Sensitivity of various skinfold sites to fat deposition in adolescent daughters and their mothers

The present study comprised of 412 adolescent daughters at a yearly intervals from age 11 through 17 years and their mothers who volunteered as subjects. All the subjects belonged to Punjabi speaking Khatri, an endogamous population residing in Delhi, India. A set of five skinfold thickness: biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and medial calf along with body weight and stature were taken on all the subjects to report the pattern of subcutaneous fat distribution and responsiveness of different skinfold sites to fat deposition with variation in total body fat content. An increase in body mass index (bmi) with age in the present sample with a concurrent increase in the grand mean thickness (GMT) is due to relative increase in fatness. All the skinfold thicknesses, indices of fatness, profile of subcutaneous fat accumulation and sensitivity of each skinfold site showed an increasing fat deposition on trunkal region than on extremities. It was noticed that subscapular site as the most sensitive site followed by triceps and biceps towards fat deposition. The differential rate of fat deposition at various sites in different age groups explains the difference in morphological feature in them

Relationship between nutritional status, respiratory performance and age : study among Tangkhul Naga females of Northeast India

The study aims to examine relationship between nutritional status, respiratory performance and age. Cross-sectional study was carried out among 346 Tangkhul Naga females of Northeast India, ranging in age from 20-70 years. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), breath holding time, chest expansivity and dynamic lung function tests like forced expiratory volume in one second, force vital capacity, forced expiratory ratio and peak expiratory flow rate were studied. The results showed that both low and high BMI were associated with poor lung functions, and showed inverse relationship. Subjects with normal BMI had better respiratory efficiency as compared to underweight, overweight/obese subjects. Age plays an important role in structural and functional change. BMI and lung functions were also associated with age. BMI increased with advancing age till middle age. Values of FEV 1.0, FVC, FER, PEFR, BHT and CE declined with advancing age indicating negative association of respiratory performance with age. BMI was also independently associated with lung functions and age. Age and BMI were positively correlated, but both age and BMI has negative associations with respiratory performances. Nutritional disorder had negative impact on lung functions. Evaluating the effect of age and BMI on lung functions showed that ageing had greater impact on respiratory performance

Parent-Child Correlation for Various Indices of Adiposity in an Endogamous Indian Population

The study was conducted on 1,042 Punjabi adults and adolescent boys and girls (11–17 years) belonging to middle class families residing in Delhi, India. To study the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on various fat measures, a set of 7 body measurements namely weight, stature and skinfold thickness at biceps, triceps, subscapular, suprailiac and medial calf measurements was taken on each subject. There was a redistribution of fat away from extremity towards the trunk, a rapid occurring process in males than in females. Increase in body mass index (BMI) with age was more pronounced in females than in males, both at adolescence and adult stage. There was an increase in grand mean thickness (GMT) calculated as mean of all five skinfold thicknesses, in adolescent girls where as in adolescent boys it fluctuated with age. The trunk/extremity ratios reflected a trend in favor of increase in trunk fat, more marked in boys than in girls. The correlations were of low magnitude, however, some skin folds displayed relatively higher value of correlation indicating that these could be determinant of adult obesity

Establishment of efficient method for callus culture and shoot regeneration of local Indian garlic (var. Yamuna safed)

The experiment was designed to investigate the regeneration potentiality of a garlic variety (Yamuna Safed (G1)), and also to develop an efficient protocol for regeneration of garlic via callus culture. Higher percentage of callus was initiated from the combination of BAP and 2, 4 D at 2.0 mg/l and 0.25 mg/l respectively.  The hormone 2, 4-D, commonly used in tissue culture in garlic was found to be detrimental when used at the levels described in literatures. Rooting of individual shoots was induced after transfer to medium without growth regulator. The plantlets were established in the soil after acclimatization. ÂÂ

Beliefs regarding SARS-COV-2 vaccine in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia

Background: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination drive generated varying responses in the general public. This study aimed to assess the vaccination acceptance amongst patients with thalassemia and to elucidate their beliefs regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.Methods: A prospective observational study was done involving thalassemia patients above the age of 18 years in the thalassemia day care center of our hospital.Results: The study assessed 145 patients with a male to female ratio of 1.5:1 and a mean age of 25.6±6 years. Seventy-six (52.4%) of the study population had already been vaccinated with the first dose, 25.5% (n=37) were willing to get vaccinated, however, 22% were vaccine-hesitant. Vaccine hesitancy was 25.5% in males compared to 16.9% in females. The fear of adverse effects to the vaccine is a major deterrent to the vaccination. Patients considered themselves at high risk of COVID-19 disease and adverse effects of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.Conclusions: Vaccine hesitancy was observed in 22% of patients. A significantly higher proportion of these patients considered vaccines unsafe and ineffective. Public sharing of safety and efficacy data may help in improving trust in the vaccine.

Detection of Landmine Signature using SAW-based Polymer-coated Chemical Sensor

The explosive charge within a landmine is the source for a mixture of chemical vapours that form a distinctive chemical signature indicative of a landmine. The concentrations of these compounds in the air over landmines is extremely low (parts-per-trillion or lower), well below the minimum detection limits of most field-portable chemical sensors. This paper describes a portable  surface acoustic wave-based polymer-coated sensor for the detection of hidden explosives. The sensitivity and selectivity of polymer-based sensors depend on several factors including the chemo-selective coating used, the physical properties of the vapour(s) of interest, the selected transducers, and the operating conditions. The polymer-based sensor was calibrated in the  laboratory using the explosive vapour generator. The preliminary results indicated that the carbowax 1000 could be a very good chemical interface to sense low levels of chemical signature of explosive material. Response for 50 ppb of TNT vapours was observed to be 400 Hz for an exposure of 2 min

Population confidence in the health system in 15 countries: results from the first round of the People's Voice Survey

Population confidence is essential to a well functioning health system. Using data from the People's Voice Survey—a novel population survey conducted in 15 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries—we report health system confidence among the general population and analyse its associated factors. Across the 15 countries, fewer than half of respondents were health secure and reported being somewhat or very confident that they could get and afford good-quality care if very sick. Only a quarter of respondents endorsed their current health system, deeming it to work well with no need for major reform. The lowest support was in Peru, the UK, and Greece—countries experiencing substantial health system challenges. Wealthy, more educated, young, and female respondents were less likely to endorse the health system in many countries, portending future challenges for maintaining social solidarity for publicly financed health systems. In pooled analyses, the perceived quality of the public health system and government responsiveness to public input were strongly associated with all confidence measures. These results provide a post-COVID-19 pandemic baseline of public confidence in the health system. The survey should be repeated regularly to inform policy and improve health system accountability

Measuring people's views on health system performance: design and development of the People's Voice Survey

Todd Lewis and co-authors discuss development and use of the People's Voice Survey for health system assessment

Adiposity Measures and Menstrual Cycle: Do We Envisage a Relation?

The study aims to see the relationship between menstrual cycle and adiposity measures in Indian populations as menstrual cycle length has an important bearing on fertility and health of women. 415 premenopausal women in the ages 22–50 years residing in Delhi, India constituted the data. The adiposity was assessed by BMI as well as by using Bio-electric impedance method. The information regarding their physical activity pattern and menstrual cycle was recorded, and age at menarche was obtained through recall method. None of the underweight category women had menstrual cycle of less than 25 days. A decrease in body mass index and an increase in the age at menarche were found with the increase in the duration of menstrual cycle. The majority of women with 25–35 days duration of menstrual cycle in the present study were distributed in all the categories of BMI. Age was found to have no effect on longer cycle. The majority of women were in moderately physically active group and experienced menstrual cycle duration of 25–35 days. It is of utmost importance to identify the effects of moderate levels of physical activity, body mass index, and age at menarche on the menstrual cycle to enable the normal reproductive health of women