Prevalence of children at risk of behavioral problems among preschoolchildren between the ages of 3 and 6 years

Background: Behavioral problems often go unnoticed in children; however, it is important to identify and treat the problem in childhood to prevent the long-term disability. Objective: The objective of the study was to find the prevalence of children “at risk” of behavioral problems in preschoolchildren and to identify the social, environmental, and family factors associated with the risk of behavioral problems in preschoolchildren. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 370 children from 3 to 6 years of age studying in preschools of Bhopal, using Preschool Pediatric Symptom Checklist. Bivariant analysis was performed using Chi-square test on STATA 11.2. Results: Overall prevalence of children at risk of behavioral problems was found to be 46.7% in the studied population. Children belonging to low-income families were at a higher risk of developing behavioral problems (p<0.001). Working mothers and time spent by fathers had a positive impact on a child’s behavior (p=0.008). Other factors that were studied but did not have significant association were gender, age, time spent by mother with child, presence of a sibling, and family size. Conclusion: The main factors contributing to increase in risk in children for developing behavioral problems were found to be less time spent by father with child and lower family income. However, working status of mothers did not increase the risk of developing behavioral problems

Smart Urbanization – Key to Sustainable Cities

Urbanisation is a major change taking place globally. It is estimated that 500 million people will be urbanised by 2030 which is around 60% of the world’s population will be living in cities. Cities fuel economic development through mobilizing capital, work force, knowledge/information and technology and offer better chances of wealth generation, better health facilities, education and a good quality of life with better services and facilities. This has led to the increase in “megacities” (urban areas with a population of 10 million or more) and primate cities (leading cities in the region disproportionately larger than others in the urban hierarchy) across the globe. Urbanization propelled by economic reforms are putting cities under perpetual pressure of population concentration and energy intensive growth model. The cities are often confronted with a multitude of key problems like high urban densities, traffic congestion, energy inadequacy, unplanned development and lack of basic services. Due to high land values, migrants often have no choice but to settle in shantytowns and slums, where they lack access to decent housing and sanitation, health care and education thus adding to urban poverty. Urbanisation is also contributing significantly to climate change as 20 largest cities consume 80% of the world’s energy and urban areas generate 80% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The challenges of rapid urbanisation are to deal with the social, economic and environment development through more effective and comprehensive land administration functions, supported by efficient per capita infrastructure supply , resolving issues such as climate change, disaster management, insecurity, energy scarcity, environmental pollution, and extreme poverty. Urbanization must be able to support urban planning to achieve sustainable development in order to meet the growing energy and housing demands, reliable public transportation systems and be able to meet essential urban services without putting pressure on resources. Therefore it needs to support innovative urban planning policies and strategies beyond traditional urban planning paradigms. Urbanisation on the positive side provides an unparalleled urban planning opportunity to pre-address social and environmental problems, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions combined with the retrofitting and upgrading of facilities and networks in existing urban centres, as well as smart urban planning of cities can provide better education, healthcare and high-quality energy services more efficiently and with less emissions because of their advantages of scale, proximity and lower geographic footprints. Thus “Smart Urbanisation” is the key to safer cities of tomorrow. Building cities sustainably using smart growth principles, compact development planning form, using eco-city concepts, concept of low carbon electricity ecosystem etc, provides an opportunity to avoid future sources of greenhouse emissions, while developing more liveable and efficient urban centres. It could also alleviate population pressure on natural habitats and biodiversity thus reducing the risks to natural disasters. High-level integration of existing technologies to deliver a smart energy network, enhanced electricity transmission, energy efficient transportation, and low carbon building footprints, will make it easier to manage the unfolding urbanisation, and could have much positive impact on energy use and consumption. Policy interventions and government investments are important determining tools to its success. This paper attempts to discuss the principles of “smart urbanisation” in light of sustainable cities of tomorrow

Screening of in vitro Antimicrobial Potential of Fermentation Extracts Prepared from Indigenous Lactobacillus Isolates

