Search

Background: As per Ayurvedic classics, Rasāyana is a term used for unique therapeutic measures intended to improve cognition, memory, physical strength and delay the degenerative processes. Ayush Rasayana A & B are developed from extracts of herbs pertaining rasayana property. Aims & Objectives: To assess the safety and effectiveness of 'Ayush Rasayana A and B' in improving physical endurance, quality of life and cognition of elderly. Materials and Methods: This is an open label, single arm, multi-centre study among 256 apparently healthy elderly between 60-75 years. Ayush Rasayan A was given for 6 days and Ayush Rayana B for 180 days. The effect of the trial drug was seen on functional capacity, quality of life and cognitive function and, safety of the intervention was assessed through haematological and biochemical tests, clinical examination and incidence of adverse events. Results: Significant improvement in 6 minute walk test and HMSE score was observed at 187th as compared to baseline (p<0.0001). Quality of life of the participants especially in domains of physical health, social relationship and environment also improved at the end of intervention period (p<0.0001). The haematological and bio-chemical parameters showed no significant changes as compared to baseline and no adverse events were observed during the study. Conclusion: Ayush Rasayana A and Ayush Rasayana B, both were well tolerated by all the participants. This ayurvedic intervention can be safely given to apparently healthy elderly to improve their functionality, quality of life and cognition. However, a randomized controlled trial is warranted to substantiate the efficacy of this drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With increasing proportion of the elderly in the world, detecting and preventing frailty assumes importance to improve the quality of life and health. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of frailty, disability and its determinants and their relation with mortality among community dwelling elderly cohort. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a cohort in rural Haryana, India, and was followed till October 2018. Frailty was assessed using the Edmonton Frailty Scale and disability was assessed using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) scale by trained physicians. Results: The prevalence of frailty was found to be 47.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 44.0-50.8). The median WHODAS-2 score was found to be 10.4 (2.1-29.2). Those who were older (odds ratio [OR] - 2.5; 95% CI: 1.8-3.4), women (OR - 3.3; 95% CI: 2.2-4.9) and those with chronic disease (OR 2.3; 95% CI: 1.7-3.1) had higher rates of frailty. The adjusted hazard ratio of death among frail people was 4.7 (2.3-9.7). Conclusion: In this study we found the frailty is associated with the mortality among community dwelling elderly. Thus early identification of the frailty and its determinants may help us to reduce the mortality related to this [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Scrub typhus was once thought to be a disease of rural origin and was confined to specific pockets in South Asia. Early diagnosis and treatment is extremely important as it is associated with high mortality if left untreated. Aim To delineate the clinical and molecular epidemiology of scrub typhus in patients presenting with acute febrile illness from various parts of India. Methods During the study period of 5 years (October 2013 to October 2018), a total of 1742 patients with acute febrile illness <15 days were enrolled after taking informed consent. Patients were diagnosed using IgM Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the pre-determined region specific cut offs. Patients with positive IgM ELISA were also subjected to IgM Immunofluorescence assay and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The demographic and relevant clinical details of the patients were documented and analyzed. Results A total of 210 (12.1%) patients were diagnosed with scrub typhus. Of these, nested PCR was positive in only 85 patients. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the predominant circulating genotypes were Gilliam and Karp. On multivariate analysis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, myocarditis, encephalitis/encephalopathy, jaundice and splenomegaly were significantly more common in those patients who were diagnosed with scrub typhus. A total of 14 patients diagnosed with scrub typhus succumbed to the illness. Conclusion Patients with fever, headache, pulmonary manifestations, CNS manifestations, myocarditis, transaminitis or thrombocytopenia presenting in the monsoon and post-monsoon season should be evaluated for scrub typhus irrespective of the geographical location in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nutritional and anthropometric parameters play crucial roles as health and well-being indicators in the older persons. This study aims to investigate factors linked to malnutrition (both underand over-nutrition) and establish suitable cut-off values for mid-arm circumference (MAC) among community-dwelling Indian older adults using data from LASI DAD. Methods: This study utilized data from the first wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India - Diagnostic Assessment of Dementia (LASIDAD), a nationally representative cohort study. The sample included 4,096 older adults aged over 60 years, drawn from the LASI-DAD dataset. The main outcome variable was BMI, categorized into low (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5-22.9 kg/m2), and high (>23 kg/m2). To establish cut-off values for mid-arm circumference (MAC), ROC curves were employed, with BMI as the gold standard for comparison. This methodology allowed for the determination of sex-specific MAC cut-offs, enabling accurate nutritional assessment in Indian older adults. Results: 902 (weighted percentage 20.55%) had low BMI, 1,742 (44.25%) had high BMI. Undernutrition was associated with age, wealth-quintile, and impaired cognition, while over-nutrition was associated with higher education, urban living, and comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, and chronic heart disease. The optimal lower and upper cut-offs for MAC in males were 23.9 cm and >26.9 cm, and for females, they were 22.5 cm and >25 cm. Conclusion: The derivation of sex-specific cut-off values for midarm circumference (MAC) offers standardized criteria for assessing the nutritional status of older adults in India. These findings hold significant importance for healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers, enabling targeted interventions and policies to effectively address the issue of malnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]