Postpartum contraceptive use and unmet need for family planning in five low-income countries

Background

During the post-partum period, most women wish to delay or prevent future pregnancies. Despite this, the unmet need for family planning up to a year after delivery is higher than at any other time. This study aims to assess fertility intention, contraceptive usage and unmet need for family planning amongst women who are six weeks postpartum, as well as to identify those at greatest risk of having an unmet need for family planning during this period.

Methods

Using the NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research’s multi-site, prospective, ongoing, active surveillance system to track pregnancies and births in 100 rural geographic clusters in 5 countries (India, Pakistan, Zambia, Kenya and Guatemala), we assessed fertility intention and contraceptive usage at day 42 post-partum.

Results

We gathered data on 36,687 women in the post-partum period. Less than 5% of these women wished to have another pregnancy within the year. Despite this, rates of modern contraceptive usage varied widely and unmet need ranged from 25% to 96%. Even amongst users of modern contraceptives, the uptake of the most effective long-acting reversible contraceptives (intrauterine devices) was low. Women of age less than 20 years, parity of two or less, limited education and those who deliver at home were at highest risk for having unmet need.

Conclusions

Six weeks postpartum, almost all women wish to delay or prevent a future pregnancy. Even in sites where early contraceptive adoption is common, there is substantial unmet need for family planning. This is consistently highest amongst women below the age of 20 years. Interventions aimed at increasing the adoption of effective contraceptive methods are urgently needed in the majority of sites in order to reduce unmet need and to improve both maternal and infant outcomes, especially amongst young women.

Study registration

Clinicaltrials.gov (ID# NCT01073475)

     

Management of moderate and severe corneal astigmatism with AcrySof? toric intraocular lens implantation – Our experience

Purpose

Visual performance following toric intraocular lens implantation for cataract with moderate and severe astigmatism.

Setting

Cataract services, Shroff Eye Centre, New Delhi, India.

Design

Case series.

Method

This prospective study included 64 eyes of 40 patients with more than 1.50 dioptre (D) of pre-existing corneal astigmatism undergoing phacoemulsification with implantation of the AcrySof® toric IntraOcular Lens (IOL). The unaided visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), residual refractive sphere and refractive cylinders were evaluated. Toric IOL axis and alignment error was measured by slit lamp method and Adobe Photoshop (version 7) method. Patient satisfaction was evaluated using a satisfaction questionnaire at 3 months.

Results

The mean residual refractive astigmatism was 0.57 D at the final follow-up of 3 months. Mean alignment error was 3.44 degrees (SD = 2.60) by slit lamp method and 3.88 degrees (SD = 2.86) by Photoshop method. Forty-six (71.9%) eyes showed misalignment of 5 degrees or less, and 60 (93.8%) eyes showed misalignment of 10 degrees or less. The mean log MAR UCVA at 1st post-op day was 0.172 (SD = 0.02), on 7th post-op day was 0.138 (SD = 0.11), and on 30th post-op day was 0.081 (SD = 0.11). The mean log MAR BCVA at three months was −0.04 (SD = 0.76).

Conclusion

We believe that implantation of AcrySof® toric IOL is an effective, safe and predictable method to correct high amounts of corneal astigmatism during cataract surgery.     

Insulin resistance: a connecting link between Alzheimer’s disease and metabolic disorder

Metabolic Brain Disease - Recent evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is closely linked with insulin resistance, as seen in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Insulin signaling is...     

Amelioration of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in lipopolysaccharide-induced memory impairment using Rosmarinic acid in mice

Metabolic Brain Disease - Oxidative stress plays a pivotal part in the manifestation of neuroinflammation, which further leads to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD)....     

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic pathogens in HIV-seropositive individuals in Northern India

To assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive subjects, fecal samples were collected from 120 HIV-seropositive patients and were analyzed for various intestinal parasites. Thirty-six patients (30%) were found to harbor an intestinal parasite. Cryptosporidium parvum was the most common (10.8%), followed by Giardia lamblia (8.3%). Cyclospora cayetanensis and Blastocystis hominis each were detected in 3.3% of the patients, while Isospora belli and Enterocytozoon bieneusi were each detected in 2.5% of the patients. The other parasites observed were Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar in two cases and hookworm ova in one patient. Of the 36 patients who tested positive for intestinal parasites, 27 (75%) had diarrhea. The most common parasite, which was associated with diarrhea, was C. parvum. The present study highlights the importance of testing for intestinal parasites in patients who are HIV-positive, and emphasizes the necessity of increasing awareness among clinicians regarding the occurrence of these parasites in this population.     

