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Postpartum depression (PPD) has been widely studied, assessed, and promptly intervened in new mothers. However, paternal postpartum depression gained attention not long ago. Postpartum depression in men could present over one year following the birth of the child, frequently presenting with symptoms like irritability, low mood, sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, fatigue, and loss of interest in everyday activities; amongst other symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder which may hinder them from taking care of themselves and the baby. Paternal PPD significantly impacts partner relationships causing maternal PPD, poor infant bonding, and therefore, affecting overall child development. The following narrative review is based on a literature search of articles published on paternal postnatal depression. The primary emphasis of this review has been to provide an overview of the current comprehension of paternal postpartum depression regarding prevalence, global incidence, and risk factors and to explore potential diagnostic tools for assessment and interventional strategies to treat this condition. Interestingly, pandemic-related stressors have been positively attributed to an increase in PPD prevalence post-pandemic. While more research is being conducted on this subject, research on the measurement characteristics of the diagnostic tools is highly recommended to implement well-defined criteria for early diagnosis of paternal PPD. The significant adverse consequences of PPD for not just the new mother, but also the infants, necessitate proper and timely diagnosis of PPD. Despite its severity, there have been no specific treatment modalities., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Attia Hussein Mahmoud et al.)

E-cigarettes (ECs) deliver chemicals, including nicotine. They can cause respiratory distress, addiction, cardiovascular effects, and death. More research is needed, especially regarding their impact on the cardiovascular system (CVS) and during pregnancy. Our article aims to fill this gap by summarizing studies elaborating upon the current impact of ECs and the components thereof on the CVS. Acute respiratory distress outbreaks, nicotine addiction, CVS effects, and deaths have been occasionally reported within this cohort, although these events are not uncommon with neighboring age groups. Randomized control trials implying ECs have some contribution toward quitting smoking have been studied. To regulate EC distribution, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have created key checkpoints. Additionally, taxation, pricing, age restriction, and media campaigns could be modulated to significantly reduce illicit sales. Education to the users, distributors, and regulators about this product can also play an aiding role in promoting responsible EC use. Another strategy about licensing could be employed, which could incentivize genuine resellers. The effects on CVS and child-bearing by ECs are grim, which calls for strict regulation, awareness, and avoidance by the teetotaler public. They may help individuals stop smoking but not without harming themselves. Strict regulations are necessary to prevent non-judicious use of these devices., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Chaturvedi et al.)

The overuse of chemical-based agricultural inputs has led to the degradation of soil with associated adverse effects on soil attributes and microbial population. This scenario leads to poor soil health and is reportedly on the rise globally. Additionally, chemical fertilizers pose serious risks to the ecosystem and human health. In this study, foliar sprays of biostimulant (AgroGain/LBS6) prepared from the cultivated, tropical red seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii increased the phenotypic growth of Zea mays in terms of greater leaf area, total plant height, and shoot fresh and dry weights. In addition, LBS6 improved the accumulation of chlorophyll a and b, total carotenoids, total soluble sugars, amino acids, flavonoids, and phenolics in the treated plants. LBS6 applications also improved the total bacterial and fungal count in rhizospheric soil. The V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene from the soil metagenome was analyzed to study the abundance of bacterial communities which were increased in the rhizosphere of LBS6-treated plants. Treatments were found to enrich beneficial soil bacteria, i.e., Proteobacteria, especially the classes Alphaproteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, Verrucomicrobiota, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteriota and several other phyla related to plant growth promotion. A metagenomic study of those soil samples from LBS6-sprayed plants was correlated with functional potential of soil microbiota. Enrichment of metabolisms such as nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorous, plant defense, amino acid, co-factors, and vitamins was observed in soils grown with LBS6-sprayed plants. These results were further confirmed by a significant increase in the activity of soil enzymes such as urease, acid phosphatase, FDAse, dehydrogenase, catalase, and biological index of fertility in the rhizosphere of LBS6-treated corn plant. These findings conclude that the foliar application of LBS6 on Z. mays improves and recruits beneficial microbes and alters soil ecology in a sustainable manner., Competing Interests: PS, NN, SN, SK and SS are employed by Sea6 Energy Private Limited. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Nivetha, Shukla, Nori, Kumar and Suryanarayan.)

