PURPOSE: This study verified the reliability and validity of the Diet Quality Index for Indian children (DQIIC). METHODS: The study sample included 100 school going boys and girls (7–9 years). The dietary behavior of children was studied using a questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recall. The DQIIC comprises 21 items which aimed to assess the diet of Indian children on the basis of variety, adequacy of consumption of dietary components, and moderation in the amount of nutrients that are associated with diseases and dietary habits. The reliability of the DQIIC was assessed using the split half method, Cronbach's alpha, and test retest reliability. Content validity was evaluated using content validity ratio (CVR). RESULTS: The intake of iron was found to be less than the recommended dietary allowances. There was frequent consumption of empty calorie packaged foods and higher than the recommended amount of sodium. Reliability of the DQIIC was 0.85 by split half method and the correlation coefficient for test retest reliability was 0.87. Cronbach's alpha was 0.62 and CVR was 0.85 for this index. Most of the children fell in the moderately healthy category. CONCLUSION: The DQIIC is a reliable and valid tool to assess the diet quality of Indian children between 7–9 years.
Child ; Diet ; Female ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Iron ; Methods ; Nutritional Status ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sodium

Background/Aims: Diagnostic abdominal paracentesis has been described in literature to have variable sensitivity of 50%–75% for the detection of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). We believe that random needle aspirates from the omentum, even in the absence of obvious deposits by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), could prove malignancy in patients with PC. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent EUS for diagnosis and staging of cancer and found to have ascites were included after obtaining informed consent. EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) from random sites in the omentum was performed through the transgastric route using a linear echoendoscope. Results: Fifty-four patients underwent EUS during October 2015 to April 2017 for detection, staging, or FNA of a suspected malignant lesion. Ascites was seen in 17 patients and 15 patients who fulfilled the criteria were included. The procedure was successful in all patients. Cytology was suggestive of malignancy in 12 (80%) but not suggestive of malignancy in 3 (20%) patients. Three patients who tested negative had hyperbilirubinemia with biliary obstruction. Their ascitic fluid analysis result was also negative. Conclusions Random FNA of the omentum in patients with malignancy-related ascites is highly effective in the diagnosis of PC and could be employed during EUS evaluation of malignancies.

Introduction: Ageing is a natural and irreversible process, associated with deterioration of physiological, social and cognitive activities. The nutritional status of the elderly is adversely affected by declining cognitive and functional ability. The association of nutritional status with diet quality, functional and cognitive ability and depression among the elderly is not well understood. This study aimed to compute the association of nutritional status with diet quality, functional and cognitive ability and depression among the elderly. Method: A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 250 elderly (146 men, 104 women) of ≥65 years, residing in Tonk district of Rajasthan (India). Self-developed elderly dietary index (EDI) was used to evaluate diet quality and standardized tools, viz., geriatric depression scale (GDS), activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), mini nutritional assessment (MNA), and short portable mental status questionnaire (SPMSQ) were used to assess depression, functional status, nutritional status and cognition respectively. Results: Two-thirds of the elderly in this study were at risk of malnutrition (66.67%, n= 167). MNA scores had significant association with Indian EDI (χ2 = 47.50, p=0.000), ADL (χ2 = 32.37, p= 0.000) and SPMSQ (χ2 =18.61, p= 0.001), whereas MNA scores had non significant association with IADL (χ2 = 14.30, p= 0.006) and GDS scores (χ2 = 5.44, p= 0.066). IADL scores were found to be significantly correlated with GDS (r= -0.255) and SPMSQ (r= -0238) Conclusion: Present study shows that the nutritional status of the elderly is associated with diet quality, functional and cognitive ability, but is not associated with depression in the elderly of Tonk.

Antioxidant-the word itself is magic. Using the antioxidant concept as a spearhead in proposed mechanisms for staving off so-called "free-radical" reactions, the rush is on to mine claims for the latest and most effective combination of free-radical scavenging compounds. We must acknowledge that such "radicals" have definitively been shown to damage all biochemical components such as DNA/RNA, carbohydrates, unsaturated lipids, proteins, and micronutrients such as carotenoids (alpha and beta carotene, lycopene), vitamins A, B6, B12, and folate. Defense strategies against such aggressive radical species include enzymes, antioxidants that occur naturally in the body (glutathione, uric acid, ubiquinol-10, and others) and radical scavenging nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, and carotenoids. This paper will present a brief discussion of some well- and little-known herbs that may add to the optimization of antioxidant status and therefore offer added preventive values for overall health. It is important to state at the outset that antioxidants vary widely in their free-radical quenching effects and each may be individually attracted to specific cell sites. Further evidence of the specialized nature of the carotenoids is demonstrated by the appearance of two carotenoids in the macula region of the retina where beta-carotene is totally absent.
Antioxidants ; Plant Preparations ; Plants, Medicinal

Introduction: Traditional galactogogue recipes are still being used, though not widely, and scientific studies on their use are scanty. This research aimed to study commonly used traditional galactogogue-recipes using primary sources, to bring about nutritional enhancement in most popular recipes and compare the standard and nutrified galactogogue-recipes for nutrients, phytochemicals and sensory qualities. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 120 mothers (older than 20 years) residing in Indian states of Rajasthan and Uttar-Pradesh in their 0-1 year of lactation period who consented to be a part of the study. Background-information and use of galactogogues was collected with the help of self-designed, pre-tested questionnaires. Nutritive-value (moisture, ash, protein, fat, dietary-fibre, carbohydrate, iron, and calcium) of two of the most popular galactogogues ajwain-laddu and harira were calculated to find out the nutrient(s) lacking in it. Ajwain-laddu was nutrified using whole milk-powder, drumstick leaves powder and additional amount of clarified-butter. Harira was nutrified using poppy-seeds, niger-seeds and carrots. Results: The commonly used galactogogues were ajwain-laddu, harira, Gond-laddu, and Sonth-laddu. There was a significant difference between nutrient content of standard and nutrified-recipes (p<0.05) whereas no statistical difference was observed for hedonic rating-scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: Mothers were consuming traditional galactogogues foods in order to increase milk production and strongly believed that regular consumption of galactogogues has enhanced their milk production. To optimize the nutritional value of galactogogues, it is advisable to integrate ingredients abundant in phytochemicals and micronutrients. This can be accomplished while preserving the authentic taste and presentation of these galactogogue-recipes.