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Introduction This study was aimed to investigate the effect of multimodal intervention on the cognitive functions of older adults with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Materials and methods Sixty subjects were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive either computer based cognitive therapy (CBCT) or CBCT+Mediterranean equivalent diet (MED) or CBCT+MED+ Exercise regime and the control group. The intervention group received supervised CBCT twice a week to have 40 sessions, each of 40 minutes duration, and/ or supervised aerobic and resistive exercise twice a week for 24 weeks and or MED at home under the supervision of a dietician. The control group was provided with health awareness instructions for brain stimulating activities such as sudoku, mental maths, and learning music and new skills. Results Cognitive functions which was the primary outcome measure were assessed using the Post Graduate Institute Memory Scale (PGI-MS), and Stroop Colour and Word Test at baseline and after 6 months intervention period. As assessed by the PGI-MS, there was significant improvement in domains such as mental balance, attention and concentration, delayed recall, immediate recall, verbal retention of dissimilar pairs, Visual retention, and total score both in the unimodal and multimodal intervention groups. However, the improvement was observed to be the highest in the multimodal intervention group as compared to unimodal group. All the participants completed the trial. Conclusion This pilot randomized control trial indicated that multimodal intervention could be an effective non-pharmacological intervention in individuals with SCI for improving their cognitive functions.

Introduction This study was aimed to investigate the effect of multimodal intervention on the cognitive functions of older adults with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Materials and methods Sixty subjects were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive either computer based cognitive therapy (CBCT) or CBCT+Mediterranean equivalent diet (MED) or CBCT+MED+ Exercise regime and the control group. The intervention group received supervised CBCT twice a week to have 40 sessions, each of 40 minutes duration, and/ or supervised aerobic and resistive exercise twice a week for 24 weeks and or MED at home under the supervision of a dietician. The control group was provided with health awareness instructions for brain stimulating activities such as sudoku, mental maths, and learning music and new skills. Results Cognitive functions which was the primary outcome measure were assessed using the Post Graduate Institute Memory Scale (PGI-MS), and Stroop Colour and Word Test at baseline and after 6 months intervention period. As assessed by the PGI-MS, there was significant improvement in domains such as mental balance, attention and concentration, delayed recall, immediate recall, verbal retention of dissimilar pairs, Visual retention, and total score both in the unimodal and multimodal intervention groups. However, the improvement was observed to be the highest in the multimodal intervention group as compared to unimodal group. All the participants completed the trial. Conclusion This pilot randomized control trial indicated that multimodal intervention could be an effective non-pharmacological intervention in individuals with SCI for improving their cognitive functions.

SuperAgers (SA) are older adults who exhibit cognitive capacities comparable to individuals who are three or more decades younger than them. The current study aimed to identify the characteristics of Indian SA by categorizing 55 older adults into SA and Typical Older Adults (TOA) and comparing their performance with a group of 50 younger participants (YP) (aged 25-50). A total of 105 participants were recruited after obtaining informed written consent. The cognitive abilities of the participants were assessed using Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-IV , Color Trails Test, Boston Naming Test (BNT), and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. SA outperformed TOA in all cognitive assessments (  < 0.001) and surpassed YP in BNT and WAIS-IV. SA's delayed recall scores were notably higher (12.29 ± 1.51) than TOA (6.32 ± 1.44). SA excelled in all cognitive domains demonstrating resilience to age-related cognitive decline. This study highlights Indian SuperAgers' exceptional cognitive prowess.

Background Identifying and treating people in a pre-frail state may be an effective way to prevent or delay frailty and preserve their functional capacity. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of, and compliance with, a 12 week individualized nutritional supplementation (INS) and Nordic walking (NW) program in pre-frail older Indians. The primary measure is physical performance, as indicated by Fried’s Frailty scale. Other measures include: cognition, as indicated by the Hindi Mental Status Examination; mood, by the Geriatric Depression Scale; and nutritional status, by the Mini Nutritional Assessment. Methods This is an open-labeled experimental pre-test and post-test study, which took place from October 2012 to December 2014. The study was approved by Institute Ethics committee (IEC/NP-350/2012/RP-26/2012) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Participants were sixty-six pre-frail elderly, who were randomly allocated into three subgroups, namely: A (NW only), B (INS only), and C (NW and INS). One-way ANOVA was used to statistically assess differences in baseline characteristics for quantitative variables, with the Chi-Square/Fischer exact test utilized for qualitative variables. Paired t-tests were used to assess pre and post intervention difference within the group for quantitative variables, with McNemar’s Chi-Square test used for qualitative variables. Kruskal Wallis test was used to assess significant intervention effects among the groups. A p -value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results There was significant effect of intervention in gait speed in group A ( p  = 0.001) and C ( p  = 0.002), but not in group B ( p  = 0.926). While there was no significant change in grip strength in Group A ( p  = 0.488) and B ( p  = 0.852), a statistically significant increase was observed in group C ( p  = 0.013). Mood significantly improved in group B ( p =  0.025) and C (p  = 0.021). No significant difference was noted in cognitive status across groups. Following the interventions, a total of 18.18% of pre-frail participants were classified as non-frail. Conclusions Combining NW and INS provides a simple, pragmatic intervention with efficacy in the management of functionally vulnerable older adults, and allows their maintained independence. Future studies should replicate this readily applicable intervention in a larger cohort with a longer follow-up period. Trial registration Clinical Trial Registry-India CTRI/2016/05/006937 [Registered on: 16/05/2016]; Trial was Registered Retrospectively.

