Search

Introduction: The nutritional status of pregnant women is a very important aspect of maternal and antenatal care, as malnutrition is detrimental to both the mother and the foetus. This study tries to assess the scale of the double burden of malnutrition in a rural setting in India., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 337 pregnant women to assess the nutritional status of pregnant women using Body Mass Index and dietary intake., Results: Overall, 21.4% of women were underweight, 14.8% were overweight, 0.9% were obese, and 62.9% of women were in the normal weight range based on Body Mass Index. Family type, dietary habits, and community practices were found to be significant determinants of nutritional status among pregnant women., Conclusion: Nearly a third of the pregnant women were found to be malnourished, indicating the significant impact of the double burden of malnutrition. Lifestyle changes such as dietary improvement need to be emphasised to enhance maternal nutritional status during antenatal care., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi issued approval Memo no. 10, IEC, RIMS/ Dated 30.01.2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Hembrom et al.)

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the most important factor in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study examines the level of nonadherence to ART and the predictors of interventions to improve ART adherence in Jharkhand, a state with a predominance of tribes., Methods: The present study was conducted at the ART center, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, Jharkhand. As it represents most patients from the state and was easily accessible to us, this center was taken as the study site. Considering ART intake, 30 tribal and 30 non-tribal patients were selected. All patients' baseline data was taken from the center and follow-up visits were done at their homes. Information regarding sociodemographic profile, ART regimen, adherence to ART, and reasons for nonadherence was collected. The interviews were recorded on audiotape, transcribed, and translated verbatim. We used a thematic approach to analyze the data., Results: In our study, the prevalence of ART at the RIMS ART center was 21.7%, and the causes of non-adherence were asked in depth. The most common reason for nonadherence to treatment was the traveling distance and cost incurred in travel., Conclusion: Comprehensive research can provide valuable insights into the reasons behind nonadherence and help develop targeted interventions to promote adherence. Some incentives can be provided along with treatment to cover long-distance travel expenses and loss of wages. Delivery of drugs to ART centers can be more regularized., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi issued approval 65, dated May 21, 2022. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: The study received funding from the Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society, Ranchi. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Kumar et al.)

Introduction Administering the measles vaccine at an appropriate age and dosage in children is important for India to eliminate measles, a potentially deadly vaccine-preventable disease. Similarly, the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine, particularly in endemic regions is important to prevent morbidity and high-case fatality from the disease. The study attempts to evaluate the coverage of measles and JE vaccines and their predictors. Materials and methods A mixed method study design, incorporating a three-stage cluster random sampling process was used in the cross-sectional survey conducted among 604 children aged 2-5 years in the Ormanjhi block of Ranchi, Jharkhand, from April 2023 to June 2024. The parents/caregivers of the eligible children were interviewed using a predesigned, pretested semi-structured questionnaire, and the immunization status of children was taken from vaccination cards. A focused group discussion (FGD) and an in-depth interview (IDI) with healthcare providers formed the qualitative component. We conducted descriptive, and logistic regression analysis using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). The association between the coverage of the vaccine and sociodemographic variables was done using the Chi-square test. Logistic regression was used to study the predictors, and a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results In the household survey, the coverage of the measles-containing vaccine first dose (MCV-1) was 594 (98.3%), while the second dose (MCV-2) was 536 (88.7%) out of 604 participants. For the JE vaccine, the coverage of the first dose (JE-1) was 588 (97.4%), while the second dose (JE-2) coverage was 492 (81.5%). In the multivariate logistic regression, religion and the lack of parental knowledge about measles were significant predictors for lower MCV-2 uptake, while the for JE vaccine, religion, father's education, and household head's occupation remained statistically significant factors (p ≤ 0.05). Vaccine hesitancy had mixed perceptions with the child's unavailability being the most significant reason for hesitancy in both MCV and JE vaccinations. In the FGD, child's unavailability at times of vaccination and parent's fear of side effects post vaccination were major factors for missing doses of the vaccine. Conclusion While the initial coverage of MCV and JE vaccines is commendable, the substantial drop in the second dose coverage and the delays in administration present significant challenges., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences issued approval 06 IEC, RIMS, dated 24-01-2023. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, vide Memo No. 06 IEC, RIMS, dated 24-01-2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: Financial assistance for the research has been received from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (No.3/2/Dec-2022/PG-thesis-HRD (42)). Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Mukul et al.)

Introduction: The development of a child is a crucial factor that ultimately affects the quality of life of children. Developmental delay can be prevented if it is identified early and adequate attention is given from the start., Methodology: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted between December and November 2022 on 450 children by multistage cluster sampling in the Ormanjhi block of Ranchi, Jharkhand. Development was assessed by using the Denver II developmental screening test. The Chi-square test and logistic regression were applied to predict associations., Results: Among 450, 4.9% were found to be developmentally delayed in one or more domains (viz., gross motor, fine motor, language and social domains). The strongest association was seen with the mother's education and the presence of past illness in the child., Conclusion: The study concludes that developmental delay can go unnoticed in our society, but it is very important to identify this early in their lives as it can affect their productivity., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Background: Vaccine hesitancy has been inching up and its root cause lies in the factors that influence the vaccination. The present study was conducted to find out the proportion and factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy for routine childhood vaccinations in the slum population., Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 210 children between the age group of 0 and 59 months residing in the urban slums of Ranchi in 2021. Data were collected during the household visit by interviewing the parents using a predesigned pretested interview schedule which was developed based on the validated version of the vaccine hesitancy survey questionnaire originally developed by the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts' working group on vaccine hesitancy. Associations between variables were analyzed using logistic regression., Results: A total of 210 children whose parents had given consent were included in our study. The majority of the families, 188 (89.5%), were not hesitant while only 22 (10.5%) were vaccine hesitant. Tribal children and unreserved category children had adjusted odds ratio of 4.41 (95% CI, 1.61-45.46) and 7.75 (95% CI, 1.07-56.08) for the delay as against their reference category., Conclusions: Most of the children were vaccinated in our study area and the families have shown confidence in vaccines. Although there were delays in vaccination and the reasons for the delays must be addressed to prevent these vaccine-hesitant populations from turning into vaccine-refusal population. Uniformity in vaccination days in different health facilities in slum areas, appropriate antenatal information, and counseling regarding childhood vaccinations, widespread awareness, and improving mother's education can help address the issue of vaccine hesitancy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Introduction Nutritional anemia is a silent emergency particularly rampant in developing countries, especially among women of reproductive age group. This study was done with the objective to determine the prevalence and predictors of anemia among pregnant and lactating females in the Ormanjhi block of Ranchi district, Jharkhand. Methodology A community-based cross-sectional study was done on 388 pregnant and lactating females from July 2022 to June 2024 using a multi-stage cluster sampling technique. A pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire containing different sections namely socio-demographic details, dietary history, menstrual history, obstetric history, antenatal history, medical history, behavioral history, and personal history was used. House-to-house visits were done for the collection of data. To estimate the prevalence, hemoglobin levels were analyzed using a digital hemoglobinometer. Results The overall prevalence of anemia among pregnant and lactating females was found to be 361 (93%) among 388 participants. Prevalence among pregnant females was 295 (92.76%) out of 318, and among lactating females, it was 66(94.28%) out of 70. The prevalence of anemia in the first trimester was 80 (80.45%) out of 87, 112 (94.91%) in the second trimester among 118, and 103 (91.15%) among 113 females in the third trimester. Conclusion There are concerns about stagnancy in the prevalence of anemia in pregnancy despite strong political commitments. A baseline data is generated from this study giving a clear picture of the exact prevalence and the predictors of anemia among pregnant and lactating females. This would help the policymakers to make warranted modifications imperative to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and hence the children., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, RIMS, Ranchi issued approval memo no 13 dated 02/02/2023. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Bhushan et al.)