Recently, efforts are being made to efficiently employ the probiotic bacteria in non-dairy products either as supplemental additive or for fermentation which might have several advantages over the probiotic dairy products such avoiding milk protein allergies, lactose intolerance or hyper cholesterolemia. So the present study aimed at screening of certain indigenous lactobacillus species responsible with antimicrobial potential against common pathogenic microorganism when allowed to ferment in liquid culture medium. The indigenous Lactobacillus spp. were isolated using different dairy samples like milk, curd, butter milk, cheese etc., on selective MRS agar medium and pure cultures were partially identified referring Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology based on morphological, cultural and biochemical reactions. The selected pure cultures were allowed to ferment in MRS broth for 7 days at 37oC in with intermittent shaking of culture flasks. There were total 14 isolates of Lactobacillus spp. were obtained. According to the results of biochemical tests as described in table 1 the probability of LAB would have been L.acidophilus, L.fermentum, L.plantarum, L.casei, L. ruteri or L.rhamnosus. Out of the 14 indigenously isolated Lactobacillus spp., the cell free fermentation extract of the isolates LB-2, LB-3, LB-5, LB-6, LB-7, LB-9, LB-11, LB-12, LB-13 and LB-14 was found imparted antimicrobial activity over the test microbial species including Escherichia coli (MTCC-1687), Pseudomonas aeroginosa (MTCC-*1934), Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC-737) and Candida albicans (MTCC-227), due to unknown substances secreted within fermentation extract. The ability to produce antagonistic substances during the process of fermentation could be explored extensively for identification, purification and use in food preservation at both domestic as well as industrial levels. Keywords: Therapeutics, Antimicrobial activity, Lactobacillus, Fermentation extract

Prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among school going adolescent students of Raipur city Chhattisgarh state, India

Background: Tobacco consumption in various forms in recent years is a proven risk factor and contributes substantially to the emerging epidemic. Increasing tobacco use and its impact on physical and psychosocial health is a worldwide public health concern affecting the early youth and whole life of the individuals. Tobacco is used in different forms and health effects are seen irrespective of the form in which it is used. Smokeless tobacco is found to be as addictive and harmful as smoking. Objectives: To assess the prevalence and factors influencing smokeless consumption among high school students in Raipur city.Methods: Study design: Cross-sectional, Study area: 16 selected high schools of Raipur city, in which 12 were government schools and 4 private schools. Study subjects: 1006 high-school students, Sampling technique: Two stage cluster sampling according to probability proportional to size, Study tool: Predesigned pretested questionnaire. Statistical analysis: Data was entered in Microsoft excel sheet and analyzed in Epi info 7 software.Results: The mean age of students in the study was 15 years. The prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption was 10%. Majority male 80.9% were users, mean age of initiation was 13 years (SD 7.07), Peer pressure (76%) was the reason for initiation. Pocket money 57.1% found to be the major source of purchasing. Strong association of family member tobacco use and promotional advertisement were found.Conclusion: Study reflects smokeless tobacco use was prevalent among adolescent students and there is a need for targeted interventions to reduce the risk and deleterious consequences.

Exploring the viability of newer technologies in care and management of tribal diabetes and metabolic syndrome in India

With the advancements of digitalization technology in health sector, diabetes care and management have also experienced modifications and betterment. Various newer technologies cater to the individual conditions and needs and provide a personalized treatment. Device based technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) linked to closed loop insulin delivery system, insulin pumps, wearable devices linked with mobile apps have made the self-management of diabetes possible on regular basis. In its contrast, the technologies are yet to reach the tribal settings of India, and also very challenging to implement. Studies have shown that the scenario of diabetes prevalence in Indian tribal population is as crucial as urban population. Also, land alienation, lack of health management infrastructure, low connectivity, technological challenges add up to their condition. While various technologies are challenging to implement due to electricity, network connectivity, infrastructure and storage facilities, some technologies can be implemented easily with the joint approach of primary health care staff, governmental and non-governmental organizations and people with diabetes themselves. Digitization of data is needed as it will give a clearer picture of the prevalence, provide easy access for the follow ups and easier to implement intervention-based technologies. The situation demands a tailored multifaceted approach for implementing the technological based remedies in tribal settings of India as it will increase the quality of life in these areas

