Journal of Chemical Health Risks (Islamic Azad University, Iran)
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Empowerment of Women Through Participation in Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) In Delhi-NCR
Get PDFThe empowerment of women through their participation in Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) has emerged as a transformative approach toward fostering inclusive rural development and gender equality. This paper explores the role and impact of women’s involvement in PACS within the Delhi-NCR region, focusing on how cooperative structures contribute to social, economic, and decision-making empowerment. Despite the urbanized nature of Delhi-NCR, peri-urban and rural pockets exhibit substantial agricultural activity supported by PACS. The study investigates how these cooperative institutions enable women to access credit, market resources, agricultural inputs, and training, ultimately improving their livelihoods and self-reliance.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the research is based on primary data collected through structured interviews and surveys conducted with women members of PACS in selected districts of Delhi-NCR, including Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Sonipat. Secondary data from government reports, cooperative audits, and NGO publications further supplement the analysis. The findings indicate that women’s participation in PACS has led to enhanced financial literacy, increased household income contribution, and greater involvement in community-level decision-making. Moreover, PACS have served as platforms for collective bargaining and peer support, facilitating women’s transition from passive beneficiaries to active stakeholders in rural governance.
However, the study also reveals critical challenges, including patriarchal norms, limited representation in leadership roles, and inadequate gender-sensitive policy implementation. The paper underscores the need for targeted interventions such as gender quota policies, training on cooperative governance, and digital inclusion initiatives to bridge the existing gaps.
In conclusion, PACS hold immense potential as instruments of women’s empowerment in semi-rural and peri-urban regions like Delhi-NCR. Strengthening institutional frameworks, encouraging gender-responsive reforms, and promoting inclusive participation can significantly amplify the role of women in agriculture and rural development. The paper offers policy recommendations to optimize the impact of PACS on women’s empowerment and suggests a replicable model for similar urban-adjacent regions across India
Role of MRI in Evaluation of Cystic Lesions of Brain: A Prospective Observational Study
Get PDFIntroduction: Cystic brain lesions represent a heterogeneous group of pathologies requiring accurate diagnosis for appropriate management. MRI provides superior contrast resolution and multiplanar capability for characterizing these lesions.
Aim: To differentiate various cystic brain lesions according to their pathological classification and to determine their exact location, size, extension, and multiplicity using MRI.
Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Dhiraj General Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India from October 2022 to April 2024. A total of 109 patients with neurological symptoms who were found to have cystic brain lesions on MRI were included. MRI was performed using PHILIPS 1.5 Tesla machine with standard brain protocols including T1WI, T2WI, FLAIR, and post-contrast sequences. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results: The mean age was 35.4±17.2 years with male predominance (60.55%). The most common presenting symptoms were headache and altered sensorium (42.20% each). Tumors were the most common etiology (32.7%), with glioblastoma multiforme being the most frequent (14.68%). Single lesions were observed in 73.39% of cases. Supratentorial location was predominant (77.06%). Ring enhancement was the most common pattern (65.06%), particularly in tuberculomas (24.07%) and neurocysticercosis (22.22%).
Conclusion: MRI effectively characterizes intracranial cystic lesions by providing crucial information about anatomic location, size, morphology, and enhancement patterns. Following a systematic algorithmic approach based on location, signal intensity, and enhancement characteristics facilitates accurate diagnosis and appropriate management planning
Comparison of the Effect of Maternal Vegetarian diets and Non-Vegetarian diets on Fat Free Mass in Neonates
Get PDFBackground: Maternal nutrition during pregnancy plays a critical role in determining fetal growth and neonatal body composition. Differences in dietary patterns, particularly vegetarian versus non-vegetarian diets, may influence the development of fat-free mass in neonates.
Objective: To compare the effect of vegetarian and non-vegetarian maternal diets during pregnancy on the fat-free mass appropriate for gestational age (FFM-for-GA) in neonates.
Methods: This was a single-center, hospital-based, observational comparative study conducted in the Department of Pediatrics at Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, between January and May 2025.
