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Ultraviolet (UV) exposure to the skin causes photo-damage and acts as the primary etiological agent in photo-carcinogenesis. UV-B exposure induces cellular damage and is the major factor challenging skin homeostasis. Autophagy allows the fundamental adaptation of cells to metabolic and oxidative stress. Cellular dysfunction has been observed in aged tissues and in toxic insults to cells undergoing stress. Conversely, promising anti-aging strategies aimed at inhibiting the mTOR pathway have been found to significantly improve the aging-related disorders. Recently, autophagy has been found to positively regulate skin homeostasis by enhancing DNA damage recognition. Here, we investigated the geno-protective roles of autophagy in UV-B-exposed primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). We found that UV-B irradiation to HDFs impairs the autophagy response in a time- and intensity-independent manner. However, improving autophagy levels in HDFs with pharmacological activators regulates the UV-B-induced cellular stress by decreasing the induction of DNA photo-adducts, promoting the DNA repair process, alleviating oxidative and ER stress responses, and regulating the expression levels of key cell cycle regulatory proteins. Autophagy also prevents HDFs from UV-B-induced nuclear damage as is evident in TUNEL assay and Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide co-staining. Salubrinal (an eIF2α phosphatase inhibitor) relieves ER stress response in cells and also significantly alleviates DNA damage and promotes the repair process in UV-B-exposed HDFs. P62-silenced HDFs show enhanced DNA damage response and also disturb the tumor suppressor PTEN/pAKT signaling axis in UV-B-exposed HDFs whereas Atg7-silenced HDFs reveal an unexpected consequence by decreasing the UV-B-induced DNA damage. Taken together, these results suggest that interventional autophagy offers significant protection against UV-B radiation-induced photo-damage and holds great promise in devising it as a suitable therapeutic strategy against skin pathological disorders.

This study evaluated the impact of differential sowing windows and improved weed management strategies on weed dynamics, productivity, and economic viability of direct drum seeded rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the temperate agro-ecosystem of Kashmir. A two-year field experiment was conducted utilizing a split-plot design with two sowing dates (May 10 and June 3) as main plots and six weed management practices as sub-plots. The earlier sowing date (May 10) resulted in significantly enhanced leaf area index, crop growth rate, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate, and grain and straw yields compared to the later sowing (June 3). Among weed management treatments, four mechanized conoweedings (equivalent to weed-free conditions) and sequential application of bensulfuron methyl + pretilachlor (60 and 600 g a.i. ha -1 ) as pre-emergence followed by 2,4-D (0.75 kg a.i. ha -1 ) as post-emergence demonstrated superior efficacy in weed suppression and augmentation of crop growth parameters and yield attributes. These treatments also exhibited the lowest weed index and highest benefit-cost ratio. The May 10 sowing, coupled with efficacious weed control measures, significantly reduced weed density and biomass while concomitantly improving nutrient uptake and economic returns. The results indicate that adopting a May 10 sowing date for direct seeded rice, in conjunction with either four conoweedings or the aforementioned sequential herbicide application, can optimize agronomic productivity and economic profitability under the temperate conditions of Kashmir. The study aided in choosing the best sowing window and efficient weed management strategy for attaining higher productivity and profitability of direct seeded rice in temperate conditions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Based on ferromagnetic thin film systems, spintronic devices show substantial prospects for energy-efficient memory, logic, and unconventional computing paradigms. This paper presents a multilayer ferromagnetic spintronic device's experimental and micromagnetic simulation-based realization for neuromorphic computing applications. The device exhibits a temperature-dependent magnetic field and current-controlled multilevel resistance state switching. To study the scalability of the multilayer spintronic devices for neuromorphic applications, we further simulated the scaled version of the multilayer system read using the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) configuration down to 64 nm width. We show the device applications in hardware neural networks using the multiple resistance states as the synaptic weights. A varying pulse amplitude scheme is also proposed to improve the device's weight linearity. The simulated device shows an energy dissipation of 1.23 fJ for a complete potentiation/depression. The neural network based on these devices was trained and tested on the MNIST dataset using a supervised learning algorithm. When integrated as a weight into a 3-layer, fully connected neural network, these devices achieve recognition accuracy above 90% on the MNIST dataset. Thus, the proposed device demonstrates significant potential for neuromorphic computing applications.

