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An analysis of the energy requirements for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was carried out at Project Directorate for Cropping Systems research, Modipuram, Meerut during the year of 2000-01 to 2003-04. The weed management practices such as hand weeding twice, herbicides + one hand weeding, criss-cross sowing + one hand weeding, criss-cross sowing + herbicides + one hand weeding, unweeded check were subjected to wheat cropping to assess the energy use, out put energy obtained and net return of energy. Results revealed that the total input energy utilization in wheat varied from 19589.0 MJ/ha to 20472.1 MJ/ha for treatments unweeded check and criss-cross + herbicides + hand weeding, respectively. The energy use by inorganic fertilizers represented the major part of total energy use accounting about 50 per cent followed by machinery used about 20 per cent in all treatments, whereas, irrigation consumed about 17 per cent energy use of total input energy. Total amount of energy use in weed management was varied from 1.93 to 4.22 per cent of the total input energy. Hand weeding twice was found to be more energy consuming than other treatments. This was followed by herbicides + hand weeding once as well as criss-cross sowing + herbicides + hand weeding once. The energy utilization for weed management was found from 11.6 to 21.9 per cent higher in traditional seedbed as compared with stale seedbed. The criss-cross sowing + herbicides + hand weeding once gave from 71 to 76, from 18 to 19, from 14 to 15 and from 1 to 3 per cent higher output energy as compared with unweeded, criss-cross sowing + hand weeding once, hand weeding twice and herbicides + hand weeding once, respectively. The net return energy, among five treatments, was found to be significantly higher in treatment criss-cross sowing + herbicides + hand weeding once (i.e. 71583.9 MJ/ha) and was statistically at par with herbicides + hand weeding once (i.e 70128.2 MJ/ha) which were significantly higher than other treatments. This was followed by hand weeding twice (i.e. 58168.6 MJ/ha) which was non-significantly higher than criss-cross sowing + hand weeding once (i.e. 54473.9 MJ/ha). The net return energy in criss-cross sowing + herbicides + hand weeding once was found to be from 89 to 96 per cent higher than unweeded, from 23 to 25 per cent higher than criss-cross sowing + hand weeding once, from 18 to 20 per cent higher than hand weeding twice and 3 per cent higher than herbicides + hand weeding once. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of one carbon metabolic pathway (OCMP) in modulating the DNA methylation process, only a few population-based studies have explored their relationship among healthy individuals. This study aimed to understand the variations in global DNA methylation levels with respect to selected genetic (CBS 844ins68, MTRR A66G, MTR A2756G, and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms) and biochemical (folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine) markers associated with OCMP among healthy North Indian adults. The study has been conducted among 1095 individuals of either sex (69.5% females), aged 30-75 years. A sample of 5 mL of blood was collected from each participant. Homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 levels were determined using the chemiluminescence technique. Restriction digestion was performed for genotyping MTRR A66G, MTR A2756G, and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms and allele-specific PCR amplification for CBS 844ins68 polymorphism. Global DNA methylation levels were analyzed using ELISA-based colorimetric technique. Of the selected genetic and biochemical markers, the mutant MTRR A66G allele was positively associated with global DNA methylation levels. Further, advanced age was inversely associated with methylation levels. MTRR 66GG genotype group was hypermethylated than other genotypes in folate replete and vitamin B12 deficient group (a condition prevalent among vegetarians), suggesting that the G allele may be more efficient than the wild-type allele in such conditions. Global DNA methylation levels appeared to be more influenced by genetic than biochemical factors. MTRR 66G allele may have a selective advantage in vitamin B12 deficient conditions. Further research should be undertaken to understand how genetics affects epigenetic processes., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing Interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Ethical Approval: All procedures involving human participants were done in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the Departmental Ethics Committee, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007, India (Ref No. Anth/2010/455/1). Informed Consent: Informed written consent, typed in the local language, was obtained from each participant prior to their recruitment. Consent to Publish: Not applicable., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is the sixth most common cancer, with approximately 225,419 new cases with over 125,000 deaths annually in India. This trial compared the efficacy and safety of biosimilar cetuximab versus innovator cetuximab (IC) in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with recurrent locoregional or metastatic SCCHN., Methods: This phase III trial is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind and parallel group study performed in Indian patients with recurrent locoregional or metastatic SCCHN. Patients were randomly assigned in 2:1 ratio to receive biosimilar cetuximab and IC in combination with cisplatin and fluorouracil via intravenous infusions. The primary end points were disease control rate (DCR) and overall response rate (ORR) as per response evaluation criteria in solid tumors version 1.1. The secondary end points included pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability., Results: Of 180 patients enrolled, 120 patients received biosimilar cetuximab and 60 patients received IC treatment. No significant statistical difference was observed in the primary outcomes between two groups. Treatment difference in DCR and ORR response was found to be -5.21 (90% CI, -8.94 to -1.48) and -4.79 (90% CI, -19.42 to 9.84), respectively, indicating noninferiority to reference product. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs; biosimilar cetuximab: 89.2% v IC: 91.7%; P = .8364) and serious AEs (biosimilar cetuximab: 23.3% v IC: 13.3%; P = .0603) and PK parameters were comparable between treatment groups. The immunogenicity findings showed higher incidence of anticetuximab antibodies in the biosimilar cetuximab group compared with the IC group at the end of Study., Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated noninferiority along with comparable PK, safety, and immunogenicity of biosimilar cetuximab and IC in patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN.

Hypertension is a significant public health concern and a modifiable risk factor for increased mortality worldwide. It is reported to be influenced by gene-environment interactions and micronutrient intake. This study aims to understand the relationship between global DNA methylation levels and hypertension, independently and in the context of micronutrient status, among rural population in Punjab, India. A total of 2300 individuals, aged 30-75 years, (54.9% females) were screened for blood pressure. Of 2300 screened individuals, 900 (age sex matched 450 cases and 450 controls of hypertension) individuals were selected to examine the relationship between hypertension, global DNA methylation (5mC), and biochemicals (Folate, Vitamin B12, and Homocysteine). Folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine levels were estimated using chemiluminescence technique. The ELISA-based colorimetric technique was used for performing peripheral blood leucocyte (PBL) global DNA methylation (5mC). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 22.0. Hypertensives were found to have significantly lower levels of global DNA methylation than normotensives (0.65 vs. 0.72 respectively; p-value = 0.01*). Individuals in the 1st quartile of 5mC were at significantly (OR: 1.671; 95% CI: 1.206-2.315; p-value = 0.01*) increased risk for hypertension in comparison to those in the 4th quartile (reference). Further hypertensives on medication with controlled blood pressure (BP) were significantly hypermethylated as compared to hypertensives on medication with uncontrolled BP (0.70 vs. 0.62 respectively; p-value = 0.04*). Folate appeared to mediate global DNA methylation among hypertensives on medication-controlled BP. Further hypertension driven hypomethylation hints towards accelerated biological aging among younger hypertensives. Hypertension may be associated with Global DNA hypomethylation in the studied rural population of Punjab, India. Folate sufficiency may prove to be an aid in improving the methylation levels among the cases of hypertension who were on medication and had controlled BP., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Hypertension is a prevalent health challenge in India, with a bidirectional link to depression. Recognizing the prevalence of depression among hypertensive patients and associated factors are important for better health outcomes., Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases to identify relevant studies. R software was used for analysis, employing a random effects model with a 95% confidence interval. Subgroup analyses were done to explore sources of heterogeneity within the included studies., Results: The prevalence of depression among hypertensive patients in India was 39.8% (95% CI: 28.6; 52.1). Despite a higher prevalence observed in South region (44.7%) compared to North (26.9%), the difference was not significant (p=0.39). Studies utilizing different assessment scales and varying sample sizes yielded similar prevalence. However, a temporal trend analysis indicated a higher prevalence in studies published between 2020 and 2023 (52.6%) compared to those published between 2016 and 2019 (35.5%) (p=0.03). Major factors associated with depression included lower socioeconomic status, low education level, female gender, uncontrolled hypertension, and COVID-19 related factors., Conclusions: A significant proportion of hypertensive patients suffer from depression. Therefore, screening for depression in hypertensive patients is essential to improve hypertension management in India., (Copyright © 2024 SEH-LELHA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite the growing realization regarding the importance of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in adult health outcomes, this area of research has received little scientific attention in low- and middle-income countries, including