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Background: Fasting before elective anesthesia care is a standardized practice worldwide. The aim is to decrease the risk of aspiration leading to pulmonary complications such as aspiration pneumonitis during anesthesia care. There are different guidelines for elective preoperative fasting in children. However, there is insufficient literature measuring gastric emptying time after breast milk or formula milk feeding in infants. Objective: This study used gastric ultrasound to determine the gastric emptying time for breast milk and formula milk in children below 6 months of age. We also compared the calculated gastric volumes among breast‐fed and formula milk‐fed based on Schmitz's and Spencer's formula. Materials and methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in India between November (2017–2019). A total of 52 infants less than 6 months of age were recruited. The study population was divided into two groups (breast‐fed and formula milk‐fed) of 26 patients each. Ultrasound was used to measure the antral cross‐sectional area of the stomach and to calculate the gastric volume using the two classical formulas (Schmitz and Spencer's). Gastric emptying was reported when the bull's eye appearance of the gastric antrum was seen or when the antral cross‐sectional area was less than 3.07 cm2. Results: The number of breast‐fed children whose antral cross‐sectional was greater than 3.07 cm2 (cut‐off value for aspiration risk) beyond 1 h was 14/26 (53.84%) while none (0) children went beyond 3 h. The number of formula‐fed children whose antral cross‐sectional was greater than 3.07 cm2 beyond 1 h was 17/26 (65.38%) while one child (3.84%) went beyond 3 h. Using Schmitz's formula, mean (SD) gastric emptying times were 0.35 ± 0.68 h (95% CI 0.35 ± 0.185, range 0.165–0.535) for breast‐fed patients and 0.35 ± 0.69 h (95% CI 0.35 ± 0.188, range 0.162–0.538) for formula‐fed patients, and were thus neither clinically nor statistically different (p =.73) Using Spencer's formula, the mean gastric emptying times were 0.12 ± 0.33 h (95% CI 0.12 ± 0.09, range 0.03–0.21) for breast‐fed patients and 0.04 ± 0.20 h (95% CI 0.04 ± 0.05, range −0.01 to 0.09) for formula‐fed patients, and were also neither clinically nor statistically different p =.13. Conclusion: In our series, the gastric emptying times in breast‐fed and formula‐fed infants less than 6 months old were similar. Our results support the fasting guidelines of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care 2022, that is, 3 h for breastfeeding and 4 h for formula milk feeding. In addition, this shows that the Schmitz's and Spencer's formulae used to calculate the gastric volume based on ultrasound measurement of the antral cross‐sectional area are not comparable in infants less than 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inadequate complementary feeding practices lead to poor cognition, stunting, and increased rate of infections. Insight into deficiencies of complementary feeding practices could help in planning and implementing newer approaches at various levels of intersection. Aims and Objectives: The aim and purpose of the study were to determine the complementary feeding practices, to identify maternal determinants of each practice, and to analyze the associations between complementary feeding practices with malnutrition. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, of a tertiary hospital over a 14-week period. All children aged 6-23 months were included in the study. Data were collected using a pre-structured questionnaire based on the World Health Organization Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) indicators for assessing IYCF practices. Results: A total of 400 mothers participated in the study. The mean age of children was 12.58 20±5.02 months, male: female = 1.6:1. The mean age of starting complementary feeding was 6.81±1.79 months. Semisolid food was introduced in 90.2% of children, minimum dietary diversity was received by 61.0%, minimum meal frequency by 83.8%, and minimum acceptable diet by 58.2%, eggs and flesh by 14.2% and 3.5% children, respectively; only 9.2% received vitamin A rich fruits and 38.5% did not receive any vegetable or fruit. Bottle feeding was present in 55.5% of population. Maternal parameters (education, employment access to media) and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with feeding practices (P<0.05). A significant difference was found in the nutritional status (wasting and stunting) of children who did not receive minimum dietary diversity (P<0.01). Conclusion: Wide gap exists in feeding practices even in urban settings and was significantly associated with child's nutritional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is a low‐middle income country with a population of 1.4 billion and home to one quarter of the world's children. Exclusive breastfeeding until 6 months and continued breastfeeding until at least 2 years as per global recommendations are common practice. The Indian government and associated organisations have strived to protect breastfeeding, which is important in a country with high under‐5 mortality, malnutrition and stunting. Allergic disease is under‐recognised in India, but despite the absence of a dedicated allergy medical specialty, awareness of allergy is increasing among healthcare