Designing, Implementing and Optimising a Capacity‑Building Model for Infectious Disease Modelling in India.

Mathematical models are not integrated into the policy‑making process in low‑ and middle‑income countries, including India, primarily due to limited capacity in building mathematical models, lack of trust in the model findings and the reluctance of policy‑makers to apply the model findings to formulate policies. There is a perceived need to create a critical mass of trained infectious disease experts and modelers within the public health and clinical domain. Thus, with the support of the Department of Health Research (DHR), we developed a 3‑month post‑graduate (PG) certificate course on infectious disease modelling, the first of such a course in India.

Exploring the complexities of slum vulnerability in Haryana, India: a qualitative research journey into economic, social, physical, and health dimensions.

Purpose: The study explores the conditions contributing to slum dweller's vulnerability to poor health and examines interplay between economic, physical/infrastructural, and social factors affecting health status to inform policy and programme.

Methods: The methodology deployed for data analysis was mixed deductive-inductive. A deductive framework was adapted for categorizing the data into four broad themes: Economic, Physical/Infrastructure, Social, and Health.

Molecular epidemiology of seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff associated Malassezia species from northern India.

Malassezia is a commensal that sometimes becomes pathogenic under the influence of diverse factors. Several species of Malassezia are difficult to culture, making traditional methods of identification challenging. The problem with molecular typing of Malassezia in association with seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff (SD/D) arises due to the unavailability of these fastidious yeast cultures.

A Cross-sectional Study to Identify Risk Factors for Hepatitis C in Punjab, India.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody prevalence in Punjab, India (0.56%) is higher than the national average (0.32%), but primary drivers of local transmission are unclear.

Projected impact of fast-tracking of anti-retroviral treatment coverage on vertical transmission of HIV in India.

One of the five high-level goals under Phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP) of the Government of India is the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV. In this paper, we estimate the potential impact of maintaining and enhancing the anti-retroviral treatment under the NACP in terms of averting new infections and vertical transmission rates vis-à-vis no intervention scenario. We used India's HIV Estimates 2022 models to create treatment coverage scenarios of no interventions, status quo, business as usual, on-track and fast-track scenarios from 2023 to 2030.

COVID-19 Stigma and Discrimination in a North Indian State: A Concurrent Mixed Method Study.

We measured COVID-19-related stigma and discrimination and its drivers using a concurrent mixed-methods design in Punjab. The simple random sampling was used to select blocks, subcenters, and urban primary healthcenters from each of the four selected districts. The systematic random sampling was used to select households.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Denosumab in the Prevention of Skeletal-Related Events Among Patients With Breast Cancer With Bone Metastasis in India.

Purpose: Denosumab is clinically superior to zoledronic acid (ZA) for preventing and delaying time to first and subsequent skeletal-related events (SREs) among patients with breast cancer (BC) with bone metastases. We evaluated the cost and health benefits of denosumab and ZA (once every 4 weeks and once every 12 weeks) among four different molecular subtypes of BC with bone metastases in India.

Materials And Methods: A Markov model was developed in Microsoft Excel to estimate lifetime health consequences and resulting costs among cohort of 1,000 patients with BC with bone metastasis, for three intervention scenarios, namely denosumab (once every 4 weeks), ZA (once every 4 weeks), and ZA (once every 12 weeks).

Rapid Decline of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Single vs. Double-Dose (Short-Interval <6 Weeks) ChAdOx nCoV-19 Vaccinated Health-Care Workers.

The present work was carried out during the emergence of Delta Variant of Concern (VoC) and aimed to study the change in SARS CoV-2 viral load in Covishield vaccinated asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic health-care workers (HCWs) to find out the optimum isolation period. The SARS CoV-2 viral load was carried out in sequential samples of 55 eligible HCWs which included unvaccinated (UnV; n = 11), single-dose vaccinated (SDV, n = 20) and double-dose vaccinated [DDV, n = 24; short-interval (<6 weeks)] subjects. The mean load of envelope (E) gene on day 5 in SDV [0.

Understanding the diabetes self-care behaviour in rural areas: Perspective of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthcare professionals.

Background: Diabetes self-care behaviour plays a crucial role in managing the diabetes effectively and preventing complications. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and health care professionals (HCPs) of rural areas often face unique challenges when it comes to diabetes self-care practices (SCPs). Therefore, this study aim to explore the perspectives of patients with T2DM and HCPs on diabetes SCPs.

