Health And Social Status Of Senior Citizens In Rural Areas

Research Problem: What is the quality of life of the elderly people, as also the available support system, in rural areas? Objectives:i) To determine the demographic profile of eld­erly ii) To assess the socio-economic, nutritional, health, morbidity and dependency status, and health care utilization. Study Design: Population based cross sectional study. Setting: Community Development   Block - Lakhanmajra Participants: Persons above the age of 65 years. Sample Size: 809 elderly above the age of 65 years. Study Variables: Demographic profile, Literacy, Oc­cupation, Health, Nutrition, Mobility, Dependency, Substance abuse, Support system. Statistical Analysis: By simple proportions. Result: In this study, majority ofthe elderly were self reliant and mobile, being an asset to the family and led socially useful and productive lives. Their pre­dominant problems were visual impairment, joint pains, respiratory diseases and hearing impairment. Joint family and government pension was the major support system to the elderly. However, there is an imperative need to organize education, training and special service programmes for the elderly at the village level

A rare case of synovial sarcoma of the prostate

Prostatic synovial sarcomas are exceedingly rare. To our knowledge, only six primary cases have been reported so far. We herein describe a primary synovial sarcoma of the prostate seen in a 25- year-old male patient, the youngest patient seen with this disease to date. He was referred to our department with the diagnosis of high-grade sarcoma of the prostate revealed by TRUS-guided biopsy. On admission he had a transurethral catheter for acute retention of urine. MRI revealed a solid prostatic tumor of 9.5 x 8 cm involving the rectum without any evidence of lymphatic or distant metastases. The patient underwent total pelvic exenteration and sigmoid end colostomy with ileal conduit. Histopathology revealed a synovial sarcoma of the prostate, immunoreactive to vimentin, Bcl–2 and cytokeratin. The patient is doing well at 18 months follow-up.Key Words: Prostatic sarcoma, prostatic malignancy, prostate, synovial sarcom

DNA barcoding Indian marine fishes

DNA barcoding has been adopted as a global bio-identification system for animals in recent years. A major national programme on DNA barcoding of fish and marine life was initiated in India by the authors during 2006 and 115 species of marine fish covering Carangids, Clupeids, Scombrids, Groupers, Sciaenids, Silverbellies, Mullids, Polynemids and Silurids representing 79 Genera and 37 Families from the Indian Ocean have been barcoded for the first time using cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI) of the mtDNA. The species were represented by multiple specimens and a total of 397 sequences were generated. After amplification and sequencing of 707 base pair fragment of COI, primers were trimmed which invariably generated a 655 base pair barcode sequence. The average Kimura two parameter (K2P) distances within species, genera, families, orders were 0.30%, 6.60%, 9.91%, 16.00%, respectively. In addition to barcode-based species identification system, phylogenetic relationships among the species have also been attempted. The neighbour-joining tree revealed distinct clusters in concurrence with the taxonomic status of the species

Digital transformation in the agri-food industry: recent applications and the role of the COVID-19 pandemic

Providing food has become more complex because of climate change and other environmental and societal stressors, such as political instability, the growth in the world population, and outbreaks of new diseases, especially the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these challenges, the agri-food industry has increased its efforts to shift to using more digital tools and other advanced technologies. The transition toward digital has been part of the fourth industrial revolution (called Industry 4.0) innovations that have and are reshaping most industries. This literature review discusses the potential of implementing digital technologies in the agri-food industry, focusing heavily on the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in fostering the adoption of greater digitalization of food supply chains. Examples of the use of these digital innovations for various food applications, and the barriers and challenges will be highlighted. The trend toward digital solutions has gained momentum since the advent of Industry 4.0 and implementations of these solutions have been accelerated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Important digital technology enablers that have high potential for mitigating the negative effects of both the current global health pandemic and the environmental crisis on food systems include artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, blockchain, smart sensors, robotics, digital twins, and virtual and augmented reality. However, much remains to be done to fully harness the power of Industry 4.0 technologies and achieve widespread implementation of digitalization in the agriculture and food industries

The Effect of PPAR Agonists on the Migration of Mature and Immature Eosinophils

PPARγ agonists can either enhance or inhibit eosinophil migration, which is a sum of directional migration (chemotaxis) and random cell movement (chemokinesis). To date, the effects of PPAR agonists on chemokinesis have not been examined. This study investigates the effects of PPARα, δ, and γ agonists on eosinophil migration and chemokinesis. Eosinophils purified from blood of atopic donors were preincubated with rosiglitazone (PPARγ agonist), GW9578 (PPARα agonist), GW501516 (PPARδ agonist), or diluent. The effects of PPAR agonists were examined on eosinophil chemokinesis, eotaxin-induced migration of eosinophils, and migration of IL-5Rα+ CD34+ cells. Expressions of CCR3, phospho-p38, phospho-ERK, and calcium release were also measured in eosinophils after rosiglitazone treatment. Low concentrations of rosiglitazone, but not GW9578 or GW501516, increased chemokinesis of eosinophils (P=0.0038), and SDF-1α-induced migration of immature eosinophils (P=0.0538). Rosiglitazone had an effect on eosinophil calcium flux but had no effect on expression of CCR3 or phosphorylation of p38 or ERK. In contrast, high concentrations of rosiglitazone inhibited eosinophil migration (P=0.0042). The effect of rosiglitazone on eosinophil migration and chemokinesis appears to be through modification of calcium signaling, which alludes to a novel PPAR-mediated mechanism to modulate eosinophil function

