Assessment of Knowledge and Practices of Referring Private Practitioners Regarding Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in Nagpur City - A Cross Sectional Study

Objectives: To assess knowledge, diagnostic and treatment practices of the referring private practitioners of Nagpur city regarding Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). Methods: The study involved interview of 103 Private Practitioners (PPs) of Nagpur city. Knowledge of private practitioners was assessed based on questions related to diagnosis, categorization, treatment regimens & follow up. Practices of private practitioners were assessed based on which investigations and treatment regimen they advise & whether they offer supervised treatment. Their willingness to get involved in the programme was also recorded. Results: Only 49 (47.6%) private practitioners knew sputum smear examination as primary tool of diagnosis of TB. Only half, 52 (50.5%) of the private practitioners knew number of categories of tuberculosis correctly and 64 (62.1%) private practitioners did know how to categorize TB patients. Chest X-ray and Mantoux test (38.5%) was mainly used by the PPs for TB diagnosis. 42.7% of PPs were prescribing treatment for TB and among them only 8 were prescribing as per RNTCP guidelines and just one provided treatment under direct observation. Different combination of HRZE and HRZES was prescribed for variable period ranges from 2-8 months. And only 12 (11.6%) private practitioners expressed their willingness to get involved in RNTCP for TB control. Conclusion: There is lack of adequate knowledge, diagnostic and treatment practice among PPs as per RNTCP guidelines and further encouragement is required for their participation in the programme

Monitoring industrial effluents discharge along Gujarat coast by bio assay test and physico chemical parameters

GFASRI In consultation with Gujarat Pollution Control Board and on Its own undertook studies on chemical parameters of effluents of a few factories in the Saurashtra region and their effects on fish through bio-assay tests. In the case of M/s Tata Chemicals, LC-50 value ranges 0 4 to 5% cone vol; temperature 86.0 to 91.0°F; Ammonia 21.84 to 48 98 ppm and total solids from 184 to 234 g/litre. In the case of M/s Saurashtra Chemicals. Porbandar, LC-60 value varied 2-100%. In the case of M/s Indian Rayon, Veraval, pH was between 2 to 10.5 and LCeo value was from 20% to 100% conc/vol. For Billsshwar Sugar Factory, Kodinar pH was between 4.0 - 5.5, BOO was 450 to 1800 ppm and LC-50 value was 0.5 to 7

Stability-indicating assay method for desonide in bulk and pharmaceutical formulation by HPTLC

HPTLC method was developed for estimating the content of desonide in bulk and pharmaceutical formulation. Desonide is a topically applied low potency anti-inflammatory corticosteroid. In the proposed method pre-coated HPTLC aluminum plates with silica gel 60 F254 and ethyl acetate: n-hexane: glacial acetic acid in the proportion of 7:3:0.1, v/v/v is used as stationary and mobile phase, respectively. The method was found to give compact and symmetrical band for desonide at retention factor (Rf) 0.48 ± 0.02. Densitometric scanning was performed at 253 nm in the concentration range of 200–1200 ng/band (r2 = 0.9980). Validation of developed method is carried as per ICH Q2 (R1) guidelines. Desonide was subjected for stability study at acid, alkali, oxidation and photo-degradation condition. The degradation products were well resolved from the desonide with significantly different Rf value. Statistical analysis proven that the proposed method is repeatable, selective and accurate for estimating the content of desonide. The results of present study clearly shown that the proposed HPTLC method can be applied for estimating the content of desonide in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulation

Not Available

Not AvailableGFASRI In consultation with Gujarat Pollution Control Board and on Its own undertook studies on chemical parameters of effluents of a few factories in the Saurashtra region and their effects on fish through bio-assay tests. In the case of M/s Tata Chemicals, LC-50 value ranges 0 4 to 5% cone vol; temperature 86.0 to 91.0°F; Ammonia 21.84 to 48 98 ppm and total solids from 184 to 234 g/litre. In the case of M/s Saurashtra Chemicals. Porbandar, LC-60 value varied 2-100%. In the case of M/s Indian Rayon, Veraval, pH was between 2 to 10.5 and LCeo value was from 20% to 100% conc/vol. For Billsshwar Sugar Factory, Kodinar pH was between 4.0 - 5.5, BOO was 450 to 1800 ppm and LC-50 value was 0.5 to 7.Not Availabl

Infant and young child feeding indicators and determinants of poor feeding practices in India : secondary data analysis of National Family Health Survey 2005-06