India., Aims: To understand the overall and domain-specific association of exposure to ACEs with current depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being among young adults of Delhi-NCR., Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 1,812 young adults (aged 18-25 years) of both sexes (68.7% females). Fieldwork was conducted on the campuses of the University of Delhi, Delhi, and Amity University, Noida, India. ACEs, depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being were screened using the Adverse Childhood Experiences International Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, and WHO-5 Well-Being Index, respectively., Results: Exposure to ACEs was found to increase the odds of moderate/severe depression, moderate/severe anxiety, and high stress and decreased the odds of good well-being in a dose-response manner. Being bullied, followed by emotional abuse, was associated with the highest odds of current moderate/severe depression, moderate/severe anxiety, and high stress and the lowest odds of good well-being. Further, while several domains of household dysfunction showed poor association with studied mental health outcomes, domains of abuse and violence were more consistently associated., Conclusions: The present study revealed the detrimental impact of ACEs on mental health outcomes among young adults of Delhi-NCR, India, and underscored the relevance of ACEs in the Indian context. Considering the lack of trauma awareness in Indian societies, there is an urgent need to create widespread awareness regarding ACEs and associated health implications., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is a prevalent issue in India, contributing to suboptimal seizure control, higher morbidity and mortality, increased hospitalization rates, and a substantial effect on the overall quality of life for individuals with epilepsy., Objectives: This study aimed to measure the prevalence of medication adherence among individuals with epilepsy in India and to identify factors associated with nonadherence., Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar for studies on AED adherence in India. Quality assessment employed Newcastle Ottawa Scale adapted for cross-sectional studies. Pooled prevalence was ascertained using a random-effects model in R software (version 4.2.2), with a 95% confidence interval. Heterogeneity was estimated with the I 2 statistic, and publication bias was appraised via a funnel plot. Subgroup analyses, based on study region and adherence measurement tool, were done to investigate heterogeneity., Results: Nine cross-sectional studies with 1772 participants were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of adherence to AEDs in India stood at 49.9% (95% CI: 39.8%-60.1%). Subgroup analyses showed comparable adherence rates in the South (50.9%) and North (46.5%) regions of India. However, adherence rates varied substantially based on the measurement tool: Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-4 (MMAS-4) reported 71.3%, MMAS-8 indicated 45.9%, and Morisky Green Levine (MGL) adherence scale exhibited 42.0%. Factors contributing to non-adherence to antiepileptic therapies involved poor socioeconomic status, lower education levels, polytherapy, drug-related side effects, and substance abuse., Conclusions: Almost half of persons with epilepsy in India were non-adherent to their AEDs. This underscores the importance for healthcare professionals to pay greater attention to improving the adherence rate to AEDs within the healthcare service., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Self-medication practice among pregnant women is a global concern. However, its understanding in the Indian context is limited due to a lack of comprehensive studies., Purpose: This study aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence of self-medication, the medications used for self-medication, diseases/conditions associated with self-medication, and the reasons for self-medication among Indian pregnant women., Methods: This study was carried out following the guidelines outlined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A thorough search was done in PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar to find articles that were published up until May 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised observational studies reporting self-medication prevalence among pregnant women in India. Data were extracted using a standardized sheet, and a random-effects model was applied to determine the overall prevalence of self-medication using R software. The I 2 statistic was employed to assess the heterogeneity among the studies., Results: This study analyzed eight studies with a collective sample size of 2208 pregnant women. The pooled prevalence of self-medication among pregnant Indian women was 19.3% (95% CI: 7.5%-41.3%; I 2  = 99%; p < 0.01). Common self-treated conditions were cold, cough, fever, headache, and stomach disorders. Antipyretics, analgesics, antihistamines, and antacids were frequently used for self-medication. The perception of mild ailment, immediate alleviation, convenience, time savings, and advice from family, friends, or the media were all reasons for self-medication. Local pharmacies were the most usual source for obtaining drugs, and pharmacists, family, friends, and past prescriptions were common sources of medicine information., Conclusions: A low