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Biomedical subjects

L M Nath

Publications and source records attributed to L M Nath.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Monitoring oral iron therapy with protoporphyrin/heme ratios in pregnant women.

Assessment of the efficacy of iron therapy has usually been done in populations/patients by monitoring changes in hemoglobin concentration, serum iron, percent transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin. In this study the protoporphyrin heme (P/H) ratio (a measure of free erythrocyte protoporphyrin) was measured before and after iron therapy in three groups of pregnant women, who received 60 mg (group A), 120 mg (group B), and 240 mg (group C) of elemental iron with folic acid (0.5 mg) per day for a period of 12 weeks, to evaluate its efficacy to monitor iron therapy. The three groups were comparable regarding the initial mean Hb concentration and serum ferritin levels. The initial mean P/H ratios were markedly elevated in all three groups and were different in the three groups, being highest in group A (113.2+/-92.6), intermediate in group B (87.5+/-62.5), and lowest in group C (69.8+/-43.3). The initial P/H ratio was significantly higher in group A than in group C (p<0.05). This probably affected the efficacy of iron therapy in the three groups. The P/H ratio decreased significantly in each of the three groups after iron therapy (A and B: p<0.001; C p<0.01). Mean Hb concentration and serum ferritin increased in all three groups post therapy; however, the magnitude of change in P/H ratio in all three groups was much greater. This indicated that the predominant contributory factor for anemia was iron deficiency in this group of pregnant women. Serum iron and percent transferrin saturation are difficult to interpret in our population, as iron is freely available over the counter and is prescribed as soon as anemia is detected in patients; therefore, the reduction in P/H ratio may be used to monitor response to iron therapy in population groups.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1999

Impact of HIV/AIDS on the national economy of India.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a major public health problem in India. In general, it affects mainly young people who are at their most productive part of life. Despite initial fears that AIDS will be disastrous for the economy, recent experience and estimations have shown that there is a need for reappraisal of its economic impact on society. RESEARCH QUESTION: From the viewpoint of the society of India, what is the total cost and equivalent annual cost of HIV infections for the period 1986-1995 (10 years) in India? METHODS: Type of analysis: Cost-descriptive based on predictive modelling cohort analysis using human capital approach. A discount rate of 5% was used. The cost of HIV infections include (i) loss of productivity among HIV patients due to sickness and death, (ii) productivity loss due to caregivers of AIDS patients, and (iii) cost of management of AIDS patients. To estimate the loss of productivity due to premature death attributable to AIDS, a life table approach using two cohorts, one with and one without HIV/AIDS infection at assumed rates was used. The demographic data of 1991 census were used. The difference in the person-years lived in the two scenarios gave the person-years lost due to HIV/AIDS. This was calculated separately for rural and urban areas. To convert this to monetary terms, national per capita income for 1992-93 of Rs. 5529 was used. The data on the days of inpatient care and the cost of management of AIDS patients were based on currently available data and 'expert opinion'. We analysed, using three different sets of assumptions for determination, the low, medium and high estimates of the impact of HIV/AIDS in India. Some of the costs were not included in the present analysis: (i) use of antiviral AZT, (ii) cost of retraining of new workforce, (iii) cost of strengthening of health care system, (iv) cost of research and development, (v) cost of communication activities, (vi) cost of prevention of vertical transmission, and (vii) the intangible cost of pain and suffering to the patients and their families. RESULTS: The total cumulative number of HIV-infected persons in India until 1995 was estimated to be 1.5 million (low estimate), 2.5 million (medium estimate) and 4.5 million (high estimate). The estimated total annual cost (in billion Rupees) of HIV/AIDS in India under low, medium and high assumptions was 6.73, 20.16 and 59.19, respectively. Cost of treatment of AIDS and loss in productivity were the two major components of the cost. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated annual cost of HIV/AIDS appears to be about 1% of the GDP of India if based on high assumptions. However, as mentioned earlier, all costs of HIV have not been taken into account. Its significance has to be assessed in the context of annual growth of GDP (3.5%) and cost of other major diseases in India.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed1999

Development of an activities of daily living scale to screen for dementia in an illiterate rural older population in India.

OBJECTIVE: to develop a measure of activities of daily living appropriate for use in assessing the presence of dementia in illiterate rural elderly people in India. DESIGN: identification of relevant items, pre-testing of items and refinement of administrative procedures and scoring in four successive groups of 30 subjects each, pilot testing in a group of 100 subjects comparable to those for whom the measure is intended, administration to a representative sample of 387 people aged 55 and older, and assessment of the reliability of the final measure. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: age-stratified random sample of older men and women in rural areas of Ballabgarh, Northern India. RESULTS: the original pool of 35 items covering mobility, instrumental and personal care activities was reduced to an 11-item unidimensional scale (to which an additional item on mobility was added) with internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha)=0.82, perfect inter- and intra-rater reliability, test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation)=0.82 (any disability) and 0.92 (unable to perform for 'mental' reasons). Women, older subjects, the totally illiterate and subjects with poorer cognitive function performed significantly more poorly (P < or = 0.02 for all). PRODUCT: a brief, reliable and valid activities of daily living measure, with norms, which is appropriate for use in assessing dementia in illiterate rural elderly people in India.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Challenge and response: HIV in Asia and the Pacific.

Inexorably, the epicentre of the global HIV pandemic is moving from Africa to Asia. Despite many years of much-publicised analysis of the African epidemic, most countries in Asia and many in the Pacific have not introduced the public health strategies known to minimise the spread of HIV. What must be done now, and how can the developed countries in the region, such as Australia, assist their neighbours?

Asia↗
PubMed1990

Pilot study of the prevalence of major neurologic disorders in a rural population of India.

A study of the prevalence of major neurologic diseases will be carried out in a rural population near Ballabgarh. India, using the World Health Organization protocol for epidemiologic studies of neurologic disorders and other internationally standardized survey techniques, screening procedures, and diagnostic criteria. Before applying any protocol developed in one population to another population, it must be intensively tested. Here, we describe the adaptation of the WHO protocol to the local conditions in rural Ballabgarh, and the findings of the pilot study conducted to test the protocol.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Psychosocial correlates of chronic cannabis use.

The psychosocial effects of chronic heavy use of cannabis were studied in a rural population of males in north India. The user group comprised thirty persons who had been taking only cannabis at least 11 times a month over a period of five years or more. The controls were fifty subjects selected from among the general population to which the users belonged. The controls had not been using any drugs. The subjects had similar age distribution, occupation, socioeconomic status, and educational background. Psychosocial adaptation was assessed by enquiries into such areas as self-aspiration, present occupation, occupational satisfaction, marital status, marital relationships, sexual behaviour, self-reported deviant behaviour, and future planning for children. On no variable were the present users found to be different from the non-user control group.

Adult↗