MEM Based Hand Gesture Controlled Wireless Robot

The robustness of MEMS based Gesture Controlled Robot is a kind of robot that can be by our hand gestures rather than an ordinary old switches or keypad. In Future there is a chance of making robots that can interact with humans in a natural manner. Hence our target interest is with hand motion-based gesture interfaces. An innovative Formula for gesture recognition is developed for identifying the distinct action signs made through hand movement. A MEMS Sensor was used to carry out this and also an Ultrasonic sensor for convinced operation. In order to full-fill our requirement a program has been written and executed using amicrocontroller system. Upon noticing the results of experimentation proves that our gesture formula is very competent and it’s also enhanced the natural way of intelligence and also assembled in a simple hardware circuit

4-Dimensional printing: exploring current and future capabilities in biomedical and healthcare systems—a Concise review

4-Dimensional Printing (4DP) is the latest concept in the pharmacy and biomedical segment with enormous potential in dosage from personalization and medication designing, which adopts time as the fourth dimension, giving printed structures the flexibility to modify their morphology. It can be defined as the fabrication in morphology with the help of smart/intelligent materials like polymers that permit the final object to alter its properties, shape, or function in response to external stimuli such as heat, light, pH, and moisture. The applications of 4DP in biomedicines and healthcare are explored with a focus on tissue engineering, artificial organs, drug delivery, pharmaceutical and biomedical field, etc. In the medical treatments and pharmaceutical field 4DP is paving the way with unlimited potential applications; however, its mainstream use in healthcare and medical treatments is highly dependent on future developments and thorough research findings. Therefore, previous innovations with smart materials are likely to act as precursors of 4DP in many industries. This review highlights the most recent applications of 4DP technology and smart materials in biomedical and healthcare fields which can show a better perspective of 4DP applications in the future. However, in view of the existing limitations, major challenges of this technology must be addressed along with some suggestions for future research. We believe that the application of proper regulatory constraints with 4DP technology would pave the way for the next technological revolution in the biomedical and healthcare sectors

Sequencing and analysis of globally obtained human parainfluenza viruses 1 and 3 genomes

Human Parainfluenza viruses (HPIV) type 1 and 3 are important causes of respiratory tract infections in young children globally. HPIV infections do not confer complete protective immunity so reinfections occur throughout life. Since no effective vaccine is available for the two virus subtypes, comprehensive understanding of HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 genetic and epidemic features is important for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 infections. Relatively few whole genome sequences are available for both HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 viruses, so our study sought to provide whole genome sequences from multiple countries to further the understanding of the global diversity of HPIV at a whole-genome level. We collected HPIV-1 and HPIV-3 samples and isolates from Argentina, Australia, France, Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, and USA from the years 2003–2011 and sequenced the genomes of 40 HPIV-1 and 75 HPIV-3 viruses with Sanger and next-generation sequencing with the Ion Torrent, Illumina, and 454 platforms. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the HPIV-1 genome is evolving at an estimated rate of 4.97 × 10−4 mutations/ site/year (95% highest posterior density 4.55 × 10−4 to 5.38 × 10−4) and the HPIV-3 genome is evolving at a similar rate (3.59 × 10−4 mutations/site/year, 95% highest posterior density 3.26 × 10−4 to 3.94 × 10−4). There were multiple genetically distinct lineages of both HPIV-1 and 3 circulating on a global scale. Further surveillance and whole-genome sequencing are greatly needed to better understand the spatial dynamics of these important respiratory viruses in humans.S1 Text. HPIV-1 Sanger sequencing primers.S2 Text. HPIV-3 Sanger sequencing primers.S1 Table. The sequence information of the 40 HPIV-1 genomes.S2 Table. The sequence information of the 75 HPIV-3 genomes.S3 Table. MEME episodic selection results for HPIV-1 and HPIV-3.The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract number HHSN272200900007C and grant numbers U19AI110819, with the sub-project directed by HAL, and grants U01AI070428 and U01AI077988 awarded to KJH.http://www.plosone.orgam2019Medical Virolog