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Technology-enhanced learning settings are changing quickly and complexly in the contemporary digital era, making it possible for students with disabilities to learn more effectively than before. The words "multisensory" and "media" together, however, suggest that this strategy entails incorporating several sensory modalities in educational media to improve learning experiences for children with disabilities. It can entail integrating visual, aural, tactile, and kinesthetic elements to meet various learning requirements and styles. This article examines how Mulsemedia, one of these cutting-edge technologies, enhances learning methodologies, improving the teaching and learning of unique pedagogies and emphasizing teaching and learning-related modules for students with special needs. The researchers used a qualitative research design to understand and review the ten papers with secondary data based connected to mulsemedia in special education: A novel teaching approach for the next generation. The article also describes the extremely encouraging outcomes of case studies conducted with engineering students with disabilities in several schools in India. This critical article finds that multimedia-enhanced instruction significantly improves special students' learning experiences and ability to learn new information for future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we identified and characterize a plant pathogenic isolate, collected from naturally infested bean (Phaseolus vulgaris var. Anupama) seedlings presenting root rot symptoms from an agricultural land of the Prayagraj district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Based on morphological features, growth characteristics and the ITS sequencing‐based molecular data, the isolate was assumed very closed to the species of the Pythium genera. However, ITS sequencing data and the BLAST results for gene annotation clustered the identified isolate more closely to the Pythium catenulatum (p‐value e‐value), and therefore, confirmed as P. catenulatum. The pathogenicity assay confirmed the role of the isolate as a root rot causing pathogen. Furthermore, the isolate was tested for its growth under in‐vitro conditions against several environmental parameters including temperature, pH, salt, drought and metals. The Biolog FF MicroPlate method assessed the carbon utilization profile and reported the ability of the isolate in utilizing both carbohydrates and amino acids as a primary energy source. Moreover, in‐vitro colony growth inhibition assay performed with different agrochemicals (fungicides and insecticides) and the dyes determined their efficacy in suppressing the growth and development of the isolated pathogen. The dual culture assay of the isolate along with several fungal and bacterial strains confirmed the antagonistic potential of some tested microbes in delimiting the growth of the pathogen. Overall, the study provides a new sustainable, effective and eco‐friendly solution for controlling the root rot pathogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low birth weight is associated with higher morbidity and mortality including impaired growth and development, malnutrition etc. Worldwide, one- fifth of newborns delivered are low birth weight. Aims & objectives: To estimate frequency of low birth weight & its associated factors among newborns delivered in a tertiary care hospital. Materials & Methods: A cross sectional analysis of 290 newborns delivered in tertiary care hospital, Banda, Uttar Pradesh during period of 15th February 2021 to 31st December 2021 was done for estimating low birth weight frequency & its associated factors including child characteristics, mother characteristics & father characteristics using data from medical record section of hospital. Frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation, chi square test & independent t- test was used. P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: 91 out of 290 newborns delivered were low birth weight (27.9%, 95% CI- 23.1%- 33.4%). The following factors were shown to have a significant association with low birth weight: education of mother (p=0.04), education of father (p=0.03), occupation of father (p=0.02), and duration of pregnancy (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that education of mother, education of father, occupation of father, and duration of pregnancy had significant association with low birth weight frequency that suggests that improving literacy status can help in decreasing burden of low birth weight apart from other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lymphatic filariasis results in severe disability that leading to severe social and economic burden at each level from individual to family, and community. This study was carried out to assess the coverage and compliance of MDA. Methods: From 300 households (1837 individuals) in both rural & urban area were covered in coverage evaluation survey by systematic selection of subunits using probability proportionate to size (PPS). Each household was visited by WHO designated team and data were collected using predesigned questionnaire. Data was compiled on MS-excel spreadsheet, frequency and percentage were calculated. Results: The overall effective coverage for all drugs was low (19.1%). The coverage was low, compliance was higher in urban as compared to rural area. Females had better coverage and compliance than males. The primary