Opinion of Health Care Professionals towards Submitting a Research Article to a Journal.

There are no specific criteria to measure a journals quality, but indexation of a journal in a reputed database such as PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, EMBASE etc, and whether the journal is having an impact factor produced by Thomson Reuters are looked upon. Many more indexation database have come up recently, and authors are publishing more articles than before. This questionnaire based study was conducted in November 2012 in two medical colleges in south India with the aim to know the opinion of health care professionals towards submitting a research publication to a journal. Prior approval was taken from the Institutional Ethics Committee to conduct the study. The selected participants were from tutors to professors. The information was recorded and analyzed using Microsoft Excel (2007 version). A total of 297 respondents participated in the study, out of which 263 completed the questionnaire. Assistant professors had more number of publications and also had the maximum number of publications as first author. Among the papers published <10% were published in journals which are pubmed indexed. Highest percentage of pubmed indexed journals were published by professors which was around 10%. The knowledge about impact factor was higher among the junior faculty than the professors. The knowledge regarding quality of a journal, with respect to indexation and impact factor of a journal is grossly inadequate among the doctors. Necessary steps should be taken by editorial board of reputed journals and associations such as International Council Of Medical Journal Editors or regulatory authorities such as Medical Council of India to spread the knowledge about quality of a journal

जलवायु परिवर्तन और नीति (Climate Change and Policy-ClimEd Series:4B)

ClimEd Series IV- This instructional material “Climate Change and Policy” has been developed as a part of the Belmont funded project titled “Global Understanding and Learning for Local solutions: Reducing Vulnerability of marine dependent coastal communities” as a means to create awareness and impart climate change knowledge across the target populace

अधिगम एंव जलवायु परिवर्तन से सामना (Learning & Coping Climate Change-ClimEd Series:2B)

The GULLS project funded by the Belmont Forum addresses coastal vulnerability issues,- specifically the challenges that arise in food security and sustaining coastal livelihoods as a result of global warming and increasing human coastal populations. It seeks to identify adaptation options and strategies for enhancing coastal resilience at the local level and in doing so will contribute to capacity building and local empowerment. The goal of the project is to provide insight to coastal communities to adapt to climate change through trans-disciplinary approach

Interaction between atypical microorganisms and E. coli in catheter-associated urinary tract biofilms

Most biofilms involved in catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are polymicrobial, with disease causing (eg Escherichia coli) and atypical microorganisms (eg Delftia tsuruhatensis) frequently inhabiting the same catheter. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge about the role of atypical microorganisms. Here, single and dual-species biofilms consisting of E. coli and atypical bacteria (D. tsuruhatensis and Achromobacter xylosoxidans), were evaluated. All species were good biofilm producers (Log 5.84–7.25 CFU cm−2 at 192 h) in artificial urine. The ability of atypical species to form a biofilm appeared to be hampered by the presence of E. coli. Additionally, when E. coli was added to a pre-formed biofilm of the atypical species, it seemed to take advantage of the first colonizers to accelerate adhesion, even when added at lower concentrations. The results suggest a greater ability of E. coli to form biofilms in conditions mimicking the CAUTIs, whatever the pre-existing microbiota and the inoculum concentration.This work was supported by the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), DNA mimics Research Project [Ref. PIC/IC/82815/2007] from the FCT and MCTES; PhD Fellowship [SFRH/BD/82663/2011]; and Postdoctoral Fellowship [SFRH/BPD/74480/2010]. The authors would like to thank to M. Fenice M and A. Steinbuchel for kindly providing the Delftia tsuruhatensis BM90 and Achromobacter xylosoxidans B3 species, respectively

Re-engineering the outpatient process flow of a multi-speciality hospital

Manufacturing concepts such as Just-in-Time, Lean and Six-Sigma, Japanese 5S, Materials Requirement Planning, Scheduling and Capacity Management have been applied in the Healthcare industries in the West for the last decade and has yielded positive results. In this study, these concepts and philosophies have been applied to an Indian Multi-speciality Hospital to improve its OPD process flow and increase patient satisfaction. The Outpatients Department (OPD) is usually the most crowded sector in a hospital. The frequent problems encountered include the waiting period for consultation, an unpredictable number of Walk-in patients, insufficient and operationally deficient OPD reception staff and unattended appointment patients. This study aims at, identifying methods to standardise OPD operations management. It has made the process more efficient through optimum resource utilisation. This will increase patient satisfaction by meeting and exceeding their expectations while maintaining quality of care. This research was conducted by mapping the process flow and using the data that was collected through an observational, cross-sectional, non-interventional study. Though there were a comprehensive set of recommendations at the end of the study, only a few could be implemented due to the introduction of a new Hospital Information System (HIS) software putting the implementation plan on hold

