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IntroductionEndocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as benzene phenolic derivatives being hydrophobic partition to organic matter in sludge/soil sediments and show slow degradation rate owing to poor bioavailability to microbes.MethodsIn the present study, the potential of a versatile white rot fungal isolate S5 identified as Hypocrea lixii was monitored to degrade bisphenol A (BPA)/triclosan (TCS) under shake flask conditions with concomitant production of lipopeptide biosurfactant (BS) and plant growth promotion.ResultsSufficient growth of WRF for 5 days before supplementation of 50 ppm EDC (BPA/TCS) in set B showed an increase in degradation rates by 23% and 29% with corresponding increase in secretion of lignin-modifying enzymes compared to set A wherein almost 84% and 97% inhibition in fungal growth was observed when BPA/TCS were added at time of fungal inoculation. Further in set B, EDC concentration stimulated expression of laccase and lignin peroxidase (Lip) with 24.44 U/L of laccase and 281.69 U/L of Lip in 100 ppm BPA and 344 U/L Lip in 50 ppm TCS supplemented medium compared to their respective controls (without EDC). Biodegradation was also found to be correlated with lowering of surface tension from 57.02 mN/m (uninoculated control) to 44.16 mN/m in case of BPA and 38.49 mN/m in TCS, indicative of biosurfactant (BS) production. FTIR, GC-MS, and LC-ESI/MSMS confirmed the presence of surfactin lipopeptide isoforms. The WRF also displayed positive plant growth promoting traits as production of ammonia, indole acetic acid, siderophores, Zn solubilization, and 1-1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity, reflecting its soil restoration ability.DiscussionThe combined traits of biosurfactant production, EDC degradation and plant growth promotion displayed by WRF will help in emulsifying the hydrophobic pollutants favoring their fast degradation along with restoration of contaminated soil in natural conditions.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant emerged in early November 2021 and its rapid spread created fear worldwide. This was attributed to its increased infectivity and escaping immune mechanisms. The spike protein of Omicron has more mutations (>30) than any other previous variants and was declared as the variant of concern (VOC) by the WHO. The concern among the scientific community was huge about this variant, and a piece of updated information on circulating viral strains is important in order to better understand the epidemiology, virus pathogenicity, transmission, therapeutic interventions, and vaccine development. A total of 710 samples were processed for sequencing and identification up to a resolution of sub-lineage. The sequence analysis revealed Omicron variant with distribution as follows: B.1.1, B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.10, BA.2.10.1, BA.2.23, BA.2.37, BA.2.38, BA.2.43, BA.2.74, BA.2.75, BA.2.76, and BA.4 sub-lineages. There is a shift noted in circulating lineage from BA.1 to BA.2 to BA.4 over a period from January to September 2022. Multiple signature mutations were identified in S protein T376A, D405N, and R408S mutations, which were new and common to all BA.2 variants. Additionally, R346T was seen in emerging BA.2.74 and BA.2.76 variants. The emerging BA.4 retained the common T376A, D405N, and R408S mutations of BA.2 along with a new mutation F486V. The samples sequenced were from different districts of Madhya Pradesh and showed a predominance of BA.2 and its variants circulating in this region. The current study identified circulation of BA.1 and BA.1.1 variants during initial phase. The predominant Delta strain of the second wave has been replaced by the Omicron variant in this region over a period of time. This study successfully deciphers the dynamics of the emergence and replacement of various sub-lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in central India on real real-time basis.

The review of the literature demonstrated that the diverse properties of the organotin (IV) attributed to the various moieties contained inside the molecule account for the functions and utility of the organotin (IV) complexes. Furthermore, the capacity of organometallic compounds to stabilise complexes with unique stereochemistry is well documented. Due to their robust coordination chemistry, consistency, and varied molecular structures, these complexes exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activity. This article provides an overview of complexes' arrangement and geometry, spectroscopic research, and physical, chemical, and biological properties. This review also focuses on recent developments in conventional chemistry, practical synthesis methods, and the diverse functions of organotin (IV) complexes. [ J Adv Biotechnol Exp Ther 2023; 6(2.000): 386-402]

This study was conducted to test the suitability of using nine types of millets namely finger millet, pearl millet, white and yellow sorghum, little millet, barnyard millet, proso millet, kodo millet, and browntop millet in seven popular Indian meal preparations based on sensory characteristics and nutrient value. The popular Indian meal preparations tested were boiled grain, dosa, idli, bisi belle bath, pulao, puttu, and pongal. In total, 53 variations in meal preparations were developed using the millets and seven polished white rice-based meal preparations were developed as control. The main findings indicated that meal preparation crafted from various millets garnered overall sensory scores closely resembling to those derived from polished white rice. Notably, little millet exhibited high scores in pongal and dosa, and achieved elevated overall sensory scores compared to meal preparation from polished white rice. Bisi belle bath made of barnyard millet scored higher in overall sensory score than polished white rice. Moreover, there was significant association between some types of millets’ overall sensory characteristics (p

Among recently prevalent tick-borne infections in India, Kyasanur Forest Virus Disease (KFD) is an important public health concern. During last decade the emergence of cases apart from endemic zone raised concern about case positivity. Early diagnosis is therefore very important in disease management and primary containment. This study, aimed to develop a simplified viral RNA extraction in combination to dry down format of novel isothermal assay for (Reverse Transcription- Polymerase Spiral reaction) specific and rapid identification of Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus targeting viral envelope gene. The one step method was optimized by magnetic bead based viral RNA extraction followed by isothermal RT-PSR assay in heat bath at 63⁰C for 60 minutes. Further, visual results interpretation was done by color change of Hydroxy Naphthol Blue dye. The detection limit of the assay was found 10 RNA copies/rxn with comparable to silica column based viral RNA combined real time qPCR. No cross reactivity was observed with other closely related flaviviruses. The assay was evaluated with clinical samples has shown >99% concordance between two methods. This is the first report of sample extraction coupled isothermal detection of KFD in a simplified manner without a need of any hi-end equipment. The assay developed here has potential to use as an alternate for field-based detection in resource limited settings for KFD.

