Indian J Med Res
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of acceptability & efficacy of thermal ablation (thermocoagulation) & cryotherapy in VIA positive cervical lesions: A pilot study.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed thermal ablation (thermocoagulation) as an efficient and safe modality for treatment of cervical pre-cancer lesions. More evidence is being looked up by WHO through rigorous studies for health delivery models using screen-and-treat strategies incorporating thermal ablation and studies comparing it against the conventional standard modality cryotherapy. The objective of this study was to assess the acceptability of thermal ablation both among the providers and clients and compare the same with cryotherapy. ⋯ In the context of screen-and-treat programme in settings such as India, thermal ablation appears to be a better method of treatment than cryotherapy for cervical pre-cancerous lesions particularly in terms of better provision and client acceptability.
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Observational Study
Carle's obstetric early warning score as a screening tool for critical care admission.
Early warning systems (EWS) involve serial observations (track) with criteria (trigger) to timely identify patients at risk of complications. Carle designed a statistically based clinically modified obstetric early warning score (Carle's OEWS). This study evaluated Carle's OEWS and its individual components for predicting admission to the obstetric critical care unit (OCCU). Maternal near-miss and maternal mortality were the secondary outcomes. ⋯ Carle's OEWS is a useful screening tool for predicting obstetric OCCU admission and can be routinely used in labour wards to ensure timely intervention.
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Observational Study
Ocular morbidity among children (aged 6-18 yr) of the tribal area of Melghat, India: A community-based study.
Most of the ocular morbidities among school children are preventable or treatable. Melghat, a difficult to access, hilly, forest, tribal area with poorly developed infrastructure in the Amravati district of Maharashtra. Scarcity of ophthalmologists and low health-seeking behaviour of tribal people contributes to the high burden of ocular morbidity. Given the lack of published studies on the ocular morbidity among children in Melghat, outreach programmes are essential to diagnose and treat visual impairments promptly. The objective was to determine the prevalence of ocular morbidity among children in the tribal area of Melghat. ⋯ The prevalence of refractive error and VAD in this study was significantly higher than the rest of India and the world. For the prevention of childhood blindness, immediate intervention programme, including eye screening by trained paramedics, treatment by an ophthalmologist and prophylaxis, is crucial.
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Postpartum depression and anxiety (PPD/A) impact a woman's physical and psychological wellbeing. In the absence of corroboratory evidence from the community setting in India, the present study was undertaken to examine the prevalence, psychosocial correlates and risk factors for PPD/A in the rural community of India. ⋯ Rural Indian women experience PPD/A/both which causes stress and impacts their functionality, bonding with the infant and relationship with their spouse and parents. Higher education, marital satisfaction and higher support from partners and in-laws reduce the risk of developing PPD/A/both.
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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by chronic ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenism and polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM). Although hyperandrogenism is one of the major features of PCOS, it is rarely observed in southeast Asia. Recently, however, there has been growing evidence on association of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) with PCOS. The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic potentials of AMH in PCOS individuals. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that AMH can be considered as the most promising biomarker in PCOS women, particularly with phenotype A and phenotype D.