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A field experiment was carried out for two consecutive years during 2020-21 and 2021-22 in the research farm of OUAT, Bhubaneswar. The experiment was conducted in a strip plot design having four each of climate smart water and nutrient management approaches replicated four times. All the growth attributes like plant height, LAI, dry matter production as well as the yield attributing characters were superior under EFI with mulch and INM treatments in water and nitrogen management approaches, respectively. Optimal irrigation practice i.e. each furrow irrigation (EFI) with mulch in sweet corn resulted in higher cob yield (27.64 t/ha) followed by EFI alone. Similarly, INM practices comprising of 75% STBNR + 25% N through FYM produced higher cob yield (30.91 t/ha) as compared to other N-management options and was closely followed by STBNR.

Achieving sustainability of the rice production in the irrigated areas in eastern India in general and Odisha in particular, under progressive climate change and variability, necessitates adoption of practices and technologies that increase food production, adaptation and mitigation in a feasible way. A field experiment was carried out for two consecutive years during 2020-21 and 2021-22 with kharif rice in the research farm of OUAT, Bhubaneswar. The experiment was conducted in a strip plot design having four each of water and nitrogen management approaches replicated four times. All the growth attributes like plant height, tillers/hill, LAI and dry matter production were superior under 3DADPW and INM treatments in water and nitrogen management approaches, respectively. Rotational irrigation 3 DADPW in rice resulted in higher grain yield (5.28 t/ha) followed by soil saturation. Similarly, INM practices comprising of Green manuring + 75% STBNR produced higher grain yield (5.45 t/ha) as compared to other N-management options and was closely followed by STBNR.

The extreme rainfall events are very localized and intense events witnessing heavy rainfall resulting in flash floods and landslides in the Himalayan region. The trend of EREs in the Himachal basin shows an increasing trend, so in this study, an attempt is being made for quantifying the climatological feature of these EREs in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the western Himalayan Mountain region using the multi-source observed data sets for the long-term period i.e., 1901 to 2020. The climatology analysis indicates northern and southern part of the state receives comparatively more rainfall and the state witnessed a decreasing trend of the rainfall in the current decade. The classification of these EREs in terms of monsoon and non-monsoon with a different threshold of daily rainfall is being analyzed and it is found that almost 90% of extreme events are observed in the monsoon season. The zone centered around 32.5oN and 76.25oE is seems to be the hotspot for the frequent EREs in the mountainous state. The spatial analysis of the ERE trend also indicated that almost 40% of the state witnesses the heavy rainfall throughout the years. This observational study will surely help in understanding the dynamics of these ERE in the higher altitude regions and can be a good input for the hydro-meteorological disaster management and mitigation.

The research was conducted to determine the extent of climate change in Sambalpur district, Odisha from the year 1990 to 2019. The climate change was studied for rainfall and temperature by running Mann-Kendall test at 5% significance level on time series data for each of the 9 blocks for the time period 1990 to 2019. The resultant Mann-Kendall test statistics indicated how strong the trend in rainfall and temperature was and whether it was increasing or decreasing. For seasonal rainfall six of the nine blocks showed increasing trend but only 3 blocks showed significant increasing trend. Similarly, for maximum temperature six of the nine blocks showed increasing trend and of these six blocks five blocks showed significant increasing trend. For temperature extreme ≥ 40oC, the trend was increasing but insignificant. For temperature extreme ≥ 45oC, the trend was decreasing but insignificant. For temperature extreme ≤10oC, a significant decreasing trend was observed.

