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Phonological awareness or phonological sensitivity refers to “the knowledge that spoken words are composed of individual sounds and the ability to manipulate them”. Phonological awareness skills are significant predictors of children’s later success in reading skills and therefore everything possible must be done to give young children the opportunity to develop these skills. Aim: The aim of this study is to develop and check the efficacy of an intervention programme for improving the phonological sensitivity skills in below average scholastic performers. Method: The study has been divided into 4 different phases: Development of Intervention manual (T-PASIP); Administration of T-PAST; Implementation of the intervention programme and re-administration of T-PAST to check the prognosis. Tamil speaking children between the age ranges of 5 to 12 years were included in the study. Result: This study have documented that the intervention programme developed has been more effective on intervening children with poor phonological sensitivity skills. Significant improvement was observed post therapeutically in the children who have been receiving adequate and efficient intervention in phonological awareness subskills.

BACKGROUND: Postural control is critical for ensuring a safety activity of daily living. Individuals with poor stability are more prone to fall while doing activities of daily living. A certain level of sway is essentially present due to small perturbation within the body during shifting body weight from one to other foot, breathing, etc. The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between body mass and postural control in normal, lean and obese individual. AIMS: to analyze the correlation between body mass and postural control in healthy individuals using sway meter. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an observational study done with 75 participants. Both male and female healthy individuals between 18-23 years were included in this study. Individuals with any musculoskeletal injuries, neurological conditions, peripheral artery disease and pregnant women were excluded from the study. BMI of each participant was calculated and assigned into three groups. Group A-lean, group B-normal and group C-obese. Postural control was analyzed for each group by using sway meter; level of postural sway was compared between groups A, B & C. RESULTS: On comparing mean values of groups A, B and C there was a positive association and strong correlation between body mass index and postural control with eye open and eye closed in anterior, posterior and postural sway towards left between the groups at (P ≤ 0.05). However, there was a negative association and weak correlation between BMI and postural control with eye open & eye closed in postural sway towards right between the groups at (P ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that there is strong correlation between BMI and postural control. Subjects in eyes closed and eyes opened conditions showed sway in anterior, posterior and left directions but there was less sway towards right side direction.

Introduction: Dysphagia is a medical term that suggests any form of difficulty with swallowing in any phase of swallowing. It has been reported in literature that 13%-35% of elderly individuals who live independently report dysphagic symptoms. It is also apparent that aging can affect all the components of swallowing function and increase the risk for dysphagia. Although dysphagia contributes to a significant figure as a cause for mortality in the geriatric population, the awareness of this "invisible disorder," its symptoms, the professionals involved, and appropriate management among the general public still remains faint. The aim was to study the awareness of dysphagia among healthy geriatrics. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 20 questions, including closed-ended and open-ended questions, requiring descriptive answers was constructed that included the following: cause, symptoms, professionals involved in assessment and treatment, treatment options, and cultural-based beliefs related to swallowing difficulty. The construct and content were validated by the speech-language pathologists. It was then administered to 100 individuals from the general public through face-to-face and telephonic modality, focusing on the age group above 60 years. The data collected were then subjected to statistical analysis by frequency counting and percentage calculation. Results: The participants are aware of the difficulties related to swallowing that are encountered by the geriatric population. However, the terminology, the professional that concerns itself with dysphagia, symptoms, and the coping strategies to handle dysphagia are not familiar. Conclusion: This falls worthy of attention as notable awareness among the general public is required for them to appreciate the symptoms (if present) of dysphagia and report to the concerned professionals to seek medical help that can help reduce the mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectacles of school children from urban India were found to have poor nose bridge and temple characteristics, which can result in complaints such as heaviness of the spectacle and indentation at the nose root and back of the ear, resulting in poor compliance.[[2]] Studies that report the upper face anthropometry parameters among children are sparse. This study aimed at creating a database of upper-face anthropometry measurements for school children between 6 and 17 years of age. Dear Editor, The increasing prevalence of refractive errors, especially myopia, among children has increased the demand for spectacle correction.[[1]] There are few local manufacturing units in India; the majority of the spectacle frames are imported from other parts of the world. [Extracted from the article]

