Background: India is facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as risk factor for NCDs, such as inadequate physical activity (PA). The physical and social environments influence the physical activity patterns, and strategies to promote physical activity should include the creation of physical and social environments conducive to physical activity. The physical and social environments have undergone rapid alterations, including unplanned urbanisation, an explosion in motorized transport, reduced green cover, and increased air pollution, all of which may detract from outdoor physical activity, especially walking, among residents of India. Aim: To understand the perceived environmental (physical and social) support for walking in India. Objectives: determine perceived environmental support for walking; assess self-reported physical activity; and examine the congruence of reported data on physical characteristics of the environment with Geographic Information Syste

Background: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is a generally under-researched area in India, although vital to the promotion of women’s health. Although there has been, particularly in recent years, some attention given to the provision of affordable menstrual absorbents, practices of treatment and disposal of the used absorbents have not received adequate attention from policymakers, and implementers, and pose ever-growing challenges to environmental sustainability and the personal health, well-being, and functioning of girls and women, with implications for the accomplishment of several SDGs. Aim: (i) to understand community perspectives, preferences and behavioural control related to treatment and disposal of menstrual absorbents, and the associations that women and girls make between menstrual hygiene practices and personal and environmental health; and (ii) to estimate the environmental footprints of the menstrual hygiene management practices that come up in the data-collection Research M

Background: Beta-lactam antibiotics are commonly used to treat life-threatening infections in critically ill patients. As a class of antibiotics, beta-lactams are known as time-dependent antibiotics because they have their greatest effect when the antibiotic concentration in the blood remains above a critical level (dependent on the organism) for the duration of the course. Continuous infusion of beta-lactams has been shown to more consistently achieve these time-dependent pharmacodynamic endpoints than the standard practice of bolus dosing. However, the relatively small randomised controlled trials to date have not reported improved clinical outcomes, such as resolution of infection or lower mortality, with the use of continuous infusion A prospective, multicentre, double-blind, double-dummy, phase II RCT (BLING II) was conducted in 25 ICUs in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. While there was no significant difference in the primary endpoint, it found an absolute difference in hospital mortality

Population level reduction of dietary salt consumption is one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) best buys and is identified as one of the top five priority non-communicable disease interventions.  The WHO has called for 30% relative reduction in global sodium consumption by 2025.  In India, estimated salt intake is about 10g/day which is twice as high as the WHO recommendation of 5g/day. Like many low- and middle-income countries, more than 80% of the salt consumed in India is either added during cooking or at the table. Habitual excess salt consumption is a main determinant of the disease burden of high blood pressure, which is responsible for about 170 000 deaths in India each year. The prevalence of hypertension in India is projected to nearly double from 140 million to 214 million people by 2030. The leading cause of death in India is cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with ischemic heart disease and stroke accountable for more than 80% of total CVD deaths. High blood pressure is the