A study to assess the effectiveness of psychoeducation on knowledge and attitude regarding ect among the care givers of mentally ill at selected hospitals, Trichy.

ECT is an effective treatment for psychiatric disorders. Some patients may require treatment with continuation or maintenance ECT because other treatment have not been effective in preventing illness relapse. The study focuses on effectiveness of psycho education on knowledge and attitude regarding ECT among the care givers of mentally ill at selected hospitals, Trichy. The statistical analysis revealed that the knowledge and attitude of the experimental group was calculated by the paired test for knowledge the paired test for knowledge .7873). This proves that there was a significant difference in pre test and post test level of knowledge and attitude of the experimental group at 0.05 level of significance

Effect of Processing on Structure and Morphology of Amaranth Starch

ABSTRACT The structure of Raw and Processed Amaranth Grains starch was studied by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In this study, starch morphological differences were observed between raw and processed (Boiled, Roasted and popped) grains derived from the same cultivar. Among food carbohydrates, starch occupies a unique position. It is the major carbohydrate storage material in many higher plants and is considered the second largest natural biopolymer next to cellulose. Starch contributes to the physicochemical properties of food products made from cereals, tubers, roots, legumes, and fruits. It is the basic source of energy for the majority of the world's population. In human nutrition, starch plays a major part in supplying the metabolic energy that enables the body to perform its different functions. In this study SEM revealed that starch granules of grains were much smaller in size that many of them were not separated from amyloplasts. Cooked grains have wider, more defined cracks, suggesting that they serve as channels for water migration into the grain during cooking. Water penetrates unequally into the grain during cooking, low water penetration produces dense regions with minimal starch gelatinization, and high water penetration produces large voided areas. The voids occur in the transverse orientation of the grain and are the main of cause grain expansion during cooking than the other processing such as roasting and popping. But the structural changes at micro and nano-scales can be dramatic, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Especially when water traces are present, a very rich network of polymer chains can be observed, remaining after the granule structure collapses. This is considered a suitable structural basis for different new products were interactions could be modeled, such as carriers for nutritional interesting substances

NEPHROPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM L.) ON CISPLATIN INDUCED NEPHROTOXICITY IN MALE WISTAR RATS

Objectives: The present study investigated the in vivo antioxidant and nephroprotective potential of ethanolic extract of garlic (Allium sativum L.) against cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in Wistar male rats. Methods: Nephrotoxicity was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin (5 mg/kg b.w.) on the first day of the experiment. The animals were treated with ethanolic extract of garlic at doses 150 mg/kg b.w. and 300 mg/kg b.w. for four consecutive days. The effect of the higher dose (300 mg/kg b.w.) of garlic extract on normal rats was also studied. The animals were sacrificed on the fifth day and enzymatic antioxidants and lipid peroxidation were assessed in kidney whereas urea, creatinine, uric acid and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were quantified in serum samples. Results: Cisplatin induction resulted in a decrease in the activities of kidney antioxidants with a concomitant increase in kidney weight, lipid peroxidation along with serum kidney markers like urea, creatinine, uric acid and BUN. Treatment with ethanolic extract of garlic rendered a protective effect by boosting up the antioxidant levels and reverting back the markers to near normalcy. The garlic extract at higher dose also had no significant biochemical alterations in normal rats. Conclusion: The results from this study reveals that the ethanolic extract of garlic possess a potential nephroprotective property with no aftereffects. Keywords: Allium sativum, Cisplatin, Antioxidants, Nephroprotective, Kidney markers

Multi‐response optimization of extrusion conditions of grain amaranth flour by response surface methodology

The study was designed to optimize extrusion processing conditions for production of instant grain amaranth flour for complementary feeding. Multi-response criteria using response surface methodology and desirability function analysis were employed during the study. The central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was used to determine the level of processing variables and to generate the experimental runs. The process parameters tested included extrusion temperature (110–158°C), screw speed (40–52 Hz), and feed moisture content (11%–16%), while response variable was protein digestibility, sensory acceptability, water absorption index, water solubility index, bulk density, and viscosity. Data obtained from extrusion were analyzed using response surface methodology. Data were fitted to a second-order polynomial model, and the dependent variables expressed as a function of the independent variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that extrusion parameters had significant linear, quadratic, and interactive effects on the responses. Numerical optimization indicated that the optimum extrusion parameters were extrusion temperature of 150°C, extrusion speed (screw speed) of 50 Hz, and feed moisture content of 14.41%. The responses predicted for optimization resulted in protein digestibility 81.87%, water absorption index 1.92, water solubility index 0.55, bulk density 0.59 gm/L, viscosity 174.56 cP (14.55 RVU), and sensory acceptability score of 6.69, with 71% desirability