Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Students of Government and Private High Schools in an Indian State With Significant Tribal Population: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity among school-going children is an emerging public health problem in the country. The information available on the true extent of obesity and overweight among school-aged children is limited. Hence, the present study has been conducted to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among high school students in Jharkhand, India. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 1162 students of government and private schools of Ormanjhi block, Ranchi district, from July 2022 to December 2022. A predesigned, semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire containing different sections namely sociodemographic characteristics, and health parameters were used for the study subjects. Clinical examination and anthropometric measurements of height, weight, and waist and hip circumferences were taken using standard equipment to calculate body mass index (BMI) and central obesity (waist-hip ratio). RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was more at 14 years of age (30.2%), among boys (18.1%), and among students practicing the Islam religion (51.1%). Moreover, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be highest in private schools (66.2%), and that was statistically significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be significant with respect to age, gender, and religion. The findings from this study would be helpful in raising awareness among students, parents, teachers, and health professionals about the influence of overweight and obesity on a child's physical, social, and psychological well-being, and this, in turn, would facilitate parents, students, and teachers in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.

Drought and salinity stresses induced physio-biochemical changes in sugarcane: an overview of tolerance mechanism and mitigating approaches.

Sugarcane productivity is being hampered globally under changing environmental scenarios like drought and salinity. The highly complex nature of the plant responses against these stresses is determined by a variety of factors such as genotype, developmental phase of the plant, progression rate and stress, intensity, and duration. These factors influence plant responses and can determine whether mitigation approaches associated with acclimation are implemented. In this review, we attempt to summarize the effects of drought and salinity on sugarcane growth, specifically on the plant's responses at various levels, viz., physiological, biochemical, and metabolic responses, to these stresses. Furthermore, mitigation strategies for dealing with these stresses have been discussed. Despite sugarcane's complex genomes, conventional breeding approaches can be utilized in conjunction with molecular breeding and omics technologies to develop drought- and salinity-tolerant cultivars. The significant role of plant growth-promoting bacteria in sustaining sugarcane productivity under drought and salinity cannot be overlooked.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Assessing the Role of Oral Health as a Risk Factor in Oral Cancer.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the leading type of cancer in Southeast Asian countries and many parts of the world. Many factors increase the risk of oral cancer, like tobacco, betel nuts, alcohol consumption, sharp teeth, infections, and other factors. Oral health-related issues have been reported in many studies of oral cancer, but there is a need to understand the role of the same as a risk factor. The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the role of oral health as a risk factor in oral cancer. The population diagnosed with oral cancer (P) of all age groups and both gender, exposure (E) is oral health (includes poor oral hygiene, periodontal disease, and other oral diseases excluding oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD)), the comparator (C), is patients without oral health issues, outcome (O) is the role of poor oral health as a risk factor for oral cancer. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. The databases used for the search were PubMed, Cochrane Database, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The unpublished reports, reviews, and grey literature were considered. Case-control studies were included assessing poor oral health as a risk factor with odds ratio as an effective measure. Newcastle Ottawa Scale for risk of bias in the case-control study was considered. The study results showed that tooth loss odds ratio (OR)=1.13, CI (0.99-1.26), I2 value of 71.7%, Oral hygiene OR=1.29, CI (1.04-1.54), I2 value of 19.7% and in periodontal diseases OR=2.14 CI (1.70-2.58), I2 value of 75.3% had a higher risk of developing oral cancer. The risk factors for tooth loss and periodontal disease showed moderate heterogenicity and less heterogenicity for oral hygiene. Poor oral health factors such as periodontal disease, poor oral hygiene, and loss of teeth show higher odds of oral cancer than the control. The periodontal disease shows the highest odds than other factors. These risk factors can be considered for the primordial prevention of oral cancer.