yet substantial number of pregnant women in India are engaged in self-medication practices. Appropriate strategies need to be planned to reduce self-medication practices to attain sustainable developmental goals for maternal health in India., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Despite indications of a rapid increase in the number of hysterectomies performed in India, very few studies have methodically investigated the rate and determinants of the incidence of hysterectomy. The present study aims to estimate the rate of incidence of hysterectomy and identify predictors/determinants of incident hysterectomy in a cohort of North Indian women., Methods: In the present study, a cohort of 1,009 ever-married North Indian women (aged 30-75 years) was followed up after a median of 8.11 years. Those hysterectomized at the baseline (63) were excluded; and of the rest 946 participants, 702 (74.2%) could be successfully followed-up. During the baseline assessment, data about sociodemographic variables, reproductive history, menopausal status, physiological health, and selected blood biochemicals were collected. During the end-line assessment, data about sociodemographic variables, current menopausal status, and incident hysterectomy were recorded., Results: The overall rate of incidence of hysterectomy was found to be 11.59 per 1,000 women-years, in the study population. Interestingly, the incidence rates were found to be similar among pre- and post-menopausal women. Further, while late age at menarche was found to be negatively associated with incident hysterectomy, folate repletion and high triglyceride (TG) at the baseline were found to be positively associated., Conclusions: High rate of incident hysterectomy in the studied population points toward the huge burden of gynecological morbidity and the unavailability of non-invasive protocols. Such a situation warrants immediate policy intervention. Further, maintaining TG and folate within normal physiological ranges may be beneficial in gynecological ailments necessitating hysterectomy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rajkumari, Chaudhary, Kasaudhan and Saraswathy.)

Amid ongoing devastation due to Serve-Acute-Respiratory-Coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV-2), the global spatial and temporal variation in the pandemic spread has strongly anticipated the requirement of designing area-specific preventive strategies based on geographic and meteorological state-of-affairs. Epidemiological and regression models have strongly projected particulate matter (PM) as leading environmental-risk factor for the COVID-19 outbreak. Understanding the role of secondary environmental-factors like ammonia (NH 3 ) and relative humidity (RH), latency of missing data structuring, monotonous correlation remains obstacles to scheme conclusive outcomes. We mapped hotspots of airborne PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NH 3 , and RH concentrations, and COVID-19 cases and mortalities for January, 2021-July,2021 from combined data of 17 ground-monitoring stations across Delhi. Spearmen and Pearson coefficient correlation show strong association (p-value < 0.001) of COVID-19 cases and mortalities with PM 2.5 (r > 0.60) and PM 10 (r > 0.40), respectively. Interestingly, the COVID-19 spread shows significant dependence on RH (r > 0.5) and NH 3 (r = 0.4), anticipating their potential role in SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. We found systematic lockdown as a successful measure in combatting SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. These outcomes strongly demonstrate regional and temporal differences in COVID-19 severity with environmental-risk factors. The study lays the groundwork for designing and implementing regulatory strategies, and proper urban and transportation planning based on area-specific environmental conditions to control future infectious public health emergencies., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The silent epidemic of micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) continues to be a major public health challenge in the developing world, including India. The prevalence of iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin A and folate deficiencies is alarmingly high worldwide. India is additionally facing a high prevalence of vitamin D and B12 deficiencies. To combat the hidden epidemic of MNDs, various governments around the world have mostly relied on supplementation or fortification-based interventions. India launched salt iodization programme in 1962 and vitamin A and iron-folate supplementation programmes in 1970. Yet, even after decades of these programmes, MNDs are still widespread in the country. Due to slow progress in alleviating the burden of most MNDs, the Government of India aims to scale up fortification-based intervention programmes. However, there are safety and effectiveness concerns with such approaches. Hence, overdependence on supplementation and fortification alone may be counterproductive. Instead, food based dietary diversification approach can be the way forward. In this article, we list the common MNDs in India, evaluate major policy interventions, discuss concerns pertaining to fortification and suggest the need for a concurrent food-based approach, in particular dietary diversification, as a long-term and sustainable strategy to address population-based MNDs.

