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Dual-phase xenon time projection chamber (TPC) detectors offer heightened sensitivities for dark matter detection across a spectrum of particle masses. To broaden their capability to low-mass dark matter interactions, we investigated the light and charge responses of liquid xenon (LXe) to sub-keV nuclear recoils. Using neutron events from a pulsed Adelphi Deuterium-Deuterium neutron generator, an in situ calibration was conducted on the LUX detector. We demonstrate direct measurements of light and charge yields down to 0.45 and 0.27 keV, respectively, both approaching single quanta production, the physical limit of LXe detectors. These results hold significant implications for the future of dual-phase xenon TPCs in detecting low-mass dark matter via nuclear recoils.

We hypothesized that a strategy employing tissue-specific endothelial cells (EC) might facilitate the identification of tissue- or organ-specific vascular functions of ubiquitous metabolites. An unbiased approach was employed to identify water-soluble small molecules with mitogenic activity on choroidal EC. We identified adenosine diphosphate (ADP) as a candidate, following biochemical purification from mouse EL4 lymphoma extracts. ADP stimulated the growth of bovine choroidal EC (BCEC) and other bovine or human eye-derived EC. ADP induced rapid phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase in a dose- and time-dependent manner. ADP-induced BCEC proliferation could be blocked by pretreatment with specific antagonists of the purinergic receptor P2Y1 but not with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor, indicating that the EC mitogenic effects of ADP are not mediated by stimulation of the VEGF pathway. Intravitreal administration of ADP expanded the neovascular area in a mouse model of choroidal neovascularization. Single-cell transcriptomics from human choroidal datasets show the expression of P2RY1, but not other ADP receptors, in EC with a pattern similar to VEGFR2. Although ADP has been reported to be a growth inhibitor for vascular EC, here we describe its growth-stimulating effects for BCEC and other eye-derived EC.

Author(s): Rajesh Krishna [1]; Manoj Jadhav (corresponding author) [2]; Rama Sivasubramanian [3]; Gangadhar Sunkara [4]; Vikram Gota [5]; Vis Niranjan [6]; Vipin Dhote [7]; Nidhi Sapkal [8]; Nirmala N Rege [...], The manuscript summarizes the outcomes of a one-day conference by the South Asian College of American College of Clinical Pharmacology (SAC-ACCP) in July 2023, at Bhopal. The theme of the conference was "Advancing pediatric drug development in South Asia." SAC-ACCP organized this event in Bhopal to foster the discipline of clinical pharmacology and to motivate researchers and physicians in the in the central part of India. The conference featured presentations on regional approaches to pediatric drug development in Asia by pediatric scientific experts from the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, as well as independent consultancies. The speakers highlighted several important aspects of the evolving regulatory landscape in India and proposed numerous actionable steps in acceleration of pediatric drug development. This commentary provides insights from presentations and the panel discussion at this conference and also makes an attempt to connect to similar discussions that occurred at the SAC-ACCP drug development conference in 2017. Keywords: Clinical pharmacology, drug development, essential medicines, India, innovation, pediatrics, South Asia

Background and aim: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has aggressive tumor growth and requires high radiation doses for effective tumor control. The purpose of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity profiles of accelerated fractionation radiotherapy with a concurrent boost to standard radiotherapy protocols in patients with inoperable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC).Material and methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Radiation Oncology Department, RIMS, among 118 patients of LA-NSCLC distributed in two study arms during the period November 2020 to October 2022. In Arms A (n=59), patients received conventional radiotherapy consisting of 60 Gy delivered in 30 fractions over six weeks. This regimen comprised 25 initial fractions of 2 Gy each, followed by a 5-fraction boost. Arm B (n=59) employed an accelerated fractionation schedule. Patients initially received 19 fractions of 2 Gy each. Subsequently, they underwent twice-daily irradiation: 2 Gy to the primary target volume in the morning, followed by a 1.5 Gy boost to a reduced field in the evening, with a minimum 6-hour interval resulting in a total dose of 59 Gy over 25 fractions in five weeks.Results: Patient demographics were well-matched. The response rate for Arm-A was 54.2%, and in Arm-B, it was 72.9% (P=0.035). Arm-B demonstrated a longer median progression-free survival of 11 months compared to Arm-A's 9 months. The cumulative radiation-induced toxicities between the two groups did not show any statistically significant differences.Conclusions: Accelerated fractionated radiotherapy has significant potential as a treatment option for patients with inoperable NSCLC.

