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Context: Recent systematic review and meta-analysis of public attitudes have shown that despite improvements in mental health literacy, public attitudes and desire for social distance with mental illnesses have remained stable over time., Aims: To assess the awareness and attitude of the rural community towards mental disorders using the CAMI scale., Materials and Methods: This mixed method study was conducted under the ICMR-STS grant scheme after IEC approval. It included administration of a pre-tested questionnaire adapted from CAMI scale on 196 adults aged 18-60 years from an adopted village in the field practice area of medical college along with 8 in-depth interviews of key people in the same community. Thematic analysis was done for the qualitative part whereas for the quantitative part, Pearson's correlation coefficient, independent t -test, ANOVA and Kruskall-wallis test were used., Results: Age was positively correlated with the attitude of authoritarianism, social restrictiveness, CMHI and showed a negative correlation with attitude of benevolence. Females showed higher scores for authoritarianism and social restrictiveness. There was a statistically significant difference between APL and BPL groups for authoritarianism attitude towards the mentally ill ( P value = 0.02) and CMHI ( P value = 0.033). It was observed that with increase in the education levels there was a rise in the mean score of the values for the attitude of benevolence but the difference wasn't statistically significant ( P > 0.05). Thematic analysis of the key informant interviews suggested various perceptions of the community regarding mental illness, available options for management, current practices of the community and what can be done further to improve facilities for mental health., Conclusions: People in the community have a varied perspective to mental illnesses which has changed for the better over time but community still approaches quacks first which warrants the need for more awareness. For this, feasibility and effectiveness of increasing involvement of females from the community in health-related decisions can be explored further. We recommend further awareness generation in the younger generation with community-based research on perceptions of the community about mental health. This will provide more practical and feasible solutions to complement the national mental health program., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Indian Journal of Psychiatry.)

Breast and ovarian cancers are the most common cancer types in females worldwide and in India. Patients with these cancers require an early diagnosis which is essential for better prognosis, treatment and improved patient survival. Recently, the utilization of next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based screening has accelerated molecular diagnosis of various cancers. In the present study, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 30 patients who had a first or second-degree relative with breast or ovarian cancer and are tested negative for BRCA1/2 or other high and moderate-risk genes reported for HBOC. WES data from patients were analyzed and variants were called using bcftools. Functional annotation of variants and variant prioritization was performed by Exomiser. The clinical significance of variants was determined as per ACMG classification using Varsome tool. The functional analysis of genes was determined by STRING analysis and disease association was determined by open target tool. We found novel variants and gene candidates having significant association with HBOC conditions. The genes identified by exomiser (phenotype score > 0.75) are associated with various biological processes such as DNA integrity maintenance, transcription regulation, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis. Our findings provide novel and prevalent gene variants associated with the HBOC condition in the West Indian population which could be further studied for early diagnosis and better prognosis of HBOC., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

An upsurge in textile dye pollution has demanded immediate efforts to develop an optimum technology for their bioremediation. However, the molecular mechanism underpinning aerobic decolorization of dyes is still in its infancy. Thus, in the current work, the intricacies of aerobic remediation of textile dyes by Pseudomonas aeruginosa D6 were understood via a transcriptomic approach. The bacterium isolated from the sludge sample of a common effluent treatment plant was able to decolorize 54.42, 57.66, 50.84 and 65.86% of 100 mg L -1 of four different dyes i.e., TD01, TD04, TD05, and TD06, respectively. The maximum decolorization was achieved within six days and thus, the first and sixth day of incubation were selected for transcriptome analysis at the early and late phase of the decolorization, respectively. The expression profiles of all samples were compared to gain insight into the dye-specific response of bacterium and it was found that it behaved most uniquely in the presence of the dye TD01. Several genes critical to core metabolic processes like the TCA cycle, glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, translation, cell motility etc. Were found to be overexpressed in the presence of dyes. Interestingly, in response to dyes, the benzoate degradation pathway was significantly upregulated in the bacterium as compared to control (i.e., bacterium without dye). Thus, seven genes contributing to the induction of the same were further studied by RT-qPCR analysis. Overall, the involvement of the benzoate pathway implies the appearance of aromatic intermediates during decolorization, which in turn infers dye degradation., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Streptokinase is an enzyme that can break down the blood clots in some cases of myocardial infarction (heart attack), pulmonary embolism, and arterial thromboembolism. Demand for streptokinase is higher globally than production due to increased incidences of various heart conditions. The main source of streptokinase is various strains of Streptococci . Expression of streptokinase in native strain Streptococcus equisimilis is limited due to the SagD gene-mediated post-translational modification of streptolysin, an inhibitor of streptokinase expression through the degradation of FasX small RNA (through CoV/RS), which stabilizes streptokinase mRNA. In order to improve the stability of mRNA and increase the expression of streptokinase, which is inhibited by SagA, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to successfully knockout the SagD gene and observed a 13.58-fold increased expression of streptokinase at the transcript level and 1.48-fold higher expression at the protein level in the mutant strain compared to wild type. We have demonstrated the successful gene knockout of SagD using CRISPR-Cas9 in S. equisimilis, where an engineered strain can be further used for overexpression of streptokinase for therapeutic applications.

