Resource Constraint Settings Research Articles

Predictors and screening of cervical cancer among HIV positive transactional female sex workers in Nigeria

Introduction: In middle and low income regions of the world, there are approximately 90% of cervical cancer deaths. Factors contributing to the striking disproportionate cancer burden in the developing countries as opposed to the developed countries may include lack of effective large scale preventive interventions such as Cytology based screening programs, Visual Inspection with acetic acid (VIA) that emphasize patient education, accessible diagnostic treatment centres and established vaccination programs especially among Most at risk populations like female sex workers (FSWs). Methodology: The study was conducted in Calabar, South-Southern Nigeria. Calabar is a port city near the Cameroon border. This is a cross sectional retrospective study among 124 Human Immune Virus (HIV)Positive female sex workers receiving ART services, in which secondary data was obtained from the Clinic Data repository for a periodspanning from October 2018- October 2019. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Result: 36.30% of the respondents are between the ages of 21-30 years, 78.20% had 0-4 sexual partners, and 76.60% of the respondents use condom. 89.50% were virally suppressed while 3.20% of the study population tested positive to cervical cancer. In the regression analysis, there were non-significant negative correlation linking Age, Parity groups and viral suppression to cervical cancer, and a positive non-significant correlation linking sex partners, smoking, previous STI and educational status to cervical cancer. However, a positive significant correlation was noted between family planning method and risk of cervical cancer. Conclusion: HIV-positive Nigerian FSWs are at marginally increased risk for cervical pre-cancer and cancer. The ‘screen and treat approach’ using VIA had been shown to be effective for the detection of cervical pre-cancer and cancer, and has shown to reduce loss to follow-up. This should be rapidly incorporated into HIV-treatment programs in resource-constraint settings.

Financing Constraints and Environmental Performance: Management in Resource Constraint Settings

The majority of research examines the relationship between finance and the environment empirically, but they lack a comprehensive theoretical framework. To shorten this gap, we develop an analytical framework dubbed “management in resource constraint settings” and elucidate the theoretical process of finance constraints influencing environmental performance. We explore the influence of finance constraints on environmental performance of China's enterprises, as well as their possible mechanism, using financial data from A-share listed companies on the Shanghai Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2019. Our findings suggest that financial constraints can drastically reduce China’s firms’ environmental performance, and that green management is a viable channel. These discoveries are crucial for China's ecological civilization and considerable economy to develop in a coordinated manner.

Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease and VHL-associated tumors in Indian subjects: VHL gene testing in a resource constraint setting

BackgroundVon Hippel–Lindau (VHL) syndrome is a familial cancer syndrome caused by mutations in VHL gene. It is characterized by the formation of benign and malignant tumors like retinal angioma, cerebellar hemangioblastoma, spinal hemangioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, pheochromocytoma, pancreatic and renal cysts, and endolymphatic sac tumors. Germline mutations in VHL gene have also been reported in isolated VHL-associated tumors. VHL gene is a small gene with 3 coding exons and can be easily tested even in a resource constraint setting.ObjectiveTo describe clinical presentation and estimate the diagnostic yield of in VHL and VHL-associated tumors.MethodsThis is a descriptive study in a hospital setting. Here, we describe the clinical and molecular data of 69 patients with suspected VHL or having VHL-associated tumors. Sanger sequencing of coding sequences and conserved splice sites of VHL gene were done in all patients. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) of VHL gene to detect large deletions/duplications was performed for 18 patients with no pathogenic sequence variations.ResultsAmong tumor types at presentation, pheochromocytoma was seen in 49% (34/69), hemangioblastoma was seen in 30% (21/69), and renal cell carcinoma was seen in 7% (5/69). Rest had other tumors like paraganglioma, endolymphatic sac papillary tumors, cerebellar astrocytoma and pancreatic cyst. Seven patients (10%) had more than one tumor at the time of diagnosis. Pathogenic variations in VHL gene were identified in 31probands by Sanger sequencing; 18 were missense, 2 nonsense and 2 small indels. A heterozygous deletion of exon 3 was detected by MLPA in one patient among 18 patients for whom MLPA was done. Overall, the molecular yield was 46% cases (32/69). Family history was present in 7 mutation positive cases (22%). Overall, 11 families (16%) opted for pre-symptomatic mutation testing in the family.ConclusionsMutation testing is indicated in VHL and VHL-associated tumors. The testing facility is easy and can be adopted easily in developing countries like India. The yield is good, and with fairly high incidence of familial cases, molecular testing can help in pre-symptomatic testing and surveillance.