Nationa Medical Commission (NMC) had recently undertook the revision of Undergraduate CBME curriculum. the Authors were involved in Psychiatry curriculum revision. In this paper, authors explain the process of revision, the rationale behind the changes made and make specific suggestions for the better implementation of the revised curriculum.

Abstract A growing concern is that as local newspapers disappear, communities lose trusted gatekeepers and develop information voids, creating openings for misinformation to thrive. Previous work has not evaluated whether residents of news deserts have developed different information acquisition habits. We fill this gap by directly comparing information consumption and referral patterns inside and outside of news deserts in a novel dataset of engagement with online media by millions of users on the Edge browser. We find little evidence that those in news deserts consume more low-quality sites or are more likely to be referred to low-quality sites from search engines or social media. We find some evidence that those in news deserts do consume more national news than locations with local media outlets. These results contribute to our understanding of how the loss of local newspapers has impacted online information acquisition.

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into agriculture is a pivotal solution to address the pressing challenges posed by rapid population growth and escalating food demand. Traditional farming methods, unable to cope with this surge, often resort to harmful pesticides, deteriorating soil health. However, the advent of AI promises a transformative shift toward sustainable agricultural practices. In the context of the United States, AI's historical trajectory within the agricultural sector showcases a remarkable evolution from rudimentary applications to sophisticated systems focused on optimizing production and quality. The future of American agriculture lies in AI-driven innovations, spanning various facets such as image sensing for yield mapping, labor management, yield optimization, and decision support for farmers. Despite its numerous advantages, the deployment of AI in agriculture does not come without challenges. This paper delved into both the benefits and drawbacks of AI adoption in the agricultural domain, examining its impact on the agro-industry and the environment. It scrutinized the emergence of robot farmers and AI's role in reshaping farming practices while acknowledging the inherent problems associated with AI implementation, including accessibility, data privacy, and potential job displacement. Moreover, the study explored how AI tools can catalyze the development of agribusiness, offering insights into overcoming existing challenges through innovative solutions. By comprehensively understanding the opportunities and obstacles entailed in AI integration, stakeholders can navigate the agricultural landscape adeptly, fostering a more sustainable and resilient food system for future generations.

Abstract Background Congenital shoulder dislocation due to shoulder girdle malformation is called true congenital shoulder dislocation. It is an extremely rare disorder as compared with traumatic dislocation or secondary to brachial plexus injury. Case presentation We report a case of atraumatic true congenital shoulder dislocation, one of the few reported cases across the world. The baby was born of a preterm caesarean section at 30 weeks of gestation, ruling out any perinatal trauma. The baby presented with a lateral shoulder crease and reduced movements of the affected upper limb. The diagnosis was confirmed with radiographs and a sonography that ruled out physeal injury. Treatment involved prompt closed reduction and stabilization by swathing in an adducted internally rotated position for two weeks. Conclusion Owing to the rarity of this condition, the case is being reported to be archived with a handful of other such cases.

Children with early childhood caries (ECC) may develop caries in their developing permanent teeth also. The etiology of ECC is multifactorial. Amongst the common risk factors, maternal risk factors have been studied a lot and are considered as the risk of developing ECC in primary dentition till 71 months of age. There are various maternal factors that can influence the occurrence of ECC in children, such as the educational level of the mother, socioeconomic status, occupation, mother’s inappropriate feeding practices, frequency of maternal sugar consumption, her oral hygiene practices, and her dental treatment-related experiences. Mothers whether working or homemaker, number of siblings at home, type of family also influence the dental care toward her child suffering with ECC. Factors with economic problems in the family leads to familial stress resulting in maternal psychological distress, which is accompanied by throwing temperaments on her child and can lead to dysfunctional parenting behaviors, which is responsible for having ECC in her child.