Nitrogen (N) is one of the critical elements required by plants and is therefore one of the important limiting factors for growth and yield. To increase agricultural productivity, farmers are using excessive N fertilizers to the soil, which poses a threat to the ecosystem, as most of the applied nitrogen fertilizer is not taken up by crops, and runoff to aquatic bodies and the environment causes eutrophication, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, we used LBS6, a Kappaphycus alvarezii -based biostimulant as a sustainable alternative to improve the growth of plants under different NO 3 - fertigation. A root drench treatment of 1 ml/L LBS6 significantly improved the growth of Pisum sativum plants grown under optimum and deficient N conditions. No significant difference was observed in the growth of LBS6-treated plants grown with excessive N. The application of LBS6 induced flowering under optimum and deficient N conditions. The total nitrogen, nitrate and ammonia contents of tissues were found to be higher in treated plants grown under N deficient conditions. The LBS6 treatments had significantly higher chlorophyll content in those plants grown under N-deficient conditions. The root drench application of LBS6 also regulated photosynthetic efficiency by modulating electron and proton transport-related processes of leaves in the light-adapted state. The rate of linear electron flux, proton conductivity and steady-state proton flux across the thylakoid membrane were found to be higher in LBS6-treated plants. Additionally, LBS6 also reduced nitrogen starvation-induced, reactive oxygen species accumulation by reduction in lipid peroxidation in treated plants. Gene expression analysis showed differential regulation of expression of those genes involved in N uptake, transport, assimilation, and remobilization in LBS6-treated plants. Taken together, LBS6 improved growth of those treated plants under optimum and nitrogen-limited condition by positively modulating their biochemical, molecular, and physiological processes., Competing Interests: PS, NN, SN, SK and SS are employed by Sea6 Energy Private Limited. The remaining author declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be constructed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Shukla, Nivetha, Nori, Kumar, Critchley and Suryanarayan.)

Importance: HCV genotype 3b is a difficult-to-treat subtype, associated with accelerated progression of liver disease and resistance to antivirals. Moreover, its prevalence has significantly increased among persons who inject drugs posing a serious risk of transmission in the general population. Thus, more genetic information and antiviral testing systems are required to develop novel therapeutic options for this genotype 3 subtype. We determined the complete genomic sequence and complexity of three genotype 3b isolates, which will be beneficial to study its biology and evolution. Furthermore, we developed a full-length in vivo infectious cDNA clone of genotype 3b and showed its robustness and genetic stability in human-liver chimeric mice. This is, to our knowledge the first reported infectious cDNA clone of HCV genotype 3b and will provide a valuable tool to evaluate antivirals and neutralizing antibodies in vivo , as well as in the development of infectious cell culture systems required for further research., Competing Interests: N.W. has been Clinical Investigator for Abbvie and MSD without relation to the present work. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Objectives: We studied the prevalence and prognostic significance of mismatch repair deficient (MMRD) and p53 aberrant ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCO) and their association with other prognostic and theranostic biomarkers (p16, HER2, PD-L1). We also aimed to identify morphologic features to serve as screening tools for immunohistochemical testing for these biomarkers., Methods: Tissue microarrays with 3-mm cores from 71 pure CCOs were immunostained with PMS2, MSH6, p53, p16, HER2, and PD-L1. Expression status was correlated with tumor recurrence/disease progression and survival. It was also correlated with morphologic features (tumor size, nuclear grade, tumor architecture, mitotic activity, presence of endometriosis, tumor budding, and tumor inflammation)., Results: p53 aberrant tumors were associated with shorter overall and recurrence-free survivals (P = .002 and P = .01, respectively). In multivariate analysis, p53 aberrant status and tumor stage were independently associated with