reasons for drug not offered was nobody came to offer drug, drug not swallowed was not sick, drug swallowed was useful information from drug administrator (DA). Only one female reported adverse effect. Conclusion: Increase in coverage along with decrease in coverage-compliance gap is needed to achieve filariasis elimination that warrants intense IEC activities using different platforms, development of better drug delivery strategies and strengthening monitoring system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global emergency. AEFIs reporting and assessment should be done with high priority as they could change the benefit-risk profile of the vaccine. Objective: To assess adverse effects after COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted among 605 heath functionaries taken part from January 2021 to March 2021. Results: The most common AEFI reported was pain at injection site (51.9%). Gender, previous COVID status and perception before vaccination were significantly associated with AEFI. Conclusion: There was no serious adverse event after vaccination. COVID vaccine has a good safety profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postemergence damping‐off of chilli caused by Pythium spp. is a common and serious problem in large chilli growing areas of India under the moist conditions that generally prevails during the sowing period. Therefore, in order to better understand this disease, an isolate belonging to the genus Pythium (Pythiales) was isolated from the infected chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) plant root parts collected from the fields of Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Based on the congruence of cultural, morphological, cardinal growth rate and the sequence data analysis, the isolate was identified as Pythium graminicola. The molecular phylogenetic analysis based on ITS‐rDNA sequences clustered the isolate with representative sequences for P. graminicola from GenBank in the Pythium clade. The isolate carbon utilization profiles were characterized using Biolog FF MicroPlate method. The results revealed that the isolate used a wide range of carbon sources, mainly carbohydrates, but also amino acids, suggesting the use of metabolic routes that include glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. Moreover, an in vitro colony growth inhibition assay was performed to determine the influence of chemical (fungicides) and biological (bacteria and fungi) antagonists over the pathogen using the poison plate and dual culture method, respectively. Overall, the results revealed that the presence of aggressive broad range biocontrol agents can be used as an effective environmentally friendly approach for management and control of damping‐off in production systems. The antagonist can serve as a bio‐efficient and eco‐friendly alternative to synthetic fungicides for the development of an effective integrated pest management (IPM) system and obtaining higher yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Badland evolution in the Sher river valley is controlled by fault system. • Regional basinal stress regime has strong control on Badland orientation. • Landforms developed in the valley are moderately disintegrated. • The results are applicable to any tectonically governed region of world. The Central Narmada Basin (CNB) in India is a seismically active region comprising the ENE-WSW trending Narmada-Son Lineament (NSL) bounded by the Narmada North Fault (NNF) and the Narmada South Fault (NSF). Despite the multiple badland zones in the Indian subcontinent, the Sher river valley badland of the CNB is yet to be adequately explored in terms of in-depth research on the evolution of badlands associated with intraplate zones. Using the Cartosat-1 digital elevation model, field investigation and morphometric analysis of the upper Sher river valley zone near the NSF, this study can help to understand the morphogenesis of the badlands in relation to tectonics or climate and describe the erosional history. Litho-stratigraphically, the bottom ∼ 7 m thick Baneta Formation is overlain by the 12–14 m thick Hirdepur Formation. According to peculiar litho-units chronology, the ravine's expansion began post-LGM. Fractures filled with muddy carbonate material strike in a mean direction of 99°±7°. Moreover, the azimuthal direction of the first-order ravines indicates a mean direction of 81°±3°. Consequently, the direction of the conjugate fracture and the ravines corresponded to the ENE-WSW, suggesting that the basin is primarily controlled by movements along the boundary faults. The morphometric characteristics indicate relative movement along the NSF, which would lead to the incision of the Sher river and the formation of badlands. This also implies that the badlands were mostly tectonically controlled or formed by the reactivation of the NSF. A coarser badland landscape is characterized by an abundance of sandy silt to silty sand particles associated with badland surfaces. In addition, the smectite-rich swelling clay helps to promote instability and enhancement of gully surfaces. The average sediment yield of the seven sub-catchments of the Sher river valley varies from 1230 to 321 t/km2/yr, which is significantly lower than that of the Yamuna badlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The incidence of symptomatic brain metastasis at diagnosis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is 5%-10%, and up to 40% develop during the disease