Browsing by Author "Sandhu, A"

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    Index for measuring child feeding practices.
    (2007-04-04) Srivastava, N; Sandhu, A
    OBJECTIVE: The present investigation was undertaken with the objective of creating an Infant and Child Feeding Index (ICFI) from a set of complementary feeding (CF) practices and to determine its association with growth of infants and young children (6-23 months). METHODS: A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect information for 204 children from one large slum (n=104) and two private pediatric clinics (n=100) of urban Vadodara. RESULTS: Results revealed that about half (50.5%) of the children were stunted Ht for Age Z score (HAZ<-2SD), nearly one-fourth (25.5%) were underweight Wt for Age Z score (WAZ<-2SD), but wasting (WHZ Wt for Ht Z score<-2SD) was low (3%). Significant associations were revealed between almost all positive CF practices and nutritional status of the children as measured by HAZ and WAZ (p<0.01), but not with WHZ. Good associations were revealed between ICFI and HAZ and WAZ, but not with WHZ. On multivariate analysis of factors affecting the HAZ, WAZ and WHZ scores, ICFI was not found to be significant whereas maternal education was the most significant factor, which was also found to be associated significantly with ICFI. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the composite index in its present form can reflect the CF practices more holistically than just one or few behaviors studied separately. More research is needed in the direction of constituting a composite index which can then be used for research, monitoring, evaluation and much needed advocacy for complementary feeding.
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    Infant and child feeding index.
    (2006-09-29) Srivastava, N; Sandhu, A
    Traditional indicators of child feeding practices are widely used and appear to be useful, although the validity and reliability of those related to complementary feeding have not been established. Composite child feeding indices have the potential to address some of the methodological constraints related to the quantitative measurement of child feeding practices. They can address the multi-dimensionality of child feeding practices i.e. the need to consider the type, quality, texture, nutrient density of food, frequency of feeding and diversity of the diet; the age-specificity of child feeding practices; and the fact that feeding practices tend to cluster. The main advantage of creating a composite index is that it allows construction of one variable representing various dimensions of feeding or care practices. This variable, in turn, can be used to illustrate graphically the importance of child feeding or care for child outcomes or to model their determinants. This can be invaluable for advocacy, apart from being an indispensable tool for the purposes of research, monitoring and evaluation. Experience with creation of composite child feeding indices with the studies in Accra and DHS data sets from Latin America and Ethiopia has been encouraging and suggests that this is a promising area for future development and program applications.
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    Pulmonary artery sarcoma mimicking a pulmonary embolism.
    (2008-01-06) Sandhu, A; Yates, T J; Kuriakose, P
    Sarcomas involving the lung are a rare occurrence, often a result of metastatic disease from primary malignancies involving the skin, liver, breast or heart. Primary pulmonary artery sarcomas are rarer still, with limited cases reported world-wide and consequently data regarding treatment modalities are sparse and largely experimental. These tumors are often mistaken for a pulmonary embolism and seemingly supported by radiological findings. Patients will often present without symptom resolution despite therapeutic anticoagulation. The following case illustrates how a soft tissue sarcoma of the pulmonary artery can mimic a pulmonary embolism, thus, resulting in both a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. A positron emission tomography scan was an invaluable tool in this case, showing increased radiotracer uptake and placing neoplasm at the top of the differential diagnosis. This ultimately led to a biopsy that was vimentin positive, cytokeratin negative and CD117 negative, thus consistent with soft tissue sarcoma.
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    Two Cases of Ocular Trauma with Air Gun Pellets
    (Ms. M. B. Mondal, 2024-06) Verma, N; Khan, B; Anand, V; Sandhu, A
    Two healthy males presented on separate occasions to the emergency room after sustaining trauma by air-gun pellets during farmer’s agitation against the government. Clinical examination indicated that the foreign bodies (air-gun pellets) were imbedded in different locations (subconjunctival and subcutaneous in eye lid.). The management of this traumatic injury is discussed and concurs with the published literature.