Anaemia and iron deficiency in India: a venous blood-based survey of adolescents, adults, and the elderly in eight states.

Background: Surveys based on capillary blood show that anaemia is rampant in India, but capillary blood haemoglobin (Hb) may not accurately reflect venous blood Hb concentrations. Further, iron deficiency (ID) is thought to be the main cause of anaemia, there are no venous blood-based surveys to confirm this.

Methods: A community-based (urban, slum and rural) cross-sectional, venous blood survey was conducted in eight Indian states to estimate anaemia and ID prevalences from Hb and inflammation-corrected plasma ferritin concentrations in adolescents, adults, and elderly.

COVID-19 Serostatus Does Not Affect the Intrauterine Transfer of Micronutrients and Fatty Acids or Maternal-fetal Lymphocyte Cell Composition: An Observational Study.

Objective:  Studies on the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pregnant mothers and their newborns, specifically in relation to their micronutrient status, fatty acids (FAs), and inflammatory status are sparse. We hypothesized that COVID-19 infection would adversely affect the transfer of nutrients, and FAs from mothers to their fetuses via the umbilical cord and maternal-fetal distribution of inflammatory cells. This study aimed to determine the effect of COVID-19 on micronutrients, inflammatory markers, and FAs profiles in pregnant mothers and their newborns' cord blood.

Comparative Nutritional Analysis of Improved and Local Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Cultivars.

Chickpeas have large variations in their types and nutrient composition, owing to diverse environmental conditions, breeding techniques, and cultivars. Thirty-one improved varieties of chickpeas bred for various agronomic traits like high yield, resistance to diseases, and tolerance to abiotic stress were analyzed for their nutrient composition, along with two local varieties. They were found to be rich in proteins (16.

Comparison of Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and augmented Arogya Laxmi scheme (ALS) in improving maternal and child health outcomes in urban settlements of Hyderabad, South India.

Background: India accounts for the largest number of global neonatal deaths with around 20 per 1000 live births. To improve the utilization of government services for institutional deliveries, Augmented Arogya Laxmi Scheme (ALS) was launched in Telangana state of southern India. This study assessed the effectiveness of the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which combines cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care, in comparison to ALS in improving the outcomes related to antenatal, natal, and postnatal care in urban settlements of Hyderabad, Telangana, southern India.

Effect of ethyl gallate and propyl gallate on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis in C57BL/6 J mice: preventive and protective.

Objective And Design: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic inflammatory condition of the digestive system marked by oxidative stress, leukocyte infiltration, and elevation of inflammatory mediators. In this study, we demonstrate the protective effect of ethyl gallate (EG), a phytochemical, and propyl gallate (PG), an anti-oxidant, given through normal drinking water (DW) and copper water (CW) in various combinations, which had a positive effect on the amelioration of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in C57BL/6 J mice.

Materials And Methods: We successfully determined the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and anti-oxidant enzymes by ELISA, tracked oxidative/nitrosative stress (RO/NS) by in vivo imaging (IVIS) using L-012 chemiluminescent probe, disease activity index (DAI), and histopathological and morphometric analysis of colon in DSS-induced colitis in a model.

Can foodporn prime healthy eating? Thinking beyond digital gazing and satiety.

The uprise of digital media has bypassed the language and cultural barriers of communicating about food with peers. Sharing exaggeratively glamourized food visuals with fancy hashtags and folksonomy, generally termed as Foodporn, is "trendy". Exposure to Foodporn affects food choices, directly or indirectly, through psychological, physiological and psychosocial means.

Evaluation of immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties of traditional Kwath, conventional extracts of plants Cocculus hirsutus and Cuscuta reflexa - in vitro &ex vivo studies.

Introduction: The consumption of 'Patalagarudi' (Cocculus hirsutus 'CHP') and 'Amarbel' (Cuscuta reflexa 'CRA') as ethnic plants for health promotions rarely validated. The limited literature reported these plants as antioxidant and immunomodulators.

Objective: To evaluate the biodynamic properties of CHP and CRA extracts.

Development of the Choices 5-Level Criteria to Support Multiple Food System Actions.

In 2008, the Choices International Foundation developed its logo criteria, identifying best-in-class food products. More advanced, global and graded nutrient profiling systems (NPSs) are needed to substantiate different national nutrition policies. The objective of this work was to extend Choices NPS to identify five levels of the healthiness of food products, so that the Choices NPS can also be used to support other nutrition policies, next to front-of-pack labelling.

Analysis of CCND1 protein and circulatory antioxidant enzyme activity association in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Antioxidants are involved in the process of cellular damage prevention, which is considered as an avenue for cancer development. Free radicals are produced in the body upon exposure to stress, cigarette smoke, alcohol, toxins found in personal care products, pesticides in foods, radiation from the sun, viruses, germs or fungi etc. CCND1/CyclinD1 protein was found to be overexpressed in Oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Investigation of an acute neurological outbreak in Eluru, India, 2020.

On 4th December 2020, a sudden outbreak, with neurological symptoms like seizures, loss of consciousness etc., was reported in a town from south India. By 3rd day about 400 people were involved.

Perspective: When the cure might become the malady: the layering of multiple interventions with mandatory micronutrient fortification of foods in India.

