COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among Adults in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The global health crisis triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, known as the COVID-19 pandemic, prompted vaccination drives worldwide, including in India, to address the crisis. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a significant challenge to achieving vaccination goals. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis during 2021-2023 to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among adults in India and identify associated factors.

Recent trends in edible algae functional proteins: Production, bio-functional properties, and sustainable food packaging applications.

In recent years, there has been a notable surge in the development and adoption of edible algae protein-based sustainable food packaging, which presents a promising alternative to traditional materials due to its biodegradability, renewability, and minimal environmental impact. Hence, this review aims to emphasize the sources, cultivation, and downstream potential of algal protein and protein complexes. Moreover, it comprehensively examines the advancements in utilizing protein complexes for smart and active packaging applications, while also addressing the challenges that must be overcome for the widespread commercial adoption of algal proteins to meet industry 4.

Next generation sequencing to detect pathogens causing paediatric community-acquired pneumonia - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Paediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major public health challenge in children, requiring accurate and timely diagnosis of causative pathogens for effective antibiotic treatment. We aimed to explore the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in precise diagnosis of pediatric CAP and its effect on treatment outcome of these children.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare NGS-guided antibiotic therapy with conventional methods in pediatric CAP.

Averting catastrophic tuberculosis costs in an Indian state: integration of Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka with National Tuberculosis Elimination Program.

The WHO's "End TB" initiative aims to reduce catastrophic expenses, incidence, and mortality by 90%, 80%, and 0%, respectively by 2030 and Government of India has committed to reaching these goals by 2025. Despite tremendous progress, tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the main public health issues. To limit TB transmission and expedite reduction in incidence, further measures are needed.

Correction: Ambulatory management of pre- and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis patients with imipenem delivered through port-a-cath: A mixed methods study on treatment outcomes and challenges.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Risk factors for the development of tuberculosis among the pediatric population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pediatric tuberculosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in children due to high transmission, poor diagnostic tools, and various respiratory diseases mimicking TB. Identifying risk factors will provide evidence for clinicians to strongly relate their diagnosis to the associated pathology. Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar, systematically reviewed, and meta-analyzed for various risk factors and their association with pediatric TB.

Hypertension among women in reproductive age in India: Can we predict the risk? An analysis from National Family Health Survey (2015-2016).

Background: Hypertension in women of reproductive age group is of special concern because of the vulnerability of women to pregnancy-induced hypertension apart from socio-cultural vulnerability.

Aim: The objective of the study was to identify the predictors for hypertension among Indian women and to develop a risk score which would provide an opportunity for early detection and appropriate action.

Material And Methods: This study was based on the data collected in National Family Health Survey in 2015-2016.

Adherence to Prescribing Indicators at a District Hospital in Ghana: Do We Match WHO Standards?

: Rational use of medicines (RUM) and their assessment are important to ensure optimal use of resources and patient care in hospitals. These assessments are essential to identifying practice gaps for quality improvement. : Assessment of adherence to WHO/International Network for Rational Use of Drugs core prescribing indicators among outpatients in 2021 was conducted at the University Hospital of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Screening for Severe Illness at Diagnosis Has the Potential to Prevent Early TB Deaths: Programmatic Experience From Karnataka, India.

Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated response, TB deaths increased for the first time in a decade. In any potentially fatal illness, an assessment of severity is essential. This is not systematically done for adults with TB, mostly due to a lack of policy and/or limited availability of diagnostic and clinical capacity.

High Levels of Outpatient Antibiotic Prescription at a District Hospital in Ghana: Results of a Cross Sectional Study.

Background: Monitoring of antibiotic prescription practices in hospitals is essential to assess and facilitate appropriate use. This is relevant to halt the progression of antimicrobial resistance.

Methods: Assessment of antibiotic prescribing patterns and completeness of antibiotic prescriptions among out-patients in 2021 was conducted at the University Hospital of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

Era of TB elimination: Growing need to understand diversities of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineages!

Introduction: The mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) has highly clonal population structure which made the organism spread globally mirroring human migration out of Africa and resulted in the formation of seven lineages. We conducted this study to determine the proportion of spoligotype lineages and drug susceptibility profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates among smear positive TB patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Mysore, Karnataka, India.

Methods: It is a descriptive study conducted at JSS Hospital a tertiary care centre at Mysore, India during 2018-19.

Voices of Those Who Bear the Brunt - Experiences of Programme Personnel Concerning Private Sector Tuberculosis Notifications in Bengaluru City, India.

This study aims to assess private and public sector contributions to Tuberculosis (TB) notification in Bengaluru city (2011 to 2016) and identify challenges of program personnel in their interaction with private practitioners and procedural barriers for TB notification from the private sector as perceived by them. A mixed methods study was carried out in Bengaluru city, India with TB notification data obtained from TB Units in addition to in-depth interviews with key program implementers. Results showed the contribution of private practitioners to TB notification to be about 20%.

Engaging Informal Private Health Care Providers for TB Case Detection: Experiences from RIPEND Project in India.