Introduction: Cleft lip (CL) and/or cleft palate (CP) are the most common visible craniofacial anomalies throughout the world. CL and CP occur due to a failure of the skeletal components of the mid-face to fuse. The affected individual may have an isolated defect or a combination of both. These children can be undernourished due to feeding difficulties after birth. The growth problems of children with clefts have largely been attributed to inadequate nutrition. The aim of the study is to assess the anthropometric status and micronutrient deficiencies in children with cleft lip and palate. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 18 months duration conducted at SGT medical college, Gurugram, a tertiary care center in Haryana, India between June 2020 to December 2021 involving the assessment of patients with cleft lip and palate between the age of 3 months to 5 years of either gender who visited pediatric unit for complete evaluation before surgery. A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study and the following information was recorded: age, gender, hemoglobin, serum vitamin D3 level, serum ferritin, and serum vitamin B12 level. Results: A total of 100 patients were included in the study, of which, 53 (53%) were males and 47 (47%) were females. Anthropometrically, in our study, 83% of patients had moderate to severe wasting, according to WHO classification. Anemia was prevalent in 71.1% of cases in the current study. Vitamin D3 deficiency was seen in 88% of the study population, while 37% of cases had Vitamin B12 deficiency. The correlation between anthropometric assessment and nutritional deficiency suggested that children of cleft lip and palate with severe wasting had significant iron deficiency anemia as well as vitamin B12 deficiency. However, vitamin D deficiency was not statistically significant in severe wasting group. Conclusion: A large number of children with cleft lip and/or palate are not exclusively breastfed due to anatomical deficits. They need supplemental Iron and vitamin D to meet the demands. Macro and micronutrient deficiencies along with recurrent infections, lead to moderate to severe wasting and stunting in these children causing severe malnutrition with complications and failure to thrive.

Omphalomesenteric duct can result in various forms of anomalies due to the failure of its absorption. Various presentations can be in the form of patent vitelline duct, Meckel’s diverticulum, sinus tract, fibrous band, umbilical polyp prolapsing over the umbilicus or enteric fistula. It is important to diagnose these various anomalies in neonates with ultrasonography (USG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which are radiation free modalities. We present the case of a 20-day-old male baby who was having partial intestinal obstruction, umbilical discharge and slight herniated content from the umbilicus. The neonate underwent USG and MRI studies and was diagnosed with prolapsed vitellointestinal duct. In general, diagnosis of patent prolapsed vitellointestinal duct is difficult on clinical examination on the first look. USG and MRI help in the confirmation of the diagnosis as the anatomical details are well delineated by these modalities and in addition to being radiation hazards-free. This helps in early management as these types of pathologies can lead to many fatal complications.

Abstract COVID-19 has emerged as global pandemic with largest damage to the public health, economy and human psyche.The genome sequence data obtained during the ongoing pandemic are valuable to understand the virus evolutionary patterns and spread across the globe. Increased availability of genome information of circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains in India will enable the scientific community to understand the emergence of new variants and their impact on human health. The first case of COVID-19 was detected in Chambal region of Madhya Pradesh state in mid of March 2020 followed by multiple introduction events and expansion of cases within next three months. More than 5000 COVID-19 suspected samples referred to Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh were analyzed during the nation -wide lockdown and unlock period. A total of 136 cases were found positive over a span of three months that included virus introduction to the region and its further spread. Whole genome sequences employing Oxford nanopore technology were generated for 26 SARS-CoV-2 circulating in 10 different districts in Madhya Pradesh state of India. This period witnessed index cases with multiple travel histories responsible for introduction of COVID-19 followed by remarkable expansion of virus. The genome wide substitutions including in important viral proteins were identified. The detailed phylogenetic analysis revealed the circulating SARS-CoV-2 clustered in multiple clades including A2a, A4 and B. The cluster-wise segregation was observed, suggesting multiple introduction links and subsequent evolution of virus in the region. This is the first comprehensive whole genome sequence analysis from central India, which revealed the emergence and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during thenation-wide lockdown and unlock.

In bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), kernel parameters are significant grain quality characteristics that affect yield and milling quality as well as market price. Utilization of synthetic hexaploid donor to harness the diverse alleles for broadening the genetic base is a novel breeding strategy of the bread wheat breeding programs across the globe. An experiment was conducted during winter (rabi) season 2017–18 and 2018–19 at the research farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to evaluate 188 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) which were derived from HD 2932 (Indian bread wheat cultivar) and Synthetic 46 (Syn 46: Synthetic hexaploid donor) to identify the effect of the synthetic hexaploid donor on kernel parameters. Kernel parameters like kernel length (KL), kernel width (KW), kernel thickness (KT) and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were studied. Syn 46 had larger kernels and a high TKW with respect to HD 2932. Significant variation for all the traits was observed in the population with transgressive segregants. In this RILs population (188) KL ranged from 5.13–7.5 mm, KW ranged of 2.26–3.9 mm, KT ranged from 2.57–3.41 mm, and of TKW ranged from 25.2–53.17 g. Correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation of TKW with KL and KT. Potential RILs identified with desirable allelic combinations may be used for future breeding programs, and RILs with contrasting kernel parameters may be used to create nested RILs for further generation of variability.

The Gram stain classifies most bacteria into one of two groups, Gram-negative or Gram-positive, based on the composition of their cell walls [...]

Dengue fever is common in tropical countries like India. Typically, dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever is characterised by high grade fever with arthralgia, myalgia and headache. Leukopaenia, thrombocytopaenia, and fluid leak is the hallmark of dengue which normalises with recovery. However, it is very uncommon in these patients to progress to severe thrombocytosis. Authors hereby report an unusual case of dengue followed by severe reactive thrombocytosis. A 13-year-old male child was admitted with complaints of fever and headache for the past two days and vomiting for one day. There was right hypochondrium tenderness. Investigations revealed leucopaenia (total leucocyte count was 3500/μL), platelets count was 150×103/µL, haematocrit was 34.5%, and dengue virus antigen detection (NS1) was positive. Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was negative. The patient was managed conservatively with intravenous fluid ringer lactate, acetaminophen, antiemetics and antacids. After 72 hours of discharge, patient came back with thrombocytosis. He was medicated on aspirin and the platelet count was monitored on a daily basis. The platelet count kept on increasing, and on 4th day it reached 1350×103/µL, but declined to normal (450×103/µL) over the next 10 days. Hence, aspirin was stopped. The patient was later discharged, and on follow-up the blood counts were normal.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an important tick borne zoonotic viral disease of humans. CCHF virus causes sporadic cases of severe illness across a huge geographic area across Africa to Europe to Asia including India. CCHF has emerged as a major public health concern in western Indian states including Gujarat and Rajasthan, where regular human cases were reported since the year 2011. Human serve as the dead-end host, and they gain infection via infected tick bite, in close contact with ruminants and from slaughter house. Currently, the detection of this fatal infection is limited to BSL-4 laboratory which is scarce even in developed economies. Thus, a safe, sensitive assay for early immunodiagnosis is crucial for disease management and containing the outbreak. In this study, the conserved recombinant nucleoprotein was exploited as a safe, scalable alternate antigen for development of indirect IgM and IgG ELISA detection platform. The indirect ELISA was evaluated using suspected clinical samples collected from hotspot areas in India. Comparison with reference MAC ELISA and IgG ELISA revealed a correlation of 95% and 100% respectively. The results indicate that the developed IgM and IgG indirect ELISA has high sensitivity and specificity for detecting CCHFV antibodies among human. These assays are easy to perform and can be employed for high throughput screening of human samples for clinical diagnosis as well as serosurveillance. These assays are also amenable for conversion to low-cost point of care testing formats for application in resource limited settings.

