STUDY DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional study with convenience sampling approach was done to assess quality of life (QoL) in 100 soldiers and veterans affected by spinal cord injury (SCI). PURPOSE: SCI affects almost every aspect of the life of an affected individual. This study was done to measure the impact of SCI on QoL of affected soldiers and veterans using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The devastating effect of SCI on QoL is well known. However, this study is unique in that it includes soldiers and veterans, who constitute a large, but excluded, cohort in most demographic studies. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done at two SCI rehabilitation centres of the Indian armed forces. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews from 100 patients, which included both sociodemographic data as well as all the questions included in WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. RESULTS: Age and marital status did not have any influence on QoL. Level of injury (paraplegic or quadriplegic), level of education and presence of other medical co-morbidities had the most significant influence on QoL. Presence of other medical co-morbidities had a negative influence on QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Identification of factors having a positive and negative influence on QoL help in formulating measures and policies that positively influence the QoL following SCI in soldiers. Future longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and assessment of additional variables in addition to WHOQOL-BREF, like presence/absence of secondary complications, are required to bring about policy changes to provide SCI patients with additional support and increased access to equipment or lifestyle interventions.
Arm ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Education ; Humans ; India* ; Life Style ; Longitudinal Studies ; Marital Status ; Military Personnel* ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life* ; Rehabilitation ; Sample Size ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Veterans

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a rare disease in most parts of the world, except for Southeast Asia, some parts of North Africa and the Arctic. It is mostly seen in people of Chinese origin. In India, NPC is also rare, except for the Hill States of Northeast India, particularly Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. The striking feature of NPC in Northeast India is that the incidence ranges over the complete spectrum from the lowest (as 0.5/100 000 to 2.0/100 000 among Caucasoid) to the highest (as about 20/100 000 among Cantonese/Zhongshan dialect Chinese). The age-adjusted rate of NPC in Kohima district of Nagaland State is 19.4/100 000, which is among the highest recorded rates. By contrast, in Assam, one of the so-called Hill States but not itself a hilly state, NPC is much less common. The Northeastern region is distinguished by a preponderance of the Tibeto-Burman languages and by variable mongoloid features among peoples of the region. The nature of the migratory populations who are presumed to be bearers of the mongoloid risk is unknown, but these NPC occurrence features provide an outstanding opportunity for NPC risk investigation, such as that of the hypothesis of Wee et al. for westward displacement of Chinese aborigines following the last glacial maximum.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Emigration and Immigration ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; epidemiology ; Genetics, Population ; Humans ; Incidence ; India ; epidemiology ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; Sikkim ; epidemiology

Objective: To find a proper method to assess colistin resistance in multidrug resistant Gram negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) on a routine basis in resource limited settings. Methods: Clinical samples were processed. MDR-GNB were identified and were examined for colistin resistance by colistin broth elution method, colistin agar method, and colistin disk elution screening method. Broth microdilution method was used the gold standard. Results: A total of 10 235 clinical samples were processed, in which 857 (8.4%) MDR-GNB were identified. The very significant errors, categorical agreement, major errors, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, specificity and sensitivity of all the phenotypic methods were 5.5%, 0%, 94.4%, 100%, 99.6%, 100% and 94.4%, respectively for the detection of colistin resistance. The colistin elution screening method was cheap and easy to perform with similar results to broth microdilution method. Conclusions: All the evaluation methods for colistin resistance showed similar results. So the laboratories can choose any method for detection of colistin resistance. However, we recommend colistin disk elution screening method because, it is easy and cheap and can be performed in limited resources.