Knowledge and Fine Arts of Madhavi in Silappathikaram

Silapathikaram was created by Ilango Adigal. The speciality of silapathikaram is, it is the first epic created in tamil language. Silapathikaram presents literature, music and drama(muthamizh) and thereby bringing to light the pride of Tamil language. As characters of Silapathikaram got into a lot of discussions, a doubt arises whether the characters got famous through the epic or, the epic got famous due to the characters. For instance, the chastity of Kannagi and Madhavi has been compared and subjected to many debates. Madhavi is considered to be a crucial character in Silapathikaram. Madhavi belongs to kanigayar community. She has learnt the art of dance for seven years. She has also learnt to play a musical instrument called ‘yazh’. She has written two letters, thereby Silapathikaram exposed her art skills and literary knowledge. It is also known that women of kanigayar community learnt many art skills, thus exposing the literary, musical, and art skills of Tamil people

Gender and village based management system in DANIDA assisted Water & Sanitation Project in Tamil Nadu

In India, the concept of gender and Village based Management System (VMS) is a recent approach in the development process for improving environment sanitation and safe domestic water. Today, the FAQ is how to mainstream gender issues and empower women in the process of local management system. The Danida assisted rural Water and Sanitation Project (WS) pilots the user financed VMS under the demand driven approach in Cuddalore and Villupram districts of Tamil Nadu since 1996. Among others, promoting gender equity is one of the special features of the project's interventions. This paper presents an overview of WS project's experiences on gender approaches implemented in all stages of project cycle, particularly in VMS. It also elucidates a few of the many success storie

BIOMIMETIC SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES USING ANDREDERA CORDIFOLIA LEAF EXTRACT

Objective: The present study is focussed on the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using aqueous extract of Andredera cordifolia and to investigate the free radical scavenging potential, antimicrobial activity of the nanoparticles against different human pathogens.Methods: The formation of silver nanoparticles was indicated by the colour change from colourless to reddish brown. Biosynthesized nanoparticles was characterised using several techniques, viz- UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, TEM, SEM and EDAX analysis. The free radical scavenging potential was measured by DPPH, FRAP assay, antimicrobial activity against six microorganisms was tested using disc diffusion method.  Results: UV-Vis spectral analysis showed silver Surface Plasmon Resonance band at 426 nm.  The crystalline morphology and size of the nanoparticles were determined by TEM, SEM, and X-ray diffraction studies which showed the average size of the nanoparticles in the range 40 –60nm.  The biologically synthesized nanoparticles efficiently inhibited pathogenic organisms such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella Pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus vulgaris.  The biosynthesized nanoparticles might serve as a potent antioxidant as revealed by DPPH assay and FRAP assay. Conclusion: The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles had several advantages in pharmaceutical applications as well as large scale commercial production.Key Words: Silver nanoparticle, Andredera cordifolia leaf, SEM,TEM,XRD,antioxidant, antimicrobial,etc

Effectiveness of povidone- iodine (2%) vs normal saline (0.9%) mouth rinsing on oral mucositis among patients receiving external radiation therapy for head and neck malignancy

A study to assess the effectiveness of povidone –iodine (2%) vs normal saline (0.9%) mouth rinsing on oral mucositis among patients receiving external radiation therapy for head and neck malignancy from Devaki Cancer and Research Centre at Madurai. The research design adopted for the study was quasi experimental pretest, post test two group design. The simple random sampling technique was used by lottery method to select the 30 samples for experimental group- I and 30 samples for experimental group- II, who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The experimental group- I was receiving 10 ml of povidone –iodine (2%) mouth rinsing for two times for continuous 14 days. The experimental group- II was treated with 20 ml of normal saline (0.9%) mouth rinsing two times a day for continuous 14 days after receiving routine mouth care . The oral mucositis status was assessed by using oral mucositis assessment scale (OMAS) for experimental group- I and experimental group- II on 7th and 14th day. Collected data were analyzed in terms of both descriptive and inferential statistics. A probability of 0.05%). There was no association between the pre test oral mucositis score of experimental group I with demographic variables such as age, sex, education, occupation, marital status, history of smoking, betel nut chewing and pan or kutka chewing. Both mouth rinses which were used in this study were found to be effective. Among this povidone- iodine (2%) is found to be superior in reducing oral mucositis in subjects who has received radiation therapy when compared to normal saline mouth rinse

A study to assess the effectiveness of structured teaching programme regarding knowledge on impact of excess television viewing among mothers of school age children at Medavakkam rural area, Chennai

