GREEN SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES FROM AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF BASELLA ALBA AND THEIR IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIALS

Objective: To synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNps) from Basella alba(B. alba) aqueous extract using 3 mM AgNO3 solution, to characterize the resulted AgNps and also to study the antioxidant activity by DPPH and reducing assay. Methods: 150 ml of aqueous extract was mixed with 600 ml of 3 mM silver nitrate solutions and kept at room temperature for 1hr. A change from straw yellow to golden yellow was observed and absorption spectra were obtained by UV-VIS spectrometer. The resulted nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by FT-IR spectrum, SEM-EDS, TEM and XPS techniques. The purity and nature of the particles were observed through TG-DSC analysis. Further, Antioxidant activity was performed by DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method and by Ferric chloride reducing assay. Results: UV-Vis spectral analysis shows a maximum absorption peak at 435 nm. FT-IR spectrum indicated the formation of reducing and capping agents in AgNps. The synthesized silver nanoparticles was spherical in shape and its size ranges from 22.6 to 25 nm. The synthesized silver nanoparticles possess excellent antioxidant activity by various methods. The phenol carboxylic acid present in B. alba leaf extract acted as a reducing agent which was identified by HPTLC technique. A Protein present in the B. alba extract was responsible for the capping of bio-reduced silver nanoparticles. Conclusion: It has been demonstrated that Basella alba plant extract could be used as a proficient green reducing agent for the synthesis of AgNPs. Further studies will be focused towards the mass scale production of formulation

Nutritional Status among Children Receiving Ashwagandhadhi Churna with milk in Residential Homes, Tamil Nadu, India

Background: Children of residential homes (RH) have a high rate of health problems including malnutrition. Ayurveda has several drugs to alleviate malnutrition, Ashwagandhadhi being one of the most commonly used drug. This study evaluated the changes in nutritional status of children in RH consuming Ashwagandhadhi churna (AC) for 1-3 years. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive record review study of children consuming AC regularly for 1-3 years of two RH of Tamilnadu during 2018-2019. The children of age 6-9 and 10-13 years received a dosage of 2 and 4g of AC respectively in milk once a day. Socio-demographic details, anthropometric measurements and clinical details were assessed. Data at three time points with an interval of three months were extracted and analysed using Friedman’s tests. Important observations and Results: Out of 289 children, 173, who had complete details of three assessments, were included for analysis. Irrespective of the years of consumption of AC, at the first assessment, 61.6% were stunted or severely stunted; 71.2% underweight or severely underweight. Significant improvement in height-for-age and weight-for-age were observed in children consuming AC for 1 and 2 years. BMI did not show significant difference in 3 years of consumption. Males of 10 to 13 years having 1 and 2 years of consumption and females of both age groups having 2 years of consumption showed difference in BMI. Conclusion: Approximately three in ten children were malnourished in RH. Consumption of AC over a period of time improved the nutritional status of these children. Further large scale trials could prove the efficacy of AC in alleviating malnutrition

Quit attempts among tobacco users identified in the Tamil Nadu Tobacco Survey of 2015/2016: a 3 year follow-up mixed methods study

Objectives To determine current tobacco use in 2018/2019, quit attempts made and to explore the enablers and barriers in quitting tobacco among tobacco users identified in the Tamil Nadu Tobacco Survey (TNTS) in 2015/2016.Setting TNTS was conducted in 2015/2016 throughout the state of Tamil Nadu (TN) in India covering 111 363 individuals. Tobacco prevalence was found to be 5.2% (n=5208).Participants All tobacco users in 11 districts of TN identified by TNTS (n=2909) were tracked after 3 years by telephone. In-depth interviews (n=26) were conducted in a subsample to understand the enablers and barriers in quitting.Primary and secondary outcomes Current tobacco use status, any quit attempt and successful quit rate were the primary outcomes, while barriers and enablers in quitting were considered as secondary outcomes.Results Among the 2909 tobacco users identified in TNTS 2015/2016, only 724 (24.9%) could be contacted by telephone, of which 555 (76.7%) consented. Of those who consented, 210 (37.8%) were currently not using tobacco (ie, successfully quit) and 337 (60.7%) continued to use any form of tobacco. Of current tobacco users, 115 (34.1%) have never made any attempt to quit and 193 (57.3.8%) have made an attempt to quit. Those using smoking form of tobacco products (adjusted relative risk (aRR)=1.2, 95% CI: 1.1 to 1.4) and exposure to smoke at home (aRR=1.2, 95% CI: 1.1 to 1.3) were found to be positively associated with continued tobacco use (failed or no quit attempt). Support from family and perceived health benefits are key enablers, while peer influence, high dependence and lack of professional help are some of the barriers to quitting.Conclusion Two-thirds of the tobacco users continue to use tobacco in the last 3 years. While tobacco users are well aware of the ill-effects of tobacco, various intrinsic and extrinsic factors play a major role as a facilitator and lack of the same act as a barrier to quit