PURPOSE Currently available human papillomavirus (HPV) detection devices are expensive, requiring a continuous power supply, high-priced reagents, skilled laboratory personnel, and infrastructure. These make it difficult to implement primary HPV screening in high-risk (HR) populations, particularly in low-income settings such as in India. The objective of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a point-of-care, portable, battery-operated device called Truenat, which detects 4 HR HPV genotypes (16, 18, 31, and 45), as a potentially cost-effective alternative to conventional HPV diagnostic tests. PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a single-site, blinded, cross-sectional study that evaluated the performance of the Trunat HPV-HR using cervical samples collected from nonpregnant women > 30 years old via consecutive sampling. The comparison was conducted against the Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) method. All the positive samples were validated by 14 Real-TM Quant Kit. RESULTS Of 615 cervical samples, the HR-HPV DNA test was positive in 78 women (12.7%) by HC2 and in 49 (8%) by Truenat. With the consideration of limited genotype inclusivity, the sensitivity and specificity of Truenat HPV-HR were 97.7% and 98.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION The performance of Truenat HPV-HR test was comparable to that of HC2 in the 4 HPV genotypes and would be appropriate to consider for use in primary HR cervical cancer screening and particularly in low-income settings.

Background: Areca nut (AN), the principal ingredient of betel quid (BQ) has been categorized as a human carcinogen associated with various cancers of upper aerodigestive tract. However, there has been no attempt at summarizing the risk reversal of oral and other cancers after cessation of BQ with or without tobacco (BQ+T/BQ-T). Objective: To analyze the effect of cessation of betel quid without tobacco (BQ-T) and with tobacco (BQ+T) on reversal of the risk of oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted for publications evaluating risk of these three cancers among current and former users of BQ-T or BQ+T. The overall as well as subgroup meta-relative risks (meta-RR) were estimated using random-effect models. Results: A total of 14 studies, seven each providing estimates for BQ-T and BQ+T, were identified. For BQ-T and oral cancer, a 28.9% risk reversal was observed among former users (meta-RR 5.61, 95% CI 2.24–14.04) compared to current users (meta-RR 7.89, 95% CI 3.90–15.98). A risk reversal of 48% was noted for pharyngeal cancer – former users (meta-RR 2.50, 95% CI 1.43–4.38), current users (meta-RR 4.81, 95% CI 2.05–11.30). For oesophageal cancer, no appreciable difference in risk was observed between current and former users. For BQ+T and oral cancer the overall meta-RR indicated a higher risk in former than in current users. However, sensitivity analysis including only better-quality studies showed a modestly lower cancer risk in former than in current users. Compared to current users, the risk in former users who quit less than 10 years ago (meta-RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.90–1.63) was increased, but decreased in former users who quit more than 10 years ago (meta-RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.48–1.07). Conclusion: Our analysis highlights for the first time the potential of risk reversal for oral and pharyngeal cancers following cessation of BQ-T and for oral cancer in long-term quitters (greater than 10 years) of BQ+T. The suggestive evidence from this systematic review further supports the imperative need of a strong policy to reduce the initiation of BQ use and inclusion of interventions for BQ cessation in cancer control efforts especially in geographic regions where BQ chewing is prevalent.

Quercetin is one of the most powerful bioactive dietary flavonoids. The in vivo biological study of quercetin is extremely difficult due to its very low solubility. However, diorganotin complexes of quercetin are more useful when contrasted with quercetin due to increased solubility. In the present study, quercetin, substituted biguanide synthesized in the form of Schiff base and its di-alkyl/aryl tin (IV) complexes were obtained by condensing Schiff base with respective di-alkyl/aryl tin (IV) dichloride. Advanced analytical techniques were used for structural elucidation. The results of biological screening against Gram-positive/Gram-negative bacteria and fungi showed that these diorganotin (IV) derivatives act as potent antimicrobial agents. The in silico investigation with dihydropteroate (DHPS) disclosed a large ligand–receptor interaction and revealed a strong relationship between the natural exercises and computational molecular docking results.

Recently, KSiH3 system has emerged as potential hydrogen storage alloy system due to its appropriate thermodynamic parameters and almost double reversible gravimetric hydrogen content as compared to most of the BCC alloys. The hydrogenation enthalpy value of 28 kJ mol−1 H2 propose its operation at room temperature, however, it could be operated only above 100 °C with a hydrogen storage capacity of 4.3 wt% as evidenced from experiments, due to high activation energy. The present work is designed to reduce the activation energy and investigate the effect of Ti-based catalysts i.e. Ti, TiO, Ti2O3, TiO2, TiCl3, TiF4 and TiH2 on hydrogenation properties of KSiH3 system. The results suggested the superiority of TiO over other catalysts with the reduction of activation energy to 82 kJ/mol H2 from the 130 kJ/mol H2 for the 1 h milled sample without catalyst.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum are the causative agent of human and animal botulism, a rare but serious and potentially deadly intoxication. Foodborne botulism is caused by the consumption of foods containing BoNTs, which results from contamination of foods with C. botulinum spores and toxin production by the bacteria during growth within the food. Validation of the safety of food products is essential in preventing foodborne botulism, however, limited guidance and standards exist for the selection of strains used in C. botulinum food challenge studies. Sequencing and genomics studies have revealed that C. botulinum is a large, diverse, and polyphyletic species, with physiologic and growth characteristics studied only in a few representatives. Little is known about potential growth competition or effects on toxin production between C. botulinum strains. In this study, we investigated an applied cocktail of ten C. botulinum strains, seven Group I and three Group II. Whole genome SNP alignments revealed that this strain cocktail encompasses the major clades of the Group I and II C. botulinum species. While growth competition appears to exist between several of the strains, the cocktail as a whole resulted in high levels of BoNT production.