practitioners and in the general population. In high‐income countries, overdiagnosis of allergy has become recognised as an issue in recent years. Allergy healthcare professionals have also attracted criticism for close relationships with the formula industry, which appear to have contributed to excessive use of specialised formula products and undermining of breastfeeding. Specialised formula has been used unnecessarily for preventing allergy, based on fraudulent and selectively reported science; and for managing normal infant symptoms which are mislabelled as milk allergy. This forms part of a broader formula industry corporate strategy to widen the boundaries of illness in order to expand sales and markets. In India, allergic disease management is hindered by limited understanding of the disease entity among practitioners, low access to diagnostics, limited healthcare resources, high exposure to air pollution and a large, diverse population. Data specific to India on allergic disease prevalence and interpreting allergy diagnostics are incomplete. The knowledge gaps mean allergy management in India is often extrapolated from guidance developed in high‐income countries with low breastfeeding rates. As the allergy specialty develops in India, local guidance and practice will need to recognise the threat that current allergy practice poses to India's normative infant feeding culture, and ensure that breastfeeding continues to be supported at all levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydro-distillation essential oil was obtained from the leaf, stem, and flower of Blumea paniculata (Willd.) M.R.Almeida (Asteraceae) and analysed using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Fifty-eight, sixty-nine and, fifty-seven constituents were identified from leaf oil (LO), stem oil (SO) and flower oil (FO), representing 95.8%, 96.3% and 95.1% of the total oil constituents, respectively. The major constituents were identified as germacrene D (39.6–48.1%), α-humulene (4.9–8.9%), β-caryophyllene (4.8–7.7%), and α-cadinol (2.9–6.8%) from different parts of the plant B. paniculata. The oils were found to be rich in sesquiterpenoid-type constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments established national lockdowns and social distancing as an effective plan to control this disease. As a result of the lockdown policies, diabetic patients` access to food products, medication, and routine follow-ups is disrupted, making it difficult for them to control their disease. Methods: International databases, including PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus, were searched until April 2022. All observational studies included assessing the impact of lockdown and social distancing on eating habits (as primary outcome), and glycemic and anthropometric indices (as secondary outcomes) of diabetic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Scale was used to assess the quality rating of the studies. Results: Overall, 22 studies were included in this systematic review, the results of which varied in different communities. In most studies, consumption of grains, fruits, and vegetables was reported to increase. On the other hand, consumption of snacks and sweets was reported to increase in other surveys. During the COVID-19 lockdown, most diabetic patients preferred to cook meals at home, using less takeout, fast foods, and alcoholic drinks. Although the patients mostly improved their eating habits, the glycemic and anthropometric indices were contradictory in different studies. Studies showed that the eating habits of diabetic patients vary from country to country, even in some cases and studies done in the same country showed different results. For example, all the studies done in Japan showed an increase in the consumption of snacks and sweets, leading to weight gain in the patients. However, conflicting results in eating habits have been observed in studies conducted in India. Conclusion: The lockdown policies have led to a beneficial change in the eating habits of diabetic patients to consume more fruits and vegetables and reduce the consumption of animal protein products and alcoholic beverages. While some diabetic patients have increased consumption of snacks and sweets, leading to a disturbance in their glycemic and anthropometric indices control. Understanding the consequences of lockdown and social distancing of the diabetic patient during the COVID-19 pandemic can help public health authorities make better recommendations to improve glycemic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This observational study done during April–December 2020 at a tertiary-care hospital in Haryana (India) enrolled 152 SARS-CoV-2-exposed neonates. Among them, 150 neonates had perinatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure and 2 neonates had late postnatal exposure. Stable infant-mother dyads were roomed-in with precautions to support breastfeeding. Nasopharyngeal swabs collected from neonates were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. There was a high incidence of prematurity (23%), low birth weight (31%), intrauterine fetal distress (16%), perinatal asphyxia (6%), admission to neonatal intensive care unit (24%), and mortality (1.3%) among neonates with perinatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure. In this sub-group, 20 neonates tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swab sample(s). A recent official publication by the World Health Organization emphasizes that the perinatal SARS-CoV-2-exposed neonates found RT-PCR positive once in upper respiratory (non-sterile) sample must document viral persistence in another non-sterile sample for confirmation of mother-to-child virus transmission. With this approach, only one neonate was confirmed intrapartum transmission. A telephonic follow-up in discharged neonates at 1 month of age or 1 month postexposure recorded them all to be asymptomatic and doing well. Conclusion: Neonates with perinatal SARS-CoV-2 exposure constitute a high-risk group and it is not uncommon to get a positive RT-PCR report in upper respiratory sample(s) from these babies. Majority of them do not demonstrate viral persistence. Clinical outcomes are favorable in breastfed infants roomed-in with their asymptomatic-mild symptomatic SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers following appropriate safety protocols. What is Known: •Neonates with perinatal exposure suffer a high burden of morbidities and mortality. •Still, an uncertainty exists about rooming-in and breastfeeding among neonates born to SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers. What is New: •With the policy of mother-infant rooming-in and supporting breastfeeding, none of the neonate suffered clinical illness compatible with postnatal SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection. •Around 13% perinatal exposed neonates demonstrated SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal swab samples but the majority of them did not demonstrate viral persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper complementary feeding practices are common in India, thus leading to malnutrition. The objective was to compare complementary feeding practices of mothers with children aged between 6 months and 2 years before and after individualized nutritional counseling. This before-and-after interventional study was carried out in a tertiary care teaching hospital between June 2018 and August 2018 on 30 mothers attending an immunization clinic. Feeding practices were assessed using interview techniques with the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India Maharashtra checklist for Complementary Food Counseling (Diet Audit), and scoring was carried out. Baseline data included history of inclusion of items from food groups such as cereals; pulses; vitamins A, C, and D; vegetables/fruits; milk/dairy products; non-vegetarian items; and iron-rich foods; and consumption of baby feeds and junk foods. Individualized counseling was given to all study subjects, which lasted for 30–40 min. Models of various food items were shown to mothers. Feeding practices were reassessed after 4 weeks of one-to-one counseling. Feeding by mothers improved significantly in the form of items from the total number of groups from 4.3 (1.4) to 5.6 (1.3) after nutritional counseling (p: 0.001). Consumption of junk foods decreased significantly from 4.3 (2.8) to 2.6 (1.8; p: 0.001) and baby foods decreased from 0.8 (0.7) to 0.2 (0.4; p: 0.001). Individualized nutritional counseling of mothers can improve complementary feeding practices and ensure food diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To optimize growth in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, human milk fortification is standard of care in neonatal units of high-income countries. However, commercial fortifiers may not be available or it may be too expensive in resource-limited settings. As an alternative to using human milk fortifiers, we studied the effects of milk fortification with an infant formula on growth and biochemical parameters of very low birth weight (VLBW) infantsMethods: We undertook a prospective, randomized controlled trial in the neonatal unit of a tertiary care hospital in South India. Preterm infants weighing <1500 grams and <34 weeks of gestation were randomized after stratification according to birth weight into two groups (<1250 g and 1250 to <1500 g). One group received fortified human milk while the other received exclusive human milk. The fortification was done with a commercially available infant milk powder added to expressed breast milk (when the infant reached 150 ml/kg/day of feeds) and continued till the infant reached 1800 g. The primary outcome was the rate of weight gain/kg/day. Secondary outcome measures were linear growth, head circumference increase, biochemical parameters to assess the adequacy or excess of protein supplementation and comorbidities like feed intolerance, sepsis, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).Results: Total of 163 babies were randomized during the study period, of whom 148 babies (73 in the standard arm and 75 in the fortification arm) completed the trial. Baseline demographic data among the two groups were comparable. Weight gain/kg/day (mean difference (MD) 1.98 g/kg/day; 95% CI: 1.03-2.92; p<.001) and linear growth (MD 0.09 cm/week; 95% CI: 0.02-0.2; p=.02) was significantly higher in the fortification arm as compared to the control arm. The head growth (head circumference gain in cm/week) was higher and length of hospital stay lesser in the fortification arm, though not statistically significant. Biochemical parameters, rates of sepsis, feed