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Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a prominent spice and vegetable crop farmed commercially worldwide. Variability is viewed as a key signal for any red onion enhancement effort. The current study was, therefore, carried out to learn about genetic variability and diversity among selected genotypes of 20 red onions at the C Block Farm, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India, during the winter (rabi) season of 2021–2022, in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The characters, viz., average weight of bulbs (kg), neck thickness (cm), total soluble solids (°Brix), total sugar (%), and reducing sugar (%) demonstrated high heritability (97.38–99.97%) coupled with high genetic gain. Such traits were the least influenced by environmental effects, and additive gene action played a pivotal role in the manifestation of such characters. Traits with high heritability values (51.37–67.94%) demonstrate that the observed variability was under genetic control and provide an enormous range of possibilities for accomplishing selection depending on their phenotypic performances. For traits with moderate heritability, viz., bolting (%) and doubling (%), selection would be less effective but can still be given great importance. Based on correlation analysis, the character's neck thickness, equatorial diameter, and polar diameter unveiled highly positive genetic correlation with the average weight of bulbs (0.120, 0.112; 0.194, 0.210 and 0.120, 0.112 for phenotypic and genotypic correlation coefficient values, respectively), which indicates that the average weight of a bulb would be increased by an increase in such components. According to path coefficient analysis, the equatorial diameter exhibited the most positive direct effect on the average weight of bulbs (0.968), followed by polar diameter (0.687) and neck thickness (0.159). A wide range of variations for qualitative traits, including foliage colour, leaf width, foliage behaviour, the degree of leaf waxiness, the shape of the bulb, and bulb skin colour were observed. Based on Mahalanobish D2 analysis, the genotypes were divided into four clusters. The highest number of genotypes was found in cluster I (eleven), followed by cluster IV (six genotypes) and cluster II (two genotypes). Cluster III had a single genotype and was monogenic. The study confirmed that a wide genetic variation prevailed in the onion genotypes taken under study, which could thereby be utilized in breeding programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In developing countries, neonatal mortality is the most neglected health issue by the health system, leading to its emergence as a public health problem. A study was undertaken to assess the influence of factors and newborn care practices influencing newborn health in the rural area of Bareilly district. Methodology: The descriptive cross-sectional study was organized in the rural areas of Bareilly. Study participants were selected based on the mothers who gave birth to a baby during the last six months. The mothers who delivered in that area within six months were included and, using the semi-structured questionnaire, data were collected. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS 2021 version for windows. Results: Out of 300 deliveries, nearly one-quarter of the deliveries, 66 (22%), were happening in homes, and most of the deliveries, 234 (78%), happened in hospitals. It was observed that unsafe cord care practices were observed more among nuclear families, 8 (53.4%), than joint families, 7 (46.6%), and it was found to be statistically insignificant. The Unsafe feed was given 48 (72.7%) more commonly among home deliveries than institutional deliveries 56 (23.9%). Mothers' initiation of delayed breastfeeding was nearly the same in both home and hospital deliveries. Delayed bathing was observed in nearly three-fourths of mothers, 125 (70.1%), aged 24–29 years, followed by 29 (16.8%) in the age period of 30–35 years. Conclusion: The practice of essential newborn care still needs to improve in Bareilly; there is a need to create awareness among the mothers and family members on newborn and early neonatal care aspects, such as promoting exclusive and early initiation of breastfeeding and delayed bathing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: FOXO3, a member of the FOX transcription factor family, is frequently described as being deregulated in cancer. Additionally, notable role of FOXO3 can be easily recognized in the process of ageing and survival. Even though various studies have been done to acknowledge the tumour-suppressive or oncogenic role of FOXO3 in cancer, still there exist a lack of understanding in terms of cancer prognosis and treatment. Therefore, to