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Epidemiology of Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patients Attending Tertiary Care Hospitals in a Tribal Preponderant State of India: Regression Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer (BC) is globally prevalent and the leading cause of death due to cancer in females. Due to changes in risk factor profiles, improved cancer registration, and cancer detection, its incidence and death rates have risen over the past three decades. Both modifiable and immutable risk factors for BC make up a sizable portion of the total risk factors.  Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out in the Department of Surgery, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi. Consecutive sampling was done with a complete enumeration of all newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer >15 years old. Those who consented to participate and those who were extremely ill, deaf, or dumb were excluded from the study. RESULTS: A total of 88 patients were included. Maximum patients diagnosed with breast cancer belonged to the age group of 40-50 years (37.5%), Hindu by religion (76.1%), non-tribal (80.68%), illiterate (89.8%), married (98.9%), housewives (92%), and of class IV socio-economic status (SES) (65.9%). CONCLUSION: Regular training of Sahiya (the local name of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in Jharkhand), empowerment of screening clinics for cancer, and upgraded diagnostic facilities for timely referral should be stressed upon.

Evaluation of the Health and Nutritional Status of Discharged Children From Malnutrition Treatment Centres Using Mobile Phone Calls During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Jharkhand, India.

Background The Indian state of Jharkhand has the highest rate of wasting (29%) among young children. Mobile audio call follow-up can be used to assess such children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Aim This study evaluated SAM children during the COVID-19 outbreak and learn more about the status of their home/community care, and caregivers' awareness of integrated child development services (ICDS) and COVID-19 prevention. Methods Contact numbers of caregivers for discharged children were obtained from 54 malnutrition treatment centers (MTCs). In April and June 2020, mentors conducted follow-up interviews using mobile phone calls. Results Seven children (1.72%) were reported dead and 400 were alive, mostly girls (59.5%). Only a few caregivers observed post-discharge ailments (15.4%) and weight loss (7.7%) in their children. Children aged six to 24 months were characterized by continued breastfeeding (88.0%) at most five to six times a day (45.8%). Most of the children were not fed as per maternal infant and young child feeding protocols. Age in months with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.55 (1.00-1.11) as a 95% confidence interval (CI), age category, with an adjusted OR of 4.32 (1.71- 10.94) as 95% CI, and breastfeeding with adjusted OR 1.85 (1.07- 3.21) as 95% CI were three major predictors for a well-fed child. Conclusion Community involvement is crucial in the follow-up of children with SAM for effective rehabilitation. Mobile phone audio call follow-up is a relatively cost-effective approach to tackle geographic barriers and COVID-19 lockdown-induced situations. There are major gaps mainly in informing caregivers on how to manage COVID-19 with breastfeeding.

Bibliometric Analysis of Poor Oral Health as a Risk Factor for Oral Cancer.

Poor oral health is a risk factor for oral cancer, and bibliometrics can tell us important things about publication trends and research. Oral cancer risk factors include smoking, betel nut chewing, alcohol consumption, trauma from sharp teeth, chronic infections, and other factors related to oral health. There is a need to understand the role of poor oral health as a risk factor. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the literature on poor oral health as a risk factor for oral cancer. A bibliometric analysis was conducted for poor oral health as a risk factor for oral cancer using RStudio 2021.09.0+351 "Ghost Orchid" Release (2021-09-20) for Windows, package "bibliometrix." The literary data for this study were derived from Elsevier's Scopus database, and the data were exported in BibTex format. The results considered the time frame of 1983 to 2022, with journals, books, newspaper articles, and others as sources, accounting for a total of 543 documents. The search yielded a total of 2,882 authors, with a total of 3,306 appearances. The results show that the research on poor oral health and oral cancer is mainly led by the United States (106), India (49), and China (46). The top author is Warnakulasuriya S, followed by Worthington HV. The research shows the countries that are currently working on the topics and helps set up future collaborations to improve the evidence produced and help the scientific community by finding research gaps and experts in this area of research.

Impact of Foliar Application of ZnO and Fe3O4 Nanoparticles on Seed Yield and Physio-Biochemical Parameters of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Seed under Open Field and Protected Environment vis a vis during Seed Germination.

