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In independent India the first remarkable attempt to agri-rural development has been popularly referred to as 'green revolution'. This strategy of agri-rural development was based on the idea that traditional agriculture is rain-fed, inefficient and low productive unable to meet the ever rising demand of growing population. Thus, the idea to increase agricultural food production originated from the phenomena of consecutive famines occurred in many parts of India during 1940s. However, diffusion of agricultural innovation of green revolution has brought many undesirable consequences in rural society. Therefore, there is no valid reason to cheer so much about the monumental increase in food grain production. Mere increase in production is not the panacea for all rural social problems. Without a reform in agricultural tax policy, land ownership, credit service, structure and function of society and above all a desirable change in the mind-set of people, policy makers and politicians, no technology, innovation, practice and idea can bring prosperity in rural India. This paper throws light on some of the less discussed issues of India's famous green revolution which must be taken into consideration before kick starting a second green revolution or evergreen revolution based on genetically modified crops, nano-technology, biotechnology, system of rice intensification (SRI), or ground water irrigation, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Famous for the abode of man-eating Royal Bengal tiger Sundarban is a UNESCO world heritage site, biosphere reserve, largest delta and largest mangrove eco-system in the world. Agriculture and animal husbandry is the primary livelihood of people living in this region. Marketing is an important aspect of livestock production which has complementary and supplementary relationship with agriculture. Therefore, live-stock and livestock products marketing in rural Sundarban is a virgin field of research. Since, interview and questionnaire-based research largely fail to capture the diversity and complexity of rural social reality case study method of PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) was used to understand livestock marketing system in four selected villages of Sundarban delta in India. Villages were selected based on backwardness, remoteness, and livelihood. Listing, topical interview, oral trend and ranking methods of PRA were employed to collect data. Data was verified through personal observation and key-informant discussion. Study reveals that a localized informal marketing system existed in the study area with a linkage to larger market of outside via the middleman (vendor). Further, it seems that marketing of livestock and its products was secondary to livestock production. Rules and regulations of marketing as well as the price of livestock and its products were standardized and determined informally based on local criteria and external market forces. Thus, the study provides useful insights into the marketing system of livestock and underlying social realities governing its functioning in Sundarban islands. It is concluded that similar kind of research conducted on a large scale will help development professionals and policy makers to plan and implement development programs in Sundarban where backwardness and rich natural resources paradoxically co-exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, we examined whether subchronic exposure via drinking water to low doses of a mixture of metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium, manganese, iron, and nickel), found as contaminants in various water sources of India, and to concentrations equivalent to WHO maximum permissible limits (MPL) in drinking water for individual metals, can alter systemic physiology of male rats. Data on water contamination with metals in India were collected from the literature and metals were selected on the basis of their frequency of occurrence and contamination level above MPL. Male Wistar rats were exposed to the mixture at 0, 1, 10, and 100 times the mode concentrations (the most frequently occurring concentration) of the individual metals via drinking water for 90 days. One more group of rats was exposed to the mixture at a concentration equivalent to the MPL (WHO) in drinking water for individual metals. Toxic potential of the mixture was evaluated by assessing general toxicological end points, serum chemistry and histopathology of vital organs. The mixture decreased body weight and water consumption and increased weights of brain, liver, and kidneys with 10× and 100× doses. After 30 days of exposure, no appreciable changes were found in any blood clinical markers. After 60 days, only the 100× dose, while after 90 days both 10× and 100× doses increased activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase and levels of urea nitrogen and creatinine and decreased total protein and albumin levels, but alanine aminotransferase activity and glucose level were not affected. At 10× and 100× exposure levels, qualitatively similar, but dose-dependent vascular, degenerative, and necrotic changes were observed in brain, liver, and kidney. The results indicate that subchronic exposure to the metal mixture affected general health of male rats by altering the functional and structural integrity of kidney, liver, and brain at 10 and 100 times the mode concentrations of the individual metals in Indian water sources, but exposure at mode concentrations of contemporary water contamination levels or at concentrations equivalent to the MPL for individual metals in drinking water may not cause any health hazards in male rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunotoxicity is an important health hazard of heavy metal exposure. Because the risk of combined exposure in the population cannot be neglected, we examined whether subchronic exposure to a mixture of metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium, nickel, manganese, and iron) via drinking water at contemporary Indian groundwater contamination levels and at concentrations equivalent to the WHO maximum permissible limit (MPL) in drinking water can induce immunotoxicity in male rats. Data on groundwater contamination with metals in India were collected from literature and metals were selected on the basis of their frequency of occurrence and contamination level above the MPL. Male albino Wistar rats were exposed to the mixture at 0, 1, 10, and 100 times the mode concentrations (the most frequently occurring concentration) of the individual metals in drinking water for 90 days. In addition, one group was exposed to the mixture at a concentration equal to the MPL of the individual metal and another group was used as positive control for immune response studies. The end points assessed were weights of organs, hematological indices, humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, and histopathology of skin and spleen. The MPL and 1× doses did not significantly affect any of the parameters and none of the doses induced any significant changes after 30 days of exposure. The mixture at 10× and 100× doses increased the relative weight