The need for multisectoral food chain approaches to reduce trans fat consumption in India.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends virtually eliminating trans fat from the global food supply. Although several high-income countries have successfully reduced trans fat levels in foods, low- and middle-income countries such as India face additional challenges to its removal from the food supply. This study provides a systems analysis of the Indian food chain to assess intervention options for reducing trans fat intake in low-income consumers. METHODS: Data were collected at the manufacturer, retailer and consumer levels. Qualitative interviews were conducted with vanaspati manufacturers (n = 13) and local food vendors (n = 44). Laboratory analyses (n = 39) of street foods/snacks sold by the vendors were also conducted. Trans fat and snack intakes were also examined in low-income consumers in two rural villages (n = 260) and an urban slum (n = 261). RESULTS: Manufacturers of vanaspati described reducing trans fat levels as feasible but identified challenges in using healthier oils. The fat content of sampled oils from street vendors contained high levels of saturated fat (24.7-69.3 % of total fat) and trans fat (0.1-29.9 % of total fat). Households were consuming snacks high in trans fat as part of daily diets (31 % village and 84.3 % of slum households) and 4 % of rural and 13 % of urban households exceeded WHO recommendations for trans fat intakes. CONCLUSIONS: A multisectoral food chain approach to reducing trans fat is needed in India and likely in other low- and middle-income countries worldwide. This will require investment in development of competitively priced bakery shortenings and economic incentives for manufacturing foods using healthier oils. Increased production of healthier oils will also be required alongside these investments, which will become increasingly important as more and more countries begin investing in palm oil production

Unhealthy Fat in Street and Snack Foods in Low-Socioeconomic Settings in India: A Case Study of the Food Environments of Rural Villages and an Urban Slum.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the food environment in rural villages and an urban slum setting in India with reference to commercially available unbranded packaged snacks and street foods sold by vendors, and to analyze the type and quantity of fat in these foods. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Two low-income villages in Haryana and an urban slum in Delhi. PARTICIPANTS: Street vendors (n = 44) were surveyed and the nutritional content of snacks (n = 49) sold by vendors was analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Vendors' awareness and perception of fats and oils, as well as the type of snacks sold, along with the content and quality of fat present in the snacks. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics of vendor survey and gas chromatography to measure fatty acid content in snacks. RESULTS: A variety of snacks were sold, including those in unlabeled transparent packages and open glass jars. Mean fat content in snacks was 28.8 g per 100-g serving in rural settings and 29.6 g per 100-g serving in urban settings. Sampled oils contained high levels of saturated fats (25% to 69% total fatty acids) and trans fats (0.1% to 30% of total fatty acids). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Interventions need to target the manufacturers of oils and fats used in freshly prepared products to improve the quality of foods available in the food environment of low-socioeconomic groups in India

Chelation in Metal Intoxication

Chelation therapy is the preferred medical treatment for reducing the toxic effects of metals. Chelating agents are capable of binding to toxic metal ions to form complex structures which are easily excreted from the body removing them from intracellular or extracellular spaces. 2,3-Dimercaprol has long been the mainstay of chelation therapy for lead or arsenic poisoning, however its serious side effects have led researchers to develop less toxic analogues. Hydrophilic chelators like meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid effectively promote renal metal excretion, but their ability to access intracellular metals is weak. Newer strategies to address these drawbacks like combination therapy (use of structurally different chelating agents) or co-administration of antioxidants have been reported recently. In this review we provide an update of the existing chelating agents and the various strategies available for the treatment of heavy metals and metalloid intoxications

Effect of Air Assistance, Leaf Area Density and Forward Speed on Spray Deposition in Simulated Crop Canopy

Efficacy of pesticides spraying is influenced by target canopy characteristics, spray equipment, mode of operation and properties of chemical. A simulated crop canopy was constructed to study effect of air velocity, leaf area density (LAD) and forward speed on deposition characteristics of an air assisted spraying system. Results showed that droplet size and droplet density on under side of the canopy was less than that on the upper side. The Air velocity, LAD and forward speed significantly influenced the droplet density on the canopy. While, higher velocities of air stream decreased the spray droplet size, the forward speed and LAD did not influence it

Validation of Hindi version of the obstetric quality of recovery score-11 (ObsQoR-11 H) following elective caesarean section

