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Abstract Ovarian cancer, often referred to as the “silent killer,” is notoriously difficult to detect in its early stages, leading to a poor prognosis for many patients. Diagnosis is often delayed until the cancer has advanced, primarily due to its ambiguous and frequently occurring clinical symptoms. Ovarian cancer leads to more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. The main reasons for the high mortality rates include delayed diagnosis and resistance to treatment. As a result, there is an urgent need for improved diagnostic and treatment options for ovarian cancer. The standard treatments typically involve debulking surgery along with platinum-based chemotherapies. Among patients with advanced-stage cancer who initially respond to current therapies, 50-75% experience a recurrence. Recently, immunotherapy-based approaches to enhance the body’s immune response to combat tumor growth have shown promise. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promising results in treating other types of tumors. However, in ovarian cancer, only a few of these inhibitors have been effective because the tumor’s environment suppresses the immune system and creates barriers for treatment. This hampers the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies. Nonetheless, advanced immunotherapy techniques and delivery systems based on nanotechnology hold promise for overcoming these challenges.

Introduction: There is a notable association between hypothyroidism and reduced muscle function as well as compromised neuromuscular coordination. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential link between Vitamin D and handgrip strength (HGS) in patients with hypothyroidism. Methods: The study involved 40 patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism while excluding individuals with hypothyroid medications, cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal, neurological, reproductive disorders, hand anomalies, Parkinson’s disease, and Vitamin D supplementation. They were evaluated for T3, T4, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, HGS, and serum Vitamin D levels; triceps fold was measured using a Lange caliper, and a correlation between these variables was assessed. Results: The mean age of the study group was 39.95 ± 6.41 years, with the majority falling in the age group of 41–50 years. A female preponderance (70%) was observed among the study group. The mean value for Vitamin D and HGS was 14.69 ± 6.12 ng/ml and 19.65 ± 5.38 kg, respectively. The mean values for T3, T4, and TSH were 47.23 ± 14.56 ng/dl, 5.86 ± 2.12 μg/dl, and 18.28 ± 7.64 mIU/ml, respectively. A robust, significant positive correlation was found between HGS and Vitamin D (r = 0.42, P < 0.01). The correlation between body mass index (BMI) and Vitamin D was moderately positive but was not statistically significant (r = 0.26, P > 0.01). No significant correlation was observed between Vitamin D and T4, TSH, and triceps fold. A moderate negative correlation was observed for TSH and BMI but was insignificant (r = −0.27, P > 0.05). Conclusion: A strong, significant positive correlation was found between HGS and Vitamin D, while BMI showed moderate positive correlations. No significant correlation was found between Vitamin D, T4, TSH, or triceps fold.

In Ayurveda, every individual is believed to possess a unique entity known as Prakriti, which distinguishes them from others physically, physiologically, and psychologically. This entity also determines an individual's response to a particular stimulus, and it is believed that such responses are not solely determined by genetics. The present research aims to validate the Ayurvedic concept of Prakriti from a modern molecular perspective to strengthen the personalized and precise treatment approach. A study was conducted to investigate the role of the KCNJ11gene in the susceptibility of individuals to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with their metabolic status. The research involved allele mining on three major Prakriti groups - Vata, Pitta, and Kapha - in 112 patients with T2DM and 112 healthy individuals. The KCNJ11 gene, responsible for insulin secretion membrane pore formation, was analyzed to determine the susceptibility of different Prakriti types to T2DM. The MutPred tool predicted the molecular cause of disease-related amino acid substitution. According to the study, only Pitta and Kapha Prakriti were diagnosed with diabetes, while all three Prakriti types were present in the control group of healthy individuals. A protein model was prepared, and the changes resulting from mutations were observed for each group in their protein sequence, both as synonymous and non-synonymous mutations. Ultimately, these changes contributed to the manifestation of T2DM. Based on the findings, it appears that Prakriti groups may experience changes in protein function due to nonsynonymous mutations and differences in amino acids at the protein level.

Seasonal variations directly impact the biochemical and microbial properties of the soil, influence carbon and nutrient cycling within the soil system. Soils under tree plantation (TP) are rich in organic matter and microbial population, making them more susceptible to seasonal variation. We studied the effect of seasonal variations in soil chemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio etc) and microclimate (moisture and temperature) on microbial respiration (SR), biomass, and carbon (C) utilization efficiency under 13 years old Kadamb (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), Simaraubha (Simarouba glauca DC), and Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) based TPs in middle Gangetic region. In contrast to higher SR and metabolic quotient (qCO2) in winter, the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) in fall > summer > spring > winter, irrespective of TPs. The positive relationship between qCO2 and C/N ratios strongly supports the dependence of microbes on soil carbon for respiration. qCO2 had a significantly positive relationship with soil moisture (MC) and Electrical conductivity (EC), but a significantly negative relationship with temperature and pH. Higher MBN/TN and MBC/TOC ratios fall under simaraubha, and litchi-based TPs indicated more nitrogen (N) and carbon accumulation into microbial biomass. The seasonal variation of MBC/MBN ratios signifies the changes in microbial communities and fungi dominate over bacteria during winter, as bacteria have a lower C/N ratio than fungi. Stepwise regression analysis suggested that soil properties and micro-climate regulated microbial biomass and SR differ with TPs. Thus, the study indicates that microbial activities and biomass production can significantly influence by soil properties and seasonal variations under TPs.

Finger millet, an important ‘Nutri-Cereal’ and climate-resilient crop, is cultivated as a marginal crop in calcareous soils. Calcareous soils have low organic carbon content, high pH levels, and poor structure. Such a situation leads to poor productivity of the crop. Site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), which focuses on supplying optimum nutrients when a crop is needed, can ensure optimum production and improve the nutrient and energy use efficiency of crops. Moreover, developing an appropriate SSNM technique for this crop could offer new insights into nutrient management practices, particularly for calcareous soils. A field experiment was conducted during the rainy seasons of 2020 and 2021 in calcareous soil at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, India. The experiment consisted of 8 treatments, viz. control, nitrogen (N)/phosphorus (P)/potassium (K)-omission, 75 %, 100 %, and 125 % recommended fertilizer dose (RFD), and 100 % recommended P and K + 30 kg ha−1 N as basal + rest N as per GreenSeeker readings. From this study, it was observed that the GreenSeeker-based SSNM resulted in the maximum grain yield (2873 kg ha−1), net output energy (96.3 GJ ha−1), and agronomic efficiency of N (30.6 kg kg−1), P (68.9 kg kg−1), and K (68.9 kg kg−1). The application of 125 % RFD resulted in ∼7 % lower yield than that under GreenSeeker-based nutrient management. Approximately 12 % greater energy use efficiency and 21–36 % greater nutrient use efficiency were recorded under GreenSeeker-based nutrient management than under 125 % RDF. The indigenous supplies of N, P, and K were found to be 14.31, 3.00, and 18.51 kg ha−1, respectively. Thus, 100 % of the recommended P and K + 30 kg ha−1 N as basal + rest N according to GreenSeeker readings can improve the yield, nutrient use efficiency, and energy balance of finger millet in calcareous soils.

