A study to compare the performance of anganwadi workers in owned and rented anganwadi centers in a district of the western part of India.

Introduction: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is one of the flagship programs, and under this, various activities like non-formal education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality on the other hand are carried out by anganwadi worker (AWW). The aim of this study is to assess the AWWs performance and beneficiary participation in respect to the ICDS scheme. Methodology: This is a community-based, cross-sectional study done in two stages using a simple random sampling technique. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) area is divided into 10 parts called ghatak, and out of these 10 ghataks, 6 were chosen in the first stage, and in the second stage, 12 anganwadi centers were selected from these 6 selected ghataks using simple random sampling. Result: In this study, 58.3% of anganwadi workers were graduates. While talking about work related to "Home Visit" and "Immunization Sessions," there was no statistically significant difference between owned and rented anganwadi center noted. While in "Nutrition & health education"-related work, there was a statistically significant difference between owned and rented anganwadi centers observed. Accuracy of weighing, plotting, and interpretation skill was more than 90% found in both the rented and owned anganwadi center. An almost similar level of nutritional status was observed in both owned and rented centers. Conclusion: In terms of performance and participation, there was not much difference between corporation own and rented anganwadi centers, although there were shared concerns related to frequent changes of place of rented anganwadi centers affecting the participation of beneficiaries.

Physiological and transcriptomic response of Saccharomyces pastorianus to cold storage.

Removal of yeast biomass at the end of fermentation, followed by a period of storage before re-inoculation into a subsequent fermentation, is common in the brewing industry. Storage is typically conducted at cold temperatures to preserve yeast quality, a practice which has unfavourable cost and environmental implications. To determine the potential for alleviating these effects, the transcriptomic and physiological response of Saccharomyces pastorianus strain W34/70 to standard (4°C) and elevated (10°C) storage temperatures was explored. Higher temperatures resulted in increased expression of genes associated with the production and mobilisation of intracellular glycogen, trehalose, glycerol and fatty acids, although these observations were limited to early stages of storage. Intracellular trehalose and glycerol concentrations were higher at 4°C than at 10°C, as a consequence of the cellular response to cold stress. However, significant changes in glycogen degradation or cellular fatty acid composition did not occur between the two sets of populations, ensuring that cell viability remained consistent. It is anticipated that this data may lead to changes in standard practice for handling yeast cultures, without compromising yeast quality. This work has significance not only for the brewing industry, but also for food and biofuel sectors requiring short-term storage of liquid yeast.

Draft Genome Assemblies of Xylose-Utilizing Candida tropicalis and Candida boidinii with Potential Application in Biochemical and Biofuel Production.

Non-albicans Candida species are growing in prominence in industrial biotechnology due to their ability to utilize hemicellulose. Here, we present the draft genome sequences of an inhibitor-tolerant Candida tropicalis strain (Y6604) and Candida boidinii NCAIM Y01308T.

Ocular disorder in children with mental retardation.

BACKGROUND: Ocular problems are common in mentally retarded children. Due to population growth these problems are increasing. Prevalence rate is variable from region to region. Data on ocular problems in mentally retarded school children is lacking in this region. AIM: The aim of the present study was to identify the ocular disorders in children with mental retardation attending special schools in a district and to study their relationship with the degree of retardation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 241 mentally retarded school children in the age group of 6-16 years attending special schools for the mentally retarded children in a district in central India were examined by a team of ophthalmologist, psychiatrist, and a resident in ophthalmology department of a medical college. Complete ocular examination was done. Ocular problems were identified and categorized according to the intelligent quotient. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty four children (51.45%) had ocular problems. Strabismus (10.37%) and refractive error (20.75%) were the common ocular problems seen in this study. An association was found between the severity of mental retardation and ocular problems (P<0.005). However, no association was seen between the severity of mental retardation and strabismus and refractive error. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of ocular problems was seen in mentally retarded school children. Children with mental retardation should undergo annual ophthalmological check up. Early detection and correction of ocular problems will prevent visual impairment in future.

Relapse of tardive dyskinesia due to reduction in clozapine dose.

Clozapine is a second-generation (atypical) antipsychotic agent, which has been proven efficient against the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, with a low propensity to induce tardive dyskinesia (TD). Compared with typical antipsychotics, it has a greater affinity for dopamine D4 than D2 receptors and additional action on serotonin 5-HT(2A) receptors. Due to its weak D(2) blocking action, it produces few extra pyramidal side effects and TD is rare. TD is one of the muscular side effects of antipsychotic drugs, especially the older generation like haloperidol. TD does not occur until after many months or years of taking antipsychotic drugs. TD is primarily characterized by abnormal involuntary movements of the tongue, lips or jaw, as well as facial grimacing or extremities that develop in association with the use of antipsychotic medications. TD can be embarrassing to the affected patient in public. The movements disappear during sleep and women are at greater risk than men for developing TD.