North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) is a medical institute of India in Shillong, Meghalaya. It is located on the outskirts of the educational hub hills City of the Northeastern India, Shillong, the "Scotland of the East". The present full-fledged tertiary care hospital facilities started at its permanent campus at Mawdiangdiang, Shillong in the year 2007. It is an Autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India in 1987 and declared as "Centre of excellence" by the parliament of India. (1) The MBBS teaching programme of NEIGRIHMS started in 2008 with intake of 50 (fifty) students, followed by Post graduate courses in the following 4 subjects - Anaesthesiology, Microbiology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Pathology in the year 2009. Further PG courses have been started in the following subjects - Anatomy, General Medicine, General Surgery and Radiodiagnosis and Imaging. The Institute also offers DM course in Cardiology. Besides, there is B. Sc Nursing and M. Sc Nursing courses (annual intake of 50 seats in B.Sc and 10 seats in M.Sc) being run by the Institute's College of Nursing.The College of Nursing started its courses from the year 2006.The Institute was formally inaugurated and dedicated to the nation on 5 March 2010 by the chairperson of the UPA government, Smt Sonia Gandhi, the institute functioned from its present campus at Mawdiangdiang for some years before that.NEIGRIHMS is not only an educational institute that imparts postgraduate medical training and undergraduate medical training, but also a working hospital that provides inexpensive medical care to patients.The institute is established on the lines of AIIMS, Delhi and PGIMER Chandigarh, to provide tertiary care to the people of North-East India.The institute is named after (L) Smt.Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India.NEIGRIHMS offers services in specialties like General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Cardiology, Ophthalmology, E.N.T., Pediatrics, Urology, CTVS, General Medicine, Blood Bank, Pathology, Biochemistry, etc.MD & MS Course started in initially in 4 disciplines affiliated to North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) (A central University). The approval to start the Post Graduate course in NEIGRIHMS was conveyed by the Ministry vide Office Memorandum No-U-12012/7/2008-NE dated 19 May 2008. After inspection under the Chairmanship of Dr. A.K Agarwal, Add. Director General, DGHS, the Ministry vide letter No.U-12012/7/2008-NE (Pt) dated 19 March 2009 permitted to start Post Graduate Courses with two seats each in 4 (four) departments namely Anaesthesiology, Pathology, Microbiology and Obstetrics & Gynaecology..
Dengue is a significant global health concern, necessitating rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective tools for early detection. Herein, we report the first label-free electrochemical aptasensor specifically targeting the dengue virus envelope (E) protein, addressing a critical gap in dengue diagnostics beyond conventional NS1-based assays. The aptasensor was developed on a gold electrode through a rational layer-by-layer assembly of a cysteamine self-assembled monolayer, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and a thiolated DNA aptamer with high affinity toward the dengue E protein. The aptasensor demonstrates an impressive limit of detection (LOD) of 66 fg mL− 1 within a broad dynamic range of 100 fg mL− 1–5 ng mL− 1, suitable for early-stage detection. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electrochemical analysis confirmed successful surface functionalization and target interactions. The aptasensor also showed excellent selectivity against potential interferents, high reproducibility, and long-term stability. Importantly, its analytical performance was validated using dengue-positive human serum samples, showing strong agreement with standard ELISA results. Owing to its first-of-its-kind E-protein targeting strategy, label-free detection, rapid response, and exceptional sensitivity, the proposed aptasensor represents a promising and cost-effective point-of-care diagnostic tool for early-stage dengue detection, particularly suited for resource-limited settings.
