What is the stress level of a woman in labour?

Are rickshaw pullers Vitamin D-sufficient because of the long hours they spend in sunlight?

For the first time, the ethical sub-committee of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) on Thursday approved 56 subjects submitted by its MBBS students, postgraduate students and doctors for research.

If the ethical committee gives the research papers the green light in its March 30 meeting, the candidates can go ahead with their research.

The stress level of a woman experiencing labour pain, and rickshaw pullers' Vitamin D levels from their time in the sunlight - a great source of Vitamin D for maintenance of healthy bones, teeth and protection against several diseases - were just some of the research topics submitted to the ethical sub-committee.

The final list of the approved research papers will be issued by March 31.

Sources said the development on the IGIMS campus is significant because doctors in the state-run medical colleges of Bihar hardly take up any research work. The Medical Council of India guidelines clearly state that teachers of the medical colleges have to take up research activities, but mostly the postgraduate students are the ones taking up the work. So, the IGIMS candidates conducting research will be a tick in the right box for the institute.

The best paper will also be sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research, the country's apex body for promotion of biomedical research. If the council likes it, then it can grant the institution permission to run a super-speciality course in the subject concerned.

The students and doctors have asked the IGIMS for three to six months to conduct the research, said IGIMS additional medical superintendent Manish Mandal.

"A proper questionnaire will be formed by each researcher which s/he will give to the respondent concerned," he said. "There is no limit to the number of respondents... as many of them can be covered in the survey. The findings of the different studies will add value to the further line of treatment for various ailments."

Among the research papers approved on Thursdayinclude "the stress level of students pursuing higher studies" by Anita Kumari (physiology senior resident), "stress level of women in labour" by Sadia Parween from the obstetrics and gynaecology department, "finding Vitamin D level among rickshaw pullers" by Pooja Sakshi of the physiology department and "knowledge and practice of contraception methods among married women coming to tertiary health centres in the rural set-up" submitted by second-year MBBS student Priyam.

Depression symptoms among patients suffering from skin disorders, hygiene status among food vendors in Patna City were among the other research topics submitted to the ethical sub-committee of IGIMS.