Muscular Dystrophies (MDs) are a group of inherited diseases and heterogeneous in nature. To date, 40 different genes have been reported for the occurrence and/or progression of MDs. This study was conducted to demonstrate the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in developing a time-saving and cost-effective diagnostic method to detect single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variants (CNVs) in a single test. A total of 123 cases clinically suspected of MD were enrolled in this study. Amplicon panel-based diagnosis was carried out for 102 (DMD/BMD) cases and the results were further screened using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). Whilst in the case of LGMD (N = 19) and UMD (N = 2), only NGS panel-based analysis was carried out. We identified the large deletions in 74.50% (76/102) of the cases screened with query DMD or BMD. Further, the large deletion in CAPN3 gene (N = 3) and known SNV mutations (N = 4) were identified in LGMD patients. Together, the total diagnosis rate for this amplicon panel was 70.73% (87/123) which demonstrated the utility of panel-based diagnosis for high throughput, affordable, and time-saving diagnostic strategy. Collectively, present study demonstrates that the panel based NGS sequencing could be superior over to MLPA., 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 © 2021 Patel, Bhatt, Shah, Waghela, Pandit, Sheth, Joshi and Joshi.)

Background: Breast and ovarian cancers are the most prevalent cancers and one of the leading causes of death in Indian women. The healthcare burden of breast and ovarian cancers and the rise in mortality rate are worrying and stress the need for early detection and treatment., Methods: We performed amplicon sequencing of 144 cases who had breast/ovarian cancer disease (total 137 cases are patients and seven are tested for BRCA1/2 carrier) Using our custom designed gene panel consisting of 14 genes, that are associated with high to moderate risk of breast and ovarian cancers. Variants were called using Torrent Variant Caller and were annotated using ThermoFisher's Ion Reporter software. Classification of variants and their clinical significance were identified by searching the variants against ClinVar database., Results: From a total of 144 cases, we were able to detect 42 pathogenic mutations in [40/144] cases. Majority of pathogenic mutations (30/41) were detected in BRCA1 gene, while (7/41) pathogenic mutations were detected in BRCA2 gene, whereas, (2/41) pathogenic mutations were detected in TP53 gene and BRIP1, PALB2, and ATM genes respectively. So, BRCA genes contributed 88.09% of pathogenic mutations, whereas non-BRCA genes contributed 11.91% of pathogenic mutations. We were also able to detect 25 VUS which were predicted to be damaging by in silico prediction tools., Conclusion: Early detection of cancers in the Indian population can be done by genetic screening using customized multi-gene panels. Indications of our findings show that in the Indian population, apart from the common BRCA genes, there are other genes that are also responsible for the disease. High frequency mutations detected in the study and variants of uncertain significance predicted to be damaging by in silico pathogenicity prediction tools can be potential biomarkers of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in Indian HBOC patients., 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 © 2021 Kadri, Patel, Bhargava, Shah, Badgujar, Tarapara, Patel, Shaikh, Shah, Patel, Pandya, Vora, Joshi and Joshi.)