Introduction: Acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) has been a difficult entity to define. The use of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) for the measurement of portal pressure is well established in chronic liver disease. This is based on data showing that improvements in the HVPG are associated with improvements in clinical outcomes. Methods: The study was a prospective observational study conducted in the department of gastroenterology of a tertiary care center in Northern India for 2 years. Thirty cases each of ACLF (Group I), compensated cirrhosis (Group II), and decompensated cirrhosis (Group III) were enrolled. We evaluated the role of HVPG values and complications in patients with liver disease. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 44.2 ± 7.3 years. The most common etiology of ACLF noted in the study was alcohol (54.4%), followed by infections by hepatotropic viruses (22.2%). ACLF has high short-term mortality compared to compensated and decompensated cirrhotics. Compensated cirrhosis is associated with the lower risk of bleed. The model for end-stage liver disease score was higher among the patients of ACLF (25.2 ± 3.1) and decompensated cirrhosis (23.93 ± 2.8) than compensated cirrhotics (9.7 ± 1.8). The mean HVPG was 12.3 ± 7.5 mmHg, which was significantly higher than the normal gradient. It was also noted that the HVPG was significantly higher in the ACLF and decompensated cirrhotics. Conclusions: HVPG monitoring is recommended in ACLF and decompensated liver disease at admission to stratify the risk of early mortality.

Background: Recently, a wide range variety of manifestations, including a self‑limiting to severe illness, has been increasingly reported in dengue. Few studies attract attention to severe dengue, mainly observed in secondary infection. With this background, this study aims to provide a comprehensive overview to differentiate primary from secondary dengue using serology (IgG) and the possible association of severity of illness in secondary dengue. Methods: Present retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a North Indian tertiary care center from September 2021 to January 2022. Clinical data of confirmed dengue patients from the medicine department were collected and assigned as primary and secondary dengue. Results: Of the 220 dengue patients, 22 (10 %) had secondary dengue infection. Hemorrhagic manifestations were reported in 58/220 (26.4 %) cases while 7/22 (31.8 %) in secondary dengue. Prevalent hemorrhagic manifestations in secondary dengue include purpura (27.3 %), vaginal bleeding (4.5 %), melaena (9.1 %), and epistaxis (4.5 %). In addition, 42 (19.1 %) patients had pancytopenia, and 8 (36.6 %) cases were of secondary dengue. Hepatic dysfunction was noted in 164 (74.5 %) cases. Notably, all secondary dengue cases (22;100 %) had hepatic dysfunction and severe in 9 (40.9 %) cases. In addition, in secondary dengue patients, evidence of plasma leakages such as hypoproteinemia 7 (31.8 %) and ascites (35 %) were statistically more frequent. Overall, two deaths (0.9 %) were reported, and were one in each group. Conclusions: Many parameters, including hemorrhagic manifestation (melaena), hematological characteristic (pancytopenia), evidence of plasma leakage (hypoproteinemia and ascites), gastrointestinal (GB wall thickening and hepatic dysfunction) and reduction in mean hemoglobin and platelet count were found to be statistically significant in secondary dengue infection. Additionally, early classification of secondary dengue may help to anticipate its severity and allow for early strategic intervention/management to lower morbidity and mortality.

Abstract Background High-grade serous ovarian cancer (OvCa) is the most common type of epithelial OvCa. It is usually diagnosed in advanced stages, leaving a woman’s chance of survival below 50%. Despite traditional chemotherapeutic therapies, there is often a high recurrence rate following initial treatments. Hence, a targeted drug delivery system is needed to attack the cancer cells and induce apoptosis, overcome acquired drug resistance, and protect normal cells from cytotoxicity. The present study shows that targeting folate receptor alpha (FRα) through planetary ball milling (PBM) nanoparticles (NPs) induces apoptosis in OvCa cells. Results Human tissue microarrays (TMAs) show overexpression of FRα in Stage IV OvCa tissues compared to matched normal tissues. They provide a focus for a targeted delivery system. We formulated PBM nanoparticles encapsulated with paclitaxel (PTX) or fisetin (Fis) and conjugated with folic acid (FA). The cytotoxic effect of these PBM NPs reduced the concentration of the toxic chemotherapy drug PTX by five-fold. The combined treatment of PTX-FA NPs and Fis-FA NPs inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis more extensively than the individual drugs alone. Apoptosis of OvCa cells, determined by flow cytometry, showed an increase from 14.4 to 80.4% (OVCAR3 cells) and from 2.69 to 90.0% (CAOV3 cells) in the number of apoptotic cells. Also, expressions of the pro-apoptotic markers, BAK and active caspase-3, were increased after PTX-FA + Fis-FA PBM NP treatment. In addition to looking at targeted treatment effects on apoptosis, drug resistance was investigated. Drug resistance in OvCa cells was reversed by ABCG2, an ABC-transporter marker. Conclusions Our study shows that PTX-FA and Fis-FA PBM NPs directly target platinum-resistant OvCa cells, induce cytotoxic/apoptotic effects, and reverse multi-drug resistance (MDR). These findings allow us to create new clinical applications using PTX-FA and Fis-FA combination nanoparticles to treat drug-resistant cancers.

Sustainable food security and safety are major concerns on a global scale, especially in developed nations. Adverse agroclimatic conditions affect the largest agricultural-producing areas, which reduces the production of crops. Achieving sustainable food safety is challenging because of several factors, such as soil flooding/waterlogging, ultraviolet (UV) rays, acidic/sodic soil, hazardous ions, low and high temperatures, and nutritional imbalances. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are widely employed in in-vitro conditions because they are widely recognized as a more environmentally and sustainably friendly approach to increasing crop yield in contaminated and fertile soil. Conversely, the use of nanoparticles (NPs) as an amendment in the soil has recently been proposed as an economical way to enhance the texture of the soil and improving agricultural yields. Nowadays, various research experiments have combined or individually applied with the PGPR and NPs for balancing soil elements and crop yield in response to control and adverse situations, with the expectation that both additives might perform well together. According to several research findings, interactive applications significantly increase sustainable crop yields more than PGPR or NPs alone. The present review summarized the functional and mechanistic basis of the interactive role of PGPR and NPs. However, this article focused on the potential of the research direction to realize the possible interaction of PGPR and NPs at a large scale in the upcoming years.