Background Crohn’s disease (CD) is associated with a 3-4 fold increased risk of periodontitis compared to the general population1 though periodonitis is poorly recognised and diagnosed. Evidence from mouse models highlight an important link between oral and gut health. Periodontitis has been shown to lead to ectopic colonization of oral pathogens and oral Th17-T cells that activate lamina propria macrophages and exacerbate gut inflammation2. Very little is known about the patient demographics of those at risk of periodontitis. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for periodontitis in CD patients. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study recruiting CD patients at UCLH through myCare, an online platform for patients linked to their clinical records. Patient data were obtained using EpicCare, a web-based electronic patient record database. Patient risk of periodontitis was determined using a previously validated oral health questionnaire3. Statistical tests were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 27. Results This single centre study included 89 CD patients; 54% female and median age of 40 (IQR 19-82). Patients predominantly identified as White British (56%). The majority had ileocolonic CD (51%) with non-stricturing/non-penetrating behaviour (70%) and were on biologic therapy (52%) (Tab 1). The oral health questionnaire identified 37% of CD patients at risk of periodontitis. There was no statistically significant association between periodontitis risk and age, gender, age at CD diagnosis, disease duration, CD phenotype, family history, body mass index (BMI) or smoking status. Current steroid, immunomodulator use and number of prior biologics also showed no association. Current use of adalimumab and ustekinumab were both independently correlated with risk of periodontitis (χ2 p=0.004 & χ2 p=0.044, respectively). 90% of patients receiving adalimumab were not at risk of periodontitis (Fig 1). In contrast, 60% of patients on ustekinumab were at risk of periodontitis. Logistic regression analysis showed that patients receiving adalimumab were 86% less likely to be at risk of periodontitis compared to patients not receiving adalimumab (OR 0.14 (CI 0.029 - 0.633, p=0.011)). 75% of the adalimumab group was anti-TNF naïve, but no association was seen between prior biologic use and periodontitis risk (p=0.91). Conclusion The questionnaire has identified a third of patients who are at risk of periodontitis in the CD cohort. Adalimumab shows benefit in mitigating this risk and may be a drug of choice in patients with oral disease. The questionnaire is a helpful tool to identify and refer at-risk patients.

The Changing climatic scenario is found as the most challenging issue to be faced by the farmers in future for attaining sustainable farm income. This study aimed to explore the projected climate change for Cuttack district of East and South Eastern Coastal plain agro-climatic zone of Odisha using four global climate change Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios 2.6, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.5 for four future years 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2090. CMIP5 (Coupled Model Inter comparison Project Phase 5) was employed using bilinear interpolation for downscaling to generate these climate projections with included weather parameters i.e temperature, rainfall and solar radiation for the study area. The model results revealed that the RCP projections of climate change showed an increase in seasonal maximum temperature, minimum temperature and solar radiation and a decrease in the rainfall condition in future for Cuttack district of Odisha for the years 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2090 and there will be an maximum increase in seasonal maximum temperature by 2.56 o C and by 3.96 o C in seasonal minimum temperature in the year 2090 under RCP 8.5 scenario. Hence through the findings of the present investigation it is found that there is a need for farmers of Cuttack district of Odisha to follow necessary adaptation strategies in future to avoid the major risk caused to the agriculture production potential under the changing scenario of climate.

Supplementary Figure and Table Legends. Supplementary legends for figures and tables characterizing patient ascites samples.

PDF file - 198KB, Supplementary Figure S1. Combinatorial treatment with bortezomib and oHSV1716 induce synergistic cell killing against S462TY malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) cell. Supplementary Figure S2. Induction of ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR) in CAL27 head and neck cancer cells treated with bortezomib.

Purpose: Novel therapeutic regimens are needed to improve dismal outcomes associated with late-stage ovarian cancer. Oncolytic viruses are currently being tested in patients with ovarian cancer. Here, we tested the therapeutic efficacy of combining doxorubicin with 34.5ENVE, an oncolytic herpes simplex virus transcriptionally driven by a modified stem cell–specific nestin promoter, and encoding for antiangiogenic Vasculostatin-120 (VStat120) for use against progressive ovarian cancer.Experimental Design: Antitumor efficacy of 34.5ENVE was assessed in ovarian cancer cell lines, mouse ascites–derived tumor cells, and primary patient ascites–derived tumor cells by standard MTT assay. The ability of conditioned medium derived from 34.5ENVE-infected ovarian cancer cells to inhibit endothelial cell migration was measured by a Transwell chamber assay. Scope of cytotoxic interactions between 34.5ENVE and doxorubicin were evaluated using Chou–Talalay synergy analysis. Viral replication, herpes simplex virus receptor expression, and apoptosis were evaluated. Efficacy of oncolytic viral therapy in combination with doxorubicin was evaluated in vivo in the murine xenograft model of human ovarian cancer.Results: Treatment with 34.5ENVE reduced cell viability of ovarian cancer cell lines, and mouse ascites–derived and patient ascites–derived ovarian tumor cells. Conditioned media from tumor cells infected with 34.5ENVE reduced endothelial cell migration. When combined with doxorubicin, 34.5ENVE killed synergistically with a significant increase in caspase-3/7 activation, and an increase in sub-G1 population of cells. The combination of doxorubicin and 34.5ENVE significantly prolonged survival in nude mice bearing intraperitoneal ovarian cancer tumors.Conclusions: This study indicates significant antitumor efficacy of 34.5ENVE alone, and in combination with doxorubicin against disseminated peritoneal ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 20(24); 6479–94. ©2014 AACR.