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the most serious public health exigencies across the globe. However, equally brawny is the global commitment to halt new HIV infections from occurring and ensure that everyone with the disease has access to HIV treatment., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out at an antiretroviral therapy (ART) center in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India, in 2023. Since most patients across the state were registered for ART treatment there, it was selected as the study site. From this center, 30 tribal and 30 non-tribal people were chosen by a random number table. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) was used to enter the data, and a template was generated. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software for Windows, version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Chi-square and t-test were used to find an association, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The majority of the patients, i.e., 40%, were from the 40-50 age category with a mean age of 35.25 years, mean weight was 49.41 kg, and mean per capita income was Rs. 2,215.72. We found the prevalence of ART medication adherence among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) to be 88.3%, the degree of nonadherence was 21.7%, and the causes of the nonadherence were long commutes, high travel costs, and wage loss while visiting an ART center., Conclusion: Despite the best support system by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), which encompasses free drugs, counseling, and reminders, a fifth of patients still were not consistent with their treatments. We need to focus on travel costs and distance to improve this, as these were the main causes of nonadherence to ART., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi issued approval (65). Participants gave written consent, and the study was conducted by respecting the rights of participants to privacy, anonymity, and confidentiality. Parental consent was obtained for three participants below 16 years who assented to participate in the study. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: The authors acknowledge the financial support they have received from the Jharkhand State AIDS Control Society. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Kujur et al.)

Introduction: Husband and wife as a couple are fully responsible for their current and future. In our society, the husband is mostly responsible for making the decision regarding any expenses. In India, there is a need to reduce the maternal mortality rate, and Husband's involvement in antenatal care could be a key to success as it will enable them to support their partner in adequate preparation for birth and to utilize emergency obstetric care early if complications arise., Aim and Objectives: To find out about male involvement in the utilization of maternal healthcare services by their spouse and various factors affecting male involvement in the utilization of maternal healthcare services., Methods: This study was conducted in urban and rural field practice areas attached to the Department of Community Medicine, PGIMS, Rohtak. The study included 400 couples where 200 each were recruited from rural and urban areas. Out of 17 subcenters under CHC Chiri eight, subcenters were selected randomly by lottery method. A line list of these couples was prepared at each subcenter using ANC and birth register. Couples were enrolled from this line list till a sample size of 25 was reached at each of these eight subcenters. In this way, a total of 200 couples were enrolled from rural areas in which women delivered and availed maternal health services in the last 6 months. In urban areas, an equal number of couples were enrolled from each of these three urban health posts till the sample size of 200 was reached in an urban area., Results: The majority of the husbands (73%) reported that they participated in their wives' utilization of maternal health services. Twenty-seven percent did not participate in their wives' utilization of maternal health services. It also showed that 71.0% of the husbands did not know about the investigations that needed to be performed during a woman's pregnancy. Only 29% were aware of it. On analysis, it was observed that 73% of the husbands had good participation in their spouses' maternal and child health (MCH) care, while the rest had poor participation (27%). It also showed that as the education level of the participants' husbands increased, their participation in their spouses' MCH care increased, with the highest being observed among graduates (91.3%) and the lowest among those with primary schooling level education (66.7%) which were statistically significant., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Sugarcane productivity is being hampered globally under changing environmental scenarios like drought and salinity. The highly complex nature of the plant responses against these stresses is determined by a variety of factors such as genotype, developmental phase of the plant, progression rate and stress, intensity, and duration. These factors influence plant responses and can determine whether mitigation approaches associated with acclimation are implemented. In this review, we attempt to summarize the effects of drought and salinity on sugarcane growth, specifically on the plant's responses at various levels, viz., physiological, biochemical, and metabolic responses, to these stresses. Furthermore, mitigation strategies for dealing with these stresses have been discussed. Despite sugarcane's complex genomes, conventional breeding approaches can be utilized in conjunction with molecular breeding and omics technologies to develop drought- and salinity-tolerant cultivars. The significant role of plant growth-promoting bacteria in sustaining sugarcane productivity under drought and salinity cannot be overlooked., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Kumar, Sagar, Verma, Kumari, Gujjar, Goswami, Kumar Jha, Pandey, Dubey, Srivastava, Singh, Mall, Pathak, Singh, Jha and Prasad.)

Background: Overweight and obesity among school-going children is an emerging public health problem in the country. The information available on the true extent of obesity and overweight among school-aged children is limited. Hence, the present study has been conducted to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among high school students in Jharkhand, India., Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 1162 students of government and private schools of Ormanjhi block, Ranchi district, from July 2022 to December 2022. A predesigned, semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire containing different sections namely sociodemographic characteristics, and health parameters were used for the study subjects. Clinical examination and anthropometric measurements of height, weight, and waist and hip circumferences were taken using standard equipment to calculate body mass index (BMI) and central obesity (waist-hip ratio)., Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was more at 14 years of age (30.2%), among boys (18.1%), and among students practicing the Islam religion (51.1%). Moreover, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be highest in private schools (66.2%), and that was statistically significant (p<0.001)., Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be significant with respect to age, gender, and religion. The findings from this study would be helpful in raising awareness among students, parents, teachers, and health professionals about the influence of overweight and obesity on a child's physical, social, and psychological well-being, and this, in turn, would facilitate parents, students, and teachers in the adoption of a healthy lifestyle., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Hedayetullah et al.)

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is globally prevalent and the leading cause of death due to cancer in females. Due to changes in risk factor profiles, improved cancer registration, and cancer detection, its incidence and death rates have risen over the past three decades. Both modifiable and immutable risk factors for BC make up a sizable portion of the total risk factors.  Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study carried out in the Department of Surgery, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi. Consecutive sampling was done with a complete enumeration of all newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer >15 years old. Those who consented to participate and those who were extremely ill, deaf, or dumb were excluded from the study., Results: A total of 88 patients were included. Maximum patients diagnosed with breast cancer belonged to the age group of 40-50 years (37.5%), Hindu by religion (76.1%), non-tribal (80.68%), illiterate (89.8%), married (98.9%), housewives (92%), and of class IV socio-economic status (SES) (65.9%)., Conclusion: Regular training of Sahiya (the local name of Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) in Jharkhand), empowerment of screening clinics for cancer, and upgraded diagnostic facilities for timely referral should be stressed upon., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Kerketta et al.)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the leading type of cancer in Southeast Asian countries and many parts of the world. Many factors increase the risk of oral cancer, like tobacco, betel nuts, alcohol consumption, sharp teeth, infections, and other factors. Oral health-related issues have been reported in many studies of oral cancer, but there is a need to understand the role of the same as a risk factor. The systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the role of oral health as a risk factor in oral cancer. The population diagnosed with oral cancer (P) of all age groups and both gender, exposure (E) is oral health (includes poor oral hygiene, periodontal disease, and other oral diseases excluding oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD)), the comparator (C), is patients without oral health issues, outcome (O) is the role of poor oral health as a risk factor for oral cancer. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. The databases used for the search were PubMed, Cochrane Database, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The unpublished reports, reviews, and grey literature were considered. Case-control studies were included assessing poor oral health as a risk factor with odds ratio as an effective measure. Newcastle Ottawa Scale for risk of bias in the case-control study was considered. The study results showed that tooth loss odds ratio (OR)=1.13, CI (0.99-1.26), I 2 value of 71.7%, Oral hygiene OR=1.29, CI (1.04-1.54), I 2 value of 19.7% and in periodontal diseases OR=2.14 CI (1.70-2.58), I 2 value of 75.3% had a higher risk of developing oral cancer. The risk factors for tooth loss and periodontal disease showed moderate heterogenicity and less heterogenicity for oral hygiene. Poor oral health factors such as periodontal disease, poor oral hygiene, and loss of teeth show higher odds of oral cancer than the control. The periodontal disease shows the highest odds than other factors. These risk factors can be considered for the primordial prevention of oral cancer., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Mahuli et al.)

