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Ayurveda is the ancient medical system in India that uses nasal therapy. During COVID -19 pandemic, the ministry of AYUSH provided guidelines to boost immunity. The Nasya (nasal delivery) was one of the recommendations by the AYUSH ministry to boost immunity. Nasya has been still in practice for various ailments like chronic rhinitis, headache, cervical spondylosis, Dyspnea, etc., but the knowledge about how Nasya works is still unclear. This review article discusses the practice and current advances in nasal delivery in modern science. It also discusses the possible mechanism of how Nasya can act and boost immunity and what research can be done in the form of clinical and experimental studies to increase the knowledge and understanding of Nasya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressmud is one of the most highly complex organic by-products generated from sugar industry. Due to its complex nature, disposal of the pressmud is difficult without affecting the surrounding environment. Pressmud has a high potential of converting itself into a good quality organic manure with proper management, through the aerobic composting process. This study is a part of major research work which focuses on recycling of nutrients and safe disposal of two of the most complex by-products: sugar pressmud and distillery spent wash through the aerobic composting process. The main objective of this study is to determine the effect of a commercially available microbial consortium on aerobic composting of pressmud. The selected microbial consortium includes four species of fungi: Phaenerochaete, Trichoderma Virdea, Aspergillus Niger, Pleurotus. These are capable of degrading complex organic matter with lignocellulosic characteristics. Five composting mixtures were prepared for this study, with four composting mixtures of individual species of fungus and the fifth composting mixture with all four fungi species. Aerobic composting was carried out in PVC reactors with 7 kg of pressmud as a base material, 1 % (w/w) of optimum dosage for microbial consortium and 5% (w/w) of digested cow dung. The study was carried in the pre-monsoon season over a period of 50 days. Aeration was provided with mixing of the contents at every three days interval, and also, water was added to maintain the moisture content in the optimum range. Representative samples were collected and analyzed for various physic-chemical parameters. Further, these results were compared with the standards prescribed by Fertilizer Control Order (FCO), Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, to assess the nutrient content of the prepared compost. The prepared compost from CM-V showed a pH of 7.62, EC of 3.67 dS/m, TOC of 17.64 %, TKN of 2.24 %, phosphorus of 4.93 %, potassium of 1.11 %, iron of 72.20 mg/kg and C/N ratio of 7.86. Hence, it can be concluded that CM-V has satisfactory overall nutrient content in most of the parameters. But further studies are to be conducted in a large scale to assess the evolution of heat during the composting process and its effects on duration of composting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrobenthic polychaetes play a significant role in marine benthic food chain. A study was carried out to observe the abundance and diversity of soft bottom macrobenthic polychaetes along the South Indian coast, along with observations on sediment characteristics. The present study indicated an increase in the polychaete diversity as compared to earlier reports. Sixty-three different forms of polychaetes were identified along the coast, which constitute the bulk of the macrobenthic fauna. Thirty-eight species of polychaetes showed higher abundance along the west coast, whereas 25 species showed higher abundance along the east coast. Seabed composition showed a spatial variation in its composition along the coast. Occurrence of Prionospio pinnata and Capitella capitata the deposit feeders and indicators of organic pollution suggesting the sampled area is organically rich. Polychaete abundance was found to be higher along the west coast and was attributed to loose texture of sediment due to high sand and sandy-silt resulting in higher interstitial space for organisms to harbor. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that majority of polychaete species preferred low organic carbon, sandy silt, or sandy-clay substratum. The lower polychaete abundance at high organic carbon and high silt and clay areas can be attributed to avoidance of organisms to rich organic matter and suboxic levels, being a possible indication that these characteristics adversely affects the polychaete abundance and distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective and Design: The objective of the study was to find out the prevalence of overweight, obesity, undernutrition and physical activity status in the urban populations of India. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 6-12 urban streets in each of five cities in five different regions of India using a common study protocol and criteria of diagnosis., Subjects and Methods: A total of 6940 subjects (3433 women and 3507 men) aged 25 years and above were randomly selected from the cities of Moradabad (n = 2002),Trivandrum (n = 1602), Calcutta (n = 900), Nagpur (n = 894) and Bombay (n = 1542). Evaluation and validation were performed by a physician and dietitian-administered questionnaire at Moradabad. After pooling of data, all subjects were divided into various age groups for men and women. Obesity (body mass index = 30 > kg/m(2)) and overweight (BMI 2 25-29.9 kg/m(2) and > 23 kg/m(2)) as well as waist-hip ratio (> 0.85 in women and > 0.88 in men, central obesity) were calculated and physical activity status assessed by a validated questionnaire., Results: The overall prevalence of obesity was 6.8% (7.8 vs. 6.2%, P < 0.05) and overweight 33.5% (35.0 vs. 32.0%, P < 0.05) among women and men, respectively. The highest prevalence of obesity (7.8%) and overweight (36.9%) was found among subjects aged 35 to 44 years in both sexes. The prevalence of obesity was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in Trivandrum (8.5%), Calcutta (7. 1%) and Bombay (8.3%) compared to Moradabad (6.2%) among women and in Trivandrum (7.4%) and Bombay (7.2%), compared to Nagpur (5.0%) among men. There was a significant decreasing trend in obesity (P < 0.05) and overweight (P < 0.05) with increasing age above 35-44 years in both sexes. The overall prevalence of subjects > 23 kg/m(2) was 50.8% and central obesity 52.6%. The overall prevalence of sedentary behaviour was 59.3% among women and 58.5% among men. Both sedentary behaviour and mild activity showed a significant increasing trend in women after the age of 35-44 years. In men, such a trend was observed above the age of 45 years. Sedentary behaviour was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in Trivandrum, Calcutta, and Bombay compared to Nagpur. Sedentary behaviour was significantly (P < 0.001) associated with obesity in both sexes, compared to non-obese men and women. The overall prevalence of undernutrition was 5.5% (n = 380) which was significantly more common in Moradabad, north and Nagpur, central India compared to other cities., Conclusions: Obesity, overweight and central obesity and sedentary behaviour coexist with undernutrition, and have become a public health problem in all the five cities of India. The prevalence of obesity and sedentary behaviour was significantly greater in Trivandrum, Calcutta and Bombay compared to Moradabad and Nagpur. Sedentary behaviour was significantly associated with obesity compared to non-obese subjects in both sexes, which may be due to greater economic development in metro cities.

The defaecation habits of 172 adults before and after a cholera epidemic in New Delhi in 1988 were investigated. Intensive educational activities were undertaken during the epidemic. A community latrine facility was constructed in this area in February 1988. A greater proportion of females than males were found to be exclusively using the latrines at both rounds of the investigation. A statistically significant relationship with age was observed (P less than 0.001), while literacy was not found to exert a statistically significant effect. Difference in usage habits were more marked in the second round of the investigation. Cost and distance were the main reasons cited for non-utilization of latrines. 91.4% of respondents stated that they had faced some problem in using latrines. Most children were found to be defaecating in the open around the dwelling units at both rounds of the investigation.