Evaluation of Nutritional, Phytochemical, and Mineral Composition of Selected Medicinal Plants for Therapeutic Uses from Cold Desert of Western Himalaya

The aim of this study was to determine the elemental and nutritive values of leaf parts of 10 selected wild medicinal plants, Acer pictum, Acer caecium, Betula utilis, Oxalis corniculata, Euphorbia pilosa, Heracleum lanatum, Urtica dioica, Berberis lycium, Berberis asiaticaand, and Quercus ilex, collected from the high hills of the Chitkul range in district Kinnaur, Western Himalaya. The nutritional characteristics of medicinal plant species were analyzed by using muffle furnace and micro-Kjeldahl methods, and the mineral content in plants was analyzed through atomic absorption spectrometry. The highest percentage of used value was reported in Betula utilis (0.42) and the lowest in Quercus ilex (0.17). In this study, it was found that new generations are not much interested in traditional knowledge of ethnomedicinal plants due to modernization in society. Therefore, there is an urgent need to document ethnomedicinal plants along with their phytochemical and minerals analysis in study sites. It was found that rural people in western Himalaya are dependent on wild medicinal plants, and certain steps must be taken to conserve these plants from extinction in the cold desert of Himalayan region. They are an alternative source of medicine because they contain saponin, alkaloid, and flavonoid etc. as well as minerals. The leaves used for analysis possesses good mineral content, such as Na, N, K, P, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Ca, Mg, and S. Hence, in the current study it was observed that medicinal plants are not only used for therapeutic purposes, but they can also be used as nutritional supplements

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seed : a review on bioactives and biomedical activities

The processing of tomato fruit into puree, juices, ketchup, sauces, and dried powders generates a significant amount of waste in the form of tomato pomace, which includes seeds and skin. Tomato processing by-products, particularly seeds, are reservoirs of health-promoting macromolecules, such as proteins (bioactive peptides), carotenoids (lycopene), polysaccharides (pectin), phytochemicals (flavonoids), and vitamins (α-tocopherol). Health-promoting properties make these bioactive components suitable candidates for the development of novel food and nutraceutical products. This review comprehensively demonstrates the bioactive compounds of tomato seeds along with diverse biomedical activities of tomato seed extract (TSE) for treating cardiovascular ailments, neurological disorders, and act as antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial agent. Utilization of bioactive components can improve the economic feasibility of the tomato processing industry and may help to reduce the environmental pollution generated by tomato by-products

Plant-Based Antioxidant Extracts and Compounds in the Management of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence is particularly high in developing countries, where people chew tobacco and betel nut on a regular basis. Radiation-, chemo-, targeted-, immuno-, and hormone-based therapies along with surgery are commonly used as part of a treatment plan. However, these treatments frequently result in various unwanted short- to long-term side effects. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop treatment options for oral cancer that have little or no adverse effects. Numerous bioactive compounds derived from various plants have recently attracted attention as therapeutic options for cancer treatment. Antioxidants found in medicinal plants, such as vitamins E, C, and A, reduce damage to the mucosa by neutralizing free radicals found in various oral mucosal lesions. Phytochemicals found in medicinal plants have the potential to modulate cellular signalling pathways that alter the cellular defence mechanisms to protect normal cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of various medicinal plants and phytoconstituents that have shown the potential to be used as oral cancer therapeutics

Use of industrial wastes as sustainable nutrient sources for bacterial cellulose (BC) production: mechanism, advances, and future perspectives

A novel nanomaterial, bacterial cellulose (BC), has become noteworthy recently due to its better physicochemical properties and biodegradability, which are desirable for various applications. Since cost is a significant limitation in the production of cellulose, current efforts are focused on the use of industrial waste as a cost-effective substrate for the synthesis of BC or microbial cellulose. The utilization of industrial wastes and byproduct streams as fermentation media could improve the cost-competitiveness of BC production. This paper examines the feasibility of using typical wastes generated by industry sectors as sources of nutrients (carbon and nitrogen) for the commercial- scale production of BC. Numerous preliminary findings in the literature data have revealed the potential to yield a high concentration of BC from various industrial wastes. These findings indicated the need to optimize culture conditions, aiming for improved large-scale production of BC from waste streams