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Introduction: Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients suffering from end‑stage renal disease and health‑related quality of life (HRQoL) is routinely used for measuring the outcome. Although the generic HRQoL questionnaire provides useful information on multiple dimensions, they fail to capture emotional and behavioral components of well‑being, which is supplemented by the Transplant Effects Questionnaire (TxEQ). The present research studies the impact of these two questionnaires on various parameters affecting the health of kidney transplant recipients. Methodology: This cross‑sectional study included 500 postrenal transplant patients within 5 years of transplant (18–70 years) evaluating HRQoL using a Short Form Survey‑36 Questionnaire and emotional/behavioral outcomes using a TxEQ. Results: Mean age of participants was 44.92 ± 5.86 years and males constituted the majority (>75%). The mean physical component score (PCS) was 41.3 ± 9.2 and the mental component score (MCS) was 48.1 ± 8.4. The highest score was observed for bodily pain, followed by role limitations attributable to emotional problems (RE). The PCS was significantly higher among younger participants, among males, among participants who have got a transplant >24 months ago, and among participants who had serum creatinine levels <2 mg/dl (*P < 0.05). However, the mental component score did not differ significantly in any of the matched variables. In TxEQ, medication adherence had the highest mean score, followed by perceived responsibility toward others. Conclusion: In our study, we concluded that reduced physical functioning among female gender, illiterate patients, with increasing age, in employed section, and with associated comorbidities such as hypertension and with a history of rehospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the occurrence of arrhythmia and its associated risk factors in the first week after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: A total of 100 patients with acute MI were recruited, who were followed up for one week to determine the occurrence of arrhythmia and its association with electrolyte disturbances, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and demographic factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify significant risk factors of arrhythmia. Results: Among 100 cases, arrhythmia was seen in 27 patients. Sinus tachycardia was the commonest, followed by ventricular premature beats and sinus bradycardia. Ejection fraction, serum calcium and magnesium were significantly different between non-arrhythmia and arrhythmia patients (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ejection fraction was an independent significant risk factor of arrhythmia. Patients with ejection fraction >40% had a significantly lower risk of arrhythmia with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.22 (95% CI: 0.08 to 0.64). Conclusions: Arrhythmia is common in the first week after myocardial infarction. The type of arrhythmia and the type of block may depend on the heart muscles involved during myocardial infarction. Ejection fraction is a risk factor that may affect the occurrence of arrhythmia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Organ transplantation is a life-saving treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure all over the world, and the demand for organs has increased as a result. Organ donation involves legal, psychological, and ethical considerations. Many countries around the world have reported that people's attitudes toward organ donation are influenced by various factors such as knowledge, education, and religion. The existing study sought to explore the awareness, attitude, and willingness of organ donation among adult population in Western Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based survey was conducted with 445 adult populations who were visiting the hospital. Self-Structured Awareness Assessment Scale for Organ Donation and Attitude Assessment Scale for Organ Donation were used. Data analysis was done using the SPSS software 22.0 version. Results: 74.61% of participants were aware about organ donation. Statistically (P < 0.001) higher odds for organ donation willingness was found among participants who were aware that organ such as eye (odd ratio [OR]: 10.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.40--24.25, P < 0.001), heart (OR: 4.71.95% CI: 2.68--8.25), P ≤ 0.001), intestine (OR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.41--3.6, P = 0.001), skin OR: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.83--4.70) P ≤ 0.001), extremities (Lower and upper) (OR: 2.46,95% CI: 1.53--3.95, P ≤ 0.001) can be donated or transplanted. 40.6% of the participants disagree that it is better to die than to receive an organ from another person. Interestingly, 35.28% of the participants agreed that organ donation is a true donation and a real service to mankind. Conclusions: This study not only echoes low awareness of organ donation among the adult population in Western Rajasthan, India but also reflects low and neutral level of positive attitude and willingness for organ donation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation activity is growing globally as one of the curative treatment options for many hematological diseases. A stem cell transplant registry plays an important role in such treatment. Setting up a functional stem cell donor registry is quite challenging with several issues such as resources, donor recruitment, donor attrition, ethnicity, lack of support, and impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Aim: The aim of the current study was to present the experience of a resource-constrained registry in India as well as the effect of COVID-19 on its operations. Settings and Design: The present study was a descriptive study which was designed to study the functioning of a resource-constrained registry from north India. Materials and Methods: The study data for the period of 2012--2020 pertaining to donor recruitment, number of searches, number of matched donors, number of transplants performed, and donor attrition was collected from the registry software "Prometheus." Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage was used. Results: During the past 9 years of operation, the registry has faced several issues pertaining to lack of funds, donor recruitment, donor attrition, and COVID-19 has exacerbated their pain points significantly. The registry has recruited a total of 20,093 donors, of which only 7794 have been human leukocyte antigen typed, with the remaining samples awaiting funding. Out of this small number of typed donors, registry has performed 15 matched unrelated donor transplants for Indian and international patients. As a result of COVID-19, donor attrition was on the rise and showed a peak in 2020. During the year 2020, the number of searches, donor recruitment camps, and donors all decreased considerably. Conclusion: The establishment and operation of a stem cell transplant registry necessitate extensive planning and resources. The resource-constrained registries face a number of issues pertaining to effective functioning and future developments. The external support and awareness for the cause can help minimize the pain points of these registries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 32nd edition of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation's yearly conference was recently hosted in Nagpur, coinciding with the 2nd Mid-term Meeting of the Liver Transplantation Society of India and the 15th Annual International Conference of Network and Alliance of Transplant Coordinators. Aims and Objectives: We are delighted to present our insights and observations on the social media coverage of #ISOT22. Materials and Methods: In order to ensure comprehensive coverage, a specialized social media team was assembled by the ISOT. This team comprised of twenty-five dedicated educators who attended the conference live. Social media coverage was done mainly by live-tweeting, taking faculty interviews, and sharing images of presentation slides. Results: Social media played a crucial role in covering the #ISOT22 event, with Twitter being the most extensively used platform. There were 2.318 million impressions with 2037 conference tweets with the hashtag #ISOT2022Nagpur. Total number of participants on Twitter was 177 and average tweets/hour were three. There were twelve average tweets per participant. Conclusions: The use of social media at 32nd Annual Conference offered several benefits, including the dissemination of presented scientific research and engagement with both physical and virtual attendees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organ donation following circulatory determination of death (DCDD) has contributed significantly to the donor pool in several countries, without compromising the outcomes of transplantation or the number of donations following brain death (BD). In India, majority of deceased donations happen following BD. While existing legislation allows for DCDD, there have been only a few reports of kidney transplantation following DCDD from the country. This document, prepared by a multi-disciplinary group of experts, reviews the international best practices in DCDD and outlines the path for furthering the same in India. The ethical, medical, legal, economic, procedural, and logistic challenges unique to India for all types of DCDD based on the Modified Maastricht Criteria have been addressed. India follows an opt-in system for organ donation that does not allow much scope for uncontrolled DCDD categories I and II. The practice of withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in India is in its infancy. The process of WLST, laid down by the Supreme Court of India, is considered time-consuming, possible only in patients in a permanent vegetative state, and considered too cumbersome for day-to-day practice. In patients where continued medical care is determined to be futile following detailed and repeated assessment, the procedure for WLST, as laid down and published by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy in conjunction with leading medical experts is described. In controlled DCDD (category-III), the decision for WLST is independent of and delinked from the subsequent possibility of organ donation. Once families are inclined toward organ donation, they are explained the procedure including the timing and location of WLST, consent for antemortem measures, no-touch period, and the possibility of stand down and return to the intensive care unit without donation. While donation following neurologic determination of death (DNDD) is being increasingly practiced in the country, there are instances where the cardiac arrest occurs during the process of declaration of BD, before organ retrieval has been done. Protocol for DCDD category-IV deals with such situations and is described in detail. In DCDD category V, organ donation may be possible following unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation of cardiac arrest in the intensive care. An outline of organ-specific requisites for kidney, liver, heart, and lung transplantation following DCDD and the use of techniques such as normothermic regional perfusion and ex vivo machine perfusion has been provided. With increasing experience, the outcomes of transplantation following DCDD are comparable to those following DBDD or living donor transplantation. Documents and checklists necessary for the successful execution of DCDD in India are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the context of organ donation, COVID-19 vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is important as there is an ethical dilemma in utilizing versus discarding organs from potential donors succumbing to VITT. This consensus statement is an attempt by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) apex technical committees, India, to formulate the guidelines for deceased organ donation and transplantation in relation to VITT to help in appropriate decision-making. VITT is a rare entity, but a meticulous approach should be taken by the organ procurement organization's (OPO) team in screening such cases. All such cases must be strictly notified to the national authorities (NOTTO) as a resource for data collection and ensuring compliance with protocols in the management of adverse events following immunization. Organs from any patient who developed thrombotic events up to 4 weeks after adenoviral vector-based vaccination should be considered to be linked to VITT and investigated appropriately. The viability of the organs must be thoroughly checked by the OPO, and the final decision in relation to organ use should be decided by the expert committee of the OPO team consisting of a virologist, a hematologist, and a treating team. Considering the organ shortage, in case of suspected/confirmed VITT, both clinicians and patients should consider the risk-benefit equation based on limited experience. An appropriate written informed consent of potential recipients and family members should be obtained before the transplantation of organs from suspected or proven VITT donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living mindfully helps one gain a deeper understanding into realities of life. It enables people to witness suffering, desire, attachments, and impermanence without any fear, anxiety, anger, or despair. This is considered the hallmark of true psychological insight. As a skill, mindfulness can be inculcated by anyone. Mindfulness helps in attending, getting aware and understanding experiences in a compassion and open-minded way. Research suggests that applying mindfulness in daily life has been known to tame our emotional mind and enabled people to perceive things "as they are" without ascribing expectations, judgments, cynicism, or apprehensions to them. This review unravels the therapeutic power of mindfulness meditation in the context of infertility distress. It serves to integrate the evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based psychological interventions to improve the emotional well-being and biological outcomes in Infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To do the systematic comparison of prevalence of anaplasmosis by PCR and Giemsa stained thin blood smear (GSTBS) based parasitological assays in dairy cattle of Punjab, which has not been reported yet. To analyse the haematobiochemical alterations in infected animals to arrive at the conclusion regarding the pathogenicity induced by Anaplasma marginale (A. marginale) in latent and patent infection. Methods: Study was conducted on 320 animals (236 cows, 62 calves and 22 buffaloes) of Punjab, India. PCR on genome of A. marginale was performed by targeting msp1 β gene using specific primers BAP-2/AL34S, amplifies products of size 407 bp. Questionnaires based data on the characteristics of the infected animals and management strategies of the farm were collected and correlated. Results: Higher prevalence and more significant association was observed in the PCR based molecular diagnosis (P=0.00012) as compared to that in GSTBS (P=0.028 8) based diagnosis with various regions under study. With respect to the regions, highest prevalence was recorded in Ferozepur by PCR based diagnosis, while that in Jalandhar by GSTBS examination. Similar marked significant association of the PCR based diagnosis with the age of the animals under study (P=0.00013) was observed elucidating no inverse age resistance to A. marginale in cow calves. Haematobiochemical profile of infected animals revealed marked anemia, liver dysfunction and increase globulin concentrate indicating rise in immunoglobulin level to counteract infection. Conclusions: PCR is far more sensitive in detecting the disease even in latent infection which may act as nidus for spread of anaplasmosis to susceptible animals in endemic areas. Severity of anaemia and liver dysfunction were comparable both in patent as well as latent infection indicating pathogenicity of both. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: As a pilot project, Indian Psychiatric Society conducted the first multicentric study involving diverse settings from teaching institutions in public and private sectors and even privately run psychiatric clinics. Aim of the Study: To study the typology of functional somatic complaints (FSC) in patients with first episode depression. Materials and Methods: A total of 741 patients from 16 centers across the country participated in the study. They were assessed on Bradford Somatic Symptom inventory for FSC, Beck Depression Inventory for severity of depression, and Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale- anxiety index (CPRS-AI) for anxiety symptoms. Results: The mean age of the study sample was 38.23 years (SD-11.52). There was equal gender distribution (male - 49.8% vs. females 50.2%). Majority of the patients were married (74.5%), Hindus (57%), and from nuclear family (68.2%). A little over half of the patients were from urban background (52.9%). The mean duration of illness at the time of assessment was 25.55 months. Most of the patients (77%) had more than 10 FSCs, with 39.7% having more than 20 FSCs as assessed on Bradford Somatic Inventory. The more common FSC as assessed on Bradford Somatic Inventory were lack of energy (weakness) much of the time (76.2%), severe headache (74%) and feeling tired when not working (71%), pain in legs (64%), aware of palpitations (59.5%), head feeling heavy (59.4%), aches and pains all over the body (55.5%), mouth or throat getting dry (55.2%), pain or tension in neck and shoulder (54%), head feeling hot or burning (54%), and darkness or mist in front of the eyes (49.1%). The prevalence and typology of FSCs is to a certain extent influenced by the sociodemographic variables and severity of depression. Conclusion: Functional somatic symptoms are highly prevalent in Indian depressed patients and hence deserve more attention while diagnosing depression in Indian setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fumaria indica (Hausskn.) Pugsley (Fumariaceae), known as “Fumitory”, is an annual herb found as a common weed all over the plains of India and Pakistan. The whole plant is widely used in traditional and folkloric systems of medicine. In traditional systems of medicine, the plant is reputed for its anthelmintic, diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, cholagogue, stomachic and sedative activities and is used to purify blood and in liver obstruction in ethnopharmacology. The whole plant is ascribed to possess medicinal virtues in Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine and is also used in preparation of important Ayurvedic medicinal preparations and polyherbal liver formulations. The review reveals that phytochemical constituents of wide range have been separated from the plants and it possesses important pharmacological activities like smooth muscle relaxant, spasmogenic and spasmolytic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, neuropharmacological and antibacterial activities. The separation of hepatoprotective and antifungal constituents from this plant was also reported newly. This review highlights the traditional, ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological information available on Fumaria indica, which might be helpful for scientists and researchers to find out new chemical entities responsible for its claimed traditional uses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To characterize the genetic structure of various populations of Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus) from India representing different geoclimatic locations. Methods: Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used. A set of 20 primers were screened with the laboratory populations of mosquito species. Finally the IS 40 primer was chosen based on the scorable banding pattern showing 100 percent polymorphism among the various populations. The statistical analysis was done using POPGENE 1.31 software. The consensus tree was generated based on UPGMA modified from NEIGHBOR procedure of PHYLIP Version 3.5. Results: The cluster analysis shows the main cluster which is divided into two sub cluster representing all the populations separated as per their phylogeographic and geoclimatic condition. Conclusions: The findings will be helpful in understanding the population variation under different ecological conditions and development of effective vector management strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: A survey made in 1991-92, reported Sahariya, a primitive tribe of India (M. P.), having high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis. No follow-up study was undertaken thereafter. Objective: The present study was aimed to know the current status of tuberculosis (TB) in Sahariya after more than a decade of the last survey of 1991-92, as compared to that in Bhil, another primitive tribe living in the same area but never investigated for TB incidence. Materials and Methods: A total of 763 random sputum smears from Sahariya and 169 sputum smears from Bhil were screened for the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M..tb) in order to evaluate the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in both the tribes. Chi square (χ²) statistics was performed to study the correlation between age, sex on the one hand and with the prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary TB on the other hand, if any. Results: In Sahariya, the prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary TB was found increased significantly (P<0.005) to 0.454 as against 0.274 estimated in the earlier survey (1991-92). Males, particularly, appeared most affected (P<0.005; 0.382), especially adults (0.260). In contrast, among Bhil, the prevalence was very low. Conclusion: The observed increase in TB prevalence and its gender bias in Sahariya tribe indicate the high incidence rate and faster transmission of infection, especially in male sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, the case notification rate of tuberculosis has been reported to be higher for men than women. In India also, the prevalence of TB is higher among males as compared to females but it is important to study the trend of gender gap in the prevalence of tuberculosis over the years. Objective: To examine the trend in gender gap in the prevalence of TB over the years. Materials and Methods: The unit level data of NFHS-2 (1998-99) and NFHS-3 (2005-06) has been utilized. Gender gap in the prevalence of TB has been estimated for the two rounds of the surveys. The delta (δ), the difference in gender gap in two surveys, has been estimated and decomposed by background characteristics such as place of residence(urban/rural), religion (Hindus/Muslims/others), caste(SC/ST/OBC/others) and standard of living(SLI) (low/medium/high) categories. Main Findings: Overall, the prevalence of TB has remained almost same in the two surveys [432/lakh in NFHS-2 and 418/lakh in NFHJS-3; Z=1.19, P=0.275. The gender gap has increased to 217/lakh in NFHS-3 in comparison to 145 per lakh in NFHS-2. The increase in gender gap is significantly higher in rural areas [of 98 per lakh;167/ lakh in NFHS-2 vs 265/lakh in NFHS-3; P<0.05] as compared to corresponding increase in urban areas [of 30 per lakh; 88/ lakh in NFHS-2 vs 118/ lakh in NFHS-3, P>0.05]. The increase in delta (δ) (difference in gender gap in two surveys) is accounted for as 88% by the rural areas and 12% by the urban areas. Conclusion: The increase in gender gap in the prevalence of TB is more in rural areas as compared to urban areas. The increase in rural areas is mainly contributed by Hindus, SC and ST and low and medium SLI categories and in urban areas, the contribution is mainly by Hindus, other castes and high SLI categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to provide a review on the psychiatric comorbidity research in India based on the data published in the last six decades. The comorbidity data world over reflects that it is a much more common phenomenon than observed in routine clinical practice. In India, research into this domain of psychiatry has been limited, with comorbidity reported to be as high as 60%. In the few publications in this area, most of the authors have looked into substance related comorbidity. Small numbers of studies have looked into comorbid conditions in child psychiatry, especially mental retardation and very few studies have looked at other comorbidities. The landmarks in the studies in the area of psychiatric comorbidity have been highlighted in this review article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal migration disorders are an important differential diagnosis to be considered in the evaluation of intractable epilepsy. Though the underlying causative factors which govern their development are many and varied, genetic factors have been found to be contributory in a few forms of these disorders. An X-linked association with lissencephaly has recently been discovered and there are a few families described till now with this entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the in vitro antifungal activity of Ranunculus sceleratus (R. sceleratus) and Pongamia pinnata (P. pinnata), collected from North East India. Chloroform, Methanol and Water extracts of the plants were evaluated for anti-ringworm activity against five strains of dermatophytes viz., Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (T. mentagrophytes), Trichophyton tonsurans (T. tonsurans), Microsporum gypseum (M. gypseum) and Microsporum fulvum (M. fulvum). Methods: Agar well diffusion method was used to determine the inhibition zone of the different extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the extracts were determined by broth macro dilution method. Results: When compared, the chloroform extracts of both the plants were found to be highly active against all the tested fungi followed by the methanol extract. The water extract showed the least activity. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts was ranging from 1.25–10.00 mg/mL for chloroform and methanol extracts and greater that 10 mg/mL for the water extracts. Conclusion: The results obtained from the experiments suggest the anti-dermatophytic nature of the plants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To develop a simple, sensitive, precise, and accurate stability-indicating high performance thin-layer chromatographic method for analysis of curcumin (the main active constituent of turmeric). Methods: The separation was achieved on TLC aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60F254 using toluene-chloroform-methanol (5:4:1, v/v/v) as a mobile phase. Densitometric analysis was performed at 430 nm. Results: This system was found to have compact spot of curcumin at RF value of (0.31±0.02). For the proposed procedure, linearity (r2 = 0.99354 ± 0.00120), limit of detection (50 ng/spot), limit of quantification (200 ng/spot), recovery (ranging from 98.35% – 100.68%), and precision (⩽2.25%) were found to be satisfactory. Statistical analysis reveals that the content of curcumin in different geographical region varied significantly. Conclusions: The highest and lowest concentration of curcumin in Turmeric was found to be present in sample of Erode (Tamilnadu) and Surat (Gujrat) respectively which inferred that the variety of turmeric found in Erode (Tamilnadu) is much superior to other region of India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]