Lichens have been widely studied for their symbiotic properties and for the secondary metabolites production by its fungal symbiont. Recent molecular studies have confirmed coexistence of bacteria along with the fungal and algal symbionts. Direct nucleic acid study by -omics approaches is providing better insights into their structural and functional dynamics. However, genomic analysis of individual members of lichen is difficult by the conventional approach. Hence, genome assembly from metagenome data needs standardization in the eukaryotic system like lichens. The present study aimed at metagenomic characterization of rock associated lichen Dirinaria collected from Kutch and Dang regions of Gujarat, followed by genome reconstruction and annotation of the mycobiont Dirinaria. The regions considered in the study are eco-geographically highly variant. The results revealed higher alpha diversity in the dry region Kutch as compared to the tropical forest associated lichen from Dang. Ascomycota was the most abundant eukaryote while Proteobacteria dominated the bacterial population. There were 23 genera observed only in the Kutch lichen (KL) and one genus viz., Candidatus Vecturithrix unique to the Dang lichen (DL). The exclusive bacterial genera in the Kutch mostly belonged to groups reported for stress tolerance and earlier isolated from lithobionts of extreme niches. The assembled data of KL & DL were further used for genome reconstruction of Dirinaria sp. using GC and tetra-pentamer parameters and reassembly that resulted into a final draft genome of 31.7 Mb and 9556 predicted genes. Twenty-eight biosynthesis gene clusters were predicted that included genes for polyketide, indole and terpene synthesis. Association analysis of bacteria and mycobiont revealed 8 pathways specific to bacteria with implications in lichen symbiosis and environment interaction. The study provides the first draft genome of the entire fungal Dirinaria genus and provides insights into the Dirinaria lichen metagenome from Gujarat region., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Context: Globally, around half of all under-5 deaths are attributable to undernutrition. The magnitude of child undernutrition in India is one of the highest in the world. Responsive feeding that has the potential to optimize nutrition and development depends on a "healthy mother"., Objectives: The objective of this study was to find out the magnitude and determinants of maternal depression among mothers of infants who attended immunization clinic in a rural medical college in central India and observe its association with infant-feeding practices and nutritional status of infants., Study Design: This was an analytical cross-sectional study., Materials and Methods: Study was conducted among consecutively chosen 300 mothers and their infants who visited the immunization clinic of hospital during May-September, 2016. Data were collected individually by interviewing each mother, and anthropometry of her infant was done. The mothers with depression were diagnosed according to the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Magnitude of depression has been reported using frequency and percentage, whereas association has been studied using prevalence odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) and logistic regression at 0.05 significance level., Results: The magnitude of maternal depression was 19% (95% CI 14.4-23.5). Mothers with depression had significantly higher odds for not indulging in responsive feeding. Maternal education had significant association with maternal depression after adjusting for other variables., Conclusions: Burden of maternal depression is high among mothers of infants who attended immunization clinic in a rural medical college in central India and is significantly associated with nonresponsive feeding practices., Competing Interests: None

Hypophysitis is a rare condition characterised by inflammation of the pituitary gland, usually resulting in hypopituitarism and pituitary enlargement. Pituitary inflammation can occur as a primary hypophysitis (most commonly lymphocytic, granulomatous or xanthomatous disease) or as secondary hypophysitis (as a result of systemic diseases, immunotherapy or alternative sella-based pathologies). Hypophysitis can be classified using anatomical, histopathological and aetiological criteria. Non-invasive diagnosis of hypophysitis remains elusive, and the use of currently available serum anti-pituitary antibodies are limited by low sensitivity and specificity. Newer serum markers such as anti-rabphilin 3A are yet to show consistent diagnostic value and are not yet commercially available. Traditionally considered a very rare condition, the recent recognition of IgG4-related disease and hypophysitis as a consequence of use of immune modulatory therapy has resulted in increased understanding of the pathophysiology of hypophysitis. Modern imaging techniques, histological classification and immune profiling are improving the accuracy of the diagnosis of the patient with hypophysitis. The objective of this review is to bring readers up-to-date with current understanding of conditions presenting as hypophysitis, focussing on recent advances and areas for future development. We describe the presenting features, investigation and diagnostic approach of the patient with likely hypophysitis, including existing conventional techniques and those in the research/development arena. Hypophysitis usually results in acute and persistent pituitary hormone deficiency requiring long-term replacement. Management of hypophysitis includes control of the inflammatory pituitary mass using a variety of treatment strategies including surgery and medical therapy. Glucocorticoids remain the mainstay of medical treatment but other immunosuppressive agents (e.g. azathioprine, rituximab) show benefit in some cases, but there is a need for controlled studies to inform practice., (© 2018 European Society of Endocrinology.)

