Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-Adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017 : A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study

Importance: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-Adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care. © 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Nanostructured titania based electrochemical impedimetric biosensor for non-invasive cancer detection

In the present work, the utilisation of bio-functionalised TiO2 nanoparticles has been reported for biosensing application especially in oral cancer detection. The bio-sensing electrode was fabricated on indium tin oxide coated conducting glass electrode using electrophoretic deposition technique. The proposed technique holds tremendous potential to make the approach effectively simple, label-free and most importantly a non-invasive technique. The prepared nanoparticles were characterised using x-ray diffractometer; Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In conjunction with this, the morphological studies of immunoelectrode (bovine serum albumin/anti-CYFRA-21-1/(3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane/TiO2/indium tin oxide) were conducted by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The average roughness of various electrodes were investigated through atomic force microscopy. The biosensing properties of fabricated immunoelectrode were investigated using differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. However, the electrochemical response studies were carried out by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy technique to measure the concentration of oral cancer biomarker (CYFRA 21-1). Additionally, we have also calculated the sensitivity and stability of fabricated immunoelectrode. It has been observed that the fabricated immunoelectrode shows a high sensitivity of 0.573 Omega mL ng(-1), linear detection range of 0-12 ng mL(-1), lower detection limit of 0.24 ng mL(-1) and having a stability of 5 weeks

Investigation of charge transfer properties in MEHPVV and rGO-AA nanocomposites for Green organic photovoltaic application

The rapid ascension in conjugated polymer-based organic electronic device applications is of highest concern and explored with utmost interest. They own distinct properties such as efficient dissociation in exciton pairs and better charge transfer capabilities that lead to an enhanced separation of exciton at the donor: acceptor interface. Therefore, an appropriate selection of donor and acceptor species is required for the development of an efficient organic solar cell device. In this work, an organic nanocomposite-based system in which conductive polymer MEHPPV poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] acts as an electron donor and green route reduced graphene oxide (rGO) via L-Ascorbic Acid (L-AA) as an acceptor material has been materialised for the photovoltaic energy conversion. The validation of charge-transfer properties in rGO-AA blended with conducting MEHPPV has been investigated using photoluminescence quenching phenomena and UV visible spectroscopy techniques. However, the reduction of GO is confirmed using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and morphology via scanning electron microscopy. The current-voltage characteristics reveal that the charge transfer occurred and an efficiency of 0.084 % has been noticed which confirms the utilisation of rGO-AA as an acceptor material for the development of green optoelectronic devices

Response to comments on "Reduced band gap & charge recombination rate in Se doped alpha-Bi2O3 leads to enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance: Theoretical & experimental insight"

For better utilization of solar spectrum and complete redox of water for water splitting applications, it is required to have a semiconductor which is photoactive in visible region. In this study, we report theoretical and experimental investigations on morphological and opto-electronic modifications induced in α-Bi2O3 due to Selenium (Se) doping tested for photoelectrochemical (PEC) & photocatalytic properties. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed band gap reduction and direct to indirect transitions in Se-doped α-Bi2O3. This reduction in band gap is attributed to hybridization of Se p & Bi s in valence band and Se d & Bi p orbital in conduction band. To support this finding experimentally, we synthesized Se-doped α-Bi2O3 using simple chemical precipitation method and measured its band gap using photoluminescence and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Experimental results also confirmed the reduction in band gap energy and recombination rate of charge carriers as compared to pristine α-Bi2O3 sample. PEC study of Se-doped α-Bi2O3 showed an increased photocurrent density, charge carrier density and lowered impedance, which indicates its efficient solar spectrum utilization and better hydrogen generation efficiency. Photocatalytic measurement also revealed higher rate of dye degradation with Se doped α-Bi2O3

Reduced band gap & charge recombination rate in Se doped alpha-Bi2O3 leads to enhanced photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic performance: Theoretical & experimental insight

