Strategies for primary HPV test-based cervical cancer screening programme in resource-limited settings in India: Results from a quasi-experimental pragmatic implementation trial.

Background: In order for low and middle income countries (LMIC) to transition to Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) test based cervical cancer screening, a greater understanding of how to implement these evidence based interventions (EBI) among vulnerable populations is needed. This paper documents outcomes of an implementation research on HPV screening among women from tribal, rural, urban slum settings in India.

Methods: A mixed-method, pragmatic, quasi-experimental trial design was used.

Orthostatic hypotension in the elderly: Prevalence and its management by simple isometric limb tensing exercises.

Objective: Orthostatic hypotension (OH), an important cause of falls in the elderly, is grossly underdiagnosed. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of OH among the elderly attending a secondary care hospital. Furthermore, we assessed and compared the effectiveness of simple arm and leg tensing exercises, performed just prior to standing, to mitigate the orthostatic fall in blood pressure (BP) in elderly OH patients.

Description and outcomes of patients with eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia in a rural hospital in North-Eastern Bihar: A retrospective study.

Background: Hypertension is one of the most common medical disorders complicating pregnancy. In India, high blood pressure contributes to 7.1% of maternal deaths.

A retrospective study on the microbial spectrum and antibiogram of uropathogens in children in a secondary care hospital in Rural Vellore, South India.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is common among children. Empiric antibiotics have to be started as early as possible or it may lead to an irreversible renal parenchymal damage and renal scarring in children. The objectives were to determine the prevalence and microbial profile of paediatric UTI and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern.

Feasibility, uptake and real-life challenges of a rural cervical and breast cancer screening program in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, South India.

Background: Early detection of breast and cervical cancer by organized screening has been found to reduce mortality rates in trials, but documentation of programme results and challenges is rarely done from non-trial settings. This study reports results of a population-based cancer control programme in a rural block in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, population size (116,085), targeting a population of 18,490 women aged 25-60 years, between November 2014 and March 2018.

Methods: Village-based health education sessions were conducted by social workers, using trained volunteers and health workers to motivate eligible women.

Outcomes of external cephalic version for antenatal women with breech presentation in a secondary hospital in Vellore, Tamil Nadu - a retrospective review.

Objective: Breech presentation is the most common fetal malpresentation at term, with an incidence of 3-4%. External cephalic version (ECV) is a procedure that can be offered to women with breech presentation beyond 36 weeks of gestation to convert it to cephalic presentation, reducing the risks of a vaginal breech delivery and the morbidities associated with caesarean section.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of women who underwent ECV between October 2012 and June 2020 with the objectives of determining the success rate of the procedure, the mode of delivery, the maternal and neonatal outcomes, periprocedural complications and their management.

Perceived Stigma Regarding Mental Illnesses among Rural Adults in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, South India.

Background: Stigma is an important factor that determines whether individuals seek treatment for mental illnesses. Studies assessing public perceptions regarding mental illnesses are scarce in India. This study documents the stigma perceived by a rural population toward patients with mental illness and their families.

The Duration of Intestinal Immunity After an Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine Booster Dose in Children Immunized With Oral Vaccine: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In 2014, 2 studies showed that inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) boosts intestinal immunity in children previously immunized with oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). As a result, IPV was introduced in mass campaigns to help achieve polio eradication.

Methods: We conducted an open-label, randomized, controlled trial to assess the duration of the boost in intestinal immunity following a dose of IPV given to OPV-immunized children.

The effect of azithromycin on the immunogenicity of oral poliovirus vaccine: a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial in seronegative Indian infants.

Background: Oral poliovirus vaccine is less immunogenic and effective in low-income countries than in high-income countries, similarly to other oral vaccines. The high prevalence of intestinal pathogens and associated environmental enteropathy has been proposed to explain this problem. Because administration of an antibiotic has the potential to resolve environmental enteropathy and clear bacterial pathogens, we aimed to assess whether antibiotics would improve oral poliovirus vaccine immunogenicity.