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Background: Metabolic surgery, which results in significant weight loss and the improvement, prevention, or remission of multiple related conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, and various malignancies, is the most effective and long-lasting therapy for excessive obesity. Aims and Objectives: To examine the results of metabolic operations with an emphasis on thyroid function, weight reduction, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Material and Methods: From June 2021 to June 2022, thirty-two (15 men and 17 women) patients were selected from the outpatient division of state-run Government Medical College. It is a case series analysis on patients who underwent bariatric surgeries which were conducted after clinical history and clinical examination with appropriate investigations on those patients who were admitted. The study only covered those who had no significant organ involvement and those who met the inclusion criteria were invited to take part in the study. Results: About 32 individuals underwent metabolic surgeries in the General Surgery department, at SVBP Hospital affiliated with LLRM Medical College Meerut. The difference between various parameters, such as pre-op and post-op, is compared using the various statistical analysis between the single group that differs from a known mean value. Conclusion: Metabolic surgery is presently the most effective treatment for attaining long-term weight loss and has been demonstrated to benefit T2DM thyroid and Hypertensive patients. Our study supports the statistical significance of variables including hemoglobin, BMI, HbA1c, serum creatinine, total cholesterol, LDL, SBP, and TSH.

Inuit youth in Nunavut (NU) are resilient but face a protracted suicide crisis. The SPARX serious game and e-intervention, developed originally in New Zealand, teaches youth cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) skills to ameliorate stress and depression. Inuit youth in NU reviewed and culturally adapted SPARX and an existing wellness outcome measure for Inuit. One hundred and twenty-one youth, aged 13 to 24, across NU then tested, played, and evaluated I(nuit)-SPARX, showing improvement in several areas of wellbeing post-play. Youth completed a CBT skills survey, engaged in sharing circles to assess CBT skill retention, and shared their thoughts about the usefulness and cultural fit of I-SPARX with Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ). Communication Skills, Listening Skills, and Problem Solving emerged as the most helpful learned CBT skills, and NU youth provided real-world examples of using I-SPARX skills to support their mental wellness. Several principles of IQ were exemplified and upheld in the content of the adapted SPARX tool and the process of the project as a whole. Empirically grounded, asynchronous e-tools, developed in collaboration with Inuit communities to ensure cultural specificity, may support psychological wellness in communities where mental health resources are scarce.

Abstract Background Chickpea is prone to many abiotic stresses such as heat, drought, salinity, etc. which cause severe loss in yield. Tolerance towards these stresses is quantitative in nature and many studies have been done to map the loci influencing these traits in different populations using different markers. This study is an attempt to meta-analyse those reported loci projected over a high-density consensus map to provide a more accurate information on the regions influencing heat, drought, cold and salinity tolerance in chickpea. Results A meta-analysis of QTL reported to be responsible for tolerance to drought, heat, cold and salinity stress tolerance in chickpeas was done. A total of 1512 QTL responsible for the concerned abiotic stress tolerance were collected from literature, of which 1189 were projected on a chickpea consensus genetic map. The QTL meta-analysis predicted 59 MQTL spread over all 8 chromosomes, responsible for these 4 kinds of abiotic stress tolerance in chickpea. The physical locations of 23 MQTL were validated by various marker-trait associations and genome-wide association studies. Out of these reported MQTL, CaMQAST1.1, CaMQAST4.1, CaMQAST4.4, CaMQAST7.8, and CaMQAST8.2 were suggested to be useful for different breeding approaches as they were responsible for high per cent variance explained (PVE), had small intervals and encompassed a large number of originally reported QTL. Many putative candidate genes that might be responsible for directly or indirectly conferring abiotic stress tolerance were identified in the region covered by 4 major MQTL- CaMQAST1.1, CaMQAST4.4, CaMQAST7.7, and CaMQAST6.4, such as heat shock proteins, auxin and gibberellin response factors, etc. Conclusion The results of this study should be useful for the breeders and researchers to develop new chickpea varieties which are tolerant to drought, heat, cold, and salinity stresses.

