Cost of providing family planning services & management of pregnancy outcomes at public health facilities in India

Background & objectives: Lack of costing data is a critical gap that exists in the field of family planning (FP) in India. The aim of this study was to estimate health system costs of FP in India for existing modern methods, and potential newer methods (etonorgestrel implant and levonorgestrel intrauterine device) and pregnancy-related services in India. Methods: A bottom-up micro-costing study was conducted in five public health facilities of an Indian State. Data of last one year were collected from existing hospital records and hospital staff was interviewed. Collected data were analyzed using standard costing methods. Results: Package costs of delivering FP services ranged from ? 807 (95% CI 685, 931) for condoms and ? 10,539 (8796, 12269) for tubal ligation. Estimates of etonorgestrel implant and levonorgestrel intrauterine system were ? 3,200 (2800, 3625) and 3,426 (3232, 3623). Cost of antenatal care along with vaginal delivery, caesarean and abortion were ? 10,916 (8744, 13078), 22,136 (17570, 26910) and 8,574 (6791, 10379), respectively. One way sensitivity analysis showed that the three most influential factors on the costs of FP services were prices of drugs and consumables, number of beneficiaries and health personnel cost. Interpretation & conclusions: The present study has generated package costs for FP and pregnancy-related services in India which could be used by publicly-fu

Nutritional quality enhancement of plants by improving its methionine content.

Human beings are only capable of synthesizing ten of twenty naturally occurring amino acids. The other essential amino acids are obtained from the diet. Cereal grains are often limiting for lysine, tryptophan and threonine, while the legume seeds have an adequate level of lysine but are limiting for the sulphurcontaining amino acids, methionine and cysteine. Animals can convert methionine into cysteine, but not the reverse. Low level of methionine in plants diminishes their value as a source of dietary protein for human and animals. There are several attempts to improve the methionine level in plants. This study gives an overview of various technology for enhancement of methionine level in plants, including traditional plant breeding methods and selection of mutant; synthesis an artificial gene rich in methionine and cysteine residue; genetic modification to increase methionine storage in protein; genetic modification to increase methionine biosynthesis and co-expressing methionine-rich storage proteins with enzymes that lead to high soluble methionine level, with minimal interference on plant growth, phenotype and productivity. The studies have resulted in the identification of steps important for the regulation of flux through the pathways and for the production of transgenic plants having increased free and protein bound methionine. The goal of increasing methionine content, and therefore nutritive value, of plant protein is presently being achieved and will no doubt continue to progress in the near future.