Kamrup District Research Articles

Assessment of the nutritional status of the elderly and its correlates.

Background:The percentage of elderly is growing rapidly and malnutrition is not uncommon in the elderly.Objectives:The present study was carried out to assess the nutritional status of the elderly using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool, and to study the various epidemiological factors influencing their nutritional status.Materials and Methods:This cross-sectional study was done from July 2012 to August 2013 in Boko-Bongaon Block, Kamrup District, Assam, India. The elderly, those over 60 years of age, who met the inclusion criteria participated in the study. A total of 30 clusters were selected and 12 elderly from each cluster were taken to achieve the desired sample size of 360. Nutritional status was assessed by the MNA tool and a 24-h dietary recall method.Results:Out of the total of 360 elderly persons, 15% were found to be malnourished and 55% were at risk of malnutrition. The association between nutritional status and older age group, female gender, dependent functional status, dependent financial status and inadequate calorie intake was found to be significant.Conclusion:The present findings reveal that malnutrition is not an uncommon problem in the elderly, and further studies are needed in this regard.

Health seeking behaviour of elderly in rani block, Kamrup (Rural) district, Assam: a community based cross sectional study

Background: The current global and demographic structure is shifting towards a higher proportion of elderly. This phenomenon in which older individual come to form a proportionately larger share of total population in the community is known as “Population ageing”. Health seeking behaviour refers to the sequence of remedial actions that individuals undertake to rectify perceived ill health. It is an important determinant of health status of the population and forms an important component in formulating health programmes. The objectives of the study were 1) To assess the health seeking behaviour of elderly residing in Rani block. 2) To study the various factors associated with health seeking behaviour. Methods: Total 390 elderly were included in the study. House to house visit was done and data was collected by interviewer method. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 17. Results: Out of 390 elderly, 68.5% belonged to the age group of 60-69 years, majority (82.8%) were found to be Hindus, 89% lived in joint family. Most of the elderly were illiterate (69.5%) and majority (48.2%) belonged to Class IV socio economic status. 72% elderly sought treatment for their chronic illness. Majority (51.5%) sought treatment from Government hospital and 98.5% received allopathic treatment. The most common reason cited for not seeking treatment for their chronic illness was financial reasons (63.2%). Conclusions: Education, socio economic status and living status play an important role in health seeking behaviour.

Isolation of bacteria from market milk samples of three different districts of Assam

An investigation was carried out to assess the microbial quality of raw milk available for human consumption in the markets of Kamrup, Barpeta and Sonitpur districts of the state of Assam. A total of 80 pooled milk samples were collected from medium/small traders and vendors of the three districts. All the samples showed positive isolation of one or more bacteria. E. coli was isolated from 70 (87.5%) samples, of which none belonged to serotype O157. Out of the other isolates, 27 (33.75%) were confirmed as Clostridium perfringens, 6 (7.5%) as Staphylococcus aureus and 4 (5%) as Bacillus cereus.Salmonella, Campylobacter and Brucella. organisms could not be isolated from the samples tested. These findings shed light on the potential risks associated with raw milk consumption and the necessity of strict preventive measures to avoid contamination of milk at various stages of production.

Canine parvovirus infection in immunized and non-immunized diarrhoeic dogs

Vaccination is the ideal and cost effective method to control the canine parvoviralgastroenteritis and both live attenuated and killed vaccines are available to control the disease in dogs. Inspite of wide spread vaccination practice, the disease has been reported in both vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs. Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection was tested in faecal and serum samples of 178 diarrhoeic dogs from Kamrup district of Assam by using ELISA. The CPV infection was recorded as 9.52% in vaccinated and 30.15% in unvaccinated dogs by sandwich ELISA with case fatality rate of 17.78%. Indirect ELISA detected 66.67% vaccinated and 33.82% unvaccinated dogs sero-positive against CPV and the antibody levels ranged from 1.00 to 2.806 with higher level of antibody in unvaccinated dogs than vaccinated dogs, which suggested the strong boosting of immunity following natural infection. The high rate of infections in both vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs indicated the need of detailed study of the field strains of the virus which may probably differ from the present vaccine strain.

