19.8 years (SD 10.9). More than half (59.5%) of the study participants had severe stress and most (80.3%) were ever substance users. Advancing age, not being able to contact family while at sea, poor dietary practice, ever substance use, increasing waist circumference were significant correlates of NCDs. CONCLUSIONS: The commonly prevalent risk factors of NCDs among fishermen included poor dietary practice, higher stress levels, substance use, increasing waist circumference, and inability to contact with family while at sea. Hypertension and Diabetes were the two common NCDs in the study population. There is a need for immediate attention in managing NCDs' risk factors by promoting a healthy lifestyle by primary health care providers through a sustainable community awareness program targeting fishermen at a convenient time and location, either at the sea-port or meeting places. Harmful effects of substance use, healthy dietary practices, and the importance of physical activity outside their job need emphasis. In addition, screening programs should be organized with the help of boat owners and fishing associations at-least once a year to pick up NCDs at an early stage.

A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Efficacy of Integrated Yoga on Pregnancy Outcome.

Physiological and biochemical changes occur in pregnancy to nurture the developing fetus. Pregnancy-related experience is unique to every woman. Pregnancy symptoms and complications can range from mild to severe. Many women can lower their risk by performing different therapies. In this context, the present study targets to evaluate the efficacy of integrated yoga consisting of (asanas and pranayama) on pregnancy to reduce the risk of complications. This study is a prospective randomized controlled single-blinded trial with parallel arms: the intervention arm received specific integrated yoga therapy; the control arm received routine standard care from 18 to 22 weeks of gestation until delivery. The incidence of preeclampsia and preterm delivery was lower in the intervention arm. Women in the intervention arm delivered at higher gestational age. Apgar scores and birth weights of neonates were significantly higher in the intervention arm. The findings suggest that yoga is a safe and effective intervention during pregnancy to reduce or prevent pregnancy-related complications. However, further randomized controlled trials are needed to provide firmer evidence regarding the utility and validity of yoga intervention during pregnancy.

Neonatal PT Improves Neurobehavior and General Movements in Moderate to Late Preterm Infants Born in India: An RCT.

PURPOSE: To examine whether a structured neonatal physical therapy program (SNP) improves neurobehavior and general movements in moderate to late preterm (MLP) infants. METHODS: Sixty MLP infants participated in this clinical trial. After baseline assessment using the Neurobehavioral Assessment of Preterm Infant (NAPI) and Prechtl General Movements (GMs) Assessment, infants were randomly allocated to a usual care (n = 30) or an SNP group (n = 30) and continued receiving usual care. The SNP group received intervention for 90 minutes/day, 6 days/week until discharge. Changes in neurobehavior and GMs were assessed at hospital discharge. RESULTS: Changes in scores on scarf sign and motor development and vigor clusters of NAPI document an improvement in the SNP group. The proportion of infants with poor repertoire GMs also decreased more in the SNP group than in the usual care group. CONCLUSION: The SNP may be effective in improving some aspects of neurobehavior and quality of GMs in MLP infants. WHAT THIS ADDS TO THE EVIDENCE: The addition of a structured neonatal physical therapy program to usual care can promote neurobehavioral organization and improve the quality of general movements in moderate and late preterm infants in India.

Depression among older adults: a systematic review of South Asian countries.

The world's population has been evolving rapidly; every country in the world is facing this drastic progression in the number and the percentage of the elderly in their net population. As the chronological age advances, physiological and psychosocial decline will be evident among all older adults. The potentially relevant literature was identified using appropriate search terms in electronic databases such as PubMed MEDLINE, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, CINAHL, IndMed, and Google Scholar. Articles published from 2006 to 2019, reported the prevalence and the risk factors for depression among older adults living in the community, old age homes, or hospitals of the South Asian countries. Articles were published in the languages other than English and those reporting the categorised or mean depressive scores were excluded from the review. After quality check for all the retrieved articles from different databases, 120 articles were included for the meta-analysis. The data were extracted based on a validated data extraction form, and the reviewer contacted the authors for clarification of the missing data whenever required. The estimates were pooled using the random effect model for meta-analyses. Sub-group and sensitivity analyses were also performed. The overall pooled estimate (random effect models) of the prevalence of depression among the elderly was 42.0% (95% CI: 0.38-0.46), Chi-squared P-value <0.001, and I2 99.14%. The pooled estimate of the prevalence was higher in the community settings than the old age homes (44.0%; 95% CI: 39.0-49.0 vs. 42.0%; 95% CI: 34.0-49.0). Depression is a common problem among the elderly population and the pooled estimate of depression would give directions to the healthcare providers, policymakers, and future researchers to plan some measures (either pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions) to effectively tackle the burden of geriatric depression in the future.