The present experiment was conducted during 2019–20 and 2020–21 at Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat to determine the quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars in terms of their biochemical compositions grown under different soil types. Different genotypes of tomatoes (DVRT-2, GT-2, GT-6, and GT-7) were grown in normal, saline, and organic soils for two consecutive years. Different biochemical and antioxidative enzymes were analyzed from the mature fruits at the harvesting stage. The saline grown DVRT-2 cultivar revealed highest total carbohydrate content (5.97%), total antioxidant activity by DPPH (57.13 µg/ml), vitamin C (17 mg/100 gm), lycopene (16.58 mg/100 gm), antioxidant enzymes like ascorbate peroxidase (170.93 U/mg protein), catalase (9.11 U/mg protein), peroxidase (66.91 U/mg protein), superoxide dismutase (86.74 U/mg protein). Saline-grown GT-6 and DVRT-2 both had the highest phenyl alanine ammonia lyase activity (8.09 m molcinnamic ac. /g/mg). Conventional soil-grown DVRT-2, had the highest ash content (19.31%) and fat content (0.087%), total protein (0.86%). Therefore, among the cultivars, DVRT-2 was found to be a saline-resistant genotype. PCA analysis revealed a total of eight different principal components while 70% of the variance was explained by the first three PCs. In terms of nutritional content, organic soil was determined to be superior to normal soil, followed by saline cultivation. Mild stress is the cause of the qualitative enhancement in the fruits grown in organic soil.

IntroductionComplex in vitro respiratory models, including air-liquid interface (ALI) transwell cultures and airway organoids, have emerged as promising tools for studying human respiratory virus infections. These models address several limitations of conventional two-dimensional cell line and animal models. However, the lack of standardized protocols for the application of these models in infection studies limits the possibilities for comparing results across different research groups. Therefore, we applied a collaborative approach to harmonize several aspects of experimental methodology between different research laboratories, aiming to assess the comparability of different models of human airway epithelium in the context of respiratory viral infections.MethodsIn this study, we compared three different models of human respiratory epithelium: a primary human bronchial epithelial cell-derived ALI transwell model, and two airway organoid models established from human airway- and lung-derived adult stem cells. We first assessed the presence of various differentiated cell types using immunofluorescence microscopy. Using a shared stock of influenza A virus, we then assessed viral growth kinetics, epithelial cytokine responses, and serum-mediated inhibition of infection.ResultsThe presence of club, goblet, and ciliated cells was confirmed in all models. We observed similar viral replication kinetics with a >4-log increase in virus titre across all models using a TCID50 assay. Following infection, a reproducible antiviral cytokine response, including a consistent increase in CXCL10, IL-6, IFN-λ1, IFN-λ2/3, and IFN-β, was detected across all models. Finally, neutralization was assessed by pre-incubation of virus with human serum. Reduced viral replication was observed across all models, resulting in a 3- to 6-log decrease in virus titres as quantified by TCID50.DiscussionIn conclusion, all three models produced consistent results regardless of the varying cell sources, culturing approaches, and infection methods. Our collaborative efforts to harmonize infection experiments and compare ALI transwell and airway organoid models described here aid in advancing our understanding and improving the standardization of these complex in vitro respiratory models for future studies.

Crop development relies on water availability, needs, and application, necessitating large irrigation projects to ensure sustainable and equitable agriculture in the long term. This study investigates water losses and gaps during paddy cultivation in India’s tropical semi-arid region, where agriculture is the primary economic driver for communities. Given the population’s heavy reliance on rice, paddy cultivation was closely examined to identify irrigation-related vulnerabilities. An optimal irrigation plan was developed based on the analysis of the current water supply scenario for four different paddy production situations: 1) Rainfed (10 ha), 2) Rain + Canal irrigated (2174 ha), 3) Rain + Borewell + Rivulet irrigated (165 ha), and 4) Rain + Canal + Borewell irrigated (243 ha). The dependable water availability from rains and canals was calculated at a 75 % probability of exceedance to formulate an optimal water supply for the crop. Under this plan, the required water depth is reduced from 32.9 mm to 7.4 mm, saving 0.6167 Mm3 of water. In areas with optimized canal supply, no borewell water is needed for the canal-irrigated land supported by borewells (243 ha).