Summary: Acute respiratory infection (ARI) represents a pervasive global health concern, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. Our findings reveal a notably high prevalence of ARI in Ladakh. Employing a cross-sectional design, the total number of households surveyed was 401, among them, the total population was 2107; males, 1153, and females, 954. The highest incidence rate of 160.26/1000 persons was observed in the age group below 14 years, followed by those above 59 years (47.76), while the age group of 14-59 exhibited the lowest incidence rate at 21.23. To explore the factors contributing to ARI in Ladakh, we employed binary logistic regression modeling. Our analysis highlights significant associations between ARI incidence and various socioeconomic and environmental determinants. Notably, primary occupation, family type, kitchen ventilation, domestic fuel consumption, crowding, and smoking behaviors within families were found to be statistically significant determinants of ARI among the sample population of Ladakh., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Public Health.)

Apple, a vital fruit crop worldwide and a major crop grown in northern parts of India, acts as a backbone for the survival and livelihood of the farming community. However, it is prone to severe damage from insect pests and diseases. In the past few years, due to erratic weather patterns, there has been an alarmingly increased infestation of different insect pests, both invasive and non-invasive, resulting in substantial economic losses to this industry. One similar case was seen in the Himalayan region of India, where the apple crop in Karewas was heavily damaged by some invasive fruit borer, feeding on pulp and making galleries to reach the seed locules, thereby destroying the seed material. To ascertain the true identity of this pest, a study based on morpho-molecular characterization of this pest was carried out in the Faculty of Agriculture, Wadura, SKUAST Kashmir, India, during the years 2021 and 2022. The invasive fruit samples were collected from apple orchards at different locations (experimental sites) in North India by installing delta sticky traps @ 5 traps/ha for moth collection. The fruit-boring larvae and pupa were also collected and reared in confined chambers of the laboratory with controlled temperature and humidity. All the laboratory investigations were conducted at the Division of Entomology, FoA, Wadura, SKUAST Kashmir. During the investigation, it was confirmed that the invasive borer is a codling moth (Cydia pomonella L.), a member of the family Tortricidae, order Lepidoptera, which was earlier having quarantine importance in India, as it was only present in the Ladakh region of India. From the phylogenetic analysis of sample sequences, the species of codling moth present at all experimental sites was more identical to the codling moth sequence from Leh (the northernmost arid region), India. Further, the study of life cycle and voltinism revealed that codling moth completes three generations per year in Kashmir, with a single cycle lasting up to 2.5 months. However, the timing of various generations varies, depending on prevailing weather conditions at specific locations and times. The number of generations completed by codling moth in Kashmir conditions during apple growing season was three full and a half overwintering generations. The study of the life cycle of this important pest was necessary to know the weak link for its effective management and to prevent the economic loss in apple fruit., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The diverse beneficial effects of adiponectin-receptor signaling, including its impact on the regulation of inflammatory processes in vivo, have resulted in development of adiponectin receptor agonists as a treatment for metabolic disorders. However, there are no established non-invasive bioassays for detection of adiponectin target engagement in humans or animal models. Here, we designed an assay using small amounts of blood to assess adiponectin action. Specifically, we tested effects of the small 10-amino acid peptide adiponectin receptor agonist, ALY688, in a sublethal LPS endotoxemia model in mice. LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in serum were significantly reduced in mice treated with ALY688, assessed via multiplex ELISA in flow cytometry. Furthermore, ALY688 alone significantly induced TGF-β release in serum 1 h after treatment and was elevated for up to 24 h. Additionally, using a flow-cytometry panel for detection of changes in circulating immune cell phenotypes, we observed a significant increase in absolute T cell counts in mice after ALY688 treatment. To assess changes in intracellular signaling effectors downstream of adiponectin, phospho-flow cytometry was conducted. There was a significant increase in phosphorylation of AMPK and p38-MAPK in mice after ALY688 treatment. We then used human donor immune cells (PBMCs) treated with ALY688 ex vivo and observed elevation of AMPK and p38-MAPK phosphorylation from baseline in response to ALY688. Together, these results indicate we can detect adiponectin action on immune cells in vivo by assessing adiponectin signaling pathway for AMPK and p38-MAPK, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. This new approach provides a blood-based bioassay for screening adiponectin action., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: These studies were supported in part via a research contract with Allysta Pharmaceuticals Inc. HHH and AP are employees of Allysta and GS and AAS consult for Allysta. Other authors confirm that no conflict of interest occurs., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Strategies to enhance autophagy flux have been suggested to improve outcomes in cardiac ischemic models. We explored the role of adiponectin in mediating cardiac autophagy under ischemic conditions induced by permanent coronary artery ligation. We studied the molecular mechanisms underlying adiponectin's cardio-protective effects in adiponectin knockout (Ad-KO) compared with wild-type (WT) mice subjected to ischemia by coronary artery ligation and H9c2 cardiomyocyte cell line exposed to hypoxia. Systemic infusion of a cathepsin-B activatable near-infrared probe as a biomarker for autophagy and detection via noninvasive three-dimensional fluorescence molecular tomography combined with computerized tomography to quantitate temporal changes, indicated increased activity in the myocardium of WT mice after myocardial infarction which was attenuated in Ad-KO. Seven days of ischemia increased myocardial adiponectin accumulation and elevated ULK1/AMPK phosphorylation and autophagy assessed by Western blotting for LC3 and p62, an outcome not observed in Ad-KO mice. Cell death, assessed by TUNEL analysis and the ratio of Bcl-2:Bax, plus cardiac dysfunction, measured using echocardiography with strain analysis, were exacerbated in Ad-KO mice. Using cellular models, we observed that adiponectin stimulated autophagy flux in isolated primary adult cardiomyocytes and increased basal and hypoxia-induced autophagy in H9c2 cells. Real-time temporal analysis of caspase-3/7 activation and caspase-3 Western blot indicated that adiponectin suppressed activation by hypoxia. Hypoxia-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production and cell death were also attenuated by adiponectin. Importantly, the ability of adiponectin to reduce caspase-3/7 activation and cell death was not observed in autophagy-deficient cells generated by CRISPR-mediated deletion of Atg7. Collectively, our data indicate that adiponectin acts in an autophagy-dependent manner to attenuate cardiomyocyte caspase-3/7 activation and cell death in response to hypoxia in vitro and ischemia in mice., (© 2024 The Authors. Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

