A correlation of per day calorie intake with resting energy expenditure in healthy young adults

Background: The energy requirement of an individual can be defined as the level of energy intake from food that will balance the energy expenditure. Dietary intakes lower or higher than the body requirements can lead to undernutrition (deficiency diseases) or overnutrition (diseases of affluence), respectively. Per day calorie intake influences various daily energy utilizing activities. The imbalance between intake and expenditure continues over long periods, changes in body weight or body composition will occur and may adversely affect health. The resting energy expenditure (REE), the largest portion (50–75%) of total energy expenditure, is the energy required to maintain the basic metabolic activities including maintaining the body temperature and keeping the functioning of vital organs such as brain, kidneys, heart, and lungs. Hence, REE plays the most important role in body functioning. Objective: The aim and objective of the present study were to access the effect of per day calorie intake on REE. Materials and Methods: One hundred subjects (age 18–25 years) were assessed for data collection. All the data were collected in the early morning hours. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee (EC/P-47/2018) of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur. Demographic data including the anthropometric measurement of the participants such as weight, height, and body mass index (BMI). Calories intake (kcal) in 24 h was measured using food frequency questionnaire. Moreover, REE was measured using the gold standard method indirect calorimetry. Pearson correlation was calculated to seen correlation between per day calorie intake and REE. Results: A total of 75 males and 25 females with mean age of males and females were 19.97 ± 1.81 years and 19.32 ± 1.75 years, respectively. The mean BMI was 21.77 ± 4 kg/m² of males and 22.68 kg/m² of females. The mean calorie intake was 2532.082 ± 830.970 kcal in males and 1991.176 ± 783.291 kcal in females. The mean REE of male subjects was 2081.470 ± 587.661 kcal and of females was 1827.895 ± 469.671 kcal. The present study results showed the positive poor correlation (r = +0.1572) between calorie intake and REE in male subjects and negative poor correlation (r = −0.1484) in female subjects. Conclusion: The present study results concluded that there was a poor association between per day calorie intake and REE. Moreover, on the basis of the present study results, we can also say that most of our energy intake was expended to maintain body functioning at rest.

Hearing impairment in the aged.

Ageing affects all parts of the ear. The effect on the inner ear and its central connections is the most important cause of presbyacusis and contributes maximally to communication difficulties faced by the aged. A number of studies have been conducted on prevalence of presbyacusis. A prevalence of 3.7 to 3.3 per cent was found in the general populations surveyed in rural and urban areas respectively. There is hardly any systematic arrangement available for rehabilitation and fitting of hearing aid as an organized facility. Further research is needed to develop better quality hearing aids which will fully satisfy the needs of the aged.

Inquiry-driven strategies for innovation in medical education: experiences in India.

Four medical institutes, viz, AIIMS, New Delhi; CMC, Vellore; JIPMER, Pondicherry and IMS-BHU, Varanasi formed a consortium to introduce reforms in undergraduate medical education. A detailed inquiry was conducted by administering questionnaires to the faculty, recent graduates and patients to identify the deficiencies in the present system. Morbidity patterns prevalent in the community at primary, secondary and tertiary care levels were determined. These were matched with the actual curricula being followed and the assessment patterns. The main findings were: inadequate emphasis on practical skills (including communication), insufficient coverage of common diseases; and neglect of behavioral, social and ethical aspects in the curriculum. Based on these findings certain corrective programmes are being introduced. The content areas in the curriculum have been classified in to 'must know', 'good to know' and 'need not know'. A list of essential skills have been identified. Steps are on to ensure that these skills are acquired by the graduates. A modular approach to the teaching was suggested and modules on some of these topics are under preparation.

Need-based undergraduate medical curriculum.

There is a growing concern over the quality of medical education for undergraduates in India. This paper is an attempt to define a need-based curriculum and outline the initiatives taken by the Medical Council of India (M.C.I.) in developing a need-based curriculum. The steps include: clear delineation of goals and objectives of education; adoption of innovative teaching and learning methodology, adjustments in the course structure, updating of course content, rationalizing assessment strategy, and emphasis on structured and skill oriented internship. For effective implementation of these measures, strategies such as establishment of Medical Education Unites (MEUs), visible funding of education, more recognition to teaching and impetus to staff development activities have been suggested.