Hepatitis B infection is a major public health problem globally leading to chronic liver disease and death, which are influenced by various environmental and host factors including serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels. There is no comprehensive systematic review reporting the association of serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels and different stages of chronic hepatitis B. This study aimed to analyze the association of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels in chronic hepatitis B with various determinants and outcomes. A bibliographic search in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus was conducted using the search terms “Vitamin D”, “cholecalciferol”, “calcitriol”, “Hepatitis B”, and “HBV”, which were published until September 2022. Meta-analysis using the “metafor” package in R was conducted with a random effect model. This analysis included 33 studies with 6360 chronic hepatitis B patients. The pooled estimates of serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D level among CHB cases was 21.05 ng/mL and was significantly lower compared to healthy controls. (p < 0.005). Reduced serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D level was significantly associated with the severity of liver fibrosis as well as HBe positivity. This analysis suggests that serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels are associated with disease activity and pathobiology, although the exact nature of the cause–effect relationship cannot be discerned from this study.

Background: Non-communicable disease (NCD) is the leading cause of death, accounting for 70% of total death globally, and posing a major public health challenge. In India, nearly 5.8 million people (WHO report, 2015) die from NCDs every year. The basic element of NCD prevention is the identification of the associated risk factors and risk modification.The objective of the current study was conducted to assess the prevalence of risk factors for NCDs among healthcare staff of the two units of a Tertiary Cancer Hospital in Varanasi, India, using WHO STEPS approach.Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 528 participants who were willing to participate in the study, from among 967 healthcare staffs of the two units of the Tertiary Cancer Hospital. The participants were interviewed and the anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured. Results:The prevalence of risk factors, associated with NCD, tobacco use, alcohol use, extra salt in diet, less than 5 servings of fruits/vegetables, physical inactivity and self-perceived high stress score was found in 34 (6.43%), 90 (17.04%), 461 (87.3%), 412 (78.03%), 409 (77.4%) and 159 (30.11%) respondents, respectively. Multiple logistic regression revealed that Diabetes was significantly associated with male sex, high BMI and physical inactivity. Hypertension was found significantly associated with male sex, increasing age, tobacco and or alcohol consumption, high BMI and high stress.Dyslipidemia was also found significantly associated with high BMI, male sex, physical inactivity and high stress levels. Conclusion:A high prevalence of risk factors for NCDs was found among the healthcare staff and it is the need of the hour to take preventive measures to reduce the prevailing burden of NCD.

Background & objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) constitutes frequently inherited haemoglobin disorders and poses a significant health burden in India. Hydroxyurea (HU), the most commonly used drug, has shown promising results in the clinical management of SCD. The present systematic review was undertaken to assess the efficacy and toxicity of HU in Indian sickle cell patients. Methods: A systematic review of studies on HU therapy was conducted to identify the application of HU and its outcome(s) across India. PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane Library was used as data sources for various studies on the efficacy and toxicity of HU therapy for treatment for SCD in India published between January 2001 and October 2021. Two authors independently extracted the data on study design, patient characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of HU in order to determine the study quality of the present review. Results: Overall, 14 studies were included for a systematic analysis. Of these 11 were prospective, two cross-sectional and one double-blind randomized controlled trial. Low-dose HU (10 mg/kg/day) was found to reduce the rates of vaso-occlusive crisis and hospitalization as well as decreased the requirement of blood transfusion in SCD patients. The foetal haemoglobin (HbF) level was recorded in 13 (80%) studies all of whom reported an elevation in the HbF levels, with a mean increase in per cent HbF from 15.8 to 21.4 per cent across studies. The common adverse events were reversible, mild-to-moderate cytopenia and anaemia. Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of the present review suggest that there is still insufficient information presently to determine the long-term or major adverse effects on organ damage, fertility as well as pregnancy on the use of HU therapy for SCD. Long-term multi-centric studies are thus required to address these problems.