Search

The social structure of India is rapidly evolving, towards modernization. The urban population of India is projected to approach 60 crores by 2036. Urban health resilience stands for building the capacity of urban systems to withstand and adapt to health-related stresses like natural disasters, man-made disasters, and pandemics like COVID-19 and the capability to recover from them by well-equipped hospitals, efficient emergency response mechanisms, and a network of well-trained and motivated healthcare professionals. Also, the involvement of communities is central to building urban health resilience. Strong policy frameworks are required for establishing a resilient urban health ecosystem. Addressing social determinants, such as income inequality, education, and housing, is also a basis of building urban health resilience. Some examples have been instrumental in designing a resilient urban health system like Singapore's Smart Nation Initiative, Copenhagen, Denmark's Model for Sustainable Urban Living internationally, Ahmedabad's Heat Action Plan and Kochi's Waterfront Development for Climate Resilience are excellent examples from our country. The suggested strategy for an urban resilient system is a Rapid, Extensive, Sturdy, Ingenious, Lucid approach with an International collaboration for an Enthusiastic, Non-latent, Continuous Early warning system (RESILIENCE). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The steel industry drives world economic growth, yet it generates heavy metal-rich steel slag, which jeopardizes the environment. The utilization of vermi-technology is essential for the sustainable transformation of toxic steel waste slag (SW) into organic amendments, although field-scale use of vermiprocessed SW remains unexplored. To bridge the gap, this study evaluated the efficacy of vermiprocessed SW as an organic supplement for rice field cultivation, focusing on heavy metal (HM) bioavailability, human health risk, and yield in comparison to raw slag and NPK fertilizer. The results indicated a considerable decrease in the bioavailable fraction of heavy metals in T4 (1:1 SW vermicompost 50% + 50% fertilizer). In treatments, T9 (100% SW) and T10 (50% SW + 50% fertilizer) (FIAM) free ion activity modeling confirmed grain absorption of HMs, and the FIAM HQ values indicated the health risk for the direct application of steel slag waste on the field. The risk factor evaluation of HMs' presence in treatments T9 and T10 established the possible cancer risk for living beings. Similarly, machine learning models like SOBOL sensitivity analysis and artificial neural networks revealed potential threats associated with HMs on different treatments, respectively. The correlation coefficient revealed the negative effects of bioavailable HMs on various soil microbial and enzymatic properties. Moreover, the abundant yield of rice was attributed to the combination treatment (1:1 50% + NPK 50%), which paved the way for an alternative agronomic approach based on the utilization of vermicomposted steel waste slag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schiff bases exhibit many pharmacological and biological properties. Here, methyl silicon (IV) complexes are formed by reacting methyl silicon alkoxides with alanine based ligand. Later, the pharmacological characteristics of these ligand and associated methyl silicon (IV) Schiff base complexes were assessed. The ligand and methyl silicon (IV) complexes underwent physical and spectral characterization, including IR, ¹H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Pharmacological activities show an increase in the number of organic groups as well as in the coordinating environment of silicon. All compounds exhibited antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic activities, but the methyl silicon (IV) Schiff base complexes demonstrated superior activities relative to the ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malnutrition affects up to a third of children in India, with severe and acute malnutrition prevalent among under five children. Nutritional assessment skills for detecting malnutrition in children in primary care settings are vital. Hybrid problem-based learning (HPBL) is an innovative, collaborative, and adaptable instructional learning strategy that can be used to teach medical students clinical skills in a community setting. A two-month quasi-experimental study was undertaken in a rural setting with third-year medical students. Faculty members were sensitized and subject experts developed a training module addressing the knowledge, attitude, communication, and practice domains. The students underwent a 3-week training module where pre-testing, case presentation, and group formation in first week, an anchoring lecture, tutorial and self-directed learning and role-play by students in subsequent week, and in last week, case discussion, post-testing, and feedback rounds were done. In all domains, knowledge (3.8, 0.01), practice (4.3, 0.01), attitude and communication (3.7, 0.01), and proportional satisfactory responses, the HPBL approach resulted in a significant improvement in nutritional assessment competency. Teachers preferred the practical and engaging character of the approach, stating that doubts and questions were better addressed and that they would use it to teach similar topics. HPBL is an excellent teaching method for clinical skills, like nutritional assessment in simulated/field settings. The novel teaching-learning approach was well received by students and faculty members. Learning outcomes and satisfaction rates enhanced in students and faculty were encouraged to apply the approach to other topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Development of esophageal varices is one of the major complications of liver cirrhosis, and endoscopy is used to see the presence, grading, and long-term monitoring of esophageal varices which is an invasive and unpleasant procedure. There is no adequate data available showing noninvasive methods can be used for the same. Methods: Seventy patients with liver cirrhosis participated in the study. Factors like portal vein diameter, spleen size, platelet count, serum bilirubin, Child-Pugh score, prothrombin time (PT), and PT INR were observed and correlated endoscopically with the presence and grading of esophageal varices in all patients. Results: The platelet count, portal vein diameter, serum bilirubin, spleen bipolar diameter, and PT had statistically significant correlations with the presence of varices. Among them, platelet count, portal vein diameter, and serum bilirubin also had statistically significant correlations with the grading of varices. Monitoring of these noninvasive parameters can help in monitoring variceal growth. Conclusions: Noninvasive parameters can be used effectively to predict the presence and grading of esophageal varices and at the same time keep the rate of undiagnosed varices acceptably low. By using noninvasive parameters, patients can be benefited by decreasing the requirement of repeated endoscopic evaluation which is an unpleasant procedure and availability is also limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blueprint provides a base for assessment by assigning proportionate weightage to various content areas and helps the paper setter to construct a uniform and valid assessment. This study aimed to design and validate a blueprint for theory in Community Medicine as per the new curriculum for Medical Undergraduates in India. Blueprint in community medicine was designed by assigning impact score (I) and frequency score (F) for the competencies. Blueprint was validated using the Content Validity Index (CVI), and inter-rater agreement for subject experts using Fleiss' kappa statistics was calculated. Feedback from faculty and students was obtained afterward to assess the postimplementation response. Blueprint was designed by an expert group where impact score and frequency score were assigned to 146 competencies in the theory of Community Medicine. In Delphi survey I, 63.2% of subject experts responded, while in Delphi survey II, a response rate of 58.3% was achieved. Value of the Fleiss' Kappa test for an inter-rater agreement was 0.68, i.e. "substantial agreement," while CVI among the raters came out to be 0.86, i.e. overall valid assessment. Feedback of faculty (n = 11) suggested that the blueprint was helpful and standardized the paper setting, whereas feedback from students (n = 138) depicted that it helped in preparing for exams, and they would recommend it to other students. Validated blueprint by consensus of subject experts has impact score and frequency score along with topic-wise distribution of marks for the convenience of faculty and its utility is well proven among learners too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]