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Background: Worldwide, around 1.28 billion adults, aged 30–79 years have hypertension (HTN) and most (two-thirds) of them living in low- and middle-income countries like India. While only less than half of adults (42%) with HTN are diagnosed and treated. This study is an effort to estimate the prevalence and determine the determinants of HTN among the rural elderly population in Tigira block, Cuttack district of Odisha. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 725 rural elderly (>60 years) people using probability proportionate to sample (PPS) sampling in the year 2019–2020. Previous medical history of HTN diagnosed by medical professional was taken as positive for HTN. Bivariate analysis was performed using the Chi-square test. The binary logistic regression model was used to find out the predictors of HTN. Results: This cross-sectional study found an HTN prevalence of 34.75% (n = 252) among rural older adults. Factors found to be significantly associated with HTN were female gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.73, confidence interval [CI] = 1.129–2.666), elderly aged ≥80 years (AOR = 1.98, CI = 1.170–3.379), not working elderly (AOR = 2.14, CI = 1.178–3.89), lower-middle socioeconomic status (SES) (AOR = 1.61, CI = 1.093–2.372), overweight elderly (AOR = 2.01, CI = 1.309–3.098) and diabetics (AOR = 4.56, CI = 2.704–7.718), respectively. Conclusion: HTN prevalence was found to be high in the rural area, and the factors such as female gender, elderly aged ≥80 years, not working elderly, lower-middle SES, overweight elderly, and diabetes were found to be the determinants of HTN in the rural elderly population of Odisha.

Background: Health state valuation attempts to evaluate health states based on the perception of individuals. The values are used to derive disability weights (DWs) —an important metric for estimation of disability-adjusted life years and thereby calculation of the burden of diseases. Several studies have calculated DWs using different methods of valuation, however, very few have attempted to explore the underlying cause for assigning values to different health states. This study aims to document the perceptions, preferences, and social context in assigning DWs to given health states. Methods: A total of 42 community members and 21 service providers (from public and private sectors) across urban and rural Odisha and Telangana were interviewed between July to September 2018. A face-to-face in-depth interview and a rank ordering technique through card sort exercise was employed to explore reasons and perceptions of individuals in the context of health states using the thematic framework approach. Findings: Six themes emerged through analysis: awareness of the health state, nature of the disease, disease consequences, treatment-related issues, social implications, and case burden. Each theme captured an individual's reason for valuing one health state as different from the other, with differences and/or similarities between community members and service providers. Conclusion: Our study provides a comprehensive comparison between contrasting groups of individuals, thereby suggesting mere acceptance of 'experts' reasoning may not always suffice. Further research studies in the future need to be conducted for a better insight into the health perspective of a culturally diverse community. It can also help estimate the burden of disease for decision making and resource allocation in developing countries.

Context: Health literacy among school children is a priority to promote their health, hygiene, and nutrition behaviours and practices. Although in schools they learn from their peers and teachers, their domestic and social conditions also contribute to learning and adopting in practice. The level of health literacy is also influenced based on socio-demographic features. Aims: It is imperative to explore and understand the practices including existing gaps and challenges for future improvement. Methods and Material: A qualitative study consisting of 17 focus group discussions (FGDs) among students and teachers in six rural secondary schools was carried out in a rural block of the Cuttack district, Odisha. All FGDs were audio-recorded; transcribed and compiled data were imported into Atlas.ti for analysis. Results: An existing gap in health literacy and healthy practices with respect to hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, and diseases was observed. A low socio-economic status, inaccessibility to clean and safe drinking water, toilet facility, and nutritional food items were major factors preventing their health literacy and practice. Many schools have adopted measures such as poster presentation, practical teaching and demonstration, school play, and competitions at the school and in the community, which were found to be effective for creating awareness. Improving infrastructural facilities, ensuring availability of essential commodities, and having more health-promotional activities are required for improving health literacy and practice. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to improve the health literacy and practice among rural school children. Innovative practical-oriented education at schools and improved awareness among parents and community people would achieve better adherence to healthy practices.

Objective: The objective of this review was to summarize and compare the estimates of diabetes among adults in community and hospital-based settings in Odisha, India. Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a major non-communicable disease as well as a risk factor. In a vast and diverse country such as India, where health is a state subject, regional synthesized and up to date estimates of DM burden is necessary for informed policy making. No such estimates are currently available for the state of Odisha. Materials and Methods: Peer‑reviewed published original research articles related to prevalence DM in the state of Odisha published between 2011 and 2022 were retrieved from 4 medical databases and analysed. Study screening, selection, data extraction and critical appraisal was done by 2 independent review authors. Data synthesis and assessment of certainty of the evidence was done in meta-analysis of the results. Results: A total of 15 studies, that included 17339 participants, with overall good methodological quality were included in the review. The overall prevalence of DM among adults in the state of Odisha based on Community based surveys was 6.8% (95% CI: 2.3–13.4%). The prevalence in older adults aged 60 years or above is higher at 22.2% (95% CI: 8.6–39.9%). The prevalence in studies that relied on self-reported methods of screening was 4.8% (95% CI: 1.7–9.3%) as compared to those that diagnosed participants based on standard criteria (12.1%; 95% CI: 8.1–16.7%). Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of DM in the state of Odisha, which was higher than previously available national and regional estimates. This prevalence was much lower in community-based studies and in self-reported surveys pointing towards significant under diagnosis of hypertension in the state of Odisha and highlighting a need for a robust community-based screening program among adults in the state.