Introduction This study was aimed to investigate the effect of multimodal intervention on the cognitive functions of older adults with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Materials and methods Sixty subjects were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive either computer based cognitive therapy (CBCT) or CBCT+Mediterranean equivalent diet (MED) or CBCT+MED+ Exercise regime and the control group. The intervention group received supervised CBCT twice a week to have 40 sessions, each of 40 minutes duration, and/ or supervised aerobic and resistive exercise twice a week for 24 weeks and or MED at home under the supervision of a dietician. The control group was provided with health awareness instructions for brain stimulating activities such as sudoku, mental maths, and learning music and new skills. Results Cognitive functions which was the primary outcome measure were assessed using the Post Graduate Institute Memory Scale (PGI-MS), and Stroop Colour and Word Test at baseline and after 6 months intervention period. As assessed by the PGI-MS, there was significant improvement in domains such as mental balance, attention and concentration, delayed recall, immediate recall, verbal retention of dissimilar pairs, Visual retention, and total score both in the unimodal and multimodal intervention groups. However, the improvement was observed to be the highest in the multimodal intervention group as compared to unimodal group. All the participants completed the trial. Conclusion This pilot randomized control trial indicated that multimodal intervention could be an effective non-pharmacological intervention in individuals with SCI for improving their cognitive functions.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of multimodal intervention on the cognitive functions of older adults with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). Sixty subjects were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive either computer based cognitive therapy (CBCT) or CBCT+Mediterranean equivalent diet (MED) or CBCT+MED+ Exercise regime and the control group. The intervention group received supervised CBCT twice a week to have 40 sessions, each of 40 minutes duration, and/ or supervised aerobic and resistive exercise twice a week for 24 weeks and or MED at home under the supervision of a dietician. The control group was provided with health awareness instructions for brain stimulating activities such as sudoku, mental maths, and learning music and new skills. Cognitive functions which was the primary outcome measure were assessed using the Post Graduate Institute Memory Scale (PGI-MS), and Stroop Colour and Word Test at baseline and after 6 months intervention period. As assessed by the PGI-MS, there was significant improvement in domains such as mental balance, attention and concentration, delayed recall, immediate recall, verbal retention of dissimilar pairs, Visual retention, and total score both in the unimodal and multimodal intervention groups. However, the improvement was observed to be the highest in the multimodal intervention group as compared to unimodal group. All the participants completed the trial. This pilot randomized control trial indicated that multimodal intervention could be an effective non-pharmacological intervention in individuals with SCI for improving their cognitive functions.

Background: Yeasts are important opportunistic pathogens, in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Yeast species inhabiting the oral mucosa of HIV-infected persons can act as source of oral lesions, especially as the individual progresses towards immunocompromised state. Present study was conducted to evaluate the diversity of yeasts in oral cavities of asymptomatic HIV-infected persons and their association with CD4 + cell counts. Materials and Methods: 100 HIV seropositive subjects and 100 healthy controls were screened for oral yeast carriage using standard procedures. Results: Of the 100 HIV-seropositive persons screened, 48 were colonized by different yeasts, either alone or in association with another species. Candida albicans was the most common species (56.90%) while non C. albicans Candida (NCAC) accounted for 39.65%. Among NCAC, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei were most common. One isolate each of rare opportunistic pathogenic yeasts, Geotrichum candidum and Saccharomyces cereviseae, was recovered. The control group had an oral candidal carriage rate of 23%; C. albicans was the predominant species, followed by Candida glabrata, C. tropicalis and Candida parapsilosis. Antifungal susceptibility testing revealed no resistance in C. albicans, to the commonly used antifungal agents, whereas resistance or dose dependent susceptibility to fluconazole was observed in some of the NCAC species. Conclusion: Oral carriage of opportunistic pathogenic yeasts was greater in HIV-seropositive persons heading towards immunocompromised state, as evidenced by their CD4 + cell count. The predominant yeast isolated in this study (C. albicans), was found to be susceptible to commonly used antifungals.

