bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Religiosity vs tobacco use: Religion’s impact on tobacco use among adult Indian population – A cross sectional study
Authors: Ragavane Priyadharshini , Kengadaran Shivashankar 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Tobacco use is major serious threats to health and well-being killing approximately 1 million people each year. One of the better ways for tobacco cessation is by promoting the cultural-religious belief that may influence a person’s tobacco-related habits.

Methods:
A Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 174 adult subjects of smoking and smokeless tobacco users. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information and the Duke University Religion Index was used to assess the influence of religious belief and the use of tobacco products. The appropriate statistical tests were done using the Chi square test and ANOVA.

Result:
The study involved 174 participants of smoking and smokeless tobacco users. The participants were predominantly males (96%) with a mean age of 36 years, and more than half were Hindus (71.85). Among the study participants, 37.4% were graduates and 17.8% were illiterates. With regard to Occupation, the majority of the respondents were Professionals (24.7%). Majority of tobacco users had religious beliefs and strongly accepted that using tobacco during the fasting period was against their religious beliefs.

Conclusion:
The study concluded that there is a strong influence of religious belief on tobacco usage. Hence, there is a need to conduct community awareness programs for the adult population about the consequences of tobacco use.
Diagnostic accuracy of DIPSI criteria for diagnosing gestational diabetes mellitus in Puducherry
Authors: Pravinraj S , Tajudeen Mohamed M. , Zala Darshana , Senthil Rajini , Jafrin Mercy M. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Context:
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a major concern in recent years. During pregnancy, it is difficult to consume 75 g of glucose in the fasting state as pregnant women may experience symptoms such as vomiting. The Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) criterion requires a single prick in the non-fasting state to collect the sample for diagnosing GDM.

Aims:
This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of DIPSI criteria compared to the WHO criteria for GDM diagnosis.

Settings and Design:
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pregnant mothers attending the primary health centers in Puducherry from August 2022 to November 2022.

Methods and Material:
A total of 384 samples were selected, and 75 g of anhydrous glucose was given after 8 hours of overnight fasting. Both fasting and postprandial venous blood sugar levels were measured to determine the prevalence of GDM as per the WHO 2013 criteria. After 2 days, GDM was diagnosed among all study participants based on the DIPSI criteria. Further analysis was done.

Results:
The prevalence of GDM was 14.1% and 12.8% per the WHO 2013 and DIPSI criteria, respectively. In comparison to the WHO 2013 criteria, DIPSI had 79.63% sensitivity, 98.18% specificity, 87.76% positive predictive value, and 96.72% negative predictive value. The results of kappa statistics showed that there was almost perfect agreement between the WHO 2013 criteria and DIPSI criteria.

Conclusions:
The present study shows that the DIPSI criteria can be used to screen and diagnose GDM as there is no need for overnight fasting. The blood glucose value can be measured easily with a single prick, which is comfortable for both pregnant women and treating doctors.
A sequential explanatory mixed method study of maternal and fetal outcome in gestational diabetes mellitus using Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group India (DIPSI) test in Puducherry
Authors: Ilamathi S , Sunitha T.H , Rajalakshmi M 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnancy is associated with polyhydramnios, macrosomia, and shoulder dystocia, and it also increases maternal and perinatal mortality.

Methods:
This sequential explanatory mixed-method study was conducted for six months. All the pregnant women attending the outpatient department of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at 24-28 weeks of gestation were subjected to universal screening with 75 gms of glucose and 2 hours of plasma glucose >140 mgs% is taken for diagnosis (according to DIPSI guidelines). After diagnosis, they were subjected to an HbA1c test. Women with HbA1c is >6.5% were excluded from the study. If pregnant women are screened negative by the DIPSI test, the test was repeated in the third trimester (32-34 weeks of gestation). Chi-square tests were used to find out the test of association for quantitative data and manual content analysis was performed for qualitative data.

Results:
DIPSI test was found to decrease the adverse maternal and neonatal outcome by early screening and management. The stakeholders’ perspectives identified by key informant interview were improper knowledge and awareness about the testing and others were anxiety and fear associated with the testing procedure.