Common variable immunodeficiency in an adult

Primary immunodeficiency syndromes are rarely diagnosed among adults. In this report, we describe a young male who had common variable immunodeficiency. He was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and, on follow up, has been free of opportunistic infections.     

Sudden cardiac death during nighttime hours

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Implications of mechanism of bradycardia on response to pacing in patients with unexplained syncope.

AIM: Asystole >3 s or sinus bradycardia with a ventricular rate <40 in association with complete heart block or sinus node dysfunction are considered to be Class 1 indications for permanent cardiac pacing. Nevertheless, these phenomena may be observed in symptomatic patients with neurocardiogenic syncope, who may not respond to pacing therapy. We hypothesized that the pattern of spontaneous bradycardia in symptomatic patients would distinguish patients with sinus node dysfunction or conduction system disease who would benefit from pacing from patients with neurally-mediated syncope who would derive lesser benefit. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with symptomatic spontaneous bradycardia during long-term monitoring for unexplained syncope who underwent pacemaker implantation were classified according to the ISSUE classification system and followed for recurrent syncope. Follow-up included review of medical records, pacemaker clinic visits, and telephone interviews. Loop recorder tracings were reviewed to identify characteristics potentially predicting a favourable response to pacing. Thirty-three patients (21 male; age, 70 +/- 14) were followed for 3.56 +/- 1.71 years. Six patients had a recurrence of syncope during the follow-up. All patients with recurrent syncope despite pacing demonstrated a Type 1A (n = 5) or 1B (n = 1) pattern with gradual onset of bradycardia at baseline, suggesting a neurocardiogenic mechanism. There was no difference in the severity of bradycardia or duration of asystole in baseline loop recorded events in responding and non-responding patients. Multivariate analysis using stepwise logistic regression revealed that the ISSUE classification and the absence of structural heart disease were the only independent predictors of treatment failure of cardiac pacing in patients with spontaneous symptomatic bradycardia. CONCLUSION: Patients with syncope associated with abrupt bradycardia displayed a better response to cardiac pacing therapy than those with gradual onset bradycardia.     

Modulation of the foreign body response to implanted sensor models through device-based delivery of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor,masitinib

The host foreign body response (FBR) adversely effects the performance of numerous implanted biomaterials especially biosensors, including clinically popular glucose-monitoring sensors. Reactive formation of a fibrous capsule around implanted sensors hinders the transport of essential analytes to the sensor from the surrounding tissue, resulting in loss of glucose response sensitivity and eventual sensor failure. Several strategies have sought to mitigate the foreign body response's effects on CGM sensors through the use of local delivery of pharmaceuticals and biomolecules with limited success. This study describes release of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor – masitinib – from the sensor implant to target tissue resident mast cells as key mediators of the FBR. Model implants are coated with a composite polymer hydrophilic matrix that rapidly dissolves upon tissue implantation to deposit slower-degrading polymer microparticles containing masitinib. Matrix dissolution limits coating interference with sensor function while establishing a local controlled-release delivery depot formulation to alter implant tissue pharmacology and addressing the FBR. Drug efficacy was evaluated in a murine subcutaneous pocket implant model. Drug release extends to more than 30 days in vitro. The resulting FBR in vivo, evaluated by implant capsule thickness and inflammatory cell densities at 14, 21, and 28 days, displays statistically significant reduction in capsule thickness around masitinib-releasing implant sites compared to control implant sites.     

Association of Helicobacter pylori with oral potentially malignant disorders and oral squamous cell carcinoma—a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To assess any potential association between Helicobacter pylori and oral squamous cell carcinoma/oral potentially malignant disorders.

Materials and methods

Data mining was done using PubMed, Cochrane Library, and SCOPUS databases. The search included articles published up to May 2019. Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to score the quality of the included articles. Data including the type of study, the sample population, the type of oral lesion, and the resulting statistical data were extracted.

Results

Out of 131 screened articles, only 15 articles fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Among the 15 studies, 9 focused on oral squamous cell carcinoma and 6 focused on oral potentially malignant disorders. Eight out of the 9 oral squamous cell carcinoma studies were included in the meta-analysis. Forest plot was generated using the odds ratio and confidence intervals calculated for each of the included studies. Due to the lack of sufficient studies, the meta-analysis was not performed for oral potentially malignant disorders.

Conclusion

Due to the contradictory results of the included studies, it was not possible to make any conclusive statement on the potential association of H. pylori with oral squamous cell carcinoma. The variations in the methodology, especially the differences in the sensitivity/specificity of the diagnostic modalities could be the cause for differential results.

Clinical relevance

Although the association of H. pylori with oral squamous cell carcinoma could not be confirmed, it is vital to reduce the excess oral microbial load, especially in patients exhibiting oral mucosal changes with no history of associated risk factors.