provide better insight, our study aims to evaluate the role and function of FOXO3 in breast cancer in Indian female patients. We examined the FOXO3 expression levels in breast cancer samples by analyzing mRNA and protein expression along with its clinicopathological parameters. Results: A total of 127 cases of breast cancer with equal normal cases (n=127) were assessed with methylation (MS-PCR), Immunohistochemistry (IHC), mRNA expression using Real-time PCR was analysed and 66.14% cases at mRNA level were found to be downregulated, while 81.10% of cases had little or very little protein expression. Our data state, the promoter hypermethylation of the FOXO3 gene and the downregulated protein expression are significantly correlated (p=0.0004). Additionally, we found a significant correlation between the level of FOXO3 mRNA with ER (p=0.04) and status of lymph node (p=0.01) along with this. Conclusion: Data suggests the prognostic significance and the tumour-suppressive role of FOXO3 in breast cancer cases studied in India. However, there is a need for the extended research targeting FOXO3 to measure its clinical potential and develop well-defined therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney paired donation is the most cost-effective approach in incompatible donor-recipient pairs. Incompatibility may be due to blood group, human leucocyte antigen crossmatch or both. In many cases of a living donor kidney transplant, there is only one potential donor who becomes unsuitable due to any of the above mentioned factors. In kidney paired donation, donor-recipient pairs are exchanged to sort out the incompatibility. We report our first successful three-way kidney exchange transplantation from North India. As deceased donor program is still in evolving stage in most parts of our country and transplant with desensitization protocol is associated with financial constraints, infections, and lack of availability in many centers, kidney paired donation is a valuable approach to expand the donor pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins such as cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 have recently emerged as the key mechanism in resistance to apoptosis in various cancers and lead to cell survival. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 expression in breast cancer patients, as well as their association with overall patient survival. Methods. Histopathologically confirmed 100 invasive ductal carcinoma patients and healthy controls were included in the present study. Total RNA extraction was done from the serum sample of the patients; further, 100 ng of total RNA was used to synthesise cDNA from patients' as well as from healthy controls' serum. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed using the maxima SYBR Green dye to study the expression of cIAP-1 and cIAP-2, and beta-actin was used as the internal control. Results. The study observed that breast cancer patients had 13.50 mean fold increased cIAP-1 mRNA and 8.76 mean fold increased cIAP-2 mRNA expression compared to the control subjects. Breast cancer patients in the TNM stages I, II, III, and IV showed 9.54, 11.80, 15.19, and 16.83 mean fold increased cIAP-1 mRNA expression (p = 0.004). Distant organ metastasis, (p = 0.008), PR status of breast cancer patients (p < 0.0001), and HER2 status of breast cancer patients (p < 0.0001) were found to be associated with cIAP-1 mRNA expression. Breast cancer patients with different TNM stages such as stages I, II, III, and IV showed 7.8, 8.09, 7.97, and 12.85 mean fold increased cIAP-2 mRNA expression (p = 0.0002). Breast cancer patients with distant organ metastases status were found to be associated with cIAP-2 mRNA expression (p < 0.0001). Breast cancer patients with <13-fold and >13-fold cIAP-1 mRNA expression showed 37.39 months and 34.70 months of overall median survival, and the difference among them was found to be significant (p = 0.0001). However, cIAP-2 mRNA expression among <8-fold and >8-fold mRNA expression groups showed 35 months and 27.90 months of overall median survival time (p < 0.0001). Higher cIAP-1 mRNA expression was linked with smoking and alcoholism among the breast cancer patients (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001). Significant association of higher cIAP-1 mRNA expression was found with the advancement of the disease, while higher mRNA expression of cIAP-1 was associated with distant organ metastases in ROC curve analysis. Conclusion. The present study suggested that increased cell-free cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 mRNA expression was correlated with the advancement of disease, progression of disease, and overall reduced patient survival. Cell-free cIAP-1 and cIAP-2 mRNA expression could be the predictive indicator