Conclusions:
As DIPSI test is an effective single step in screening and diagnostic test, hence all pregnant mothers should undergo this glucose challenge test in their antenatal visits.
A study of SGLT2 inhibitors on levels of plasma atherogenesis biomarkers in diabetes
Authors: Nallathambi Naveenkumar , Pratheep V , Adithyan C , Subramanian Yogesh , Balamanikandan P 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Diabetes, a chronic metabolic disorder with microvascular and macrovascular complications. Metabolites of hyperglycemia mediates endothelial injury resulting in cascade of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis sets up plaque in vessel wall and obliterates the vascular lumen which results in stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease. Biomarkers like IL-6, hsCRP, fibrinogen are correlated with cardiovascular disease. In our study, we use non-invasive tool to predict the CVD risk like atherogenic index of plasma, Triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein, and triglyceride glucose index.

Methods:
This is a prospective observational study on type 2 diabetes patients on SGLT2 inhibitors attending medicine departments. Data was collected on disease duration, anthropometry, fasting and post prandial glucose, HbA1C, lipid profile at initial visit and after 6 months. Atherosclerosis indices were compared accordingly.

Results:
Among 300 patients enrolled, mean age was 44±6.41 yrs. Triglycerides was 143±4.6mg/dl, after 6 months was123±6.1 with significance(p<0.01). Low-density Lipoprotein(LDL) was 116 ±12.5mg/dL and after 6 months was 123±17which was significant(p<0.01). High-density Lipoprotein (HDL) at baseline was 37.9±2.6 mg/dL,at 6 months 49±3.6 with significance (p<0.01). Atherogenic index of plasma, baseline was 0.227±0.03, at 6 months was 0.040±0.040 with significance(p<0.01). Triglyceride glucose index(TyG), baseline was 5±0.05 and 6 months was 4.8±0.04 with significance(p<0.01). Triglyceride to HDL(TG:HDL), baseline was 3.7±0.2 and at 6 months was 2.56±0.2 with significance (p<0.01).

Conclusion:
From our study, we observed that SGLT2 inhibitor shows significant improvement in glycemic profile in addition to lipid profile. SGLT2 inhibitor lowered atherogenic indices.
Analysis of the pattern of drug use using WHO core drug indicators among general OPD patients in rural Puducherry
Authors: Kanagasabapathy Sivagami , Rajagopal Anandaraj , Murugan Vignesh , Balagurumoorthy Maharani , Vasudevan Kavita 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Prescription auditing is a crucial tool for evaluating a range of concerns, including injectable usage, polypharmacy, the use of generic names, and the quality of treatment given to patients in primary care facilities. The objective of the study was to assess, using WHO core drug use indicators, the drug use patterns of general outpatients (OPD) at a rural healthcare facility.

Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural peripheral health centre in Puducherry for a period of one year from September 2019 to August 2020. A total of 1200 prescriptions were analysed using the World Health Organization/International Network of Rational Use of Drugs (WHO/INRUD) monitoring tool to evaluate the prescription practices. Prescriptions of consenting patients attending OPD for general ailments were included in the study. Three to four prescriptions were chosen randomly on a daily basis. Patients who attended special clinics were excluded. The data was entered and analysed in MS Excel.

Results:
The average number of drugs per encounter was 3.10. The number of drugs prescribed by generic name was 65.7% and 39.8% of the encounters had antibiotics prescribed. Around 23.0% of the prescriptions contained injections. Of the prescribed drugs, 97.4% were available in the essential drug list. The average dispensing time observed was 20.80 sec. Out of the 3723 drugs prescribed 92.2% were actually dispensed and 77.5% were adequately labelled. Out of the 1200 patients interviewed regarding the dosage 72.0% had knowledge regarding the correct dosage. The health centre had a copy of the essential drug list and 83.0% of the drugs were available from the key drug list.