PURPOSE: Cervical cancer (CC) is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major contributing factor for the development of CC. The development of CC occurs progressively from precancer stages to cancerous stages (ie, invasive squamous cell carcinoma [ISCC] and adenocarcinoma [ADC]). ADC is a rare form of CC that develops from the mucinous endocervical epithelium. It is believed that the downstream targets of Notch signaling contribute to the etiology of CC. One such target is HES1, whose role in the modulation of ADC is unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of HES1 protein in HPV-associated ADC subtype of CC and also to compare its expression in histologic subtypes of precancer and ISCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 148 patients (30 with precancers, 98 with ISCC, and 20 with ADC) and 40 normal control participants were analyzed for the expression of HES1 via immunohistochemistry, with results validated by immunoblotting. RESULTS: The comparison between HPV-16 and HES1 expression was significant in precancer (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 1 to 3; P = .013), ISCC (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stages I to IV; P = .001), and ADC (P = .007). An overall significant mean difference was observed between HES1, JAG1, and Notch-3 proteins in precancer (P = .001), ISCC (P = .001), and ADC (P = .001). Pairwise comparisons between HES1 and JAG1 and HES1 and Notch-3 were also found to be significant. CONCLUSION: This study showed that among all HPV-16–positive precancers, the major HES1 positivity signal arises from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2 and 3 that develops into ISCC. Moreover, HPV-16–positive ADC also showed an association with HES1. The HES1, JAG1, and Notch-3 proteins showed their synergistic role in modulating HPV associated ADC along with histologic subtypes of precancer and ISCC of CC.

A study was conducted to identify the immunomodulatory effect of Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) in broiler chicken. A total of 240 birds were divided into 4 treatment groups with 4 replications in each group, each replication containing 15 birds. Treatments were comprised of no Nettle and Aloe vera (T0); Nettle 5% (T1), Aloe vera @5 ml/lit drinking water (T2) and Nettle 5% and Aloe vera @5 ml/lit drinking water (T3). The study was conducted under a randomized design. The immunomodulating effect was evaluated by measuring antibody titer against NDV vaccine; and by estimating the albumin, globulin and total protein upto 40 days of age. The effect on liver was estimated by measuring liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The hypoglycemic effect was estimated by measuring glucose level in the serum, and morphological changes in the spleen and bursa were estimated by measuring the ratio score of the respective organs to the body weight. Throughout the experiment, the value for HI titer, albumin, globulin, total protein, spleen weight ratio score, bursa weight ratio score, liver function test and blood glucose of all treatment group were non significant (p > 0.05) except for albumin on 10th day, globulin on 0th day, total protein on 0th day and ratio score of spleen were found to be significant (p ≤ 0.05) at 30 days in all treatment compared to control group. Histopathology of spleen and bursa appeared normal in all treatment and control groups. Result thus suggests that nettle and Aloe vera have non-significant immunomodulatory effects. Keywords: Immunomodulatory, Stinging nettle, Aloe vera, Broiler, Total protein

Continuing Medical Education (CME) is the educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. Typically, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD) includes all activities that doctors undertake, formally and informally, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in response to the needs of their patients. In other words, continuing professional development is any learning outside of undergraduate or postgraduate training or education that helps us maintain and improve our performance. CPD mainly encompasses self-directed and practice-based learning activities in addition to supervised education or training. CPD designates the period of education and training of doctors or health care providers commencing after completion of both basic and postgraduate medical education, thereafter extending throughout each one’s professional life. The value and importance of CME and CPD are self-evident to every doctors and health care providers. CME-CPD actually starts early on in our career but the actual importance of CME-CPD is most relevant after specialization which may be years long in a doctor’s life. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is the educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. Typically, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD) includes all activities that doctors undertake, formally and informally, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in response to the needs of their patients.1 In other words, continuing professional development is any learning outside of undergraduate or postgraduate training or education that helps us maintain and improve our performance. CPD mainly encompasses self-directed and practice-based learning activities in addition to supervised education or training. CPD designates the period of education and training of doctors or health care providers commencing after completion of both basic and postgraduate medical education, thereafter extending throughout each one’s professional life.2 The value and importance of CME and CPD are self-evident to every doctors and health care providers. CME-CPD actually starts early on in our career but the actual importance of CME-CPD is most relevant after specialization which may be years long in a doctor’s life. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is the educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. Typically, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD) includes all activities that doctors undertake, formally and informally, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in response to the needs of their patients.1 In other words, continuing professional development is any learning outside of undergraduate or postgraduate training or education that helps us maintain and improve our performance. CPD mainly encompasses self-directed and practice-based learning activities in addition to supervised education or training. CPD designates the period of education and training of doctors or health care providers commencing after completion of both basic and postgraduate medical education, thereafter extending throughout each one’s professional life.2 The value and importance of CME and CPD are self-evident to every doctors and health care providers. CME-CPD actually starts early on in our career but the actual importance of CME-CPD is most relevant after specialization which may be years long in a doctor’s life. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is the educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. Typically, Con - tinuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD) includes all activities that doctors undertake, formally and informal - ly, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in re - sponse to the needs of their patients. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is the educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. Typically, Con - tinuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD) includes all activities that doctors undertake, formally and informal - ly, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in re - sponse to the needs of their patients. Continuing Medical Education (CME) is the educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. Typically, Con - tinuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD) includes all activities that doctors undertake, formally and informal - ly, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in re - sponse to the needs of their patients.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne virus of public health importance. Currently, there is no FDA approved vaccine available against WNV infection in humans. Therefore, the early diagnosis of the WNV infection is important for epidemiologic control and timely clinical management in areas where multiple Flaviviruses are endemic. The present study aimed to develop reverse transcription polymerase spiral reaction (RT-PSR) assay that rapidly and accurately detects the envelope (env) gene of WNV. RT-PSR assay was optimized at 63°C for 60 min using real-time turbidimeter or visual detection by the addition of SYBR Green I dye. The standard curve for RT-PSR assay was generated using the 10-fold serial dilutions of in vitro transcribed WNV RNA. To determine the detection limit of RT-PSR assay, an amplified product of conventional RT-PCR was in vitro transcribed as per standard protocol. The detection limit of the newly developed RT-PSR assay was compared with that of conventional RT-PCR and CDC reported TaqMan real-time RT-PCR using a serial 10-fold dilution of IVT WNV RNA. The detection limit of RT-PSR was found to be 1 RNA copy, which is 100-fold higher than that of conventional RT-PCR (100 copies). This suggests that RT-PSR assay is a valuable diagnostic tool for rapid and real-time detection of WNV in acute-phase serum samples. The assay was validated with a panel of 107 WNV suspected human clinical samples with signs of acute posterior uveitis and onset of febrile illness. Out of 107 samples, 30 were found positive by RT-PSR assay. The specificities of the selected primer sets were established by the absence of cross-reactivity with other closely related members viruses of the Flaviviruses, Alphaviruses, and Morbilliviruses groups. No cross-reactivity was observed with other viruses. To best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the RT-PSR assay for the detection of RNA virus (WNV) in clinical samples. RT-PSR is a high throughput method and more than 30 reactions can be run at once in real-time turbidimeter. PSR assay has potential to be used for a rapid screening of large number of clinical samples in endemic areas during an outbreak.