The exorbitant yield loss incurred by Indian farmers every year (10-90%) in rapeseed-mustard (Brassica juncea) is chiefly attributed to the progressive infestation of mustard fields by Lipaphis erysimi (Kalt.), a major insect pest belonging to the family of Homoptera. Currently there are no successful tolerant cultivars developed by conventional means in Brassica juncea with systemic plant responses in the form of direct or indirect defenses against aphid attack. Lack of specific methods for screening large numbers of genotypes required in breeding for selection of tolerant cultivars in mustard is one of the main causes of slow progress in developing resistant varieties of Brassica juncea. Traditional phenotype-based breeding has to be augmented with recent molecular approaches for potential genotype selection and cultivar development in Brassica juncea. In current study a pathogen-responsive gene panel was developed which could be used for expression-assisted breeding program in mustard for selection of tolerant types against aphid infestation, minimizing the huge crop losses suffered by farmers every year.

In-vitro and invasive in-vivo studies have reported relatively independent motion in the medial and lateral forefoot segments during gait. However, most current surface-based models have not defined medial and lateral forefoot or midfoot segments. The purpose of the current study was to determine the reliability of a 7-segment foot model that includes medial and lateral midfoot and forefoot segments during walking gait. Three-dimensional positions of marker clusters located on the leg and 6 foot segments were tracked as 10 participants completed 5 walking trials. To examine the reliability of the foot model, coefficients of multiple correlation (CMC) were calculated across the trials for each participant. Three-dimensional stance time series and range of motion (ROM) during stance were also calculated for each functional articulation. CMCs for all of the functional articulations were ≥ 0.80. Overall, the rearfoot complex (leg-calcaneus segments) was the most reliable articulation and the medial midfoot complex (calcaneus-navicular segments) was the least reliable. With respect to ROM, reliability was greatest for plantarflexion/dorsiflexion and least for abduction/adduction. Further, the stance ROM and time-series patterns results between the current study and previous invasive in-vivo studies that have assessed actual bone motion were generally consistent.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a new and effective class of cancer therapy, with ipilimumab being the most established drug in this category. The drugs' mechanism of action includes promoting the effector T cell response to tumours and therefore increased autoimmunity is a predictable side effect. The endocrine effects of these drugs include hypophysitis and thyroid dysfunction, with rare reports of adrenalitis. The overall incidence of hypophysitis with these medications is up to 9%. Primary thyroid dysfunction occurs in up to 15% of patients, with adrenalitis reported in approximately 1%. The mean onset of endocrine side effects is 9 weeks after initiation (range 5-36 weeks). Investigation and/or screening for hypophysitis requires biochemical and radiological assessment. Hypopituitarism is treated with replacement doses of deficient hormones. Since the endocrine effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors are classed as toxic adverse events, most authors recommend both discontinuation of the immune checkpoint inhibiting medication and 'high-dose' glucocorticoid treatment. However, this has been challenged by some authors, particularly if the endocrine effects can be managed (e.g. pituitary hormone deficiency), and the therapy is proving effective as an anticancer agent. This review describes the mechanism of action of immune checkpoint inhibitors and details the key clinical endocrine-related consequences of this novel class of immunotherapies., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of a high- and low-friction surface on the ability to maintain a steady downward force during an index finger pressing and moving task. Fifteen right-handed subjects (24-48 years) performed a static force pressing task and a hybrid pressing and moving task on the surface of an iPad mini while holding a steady 2-N force on high- and low-friction surfaces. Variability of force was quantified as the standard deviation (SD) of normal force (F z) and shear force (F xy) across friction conditions and tasks. The SD of F z was 227 % greater during the hybrid task as compared to the static task (p < .001) and was 19 % greater for the high- versus low-friction condition (p = .033). There were positive correlations between SD of F z and F xy during the hybrid force/motion tasks on the high- and low-friction conditions (r (2) = 0.5 and 0.86, respectively), suggesting significant associations between normal and shear forces for this hybrid task. The correlation between the SD of F z for static and hybrid tasks was r (2) = 0.44, indicating that the common practice of examining the control of static tasks may not sufficiently explain performance during hybrid tasks, at least for the young subjects tested in the current study. As activities of daily living frequently require hybrid force/motion tasks (e.g., writing, doing the dishes, and cleaning counters), the results of this study emphasize the need to study motor performance during hybrid tasks in addition to static force tasks.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common non-skin cancer in the world. Tobacco chewing is implicated with most of the cases of HNSCC but this type of cancer is increasing in non-tobacco chewers as well. This study was instigated to provide comprehensive variant and gene-level data in HNSCC subjects of the Indian population and fill the gap in the literature on comparative assessment of gene mutations in cancer subjects with a habit of tobacco and those without any habit using targeted amplicon sequencing. We performed targeted Amplicon sequencing of 409 tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, frequently mutated across many cancer types, including head and neck. DNA from primary tumor tissues and matched blood was analyzed for HNSCC patients with a habit of tobacco and those without any habit. PDE4DIP, SYNE1, and NOTCH1 emerged as the highly mutated genes in HNSCC. A total of 39 candidate causal variants in 22 unique cancer driver genes were identified in non-habitual (WoH) and habitual (WH) subjects. Comparison of genes from both the subjects, showed seven unique cancer driver genes (KIT, ATM, RNF213, GATA2, DST, RET, CYP2C19) in WoH, while WH showed five (IL7R, PKHD1, MLL3, PTPRD, MAPK8) and 10 genes (SETD2, ATR, CDKN2A, NCOA4, TP53, SYNE1, KAT6B, THBS1, PTPRT, and FGFR3) were common to both subjects. In addition to this NOTCH1, NOTCH2, and NOTCH4 gene were found to be mutated only in habitual subjects. These findings strongly support a causal role for tobacco, acting via PI3K and MAPK pathway inhibition and stimulation of various genes leading to oncogenic transformations in case of tobacco chewers. In case of non-tobacco chewers it appears that mutations in the pathway affecting the squamous epithelial lineage and DNA repair genes lead to HNSCC. Somatic mutation in CYP2C19 gene in the non-habitual subjects suggests that this gene may have a tobacco independent role in development and progression of HNSCC. In addition to sharing high mutation rate, NOTCH gene family was found to be mutated only in habitual sample. Further, presence of mutated genes not earlier reported to be involved in HNSCC, suggest that the Indian sub-continent may have different sets of genes, as compared to other parts of the world, involved in the development and progression of HNSCC.