When public health programs with single nutrients are perceived to have a poor impact on the target health outcome, the policy response can be to supply more, by layering additional mandatory programs upon the extant programs. However, we argue for extreme caution, because nutrients (like medicines) are beneficial in the right dose, but potentially harmful when ingested in excess. Unnecessary motivations for the reactionary layering of multiple intervention programs emerge from incorrect measurements of the risk of nutrient inadequacy in the population, or incorrect biomarker cutoffs to evaluate the extent of nutrient deficiencies.

Functional Exploration of Chaperonin (HSP60/10) Family Genes and their Abiotic Stress-induced Expression Patterns in .

Background: , the C4 dry-land cereal, important for food, fodder, feed and fuel, is a model crop for abiotic stress tolerance with smaller genome size, genetic diversity, and bio-energy traits. The heat shock proteins/chaperonin 60s (HSP60/Cpn60s) assist the plastid proteins, and participate in the folding and aggregation of proteins. However, the functions of HSP60s in abiotic stress tolerance in remain unclear.

Guava with an institutional supplementary meal improves iron status of preschoolers: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

The Integrated Child Development Services of India provides Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP) to preschoolers. Using this platform, the current study examined the impact of diversifying a cereal/pulse-based SNP-meal with guava on iron status and cognitive development among 24-48 months old children. A three-arm, nonblinded, cluster-randomized controlled trial (CTRI/2014/09/004983) included 399 beneficiaries from 28 preschools in 16 villages in Telangana state, India.

A complementary feeding and play intervention improves the home environment and mental development among toddlers in rural India.

A cluster randomized trial design was used to test the efficacy of a behaviour change communication intervention on the quality of the home environment and infant development at 15 months of age. Children (n = 600) in rural South India were followed from 3 through 15 months of age. The control group (C group) received the standard of care, the complementary feeding group (CF group) received recommendations on complementary foods and the responsive complementary feeding and play group (RCF&P group) received recommendations on complementary foods plus skills on responsive feeding and play.

Lysine, Lysine-Rich, Serine, and Serine-Rich Proteins: Link Between Metabolism, Development, and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and the Role of ncRNAs in Their Regulation.

Lysine (Lys) is indispensable nutritionally, and its levels in plants are modulated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional control during plant ontogeny. Animal glutamate receptor homologs have been detected in plants, which may participate in several plant processes through the Lys catabolic products. Interestingly, a connection between Lys and serotonin metabolism has been established recently in rice.

Anti-obesity potentiality of Tapra fish (Opisthopterus tardoore) oil.

In this present investigation, we have extracted and characterized the Tapra fish oil as well as applied it to evaluate anti-obesity potentiality. The Tapra fish oil had 1.14 ± 0.

Gluten contamination in labelled and naturally gluten-free grain products in southern India.

Consumption of a gluten-free diet or avoiding exposure to gluten is the only feasible and effective treatment available for coeliac patients to date. Although many grains and their products are naturally gluten-free, the possibility of gluten cross-contamination must be considered. Since such data are not available for Indian markets, we carried out this pilot study (n = 160) to assess gluten contamination in various grain-based food products from the category of breakfast products, flours, and batters made from grain that are naturally gluten free.

Relative telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number variation with age: Association with plasma folate and vitamin B12.

Telomere attrition and mitochondrial DNA variations are implicated in the biological aging process and genomic stability can be influenced by nutritional factors. This study aims to analyze the relative telomere length (rTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN) in aged individuals and their association with plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels. This community-based cross-sectional study involves 428 subjects (<60 years: 242 & ≥60 years: 186).

SGLT inhibitors as antidiabetic agents: a comprehensive review.

Diabetes is one of the most common disorders that substantially contributes to an increase in global health burden. As a metabolic disorder, diabetes is associated with various medical conditions and diseases such as obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and atherosclerosis. In this review, we cover the scientific studies on sodium/glucose cotransporter (SGLT) inhibitors published during the last decade.

Inactivation of GAP-43 due to the depletion of cellular calcium by the Pb and amyloid peptide induced toxicity: An in vitro approach.

Environmental pollutant, Lead (Pb) is known to induce neurotoxicity in human. The central nervous system is the most vulnerable to the minute levels of Pb induced toxicity. Pb has been linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD) as a probable risk factor, as it shows epigenetic and developmental link associated with Alzheimer's disease-like pathology.

Maternal MUAC and fetal outcome in an Indian tertiary care hospital: A prospective observational study.

Studies to date demonstrated the relatedness of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement of pregnant women to their anthropometry/weight. Hence, the objective was to determine whether maternal MUAC at different gestational age predicted birthweight, and if so, to identify which cut-offs provided the best prediction of low birthweight (LBW) in pregnant women cohort. A total of 928 pregnant women, free of any obstetrical and medical complications known to affect fetal growth, were followed from 20 to 24 weeks' gestation till delivery.

Association of dietary intake below recommendations and micronutrient deficiencies during pregnancy and low birthweight.

Background Pregnancy is associated with biochemical changes leading to increased nutritional demands for the developing fetus that result in altered micronutrient status. The Indian dietary pattern is highly diversified and the data about dietary intake patterns, blood micronutrient profiles and their relation to low birthweight (LBW) is scarce. Methods Healthy pregnant women (HPW) were enrolled and followed-up to their assess dietary intake of nutrients, micronutrient profiles and birthweight using a dietary recall method, serum analysis and infant weight measurements, respectively.