Purpose: To estimate seeing and other disabilities in a population cohort in a tribal district, Rayagada, in the Indian state of Orissa. Methods: A door-to-door survey was conducted to identify the disabilities. The vision was measured at the residence of the subject, and other disabilities were documented from the history obtained from the subject/household/neighbor. All people with seeing disabilities were reexamined in the community eye center (primary or secondary), and required treatment was given at no cost to the patients. People with other disabilities were transported to the public health facility for appropriate care and disability certification. The results were compared with the 2011 national census data. Results: A total of 147,699 people were enumerated, and 106,339 (72%) were examined over one year period, 2016–17. In this cohort, 47.3% (n = 50,320) were male and 27.5% (n = 29,215) were 40 years or older. We recorded systemic disease in 0.6% (n = 689) people; hypertension was two times higher than diabetes mellitus. Disability was identified in 2.8% (n = 3022). Common disabilities were seeing (46.7%; n = 1411), hearing (36.8%; n = 1112), mobility (10.4%; n = 315), and mental retardation (3.2%; n = 98). Dual sensory disability (seeing and hearing) was seen in 6.4% (n = 251), and it was higher in the older age group. Seeing and hearing disabilities were higher than the 2011 state (P =< 0.001) and national (P =< 0.001) disability census. Conclusion: The first population-based survey in Rayagada, Odisha (India) in 2017 showed a higher proportion of people with seeing and hearing disabilities. It calls for an appropriate service strategy.

Introduction: India accounts for one-fourth of the global TB burden. The load of drug-resistant TB is of foremost attention and concern at international, regional, and national levels. As per estimates of TB burden in India in 2018, the MDR/RR-TB incidence was 1.30 lakhs. Objectives: Socioepidemiological status and clinical outcome of MDR TB patients in a teaching hospital in tribal area of southern Odisha from 2012-2020. Material and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study accepted by the Institutional Ethics Committee of this tertiary medical college & hospital to which the DRTB centre is attached with the agreement of the program administrators. Inclusion Criteria: Patients with >15 years of age, those patients with pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis with normal liver enzymes. Exclusion Criteria: Patients having abnormal liver enzymes before treatment, pregnant ladies and children

Purpose: To describe and validate the eye health program protocol of Dongria tribal community, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) in Rayagada district, Odisha, India. Methods: The program would consist of three segments. At people's residences, trained community health workers (CHWs) will measure the vision and collect demographic data. In addition, vision technicians (VTs) will refract using a hand-held device and prescribe spectacles to people who improve to >6/12, N8. Others would be referred to the vision center (VC). At VC, the VT will perform a slit-lamp examination and re-refract. They would refer people with vision ≤6/12 to the secondary center (SC). At SC, referred people will receive a comprehensive eye examination and treatment. The ophthalmologist will assign the cause of blindness and visual impairment for people with visual acuity

Indian milk production has shown remarkable performance during last four decades. Although the demand for milk is increasing at faster pace in consonance with increasing per capita income, changing dietary pattern, rapid urbanization and burgeoning population, some milk producers do not find milk production as sufficiently remunerative. Keeping these facts in view, a study was conducted to document the present status and future aspirations of dairy farmers in India by 2020. Haryana, Maharashtra and Odisha states were purposively selected from highly, moderately and least dairy progressive states by stratified random sampling, respectively. The total sample size was 900 containing 300 dairy farmers from each state. Study revealed that there is a likelihood of increase in average herd size in all the three states, although number of dairy farmers are likely to decrease. In Haryana, buffalo based system will remain dominating, large scale crossbred and pure indigenous farms will arise. In Maharashtra, farmers showed more inclination towards the crossbred cattle as 44.52% wanted to increase crossbred and 30.14% wanted to carry forward the same. Indigenous cattle will be reared only in extensive system of management. Buffalo based farms will come up in the future. In Odisha, though farmers are interested in crossbred, the dairy farming is highly constrained by lack of skill, input availability especially fodder. Managerial practices in Haryana showed more inclination towards input intensive, in Maharashtra farmers are moving towards intensive system and adoption of improved housing, feeding, finance are likely to appear in Maharashtra. To achieve the future demand, efforts are required to improve the skills of farmers in low progressive states, proper breeding strategies for increasing milk potential of animals, use of local available resources and competitiveness among the farmers.

Abstract Background Information on the foci of Plasmodium species infections is essential for any country heading towards elimination. Odisha, one of the malaria-endemic states of India is targeting elimination of malaria by 2030. To support decision-making regarding targeted intervention, the distribution of Plasmodium species infections was investigated in hard-to-reach areas where a special malaria elimination drive, namely Durgama Anchalare Malaria Nirakaran (DAMaN) began in 2017. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2228 households during July to November 2019 in six districts, to evaluate the occurrence of Plasmodium species. The species were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by sequencing, in case of Plasmodium ovale. Results Of the 3557 blood specimens tested, malaria infection was detected in 282 (7.8%) specimens by PCR. Of the total positive samples, 14.1% were P. ovale spp. and 10.3% were Plasmodium malariae infections. The majority of P. ovale spp. (75.8%) infections were mixed with either Plasmodium falciparum and/or Plasmodium vivax and found to be distributed in three geophysical regions (Northern-plateau, Central Tableland and Eastern Ghat) of the State, while P. malariae has been found in Northern-plateau and Eastern Ghat regions. Speciation revealed occurrence of both Plasmodium ovale curtisi (classic type) and Plasmodium ovale wallikeri (variant type). Conclusions In the present study a considerable number of P. ovale spp. and P. malariae were detected in a wide geographical areas of Odisha State, which contributes around 40% of the country’s total malaria burden. For successful elimination of malaria within the framework of national programme, P. ovale spp. along with P. malariae needs to be incorporated in surveillance system, especially when P. falciparum and P. vivax spp. are in rapid decline.