of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay critically reviews Jan-Werner Müller's What is Populism and its application in the Indian debate to show the efficacy and limits of his exposition. It focuses on three points: elision of subjectivity of those who are targets of populism, neglect of religion as a key factor in populist mobilizations, and the near desertion of International Relations in accounting for populism. These points are discussed by drawing, inter alia , on contemporary Indian populism, especially related to pluralism, a concept that Müller insightfully foregrounds as central to populism. It is hoped that a political-anthropological approach to populism will enrich its theoretical understanding beyond disciplinary and spatial grooves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents biographies of three activists of the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Following 9/11, the Indian state banned SIMI for fomenting “terrorism”, “sedition” and “destroying Indian nationalism”. Of the three SIMI activists, Qasim Omar had spent 30 months in prison and Samin Patel, a US citizen of Indian origin, 27 months. Both these prominent SIMI leaders were charged with denigrating the photo of India’s flag and making provocative speeches. I interviewed them after their release. The third was an ordinary (non-office bearer) activist. Drawing on their biographies, I argue that Islamist radicalism or “terrorism” should be construed politically. Contrary to the prevalent politics, the pivot of which is bare rationality of profit and loss and ruthless pursuit of national interests, the kind of politics SIMI actors enact is best understood as a profound act of ethics manifest in the quest for justice. As such, they are not enemies of freedom, democracy and human rights; on the contrary, activists such as those in SIMI strive to rescue freedom and human rights from being monopolised and molested by the mighty few and thereby truly universalise them. Against methodological nationalism, I take the post-World War II global order as the human condition in which to situate the radical politics of these young SIMI activists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridium perfringens is a common anaerobic foodborne pathogen known to produce >20 toxins. In nature, this bacterium has 7 different toxinotypes (A-G) based on the presence of its 6 main toxins. The present study examined the occurrence of different toxinotypes of this bacterium in the ichthyofauna and aquatic environments of Kashmir Himalayan lakes, India. A total of 510 samples (210 water; 150 each of common carp and snow trout) were collected from 3 different lacustrine habitats (Dal, Anchar and Nigeen Lakes) of the region. By performing 16S rRNA PCR test, it was observed that all 210 water samples and 80 (26.66%) of 300 fish samples tested for this specific bacterial species were positive. Then by using multiplex-PCR targeting six virulence genes of C. perfringens , it was confirmed that all the 290 isolates from water and fish samples were positive for Toxinotype A, as only cpa toxin gene was amplified. Phylogenetic analysis of the amplified gene and its amino-acid sequences revealed 95%–98% homology with analogous sequences of this bacterial strain reported from China, Egypt and India. The study documents the existence of C. perfringens toxinotype A in the ichthyofauna of Kashmiri Himalayan lakes, entailing that fish can likely act as transmission medium for C. perfringens food poisoning to humans via food. • Of the 7 toxinotypes of Clostridium perfringens , Type A is the pre-dominant toxinotype in Himalayan lakes of Kashmir • Phylogeny showed 95–98% homology with reported strains from China, Egypt and India • Fish acts as a possible carrier of C. perfringens associated food-poisoning in humans [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Nosocomial infections are of serious problems in hospital. In addition, they are imposed heavy costs on hospitals, causing increased hospitalization time, increased morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to determine the epidemiological status of nosocomial infections in the Medical Ward of a tertiary care hospital. Study design: Descriptive-analytical study. Study site: Department of Medicine, CSM Medical University, Lucknow. Patients: The patients admitted in the Department of Medicine were included in this study. Results: The present study has been done on 80 patients of Medicine Wards (MW) including Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of CSSMU, Lucknow. Among them, 65 (81.3%) were from Medical Ward and 15 (18.7%) were from MICU. This study was conducted between January to June, 2011. The average patient's stay in both MW and MICU was 13.56 days. All the 80 patients were clinically examined and only 18 patients were selected for the study of nosocomial infection on clinical grounds. A total of 42 different types of specimens were collected from 18 nosocomially infective patients. In 5 specimens, there was no yield of any bacterial organism. The predominant bacterial isolates both in MW and MICU were Escherichia coli (40.5%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (18.9%), Acinetobacter spp (13.5%), Pseudomonos aeruginosa (10.