The nutrition and therapeutic potential of millets: an updated narrative review.

Millets are ancient small grains grown in arid and semiarid regions of the world. They are staple food for many people in Asia and Africa. They are abundant sources of minerals and vitamins, giving them the name Nutricereals. Moreover, millets contain valuable phytochemicals that impart therapeutic properties for various disorders and diseases, thus giving them nutraceutical value. A wide array of biochemical compounds are present in the plant parts as well as the grains. In the oldest texts of medicine in India and China, millets are mentioned for use for their medicinal value. There has been expanding interest and emerging facts about millets and their therapeutic uses. Ample evidence shows that consumption of millets amounts to correction of life style and metabolic disorders. Therapeutic properties of millets can be viewed in two ways, supplementary nutrition through minerals and vitamins, and therapeutic value through the presence of phytochemicals and specialty compounds that include flavonoids, phenolics, anthocyanidins and others that have antioxidant potential. Millets are gluten free, have low glycemic index and the phytochemicals aid in correction of lifestyle disorders and prevention of ailments like carcinogenesis. Supplementary benefits include treatment of anemia and calcium deficiency especially for pregnant women and young children. With the improvements in analytical methods for detection of various compounds, it is possible to identify the compound-specific genotypes in millets that can cater to the pharmacy industry. End-use specific genotypes can be bred to meet the demand. Millets being climate resilient, can contribute to a healthier life and better world through economic usage of natural resources.

Clinical effects of Bifidobacterium as a probiotic on oral health: A systematic review.

Background: The burden of oral diseases is increasing, which constitute a major public health problem. The use of probiotics as an adjuvant, along with routine dental care practice by an individual, can produce additional benefits in the maintenance of one's oral health. The study aimed to investigate the effect of Bifidobacterium as a probiotic on oral health. Material and Methods: Six databases and registers were searched from the start of the database to December 2021 without any restrictions. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the clinical effects of Bifidobacterium as a probiotic on oral health were included in the study. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to conduct this systematic review. The included studies were analyzed for the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trial (RoB 2) tool as well as quality of available evidence using GRADE criteria. Results: From the 22 qualified studies, four studies showed non-significant results. There was a high risk of bias in 13 studies and some concerns of bias in nine studies. No adverse effects were reported, and the quality of available evidence was moderate. Conclusion: The effect of Bifidobacterium on oral health is questionable. Further high-quality RCTs are required on the clinical effects of bifidobacteria and also the optimum level of probiotic needed, and ideal mode of administration to provide oral health benefits. Furthermore, synergistic effects of the combined use of various strains of probiotics need to be studied.

Evaluation of the Overall Accuracy of the Combined Early Warning Scoring Systems in the Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality.

Introduction Deterioration of clinical condition of in-hospital patients further leads to intensive care unit (ICU) transfer or death which can be reduced by the use of prediction tools. The early warning scoring (EWS) system is a prediction tool used in monitoring medical patients in hospitals, hospital staying length, and inpatient mortality. The present study evaluated four different EWS systems for the prediction of patient survival. Method The present prospective observational study has analyzed 217 patients visiting the emergency department from November 2016 to November 2018, followed by demographic and clinical data collection. Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Triage Early Warning Score (TEWS), Leed's Early Warning Score (LEWS), and patient-at-risk scores (PARS) were assigned based upon body temperature, consciousness level, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, mobility, etc. Data was analyzed with the help of R 4.0.4 (R Foundation, Vienna, Austria) and Microsoft Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, Washington). Results Out of these 217 patients, 205 got shifted to a ward, and 12 died, amongst which the majority belonged to the 31-40 age group. Among patients admitted to ICU had a MEWS greater than 3, TEWS within the range 0 to 2 and 3 to 5, LEWS greater than 7, and PARS greater than 5 on the initial days of admission. The patients who died and those who were shifted to the ward showed significant differences in EWS. A significant association was observed between all the EWS and patient outcomes (p<0.001). Conclusion MEWS, TEWS, LEWS, and PARS were effective in the prediction of inpatient mortality as well as admission to the ICU. With the increase in the EWS, there was an increase in the duration of ICU stay and a decrease in chances of survival.

