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Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the escalating, but underdiagnosed hormonal disorder in women of reproductive age. The present study is an attempt to explore long term health implications in four Rotterdam the phenotypes of Polycystic ovary syndrome. For this purpose, a total of 223 PCOS women with age ranged from 18 to 45 years and living in the Chandigarh Capital Region were selected from the OPD, PGIMER, Chandigarh, (North India). Polycystic ovary syndrome among women were diagnosed as per the Rotterdam Criteria (2004). Findings of the study indicated that hirsutism (47.5%), acne (30.9%), seborrhoea (32.2%), menstrual irregularity (55.6%), and ovarian size >10 cm³ (54.7%) were most frequently encountered symptoms in women having classic PCOS phenotype as compared to women with non-PCO PCOS, non-hyperandrogenic and ovulatory PCOS phenotype. The correspondence analysis depicted that classic PCOS phenotype were more closely and significantly associated with all the symptoms of PCOS with 83.6% variance, while ovulatory PCOS depicted least association with the symptoms of PCOS indicating that oligoanovulation play a vital role in the manifestation of symptoms related to PCOS. The classic PCOS phenotype showed higher prevalence of metabolic perturbations than other phenotypes, thereby confirming classic PCOS phenotypes are at greater risk of long-term health consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic birth experience is an unaddressed arena, especially in Asian women, with several societal stigmas lingering around. Aim: A study was undertaken to simultaneously assess the post-partum mental and physical health follow-up of maternal near-miss (MNM) women and compare it with women of uneventful deliveries. Materials and Methods: The prospective cohort study enrolled 88 MNM women (case cohort) and 80 women with an uneventful peri-partum period (control cohort) at the same time. The participants were followed up with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EDPS), PTSD Checklist – Civilian Version (PLC-C), and a 36-item short-form-survey form over 6 months after the delivery. Results: The case group had higher mean EPDS and PLC-C scores, with poor quality of life (QOL) performance, compared to the control group at 6 weeks and 3 months, and 6 months follow-up (P < 0.05). At the sixth-week follow-up visit, the study observed that 28 (31.8%) women from the case group required a psychiatry consultation compared to the control group with only two (2.5%) participants (P < 0.001). At 3 months, an evident difference was noted on various QOL parameters, such as limitations due to physical health and emotional problems, energy fatigue, general health, and health change parameters between the two groups (P < 0.05). The difference persisted at 6-month follow-up as well for limitations due to physical health, energy fatigue, and general health parameters only (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There is an urgent need for a multi-departmental collaborative approach at the hospital level and policy-making decisions at higher levels for the mental health of Asian women facing MNM events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a re-emerging endemic zoonosis in the Asia Pacific region. It is a febrile condition ranging in severity from mild to severe, with fatality rates as high as 30%. The present study aims towards analysing the clinical profile and pregnancy outcomes in 27 cases of scrub typhus admitted to a tertiary care centre in North India. The medical records of 27 pregnant women who had scrub typhus were analysed. The IgM ELISA was used to look for IgM antibodies to Orientia tsutsugamushi in the patient's serum sample. An optical density of more than or equal to 0.468 was considered as positive. Majority of the pregnant females delivered healthy and live babies. However, poor foetal outcomes were observed in four (14.8%) cases with intrauterine deaths occurring in two (7.4%) cases and still birth in one (3.7%) case, while one (3.7%) patient had spontaneous abortion. Maternal mortality was reported in one patient (3.7%) due to a delay in diagnosis. In endemic settings, a strong index of suspicion for scrub typhus is necessary in pregnant females presenting with fever. The key to reducing morbidity in both the mother and foetus is early diagnosis and treatment. What is already known on this subject? Scrub typhus is a febrile condition ranging in severity from mild to severe, with 30% mortality in untreated patients. What do the results of this study add? Majority of the pregnant females delivered healthy and live babies. However, poor foetal outcomes were observed in four (14.8%) cases with intrauterine deaths occurring in two (7.4%) cases and still birth in one (3.7%) case, while one (3.7%) patient had spontaneous abortion. Maternal mortality was reported in one patient (3.7%) due to a delay in diagnosis. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? In endemic settings, a strong index of suspicion for scrub typhus is necessary for pregnant females presenting with fever. The key to reducing morbidity in both the mother and foetus is early diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Ramandeep. Bansal, Vanita. Suri, Seema. Chopra, Neelam. Aggarwal, Pooja. Sikka, Subhas. Saha, Parampreet. Kharbanda, Praveen. Kumar AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine if [...]

Background: The composition of the human milk microbiome is highly variable and multifactorial. Milk microbiota from various countries show striking differences. There is a paucity of data from healthy lactating Indian mothers. Research Aim: To describe the milk microbiota of healthy North Indian women, using a culture-independent, targeted metagenomic approach. Methods: We recruited exclusively breastfeeding mothers (N = 22) who had vaginally delivered full-term singleton infants in a tertiary care hospital less than 1 week previously and had not recently consumed systemic antibiotics. Milk samples (5 ml) were collected aseptically, and microbial deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted. Microbial composition and diversity were determined using a 454-pyrosequencing platform. Core genera were identified, and their relative abundances ranked. Heatmaps showing the variation of the ranked abundances and Shannon index were obtained using R. Results: Participants (all exclusively vegetarian) had a mean (SD) age of 27.2 (3.4) years, postnatal age of 3.9 (1.6) days and gestation 38 (1.2) weeks. The dominant phylum was Proteobacterium (relative abundance 84%) and dominant genus Pseudomonas (relative abundance 61.78%). Eleven species of Pseudomonas were identified, all generally considered nonpathogenic. Based on abundance patterns of the core genera, the milk samples could be grouped: (a) dominated by Pseudomonas with low diversity; (b) less Pseudomonas and high diversity; and (c) dominated by Pseudomonas but high diversity. All neonates were healthy and gaining weight well at 1 month of age. Conclusions: Healthy, lactating, vegetarian, North Indian women who deliver at term gestation and have no recent exposure to antibiotics, have a unique milk microbiome dominated by Pseudomonas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]