Background The Indian state of Jharkhand has the highest rate of wasting (29%) among young children. Mobile audio call follow-up can be used to assess such children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Aim This study evaluated SAM children during the COVID-19 outbreak and learn more about the status of their home/community care, and caregivers' awareness of integrated child development services (ICDS) and COVID-19 prevention. Methods Contact numbers of caregivers for discharged children were obtained from 54 malnutrition treatment centers (MTCs). In April and June 2020, mentors conducted follow-up interviews using mobile phone calls. Results Seven children (1.72%) were reported dead and 400 were alive, mostly girls (59.5%). Only a few caregivers observed post-discharge ailments (15.4%) and weight loss (7.7%) in their children. Children aged six to 24 months were characterized by continued breastfeeding (88.0%) at most five to six times a day (45.8%). Most of the children were not fed as per maternal infant and young child feeding protocols. Age in months with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.55 (1.00-1.11) as a 95% confidence interval (CI), age category, with an adjusted OR of 4.32 (1.71- 10.94) as 95% CI, and breastfeeding with adjusted OR 1.85 (1.07- 3.21) as 95% CI were three major predictors for a well-fed child. Conclusion Community involvement is crucial in the follow-up of children with SAM for effective rehabilitation. Mobile phone audio call follow-up is a relatively cost-effective approach to tackle geographic barriers and COVID-19 lockdown-induced situations. There are major gaps mainly in informing caregivers on how to manage COVID-19 with breastfeeding., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Kiran et al.)

Poor oral health is a risk factor for oral cancer, and bibliometrics can tell us important things about publication trends and research. Oral cancer risk factors include smoking, betel nut chewing, alcohol consumption, trauma from sharp teeth, chronic infections, and other factors related to oral health. There is a need to understand the role of poor oral health as a risk factor. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the literature on poor oral health as a risk factor for oral cancer. A bibliometric analysis was conducted for poor oral health as a risk factor for oral cancer using RStudio 2021.09.0+351 "Ghost Orchid" Release (2021-09-20) for Windows, package "bibliometrix." The literary data for this study were derived from Elsevier's Scopus database, and the data were exported in BibTex format. The results considered the time frame of 1983 to 2022, with journals, books, newspaper articles, and others as sources, accounting for a total of 543 documents. The search yielded a total of 2,882 authors, with a total of 3,306 appearances. The results show that the research on poor oral health and oral cancer is mainly led by the United States (106), India (49), and China (46). The top author is Warnakulasuriya S, followed by Worthington HV. The research shows the countries that are currently working on the topics and helps set up future collaborations to improve the evidence produced and help the scientific community by finding research gaps and experts in this area of research., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2023, Mahuli et al.)

In the era of climate change, the overall productivity of pea ( Pisum sativum L.) is being threatened by several abiotic stresses including heat stress (HS). HS causes severe yield losses by adversely affecting several traits in peas. A reduction in pod yield has been reported from 11.1% to 17.5% when mean daily temperature increase from 1.4 to 2.2°C. High-temperature stress (30.5-33°C) especially during reproductive phase is known to drastically reduce both seed yield and germination. HS during germination and early vegetative stage resulted in poor emergence and stunted plant growth along with detrimental effects on physiological functions of the pea plant. To combat HS and continue its life cycle, plants use various defense strategies including heat escape, avoidance or tolerance mechanisms. Ironically, the threshold temperatures for pea plant and its responses are inconsistent and not yet clearly identified. Trait discovery through traditional breeding such as semi leaflessness ( afila ), upright growing habit, lodging tolerance, lower canopy temperature and small seeded nature has highlighted their utility for greater adaptation under HS in pea. Screening of crop gene pool and landraces for HS tolerance in a targeted environment is a simple approach to identify HS tolerant genotypes. Thus, precise phenotyping using modern phenomics tools could lead to increased breeding efficiency. The NGS (next generation sequencing) data can be associated to find the candidate genes responsible for the HS tolerance in pea. In addition, genomic selection, genome wide association studies (GWAS) and marker assisted selection (MAS) can be used for the development of HS tolerant pea genotypes. Additionally, development of transgenics could be an alternative strategy for the development of HS tolerant pea genotypes. This review comprehensively covers the various aspects of HS tolerance mechanisms in the pea plant, screening protocols, omic advances, and future challenges for the development of HS tolerant genotypes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Devi, Sagar, Mishra, Jha, Gupta, Dubey, Singh, Behera and Prasad.)