Benchmark survey of Rajapanichandra village in Rani Block of Kamrup District in Assam

Benchmark survey of Rajapanichandra in Rani Block of Kamrup district was undertaken during the month of August and September, 2013 with the purpose of adopting as a KVK village with emphases on popularizing poultry enterprise (Vanraja breed). To fulfill the objectives of the study, primary data was collected by personally interviewing the households along with a general survey of the entire village. The findings of the survey revealed that the farming system prevailing in the area was crop based with livestock and homestead as secondary activities. Moreover, the farming system practices were traditional and on subsistence basis and thus the output mostly fulfilled the domestic needs. About 98 percent of the households belonged to the Bodo (tribal) community and as a part of their socio-cultural and religious tradition were interested for rearing of poultry on a commercial basis.

Comparison of blood profiles between healthy and Brucella affected cattle

Aim: The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the blood biochemical metabolites of crossbred cattle suffering from brucellosis, in Khetri region of Kamrup District of Assam, India. Materials and Methods: Blood was collected by venipuncture from the jugular vein using 18 gauge hypodermic needle fitted to a Vacutainer-Leur adapter and evacuated tubes. Samples were screened for Brucella by rose Bengal plate test using plate test antigen. The study consisted of two groups. Group I consisted of healthy crossbred cows and Group II consisted of crossbred cows affected with brucellosis. Blood metabolites were estimated by spectrophotometric methods. Results: Out of 14 serum samples, 8 samples were positive for Brucella and remaining 6 were found to be negative. It was observed that serum albumin and urea of the affected cattle showed a significant decrease (p<0.05), but serum globulin, cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate transaminase, and alanine transaminase activities were significantly increased (p<0.05) in comparison to the healthy cattle. Glucose, protein, albumin: globulin ratio, blood urea nitrogen did not show much variation between the Brucellosis affected and healthy cattle. Conclusion: Results obtained showed that brucellosis have a harmful effect on the animals health as they disturb the vital organs functions, which appear in the form of changes in blood biochemical parameters.

Descriptive report on pattern of variation in cancer cases within selected ethnic groups in Kamrup Urban District of Assam, 2009-2011.

The global burden of cancer is continuously increasing. According to recent report of the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) on time trends it is estimated that future burden of cancer cases for India in 2020 will be 1,320,928. It is well known that knowledge of the incidence of cancer is a fundamental requirement of rational planning and monitoring of cancer control programs. It would help health planners to formulate public health policy if relevant ethnic groups were considered. North East-India alone contains over 160 Scheduled Tribes and 400 other sub-tribal communities and groups, whose cancer incidence rates are high compared to mainland India. As since no previous study was done focusing on ethnicity, the present investigation was performed. In this paper PBCR-Guwahati data on all cancer registrations from January 2009 to December 2011 for residents of the Kamrup Urban District, comprising an area of 261.8 sq. km with a total population of 900,518, including individual records with information on sex, age, ethnicity and cancer site are provided. Descriptive statistics including age adjusted rates (AARs) were taken as provided by NCRP. For comparison of proportional incidence ratios (PIR) the Student's t test was used, with p<0.05 considered as statistically significant. Differences in leading sites of Kamrup Urban District since from the beginning of the PBCR-Guwahati were revealed among different ethnic groups by this study. The results should help policy makers to formulate different strategies to control the level of burden as well as for treatment planning. This study also suggests that age is an important factor of cancer among different ethnic populations as well as for overall population of Kamrup District of Assam.

