DR. RAJ KISHOR SHARMA

Background: Development of antimicrobial resistance imposes a serious threat to the timely and efficient healing of mankind who fall prey to the infectious agents. It is increasingly being reported day by day throughout the world. Irrational and overuse of antibiotics coupled with unavailability of regional or local antibiogram aggravates the situation further. Aim: To understand and present the local antbiogram data for this region and bridge the existing knowledge gap about the same for this particular region. Materials and Methods: Two year data was retrospectively analyzed from a 750 bedded tertiary care centre. Results: A total of 1143 non repeat isolates were studied, their antibiogram profiles were analyzed. Percentage of Gram negative bacteria obtained were 59.6%, while Gram Positive bacteria were obtained in 40.4% of the isolates. Escherichia coli (22.8%) was the most common organism isolated, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (14.2%), Other Staphylococcal sp(12.8%), Enterococcus sp(12.6%), Klebsiellapneumoniae (9.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumanii calcoaceticus complex(7.4%), Miscellaneous Bacteria(13.4%). An alarming number of isolates were found to be Multidrug resistant isolates(MDRs). With the panel of antibiotics tested for Gram negative bacterial isolates, only Fosfomycin(1.5%), Nitrofurantoin(16%) & Chloramphenicol (19%) were the only antibiotics to exhibit Conclusion: It is high time that we shift our focus from internationally and nationally available data on antibiogram to locally prevalent antibiotic resistance pattern. It will ensure faster patient recovery at a lesser cost and also prevent undue development of drug resistance.   Keywords: Antibiotics, Drug resistance, Multidrug resistant organisms, Re-Act

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during pregnancy is known to affect the neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted in pregnant women with the aim of assessing the prevalence of VDD in pregnant women and its effect on expecting mother and newborn. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done over a period of 2 years. 25(OH)D3 level was tested by Chemiluminescent Immunoassay in clinical biochemistry laboratory. Subjects were classified into Vitamin D-deficient, insufficient, and sufficient group. Results: Mean level of Vitamin D in the study population was 21.82±12.95. The level of Vitamin D was found to be sufficient only in 28% (28/100) of subjects. A significant correlation was observed between newborn birth weight and serum Vitamin D level of the mother. Appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration (APGAR) score was moderately and severely depressed in 17% and 3% of babies, respectively. Pre-eclampsia was observed in 8% (8/100) of the subjects. A significant correlation was observed between the occurrence of pre-eclampsia and maternal Vitamin D. APGAR score was found to be significantly associated with serum Vitamin D. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of VDD in pregnant women. VDD in pregnancy is associated with several complications to the expectant mother as well as the fetus. Complications such as pre-eclampsia, low birth weight (LBW) babies, and low APGAR score were observed in the present study. There is a need of extensive clinical research on the impact of VDD in pregnancy on mother and fetal health.