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

To assess the quality of Indian clinical practice guidelines (CPG)s for the management of cardiovascular conditions, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar and websites of relevant medical associations and government organisations were searched, from inception until August 2020, to identify Indian CPGs for the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) conditions, produced in or between 2010 and 2019. Excluded were CPGs that were not specific to India, focused on alternative systems of medicine, of non-CVD conditions (even if they included a component of CVD), and those related to the electronic devices, cardiac biomarkers, or diagnostic procedures. Quality of the each included CPG was assessed using the AGREE II tool by four reviewers in duplicate, independently. Each AGREE II domain score and overall quality score was considered low (≤40%), moderate (40.1%-59.9%), and high (≥60%). Of the 23 CPGs included, six (26%) were reported to be adapted from other CPGs. Fourteen (61%) CPGs were produced by medical associations, six (26%) by individual authors and three (13%) by government agencies. Based on the AGREE II overall quality score, two (9%) CPGs were of high quality, four (17%) and seventeen (74%) CPGs were of moderate and low quality, respectively. Except for scope and purpose, and clarity of presentation all other domains were rated low. The quality of most Indian CPGs for managing CVD conditions assessed using the AGREE II tool was moderate-to-low. Combined efforts from different stakeholders are needed to develop, disseminate and implement high-quality CPGs while identifying and addressing barriers to their uptake to optimize patient care and improve outcomes., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: The first 1000 days of life is a unique window of opportunity when the foundation of overall optimum health and neurodevelopmental growth across the lifespan is established., Objective: To explore the level of knowledge and practice of service providers in delivering maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) services at the point of care., Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study done in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics of RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand from May to September 2019., Result: The practices and counseling skills of nursing staff pertaining to maternal nutrition interventions like IFA and calcium supplements was good. Though counseling on maternal minimum dietary diversity, frequency, and quantity of meals was done during the antenatal care period, its knowledge and expected total weight gain during pregnancy were suboptimal. The practice of early initiation of breastfeeding was significantly higher in those who delivered normally (79%) than those by cesarean section (7%). The nursing staff's knowledge and technical skills on early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding were good, but inadequate for cesarean section. Forty-one percentage of recently delivered women were counseled on colostrum feeding, 17% about positioning and attachment, and 38% on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) during the first 6 months. In the pediatrics OPD and immunization clinic, 93% of mothers with an infant below 6 months of age, received counseling on EBF, 47% on feeding during illness, and 13% on breastfeeding difficulties and their solutions. Sixty percentage of mothers of children >6 months old received counseling on timely introduction of complementary feeding and 40% on minimum dietary diversity. Forty percentage of mothers were counseled on feeding techniques during and after illness., Conclusion: The nursing staffs were providing the services related to MIYCN during antenatal, intranatal, and postnatal services, sick child visits, and immunization visits but their technical knowledge and skills on the specific components were not in accordance with the standard guidelines., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Nutritionally rich cucumber seeds remain in demand in the agricultural, health and cosmetic sectors as they are essential for a successful crop stand establishment and seed-based products. However, the production of cucumber seeds is impeded by source limitation and nutrient deficiency. The foliar application of micronutrients can supplement this deficiency and overcome the physiological setback. An experiment was undertaken to compare the impacts of the foliar application of Fe and Zn, as nanoparticles and fertilizers, on the yield and seed quality of cucumber under open and protected environments. A foliar spray of nano-ZnO (ZnNPs) and nano-Fe 3 O 4 (FeNPs) at 100, 200 and 300 mg L -1 , as well as ZnSO 4 and FeSO 4 as fertilizer (0.5%), was conducted at the vegetative stage and pre- and post-flowering stages. The NPs had a greater efficacy in an open field than in the protected (naturally ventilated poly house) environment. The application of both NPs increased seed yield (51.7-52.2%), total chlorophyll content (15.9-17.3%) and concentration of Zn and Fe in the fruit and the seed, by 2.0-58.5% and 5.0-30.5%, respectively. A significant increase in starch, soluble proteins, soluble sugars and oil content was observed in the seeds from the NP treated plants. NP treatment also enhanced the germination-related parameters, such as percent germination (16.8-17.0%), rate of germination (18.0-22.2%) and seedling vigor (59.8-72.6%). The biochemical characterization showed a significant improvement in the seed water uptake and the activity of hydrolytic enzymes (amylase and protease) in the germinating seed. The involvement of reactive oxygen species (superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide) and antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismutase, Catalase and Peroxidase) in the germination process was indicated by an increase in their activities in the seeds from NP treated plants. Hence, the study proposes the potential benefit of the foliar application of 300 mg L -1 ZnNPs and 200 mg L -1 FeNPs at crucial stages of plant growth to improve the yield and seed quality in cucumbers.

As a vegetable crop, sponge gourd is widely consumed worldwide due to its health promoting and nutraceutical value. This study describes genetics of an aromatic genotype VRSG-7-17 and deciphers the genetic control and volatile compound composition of sponge gourd. To study the inheritance of this trait, a cross was made between aromatic light-green-fruited VRSG-7-17 and non-aromatic dark-green-fruited VRSG-194 genotypes. The F 1 s were found to be non-aromatic and have a green fruit colour. Chi-square (χ 2 ) analysis of backcross and F 2 population segregating for aroma suggested that the inheritance of aroma in VRSG-7-17 is governed by a single recessive gene in a simple Mendelian fashion. The SPME-GC/MS analysis of the volatile compounds suggested that the compounds responsible for Basmati rice-like aroma were mainly hexanal, 1-octen-3-ol, 3-octanone and limonene. The aroma persists in the cooked VRSG-7-17 fruits, that did not lose fragrance traits at high temperatures. The inheritance of fruit colour was found to be controlled by a single gene with incomplete dominance. The segregation analysis showed that the aroma and fruit colour were not linked, and they segregated independently. The findings will lead to understanding the inheritance of the aromatic compounds in the sponge gourd and may be utilised in the breeding programmes for developing improved aromatic varieties.

The increased lead (Pb) content in the environment has an impact on all living beings, including plant growth and quality. The present study aims to investigate the protective roles of zinc (Zn)- and iron (Fe)- nanoparticles (NPs) in alleviating stress symptoms caused by lead (Pb) exposure in Basella alba seedlings. For this purpose, 15 different treatment combinations of seed priming with two NPs at 0 and 200 mg L−1, and five Pb levels (0, 4, 8, 15, 20 mM) were chosen. Pb stress (20 mM) was found to reduce seed germination by 72.8% and seedling growth, particularly root length, by 92% when compared to the control. Under different Pb concentrations, seed priming with ZnNPs (200 mg L−1) and FeNPs (200 mg L−1) increased seed germination by 34.7% and 54.9%, respectively, and root length by 152.9% and 252.9%, respectively. In 20 mM Pb stress, NPs primed seedling showed decrease in Pb content by 33.7% with ZnNPs and 32.6% with FeNPs. Increased Pb stress resulted in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (H2O2) and lipid peroxidation (MDA) compared to non-Pb stressed seedlings. However, increased antioxidants in the NPs treatments such as SOD, CAT, POD and proline content, scavenged these ROS. Considering all the parameters under study, priming alleviated Pb stress in the following order: FeNPs > ZnNPs > hydropriming > control. To summarise, seed priming with Zn- and Fe-NPs has the potential to alleviate Pb toxicity via reduced Pb uptake, ROS generation and lipid peroxidation as well as increased proline content and activation of antioxidant enzymatic system.

Background: The objective of this study was to assess the impact of fortified milk on various aspects of growth and development among school children in a tribal-predominant district of Jharkhand, India., Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was planned in 16 schools (eight in intervention group and eight in control group) of Latehar district of Jharkhand in India. Out of the total 962 study participants, only 528 study participants were considered in study analysis, who were present both during baseline and endline study after 1 year of milk introduction. The study participants were assessed for nutrition, intelligence quotient, and hemoglobin levels with the help of study tools and instruments., Results: The decrease in malnutrition was more evident in the intervention group during endline assessment, with 95% confidence interval (95% CI; 7.37, 7.42) and 95% CI (10.63, 10.58) for the difference in proportion in the intervention and control groups for stunting and thinness, respectively. This was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). Anemia also improved with better cognition in the intervention group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: In our study, beneficial effects of milk on malnourished children were evident, particularly in combating stunting and thinness, and it also had a positive impact on cognitive skills in school children., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Globally powdery mildew (PM) is one of the major diseases of the pea caused by Erysiphe pisi. Besides, two other species viz . Erysiphe trifolii and Erysiphe baeumleri have also been identified to infect the pea plant. To date, three resistant genes, namely er1 , er2 and Er3 located on linkage groups VI, III and IV respectively were identified. Studies have shown the er1 gene to be a Pisum sativum Mildew resistance Locus ' O ' homologue and subsequent analysis has identified eleven alleles namely er1-1 to er1-11 . Despite reports mentioning the breakdown of er1 gene-mediated PM resistance by E. pisi and E. trifolii, it is still the most widely deployed gene in PM resistance breeding programmes across the world. Several linked DNA markers have been reported in different mapping populations with varying linkage distances and effectiveness, which were used by breeders to develop PM-resistant pea cultivars through marker assisted selection. This review summarizes the genetics of PM resistance and its mechanism, allelic variations of the er gene, marker linkage and future strategies to exploit this information for targeted PM resistance breeding in Pisum .