recurrence/disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.31, P = .037 and HR = 1.465, P = .004, respectively). p53 aberrant status was associated with tumor budding (P = .037). MMRD, p16, HER2, and PD-L1 expression had no prognostic significance. HER2 and PD-L1 were expressed in 56% and 35% of tumors, respectively. MMRD was associated with tumor expression of PD-L1 (P > .05) but not with tumor inflammation., Conclusions: Aberrant p53 in CCO is infrequent but associated with poor prognosis independent of stage. Presence of tumor budding could be a screening tool for p53 testing. High prevalence of HER2 and PD-L1 expression indicates the eligibility of patients with CCO for ongoing clinical trials using these therapeutic targets., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pathology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Tumor budding, largely considered a manifestation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an established prognostic marker for several cancers. In a recent study, tumor budding was associated with poor clinical outcomes in early-stage ovarian clear cell carcinoma. Here, we evaluated the immune expression of 3 proteins shown to be associated with EMT (E-cadherin, β-catenin, and glypican-3) in 72 primary tumors of ovarian clear cell carcinoma with median follow-up of 39.47 mo. E-cadherin and β-catenin expression was further evaluated in tumor buds in 29 (40%) cases. In the tumor mass, diffuse membranous expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin was seen in 83% (60/72) and 81% (58/72) cases, respectively. Nuclear accumulation of E-cadherin was seen in 7 (10%) cases, while none of the cases showed nuclear β-catenin expression. Glypican-3 expression was diffuse in 33.3% (24/72), patchy in 29.2% (21/72), and absent in 37.5% (27/72) cases. Evaluation of tumor buds showed aberrant patterns of expression (complete loss/cytoplasmic accumulation/diminished, discontinuous incomplete membranous staining) of E-cadherin in 29/29 (100%) and of β-catenin in 26/29 (90%) cases. E-cadherin, β-catenin, and glypican-3 expression in the main tumor mass had no association with stage, lymph node status, recurrent/progressive disease, status at last follow-up, survival and histopathologic features ( P >0.05). Our finding of aberrant expression of both E-cadherin and β-catenin in tumor buds indicates involvement of Wnt signaling pathway/EMT in tumor budding and outlines its significance as a prognostic marker especially for early-stage ovarian clear cell carcinoma., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists.)

To investigate the prevalence and prognostic significance of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression and CD8 + tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in gynecologic carcinosarcoma, 81 cases (68 uterine, 12 ovarian, and 1 fallopian tube) were immunostained with PD-L1 and CD8 using tissue microarrays (3 mm core diameter) from intratumoral areas with the highest TILs. Tumor proportion score (TPS) ≥1% and combined positive score (CPS) ≥1 were considered positive for PD-L1. CD8 + TILs were counted in each core, and CD8 + TIL density (CD8TILD) was calculated. Cases were classified as CD8 Neg (<1.4/mm 2 CD8TILD), CD8 Pos (≥1.4/mm 2 CD8TILD) and CD8 HIGH (≥14/mm 2 CD8TILD) and grouped into 4 tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) groups: (1) PD-L-1 Pos /CD8 Pos , (2) PD-L1 Neg /CD8 Neg , (3) PD-L1 Pos /CD8 Neg , and (4) PD-L1 Neg /CD8 Pos . PD-L1 expression by TPS and CPS was detected in 19.8% and 39.6% cases, respectively. Kaplan-Meier curves with log-rank analysis showed that higher density of CD8 + TILs were associated with longer overall survival (OS) ( P =0.05 for CD8 Pos and P =0.014 for CD8 HIGH ), and CD8 HIGH status was associated with longer OS irrespective of tumor stage ( P =0.045, hazard ratio: 0.11, 95% confidence interval: 0.014-0.951). Thirty-three percent of patients belonged to TIME group 1. PD-L1 expression and TIME groups were not associated with OS or progression-free survival. We found that high density of CD8 + TILs is an independent indicator of better OS. In 33% cases PD-L1 expression is associated with increased CD8 + TILs ("acquired immune evasion" pattern of PD-L1 expression), hence they may benefit from anti PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. PD-L1 expression alone and TIME groups do not affect survival in gynecologic carcinosarcoma., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by the International Society of Gynecological Pathologists.)