Assessment of tobacco imagery and compliance with tobacco-free rules in popular Indian films.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to smoking in films causes smoking uptake among adolescents. Investigation of the extent to which tobacco imagery appears, or tobacco control laws are complied with in Indian films is limited, and especially so for films in regional languages. This study presents an analysis of tobacco content and compliance with tobacco control laws in popular films in several languages from the Karnataka state of India. METHODS: We used 5 min interval coding to measure actual tobacco use, implied tobacco use, tobacco paraphernalia and tobacco branding in the top 10 films identified from national box office ratings and regional distributor reports in Karnataka in 2015 and 2016. We also assessed compliance with tobacco-free film rules in India. FINDINGS: A total of 47 films, in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Tulu languages were coded. Any tobacco imagery was observed in 72% of films, and actual tobacco use in 50%. Tobacco imagery was equally prevalent in films classified as suitable for universal viewing (U category) or at age 12 or more (U/A category) films; and significantly more common in films made in regional than national language (Hindi). None of the films were fully compliant with legal requirements on health spots, audiovisual disclaimers and health warnings. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco content was common in films classified as suitable for viewing by children, more among regional than national languages. Compliance with tobacco control laws was low. Stricter enforcement of tobacco-free film rules will protect children and adolescents from exposure to tobacco use on screen.

Acute hemodynamic effects of methylxanthine therapy in preterm neonates: Effect of variations in subgroups.

BACKGROUND: Methylxanthines have cardiac stimulant effects. The current study aimed to compare acute hemodynamic changes between caffeine and aminophylline in ≤34 weeks' preterm neonates. METHODS: The study was performed using information on echocardiography measurements from preterm neonates recruited for apnea of prematurity (75 of 240) and preventing extubation failure (113 of 156) studies. The neonates were randomized either to the caffeine or aminophylline groups. Neonates with no maintenance followed by loading doses with both the methylxanthines (caffeine and aminophylline) and incomplete echocardiography examination were excluded. RESULTS: Cardiac parameters were found to be similar between groups. The heart rate was higher among the aminophylline-treated neonates (p < 0.001) than among the caffeine-treated ones. End-systolic volume was higher among both caffeine- (p < 0.001) and aminophylline-treated neonates (p = 0.001) when compared with pretreatment values. End-diastolic volume was statistically higher in both groups' neonates (p = 0.01). The odds of increase in cardiac output was higher; however, increase in ejection fraction was less in caffeine-treated small-for-gestation-age neonates. CONCLUSION: Caffeine has similar effects on cardiac parameters as aminophylline; however, caffeine-treated small-for-gestation stratification gave rise to significant cardiac variations.

Prevalence of goiter and its association with iodine status among the women of reproductive age group in coastal villages of Udupi Taluk, Karnataka, India.

BACKGROUND: Iodine deficiency is one of the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies globally. Women in reproductive age group are vulnerable to develop iodine deficiency as there is an increase in demand for iodine, especially during pregnancy. OBJECTIVES: The objective is to assess the prevalence of goiter and its association with iodine status and salt usage practices among the women of reproductive age group. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2015 to July 2017 among 1500 women of reproductive age group in five villages of Udupi Taluk. Stratified sampling design and proportion to population size of the reproductive age women in the study area was used to select the study participants. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Goiter was assessed clinically and graded as per the recommended criteria of the WHO. Salt samples from every household were collected for iodine estimation. Blood and urine samples were collected from subsample to estimate thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and urinary iodine excretion levels, respectively. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of goiter was 13% with 11.5% being Grade 1 and 1.5% being Grade 2. No significant association of goiter with urinary iodine, salt iodine levels, and salt usage practices was found. CONCLUSIONS: Median urinary iodine among the women with goiter indicates iodine sufficiency and no significant difference observed in urinary iodine levels between women with and without goiter.