Abstract The grain‐filling stage in Triticum aestivum (wheat) is highly vulnerable to increasing temperature as terminal heat stress diminishes grain quality and yield. To examine the mechanism of terminal heat tolerance, we performed the biochemical and gene expression analyses using two heat‐tolerant (WH730 and WH1218) and two heat‐sensitive (WH711 and WH157) wheat genotypes. We observed a significant increase in total soluble sugar (25%–47%), proline (7%–15%), and glycine betaine (GB) (22%–34%) contents in flag leaf, whereas a decrease in grain‐filling duration, 1000‐kernel weight (8%–25%), and grain yield per plant (11%–23%) was observed under the late‐sown compared to the timely sown. The maximum content of osmolytes, including total soluble sugar, proline, and GB, was observed in heat‐tolerant genotypes compared to heat‐sensitive genotypes. The expression of 10 heat‐responsive genes associated with heat shock proteins (sHsp‐1, Hsp17, and HsfA4), flavonoid biosynthesis (F3′‐1 and PAL), β‐glucan synthesis (CslF6 and CslH), and xyloglucan metabolism (XTH1, XTH2, and XTH5) was studied in flag leaf exposed to different heat treatments (34, 36, 38, and 40°C) at 15 days after anthesis by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. A significant increase in the relative fold expression of these genes with increasing temperature indicated their involvement in providing heat‐stress tolerance. The high differential expression of most of the genes in heat‐tolerant genotype “WH730” followed by “WH1218” indicates the high adaptability of these genotypes to heat stress compared to heat‐sensitive wheat genotypes. Based on the previous results, “WH730” performed better in terms of maximum osmolyte accumulation, grain yield, and gene expression under heat stress.

AbstractThis research aims to investigate the significance of trust in financial institution and financial literacy in the investment decision-making of individual investors during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigates the strength of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) in this framework. This study considered a structured questionnaire to collect data from 460 individual investors of different districts in four states of India. For testing the research hypotheses, SPSS and PLS-SEM were taken into consideration. The findings enlighten that elements of TPB, i.e. attitude (ATT) and subjective norms (SNs), are significantly associated with investment intentions (INT) while perceived behavioral control (PBC) displays an insignificant association with INT. Furthermore, along with the original components of the TPB model, Trust in financial institution (TFI) and Financial Literacy (FL) were also incorporated in the model, which shows a significant affect on investors’ intention to invest in the stock market. The results stated that TFI is the most significant factor that enhances investors’ intention to participate in stock market during COVID-19 pandemic. The study describes that during the phase of uncertainty like COVID-19 pandemic trust is the most important factor that enhances investors’ participation in the stock market. Authors suggest SEBI and other financial institutions should promote trust and trusting behavior in financial institutions as it is significant not only from the perspective of financial development but also to empower the individuals to gain from institutional services as well as to guard them, from possible negative effects (like financial frauds), which are more likely to be present outside of regulatory boundaries. This study is one of the initial attempts in the context of the Indian Stock Market to introduce TFI as a dual (both mediating and moderating) variable between the basic constructs of TPB. Further, the study also examines the importance of trust in financial institution and financial literacy in enhancing investors’ intention to participate in stock market during COVID-19 pandemic.

The 26S proteasome is a molecular machine that catalyzes and degrades protein intracellularly with the help of its core complex called 20S proteasome. The 20S proteasomes degrade and cleave denatured, cytotoxic, damaged, and unwanted proteins via proteolysis and impart biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in model plants. This study identified 20 genes, namely, 10 SbPA and 10 SbPB that encode for α- and β-subunits of the 20S proteasome in Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (2n= 20). These genes have been found distributed on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 10th chromosomes. These sorghum genes were orthologous to corresponding rice. Phylogenetic analysis clustered these genes into seven clades, each with one of the seven α-subunits (1 to 7) and one of the seven β-subunits (1 to 7). In silico gene expression analysis suggested that nine genes were involved in abiotic stress response (cold, drought, and abscisic acid hormone). The expression of these proteasomal genes was studied in shoots and roots exposed to different abiotic stresses (cold, drought, and abscisic acid) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. A significant increase in the relative fold expression of SbPBA1, SbPAA1, SbPBG1, SbPBE1, and SbPAG1 genes under ABA and drought stress provides an insight into its involvement in abiotic stress. No expression was observed for cold stress of these genes indicating their non-involvement. It is believed that additional investigation into the SbPA/SbPB genes would aid in the creation of S. bicolor cultivars that are resistant to climate change.