ABSTRACTFungal endophytes have emerged as a promising source of secondary metabolites with significant potential for various applications in the field of biomedicine. The biosynthetic gene clusters of endophytic fungi are responsible for encoding several enzymes and transcriptional factors that are involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The investigation of fungal metabolic potential at genetic level faces certain challenges, including the synthesis of appropriate amounts of chemicals, and loss of the ability of fungal endophytes to produce secondary metabolites in an artificial culture medium. Therefore, there is a need to delve deeper into the field of fungal genomics and transcriptomics to explore the potential of fungal endophytes in generating secondary metabolites governed by biosynthetic gene clusters. The silent biosynthetic gene clusters can be activated by modulating the chromatin structure using chemical compounds. Epigenetic modification plays a significant role by inducing cryptic gene responsible for the production of secondary metabolites using DNA methyl transferase and histone deacetylase. CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing emerges an effective tool to enhance the production of desired metabolites by modulating gene expression. This review primarily focuses on the significance of epigenetic elicitors and their capacity to boost the production of secondary metabolites from endophytes. This article holds the potential to rejuvenate the drug discovery pipeline by introducing new chemical compounds.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264673.].

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and inflammatory myositis are distinct clinical syndromes. Muscle involvement in RA is frequently secondary to therapy with steroids or immune-modulators medication. However, the association of myositis in a treatmentnaive patient with RA is rare. Myositis represents a distinct entity with specific clinical, biological, imaging, and histological patterns. Here, authors describe a case of RA presented with myositis. A 30-year-old female presented with insidious onset gradually progressive to paraparesis lasting for six months. This was preceded by a history of inflammatory arthritis involving small and large joints of the upper and lower extremities. Clinically, she exhibited pure motor weakness of the upper and lower limbs (proximal > distal) with hand, elbow, and knee deformities. Her Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide antibody (Anti-CCP) and inflammatory markers were elevated. Muscle-specific enzymes were also elevated, along with positive myositis-specific antibodies. Electromyography (EMG) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the thigh revealed findings consistent with inflammatory myositis. The patient was managed as a case of Rheumatoid Myositis (RM) with steroids, conventional, and biological immune-modulators Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs). She experienced remarkable improvement in her symptoms and quality of life.

Background: Treating of recalcitrant viral verrucae either individually or in combination is inconvenient and frustrating both for patients and treating physician. There is no treatment, which is 100% effective for warts. Objectives: To compare the use of intralesional 5-flourouracil and intralesional bleomycin with respect to efficacy and side effects in treatment of recalcitrant palmo-plantar verrucae. Materials and Methods: A prospective comparative study was conducted toassess the eeficacy of intralesional bleomycin injection with intralesional 5-Fluoro Uracil (FU) in resistant palmo-plantar warts. Results: Intralesional bleomycin was found to be more efficacious than intralesional 5-FU in treatment of recalcitrant palmo-plantar warts however much more side effects were noted in intralesional bleomycin than intralesional 5-FU. None of the side-effects were found to be life threatening. Moreover 5-FU is cheaper and easily procurable than injection bleomycin. Conclusion: Both intralesional bleomycin and 5-FU injections can be safely used in the treatment of recalcitrant palmo-plantar verrucae.

Background: Forearm fractures constitute the largest group of injuries in the pediatric age group. When treating these injuries, we seek to achieve a complete union while also restoring the appropriate axis and arm length, which determine the upper limb's normal function. Intramedullary fixation (IM fixation) is becoming an increasingly common choice for fracture fixation. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the functional and radiological results of IM nailing by Titanium Elastic Nail Systems (TENS) versus K-wire in the pediatric displaced diaphyseal both-bone forearm fracture. Settings and Design: This prospective comparative study was conducted in the department of orthopedics at a rural tertiary care center in North India from April 2016 to November 2019. Materials and Methods: In total, 44 children between the age of 8 and 12 years with displaced diaphyseal fracture of both-bone forearm either closed or open were available for follow-up and included in the study. They were divided into two groups randomly. Reduction was done under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic images. First, a close reduction was tried, and if it failed, open reduction was tried. IM fixation was done subsequently either by TENS (Group-A, n = 23) or K-wire (Group-B, n = 21). Patients were followed up for 12 months. Functional and radiological outcomes and complications were compared between both groups. Conclusions: IM nailing is a safe, effective, and valid technique in treating displaced both-bone forearm fractures in the pediatric age group. Both TENS and K-wire are equivalent in terms of clinical results, fracture union time, surgical time, or complication rates.

Pharmaceutical companies are investigating more source matrices for natural bioactive chemicals. Friedelin (friedelan-3-one) is a pentacyclic triterpene isolated from various plant species from different families as well as mosses and lichen. The fundamental compounds of these friedelane triterpenoids are abundantly found in cork tissues and leaf materials of diverse plant genera such as Celastraceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Myrtaceae. They possess many pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. Friedelin also has an anti-insect effect and the ability to alter the soil microbial ecology, making it vital to agriculture. Ultrasound, microwave, supercritical fluid, ionic liquid, and acid hydrolysis extract friedelin with reduced environmental impact. Recently, the high demand for friedelin has led to the development of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and gene overexpression plasmids to produce friedelin using genetically engineered yeast. Friedelin with low cytotoxicity to normal cells can be the best phytochemical for the drug of choice. The review summarizes the structural interpretation, biosynthesis, physicochemical properties, quantification, and various forms of pharmacological significance.

Breast cancer ranks second among the causes of cancer-related deaths in women. In spite of the recent advances achieved in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, further study is required to overcome the risk of cancer resistance to treatment and thereby improve the prognosis of individuals with advanced-stage breast cancer. The existence of a hypoxic microenvironment is a well-known event in the development of mutagenesis and rapid proliferation of cancer cells. Tumor cells, purposefully cause local hypoxia in order to induce angiogenesis and growth factors that promote tumor growth and metastatic characteristics, while healthy tissue surrounding the tumor suffers damage or mutate. It has been found that these settings with low oxygen levels cause immunosuppression and a lack of immune surveillance by reducing the activation and recruitment of tumor infiltrating leukocytes (TILs). The immune system is further suppressed by hypoxic tumor endothelium through a variety of ways, which creates an immunosuppressive milieu in the tumor microenvironment. Non responsiveness of tumor endothelium to inflammatory signals or endothelial anergy exclude effector T cells from the tumor milieu. Expression of endothelial specific antigens and immunoinhibitory molecules like Programmed death ligand 1,2 (PDL–1, 2) and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) by tumor endothelium adds fuel to the fire by inhibiting T lymphocytes while promoting regulatory T cells. The hypoxic microenvironment in turn recruits Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs), Tumor Associated Macrophages (TAMs) and T regulatory cells (Treg). The structure and function of newly generated blood vessels within tumors, on the other hand, are aberrant, lacking the specific organization of normal tissue vasculature. Vascular normalisation may work for a variety of tumour types and show to be an advantageous complement to immunotherapy for improving tumour access. By enhancing immune response in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment, via immune-herbal therapeutic and immune-nutraceuticals based approaches that leverage immunological evasion of tumor, will be briefly reviewed in this article. Whether these tactics may be the game changer for emerging immunological switch point to attenuate the breast cancer growth and prevent metastatic cell division, is the key concern of the current study.