Background: In the tribal state of Jharkhand, there have been very few studies on micronutrient deficiency and how it is addressed among school children. This study was conceived and undertaken to assess the effect of milk supplementation on the micronutrient status of school children., Design: A comparative observational study was conducted among school children of a tribal district in India during 2017-2018. Two groups of schools/clusters were randomly selected, one with milk supplementation and the other without supplementation. A total of 318 children from the two groups of schools were recruited for biochemical analysis of certain micronutrients, such as calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B 12 and iron (haemoglobin level), using cluster random sampling. Data were analysed using SPSS V.20.0 software, and multiple logistic regression analysis was done to determine the predictors of serum calcium and vitamin B 12 level among school children., Results: Almost all children from both groups had vitamin D deficiency. A higher risk of lower serum vitamin B 12 level (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.61 to 4.16) and calcium level (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.74 to 6.49) was observed in children of the control group. The difference in the proportion of anaemia in the two study groups was found to be statistically insignificant. Milk consumption was found to be the only significant predictor of normal vitamin B 12 and calcium level in the present study., Conclusions: In this study, it was concluded that milk consumption may help in improving the calcium and vitamin B 12 status of school children of a tribal state, whereas it does not have any significant effect on vitamin D level., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Adolescents are being involved in aggressive activities nowadays. Sometimes, involvement in aggressive activities may be fatal for the victim as well as for the doer. It is a matter of great concern for all including parents, teachers, psychologists, social reformers, and others. A momentary expression of anger sometimes may spoil the future life of the adolescents., Aim and Objectives: To determine the prevalence of aggression and to identify the psychosocial risk factors associated with aggression among school-going adolescents., Methodology: The study recruited 480 school-going rural adolescents from eight government senior secondary schools in the rural block of Beri, district Jhajjar (Haryana)., Observations: The mean age of the adolescents was 14.11 ± 1.12 years; 49.4% of the adolescents were found to be aggressive. After applying binary logistic regression, there was a statistically significant relation between aggression and determinants like class, gender, occupation of the father., Conclusion and Recommendations: The study concluded that determinants like age, class of students, gender of the subject, occupation of father found a significant association with aggression. To solve this current situation, parents must give love, attention to their children and must act in an appropriate way in front of them and be role models., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Apricot ( Prunus armeniaca L.) is a nutritious fruit, rich in bioactive compounds, known for their health benefits. The present study attempts to evaluate nutritional (sugars, organic acids, minerals) and nutraceutical traits (total phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, antioxidant activity) of six commercial apricot genotypes grown in India. Antioxidant activity was determined using three in-vitro assays, namely CUPRAC (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl). Significant ( p < 0.05) differences were observed in the genotypes concerning nutritional and nutraceutical traits. Sucrose accounted for more than 60% of total sugars in most genotypes, followed by glucose and fructose. Citric acid accounted for more than 50% of the total organic acids present, followed by malic and succinic acids. Apricot is a good source of potassium (1430.07 to 2202.69 mg/100 g dwb) and iron (2.69 to 6.97 mg/100 g dwb) owing to its mineral composition. Total carotenoids content ranged from 0.44 to 3.55 mg/100 g, with β-carotene accounting for 33-84% of the total content. The results strongly suggest that genotypes 'CITH-A-1' and 'CITH-A-2', which have high dry matter and carotenoids content, are well suited for drying. 'Roxana' and 'CITH-A-3' are great for fresh consumption, while 'Shakarpara' and 'Gold Cot' are excellent for juice processing.

Hydrogel-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) have versatile applications such, as tissue engineering, scaffolds, drug delivery, and regenerative medicines. The drawback of higher size and poor stability in such DDSs are being addressed by developing nano-sized hydrogel particles, known as nanogels, to achieve the desired biocompatibility and encapsulation efficiency for better efficacy than conventional bulk hydrogels. In this review, we describe advances in the development of nanogels and their promotion as nanocarriers to deliver therapeutic agents to the central nervous system (CNS). We also discuss the challenges, possible solutions, and future prospects for the use of nanogel-based DDSs for CNS therapies., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In spite of significant advancement in hydrogel technology, low mechanical strength and lack of electrical conductivity have limited their next-level biomedical applications for skeletal muscles, cardiac and neural cells. Host-guest chemistry based hybrid nanocomposites systems have gained attention as they completely overcome these pitfalls and generate bioscaffolds with tunable electrical and mechanical characteristics. In recent years, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based hybrid hydrogels have emerged as innovative candidates with diverse applications in regenerative medicines, tissue engineering, drug delivery devices, implantable devices, biosensing, and biorobotics. This article is an attempt to recapitulate the advancement in synthesis and characterization of hybrid hydrogels and provide deep insights toward their functioning and success as biomedical devices. The improved comparative performance and biocompatibility of CNT-hydrogels hybrids systems developed for targeted biomedical applications are addressed here. Recent updates toward diverse applications and limitations of CNT hybrid hydrogels is the strength of the review. This will provide a holistic approach toward understanding of CNT-based hydrogels and their applications in nanotheranostics., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Introduction: Near-infrared ray (NIR)-responsive 'smart' nanoagents allow spatial and temporal control over the drug delivery process, noninvasively, without affecting healthy tissues and therefore they possess high potential for on-demand, targeted drug/gene delivery. Various NIR-responsive drug/gene delivery techniques are under investigation for peripheral disorders (especially for cancer). Nonetheless, their potential not been extensively examined for brain biomedical application., Areas Covered: This review focuses on NIR-responsive characteristics of different NIR-nanobiophotonics-based nanoagents and associated drug delivery strategies. Together with their ongoing applications for peripheral drug delivery, we have highlighted the opportunities, challenges and possible solutions of NIR-nanobiophotonics for potential brain drug delivery., Expert Opinion: NIR-nanobiophotonics can be considered superior among all photo-controlled drug/gene delivery approaches. Future work should focus on coupling NIR with biocompatible nanocarriers to determine the physiological compatibility of this approach. Their applications should be extended beyond the peripheral body region to brain region. Transient or intermittent NIR exposure strategies may be more accommodating for brain physiological ambience in order to minimize or avoid the possible deleterious thermal effect. In addition, while most studies are centered around the first NIR spectral window (700-1000 nm), the potential of second (1100-1350 nm) and third (1600-1870 nm) windows must be explored.

The neurological complications of AIDS (neuroAIDS) during the infection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are symptomized by non-specific, multifaceted neurological conditions and therefore, defining a specific diagnosis/treatment mechanism(s) for this neuro-complexity at the molecular level remains elusive. Using an in silico based integrated gene network analysis we discovered that HIV infection shares convergent gene networks with each of twelve neurological disorders selected in this study. Importantly, a common gene network was identified among HIV infection, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and age macular degeneration. An mRNA microarray analysis in HIV-infected monocytes showed significant changes in the expression of several genes of this in silico derived common pathway which suggests the possible physiological relevance of this gene-circuit in driving neuroAIDS condition. Further, this unique gene network was compared with another in silico derived novel, convergent gene network which is shared by seven major neurological disorders (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Age Macular Degeneration, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Vascular Dementia, and Restless Leg Syndrome). These networks differed in their gene circuits; however, in large, they involved innate immunity signaling pathways, which suggests commonalities in the immunological basis of different neuropathogenesis. The common gene circuits reported here can provide a prospective platform to understand how gene-circuits belonging to other neuro-disorders may be convoluted during real-time neuroAIDS condition and it may elucidate the underlying-and so far unknown-genetic overlap between HIV infection and neuroAIDS risk. Also, it may lead to a new paradigm in understanding disease progression, identifying biomarkers, and developing therapies.