Background: Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease found predominantly in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), causing significant public health concern in India. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of human brucellosis in Odisha, India among community members involved in animal husbandry as a common practice. Method: This cross-sectional study included 817 adult participants from 11 districts in Odisha. Four districts from the Northern division, four districts from the Central division, and three districts from the Southern division were selected for the study. Blood samples were collected during a COVID-19 serosurvey in Odisha conducted from 1st to 17th September 2021. Immunoglobulin-G (IgG) antibodies were measured against Brucella using a commercial ELISA kit. Point estimates at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and adjusted odds ratio were calculated. Results: The overall prevalence of anti-Brucella IgG antibodies was calculated at 16.65% (95% CI: 14.19-19.42). The highest seropositivity was found in Sambalpur district (29.73%; 95% CI: 16.43-47.16) and the lowest was determined in Mayurbhanj district (4.44%; 95% CI: 0.99-15.60). Compared to males, females were more prone to contracting the disease (AOR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.05-1.67). Participants from rural settings had higher prevalence of anti-Brucella IgG antibodies than urban dwellers (AOR: 4.53; 95% CI: 1.73-11.86). Conclusion: This study revealed that human brucellosis was associated with sociodemographic factors like gender, living settings, and household numbers. To prevent brucellosis, screening should be initiated, infected humans should be treated early, and the public should be educated about risk factors and preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Haemoglobinopathies and G6PD deficiency are inherited disorders found mostly in malaria-endemic areas among different tribal groups of India. However, epidemiological data specific to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), important for planning and implementing malaria programmes, is limited. Therefore, the present community-based study aimed to assess the prevalence of haemoglobinopathies and G6PD deficiency among the 13 PVTGs found in the state of Odisha, reporting the maximum malaria cases in the country. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2018 to February 2019 in 12 districts, home to all 13 PVTGs, in an estimated sample size of 1461, selected two-stage sampling method. Detection of haemoglobinopathies was done by the variant analyser. Screening of G6PD deficiency was carried out using DPIP method followed by quantification using spectrophotometry. The PCR–RFLP technology was used to determine variant of G6PD deficiency and haplotype analysis of sickle cell, while ARMS-PCR and GAP-PCR was used for detecting the mutation pattern in β-thalassaemia and α-thalassaemia respectively. The diagnosis of malaria was done by Pf-PAN RDT as point of care, followed by nPCR for confirmation and Plasmodium species identification. Results: The prevalence of sickle cell heterozygotes (AS) was 3.4%, sickle cell homozygous (SS) 0.1%, β-thalassaemia heterozygotes 0.3%, HbS/β-thalassaemia compound heterozygote 0.07%, HbS-α-thalassaemia 2.1%, G6PD deficiency 3.2% and malaria 8.1%. Molecular characterization of βS revealed the presence of Arab-Indian haplotype in all HbS cases and IVS 1–5 G → C mutation in all β-thalassaemia cases. In case of α-thal, αα/α-3.7 gene deletion was most frequent (38%), followed by αα/α-4.2 (18%) and α-3.7/α-3.7 (4%). The frequency of G6PD Orissa (131C → G) mutation was found to be 97.9% and G6PD Mediterranean (563C → T) 2.1%. Around 57.4% of G6PD deficient individuals and 16% of the AS were found to be malaria positive. Conclusion: The present study reveals wide spread prevalence of sickle cell anaemia, α-thalassaemia, G6PD deficiency and malaria in the studied population. Moderate to high prevalence of G6PD deficiency and malaria warrants G6PD testing before treating with primaquine (PQ) for radical cure of Plasmodium vivax. Screening and counselling for HbS is required for the PVTGs of Odisha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to determine and compare the prevalence of known risk factors for CHD in south Odisha's urban and rural communities. A hospital-based epidemiological study from South Odisha was carried out at MKCG Medical College Hospital. Data was collected using a coded schedule that was designed in advance after receiving oral consent. Different known risk factors for CHD were examined. Questions were asked about family history of CHD, smoking / tobacco use, alcohol consumption, exercise and mental stress. Anthropometric parameters such as height, weight, waist circumference and hip circumference of the subjects were recorded. Blood pressure, fasting blood sugar and serum cholesterol for study subjects were also estimated. The prevalence of sedentary lifestyle, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia appeared to be significantly higher among urban subjects compared to rural. High prevalence has been noted for obesity and the family history of CHD among urban subjects compared to that among rural. However, the difference in prevalence was not statistically significant. Smoking / tobacco use, stress and alcohol consumption were higher among rural subjects than those found in cities. Current research clearly shows that the increasing prevalence of CHD risk factors in Odisha is a major problem for public health in India. Population-based emergency measures are needed to control the risk factors in cardiovascular risk factors to prevent CHD in Odisha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social protection (SP) programs have become a widespread intervention to strengthen coping strategies in developing countries to improve the well‐being of vulnerable households. Past studies have identified the positive impact of SP on ex‐post poverty reduction. However, there is relatively scant evidence of the role of SP in reducing vulnerability to poverty (VtP). This study estimates the role of SP, in particular, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and public distribution system (PDS) in reducing household VtP in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. Firstly, the household VtP was estimated using the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method. Secondly, the role of SP in reducing household VtP was analyzed using the quantile regression (QR) approach. This study utilizes cross‐sectional data of 1506 rural households from the State of Odisha. The FGLS estimates show that the household VtP rate is 42.43% as opposed to the current poverty rate of 32.87% in the state. The QR results demonstrate that the households that participated in the MGNREGA program are less likely to fall into poverty than those without it. However, household access to the PDS is observed to have no significant association with vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malnutrition is an important and major public health problem in a developing nation like India. Keeping this in mind, a study was conducted to determine the proportion of under-five children with malnutrition among hospitalised under-five-year children and to examine co-morbid diseases and epidemiological factors associated with malnutrition. Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted in the paediatric ward of a tertiary care hospital in Koraput, Odisha. All children under the age of five years suffering from malnutrition were admitted in the hospital over a period of 1 month were included in the study. Results: The total number of children under the age of five diagnosed with malnutrition was 72 (40.4%). Moderate and severe/very severe malnutrition were statistically significantly higher in the girl child. The proportions of moderate and severe/very severe malnutrition were higher in low-birth-weight babies, i.e., children who were incompletely immunised due to age. Incorrect infant feeding practice was observed in 41 (56.9%) children. Some of the co-morbid conditions that contributed to the morbidity of the malnourished child were acute diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections, anaemia, and septicemia. Conclusion: A large proportion of the hospitalised children were malnourished. Girls suffered from moderate to severe malnutrition compared to male children, which was the only statistically significant association. This may be due to the negligence of a girl child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide, around 1.28 billion adults, aged 30–79 years have hypertension (HTN) and most (two‑thirds) of them living in low‑ and middle‑income countries like India. While only less than half of adults (42%) with HTN are diagnosed and treated. This study is an effort to estimate the prevalence and determine the determinants of HTN among the rural elderly population in Tigira block, Cuttack district of Odisha. Methodology: This cross‑sectional study was carried out among 725 rural elderly (>60 years) people using probability proportionate to sample (PPS) sampling in the year 2019–2020. Previous medical history of HTN diagnosed by medical professional was taken as positive for HTN. Bivariate analysis was performed using the Chi‑square test. The binary logistic regression model was used to find out the predictors of HTN. Results: This cross‑sectional study found an HTN prevalence of 34.75% (n = 252) among rural older adults. Factors found to be significantly associated with HTN were female gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.73, confidence interval [CI] = 1.129–2.666), elderly aged ≥80 years (AOR = 1.98, CI = 1.170–3.379), not working elderly (AOR = 2.14, CI = 1.178–3.89), lower‑middle socioeconomic status (SES) (AOR = 1.61, CI = 1.093–2.372), overweight elderly (AOR = 2.01, CI = 1.309–3.098) and diabetics (AOR = 4.56, CI = 2.704–7.718), respectively. Conclusion: HTN prevalence was found to be high in the rural area, and the factors such as female gender, elderly aged ≥80 years, not working elderly, lower‑middle SES, overweight elderly, and diabetes were found to be the determinants of HTN in the rural elderly population of Odisha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A menippid crab Myomenippe hardwickii (Gray, 1831) was obtained in the macrobenthic collections from Hukitola, a mangrove-associated Bay located south of Bhitarkanika, Odisha, on the east coast of India. Although the crab was reported from the coastal waters adjoining Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, documentation of the species from Odisha remained elusive until the current study. Therefore, species diagnosis with suitable illustrations and ecological details are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Health literacy among school children is a priority to promote their health, hygiene, and nutrition behaviours and practices. Although in schools they learn from their peers and teachers, their domestic and social conditions also contribute to learning and adopting in practice. The level of health literacy is also influenced based on socio-demographic features. Aims: It is imperative to explore and understand the practices including existing gaps and challenges for future improvement. Methods and Material: A qualitative study consisting of 17 focus group discussions (FGDs) among students and teachers in six rural secondary schools was carried out in a rural block of the Cuttack district, Odisha. All FGDs were audio-recorded; transcribed and compiled data were imported into Atlas.ti for analysis. Results: An existing gap in health literacy and healthy practices with respect to hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, and diseases was observed. A low socio-economic status, inaccessibility to clean and safe drinking water, toilet facility, and nutritional food items were major factors preventing their health literacy and practice. Many schools have adopted measures such as poster presentation, practical teaching and demonstration, school play, and competitions at the school and in the community, which were found to be effective for creating awareness. Improving infrastructural facilities, ensuring availability of essential commodities, and having more health-promotional activities are required for improving health literacy and practice. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to improve the health literacy and practice among rural school children. Innovative practical-oriented education at schools and improved awareness among parents and community people would achieve better adherence to healthy practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health state valuation attempts to evaluate health states based on the perception of individuals. The values are used to derive disability weights (DWs) —an important metric for estimation of disability-adjusted life years and thereby calculation of the burden of diseases. Several studies have calculated DWs using different methods of valuation, however, very few have attempted to explore the underlying cause for assigning values to different health states. This study aims to document the perceptions, preferences, and social context in assigning DWs to given health states. Methods: A total of 42 community members and 21 service providers (from public and private sectors) across urban and rural Odisha and Telangana were interviewed between July to September 2018. A face-to-face in-depth interview and a rank ordering technique through card sort exercise was employed to explore reasons and perceptions of