Faculty development programs for medical teachers in India.

Introduction: India has the highest number of medical colleges in the world and subsequently the higher number of medical teachers. There is a dire need of adopting a systematic approach to faculty development to enhance quality education to meet health challenges for 21st Century. This manuscript provides a landscape of faculty development programs in India, identifying gaps and opportunities for reforms in faculty development.

Dynamics of influenza seasonality at sub-regional levels in India and implications for vaccination timing.

Background: Influenza surveillance is an important tool to identify emerging/reemerging strains, and defining seasonality. We describe the distinct patterns of circulating strains of the virus in different areas in India from 2009 to 2013.

Methods: Patients in ten cities presenting with influenza like illness in out-patient departments of dispensaries/hospitals and hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory infections were enrolled.

Risk factors for acute myocardial infarction in central India: a case-control study.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a multi-factorial disease involving the interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Studies highlighting the public health importance of risk factors like chronic infections causing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the Indian context are scarce. This study was undertaken to study the association of socio-demographic and life-style factors with acute myocardial infarction in central India.

Human resource capacity building initiatives for public health laboratories in India.

Public health laboratories play a critical role in disease surveillance and response. With changes in disease dynamics and transmission, their role has evolved over time, and they serve a range of important public health functions. For their effective functioning, it is important to have specialized manpower in these laboratories, which can contribute to their maximum utilization.

A case-control study examining association between infectious agents and acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Coronary heart disease is multi-factorial in origin and its burden is expected to rise in developing countries, including India. Evidence suggests that the inflammation caused by infection is associated with the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. An increasing number of clinical and experimental studies point to a contribution of various infectious organisms to the development of atherosclerosis in humans.

Epidemiology of pandemic H1N1 strains in a tertiary hospital of Maharashtra.

Swine-flu is a viral fever caused by a new mutated strain Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, which infects humans. Pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1/2009) virus was detected in the first quarter of 2009 in the west coastal region of North America and spread very rapidly to the other countries during April-June, 2009. This study was conducted to assess the epidemiology of pandemic H1N1 strains using a cross-sectional study design in a tertiary hospital.

The geographic location (latitude) of studies evaluating protective effect of BCG vaccine and it's efficacy/effectiveness against tuberculosis.

Objective: To study association between the geographic location (latitude) of studies evaluating protective effect of BCG vaccine and it's efficacy / effectiveness against tuberculosis.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was carried out to identify relevant studies. Data extraction from these studies included place of study (geographic latitude), study design and reported point estimate of protective effect of BCG vaccine against tuberculosis.

Scar size and effectiveness of Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccination in the prevention of tuberculosis and leprosy: a case-control study.

Background: The study was undertaken to estimate the effectiveness of BCG vaccination in relation to scar size in the prevention of tuberculosis and leprosy.

Methods: The present study was designed as hospital-based pair-matched case-control study and was carried out at Government Medical College Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. It included 877 cases of tuberculosis and 292 cases of leprosy (diagnosed by WHO criteria), born onwards 1962.

Change in antimicrobial resistance pattern of Salmonella Typhi in central India.

Background & Objectives: Multidrug resistant Salmonella Typhi infections have been reported worldwide in the last decade. In a study from central India in 1991 multidrug resistant S. Typhi were reported to account for 91 per cent of patients of enteric fever.