Cancer Scenario in a Health Care Setting - An Observational Study

Introduction: Cancer can affect all living cells in the body, at all ages and both genders are affected with Cancer. There is a multifactorial causation and the disease process differs at different sites. The World Cancer Report documents that cancer rates are set to increase at an alarming rate globally. Aim and objectives: To assess the cancer scenario in a tertiary care setting, GMC Kathua Methodology: This was a hospital-based retrospective study undertaken in the tertiary care center Kathua. GMC, Kathua is one among the five new medical colleges established in Jammu & Kashmir. The records of cancer patients generated from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020 were analyzed. All the cancer cases who reported either for diagnosis in any of the hospital OPD or for the treatment (radiotherapy/ chemotherapy/ surgery) were included. Data was entered in the MS Excel for analysis Results: A total 254 patients were registered during this 1 year period. Females accounted for 56.2% and males for 43.07% .Majority of the cases (114) were found in the age group 41-60. CA breast was the common (16.54%) reported cancer among females followed by CA cervix whereas in males, CA lung (9.92%) was the most common reported cancer among males Conclusion: The prevalence of cancer cases was found to be higher in females as compared to males. The major age group fell in between 41-60 years. The lung was a leading site of cancer among males and breast was a leading site of the cancer among the females. Key words: Cancer, Breast cancer, Lung cancer.

Contrast Induced Nephropathy- A Single Centre Observational Study

Background: CIN is an important cause of morbidity and mortality post cardiac procedures. Renal derangement and diabetes being the most important risk factors. Multifactorial causation of the disorder led us to study the risk factors associated with CIN. Methods: All patients who underwent cardiac procedures between March 2019 and March 2020 were screened for CIN and included in the study. Out of the 3192 patients screened 99 patients were diagnosed with CIN. Parameters such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, CKD, anemia, duration of hospital stay, cardiogenic shock, number of stents, amount and type of contrast, Ejection Fraction, creatinine clearance before and after the procedure, concomitant nephrotoxic drugs were also recorded. Results: Ninety-nine patients developed CIN amounting to 3% of the total procedures, 11% expired, 18% required dialysis, average creatinine clearance before the procedure was 53.15 ml/min/1.73 m2 and post procedure it was 29.16 ml/min/1.73 m2, 51.5% of cases had creatinine clearance prior to procedure <60 ml/min/1.73 m2, 60.6% were diabetic, 81.8% were hypertensive, 30.3% were anaemic, 15% had heart failure, 33% required ventilatory assistance, average haemoglobin level was 11.83 mg/dl, 33% received iso-osmolar contrast and 45% had EF of 35% or less. Conclusions: CIN has a multifactorial causation most common being prior renal derangement and diabetes mellitus. This is one of a kind study in this part of country among cardiac patients. Newer biomarkers of kidney injury could also be studied in future.

Recruitment of a coral reef fish: roles of settlement, habitat, and postsettlement losses

Multiple processes typically influence patterns of abundance. Despite this widely accepted view, many studies continue to approach ecological questions from a single-factor, or, at most, a two-factor perspective. Here, I evaluate the consequences of considering, separately and jointly, the effects of three factors (larval settlement, reef resources, and postsettlement losses) on spatial patterns of abundance of a marine reef fish, the six bar wrasse (Thalassoma hardwicke). Using correlational methods commonly employed in single-factor studies, I show that local patterns of abundance of juvenile wrasse could be attributed entirely to either (1) patterns of abundance of settlement habitat, or (2) patterns of larval settlement. This result occurred because habitat and presumed larval delivery covaried in space. I manipulated abundance of settlement habitat in a field experiment to uncouple this covariation and found subsequent settlement to be simultaneously influenced by both factors. However, joint effects of habitat and settlement failed to account for patterns of abundance of juvenile wrasse without also considering a third factor - postsettlement losses - which were density-dependent and substantially modified patterns of settlement. These results illustrate (1) how multifactorial explanations may be falsely refuted when incomplete sets of multiple factors are considered, and (2) how single-factor explanations may misrepresent underlying multifactorial causation of ecological patterns. Uncovering the interactive role of multiple factors in determining ecological patterns of interest requires a shift from single-factor approaches to more pluralistic perspectives.

Recruitment of a coral reef fish: roles of settlement, habitat, and postsettlement losses

Multiple processes typically influence patterns of abundance. Despite this widely accepted view, many studies continue to approach ecological questions from a single-factor, or, at most, a two-factor perspective. Here, I evaluate the consequences of considering, separately and jointly, the effects of three factors (larval settlement, reef resources, and postsettlement losses) on spatial patterns of abundance of a marine reef fish, the six bar wrasse (Thalassoma hardwicke). Using correlational methods commonly employed in single-factor studies, I show that local patterns of abundance of juvenile wrasse could be attributed entirely to either (1) patterns of abundance of settlement habitat, or (2) patterns of larval settlement. This result occurred because habitat and presumed larval delivery covaried in space. I manipulated abundance of settlement habitat in a field experiment to uncouple this covariation and found subsequent settlement to be simultaneously influenced by both factors. However, joint effects of habitat and settlement failed to account for patterns of abundance of juvenile wrasse without also considering a third factor - postsettlement losses - which were density-dependent and substantially modified patterns of settlement. These results illustrate (1) how multifactorial explanations may be falsely refuted when incomplete sets of multiple factors are considered, and (2) how single-factor explanations may misrepresent underlying multifactorial causation of ecological patterns. Uncovering the interactive role of multiple factors in determining ecological patterns of interest requires a shift from single-factor approaches to more pluralistic perspectives.