Objective: To study the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown on the incidence, associated causes, and modifiable factors of stillbirth., Methods: An analytical case-control study was performed comparing stillbirths from March to September 2020 (cases) and March to September 2019 (controls) in a tertiary care center in India. Modifiable factors were observed as level-I, level-II, and level-III delays., Results: A significant difference in the rate of stillbirths was found among cases (37.4/1000) and controls (29.9/1000) (P = 0.045). Abruption in normotensive women was significantly higher in cases compared to controls (P = 0.03). Modifiable factors or preventable causes were noted in 76.1% of cases and 59.6% of controls; the difference was highly significant (P < 0.001, relative risk [RR] 1.8). Level-II delays or delays in reaching the hospital for delivery due to lack of transport were observed in 12.7% of cases compared to none in controls (P < 0.006, RR 47.7). Level-III delays or delays in providing care at the facility were observed in 31.3% of cases and 11.5% of controls (P < 0.001, RR 2.7)., Conclusion: Although there was no difference in causes of stillbirth between cases and controls, level-II and level-III delays were significantly impacted by the pandemic, leading to a higher rate of preventable stillbirths in pregnant women not infected with COVID-19., (© 2020 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Key Message: Pearl millet breeding programs can use this heterotic group information on seed and restorer parents to generate new series of pearl millet hybrids having higher yields than the existing hybrids. Five hundred and eighty hybrid parents, 320 R- and 260 B-lines, derived from 6 pearl millet breeding programs in India, genotyped following RAD-GBS (about 0.9 million SNPs) clustered into 12 R- and 7 B-line groups. With few exceptions, hybrid parents of all the breeding programs were found distributed across all the marker-based groups suggesting good diversity in these programs. Three hundred and twenty hybrids generated using 37 (22 R and 15 B) representative parents, evaluated for grain yield at four locations in India, showed significant differences in yield, heterosis, and combining ability. Across all the hybrids, mean mid- and better-parent heterosis for grain yield was 84.0% and 60.5%, respectively. Groups G12 B × G12 R and G10 B × G12 R had highest heterosis of about 10% over best check hybrid Pioneer 86M86. The parents involved in heterotic hybrids were mainly from the groups G4R, G10B, G12B, G12R, and G13B. Based on the heterotic performance and combining ability of groups, 2 B-line (HGB-1 and HGB-2) and 2 R-line (HGR-1 and HGR-2) heterotic groups were identified. Hybrids from HGB-1 × HGR-1 and HGB-2 × HGR-1 showed grain yield heterosis of 10.6 and 9.3%, respectively, over best hybrid check. Results indicated that parental groups can be formed first by molecular markers, which may not predict the best hybrid combination, but it can reveal a practical value of assigning existing and new hybrid pearl millet parental lines into heterotic groups to develop high-yielding hybrids from the different heterotic groups.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors completed the ICMJE Unified Competing Interest form (available upon request from the corresponding author), and declare no conflicts of interest.