Nutritionally rich cucumber seeds remain in demand in the agricultural, health and cosmetic sectors as they are essential for a successful crop stand establishment and seed-based products. However, the production of cucumber seeds is impeded by source limitation and nutrient deficiency. The foliar application of micronutrients can supplement this deficiency and overcome the physiological setback. An experiment was undertaken to compare the impacts of the foliar application of Fe and Zn, as nanoparticles and fertilizers, on the yield and seed quality of cucumber under open and protected environments. A foliar spray of nano-ZnO (ZnNPs) and nano-Fe3O4 (FeNPs) at 100, 200 and 300 mg L-1, as well as ZnSO4 and FeSO4 as fertilizer (0.5%), was conducted at the vegetative stage and pre- and post-flowering stages. The NPs had a greater efficacy in an open field than in the protected (naturally ventilated poly house) environment. The application of both NPs increased seed yield (51.7-52.2%), total chlorophyll content (15.9-17.3%) and concentration of Zn and Fe in the fruit and the seed, by 2.0-58.5% and 5.0-30.5%, respectively. A significant increase in starch, soluble proteins, soluble sugars and oil content was observed in the seeds from the NP treated plants. NP treatment also enhanced the germination-related parameters, such as percent germination (16.8-17.0%), rate of germination (18.0-22.2%) and seedling vigor (59.8-72.6%). The biochemical characterization showed a significant improvement in the seed water uptake and the activity of hydrolytic enzymes (amylase and protease) in the germinating seed. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide) and antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismutase, Catalase and Peroxidase) in the germination process was indicated by an increase in their activities in the seeds from NP treated plants. Hence, the study proposes the potential benefit of the foliar application of 300 mg L-1 ZnNPs and 200 mg L-1 FeNPs at crucial stages of plant growth to improve the yield and seed quality in cucumbers.

Quality of the Indian clinical practice guidelines for the management of cardiovascular conditions.

To assess the quality of Indian clinical practice guidelines (CPG)s for the management of cardiovascular conditions, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar and websites of relevant medical associations and government organisations were searched, from inception until August 2020, to identify Indian CPGs for the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) conditions, produced in or between 2010 and 2019. Excluded were CPGs that were not specific to India, focused on alternative systems of medicine, of non-CVD conditions (even if they included a component of CVD), and those related to the electronic devices, cardiac biomarkers, or diagnostic procedures. Quality of the each included CPG was assessed using the AGREE II tool by four reviewers in duplicate, independently. Each AGREE II domain score and overall quality score was considered low (≤40%), moderate (40.1%-59.9%), and high (≥60%). Of the 23 CPGs included, six (26%) were reported to be adapted from other CPGs. Fourteen (61%) CPGs were produced by medical associations, six (26%) by individual authors and three (13%) by government agencies. Based on the AGREE II overall quality score, two (9%) CPGs were of high quality, four (17%) and seventeen (74%) CPGs were of moderate and low quality, respectively. Except for scope and purpose, and clarity of presentation all other domains were rated low. The quality of most Indian CPGs for managing CVD conditions assessed using the AGREE II tool was moderate-to-low. Combined efforts from different stakeholders are needed to develop, disseminate and implement high-quality CPGs while identifying and addressing barriers to their uptake to optimize patient care and improve outcomes.

Volatile Compounds Governed by Single Recessive Gene Impart Aroma in Sponge Gourd (Luffa cylindrica L. Roem).

As a vegetable crop, sponge gourd is widely consumed worldwide due to its health promoting and nutraceutical value. This study describes genetics of an aromatic genotype VRSG-7-17 and deciphers the genetic control and volatile compound composition of sponge gourd. To study the inheritance of this trait, a cross was made between aromatic light-green-fruited VRSG-7-17 and non-aromatic dark-green-fruited VRSG-194 genotypes. The F1s were found to be non-aromatic and have a green fruit colour. Chi-square (χ2) analysis of backcross and F2 population segregating for aroma suggested that the inheritance of aroma in VRSG-7-17 is governed by a single recessive gene in a simple Mendelian fashion. The SPME-GC/MS analysis of the volatile compounds suggested that the compounds responsible for Basmati rice-like aroma were mainly hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanone and limonene. The aroma persists in the cooked VRSG-7-17 fruits, that did not lose fragrance traits at high temperatures. The inheritance of fruit colour was found to be controlled by a single gene with incomplete dominance. The segregation analysis showed that the aroma and fruit colour were not linked, and they segregated independently. The findings will lead to understanding the inheritance of the aromatic compounds in the sponge gourd and may be utilised in the breeding programmes for developing improved aromatic varieties.