Seaweed-based biostimulants are sustainable agriculture inputs that are known to have a multitude of beneficial effects on plant growth and productivity. This study demonstrates that Agrogain ® (Product code: LBS6), a Kappaphycus alvarezii -derived biostimulant induced the expansion of cucumber cotyledons. Seven days treatment of LBS6-supplementation showed a 29.2% increase in area of expanded cotyledons, as compared to the control. LBS6-treated cotyledons also showed higher amylase activity, suggesting starch to sucrose conversion was used efficiently as an energy source during expansion. To understand the mechanisms of LBS6-induced expansion, real time gene expression analysis was carried out. This revealed that LBS6-treated cotyledons differentially modulated the expression of genes involved in cell division, cell number, cell expansion and cell size. LBS6 treatment also differentially regulated the expression of those genes involved in auxin and cytokinin metabolism. Further, foliar application of LBS6 on cucumber plants being grown under hydroponic conditions showed improved plant growth as compared to the control. The total leaf area of LBS6-sprayed plants increased by 19.1%, as compared to control. LBS6-sprayed plants efficiently regulated photosynthetic quenching by reducing loss via non-photochemical and non-regulatory quenching. LBS6 applications also modulated changes in the steady-state photosynthetic parameters of the cucumber leaves. It was demonstrated that LBS6 treatment modulated the electron and proton transport related pathways which help plants to efficiently utilize the photosynthetic radiation for optimal growth. These results provide clear evidence that bioactive compounds present in LBS6 improved the growth of cucumber plants by regulating the physiological as well as developmental pathways., Competing Interests: PS, NN, SKu, DB, SN, SKh and SS are employed by Sea6 Energy Private Limited. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be constructed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Shukla, Nivetha, Nori, Bose, Kumar, Khandelwal, Critchley and Suryanarayan.)

Current approaches for off-grid power separate the processes for energy conversion from energy storage. With the right balance between the electronic and ionic conductivity and a semiconductor that can absorb light in the solar spectrum, we can combine energy harvesting with storage into a single photoelectrochemical energy storage device. We report here such a device, a halide perovskite-based photorechargeable supercapacitor. This device can be charged with an energy density of 30.71 W h kg -1 and a power density of 1875 W kg -1 . By taking advantage of the semiconducting and ionic properties of halide perovskites, we report a method for fabricating efficient photorechargeable supercapacitors having a photocharging conversion efficiency (η) of ∼0.02% and a photoenergy density of ∼160 mW h kg -1 under a 20 mW cm -2 intensity white light source. Halide perovskites have a high absorption coefficient, large carrier diffusion length, and high ionic conductivity, while the electronic conductivity is improved significantly by mixing carbon black in porous perovskite electrodes to achieve efficient photorechargeable supercapacitors. We also report a detailed analysis of the photoelectrode to understand the working principles, stability, limitations, and prospects of halide perovskite-based photorechargeable supercapacitors.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment consists of nucleos(t)ide analogues to suppress viral replication. The HBV inhibitor tenofovir has a high barrier to resistance, however, evidence of virus-escape is emerging. This study investigates HBV evolution in patients undergoing tenofovir treatment with the primary aim to assess the emergence of putative resistance mutations., Methods: HBV DNA was extracted from blood samples of two patients with HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection and persistent viremia despite tenofovir treatment, and subsequently amplified by PCR before full-length HBV genomes were assembled by deep sequencing. The mutation linkage within the viral population was evaluated by clonal analysis of amplicons., Results: Sequence analysis of HBV, derived from 11 samples collected 2010-2020 from one patient, identified 12 non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) emerging during a tenofovir treatment interruption from 2014 to 2017. Two of the SNPs were in the reverse transcriptase (RT; H35Q and D263E). The two RT mutations were linked and persisted despite restarting tenofovir treatment in 2017. For the second patient, we analyzed HBV derived from six samples collected 2014-2020 following 10 years of tenofovir treatment, and identified five non-synonymous