The major demand of energy in today’s world is fulfilled by the fossil fuels which are not renewable in nature and can no longer be used once exhausted. In the beginning of the 21st century, the limitation of the fossil fuels, continually growing energy demand, and growing impact of green-house gas emissions on the environment were identified as the major challenges with current energy infrastructure all over the world. The energy obtained from fossil fuel is cheap due to its established infrastructure; however, these possess serious issues, as mentioned above, and cause bad environmental impact. Therefore, renewable energy resources are looked to as contenders which may fulfil most energy requirements. Among them, hydrogen is considered as the most environmentally friendly fuel. Hydrogen is clean, sustainable fuel and it has promise as a future energy carrier. It also has the ability to substitute the present energy infrastructure which is based on fossil fuel. This is seen and projected as a solution for the above-mentioned problems including rise in global temperature and environmental degradation. Environmental and economic aspects are the important factors to be considered to establish hydrogen infrastructure. This article describes the various aspects of hydrogen including production, storage, and applications with a focus on fuel cell based electric vehicles. Their environmental as well as economic aspects are also discussed herein.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a re-emerging zoonotic viral disease prevalent in many parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The causative agent, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever orthonairovirus (CCHFV), is transmitted through hard ticks. Tick vectors especially belonging to the Hyalomma species serve as the reservoir and amplifying host. The vertebrate animals including sheep, goat, and bovine act as a short-lasting bridge linking the virus and ticks. CCHFV causes fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans. Humans are usually infected with CCHFV either through the bite of infected ticks or by close contact with infected animals. Immunological assays, primarily enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using whole viral antigen, are widely used for serosurveillance in animals. However, the whole virus antigen poses a high biohazard risk and can only be produced in biosafety level 4 laboratories. The present study focuses on the development and evaluation of safe, sensitive, and specific IgG indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) using recombinant nucleoprotein (NP) of CCHF virus as an antigen. The codon-optimized NP gene sequence was synthesized, cloned, and expressed in pET28a+ vector. The recombinant NP was purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography and characterized through Western blot and MALDI-TOF/MS analysis. The characterized protein was used to develop an indirect IgG microplate ELISA using a panel of animal sera. The in-house ELISA was comparatively evaluated vis-à-vis a commercially available ELISA kit (Vector-Best, Russia) with 76 suspected samples that revealed a concordance of 90% with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.4 and 100%, respectively. The precision analysis revealed that the assay is robust and reproducible in different sets of conditions. Further, the assay was used for serosurveillance in ruminants from different regions of India that revealed 18% seropositivity in ruminants, indicating continued circulation of virus in the region. The findings suggest that the developed IgG iELISA employing recombinant NP is a safe and valuable tool for scalable high-throughput screening of CCHFV-specific antibodies in multiple species.

Whole genome sequencing can provide essential public health information. However, it is now known that widely used short-read methods have the potential to miss some randomly-distributed segments of genomes. This can prevent phages, plasmids, and virulence factors from being detected or properly identified. Here, we compared assemblies of three complete Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26:H11/H- genomes from two different sequence types (ST21 and 29), each acquired using the Nextera XT MiSeq, MinION nanopore-based sequencing, and Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) sequencing. Each closed genome consisted of a single chromosome, approximately 5.7 Mb for CFSAN027343, 5.6 Mb for CFSAN027346, and 5.4 MB for CFSAN027350. However, short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) using Nextera XT MiSeq failed to identify some virulence genes in plasmids and on the chromosome, both of which were detected using the long-read platforms. Results from long-read MinION and PacBio allowed us to identify differences in plasmid content: a single 88 kb plasmid in CFSAN027343; a 157kb plasmid in CFSAN027350; and two plasmids in CFSAN027346 (one 95 Kb, one 72 Kb). These data enabled rapid characterization of the virulome, detection of antimicrobial genes, and composition/location of Stx phages. Taken together, positive correlations between the two long-read methods for determining plasmids, virulome, antimicrobial resistance genes, and phage composition support MinION sequencing as one accurate and economical option for closing STEC genomes and identifying specific virulence markers.

Background and Objective: The osteoporosis is becoming public health problem in India and neighboring Asian countries. As the environmental risk factors for osteoporosis in women are similar in these countries, the study was planned to compare risk factors for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women in Asian countries. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature search was done in August 2015. The period included for this search was from January 2005 to December 2014. The search was done for India and neighboring countries. The final analysis was done on the studies from India, China, Korea, and Japan. The literature search was done in PubMed and Google Scholar using key words, “Osteoporosis” and “Menopause” and “Risk factor.” Results: The pooled prevalence for the osteoporosis in postmenopausal women is 41%, but in India alone, it is 53%. Various risk factors are studied in China as compared to other countries. Adequate calcium intake and various exercises were found to be useful modifiable factors. Other factors like age, height, and postmenopausal status cannot be modified. Conclusion: Adequate calcium and Vitamin D intake and combinations of various exercises can be considered as preventive measures for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

For more than a decade, the United States has performed environmental monitoring by collecting and analyzing air samples for a handful of biological threat agents (BTAs) in order to detect a possible biological attack. This effort has faced numerous technical challenges including timeliness, sampling efficiency, sensitivity, specificity, and robustness. The cost of city-wide environmental monitoring using conventional technology has also been a challenge. A large group of scientists with expertise in bioterrorism defense met to assess the objectives and current efficacy of environmental monitoring and to identify operational and technological changes that could enhance its efficacy and cost-effectiveness, thus enhancing its value. The highest priority operational change that was identified was to abandon the current concept of city-wide environmental monitoring because the operational costs were too high and its value was compromised by low detection sensitivity and other environmental factors. Instead, it was suggested that the focus should primarily be on indoor monitoring and secondarily on special-event monitoring because objectives are tractable and these operational settings are aligned with likelihood and risk assessments. The highest priority technological change identified was the development of a reagent-less, real-time sensor that can identify a potential airborne release and trigger secondary tests of greater sensitivity and specificity for occasional samples of interest. This technological change could be transformative with the potential to greatly reduce operational costs and thereby create the opportunity to expand the scope and effectiveness of environmental monitoring.

