Socio-metrics of digital payments in demographic dividend: Descriptive analysis of dichotomous preferences

171-177Innovation in financial services has attracted a lot of attention and becomes the focal point in some jurisdiction further taking a very effective approach for facilitation of the technology enabled innovation. Digital disruptions have affected the all aspect of social mechanism and economic function, with higher density of mobile consumers and internet penetrations as compared to banking and other financial services facilitation. Technical firms have been providing new integrated faster, effective and inclusive innovative solutions; and it accelerates the inclusive digital payment systems. The variant methods of digital payments adopted by urban and semi urban consumers for their usual financial transactions is growing exponentially; however, post demonetization by Government of India, there was urgent need for alternative payment mechanism not only for urban consumers but also support the utilization by rural consumers in demographic dividend. The concept for the study has been to explore strategic advantages of digital payments and diagnosis for the current ecosystem in the support for better adoption of digital payments by the retail consumers in given mixed demography. In the present study, we have approached the Dhanbad district and collected data from different demography for our pilot survey. We have analyzed structured questionnaire based data to understand the various challenged with digital payments in demographic dividend for study area getting dichotomous preferences

Socio-metrics of digital payments in demographic dividend: Descriptive analysis of dichotomous preferences

Innovation in financial services has attracted a lot of attention and becomes the focal point in some jurisdiction further taking a very effective approach for facilitation of the technology enabled innovation. Digital disruptions have affected the all aspect of social mechanism and economic function, with higher density of mobile consumers and internet penetrations as compared to banking and other financial services facilitation. Technical firms have been providing new integrated faster, effective and inclusive innovative solutions; and it accelerates the inclusive digital payment systems. The variant methods of digital payments adopted by urban and semi urban consumers for their usual financial transactions is growing exponentially; however, post demonetization by Government of India, there was urgent need for alternative payment mechanism not only for urban consumers but also support the utilization by rural consumers in demographic dividend. The concept for the study has been to explore strategic advantages of digital payments and diagnosis for the current ecosystem in the support for better adoption of digital payments by the retail consumers in given mixed demography. In the present study, we have approached the Dhanbad district and collected data from different demography for our pilot survey. We have analyzed structured questionnaire based data to understand the various challenged with digital payments in demographic dividend for study area getting dichotomous preferences

Serum malondialdehyde in different stages of chronic renal disorder

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a widespread public health problem, which may have several adverse consequences such as renal failure, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Kidney-related pathologies have increasing prevalence rates, produce a considerable financial burden, and are characterized by elevated levels of oxidative stress (OS). Several markers emerged as well-suited indicators of OS such as malondialdehyde (MDA) and lipid hydroperoxides. The reduced activities of antioxidant enzymes status and increased production of MDA in the CKD patients confirm the presence of OS. The alteration in antioxidant status and MDA in CKD patients supports the role of OS in CKD patient. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare serum MDA in different stages of CKD with that of control. It is well known that inflammation has an important role in CKD and MDA is an oxidant biomarker. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study having 400 participants with 300 known cases of CKD and 100 healthy controls. Serum MDA levels were measured by thiobarbituric acid assay. Results: There was a significant difference between the groups regarding the MDA values (P<0.001) with that of control. The mean MDA value in Stage III (5.64±1.93 Umol/L), Stage IV (6.14±1.584 Umol/L), and Stage V (10.761±3.347 U moL/L) of CKD patients were high in comparison to healthy control (1.88±0.181 U mol/L). Conclusion: We concluded that MDA is a useful biomarker in CKD patients. The correlations of serum MDA among different stages of CKD patients were significant. Larger studies focused on CKD severity and antioxidant/oxidant biomarkers are required

Non-Covid causes of acute undifferentiated febrile illness during the Covid pandemic: an etiological analysis from Uttar Pradesh, India

Background and Aims: febrile illnesses are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in India, which are very common in the monsoon and post-monsoon season in tropical countries. Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Illness (AUFI) is a term usually used to refer to such conditions until diagnosed. This study was conducted to understand the prevalence of mixed infections, and the etiology and seasonal distribution of AUFI cases during the Corona Virus Disease (COVID) pandemic. Materials and Methods: this study was a hospital-based crosssectional study of six months (August 2021 to January 2022). Samples were collected by random sampling method from SN Medical College, Agra, and Mathura District. The diagnosis was made by Rapid Diagnostic Test for Malaria, and ELISA for Dengue, Chikungunya, Leptospira, and Scrub typhus. Results: a total of 9016 non-repetitive serum samples were collected, from males (4657) and females (4359), with a mean age of 42 years. The most common infections were: dengue (26.5%), malaria (0.85%), leptospira (0.54%), scrub typhus (0.32%), and Chikungunya (0.14%). The commonest co-infection was dengue with scrub typhus. Triple infections were also observed. Conclusions: the diversity of clinical presentations and etiological agents with limited diagnostic facilities demonstrates the complexity of AUFI. The knowledge of the local and seasonal distribution of acute febrile illnesses is thus very useful to formulate clinical, diagnostic, and management algorithms for positive outcomes, reducing hospital costs, and burden on healthcare facilities. Further upliftment of health services at the root level is still a long way to go

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ABSTRACT Introduction: Exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) is a serious public health concern. The Indian smoke-free legislation &apos;Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008&apos; prohibits smoking in public places, including workplaces. Objective: To measure the status of compliance to legal provisions that protects the public against harms of SHS exposure, identifies the potential areas of violations and informs policy makers for strengthening enforcement measures. Design: A cross-sectional survey in 1401 public places across 11 district headquarters in Himachal Pradesh, India, using a compliance guide developed by partners of the Bloomberg initiatives to reduce tobacco use. Results: In 1401 public places across 11 district headquarters, 42.8% public places had signage; in 84.2% public places, no smoking was observed and in 83.7%, there was absence of smoking accessories such as ashtray, matchbox and lighter. Tobacco litter like cigarette butts was absent in 64.7% of the public places. Overall, at the state level, there was more than 80% compliance on at least three of the five indicators. Among all categories of public places, educational institutions and offices demonstrated highest compliance, whereas most frequently visited public places, eateries and accommodation facilities had least compliance. Conclusions: The compliance to &apos;Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008&apos; was variable in various district headquarters of Himachal Pradesh. This study identified the potential areas of violations that need attention from enforcement agencies and policymakers

