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The purpose of this paper is to screen for iron bioavailability and absorption-promoting activity in selected herbs. Evidence is needed to promote and practice food-based strategies such as use of plants or their parts for treating iron deficiency anemia.

Eight Indian herbs, considered to be iron rich and/or hematinic, namely, Boerhavia diffusa, Trachyspermum ammi, Amaranthus paniculatus, Lepidium sativum, Medicago sativa, Asparagus racemosus, Sesamum indicum and Piper longum, were selected. Their mineral composition and phytate and tannin contents were analyzed. Endogenous iron bioavailability was assessed in human enterocyte cell line model, Caco-2 cells, using cellular ferritin induction. Iron absorption-promoting activity was tested similarly in two herbs and their mineral extract by the addition of exogenous iron or ascorbic acid.

Based on compositional analysis, B. diffusa, L. sativum and T. ammi had high iron (> 40 mg/100 g) and tannin/phytate. A. paniculatus, M. sativa, P. longum, S. indicum had low iron (10-15 mg/100 g) with high phytate and tannin. A. racemosus had 38 mg/100 g iron and low phytate and tannin. None of the herbs induced Caco-2 cell ferritin, indicating poor endogenous iron bioavailability. Mineral solutions of, two contrasting herbs (inhibitor content), B. diffusa and A. racemosus induced ferritin with ascorbic acid and not with exogenous iron, suggesting that these are devoid of iron absorption-promoting activity.

Incorporation of such herbs in diets may enhance iron content but not its bioavailability.

Selected edible herbs have been screened for iron bioavailability and its absorption-promoting activity. This has implications in planning evidence-based strategies to correct iron deficiency in general population.

Iron deficiency anaemia is widely prevalent amongst women and children in India. The aim of the paper is to study the effect of supplementation of micronutrient fortified biscuits on haemoglobin and serum iron levels of adolescent girls (n = 46, 10‐16 years) studying in a government school in Jaipur city, India.

The study was designed to be an intervention study. The intervention was with biscuits fortified with 30 mg iron, 100  μg folic acid, 600  μg vitamin A, 40 mg vitamin C and 150  μg iodine. The iron status of adolescent girls was determined through haemoglobin and serum iron levels.

The results revealed that 95.7 per cent of the adolescent girls suffered from anaemia of which 28.3 per cent had “mild” deficiency and 67.4 per cent had “moderate” deficiency. Anaemia was more prevalent in the older age groups. On supplementation, there was a significant increase in the haemoglobin levels. There was a three‐fold increase in the percentage of adolescent girls in the “normal” category of anaemia from 4.3 to 13.0 per cent and more than two‐fold decrease in the “moderate” category of anaemia from 67.4 to 28.3 per cent. Moreover, 21.7 per cent of the subjects had “normal” levels while the rest (78.3 per cent) had low levels of serum iron; the percentage of adolescent girls in the normal category increased to 93.5 per cent after intervention on the basis of serum iron levels.

Supplementation with iron and folic acid with other micronutrients improved the haemoglobin and serum iron levels of the adolescent girls significantly.

The paper recommends that the school system can be used for micronutrient supplementation to improve the nutritional status of children and adolescents as the students are more regimented here for distribution of nutrient fortified food products.

The purpose of this study was to examined the health effects of raw and cooked aqueous and methanol extracts of Vigna unguiculata on kidney function in Wistar rats.

Thirty-six Wistar rats (weighing 160 ± 10 g) were randomly assigned into nine (9) groups (n = 4). Group I (control): no extract. Groups II and III (aqueous extract of the cooked 350 mg/kg and 550 mg/kg). Groups IV and V (methanol extracts of cooked 350 mg/kg and 550 mg/kg). Groups VI and VII (methanol extracts of raw 350 mg/kg and 550 mg/kg). Groups VIII and IX (aqueous extract of raw 350 mg/kg and 550 mg/kg). After the seventh day of the trial, the rats were euthanized with chloroform, and blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis.

Results showed that the doses applied for cooked and raw V. unguiculata significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced kidney functions by increasing the body weight, glucose level, concentration of serum urea, creatinine, total protein, potassium and chloride in test groups compared with control. The packed cell volume and haemoglobin concentrations of raw aqueous extract at 550 mg/kg (36.5 ± 5.1; 12.3 ± 2.8) were significantly (p = 0.001) higher (29.8 ± 11.8; 10.3 ± 3.9) than the 350 mg/kg dose of the same extract, and cooked aqueous extract at 350 mg/kg dose was significantly (p = 0.001) higher (28.0 ± 10.1; 9.3 ± 3.4) than that of 550 mg/kg (25.8 ± 4.9; 8.8 ± 3.9) dose of the extracts.

The nutritional content of V. unguiculata potentially can augment the nutritional content of a diet and to a large extent, the regular consumers’ health. Essentially, V. unguiculata is composed of both macro and micronutrients capable of promoting normal kidney function.

To develop a model for manufacturing strategy formulation and implementation to help the managerial body of a corporation improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their company.

The quality function deployment (QFD) technique is used in the formulation process to provide the basis for selection between options in each of the formulation stages. The proposed model consists of six stages starting from the business strategy formulation, functional strategy formulation, manufacturing priorities formulation, the generation of action plans and the suggestions of the detailed tasks of each action plan, and ending up with the evaluation of the developed strategy. QFD capture software is used to form the matrices needed for the proposed model.

It was found that the proposed QFD approach is easy to apprehend, clear to be applied and leads to dependable manufacturing strategy. Accordingly, this model is recommended to be used in other functional areas in addition to manufacturing to develop their functional strategies.

After the application of this model, the quality of management in this company was improved and recommended for other companies.

The paper provides a QFD approach that can be applied to any company by their managerial body in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their company.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of marketing specific low‐cost drugs across segmented markets in India.

The study is empirical in nature, based on the primary data gathered through actual field survey. The study analyzes the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of five stockists, 50 physicians and 100 patients drawn from 20 healthcare organizations from different parts of the State of Karnataka in India.

The survey findings revealed that patients would be happy and would have better access to medicine if the same is offered at a lower price. Doctors are willing to prescribe generic drugs. Generic drug market has good economic feasibility. At present, the consumption of generic drugs to branded drugs in hospitals is found to be in the ratio 2:3 while for the stockist it is in the ratio 1:2. The study also revealed the fact that patients prefer to take generic medicines mostly on the basis of physicians' advice. They do consider cost but generally go by the prescriptions of the doctors.

Prescribing generic drugs would definitely contribute to greater use of medicine by the rural poor and thus better health conditions in rural areas. Low‐cost medicine is an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies because consumers of healthcare are increasingly concerned with the quality and the cost of drugs that they buy. This research enhances sales and marketing management in terms of creating awareness of the importance of doctors' perceptions. Healthcare providers would benefit from the findings of this paper.

As the generic drug market encompasses a variety of healthcare professionals and users, this paper establishes a practical methodology to have an understanding about the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of stockists, physicians and patients regarding the usage of such low‐cost drugs.