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Biomedical subjects

U Kapil

Publications and source records attributed to U Kapil.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Serum magnesium level among pregnant women in a rural community of Haryana State, India.

OBJECTIVE: Assessment of serum magnesium levels among pregnant women in a rural community. DESIGN: A community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: Investigation was conducted in six villages of a rural block of District Faridabad, Haryana State, India. SUBJECTS: In total, 283 pregnant women with pregnancy duration of 28 weeks and more were enrolled for the detailed study. Blood from the antecubital vein was drawn and serum magnesium levels were estimated by the atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. RESULTS: In all, 44% of the pregnant women had serum levels less than the normal level (1.80 mg/dl). There was a significant decrease (P=0.01) in serum magnesium levels with the increase in parity. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of magnesium deficiency was found among the pregnant women.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Organoleptic study of deacidified and deodourised palm oil.

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 cooked 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 the 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.

Cooking↗
PubMed2000

Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders using the 30 cluster approach in district Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Iodine deficiency is an important public health problem in Himachal Pradesh. District Kangra is a known iodine deficiency endemic area. A survey conducted in 1956 reported a goitre prevalence of 55 per cent in the district. A more recent pilot study (1994) in four blocks of the district reported the total goitre rate (TGR) as 7 per cent. A continued prevalence of goitre in more than 5 per cent of school-aged children was found in pilot study, in spite of the distribution of iodised salt. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) and to estimate the iodine content of salt consumed by the population in district Kangra. The '30 cluster' sampling methodology and indicators for assessment of IDD, as recommended by the joint WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD consultation, were utilized for the survey. A confidence level of 95 per cent, a relative precision of 10 per cent and a design effect of three were taken into account for calculation of the sample size. A total of 23,348 school children in the age group 6-11 years were included in the study. The total goitre prevalence rate was found to be 12.1 per cent. The median urinary iodine excretion of the children studied was found to the 15.00 mcg/dl. About 12.7 per cent of families consumed salt with an iodine content of less than 15 ppm. The results of the present study indicated that the population of district Kangra is in a transition phase from iodine deficient to iodine sufficient nutrition and that there is a need for further strengthening of the system of monitoring the quality of iodised salt made available to the population to eliminate IDD from the Kangra Valley.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2000

Role of micro-nutrients and trace elements in carcinoma of larynx.

Cancer of the larynx is fourteenth most common cancer in the world. Evidence from case-control studies conducted in developed as well as developing countries suggest that specific micro-nutrients and trace elements have been implicated to be significantly associated with laryngeal carcinoma. The association of these micro-nutrients and trace elements with laryngeal cancer has been discussed in this review article.

Carcinoma↗
PubMed2000

Nutritional risk factors in esophageal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The present case-control study was undertaken with the objective to study the nutritional risk factors associated with esophageal cancer. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and fifty diagnosed esophageal cancer patients and an equal number of healthy individuals constituted the patient and control groups, respectively. Dietary consumption pattern during the preceding 20 years prior to the diagnosis of esophageal cancer was assessed utilising the standard food frequency questionnaire method. Information on alcohol consumption, smoking habits, chewing of betel leaf with tobacco was also collected. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that the risk of esophageal cancer was 7.81 times (p < 0.01) higher with daily consumption of alcohol. The risk increased to 3.16 times (p < 0.01) with the daily habit of chewing of betel leaf with tobacco. Nearly a two fold risk was observed when the consumption of "other vegetables" was less than four times per week. A 1.95 times (p < 0.01) increase in risk was observed with the daily habit of bidi smoking. CONCLUSION: Cancers in general are multifactorial in origin, and several environmental interactions are possible. It is not easy to quantify the contribution of diet to cancer risk. However, the results of the present study suggested that nutritional factors do play a role.

Adult↗