Background: Informal (unqualified) health care providers are an important source of medical care for persons with presumptive TB (PPTB) in India. A project (titled RIPEND) was implemented to engage informal providers for the identification of PPTBs and TB patients in 4 districts of Telangana State, India, during October 2018-December 2019 project period. Engagement involved sensitizing the informal providers about TB, providing them financial incentives to identify PPTBs, and linking these PPTBs to diagnostic and treatment services provided by the Government of India's National TB Elimination Programme.

Screening People with Tuberculosis for High Risk of Severe Illness at Notification: Programmatic Experience from Karnataka, India.

Due to limited availability of diagnostics and capacity, people with tuberculosis do not always undergo systematic assessment for severe illness (requiring inpatient care). In Karnataka (south India), para-medical programme staff used a screening tool to identify people at 'high risk of severe illness', defined using indicators of very severe undernutrition, abnormal vital signs and poor performance status (any one): (i) body mass index (BMI) ≤ 14.0 kg/m (ii) BMI ≤ 16.

Clinical profile and risk factors for mortality among COVID-19 inpatients at a tertiary care centre in Bengaluru, India.

COVID-19 is an emerging viral disease affecting more than 200 countries worldwide and it present with varied clinical profile throughout the world. Without effective drugs to cure COVID-19, early identification and control of risk factors are important measures to combat COVID-19.  This study was conducted to determine the clinical profile and risk factors associated with mortality among COVID-19 patients in a tertiary care hospital in South India.

Uptake of universal drug susceptibility testing among people with TB in a south Indian district: How are we faring?

Background: India implements universal drug susceptibility testing (UDST) using rapid genotypic tests (cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test CBNAAT - and line probe assay - LPA). to bridge the gap of diagnosis of multidrug/rifampicin-resistant TB. There is limited evidence assessing the implementation of UDST in India.

Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) for tuberculosis patients: Early implementation challenges in Delhi, India.

Background: Nutrition support is one of the essential factors for envisioning Tuberculosis (TB) elimination in India by 2025. In this regard, Government of India introduced Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) as monthly financial assistance towards nutrition for TB patients in April, 2018. Assessment of early implementation challenges of the scheme is essential.

Ambulatory management of pre- and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis patients with imipenem delivered through port-a-cath: A mixed methods study on treatment outcomes and challenges.

Background: Imipenem, an intravenous antibiotic is recommended for use in drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) when an effective regimen with combination of other second line drugs is not possible. Though the treatment success rates with carbapenems are promising, the twice daily injection of Imipenem usually requires patients to be hospitalized. The Médecins Sans Frontières independent clinic in Mumbai, India implemented ambulatory and home based management of patients receiving Imipenem through the use of port-a-cath.

Cost of Tuberculosis Care in Programmatic Settings from Karnataka, India: Is It Catastrophic for the Patients?

Background: TB diagnostic and treatment services in India are provided free of cost in the programmatic context across the country. There are different costs incurred during health care utilization, and this study was conducted to estimate such costs. .

'Have we missed reporting adverse drug reactions under Revised National TB Control Programme?' - A mixed method study in Bengaluru, India.

Objective: Prompt identification, reporting and management of ADRs during anti tuberculosis treatment can ensure better compliance and treatment outcomes. The study was conducted to identify the gaps and associated factors in reporting of ADRs under RNTCP; assess knowledge, attitude and practice of RNTCP staff regarding pharmacovigilance programme and explore the barriers in reporting of ADRs from provider's perspective.

Methods: Mixed method research with sequential explanatory design was carried out in Tuberculosis Units of RNTCP administrative district of Bangalore city during July to December 2017.

Enablers and Challenges in the Implementation of Active Case Findings in a Selected District of Karnataka, South India: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Active case finding (ACF) for tuberculosis (TB) is a promising tool to enhance early case detection among marginalized populations. As opposed to passive case finding, it involves systematically searching for TB in individuals who would not spontaneously present for care. The National TB Program (NTP) of India has initiated ACF for TB through the existing general health system since the end of 2017.

Chest Radiography and Xpert MTB/RIF® Testing in Persons with Presumptive Pulmonary TB: Gaps and Challenges from a District in Karnataka, India.

Background: In India, as per the latest diagnostic algorithm, all persons with presumptive pulmonary TB (PPTB) are required to undergo sputum smear examination and chest radiography (CXR) upfront. Those with sputum smear positive, sputum smear negative, but CXR lesions suggestive of TB or those with strong clinical suspicion of TB are expected to undergo Xpert MTB/RIF® assay test (also known as CB-NAAT (cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test)).

Objective: To assess what proportion of PPTB who are undergoing sputum smear examination at microscopy centers of public health facilities have undergone CXR and CB-NAAT.

Active Case Finding for Tuberculosis through TOUCH Agents in Selected High TB Burden Wards of Kolkata, India: A Mixed Methods Study on Outcomes and Implementation Challenges.

Active case finding (ACF) for tuberculosis (TB) was implemented in 60 selected high TB burden wards of Kolkata, India. Community volunteers called TOUCH (Targeted Outreach for Upliftment of Community Health) agents (TAs) identified and referred presumptive TB patients (PTBPs) to health facilities for TB diagnosis and treatment. We aimed to describe the "care cascade" of PTBPs that were identified during July to December 2018 and to explore the reasons for attrition as perceived by TAs and PTBPs.