Primary Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration in Management of Choledocholithiasis in a Resource Constraint Setting: Our Experience

Primary Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration in Management of Choledocholithiasis in a Resource Constraint Setting: Our Experience

Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus exacerbated by COVID-19-induced inflammation is the risk factor for COVID-19-associated rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis: A matched pair case-control study.

Amidst the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, India experienced an epidemic of COVID-19-associated rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM). This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and elucidate the risk factors for developing COVID-19-associated ROCM, comparing the risk factors among COVID-19 patients with and without ROCM. This case-control study included all COVID-19-associated ROCM patients treated at our hospital from May 1 to July 30, 2021. Controls included age- and sex-matched COVID-19 patients without ROCM, who were treated during the same time (exact matching, in 1:2 ratio). Matched pair analysis using conditional logistic regression was performed to examine the association of various risk factors with the development of ROCM in COVID-19 patients. The study included 69 patients with COVID-19-associated ROCM and 138 age- and gender-matched controls. Epidemiologically, COVID-19-associated ROCM predominantly affected males (59/69, 85%), in their early 50s (mean 52 years), with 48% (33/69) of patients being from medical resource-constrained settings. On multivariate conditional logistic regression, elevated serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.78), blood glucose (OR = 1.008, 95% CI: 1.003-1.013), and C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.17) were associated with increased odds of developing COVID-19-associated ROCM. Patients with undetected diabetes mellitus with increasing HbA1c (OR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.30-9.02) and blood glucose (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.005-1.03) (P = 0.02) had a higher probability of developing COVID-19-associated ROCM than patients with established DM. Uncontrolled DM evidenced by elevated HbA1c and blood glucose levels, exacerbated by COVID-19-induced proinflammatory state indicated by elevated CRP, is the principal independent risk factor for COVID-19-associated ROCM. Middle-aged males with undetected DM, from a resource-constraint setting, are particularly at risk.

Management of surgically inoperable muscle-invasive bladder cancer in a resource constraint setting at a tertiary care center by bladder preservation protocol: Case series.

Urinary bladder cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As per the data from the US cancer registry, it was diagnosed in nearly 71,000 patients and led to 14000 deaths in 2013. The Indian data in this regard are lacking with few case reports and epidemiological data only. The paucity of treatment data in this regard led us to undertake this prospective study at our radiation oncology canter. Carcinoma urinary bladder is a heterogeneous disease with variable natural history. Male preponderance and association with cigarette smoking appears to be the foremost in natural history of the disease. Our data analyzed the management of muscle-invasive medically and surgically inoperable carcinoma urinary bladder in a resource constraint setting at a tertiary care center by bladder preservation protocol (BPP). This prospective study was aimed to evaluate the treatment outcome in surgically inoperable muscle-invasive carcinoma urinary bladder in a resource constraint setting at a tertiary care center by BPP. All patients were treated with telecobalt 60 machine up to a dose of 60-66 Gy along with concurrent chemotherapy. Interim assessment was done at 40 Gy. A total of nine patients were taken up for treatment with BPP. All patients were evaluated with standard evaluation protocol. All patients were followed up till any event occurred and till 6 years. Out of nine patients treated, six patients are still alive without any progression of disease and are disease free with standard evaluation on follow-up. Two patients died during the 1st year of follow-up. One patient progressed with lung and abdominal metastases 5 months after the completion of treatment and one patient was lost to follow-up. BPP using trimodality therapy is a suitable alternative to radical cystectomy in medically and surgically inoperable carcinoma urinary bladder. These patients should be highly compliant for regular follow-up, and acute and long-term toxicity should be evaluated in detail at each visit. BPP gives a ray of hope in such settings and should be done with caution. In our study, we treated all these patients in our resource constraint settings with good results and high survival rates. Our integrated team of radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, and urologists closely followed up these patients in order to optimize outcomes.