Conclusion:
Many indicators had shown sub-optimal values when compared to the recommended ones by WHO/INRUD. Timely interventions like continuing medical education for budding physicians, improving the doctor-population ratio, adequate number of pharmacists in public health facilities will improve prescription practices which in turn may contribute to mitigating antimicrobial resistance.
Doctor–patient communication practices: A cross-sectional survey on Indian physicians
Authors: Singhal Shubha , Shah Rima B. , Bansal Sumit , Dutta Siddhartha 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Effective communication is a critical and fundamental element of a successful medical practice and exerts a substantial influence on patient contentment, adherence, and disease outcome. This study was planned to identify domains for improvement in doctor–patient communication to enhance good practices in the future.

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 500 randomly selected samples of clinicians from government or private medical colleges across India. Data collection about current communication practices was carried out using google questionnaire forms and analysed.

Results:
Among the practitioners, there were 315 males and 185 females. The average time spent on patients’ consultation is 9.8 minutes. Nearly 80% of doctors do not introduce themselves to the patients, while half of the doctors consistently employ the patient’s name throughout discussion. The majority (82.8%) of the doctors listen to the patients attentively and showed empathy and positive attitude towards them. The maximum number of the doctors (55%) check that they comprehend what the patient explains about the disease, explain the need of prescribed tests (78%), and inform the result of the examination to the patient (68.8%). Approximately half of the study participants did not discuss the advantages and disadvantages of given treatments, but 78% of them agreed to do so in the future. More than half of clinicians schedule patient interviews to break unpleasant news. The majority of the doctors (60.8%) communicate the future treatment strategy and prognosis to patients.

Conclusion:
Overall, a positive attitude was observed; however, a few domains that needed improvements were discussing awareness of the disease, advantages and disadvantages of treatment, and patient satisfaction.
Mobile health teleconsultation and telemedicine in operating outpatient departments during COVID-19 pandemic at a hospital in Eastern Nepal
Authors: Gupta Pramendra Prasad , Bhatta Narendra , Das Rakesh Kumar , Bhattarai Anish , Sarraf Deependra Prasad , Geissbuhler Antoine 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
Telemedicine provides a means to deliver healthcare across distances, enhancing efficiency and accessibility, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted its importance by reducing the risk of virus transmission while maintaining healthcare delivery. This study evaluates the telemedicine program implemented at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Nepal, which provided specialist services to remote districts via teleconsultation during the 2020 lockdown. The objectives were to identify the number of patients, the major complaints, and the follow-up departments during teleconsultation.

Methods:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on teleconsultation data from March 1 to August 31, 2020, across various outpatient departments at BPKIHS. Data from 10,901 patients were reviewed, with variables including age, gender, residence, and consultation medium. Descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS (version 22).

Results:
Most of the patients (55.46%) were female, and the majority (30.84%) aged 21–30 years. Most consultations were from the Sunsari district (54.8%) and Koshi state (88.9%). Voice calls were the primary medium (39.62%), followed by WhatsApp video calls (30.08%). Obstetrics and gynecology had the highest consultation rate (16.15%), followed by dermatology (14.4%) and psychiatry (10.37%). Nearly half of the patients (45.0%) had follow-up consultations, primarily for dermatological issues (17.85%).

Conclusion:
The findings underscore telemedicine’s role in facilitating healthcare access, particularly for women and residents of remote areas, by reducing travel and exposure risks. This study highlights the need for further integration of telehealth technologies to enhance healthcare delivery, suggesting that teleconsultation can efficiently meet healthcare demands in resource-limited settings during and beyond pandemics.
Morphometric evaluation of middle ear anatomical structures using full volume (12 × 9) CBCT scans: A retrospective study in Navi Mumbai
Authors: Verma Simran N. , Patil Bhakti S. , Das Deepa A. 
Published: November 2024

Introduction:
The tympanic cavity contains three tiny bones, the malleus, incus, and stapes, which have a fundamental role in the transmission of sound. Recent research emphasizes the use of CBCT for the anatomic study of the temporal bone. The information about middle ear anatomy on CBCT scans is meager; hence, this retrospective study was conducted to identify and determine the various morphometrical parameters of the malleus using CBCT which can be helpful during reconstructive procedures for the otologic surgeon.

