Background: Antibiotics are commonly self-medicated drugs worldwide, with over 50% purchased and used without a prescription. Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a global public health concern. ...Although many studies have been conducted worldwide to study the prevalence and pattern of self-medication with antibiotics and associated socio-demographic factors (SMA), very few have been conducted in India, and no such studies have been conducted in Delhi in community setup, especially in post-pandemic setup. Objective: 1. To estimate the prevalence and pattern of self-medication with antibiotics among the adults residing in the field practice areas of a medical college in South-East Delhi. 2. To determine the socio-demographic factors and their association with self-medication with antibiotics among the study subjects. Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in South-East Delhi. The sample size was calculated as 200 considering an absolute error of 5% at a 95% level of significance. Simple random sampling was done to select households by using a Random number generator. The total sample size of 200 was distributed proportionately between the UHTC and RHTC, according to Probability Proportional to Size (PPS). One individual from each selected household of age = 18 years who has used antibiotics in the past 3 months and met the eligibility criteria was included in the study. A self-designed, pre-tested, validated, structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: 71(35%) out of 200 of the participants practiced SMA. Nearly 42% of them lived in urban areas. 30% had an education level of high school and above. The Chi-square test revealed that the participant’s level of education was significantly associated with SMA. The frequency of SMA ranges from one to a maximum of five times in the past 3 months. 69% of the respondents administered antibiotics twice in the past 3 months. The indications for SMA were fever (34%), followed by cold and flu (23%) and UTI (14%). Most of the participants who practiced SMA obtained antibiotics from the pharmacy (75%) followed by leftovers from previous treatment (17%). Conclusion: The study revealed that more than one-third of the respondents practiced SMA. The findings from the present study indicate the necessity of activating antimicrobial stewardship programs throughout the country, as well as implementing effective legislation to prohibit dispensing antibiotics without prescription.
Background: Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) without the consultation of a professional is a serious health concern and can lead to serious health hazard. This study was designed to evaluate ...the trends in SMA behavior and risk factors in medical undergraduates to further explore the association between SMA practices and adverse drug events (ADEs). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out among 360 volunteering medical undergraduates at a tertiary care teaching hospital in New Delhi. Results: 67.78% of students (244/360) gave a history of SMA practice with females dominating (54.09%). Out of 244 students giving a positive history of SMA, 182 (74.59%) experienced ADE, reflecting a strong positive association between the two. Convenience (86.07%) was observed to be the main reason of practicing SMA in this study. Over-the-counter sale of prescription-only drugs, namely antibiotics by the community pharmacies, is as high as 90.16%, leading to the main source of acquiring antibiotics for self-medication. Fever (47.54%) and respiratory infections (39.34%) emerged as the major indications for SMA. Extended-spectrum penicillins (60.66%) were the most commonly used class of antibiotics for SMA. Conclusion: Our findings endorse high SMA prevalence among Indian medical students. Strict regulations on antibiotic sales and public education reinforced by strong antibiotic stewardship program at all levels are highly recommended.
This study was performed to analyze the morphometric traits and indices in 3000 animals of five registered sheep breeds in the Himalayan region under a multivariate approach. Data were recorded under ...field conditions with equal coverage of the five breeds, viz., Karnah, Gurez, Poonchi, Bakerwal and Changthangi on body length (BL), height at withers (HW), chest girth (CG), ear length (EL), and tail length (TL). Furthermore, four derived traits (indices) were studied, which included an index of body frame (IBF), an index of thorax development (ITD), a Baron-Crevat index (BCI), and an index of body weight (IBW). Multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) was undertaken on nine morphometric traits. Kaiser's criterion was used to reduce the number of principal components for further analysis and interpretation. The adequacy of sampling was evaluated using Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test and Bartlett's test of sphericity. The mean BL ranged from 52.15 (Changthangi) to 71.13 (Gurez). The estimates of HW, CG, EL and TL were highest in Gurez (63.49), Bakerwal (84.82), Bakerwal (7.26), and Karnah (8.18) breeds, respectively. Among the derived traits, the highest IBF was observed in the Gurez breed with an estimate of 112.22. Upon multivariate PCA on the dataset, the first four principal components were able to explain 92.117% of the total variance. The KMO test, Bartlett's test of sphericity and estimated communalities showed the appropriateness of PCA on the evaluated traits. Four eigenvalues were greater than one and were extracted for further analysis. Morphometric traits were highly correlated, except for EL and TL that showed lower correlation estimates with other traits. The Changthangi population showed the lowest estimates of BL, HW, CG and rectangular body frame. The present study ascertained important morphometric traits/indices that can help in developing selection criteria and formulating sustainable breeding and conservation plans vis-à-vis the unique sheep breeds of the temperate Himalayas.
