Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Organ Donation Among People Seeking Healthcare in Tertiary Care Centers of Coastal South India

Background:

Organ transplantation is the most preferred treatment modality for end-stage organ diseases. The need for the transplants is higher than the availability. Prerequisites for the success of transplantation program include awareness and positive attitudes.

Aim:

To assess the perceptions and attitudes of the people seeking health care in tertiary care centers towards organ donation in Mangalore, India.

Settings and Design:

This cross-sectional study included 863 people seeking general healthcare as outpatients.

Materials and Methods:

Face to face interviews were carried out using pretested tools which included the socio demographic data. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 11.5.

Results:

Overall, 59.6% participants showed the willingness to donate organs. Females (64.1%) and participants from upper socio economic status (62.7%) had higher willingness rates for organ donations. Hindus (63.6%) and Christians (63.3%) had higher willingness rates for organ donations than Muslims (38.2%). Also, 23.7% participants showed willingness to donate eyes and 33.6% wished to donate any organ after death. Most of the participants (67%) were aware that money should not be accepted for donating organs, and 58.1% were aware that it is an offence to accept any benefit for organ donations. Forty percent participants had perceived risks associated with organ donation. Regarding donor cards, 42.3% of the participants knew about it and 3.7% already possessed it.

Conclusion:

It is apparent from the study that though there was high level of awareness about organ donation, a high proportion of the participants did not have positive attitudes towards organ donation.     

Index of consciousness and bispectral index values are interchangeable during normotension and hypotension but not during non pulsatile flow state during cardiac surgical procedures: a prospective study

Objectives  

Awareness under anesthesia is an avoidable complication during general anesthesia. Anesthetic depth monitors assist anesthesiologists in providing appropriate levels of anesthesia. Index of consciousness monitoring is a recently introduced monitor in the array of anesthesia depth monitors. The objective of this study was to assess the interchangeability of bispectral index, which is already in clinical use and the recently introduced index of consciousness techniques. The other objective was to assess this interchangeability during normotension, hypotension and during pulseless state in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery. This study is a prospective observational study, conducted in a tertiary referral hospital.     

Coverage and compliance MDA programme for lymphatic filariasis in Bidar district,Karnataka, India

ObjectiveTo describe the socio demographic characteristics of beneficiaries of the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programme, to assess the coverage, compliance and causes for noncompliance towards MDA in the district, to assess the awareness regarding elephantiasis among beneficiaries and to assess the knowledge of drug distributors towards the filariasis and MDA programme.MethodsThis cross sectional study was conducted in 3 rural and 1 urban clusters in Bidar district for the period of 1 week. 50 houses were selected in each cluster by systematic random sampling method and data was collected in a structured proforma by interview technique.ResultsMajority of beneficiaries were at the age group of 15-60 years (72.3%) and male (53%). The overall coverage of MDA in Bidar district was 62.3%. Compliance among those who had received the tablets was 60.4%. Coverage and compliance was more in rural areas compared to urban. The most common reason quoted for not consuming drugs was fear of adverse effects (72.2%) The incidence of adverse events was 0.2%. Even though 75% of them were aware of the disease elephantiasis, only 45.4% had knowledge regarding MDA programme. The knowledge of drug distributors towards MDA and filariasis was found to be adequate.ConclusionCoverage and compliance towards MDA in Bidar district was poor. The coverage and compliance in rural areas was higher compared to the urban areas.     

New bis-aminomercaptotriazoles and bis-triazolothiadiazoles as possible anticancer agents

A series of bis-phenoxyacetic acids 2 were prepared starting from corresponding unsubstituted/substituted 1,4-quinols 1. The fusion of bis-phenoxyacetic acids 2 with thiocarbohydrazide gave the corresponding bis-[4-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl-methyleneoxy]phenylenes (3) in a one pot reaction. The reaction of bis-triazoles 3 with various reagents afforded N-bridged heterocycles 4-6 in good yields. The newly synthesised compounds were screened for their anticancer activity against a panel of 60 cell lines derived from seven cancer types namely, lung, colon, melanoma, renal, ovarian, CNS and leukemia. Some of the tested compounds showed promising anticancer properties.     