Melatonin, a hormone known for its role in regulating sleep–wake cycles in mammals, has been found to have diverse functions in horticultural plants. In recent years, research has revealed the involvement of melatonin in various physiological processes in plants, like regulation of growth and development, stress tolerance, and antioxidant defense. Melatonin can augment seed germination, roots, shoot growth, and biomass accumulation in horticultural crops. It also performs a vital role in regulating vegetative and reproductive growth stages, floral transition, and leaf senescence. Melatonin improves stress tolerance in crops by regulating root architecture, nutrient uptake, and ion transport. Additionally, melatonin works like a broad-spectrum antioxidant by scavenging reactive oxygen species and enhancing antioxidant activity. The mechanism of action of melatonin in horticultural plants involves gene expressions, hormone signaling pathways, and antioxidant defense pathways. Melatonin also interacts with other plant growth regulators (PGRs), comprising auxins, cytokinins, and abscisic acid to coordinate various physiological processes in plants. Melatonin has evolved as a versatile chemical entity with diverse functions in horticultural plants, and its potential applications in crop production and stress management are increasingly being explored. This review aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the present state of knowledge about melatonin and its role in horticulturally important plants and identify avenues for further research and practical applications. Further study must be conducted to fully elucidate the mechanisms of melatonin action in crops and to outline effective strategies for its practical use in horticultural practices.

Context: Ulcerative colitis (UC) initially thought to be a disease of developed world is equally common in India. Surprisingly, there are very scant data from India. The study was undertaken to find the frequency of relapse and to determine factors predictor of relapse in Indian population. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary care center of New Delhi for a period of 1 year. Patients were included if they had a diagnosis of UC based on accepted historical, endoscopic, histological, and/or radiologic criteria. Detailed past/present history, baseline clinical examination, dietary details, and psychological analysis using shortened Depression Anxiety Stress Scale score, biochemical tests, inflammatory markers, endoscopic, and histopathological analysis were done at baseline and regular intervals. The outcome was clinical relapse or continued remission. Results: Out of 86 patients screened, 50 patients were included in the study according to inclusion criteria and were followed up. The frequency of relapse was 32%. Univariate analysis showed higher relapse frequency, frequency of steroid received in past, patients on immunomodulator therapy, presence of acute or chronic inflammatory cells on histology, and disease activity at baseline as predictors of relapse. There was no significant difference between anxiety, stress, and depression relapsers and those who maintained remission. On multivariate analysis, disease activity at baseline was the only independent predictor of relapse. Conclusions: Stringent control of disease activity with mucosal healing should be the aim, as mucosal healing is the only predictor for prolonged remission.

Background: Idiopathic vasculitides or arteritis have very few or none treatment options. Identification of infective arteritis based on high clinical suspicion opens a window for treatment of such cases . Although these are occasional clinical scenario. Aims and Objectives: To identify the treatable cause of arteritis and starting initial treatment based on clinical suspicion. Material and Methods: Based on high clinical suspicion we aim to identify chronic infective cause of arteritis among patients of SS Hospital from 2019 to 2020 coming in EOPD. Results and Discussion: Three cases of reversible hypertension from different clinical setup relating to a common infective etiology, i.e., tuberculosis identified during the said duration, all cases presented with constitutional symptoms for 2–6 months with headache, loss of appetite, fever, and malaise. The first case presented as acute abdomen in EOPD having mesenteric ischemia and hypertension. The second case presented in antenatal care OPD with hypertension which was nonrelated to pregnancy. The third case presented in medicine OPD as a case of young hypertensive without mood changes. Partial renal artery stenosis relating to infective arteritis was a common finding in all cases. All cases responded well with the firstline antitubercular medication and became normotensive (without medication) in the follow up. Conclusion: The cause of renal artery stenosis appeared to be related to tubercular arteritis of vessel with either a past history of pulmonary TB or TB contact. Renovascular tubercular arteritis has been defined in only a few literatures and only handful of cases being reported making worth presentation.

Introduction: Non Specific Low Back Pain (NSLBP) is a frequent problem faced by the majority of postmenopausal women at some stage of their lives, resulting in a significant level of disability. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of core stabilisation exercises compared to traditional physical treatment in postmenopausal women with NSLBP. Materials and Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted from January 2022 to August 2022, including 50 postmenopausal women aged 45-60 years with NSLBP. They were placed into two groups. Conventional LBP physical therapy methods were administered to group 2. The identical traditional and Core muscle Stabilisation Exercises (CSE) were implemented in the group 1. The Modified Oswestry Disability Index (MODI) was used for the assessment of disability. The Mann-Whitney U test and Friedman Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to analyse changes in disability scores across and among groups at the ends of the second, fourth, and sixth weeks of treatment. Results: Of 50 patients initially enrolled in the study, 33 patients were available for the final follow-up. Group 1 consisted of 16 patients, while group 2 had 17 patients. Significant reduction in disability was found across the two groups at the second, fourth, and sixth weeks of treatment (p-value

Background: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) continues to emerge as the topmost causative factor of the morbidity and mortality rate post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The graft cells attack the recipient host tissues resulting in acute or chronic GVHD that affect organs, including the lung, liver, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. Certain factors are considered to play a crucial role in the progression of the disease, such as antibodies produced by B cells, reduction in regulatory T cells, and immune tolerance disruption to self-antigen. Main body: This review highlighted the pathophysiology of GVHD, clinical manifestation, stages of GVHD in different organs, and the significant role played by Janus Kinase/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (JAK/STAT) in cytokine signalling, development, and function of several immune cells. Furthermore, we discussed the clinical efficacy of drugs, which comprises JAK inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and proteasome inhibitors that are widely used to treat GVHD. Conclusion: Considering the progress recorded in identifying the therapeutic regimens for GVHD, novel and effective therapeutic approaches are much needed to alleviate the complication that arises post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and reduce the morbidity and mortality rate of the disease.

Abstract Background Infections by the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 are presently a global emergency. The current vaccination effort may reduce the infection rate, but strain variants are emerging under selection pressure. Thus, there is an urgent need to find drugs that treat COVID-19 and save human lives. Hence, in this study, we identified phytoconstituents of an edible vegetable, Bitter melon (Momordica charantia), that affect the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Methods Components of Momordica charantia were tested to identify the compounds that bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. An MTiOpenScreen web-server was used to perform docking studies. The Lipinski rule was utilized to evaluate potential interactions between the drug and other target molecules. PyMol and Schrodinger software were used to identify the hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was employed to assess the interaction between an extract component (erythrodiol) and the spike protein. Results Our in-silico evaluations showed that phytoconstituents of Momordica charantia have a low binding energy range, -5.82 to -5.97 kcal/mol. A docking study revealed two sets of phytoconstituents that bind at the S1 and S2 domains of SARS-CoV-2. SPR showed that erythrodiol has a strong binding affinity (KD = 1.15 μM) with the S2 spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Overall, docking, ADME properties, and SPR displayed strong interactions between phytoconstituents and the active site of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Conclusion This study reveals that phytoconstituents from bitter melon are potential agents to treat SARS-CoV-2 viral infections due to their binding to spike proteins S1 and S2.

