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Background: An innovative home-based newborn care (HBNC) voucher system has been introduced in Assam to improve home visits of accredited social health activists (ASHAs), make them more accountable, and empower the community. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HBNC voucher initiative in Assam. Methods: A mixed methodology study was conducted in 2018 including 4 districts of Assam. A quantitative study was done among a sample of 836 lactating mothers by interviewing them through house-to-house visits. A qualitative study was done by in-depth interview of various health-care service providers. Results: Of 836 lactating mothers, 65% received HBNC voucher; 45.6% received at the time of discharge, and 5.3% during antenatal care. The purpose of HBNC vouchers as a tool of validating ASHAs' home visits was explained to only 14.5% of lactating mothers. Examination of newborn (44.6%), counseling on breastfeeding (57.1%), counseling on care of baby (39.2%), and counseling on immunization (49.2%) were the services commonly provided by ASHA during HBNC visits. Voucher system improved incentive payment system, but uninterrupted supply was a problem area as stated by ASHAs. Auxiliary nurse midwives and ASHA supervisors told that voucher system had improved ASHA home visits, payment system, and increased identification of danger signs of newborns. Conclusions: HBNC voucher system as an innovative approach was found to be effective. Coverage of services varied among different districts. Uninterrupted supply of the vouchers, periodic resensitization of health workers on its use, and increasing awareness among the community is needed to be sustained.
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@#Introduction: Osteosynthesis by plate fixation of humeral shaft fractures as a gold standard for fracture fixation has been proven beyond doubt. However, during conventional anterolateral plating Radial nerve injury may occur which can be avoided by applying plate on the medial flat surface. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of application of plate on the flat medial surface of humerus rather than the conventional anterolateral surface. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted between Oct 2010 to Dec 2015. One-hundred-fifty fracture shafts of the humerus were treated with the anteromedial plating through the anterolateral approach. Results: One-hundred-fifty patients with a fracture shaft of the humerus were treated with anteromedial plating. Twenty were female (mean ±SD,28 years±4.5) and 130 were male (mean ± SD, 38 years±5.6). One hundred and forty-eight out of 150 (98.6%) patients achieved union at 12 months. Two of three patients developed a superficial infection, both of which were treated successfully by antibiotics and one developed a deep infection, which was treated by wound debridement, prolonged antibiotics with the removal of the plate and subsequently by delayed plating and bone grafting. Conclusion: In the present study, we applied plate on the anteromedial flat surface of humerus using the anterolateral approach. It is an easier and quicker fixation as compared to anterolateral plating because later involved much more dissection than a medial application of the plate and this application of plate on a medial flat surface, does not required Radial nerve exposure and palsy post-operatively. The significant improvement in elbow flexion without brachialis dissection is also a potential benefit of this approach. Based on our results, we recommend the application of an anteromedial plate for treatment of midshaft fractures humerus.
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Tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntz) is one of the most economically essential beverage crops in all over the world and is considered to be the national drink. Tea seeds are borne in capsules, each containing one to three seeds. Seed is a means for reproduction and always possess variation within groups of seedlings. In nature, variability has an essential role in the production of the crop with quality and quantity. Tea seeds are recalcitrant and shown to lose viability very fast which makes their storage and transportation. In North East India, tea flowers from October to mid-February. Seed development right from flower bud initiation to maturity required 18 months. During seed maturation, the storage of carbohydrates in cotyledons continuously increases, and finally around 30% starch accumulates in tea seed cotyledons. Moreover, flower buds are a strong sink and approximately 46 percent of total photo-assimilates absorbed by developing flower bud. Tea seeds are planted in rows at a depth of about 1.5 cm. The macropile is usually pointed downward or parallel to the ground surface. Product diversification and value addition is currently an area of great interest. The oil extracted from tea seed has almost similar properties of olive and groundnut oils. High-quality detergent, soap, cream and hair oils can be made from tea seed oil.
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Oroxylum indicum (family: Bignoniaceae) or Broken bones tree, which is distributed throughout India and South East Asia. Oroxylum indicum is known by such regional names as Bhatghila, Tona, Bhut-vriksha, Shyonaka, and Hanyu pinyin. Over the past two decades, many reports have appeared in mainstream scientific journals describing its nutritional and medicinal properties. While much of this recent enthusiasm indeed appears to be justified, it is critical to separate rigorous scientific evidence from anecdote. The present review provides the complete information about literatures of Oroxylum indicum as botanical descriptions, vernacular names, biological activity of plant parts, ethanomedicinal uses and current status of research with scope of investigation of Oroxylum indicum for future research. The structures of twenty eight isolated compounds from different parts of Oroxylum indicum with IUPAC names, molecular formula, formula weight, melting points were also reported in this study.
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Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were immobilized in agar gel and used in a tubular reactor for conversion of cane molasses to ethanol at 30 degrees C, pH 4.5. Reactor was used in a continuous operation to test the operational stability and ethanol productivity. After 100 days of continuous fermentation at a dilution rate of 0.67 hr-1, some deactivation of cells was observed, but ethanol productivity was recovered by reactivating the cells by sparging air intermittently. It was found that intermittent reactivation during continuous operation was very important for satisfactory performance of the reactor. During operation, gel beads maintained their rigidity. Maximum ethanol concentration (94.9 g/L) was obtained with a feed containing 255 g/L reducing sugar, at a dilution rate of 0.2 hr-1. Maximum volumetric productivity (79.5 g ethanol /L/hr), specific ethanol productivity (0.58 g ethanol/g cells/hr), specific sugar uptake rate (1.12 g sugar/g cells/hr) and ethanol yield coefficient (0.43 g ethanol/g sugar) were obtained with a feed containing 195 g/L reducing sugar at a dilution rate of 1.33 hr-1.
Subject(s)
Agar , Bioreactors , Ethanol/metabolism , Fermentation , Molasses , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/cytologyABSTRACT
Preliminary random and mass blood surveys undertaken between 2000-0100 h in a tea garden of Upper Assam revealed more than 8 per cent positivity for microfilaria (mf) of Wuchereria bancrofti. The mf carriers were considerably high among males (73) as compared to females (48). Culex quinquefasciatus was incriminated as a vector with man hour density of 68.5 in human dwellings (indoors). The detection of mf in children who had never moved from the area and filaria larvae in vector mosquitoes collected from human dwellings indicate that indigenous transmission is going on in the garden and that filariasis has become a local health problem.