Synthesis, characterization and antimicrobial activity of some substituted 1,2,3-triazoles

Two substituted 1,2,3-triazoles 4 and 6 have been synthesized by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of 4-azido-8-(trifluoromethyl)quinoline 2 with ethyl acetoacetate and acetylacetone, respectively. The reaction of 2 with ethyl acetoacetate afforded 1-[8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl]-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylic acid 3 and with acetylacetone afforded 1-{1-[8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl]-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl}ethanone 5. Compound 3 is converted into its corresponding acid hydrazide and then condensed with different aromatic aldehydes to yield Schiff's base, N-[1-arylmethylene]-1-[8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl]-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carbohydrazides 4. Compound 5 is condensed with aromatic aldehydes to obtain [1-aryl-4-{1-[8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl]-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl}prop-2-en-1-ones 6. The newly prepared 1,2,3-triazole derivatives 4 and 6 have been characterized by IR, NMR and mass spectral data. These compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity.     

Detection of experimental brain tumor in rat by computed tomography

The feasibility of the use of computerized tomographic (CT) scanning for detecting an experimental brain tumor in rats was evaluated. Tumors were induced in newborn rats by intracerebral inoculation of Rous sarcoma virus. At varying times contrast-enhanced scans were obtained on an Ohio Nuclear 2010 scanner, the brains examined, and the findings at autopsy correlated with the CT findings. Five tumors were demonstrated by CT scans and their presence confirmed at autopsy. Four small tumors were not detected by CT scans. In 1 animal, multiple tumors were demonstrated by a CT scan, and in another a large cyst was correctly diagnosed. It is concluded that the technology currently available can be used to identify some tumor-bearing animals and should be useful for following the change in size of tumors in response to therapy. Further improvements in scanner resolution should make this technique more useful for animal research.     

Idiopathic granulomatous hepatitis

A 12-year-old male child reported with history of fever for last seven years. Hepatosplenomegaly, hepatic and bone marrow granulomas were the main features. Idiopathic Granulomatous Hepatitis (IGH), a rare syndrome amenable to immunosuppressive therapy was diagnosed.     

One pot synthesis of thiazolodihydropyrimidinones and evaluation of their anticancer activity

2-(5-Arylfurfurylidene/5-nitrofurfurylidene)-5-aryl-7-(2,4-dichloro-5-fluorophenyl)-5H-thiazolo[2,3-b]-pyrimidin-2(1H)-ones 5 and 6 are synthesized by a novel three component reaction of 4,6-diarylpyrimidino-2(1H)-thiones 4, monochloroacetic acid, arylfurfuraldehydes and 5-nitro-2-furfuraldenediacetate, respectively. The newly synthesized compounds are characterized by elemental analysis, IR, (1)H NMR and mass spectral studies. These compounds exhibited in vitro antitumour activity with moderate to excellent growth inhibition against a panel of 60 cell lines of leukemia, non-small cell lung cancer melanoma, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.     

Anomalous flexor digiti minimi brevis in Guyon's canal

In an adult male cadaver, the flexor digiti minimi brevis, a muscle of the hypothenar eminence, was found to arise from the superficial transverse septum (between the superficially placed flexor carpi ulnaris, palmaris longus, and flexor carpi radialis muscles, and the deeply placed flexor digitorum superficialis muscle) in the distal fourth of the flexor aspect of the left forearm. The muscle exhibited two strata of muscle fibers at its origin. The superficial stratum was a thin layer of transversely running fibers confined to the forearm, which has not been previously reported. The deep stratum, a thick layer of longitudinally running fibers, formed the bulk of the muscle. It traversed Guyon's canal superficial to the ulnar nerve and vessels to reach the hypothenar eminence. Its course through Guyon's canal could be a cause for ulnar tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve trunk innervated not only the anomalous flexor digiti minimi brevis muscle, but also abductor digiti minimi and palmaris brevis. This may be due to the common phylogeny of these three muscles from the same muscle mass.