Paper mills generate large quantities of wastewater and sludge waste depending on the type of paper making processes employed. This poses several problems regarding wastewater treatment, discharge, and sludge disposal. Whenever wastewater is generated, it should be treated in wastewater treatment plants prior to being released to the environment since it can be polluting and dangerous. A study was conducted at Star Paper Mills Ltd. Saharanpur, UP to demonstrate the existing and advanced technologies for wastewater treatment. The mill uses woody raw materials such as eucalyptus, poplar, and veener chips to manufacture a wide range of industrial and cultural grade papers, such as absorbent kraft, maplitho, azure lay, and copier. We observed that the most common excess back water is from paper machines, bleach plant effluent, floor cleaning, and other sources of wastewater. High chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and low biodegradability are all characteristics of pulp and paper wastewater. Approximately 85–90% of the fresh water utilized is wasted. We examined the wastewater collected and evaluated from the paper mill by Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI). The Effluent treatment plant (ETP) at Star Paper Mills Ltd. is sufficient to facilitate satisfactory removal of suspended matter in clarifiers and oxidation of biodegradable organic matter in aeration tank. As a matter of fact, if the ETP is operated under optimal conditions, the aeration capacity is sufficient to effectively treat even higher BOD loads than the existing load.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among women worldwide, and its metastasis is a significant cause of mortality. Therefore, identifying potential inhibitors of proteins involved in breast cancer metastasis is crucial for developing effective therapies. BUB1 mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase B (BUB1B) is a key regulator of mitotic checkpoint control, which ensures the proper segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Dysregulation of BUB1B has been linked to a variety of human diseases, including breast cancer. Overexpression of BUB1B has been observed in various cancer types, and its inhibition has been shown to induce cancer cell death. Additionally, BUB1B inhibition has been suggested as a potential strategy for overcoming resistance to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Given the importance of BUB1B in regulating cell division and its potential as a therapeutic target, the development of BUB1B inhibitors has been the focus of intense research efforts. Despite these efforts, few small molecule inhibitors of BUB1B have been identified, highlighting the need for further research in this area. In this study, the authors aimed to identify potential inhibitors of BUB1B from mushroom bioactive compounds using computational methods, which could ultimately lead to the development of new treatments for breast cancer metastasis. Methods: This study has incorporated 70 bioactive compounds (handpicked through literature mining) of distinct mushrooms that were considered and explored to identify a suitable drug candidate. Their absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) properties were obtained to predict the drug-likeness of these 70 mushroom compounds based on Lipinski’s rule of 5 (RO5). Screening these bioactive compounds and subsequent molecular docking against BUB1B provided compounds with the best conformation-based binding affinity. The best two complexes, i.e., BUB1B-lepitaprocerin D and BUB1B-peptidoglycan, were subjected to molecular dynamic simulations. Both complexes were assessed for their affinity, stability, and flexibility in protein-ligand complex systems. Results: The molecular dynamic (MD) simulation studies revealed that lepitaprocerin D has an energetically favorable binding affinity with BUB1B. Results showed that the formation of a hydrogen bond between residues ASN123 and SER157, and lepitaprocerin D had strengthened the affinity of lepitaprocerin D with BUB1B. Conclusions: This study identified lepitaprocerin D as a potential and novel inhibitor for BUB1B that could be a plausible drug candidate for identifying and controlling the spread of breast cancer metastasis.

Wnt/β-catenin (WβC) signaling pathway is an important signaling pathway for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis from the embryonic developmental stages to adulthood. The canonical pathway of WβC signaling is essential for neurogenesis, cell proliferation, and neurogenesis, whereas the noncanonical pathway (WNT/Ca2+ and WNT/PCP) is responsible for cell polarity, calcium maintenance, and cell migration. Abnormal regulation of WβC signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Hence, the alteration of WβC signaling is considered a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. In the present review, we have used the bibliographical information from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus to address the current prospects of WβC signaling role in the abovementioned neurodegenerative diseases.

Nano-oncology is a branch of biomedical research and engineering that focuses on using nanotechnology in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanomaterials are extensively employed in the field of oncology because of their minute size and ultra-specificity. A wide range of nanocarriers, such as dendrimers, micelles, PEGylated liposomes, and polymeric nanoparticles are used to facilitate the efficient transport of anti-cancer drugs at the target tumor site. Real-time labeling and monitoring of cancer cells using quantum dots is essential for determining the level of therapy needed for treatment. The drug is targeted to the tumor site either by passive or active means. Passive targeting makes use of the tumor microenvironment and enhanced permeability and retention effect, while active targeting involves the use of ligand-coated nanoparticles. Nanotechnology is being used to diagnose the early stage of cancer by detecting cancer-specific biomarkers using tumor imaging. The implication of nanotechnology in cancer therapy employs photoinduced nanosensitizers, reverse multidrug resistance, and enabling efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA molecules for therapeutic applications. However, despite recent advancements in nano-oncology, there is a need to delve deeper into the domain of designing and applying nanoparticles for improved cancer diagnostics.

Endophytes are a potent source of bioactive compounds that mimic plant-based metabolites. The relationship of host plant and endophyte is significantly associated with alteration in fungal colonisation and the extraction of endophyte-derived bioactive compounds. Screening of fungal endophytes and their relationship with host plants is essential for the isolation of bioactive compounds. Numerous bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory properties are known to be derived from fungal endophytes. Bioinformatics tools along with the latest techniques such as metabolomics, next-generation sequencing, and metagenomics multilocus sequence typing can potentially fill the gaps in fungal endophyte research. The current review article focuses on bioactive compounds derived from plant-associated fungal endophytes and their pharmacological importance. We conclude with the challenges and opportunities in the research area of fungal endophytes.