Botulism outbreak due to consumption of food contaminated with botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) is a public health emergency. The threat of bioterrorism through deliberate distribution in food sources and/or aerosolization of BoNTs raises global public health and security concerns due to the potential for high mortality and morbidity. Rapid and reliable detection methods are necessary to support clinical diagnosis and surveillance for identifying the source of contamination, performing epidemiological analysis of the outbreak, preventing and responding to botulism outbreaks. This review considers the applicability of various BoNT detection methods and examines their fitness-for-purpose in safeguarding the public health and security goals.

Nanotechnology is the creation, manipulation and use of materials at the nanometre size scale (1 to 100 nm). At this size scale there are significant differences in many material properties that are normally not seen in the same materials at larger scales. Although nanoscale materials can be produced using a variety of traditional physical and chemical processes, it is now possible to biologically synthesize materials via environment-friendly green chemistry based techniques. In recent years, the convergence between nanotechnology and biology has created the new field of nanobiotechnology that incorporates the use of biological entities such as actinomycetes algae, bacteria, fungi, viruses, yeasts, and plants in a number of biochemical and biophysical processes. The biological synthesis via nanobiotechnology processes have a significant potential to boost nanoparticles production without the use of harsh, toxic, and expensive chemicals commonly used in conventional physical and chemical processes. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of recent trends in synthesizing nanoparticles via biological entities and their potential applications.

Congenital syngnathia (CS), first reported by Burket in 1936, is a rare condition, with

Introduction: Dengue and chikungunya are Aedes mosquitoborne viral diseases of major public health concern in India. Recently, there is a gradual rise in number of dengue and chikungunya positive cases in various states of Northern India and a similar emergence and increase of dengue positive cases has been observed in Jammu since 2011. Among the mosquitoborne diseases dengue has become a regular seasonal disease while chikungunya has recently emerged in 2016 and Zika the third aedes borne viral infection is needed to be under surveillance under national guidelines. Aim: To report the emergence of chikungunya and analyse the status and pattern of dengue over a period of one year along with serosurveillance of Zika which was done under Central Government guidelines. Materials and Methods: A total of eight hundred eight (808) samples from patients suspected of dengue infection over a period of one year from January 2016 to December 2016 from all the districts of Jammu Province, were tested serologically at our tertiary care centre for dengue NS1 antigen and IgM anti - dengue antibodies. Besides three clinical suspects of chikungunya, 167 dengue (7 positive and 160 negative) sera were tested by National Institute of Virology (NIV) CHIK IgM Capture ELISA, as there is an overlap of clinical symptoms. For Zika testing, the stored negative samples of dengue and Chikungunya (215) were sent to NIV Pune. Results: Recurring dengue infection with periodic upsurge since last few years and emergence of chikungunya was reported in Jammu region. Of the 808 sera tested for dengue and 170 tested for chikungunya, 17.82% and 18.2% were positive respectively. The results for Zika testing were negative. The association of dengue on the basis of sex was found to be highly significant (p=0.009276). Conclusion: In the absence of specific treatment and vaccine for dengue and chikungunya fever, early diagnosis is important in the management of these infections. This also demands continuous seroepidemiological surveillance of the locally prevalent and emerging arthropod borne infections for timely formulation and implementation of effective arboviral control programme.

Falls is an important cause for mortality and morbidity in older adults. The fall risk assessment is an integral component of fall prevention in older adults. The international classification of function, disability and health (ICF) can be an ideal comprehensive model for fall risk assessment. There is lack of information relating ICF and fall risk assessment in community dwelling older adults. In this study we tried to assess the fall risk using different domains of ICF using various clinical tools. A total of 255 subjects were recruited through convenient sampling method from geriatric clinic (OPD) of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The study was single session cross-section design. The body mass index (BMI), grip strength, depression score (Geriatric depression scale:short form; GDS-S) and co morbidities were used to assess body function and structure domain, timed up and go (TUG), Berg balance scale (BBS) and elderly fall screening test (EFST) scores were used for activity domain, selfreported cause of fall, medications and uses of assistive device for environmental factors. Then the association of body function and structure, activity and environmental factors were determined with falls. There was an association of fall in analysis in subjects with no fall and one or more falls for, BMI, grip strength (kg), GDS-S score, no. of co morbidities, chronic pain, TUG, BBS, TUG (s), BBS, EFST, slip/trip, walking cane, hypoglycemic and antihypertensives medications (unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio).The diabetes, and hyper tension showed association for adjusted odds ratio only. In subjects with one fall and more than one fall, TUG, BBS, EFST, GDS-S score, NSAIDS and antidepressants use showed a significant association with fall (unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio). The ICF may be used in routine for fall risk assessment in community dwelling older adults.

Background & objectives: An alarming rate of deforestation has been reported from Sonitpur district of Assam, India therefore, a study was initiated during 2009 using remote sensing (RS) to assess deforested areas in the district and to study the impact on malaria vectors in order to formulate appropriate control strategy. Methods: RS imageries of 2000 and 2009 were used to assess deforested areas in the selected district. Entomological data were collected in four surveys during 2009-2011. The data were analyzed statistically using test of single proportions (χ 2 ) and pair-wise comparison. Vector incrimination was done using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and entomological inoculation rate (EIR) was calculated to estimate transmission intensity. Results: The deforested areas were identified in north-western parts of Sonitpur district falling in Dhekiajuli Primary Health Centre (PHC). The forest cover of the PHC decreased >50% during 2000-2009. Five species of anopheline vectors were collected. Anopheles minimus sensu lato (s.l.) was collected least abundantly while An. culicifacies s.l. prevailed most abundantly and significant difference was observed between proportions of the collected vector species. Pair-wise comparison between An. culicifacies s.l. and An. minimus s.l. was also found statistically significant indicating that An. culicifacies s.l. is establishing its population in deforested areas. An. culicifacies s.l. was found ELISA positive and EIR was measured as 4.8 during transmission season. Conclusion: An. culicifacies s.l. replaced An. minimus s.l., the vector of malaria in northeast India and was found ELISA positive, therefore could have possible role in malaria transmission in the deforested areas of the district.