English

INTRODUCTION: Health problems are a major concern for the elderly and they are prone to diseases and disabilities more than the younger age groups which can make them physically and economically dependent. The increasing number of elderly in the country means that they are going to make contributions to the economy. Elderly persons, being one of the most vulnerable groups of the society have more chances of chronic disease, infections, as well as disabilities. Disability has been defined as a restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.(1) It reflects how well an individual is able to function in general areas of life. Disability in elderly can be grouped in three large groups. First - who can manage in their daily activities with the help of mechanical devices. Second - who have multiple health problems and severe limitations in mental and/or physical functioning who require very intensive levels of care. Third-in between above two groups, they are functionally disabled in one or two ADLs, or have mild cognitive impairments. (2) OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: 1. To assess disability related to Activities of Daily Living(ADL) amongst the elderly in the urban and rural area. 2. To determine the use of physical aids by the elderly in both the urban and rural areas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among persons aged 60 years and above, in urban and rural areas in the Kamrup district, Assam. In the study, 400 no.s of elderly are under study of which 200 are from the urban area and 200 from the rural areas. The urban area is from the Guwahati city which consists of 60 municipalty blocks. Out of the sixty municipalty blocks, 10 no.s of blocks are randomly selected and 20 elderly are chosen from each block totaling a mark of 200.The kamrup rural area of Rani Community Development block is choosen from where 20 no.s of villages are randomly selected out of the 78 no.s of voillages. From each village, 10 no.s of elderly respondent are taken for the study. The study was conducted in June 2005 to June 2006. During the study, informed consent has been taken from the respondents and household visits are conducted for completing the study. For measuring the activities of daily living, the Katz index of ADL is used. Activities of daily living are tasks of self maintenance, mobility, communication, home management and community living that enables an individual to achieve personal independence.In the study, the main six basic items of ADL viz. bathing, dressing, going to toilet, transferring, continence and feeding. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: MS excel, Chi-square tests. RESULTS: In the study, it was found that visual disability is the most common disability in both urban and rural area which account for 22.5% and 21.5% respectively. While the hearing disability is more amongst the respondents of the urban area than the rural area. The disability in ADL is increasing with age in both the urban and the rural areas. 22.5% of the elderly are using physical aids compared to 11% in the rural areas. CONCLUSION: The association between the use of physical aids by the respondents in urban and the rural areas is highly significant (p< 0.001).

Recruitment and Selection Practices in SMEs: A Study in Select Industrial Estates of Kamrup District

Recruitment and selection practices play a crucial role in the Human Resource Management process. While recruitment is significant to the organisation in the sense that on the one hand, it attracts capable applicants for employment against vacancies and on the other, acts as a publicity tool for the firm. The quantity as well as quality of applicants applying for a job depends solely on the recruitment policy the organisation has adopted. Again, selection process also is of no less importance since it establishes the ‘best match’ between the job requirements and the candidate’s qualification. Moreover, the cost of wrong selection decisions could be greate. Thus both these processes are applicable to any organisation irrespective of its nature or size. Both recruitment and selection processes involve certain steps which are required to be followed for the purpose of ensuring scientific implementation which, again, will enhance individual and organisational competencies. However, literature review suggests that a majority of the small enterprises are practically observed to be using informal recruitment and selection practices. This indicates that unorganised or unscientific methods are being applied for recruiting as well as selecting the candidates. The major reason attributed to adoption of such practices includes cost cutting in terms of training and remuneration. The study seeks to examine recruitment and selection practices adopted by small manufacturing enterprises of Assam. The enterprises were selected as per definitions provided under Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006. Moreover, the effectiveness of such practices has also been analysed through the study.