Seed Priming with ZnO and Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Alleviate the Lead Toxicity in Basella alba L. through Reduced Lead Uptake and Regulation of ROS.

The increased lead (Pb) content in the environment has an impact on all living beings, including plant growth and quality. The present study aims to investigate the protective roles of zinc (Zn)- and iron (Fe)- nanoparticles (NPs) in alleviating stress symptoms caused by lead (Pb) exposure in Basella alba seedlings. For this purpose, 15 different treatment combinations of seed priming with two NPs at 0 and 200 mg L−1, and five Pb levels (0, 4, 8, 15, 20 mM) were chosen. Pb stress (20 mM) was found to reduce seed germination by 72.8% and seedling growth, particularly root length, by 92% when compared to the control. Under different Pb concentrations, seed priming with ZnNPs (200 mg L−1) and FeNPs (200 mg L−1) increased seed germination by 34.7% and 54.9%, respectively, and root length by 152.9% and 252.9%, respectively. In 20 mM Pb stress, NPs primed seedling showed decrease in Pb content by 33.7% with ZnNPs and 32.6% with FeNPs. Increased Pb stress resulted in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (H2O2) and lipid peroxidation (MDA) compared to non-Pb stressed seedlings. However, increased antioxidants in the NPs treatments such as SOD, CAT, POD and proline content, scavenged these ROS. Considering all the parameters under study, priming alleviated Pb stress in the following order: FeNPs > ZnNPs > hydropriming > control. To summarise, seed priming with Zn- and Fe-NPs has the potential to alleviate Pb toxicity via reduced Pb uptake, ROS generation and lipid peroxidation as well as increased proline content and activation of antioxidant enzymatic system.

Impact of milk on malnutrition and cognitive skills among school children: Evidence from gift milk initiative from a tribal state of India.

Background: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of fortified milk on various aspects of growth and development among school children in a tribal-predominant district of Jharkhand, India. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was planned in 16 schools (eight in intervention group and eight in control group) of Latehar district of Jharkhand in India. Out of the total 962 study participants, only 528 study participants were considered in study analysis, who were present both during baseline and endline study after 1 year of milk introduction. The study participants were assessed for nutrition, intelligence quotient, and hemoglobin levels with the help of study tools and instruments. Results: The decrease in malnutrition was more evident in the intervention group during endline assessment, with 95% confidence interval (95% CI; 7.37, 7.42) and 95% CI (10.63, 10.58) for the difference in proportion in the intervention and control groups for stunting and thinness, respectively. This was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Anemia also improved with better cognition in the intervention group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In our study, beneficial effects of milk on malnourished children were evident, particularly in combating stunting and thinness, and it also had a positive impact on cognitive skills in school children.

Gene-Based Resistance to Erysiphe Species Causing Powdery Mildew Disease in Peas (Pisum sativum L.).

Globally powdery mildew (PM) is one of the major diseases of the pea caused by Erysiphe pisi. Besides, two other species viz. Erysiphe trifolii and Erysiphe baeumleri have also been identified to infect the pea plant. To date, three resistant genes, namely er1, er2 and Er3 located on linkage groups VI, III and IV respectively were identified. Studies have shown the er1 gene to be a Pisum sativum Mildew resistance Locus 'O' homologue and subsequent analysis has identified eleven alleles namely er1-1 to er1-11. Despite reports mentioning the breakdown of er1 gene-mediated PM resistance by E. pisi and E. trifolii, it is still the most widely deployed gene in PM resistance breeding programmes across the world. Several linked DNA markers have been reported in different mapping populations with varying linkage distances and effectiveness, which were used by breeders to develop PM-resistant pea cultivars through marker assisted selection. This review summarizes the genetics of PM resistance and its mechanism, allelic variations of the er gene, marker linkage and future strategies to exploit this information for targeted PM resistance breeding in Pisum.

