Purpose – The purpose of this study was to attempt to answer some plausible questions like what do teenagers prefer to read at leisure, how do they read and why do they read? With the rapid changes in information technology, there is tremendous change in means of communication. Today, much more information is available from electronic and digital media as compared to traditional books. A paradigm shift in information delivery from just information to infotainment has also affected the preferences of the information seekers. Teenagers are a demographic group under transition and they are not untouched by these rapid changes in technology and their impact on their reading preferences. Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose, a survey among 223 school-going (public/convent and government-/aided) teenagers aged between 12 and 18 years was done using a semi-structured questionnaire. Findings – The findings revealed a decline in sports and outdoor recreational activities during leisure, and only 20.6 per cent teenagers preferred reading during leisure. However, self-perception as an avid reader was expressed by majority (53.8 per cent). Fictions were liked by > 75 per cent teenagers; however, non-fictions were also liked by majority (61.8 per cent). The reading preferences of the children were found to be affected by their age, their gender and the type of schools they attended. A significant inverse relationship of television watching and movie-going was observed with reading time. Research limitations/implications – The biggest limitation was inability to directly interact with the students and inability to gather data from more schools. Practical implications – By knowing the current reading trends, leisure time habits and exposure to different means of information technology, the choice of medium for knowledge dispersal could be done. The study would help in providing a basis for a strategic change in the ratio of conventional books and other information media in the library. Social implications – By identifying the media exposure time and popularity, proper steps may be taken in order to enrich the particular media and to ensure that quality of information available on the media can be directed for social benefit in large. Originality/value – The impact of demographic and environmental variables on reading habits of teenagers has not been evaluated in this part of the world, especially in view of the paradigm shift in information technology and the growing influence of electronic media and social networking. An understanding of this mutual relationship would help in modifying the reading behaviour of the teenagers.

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The work was intended to investigate the antibacterial activity of the various medicinal plants viz. Calotropis procera, Jatropha curcas, Cryptostegia grandiflora, Clerodendron inermis and Cassia tora, collected from Indore (Madhya Pradesh, India) region. The aim of the study, with an objective, was to evaluate the antimicrobial potentials and to determine the zone of inhibition of extracts of selected plants on some medically important bacterial strains. The antimicrobial activity was determined in the extracts using agar disc diffusion method. Various plant extracts were tested for the antibacterial activities against Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium diphteriae. Zone of inhibition of extracts were compared with that of standards like streptomycin. The outcomes illustrated that the noteworthy inhibition of the bacterial growth was shown against the tested organisms. The phytochemical analyses of the plants were also carried out. The microbial activity of the selected plant was due to the presence of various secondary metabolites. Hereafter, these plants can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals research activities.

Most of the traditional systems of medicine are effective but they lack of standardization. So, there is a need to develop a standardization technique. For the uniformity in production of herbal formulations it is necessary to develop methods for evaluation. The present study is carried out to standardise a polyherbal formulation available in the market called as Dadimashtaka Churna used to treat gastro intestinal complaints like diarrhoea. Different Marketed and in-house preparation were used for the study. The various parameters performed included physicochemical including extractive value, ash value, foreign matter, crude fiber content and loss on drying and physical characteristics is carried out to check the flow property of churna like carr's index, angel of repose and hausner ratio. The results obtained may be considered as tools for assistance to the regulatory authorities, scientific organizations and manufacturers for developing standard formulation of great efficacy.

Background:A granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, pegfilgrastim, is efficacious though expensive for prophylactic treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. Biologics available and accessible today, having acceptable safety-efficacy profiles, require postapproval studies for better understanding of such drugs in clinical settings.Aim:This postmarketing surveillance study evaluated the safety of prophylactic Peg-grafeel™ (pegfilgrastim) in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.Settings and Design:This prospective, noninterventional, single-arm, open-label study was conducted at 10 study sites in India.Methods:Patients received subcutaneous 6 mg Peg-grafeel™ approximately 24 h following chemotherapy as part of routine patient care.Statistical Analysis:Data were summarized descriptively.Results:The study included 250 patients (male: female = 36.4%:63.6%; median age, 54 [16–80] years). Most patients had Stage III (33.2%) or IV (41.6%) cancers and received cyclophosphamide (37.2%) and doxorubicin (31.6%) as chemotherapy. On an average, 4 Peg-grafeel™ doses were administered per patient. Treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were reported in 115 (46%) patients, the most common being vomiting (11.6%), pain (11.2%), nausea (8.4%), and constipation (8.4%). Peg-grafeel™-related AEs included pain (3.2%), asthenia (2.4%), and arthralgia (1.2%). Bone pain (0.4%) and extremity pain (1.2%) were rare. Grade 3/4 neutropenia and febrile neutropenia occurred in 4 (1.6%) and 3 (1.2%) patients, respectively. Serious AEs included vomiting (2.8%) and pyrexia (2%). No new safety concerns were identified. None of the five deaths was considered related to Peg-grafeel™.Conclusion:The overall safety profile of Peg-grafeel™ was consistent with the expected safety profile of pegfilgrastim in patients with advanced malignancies in a clinical setting.