Television is one of the important media for any age group, especially children, who are easily attracted towards this media. Children love to watching television and movies. But too much of it during the developmental years can have negative impact on them. The growing children age is crucial to the development of child’s body, brain, in respect of educational and psychological development. Their negative influences due to excess television viewing can have lifelong health effects. TITLE: “A study to assess the effectiveness of structured teaching programme regarding knowledge on impact of excess television viewing among mothers of school age children at Medavakkam rural area, Chennai” OBJECTIVES: 1. To assess the knowledge of mothers regarding impact of excess television viewing. 2. To evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme regarding the impact of excess television viewing among mothers school age children. 3. To find out the association between post-test knowledge of mothers with their selected demographic variables. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study was conducted with 60 mothers of school age children in quantitative approach, Pre experimental one group pretest posttest design was used.Sample selection was done by convenient sampling technique. Pre-existing knowledge was assessed by using semi Structured questionnaires. After the pre-test, Structured teaching programme was given regarding the impact of excess television viewing. After 7 days post-test was conducted by using same tool. RESULTS: The result shows in post test after having structured teaching programme, mothers were gained 42.06% more knowledge score than pretest score and the mean difference was 12.62 by using students Paired t-test and Generalised Mcnemar’s. It is statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Hence, the structured teaching programme was instructionally effective, appropriate and feasible. It would help the mothers to reduce excess television viewing among their children and prevent negative impacts due to excess television viewing

Correlation of Neck Circumference with Body Fat Percentage by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis

Introduction: Obesity is a significant public health concern associated with various health risks. Accurate and accessible methods for assessing body fat percentage are essential for obesity evaluation. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between neck circumference and body fat percentage, considering bioelectrical impedance analysis as the reference method. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 63 male medical and paramedical students aged 18 to 25 years. Neck circumference, body fat percentage, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were measured using standardized techniques. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and significance testing. Results: The mean neck circumference was 37.4 cm (SD = ±1.6), and the mean body fat percentage was 22.8% (SD = ±4.5). A strong positive correlation was observed between neck circumference and body fat percentage (r = 0.75, p ≤ 0.001). The results indicated that neck circumference can serve as a practical and accessible measurement for estimating body fat percentage. Conclusion: Neck circumference strongly correlated with body fat percentage, suggesting its potential as an obesity assessment tool. Further research involving larger and more diverse populations is needed to validate these findings and explore the clinical implications of using neck circumference in obesity evaluation.Introducción: La obesidad es un importante problema de salud pública asociado a diversos riesgos para la salud. Los métodos precisos y accesibles para evaluar el porcentaje de grasa corporal son esenciales para la evaluación de la obesidad. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar la relación entre la circunferencia del cuello y el porcentaje de grasa corporal, considerando el análisis de impedancia bioeléctrica como método de referencia. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal en 63 estudiantes de medicina y paramédica del sexo masculino con edades entre 18 y 25 años. La circunferencia del cuello, el porcentaje de grasa corporal, el peso, la altura y el índice de masa corporal (IMC) se midieron utilizando técnicas estandarizadas. El análisis estadístico incluyó estadísticas descriptivas, análisis de correlación y pruebas de significación. Resultados: La circunferencia media del cuello fue de 37,4 cm (DE = ±1,6) y el porcentaje medio de grasa corporal fue del 22,8% (DE = ±4,5). Se observó una fuerte correlación positiva entre la circunferencia del cuello y el porcentaje de grasa corporal (r = 0,75, p ≤ 0,001). Los resultados indicaron que la circunferencia del cuello puede servir como una medida práctica y accesible para estimar el porcentaje de grasa corporal. Conclusión: la circunferencia del cuello se correlacionó fuertemente con el porcentaje de grasa corporal, lo que sugiere su potencial como herramienta de evaluación de la obesidad. Se necesita más investigación que involucre a poblaciones más grandes y diversas para validar estos hallazgos y explorar las implicaciones clínicas del uso de la circunferencia del cuello en la evaluación de la obesidad

THE ROLE OF HATHA YOGA IN HUMAN IMMUNO DEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV)/ACQUIRED IMMUNO DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS)

The Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) considered to be great deal of courage to face the disease that seems to have no cure as yet. Many of the people living with HIV (PLHIV), have the intense feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, fear, anxiety and depression. The Highly Active Anti Retroviral Therapy (HAART) has effectively reduced HIV related morbidity and mortality for PLHIV. Even they are living longer with ART, but significant side-effects like anorexia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and stress related problems are unavoidable. The National Institute of Health and World Health Organization recommends that, yoga makes to minimize the side effects ART and stress related problems of PLHIV. Among many branches of yoga, Hatha yoga enhances the capacity of the physical body through the use of series body postures, movements (Asanas) and breathing techniques (Pranayama). It’s a form of mind-body fitness that involves the combination of muscular activity and an internally focus on the mind for awareness of the self, breath and energy aids to boost immunity and relax the mind. Many research studies supported that, this behavior modification of yoga is potentially safe, effective and this low-cost management help to ‘detoxify’ the body, mitigate chronic fatigue, enhance endurance, improve organ and immune functions makes to enhance overall well being and quality of life of PLHIV