intolerance, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were not different between the two groups.Conclusion: Fortification with Infant milk powder achieves better growth parameters than unfortified human milk and can be a useful alternative for feeding preterm VLBW infants in low resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, where 40 out of every 1000 infants die before the age of 5 because of various reasons. In infant mortality rate, our nation remains highest in the world, followed by China. However, India is making good progress in reducing the infant deaths through a number of Government initiatives. One among those is human milk bank. Human milk is the only lifesaving, nutritious food that can keep an infant alive and healthy. Similar to the activities of a blood bank a breast milk bank works on to receive and supply donated breast milk to pre-term babies. Health experts call donated breast milk as 'liquid gold' and consider it as a boon for babies with poor health and a weak immune system. The number of milk banks are very less in India, when it is compared with the population growth rate. Human milk bank is totally a new initiative for Keralites. This study is focused to find out the significance of human milk bank and its level of awareness among nursing mothers in Kerala. It is also attempted by means of this study to find out whether they are ready to accept the novel public welfare concept [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydro-distilled volatile constituents from the stem with leaf and flower of Neanotis lancifolia (Hook.f.) W.H.Lewis (Rubiaceae) were investigated for the first time by using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC–FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Forty-two and twelve compounds were identified from the stem with leaf and flower parts oils, respectively, representing 98.5% and 97.1% of the total oil constituents, respectively. The major constituents were identified as linalool (35.9% stem with leaf; 23.3% flower) and borneol (15.0% stem with leaf; 29.2% flower). The volatile oils of both parts of the plant N. lancifolia were found to be rich in oxygenated monoterpene type of constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A mini-survey of 29 different foods produced by 21 different Indian manufacturers was conducted for the presence of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, aflatoxin M1 and deoxynivalenol. The products were purchased from local markets in Kolkata, India and commonly used in the complementary feeding of infants and toddlers in India. Using a previously established direct competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay for this analysis we show that 100% of the samples contained aflatoxin M1 at levels exceeding the recommended European Union levels of 25 ng kg−1 by more than an order of magnitude. Also, several (66%) of them contained detectable concentrations of deoxynivalenol with two samples (6.9%) exceeding European Union guidelines for baby food products (200 μg kg−1) and 51.7% samples with DON levels that can lead to dietary intake higher than 1 μg kg−1 recommended by the joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives. None of the samples contained aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2. The results, therefore, suggest that complementary feeding can put Indian infants and toddlers at risk of simultaneous exposures to deoxynivalenol and aflatoxin M1 and warrant an urgent in-depth research to track, increase surveillance and reduce mycotoxin contamination of baby foods manufactured in India. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Mycotoxins aflatoxin M1 and DON was co-present in 66% food products used in the complementary feeding of Indian children. • Aflatoxin M1 was present in all samples at levels exceeding the recommended EU levels by more than an order of magnitude. • 51.7% samples also contained DON at levels that could result in dietary intake greater than JECFA recommended levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The milk has high nutritional properties and is widely used as baby food in different forms. The present study was undertaken to evaluate pesticide contamination in bovine milk samples from Patna district of Bihar. Out of 24 samples analyzed during 2012, 18 samples (75 %) were found to be contaminated with HCH residues varying from ND-0.178 mg kg-1 (mean value 0.135 mg kg-1). Seven samples (29.2 %) had HCH exceeding MRL of 0.01 mg kg-1. DDT residues were detected in 20 samples (83.3 %) and ranged from ND-0.132 mg kg-1 (mean value 0.122 mg kg-1). Five samples (20.8 %) contained DDT residues above the prescribed MRL of 0.05 mg kg-1. Out of 24 samples of bovine milk analyzed during 2013, 16 samples (66.7 %) were found to be contaminated with HCH and 15 samples (62.5%) with DDT residues. The residues of HCH varied from ND-0.154 mg kg-1 (mean value 0.053 mg kg-1) and DDT from ND-0.120 mg kg-1 (mean value 0.122 mg kg-1). The residues of HCH and DDT were above MRL in four samples (16.7 %) and three samples (12.5 %) respectively. The management practices of animals and legal punishment on using banned pesticides are the alternatives to reduce pesticide contamination incidences in milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficiency of vitamin A has long been identified as a serious and preventable nutritional