Profile of children with cerebral palsy at a tertiary hospital in eastern Nepal

BackgroundThe clinical spectrum of Cerebral palsy (CP) can differ in various places depending upon knowledge of the people and resources for prevention, diagnosis and management. Although studied extensively in high-resource countries, adequate data related to CP from resource-constraint settings are lacking. This study aims to describe the profile of children with CP at a tertiary care center in eastern Nepal.MethodsThis was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study done from 2017 to 2018. Children 6 months to 15 years who presented with CP were enrolled and their clinical details recorded and described.ResultsAmongst 110 children with CP, 74.54% were male. Majority (76.36%) were 5 years or below with the median age being 3(2.00–4.75) years. Children with spastic quadriplegia (44.44%) and Gross Motor Function Classification System level III (41.81%) were most common. Etiologically, perinatal factors (64.54%) like perinatal asphyxia (35.45%) and prematurity (20.90%) and postnatal infections (25.45%) were common. The common comorbidities were intellectual disability (71.81%) and epilepsy (66.36%). The main treatment modalities were: antiepileptics (59.09%) and centre-based physiotherapy sessions (35.45%). School education was provided in 23.07% with special education in 11.53%.ConclusionsThis study describes the profile of CP at our centre in eastern Nepal. Predominance of perinatal complications and postnatal infections points towards the urgent need to further improve the perinatal and neonatal health care delivery system and practices.

Operator Variabilities in Carotid Pulse Wave Velocity Measured by an Image-free Ultrasound Device.

Local pulse wave velocity (PWV) has gained much attention in the last decade due to its ability to provide localized stiffness information from a target vessel and cater to several applications beyond regional PWV. Transit time-based methods are the most straightforward, but their reliability is highly dependent on the blood pulse sensing modality. Conventional ultrasound systems directly measure the blood pulse (as diameter or flow velocity); however, they offer limited frame rates resulting in poor resolution signals. Advanced systems supporting high frame rates are expensive, complex, and not amenable to field and resource-constraint settings. We have developed a high frame image-free ultrasound system to address this gap for automated and online measurement of local PWV. In an earlier in-vitro study, we have demonstrated its accuracy. In this work, we aim to investigate its in-vivo reliability. A study on 15 young, healthy subjects was conducted to assess the intra-and inter-operator repeatability of the developed system. The yielded local PWVs from the left carotid artery were within the range of 2.5 to 5.8 m/s. The device provided highly repeatable intra- and inter-operator measurements with ICC of 0.94 and 0.88, respectively. The bias for the intra- and inter-operator trials was statistically negligible (p > 0.005). The study demonstrated the potential of the high frame rate device to perform reliable measurements in-vivo. Clinical Relevance- This work aims to provide and validate an easy-to-use affordable and fully-automated high frame rate ultrasound technology for the measurement of online local PWV that is currently lacking.

Impact of a nurse-led teleconsultation strategy for cardiovascular disease management during COVID-19 pandemic in India: a pyramid model feasibility study

ObjectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the use of telemedicine to maintain continuity of care for patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a nurse-led...

Oncological safety of harvesting local flaps from the neck in clinically node positive patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