course. There is a paucity of data supporting the role of brain imaging at diagnosis in asymptomatic cases particularly from resource-constraint settings. Here, we present our experience of mandatory baseline brain imaging with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) scans of all patients with NSCLC., Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observation study of patients with NSCLC with mandatory baseline brain CECT and a CNS examination. All histology proven patients with NSCLC diagnosed between January 2018 and October 2019 were included irrespective of stage., Results: A total of 496 patients were enrolled. The median age was 57 years (range, 23-84) with majority being males (75%) and smokers (66%). The prevalence of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusions was 33.4% and 12%, respectively. Brain imaging leads to upstaging in 7% cases. The prevalence of brain metastases was 21% (n = 104), with half being asymptomatic (51%). Factors associated with higher proportion of brain metastasis were young age (≤ 40 years), adenocarcinoma histology, poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (3 and 4), and high neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (> 2.5). After a median follow-up of 10.8 months (95% CI, 7.33 to 12.73), the median overall survival was 7.46 versus 12.76 months (hazard ratio 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.96; P = .03) in patients with and without brain metastases, respectively. On multivariate analyses, high NLR and molecular graded prognostic assessment affected the overall survival significantly., Conclusion: In our study, 21% of patients had brain metastasis at diagnosis detected with a mandatory baseline brain imaging with CECT. NLR and molecular graded prognostic assessment are significant predictors of survival in patients with brain metastasis., Competing Interests: Prabhat Singh MalikResearch Funding: BMS India Pvt Ltd Deepam PushpamStock and Other Ownership Interests: Caplin Point LaboratoriesNo other potential conflicts of interest were reported.

Background: Before the approval of first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors, platinum doublets were the standard of care in patients with treatment-naïve advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) without targetable driver mutations. Pemetrexed-platinum combinations are preferred in non-squamous NSCLC. However, there has been no direct comparison to paclitaxel-carboplatin., Methods: This open-label randomized trial was designed to compare pemetrexed-carboplatin with (weekly) paclitaxel-carboplatin in treatment-naïve advanced/metastatic non-squamous NSCLC without driver mutations. Patients received either pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC 5 every 3 weeks, or paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 on day 1, day 8, and day 15 with carboplatin AUC 5 every 4 weeks for 4 cycles. Patients in both arms were allowed to receive pemetrexed maintenance., Results: A total of 180 patients were enrolled. The study was terminated early; however, at the time of analysis 75.8% of the required events had occurred. Finally, 164 patients were evaluable, 83 in the pemetrexed arm and 81 in the paclitaxel arm. After a median follow-up of 17 months, progression-free survival (PFS) rates at 6 months were not different in the two treatment arms (47.45 vs. 48.64%, p = 0.88). The median PFS values were 5.67 months (95% CI 3.73-7.3) and 5.03 months (95% CI 2.63-7.43) in each arm, respectively (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.81-1.59, p = 0.44). The median overall survival was also not different: 14.83 months (95% CI 9.5-18.73) and 11.3 (95% CI 8.3-19.7; HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.8-1.78, p = 0.37). All grade toxicities were similar except for alopecia and peripheral neuropathy, which were higher in the paclitaxel arm., Conclusion: Pemetrexed-carboplatin is not superior to (weekly) paclitaxel-carboplatin as the first-line regimen in advanced non-squamous NSCLC in terms of PFS., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate normal orbital structures with nonenhanced computed tomography (NCCT) and determine normative data for the Indian population., Methods: CT images of the orbits of 100 patients were retrospectively reviewed on a work station to record the normative data of the orbits. Clinical details of all patients were reviewed to ensure that they did not have ocular/orbital diseases. Both axial and coronal images were utilized to record the data., Results: The mean age of the population evaluated was 34.07 years, with male to female ratio of 1.77. The average orbital index for the left orbit was 97 and for the right side was 103. The mean thickness of left inferior rectus, lateral rectus, medial rectus, and the superior rectus was 3.36 mm, 3.14 mm, 3.80 mm, and 3.75 mm, respectively. The right inferior rectus, lateral rectus, medial rectus, and the superior rectus measured 3.46 mm, 3.14 mm, 3.83 mm, and 3.78 mm, respectively. The optic nerve sheath complex diameter varied between 3.05 mm and 7.17 mm for the left eye and 3.05 mm and 7.0 mm for the right eye., Conclusion: The study provides normative data on various orbital structures in an Indian population. This data is likely to be useful for diagnosing various orbital pathologies and in planning surgical orbital procedures., Competing Interests: None

