Although parenteral iron is widely used to treat iron deficiency anemia (IDA), some side effects have been inadequately explored. Hypophosphatemia is becoming a well-documented, yet poorly understood, side effect of parenteral iron infusion, oftentimes causing serious and/or prolonged complications. In this article, we discuss the case of a 33-year-old female with IDA who suffered debilitating physical and mental symptoms of significant recurrent hypophosphatemia following a single standard dose of parenteral iron administration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Faculty development programs (FDPs) in health professions education (HPE) are instrumental in supporting, promoting, and improving HPE curricula and activities that target individual- and system-level capacity strengthening. FAIMER, a division of Intealth, has been offering FDPs for global health professions educators in HPE and leadership for over two decades through the International FAIMER Institute in the USA and FAIMER Regional Institutes located globally. This paper explores perceptions of former program participants (Fellows) of FAIMER global FDPs by eliciting their success stories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndia experienced its sixth Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in September 2023 in the Kozhikode district of Kerala state. The NiV is primarily transmitted by spillover events from infected bats followed by human-to-human transmission. The clinical specimens were screened using real-time RT-PCR, and positive specimens were further characterized using next-generation sequencing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFive mini proteins mimicking uricase comprising 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 amino acids were designed based on the conserved active site residues within the same dimer, using the crystal structure of tetrameric uricase from Arthrobacter globiformis (PDB ID: 2yzb) as a template. Based on molecular docking analysis, the smallest mini protein, mp20, shared similar residues to that of native uricase that formed hydrogen bonds with uric acid and was chosen for further studies. Although purified recombinant mp20 did not exhibit uricase activity, it showed specific binding towards uric acid and evinced excellent thermotolerance and structural stability at temperatures ranging from 10°C to 100°C, emulating its natural origin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report here a Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Kozhikode district of Kerala state, India, which had caused fatal encephalitis in a 12-year-old boy and the outbreak response, which led to the successful containment of the disease and the related investigations. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, ELISA-based antibody detection, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were performed to confirm the NiV infection. Contacts of the index case were traced and isolated based on risk categorization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndian J Community Med
September 2020
Although Kerala was the first state in India to report COVID cases, it was well prepared drawing on its past experience in managing effectively the Nipah outbreak and Kerala floods. It knew and initiated the measures required for containment because of its prior experience with mobilizing community-based groups, involvement of local-self government in decentralized planning, and participation in the containment and relief measure as well as a system-ready health system and infrastructure. The measures taken to "flatten the curve" that is unique to Kerala and the determinants of success are described in detail as "what worked" using the framework we developed post the Nipah outbreak containment experience.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAsia Pacific region has been witnessing numerous public health emergencies in recent years with the Nipah outbreak in North Kerala (2018), India, needs special mention. Threats posed and experiences gained have compelled health systems to draft frameworks nationally and internationally for preparedness, outbreak response, and recovery. Our failure to obtain comprehensive guiding frameworks for application in the Indian context for Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Influenza A (H1N1), and Nipah outbreaks led us to the search outside India for frameworks that have worked in the past.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground.: We aimed to develop a teaching-learning and evaluation programme on communication skills for interns. Core competency areas for focused communication skills training and assessment were identified to achieve the obective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We investigated the effects of chronic rheumatic and musculoskeletal symptoms on the functional status of people affected by the chikungunya (CKG) epidemic in the Calicut District, Kerala, South India in 2009.
Methods: A cross-sectional house-to-house survey was conducted 18 months after the CKG epidemic to assess functional status of individuals with post-epidemic persistent pain. All respondents over age 15 years with persistent pain fitting the epidemiological case definition were included.
Background. Hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension in a population of male bus drivers in North Kerala, India.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: To assess the prevalence and factors related to rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders (RMSD) in a rural population of south India.
Methods: The cross-sectional study included all individuals, 15 years and above, in a rural unit of Calicut District in North Kerala. Data were collected using the validated World Health Organization - International League of Associations for Rheumatology - Community Oriented Program for the Control of Rheumatic Diseases - Bhigwan model questionnaire by trained volunteers.
Indian J Public Health
December 2011
World Health Organization global disease update (2004) points out injuries as the sixth leading cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood. A descriptive hospital based study was conducted to find out the common types of unintentional injuries among children admitted for management of unintentional injuries in Pediatric Surgery department and Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary care hospital of North Kerala and to find out the contributing risk factors. A total of 400 children admitted during the study period of 6 months of 2009 constituted the study population.
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