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Background: Poisoning is acknowledged as a significant contributing factor to deaths in most of the low-income and middle income countries. Even though poisoning is regarded as a global burden, different parts of the world may experience different types of poisoning. For the purpose of creating and implementing appropriate policies to address this acknowledged public health issue, it is imperative to understand the epidemiology of poisoning cases in a given area. Material & Method: The present study was a retrospective study of poisoning deaths that were brought for medico legal autopsy at a tertiary care facility in southern Haryana between January 2018 and December 2023. A total of 264 medico legal autopsies for poisoning deaths were performed during the study period. Relevant information and subjective data like age, gender, marital status & occupation have been collected from medico legal autopsy register from January 2018 to December 2023. Results: It was observed that out of 264 cases female outnumbered male in ratio 1.3:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the second and third decade of life. Married couples were more vulnerable and the majority of the victims (64.77%) had accidentally consumed poison. Conclusion: The epidemiology of poisoning is highlighted in the study, which shows that poisoning fatalities accounted for almost 30% of total autopsies. Since the region is heavily dependent on agriculture, to control deaths caused by poisoning awareness programs should be implemented vigorously to educate and nurture the character of young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Road traffic accident is one of the major avoidable public health problems and is on the rise which can be attributed to increase in the number of vehicles, daily life changes, nasty tendency of violating traffic rules, anarchic traffic system and risky approach. It is a matter of national concern, in view of its extent and gravity and the subsequent negative impacts on the economy, public health and the general wellbeing of the people. The aim of this study was to know the pattern of injuries in victims of fatal road traffic accidents. Material & Method: The present study was a prospective, cross-sectional study. The study was conducted at the tertiary healthcare centre in southern Haryana. Total of 75 cases of fatal road traffic accident cases were enrolled during one year of study period. The basic information about the deceased like age, gender, mode of travel of victim was obtained from investigating officer narration and inquest papers. During autopsy, detailed examination of injuries was carried out and the autopsy findings were recorded and analyzed. Results: It was observed that out of 75 cases male outnumbered female in ratio 5.25:1. Majority of the victims belonged to age group 21-30 year (26.7%). Among the external injuries, abrasions were most common followed by lacerations. It was also observed that majority of the victims had intracranial hemorrhage (60%) followed by rib fracture (41.3%) and 17.3% of the victims had pelvis fracture. Conclusion: From the present study it was concluded that road traffic accidents were more common in the younger age group and two wheeler occupants followed by pedestrians were most vulnerable to road traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this manuscript is to introduce the notion of multiplicative 픪 -metric space, inspired by the concepts of multiplicative metric space and 픪 -metric space. We propose a generalized notion of the distance function known as the multiplicative 픪 -metric. Firstly, we present the fundamental definitions for the multiplicative 픪 -metric space, then delve into the topological aspects, including the convergence of sequences and completeness. Additionally, we provide various illustrations to support our discussion. We also generalize some well-known contraction mappings and prove fixed point theorems on the complete multiplicative 픪 -metric space. To complement our findings, we have included numerical results along with graphs to provide visual support for our conclusions. Furthermore, we explore the potential of utilizing the multiplicative 픪 -metric to demonstrate the existence of the solution to a multiplicative integral equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An essential and necessary component of any investigation into a sudden, suspicious death is the medico-legal autopsy. It's critical to understand the profile of medico-legal autopsy cases in order to ascertain the mortality rate from non-natural causes in a given area and addressing the demographic requirements in accordance with the region's unique mortality statistics. Material & Method: The present study was a retrospective study of autopsies performed at a tertiary care centre in southern Haryana, from January 2018 to December 2023. During this period a total of 886 medico legal autopsies were conducted. Relevant information and subjective data like age, gender, marital status & manner of death have been collected from medico legal autopsy register from January 2018 to December 2023. Results: It was observed that out of 886 cases male outnumbered females in ratio 2.06:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the age group 21-30 years. Majority of the deaths occurred due to poisoning (n=264, 29.79%), followed by road traffic accidents 26.74%. Conclusion: Majority of cases were in the 3rd decade of life, males outnumbered females. Poisoning and road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death. Public attention, awareness, preventive and remedial strategies should be undertaken to reduce similar incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anemia poses a significant health challenge for pregnant women (PW), and accurate and timely diagnosis is essential for effective management. Objective: The objective was to assess the diagnostic validity of the new digital hemoglobinometer for hemoglobin against laboratory-based hematology autoanalyzer among PW. Methodology: The study was conducted at a secondary-level healthcare facility among 204 pregnant women to be sampled conveniently, their sociodemographic and iron intake data collected, and hemoglobin levels assessed using a digital hemoglobinometer (Device A) and a hematology analyzer. Specificity, sensitivity, PPV, NPV, diagnostic accuracy, and method agreement were evaluated via Bland-Altman analysis and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. Results: The proportion of anemia using the Device A was 64.7% while the hematology analyzer reported a proportion of 52.9%. Device A showed a sensitivity of 97.22%, specificity of 80.30%, and diagnostic accuracy of 86.3%, with substantial agreement indicated by Cohen's kappa coefficient (kappa = 0.72) and the weighted kappa coefficient for different grades of anemia was 0.67. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a mean difference (bias) of -0.28 (± 0.5) between the two methods, with limits of agreement at -1.24 and 0.68. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient of absolute agreement was 0.91. Conclusion: The DH showed high sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy for anemia detection in PW, with substantial agreement with the hematology analyzer. It offers a convenient and rapid alternative for POC hemoglobin estimation in resource-constrained settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Road traffic accidents are preventable public health issues and are becoming more common. These accidents can be linked to a number of factors, including an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads, changes in daily life, a nasty habit of breaking traffic laws, anarchic traffic systems, and risky driving practices. Thoraco-abdominal injury in different forms is one of the major causes of mortality in the victims of fatal road traffic accidents. The aim of this study was to know the pattern of thoraco-abdominal injuries in victims of fatal road traffic accident cases. Material & Method: The present study was conducted at the tertiary healthcare centre in southern Haryana. Total of 75 cases of fatal road traffic accident cases were enrolled during one year of study period. The basic information about the deceased like age, gender, mode of travel of the victim was obtained from investigating officer narration and inquest papers. During autopsy, detailed examination of injuries was carried out and the autopsy findings were recorded and analyzed. Results: It was observed that out of 75 cases male outnumbered females in ratio 5.25:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the age group 21-30 years. The commonest injury of the thoracic region was rib fracture (41.3%). It was also observed that 17.3% of victims had pelvic fracture. Conclusion: Human error is a major contributing factor to fatal RTAs, which can be avoided in many cases. A more stringent licensing policy, particularly for four-wheelers, increased knowledge of traffic laws, the reduction of drug abuse and an appropriate road network that is in line with traffic volume can help to reduce the number of fatal road traffic accidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is well documented that the utilization of maternal healthcare services during pregnancy and childbirth plays a significant role in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. Disruptions in maternal healthcare services during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been reported. However, there is a paucity of literature from rural areas, as most of the previous studies are either record-based or conducted in tertiary care centers. This study aimed to determine the proportion of women who received the recommended maternal healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic and to study various factors associated with the utilization of services. Material and Methods: In this community-based study, we assessed the utilization of maternal healthcare services among 520 women residing in the Ballabgarh Block of District Faridabad, Haryana, whose antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal period coincided with the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Domiciliary visits were made, and women were interviewed retrospectively regarding maternal healthcare services utilized by them. The antenatal care (ANC) cards were reviewed, and details were corroborated. Results: Full ANC was received by 15.3% of women, and 45% of women had less than four antenatal visits. 30.9% of participants had cesarean delivery. The proportion of cesarean delivery in private facilities was significantly higher than in government facilities [Odds Ratio (OR) (95% Confidence intervals (CI)) =10.04 (5.87-17.19); P < 0.001]. In multivariate logistic regression, gravidity was negatively associated with full ANC [OR (95% CI) =0.43 (0.25-0.74); P = 0.002]. Conclusion: Fewer women received the recommended maternal healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Detailed assessment of health systems and factors affecting routine healthcare services, during the pandemic, can help improve the readiness and response in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes distress associated with diabetes is an important under-appreciated domain of diabetes management. The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of diabetes distress among T2DM patients in Jhajjar district of Haryana, using widely accepted DDS-17 scale along with testing the scale's reliability through Cronbach's α. Material and Methods: This observational study with cross-sectional design was carried out among 503 T2DM patients in district, Jhajjar, Haryana. DDS-17 scale was used for diabetes distress assessment. Data entry and analysis were performed using appropriate software. Results: 37.97% subjects had diabetes distress either in moderate (DDS-17 Score ≥2) or severe (DDS-17 Score ≥3) form. English version of DDS-17 scale showed good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.79). Conclusions: This study conclusively showed that diabetes distress is very common among T2DM patients as more than one third of the T2DM patients had diabetes distress and diabetes distress scale (DDS-17) is an easy, well-accepted questionnaire with good reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]