individuals in the context of health states using the thematic framework approach. Findings: Six themes emerged through analysis: awareness of the health state, nature of the disease, disease consequences, treatment-related issues, social implications, and case burden. Each theme captured an individual's reason for valuing one health state as different from the other, with differences and/or similarities between community members and service providers. Conclusion: Our study provides a comprehensive comparison between contrasting groups of individuals, thereby suggesting mere acceptance of 'experts' reasoning may not always suffice. Further research studies in the future need to be conducted for a better insight into the health perspective of a culturally diverse community. It can also help estimate the burden of disease for decision making and resource allocation in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of crop diversification in agricultural transition towards high-value crops as well as farm income growth in Odisha, Eastern India. The empirical analysis reveals some crucial facts: first, a stagnant and relatively low level of crop diversification in Odisha agriculture. Second, there is an insignificant agricultural transition due to the negative area substitution effect for most of the crops, along with a weak expansion effect over the last two decades from 1995-2018. Third, a declining contribution of productivity growth coupled with an insignificant contribution of crop diversification to the farm income growth over the years. Hence, we conclude no or an insignificant agricultural transition from traditional to high-value modern agriculture in Eastern India, causing unsustainable farm income growth. This calls for an urgent need to promote a mixed cropping pattern and colossal investment to encourage the farmers to transition towards high-value crops, stimulating farm income growth. Furthermore, massive efforts are required to make farmers aware of the advantages of diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 (hereafter COVID) induced lockdown provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of human activities on coastal ecosystems. This study quantified the seasonal variations in concentrations of nine metals (Al, Cr, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb) in surface water and sediment samples of the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia (i.e., Chilika Lagoon), comparing pre-and post-COVID scenarios. The COVID lockdown resulted in a wide variation in metals concentrations, with surface water showing 1 to 8.6-fold reduction in metals such as Al, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Pb, while sediment displayed a more modest reduction of 1 to 1.3-fold. Metals like Cd, Co and Ni were below detection limit in post-COVID water samples with a slight decrease (1-fold) in the sediments. COVID lockdown did not show any significant correlation with metal concentrations in water or sediment. This study provides baseline data for metal contamination in the surface water and sediment of the Chilika Lagoon., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Bargarh, a district in Odisha, is known for intense agricultural activities because of uninterrupted irrigation from the Hirakud reservoir. The number of chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases in the district is increasing rapidly. The present study assesses the prevalence of CKD and CKDu (of unknown etiology) in the district and its association with pesticide application., Materials and Methods: A door-to-door survey was conducted to find out the CKD hotspots in the different blocks of the district with the help of primary and community health centers. The prevalence of CKD in the identified hotspot villages was assessed using a random clustered sampling method along with the collection of data related to age, sex, occupation and source of drinking water. Soil and water samples collected from identified hotspot and nonhotspot villages were analyzed to assess the presence of nephrotoxic pesticide residues., Results: A total of 16 villages were identified with high CKD prevalence rates and designated as hotspot villages. Data indicate that about 21% of males under ≥ 40 years age group were found to be suffering from CKD. Cases of CKDu (85%) were more prominent in these hotspot villages. Analysis of soil and water samples demonstrated the presence of seven different nephrotoxic pesticides above the maximum residues levels (MRLs) in hotspot villages compared to nonhotspot villages., Conclusion: The presence of nephrotoxic pesticides above MRLs in the hotspot villages indicates their possible association with the onset and progression of CKD among the exposed population. Further research is needed to establish their causative association with CKDu in the study region., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 Indian Journal of Nephrology | Published by Scientific Scholar.)

Background: Current evidence on vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and neonatal outcome among exposed newborns is emerging and posing a challenge for preventive interventions. Perinatal transmission to the neonates especially during breastfeeding and rooming in is also relatively unknown. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in Kalinga Institute of Medical Science (KIMS), Odisha state from 1st May to 20th October 2020. A total of 165 neonates born to SARS-CoV-2 infected mothers were enrolled. Real time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) testing was done in first 32 neonates in initial 24 h of life. Results: The clinical characteristics of 162 mothers & 165 neonates were analyzed. Mode of delivery was by caesarian section in most (n = 103, 60%) cases. Three (3/32, 9.4%) inborn and 6 outborn neonates were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Thirty-eight (23%) babies needed neonatal intensive care. Clinical characteristics of neonates were meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF [23.63%]), prematurity (16.9%), respiratory distress (10.5%), moderate to severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (3.6%), sepsis (7%) and hyperbilirubinemia (8.7%). Out of 138 stable babies kept on mother side and initiated breast feeding, none of them developed any signs and symptoms attributable to SARS-CoV-2. Five (3%) neonates died in COVID hospital of which one baby was SARS-CoV-2 positive. Conclusion: There was an increased rate of incidences of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, meconium stained liquor and cesarean section delivery in COVID hospital. We found a possible vertical transmission in 9.4% cases. None of the neonates developed sign and symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection during rooming in and breast feeding.

BackgroundBrucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease found predominantly in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), causing significant public health concern in India. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of human brucellosis in Odisha, India among community members involved in animal husbandry as a common practice.MethodThis cross-sectional study included 817 adult participants from 11 districts in Odisha. Four districts from the Northern division, four districts from the Central division, and three districts from the Southern division were selected for the study. Blood samples were collected during a COVID-19 serosurvey in Odisha conducted from 1st to 17th September 2021. Immunoglobulin-G (IgG) antibodies were measured against Brucella using a commercial ELISA kit. Point estimates at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and adjusted odds ratio were calculated.ResultsThe overall prevalence of anti-Brucella IgG antibodies was calculated at 16.65% (95% CI: 14.19–19.42). The highest seropositivity was found in Sambalpur district (29.73%; 95% CI: 16.43–47.16) and the lowest was determined in Mayurbhanj district (4.44%; 95% CI: 0.99–15.60). Compared to males, females were more prone to contracting the disease (AOR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.05–1.67). Participants from rural settings had higher prevalence of anti-Brucella IgG antibodies than urban dwellers (AOR: 4.53; 95% CI: 1.73–11.86).ConclusionThis study revealed that human brucellosis was associated with sociodemographic factors like gender, living settings, and household numbers. To prevent brucellosis, screening should be initiated, infected humans should be treated early, and the public should be educated about risk factors and preventive measures.

The investigation was carried out during 2017-18 to identify and document the emerging diseases of Indian Jujube or ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) in Odisha state located in Eastern part of India. Periodical visit and subsequent investigations revealed the occurrence of a new kind of stem blotch disease in ber caused by alga. Symptoms were observed on bark of the stem and branches as bright red velvety blotch colonies during July- September 2017. However dull grey blotches were visible throughout the year. Leaves and fruits were left unaffected. The algal stem blotch occurrence was assessed during the year 2018 and disease severity ranged from 9.4-14.8 per cent. The green alga was identified and confirmed as Trentepohlia arborum (Agardh) Hariot based on key morphological characters. The stem blotches lead to death of young twigs measured between 3 to 8 mm thickness on primary and secondary branches wherein thickness of branches was more than 10 mm, algal blotches caused cracking of bark. Present study highlights the causal agent of stem blotch of ber, its symptomatology, impact of disease and suggested management practices.

The Mahanadi Estuarine System (MES), with a complex network of freshwater channels, rivers, and mangroves, is a leading seaport in State Odisha on the east coast of India, but subjected to intense human activity in recent years. Such anthropic impingements are known to impact sediment-dwelling biota adversely. However, information on the macrobenthic community of the MES is not well documented yet. Therefore, the primary objectives of this study (February 2013-March 2017) were to address knowledge gaps on the macrobenthic community structure vis-à-vis local environmental conditions and to evaluate the extent of anthropogenic disturbances on macrobenthos. The results from 264 benthic grab samples (van Veen, 0.04 m2; 2 replicates × 12 GPS fixed locations × 3 seasons) revealed 73 taxa representing 64 genera and 48 families of macrobenthic fauna. The polychaetes (81.41%) and crustaceans (15.42%) were significant faunal groups that contributed mainly to the benthic population and diversity. Multivariate approaches using benthic community attributes and biotic indices (AMBI and M-AMBI) as proxy measures of environmental disturbances proved effective for appraisal. The correlations between the environmental parameters (temperature, pH, salinity) and community estimates were statistically significant. Hierarchical clustering analysis disclosed three major groups (Global R 0.70; p < 0.002) influenced by tolerant/opportunist species. The lower abundance, richness, diversity, and dominance of opportunistic species mark the signs of environmental stress. The community health status remained unbalanced, as indicated by AMBI scoring. M-AMBI analysis contributed best in differentiating areas exposed to diverse impacts and indicated polluted community health status with moderate ecological quality. Our results reiterate the effective use of macrobenthos as bioindicators for ecological status and monitoring. The findings could be utilized for future monitoring assessments, translated into valuable information, and designed into well-defined sustainable management strategies for the MES.

Background & objectives: Serial national level serosurveys in India have provided valuable information regarding the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the general population, but the impact of the ongoing pandemic on the tribal population in India is not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the seroprevalence of COVID-19 antibodies in the tribal population of Odisha post-second wave (September 2021). Methods: A population-based, age-stratified, cross-sectional study design was adopted for the survey, carried out in seven tribal districts of Odisha from 30th August to 16th September 2021. A multistage random sampling method was used where serum samples were tested for antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein in each district, and a weighted seroprevalence with 95 per cent confidence interval (CI) was estimated for each district. Results: A total of 2855 study participants were included from the seven tribal districts of Odisha in the final analysis. The overall weighted seroprevalence was 72.8 per cent (95% CI: 70.1-75.3). Serological prevalence was the highest among 18-44 yr (74.4%, 95% CI: 71.3-77.3) and from Sambalpur district [75.90% (66.90-83.10)]. Among participants, 41.93 per cent had received at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. Kandhamal district had the highest number of fully immunized participants (24.78%), and in Sundergarh district, most of the study participants (58.1%) were unimmunized. Interpretation & conclusions: This study found high seroprevalence against SARS-CoV-2 in the tribal population of Odisha. The vaccination coverage is at par with the general population, and efforts to address some knowledge gaps may be needed to improve the coverage in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: Financing healthcare services through out-of-pocket payments is common in India. Household impoverishments due to health expenditure can be daunting, especially among the economically vulnerable households. This study investigated hospitalization and patient's health expenditure in Odisha State in India. Methods: The national sample survey data were used to assess hospitalization and patient's health expenditure over two time periods (1995 and 2014). Disease classification was made following International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10). The hospitalization rate and health expenditure were estimated for infectious, cardiovascular, non-communicable, disability and other diseases. Andersen model was used to examine the