Community based study to assess the prevalence of diabetic foot syndrome and associated risk factors among people with diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot is one of the most significant and devastating complication of diabetes. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of diabetic foot syndrome (DFS) and the associated risk factors among people with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out among 620 subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM) in rural areas of Udupi district. The Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument was used to identify peripheral neuropathy. Ankle brachial index was used to identify peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Subjects with diabetic foot syndrome were classified according to the International Working Group on Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) classification system. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of DFS was 51.8%. Among them 31.3, 11.9 and 8.5% belonged to category 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed advancing age, low socio-economic status, sedentary physical activity and longer duration of DM were significant independent correlates of DFS. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of DFS was high among the study population; hence the screening for foot complications should start at the time of diagnosis of diabetes integrated with sustainable patient education at primary care level by training of health care providers at primary care level.

Patterns of Recurrence, Long-term Survival and Toxicity Analysis of Endometrial Adenocarcinoma Patients Reclassified Under the Recent ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO Stratification: Seven-Year Results From a Single Institution.

AIM: The aim of this study was to report the patterns of recurrence, locoregional control, and survival of patients diagnosed with endometrial adenocarcinomas over a 7-year period after reclassifying them under the recent ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO (European Society of Medical Oncology/European Society of Gynaecological Oncology/European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology) consensus classification. METHODS: Archives of a single institution from 2008 to 2014 were studied and patients with stages I-II endometrial adenocarcinoma were reclassified as per the new classification for uniformity. On magnetic resonance imaging, if found to be stage I, total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy alone was performed. The indications for adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and vaginal brachytherapy (VBT) were based on standard recommendations. Survival was calculated from Kaplan-Meier curves, and toxicity was recorded using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3. RESULTS: Of the 132 patients registered, 101 patients were included for analysis. A total of 18 patients have died, and information on outcome is available for 84% of patients. Five patients were metastatic at presentation. Five patients received definitive EBRT + intracavitary brachytherapy because of surgical inoperability, four of whom are disease-free locoregionally with median overall survival of 33.8 months. Of the 91 patients operated on, the incidence of low, intermediate, high-intermediate, and high risk was 34%, 29%, 2%, and 19%, whereas 16% were stage III. The overall recurrence rates were 10%, 15%, and 23% for low, intermediate, and high risk, respectively. With median follow-up of 32 months (range, 2-93 months), the disease-free survival for low, intermediate, and high risk and stage III were 92%, 81%, and 64% and 55%, whereas the mean survival for the same groups were 53, 44, and 34 and 22 months, respectively (P = 0.047). External beam radiotherapy resulted in significantly higher proctitis than VBT alone (P = 0.02). The median time to cystitis, proctitis, and enteritis were 27, 19, and 28 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence rates, survival rates, and the patterns of recurrence are comparable with published literature and partly validates the ESMO-ESGO-ESTRO consensus statement. Addition of EBRT significantly increases risk of late proctitis as compared with VBT alone.

Prevalence, patterns, and predictors of diarrhea: a spatial-temporal comprehensive evaluation in India.

BACKGROUND: Spatial analysis has been vital in mapping the spread of diseases and assisting in policy making. Targeting diarrhea transmission hotspots is one of the potential strategies for reducing diarrhea cases. This study aimed to examine the spatial-temporal variations and to identify the modifiable determinants of diarrhea while controlling for the spatial dependence in the data. METHODS: An ecological study on diarrhea data from DLHS-3 and NFHS- 4 in India. Moran's I and LISA were used to detect the spatial clustering of diarrhea cases and to test for clustering in the data. Spatial regression was used to identify the modifiable factors associated with the prevalence of diarrhea. The study comprised of the prevalence of diarrhea among the children below the age of five years (U-5 s) across different states in India. The determinants of diarrhea were obtained using spatial lag models. The software used were GeoDa 1.6.6 and QGIS 2.0. RESULTS: The presence of spatial autocorrelation in DLHS-3 and NFHS-4 (Moron's I = 0.577 and 0.369 respectively) enforces the usage of geographical properties while modeling the diarrhea data. The geographic clustering of high-prevalence districts was observed in the state of UP consistently. The spatial pattern of the percentage of children with diarrhea was persistently associated with the household with a sanitation facility (%) (p = 0.023 and p = 0.011). Compared to the diarrhea cases in the period 2007-2008, no much reduction was observed in the period 2015-2016. The prevalence of diarrhea and percentage of household with sanitation were ranging between 0.1-33.8% and 1.3-96.1% in the period 2007-2008 and 0.6-29.1% and 10.4-92.0% in the period 2015-2016 respectively. The least and highest prevalence of diarrhea being consistently from Assam and UP respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite improvements in controlling spread of diarrheal disease, the burden remains high. Focus on widespread diarrheal disease control strategy by addressing the social determinants of health like basic sanitation is crucial to reduce the burden of diarrhea among U-5 s in India. The identification of hotspots will aid in the planning of control strategies for goal setting in the targeted regions.

