Nutritional status and self-reported morbidity pattern of urban elderly in Hyderabad city: A preliminary study

Background: Ageing is a natural phenomenon associated with physiological and functional decline in the body, which makes elderly people vulnerable to malnutrition and age related morbidity. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess nutritional status and morbidity pattern of urban elderly. Aims & Objectives: To assess the nutritional status and the morbidity status of urban elderly. Material and methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted among the urban elderly in Hyderabad. A total of 261 individuals of ≥60 years were recruited for this study. Anthropometric measurements were measured to assess nutritional status. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information on demographic particulars and self-reported morbidity profile. Data are presented as mean ± standard error and significance level was considered at p < 0.05. Result: The mean height and weight were 160.49 Cm ±0.55 and 66.59 Kg ± 0.68, respectively while the mean BMI was 25.83 Kg/m2 ± 0.22. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among urban elderly was 46.0% and 31.4 %, respectively. The prevalence of central and truncal obesity was 60.1% and 84.6% respectively. The prevalence of morbidities such as poor vision, hypertension, joint pains, diabetes, cataract and hyperacidity was 86.1%, 63.2%, 49.4%, 48.3%, 36% and 32.2% respectively. There was a significant (p<0.05) gender difference among BMI, central obesity, CVDs, joint pains and osteoarthritis. Conclusion: In general, the prevalence of NCDs such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes are significant public health concern among urban elderly. Therefore, primordial and primary preventive measures should be adopted during adolescence and early adulthood for the prevention and control of NCDs during the period of agein

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Not AvailableAdequate nitrogen availability to plants for growth is one of the most important reasons for fertilizer application. Though organic alternatives are recommended, there is uncertainty of their nutrient release characteristics, especially during critical growth stages of a crop. In a 10-year-long experiment on nutrient management for rice-wheat cropping, ion exchange resin (IER) membrane strips were used as plant root simulators to determine daily NH4+-N and NO3−-N availability in soil solution during the rice growing season. The management included inorganic fertilizers at 100% recommended rate (F), compared to reduced rate (55%) of inorganic fertilizers supplemented with organic inputs via green manuring with Sesbania (GM), biomass incorporation of an opportunity legume crop-green gram (Vigna radiata) (LE), 1/3rd wheat stubble retention and soil incorporation (WS), 1/3rd rice stubble retention and soil incorporation (RS), and farmyard manure application (FYM). The total amount of available N (NH4+ +NO3−) recorded for the full season was in the order GM (221 μg cm−2) > F (184 μg cm−2) > RS (181 μg cm−2) > FYM (176 μg cm−2) > WS (176 μg cm−2) > LE (175 μg cm−2). Both grain and straw yield related directly and significantly to the N mineralization in soil at 30–60 days after transplanting (DAT), indicating that fertilizer N application before 30 DAT and after 60 DAT could mostly be a loss in transplanted rice crop. Green manured (GM) soils maintained steadily high N mineralization rates throughout the rice growing period. The best alternative to cut down inorganic fertilizer use in rice cropping would be the biomass incorporation from leguminous green manuring crops. Integration of organics afforded almost 50% reduction in recommended inorganic fertilizer use while maintaining better N mineralization status at the critical growth stages of rice.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableImproving the farming systems to attain the household level self-sufficiency, land utilization efficiency and sustainable livelihood security depends on the better socio-economic and ecological aspects of the systems practiced by the small farmers in the semi-arid regions. The higher sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) in integrated crops-livestock system helps to restore economical and ecological sustainability. The aim of this study was to analyze how various modules of farming in different combinations have interacted with the diversification of existing systems on ecological security index (ESI), economic efficiency index (EEI), and social equity index (SEI) for providing SLSI of improved integrated farming system (IFS) compared with benchmark farming under semi-arid regions. In this study, different existing IFS comprising of seven modules (field crops, dairy, goatery, poultry, horticulture, fishery and apiary) in different combinations were studied. Results revealed that 72.5% farmers preferred to integrate two modules, where 95% of farmers adopted field crops + dairy (FC + D) than other modules. The sustainability indicators like ESI ( + 43.3%), EEI ( + 16.0%), SEI ( + 11.6%), and SLSI ( + 6.0%) were improved in FC + D farming system than other IFS module combinations. Similarly, improved IFS interventions also increased sustainability indicators over benchmark farming. Based on large scale household studies over five years, our findings suggest that the improved IFS succeeded in providing a wider array of livelihood security than existing practices. Hence, the paradigm shift from component approach to an IFS based resilient system that is economically viable, environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable are needed for development of semi-arid regions.Not Availabl

Impact of Short-Term Combined Antiretroviral Therapy on Brain Virus Burden in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected and CD8+ Lymphocyte-Depleted Rhesus Macaques

Antiretroviral drugs suppress virus burden in the cerebrospinal fluid of HIV-infected individuals; however, the direct effect of antiretrovirals on virus replication in brain parenchyma is poorly understood. We investigated the effect of short-term combined antiretroviral therapy (CART) on brain virus burden in rhesus monkeys using the CD8-depletion model of accelerated simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) encephalitis. Four monkeys received CART (consisting of the nonpenetrating agents PMPA and RCV) for four weeks, beginning 28 days after SIV inoculation. Lower virus burdens were measured by real-time RT-PCR in four of four regions of brain from monkeys that received CART as compared with four SIV-infected, untreated controls; however, the difference was only significant for the frontal cortex (P < 0.05). In contrast, significantly lower virus burdens were measured in plasma and four of five lymphoid compartments from animals that received CART. Surprisingly, despite normalization of neuronal function in treated animals, the numbers of activated macrophages/microglia and the magnitude of TNF-α mRNA expression in brain were similar between treated animals and controls. These results suggest that short-term therapy with antiretrovirals that fail to penetrate the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier can reduce brain virus burden provided systemic virus burden is suppressed; however, longer treatment may be required to completely resolve encephalitic lesions and microglial activation, which may reflect the longer half-life of the principal target cells of HIV/SIV in the brain (macrophages) versus lymphoid tissues (T lymphocytes)