Results: The study findings revealed no significant differences in baseline maternal characteristics such as age, socioeconomic status, height, or BMI between the vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups. However, maternal weight was significantly higher among non-vegetarian mothers. Both groups had similar gestational ages at delivery and parity distribution. Dietary analysis showed that non-vegetarian mothers had significantly higher caloric, carbohydrate, and protein intake compared to vegetarian mothers, although fat intake showed only a non-significant trend toward higher values. Prenatal multivitamin use and neonatal gender distribution were comparable across groups. Importantly, neonates born to non-vegetarian mothers exhibited significantly greater fat-free mass (2.78 ± 0.29 kg vs. 2.64 ± 0.32 kg; p = 0.001), higher birth weight (3.12 ± 0.39 kg vs. 3.01 ± 0.41 kg; p = 0.014), and increased birth length (49.9 ± 2.2 cm vs. 49.2 ± 2.1 cm; p = 0.007) compared to those born to vegetarian mothers.
Conclusion: The study concludes that a non-vegetarian maternal diet during pregnancy is associated with significantly higher neonatal fat-free mass, birth weight, and length. Ensuring adequate nutritional intake in vegetarian mothers is essential to support optimal fetal growth outcomes
A Bacteriological Study of Neonatal Sepsis and its Antibiotic Pattern among Blood Culture Isolates in Western India
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Neonatal sepsis remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates, particularly in developing regions like Western India. Prompt identification of causative organisms and appropriate antibiotic therapy are critical, as the clinical manifestations are often nonspecific and may rapidly progress to life-threatening conditions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Retrospective study was conducted at The Department of Microbiology, GGGH, and Jamnagar on 300 neonates that were admitted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Department of Paediatrics, GGGH, and Jamnagar for a period of one year. Based on the identification of suspected neonates using inclusion criteria, the data was gathered. Prior to starting antibiotics, blood samples were collected.
RESULTS: A total of 300 neonatal blood samples were studied, out of which 146 (48.6%) showed bacterial growth. The majority of these isolates were Gram-Negative bacteria (87.67%), while Gram-Positive bacteria accounted for 12.32%. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most commonly isolated Gram-Negative organism, seen in 45.2% of cases. Among Gram-Positive isolates, Coagulase Positive Staphylococcus was the most frequent, present in 8.89% of cases. The most common clinical signs among culture-positive neonates included refusal to feed (39.7%) and lethargy (21.9%). Most affected neonates (59.5%) were full-term, with normal birth weight, delivered vaginally. A significant majority (82.1%) of infections occurred within the first 7 days of life, indicating early-onset sepsis. Breastfeeding was the most common feeding method (58.2%), followed by nasogastric tube feeding (32.1%). Only a small proportion of the infected neonates were preterm (1.3%) or had low birth weight (11.6%). Antibiotic susceptibility testing for each isolate was performed according to CLSI guidelines, with separate panels used for Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative organisms.
CONLCUSION:
Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of treatment were found to be crucial for achieving favorable outcomes in neonatal sepsis. The observed high levels of resistance to first- and second-line empirical antibiotics underscore the urgent need to revise current treatment protocols based on the sensitivity patterns identified
Study on Muscle Cramps in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients on Hemodialysis and Analysis of Factors Contributing to Muscle Cramps including Magnesium
Get PDFBackground: One of the most prevalent and potentially fatal illnesses affecting people worldwide is chronic kidney disease. This is characterized as one of the causes of illness and death of this century. Additionally, this has an impact on the patient\u27s daily activities, such as their social life, freedom to work, and physical activity. Consequently, this is among the causes of cardiovascular disease and death.
Material and methods: This cross-sectional observational study conducted for 6 months from November 2023 to March 2024 in the nephrology department among 76 patients and blood samples were collected during muscle cramps in hemodialysis for Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium to assess an electrolyte change. A visual analog scale assessed the severity of muscle cramps at the time of muscle cramps. Self-made questionnaire was asked to patients regarding the incidence, frequency, management, severity, location, and time of muscle cramps. Patient\u27s interdialytic weight gain, pre-dialysis blood pressure, post-dialysis blood pressure, and blood pressure during muscle cramps were recorded.
