Assessment of albendazole efficacy against Ascaris lumbricoides at three sites of Andhra Pradesh,Odisha,and Kerala in India

Objective:To assess efficacy of albendazole against Ascaris(A.)lumbricoides among school-children at three sites of Rajahmundry,Sundergarh and Wayanad.Methods:Sites were selected based on soil-transmitted helminths prevalence,different sociocultural-geographical characteristics and operational feasibility.9-12 Years old children from 14 schools were included.The study was conducted in two rounds:baseline&follow up survey.All eligible children found positive for A.lumbricoides at baseline were administered supervised single tablet albendazole 400 mg under the National Deworming Day Initiative.During post-treatment follow-up survey,eligible children who provided second stool sample were included in the final analysis.Stool samples were examined using WHO recommended Kato-Katz technique.Efficacy was estimated based on cure rate(CR)and Fecal Egg Count Reduction Rate(FECRR)among children found positive in baseline and follow-up surveys.Results:328 Out of 625(52.5%)were found positive for A.lumbricoides in the baseline survey and 85 out of 178 samples(47.8%)during post-treatment follow-up survey.Overall,the estimated CR was 52.2%.FECRR(95%CI)for albendazole was 72.6%(79.2%-66.0%).The FECRR was highest in East Godaveri[89.7%(96.8%-82.6%)],followed by Sundergarh[86.4%(95.3%-77.5%)]and Wayanad[69%(81.7%-56.4%)].Conclusions:Our study confirmed overall reduction in FEC although with varying albendazole efficacy for A.lumbricoides infection at three different locations in India.However,these finding may be assessed in context of ongoing MDA under Filaria control program and further studies by in vivo as well as in vitro methods are required to reach to a conclusion on possible resistance if any.

Impact of COVID-19 on mortality trends and patterns in a tertiary care hospital of Central India:A retrospective study

Objective:To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the mortality trends and patterns in a tertiary teaching hospital in Raipur,Chhattisgarh,India.Methods:A hospital-based retrospective study was conducted to analyze the case reports of all deaths from January 2016 to December 2021 in a tertiary teaching hospital in Raipur,Chhattisgarh,India.The socio-demographic profile and the pattern of causes of death were recorded.The deaths were classified according to the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases.Results:A total of 6128 deaths were registered from 2016 to 2021 and the maximum death number was observed in 2021(38.2%)followed by 2020(32.5%)when the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.The highest number of deaths was observed in the age group of 51 to 65 years i.e.,31.1%of the total deaths.In all five years,male deaths were more than female deaths,and more than 50%occurred within three days of hospitalization during the study period.Conclusions:Even though there is a rise in the death rate due to the sudden hit of COVID-19,the burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases remains gradually increasing over the five years.There is a need for health awareness in the community about changing lifestyles and their harmful effects on health.

Toxicity of targeted anticancer treatments on the liver in myeloproliferative neoplasms

The liver has a central role in metabolism,therefore,it is susceptible to harmful effects of ingested medications(drugs,herbs,and nutritional supplements).Druginduced liver injury(DILI)comprises a range of unexpected reactions that occur after exposure to various classes of medication.Even though most cases consist of mild,temporary elevations in liver enzyme markers,DILI can also manifest as acute liver failure in some patients and can be associated with mortality.Herein,we briefly review available data on DILI induced by targeted anticancer agents in managing classical myeloproliferative neoplasms:Chronic myeloid leukemia,polycythemia vera,essential thrombocythemia,and myelofibrosis.