Kala-azar and Post–Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis, Assam, India

Kala-azar and Post–Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis, Assam, India

Vegetation vis á vis climate change around Bhogdoi swamp in lower Brahmaputra flood plain of Assam, Northeast India since Late Holocene

Pollen records from 1.8 m deep sedimentary profile cored from Bhogdoi swamp, Kamrup District, lower Brahmaputra flood plain of Assam, Northeast India have revealed enrichment of tropical mixed deciduous forest elements including Shorea robusta, Syzygium cumini, Dillenia pentagyna and Acacia catechu indicating warm and humid climatic regime during 3,795–2,530 years BP. Subsequently during 2,530–680 years BP relative increment in proliferation of tropical mixed deciduous elements namely Lagerstroemia parviflora, Lannea coromandelica, Terminalia bellirica, Sapotaceae and Emblica officinalis occurred resulting into final settlement of tropical mixed deciduous forest under increased warm and humid climatic regime attributable to active Southwest Monsoon. However, from 680 years BP onward gradual deterioration of mixed deciduous forest occurred as evidenced by sudden decline in Sal and its associates under warm and relatively drier climate. Drastic increment in Melastoma, Ziziphus and Areca implying forest clearance at this phase. The occurrence of degraded pollen–spore along with adequate fungal remains especially Xylaria, Diplodia, Nigrospora and Microthyriaceous fruiting body is suggestive of aerobic microbial digenesis of rich organic debris during sedimentation.

Nutritional status, fertility and factors associated with anaemia: A cross sectional study among a rural population of Muslim women in Assam, India

In the present study an attempt has been made to report on the nutritional status of the Assamese Muslim women of Dadara and Agyathuri villages of the Kamrup district in Assam, India on their basis of body mass index (BMI) and haemoglobin (hb) content. Cross sectional data on 1034 women belonging to the age group of 19 years and above were collected following internationally accepted standards. The fertility of mothers by BMI range was found to be highest (6.50 (mean) +/- 0.14 (SE) and range being 1-11) amongst underweight mothers. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test of BMI and fertility shows significant relation between different BMI groups withp < 0.01. Highest haemoglobin levels were recorded in the age group of < or = 23 years with a mean of 11.61 +/- 0.06 g/dl, the range being 9.8-13.9 g/dl. Whereas lowest levels of haemoglobin were found in the age groups of 44+ years having a mean value of 10.26 +/- 0.04 g/dl and a range of 9.2-11.8 g/dl. The ANOVA analysis for haemoglobin content and corresponding fertility rates show significant difference between different hemoglobin levels with their live births at p < 0.01. The summary of ANOVA analysis for haemoglobin and BMI range shows the significant difference between groups i.e., normal, overweight and underweight. The t-value and F-ratio is 118.61 and 14068.42, respectively, which is significant at 1% probability. The authors conclude a general trend in the study population of women with high fertility having poor nutritional status. These findings might be important in formulating responsive health policies in an underdeveloped region.

ETHNOBOTANICALY IMPORTANT MEDICINAL PLANTS OF KAMRUP DISTRICT, ASSAM, INDIA, USED IN FERTILITY TREATMENT

Assam including all the districts is one of the richest sites of plant biodiversity, boosting in thousands of medicinal plants. The present study in due course of time would be helpful to find out potential medicinal plants or chemicals extracted from them that can be of tremendous use i n fertility enhancing and in anti fertility . An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in different areas of Kamrup district for a period of 6 months from August 2010 to January 2011. During the field study 50 plant species belonging to 33 families have been recorded which are commonly used by the local people. The decoction of the roots, leave s, bark, fruits, seeds and flowers are the most commonly used. Among the plant parts used, leaf is highly used followed by bark, root, whole plant, fruit, seed, flowers, rhizome, sap and nuts. Some of the plants are found commonly growing in the wild, whil e others are cultivated plants, however easily available. In the enumeration, data is presented with botanical name, family, vernacular name and uses.

Nutritional Status and the Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Pregnant Women in Kamrup District of Assam

Pregnancy is a critical time in the course of life, having both health and social impacts for individuals, family, and society. The prevalence of undernutrition among pregnant women in a rural area of Assam, India, was examined using anthropometric and biochemical assessments. Key socioeconomic factors that affect nutritional status were examined. A cross-sectional study with a sample of 285 women from all three trimesters was done. The results found that 48% of the women were below normal for Body Mass Index (BMI), indicating a high level of undernutrition. The age of the mother and husband's occupation showed a strong positive correlation with BMI, while family size and income level showed a negative correlation. The results of the biochemical analysis showed that 62% of the women were anemic, and copper and zinc levels were 29% and 12% below normal levels, respectively. The study findings indicate that undernutrition is far higher than national and global standards.