Results: The mean age of the patients in this study was 55.57. Hypertension (54.6%) is the major comorbidity and diabetic mellitus (37.3%) are the second most common comorbidity. The mean dry weight of the patients is 58.46 Kg in this study with a mean inter-dialytic weight gain is 3.65±1.20. 58 (77%) people majorly were on thrice-weekly dialysis, 16 (21%) people were on twice-weekly dialysis, and 1 (1%) patient was on once-weekly dialysis. 55 (73.3%) had muscle cramps at the end of the dialysis and 20 (26.7%) had muscle cramps at mid-session of dialysis. 33(44%) patients had a visual analog scale score of 2, 30 (40%) patients had 3, 7 (9.3%) patients had 4, and 5 (6.6%) patients had 1 respectively. and no patients had a 5 visual analog scale score.
Conclusion: The frequency of muscle cramps caused on by increased blood flow (QB >300 ml/min), inter-dialytic weight gain, and ultrafiltration volume during dialysis
Toxoplasma Gondii Seropositivity Among Schizophrenia Patients, And Risk Assessment.
Get PDFIntroduction: Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan that crosses the blood-brain barrier to reach the central nervous system. Numerous case-control epidemiological studies show a higher prevalence of T. gondii infestation in individuals with various psychiatric and behavioral disorders, including schizophrenia.
Objectives: The objective of this study is to demonstrate the links between schizophrenia and T. gondii infestation, to establish the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in schizophrenic patients, and to compare the prevalence and contributing factors with the results of our laboratory and those in the literature.
Methods: 46 blood samples were collected from patients with schizophrenia in our hospital, accompanied by a questionnaire on risk factors for toxoplasmosis (residence, education level, meat consumption, contact with cats, hygiene). Anti-toxoplasma IgG and IgM levels were measured using the ABBOT Architect analyzer.
Results: The study shows that the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in schizophrenic subjects is 60.9%. A significant relationship between age and toxoplasma seroprevalence (P = 0.038) has been found. However, we did not find a link between other factors and toxoplasma seroprevalence among schizophrenia patients.
Conclusions: The prevalence of toxoplasmosis is significant (60.9%) compared to the rate recorded in the general population, suggesting that brain cysts from a primary toxoplasma infection could be influencing psychiatric pathology/disorders
Is Clindamycin Effective in Preventing Infectious Complications After Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Procedures – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Get PDFObjective: To determine the effect of clindamycin in the prevention of infection after oral and maxillofacial surgery.
Material and Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the PRISMA statement, the PICO-framework and included only randomized controlled clinical trials. In all studies clindamycin was administered to prevent infections in patients who underwent oral surgery. An independent researcher conducted the search, data extraction and risk of bias assessment. Included studies were classified by the type of oral surgery. Besides, data of patients, procedures and outcome variables were collected. The combined results were expressed as proportions for the dichotomous data assessed as risk ratio using Mantel-Haenszel test at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at P<0.05 considered as significant. Chi-square and Tau-square were used to assess whether the observed difference was homogeneous or heterogeneous among the studies. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 test at α=0.10.
Results: Five studies were included in the pooled assessment. A total of 318 participants were in clindamycin and control groups. The pooled relative risk obtained was 0.29[0.16, 0.51]. As the relative risk is less than 1, it can be implied that use of clindamycin is associated with reduction of post-operative inflammatory complications. Overall, the results were statistically significant (p<0.05) with low heterogeneity (I2=20%).
Conclusion: It can be implied that use of clindamycin is associated with reduction of post-operative inflammatory complications. The null hypothesis that oral clindamycin is minimally effective in preventing infection in third molar surgery regardless of the dosage used may be accepted.
Clinical Relevance: There is a lack of high quality evidence supporting the prescription of clindamycin to prevent infections after oral surgery, despite being frequently prescribed as an alternative for penicillin-allergic patients. Oral clindamycin has been shown to be very minimally effective after third molar extractions
Enhancing Zinc Content in Potato Using Microbe Assisted Biofortification Technique
Get PDFIntroduction:
AimZinc, the second most prevalent trace metal to iron in human body, is required in a variety of fundamental metabolic and physiological activities. We demonstrate that microbe-assisted biofortification is an effective strategy for increasing the zinc content of Solanum tuberosum L. (potato), a crop used to reduce dietary zinc deficiency globally. The scientific enquiry was aimed whether bio-inoculation with the zinc solubilizing bacterial consortium and zinc spray could effectively enhance tuber Zn concentration of potato along with increased vigor of plant.