disorder, associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity amongst children. The present study was conducted with the objectives (i) to perform organoleptic testing of food products cooked in Deacidified and Deodourised Palm oil (DDPO), by sensory evaluation method and (ii) to compare the characteristics of these food products with the same products cooled in routinely used oil. Eleven commonly used weaning food items were prepared with routinely used oil (Group a). The same recipes were also prepared with DDPO (Group B). A food testing panel conducted with sensory evaluation for assessing the acceptability of the various food items. It was observed that with respect to all characteristics there was no significant difference in the recipes made with the two types of oil. Results indicated that DDPO can be used in India for preparation of weaning foods which are routinely given to young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 250 samples-including fruits, fruit juices, and baby foods (50 samples each), vegetables (70 samples), and cereals (30 samples)-were collected from Lucknow, India, and analyzed for the presence of imidacloprid residues. The QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method of extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis were carried out, and imidacloprid residues were qualitatively confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Imidacloprid was not detected in samples of fruit juices and baby foods. It was, however, detected in 38 samples of fruits, vegetables, and cereals, which is about 15.20% of the total samples. Of samples of fruits, 22% showed the presence of imidacloprid, and 2% of samples showed residues above the maximal residue limit. Although imidacloprid was detected in 24% of vegetable samples, only 5.71% showed the presence of imidacloprid above the maximal residue limit. However, 33% of cereal samples showed the presence of imidacloprid, and about 3% of samples were above the maximal residue limit. The calculated estimated daily intake ranged between 0.004 and 0.131 µg/kg body weight, and the hazard indices ranged from 0.007 to 0.218 for these food commodities. It is therefore indicated that lifetime consumption of vegetables, fruits, fruit juices, baby foods, wheat, rice, and pulses may not pose a health hazard for the population of Lucknow because the hazard indices for imidacloprid residues were below one. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2013;32:723-727. © 2012 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving infant and young child feeding practices will help South Asian countries achieve the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality. This paper aims to compare key indicators of complementary feeding and their determinants in children aged 6-23 months across five South Asian countries - Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The latest Demographic and Health Survey and National Family Health Survey India data were used. The analyses were confined to last-born children aged 6-23 months - 1728 in Bangladesh, 15 028 in India, 1428 in Nepal, 2106 in Sri Lanka and 443 infants aged 6-8 months in Pakistan. Introduction of solid, semi-solid or soft foods, minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet, and their significant determinants were compared across the countries. Minimum dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months ranged from 15% in India to 71% in Sri Lanka, with Nepal (34%) and Bangladesh (42%) in between. Minimum acceptable diet among breastfed children was 9% in India, 32% in Nepal, 40% in Bangladesh and 68% in Sri Lanka. The most consistent determinants of inappropriate complementary feeding practices across all countries were the lack of maternal education and lower household wealth. Limited exposure to media, inadequate antenatal care and lack of post-natal contacts by health workers were among predictors of inappropriate feeding. Overall, complementary feeding practices among children aged 6-23 months need improvement in all South Asian countries. More intensive interventions are necessary targeting the groups with sup-optimal practices, while programmes that cover entire populations are being continued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, poor feeding practices in early childhood contribute to the burden of malnutrition as well as infant and child mortality. This paper aims to use the newly developed World Health Organization (WHO) infant feeding indicators to determine the prevalence of complementary feeding indicators among children of 6-23 months of age and to identify the determinants of inappropriate complementary feeding practices in India. The study data on 15 028 last-born children aged 6-23 months was obtained from the National Family Health Survey 2005-2006. Inappropriate complementary feeding indicators were examined against a set of child, parental, household, health service and community level characteristics. The prevalence of timely introduction of complementary feeding among infants aged 6-8 months was 55%. Among children aged 6-23 months, minimum dietary diversity rate was 15.2%, minimum meal frequency 41.5% and minimum acceptable diet 9.2%. Children in northern and western geographical regions of India had higher odds for inappropriate complementary feeding indicators than in other