Prevalence of high-risk HPV among marginalized urban women in India and its implications on vaccination: A cross sectional study.

Objective: To discover the prevalence and distribution of high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) subtypes in urban slums and their implications.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed to discover prevalence and distribution of high-risk HPV subtypes. We screened 956 women.

Association of family history of cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) and individual health behaviours: Analysis of CARRS study from South Asia.

Objectives: Family history is considered as an important predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes. Available research findings suggest that family history of chronic diseases is associated with perceived risk of disease and adoption of healthy behaviours. We examined the association between family history of cardio-metabolic diseases (CMDs) and healthy behaviours among adults without self-reported CMDs.

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions: Concerns, challenges, management and mitigation strategies-a narrative review.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global public health problem. The SARS-CoV-2 triggers hyper-activation of inflammatory and immune responses resulting in cytokine storm and increased inflammatory responses on several organs like lungs, kidneys, intestine, and placenta. Although SARS-CoV-2 affects individuals of all age groups and physiological statuses, immune-compromised individuals such as pregnant women are considered as a highly vulnerable group.

Immunological aspects and gender bias during respiratory viral infections including novel Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19): A scoping review.

The human immune system is not adequately equipped to eliminate new microbes and could result in serious damage on first exposure. This is primarily attributed to the exaggerated immune response (inflammatory disease), which may prove detrimental to the host, as evidenced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. From the experiences of Novel Coronavirus Disease-19 to date, male patients are likely to suffer from high-intensity inflammation and disease severity than the female population.

Usefulness of the Sauvegrain Method of Bone Age Assessment in Indian Children.

Introduction: Bone age estimation is very useful in children undergoing epiphysiodesis or guided growth surgery especially during the years of accelerated growth. It may be noted that no data are available on bone age estimation for Indian children of this age group. Sauvegrain (French) method is a very useful and simple method for bone age assessment during the years of accelerated growth.

COVID-19 in the elderly people and advances in vaccination approaches.

The rapid worldwide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the newly emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in tens of millions of infections and over one million deaths. SARS-CoV-2 infection affects all age groups; however, those over 60 years old are affected more severely. Moreover, pre-existing co-morbidities result in higher COVID-19-associated mortality in the geriatric population.

Nipah virus: epidemiology, pathology, immunobiology and advances in diagnosis, vaccine designing and control strategies - a comprehensive review.

Nipah (Nee-pa) viral disease is a zoonotic infection caused by Nipah virus (NiV), a paramyxovirus belonging to the genus Henipavirus of the family Paramyxoviridae. It is a biosafety level-4 pathogen, which is transmitted by specific types of fruit bats, mainly Pteropus spp. which are natural reservoir host.

Journey to Death: Are Health Systems Failing Mothers?

Background: Annually, about 44,000 maternal deaths occur in India, which is 20% of the global burden. Despite persistent efforts, India failed to meet the fifth millennium development goal by 2015. Lack of reliable data on maternal mortality demands utilization of tools for counting maternal deaths which is vital to implement preventative actions.

Quality of Free Delivery Care among Poor Mothers in Gujarat, India: A Community-Based Study.

Background: Government of Gujarat introduced a public-private partnership scheme called the Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY) in 2005, to improve access to delivery care for poor women. Till date, more than 1 million deliveries have been conducted under CY. Although CY has been evaluated, this is the only study using primary data to evaluate the quality of care.

Effect of previous utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure on subsequent utilization of a state led public-private partnership scheme "Chiranjeevi Yojana" to promote facility births in Gujarat, India.

Background: In Gujarat, India, a state led public private partnership scheme to promote facility birth named Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY) was implemented in 2005. Institutional birth is provided free of cost at accredited private health facilities to women from socially disadvantaged groups (eligible women). CY has contributed in increasing facility birth and providing substantially subsidized (but not totally free) birth care; however, the retention of mothers in this scheme in subsequent child birth is unknown.

Utilization of the state led public private partnership program "Chiranjeevi Yojana" to promote facility births in Gujarat, India: a cross sectional community based study.