Teaching Hands-Only CPR (HOCPR) skills to 8th-grade students in urban Bengaluru: Development of a comprehensive Hands-Only CPR programme for high school students.

Background and Aims: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in India. Only 1.3% of these arrests receive bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Bystander CPR increases a victim's chances of survival; training school children in Hands-Only CPR (HOCPR) is a proven method of increasing bystander CPR rates. Heart Rescue India is an international project working to improve care for cardiovascular diseases, and as a part of it, a ten module Cardiovascular disease (CVD) educational programme, including HOCPR training, was conducted in ten schools in 2017-18. The objective of our study was to assess the effectiveness of HOCPR training for 8th-grade high school students. Methods: Four hundred fourteen of the 530 enroled students from ten schools of Bengaluru participated in the study. The participants attended a one-hour didactic session about the recognition of cardiac arrest and HOCPR in three simple steps. Subsequently, students received hands-on training for HOCPR. The sessions included pre- and post-assessment of knowledge and skills. The results were statistically analysed using paired t-test and the McNemar test. Results: The mean overall pre-assessment score for knowledge was 62.07 ± 28.38%, and the post-assessment score was 72.42 ± 26.58% (P < 0.001). In addition, there was a statistically significant improvement in the post-training scores for HOCPR in all three parameters, namely compressions per minute, depth and chest recoil. Conclusion: The study demonstrated a simple yet effective HOCPR programme for high school children.

Development of Sorghum Genotypes for Improved Yield and Resistance to Grain Mold Using Population Breeding Approach.

The infection caused by grain mold in rainy season grown sorghum deteriorates the physical and chemical quality of the grain, which causes a reduction in grain size, blackening, and making them unfit for human consumption. Therefore, the breeding for grain mold resistance has become a necessity. Pedigree breeding has been widely used across the globe to tackle the problem of grain mold. In the present study, a population breeding approach was employed to develop genotypes resistant to grain mold. The complex genotype × environment interactions (GEIs) make the task of identifying stable grain mold-resistant lines with good grain yield (GY) challenging. In this study, the performance of the 33 population breeding derivatives selected from the four-location evaluation of 150 genotypes in 2017 was in turn evaluated over four locations during the rainy season of 2018. The Genotype plus genotype-by-environment interaction (GGE) biplot analysis was used to analyze a significant GEI observed for GY, grain mold resistance, and all other associated traits. For GY, the location explained a higher proportion of variation (51.7%) while genotype (G) × location (L) contributed to 21.9% and the genotype contributed to 11.2% of the total variation. For grain mold resistance, G × L contributed to a higher proportion of variation (30.7%). A graphical biplot approach helped in identifying promising genotypes for GY and grain mold resistance. Among the test locations, Dharwad was an ideal location for both GY and grain mold resistance. The test locations were partitioned into three clusters for GY and two clusters for grain mold resistance through a "which-won-where" study. Best genotypes in each of these clusters were selected. The breeding for a specific cluster is suggested. Genotype-by-trait biplots indicated that GY is influenced by flowering time, 100-grain weight (HGW), and plant height (PH), whereas grain mold resistance is influenced by glume coverage and PH. Because GY and grain mold score were independent of each other, there is a scope to improve both yield and resistance together.

Participants' perception of the AIIMS Trauma Assessment and Management (ATAM) course for management of polytrauma: A multi-institutional experience from India.