Purpose: An update on opportunistic infections/co-infections (OIs/CIs) is essential to understand the success of highly active antiretroviral therapy offered by the government agencies in reducing AIDS-related OIs/CIs. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the frequency of OIs/CIs in HIV-positive individuals at a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai. Its' association with CD4 counts, anti-retroviral treatment and on HIV transmission was also determined., Materials and Methods: An observational study was designed to evaluate different OIs/CIs in individuals, who tested positive for HIV infection at the ICTC/Shakti Clinic of Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai. Data analysis was done with the use of SPSS software (version 19.0, SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). P value was considered significant if it is < 0.05., Results: Heterosexual contact was the major route of transmission among the enrolled 185 individuals. Ninety (48.06%) HIV-infected individuals were with OIs/CIs. Tuberculosis (TB) was the most common OI (68.8%). Other CIs noted were Herpes zoster, syphilis, hepatitis C and B, malaria, typhoid and dengue. The median CD4 count in HIV-positive individuals with TB was 337 ± 248 cells/μl, and 67.7% of individuals with OIs/CIs had low CD4 counts (<400 cells/μl). Individuals in 31-40 years of age group had significantly (P = 0.01) more OIs/CIs. More (53.7%) spouse/children of HIV-positive individuals without OIs/CIs were HIV-1 positive. Low proportions of individuals with or without OIs/CIs were on ART., Conclusion: Nearly half of HIV-infected individuals were with OIs/CIs. Initiation of free ART programme since 2004 possibly associated with the type and rate of OIs/CIs. Tuberculosis and multiple OIs/CIs were associated with low CD4 counts. Infection was high in 31-40 years age group. Most of the spouses of individuals without OIs/CIs were HIV positive, indirectly indicates lack of condom use or lack of awareness of condom use.

The deadly disease swine flu is, without a speck of doubt, causing a massive havoc among the common people of India and has created fear across the various strata of the society. The objective was to find out the awareness, perception, and myths of school going children of class 9 th to 12 th toward swine flu. The present cross-sectional study was carried out in two randomly selected (using random number table) senior secondary schools of Bareilly among 400 students of class 9 th to 12 th . A total of 200 students were selected from each school. Chi-square test was applied for statistical analysis. Almost all the students (97.75%) have heard about of swine flu and are aware of it as a disease entity. Fever was found to be the main symptom while coughing and sneezing were main way of spread of swine flu known to them. About 97% of the students mention use of mask as most effective way to prevent them from swine flu. Knowledge of availability of medicine was present in less than half of the students. TV was found to be the main source from which they get knowledge (79%), and they are trying to get knowledge (53.2%) of swine flu. Among them, 74% students were taking precaution against swine flu.

The study was carried out to access the fluoride, boron, and nitrate concentrations in ground water samples of different villages in Indira Gandhi, Bhakra, and Gang canal catchment area of northwest Rajasthan, India. Rural population, in the study site, is using groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes, without any quality test of water. All water samples (including canal water) were contaminated with fluoride. Fluoride, boron, and nitrate were observed in the ranges of 0.50-8.50, 0.0-7.73, and 0.0-278.68 mg/l, respectively. Most of the water samples were in the categories of fluoride 1.50 mg/l, of boron 2.0-4.0 mg/l, and of nitrate < 45 mg/l. There was no industrial pollution in the study site; hence, availability of these compounds in groundwater was due to natural reasons and by the use of chemical fertilizers.

Randomly selected team members of 50% booths in urban areas of Surat, Valsad and Bharuch districts and 25% in tribal areas of Narmada and Dangs districts of South Gujarat region were Interviewed to evaluate the pulse polio immunisation coverage in urban and tribal areas of South Gujarat region. Evaluation of two consecutive rounds of pulse polio immunisation had shown that the booth coverage is about 90% and 80% in urban and tribal areas respectively. Television was the main source of information for pulse polio round in urban areas, while anganwadi workers were in tribal areas. During house to house activity, few unimmunised children were found. X to P conversion was found almost nil at the end of day in both the rounds. The present study shows the deficits in programme implementation even after many years of campaigning and provides extents to which strengthening Is needed especially in urban area.

