High prevalence of endemic goitre (54%) and endemic cretinism (3.5%) exist in Sikkim. The level of intellectual functioning and motor performance were assessed in 90 school children in the age group of 10 to 12 years selected randomly from four severely iodine-deficient villages. Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, Binet-Kamat Test for mental ability and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices were the tests used. The results show an impairment in intellectual and other neuropsychological functions in a high percentage of the children. Visuomotor coordination was poor in 62 (69%). Binet-Kamat test results showed that 19 (21%) children were intellectually subnormal (IQ < 70). Majority of the children (> 80%) had significant impairment in language, meaningful memory, non-meaningful memory, conceptual thinking, numerical reasoning and motor skills. The children did better on non-verbal reasoning and social intelligence. Goitre was detected in 82 (91.1%). Urine samples for iodine estimations was collected from every second child examined. The mean urinary iodine concentration was 4.23 micrograms/dl (SD 2.16). Urinary iodine concentration was less than 2 micro gm/dl in 26.1% (11 children) and less than 5 micro gm/dl in 84.8% (39 children) indicating severe iodine deficiency. The test results show impairment of psychomotor development in children born and brought up in iodine-deficient environment.

There is increasing scientific evidence and commercial interest for using probiotics for eliminating and handling of specific diseases. Probiotics can be evaluated for its role and performance against isolated pathogens from contaminating sources. The present work reports on invitro antimicrobial activity of commercial selected probiotics against pathogenic microbe Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The work also describes cytotoxic activities using MTT assay and adherence studies of selected probiotics. Results for the studies showed maximum zone of inhibition 13.66±0.46mm in probiotic enteroplus,12.33±0.93mm in lactobacillus (NCIM2056) and 10.66±0.93mm in Avant Bact. Cytotoxicity was expressed as IC50(µg/ml) values, observed on CaCO cell lines for different probiotics. Avant Bact showed a IC50 value of 104.7745, Lactobacillus (NCIM2056) a value of 58.13223 and Enteroplus a value of 50.09716. These values expressed different safety aspects of probiotics used for study. Finally the adherence study was done to check probiotic colonizing capacity. The probiotics showed varied adherence capacity against caco cell lines. Enteroplus has % adhesion of 10.25±0.74, Avant Bact. 7.25±0.82 and Lactobacillus (NCIM2056) 7.5±1.12. In conclusion antimicrobial results show importance of probiotics to be used against specific gastro intestinal diseases. Cytotoxicity determines safety aspects of probiotics and adherence study determines probiotic as a promising candidate for in vivo studies.