High Dominance of &lt;i&gt;Shorea robusta&lt;/i&gt; Gaertn. in Alluvial Plain Kamrup Sal Forest of Assam, N. E. India

The study emphasizes on the community characteristics of naturally regenerated sal forest of Kamrup district, Assam, India. Sal is one of the most important timber y ield ing plants and also good source of aromatic gum and non- tim- ber forest product. These forests are exposed to over-exploitation, deforestation, encroachment and alterat ion in land use and land cover and in return being replaced by secondary regenerated sal forest. Altogether, 71 p lant species were recorded fro m the selected sal forest. Herbaceous layer of the fo rest was most species rich (30 species) layer fo llo wed by tree and shrub species. Leguminosae and Asteraceae were among the most dominant families in the forest while large nu mber of families was monospecious. Shorea robusta has contributed about 90% of the total stand density (2559 individual ha -1 ) of the forest, while species like Erythrina suberosa, Delonix regia and Pterospermum acerifolium were represented by single stem. Similar to that of stand density, sal have contributed to the maximu m basal area o f the forest. The g irth class distribu- tion confirmed a reverse J-shaped distribution, with h igher density in lo wer girth classes and sharp decline thereafter. Total density of shrubs and herbs was recorded 2 individuals m -2 and 63 individuals m -2 , respectively. Based on the dominance, Shorea robusta showed highest dominance followed by Zizyphus rugosus. Diversity index fo r tree, shrub and herb species was recorded 1.43, 2.30 and 3.28, respectively. Do minance index showed reverse trend to that of d iversity index. About 84% of the plant species showed contagious distribution, however none of the species exhib ited regular distribution. The forest is heterogenous in composition with h igh dominance of Shorea and is under regenerating stage. Therefore, for sustainabili- ty of the forest it requires effective conservation measures for sal and its associate plant species.

Pollen-inferred vegetation vis-á-vis climate dynamics since Late Quaternary from western Assam, Northeast India: Signal of global climatic events

Palynological observation of one 3.4 m deep sedimentary profile cored from Chayagaon swamp, Kamrup District, Western Brahmaputra flood plain of Assam, Northeast India, has revealed climate and vegetation succession since the Late Quaternary. The contemporary pollen/vegetation relationship in and around the swamp can be employed as background information for the palaeoclimate studies. Persistent fluvial activity during 14,895–12,450 cal BP may be responsible for the paucity of pollen and spores, with fluvial marker taxa such as Ludwigia octavalvis, Mimosa pudica, Pleospora, Glomus and Botryococcus along with frequent Pseudoschizia. Later, fluvial activity was succeeded by tropical tree savanna under cool and dry climate with weakened monsoon precipitation between 12,450–10,810 cal BP, corresponding to the Younger Dryas. Between 10,810–7680 cal BP, relatively less cool and dry climate prevailed with inception of tropical mixed deciduous arboreals including Syzygium cumini, Dillenia pentagyna and Lagerstroemia parviflora. Human activity was witnessed and some sort of incipient cereal-based pastoral practice commenced during this phase. This phase is followed by fluvial activity between 7680–6780 cal BP, as indicated by reduced frequency of pollen and spores along with frequent fluvial marker taxa. The fluvial activity was succeeded by enrichment of tropical mixed deciduous forest laden with the invasion of arboreal taxa including S. cumini, Terminalia bellirica, Mimusops elengi and D. pentagyna along with a relative increase of marshy and aquatic taxa. The warm and moderately humid climatic regime between 6780–1950 cal BP is well matched with the peak period of Holocene Climatic Optimum (7000 BP) signifying an increase in monsoon precipitation. The size of the swamp increased comparatively along with a relative decrease in agricultural practice. During 1950–989 cal BP, the establishment of tropical mixed deciduous forest occurred with further proliferation of deciduous tree taxa under increased warm and humid climate, corresponding to the Medieval Warm Period. The swamp level rose relatively, along with an abrupt decline in cereal and other cultivation taxa during this phase. Deterioration of the tropical mixed deciduous forest under a warm and relatively dry climatic regime since 989 cal BP was accompanied by accelerated human settlement, as shown by an abrupt increase in cereal pollen along with typical ruderal pollen taxa. Relative increases in Melastoma, Ziziphus and Areca catechu combined with decreased arboreal Shorea, Terminalia, Lagerstroemia, Dillenia and Emblica imply forest clearance in this phase.