determinants of healthcare expenditure. Results: Findings of the study revealed that hospitalization in Odisha increased nearly three folds and health expenditure by more than two times between 1995 to 2014. While the hospitalization for other diseases remained consistently higher, health expenditure for disability was the highest and it increased three times within the last two decades. The socio-economic and demographic divides in the hospitalization rate and health expenditure were evident. Interpretation & conclusions: Our analysis indicated that predisposing factors such as age and marital status played an important role in hospitalization whereas, enabling factors likely determined the health expenditure. There is a need to recognize the unique vulnerabilities of older population, widowed and health financial mechanism for disability-related illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bibliometric analyses are an important tool for evaluating health research outputs in terms of their distribution, trends, contributors, focus, and funding sources. The transition from millennium to sustainable development goals has led to a gradual shift in the health policy, and possibly, research priorities of low‑income settings in the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states lagging in socioeconomic and health parameters, and also ranking low on innovations and research. In this study, we depict the recent trends, quantity, type, focus, and sources of health‑related research in the EAG state of Odisha, India. Methods: Peer‑reviewed published original research articles related to human health published between 1 January, 2011 and 31 December, 2020 and where the study population was the residents of Odisha, or the study site was in Odisha, exclusively or partially, were analyzed. The publication characteristics were tabulated, including the title, journal name, open access, date of publication, number of authors, designation of the authors, number of institutes involved, and name of the institute of the first author. The details of the study setting, study site, ethical clearance, and funding source were also analyzed. Results: The study identified 2,285 articles from database searches and included 666 articles after screening for bibliometric analysis. Most of the manuscripts had between three and six authors (43.5%). Two institutes from the state, the Regional Medical Research Center (ICMR‑RMRC) and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), together contributed to 22.4% of the published manuscripts. Nearly 45.9% of the studies were community‑based while 45.3% were hospital‑based. While most of the published work was on infectious diseases, the proportion came down with time. An overwhelming majority of the studies were observational and less than 10% were experimental in design. Conclusions: The analysis shows a substantial increase in the number of publications in this decade. Priority setting of healthcare problems, increased funding, and capacity‑building can give a much‑necessitated impetus to more quality‑ and evidence‑based research for aiding policy implementation and improvement of the overall health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on sexual and reproductive health including contraception use has predominantly focussed on women's behaviour. Much less is known about men's behaviour. We investigated the links between marriage practices and decision-making about contraception use among young married men in rural Odisha. This cross-sectional study used a mixed methods design. Data were collected through household surveys and in-depth interviews. Study findings revealed that over half of men were ill prepared for marriage and lacked understanding about what it would entail. Familiarity and communication between spouses were higher in self-arranged marriages and this contributed considerably to contraception use, while negative attitudes and lack of access to contraceptive supply and counselling hindered it. Many young men shied away from seeking contraception services at community level since the majority of frontline health workers providing such services were female. Findings reinforce the need for health system change to actively engage and involve young married men in decision-making about contraception use as well as to introduce male frontline health workers who can reach out to young men on SRH issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosquito-borne diseases are a major public health concern. Because of absence of effective therapy and vaccination to treat and prevent such vector-borne diseases, these initial cases have triggered strong concerns within medical communities, turning a bad dream into reality. To date, reducing the mosquito vector population remains the main strategy to control the transmission of mosquito borne diseases. In this connection, community-based perception recognized as an essential tool for long-term vector control management. In this study, a community perception survey was carried out in six selected study areas of Ganjam district of Odisha. A total of 3257 inhabitants from randomly chosen 600 no. of houses from 06 selected study areas were interviewed using a pre-tested structured questionnaire about various mosquito vector-borne diseases. As an outcome, we found that only 36% of people have basic knowledge and idea about vector-borne diseases, out of which only 14% know Anopheles as a causative agent whereas Aedes and Culex were very least concern. Regarding the source of knowledge, electronic media was the principal source of information, while the involvements of health personnel were least mentioned. Results of the current study indicates the necessity to plan health education program to bring important perceptions regarding vector-borne diseases at school and college level because the infrequent source of knowledge is the main cause of an increase in the disease incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the overuse of the coastal zones, the effect of climatic crises, and the coastal erosion problem the coastal zones across the globe are at great risk. To understand the severity of the coastal erosion by keeping the usability aspect this study has considered the whole Odisha coast as the study area and has studied the effect of coastal erosion as a statistical analysis to evaluate the Net Shoreline Movement (NSM), End Point Rate (EPR), Linear Regression Rate (LRR) with the help of Digital Shoreline Analysis Tool (DSAS) at the blocks level for all the 22 coastal blocks of the 6 coastal districts. The area that has altered in the past has been determined to better comprehend the impact of the erosion process in the state. Furthermore, the future trend for the coastline position for 2030 and 2040 has been forecasted which showed the estuary positions are going to be affected most. Considering the Landsat satellite data to manually delineate the shoreline position from 1973 to 2020, the analysis showed average NSM, EPR, and LRR values of -84.95 m, -1.81 m/year, and -0.36 m/year respectively with 72.47 sq. km of the eroded coastal area against 42.83 sq. km of newly formed landmass by the coastal dynamic process. The study showed that mitigation and preventive measures are of utmost importance for the coast. The construction of different fixed coastal protection structures or some sustainable approach should be taken to prevent this disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil sampling, collection, and analysis are a costly and labor-intensive activity that cannot cover the entire farmlands; hence, it