Driving diversity, equity and inclusivity in workplaces and education via menstrual health management

Menstrual Hygiene and Health (MHH) is critical for the well-being, prosperity and empowerment of young girls and women. Not having access to menstrual products, access to water, safety, privacy, toilets and disposal options to manage menstruation can erode psychological and physical well-being of menstruators and leave them vulnerable and is termed as period poverty. It leads to menstruators not being able to step out, attend schools, colleges or commute to workplaces. To understand the magnitude of how big this problem is, a primary and secondary research was conducted to understand menstrual health management practices across India, challenges and barriers faced by menstruators, stigmas associated, and restrictions placed and finally benefits gained by menstruators by using period products. Comparison across cities, towns and villages yielded important insights about where effort and resources need to be deployed, e.g., shame factor was 2.5 times higher in villages vs cities, 42.3% of girls miss schools, colleges and workplaces due to lack of products and 1 in 5 (20.9%) have stopped going to schools after periods started, which translates to 23.1 Mn girls. With nearly 400 Mn menstruators in India, 296 Mn miss education and work for varying number of days due to period poverty. That’s a lot of education and workdays lost and hence leading to social, human and economic capital loss. The Menstrual Health costs are unaffordable for a large percentage of population due to recurring costs of disposable period products. This calls for an urgent focus to drive distribution and encourage adoption of reusable alternatives that can effectively address period poverty. Removing barriers like period poverty helps menstruators attend educational institutions & workplaces, which in turn strengthens their confidence and life achievement skills. By giving girls & women opportunities to flourish, we are not only building a diverse, inclusive & equitable society leading to socio-economic gains but also creating an environment that acts as a strategic multiplier in the long term

Addressing Period Poverty Can Boost India’s GDP By 2.7%: Insights & Economic Implications

Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is essential to the well-being and empowerment of women and adolescent girls. As per World Bank, on any given day, more than 300 million women worldwide are menstruating. However, an estimated 500 million lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management (MHM). And 4.5 billion people don’t have access to adequate sanitation facilities. My study included primary and secondary research and analytics to understand how menstrual health management is practiced across various parts of India, challenges and opportunities, barriers to access and stigmas associated and finally benefits gained by menstruators by using period products. It then calculates that Menstrual Health Investment Index is 1.2% of India’s GDP per capita, how current disposable period products are unaffordable for a large part of population and compares the cost of menstrual hygiene management for reusable alternatives vs the traditional disposable ones and how reusable options can help address period poverty. The research then estimates that India can make economic gains to its GDP by 2.7% ($ 86.7 Billion), by positively impacting and addressing period poverty

Attitude, Perception And Consumer Behavior Research Of Indian Consumers Towards Vertical Farming : Can Vertical Farming Offer Sustainable Solution To India’s Booming Urban Population By 2050?

By the year 2050, the world population is expected to grow to 9.8 billion people and 70% of these people will live in cities. India will become the most populous country by 2023, overtaking China and about 53% of the Indian population is expected to live in cities by 2050, up from 35% in 2021 as per World Bank. However, in India, almost all the food production happens in rural areas and small towns. Transporting food from a farmer’s place to consumer’s neighborhood store results in ‘food miles’, and carbon emissions. Not to mention, food wasted during long journeys that gets dumped into landfills and end up contributing to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. To minimize such pollution, emissions and waste, food can be alternatively grown in urban areas via Vertical Farming(VF). VF involves new age technologies like hydroponics, aeroponics or aquaponics. It is more efficient than traditional farming, offers higher yield, is free from chemicals and pesticides. This study measures consumers perception towards VF products and concludes that 80.7% of people care about sustainability, 85% are ready to pay premium and 63% would trust such products. ‘Climate-consciousness’ and ‘buying healthy and fresh food for family’ were the perceived benefits from family and friends. However more needs to be done to drive awareness, consideration, availability and affordability of vertical farm products. Only 57% of the respondents are aware about health benefits(chemical and pesticide-free) of VF products, 57.5% were aware about VF or hydroponics and in terms of purchase behavior, only 44.3% of respondents have bought a VF product. Vertical Farming is the future of modern agriculture and can be a panacea in feeding India’s burgeoning urban population, fighting food transportation-related pollution, reduce food miles, food waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions

Valproic Acid Induces Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Phenotypic Switching

Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is a widely used anticonvulsant drug that is currently undergoing clinical evaluation for anticancer therapy due to its anti-angiogenic potential. Endothelial cells (ECs) can transition into mesenchymal cells and this form of EC plasticity is called endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), which is widely implicated in several pathologies including cancer and organ fibrosis. However, the effect of VPA on EC plasticity and EndMT remains completely unknown. We report herein that VPA-treatment significantly inhibits tube formation, migration, nitric oxide production, proliferation and migration in ECs. A microscopic evaluation revealed, and qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting data confirmed EndMT-like phenotypic switching as well as an increased expression of pro-fibrotic genes in VPA-treated ECs. Furthermore, our data confirmed important and regulatory role played by TGFβ-signaling in VPA-induced EndMT. Our qPCR array data performed for 84 endothelial genes further supported our findings and demonstrated 28 significantly and differentially regulated genes mainly implicated in angiogenesis, endothelial function, EndMT and fibrosis. We, for the first time report that VPA-treatment associated EndMT contributes to the VPA-associated loss of endothelial function. Our data also suggest that VPA based therapeutics may exacerbate endothelial dysfunction and EndMT-related phenotype in patients undergoing anticonvulsant or anticancer therapy, warranting further investigation

Childhood obesity on the rise during COVID-19: A request for global leaders to change the trajectory

Childhood obesity has been rising in all world regions - 2019 estimates were that 158 million children aged 5-19 are living with obesity, of whom many live in LMICs1 . Yet there has been limited to no progress to halt the rise in more than 20 years and this number is projected to increase to 254 million by 20301 . NCD Child, a global multi-stakeholder coalition focused on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in children, is concerned with the rising rates of obesity during childhood and its consequences

A century past the discovery of insulin: Global progress and challenges for type 1 diabetes among children and adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries

Type 1 diabetes is on the rise globally; however, the burden of mortality remains disproportionate in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). As 2021 marks 100 years since the discovery of insulin, we revisit progress, global burden of type 1 diabetes trends, and understanding of the pathogenesis and management practices related to the disease. Despite much progress, inequities in access and availability of insulin formulations persist and are reflected in differences in survival and morbidity patterns related to the disease. Some of these inequities have also been exacerbated by health-system challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a clear opportunity to improve access to insulin and related essential technologies for improved management of type 1 diabetes in LMICs, especially as a part of universal health coverage. These improvements will require concerted action and investments in human resources, community engagement, and education for the timely diagnosis and management of type 1 diabetes, as well as adequate health-care financing. Further research in LMICs, especially those in Africa, is needed to improve our understanding of the burden, risk factors, and implementation strategies for managing type 1 diabetes

Data_Sheet_1_Valproic Acid Induces Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Phenotypic Switching.PDF

<p>Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is a widely used anticonvulsant drug that is currently undergoing clinical evaluation for anticancer therapy due to its anti-angiogenic potential. Endothelial cells (ECs) can transition into mesenchymal cells and this form of EC plasticity is called endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), which is widely implicated in several pathologies including cancer and organ fibrosis. However, the effect of VPA on EC plasticity and EndMT remains completely unknown. We report herein that VPA-treatment significantly inhibits tube formation, migration, nitric oxide production, proliferation and migration in ECs. A microscopic evaluation revealed, and qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting data confirmed EndMT-like phenotypic switching as well as an increased expression of pro-fibrotic genes in VPA-treated ECs. Furthermore, our data confirmed important and regulatory role played by TGFβ-signaling in VPA-induced EndMT. Our qPCR array data performed for 84 endothelial genes further supported our findings and demonstrated 28 significantly and differentially regulated genes mainly implicated in angiogenesis, endothelial function, EndMT and fibrosis. We, for the first time report that VPA-treatment associated EndMT contributes to the VPA-associated loss of endothelial function. Our data also suggest that VPA based therapeutics may exacerbate endothelial dysfunction and EndMT-related phenotype in patients undergoing anticonvulsant or anticancer therapy, warranting further investigation.</p

Table_1_Valproic Acid Induces Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Phenotypic Switching.PDF

<p>Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is a widely used anticonvulsant drug that is currently undergoing clinical evaluation for anticancer therapy due to its anti-angiogenic potential. Endothelial cells (ECs) can transition into mesenchymal cells and this form of EC plasticity is called endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), which is widely implicated in several pathologies including cancer and organ fibrosis. However, the effect of VPA on EC plasticity and EndMT remains completely unknown. We report herein that VPA-treatment significantly inhibits tube formation, migration, nitric oxide production, proliferation and migration in ECs. A microscopic evaluation revealed, and qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting data confirmed EndMT-like phenotypic switching as well as an increased expression of pro-fibrotic genes in VPA-treated ECs. Furthermore, our data confirmed important and regulatory role played by TGFβ-signaling in VPA-induced EndMT. Our qPCR array data performed for 84 endothelial genes further supported our findings and demonstrated 28 significantly and differentially regulated genes mainly implicated in angiogenesis, endothelial function, EndMT and fibrosis. We, for the first time report that VPA-treatment associated EndMT contributes to the VPA-associated loss of endothelial function. Our data also suggest that VPA based therapeutics may exacerbate endothelial dysfunction and EndMT-related phenotype in patients undergoing anticonvulsant or anticancer therapy, warranting further investigation.</p