Materials and Methods:
The retrospective study was performed on 200 subjects (101 M and 99 F) in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. CBCT images of 200 subjects were studied in all planes to identify ossicular chain and the malleus to investigate the morphometric parameters in Indian Subjects.

Result:
The average of morphometric parameters shows that the mean length of the malleus is 7.2 mm, the mean width of the head of the malleus is 3.02 mm, length of superior semicircular canal is 4.90 mm, and length of external auditory canal is 19.15 mm in Navi Mumbai population.

Conclusion:
The obtained morphometric data of the malleus through our study will help the prosthesis maker in the formation of various implants and grafts required to treat various ear diseases.
Effectiveness of teacher’s training program for tobacco control in schools of Lucknow: A Quasi-experimental study
Authors: Kankane Nishita , Gupta Vinay K. , Mishra Gaurav , Singh Shivendra K. , Malhotra Shitanshu 
Published: November 2024

Introduction:
Teachers play a crucial role in influencing the attitudes and behaviors of their students. Their knowledge, attitude, and practice towards tobacco use, have a direct impact on strict implementation of School Tobacco Control Policies. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the teacher’s training program, Choose Health by Avoiding Tobacco (CHAT) for tobacco control measures in schools of Lucknow.

Materials and Methods:
The study was a Quasi experimental study conducted among 120 school teachers from six Government High Schools in Lucknow. An interactive training session on various tobacco-related topics was conducted. Knowledge gained was assessed by comparing post-test scores with pre-test scores. McNemar’s test was employed to assess change in knowledge before, after, and after 1 month of the training program. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the mean of pre-, post-, and follow-up test scores.

Results:
The prevalence of tobacco use was 21.7% among the participating school teachers. The female teachers did not consume tobacco in any form. There was a significant improvement in the mean post-test score as compared to the pre-test score (P < 0.001), with no significant attrition of knowledge gained after one month. A 94.2% of the participants reported that the training session conducted has motivated them to quit tobacco use. Evaluation of the six participating schools on their compliance with the “Tobacco Free Educational Institute” (ToFEI) Guidelines, demonstrated some improvement in implementation of these guidelines within two months of the training session as compared to baseline observations.

Conclusion:
The present study showed that the CHAT interactive educational intervention program was effective in improving knowledge related to tobacco and its laws to protect minors from the tobacco epidemic. The intervention also resulted in a high level of motivation among teachers to choose a tobacco-free life.
Comparative evaluation of bone density after implant placement using cone-beam CT analysis in augmented versus non-augmented
Authors: Kulkarni Vishal , Gupta Hemant , Gupta Swati , Ghosh Sirsendu , Chaudhuri Shubhankar 
Published: November 2024

Introduction:
Dental implants are the most popular alternative to rehabilitation of missing teeth and oro-facial structures. The outcome of such procedures depends on various factors and most-importantly on the osseo-integation with the surrounding bone. The evaluation needs better visualization and evaluation using CBCT anaylsis and determination of HU, using an appropriate software.

Materials and Methods:
This prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary level teaching hospital. A total of 129 cases were considered for the study after applying the laid down inclusion and exclusion criteria. Implant placement was done by single operator for placement of the endosteal implant (AB implant system Inc). All implants were placed using a minimum insertion torque of 25 Ncm as assessed by the physio-dispenser (NSK). The HU numbers were obtained at specified areas after immediate and 24 weeks post-operative period. The cases were divided into Augmented cases (Group I) and non-augmented cases (Group II). The augmented cases utilised Novabone putty bone graft.