Introduction:A casual relation has been thought to exist between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer. The present study was carried out to find correlation between H. pylori and gastric carcinogenesis. Methods: A case control study was performed in the department of endoscopy, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, between January 2008 and February 2009. All patients having carcinoma stomach on endoscopic evaluation later confirmed by histopathological examination were included. Total 50 healthy individuals, with no positive finding in endoscopy were included in control group. Results: Total 37 cases were analyzed. There were 23 (62.2%) males and 14 (37.8%) females. Majority were above 60 years (46%). Blood group A was commonest group found in patients with carcinoma stomach. Distal part, antrum, 20 (54%) was commonest location of tumor and Borrmann type three was commonest endoscopic type of tumor presentation. Majority of patients received triple therapy and H. pylori detection was low in those treated with triple therapy. Distal tumors were significantly associated with increased prevalence of H. pylori positivity. Total incidence of H. pylori in cases was 54% (20/37). In 15 (75%) cases, H. pylori could be detected by both ELISA and biopsy method. Incidence of H. pylori in controls was 64% (32/50). There was no statistically significant difference in H. pylori presence in cases and control. Conclusions: Our study couldn’t establish association between H. pylori and gastric cancer. More prospective trials can help find out correlation between combination of risk factors and gastric cancer. Keywords: helicobacter pylori; gastric cancer; risk factors.

Objective: To correlate the portal vein pulsatility pattern with severity of liver disease in patients with cirrhosis of liver and portal hypertension. Subjects and methods: Doppler signals from the main portal vein of 36 healthy adults and 52 cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension were studied. Severity of liver disease was graded using modified Child-Pugh classification. Pulsatility of portal flow was quantified using portal venous pulsatility index and complete spectral widening was defined as absence of window below the wave base. The Doppler findings were correlated between the study groups. Results: The mean pulsatility index value in control group was 0.37+0.10 and in cirrhotic patients was 0.17+0.03 (Child A- 0.21+0.02, Child B- 0.18+0.02, Child C- 0.14+0.03). The difference between control and cirrhosis group, as well as the difference within different Child classes were statistically significant (P

Objective : To evaluate the expression pattern of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in urinary bladder cancer and its association with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), epidermal growth factor (EGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and high risk human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18. Materials and Methods : Thirty cases of urothelial carcinoma were analyzed. EGFR, HER2, EGF, and IL-6 expressions in the tissue were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. For HPV, DNA from tissue samples was extracted and detection of HPV was done by PCR technique. Furthermore, evaluation of different intracellular molecules associated with EGFR signaling pathways was performed by the western blot method using lysates from various cells and tissues. Results : In this study, the frequencies of immunopositivity for EGFR, HER2, EGF, and IL-6 were 23%, 60%, 47%, and 80%, respectively. No cases were positive for HPV-18, whereas HPV-16 was detected in 10% cases. Overall, expression of EGFR did not show any statistically significant association with the studied parameters. However, among male patients, a significant association was found only between EGFR and HER2. Conclusions : Overexpression of EGFR and/or HER2, two important members of the same family of growth factor receptors, was observed in a considerable proportion of cases. Precise knowledge in this subject would be helpful to formulate a rational treatment strategy in patients with urinary bladder cancer.

A mathematical study on creeping flow of non-Newtonian fluids (power law model) through a nonuniform peristaltic channel, in which amplitude is varying across axial displacement, is presented, with slip effects included. The governing equations are simplified by employing the long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximations. The expressions for axial velocity, stream function, pressure gradient, and pressure difference are obtained. Computational and numerical results for velocity profile, pressure gradient, and trapping under the effects of slip parameter, fluid behavior index, angle between the walls, and wave number are discussed with the help of Mathematica graphs. The present model is applicable to study the behavior of intestinal flow (chyme movement from small intestine to large intestine). It is also relevant to simulations of biomimetic pumps conveying hazardous materials, polymers, and so forth.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) associated Head and Neck Cancers (HNCs) have generated significant amount of research interest in recent times. Due to high incidence of HNCs and lack of sufficient data on high-risk HPV (hr-HPV) infection from North -East region of India, this study was conceived to investigate hr-HPV infection, its types and its association with life style habits such as tobacco, alcohol consumption etc.A total of one hundred and six primary HNC tumor biopsy specimens were collected. These samples were analyzed for hr-HPV DNA (13 HPV types) using hybrid capture 2 (HC2) assay and genotyping was done by E6 nested multiplex PCR (NMPCR).The presence of hr-HPV was confirmed in 31.13% (n = 33) and 24.52% (n = 26) of the HNC patients by nested multiplex PCR (NMPCR) and HC2 assay respectively. Among hr-HPV positive cases, out of thirteen hr- HPV types analyzed, only two prevalent genotypes, HPV-16 (81.81%) followed by HPV-18 (18.18%) were found. Significant association was observed between hr-HPV infection with alcohol consumption (p