e18065 Background: Reconstruction of complex orofacial defects following tumour resection has always posed as a challenge for clinicians for providing functional and morphological outcomes. Though microvascular free flaps revolutionized reconstruction, local flaps provide a viable alternative in resource constraint settings. Oncological safety of harvesting local flaps has always been a matter of debate in oral squamous cell carcinoma due to proximity of nodal stations. Available literature on oncological safety is limited to clinically node negative patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oncologic safety of local flaps in clinically node positive patients. Methods: Retrospective analysis of data available of all patients diagnosed with clinically node positive oral squamous cell carcinoma who underwent modified radical neck dissection at Malabar Cancer Centre during the period January 2012 to December 2017 was done. Demographic profile, tumour characteristics and pathological outcomes were compiled. The factors included were pathological tumour, nodal stage, levels of nodes involved, extranodal extension, choice of flap and site of recurrence. Fisher's exact test was used to compare recurrence patterns between local and regional flaps. Results: A total of 309 clinically node positive patients were analyzed with a median follow up of 4 years. Overall incidence of pathologically proven nodal metastases to ipsilateral levels Ia Ib, II, III, IV and V were 8.1%, 35.3%, 39.5%,15.5%, 2.9% and 1.3% respectively. Level Ia was most commonly involved in buccal mucosa and tongue cancers. Levels Ib, II, III were most commonly involved in tongue and buccal mucosa cancers. Level IV was commonly involved in tongue cancers while level V in cancer of retromolar trigone. Local flaps analyzed were submental flap (2.6%), supraclavicular flap (2.6%), infrahyoid flap (2.6%), sternocleidomastoid muscle flap (4.5%), nasolabial flap (1.3%), facial artery myomucosal flap (1.6%). Pathological nodal positivity was 60% and 52% in local and regional flaps respectively. Amongst the patients who had reconstruction with submental flap there were no nodal recurrences at level Ia, only 1 patient had recurrence at flap site. Amongst the patients who had reconstruction with supraclavicular flap there was 1 patient with pathological involvement of level V as per histopathological report but no nodal recurrences at level V. There was no difference in pattern of nodal recurrence between local and regional flaps (p = 0.436). Conclusions: This retrospective analysis is the first of its kind analysing the oncological safety of harvesting local flaps in clinically node positive oral squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, with appropriate management of the levels Ia and V nodal compartment, oncologic outcomes are not compromised, thereby making it oncologically sound to harvest local flaps in N+ neck.

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: 14-year experience from a single institution.

e17529 Background: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a rare tumor with an excellent prognosis. With the advent of multiagent chemotherapy, cure rate improved to nearly 100% in the low-risk group (LR). However, in developing countries it is lower, especially in the high risk (HR) group. Herein, we describe our experience with management and survival of GTN over a 14y period. Methods: Retrospective study based on case review of women with newly diagnosed GTN between 2005 and 2019 at Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplasicas (INEN), Lima- Peru. Primary outcome measure was complete remission (CR) by 12 months following completion of therapy and 3y overall survival (OS). Risk score was established according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) with patients with scores < 7 and ≥7 being classified as LR and HR, respectively. A subgroup with score ≥13 was defined as ultra-high risk (UHR) group. Results: 172 patients with GTN were included, median age was 30 years (range 18-54 y). Choriocarcinoma was the most frequent histology in 54.6%, however, in 38% it was not determined. The most common metastatic sites were lungs (66%) and brain (15%). Median FIGO risk score was 10 points (range 1- 21). Accordingly, 8% and 82% of patients belong to LR and HR group; 41% of patients with HR had a score ≥13. Regarding treatment, 5 patients (16%) in the LR group were treated with surgery only and 84% received oral methotrexate; while all patients in the HR group received multidrug chemotherapy: 85% received etoposide, methotrexate and dactinomycin (EMA)/ cyclophosphamide and vincristine (CO), 10.6% received etoposide, methotrexate, actinomycin-D (EMA)/ etoposide and cisplatin (EP) and 2% received other regimens. CR was ultimately achieved in 83% of cases overall (100%, 80% and 73% in LR, HR and UHR group, respectively). 16% had persistent disease and relapse occurred in 5% of patients who had previously achieved CR. Early death (within 4 weeks of initiating therapy) occurred in 4.6% (8/31). 3y-OS was 82%, after excluding early deaths, the survival rate was 86%. Conclusions: In our series, HR disease is the most frequent presentation and almost half of this cases correspond to the UHR group. Remission rate in the LR group is similar to that reported in other series, however it is lower in HR and UHR group. Having said this, it represents the data of a high-risk cohort of patients in a resource-constraint setting. This data is being used to identify strategies for improvement of results, especially in ultra-high risk group.

Challenges and outcomes of treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in resource-constrained settings.