Rice is an important staple food for more than half of the world’s population. Though the genetic potential of commonly cultivated varieties of rice is diminished due to various biotic and abiotic constraints, bacterial leaf blight (BLB) of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is considered one of its most destructive diseases in India. Based on morpho-cultural characteristics, bacterial pathogens isolated from the leaves of a rice plant showing typical BLB symptoms were identified as Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Morphological studies revealed that the pathogen is Gram-negative, a short rod, with rounded ends, single or in pairs, light yellow, circular, whitish yellow to straw-colored, convex, yellow, slightly raised, motile with a single polar flagellum, capsulate and non-spore-forming. Biochemical tests, viz., the Gram reaction, KOH test and catalyst test, showed a positive reaction for all the isolates. Twenty isolates of Xoo were collected from the basmati-growing areas of the Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in the Jammu sub-tropics during 2019, and their pathogenicity was confirmed on five susceptible rice cultivars, viz., Basmati-370, Pusa-1121, TN-1, SJR and Jaya, by the leaf-clipping method, and subsequently, Koch’s postulate was established in each case. Seven Xoo pathotypes, viz., Pathotype 1, Pathotype 2, Pathotype 3, Pathotype 4, Pathotype 5, Pathotype 6 and Pathotype 7, were identified from the total sample of 20 isolates. Pathotype 2 was the most dominant (100%), followed by Pathotype 5 (44.44%), Pathotype 4 (40%), Pathotype 6 (40%), Pathotype 7 (33.33%), Pathotype 3 (22.22%) and Pathotype 1 (20%), in the Jammu sub-tropics. In Jammu district, Pathotype 5 was highly distributed (44.44%) followed by Pathotype 7 (33.33%) and Pathotype 3 (22.22%). Pathotype 4 and Pathotype 6 each showed a 40 percent distribution in Kathua district, followed by Pathotype 1 (20%). Only one pathotype, i.e., Pathotype 2, was recorded in Samba district with a 100 percent distribution. Five genes, viz., Xa13, Xa4, Xa13 and Xa5 + Xa13, showed complete resistance, whereas Xa4, Xa5, Xa7, Xa8, Xa21, Xa4 + Xa5 and Xa4 + Xa21 showed susceptible response against the test isolates. It was observed that most of the single BLB-resistant genes were moderately to highly susceptible to almost all the Xoo isolates, whereas combinations of BLB resistance genes possessed high resistance against all the Xoo isolates. The studies revealed that diverse pathogenic variations existed in the Xoo population in the basmati-growing region of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the response exhibited by Xoo isolates on differential lines, seven pathotypes (Pathotype 1–7) were identified, and their virulence spectrum on rice differentials showed the occurrence of 5, 3, 10, 10, 20, 10 and 15 percent, respectively, in the Jammu sub-tropics. To develop durable and sustainable resistant cultivars, it is essential to identify predominate race(s) in a specific geographical area and continuously monitor the virulence pattern there.

This recent study aims to evaluate the efficacy of membrane filtration on recovery of water resource from agro-waste such as bagasse, crop-based pulp and paper mill waste. A mini pilot scale membrane system having a combination of pre-treatment filter unit (pre-filter, sediment filter and pre-carbon filter), ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis with spiral wound configuration were employed to evaluate the water reuse efficacy of effluent coming from the secondary clarifier of the conventional treatment plant of the mill. The operational conditions were optimized using Taguchi method at pH 8, temperature 32 °C, and pressure 2 bar and a flow rate of 60 l/hr. The qualities of the effluent from the secondary clarifier, and the permeate from both the combination, viz. Combination 1 (pre-treatment + ultra-filtration) and Combination 2 (pre-treatment + ultra-filtration+ reverse osmosis) were analyzed and the percentage reduction in pH, TDS, TSS, BOD, COD, Color, Lignin, Potassium and Sodium were calculated. The elimination of TDS, COD and BOD with Combination 1 was not promising (88%) the contaminants in both paper mill effluents. The obtained qualities of water from all the combinations were compared with the tolerance standard for reuse as process water. The quality of effluent from the secondary clarifier did not agree with any class of water quality. The permeate from the combination of pre-treatment and UF sufficiently reduced the TSS to reach the requirement. However, the combination of (pre-treatment + UF + RO) adequately complied with the quality standard required for reuse in the making of all grades of paper.

Introduction: People traveling to high altitudes (HAs) for work or pleasure are increasing day by day. The rewards of such travel are generally at the risk of developing of acute altitude illnesses and/or worsening of underlying medical problems. The present study was undertaken in a hospital at 11,500 feet to get updated information on the wide clinical spectrum of patients of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). Patients and Methods: The study was carried out at a general hospital located at 11,500 feet. The total number of study participants was 151. They were divided into two groups: those who were entering HA for the first time were 17 participants and those who had spent several months at HA 134 patients. All patients in the second group had been completely acclimatized before going down to sea level. The Lake Louis Criteria were taken as the basis for the diagnosis of HAPE. Results: Pulmonary edema was the most common serious illness seen at HA. Majority of the patients presented at 72–96 h after induction to HA. The common symptoms were breathlessness, cough, and headache at rest. In addition, all patients complained to a varying extent of one or more of the following symptoms: dyspnea, cough, fever, chest pain, dizziness, etc., The majority of the patients showed leukocytosis. Pneumonitis may be a predisposing factor or develop secondary to pulmonary edema. Conclusion: Pulmonary edema was the most common serious illness seen at HA. The common symptoms were breathlessness, cough, and headache at rest. The understanding of HAPE has changed since its emergence in the field of diagnosis, pathophysiology, complications, and therapeutic modalities.

High voltage gain DC-DC converter is a prime requirement for renewable applications, in particular for PV. Though numerous DC-DC converter is available for increasing the voltage gain, the passive elements requirement is higher which reduces the compactness, consequently, increases the cost of the system. To address this issue, a high gain DC-DC converter is reported recently. However, the number of passive elements is quite high which increases the size. To reduce the number of passive elements and maintain the same number of semiconductor devices, in this paper, a new switched inductor arrangement is proposed which is named as switched inductor double switch DC-DC converter (SL-DS-DC). Moreover, the proposed converter has a higher gain as compared to the recently reported converter. The proposed converter is analyzed in steady state and a comparative analysis is presented to prove the suitability. Finally, the proposed converter is validated experimentally.

In a millimeter wave (mmWave) network, user association– the process of deciding as to which base station (BS) a given user should associate with– is a crucial process, which affects the throughput and delay performance seen by users in the network and the amount of load at each BS. In the existing research literature, the stability region of a user association policy, i.e., the set of user arrival rates for which the user association policy stabilizes the network, has not been analytically characterized for any user association policy for mmWave networks. In this paper, we study the user association problem in mmWave networks and compare the performances of four user association policies: Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) based, Throughput based, Load based and Mixed. All these policies are simple, easy to implement, distributed, and online. We use a Continuous Time Markov Chain (CTMC) model and Lyapunov function techniques to analytically characterize the stability region of each of the above four user association policies; our analysis provides several insights into the performances of the policies. We also evaluate the performances of the above four user association policies in a large mmWave network, in which link qualities fluctuate with time and users are mobile, via detailed simulations. Our results show that the Throughput based policy outperforms the other three user association policies in terms of stability region as well as average throughput, average delay, fairness and energy efficiency performance.

Context: Supracondylar fractures of the humerus (SCFH) are the most common type of pediatric fracture and related to significant morbidity with the complication of nerve injury and loss of reduction. Closed reduction and percutaneous Kirchner wires pinning either by lateral pin fixation or cross pin fixation for the displaced fractures are the mainstay treatment. Aims: This study has purpose to compare the construct stability, functional, and radiological results between the two methods of fracture fixation. Subjects and Methods: A total of 61 children with Gartland III SCFH were placed randomly into two groups, Group A (n = 30) managed by lateral pinning technique and Group B (n = 31) were managed by cross pinning techniques. Both groups were quite comparable with regard to age, gender, duration of injury, and degree of displacement of the fracture. The results were analyzed in terms of clinical and radiological outcome, Flynn functional scoring system, and complications. Fisher's exact test and unpaired t-tests were used. The results were expressed as mean, and the P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant using the SPSS software (version 22). Results: Statistically, there was no significant difference in clinical or radiological results between the two groups at 6 months after operation (P > 0.05). There was no significant loss of reduction found in either of the groups. There was one (6.6%) case of the lateral pinning group that had a minimal loss of reduction and two (6.4%) cases of the iatrogenic ulnar nerve neuropraxia in the cross pinning group. Neuropraxia recovered fully. Superficial pin tract infection was seen in two (6.67%) cases of the lateral pinning group. Conclusions: Although it appears that cross spinning is a more stable construct, the lateral pin fixation provides the same result without risk of iatrogenic nerve injury with comparable results.