Purpose - The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of behavioural biases (i.e. overconfidence, risk-aversion, herding and disposition) on investment decisions amongst gender. The authors further examine the moderation effect of financial literacy in the relationship between behaviour biases and investment decisions amongst gender. Design/methodology/approach - The study considered a cross-sectional research design. For this survey, the data have been collected through a structured questionnaire from 253 individual investors of the Delhi-NCR region. To analyse the validity and reliability, the Pearson correlation and Cronbach's alpha test have been taken into account respectively. For testing the hypothesis, hierarchical regression analysis has been used in the study. Findings - The results of the study reveal that amongst male investors, the influence of risk-aversion and herding on investment decision was negative and statistically significant, while the influence of overconfidence on investment decision was positive and significant. However, the influence of disposition was found statistically insignificant. The results stated that amongst female investors the effect of risk-aversion and herding on investment decision was negative and statistically significant. However, the effect of overconfidence and disposition was statistically insignificant influence the investment decision. It has been observed that financial literacy has significantly influenced investment decisions amongst male and female investors. The results of the interaction effect amongst male investors stated that the interaction between overconfidence and investment decision was significantly influenced by financial literacy. However, the interaction of financial literacy with the remaining three biases, i.e. risk-aversion, herding and disposition was found insignificant. The results for the interaction effect of financial literacy with overconfidence, risk-aversion, disposition and herding were found statistically significant amongst female investors. Research limitations/implications - Based on this present research finding, the study is more productive for the portfolio manager and policymakers at the time of making an investment portfolio for the investors based on their behavioural biases. The study recommends that investors need training programmes, workshops and seminars that enhance financial literacy and financial knowledge of investors which helps them to overcome the behavioural biases while making an investment decision. Originality/value - The current study aims to explore whether several behavioural biases can affect investment decisions amongst gender. Moreover, the authors would like to examine whether these associations are moderated by financial literacy. In this sense, financial literacy might also show a substantial part in the prediction of investments. The current study might be of the first study that examines the moderation effect financial literacy amongst male and female investors.

In wheat, lodging is affected by anatomical and chemical characteristics of the stem cell wall. Plant characteristics determining the stem strength were measured in lodging tolerant mutant (PMW-2016-1) developed through mutation breeding utilizing hexaploid wheat cultivar, DPW-621-50. Various anatomical features, chemical composition, and mechanical strength of the culms of newly developed lodging-tolerant mutant (PMW-2016-1) and parent (DPW-621-50), were examined by light microscopy, the Klason method, prostate tester coupled with a Universal Tensile Machine, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Significant changes in the anatomical features, including the outer radius of the stem, stem wall thickness, and the proportions of various tissues, and vascular bundles were noticed. Chemical analysis revealed that the lignin level in the PMW-2016-1 mutant was higher and exhibited superiority in stem strength compared to the DPW-621-50 parent line. The force (N) required to break the internodes of mutant PMW-2016-1 was higher than that of DPW-621-50. The results suggested that the outer stem radius, stem wall thickness, the proportion of sclerenchyma tissues, the number of large vascular bundles, and lignin content are important factors that affect the mechanical strength of wheat stems, which can be the key parameters for the selection of varieties having higher lodging tolerance. Preliminary studies on the newly identified mutant PMW-2016-1 suggested that this mutant may possess higher lodging tolerance because it has a higher stem strength than DPW-621-50 and can be used as a donor parent for the development of lodging-tolerant wheat varieties.

The core particle represents the catalytic portions of the 26S proteasomal complex. The genes encoding α- and β-subunits play a crucial role in protecting plants against various environmental stresses by controlling the quality of newly produced proteins. The 20S proteasome gene family has already been reported in model plants such as Arabidopsis and rice; however, they have not been studied in oilseed crops such as rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). In the present study, we identified 20S proteasome genes for α- (PA) and β-subunits (PB) in B. napus through systematically performed gene structure analysis, chromosomal location, conserved motif, phylogenetic relationship, and expression patterns. A total of 82 genes, comprising 35 BnPA and 47 BnPB of the 20S proteasome, were revealed in the B. napus genome. These genes were distributed on all 20 chromosomes of B. napus and most of these genes were duplicated on homoeologous chromosomes. The BnPA (α1-7) and BnPB (β1-7) genes were phylogenetically placed into seven clades. The pattern of expression of all the BnPA and BnPB genes was also studied using RNA-seq datasets under biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Out of 82 BnPA/PB genes, three exhibited high expression under abiotic stresses, whereas two genes were overexpressed in response to biotic stresses at both the seedling and flowering stages. Moreover, an additional eighteen genes were expressed under normal conditions. Overall, the current findings developed our understanding of the organization of the 20S proteasome genes in B. napus, and provided specific BnPA/PB genes for further functional research in response to abiotic and biotic stresses.

Grain yield is one of the most important aims for combating the needs of the growing world population. The role of development and nutrient transfer in flag leaf for higher yields at the grain level is well known. It is a great challenge to properly exploit this knowledge because all the processes, starting from the emergence of the flag leaf to the grain filling stages of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), are very complex biochemical and physiological processes to address. This study was conducted with the primary goal of functionally and structurally annotating the candidate genes associated with different developmental stages of flag leaf in a comprehensive manner using a plethora of in silico tools. Flag leaf-associated genes were analyzed for their structural and functional impacts using a set of bioinformatics tools and algorithms. The results revealed the association of 17 candidate genes with different stages of flag leaf development in wheat crop. Of these 17 candidate genes, the expression analysis results revealed the upregulation of genes such as TaSRT1-5D, TaPNH1-7B, and TaNfl1-2B and the downregulation of genes such as TaNAP1-7B, TaNOL-4D, and TaOsl2-2B can be utilized for the generation of high-yielding wheat varieties. Through MD simulation and other in silico analyses, all these proteins were found to be stable. Based on the outcome of bioinformatics and molecular analysis, the identified candidate genes were found to play principal roles in the flag leaf development process and can be utilized for higher-yield wheat production.