7014 Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease. Improvement in supportive care, has considerably improved AML induction outcomes, decreasing induction deaths to <5% in recent studies. However, induction deaths during AML treatment in resource constraint settings remains as high as 25% in young adults. In this study we explore various challenges encountered in treating AML patients in one of the largest public sector teaching hospitals in India. Methods: Consecutive patients diagnosed with AML and registered in our clinic from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019, were included. Results: Of 316 patients diagnosed with AML, only 181 (57%) were able to get admitted to our institute for remission induction treatment. Median time from diagnosis to treatment initiation was 9.5 days (range, 0-232 days). Almost half (N=88; 49%) of admitted patients had infections at the time of admission. Among these, 31 (35%) had invasive fungal infection; 14 possible, 15 probable, and 2 proven. Fifty-two (29%) patients died prior to starting their remission induction therapy. Induction mortality in our cohort is 40%. Primary induction failure and primary refractory disease were noted in twenty (18%), and 5 (4%) patients respectively. Only 1 patient was able to get all three high dose cytarabine (HIDAC) consolidations on time. Median time to first HIDAC was 39.5 days (range, 28-91). Of 83 patients who were candidates for consolidative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), only ten (12%) patients were able to get transplanted. Median time to HCT from CR1 was 3.8 months (range, 1.89-12.8). The median event free survival (EFS) was 1.7 months (95%CI, 1.03-2.5) and median overall survival was 2.5 months (95%CI, 1.6-3.6). The median EFS in favourable risk, intermediate risk and adverse risk AML was 3.6 months, 3.7 months, and 3.4 months respectively. Likewise the median OS was 8.8 months, 11.8 months and 7.4 months in the three risk strata respectively. Conclusions: Outcomes of AML treatment in our cohort are discordant with that reported from the West. Our study identifies various challenges in treating AML in resource-constraint setting. Strategies need to be formulated to overcome these challenges. [Table: see text]

Digital health in medicine: Important considerations in evaluating health economic analysis

Digital health in medicine: Important considerations in evaluating health economic analysis

Effectiveness of in-house developed Sandwich ELISA for antigen detection of tubercular antigen in resource constraint setting

Background: Around 26% of World’s tuberculosis (TB) cases are in India. In resource constrained settings, it is difficult to use diagnostic tests such as nucleic acid amplification technique and mycobacterial culture due to their complexity and expensiveness. Developing an assay using polyclonal antibody may help to solve this problem. Aims and Objectives: On the basis of this, we worked to detect tubercular antigen by developing Sandwich ELISA from the serum of TB patients. Materials and Methods: For this study, 50 cases, 50 disease controls, and 30 healthy control subjects were taken. Commercially available reagents were used for the development of Sandwich ELISA. The data were statistically analyzed with the help of software SPSS version 16.0. Results: Our effectively developed test had 82% area under the ROC curve. About 81% (n=35) patients of pulmonary TB cases with non-HIV infection detected by our Sandwich ELISA and 57% cases with the coinfection of HIV-TB. Developed test had 70.91% positive predictive value and 75.56% negative predictive value. Conclusion: We successfully developed Sandwich ELISA for tubercular antigen detection and to increase the specificity of the Sandwich ELISA, as per the WHO guidelines, further work is needed for the detection of tubercular antigen.

Effectivity of in-house developed sandwich ELISA for antigen detection in resource constraint settings

Introduction: Around 26% of World’s Tuberculosis (TB) cases are in India. In resource constrained settings, it is difficult to use diagnostic tests like nucleic acid amplification technique and mycobacterial culture due to their complexity and expensiveness.Developing an assay using polyclonal antibody may help to solve this problem. On the basis of that we worked to detect tubercular antigen developing Sandwich ELISA from the serum of tuberculosis patients. Materials & Methods: For the study 50 cases, 50 disease controls, 30 healthy control subjects were taken. Commercially available reagents were used for the development of Sandwich ELISA. The data was statistically analyzed with the help of software SPSS version 16.0. Results: Our effectively developed test had 82% area under the ROC curve. 81% (n=35) patients of PTB cases with non-HIV infection detected by our Sandwich ELISA and 57% cases with the co-infection of HIV-TB. Developed test had 70.91% positive predictive value and 75.56% negative predictive value. Conclusion: We successfully developed Sandwich ELISA for tubercular antigen detection. To increase the sensitivity and specificity of the Sandwich ELISA, as per the WHO guidelines, further work is needed.