MethodologyPotato plants received treatment with specific plant growth-promoting microorganisms, Bacillus altitudinis and Trichoderma flavus var. flavus, along with zinc. We measured the zinc content in the harvested tubers using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) according to standard trace mineral determination protocols.
ResultsMicrobe-assisted zinc biofortification significantly improved plant growth, biomass, yield, and tuber zinc concentration compared to untreated controls. Zinc levels increased from approximately 0.35% in non-biofortified potatoes to about 3.52%, representing a tenfold enhancement relative to USDA 2019 data.
InterpretationThe results demonstrate that microbe-assisted zinc biofortification is an effective, sustainable, and affordable strategy to improve the micronutrient content of potatoes. This approach has strong potential to combat hidden hunger, enhance nutritional security, and provide a scalable solution for populations reliant on potatoes as a dietary staple.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/jchr.v15.i4.963
Laparoscopic Management of Ovarian Cysts in Adolescents and Outcomes at SVIMS.
Get PDFBackground:
Treatment for ovarian cysts depends on the characteristics of the cysts, whether symptoms are present, and whether surgery is necessary to identify the type of adnexal mass. Laparoscopic surgery has gained acceptance as the gold standard for treating adnexal masses in gynecologic surgery in recent years, and several adult series have thoroughly established its benefits.
Materials and methods:
It’s a retrospective study, adolescent age group women who underwent laparoscopic surgery in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at SVIMS were the study population. It was conducted over a one year period from 2022 july to 2024 july. Patients with suspected pregnancy, suspected pelvic inflammatory disease, married and above 20 years of age were excluded from the study.
Results:
A total of 31 adolescents were included in the analysis. The age of the study participants ranged from 13 to 19 years, with a Mean age of 17.258±1.7121 years. The preoperative USG showed a simple ovarian cyst in 29% of cases, a Haemorrhagic cyst in 16.1% cases, and a paraovarian cyst in 12.9% of cases. The most common histopathological findings in our study are serous cystadenoma( 19.4%), Haemorrhagic cyst(16.1%), and Ovarian cyst with torsion(12.9%). 64.5% of the patients underwent cystectomy, Puncture + cystectomy(12.9%), Cystectomy + oophorectomy(9.7%), Cystectomy with detorsion(3.2%), Cystectomy with salpingectomy(3.2%), Detorsion + cystectomy(3.2%) and Oophorectomy(3.2%).
Conclusion:
Surgical laparoscopy offers benefits such as less blood loss, less tissue damage, less perioperative pain, fewer hospital stays, and lower total healthcare costs
Association Between Body Mass Index and Blood Pressure Among Urban and Rural School-Going Children in Chennai District: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study
Get PDFBackground: Childhood obesity and hypertension are growing public health concerns, with evidence suggesting that elevated blood pressure in children is strongly associated with increased body mass index (BMI). However, urban–rural differences in this association have not been extensively studied in South Indian schoolchildren.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and hypertension among school-going children in urban and rural areas of Chennai district, and to assess the association between BMI and blood pressure.
Methods: This cross-sectional study included 660 school children aged 6–16 years, with 330 each from urban and rural schools, selected using stratified random sampling. Anthropometric measurements were recorded using standardized techniques, and BMI was classified according to NCHS percentiles. Blood pressure was measured thrice at 10-minute intervals in the right arm, and mean values were classified as normal, pre-hypertensive, or hypertensive based on age-, sex-, and height-specific percentiles. Data were analyzed using SPSS v21, with descriptive statistics, unpaired t-tests, and Pearson’s correlation.
Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12.1% and 4.5% in urban children, compared to 6.4% and 2.1% in rural children (p<0.01). Hypertension was observed in 6.7% of urban children and 3.3% of rural children (p=0.04). BMI showed a significant positive correlation with both systolic blood pressure (r=0.42, p<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.35, p<0.001). Overweight and obese children had a 3.8-fold higher risk of hypertension compared to children with normal BMI.
Conclusion: Urban school children in Chennai district have a higher prevalence of overweight, obesity, and hypertension compared to rural counterparts. BMI is strongly associated with blood pressure, highlighting the need for early screening and lifestyle interventions in school health programs