Occupational therapy in rural India

India is called the land of villages. In 1951, 82.7% of the Indian population lived in rural areas. Sanskritisation and urbanisation have changed the pattern. It is expected that by the year 2020 this percentage would come down to 55%. These villagers are relocating in urban slums. Thus from the rehabilitation point of view both problems pose challenges. An Indian village community is a political, economic and cultural unit. At the urban slum area at Malwani and in small villages near Juchandra, community rehabilitation programmes were found to be most pragmatic. Community education and preventive occupational therapy are found to be essential steps in rural rehabilitation. Therapists have to work on ‘disability, attitude and beliefs’ and change the behaviour to deal with the grass root (basic) causes. It is felt that for longer sustainment, community-based rehabilitation should originate within the community. Heath professionals must recognise the capabilities of individuals within the support structure of the family and community, while helping individuals to improve the quality of their lives.     

Effect of lymphocyte mediators on macrophages in vitro. A correlation of morphological and cytochemical changes

Sephadex purified PPD and Con A induced mediator rich fractions (MRF) were applied to guinea-pig macrophages cultured in vitro. At varying times after the addition of the MRF, cells were removed from culture for morphological study and for cytochemical tests. Respiratory enzyme activity and lysosomal acid phos-phatase activity were estimated and the former was quantitated using an integrating microdensitometer. Early changes, 1 hr after MRF contact, were observed and subsequent alterations in activity up to 48 hr after the addition of MRF were also seen. These changes have been related to the inhibition of migration and subsequent `activation' of the macrophages which has been observed morphologically at times up to 3 weeks after MRF addition.

It is suggested that alterations in the cytochemistry of the macrophages after MRF contact could help explain changes in the behaviour of the cells under these experimental conditions.

     

Rat sperm immobilisation effects of a protein from Ricinus communis (Linn.): an in vitro comparative study with nonoxynol‐9

Previous study conducted in our department showed that 50% ethanolic extract of the root of Ricinus communis possess reversible antifertility effect and a 62‐kDa protein (Rp) from this extract is responsible for the antifertility effects. In this study, we compared the spermicidal effect of this Rp with nonoxynol‐9 (N‐9) in vitro. The sperm immobilisation studies showed that 100 μg ml^?1 of Rp was able to immobilise the sperms completely within 30 s. Sperm revival test revealed that the spermicidal effect was irreversible. There was also a significant reduction in sperm viability and hypo‐osmotic swelling in Rp and N‐9 treated groups in comparison with the control. In Rp and N‐9 treated groups, the number of acrosome‐reacted cells was found to be high and also caused agglutination of the spermatozoa, indicating the loss of intactness of the plasma membrane, which was further supported by the significant reduction in the activity of membrane bound 5′‐nucleotidase, acrosomal acrosin. In short, the protein Rp possesses spermicidal activity in vitro and its effects are similar to that of nonoxynol 9.     

Photos vs silhouettes for evaluation of profile esthetics between white and black evaluators

Objective:To determine whether photos or silhouettes are adequate methods for evaluating the esthetic profiles of black subjects and whether black and white evaluators have different preferences for esthetic profiles.Materials and Methods:One photographic record of the profile of a black female patient with accentuated dental bimaxillary dentoalveolar protrusion was randomly selected. The image of the patient''s profile was altered to produce a series of seven photos and seven silhouettes (a total of 14 images) with different lip positions but uniform distances in relation to the esthetic plane created by Ricketts (line E). Fifty black and 50 white lay evaluators were invited to enumerate the photos and silhouettes, produced according to the lip position, in the order in which they considered most esthetically pleasing.Results:The number of preferences found to be within the esthetic norm was slightly higher among the photographs than among the silhouettes; the esthetic profile with a deviation of −2 mm from line E was elected as the most attractive, and the esthetic pattern with a deviation of +6 mm from the normal line E was considered the least attractive. There were no statistically significant differences between the preferences related to the variables race, sex, and educational background.Conclusions:The esthetic attractiveness of the facial profiles of black subjects in photos and silhouettes was evaluated in a similar manner among black and white evaluators. Among both black and white evaluators, the greatest preference was for the slightly concave profile, which was within the limit considered standard.     

Effectiveness of High Power Ultrasound for Surimi-Based Preparation of Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Patties by Textural,Sensory and Shape Preference

Lionfish is an invasive and predatory species with low local consumption due to a lack of culinary knowledge of its preparation. A new way to prepare lionfish was proposed to increase variety and provide added value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high power ultrasound application on the textural properties measured by the texture profile analysis, sensory attributes, and shape preference of surimi patties (rounded and square) made from lionfish. Patties were prepared using lionfish surimi processed with ultrasound (37 kHz; 150 W), sodium citrate (0.3%), sucrose (1%), and salt (2%). Ultrasound exposure increased the hardness of the patties by 35.1%, decreased cohesiveness by 89.7%, and decreased the chewiness by 49.1%. Results show that high power ultrasound showed potential as an environmentally friendly technology to create surimi as a base for patties with sensory and textural appropriateness, increasing the potential culinary applications of lionfish.