SNPs, that confer resistance towards entecavir and/or lamivudine. Two RT mutations (H35N and P237T) emerged during subsequent 5-year entecavir treatment. H35N was maintained during final tenofovir treatment., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that changes at the conserved residue 35 (H35N/Q) in the HBV RT may be associated with tenofovir resistance. These variants have not previously been described, and further studies are warranted to assess resistance in vitro and in vivo., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Purpose: Adult granulosa cell tumor (AGCT) is characterized by the somatic FOXL2 p.C134W mutation, and recurrences have been associated with TERT promoter and KMT2D-truncating mutations. Conversely, the molecular underpinnings of the rare juvenile granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) have not been well elucidated. To this end, we applied a tumor-only integrated approach to investigate the genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic landscape of 31 JGCTs to identify putative oncogenic drivers., Experimental Design: Multipronged analyses of 31 JGCTs were performed utilizing a clinically validated next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel targeting 580 cancer-related genes for genomic interrogation, in addition to targeted RNA NGS for transcriptomic exploration. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling was conducted using an Infinium Methylation EPIC array targeting 866,562 CpG methylation sites., Results: We identified frequent KMT2C-truncating mutations along with other mutated genes implicated in the switch/sucrose nonfermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complex, in addition to previously reported hotspot AKT1 and DICER1 mutations. Targeted transcriptome sequencing revealed recurrent TERT rearrangements (13%) involving partners CLPTM1L or DROSHA, and differential gene expression analysis showed FGFR1 upregulation in the TERT non-rearranged JGCTs under direct promoter control. Genome-wide DNA methylation rendered a clear delineation between AGCTs and JGCTs at the epigenomic level, further supporting its diagnostic utility in distinguishing among these tumors., Conclusions: This is the largest comprehensive molecular study of JGCTs, where we further expand our current understanding of JGCT pathogenesis and demonstrate putative oncogenic drivers and TERT rearrangements in a subset of tumors. Our findings further offer insights into possible targeted therapies in a rare entity., (©2022 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Aims: Clear cell carcinoma of ovary (CCC) is considered a high-grade malignancy by default and the role of histological grading for assessing clinical outcome is not established. We aimed to evaluate histopathological features associated with clinical outcome in CCC patients., Methods and Results: Seventy-six cases of CCC with available clinical follow-up information were studied. Histopathological features, including tumour size, architectural patterns, nuclear atypia, mitotic activity, intratumoral and peritumoral inflammation, presence of endometriosis, peritumoral and intratumoral budding, were evaluated. Multivariate analysis was performed with logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier survival curves with the log-rank test were used for survival analysis. Forty cases (53%) presented at stage I. Complete response to treatment was achieved in 65%, while 35% of patients had tumour recurrence or progression of disease despite treatment. At last follow-up, 13% had died of disease, 20% were alive with disease and 67% had no evidence of disease. Higher stage (P = 0.0016) and presence of intratumoral budding (P = 0.0454) were independently associated with recurrence/disease progression. Advanced stage (P = 0.0011), presence of lymph node involvement (P = 0.0003), intratumoral budding (P = 0.0023) and peritumoral budding (P = 0.0334) were significantly associated with shorter survival. Intratumoral budding was significantly associated with recurrent/progressive disease (P = 0.0195) and also shorter survival (P = 0.0277) within the cohort of low-stage (I/II) patients as well., Conclusion: We have shown that besides the classic prognostic factors of stage and lymph node status, the presence of tumour budding is associated with poorer outcome in patients with CCC. Specifically, evaluation of intratumoral budding may help to more clearly predict prognosis in patients with early-stage disease., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumours (PEComas) are rare mesenchymal tumours that coexpress smooth muscle and melanocytic markers. They have a predilection for gynaecological organs, where they present a unique diagnostic challenge, because of morphological and immunohistochemical overlap with more common smooth muscle and stromal tumours. Limited information regarding the natural history, owing to the rarity of this tumour, makes accurate risk stratification difficult. We aimed to review clinicopathological features of gynaecological PEComa and compare accuracy of five different classification systems for prediction of prognosis., Methods and Results: We have described the clinicopathological features of 13 new cases and tested five prognostic algorithms in a total of 67 cases of gynaecological PEComa. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed and areas under the curve (AUCs) were calculated to evaluate predictive accuracy. The modified gynaecological-specific algorithm showed high sensitivity and specificity and yielded the highest AUC (0.864). It's earlier version, the gynaecological-specific algorithm, suffered from lower specificity (AUC = 0.843). The post-hoc McNemar test confirmed significant differences between the performances of the modified gynaecological-specific algorithm and the gynaecological-specific algorithm (P = 0.008). The original Folpe algorithm for PEComas of all sites showed low specificity, had a lower AUC (0.591), and was inapplicable in 18% of cases. Its two later versions (the revised Folpe algorithm and the modified Folpe algorithm) also yielded lower AUCs (0.690 and 0.591, respectively)., Conclusion: We have shown that the modified gynaecological-specific algorithm predicts the clinical outcome of gynaecological PEComa with high accuracy, and have validated its use for prognostic stratification of gynaecological PEComa., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Wide range of nanomaterial applications is helpful to promote sustainable agriculture to the point of nanolevel. With regard to this, biocompatible silica nanoparticles have been used as a nanopriming agent for enhancing seed germination in rabi crops like wheat, pea and mustard. The current study was carried out in a completely randomized block design with four replications. One part of nanosilica (8 g/L) and three parts of Gibberellic acid (GA₃) loaded nano-silica (100 ppm, 125 ppm and 150 ppm) were used for the experimental purpose. The result showed positive significant effect of nanopriming with nano-silica and GA3 loaded nano-silica on seed germination percentage, shoot and root length, seedling length, fresh weight, dry weight and vigour index-I and II at P ≤ 0.05. A comparative study on germination percentage for three of the cereal crops was done and calculated further. It was found to be higher as 91% in wheat, 91% in pea and 75% in mustard. This effect of nanopriming directly help in elevating the activity of α -amylase enzyme, resulting in higher concentration of soluble sugar content needed for supporting seed germination and growth of seedling. In this paper, the nanopriming-induced seed germination is proposed, including the creation of nanopores for enhanced water uptake, rebooting ROS/antioxidant systems in seeds, generation of hydroxyl radicals for cell wall loosening, and nano-catalyst to fasten starch hydrolysis.

Sustainable agricultural practices increasingly demand novel, environmentally friendly compounds which induce plant immunity against pathogens. Stimulating plant immunity using seaweed extracts is a highly viable strategy, as these formulations contain many bio-elicitors (phyco-elicitors) which can significantly boost natural plant immunity. Certain bioactive elicitors present in a multitude of extracts of seaweeds (both commercially available and bench-scale laboratory formulations) activate pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) due to their structural similarity (i.e., analogous structure) with pathogen-derived molecules. This is achieved via the priming and/or elicitation of the defense responses of the induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) pathways. Knowledge accumulated over the past few decades is reviewed here, aiming to explain why certain seaweed-derived bioactives have such tremendous potential to elicit plant defense responses with considerable economic significance, particularly with increasing biotic stress impacts due to climate change and the concomitant move to sustainable agriculture and away from synthetic chemistry and environmental damage. Various extracts of seaweeds display remarkably different modes of action(s) which can manipulate the plant defense responses when applied. This review focuses on both the similarities and differences amongst the modes of actions of several different seaweed extracts, as well as their individual components. Novel biotechnological approaches for the development of new commercial products for crop protection, in a sustainable manner, are also suggested.