Introduction: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in Indian population with control approach of varied kind which the health system of the country needs to prioritize. The tobacco related cancer which account for major share of all the cancers could be largely controlled through primary prevention a strategy effective in terms of resources hence take priority in terms of cancer control activities. It would be worthwhile to study the cancer of sites and relative magnitude of the cancers which are tobacco related and are amenable for prevention. Materials and Methods: The age specific cancer incidence rates of cancer as available from the consolidated reports of the National Cancer Registry Program of Indian Council of Medical Research for the years 1990-96 an 2001-04 were utilized for computing proportion of tobacco related cancers which included population based cancer registries at Bangalore, Bhopal, Barshi a rural registry in Maharashtra, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. As defined cancer of the sites oral cavity, lip, tongue, oropharynx, hypopharnx, pharynx, oesophagus, larynx, lung, urinary bladder were considered as tobacco related cancers. The statistical evaluation of proportion of tobacco related cancers between two time periods under consideration was carried out by proportion test. Results: There was a significant decline of proportion of tobacco related cancers from 1990-96 to 2003 for all the registries except Bhopal where around 50% of the total cancers attributed to tobacco habits for the two time periods under consideration. The Barshi also reported a decline but was not statistically significant. In females the proportion of tobacco related cancers ranged between 17% in Bangalore 10% in Delhi for the two time periods under review. All the registries showed significant decline in proportion of tobacco related cancers for the periods under consideration, except Delhi and Bhopal, while rural registry at Barshi revealed an increase of 3.3 %. The gender difference of the proportion of tobacco related cancers ranges between 19.8% to 34% during the period 1990-96, while it was 18.5% to 35% for the period 2001-03. While examining the difference between gender gap between the two time periods, the results from Mumbai registry revealed significant decline.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has emerged as one of the most important arboviruses of public health significance in the past decade. The virus is mainly maintained through human-mosquito-human cycle. Other routes of transmission and the mechanism of maintenance of the virus in nature are not clearly known. Vertical transmission may be a mechanism of sustaining the virus during inter-epidemic periods. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine whether Aedes aegypti, a principal vector, is capable of vertically transmitting CHIKV or not. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Female Ae. aegypti were orally infected with a novel ECSA genotype of CHIKV in the 2nd gonotrophic cycle. On day 10 post infection, a non-infectious blood meal was provided to obtain another cycle of eggs. Larvae and adults developed from the eggs obtained following both infectious and non-infectious blood meal were tested for the presence of CHIKV specific RNA through real time RT-PCR. The results revealed that the larvae and adults developed from eggs derived from the infectious blood meal (2nd gonotrophic cycle) were negative for CHIKV RNA. However, the larvae and adults developed after subsequent non-infectious blood meal (3rd gonotrophic cycle) were positive with minimum filial infection rates of 28.2 (1∶35.5) and 20.2 (1∶49.5) respectively. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study is the first to confirm experimental vertical transmission of emerging novel ECSA genotype of CHIKV in Ae. aegypti from India, indicating the possibilities of occurrence of this phenomenon in nature. This evidence may have important consequence for survival of CHIKV during adverse climatic conditions and inter-epidemic periods.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) -associated cervical cancer is the second-most common cancer in women worldwide but it is the most frequent gynaecological cancer and cancer associated death in India women. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge about cervical cancer, HPV, HPV vaccine, HPV vaccine acceptance among school and undergraduates students and their parent's perception about acceptance of HPV vaccine in Northern part of India (Delhi and NCR regions).A qualitative questionnaire based survey among 2500 urban/rural students aged 12-22 years was conducted.Overall, a low frequency (15%) of HPV and cervical cancer awareness was observed in students and their parents. However, the awareness was much higher in females belonging to urban setup compared to boys with a perception that HPV causes cervical cancer in women only. Additionally, only (13%) participants who were aware of cervical cancer and HPV) were willing to accept HPV vaccination. Apparently, parents of female students were two times more willing to accept HPV vaccination for their ward than male students (p

Chikungunya (CHIK) fever is one of the most important arboviral infections of medical significance. The objective of the present study is to identify and characterize the etiology of a focal febrile arthritis outbreak from Gwalior, northern India, during October-November 2010. A detailed virological (isolation) and molecular (end-point RT-PCR, quantitative RT-PCR, and nucleotide sequencing) investigation of this outbreak was carried out by collecting and studying 52 clinical samples and 15 mosquito pools from the affected region. The investigation revealed the presence of CHIK viral RNA in 29% of clinical samples and 13% mosquito pool by RT-PCR. The quantification of CHIK viral RNA in samples varied from 102.50 to 106.67 copies/mL, as demonstrated through quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, six CHIK viruses were isolated from RT-PCR positive samples. The nucleotide sequences of partial E1 gene of five representative CHIK viruses were deciphered, which revealed that all the viral strains from this outbreak belong to the recently emerging ECS African genotype. Identification of Chikungunya virus ECSA African genotype as the etiology of the present outbreak confirms the continued circulation of the novel genotype, since 2006, in India. The identification of CHIK virus in Aedes aegypti also confirmed it as the major vector in northern India.

BACKGROUND: Influenza A virus is one of world's major uncontrolled pathogen, causing seasonal epidemic as well as global pandemic. This was evidenced by recent emergence and continued prevalent 2009 swine origin pandemic H1N1 Influenza A virus, provoking first true pandemic in the past 40 years. In the course of its evolution, the virus acquired many mutations and multiple unidentified molecular determinants are likely responsible for the ability of the 2009 H1N1 virus to cause increased disease severity in humans. Availability of limited data on complete genome hampers the continuous monitoring of this type of events. Outbreaks with considerable morbidity and mortality have been reported from all parts of the country. METHODS/RESULTS: Considering a large number of clinical cases of infection complete genome based sequence characterization of Indian H1N1pdm virus and their phylogenetic analysis with respect to circulating global viruses was undertaken, to reveal the phylodynamic pattern of H1N1pdm virus in India from 2009-2011. The Clade VII was observed as a major circulating clade in phylogenetic analysis. Selection pressure analysis revealed 18 positively selected sites in major surface proteins of H1N1pdm virus. CONCLUSIONS: This study clearly revealed that clade VII has been identified as recent circulating clade in India as well globally. Few clade VII specific well identified markers undergone positive selection during virus evolution. Continuous monitoring of the H1N1pdm virus is warranted to track of the virus evolution and further transmission. This study will serve as a baseline data for future surveillance and also for development of suitable therapeutics.

Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger L.), an economically important medicinal plant, has an endangered status in Himachal Pradesh (India) that needs appropriate conservation interventions. We have examined seed physiological aspects of H. niger from Lahaul (Himachal Pradesh, India), a cold desert region. The freshly harvested seeds exhibited complete dormancy. Gibberellic acid (GA3) and chilling treatment strongly promoted seed germination which was accompanied by increased α-amylase activity. KNO3, NaN3 and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, also promoted germination. During storage, the seeds retained high viability even after a storage of 72 months under ambient conditions. However, they remained dormant during the entire storage period. The responsiveness of seeds to GA3 and chilling treatment gradually declined with progression of storage period. Concomitantly, the triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction ability of seeds was lowered. The seed responsiveness to KNO3, NaN3 and SNP during storage increased until one year and decreased thereafter. With the progression of the storage period, seeds exhibited elevated lipid peroxidation and reduced catalase activity implying a role of oxidative stress in observed changes. The involvement of phenolics in seed dormancy of H. niger was not evident. The findings are of significance for conservation and cultivation of H. niger through seeds in the arid mountain region.