In India, poor feeding practices in early childhood contribute to the burden of malnutrition and infant and child mortality. The objective of this study was to estimate infant and young child feeding indicators and determinants of selected feeding practices in India. The sample consisted of 20,108 children aged 0 to 23 months from the National Family Health Survey India 2005–06. Selected indicators were examined against a set of variables using univariate and multivariate analyses. Only 23.5% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, 99.2% had ever breastfed their infant, 89.8% were currently breastfeeding, and 14.8% were currently bottle-feeding. Among infants under 6 months of age, 46.4% were exclusively breastfed, and 56.7% of those aged 6 to 9 months received complementary foods. The risk factors for not exclusively breastfeeding were higher household wealth index quintiles (OR for richest = 2.03), delivery in a health facility (OR = 1.35), and living in the Northern region. Higher numbers of antenatal care visits were associated with increased rates of exclusive breastfeeding (OR for ≥ 7 antenatal visits = 0.58). The rates of timely initiation of breastfeeding were higher among women who were better educated (OR for secondary education or above = 0.79), were working (OR = 0.79), made more antenatal clinic visits (OR for ≥ 7 antenatal visits = 0.48), and were exposed to the radio (OR = 0.76). The rates were lower in women who were delivered by cesarean section (OR = 2.52). The risk factors for bottle-feeding included cesarean delivery (OR = 1.44), higher household wealth index quintiles (OR = 3.06), working by the mother (OR=1.29), higher maternal education level (OR=1.32), urban residence (OR=1.46), and absence of postnatal examination (OR=1.24). The rates of timely complementary feeding were higher for mothers who had more antenatal visits (OR=0.57), and for those who watched television (OR=0.75). Revitalization of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in health facilities is recommended. Targeted interventions may be necessary to improve infant feeding practices in mothers who reside in urban areas, are more educated, and are from wealthier households

Marker discovery and associations with β-carotene content in Indian dairy cattle and buffalo breeds

Vitamin A is essential for human health, but current intake levels in many developing countries such as India are too low due to malnutrition. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 250 million preschool children are vitamin A deficient globally. This number excludes pregnant women and nursing mothers, who are particularly vulnerable. Efforts to improve access to vitamin A are key because supplementation can reduce mortality rates in young children in developing countries by around 23%. Three key genes, BCMO1, BCO2, and SCARB1, have been shown to be associated with the amount of beta-carotene (BC) in milk. Whole-genome sequencing reads from the coordinates of these 3 genes in 202 non-Indian cattle (141 Bos taurus, 61 Bos indicus) and 35 non-Indian buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) animals from several breeds were collected from data repositories. The number of SNP detected in the coding regions of these 3 genes ranged from 16 to 26 in the 3 species, with 5 overlapping SNP between B. taurus arid B. indicus. All these SNP together with 2 SNP in the upstream part of the gene but already present in dbSNP (https://www.ncbi.nim mih.gov/projects/SNP/) were used to build a custom Sequenom array. Blood for DNA and milk samples for BC were obtained from 2,291 Indian cows of 5 different breeds (Gir, Holstein cross, Jersey Cross, Tharparkar, and Sahiwal) and 2,242 Indian buffaloes (Jafarabadi, Murrali, Pandharpuri, arid Surti breeds). The DNA was extracted and genotyped with the Sequenom array. For each individual breed and the combined breeds, SNP with an association that had a P-value <0.3 in the first round of linear analysis were included in a second step of regression analyses to determine allele substitution effects to increase the content of BC in milk. Additionally, an F-test for all SNP within gene was performed with the objective of determining if overall the gene had a significant effect on the content of BC in milk. The analyses were repeated using a Bayesian approach to compare and validate the previous frequentist results. Multiple significant SNP were found using both methodologies with allele substitution effects ranging from 6.21 (3.13) to 9.10 (5.43) mu g of BC per 100 mL of milk. Total gene effects exceeded the mean BC value for all breeds with both analysis approaches. The custom panel designed for genes related to BC production demonstrated applicability in genotyping of cattle and buffalo in India and may be used for cattle or buffalo from other developing countries. Moreover, the recommendation of selection for significant specific alleles of some gene markers provides a route to effectively increase the BC content in milk in the Indian cattle and buffalo populations

Introduction : the South Asia Infant Feeding Research Network (SAIFRN)

The South Asia Infant Feeding Research Network (SAIFRN) was established in 2007 to foster and coordinate a research partnership among South Asian and international research groups interested in infant and young child feeding. SAIFRN has brought together a mix of researchers and program managers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka together with international partners from Australia. As the first activity, SAIFRN conducted a series of analyses using Demographic and Health Surveys of Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and the National Family Health Survey of India. The results highlight that most indicators of infant and young child feeding in these four countries have not reached the targeted levels. The rates vary considerably by country, and the factors associated with poor feeding practices were not always consistent across countries. Driven by the ultimate goal of improved child survival in the region, SAIFRN wishes to expand its partnerships with governmental and nongovernmental organizations that share common interests both within and outside the South Asia region. In the future, SAIFRN hopes to provide more opportunities to researchers in the region to improve their skills by participating in capacity-building programs in collaboration with international partner institutions, and looks forward to liaising with potential donors to support such activities