Results:
The study showed homogenous distribution of skewness and kurtosis in both the groups. The initial increase in augmented cases was due to increased radio-opacity of the graft. The HU values reached to near normal in both groups with no significant difference. The statistical test needed to analyze equality of variances, Levene’s test was considered to ascertain the level of significance. Although the variance of subjects in group I is significantly different from that of group II, the test concludes that equal variances are not assumed. This prompts us to reject the null hypothesis at hand.

Conclusion:
The use of augmentation as in this case with a bone putty show no significant improvement in improved bone quality at accelerated time. The study may need to be further augmented with research.
Evaluation of lignocaine HCl as a therapeutic and diagnostic tool in myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome and internal derangement
Authors: Pal Uma S. , Gangwar Shilpi , Verma Aditi , Singh Mayank , Sundaram Ezhilarasi , Kumar Lakshya , Sowmya Meleti V. 
Published: November 2024

Background:
Myofascial pain syndrome MPS is one of the most common causes of chronic musculoskeletal pain. It clinically presents with hypersensitive points in the muscle called “trigger points”. Most of the time it remains undiagnosed/undertreated and this leads to severity in symptoms. Deactivation/elimination of trigger points (TrPs) remains the cornerstone of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome (MPDS) management. The most commonly employed techniques clinically are dry needling of the TrP, local anesthetics or saline injections into TrP, spray and stretch, and ultrasound/electrogalvanic stimulation. Although peripheral nerve blocks are widely used for chronic pain management, their role in myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome is not yet well established. Our study aims to demonstrate the role of mandibular nerve block using lignocaine hydrochloride in the management of MPDS.

Materials and Method:
Our study is a single-centered randomized control trial performed to evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic role of mandibular nerve block in treating myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome. A total of 20 subjects fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Clinical parameters (pain, mouth opening, and mandibular deviation) were assessed at each follow-up appointment.

Result:
All of our patients had significant pain relief at the end of 1 month (P < 0.001), and a substantial improvement in mouth opening is also noted (P < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in deviation immediately after nerve block, and further gradual improvement was observed during each follow-up.

Conclusion:
Our study confirmed the role of mandibular nerve block in myofascial pain management. The diagnostic value of mandibular nerve block in differentiating MPDS from internal derangement is also highlighted.
Correlation of lipid profile APO A1 and APO B100 in chronic periodontitis patients leading to coronary artery disease
Authors: Gupta Shilpi , Lal Nand , Ali Wahid , Pradhan Akshaya , Verma Ajay Kumar , Gupta Prashant , Kumar Neeraj , Singh Balendra Pratap , Sinha Neeraj 
Published: November 2024

Background:
Increased attention has been focused on the association of periodontal disease with cardio-metabolic syndrome. Although the associations are multi-factorial, very few studies have explored the role of lipoprotein Apo A1 and Apo B100 with chronic periodontitis. Additionally, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a chronic multi-factorial respiratory disease, consists of a temporary decrease or cessation of breath for ≥ 10 seconds and leads to a reduction in blood oxygen saturation of more than 3% to 4% and/or neurological arousal. OSA involves the upper respiratory tract, and it has been proven that snoring and OSA have systemic consequences in humans. It has been recently suggested that OSA may be related to periodontitis, another chronic multi-factorial disease.

Materials and Methods:
A total of 600 participants aged between 30 and 80 years were analyzed. In this case control study, a total of 300 in the case group with chronic periodontitis and coronary artery disease (CAD) and 300 in the control group healthy population with chronic periodontitis were recruited. The following data were collected: 1) general information on socio-demographic, health-related factors, 2) periodontal status [clinical attachment loss (CAL), pocket probing depth (PPD)], and 3) a blood sample for estimation of lipoproteins and biochemical analysis.

Results:
The results of the current investigation point to a potential relationship between lipid metabolism and systemic inflammation brought on by periodontitis. It was observed that there is a link between periodontal disease and CAD.

Conclusion:
A significant correlation was found between the lipid profile APO A1 and APO B100 and the blood vessels involved in the case groups. Hence, cardiovascular diseases can be efficiently circumvent with a biomarker based approach to treatment, which also benefits patient's quality of life.