Cost of Illness in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND: Frequent relapses sometimes necessitating hospitalization and the absence of pharmacological cure contribute to substantial healthcare costs in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). The costs of health care in Indian patients with IBD are unknown. AIM: To evaluate the annual costs for treating Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. METHODS: A prevalence-based, micro-costing method was used to assess the components of annual costs in a prospective, observational study conducted in a tertiary healthcare center enrolled over a 24-month period beginning of July 2014. RESULTS: At enrollment, 43/59 (72.88%) patients with UC and 18/25 (72%) with CD were in remission. The annual median (IQR) cost per UC and CD patient in remission was INR 43,140 (34,357-51,031) [USD $707 (563-836)] and INR 43,763.5 (32,202-57,372) [USD $717 (527-940)], respectively, and in active disease was INR 52,436.5 (49,229-67,567.75) [$859 (807-1107)] and INR 72,145 (49,447-92,212) [USD $1182 (811-1512)], respectively. Compared with remission, active disease had a 1.4-fold higher cost for CD as compared to UC. In both groups, the greatest component of direct costs was drugs. Thirteen (22%) and 7 (28%) patients with UC and CD needed hospitalization accounting for 23.1 and 20.4% of the total costs, respectively. At one year, direct costs surmounted indirect costs in UC and CD (p < 0.001). Productivity losses contributed to 18.5 and 16% of the overall costs for UC and CD, respectively. CONCLUSION: This first, panoptic, health economic study for IBD from India shows that the costs are driven by medication, productivity losses, and not merely hospitalization alone.

Quality of Life Improves with Individualized Home-based Exercises in Critical Care Survivors.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to determine the effect of individualized home-based exercise on the quality of life post-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) discharge. SUBJECTS: Adult patients invasively mechanically ventilated for more than 48 h in medical ICU. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-five patients were enrolled prospectively in this study. They were interviewed to complete short form 36 (SF-36) version 2 questionnaire and were randomly allocated to control and experimental group by block randomization. The experimental group received individualized exercise information sheet and control group was asked to continue routine exercises done during their hospital stay. The experimental group also received a log book and weekly telephonic reminders. Patients were interviewed to complete the SF-36 through the telephone 4 weeks after hospital discharge. RESULTS: Physical and mental components of the quality of life as measured by the SF-36 at the end of 4 weeks after hospital discharge showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: A well-structured individualized exercise program improves the quality of life of critically ill patients after discharge.

Quality of Life among Cancer Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer is a leading cause of death. People living with cancer experience a variety of symptoms. Quality of life (QOL) is a major concern of patients with terminal cancer. Symptoms affect their QOL. Management of symptoms improves distress and QOL. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the QOL among cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was conducted among 768 cancer patients selected by a convenient sampling technique. Data was collected from cancer patients by interview technique using structured and validated interviewed schedule. RESULTS: Out of 768 cancer patients, 30.2% patients were in the age group of 51-60 years, majority with head-and-neck cancer (40.1%), and 57.7% had stage III disease. QOL of majority of patients was influenced by their symptoms. 82.3% of them had low QOL scores. CONCLUSION: Cancer patients experienced many symptoms that affected their QOL. There is a need to develop interventions for effective management of symptoms that will empower the patients to have a greater sense of control over their illness and treatment and to improve the QOL.

Clinical and mutation profile of multicentric osteolysis nodulosis and arthropathy.

​Multicentric osteolysis nodulosis and arthropathy (MONA) is an infrequently described autosomal recessive skeletal dysplasia characterized by progressive osteolysis and arthropathy. Inactivating mutations in MMP2, encoding matrix metalloproteinase-2, are known to cause this disorder. Fifteen families with mutations in MMP2 have been reported in literature. In this study we screened thirteen individuals from eleven families for MMP2 mutations and identified eight mutations (five novel and three known variants). We characterize the clinical, radiographic and molecular findings in all individuals with molecularly proven MONA from the present cohort and previous reports, and provide a comprehensive review of the MMP2 related disorders.