Here we present the first report on the taxonomic diversity of the microbial communities of the saline desert of the Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, using a metagenomic approach. Seven samples, differing in salinity levels and covering different seasons, were analysed to investigate the dynamics of microbial communities in relation to salinity and season. Metagenomic data generated using whole metagenome sequencing revealed that despite its very high salinity (4.11-30.79 %), the saline desert's microbiota had a rich microbial diversity that included all major phyla. Notably, 67 archaeal genera, representing more than 60 % of all known archaeal genera, were present in this ecosystem. A strong positive correlation (0.85) was observed between the presence of the extremely halophilic bacterium Salinibacter and salinity level. Taxonomic and functional comparisons of the saline desert metagenome with those of other publicly available metagenomes (i.e. sea, hypersaline lagoon, solar saltern, brine, hot desert) was carried out. The microbial community of the Kutch was found to be unique yet more similar to the sea biomes followed by hypersaline lagoon.

Present study attempts in revealing taxonomic and functional diversity of microorganism from petroleum muck using metagenomics approach. Using Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine, total of 249 Mb raw data were obtained which was analysed using MG-RAST platform. The taxonomic analysis revealed predominance of Proteobacteria with Gammaproteobacteria as major class and Pseudomonas stutzeri as most abundant organism. Several enzymes involved in aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation through both aerobic and anaerobic routes and proteins related to stress response were also present. Comparison of our metagenome with the existing metagenomes from oil-contaminated sites and wastewater treatment plant indicated uniqueness of this metagenome taxonomically and functionally. Based on these results a hypothetical community model showing survival and syntrophy of microorganisms in hydrocarbon-rich environment is proposed. Validation of the metagenome data was done in three tiers by validating major OTUs by isolating oil-degrading microbes, confirmation of key genes responsible for hydrocarbon degradation by Sanger sequencing and studying functional dynamics for degradation of the hydrocarbons by the muck meta-community using GC-MS.

Petroleum products play a major role in fueling the economy of the world but the pollution they create has become a critical issue. Understanding the diversity present in pipeline muck will help with the exploration of new microbial strains with better hydrocarbon degrading capacities for bioremediation of polluted sites. This study provides an analysis of petroleum muck using next generation sequencing., (Copyright © 2014 Joshi et al.)

We provide the first report on the metagenomic approach for unveiling the microbial diversity in the saline desert of Kutch. High-throughput metagenomic sequencing of environmental DNA isolated from soil collected from seven locations in Kutch was performed on an Ion Torrent platform., (Copyright © 2014 Pandit et al.)

