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Introduction: Malnutrition is a major public health problem, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), contributing significantly to under-five mortality. New strategies are needed to enhance outcomes for childhood malnutrition. Aim: To evaluate the impact of an educational package on mothers of children hospitalised with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based randomised controlled trial conducted in the Department of Paediatrics at Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India. Only children hospitalised between 6 months and 59 months of age with SAM were included and randomised into an Intervention group and a Control group. In the intervention group, verbal, pictorial, and demonstration techniques were used to educate the mothers. Anthropometric measurements of malnourished children and maternal knowledge scores were compared at baseline, 15 days, and two months postdischarge. Frequency and percentage were calculated for qualitative data analysis, while mean values with standard deviations were calculated for quantitative data. Independent t-tests and paired t-tests were applied, and paired t-tests were used for within-group comparisons at different time points. Data was entered into Microsoft Excel software, and analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Results: The mean age of children was 1.4±0.9 years, with the majority below two years of age (86.4%). The male-to-female ratio was 1.04 (n=154 versus n=148). Most subjects belonged to lower or upper-lower socio-economic classes (75%). Mothers were commonly educated up to the primary school level (48%). Both study groups had similar socio-demographic profiles. There was a significant weight gain (p-value <0.01) and height gain (p-value <0.01) in the intervention group at the end of the follow-up period. Maternal knowledge gain in the intervention group was also significantly higher than in the control group (p-value <0.01). Conclusion: This study supports maternal educational strategies as a low-cost intervention to address early childhood malnutrition in resource-limited settings. Further research is needed to standardise the intervention and assess long-term impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Purpose Research into the distribution of bioaerosols during events associated with huge groups of people is lacking, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to understand the distribution pattern of bioaerosols during an annual trade fair in the historical city of Gwalior, central India, a very important historical fair that was started by the King of Gwalior Maharaja Madho Rao in 1905. Methods Air samples were collected from six different sites at the fair ground and three different sites in a residential area before/during/after the fair using an impactor sampler on microbial content test agar and rose bengal agar for total bacteria and fungi, respectively. The representative strains of bacteria and fungi were further identified and selected bacterial strains were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing according to US Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results The bacterial bioaerosol count [colony-forming units (CFU)/m 3 ] at fair sites was found to be 9.0 × 10 3 , 4.0 × 10 4 , and 1.0 × 10 4 before the start of the fair, during the fair, and after the fair, respectively. The fungal bioaerosol count at fair sites was 2.6 × 10 3 CFU/m 3 , 6.3 × 10 3 CFU/m 3 , and 1.7 × 10 3 CFU/m 3 before the fair, during the fair, and after the fair, respectively. Bacterial/fungal bioaerosols during-fair were increased significantly from the bacterial/fungal bioaerosols of the before-fair period ( p < 0.05); they were also significantly higher than the bacterial/fungal bioaerosols at non-fair sites during the event ( p < 0.0001). The proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria over the fair ground was significantly increased during-fair and was still higher in the after-fair period. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) were also reported at the fair ground. Conclusion The study indicates significantly higher bacterial and fungal bioaerosols during the fair event. Therefore, further research is needed to explore the health aspects and guidelines to control microbial load during such types of events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf spot disease ofA. verawas observed in nurseries of Gwalior city afterthe post-rainy season. As the disease progressed, the tip of the leaf shrank, then dried and eventually broke. The causal agent was identified asPhoma betaeA.B. Frank. This is the first report of leaf spot disease onAloe veracaused byP. betaein India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]