Background: Varus posteromedial rotatory instability is a relatively rare elbow injury, that has been infrequently reported in published literature. We intended to evaluate the outcomes of surgical management of this rare injury with anteromedial coronoid fixation, and, in selected patients, lateral ulnar collateral ligament (LUCL) repair., Methods: Between 2017 and 2020, we identified 12 patients with anteromedial coronoid fractures, and a varus posteromedial rotatory instability, who underwent surgery for fixation of the coronoid fracture, with or without LCL repair. All the included patients were either O'Driscoll subtype 2-2, or subtype 2-3. All the 12 patients were followed up for a minimum of 24 months, and their functional outcomes assessed using the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS)., Results: The mean MEPS recorded in our study was 92.08, and the mean range of elbow flexion achieved was 124.2°. The mean flexion contracture in our patients was 5.83°. Three of our twelve patients (25%) suffered from elbow stiffness even at final follow-up. The results were graded as Excellent in eight, Good in three, and Fair in one patient., Conclusion: Coronoid fractures and LUCL disruptions associated with varus posteromedial rotatory instability can be reliably managed by employing a protocol that combines radiographic parameters, as well as intra-operative assessments of stability. While surgical intervention successfully restored stability, there is a learning curve to the management of these injuries and complications are not uncommon, particularly elbow stiffness. Hence, in addition to surgical fixation, emphasis should also be placed on intensive post-operative rehabilitation to improve outcomes., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2023 Delhi Orthopedic Association. All rights reserved.)