Context: Identification of impaired balance as a risk factor for lower extremity injury regardless of injury history has led to subsequent investigation of variables that may adversely affect balance in healthy individuals., Objectives: To investigate the relationship among core and lower extremity muscle function, foot posture, and balance., Design: Descriptive laboratory study., Setting: Musculoskeletal injury biomechanics laboratory., Patients or Other Participants: A total of 108 individuals (40 men, 68 women; age = 22.8 ± 4.7 years, height = 168.5 ± 10.4 cm, mass = 69.9 ± 13.3 kg) participated in the study., Main Outcome Measure(s): Core endurance was assessed during 1 time-to-failure trial, and isometric hip and ankle strength were assessed using a handheld dynamometer and isokinetic dynamometer, respectively. Foot structure was quantified using the digital photographic measurement method. Single-limb-stance time to boundary was assessed using a force plate during an eyes-closed condition. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to predict balance using lower extremity strength, foot posture, and core endurance., Results: Foot posture (β = -0.22, P = .03) and ankle-inversion strength (β = -0.29, P = .006) predicted mediolateral balance. Increasing arch posture and ankle-inversion strength were associated with decreased mediolateral single-limb-stance balance., Conclusions: Increasing arch height was associated with decreased mediolateral control of single-limb stance. The relationship between time to boundary and injury risk, however, has not been explored. Therefore, the relationship between increasing arch height and injury due to postural instability cannot be determined from this study. If authors of future prospective studies identify a relationship between decreased time to boundary and increased injury risk, foot structure may be an important variable to assess during preparticipation physical examinations. The relationship between increasing ankle-inversion strength and decreased balance may require additional study to further elucidate the relationship between ankle strength and balance.

Background: The origin, evolution and speciation of the lion, has been subject of interest, debate and study. The present surviving lions of the genus Panthera comprise of eight sub-species inclusive of Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica of India's Gir forest. Except for the Asiatic lion, the other seven subspecies are found in different parts of Africa. There have been different opinions regarding the phylogenetic status of Panthera leo, as well as classifying lions of different geographic regions into subspecies and races. In the present study, mitogenome sequence of P. leo persica deduced, using Ion Torrent PGM to assess phylogeny and evolution which may play an increasingly important role in conservation biology., Results: The mtDNA sequence of P. leo persica is 17,057 bp in length with 40.8% GC content. Annotation of mitogenome revealed total 37 genes, including 13 protein coding, 2 rRNA and 22 tRNA. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole mitogenome, suggests Panthera pardus as a neighbouring species to P. leo with species divergence at ~2.96 mya., Conclusion: This work presents first report on complete mitogenome of Panthera leo persica. It sheds light on the phylogenetic and evolutionary status within and across Felidae members. The result compared and evaluated with earlier reports of Felidae shows alteration of phylogenetic status and species evolution. This study may provide information on genetic diversity and population stability.

Arthrobacter crystallopoietes strain BAB-32, a Gram-positive obligate aerobic actinobacterium having potential application in bioremediation and bioreduction of a few metals, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The draft genome (4.3 Mb) of the strain revealed a few vital gene clusters involved in the metabolism of aromatic compounds, zinc, and sulfur.

A Gram-positive bacterium, Brevibacillus sp. strain BAB-2500, was isolated as a lab contaminant in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. The draft genome (5.3 Mb) of the strain possesses genes for the reduction of arsenate and aluminum. These findings might provide insights into the utilization of this strain for improving crop production.

The Halobacillus sp. strain BAB-2008 is a moderately halophilic, rod-shaped, Gram-positive, orange-pigmented, carotenoid-producing bacterium isolated from saline soil near Zazam-Solar Park Road, Gujarat, India. Here we present the 3.7-Mb genome sequence to provide insights into its functional genomics and potential applications for carotenoid and enzyme production.