Introduction: Although drug-eluting stents (DES) have outclassed the use of bare metal stents, the safety and efficacy of DES at long-term follow-up has still been conflicting because of increased occurrence of late or very late restenosis and stent thrombosis after DES implantation. Hence, the present study was aimed to evaluate the 3-year safety and clinical performance of biodegradable polymer-coated ultra-thin (60 µm) sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in real-world patients with coronary artery disease (CAD)., Materials and Methods: This was a physician-initiated, retrospective, single-centre, observational study that included 237 consecutive patients who had previously undergone implantation of only Supraflex SES (Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt Ltd, Surat, India) for the treatment of CAD. Follow-up was received after 1 year and 3 years of stent implantation. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target lesion revascularisation (TLR). Stent thrombosis was considered as a safety endpoint., Results: The mean age of patients was 64.1 ± 10.2 years, and 192 (81.0%) patients were male. The average stent length and diameter were 24.4 ± 9.0 mm and 3.1 ± 0.4 mm, respectively. The cumulative MACE rate at 3 years follow-up was 6.5% which included 4 (1.8%) cardiac deaths, 6 (2.8%) MI, and 4 (1.8%) TLR. There were 2 (0.9%) cases of stent thrombosis., Conclusion: Treatment of patients with CAD in real-world clinical practice was associated with sustained clinical safety and low rates of restenosis, stent thrombosis and MACE up to 3 years after Supraflex SES implantation.

Endophytic actinomycetes have shown unique plant growth promoting as well as antagonistic activity against fungal phytopathogens. In the present study forty-two endophytic actinomycetes recovered from medicinal plants were evaluated for their antagonistic potential and plant growth-promoting abilities. Twenty-two isolates which showed the inhibitory activity against at least one pathogen were subsequently tested for their plant-growth promoting activities and were compared genotypically using DNA based fingerprinting, including enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and BOX repetitive elements. Genetic relatedness based on both ERIC and BOX-PCR generates specific patterns corresponding to particular genotypes. Exponentially grown antagonistic isolates were used to evaluate phosphate solubilization, siderophores, HCN, ammonia, chitinase, indole-3-acetic acid production, as well as antifungal activities. Out of 22 isolates, the amount of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) ranging between 10-32 μg/ml was produced by 20 isolates and all isolates were positive for ammonia production ranging between 5.2 to 54 mg/ml. Among 22 isolates tested, the amount of hydroxamate-type siderophores were produced by 16 isolates ranging between 5.2 to 36.4 μg/ml, while catechols-type siderophores produced by 5 isolates ranging from 3.2 to 5.4 μg/ml. Fourteen isolates showed the solubilisation of inorganic phosphorous ranging from 3.2 to 32.6 mg/100ml. Chitinase and HCN production was shown by 19 and 15 different isolates, respectively. In addition, genes of indole acetic acid (iaaM) and chitinase (chiC) were successively amplified from 20 and 19 isolates respectively. The two potential strains Streptomyces sp. (BPSAC34) and Leifsonia xyli (BPSAC24) were tested in vivo and improved a range of growth parameters in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) under greenhouse conditions. This study is the first published report that actinomycetes can be isolated as endophytes from within these plants and were shown to have antagonistic and plant growth promoting abilities. These results clearly suggest the possibility of using endophytic actinomycetes as bioinoculant for plant growth promotion, nutrient mobilization or as biocontrol agent against fungal phytopathogens for sustainable agriculture.

Probiotic microorganisms are those which exert a positive exect on the growth of the host, when administered as a dietary mixture in an adequate amount. They form the best alternative to the use of antibiotics for controlling enteric diseases in poultry farm animals, especially in the light of the gruesome problems of development of antibiotic resistance in enteric pathogens and the contamination of poultry products with antibiotics. 16S rDNA sequencing which has gained wide popularity amongst microbiologists for the molecular characterization and identification of newly discovered isolates provides accurate identification of isolates down to the level of sub-species (strain). It's most important advantage over the traditional biochemical characterization methods are that it can provide an accurate identification of strains with atypical phenotypic characters as well. The following work is an application of 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach to identify a novel, alkaline protease producing bacteria, from poultry farm waste. The sample was collected from a local poultry farm in the Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Subsequently the sample was serially diluted and the aliquots were incubated for a suitable time period following which the suspected colony was subjected to 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed the isolate to be a novel, high alkaline protease producing bacteria, which was named Bacillus firmus isolate EMBS023, after characterization the sequence of isolate was deposited in GenBank with accession number JN990980.