Identification and phylogenetic analysis of orf viruses isolated from outbreaks in goats of Assam, a northeastern state of India

Two outbreaks of orf virus (ORFV) (a parapoxvirus) infection in goats, which occurred in Golaghat and Kamrup districts of Assam, a northeastern part of India, were investigated. The disease was diagnosed by standard virological and molecular techniques. The entire protein-coding region of B2L gene of two isolates were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis based on B2L amino acid sequences showed that the ORFVs identified in these outbreaks were closely related to each other and both were closer to ORFV-Shahjahanpur 82/04 isolate from north India. The present study revealed that the precise characterization of the genomic region (B2L gene) might provide evidence for the genetic variation and movement of circulating ORFV strains in India.

A Study on the Effectiveness of Teachers Teaching English in the Secondary Schools of Kamrup District

In the learning situation the teacher is at the centre disseminating the light of knowledge by constantly burning herself. The teacher should be good enough to arouse the interest of the pupils in the field of study for which she is responsible , a master in the field, a traveller in the existing pursuit of knowledge, in other words a teacher should be effective to bring out the intended results . An attempt has been made in the present study to find out the effectiveness of the teachers teaching English (as a subject) in the secondary schools of Kamrup district of Assam in relation to some personal variables and in the teaching-learning situation. The study is empirical in nature and the findings reveal that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of the teachers teaching English in the secondary schools of the area under study. Research Paper

Changing Trend of Occupation among the Brass Artisan Moria Community of Brahmaputra Valley, with special Reference to Kamrup District

Occupational shift has become a common trend among the handicraft artisans in the changing economic situation of 20 th century world. The traditional brass artisan community of Assam; the Morias also show no difference in this regard. Once, the trusted canon and gun makers during Ahom regime and at present the traditional brass item manufacturer of Assamese society, the Morias are now a very backward community from economic, social and academic point of view. Present situation compels them to switch over to other tertiary activities abandoning their traditional brass metal work. But despite of these a group of enthusiastic Morias are trying to revive their traditional brass work. An attempt has been made in this paper to discuss the present trend of occupational shifting of the Moria community and the causes behind this occupational diversification. Attempt has also been made to discuss their traditional occupation and the poor economic condition of the traditional brass artisans.

Traditional use of medicinal plants for anti-ringworm therapy in some parts of Kamrup District of Assam, a North Eastern State of India

ObjectiveTo survey traditional use of medicinal plants for anti-ringworm therapy from December 2007 to January 2009 in some parts of Kamrup district of Assam, a North Eastern State of India. MethodsBased on a standard questionnaire, local inhabitants were interviewed for their knowledge of medicinal plants used against ringworm. Each entry includes the botanical and prevalent local name(s), part(s) used, and mode of use against the diseases. ResultsThis report deals with 46 plant species belonging to 30 different families used as herbal remedies for the treatment of Dermatophytosis. ConclusionsThe study reveals several medicinal plants used by the local people for the treatment of cutaneous infections caused by dermatophytes. Such study may lead to the discovery of new antifungal agents from natural sources.