The emergence of injectable hydrogels as biomaterials has been a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of on-demand drug delivery and tissue engineering. The promising features of these systems include their biodegradability, biocompatibility, permeability, ease of the surgical implantation, and most importantly exhibit minimally invasiveness. These hydrogels have been explored as sustained and on-demand release carriers for the various bioactive agents, growth factors, live cells, various hydrophobic drugs and as extracellular matrices for tissue engineering. Present review is an attempt to highlight the recent systems explored for on-demand drug release and tissue engineering. It also gives an overview of the role of nanotechnology in the advancements of injectable hydrogels. The future prospects and challenges of these hydrogels have also been addressed., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Interplay between lncRNAs and mRNAs is rapidly emerging as a key epigenetic mechanism in controlling various cell functions. HIV can actively infect and/or can persist latently for years by manipulating host epigenetics; however, its molecular essence remains undiscovered in entirety. Here for the first time, we delineate the influence of HIV on global lncRNAs expression in monocytic cells lines. Our analysis revealed the expression modulation of nearly 1060 such lncRNAs which are associated with differentially expressed mRNAs in active and latent infection. This suggests a greater role of lncRNAs in regulating transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene expression during HIV infection. The differentially expressed mRNAs were involved in several different biological pathways where immunological networks were most enriched. Importantly, we discovered that HIV induces expression reversal of more than 150 lncRNAs between its active and latent infection. Also, hundreds of unique lncRNAs were identified in both infection conditions. The pathology specific "gene-expression reversal" and "on-and-off" switching of lncRNAs and associated mRNAs may lead to establish the relationship between active and HIV infection.

In spite of significant advances in antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, the elimination of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoirs from the periphery and the central nervous system (CNS) remains a formidable task. The incapability of ARV to go across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) after systemic administration makes the brain one of the dominant HIV reservoirs. Thus, screening, monitoring, and elimination of HIV reservoirs from the brain remain a clinically daunting and key task. The practice and investigation of nanomedicine possesses potentials for therapeutics against neuroAIDS. This review highlights the advancements in nanoscience and nanotechnology to design and develop specific size therapeutic cargo for efficient navigation across BBB so as to recognize and eradicate HIV brain reservoirs. Different navigation and drug release strategies, their biocompatibility and efficacy with related challenges and future prospects are also discussed. This review would be an excellent platform to understand nano-enable multidisciplinary research to formulate efficient nanomedicine for the management of neuroAIDS., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Combined treatment strategies based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with near infrared ray (NIR) biophotonic possess tremendous potential for non-invasive therapeutic approach. Nonetheless, investigations in this direction have been limited to peripheral body region and little is known about the potential biomedical application of this approach for brain. Here we report that transient NIR exposure is dissipation-free and has no adverse effect on the viability and plasticity of major brain cells in the presence or absence superparamagnetic nanoparticles. The 808 nm NIR laser module with thermocouple was employed for functional studies upon NIR exposure to brain cells. Magnetic nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic laser scattering (DLS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Brain cells viability and plasticity were analyzed using electric cell-substrate impedance sensing system, cytotoxicity evaluation, and confocal microscopy. When efficacious non-invasive photobiomodulation and neuro-therapeutical targeting and monitoring to brain remain a formidable task, the discovery of this dissipation-free, transient NIR photonic approach for brain cells possesses remarkable potential to add new dimension.

We have observed significantly increased HIV infection in HIV infected macrophages in the presence of cocaine that could be due to the downregulation of BST2 restriction factor in these cells. In human inflammasome PCR array, among different involved in inflammasome formation, in HIV infected macrophages in the presence of cocaine, we have observed significant upregulation of NLRP3, AIM2 genes and downstream genes IL-1β and PTGS2. Whereas negative regulatory gene MEFV was upregulated, CD40LG and PYDC1 were significantly downregulated. Among various NOD like receptors, NOD2 was significantly upregulated in both HIV alone and HIV plus cocaine treated cells. In the downstream genes, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), CCL7 and IL-6 were significantly up regulated in HIV plus cocaine treated macrophages. We have also observed significant ROS production (in HIV and/or cocaine treated cells) which is one of the indirect-activators of inflammasomes formation. Further, we have observed early apoptosis in HIV alone and HIV plus cocaine treated macrophages which may be resultant of inflammasome formation and cspase-1 activation. These results indicate that in case of HIV infected macrophages exposed to cocaine, increased ROS production and IL-1β transcription serve as an activators for the formation of NLRP3 and AIM2 mediated inflammasomes that leads to caspase 1 mediated apoptosis.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a neurotropic virus. It induces neurotoxicity and subsequent brain pathologies in different brain cells. Addiction to recreational drugs remarkably affects the initiation of HIV infections and expedites the progression of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) associated neuropathogenesis. Symptoms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are noticed in many AIDS patients. At least 50 % of HIV diagnosed cases show one or other kind of neuropathological signs or symptoms during different stages of disease progression. In the same line, mild to severe neurological alterations are seen in at least 80 % autopsies of AIDS patients. Neurological illnesses weaken the connections between neurons causing significant altercations in synaptic plasticity. Synaptic plasticity alterations during HIV infection and recreational drug abuse are mediated by complex cellular phenomena involving changes in gene expression and subsequent loss of dendritic and spine morphology and physiology. New treatment strategies with ability to deliver drugs across blood-brain barrier (BBB) are being intensively investigated. In this context, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) based nanoformulations have shown significant potential for target specificity, drug delivery, drug release, and bioavailability of desired amount of drugs in non-invasive brain targeting. MNPs-based potential therapies to promote neuronal plasticity during HIV infection and recreational drug abuse are being developed.

Magnetite (Fe3O4) is the most commonly and extensively explored magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for drug-targeting and imaging in the field of biomedicine. Nevertheless, its potential application as safe and effective drug-carrier for CNS (Central Nervous System) anomalies is very limited. Previous studies have shown an entangled epidemic of opioid use and HIV infection and increased neuropathogenesis. Opiate such as morphine, heroine, etc. are used frequently as recreational drugs. Existing treatments to alleviate the action of opioid are less effective at CNS level due to impermeability of therapeutic molecules across brain barriers. Thus, development of an advanced nanomedicine based approach may pave the way for better treatment strategies. We herein report magnetic nanoformulation of a highly selective and potent morphine antagonist, CTOP (D-Pen-Cys-Tyr-DTrp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2), which is impenetrable to the brain. MNPs, synthesized in size range from 25 to 40 nm, were characterized by Transmission electron microscopy and assembly of MNPs-CTOP nanoformulations were confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy and fluorescent detection. Flow-cytometry analysis showed that biological efficacy of this nanoformulation in prevention of morphine induced apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells remains equivalent to that of free CTOP. Similarly, confocal microscopy reveals comparable efficacy of free and MNPs bound CTOP in protecting modulation of neuronal dendrite and spine morphology during morphine exposure and morphine-treated HIV infection. Further, typical transmigration assay showed increased translocation of MNPs across in vitro blood-brain barrier upon exposure of external magnetic force where barrier integrity remains unaltered. Thus, the developed nanoformulation could be effective in targeting brain by application of external magnetic force to treat morphine addiction in HIV patients.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a diffusion barrier that has an important role in maintaining a precisely regulated microenvironment protecting the neural tissue from infectious agents and toxins in the circulating system. Compromised BBB integrity plays a major role in the pathogenesis of retroviral associated neurological diseases. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in the Central Nervous System (CNS) is an early event even before the serodiagnosis for HIV positivity or the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), resulting in neurological complications in many of the infected patients. Macrophages, microglia and astrocytes (in low levels) are the most productively/latently infected cell types within the CNS. In this brief review, we have discussed about the effect of HIV infection and viral proteins on the integrity and function of BBB, which may contribute to the progression of HIV associated neurocognitive disorders.