Objective: To study the normal bowel habits of healthy Indian children up to 2 y of age., Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in medical college associated teaching hospital in Delhi. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Ethical Committee. A total of 500 infants and toddlers up to 2 y of age were recruited for the study. Data were collected by interviewing parents of the eligible children who came for immunisation using pre designed Performa., Results: There was steady decline in stool frequency with increasing age. Maximum decline in stool frequency was noted after 1 mo of age. Variation in stool frequency between children was maximum in 0-3 mo of age and decreased with increasing age. Stools at 4 wk were usually semiliquid, watery and semisolid. By 6 mo of age 55 % infants were passing semisolid stools and 40 % were passing formed stools. At 24 mo of age, 89.2 % children usually passed formed stools., Conclusions: This is the first study in India to date documenting the frequency and consistency of the stools of young children. These results make an important contribution to defining normal stool patterns in young Indian children.

Indian Tick Typhus has been rarely reported in children from Delhi. A 10-y-old male child from Delhi presented with fever, non specific gastrointestinal symptoms, petechial rash and gangrene of all the toes. Possibility of rickettsial infection was entertained after the child failed to improve with best of the antibiotics. Sample for serology for rickettsial infection was sent and Doxycycline was started empirically. He became afebrile within 72 h of starting Doxycycline. Later, diagnosis of Indian Tick Typhus was confirmed on the basis of IgM positivity against Rickettsia conori. Possibility of rickettsial infection should be entertained in children with history of fever and skin rash, especially if the child fails to improve with a course of antibiotics and common infectious etiologies have been ruled out.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (HP) have recently emerged as a novel eliciting factor for chronic urticaria (CU). The possible association between HP and CU has enormous potential, as eradicating HP could cure CU., Aims and Objectives: We conducted a study to assess the prevalence of HP infection and effect of bacterium eradication on skin lesions in patients of chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU)., Settings and Design: Four hundred sixty patients of CU attending the allergy clinic, SMS hospital, Jaipur during the period February 6, 2004, to February 6, 2006, were screened for possible eliciting factors. Patients with CIU were enrolled and others were excluded., Materials and Methods: Sixty-eight patients of CIU and similar number of age and sex matched controls, attending the allergy clinic, SMS Hospital, Jaipur were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent endoscopy with antral biopsy for urease and histopathology to identify HP-associated gastritis. Infected patients were given HP eradication therapy. Eradication of bacterium was confirmed by fecal antigen assay. Subjective response to treatment was judged using chronic urticaria quality-of-life questionnaire (CU-Q 2 oL) while objective response to treatment was judged by need for 'rescue medication' (antihistaminics)., Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed using Chi square and paired 't' test for their level of significance., Results: HP associated gastritis was present in 48 (70.58%) patients, out of which 39 (81.25%) patients responded to eradication therapy. Ten (50.00%) patients without HP associated gastritis showed response to symptomatic therapy. Overall 49 (72.05%) patients responded and 19 (27.94%) showed no response. The value of chi2 was 28.571 (P = 0.003), which showed significant association between presence of HP and response to eradication regimen., Conclusion: The response of HP eradication therapy in infected patients of CIU is significant. HP should be included in diagnostic workup of patients with CIU.

To determine the accuracy of references published in Indian Pediatrics, we reviewed the reference lists appended to the original articles published in Indian Pediatrics during the year 2002 (volume 39) for citation and quotation accuracy. A total of 176 references out of 322 cited in 17 original articles could be retrieved from available resources. Errors of citation were found in 69 (39.27 percent) references while errors of quotation were found in 15 (8.6 percent) references. The most common errors were those in the name of authors and title of the article. Contributors should make serious efforts to check the accuracy of the references cited in their manuscripts.