Knowledge and practices of nursing staffs related to Maternal Nutrition and Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) services at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Jharkhand, India: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The first 1000 days of life is a unique window of opportunity when the foundation of overall optimum health and neurodevelopmental growth across the lifespan is established. Objective: To explore the level of knowledge and practice of service providers in delivering maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) services at the point of care. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study done in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics of RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand from May to September 2019. Result: The practices and counseling skills of nursing staff pertaining to maternal nutrition interventions like IFA and calcium supplements was good. Though counseling on maternal minimum dietary diversity, frequency, and quantity of meals was done during the antenatal care period, its knowledge and expected total weight gain during pregnancy were suboptimal. The practice of early initiation of breastfeeding was significantly higher in those who delivered normally (79%) than those by cesarean section (7%). The nursing staff's knowledge and technical skills on early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding were good, but inadequate for cesarean section. Forty-one percentage of recently delivered women were counseled on colostrum feeding, 17% about positioning and attachment, and 38% on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first 6 months. In the pediatrics OPD and immunization clinic, 93% of mothers with an infant below 6 months of age, received counseling on EBF, 47% on feeding during illness, and 13% on breastfeeding difficulties and their solutions. Sixty percentage of mothers of children >6 months old received counseling on timely introduction of complementary feeding and 40% on minimum dietary diversity. Forty percentage of mothers were counseled on feeding techniques during and after illness. Conclusion: The nursing staffs were providing the services related to MIYCN during antenatal, intranatal, and postnatal services, sick child visits, and immunization visits but their technical knowledge and skills on the specific components were not in accordance with the standard guidelines.

Heat stress tolerance in peas (Pisum sativum L.): Current status and way forward.

In the era of climate change, the overall productivity of pea (Pisum sativum L.) is being threatened by several abiotic stresses including heat stress (HS). HS causes severe yield losses by adversely affecting several traits in peas. A reduction in pod yield has been reported from 11.1% to 17.5% when mean daily temperature increase from 1.4 to 2.2°C. High-temperature stress (30.5-33°C) especially during reproductive phase is known to drastically reduce both seed yield and germination. HS during germination and early vegetative stage resulted in poor emergence and stunted plant growth along with detrimental effects on physiological functions of the pea plant. To combat HS and continue its life cycle, plants use various defense strategies including heat escape, avoidance or tolerance mechanisms. Ironically, the threshold temperatures for pea plant and its responses are inconsistent and not yet clearly identified. Trait discovery through traditional breeding such as semi leaflessness (afila), upright growing habit, lodging tolerance, lower canopy temperature and small seeded nature has highlighted their utility for greater adaptation under HS in pea. Screening of crop gene pool and landraces for HS tolerance in a targeted environment is a simple approach to identify HS tolerant genotypes. Thus, precise phenotyping using modern phenomics tools could lead to increased breeding efficiency. The NGS (next generation sequencing) data can be associated to find the candidate genes responsible for the HS tolerance in pea. In addition, genomic selection, genome wide association studies (GWAS) and marker assisted selection (MAS) can be used for the development of HS tolerant pea genotypes. Additionally, development of transgenics could be an alternative strategy for the development of HS tolerant pea genotypes. This review comprehensively covers the various aspects of HS tolerance mechanisms in the pea plant, screening protocols, omic advances, and future challenges for the development of HS tolerant genotypes.

Association of psychosocial factors with aggression among school going rural adolescents in Haryana.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents are being involved in aggressive activities nowadays. Sometimes, involvement in aggressive activities may be fatal for the victim as well as for the doer. It is a matter of great concern for all including parents, teachers, psychologists, social reformers, and others. A momentary expression of anger sometimes may spoil the future life of the adolescents. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of aggression and to identify the psychosocial risk factors associated with aggression among school-going adolescents. METHODOLOGY: The study recruited 480 school-going rural adolescents from eight government senior secondary schools in the rural block of Beri, district Jhajjar (Haryana). OBSERVATIONS: The mean age of the adolescents was 14.11 ± 1.12 years; 49.4% of the adolescents were found to be aggressive. After applying binary logistic regression, there was a statistically significant relation between aggression and determinants like class, gender, occupation of the father. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The study concluded that determinants like age, class of students, gender of the subject, occupation of father found a significant association with aggression. To solve this current situation, parents must give love, attention to their children and must act in an appropriate way in front of them and be role models.