Lipin-1 is a protein that plays a critical role in many cellular functions. At molecular level, it acts as a phosphatidic acid phosphohydrolase and a transcriptional coactivator. The functions of ...lipin-1 are largely dependent upon its subcellular localization, post-translational modifications like phosphorylation and acetylation, and also on its interaction with other proteins such as 14-3-3. However, the kinases and phosphatases that are responsible for these post translational modifications are not entirely known. Using bioinformatics and other biochemical approaches, we demonstrate lipin-1 as a novel target for AKT1 and LKB1. While AKT1 stabilizes lipin-1, LKB1 causes its degradation. Interestingly, our findings further show that lipin-1 enhances AKT1 activity as can be seen by increased phosphorylation of the substrates of AKT1. Taken together, our results suggest that lipin-1 plays an important role in the regulation of PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway, which is dysregulated in majority of cancers. Therefore, understating the role of lipin-1 may provide new and important insights into the regulation and functions of the PI3K-mTOR pathway, which is one of the major targets for anti-cancer drug development strategies.
An attempt was made in the present study to elucidate the (co)variance components and genetic parameters of fiber traits in Kashmir Merino sheep population using multivariate animal model. The data ...pertained to a total of 6836 sheep lambs born over a period of 21 years (1997-2017) and included information on different fiber traits greasy fleece weight at first (GFW1) and second (GFW2) clips; and fiber diameter (FD) and staple length (SL) at second clip. Genetic analysis was undertaken using average information restricted maximum likelihood (AI-REML) algorithm in WOMBAT program. The model incorporated six fixed (sex of lamb, season and period of birth, farm of origin, breed and type of birth) and two random effects (direct additive genetic and maternal genetic effects without any covariance between them) in it. The additive genetic heritability estimates for fiber traits were 0.300 ± 0.031; 0.289 ± 0.022; 0.254 ± 0.029 and 0.189 ± 0.028 for GFW1, GFW2, FD, and SL, respectively. The maternal genetic heritability estimates were very low for all traits under study. The genetic correlation between different traits was positive and estimates ranged from moderate to high. The results from present study imply that the variation in these traits has genetic basis which can be exploited in the selection programmes for their improvement. The correlation between different fiber traits was found to be favorable, which can lead to indirect selection response upon formulation of efficient breeding programmes.
Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and appropriate infection prevention practices are essential to decrease the rising trend of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Good antimicrobial prescribing habits ...formed early in the medical career can make a paradigm shift in combating the menace of AMR. Scarce data is available about the knowledge and perceptions of Indian undergraduates on AMS. This study was planned to analyse the knowledge, attitude and perceptions (KAP) of Indian medical undergraduates on rational antimicrobial prescribing, so that the lacunae in the training curriculum can be identified and addressed effectively. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out, on the pre-final and final year medical students (6th to 9th semester) from six medical colleges across different states of India. A scoring system was used to rate the knowledge, attitude and perceptions of the respondents as poor, average, or good. A total of 1505 students (83.61%) participated in the survey. Majority of the students (81.7%) from all medical colleges favoured more education on antimicrobials and to incorporate AMS in the undergraduate curriculum through integrated teaching. The results showed that overall, 70.9% students had a “good” score for knowledge on antimicrobial use, whereas only 55% scored “good” for being confident in rational antimicrobial prescribing. Surprisingly, only 56.5% correct responses for knowledge on selection of broad-spectrum antibiotics over narrow-spectrum antibiotics were recorded in our study. Most of the students (79.9%) were conscious that irrational prescribing can result to AMR. On the other hand, 54.9% students believed that the supply of new antimicrobials would take care of AMR eventually. 78.1% of our students believed that they were confident in making the right diagnosis of infection, whereas, 63.7% of respondents believed that they were not confident in identifying the clinical scenarios where antibiotics are not required. Significant association (p<0.05) was seen for both “good” knowledge and perception scores with the higher academic semesters reflecting more clinical exposure in later in course semesters. The study has highlighted the areas of clinical weakness and dilemma regarding prescription of antimicrobials. Efforts to address these issues on basic principles of antimicrobial stewardship, is critical for laying the foundation of successful AMS program and contributing in overcoming the antimicrobial resistance. The study recommends targeted training, articulating fine details of prescribing antimicrobials with real time case scenarios through a multi-disciplinary approach. The Indian undergraduate medical curriculum needs to incorporate early well-structured training on AMS by integrating pharmacology and microbiology teaching with the clinical subjects to ensure appropriate antibiotic prescribing practices by the future prescribers.
