Medical termination of pregnancy and concurrent contraceptive adoption in rural India

This study reports on 2,755 women seeking medical termination of pregnancy (MTP), and concurrent contraceptive acceptance, at a clinic in rural India from 1976 to 1987. The level of contraceptive acceptance among married women seeking MTP between 1976 and 1987 was 88.2 percent. Among married women seeking MTP in their first trimester of pregnancy, 43.4 percent accepted the IUD as a method of contraception and 41.8 percent accepted sterilization. By contrast, only 11.5 percent of women in their second trimester accepted the IUD, but 70.2 percent accepted sterilization. Seventy-two percent of the unmarried women and 43 percent of the married women seeking MTP were in their second trimester. Recommendations are made to: (1) combine contraceptive services and counseling with MTP whenever possible, (2) examine the consequences of policies that exclude unmarried women from contraceptive services, (3) investigate the reasons why so many women in this study sought MTP so late in pregnancy, and (4) obtain information on the determinants of contraceptive acceptance among women who seek MTP.     

The changes in brain surface,intracerebral tissue,and transconjunctival oxygen tension during hypo- and hyperventilation

To evaluate the validity of organ surface oxygen tension monitoring for assessment of cerebral perfusion, the oxygen tension in brain surface (Pbs_{O 2}), intracerebral tissue (Pic_{O 2}), and conjunctiva (Pcj_{O 2}) were measured simultaneously during hypo- and hyperventilation in dogs, and the comparative study was done.Pbs_{O 2} and Pic_{O 2} significantly increased during hypoventilation and decreased during hyperventilation. And the values of Pbs_{O 2} and Pic_{O 2} were correlated to the corresponding Pa_{CO 2} values significantly (P 0.001 in each case). On the contrary, Pcj_{O 2} did not change significantly during hypo- and hyperventilation.These findings indicate that Pbs_{O 2} as well as Pic_{O 2} could reflect the changes in cerebral perfusion caused by induced hyper- and hypocapnia but that Pcj_{O 2} could not.(Arai T, Silvern DA, Gupte PM et al.: The changes in brain surface intracerebral tissue, and transconjunctival oxygen tension during hypo- and hyperventilation. J Anesth 4: 110–115, 1990)     

What 'outliers' tell us about missed opportunities for tuberculosis control: a cross-sectional study of patients in Mumbai,India

Background  

India's Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) is deemed highly successful in terms of detection and cure rates. However, some patients experience delays in accessing diagnosis and treatment. Patients falling between the 96^th and 100^th percentiles for these access indicators are often ignored as atypical 'outliers' when assessing programme performance. They may, however, provide clues to understanding why some patients never reach the programme. This paper examines the underlying vulnerabilities of patients with extreme values for delays in accessing the RNTCP in Mumbai city, India.