Contact Tracing is considered as the first and the most effective step towards containing an outbreak, as resources for mass testing and large quantity of vaccines are highly unlikely available for immediate utilization. Effective contact tracing can allow societies to reopen from lock-down even before availability of vaccines. The objective of mobile contact tracing is to speed up the manual interview based contact tracing process for containing an outbreak efficiently and quickly. In this article, we throw light on some of the issues and challenges pertaining to the adoption of mobile contact tracing solutions for fighting COVID-19. In essence, we proposed an Evaluation framework for mobile contact tracing solutions to determine their usability, feasibility, scalability and effectiveness. We evaluate some of the already proposed contact tracing solutions in light of our proposed framework. Furthermore, we present possible attacks that can be launched against contact tracing solutions along with their necessary countermeasures to thwart any possibility of such attacks., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Soil quality assessment provides a tool for evaluating the sustainability of soils under different crop cafeterias. Our objective was to develop the soil quality index for evaluating the soil quality indicators under different cropping systems in northwest Himalaya-India. Composite soil samples were taken from the study area from different cropping systems which include T1 (forest soil control), T2 (rice-oilseed, lower belts), T3 (rice-oilseed, higher belts), T4 (rice-oats), T5 (rice-fallow), T6 (maize-oats), T7 (maize-peas), T8 (apple), T9 (apple-beans), and T10 (apple-maize). Physical, chemical, and biological soil indicators were determined, and it was found that soil enzyme activities involved in nutrient cycling were significantly higher in forest soils, which were reflected in higher levels of available pool of nutrients. Carbon stocks were found significantly higher in forest soil which was translated in improved soil physical condition. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to reduce multidimensionality of data followed by scoring by homothetic transformation of the selected indicators. Pearson's interclass correlation was performed to avoid redundancy, and highly correlated variables were not retained. Inclusion of legumes in the apple orchard floor recorded highest soil quality rating across the treatments. Cereal-based cropping systems were found in lower soil quality rating; however, the incorporation of peas in the system improved soil health.

Purpose: Fractures involving the femur in older adults are reasonably common. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of MIPO technique using locking plates in geriatric patients for distal extra-articular femur fractures., Methods: About 25 consecutive patients with distal extra-articular femur fractures aged 60 years and above were treated using locking plates and minimally invasive technique. Patients were studied prospectively over a period of 3 years. Parameters studied included patient demographics, fracture type, time taken for the surgery, time to union and any complications., Results: Mean age of patients was 66.5 years. Nineteen (76%) patients were females. Most of fractures in our study were type 33A2 fractures (64%). Average time to full weight bearing was 14.32 weeks, and fractures united at an average of 16.88 weeks. There were two (8%) patients with superficial infection, two (8%) with implant tenderness. One (4%) patient developed knee stiffness. Five (20%) patients had extension lag of average 5°. One (4%) patient sustained a peri-implant fracture at 2 months. None of the patients developed non-union or delayed union. According to criteria laid by Schatzker's and Lambert, excellent results were achieved in 22 (88%) patients., Conclusions: Outcome of minimally invasive fixation of distal extra-articular femur fractures with locking plates in patients of age 60 years and above seems to be good with high union rate despite high prevalence of osteoporosis and comminution.