Background: Bortezomib is an FDA-approved proteasome inhibitor, and oncolytic herpes simplex virus-1 (oHSV) is a promising therapeutic approach for cancer. We tested the impact of combining bortezomib with oHSV for antitumor efficacy.Experimental Design: The synergistic interaction between oHSV and bortezomib was calculated using Chou–Talalay analysis. Viral replication was evaluated using plaque assay and immune fluorescence. Western blot assays were used to evaluate induction of estrogen receptor (ER) stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). Inhibitors targeting Hsp90 were utilized to investigate the mechanism of cell killing. Antitumor efficacy in vivo was evaluated using subcutaneous and intracranial tumor xenografts of glioma and head and neck cancer. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan–Meier curves and two-sided log-rank test.Results: Combination treatment with bortezomib and oHSV (34.5ENVE), displayed strong synergistic interaction in ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer, glioma, and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) cells. Bortezomib treatment induced ER stress, evident by strong induction of Grp78, CHOP, PERK, and IRE1α (Western blot analysis) and the UPR (induction of hsp40, 70, and 90). Bortezomib treatment of cells at both sublethal and lethal doses increased viral replication (P < 0.001), but inhibition of Hsp90 ablated this response, reducing viral replication and synergistic cell killing. The combination of bortezomib and 34.5ENVE significantly enhanced antitumor efficacy in multiple different tumor models in vivo.Conclusions: The dramatic synergy of bortezomib and 34.5ENVE is mediated by bortezomib-induced UPR and warrants future clinical testing in patients. Clin Cancer Res; 20(14); 3787–98. ©2014 AACR.

PDF file - 164KB, Supplementary Table S1. Median-effect doses of bortezomib and oHSV (34.5ENVE) in vitro. Supplementary Table S2. Statistical analysis of viral replication data. Data shown are the fold increase in virus replication after bortezomib treatment of the indicated cells.

Figure S1 and Table S1. Supplementary Figure 1. (A) Typical cobblestone morphology of the ascites derived cancer cells for (deidentified sample 140) under a light microscope, 4X magnification. (B) Fluorescence microscope images for patient ascites derived cancer cells (sample 140) stained with pan-cytokeratin (red); 10X magnification, left; 20X magnification, right. (C) Fluorescence microscope images for patient ascites derived cancer cells (sample 140) stained with vimentin (green); 10X magnification. (D) FACS analysis of patient ascites derived cancer cells stained for vimentin (left) and CD14 (right). M3, total cells; M1, negative for staining; M2, positive for staining. Supplementary Table 1: Table depicting the patient demographics for the collected ascites.

STAT3 is well corroborated preclinically as a cancer therapeutic target, but tractable translational strategies for its blockade by small molecule inhibitors have remained elusive. In this study, we report the development of a novel class of bifunctional STAT3 inhibitors, based on conjugation of a diarylidenyl-piperidone (DAP) backbone to an N-hydroxypyrroline (–NOH) group, which exhibits minimal toxicity against normal cells and good oral bioavailability. Molecular modeling studies of this class suggested direct interaction with the STAT3 DNA binding domain. In particular, the DAP compound HO-3867 selectively inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation, transcription, and DNA binding without affecting the expression of other active STATs. HO-3867 exhibited minimal toxicity toward noncancerous cells and tissues but induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. Pharmacologic analysis revealed greater bioabsorption and bioavailability of the active (cytotoxic) metabolites in cancer cells compared with normal cells. The selective cytotoxicity of HO-3867 seemed to be multifaceted, eliciting differential activation of the Akt pathway in normal versus cancer cells. RNAi attenuation experiments confirmed the requirement of STAT3 for HO-3867–mediated apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. In vivo testing showed that HO-3867 could block xenograft tumor growth without toxic side effects. Furthermore, in primary human ovarian cancer cells isolated from patient ascites, HO-3867 inhibited cell migration/invasion and survival. Our results offer preclinical proof-of-concept for HO-3867 as a selective STAT3 inhibitor to treat ovarian cancer and other solid tumors where STAT3 is widely upregulated. Cancer Res; 74(8); 2316–27. ©2014 AACR.