To study the pattern and prevalence of dyslipidemia in a large representative sample of four selected regions in India. Phase I of the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study was conducted in a representative population of three states of India [Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Jharkhand] and one Union Territory [Chandigarh], and covered a population of 213 million people using stratified multistage sampling design to recruit individuals ≥20 years of age. All the study subjects (n = 16,607) underwent anthropometric measurements and oral glucose tolerance tests were done using capillary blood (except in self-reported diabetes). In addition, in every 5th subject (n = 2042), a fasting venous sample was collected and assayed for lipids. Dyslipidemia was diagnosed using National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) guidelines. Of the subjects studied, 13.9% had hypercholesterolemia, 29.5% had hypertriglyceridemia, 72.3% had low HDL-C, 11.8% had high LDL-C levels and 79% had abnormalities in one of the lipid parameters. Regional disparity exists with the highest rates of hypercholesterolemia observed in Tamilnadu (18.3%), highest rates of hypertriglyceridemia in Chandigarh (38.6%), highest rates of low HDL-C in Jharkhand (76.8%) and highest rates of high LDL-C in Tamilnadu (15.8%). Except for low HDL-C and in the state of Maharashtra, in all other states, urban residents had the highest prevalence of lipid abnormalities compared to rural residents. Low HDL-C was the most common lipid abnormality (72.3%) in all the four regions studied; in 44.9% of subjects, it was present as an isolated abnormality. Common significant risk factors for dyslipidemia included obesity, diabetes, and dysglycemia. The prevalence of dyslipidemia is very high in India, which calls for urgent lifestyle intervention strategies to prevent and manage this important cardiovascular risk factor.

Residents’ willingness-to-pay for watershed conservation plays a crucial role in developing sustainable market-based ecological protection strategies. The main objective of this study was to assess local residents’ willingness-to-pay for the protection and conservation of the Begnas watershed ecosystem services, which was estimated using a contingent valuation method. Particularly, the study assessed the factors that affect the residents' willingness-to-pay using the Heckit model generating knowledge crucial to design watershed conservation programs and market-based protection strategies. The total willingness-to-pay was worth of $203,598.15 year −1 , and the average annual willingness-to-pay of a household (US$ 33.95) indicated the high importance of Begnas watershed conservation. Likewise, the results from econometric modeling showed a positive relationship between factors, namely gender (male resident), household size, education level, occupation (tourism and agriculture), income, and landholding size with the residents' decision to pay for the watershed conservation. These findings imply that a public-funded watershed conservation program is feasible in the Begnas watershed. Further, local resident participation in the program is seen increased because of the potential improvement in watershed ecosystem services, which are directly related to their livelihoods.

Overweight and obesity are rapidly increasing in countries like India. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of generalized, abdominal and combined obesity in urban and rural India. Phase I of the ICMR-INDIAB study was conducted in a representative population of three States [Tamil Nadu (TN), Maharashtra (MH) and Jharkhand (JH)] and one Union Territory (UT)[Chandigarh (CH)] of India. A stratified multi-stage sampling design was adopted and individuals ≥ 20 yr of age were included. WHO Asia Pacific guidelines were used to define overweight [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 23 kg/m [2] but < 25 kg/m [2]], generalized obesity (GO, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m [2], abdominal obesity (AO, waist circumference ≥ 90 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women) and combined obesity (CO, GO plus AO). Of the 14,277 participants, 13,800 subjects (response rate, 96.7%) were included for the analysis (urban: n = 4,063; rural: n = 9737). The prevalence of GO was 24.6, 16.6, 11.8 and 31.3 per cent among residents of TN, MH, JH and CH, while the prevalence of AO was 26.6, 18.7, 16.9 and 36.1 per cent, respectively. CO was present in 19.3, 13.0, 9.8 and 26.6 per cent of the TN, MH, JH and CH population. The prevalence of GO, AO and CO were significantly higher among urban residents compared to rural residents in all the four regions studied. The prevalence of overweight was 15.2, 11.3, 7.8 and 15.9 per cent among residents of TN, MH, JH and CH, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that female gender, hypertension, diabetes, higher socio-economic status, physical inactivity and urban residence were significantly associated with GO, AO and CO in all the four regions studied. Age was significantly associated with AO and CO, but not with GO. Prevalence of AO as well as of GO were high in India. Extrapolated to the whole country, 135, 153 and 107 million individuals will have GO, AO and CO, respectively. However, these figures have been estimated from three States and one UT of India and the results may be viewed in this light.