Evaluating the all-encompassing idea of soil quality requires an enormous set-up of estimations of soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. The fast and appropriate evaluation of soil quality (SQ) is expected to keep up soil wellbeing. Appraisal of soil quality is currently turning into a standard work for crop production and management of soil. Nevertheless, regular research center investigation dependent on the assurance of soil properties, which is time and cost devouring and is not reasonable for precision agriculture. Mid-infrared spectroscopy is a quick, cheap, ecological agreeable, non-dangerous, and repeatable method. We observed a fantastic presentation of foreseeing soil C and N substance utilizing mid-infrared spectra. In a large portion of cases, the expectations of soil N, P, K, S, and few micronutrients are acceptable. Clay minerals, soil water (volumetric and gravimetric water content), and soil microorganisms can likewise be demonstrated and assessed utilizing mid-infrared spectroscopy. ''Here, we review the possibility of mid-infrared spectroscopy to assess soil quality. The significant focuses are the accompanying: 1) predict physical properties of soil 2) predict chemical properties of soil 3) predict biological properties of soil with mid-infrared spectroscopy''. Physical properties of soil that depend on void connection, for example, hydraulic conductivity (HC), bulk density (BD), as well as water-holding capacity (WHC) and can't be anticipated well utilizing mid-infrared spectra. Whereas properties dependent on the soil composition, for example, percentage of clay and shrinking- swelling properties, can be expected sensibly well. Even though presently using mid-infrared spectroscopy in the estimation of soil properties is constrained, it seems favourable to gage the quality of soil reliant on spectral pre-treatment and multivariate alignment because of the powerful intervene in the spectral band. Partial least square (PLS) is a broadly applied statistical tool to enhance various soil properties' prediction operations. A spectral library and a standard protocol can be an option in the future so that proper utilization of the mid-infrared spectral region is possible. Accordingly, mid-infrared spectroscopy coupled with a suitable statistical tool can assess soil quality, which will play a significant role in maintaining agriculture sustainability.

Background: Amoora rohituka is described in Ayurveda, an Indian traditional system of medicine for management of disorders of blood, diseases of eye, helminthiasis disease, ulcer, liver disorders and splenomegaly. However, the leaves were not reported to have anticancer properties till date. Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of leaf extracts of Amoora rohituka. Materials and methods: The leaves powder was macerated in petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol and evaluated their anticancer activities in vitro. The phytochemical constituents of the active (ethyl acetate) extract were screened by FTIR analysis and phytochemical screening methods. Results: The ethyl acetate extract (RLEA) showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, saponins and terpenoids. The RLEA exhibited high cytotoxic effect against human breast cancer cells, MCF-7 (IC50 = 9.81 μg/mL) and induced apoptosis by altering nuclear morphology and DNA laddering. Wound healing assays explained the potency of extract to decrease the cell migration. Conclusion: The extract of Amoora rohituka leaves exhibited anticancer activity with less toxicity and it could be used for development of alternative drugs in the treatment of human breast cancer.

The paper aimed to study the flow structure at the wake of the bluff body with altered blockage ratio (BR) keeping the fixed aspect ratio (AR). The study was conducted by a finite volume technique using commercial software Ansys-Fluent. The CFD analysis of the bluff body is mainly subjected to the lower subcritical Reynolds number range (5000 to 15,000) along with blockage ratio as an important factor. The flow parameters such as drag coefficient, pressure, and kinetic energy variations are analyzed here for the Reynolds number (Re) and BR. It was observed that at fixed Re, the drag coefficient (CD) increases with an increase in the BR while decrease with increasing Re for a fixed value of BR.

Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Alarming increases in the cases quests for more effective treatment of BrCa. As most chemotherapeutic drugs are associated with drug resistance, cancer relapse, and side effects, scientists are turning to agents with more efficacy, such as natural compounds for treatment and prevention of BrCa. Selected natural compounds, substances derived from living organisms, promote apoptosis and inhibit metastasis, preventing cancer growth. As a result, these compounds have the potential to suppress BrCa progression, thus increasing patient survival rates and decreasing the number of BrCa-related deaths. In this review, we summarize natural compounds that have displayed, anti-cancer effects on BrCa cells in various studies. These natural compounds inhibit the development of BrCa, suppress the growth of cancer cells, and promote cell death. We conclude that natural compounds are efficient, effective and promising agents for treating BrCa other than therapeutic methods.

Background: Decreased levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) in maternal serum can be a marker not only for some chromosomal disorders and anomalies in the fetus but also specific for adverse pregnancy outcomes too, such as preeclampsia, spontaneous preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to the extent of stillbirth. Hence, measurement of early pregnancy PAPP-A levels may help identify the areas of intervention for reducing the adverse outcome in later gestations. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study. A total of 250 antenatal cases fulfilling the inclusion criteria were taken in the study. Early pregnancy serum levels of PAPP-A were measured for antenatal cases visiting outpatient department of tertiary level teaching hospital between 10 and 14 weeks period of gestation, and these cases were followed up for development of adverse pregnancy outcome. Results: Two hundred and thirty-five patients had normal outcomes, among which 24 patients had PAPP-A values ≤0.4 multiples of the median (MoM) and 211 patients had PAPP-A level >0.4 MoM. Twenty-nine patients out of 250 in our study group had PAPP-A level

Introduction: Even in a tertiary health-care setting, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients often remain underdiagnosed. OSA and metabolic syndrome (MS) share many essential cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance. Despite numerous studies, the relationship between OSA and MS still remains debatable. Aim: The purpose of our study was to see how frequently MS occurred in OSA patients and also if the presence of MS had any correlation with age, sex, or severity of OSA. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 50 OSA patients being evaluated on outpatient department basis. All the patients were screened with detailed history; examination; hematological, biochemical parameters; and polysomnography. Results: In this study, out of 50 OSA patients, 41 were male and 9 were female; with age, body mass index (BMI), Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI), neck circumference, and waist circumference having mean of 42.5 years, 27.028 kg/m2, 33.49/h, 39.7 cm, and 37.23 inch, respectively. Out of 28 obese patients, 22 had AHI >30 and 6 had AHI

Narke dipterygia (Bloch and Schneider, 1801), commonly known as numb ray, is a widely distributed species in the Arabian Sea and South-East Asian countries. It has been recorded from Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Viet Nam, China, Taiwan Province of China and Japan. In India, majority of the findings of the species is from east and west coasts of India, only two records were reported namely Bombay of Maharashtra and Kerala. The present paper confirms the presence of N. dipterygia for the first time from Gujarat coast located on the west coast of India. The diagnostic characteristics and remarks on the taxonomy and distribution of N. dipterygia have been described in this paper.

Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz, a medicinal plant, shows numerous pharmacological properties which may be attributed to the bioactive compounds produced by O. indicum or due to associated endophytes. In the present study, leaf of O. indicum was evaluated for the presence of associated fungal endophytes, and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of bioactive compounds produced from them. Using culture-dependent approach, eight fungal endophytes belonging to five different genera were identified. Two endophytes Daldinia eschscholtzii and Ectophoma multirostrata have been reported for the first time from the leaf of O. indicum plant. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) of ethyl acetate (EA) extract of isolated fungal endophytes showed a distinct fingerprinting profile in EA extract of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Among identified endophytes, EA extract of C. gloeosporioides showed significant antioxidant activity against DPPH free radical, superoxide anion radical, nitric oxide radical and hydroxyl radical with EC50 values of 22.24±1.302 μg/mL, 67.46±0.576 μg/mL, 80.10±0.706 μg/mL and 61.55±1.360 μg/mL, respectively. EA extract of C. gloeosporioides exhibited potential cytotoxicity against HCT116, HeLa and HepG2 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of 76.59 μg/mL, 176.20 μg/mL and 1750.70 μg/mL, respectively. A comparative HPTLC fingerprinting and the antioxidant activity of C. gloeosporioides associated with two different hosts (leaf of O. indicum and dead twigs of other plant) showed that C. gloeosporioides produces bioactive compounds in a host-dependent manner.

Plants are a highly advanced kingdom of living organisms on the earth. They survive under all climatic and weather variabilities, including low and high temperature, rainfall, radiation, less nutrients, and high salinity. Even though they are adapted to various environmental factors, which are variable, the performance of a crop will be compensated under sub/supra optimal conditions. Hence, current and future climate change factors pose a challenge to sustainable agriculture. Photosynthesis is the primary biochemical trait of crops that are affected by abiotic stress and elevated CO2 (eCO2). Under eCO2, the C3 legumes could perform better photosynthesis over C4 grasses. The associated elevated temperature promotes the survival of the C4 crop (maize) over C3 plants. In the American Ginseng, the elevated temperature promotes the accumulation of phytocompounds. Under less water availability, poor transpirational cooling, higher canopy temperatures, and oxidative stress will attenuate the stability of the membrane. Altering the membrane composition to safeguard fluidity is a major tolerance mechanism. For protection and survival under individual or multiple stresses, plants try to undergo high photorespiration and dark respiration, for instance, in wheat and peas. The redox status of plants should be maintained for ROS homeostasis and, thereby, plant survival. The production of antioxidants and secondary metabolites may keep a check on the content of oxidating molecules. Several adaptations, such as deeper rooting, epicuticular wax formation such as peas, and utilization of non-structural carbohydrates, i.e., wheat, help in survival. In addition to yield, quality is a major attribute abridged or augmented by climate change. The nutrient content of cereals, pulses, and vegetables is reduced by eCO2; in aniseed and Valeriana sp., the essential oil content is increased. Thus, climate change has perplexing effects in a species-dependent manner, posing hurdles in sustainable crop production. The review covers various scientific issues interlinked with challenges of food/nutritional security and the resilience of plants to climate variability. This article also glimpses through the research gaps present in the studies about the physiological effects of climate change on various crops.

Intensive tillage coupled with imbalanced nutrient management in maize–wheat systems in low-carbon calcareous soils often results in poor productivity vis-à-vis degradation in soil health. Conservation tillage viz. permanent bed planting (PB) and zero tillage (ZT)/direct seeding with residue retention coupled with precision nutrient management might improve soil properties and yield of crops. Concerning this, a long-term experiment was conducted from 2014–2015 to 2020–2021 with a maize–wheat cropping system at TCA, Dholi farm of RPCAU, Pusa. Treatments consisted of three main plots of different tillage practices, viz. PB, ZT, and conventional tillage (CT) and three sub-plots of nutrient management options, viz. farmers’ fertilization practice (FFP), site-specific nutrient management with Nutrient Expert® (NE) software, and GreenSeeker (GS) based nitrogen-management. From this study, it was observed that both the PB and ZT resulted in about 31–33% and 43–45% improvement in SOC and water-soluble aggregates (WSA), respectively, comparing them under CT. These two conservation tillage practices also improved the other soil bio-chemical properties. Better soil properties under PB and ZT helped in the improvement of system yield by about 13–18% comparing yield under CT. Moreover, both these tillage practices showed an additional net return of USD 330–USD 400 over CT. PB was found a bit better over ZT concerning soil properties, yield, and economics. Comparing nutrient management options, precision nutrition using NE and GS showed significant improvement in the soil bio-chemical parameters, yield, and economics of the cropping system over FFP. SSNM using NE showed slightly better results than GS. Thus, from this long-term study, it can be concluded that the permanent bed system with residue retention and precision nutrition using Nutrient Expert® software are the best options concerning tillage and nutrient management, respectively, for improvement of the soil properties of problematic calcareous soils, thereby, enhancing the yield and economics of the maize–wheat cropping system.

A massive suite of dimensions demonstrating the biological properties of soils is required to significantly quantify the holistic view of soil conditions. The value of measuring the full suite of soil conditions with conventional methods will be too costly. We reviewed the skill of mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (MIRS) to predict numerous soil biological properties. Results coupled with partial least square regression (PLSR) revealed that mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (MIRS) could predict biological activities like soil microbial biomass, soil enzymes, soil respiration, Q10 and others. Based on calibration errors relative to the mean analyte values, the results for biological properties measures are as good as those found in soil chemical and physical capability. The MIR spectroscopy can be utilized to create adjustments for exact determination of compositional boundaries, for example, C and total N, while for soil biological properties, for example, enzyme activities, more effort is necessary to characterize the constraints and usefulness of MIR spectroscopy. Overall, it tends to be utilized in situations where the highest accuracy is not essential. We concluded, that MIR spectroscopy seems to produce more precise calibration for the confirmation of biological properties in soils and be less influenced by sample diversity for some analytes.

Gujarat being a state having largest coastline and highest continental shelf in India represents diverse coastal habitats. Gujarat has vast potential of marine bioresources and offer considerable scope for marine fisheries. The ichthyofaunal diversity of Sutrapada, Gir Somnath district, Gujarat was investigated for a period of three years from June 2015 to June 2018 through the analysis of fish catch data of trawl fisheries and achieves of Fisheries Department, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology - Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CIFT-CMFRI), Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Commissioner Fisheries Office, Veraval. During this study period, 114 fish species belonging to 55 families and 93 genera were identified. The paper emphasizes the importance of further research on respective families for understanding of its distribution, ecology and conservation status.