Background: The long-term effects on neonates born of COVID-19-positive pregnancies are still unclear. Congenital gastrointestinal malformations (CGIMs) often require urgent surgical intervention and antibiotic coverage. We aim to compare the health status at one-year post-surgical follow-up of cases of CGIM born of COVID-19-positive pregnancies to those of non-COVID-19 pregnancies. Methods: We conducted a comparative, observational study of 41 patients who underwent surgery at our hospital for congenital gastrointestinal malformations in 2022. They were initially treated with antibiotics and parenteral nutrition, which was later replaced with enteral nutrition gradually after the surgery. We then analyzed the data related to their growth and development during their 12-month follow-up visit at our outpatient clinic. We classified the children born of COVID-19-positive mothers as Group 1 (n = 14) and those born of mothers without COVID-19 symptoms or with unconfirmed status as Group 2 (n = 33). Results: Forty-one patients showed up for a one-year follow-up (between 11 and 13 months of life). Hence, the final Group 1 comprised 12 and Group 2 comprised 29 children. The patients were categorized based on their anatomical location. Of the cohort, 56.09% were preemies, and 43.91% were full-term newborns. We used seven parameters to evaluate both groups based on growth and developmental milestones: verbal skills, cognitive development, weight gain, height achieved, fine motor movements, gross motor movements, and social/emotional behavior. Group 1 children showed a significant decrease in height and weight compared to Group 2 children. In Group 1, 83.33% of patients were prescribed antibiotics, while only 10.34% in Group 2 were in the same situation. There were no cases of malabsorption syndrome in Group 2, but 16.66% of patients in Group 1 had it, with patients being operated on for duodenal malformations. None of the infants had necrotizing enterocolitis, post-surgical complications, or sepsis. All the children received antibiotics to prevent infection before and after surgery. No mortality was noted. Conclusions: In our one-year follow-up study, it was seen that even after surgical correction of congenital gastrointestinal malformations, children born of COVID-19-positive pregnancies can suffer serious growth and developmental delays, and gastrointestinal health issues might be more common. Since the long-term effects of COVID-19-positive pregnancies are not yet clear, larger cohort-based studies are required in this domain. Antibiotics destroy gut microbiota, especially in cases of gastrointestinal malformations and surgical resections. Growth and developmental milestones can not only be affected by CGIMs but also be further delayed by COVID-19 infections.

Bowel obstruction is known to be caused by intussusception, which is far more common in pediatric patients. The majority of people with adult intussusception require a predisposing cause, which might be a benign lesion, a malignant lesion, or an irregularity of the intestinal wall such as inflammatory bowel disease. Adult intussusception is a very rare condition. We present the case of a patient presenting with upper abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and weakness. The patient had ongoing mild intermittent abdominal pain for months which was investigated with an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy that showed gastritis. There were features of peritonism on clinical examination and this was associated with raised inflammatory markers. A contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scan showed a long-segment telescoping of the ileum into the cecum with ascending colon with proximal bowel distension suggesting bowel obstruction: Ileocolic intussusception. The patient underwent emergency surgical resection with a double-barrel stoma. Histopathology assessment did not identify a causative factor for the intussusception. An uncommon instance of adult idiopathic enteroenteric intussusception is presented here. The diagnosis can be established with the use of the clinical history of chronic intermittent abdominal pain, entire abdomen ultrasonography, and abdomen MDCT. In patients who are unstable and exhibit indications of peritonitis, surgery remains the only choice, even though a more cautious strategy is outlined in the literature. Adult intussusception is a rare and challenging diagnosis to make. Individuals suffering from intussusception may experience prolonged bouts of sporadic abdominal pain that intensify suddenly as a result of acute obstruction. The most helpful investigative technique for confirming the intussusception diagnosis is CT.