Nutritional and Phytochemical Traits of Apricots (Prunus Armeniaca L.) for Application in Nutraceutical and Health Industry.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is a nutritious fruit, rich in bioactive compounds, known for their health benefits. The present study attempts to evaluate nutritional (sugars, organic acids, minerals) and nutraceutical traits (total phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, antioxidant activity) of six commercial apricot genotypes grown in India. Antioxidant activity was determined using three in-vitro assays, namely CUPRAC (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl). Significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed in the genotypes concerning nutritional and nutraceutical traits. Sucrose accounted for more than 60% of total sugars in most genotypes, followed by glucose and fructose. Citric acid accounted for more than 50% of the total organic acids present, followed by malic and succinic acids. Apricot is a good source of potassium (1430.07 to 2202.69 mg/100 g dwb) and iron (2.69 to 6.97 mg/100 g dwb) owing to its mineral composition. Total carotenoids content ranged from 0.44 to 3.55 mg/100 g, with ß-carotene accounting for 33-84% of the total content. The results strongly suggest that genotypes 'CITH-A-1' and 'CITH-A-2', which have high dry matter and carotenoids content, are well suited for drying. 'Roxana' and 'CITH-A-3' are great for fresh consumption, while 'Shakarpara' and 'Gold Cot' are excellent for juice processing.

Effect of milk supplementation on the status of micronutrients among rural school children aged 5-19 years in a tribal predominating district of India.

BACKGROUND: In the tribal state of Jharkhand, there have been very few studies on micronutrient deficiency and how it is addressed among school children. This study was conceived and undertaken to assess the effect of milk supplementation on the micronutrient status of school children. DESIGN: A comparative observational study was conducted among school children of a tribal district in India during 2017-2018. Two groups of schools/clusters were randomly selected, one with milk supplementation and the other without supplementation. A total of 318 children from the two groups of schools were recruited for biochemical analysis of certain micronutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iron (haemoglobin level), using cluster random sampling. Data were analysed using SPSS V.20.0 software, and multiple logistic regression analysis was done to determine the predictors of serum calcium and vitamin B12 level among school children. RESULTS: Almost all children from both groups had vitamin D deficiency. A higher risk of lower serum vitamin B12 level (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.61 to 4.16) and calcium level (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.74 to 6.49) was observed in children of the control group. The difference in the proportion of anaemia in the two study groups was found to be statistically insignificant. Milk consumption was found to be the only significant predictor of normal vitamin B12 and calcium level in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, it was concluded that milk consumption may help in improving the calcium and vitamin B12 status of school children of a tribal state, whereas it does not have any significant effect on vitamin D level.

Nanogels as potential drug nanocarriers for CNS drug delivery.

Hydrogel-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) have versatile applications such, as tissue engineering, scaffolds, drug delivery, and regenerative medicines. The drawback of higher size and poor stability in such DDSs are being addressed by developing nano-sized hydrogel particles, known as nanogels, to achieve the desired biocompatibility and encapsulation efficiency for better efficacy than conventional bulk hydrogels. In this review, we describe advances in the development of nanogels and their promotion as nanocarriers to deliver therapeutic agents to the central nervous system (CNS). We also discuss the challenges, possible solutions, and future prospects for the use of nanogel-based DDSs for CNS therapies.

Advances in Carbon Nanotubes-Hydrogel Hybrids in Nanomedicine for Therapeutics.

In spite of significant advancement in hydrogel technology, low mechanical strength and lack of electrical conductivity have limited their next-level biomedical applications for skeletal muscles, cardiac and neural cells. Host-guest chemistry based hybrid nanocomposites systems have gained attention as they completely overcome these pitfalls and generate bioscaffolds with tunable electrical and mechanical characteristics. In recent years, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based hybrid hydrogels have emerged as innovative candidates with diverse applications in regenerative medicines, tissue engineering, drug delivery devices, implantable devices, biosensing, and biorobotics. This article is an attempt to recapitulate the advancement in synthesis and characterization of hybrid hydrogels and provide deep insights toward their functioning and success as biomedical devices. The improved comparative performance and biocompatibility of CNT-hydrogels hybrids systems developed for targeted biomedical applications are addressed here. Recent updates toward diverse applications and limitations of CNT hybrid hydrogels is the strength of the review. This will provide a holistic approach toward understanding of CNT-based hydrogels and their applications in nanotheranostics.