geographical regions. Richest households were less likely to delay introduction of complementary foods than other households. Other determinants of not meeting minimum dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet were: no maternal education, lower maternal Body Mass Index (BMI) (<18.5 kg/m2), lower wealth index, less frequent (<7) antenatal clinic visits, lack of post-natal visits and poor exposure to media. A very low proportion of children aged 6-23 months in India received adequate complementary foods as measured by the WHO indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infant-feeding patterns may influence lifelong health. This study tested the hypothesis that longer duration of breastfeeding and later introduction of complementary foods in infancy are associated with reduced adult cardiovascular risk.Methods: Data were pooled from 10 912 subjects in the age range of 15-41 years from five prospective birth-cohort studies in low-/middle-income countries (Brazil, Guatemala, India, Philippines and South Africa). Associations were examined between infant feeding (duration of breastfeeding and age at introduction of complementary foods) and adult blood pressure (BP), plasma glucose concentration and adiposity (skinfolds, waist circumference, percentage body fat and overweight/obesity). Analyses were adjusted for maternal socio-economic status, education, age, smoking, race and urban/rural residence and infant birth weight.Results: There were no differences in outcomes between adults who were ever breastfed compared with those who were never breastfed. Duration of breastfeeding was not associated with adult diabetes prevalence or adiposity. There were U-shaped associations between duration of breastfeeding and systolic BP and hypertension; however, these were weak and inconsistent among the cohorts. Later introduction of complementary foods was associated with lower adult adiposity. Body mass index changed by -0.19 kg/m(2) [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.37 to -0.01] and waist circumference by -0.45 cm (95% CI -0.88 to -0.02) per 3-month increase in age at introduction of complementary foods.Conclusions: There was no evidence that longer duration of breastfeeding is protective against adult hypertension, diabetes or overweight/adiposity in these low-/middle-income populations. Further research is required to determine whether 'exclusive' breastfeeding may be protective. Delaying complementary foods until 6 months, as recommended by the World Health Organization, may reduce the risk of adult overweight/adiposity, but the effect is likely to be small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the status of complementary feeding practices for children aged six to 23 months in Uttar Pradesh, India. It discusses the recommended young child feeding practices which include continued breastfeeding, semi-solid and solid food feeding, and feeding a variety of foods. It is concluded that 24 percent of the children were given complementary food and that complementary feeding measured by the type of food and frequency of feeding was low and delayed among all age groups.

Access to safe breast-feeding alternatives for HIV-infected mothers and their infants in many settings is limited. We compared the rates of early postpartum hospitalization of infants born to HIV-infected mothers using different infant-feeding practices in a large government hospital in Pune, India. From March 1, 2000 to November 30, 2001, infants born to HIV-infected mothers were followed in a postpartum clinic. All mothers had received a standard short course of antenatal zidovudine. Infant-feeding practices were assessed within 3 d of delivery, prior to postpartum hospital discharge. Sixty-two of 148 mothers (42%) were breast-feeding their infants. Eighty-six of the mothers (58%) were providing replacement feeding, primarily diluted cow, goat or buffalo milk (top feeding). Twenty-one of the 148 participating infants (14.2%) born during the study period required hospitalization within the 1st 6 mo of life and 6 infants required repeat hospitalization. All hospitalized infants were receiving replacement feeding with a rate of 0.093 hospitalizations per 100 person-days (95% CI, 0.062 to 0.136). The reasons for hospitalization included acute gastroenteritis (48.1%), pneumonia (18.5%), septicemia (11.1%) and jaundice (11.1%). A high risk for early postpartum hospitalization was seen in replacement-fed infants born to HIV-infected mothers in Pune, India. In settings such as India, where access to safe replacement feeding is limited, interventions making exclusive breast-feeding safer for HIV-infected mothers and infants are needed. Such interventions would be valuable additions to the very effective national prevention programs that currently rely on the provision of short-course zidovudine and nevirapine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear whether a substantial decline in malnutrition among infants in developing countries can be achieved by increasing food availability and nutrition counseling without concurrent morbidity-reducing interventions. The study was designed to determine whether provision of generous amounts of a micronutrient-fortified food supplement supported by counseling or nutritional counseling alone would significantly improve physical growth between 4 and 12 mo of age. In a