Background: Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality in HIV patients, virus continues to reside in the central nervous system (CNS) reservoir. Hence, a complete eradication of virus remains a challenge. HIV productively infects microglia/macrophages, but astrocytes are generally restricted to HIV infection. The relative importance of the possible replication blocks in astrocytes, however, is yet to be delineated. A recently identified restriction factor, sterile alpha motif and histidine/aspartic acid domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1), restricts HIV infection in resting CD4(+)T cells and in monocyte-derived dendritic cells. However, SAMHD1 expression and HIV-1 restriction activity regulation in the CNS cells are unknown. Though, certain miRNAs have been implicated in HIV restriction in resting CD4(+)T cells, their role in the CNS HIV restriction and their mode of action are not established. We hypothesized that varying SAMHD1 expression would lead to restricted HIV infection and host miRNAs would regulate SAMHD1 expression in astrocytes., Results: We found increased SAMHD1 expression and decreased miRNA expression (miR-181a and miR-155) in the astrocytes compared to microglia. We report for the first time that miR-155 and miR-181a regulated the SAMHD1 expression. Overexpression of these cellular miRNAs increased viral replication in the astrocytes, through SAMHD1 modulation. Reactivation of HIV replication was accompanied by decrease in SAMHD1 expression., Conclusions: Here, we provide a proof of concept that increased SAMHD1 in human astrocytes is in part responsible for the HIV restriction, silencing of which relieves this restriction. At this time, this concept is of theoretical nature. Further experiments are needed to confirm if HIV replication can be reactivated in the CNS reservoir.

A novel approach was developed for the coencapsulation of an anti-HIV drug (tenofovir) and a latency-breaking agent (vorinostat), using magnetically guided layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled nanocarriers for the treatment of neuroAIDS. Ultrasmall iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (10±3 nm) were synthesized and characterized. The LbL technique was used to achieve a sustained release profile, and application of 2 bilayers ([tenofovir+dextran sulphate]2+vorinostat) to magnetic nanoparticles resulted in a 2.8 times increase in drug (tenofovir) loading and also resulted in an increase in the drug release period by 30-fold, with 100% drug release in sustained manner over a period of 5 days with the simultaneous stimulation of latent HIV expression. Nanoformulation showed a good blood-brain barrier transmigration ability (37.95%±1.5%) with good in vitro antiviral efficacy (~33% reduction of p24 level) over a period of 5 days after HIV infection in primary human astrocytes, with good cell viability (>90%). Hence, LbL arrangements of drugs on magnetic nanoparticles provides sustained release and, therefore, may improve the patient's adherence to therapy and lead to better compliance.

A novel electrochemical sensing method was devised for the first time to detect plasma cortisol, a potential psychological stress biomarker, in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive subjects. A miniaturized potentiostat (reconfigured LMP91000 chip) interfaced with a microfluidic manifold containing a cortisol immunosensor was employed to demonstrate electrochemical cortisol sensing. This fully integrated and optimized electrochemical sensing device exhibited a wide cortisol-detection range from 10 pg/mL to 500 ng/mL, a low detection limit of 10 pg/mL, and sensitivity of 5.8 μA (pg mL)(-1), with a regression coefficient of 0.995. This cortisol-selective sensing system was employed to estimate plasma cortisol in ten samples from HIV patients. The electrochemical cortisol-sensing performance was validated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The results obtained using both methodologies were comparable within 2%-5% variation. The information related to psychological stress of HIV patients can be correlated with disease-progression parameters to optimize diagnosis, therapeutic, and personalized health monitoring.

Introduction: The development and design of personalized nanomedicine for better health quality is receiving great attention. In order to deliver and release a therapeutic concentration at the target site, novel nanocarriers (NCs) were designed, for example, magneto-electric (ME) which possess ideal properties of high drug loading, site-specificity and precise on-demand controlled drug delivery., Areas Covered: This review explores the potential of ME-NCs for on-demand and site-specific drug delivery and release for personalized therapeutics. The main features including effect of magnetism, improvement in drug loading, drug transport across blood-brain barriers and on-demand controlled release are also discussed. The future directions and possible impacts on upcoming nanomedicine are highlighted., Expert Opinion: Numerous reports suggest that there is an urgent need to explore novel NC formulations for safe and targeted drug delivery and release at specific disease sites. The challenges of formulation lie in the development of NCs that improve biocompatibility and surface modifications for optimum drug loading/preservation/transmigration and tailoring of electrical-magnetic properties for on-demand drug release. Thus, the development of novel NCs is anticipated to overcome the problems of targeted delivery of therapeutic agents with desired precision that may lead to better patient compliance.

Background: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) is characterized by development of cognitive, behavioral and motor abnormalities, and occurs in approximately 50% of HIV infected individuals. In the United States, the prevalence of cigarette smoking ranges from 35-70% in HIV-infected individuals compared to 20% in general population. Cognitive impairment in heavy cigarette smokers has been well reported. However, the synergistic effects of nicotine and HIV infection and the underlying mechanisms in the development of HAND are unknown., Results: In this study, we explored the role of nicotine in the progression of HAND using SK-N-MC, a neuronal cell line. SK-N-MC cells were infected with HIV-1 in the presence or absence of nicotine for 7 days. We observed significant increase in HIV infectivity in SK-N-MC treated with nicotine compared to untreated HIV-infected neuronal cells. HIV and nicotine synergize to significantly dysregulate the expression of synaptic plasticity genes and spine density; with a concomitant increase of HDAC2 levels in SK-N-MC cells. In addition, inhibition of HDAC2 up-regulation with the use of vorinostat resulted in HIV latency breakdown and recovery of synaptic plasticity genes expression and spine density in nicotine/HIV alone and in co-treated SK-N-MC cells. Furthermore, increased eIF2 alpha phosphorylation, which negatively regulates eukaryotic translational process, was observed in HIV alone and in co-treatment with nicotine compared to untreated control and nicotine alone treated SK-N-MC cells., Conclusions: These results suggest that nicotine and HIV synergize to negatively regulate the synaptic plasticity gene expression and spine density and this may contribute to the increased risk of HAND in HIV infected smokers. Apart from disrupting latency, vorinostat may be a useful therapeutic to inhibit the negative regulatory effects on synaptic plasticity in HIV infected nicotine abusers.

