Acceptability of different oral dosage forms in paediatric patients in hospital setting

Objective The understanding of acceptability of existing dosage forms is limited in most of the world and hinders the development of acceptable, age‐appropriate medicines. The attributes of paediatric medicine acceptability may differ from country to country based on culture, healthcare infrastructure and health policies. This study was designed to map the acceptability of oral medicines in paediatric patients treated in hospital in India. Methods An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in patients aged below 18 years and taking any form of oral medication. Acceptability scores were obtained using CAST–ClinSearch Acceptability Score Test tool. Findings 490 patients were recruited and 193 evaluations of different pharmaceutical products available in 20 dosage forms and 7 routes of administration were studied. Oral liquids (50%) and tablets (35%) were the most commonly prescribed and administered forms. Regardless of the therapeutic class and age, the oral liquids were ‘positively accepted’ in infants and toddlers. Acceptability of tablets improved with age and appeared to be generally good from the age of 6. Conclusion This study indicates the limited progress towards adoption of age-appropriate dosage forms in India and thus impact on the acceptability of existing oral dosage forms. The key challenges posed by the adoption of age-appropriate formulations in India are (1) awareness of importance of appropriate administration and acceptability of medicines to children in India, (2) availability of age-appropriate dosage forms and (3) lack of child-appropriate medicine policies

Impact of Potential Technologies for Post-Rainy Season Sorghum (in Maharashtra) and Pearl Millet (in Gujarat, Haryana, and Rajasthan) in India

In  India,  sorghum  is  cultivated  during  rainy  and  post‐rainy  season  in  central  and  western  Maharashtra,  Northern  Karnataka,  Andhra  Pradesh  and  Tamil  Nadu.  Sorghum  is  cultivated  in  Maharashtra  both  for  grain  and  fodder  during  kharif  (on  13.84  lakh  ha)  and  rabi  season  (on  31.12 lakh ha). The rabi sorghum occupied 64 % of sorghum area. In Marathwada rabi sorghum  is cultivated in 10.48 lakh ha, and in Western Maharashtra in 20.14   lakh ha.  HOPE  project  aims  at  increasing  productivity  in  the  target  areas  from  35‐40  %  in  four  years.  Under  this  project  six  clusters  and  12  villages  are  covered   in  Marathwada  and  Western  Maharashtra.    Besides  targeting  improved  varieties,  targeting  on  the  key  recommended  technologies,  management  practices  like  drilling  of  fertilizer  along  with  seed,  seed  treatment,  deep  sowing,  wide  row  spacing,  optimum  plant  population,  Integrated  Pest  Management  (IPM)  and  Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) are crucial. In addition, moisture use efficiency  towards  reducing drought risk is vital.

Crop Credit Flow in Maharashtra, India, with Special Reference to Postrainy Season Sorghum

Agriculture is being increasingly recognized as a commercial activity. Modern farm technology is, to a great extent, capital intensive. Production requires modern inputs of good quality, and it needs expenses to be allocated for mechanization and related costs. The farming community thus requires agriculture credit for various activities such as land development, minor irrigation, farm mechanization and for the purchase of inputs to cultivate annual and perennial crop

Postrainy Season Sorghum Marketing in India: Constraints and Opportunities

Indian agricultural marketing systems function relatively well although a number of critical issues impinge on their efficient functioning. For example, markets in the hinterland are generally thin, localized and segmented - smallholders dominate the agricultural system and this leads to low marketed surplus. The process of price discovery is often non-transparent; markets are ‘multi-level’ with many intermediaries, leading to high transaction/marketing costs, so, to sell their produce, farmers are dependent on intermediaries to avail of credit facilities in interlinked markets (credit/ input and output markets). Lack of grading and storage facilities and lack of information on market intelligence...

Outcomes of treatment of unresectable esophageal carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy and oral metronomic chemotherapy: An experience from a rural cancer center

Introduction: Esophageal carcinoma is the eight most common cancer in the world. The management of locally advancedcarcinoma esophagus is mainly palliative with chemoradiotherapy. The outcome data of such a modality along with oralmetronomic chemotherapy after treatment completion are sparse. Here, we present the outcomes of treatment of locally advancedunresectable esophageal cancer after palliative chemoradiotherapy and oral metronomic therapy from a rural setting in India.Methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients of locally advanced unresectable nonmetastatic esophageal carcinoma treatedwith short course of induction chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy/chemoradiotherapy and oral metronomic chemotherapywas performed. The primary aim was estimation of progression free-survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: A total of45 patients were analyzed. Mean age was 55 years (30-85 years). A total of 32 patients had tumors in upper and middle esophagus,with the most common histology being squamous cell carcinoma (N-41). The estimated 2 year PFS is 47.2% and the estimated2 years OS is 57.8%. Conclusion: Combined modality therapy with adjuvant oral metronomic therapy shows promising results inthe management and should be the basis of further trials