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BackgroundThe weak control cascade of hypertension from the time of screening till the attainment of optimal blood pressure (BP) control is a public health challenge, particularly in resource-limited settings. The study objectives were to (1) estimate the change in the rate of prevalence of hypertension, the yield of newly diagnosed cases, initiation of treatment, and attainment of BP control in the age group 15 to 49 years;(2) ascertain the magnitude and predictors of undiagnosed hypertension, lack of initiation of treatment, and poor control of those on antihypertensive therapy; and (3) estimate the regional variation and state-level performance of the hypertension control cascade in India. MethodologyWe analyzed demographic and health surveillance (DHS) data from India's National Family Health Survey Fifth Series (NFHS-5), , and NFHS-4 (2015. The NFHS-5 sample comprised 695,707 women and 93,267 men in the age group of 15 to 49 years. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to find the associated predictors, and respective adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were reported. ResultsThe prevalence of hypertension (cumulative previously diagnosed and new cases) among individuals aged 15 to 49 years was 22.8% (22.6%, 23.1%; n = 172,532), out of which 52.06% were newly diagnosed cases. In contrast, in NFHS-4, the prevalence of hypertension among individuals aged 15 to 49 years was 20.4% (20.2%, 20.6%; n = 153,384), of which 41.65% were newly diagnosed cases.In NFHS-5, 40.7% (39.8% and 41.6%) of the previously diagnosed cases were on BP-lowering medications compared to 32.6% (31.8%, 33.6%) in NFHS-4. Furthermore, in NFHS-5, controlled BP was observed in 73.7% (72.7% and 74.7%) of the patients on BP-lowering medication compared to 80.8% (80.0%, 81.6%) in NFHS-4. Females compared to males (aOR = 0•72 and 0•007), residents of rural areas (aOR = 0•82 and 0•004), and those belonging to the socially disadvantaged groups were not initiated on treatment despite awareness of their hypertension status indicative of poor treatment-seeking behavior. Furthermore, increasing age (aOR = 0•49, P < 0•001), higher body mass index (aOR = 0•51, P < 0•001), and greater waist-to-hip ratio (aOR = 0•78, P = 0•047) were associated with uncontrolled hypertension in patients on antihypertensive drug therapy. ConclusionsHypertension control cascade in India is largely ineffectual although screening yield and initiation of antihypertensive treatment have improved in NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4. Identification of high-risk groups for opportunistic screening, implementing community-based screening, strengthening primary care, and sensitizing associated practitioners are urgently warranted.

Background: The high prevalence of vaccine booster hesitancy, with the concomitant waning of humoral vaccine or hybrid immunity, and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern can accentuate COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. The study objective was to ascertain the COVID-19 vaccination coverage, including the administration of precaution (booster) dose vaccination, among the older population in an urban slum and resettlement colony population in Delhi, India. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in an urban resettlement colony, slum, and village cluster in the Northeast district of Delhi among residents aged ≥50 years. Results: A total of 2217 adults (58.28%) had obtained a COVID-19 booster (precaution) dose vaccine, 1404 (36.91%) had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine without booster dose, 121 (3.18%) were unvaccinated, while 62 (1.63%) participants received a single dose. Based on adjusted analysis, older adults (>65 years), higher education, and higher per-capita income were statistically significant predictors of booster dose vaccination. Conclusions: More than four in ten adults in an urban slum and resettlement colony in Delhi lacked COVID-19 booster dose vaccination despite high rates of double-dose vaccination (~95%). Public health programming should provide an enhanced focus on reducing complacency with renewed prioritization for improving ease of access to COVID-19 vaccination services, particularly in underserved areas.

An improved amperometric pyruvate biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing covalently commercial pyruvate oxidase (POx) from Aerococcus sps. onto nanocomposite of c-MWCNT (carboxylated multi- walled carbon nanotubes), copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and polyaniline (PANI) electrodeposited onto gold (Au) electrode. The copper nanoparticles were prepared by chemical reduction method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV- visible spectroscopy and X- ray diffraction (XRD). The working electrode (POx/c-MWCNT/CuNPs/PANI/AuE was studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at different stages of its construction. The biosensor showed optimum activity at a pH of 5.0 and 35°C and a linearity for pyruvate in the concentration range, 0.1 µM to 2000 µM. The analytical recovery of added pyruvate was 99.6% and 99.2%. The within and between batch coefficients of variation (CV) were 0.052% and as 0.022% respectively. There was a commendable correlation between sera pyruvate values as measured by standard spectrophotometric method and the present method. The biosensor was applied to measure sera pyruvate level and compared with that biosensor based on pyruvate oxidase nanoparticles covalently bound to Au electrode. Malik et al. (2019) Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 7(2): xxx-xxx Graphic Abstract Schematic representation of fabrication of POx/c-MWCNTs/CuNPs/PANI/AuE and electrochemical reactions involved in its response measurement (POx- Pyruvate oxidase; c-MWCNTs- Carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes; CuNPs- Copper nanoparticles; PANI- Polyaniline; AuE- Gold electrode).