Naegleria fowleri the causative agent of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, is ubiquitously distributed worldwide in various warm aquatic environments and soil habitats. The present study reports on the presence of Naegleria spp. in various water bodies present in Rohtak and Jhajjar district, of state Haryana, India. A total of 107 water reservoirs were screened from summer till autumn (2012 and 2013). In order to isolate Naegleria spp. from the collected water samples, the water samples were filtered and the trapped debris after processing were transferred to non-nutrient agar plates already seeded with lawn culture of Escherichia coli. Out of total 107 water samples, 43 (40%) samples were positive by culture for free living amoeba after incubation for 14 days at 37°C. To identify the isolates, the ITS1, 5.8SrDNA and ITS2 regions were targeted for PCR assay. Out of total 43 positive samples, 37 isolates were positive for Naegleria spp. using genus specific primers and the most frequently isolated species was Naegleria australiensis. Out of 37 Naegleria spp. positive isolates, 1 isolate was positive for Naegleria fowleri. The sequence analysis revealed that the Naegleria fowleri strain belonged to Type 2.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a progressive kidney disease caused by the damage to the capillaries in the kidneys’ glomeruli. Uric acid is the end product of purine catabolism and is excreted in the urine. Uric acid can serve as an inflammatory factor and is attributed to bring about endothelial dysfunction. The causal role of uric acid in the development of diabetic nephropathy is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the association of serum uric acid level and low levels of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) which is an indicator of renal disease progression in patients with Type II (T2D) diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross sectional analytical observational study was conducted on 150 patients with T2D. Since the study was an observational study it involved no medical intervention. Venous blood samples were obtained in fasting state for determination of random blood sugar, serum creatinine, uric acid, (HbA1c) hemoglobin A1c (reference range 3.8-5.5%); and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Using MDRD formula eGFR was calculated as = 186 x [serum creatinine]-1.154 x [Age] -0.203 x 0.742. The association of renal disease with T2D and the grading of the patients into different stages of renal failure was analysed by eGFR values. Results: Hundred and fifty diagnosed cases of T2D were included in the present study. The mean age of the study population was 63 ± 12.2. No significant age and gender related variation in serum uric acid level was noted in the study population. The prevalence of Hyperuricemia was 19.33%. The mean BMI was significantly higher among hyperuricemic subjects in comparison with normouricemic patients. Hyperuricemia was evident in 75% (n=18) of the subjects with diabetic nephropathy. Stage IV and stage V patients were associated with significantly very high (p < 0.01) uric acid levels. Conclusions: Serum uric acid has a significant positive association with diabetic nephropathy ultimately resulting in end stage renal disease. Treatment intervention is out of the scope of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with subclinical thyroid dysfunction are universally encountered in routine clinical practice. Advanced diagnostic techniques have created new categories of thyroid disorders such as subclinical hypo-and-hyperthyroidism. The management of subclinical thyroid dysfunction is controversial. Patients with subclinical thyroid dysfunction may have vague, nonspecific symptoms that do not aid the clinical apperception. This study aimed to screen the normal adult population for the incidence of subclinical thyroid dysfunction and discuss the optimal management strategy. Materials and methods: Four hundred subjects with no clinical evidence of thyroid dysfunction were included in the present study. Elaborate history in the form of a symptom questionnaire was obtained and clinical examination was performed. Laboratory analysis of thyroid function was done by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). Patients with normal free thyroxine (FT4) and triiodothyronine levels (T3) were further classified into subclinical hypo/hyperthyroid based on the serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. The incidence of subclinical thyroid disorder in the sample population was detected and optimal management strategies were followed as per the European thyroid association (ETA) guidelines. Results: The normal TSH value by ECLIA was 0.27 - 4.2μIU/ml. Seventeen (4.25%) out of four hundred subjects included in the present study were found to have subclinical thyroid dysfunction. The Ratio of subclinical hypothyroid cases to subclinical hyperthyroid cases was found to be 12:5. Clustering of the cases was found around the age of 60 years and was significantly more common among females in comparison to males. Cases with subclinical thyroid dysfunction were managed by follow up after a thorough evaluation and treatment of other comorbid conditions. Conclusions: The study provides valuable insight towards understanding the epidemiology and management of subclinical thyroid disorders in the present scenario. Screening is recommended for a high-risk population since there is good evidence that subclinical thyroid dysfunctions may be associated with progression to overt disease in up to 5% of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]