Effectiveness of a school-based behavioural change intervention in reducing chronic disease risk factors in Chandigarh, India: a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Early behavioural risk factors such as unbalanced diets, physical inactivity and tobacco and alcohol consumption lead to chronic diseases in later life. We conducted a cluster-randomised controlled trial to measure the effect of a school-based health-promotion intervention in reducing the behavioural risk factors of chronic diseases.

Methods: Twelve public schools in the Chandigarh, India were randomised to the intervention and control arm.

Lessons for TB from the COVID-19 response: qualitative data from Brazil, India and South Africa.

Background: Brazil, India and South Africa are among the top 30 high TB burden countries globally and experienced high rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality. The COVID-19 response in each country was unprecedented and complex, informed by distinct political, economic, social and health systems contexts. While COVID-19 responses have set back TB control efforts, they also hold lessons to inform future TB programming and services.

High prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies among unvaccinated children of Chandigarh, Northwest India, in a household-based paediatric serosurvey post-second wave of pandemic (June to July 2021).

Objective: Current national severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination policy covers children aged >12 years. Unvaccinated, uninfected children remain susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and play a role in community transmission, as paediatric infection is mostly mild or asymptomatic. To estimate the proportion of susceptible children in a community for public health measures, there is a need to assess the extent of natural infection.

Patterns of exposure to smoked tobacco advertisements among youths in India and its association with smoked tobacco use: a Latent Class Analysis.

Objectives: Youths are exposed to multiple sources of tobacco advertisements. We sought to examine patterns of exposure to smoked tobacco advertisements through various modes among Indian youths and its association with smoked tobacco use.

Study Design: Cross-sectional survey design.

Augmenting progress on the elimination of vertical transmissions of HIV in India: Insights from Spectrum-based HIV burden estimations.

The government of India has adopted the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV as one of the five high-level goals under phase V of the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP). In this paper, we present the data from HIV estimations 2021 for India and select States detailing the progress as well as the attributable causes for vertical transmissions. The NACP spearheads work on mathematical modelling to estimate HIV burden based on the periodically conducted sentinel surveillance for guiding program implementation and policymaking.

Household Air Pollution and Adult Lung Function Change, Respiratory Disease, and Mortality across Eleven Low- and Middle-Income Countries from the PURE Study.

Background: Globally, household air pollution (HAP) is a major environmental hazard that affects respiratory health. However, few studies have examined associations between HAP and lung function decline and respiratory disease and mortality.

Methods: We used data from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study and examined adults residing in 240 rural communities in 11 low- and middle-income countries where HAP from cooking with solid fuels is common.

Vector and rodent surveillance for in north India.

Background & Objectives: Scrub typhus or chigger borne typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi is an emerging vector-borne disease as large numbers of cases have been reported in various tropical countries. It is transmitted to humans through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites). The knowledge about the vector, its distribution, density and habitat are important so as to understand the epidemiology of scrub typhus in a given area.

Symptoms and psychosocial effects following hospitalization for Covid-19: A sequential, mixed-methods study from northern India.

Background It is reported that patients who have recovered from Covid-19 continue to experience various symptoms and adverse outcomes. However, this aspect has not been studied well. We aimed to evaluate these variables and the perceived impact of Covid-19 among patients discharged from a Covid hospital in northern India.

Urbanization and physical activity in the global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study.

Urbanization may influence physical activity (PA) levels, although little evidence is available for low- and middle- income countries where urbanization is occurring fastest. We evaluated associations between urbanization and total PA, as well as work-, leisure-, home-, and transport-specific PA, for 138,206 adults living in 698 communities across 22 countries within the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The 1-week long-form International PA Questionnaire was administered at baseline (2003-2015).

Diabetes-related distress and its impact on self-care of diabetes among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus living in a resource-limited setting: A community-based cross-sectional study.

Aim: To assess the a) prevalence, b) factors associated, and c) effect on self-care practices (SCP) of diabetes related distress (DRD) among patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) in rural Punjab, India.

Methods: Amongst the cohort of 700 patients, the Diabetes Distress Scale-17 (DDS-17) was used to assess DRD and the Summary of Diabetes Self Care Activities scale (SDSCA) for diabetes SCP. Multivariable logistic regression identified the factors associated with DRD.

Surface contamination by SARS-CoV2 RNA in dedicated COVID care area of a tertiary care hospital in North India.

Environmental surfaces are potential source of SARS-CoV2 transmission. The study assessed the efficacy of hospital disinfection policy and contamination of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) RNA in COVID management Hospital. Inanimate surfaces from both patient areas (n = 70) and non-patient areas (n = 39) were sampled through surface swabbing and subjected to Reverse transcriptase PCR.