Clinico-hematological and Outcome Profile of Pediatric B-other-ALL and BCR::ABL1-like pre-B-ALL: An Integrated Genomic Study From North India

PurposeBCR::ABL1-like pre-B-ALL comprises a myriad of genetic lesions making molecular diagnosis challenging and expensive. Its frequency and outcome are less studied in resource-constraint settings. Methods154 pre-B-ALL cases (0-12 years) were enrolled as group 1 (37 cases of B-other-ALL) and group 2 (117 patients with recurrent translocations/ hyperdiploidy). Group 1 was evaluated for BCR::ABL1-like genetic lesions and copy-number abnormalities (CNAs) as per our published PACE approach supplemented with targeted RNA sequencing. ResultsBCR::ABL1-like frequency was 5.2% (8 of 154) and 22% (8 of 37) with the PACE approach alone in the whole and B-other-ALL cohort, respectively. The addition of targeted RNA-sequencing had led to the frequency increasing to 9% (14 of 154) and 38% (14 of 37) in the whole and B-other-ALL cohort, respectively. P2RY8::CRLF2, IGH::CRLF2, and RCSD1::ABL1 were noted in 8 (57.1%), 4 (28.6%), and 2 (14.3%) patients, respectively. CNAs were noted in 56.7% (21 of 37) of patients. The BCR::ABL1-like group had a significantly higher initial WBC count of ≥ 50,000/mm3 (71.4%; P < .001) than group 2. The 4-year OS, EFS, RFS of group 1 was not statistically different from group 2, though RFS was borderline poor (84.2%, 51.7%, 56.9% Vs. 82.6%, 62.9%, 78% [P - .42, P - .53, P - .059]). The 4-year EFS and RFS for BCR::ABL1-like cases was 70.7% and 76.6%, respectively. ConclusionsThe sensitivity of detecting BCR::ABL1-like lesions had increased significantly from 22% using the PACE approach alone to 38% in B-other-ALLs with the integrated approach. Although outcomes were not statistically different, a higher percentage of relapses were noted in the B-other-ALL group.

Etiology, Clinical Profile, and Short-Term Outcome of Children With Acute Kidney Injury.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical syndrome in hospitalized children and it imposes heavy burden of mortality and morbidity. In resource-constraint settings, management of AKI is very challenging and associated with adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the clinico-etiological profile and outcome of AKI.Methodology: This prospective observational study was done at the department of pediatric nephrology and pediatric intensive care unit, National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, Pakistan from December 2020 to May 2021. A total of 130 children aged 1 month to 15 years, diagnosed with AKI irrespective of the underlying cause were included. Detailed medical information of each child including medical history, examination, and baseline investigations were obtained. Clinical and etiological profile of patients was noted. The patients were followed up to three months and the outcome was noted.Results: In a total of 130 children, 82 (63.1%) were male. The mean age was 5.5±4.4 years (ranging between 1 month and 15 years). There were 117 (90.0%) children who were referred from other centers for either dialysis or surgical treatment. Prerenal cause of AKI was found in 66 (50.8%) children, followed by renal 53 (40.8%) and postrenal in 11 (8.5%) cases. Fever and shortness of breath were the most common clinical presenting symptoms in 102 (78.5%) and 100 (76%) cases, respectively. There were 45 (34.6%) cases who were managed conservatively, 80 (61.5%) needed dialysis, while three children were managed with plasmapheresis and two required surgical intervention in the emergency department. At three-month follow-up period, 64 (49.2%) children recovered (including nine with partial recovery), 46 (36.1%) expired, 9 (6.9%) developed end-stage renal disease, while 11 (8.5%) had chronic kidney disease.Conclusion: Sepsis, nephrotoxic drugs, and acute glomerulonephritis were the major causes of AKI at our center. Mortality was high among children presenting with AKI. A relatively high proportion of children with younger age, septic AKI, and presentation in critical condition could be the reasons for this high mortality.