Background: "Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY)", a state-led large-scale demand-side financing scheme (DSF) under public-private partnership to increase institutional delivery, has been implemented across Gujarat state, India since 2005. The scheme aims to provide free institutional childbirth services in accredited private health facilities to women from socially disadvantaged groups (eligible women). These services are paid for by the state to the private facility with the intention of service being free to the user.

Predictors of maternal health services utilization by poor, rural women: a comparative study in Indian States of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Background: India leads all nations in numbers of maternal deaths, with poor, rural women contributing disproportionately to the high maternal mortality ratio. In 2005, India launched the world's largest conditional cash transfer scheme, Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), to increase poor women's access to institutional delivery, anticipating that facility-based birthing would decrease deaths. Indian states have taken different approaches to implementing JSY.

Has Chiranjeevi Yojana changed the geographic availability of free comprehensive emergency obstetric care services in Gujarat, India?

Background: The high rate of maternal mortality in India is of grave concern. Poor rural Indian women are most vulnerable to preventable maternal deaths primarily because they have limited availability of affordable emergency obstetric care (EmOC) within reasonable geographic proximity. Scarcity of obstetricians in the public sector combined with financial barriers to accessing private sector obstetrician services preclude this underserved population from availing lifesaving functions of comprehensive EmOC such as C-section.

Options for Optimal Coverage of Free C-Section Services for Poor Mothers in Indian State of Gujarat: Location Allocation Analysis Using GIS.

Background: Gujarat, a western state of India, has seen a steep rise in the proportion of institutional deliveries over the last decade. However, there has been a limited access to cesarean section (C-Section) deliveries for complicated obstetric cases especially for poor rural women. C-section is a lifesaving intervention that can prevent both maternal and perinatal mortality.

Impact of Alternative Maternal Demand-Side Financial Support Programs in India on the Caesarean Section Rates: Indications of Supplier-Induced Demand.

Background: This paper examines two state-led public-private demand-side financial support programs aiming to raise hospital delivery rates in two neighbouring Indian states-Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The national Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) was complemented with a public-private partnership program Janani Sahayogi Yojana (JSaY) in Madhya Pradesh in which private obstetricians were paid to deliver poor women. A higher amount was paid for caesarean sections (CS) than for vaginal deliveries (VD).

The state-led large scale public private partnership 'Chiranjeevi Program' to increase access to institutional delivery among poor women in Gujarat, India: How has it done? What can we learn?

Background: Many low-middle income countries have focused on improving access to and quality of obstetric care, as part of promoting a facility based intra-partum care strategy to reduce maternal mortality. The state of Gujarat in India, implements a facility based intra-partum care program through its large for-profit private obstetric sector, under a state-led public-private-partnership, the Chiranjeevi Yojana (CY), under which the state pays accredited private obstetricians to perform deliveries for poor/tribal women. We examine CY performance, its contribution to overall trends in institutional deliveries in Gujarat over the last decade and its effect on private and public sector deliveries there.

Maternal health in Gujarat, India: a case study.

Gujarat state of India has come a long way in improving the health indicators since independence, but progress in reducing maternal mortality has been slow and largely unmeasured or documented. This case study identified several challenges for reducing the maternal mortality ratio, including lack of the managerial capacity, shortage of skilled human resources, non-availability of blood in rural areas, and infrastructural and supply bottlenecks. The Gujarat Government has taken several initiatives to improve maternal health services, such as partnership with private obstetricians to provide delivery care to poor women, a relatively-short training of medical officers and nurses to provide emergency obstetric care (EmOC), and an improved emergency transport system.

Maternal health situation in India: a case study.

Since the beginning of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, India has accounted for at least a quarter of maternal deaths reported globally. India's goal is to lower maternal mortality to less than 100 per 100,000 livebirths but that is still far away despite its programmatic efforts and rapid economic progress over the past two decades. Geographical vastness and sociocultural diversity mean that maternal mortality varies across the states, and uniform implementation of health-sector reforms is not possible.