Background and Aims: Obstetric quality of recovery score-11 (ObsQoR-11) was developed in English to evaluate the quality of recovery in the caesarean section. We aimed to validate the Hindi version of ObsQoR-11 (ObsQoR-11H) for Hindi-speaking patients to evaluate the quality of recovery following the elective caesarean section. Methods: The ObsQoR-11 was translated into Hindi and assessed for validity, acceptability and feasibility. The questionnaire was administered postoperatively at 24 and 48 hours, and the Global Health Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was used to evaluate recovery. Results: The mean (standard deviation [SD]) (95% confidence interval [CI]) ObsQoR-11 H was 75.94 (4.09)(95% CI 75.1, 76.7) and 80.25 (4.08)(95% CI 79.5, 81) at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. The mean (SD) (95%CI) Global Health NRS scores were 71.22 (5.97)(95% CI 70, 72.4) and 77.37 (5.79)(95% CI 76.2, 78.5) at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. Convergent validity showed a strong correlation between ObsQoR-11H and Global Health NRS (Spearman's correlation coefficient [rs] >0.8 and 0.78) scores at 24 and 48 hours, respectively. Discriminant validity was significant in appreciating the difference between good and poor recovery (P < 0.001). Split-half coefficient of 0.69 and 0.65 and Cronbach's alpha (α) of 0.91 and 0.82 at 24 and 48 hours suggested good score reliability. The acceptability and feasibility of the score were also good. Conclusion: The ObsQoR-11H discriminated well between 'good' and 'poor' recovery and correlated strongly with Global Health NRS scores. It was found to be a valid, reliable, acceptable and feasible tool for psychometric recovery evaluation after elective caesarean section in Hindi-speaking women

Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals Towards Combination Use of Oral Paracetamol and Topical Non-Steroidal Inflammatory Drugs in Managing Mild-to-Moderate Pain for Osteoarthritis in a Clinical Setting: An Exploratory Study

Purpose: To seek indicative evidence on clinical prescription practice and perspectives regarding combined oral paracetamol (APAP) and/or topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) therapy for managing mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Participants and Methods: An exploratory qualitative study to investigate the perspectives towards using APAP and/or topical NSAIDs for OA pain management and whether current clinical practices are aligned with OA guidelines was conducted using a two-round modified Delphi methodology among three general practitioners, three orthopedists, and two pharmacists from Australia, Malaysia, and Sweden during January–June 2021. In the first round, 60-minute virtual in-depth interviews were conducted individually; in the second round, summary of the key findings was shared with the panel to seek clarity on the level of consensus (≥70% unanimity) and disagreement. Results: The healthcare professionals (HCPs) agreed that APAP was considered as a universally accepted pharmacologic for most OA patients except those with contraindications or allergies. Consensus was achieved towards APAP combination with topical NSAIDs being a safer alternative than with oral NSAIDs. However, prescription uptake of combined therapy APAP with topical NSAIDs was low among the panel due to lack of strong scientific evidence on efficacy and awareness. Differences in clinical practice across and within countries could be due to different reference sources for OA pain – clinical practice experience or local/international guidelines/ medical products handbooks. Conclusion: The study suggests an opportunity to raise awareness of the suitability and potential benefits for adjuvant topical NSAIDs to APAP for effective OA pain management as well as a need for universal OA guidelines

Evaluation of thyromental height test as a single anatomical measure for prediction of difficult laryngoscopy: a prospective observational study

Abstract Background Preoperative airway assessment is essential to predict difficult airway so that adequate planning could be made to secure the airway. Various airway tests have been devised to improve diagnostic accuracy but none of the tests individually have proven to be adequate. Recently, a new airway predictor thyromental height test (TMHT) appears to be a more accurate predictor of difficult laryngoscopy than the existing anatomical measurements. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of the TMHT and compare it with various screening tests to determine whether TMHT can prove to be a more comprehensive and accurate test for predicting difficult laryngoscopy. Total 150 patients aged > 18 years of either sex with American Society of Anaesthesiologist physical status I—III scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia requiring tracheal intubation were included in this prospective observational study. All patients were subjected to a preoperative airway assessment test including TMHT, modified Mallampati test, upper lip bite test, interincisior gap, thyromental distance and sternomental distance. Intraoperatively direct laryngoscopy was done and the grading of laryngoscopic view was done according to CL. Results The preoperative data and CL grading were used to evaluate the accuracy of TMHT and compared the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value with other tests. Twenty six (17.33%) patients had difficult laryngoscopy and 18 patients (12%) required bougie/stylet to facilitate intubation. TMHT had the highest sensitivity (76.92%), specificity (98.38%), PPV (90.90%), NPV (95.31%) and accuracy (94.67%) when compared to other tests. Conclusions TMHT is a simple bedside test with higher sensitivity and specificity for predicting difficult laryngoscopy as compared to other screening tests.Future study should be done to define ethinicity, race, age groups and gender specific cut off values of TMHT for accurate validation of prediction in difficult laryngoscopy

Additional file 3: of Quantitative estimates of dietary intake with special emphasis on snacking pattern and nutritional status of free living adults in urban slums of Delhi: impact of nutrition transition

Variance analysis (PDF, .pdf); Supplementary table showing Coefficient of variation and variance ratio of nutrient intake per consumption unit. (PDF 11 kb