The effect of time-to-boundary minima selection and stability limit definition was investigated during eyes open and eyes closed condition single-limb stance postural stability. Anteroposterior and mediolateral time-to-boundary were computed using the mean and standard deviation (SD) of all time-to-boundary minima during a trial, and the mean and SD of only the 10 absolute time-to-boundary minima. Time-to-boundary with rectangular, trapezoidal, and multisegmented polygon defined stability limits were also calculated. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test results revealed significant medium-large correlations between anteroposterior and mediolateral time-to-boundary scores calculated using both the mean and SD of the 10 absolute time-to-boundary minima and of all the time-to-boundary minima. Friedman test results revealed significant mediolateral time-to-boundary differences between boundary shape definitions. Follow-up Wilcoxon signed rank test results revealed significant differences between the rectangular boundary shape and both the trapezoidal and multisegmented polygon shapes during the eyes open and eyes closed conditions when both the mean and the SD of the time-to-boundary minima were used to represent postural stability. Significant differences were also revealed between the trapezoidal and multisegmented polygon definitions during the eyes open condition when the SD of the time-to-boundary minima was used to represent postural stability. Based on these findings, the overall results (i.e., stable versus unstable participants or groups) of studies computing postural stability using different minima selection can be compared. With respect to boundary shape, the trapezoid or multisegmented polygon shapes may be more appropriate than the rectangular shape as they more closely represent the anatomical shape of the stance foot.

Pontibacter sp. nov. BAB1700 is a halotolerant, Gram-negative, rod-shaped, pink-pigmented, menaquinone-7-producing bacterium isolated from sediments of a drilling well. The draft genome sequence of the strain, consisting of one chromosome of 4.5 Mb, revealed vital gene clusters involved in vitamin biosynthesis and resistance against various metals and antibiotics.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of computing body-size-independent hip strength measures using muscle-specific allometric scaling and ratio standard normalization methods., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: University laboratory., Participants: A convenience sample of healthy participants (N=113; 42 men, 71 women)., Interventions: Not applicable., Main Outcome Measures: Anthropometric measurements of the leg and thigh were obtained, and maximal hip strength was tested (medial and lateral rotation, abduction, adduction, flexion, extension). Strength was measured isometrically as force (kg) and then converted to torque (Nm)., Results: The allometric scaling analysis resulted in exponents for normalizing body mass (BM) in each muscle group assessed. In addition, a 6-muscle average exponent was also computed (bavg) for force (men, .554; women, .335) and torque (men, .792; women, .482). The nonsignificant results of the linear regression analysis revealed that normalizing hip strength to BM(bavg) (hip strength/BM(bavg)) effectively removed the influence of BM on force and torque. However, sex should be factored into analyses of allometric scaling because men have higher b-values than women for both force and torque. The linear regression analyses also demonstrated that force normalized to BM (P=.162-.895) and torque normalized to BM × Height (P=.146-.889) were body-size-independent measures. Force normalized to BM⁰·⁶⁷ (P=.001-.191) and body mass index (BMI) (P=<.001-.066), and torque normalized to BM (P=.004-.415) and BMI (P<.001) were significantly related to BM and therefore were not body-size independent., Conclusions: Normalizing force and torque to BM(bavg) is the most effective method of removing body-size dependence and allowing comparisons of persons with differing body sizes., (Copyright © 2011 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to assess whether 2 dimensional echocardiography can provide reliable parameters to quantitatively estimate pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Twenty subjects, 16 males and 4 females, mean age 54.5 year +/- 4.92 were evaluated. Right ventricular dimensions were measured using subcostal 2- dimensional (2D) approach viz. right ventricular maximum short axis (Rv) and tricuspid annulus (TA). Free right ventricular anterior wall (AW) was measured by M-Mode. A 2D Index was calculated RV x TA + Aw and the same correlated with mean pulmonary artery pressure (r = 0.97). This appears to be a useful non-invasive method foe estimating PH in cases of COPD.

The reaction of anthranilic acid with excess of benzoylchloride in the presence of pyridine yielded 2-phenyl(3H) 4-oxo-3,1-benzoxazine(I). Interaction of (I) with 2-aminoethanol afforded 2-phenyl-3-hydroxy-ethyl(3H) 4-oxo-quinazoline (II). The condensation of (II) with beta-naphthol in the presence of conc. H2SO4 gave 1-(2'-phenyl-3'-ethyl-4'-oxo-quinazolyl) beta-naphthol (III). The reaction of (III) with primary aromatic amines in the presence of anhydrous zinc-chloride afforded 1-(2'-phenyl-3'-ethyl-4'-oxo-quinazolyl)-beta-naphthyl phenyl amine (IV). When (IV) was heated with sulphur and iodine, 1-(2'-phenyl 3'-ethyl -4'-oxo-quinazolyl)-benzophenothiazine (V) was obtained. All the five synthesised benzophenothiazines were screened for their antiviral activity and two compounds exhibited significant inhibition of virus multiplications.