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (8.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.1%). Results: The present study has been done on 80 patients of Medicine Wards (MW) including Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of CSSMU, Lucknow. Among them, 65 (81.3%) were from Medical Ward and 15 (18.7%) were from MICU. This study was conducted between January to June, 2011. The average patient's stay in both MW and MICU was 13.56 days. All the 80 patients were clinically examined and only 18 patients were selected for the study of nosocomial infection on clinical grounds. A total of 42 different types of specimens were collected from 18 nosocomially infective patients. In 5 specimens, there was no yield of any bacterial organism. The predominant bacterial isolates both in MW and MICU were Escherichia coli (40.5%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (18.9%), Acinetobacter spp (13.5%), Pseudomonos aeruginosa (10.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (8.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (8.1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liberal reading often posits Islamism as obverse of modernity and reason. Phil Briscoe's statement that Hitler's Mein Kampf might be kept in libraries but not the books by authors like Jamaat-e-Islami's founder's (Maududi) amply illustrates it. This article calls such an understanding into question. On the basis of my historical-ethnographic fieldwork on India's Jamaat-e-Islami and its offshoot, Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), I examine the interrelationships between Islamism and democracy showing Jamaat-e-Islami's moderation and SIMI's radicalization. It is my contention that Islamism and democracy are not antithetical to each other; they cohere in complex ways. When democracy is responsive to the traditions and aspirations of its Muslim citizens, Muslims relate to pluralism and democracy. But when democracy becomes majoritarian and a theater of entertainment and violence against Muslims, Islamists turn radical. I also suggest that radicalization such as SIMI's symbolizes a complex dynamic of democratization and demonopolization of religious authority. By foregrounding the salient transformation of Indian Islamism, this article aims to advance a nuanced, fresh understanding of both Islamism and democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant debate on Islam and democracy continues to operate in the realm of normativity. This article engages with key literature showing limits of such a line of inquiry. Through the case study of India’s Islamist organization, Jamaat-e-Islami, I aim at shifting the debate from textual normativity to demotic praxis. I demonstrate how Islam and democracy work in practice, and in so doing offer a fresh perspective to enhance our understandings of both Islam and democracy. A key proposition of this article is that rather than discussing the cliché if Islam is compatible with democracy, or Islam should be democratized, we study the ‘hows’ of de-democratization in Muslim societies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article offers an anthropological outline of immanent critique in Islamic traditions. In addressing the question — what is immanent critique? — it dwells on the interrelationships amongst the Enlightenment’s notion of reason, critique, and Islam. My main contention is that to construe the Western notion of critique derived from Enlightenment’s specific conceptualization of reason as critique per se is misleading for there are non-Enlightenment modes of critique such as the Islamic one this article proposes for further discussion. I also discuss the objectification of culture, social distance and a new sense of temporality as significant factors facilitating the condition for critique to become particularly salient under modernity. Based largely on ethnographic-historical materials from South Asia, I argue why immanent critique is a useful analytical tool to understand the dynamics of Muslim cultures and societies in their diverse milieus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new rhabditid nematode, Sclerorhabditis tridentatus gen. n., sp. n. is described and illustrated. The body is small, less than 0.5 mm, and has an unusual labial and cephalic organisation. The dorsal and ventral lips have strongly sclerotised