Knowledge and attitude of nursing staff towards nebulization therapy in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Nebulization is an important tool in the treatment of respiratory conditions. Nurses are primary health care providers for using the nebulizers in a hospital setting. The examination of nurse's knowledge and performance regarding the nebulizer therapy is of utmost importance for proper nebulization. Aim of the study was to access the knowledge and attitude of staff nurses towards nebulization therapy.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at the RL Jalappa hospital, Kolar, Karnataka, India. 50 nurses working the intensive care units and wards were given a questionnaire regarding the key aspects of nebulization therapy. A workshop was then conducted for the same participants on correct nebulization techniques and the questionnaire was given and the results post workshop was analyzed.Results: In pre-study, most nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge with respect to breathing pattern during nebulization (72.2%), types of masks used (83.3%), changing of filter (62.5%). On comparing satisfactory knowledge level of nurses pre-and post, it was found statistically significant increase in knowledge for breathing pattern during nebulization, knowledge of types of nebulization, nebulization time, nebulization end point, types of drugs used, type of dilution, proportion of dilution, ideal volume of drugs in medication, replacement of tubing, changing of filter, types of disinfections used, types of nebulization and types of mask (p <0.05).Conclusions: The knowledge of the staff nurses regarding the nebulization therapy was unsatisfactory which was reflected by improvement in the knowledge post workshop training. The staff nurses should be provided periodic training on nebulization therapy to give effective and safe care to patients

Assessment of Tooth Mobility in Periodontitis Patients Below the Age Of 35 Years - An Institutional Based Retrospective Study

Tooth mobility is the degree of displacement of the tooth from the socket on the application of force. It is an important clinical feature in the diagnosis of periodontal diseases. The aim of the study was to assess the tooth mobility in periodontitis patients under the age of 35 visiting a private dental institution. This was a retrospective study. Samples were collected from June 2019 to March 2020. Data of the periodontal status of patients visiting a private dental institution in the age group of 18 to 35 years were collected. Excel tabulation was done and SPSS results were obtained. In this study, it was shown that 1993 patients were diagnosed with periodontal diseases. Among those patients, 1676 patients were diagnosed with localized chronic periodontitis, 302 patients were diagnosed with generalized chronic periodontitis, 10 patients were diagnosed with localized aggressive periodontitis and 5 patients were diagnosed with generalized aggressive periodontitis. Among patients with mobility, 82% had Grade 1 mobility, 13% had Grade 2 mobility and 5% had Grade 3 mobility. From the present study, we can conclude that Grade 1 mobility was seen more in all the age groups when compared to Grade 2 and Grade 3 mobility. It was also found that Grade 1 mobility was predominantly seen in the age group of 25-30 years. The association of tooth mobility in different age groups was found to be statistically significant (p value- 0.023). Grade 1 mobility was more common in male patients. Grade 1 mobility was more common in localized chronic periodontitis patients. The association of tooth mobility with respect to different types of periodontal diseases was found to be statistically significant (p value- 0.004). Localized chronic periodontitis was seen more commonly among all age groups but predominantly in the age group of 25-30 years. The association of different types of periodontal diseases in different age groups was found to be statistically significant (p value- 0.01). Localized chronic periodontitis was seen more commonly in male patients when compared to other types of periodontal diseases. The key to successful management of periodontal disease at younger age patients lies in early diagnosis of the disease and rigorous treatment employing the different treatment modalities followed by meticulous lifelong maintenance therapy

Ferrock: A Carbon Negative Sustainable Concrete

In this fast-growing world, people are focusing on the infrastructural development, where construction sector plays an important role. Cement is the most prominent material being used in construction that emits approximately 6-8% of the total carbon dioxide in the world during its production which is the major constituent of global warming. Thus, focusing on the carbon emission reduction and also utilization of the waste products for a better environment, a product named Ferrock was constituted. This paper is a review over a product that is stepping towards carbon negativity and waste management. It shows the best usage of iron ore waste powder obtained during the mining process that is just dumped away from the mines, causing air pollution, health hazards and also consuming larger area. The product indirectly reduces the carbon dioxide released by its unique strength gaining mechanism, which is in contrary with that of the cement and thus stands out among many other supplements of cement. Ferrock involves a curing process with carbonation and air curing in varied number of days for better strength in terms of compression, tensile strengths and achieving desirable properties. Ferrock is thus a more promising eco friendlier binding material in terms of its carbon negativity and in best usage of the waste

A Review on Ashwagandha Ghrita

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L) Family - Solanaceae) known as Indian ginseng is an effective immunomodulator, aphrodisiac, sedative and adaptogen. Ashwagandha Ghrita is a ghee based Ayurvedic formulation which is available in the market, but Ashwagandha Ghrita containing Rasasindura and Tamra Bhasma along with Ashwagandha and Musta Churna is also mentioned in classical text which many of us are not aware of. As we all know that the action of Rasaushadhis are quick and require very less dose the one mentioned by Vagbhatacharya (author of Rasaratnasamuchaya) is the need of the hour for the immunomodulation

Primary Leiomyosarcoma of the Kidney

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the kidney is a rare tumor with an aggressive behaviour. A 55-year-old woman presented with a left sided abdominal mass in our outpatient department. Radiologic investigations revealed the mass to be renal in origin with colonic adhesions for which radical nephrectomy and hemicolectomy were done. The tumor completely appeared to replace the left kidney and had a whorled character focally on cut section. Microscopically, spindle cells having malignant features with cigar shaped nuclei were seen. The smooth muscle origin of the cells was confirmed by immunohistochemical positivity for smooth muscle actin. Sarcomatoid variant of the renal cell carcinoma was ruled out as the tumor was negative for cytokeratin. Tumors with spindle cell morphology in the kidney should not always be taken for a sarcomatoid variant of renal cell carcinoma and should be investigated thoroughly