PDF file - 163K, Representative Annexin V flow cytomety plots of chemotherapy-resistant primary cell lines.

PDF file - 172K, EPR spectra from organ tissue samples obtained from HO-3867-treated mice.

PDF file - 146K, Methods for HO-3867, a safe STAT3 inhibitor, is selectively cytotoxic to ovarian cancer.

PDF file - 77K, Immunoblot analysis for pSTAT3, and Bcl-2 using 2 different mice tissue.

PDF file - 220K, Representative Annexin V flow cytomety plots of CHO, H9c2 and A2780 cells.

PDF file - 122K, Illustration of the GFP-Histone 2B fusion protein (pBOS H2BGFP) vector.

PDF file - 156K, Effect of H-4073 in both cancer and normal cells. Phosphokinase assay array using CHO cells.

PDF file - 177K, Effect of DAPs on SKOV3 ovarian cancer and hOSE cells.

PDF file - 116K, Viability of SKOV3, hOSE, and H9c2 cells treated with H-4073 or HO-3867.

PDF file - 95K, Results of Tukey's post-hoc test and Molecular weights of the pure DAP compounds.

PDF file - 692K, (A) H-4073 Cell uptake in A2780 and CHO cell lines; (B) Ion chromatogram of pure HO-3867 in A2780 cells; (C) Ion chromatogram of pure HO-3867 in CHO cells; (D) Extracted ion chromatograms - H-4073; (E)Extracted ion chromatograms - H-4073.

A compressive pelletization study, for the utilization of an Indian Banded Hematite Quartzite ore, is presented in this communication. Iron ore concentrates have been generated utilizing the conventional beneficiation process and also by the approach of reduction roasting-magnetic separation. The Fe contents of the hematite and the synthesized magnetite concentrate were found to be 64.22 and 63.80%, respectively. The influence of different factors on the respective physical, chemical, and metallurgical properties of the fired pellets, generated through both the routes, have been compared. The pellets prepared from the synthesized magnetite attain the threshold Cold Crushing Strength (CCS) of 50 kg/pellet at a lower temperature of 1050 °C in comparison to hematite pellets (1100 °C). Also, the threshold CCS of 250 kg/pellet is attained by synthesized magnetite pellets at a lower temperature of 1250 °C compared to hematite pellets (1360 °C). The fired synthesized magnetite pellets also achieve the desired metallurgical properties i.e., Reduction Degradation Index (RDI), Reducibility Index (RI), and Swelling Index (SI) at par with the hematite pellets. Moreover, unlike the hematite pellets, the synthesized magnetite pellets do not need the addition of external carbon during the pellet making.

Background Delirium affects approx. 10-30 % of patients over the age of 65. Up to 70% of cases are missed in the Emergency Department (ED). Delirium results in increased morbidity, mortality, increased length of stay and decreased functional status with increased discharges to residential care centres. Delirium in the ED is an independent predictor of death within 6 months. Methods We completed an audit which showed 40% of those > 65 years of age in the ED were delirious and 60% of those had dementia. None of these had been identified as delirious prior to review. We have approx. 5,000 patients >75 years of age attending our ED annually (1/7th of presentations). This audit was used as a catalyst for our quality improvement project. We established a steering group with a small quality improvement sub-committee. We combed the literature, identified areas for improvement and costed our project. We also looked at reliance on 1:1 carers for those with delirium and potential benefits to patient, staff and management. Results We used the SPARK ignite programme as a means to gain momentum and also educate ourselves on business management and change management. We competed in the finals with our “delirium package” – focussing on orientation, stimulation, safety and education. These 4 pillars of delirium care have been shown to prevent delirium, reduce hospital stay for those with delirium and also augment their delirium cycle. Competing and winning a prize highlighted the importance of delirium care and brought our project to a bigger stage. Conclusion Due to our multi-disciplinary team composed of non-consultant hospital doctors, advanced nurse practitioners and occupational therapists, we have been able to introduce the national dementia programme for early identification of delirium in the emergency department. We now have a space for managing those with delirium and have received funding to put our package in place. This can be replicated in hospitals around the country highlighting the non-pharmacological treatments for delirium.