tridentate structures with the free ends of the forks directed towards the stoma, and the anterior margins of the lateral lips are sclerotised. An unusual feature of this species is the contour of the cephalic border that has axillae-like structures on the lateral sides. The stoma is wide and lacks a glottoid apparatus. The females are amphidelphic with reflexed ovaries and elongate conoid tails. Males were not found. The new genus resembles Diploscapter and the related genus Carinoscapter in having membranous lateral lips, absence of glottoid apparatus and amphidelphic reproductive system, but is clearly distinguishable by the shape and orientation of the sclerotisation of the dorsal and ventral lips and by the presence of a cephalic border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three hundred and twenty-six Escherichia coli isolates recovered from 326 human faecal specimens from sporadic cases of diarrhoea in Kashmir valley, India, were investigated for the presence of stx1 , stx2, eaeA, hlyA and lt virulence genes. None of the samples was positive for stx genes or Shiga toxins by PCR or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Twenty-three E. coli isolates showed the presence of the eaeA gene, whereas three isolates harboured the lt gene. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) belonged to 10 different serogroups. Out of 23 EPEC isolates, the majority (78.26%) were atypical while five (21.73%) were typical. Only one of the typical EPEC harboured the EAF plasmid. Subtyping of the eaeA gene showed the presence of eaeA-α1, eaeA-β, eaeA-ξ and eaeA-η in one, two, four and two isolates, respectively. None of the E. coli isolates possessed eaeA-δ, eaeA-ℇ and eaeA-ζ. This study further upholds the opinion that Shiga toxin-producing E. coli do not pose a major threat to human health in India and eaeA-α1, eaeA-β, eaeA-ξ and eaeA-η could be common EPEC subtypes prevalent in humans with diarrhoea in India. The present study appears to be the first report of subtype analysis of the eaeA gene from India and also records the isolation of EPEC with the eaeA-ξ gene from humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious movements have often been studied in the context of nationstates. With scholarly attention now shifting to globalization and other world system processes, there is a growing move to go beyond the particularity of nation-states and study the general transnational dimensions of religious movements. In this article I describe the processes through which Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), a contemporary Islamist movement in India, developed links with ideologically similar movements, institutions and networks in the Gulf countries, Iran and the West. Taking JIH as a social movement, I argue for a more nuanced conceptualization of transnational social movements, because existing theories are based on the experiences of Western democracies and, as such, are insensitive to collective actions in undemocratic polities such as the Gulf states. While making a case for taking into account the transnational dimensions of understanding JIH, I call into question the alarmist thesis that emphasizes the homogenous radicalization of the entire movement as an inevitable consequence of the transnational connections an Islamic movement develops. On the contrary, I contend that they also lead to conflict within the movement and its moderation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three populations belonging to Zeldia punctata , Chiloplacus subtenuis and Seleborca complexa , respectively, were studied morphometrically, with additional details provided by scanning electron microscopy. Z. punctata , Aligarh population, is characterised by a medium sized body with five non-crenate lateral incisures, prominently cuticularized cheilostom, dentate guard processes of primary cephalic axils reaching about 66% of cephalic probolae length. C. subtenuis, population collected from Surat, India, shows five lateral incisures, labial probolae bifurcate about 20% of length, with short and blunt margins, female tail long with 22-24 annules, without indented tip, males with four precloacal and four post-cloacal pairs genital papillae and with inner lateral incisures interrupted at tail. The Aligarh population of S. complexa shows double, coarsely striated cuticle, two areolated lateral incisures, labial probolae bifurcate to about 67% of length, each arm bearing seven to nine tines on the outer side, middle tine on cephalic probolae at secondary cephalic axils enlarged, males with strongly developed, cephalated spicules and with three paired and a single median pre-cloacal and five post-cloacal pairs of genital papillae. Observations sur trois especes de la sous-familledes Acrobelinae (Nematoda: Cephalobidae) de