Comprehensive mutations analyses of FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated gene) and their effects on FTO’s substrate binding implicated in obesity

An excessive amount of fat deposition in the body leads to obesity which is a complex disease and poses a generic threat to human health. It increases the risk of various other diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and multiple types of cancer. Genomic studies have shown that the expression of the fat mass obesity (FTO) gene was highly altered and identified as one of the key biomarkers for obesity. This study has been undertaken to investigate the mutational profile of the FTO gene and elucidates its effect on the protein structure and function. Harmful effects of various missense mutations were predicted using different independent tools and it was observed that all mutations were highly pathogenic. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to study the structure and function of FTO protein upon different mutations and it was found that mutations decreased the structure stability and affected protein conformation. Furthermore, a protein residue network analysis suggested that the mutations affected the overall residues bonding and topology. Finally, molecular docking coupled with MD simulation suggested that mutations affected FTO substrate binding by changing the protein-ligand affinity. Hence, the results of this finding would help in an in-depth understanding of the molecular biology of the FTO gene and its variants and lead to the development of effective therapeutics against associated diseases and disorders

Is India on a path to tobacco endgame? - An analayis of recent policy papers and measures taken by Government of India

Background and challenges to implementation GATS India 2009:10 estimated that India is a home to over 275 million tobacco users. During initial few years, implementation of national legislation for tobacco control (COTPA 2003) was suboptimal. Post-2010, Ministry of Health Government of India (GoI) took few bold steps to advance the tobacco control agenda and demonstrated commitment to reduce tobacco use and demonstrated early commitment to towards a tobacco endgame. We analysed recent policy papers and measures taken by Government of India towards joining the global call for tobacco endgame. Intervention or response Ban on Gutkha (SLT) and display of specified pictorial health warning (PHWs) covering 85% of the principal display is among the boldest measures by the Government of India. Major focus was on law enforcement especially TAPS ban, smokefree rules, prohibition of sale to and by minors and banning outlets near educational institutions; introducing a toll-free helpline and raise in tobacco taxes and undertaking mass media campaigns. Results and lessons learnt The prevalence of tobacco use has decreased from 34.6% in GATS -I in 2009-10 to 28.6% in GATS -II in 2016-17. The number of tobacco users has reduced by about 81 lakh. The prevalence of tobacco use among the young population has reduced from 18.4% in GATS-I to 12.4% in GATS -II which is a 33% relative reduction. As anticipated, industry challenged the Gutkha ban both inside and out of court, opposed TAPS ban and display of PHWs of tobacco products in India; however public health wins at the end of the day. Conclusions and key recommendations India is in fairly advanced stage of implementing existing measures of MPOWER policies and national legislation; and is moving steadily towards a tobacco endgame. However, this may be the right time for India to think over the concept of tobacco free generation, regulating nicotine content and imposing a 'sinking lid' on tobacco supply

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF BERGENIA LIGULATA (WALL.) LEAVES EXTRACTS

Objective: Evaluation of Antimicrobial and Antifungal potential of Phytoconstituents present in leaf extracts of Bergenia ligulata (wall.) plant. Methods: The antimicrobial effects of leaves of Bergenia ligulata (wall.) were evaluated using both ethanol and aqueous extracts against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Penicillium spp. Agar well diffusion method was employed in determining the antimicrobial activity and the broth dilution method for determining the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. All the isolates examined were susceptible to both the ethanol, aqueous, and the combined aqueous and ethanol extracts (synergetic effect) of the Bergenia ligulata leaves. Results: The zone of inhibition ranged from 6.93 ±0.02b mm to 12.81 ±0.03a mm with Escherichia coli being the most susceptible at 12.81 ±0.03a mm to the ethanol and 11.53 ±0.02a mm to the aqueous extracts at 250 mg/ml concentration while P. aeruginosa and Penicillin spp. were the slightest susceptible at 10.88 ±0.02a mm to the ethanol and 09.76 ±0.02a mm to the aqueous extract at 250 mg/ml concentration. The control/standard antimicrobial agent (Gentamicin and Metronidazole) exhibited higher inhibitory activity than the plant extracts. The least inhibitory value of 6.25 mg/ml was produced against P. aeruginosa by the ethanolic extract and against C. albicans by the combined (aqueous and ethanol) extracts of the plant. The qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of the leaves of Bergenia ligulata reveals the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and steroids. The most abundant percentage composition observed was flavonoids (7.72%) while tannins had the least component (4.29%). Conclusion: The findings from this study show that the leaves extracts hold considerable antimicrobial activity against commonly encountered microorganisms in the environment. This therefore, implies that it can be used as a chemotherapeutic agent which will contribute to the development of antibiotic drugs against the test organisms

Opening gambit: Strategic options to initiate the tobacco endgame

Endgame strategies to rapidly hasten the decline of tobacco are already well within reach; a few plausible policy options are outlined herein for policy practitioners, tobacco control advocates, and public health specialists. The implementation of these measures which already exist within the gamut of existing legislation requires the galvanization of political will. The options we essay include liquidating existing public investments in tobacco, holding tobacco companies accountable within the jurisdictions of their operations, fixing liability for injury and the imposition of realistic costs on insurance providers