The present communication describes an investigation on the preparation of metallized composite pellets from ilmenite concentrate. It was observed that the pellet size in the range of 8–12 mm, a binder dosage of 4 wt%, and internal carbon of 5 wt% are the optimum levels that help the pellets attain the desired drop number (~ 10) and dry strength (~ 30 kg/pellet). When subjected to reduction tests at a temperature of 1200 °C for 6 h, the composite pellets show better metallization (~ 80%) than the raw ilmenite pellets with an equal amount of reductant. The reduced ilmenite composite pellets also display a reasonable decrepitation value of 4.9%, thereby making them suitable to be used directly in arc furnaces for titania slag production. A comparative characterization study by SEM–EDS indicated that larger amounts of metallic grains are uniformly distributed throughout the matrix in the composite pellets.

Monsoon circulation and associated rainfall add complexities in the boundary layer features over the Indian subcontinents. Besides relevant microphysical variables, the characteristics of various boundary layer parameters and their variations at differing spatial and temporal scales are investigated over Mumbai during monsoonal heavy rainfall scenarios. During the summer monsoon months (June to September) of 2014–2018, 16 heavy rainfall cases are chosen for this study. High-resolution simulation is conducted with three nested domains having a horizontal resolution of 18, 6, and 2 km with the 35 vertical levels in the advanced research WRF (WRF-ARW) model. The sensitivity experiment is carried out with seven planetary boundary layer (PBL) schemes; non-local first-order closure [Yonsei University (YSU), Asymmetric convective model, version 2 (ACM2), and Shin-Hong], local one-and-a-half order [Mellor–Yamada–Janjic (MYJ), quasi-normal scale elimination (QNSE), Bougeault–Lacarrere (BouLac), and Grenier-Bretherton-McCaa (GBM)] and five microphysics (MP) schemes [WSM6, Goddard, WDM6, Thompson, and Lin et al.]. PBL parameterization in combination with the Lin et al. scheme shows a significant impact on rainfall and dynamical and thermodynamical parameters at the surface and the upper levels. QNSE showed a relatively deeper and warmer atmospheric boundary layer compared to others to support strong upper-level divergence and high moisture content within the lower levels. Based on the results, QNSE is found to have a relatively better skill for representing the conducive environment, and Lin et al. microphysics could accommodate the same for the occurrence of the intense monsoonal rainfall events over Mumbai. The said combination is possibly effective for other coastal areas of India for better prediction of intense monsoonal rainfall episodes as well.

Rice is the most important crop of Odisha occupying 41.24% of net sown area in Kharif season and contributing 65.85 % of total food grain production of Odisha state and this is being cultivated in various types environmental and ecological condition. Assessment of rice phenology is prime for management and yield prediction. In view of characterizing rice ecology in East and South Eastern Plateau from 2008 – 2018 to know the time series analysis , remote sensing tools were used . MODIS can0 acquire data over a wide area with high spatial and temporal resolutions easily providing regional scale information .In order to study the seasonal /annual as well as spatial variability of kharif rice vigour and wetness spectral vegetation indices like NDVI(Normalised Difference Vegetation Index),LSWI(Land surface water index) derived from 15 day composite 250 m data were analysed at block level for Odisha state. For studying the start of season variability, SASI index was used. The season maximum NDVI, LSWI were computed for the year 2008-2018 for kharif rice in East and Southern eastern coastal plain zone of Odisha and graphs were generated which shows the variability of the kharif rice vigour and wetness.

The genetic diversity was studied of Cryptosporidium scrofarum (syn Cryptosporidium pig genotype II) of domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) from Punjab, India. Nested PCR amplification targeting the 18S rRNA and actin gene loci from Cryptosporidium positive samples was carried out, and the amplicons were sequenced. Phylogenetic comparison of a partial 18S rRNA gene revealed that they were genetically most similar to C. scrofarum isolated from other parts of the world. However, comparison of sequences representing a fragment of the genomic actin locus identified a new genotype conserved within the isolates sampled from India but distinct from other published sequences, suggesting the presence of a different Indian genotype.