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Background: Human gut microbiota consists of variety of microbes which play vital role in the host development, physiology and homeostasis. Alteration in gut microbial composition or dysbiosis may lead to various diseases and lifestyle disorders including obesity. Since gut microbiota varies with differences in dietary habits and geographical locations therefore studies are required to look into the gut microbial diversity in Indian obese and lean subjects whose dietary habits and geography are different from the western world. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the microbial diversity in obese and lean Indian subjects. Materials and Methods: Subjects with similar dietary habits were enrolled in the study. Fecal samples were collected from each individuals and DNA was extracted. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (V1-V5 region) followed by GC clamp PCR (V3 region) for the same. PCR products were run on Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) system and DGGE sketches were analyzed in Gel Compar II version 6.6 software (Applied maths, Belgium) to assess the gut microbial diversity. Results and Conclusion: The results showed variation in the gut microbial profiles among obese and lean individuals and revealed more microbial diversity in the lean as compared to obese individuals. These observations indicate that BMI is a contributing factor for the difference in gut bacterial profile of obese and lean subjects and that support the role of gut microbiota in obesity.

Background: The rising incidence of obesity is one of the most serious public health issues in the developed as well as in developing countries like India. Obesity and overweight are most important risk factors for many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer. In this study the body mass index (BMI) cut off was taken as 18.5-22.9 kg/m2 for normal, 23.0-24.9 kg/m2 for Overweight and >25 kg/m2 for obese as per WHO recommendation for Asian Indians, which is different for developed and developing countries. Role of gut microbiota mediated immune response in the development of obesity has been studied but the literature on Indian population are lacking. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine Toll like receptors (TLRs) in response to human gut microbiota of Indian obese and lean individuals using viable colonocytes in a Non invasive technique and Flowcytometry. Methods: A total of 20 healthy volunteer (10 obese and 10 lean) were enrolled in the study as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Viable colonocytes were isolated from fecal samples using a Non invasive technique (SCSR Method). Toll like receptors (TLRs) and immunoglobulin (IgA &IgG) receptor concentration were measured by standard Flowcytometry methods using specific fluorochrome conjugated antibodies. Results: Average TLR2 receptor concentration was significantly higher in obese (6.35 %) as compared to lean (2.9 %) (P = 0.01). TLR4 receptor concentration was 1.4 % in obese and 1.65 % in lean although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.59). IgA & IgG receptor concentration was 49.6 % & 11.2 % in the obese and 67.15 % & 8.05 % in the lean respectively but the differences among both the group were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results of the present study will be helpful for physicians and researchers to find some biomarkers which can determine predisposition of the obesity in Indian population and helps to use alternative therapeutics such as probiotics to maintain gut homeostasis and immune modulation to prevent obesity.

The present paper deals with the fertility of 676 unsterilized ever-married women of 15 years and above in two villages of Mehrauli block in Delhi during 1982-83. The average number of conceptions and live births were found to be 4.50 and 4.09 respectively. However, the average number of conceptions and live births to 60 years and above women, those who completed their period of fertility before the start of intensive family planning programme, were found to be 8.25 and 8.00 respectively. The average number of conceptions was almost half for women who had acquired any level of education as compared to illiterate women. Seven foetal deaths were reported per 100 conceptions by this study group.