Acne vulgaris is the most common disorder treated by dermatologists. Acne is a disease of pilosebaceous units characterized by the formation of the open and closed comedones, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts. A preliminary trial was conducted in the department of Medicine, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore, India, to assess the safety and efficacy of a Polyherbal Unani Formulation (PHUF) in the management of Acne Vulgaris on scientific parameters. Twenty five patients, diagnosed with acne, were included in the study after obtaining their informed consents. All the patients were clinically assessed and diagnosed on the basis of thorough history and dermatological examination. Then, PHUF was administered locally once at night for a period of 45 days. The severity of acne and efficacy of treatment was assessed by Cook's acne grading scale. The results showed significant reduction in the Cook's acne grading scores of post-treatment group (P<0.01) as compared to pre-treatment scores. Further, PHUF was found safe and fairly well accepted by the patients. It was therefore, concluded that PHUF can be used safely and effectively for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Background: Pityriasis versicolor (PV) is a common superficial fungal infection of skin caused by the fungus, Malassezia furfur. It can occur at any age but occurs mainly during adolescence and typically presents with hypopigmented or hyperpigmented scaling plaques, generally on the trunk and upper arms. It often poses a therapeutic challenge. In the Unani system of medicine, many herbal drugs are used empirically for its treatment., Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of a topical Polyherbal Unani formulation in the management of PV on scientific parameters., Design: This was a randomized, single-blind, standard controlled study., Location: This study was performed in the Dermatology Outpatient Department, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore, India., Subjects and Interventions: Forty-six (46) patients with PV were included in the study after taking informed consents and were randomly allocated to test and control groups. In the test group, a polyherbal formulation was advised for topical application while in the control group, sodium thiosulphate lotion (20%) was advised locally for a duration of 1 month. The assessment of the severity of PV and efficacy of treatment in both groups was carried out using the Total Sign and Symptom Score (TSSS) scale. Data were analyzed with the Instat Graph pad., Results: The mean±standard error of the mean (SEM) scores of TSSS in the test group were 7.7±1.174 and 0.9±0.7881 before and after treatment, respectively, while it was 6.9±0.8756 and 1.2±0.7888 in the control group before and after treatment, respectively. Mean±SEM of TSSS of both groups was found to be significantly lowered (p<0.001) after treatment when compared with mean±SEM of TSSS before treatment. However, the polyherbal formulation showed precedence over the standard drug by exhibiting comparatively quicker response. Furthermore, no unpleasant side-effects were observed in the test group during and after the study., Conclusions: This study concluded that polyherbal Unani formulation is safe, effective, and superior to standard drug in the treatment of PV.

The Unani System of Medicine also known as Greeko-Arab medicine, founded by Hippocrates is based on the concept of equilibrium and balance of natural body humours (blood, bile, black bile and phlegm). The imbalance in the quality and quantity of these humours leads to diseases whereas restoration of this balance maintains health of a person. The treatment methodology of diseases is based on four therapeutic modalities viz. Regimental therapy, Dieto-therapy, Pharmacotherapy and surgery. Irsale Alaq (Leech or Hirudo therapy) is one of the most important and widely practised methods of regimental therapy used for local evacuation of morbid humours. It is a procedure of treatment with the use of medicinal leeches. It has been suggested and successfully practised by Greeko-Arab physicians in the management of musculoskeletal diseases, gynaecological disorders, chronic skin diseases, thromboembolic diseases, varicose veins, ENT disorders etc since long. According to Unani doctrine, the efficacy of leech therapy is attributed to the analgesic and resolvent activities of leeches. However, from modern perspective, the saliva of leech contains about 100 pharmacologically active biological substances like Hirudin, hyaluronidase, vasodilators, anesthetics, antibacterial, fibrinases, collagenase etc. These substances are injected into human body while sucking of the blood and are responsible for the analgesic, anti inflammatory and anesthetic effects of leech therapy.

Psoriasis is a common dermatological disease affecting up to 1-2% of the world's population. It is associated with both organic and psychosocial complications like psoriatic arthropathy, nephritis, infection, hyperuricemia, hypoproteinemia, depression, and stress, and is responsible for hindering patients' daily activities. The present study was conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of two pharmacopeial Unani formulations (Majoon Ushba and Roghane Hindi) in the management of psoriasis on scientific parameters. Thirty diagnosed psoriasis patients, satisfying the inclusion criteria, were selected for a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study in the Department of Moalajat (Medicine), National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore. The patients were divided by the method of Random Table Numbers into test and control groups after obtaining informed consent. The experimental group comprised 20 patients to whom Majoon Ushba 5 g was administered orally twice daily and Roghane Hindi was applied locally twice daily. The control group comprised 10 patients who were given placebo drugs orally and topically. The duration of the trial was 8 weeks and follow-up was done fortnightly. The severity of psoriasis and efficacy of the drug was assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) Scale. The results of both groups were compared and analyzed statistically. The study showed significant reduction in the PASI score in the test group (P < 0.01) as compared to placebo. No obnoxious side effects were observed in the test group: toxicological parameters were within normal limits even after 2 months of treatment. It was therefore concluded that Majoon Ushba and Roghane Hindi are safe and effective in the management of psoriasis.