The (Ni/NiO)CG/g-C3N4 nanocomposite was green synthesized using Cleome gynandra via sol–gel method. The photocatalytic dye decomposition, antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of the nanocomposite were studied and compared with those of (Ni/NiO)CG and g-C3N4. The nanocomposite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of 97% compared to (Ni/NiO)CG (63%) and g-C3N4 (80%) due to the synergistic effect between both the composite partners. The nanocomposite, (Ni/NiO)CG/g-C3N4 showed notable antioxidant activity in DPPH (IC50 of 41.76 ± 0.88μg/mL with 87.06% of inhibition at 500μg/mL) and ABTS (IC50 of 47.60 ± 0.81μg/mL with 88.40 % of inhibition at 500μg/mL) radical scavenging assays. The green synthesized nanocomposite also exhibited significant antidiabetic activity in α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assays with the IC50 of 33.83 ± 0.53μg/mL and 49.94 ± 0.64μg/mL, respectively. The XRD and SEM analyses confirmed the nanocomposite formation of (Ni/NiO)CG/g-C3N4. The results showed that the green synthesized (Ni/NiO)CG/g-C3N4 has desirable dye degradation, antidiabetic and antioxidant properties. This paper presents the results of the remarkable photocatalytic dye decomposition, antidiabetic and antioxidant properties of the nanocomposite (Ni/NiO)CG/g-C3N4 synthesized via an eco-friendly greeny way using Cleome gynandra leaf extract which may be the first report of this kind utilizing this plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterised by progressive cognitive decline and the accumulation of amyloid-β plaques and tau tangles. The Wnt signalling pathway known for its crucial role in neurodevelopment and adult neurogenesis has emerged as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in AD. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), a key regulator of the Wnt pathway, plays a pivotal role in AD pathogenesis by promoting tau hyperphosphorylation and neuroinflammation. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that inhibiting GSK-3β leads to the activation of Wnt pathway thereby promoting neuroprotective effects, and mitigating cognitive deficits in AD animal models. The modulation of Wnt signalling appears to have multifaceted benefits including the reduction of amyloid-β production, tau hyperphosphorylation, enhancement of synaptic plasticity, and inhibition of neuroinflammation. These findings suggest that targeting GSK-3β to activate Wnt pathway may represent a novel approach for slowing or halting the progression of AD. This hypothesis reviews the current state of research exploring the activation of Wnt pathway through the inhibition of GSK-3β as a promising therapeutic strategy in AD.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most concerned neurodegenerative disorders across the world characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), leading to cognitive decline and memory loss. Targeting key pathways involved in AD like Aβ and NFT pathways, are crucial for the development of effective therapeutic strategies. In this study, we aimed to identify and establish promising dual inhibitors targeting BACE1 and GSK-3β, two proteins implicated in Aβ and NFT formation respectively., Methods: We have used molecular docking, ADME property analysis, and MMGBSA calculations for the identification of hit molecules and further evaluation of binding affinity, drug-like properties, and stability against BACE1 and GSK-3β., Results: Our results demonstrated strong binding affinities of ZINC000034853956 towards the active sites of both proteins, with favorable interactions involving key residues crucial for inhibitory activity. Additionally, ZINC000034853956 exhibited favorable drug-like properties. MD simulations revealed the stable binding of ZINC000034853956 to both BACE1 and GSK-3β over a 50 ns period, with consistent ligand-protein interactions, such as hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic contacts. These findings highlight the potential of ZINC000034853956 as a promising candidate for AD treatment, acting as a dual inhibitor targeting both BACE1 and GSK-3β. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the potential of ZINC000034853956 as a dual inhibitor for AD. The strong binding affinity, favorable drug-like properties, and stability observed in MD simulations support its suitability for further optimization and preclinical studies., Conclusion: Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the precise molecular mechanisms and therapeutic benefits of ZINC000034853956. Our findings offer hope for the development of novel therapeutic interventions targeting crucial pathways involved in AD neurodegeneration., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)