l'Inde- Trois populations appartenant chacune a Zeldia punctata , Chiloplacus tenuis et Seleborca complexa ont ete etudiees, des donnees complementaires en microscopie electronique a balayage etant fournies. Z. punctata , population Aligarh, est caracterise par un corps de taille moyenne avec cinq incisures laterales non crenelees, un cheilostome cuticularise proeminent, des proces de protection des axilles cephaliques primaires atteignant environ 66% de la longueur des proboles cephaliques. La population de C. subtenuis, collectee a Surat, Inde, montre cinq incisures laterales, des proboles labiales bifurquees a 20% de leur longueur et a sommets courts et lisses, la queue de la femelle comportant 22 a 24 anneaux et a extremite non indentee, les males avec quatre paires precloacales et quatre paires postcloacales de papilles genitales, les incisures laterales internes etant interrompues sur la queue. La population de S. complexa provenant d'Aligarh possede une cuticule double a annelation forte, deux incisures laterales areolees, des proboles labiales bifurquees a environ 67% de leur longueur, chaque branche portant sept a neuf pointes sur la marge exterieure, la pointe mediane elargie des proboles cephaliques au niveau des axilles cephaliques secondaires, les males a spicules fortement developpes et renfles a l'extremite anterieure, les papilles genitales etant reparties en trois paires pre-cloacales, une mediane unique pre-cloacale et cinq paires post-cloacales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species, Prodontorhabditis robustus sp. n. and P. grandistoma sp. n. are described and illustrated from rotting banana rhizome and decaying organic matter respectively. P. robustus sp. n. is characterized by thin and slender females with L= 490-625 µm; a= 25.8-34.7; b= 4.9-6.4; c= 2.4-3.7, an arched cheilostom with curved walls bearing basal dorsal and subventral denticles at the same level, males with 20-23 µm long, robust spicules with prominent dorsal velum and lateral spurs at its bifurcated distal tip and gubernaculum with attenuated proximal end. P. grandistoma sp. n. is characterized by plump females with L= 440-552 µm; a= 23.9-25.5; b= 4.4-5.7; c= 2.9-4.2, a long, narrow stoma of length 6-7 times diameter; the cheilostom straight but, wider anteriorly with a basal dorsal denticle and anterior subventral denticles, rectum with dilated lumen, males with 17-20 µm long, relatively slender spicules and a terminally indented bursa. This is the first report of Prodontorhabditis species from India. An updated list of species, a key to their identification and a compendium of their morphometrics and diagnostic features is presented.

Epidemiological and medicolegal, including forensic pathological, aspects of 456 cases of unnatural deaths of females aged 16 to 30 years were studied in Lucknow during the period of 1 year (May 2, 2011 to May 1, 2012). These constituted 62.5% of the total unnatural deaths autopsied from all ages in females. Most of the victims were young Hindu housewives killed or who died within 7 years of marriage. The most common cause was vehicular accidents followed by poisons and burns. The homicidal, suicidal, and accidental deaths were 87, 129, and 240, respectively. The common motives and circumstances were mental stress due to various reasons, family quarrel, maladjustment in married life, and cruelty by the in-laws. Level of education, joint family structure, unemployment, dependence of the woman on the in-laws, infidelity, large families, and failure in love in unmarried girls were other contributing factors affecting the incidence. The study suggests different measures to check unnatural female deaths to improve the situation.

The prevalence of beliefs and myths amongst cancer patients is a reflection of the level of knowledge in the community regarding cancer. Such beliefs influence the health seeking behaviour of patients and may lead to delay in seeking medical care. The present study revealed that myths and misconceptions are widely prevalent among cancer patients in India. The perception regarding causation of cancer among cancer patients varied from curses, evil eye and spirits to past sins. Only one third of the patients believed that cancer can be detected in its early stages and that it can be cured. The average time taken by patients to report to a doctor after suspecting their disease was 2 years. The majority of patients held fatalistic views about the outcome of cancer. Most (60%) were being discriminated against by their family and society. All these findings highlight that despite considerable medical knowledge of risk factors and treatment modalities, possible social-behavioral strategies for the prevention and control of cancer have not been adequately addressed, especially among South Asian patients.