Revisiting Role of Bilateral Ligation of Internal Iliac Arteries and Preperitoneal Pelvic Packing for Hemorrhage Control in Patients with Pelvic Injuries in Resource Constraint Settings

Since the description of bilateral ligation of internal iliac arteries (BLIIA) and preperitoneal pelvic packing (PPP) for hemorrhage control in pelvic injury patients, multiple reports have been published advocating its use with acceptable outcomes. We analyzed our experience with this technique in a setting where the facility of hybrid operating room for simultaneous angioembolization is not available. We analyzed data of sixty-six patients who presented in a state of unresponsive shock with pelvic fracture between January 2014 and September 2019. After initial resuscitation, they all underwent BLIIA with PPP as part of damage control surgery. Out of 66 patients, 55 were male. The mean age was 36.12 years. All patients sustained blunt trauma, with road traffic injuries being the most common mechanism involving 65% of the patients followed by fall from height. The mean systolic blood pressure at the time of surgery was 77 ± 34.46 mm Hg. Median packed red blood cell transfusion in the first 24 h was 8.5 units with IQR of 6–12. The hemorrhage-related mortality was 48%. BLIIA with PPP may be considered as a viable treatment option in hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic injuries in resource constraint facilities.

Effect of brief interventions to promote behavior change on clinical outcomes of selected non-communicable diseases: The World Health Organization (WHO) Package of Essential Non-communicable disease (PEN) Interventions for primary health care settings – study protocol of a quasi-experimental study

BackgroundThe World Health Organization designed a minimum set of interventions, the World Health Organization Package of Essential Noncommunicable disease interventions (WHO PEN), for detection, prevention, treatment, and care of Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in resource constraint settings. This intervention study examines the effectiveness of the integration of components of WHO PEN protocols on improved clinical outcomes among patients of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus in urban and rural primary health care settings. MethodsIn this quasi-experimental study (pre-test post-test control group design), trained non-physician health workers will provide behavior change interventions regarding four major NCD risk factors, i.e., tobacco use, excessive alcohol intake, physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet; using ‘Brief Advice’ to the NCD patients enrolled in the experimental arm. The health centers in the control arm will provide the usual care to all the NCD patients. The intervention will last for six months, and the two groups will be followed up at two months, four months, and six months since enrolment in the study. ResultsThe primary outcome is improved mean blood pressure levels and the proportion of patients with controlled blood pressure levels. The secondary outcomes assess medication adherence, self-reported reductions in tobacco and alcohol intake, consumption of a heart-healthy diet, and regular physical activity. DiscussionThis intervention trial will provide evidence for the utility of individual-level behavioral interventions for adequate management of NCDs.Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registry of India: CTRI/2018/12/016707.

Are we expecting too much for too long from the vaccinators? A qualitative study on perceived challenges of COVID-19 vaccinators of district Shahdol, India.

There is a paucity of knowledge regarding challenges faced by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinators in resource constraint settings like district Shahdol, Central India. Hence, the present study was planned to explore the perceived challenges of vaccinators regarding COVID-19 vaccination. In October 2021, district health authorities conducted a one-day workshop with the auxiliary nurse midwives, staff nurses, and lady health visitors who work as vaccinators. It had three distinct but mutually connected phases. In the first phase, a free listing exercise was performed to list out their perceived challenges that are prominent and representative of their cultural domain. In the second phase, the pile-sorting exercise with the challenges mentioned in the above step was performed to produce similar data in the form of a matrix, based on a perceived similarity between them by multi-dimensional scaling analysis. In the final phase, the transcripts generated during the discussion on the free listing and pile sorting exercises was used for the thematic analysis to find plausible explanations for the findings. A total of 15 vaccinators took part in the workshop. In the free listing exercise, a total of 14 items were identified as perceived challenges for COVID-19 vaccinators. The three items with the highest Smith's S value were overtime duty, no holidays, and lack of monetary incentive. The analysis of pile-sorting suggested that participants clustered their 14 perceived challenges into five groups; 1) beneficiaries related, 2) vaccination schedule related, 3) lack of facilities at vaccination site, 4) lack of monetary incentive, and 5) issues related to digital data handling. Thematic analysis suggested that their main challenges were overtime duty, no monetary incentive, and lack of toilet, food, and transport facility at the session site. Vaccinators perceive overtime duty and lack of holidays as their top two challenges and expect monetary incentives for this. The study recommends better basic amenities like toilet facility, sustained and effective community engagement, a monetary incentive, and a better ecosystem for digital data handling for the vaccinators.