This study assessed antimicrobial prescription at our institute to promote rational antimicrobial use and implement customized antimicrobial stewardship programs. This study is a cross sectional ...point-prevalence survey on antimicrobial utilisation conducted at HAH Centenary hospital, New Delhi in April, 2019, over a period of 3 days. All in-patients were included in the analysis. However, neonates, emergency room patients and palliative care patients, orders for anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-tubercular and anti-parasitic medications were excluded. SPSS version 13.0 was planned to be used for analysis of the statistical data. The number of patients admitted at the point of time of our survey was 217, out of which 101 (46.54%) patients were receiving antimicrobial agents (AMA) with 160 (73.73%) AMAs prescribed. 50 patients (49.5%) were prescribed AMAs for infections, whereas, 49 patients (48.51%) were prescribed AMAs prophylactically and 2 (1.98%) patients received AMAs for reasons not defined. The intensive care units exhibited 93.33% patients receiving antimicrobials. The most common indication was intra-abdominal infections (32.40%). The most commonly used antibiotics were beta-lactam antibiotics (60.62%). The study suggests a high rate of antimicrobial use and highlights areas for intervention for rational antimicrobial use. We propose to sensitise the government on initiating a national antimicrobial stewardship program such as the Global Point Prevalence Survey and facilitate evidence-based antimicrobial practice.
•Genetic evaluation on 4174 wool records of Kashmir Merino Sheep was performed.•Least square means, heritability and genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated.•Adequate genetic variability ...was found within the breed which can be used for further improvement of this breed.•The fibre diameter was found to be comparable to fine wool breeds of the world.
The present study was carried on 4174 records of Kashmir Merino breed maintained at Government Sheep Breeding Farms; Kralapathri and Gowbal, Kashmir from 1997 to 2017. The mixed linear model was used for analysis with sire as a random effect and period, gender, farm, type of birth and parity as fixed effects. The averages were 0.77 ± 0.01 kg, 0.83 ± 0.01 kg, 20.41 ± 0.01 μ and 3.96 ± 0.02 cm for greasy fleece yield of first clip (GFY-1), greasy fleece yield of second clip (GFY-2), fiber diameter (FD) and staple length (SL). Highest and lowest CVs (%) were observed for GFY-2 (33.73%) and FD (2.26%), respectively. The least-squares means were 0.82 ± 0.05 kg, 0.80 ± 0.05 kg, and 3.86 ± 0.14 cm and 20.33 ± 0.05 μ for GFY-1, GFY-2, SL and FD, respectively. The sire and period of birth had significant effects while effect of birth type and dam’s parity was non-significant for all traits. The effects of sex and farm were significant on wool quality and yield traits, respectively. Heritability estimates were 0.61 ± 0.08, 0.47 ± 0.04, 0.23 ± 0.04, and 0.66 ± 0.10 for GFY-1, GFY-2, FD and SL, respectively. The results indicate that there is adequate genetic variability within the breed which can be used for further improvement of this breed.
The Cashmere (Pashmina) fiber attracts great demand worldwide for its fineness. To identify and determine the role of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) gene polymorphism on Pashmina fiber traits ...(quality and quantity), exon IV, and part of intron IV of the IGF-1 gene of Changthangi goats were analyzed. 103 Changthangi goats of either sex were divided into two groups, the high producers and low producers of Pashmina. Upon restriction digestion with HaeIII, three genotypes were identified, i.e., A
1
A
1
(0.253), A
2
A
2
(0.320), and A
1
A
2
(0.427). These genotypes did not vary significantly (p > .05) from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. DNA sequence analysis revealed G > C transversion in intron-IV of IGF-1 gene at the HaeIII restriction site. The SNP effect of two alleles on mean Cashmere fiber diameter of down fibers (MFD) was statistically significant (p < .05) and the average finest fiber diameter was 13.46 µ for genotype A
2
A
2.
The mean genetic variability parameters for the gene analyzed were heterozygosity value (0.4977), PIC Value (0.3738), Effective allele no (1.9908),and Shannon index I (0.6908). The significant association of IGF-1 gene polymorphism and fiber finesse can be exploited in breeding programmes to improve the production and quality of Pashmina fiber in goat populations.
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