Mammalian orthoreovirus mRNAs possess short 5' UTR, lack 3' poly(A) tails, and may lack 5' cap structures at late times post-infection. As such, the mechanisms by which these viral mRNAs recruit ribosomes remain completely unknown. Toward addressing this question, we used bicistronic MRV M3 mRNA to analyze the role of 5' and 3' UTRs during MRV protein synthesis. The 5' UTR was found to be dispensable for translation initiation; however, reducing its length promoted increased downstream initiation. Modifying start site Kozak context altered the ratio of upstream to downstream initiation, whereas mutations in the 3' UTR did not. Moreover, an M3 mRNA lacking a 3' UTR was able to rescue MRV infection to WT levels in an siRNA trans-complementation assay. Together, these data allow us to propose a model in which the MRV M3 mRNA initiates translation using a 5' end-dependent, scanning mechanism that does not require the viral mRNA 3' UTR or 5'-3' UTRs interaction., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has resulted in remarkable decline in the morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients, controlling HIV infections still remain a global health priority. HIV access to the CNS serves as the natural viral preserve because most antiretroviral (ARV) drugs possess inadequate or zero delivery across the brain barriers. Thus, development of target-specific, effective, safe, and controllable drug-delivery approach is an important health priority for global elimination of AIDS progression. Emergence of nanotechnology in medicine has shown exciting prospect for development of novel drug delivery systems to administer the desired therapeutic levels of ARV drugs in the CNS. Neuron-resuscitating and/or antidependence agents may also be delivered in the brain through nanocarriers to countercheck the rate of neuronal degradation during HIV infection. Several nanovehicles such as liposomes, dendrimers, polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, and solid lipid nanoparticles have been intensively explored. Recently, magnetic nanoparticles and monocytes/macrophages have also been used as carrier to improve the delivery of nanoformulated ARV drugs across the blood-brain barrier. Nevertheless, more rigorous research homework has to be elucidated to sort out the shortcomings that affect the target specificity, delivery, release, and/or bioavailability of desired amount of drugs for treatment of neuroAIDS., (Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is considered as the primary impediment barrier for most drugs. Delivering therapeutic agents to the brain is still a big challenge to date. In our study, a dual mechanism, receptor mediation combined with external non-invasive magnetic force, was incorporated into ferrous magnet-based liposomes for BBB transmigration enhancement. The homogenous magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), with a size of ∼10 nm, were synthesized and confirmed by TEM and XRD respectively. The classical magnetism assay showed the presence of the characteristic superparamagnetic property. These MNPs encapsulated in PEGylated fluorescent liposomes as magneto-liposomes (MLs) showed mono-dispersion, ∼130 ± 10 nm diameter, by dynamic laser scattering (DLS) using the lipid-extrusion technique. Remarkably, a magnetite encapsulation efficiency of nearly 60% was achieved. Moreover, the luminescence and hydrodynamic size of the MLs was stable for over two months at 4 ° C. Additionally, the integrity of the ML structure remained unaffected through 120 rounds of circulation mimicking human blood fluid. After biocompatibility confirmation by cytotoxicity evaluation, these fluorescent MLs were further embedded with transferrin and applied to an in vitro BBB transmigration study in the presence or absence of external magnetic force. Comparing with magnetic force- or transferrin receptor-mediated transportation alone, their synergy resulted in 50-100% increased transmigration without affecting the BBB integrity. Consequently, confocal microscopy and iron concentration in BBB-composed cells further confirmed the higher cellular uptake of ML particles due to the synergic effect. Thus, our multifunctional liposomal magnetic nanocarriers possess great potential in particle transmigration across the BBB and may have a bright future in drug delivery to the brain.

Background: HIV infection and drugs of abuse such as methamphetamine (METH), cocaine, and alcohol use have been identified as risk factors for triggering inflammation. Acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) are the biomarkers of inflammation. Hence, the interactive effect of drugs of abuse with acute phase proteins in HIV-positive subjects was investigated., Methods: Plasma samples were utilized from 75 subjects with METH use, cocaine use, alcohol use, and HIV-positive alone and HIV-positive METH, cocaine, and alcohol users, and age-matched control subjects. The plasma CRP and SAA levels were measured by ELISA and western blot respectively and the CD4 counts were also measured., Results: Observed results indicated that the CRP and SAA levels in HIV-positive subjects who are METH, cocaine and alcohol users were significantly higher when compared with either drugs of abuse or HIV-positive alone. The CD4 counts were also dramatically reduced in HIV-positive with drugs of abuse subjects compared with only HIV-positive subjects., Conclusions: These results suggest that, in HIV-positive subjects, drugs of abuse increase the levels of CRP and SAA, which may impact on the HIV infection and disease progression.

Introduction: Epidemiological studies show that individuals with periodontitis have a radically amplified threat to develop cardiovascular disease. CRP& TNF-α, are acute phase proteins monitored as a marker of inflammatory status, which have been identified as a major risk factor for atherosclerotic complications. Elevated CRP & TNF-α level in periodontitis patients have been reported by several groups. The present study was performed to determine whether presence of periodontitis and periodontal therapy could influence the serum levels of CRP & TNF-α in cardiovascular disease patients., Methods: Forty cardiovascular disease subjects participated in the study. They were classified into two groups. Group A (Control) where no periodontal treatment was given, Group B (Test) where periodontal treatment (scaling & root planing) was performed. Periodontal clinical parameters like OHI-S, probing pocket depth, were evaluated together with serum CRP, TNF-α, at baseline and reassessed after 8 weeks for all the subjects in both the groups., Results: The CRP & TNF-α levels in both the groups decreased but the decrease in the Group A was minimal and was not statistically significant (P > 0.05); whereas in Group B where periodontal therapy was performed, there was statistically significant decrease., Conclusion: It can be concluded from the study that there can be a possible causal relationship between pathogenesis of periodontal disease and CVD as inferred from the statistical significant outcome in the form of decreased inflammatory biomarkers after the periodontal treatment.

Parenteral use of drugs; such as opiates exert immunomodulatory effects and serve as a cofactor in the progression of HIV-1 infection, thereby potentiating HIV related neurotoxicity ultimately leading to progression of NeuroAIDS. Morphine exposure is known to induce apoptosis, down regulate cAMP response element-binding (CREB) expression and decrease in dendritic branching and spine density in cultured cells. Use of neuroprotective agent; brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which protects neurons against these effects, could be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of opiate addiction. Previous studies have shown that BDNF was not transported through the blood brain barrier (BBB) in-vivo.; and hence it is not effective in-vivo. Therefore development of a drug delivery system that can cross BBB may have significant therapeutic advantage. In the present study, we hypothesized that magnetically guided nanocarrier may provide a viable approach for targeting BDNF across the BBB. We developed a magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) based carrier bound to BDNF and evaluated its efficacy and ability to transmigrate across the BBB using an in-vitro BBB model. The end point determinations of BDNF that crossed BBB were apoptosis, CREB expression and dendritic spine density measurement. We found that transmigrated BDNF was effective in suppressing the morphine induced apoptosis, inducing CREB expression and restoring the spine density. Our results suggest that the developed nanocarrier will provide a potential therapeutic approach to treat opiate addiction, protect neurotoxicity and synaptic density degeneration.

Although highly active anti-retroviral therapy has resulted in remarkable decline in the morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients, inadequately low delivery of anti-retroviral drugs across the blood-brain barrier results in virus persistence. The capability of high-efficacy-targeted drug delivery and on-demand release remains a formidable task. Here we report an in vitro study to demonstrate the on-demand release of azidothymidine 5'-triphosphate, an anti-human immunodeficiency virus drug, from 30 nm CoFe2O4@BaTiO3 magneto-electric nanoparticles by applying a low alternating current magnetic field. Magneto-electric nanoparticles as field-controlled drug carriers offer a unique capability of field-triggered release after crossing the blood-brain barrier. Owing to the intrinsic magnetoelectricity, these nanoparticles can couple external magnetic fields with the electric forces in drug-carrier bonds to enable remotely controlled delivery without exploiting heat. Functional and structural integrity of the drug after the release was confirmed in in vitro experiments with human immunodeficiency virus-infected cells and through atomic force microscopy, spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared and mass spectrometry studies.