controlled trial, 418 infants 4 mo of age were individually randomized to one of the four groups and followed until 12 mo of age. The first group received a milk-based cereal and nutritional counseling; the second group monthly nutritional counseling alone. To control for the effect of twice-weekly home visits for morbidity ascertainment, similar visits were made in one of the control groups (visitation group); the fourth group received no intervention. The median energy intake from nonbreast milk sources was higher in the food supplementation group than in the visitation group by 1212 kJ at 26 wk (P < 0.001), 1739 kJ at 38 wk (P < 0.001) and 2257 kJ at 52 wk (P < 0.001). The food supplementation infants gained 250 g (95% confidence interval: 20--480 g) more weight than did the visitation group. The difference in the mean increment in length during the study was 0.4 cm (95% confidence interval: -0.1--0.9 cm). The nutritional counseling group had higher energy intakes ranging from 280 to 752 kJ at different ages (P < 0.05 at all ages) but no significant benefit on weight and length increments. Methods to enhance the impact of these interventions need to be identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associations studies were attempted between the type of feeding, duration, and time of starting of solid foods in infancy and the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). The study subjects comprised 52 IDDM patients and 52 control subjects matched for sex, age, social status, country, geographical location and selected from pediatric departments of different hospitals in Tehran. Diabetic children (21 boys, 31 girls) were of the ages of 1.5 to 14 years. Information about the pattern of their feeding at the first two years of life were collected through questionnaires administered to the mothers. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate the duration of complete or partial breast-feeding and the age at which dietary products containing cow's milk were introduced into the diet. A large proportion of the diabetic children rather than the control children had been breast-fed, and the risk of IDDM among children who had not been breast-fed was below unity. No significant difference in the duration of breast-feeding was observed between diabetic and control group. Our data do not support the existence of a protective effect of breast-feeding on the risk of IDDM, nor do the data indicate that early exposure to cow's milk and dairy products has any influence on the development of IDDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The knowledge and attitudes regarding infant feeding practices were studied among those health personnel (doctors, nurses and dais) who were delivering M.C.H. services in the peripheral areas of Barmer District (W. Rajasthan). The study revealed that the health personnel under study are not fully aware of the correct infant feeding practices and thus their incorrect knowledge and attitudes when put into practice can have detrimental effects. This study highlights the need of continuing medical education and stepping up of pediatric training in undergraduate courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) is the key functionaries for the effective implementation of maternal and child health care services at the grass root level in India. Method: The effectiveness of this training programme was assessed by conducting a pre-test and post-test assessments. The correct responses to the test items in the questionnaire were given one mark, with a maximum of 20 marks. Results: The training on the knowledge, attitude and practices of breast feeding was found to be effective. The difference in the pre and the post test score of the participants was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: The ASHA workers and their supervisors gained the knowledge and skills on breastfeeding and complementary feeding after the training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majority of the developing and developed nations have accepted that the breast-milk, for the newborns, is the best balanced and nutritious food as it protects infants from infections and imparts immunity when it is initiated from the 1st day of delivery. The present study is attempted to analyze the breast feeding practices among the urban slum lactating mothers of Visakhapatnam ,a costal city of South Eastern part of India. The present sample of study of lactating mothers is 161n lactating mothers, randomly selected between the ages 15 and 35 years. The present study has revealed the following interesting facts. In this study, 90% of the mothers have initiated breast feeding to their newborn babies on 3rd day of delivery instead of 1st day. 40% of the mothers have squeezed out their 1st day breast milk(colostrums) under the influence of superstitions. All most all the mothers have offered pre-lactated foods(sugar and water) to their newborns. Most of the individuals under investigation prolonged the lactation period up to 2 years. The complementary foods were introduced to their newborns in between 6th and 8th months of the infancy. The estimated frequency of feeding per day is 6-10 times. Majority of lactating women started resuming menstruation from 8th month of delivery onwards. Many details are furnished in the full text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]