BACKGROUND: In India, the mortality due to polytrauma after road traffic injuries is high and there is a need to train medical and paramedical personnel. The AIIMS Trauma Assessment and Management (ATAM) course was developed at the Apex Trauma Centre of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi to sensitize medical personnel with initial assessment and management of polytrauma victims. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on knowledge and skills and also evaluate the feedback and the perception of the participants of the ATAM course. METHODS: The course was conducted for doctors, nurses and other paramedical/allied professionals in five tertiary level centres associated to medical colleges from geographically diverse locations (Anand, Bengaluru, Delhi, Lucknow and Thrissur). Cognitive knowledge was assessed using pre-training and post-training multiple choice question (MCQ) tests. The participants also self-rated their level of knowledge, skill, confidence and capability (Numerical rating scale of 1-10). Post-training feedback was obtained from the participants using a five-point Likert scale response. RESULTS: 26 ATAM courses were conducted by 68 course instructors and attended by 780 participants. These participants include 40.4% doctors, 44.2% nurses, 4.7% paramedical technicians, 4.2% medical students and 6.4% paramedical and allied health professionals. There was significant improvement (p < 0.0001) in the cognitive knowledge, skill, confidence and capability of the participants. 85%-86% of the participants strongly agreed or agreed that the course content was effective and 85% of participants perceived that the course was excellent or very good. CONCLUSION: The ATAM course had a positive impact on the knowledge, skills, confidence and capability of health caregivers attending the course. The ATAM course is an effective, practical and favourable option that is tailored to the polytrauma training needs of India. We recommend widespread dissemination of this course.

Awareness about oral cancer among nonhealth professional students - A cross-sectional study in Bengaluru city.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Oral cancer is one of the most life-threatening conditions, early diagnosis of which greatly increases the probability of cure and survival rates. Knowledge regarding risk factors and early signs among the nonhealth professionals which help in early detection prevention and of the disease. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the awareness about tobacco use among nonhealth professional students in Bangalore city. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire study was conducted to assess the knowledge and awareness about oral cancer among 800 nonhealth professional students in Bengaluru city. A self-administered questionnaire containing 26 questions pertaining to awareness, signs, symptoms and risk factors of tobacco use was administered to the students. RESULTS: The results revealed that the majority of the students (55.5%) were aware about oral cancer but have less knowledge in terms of its signs and symptoms of oral cancer. The main source for information pertaining to oral cancer was obtained from mass media, i.e., TV, radio and social media (21.5%). CONCLUSION: The study reveals that there is a need for education and raise awareness about oral cancer among nonhealth professional students.

Assessment of oral mucosal conditions among beedi workers residing in beedi workers colonies in Karnataka, India.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Beedi workers are an important part of our society. Due to their occupation of beedi making, they face different types of health hazards. This study was undertaken to assess the oral mucosal conditions among beedi workers residing in beedi workers' colonies in Karnataka. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 700 beedi workers in the age group of 18-60 years residing in five beedi workers' colonies in Karnataka. The information was recorded regarding personal history by personal interview by the investigator. The clinical examination was done using WHO 1997 "Oral Health Assessment Form." Significance is assessed at 5% level of significance. RESULTS: It was found that 26.9% of study population had different oral mucosal lesions. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: The present study showed that oral mucosal conditions of beedi workers residing in beedi workers' colonies in Karnataka were relatively poor.

Synthesis, DNA binding and in-vitro cytotoxicity studies on novel bis-pyrazoles.

A new series of bis-pyrazoles 6a-t were synthesized from 3,5-dimethyl pyrazole using sequential approach. All these compounds were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectral data. The interaction of newly synthesized bis-pyrazoles with DNA was investigated through molecular docking and absorption spectroscopic technique. Among all bis-pyrazoles compounds, the 6h compound showed lower conformational energy through in silico analysis. The interaction of each molecule in this series 6a-t with the various concentrations of DNA was examined through the UV-visible spectroscopic studies. The UV-visible spectroscopy studies on the specific binding of compound 6a, 6b, 6g, 6h, 6d, 6i, 6k, 6n, 6s with DNA have exhibited spectral shifts and the results were discussed. In further the compounds 6a-t were subjected to the in-vitro cytotoxicity studies against human pancreatic adenocarcinoma, human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell lines. Among the screened compounds, N-(3-isopropoxy-1-isopropyl-4-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)cyclobutane carboxamide and N-(5'-Isopropoxy-2'-isopropyl-3,5-dimethyl-2'H-[1,4'] bipyrazolyl-3'-yl)-dimethane sulfonamide were found as lead molecules since they have exhibited promising activity against both the cancer cell lines used in this study, whereas the compounds 4-(trifluoromethyl)-N-(3-isopropoxy-1-isopropyl-4-(3,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide and 2,6-difluoro-N-(3-isopropoxy-1-isopropyl-4-(3,5-dimethyl-2H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-5-yl) benzamide were found to be active against the pancreatic cell line only. Rest all the other compounds were found to exhibit moderate to good activity towards both the cell lines.