of the spleen, but that of thymus, adrenals, and popliteal lymphnodes were increased with the 100× dose. After 90 days, 10× and 100× doses decreased serum protein and globulin contents and increased the albumin:globulin ratio; the albumin level was decreased only with the 100× dose. After 60 days, the total erythrocyte count (TEC), hemoglobin (Hb) level, and packed cell volume (PCV) were decreased with the 100× dose, whereas after 90 days, 10× and 100× doses reduced the TEC, total leukocyte count, Hb level, PCV, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. With the 100× dose, the lymphocyte count was decreased after 60 and 90 days, but the neutrophil number was increased after 90 days. Antibody titer was decreased after 75 days with the 100× dose, but after 90 days, it was decreased with both the 10× and 100× doses. In delayed-type hypersensitivity response, these two doses decreased ear thickness after 24 and 48 h and skin biopsies showed a dose-dependent decrease in inflammatory changes. Histologically, the spleen revealed depletion of lymphoid cells and atrophic follicles with reduced follicular activity with higher doses. The findings suggest that hematopoietic and immune systems are toxicologically sensitive to the mixture, which could lead to anemia and suppression of humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in male rats at 10 and 100 times the mode concentrations of the individual components in contaminated groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure of animals and humans to different metal components through contaminated drinking water can result in a wide range of adverse clinical conditions. Toxicological consequences arising from the concurrent repeated exposure to multiple metal contaminants are not known. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the oxidative stress-inducing potential of a mixture of eight metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium, nickel, manganese, iron), representative of groundwater contamination in different areas of India, in erythrocytes of male rats subchronically exposed to environmentally relevant doses via drinking water. The selection of these metals, as determined by literature survey of groundwater contamination in India, was primarily based on the frequency of their occurrence and contamination level above World Health Organization maximum permissible limit (MPL) in drinking water. Male albino Wistar rats were exposed to the metal mixture at 0, 1, 10, and 100 times the mode concentrations (the most frequently occurring concentration) of the individual metals in drinking water for 90 days. In addition, one group of rats was also exposed to the mixture at a concentration equal to the MPL of individual components. The oxidative stress in erythrocytes was evaluated by assessing the magnitude of malondialdehyde production and reduced glutathione (GSH) content and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) after 30, 60, and 90 days of exposure. MPL and 1× dose levels did not cause any changes. The mixture at 10× and 100× doses caused dose- and time-dependent effects. After 30 days, the 10× dose did not cause any changes except increase in SOD activity. The 100× dose increased the activities of SOD, catalase and GR and the GSH level, but caused no alterations in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and GPx activity. After 60 days, the 10× dose did not cause any changes. The 100× dose increased LPO and decreased all the antioxidant parameters, except GSH. After 90 days, both 10× and 100× levels elevated LPO. The 10× dose decreased GSH level and activities of SOD and catalase, but not of GPx and GR, whereas the 100× dose decreased all the antioxidative systems. Overall, the present study demonstrates that the subchronic exposure of male rats to the mixture of metals via drinking water results in induction of oxidative stress and concomitant reduction in antioxidative defense system in erythrocytes at 10 and 100 times the mode concentrations of the individual metals in contaminated groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonate responses to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) differ from adults; such understanding is poor in Indian neonates, despite recognized significant infectious risk. Immune profiling analysis was undertaken of 10 secreted mediators contextualized with cellular source induced by six PAMPs in umbilical cord (CB; n = 21) and adult-blood (PBMC; n = 14) from a tertiary care hospital in South India. Differential cytokine expression analysis (minimum log2-fold difference; adj P-value < 0.05) identified bacterial PAMPs induced higher concentrations of IL-1β, IL-10, TNF-α in adults versus IL-8, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, and IL-2 in CB. CB responded to poly I:C and SARS-CoV-2 lysate with a dominant IL-8 response, whereas in PBMC, CXCL-10 dominated poly I:C, but not SARS-CoV-2, responses, highlighting potential IL-8 importance, in the absence of Type I Interferons, in antiviral CB immunity. Candida albicans was the only PAMP to uniformly induce higher secretion of effectors in CB. The predominant source of IL-8/IL-6/TNF-α/IL-1β in both CB and PBMC was polyfunctional monocytes and IFN-γ/IL-2/IL-17 from innate lymphocytes. Correlation matrix analyses revealed IL-8 to be the most differentially regulated, correlating positively in CB versus negatively in PBMC with IL-6, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-2, consistent with more negatively regulated cytokine modules in adults, potentially linked to higher anti-inflammatory IL-10. Cord and adult blood from India respond robustly to PAMPs with unique effector combinations. These data provide a strong foundation to monitor, explore, mechanisms that regulate such immunity during the life course, an area of significant global health importance given infection-related infant mortality incidence., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Immunology.)

The present work aimed at evaluating the efficacy of bioagents and organic amendments against lentil wilt pathogen. Field trials were carried out consecutively during Rabi 2010-11 and 2011-12 crop seasons in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications, using 'Pant L-639' a popular cultivar. The plot size was 3.0 x 1.5 m2 with row spacing of 30 cm. Effect of selected bioagents and organic amendments on disease incidence, 1000 grain weight and yield kg ha' of lentil was recorded. It was observed that seed treatment with Trichoderma harizanum + Pseudomonas fluorescens significant by reduced 1.73% (2010-11) and 1.93% (2011-12) in Fusarium wilt disease incidence and increase in grain yield 507.6 kg ha(-1) and 496.0 kg ha(-1) respectively during both crop seasons. Among organic amendments, minimum wilt disease incidence of 1.69% (2010-11) and 1.81% (2011-12) and maximum grain yield 496.3 kg ha(-1) (2010-11) and 484.0 kg ha(-1) (2011-12) were observed in farm yard manure + spent compost treated plots. This indicates that these treatments have important roles in biologically based management strategies for controling Fusarium wilt disease under organic mode of lentil cultivation in Uttarakhand State.