Objective: Tuberculosis is a major public health problem in India. Haematological changes associated with tuberculosis have been incompletely investigated. To the best of our knowledge, there is no comprehensive study assessing the haematological abnormalities in these patients from the Indian subcontinent. In the present study, we have compared peripheral blood and bone marrow findings in patients with disseminated/miliary tuberculosis (DTB/MTB) as well as pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). An attempt has also been made to assess the effect of antituberculosis therapy on the haematologic abnormalities., Material and Methods: Thirty two patients with disseminated/miliary tuberculosis and 23 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were prospectively studied to determine the various haematological manifestations in tuberculosis and the effect of antituberculosis therapy. All patients received standard antituberculosis treatment. They were subjected to a detailed haemogram including peripheral blood examination, which was repeated on completion of antituberculosis therapy. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy was also done in all patients before starting antituberculosis treatment., Results: Normocytic normochromic anaemia was the most common abnormality observed in all the groups and subgroups (DTB/MTB 84%, PTB 86%). Other haematological abnormalities of the white blood cells include leucopenia (DTB/MTB 25%, PTB 0%; p < 0.02), neutropenia (DTB/MTB 22%, PTB 0%; p < 0.04), lymphocytopenia, monocytopenia, leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphocytosis and monocytosis. Pancytopenia was observed only in patients with disseminated/miliary tuberculosis (p < 0.05). Thrombocytopenia was more common in patients with disseminated/miliary tuberculosis (p < 0.007), whereas thrombocytosis was more common in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (p < 0.04). The patients of disseminated/miliary tuberculosis with granulomas in the bone marrow had certain significant differences as compared to patients without granulomas. These patients showed severe anaemia, peripheral monocytopenia and bone marrow histiomonocytosis. The haemogram reverted to normal with antituberculosis therapy in these patients., Conclusions: In view of the varied haematological abnormalities observed in patients with tuberculosis in this part of the world, it is concluded that the differential diagnosis of tuberculosis should be entertained in patients with varied haematological disorders.

A simple and efficient method for expression in Escherichia coli and purification of matrix protein, p17, of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) of both B- and C-subtypes is described. DNA sequences encoding p17 of B- and C-subtype were cloned from respective gag sequences. The gag sequences were obtained by PCR amplification using DNA extracted from peripheral blood lymphocytes of an HIV-1 infected patient from India. A T7-promoter-based expression system was optimized for expression of p17 in soluble form. p17 (B- and C-subtype) was purified to near homogeneity using conventional chromatographic techniques. Purification of p17 (C-subtype) is described for the first time with yield of 7.7 mg from a 1-liter culture. The yield of p17 (B-subtype) is 14.7 mg from a 1-liter culture, which is severalfold better than that reported earlier. N-terminal sequencing and CD spectra of the purified proteins, p17B and p17C, show that the proteins are properly processed and well-folded. The immunoreactivity of both types of p17 to sera from HIV-infected individuals is comparable., (Copyright 2001 Academic Press.)

A simple and efficient method for hyperexpression in Escherichia coli and purification of capsid protein, p24, of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) of both B- and C-subtypes is described. DNA-encoding p24 of C-subtype was cloned from C-subtype gag sequence which was obtained by PCR amplification using DNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear lymphocytes (PBMLs) of an HIV-1-infected patient from India. DNA-encoding p24B protein was amplified directly by two-step PCR using genomic DNA obtained from PBMLs of an HIV-infected individual. A T7 promoter-based expression system was optimized for hyperexpression of p24 in the soluble form. Both p24 (B- and C-subtype) were purified to near homogeneity using conventional chromatographic techniques. Purification of p24 (C subtype) was described for the first time with yield of 53 mg from 1 liter of culture. The yield of p24 (B-subtype) was 67 mg from 1 liter of culture, which was severalfold better than reported earlier. The immunoreactivity of both types of p24 to sera from HIV-infected individuals was comparable. This report describes a simple, highly efficient, and reproducible method for obtaining large quantities of highly pure p24 of both B- and C-subtype, which can be used for structural, biochemical, and immunological characterization and, eventually, for diagnostic and prognostic applications., (Copyright 2000 Academic Press.)

Thirty four of 10168 school going children were found to have rheumatic heart disease (RHD) in a school survey conducted in the rural areas of Churu district in Rajasthan. The prevalence rate was 3.34/1000. A high prevalence of RHD was found in 11 to 15 year age group. Maximum prevalence of RHD was in low socioeconomic group. Out of these thirty four cases of RHD, isolated mitral stenosis was present in sixteen, isolated mitral regurgitation in four, combined mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation in ten patients.

The prevalence of hypertension was studied in a rural community of western Rajasthan comprising of 6840 subjects in the age range of 21-70 years. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 3.8 percent. It was 4.0 percent in males and 3.6 percent in females. The prevalence of hypertension increased with age in a linear fashion.