Identification and validation of genomic regions that affect shoot fly resistance in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench].

Shoot fly is one of the most important pests affecting the sorghum production. The identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting shoot fly resistance enables to understand the underlying genetic mechanisms and genetic basis of complex interactions among the component traits. The aim of the present study was to detect QTL for shoot fly resistance and the associated traits using a population of 210 RILs of the cross 27B (susceptible) × IS2122 (resistant). RIL population was phenotyped in eight environments for shoot fly resistance (deadheart percentage), and in three environments for the component traits, such as glossiness, seedling vigor and trichome density. Linkage map was constructed with 149 marker loci comprising 127 genomic-microsatellite, 21 genic-microsatellite and one morphological marker. QTL analysis was performed by using MQM approach. 25 QTL (five each for leaf glossiness and seedling vigor, 10 for deadhearts, two for adaxial trichome density and three for abaxial trichome density) were detected in individual and across environments. The LOD and R (2) (%) values of QTL ranged from 2.44 to 24.1 and 4.3 to 44.1%, respectively. For most of the QTLs, the resistant parent, IS2122 contributed alleles for resistance; while at two QTL regions, the susceptible parent 27B also contributed for resistance traits. Three genomic regions affected multiple traits, suggesting the phenomenon of pleiotrophy or tight linkage. Stable QTL were identified for the traits across different environments, and genetic backgrounds by comparing the QTL in the study with previously reported QTL in sorghum. For majority of the QTLs, possible candidate genes were identified. The QTLs identified will enable marker assisted breeding for shoot fly resistance in sorghum.

Triage, monitoring, and treatment of mass casualty events involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents.

In a mass casualty situation due to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) event, triage is absolutely required for categorizing the casualties in accordance with medical care priorities. Dealing with a CBRN event always starts at the local level. Even before the detection and analysis of agents can be undertaken, zoning, triage, decontamination, and treatment should be initiated promptly. While applying the triage system, the available medical resources and maximal utilization of medical assets should be taken into consideration by experienced triage officers who are most familiar with the natural course of the injury presented and have detailed information on medical assets. There are several triage systems that can be applied to CBRN casualties. With no one standardized system globally or nationally available, it is important for deploying a triage and decontamination system which is easy to follow and flexible to the available medical resources, casualty number, and severity of injury.

Primary leiomyoma of ovary.

Two cases of primary ovarian Leiomyoma are presented for their rarity. One of these cases clinically presented as an indirect inguinal hernia into labium majus a condition not reported earlier in the literature.

Chronic granulomatous mastitis: review of 26 cases with special reference to chronic lobular mastitis.

Twenty six cases of chronic granulomatous mastitis are reported in a 5 year period and the slides are reviewed. They are sub-classified into Chronic lobular mastitis (CLM), Plasma cell mastitis and subareolar granuloma. There are 10 cases each of CLM and plasma cell mastitis and one of subareolar granuloma. All the three conditions are associated with duct ectasia. Fat necrosis and infective granulomas were 2 each and one of foreign body granuloma. These lesions can be easily differentiated by histology. While most of the CLM occurred in younger age group, plasma cell mastitis is seen in older women. Histologically, there is a florid inflammatory cell reaction of the stroma with dilatation and destruction of some ducts, with microabscess formation. In plasma cell mastitis, the lesion is more chronic with predominance of plasma cells and involutionary changes of the ducts are seen.