Epistaxis is one of the most common and difficult to treat otolaryngological emergencies affecting 60
Background: Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical condition requiring resource-intensive management and substantial health expenditure. The adverse economic impact of medical care on patients or financial burden is increasingly recognised as a significant non-clinical entity affecting HF management in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). We explored the factors associated with Financial Burden (FB) in HF patients in India. Methods: We recruited HF patients from 21 hospitals across India, selected to reflect regional diversity and varying stages of epidemiological transition. Trained personnel collected clinical and economic data using a validated and structured questionnaire. Expenditures were recorded in Indian rupees (INR) and converted to international dollars (INT$). Results: We recruited 1,859 participants. Nearly one-third of participants (30.2%) were women. The mean age was 55.9 (11.3) years, and the mean duration of formal education was 11.3 (3.8) years. Health insurance coverage was reported in one-third (32.2%) of the study population. The average annual out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure was INR 1,06,566 (INT$ 4,709.10), constituting 92.6% (95% CI: 92.5-92.7) of the total health expenditure. Compared to the previous year, a decline in monthly income was reported by 32.3% of individuals and 36.2% of households. Catastrophic health spending (CHS) and distress financing (DF) were observed in 37.7% (35.5-39.9) and 17.7% (15.9-19.4) of the households, respectively. However, CHS and DF were lower [30.8% (26.2-35.4) and 13.6% (10.2-17.0), respectively] among those with health insurance compared to the uninsured [40.3% (37.6-43.0) and 18.9% (16.7-21.1), respectively]. Conclusion: Seven out of 10 HF patients in India lack financial health protection. OOP expenditures, accounting for over 90% of total health spending, contribute significantly to economic distress in HF patients. Financial burden, affecting more than one-third of HF patients, carries profound implications for individual well-being. Addressing this financial burden, including CHS and DF, is essential for improving clinical outcomes and ensuring health equity.
Background and objectives The alternate day and the intermittent regimens of isotretinoin are efficacious in treating moderate acne vulgaris with low cumulative doses. The former regimen has been found to be superior in comparative studies using weight-based dosing. The fixed dosing of the two regimens has not been explored in a head-to-head trial. The objective was to compare the efficacy and safety of these regimens at fixed dosages in treating grade 2 facial acne vulgaris. Methods It was a randomised, single-blinded, non-inferiority trial. Sixty patients aged 18 years and above with grade 2 facial acne were randomised into two groups: Group A received 20 mg isotretinoin on alternate days, and Group B received 30 mg daily for one wk per month for four months. Results The mean acne load in group A and B reduced to 5.63±4.87 and 5.63±4.87 from 22.60±10 and 28.70±18.10, respectively. The percentage of participants achieving a significant response was 96.7% and 93.3% in group A and B ( P= 0.28). The estimates were within the non-inferiority margins. The acne load progressively decreased with greater effect size as the treatment continued. Relapse to pretreatment score was not detected. Side effects were comparable between the groups. The cost was significantly higher with the alternate regimen. Interpretation and conclusions The daily intermittent regimen is non-inferior to alternate day regimen at fixed dosages in significantly improving grade 2 facial acne vulgaris with similar side effect profiles. The daily intermittent regimen, also with a lower cost, is thus preferrable.
STUDY DESIGN:This was a longitudinal observational study. PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there are microvascular changes in the retina after uneventful phacoemulsification surgery using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) under topical anesthesia. METHODS:OCTA scans of the 3 mm × 3 mm macula were obtained in 53 eyes to measure the superficial capillary perfusion (SCP) vessel density, perfusion density, foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, perimeter, circularity, and central subfield thickness (CST) at the pre-operative visit and at one week and one month following phacoemulsification surgery under topical anesthesia in an Indian population. RESULTS:There was a statistically significant increase in SCP vessel density at one week (17.604 ± 3.3340) and one month (18.725 ± 2.8280) post-operatively compared with the pre-operative visit (16.017 ± 3.6574) (P < 0.001). Similarly, a statistically significant increase was found in SCP perfusion density at one week (33.079 ± 4.8540) and one month (34.585 ± 4.1916) post-operatively compared with the pre-operative visit (30.285 ± 5.6133) (P < 0.001). However, no significant changes in the FAZ or CST parameters were found post-operatively. CONCLUSION:The findings suggest that phacoemulsification may influence retinal microcirculation without causing significant structural macular changes. This study adds to the growing body of evidence regarding retinal microvascular alterations after cataract surgery and highlights the utility of OCTA as a non-invasive tool for evaluating post-operative retinal vascular changes.