For better utilization of solar spectrum and complete redox of water for water splitting applications, it is required to have a semiconductor which is photoactive in visible region. In this study, we report theoretical and experimental investigations on morphological and opto-electronic modifications induced in alpha-Bi2O3 due to Selenium (Se) doping tested for photoelectrochemical (PEC) & photocatalytic properties. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed band gap reduction and direct to indirect transitions in Se-doped alpha-Bi2O3, This reduction in band gap is attributed to hybridization of Se p & Bi s in valence band and Se d & Bi p orbital in conduction band. To support this finding experimentally, we synthesized Se-doped alpha-Bi2O3 using simple chemical precipitation method and measured its band gap using photoluminescence and UV Vis spectroscopy. Experimental results also confirmed the reduction in band gap energy and recombination rate of charge carriers as compared to pristine alpha-Bi2O3 sample. PEC study of Se-doped alpha-Bi2O3 showed an increased photocurrent density, charge carrier density and lowered impedance, which indicates its efficient solar spectrum utilization and better hydrogen generation efficiency. Photo catalytic measurement also revealed higher rate of dye degradation with Se dopd alpha-Bi2O3

Enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2 photoanode decorated with Pd-carbon core shell nanoparticles

In this work, we report enhancement in photoelectrochemical performance of TiO2 photo-anode on coating it with Palladium carbon (Pd-C) core shell nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy images confirmed formation of Pd nanoparticle and Pd-C nanoparticles with Pd core surrounded by carbon shell. X-Ray Diffraction analysis confirmed the pure anatase phase of synthesized TiO2 films. Raman spectroscopy revealed graphitic nature of carbon in Pd-C. In comparison to pristine TiO2, quenching in PL intensity of Pd-TiO2& Pd-C-TiO2 sample was observed which indicates lowering of recombination rate of charge carriers, this effect is explained through surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in Pd and Pd-C nanoparticles. Also, SPR in Pd & Pd-C promoted absorption of photons in visible region thus making both Pd-C-TiO2& Pd-TiO2 active in visible region. Finally, graphitic carbon layer over Pd in Pd-C-TiO2 offered an additional advantage over bare Pd in Pd-TiO2 i.e. reducing the charge transfer resistance between electrode and electrolyte under illumination

Effect of Washing and Non-washing of Seeds on Growth of Papaya Seedlings (Carica papaya L.) cv. Pusa Nanha

The present experiment was carried out to investigate the response of washing and non- washing of seeds on growth of papaya seedling at the CRC Farm, ITM University, Gwalior (M.P.). The experiment was set up in the Randomized Block Design using 4 media with or without washing of seeds with tap water comprising 12 treatments combinations (viz., controlled (soil + water), vermiwash (50%) + wood dust, vermiwash (50%) + cocopeat, vermiwash (50%) + pond soil, cow-urine (50%) + wood dust, cow-urine (50%) + cocopeat, cow-urine (50%) + pond soil,&nbsp; vermiwash (100%) + wood dust, vermiwash (100%) + cocopeat, vermiwash (100%) + pond soil,&nbsp; cow-urine (100%) + wood dust, cow-urine (100%) + cocopeat,&nbsp; cow-urine (100%) + pond soil which were replicated thrice. For experimental purpose, freshly ripe fruits of papaya were purchased from the papaya-growing farmer of IARI, New Delhi and seeds were sown in the poly bag (4x24 inch sized). The results indicated that the application of application of Vermiwash (100%) + pond soil recorded maximum height of seedling (cm), number of leaves per seedling, stem diameter (cm), leaf area (158.41 cm2), fresh weight of seedling (8.49g), dry weight of seedling (1.17 g), dry weight of shoot (0.334g), dry weight of root (0.779), root/shoot ratio (2.34)&nbsp; as compared to without washing of seeds and other rooting media. Thus, application of Vermiwash (100%) + pond soil was found to the best treatment among all the treatments and it gave the maximum growth attributes which will inturn improve the yield of papaya