was conceived to use high-speed open-source platforms like Google Earth Engine in this research to estimate soil characteristics remotely using high-resolution open-source satellite data. The objective of this research was to estimate soil pH from Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8 satellite-derived indices; data from Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Landsat-8 satellite missions were used to generate indices and as proxies in a statistical model to estimate soil pH. Step-wise multiple regression (SWMR), artificial neural networks (ANN), and random forest (RF) regression were used to develop predictive models for soil pH, SWMR, ANN, and RF regression models. The SWMR greedy method of variable selection was used to select the appropriate independent variables that were highly correlated with soil pH. Variables that were retained in the SWMR are B2, B11, Brightness index, Salinity index 2, Salinity index 5 of Sentinel-2 data; VH/VV index of Sentinel 1 and TIR1 (thermal infrared band1) Landsat-8 with p-value < 0.05. Among the four statistical models developed, the class-wise RF model performed better than other models with a cumulative correlation coefficient of 0.87 and RMSE of 0.35. The better performance of class-wise RF models can be attributed to different spectral characteristics of different soil pH groups. More than 70% of the soils in Angul and Balangir districts are acidic soils, and therefore, the training of the dataset was affected by that leading to misclassification of neutral and alkaline soils hindering the performance of single class models. Our results showed that the spectral bands and indices can be used as proxies to soil pH with individual classes of acidic, neutral, and alkaline soils. This study has shown the potential in using big data analytics to predict soil pH leading to the accurate mapping of soils and help in decision support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this review was to summarize and compare the estimates of diabetes among adults in community and hospital-based settings in Odisha, India. Introduction: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a major non-communicable disease as well as a risk factor. In a vast and diverse country such as India, where health is a state subject, regional synthesized and up to date estimates of DM burden is necessary for informed policy making. No such estimates are currently available for the state of Odisha. Materials and Methods: Peer-reviewed published original research articles related to prevalence DM in the state of Odisha published between 2011 and 2022 were retrieved from 4 medical databases and analysed. Study screening, selection, data extraction and critical appraisal was done by 2 independent review authors. Data synthesis and assessment of certainty of the evidence was done in meta-analysis of the results. Results: A total of 15 studies, that included 17339 participants, with overall good methodological quality were included in the review. The overall prevalence of DM among adults in the state of Odisha based on Community based surveys was 6.8% (95% CI: 2.3-13.4%). The prevalence in older adults aged 60 years or above is higher at 22.2% (95% CI: 8.6-39.9%). The prevalence in studies that relied on self-reported methods of screening was 4.8% (95% CI: 1.7-9.3%) as compared to those that diagnosed participants based on standard criteria (12.1%; 95% CI: 8.1-16.7%). Conclusions: We found a high prevalence of DM in the state of Odisha, which was higher than previously available national and regional estimates. This prevalence was much lower in community-based studies and in self-reported surveys pointing towards significant under diagnosis of hypertension in the state of Odisha and highlighting a need for a robust community-based screening program among adults in the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an outline of the early rebellions against the East India Company that broke out in the region, comprised of the present-day Bangladesh, and Indian states of West Bengal and Odisha. Organised by a wide range of people, from ascetics, peasants, landlords to discontented nobles; these primordial rebellions summed up some of their responses to the new revenue regime, land-settlements, dispossessions, and fiscal issues, in the first hundred years of the company's rule. The complex composition pattern of the rebellions, including ideological issues, has been analysed with reference to the Sannyasi and Fakir rebellions, due to wide research attention they received earlier. Important shreds of the history of anti-colonialism at the regional level, these rebellions not only represented elements of continuity linking them to the Great Tumult of 1857, but also contributed to the broader national movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines caste bias in Odia language textbooks prescribed by the Government in middle schools in the State of Odisha, India. The analysis focuses on 10 textbooks for Social Science and Odia literature prescribed for Classes IV to VIII. The framework proposed by Sadker and Zittleman (2007) to study gender bias in educational material in the United States is contextualized for an application to Indian textbooks. Content analysis identified seven types of bias, with 'invisibility' bias being the most important form of bias. This first-ever systematic analysis of caste bias within curricular material in India brings to fore the exclusion of Scheduled Castes. The persistence of caste bias across textbooks is in direct violation of the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework-2005 and systematically creates an illusion that Indian society is an equitable one. We suggest that there is a need for further evaluation of regional language school textbooks to assess the extent of bias in curricular material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic hazard assessment is indispensable to improve and update the earthquake peak ground acceleration (PGA) and intensity map. Although a lot of work has been done on earthquake hazard assessment using various mathematical functions and spatial technologies, however, limited studies could be seen on estimating PGA and intensity variation using the powerful wavelets tool. This paper analyzed the location-frequency characteristics of PGA, intensity, and their magnitude values based on short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) techniques. The models were implemented in the Indian state of Odisha. Earthquake ground motion is a random process that depends on lithology, amplification factors, structural features, and complicated tectonics of a given location. Four STFTs, namely Rectangle, Welch, Hanning, and Hamming and four CWT techniques such as Morlet, Paul (k=2), derivative of Gaussian DOG (k=2), and DOG (k=6) were implemented to study earthquake PGA in horizontal directions and their motion intensities. This study would help to locate the long-period ground motion in all the event locations. This research could help in identifying the areas, where the power of long-period ground motions could trigger structural damage. This study concludes that Hanning and Hamming's windows are superior to others in STFT, and DOG (k=6) is better than others in CWT analysis. Detailed seismic wave analysis and long-period ground motions study are required to minimize the structural damage during destructive earthquakes. Hence, wavelet techniques could be useful to specify the seismically active locations and local structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]