Phosphorous is one of the major limiting factors determining plant growth. Current agricultural practices mainly rely on the use of chemical fertilizers posing threat to the ecosystem. In this study, the application of an Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) in phosphorous (P)-limited conditions improved the fresh and dry weight of shoots and roots of Zea mays . ANE-treated Z. mays grown under P-limited conditions showed a higher P content than the control. ANE activated simultaneous responses, at multiple levels, in Z. mays grown under P-limited conditions as seen from the regulation of gene expression at the whole-plant level to specific biochemical responses on a subcellular level. ANE-supplemented Z. mays grown under P-limited conditions also showed reduced electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation by an improved membrane stability. ANE treatment reduced P-limitation-induced oxidative damage in Z. mays by reducing H 2 O 2 and O 2 - accumulation. Furthermore, ANE also induced the accumulation of the total contents of soluble sugars, amino acids, phenolics, and flavonoids. Gene expression analysis suggested that ANE differentially modulated the expression of P-starvation responsive genes involved in metabolic, signal transduction, and developmental pathways in Z. mays . ANE also modulated the expression of genes involved in sugar, lipid, and secondary metabolism. Thus, this study illustrated the role of ANE in improving the productivity of Z. mays , an important crop, in P-limited conditions. Furthermore, it sets the framework to increase agricultural productivity in nutrient deficient soils using a sustainable, eco-friendly strategy., 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 © 2021 Shukla and Prithiviraj.)

Objectives: To review the significance of MDM2 and cyclin D1 expression and loss of p16 expression in malignant and borderline Brenner tumors (BTs) of the ovary., Methods: We describe 2 new cases of ovarian BT, 1 malignant and 1 borderline. We studied MDM2, p16, and cyclin D1 expression by immunohistochemistry in the benign, borderline, and malignant components of these 2 cases and in 5 additional cases of benign BT. We also reviewed and summarized the literature on the clinical, immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of borderline and malignant BTs (BdBTs and MBTs)., Results: Nuclear expression of MDM2 was seen only in the MBT. Loss of p16 expression was seen in both BdBT and MBT. Cyclin D1 expression was in proportion to the degree of malignancy. Amplification of MDM2, loss of CDKN2A (p16-encoding gene), and amplification of CCND1 (cyclin D1-encoding gene) were confirmed by commercial next-generation sequencing in the case of MBT., Conclusions: We are the first to report immunohistochemical expression of MDM2 in an MBT. Amplification of MDM2 and loss of p16 expression may have a role in malignant transformation of BT., (© American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Strawberry, an important fruit crop, is susceptible to a large number of pathogens that reduce fruit quality and productivity. In this study, the effect of a biostimulant prepared from Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%) was evaluated on powdery mildew progression under greenhouse and field conditions. In the greenhouse, application of 0.2% ANE showed maximum reduction in powdery mildew progression as compared to the control. Forty-eight hour post-inoculation, foliar spray of 0.2% ANE reduced spore germination by 75%. Strawberry leaves sprayed with ANE showed higher total phenolic and flavonoid content in response to powdery mildew infection. Furthermore, application of ANE elicited defense response in strawberry plants by induction of defense-related enzymes, such as phenylalanine ammonia lyase, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase activity. In field conditions, foliar spray of 0.2% ANE showed a reduction of 37.2% of natural incidence of powdery mildew infection as compared to the control. ANE sprayed plant also reduces the severity of powdery mildew infection under natural conditions. These results indicate that application of ANE induces the strawberry plant's active defense against powdery mildew infection by induction of secondary metabolism and regulating the activities of defense-related enzymes., (© The Korean Society of Plant Pathology.)

Abiotic and biotic stresses limit the growth and productivity of plants. In the current global scenario, in order to meet the requirements of the ever-increasing world population, chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are used to boost agricultural production. These harmful chemicals pose a serious threat to the health of humans, animals, plants, and the entire biosphere. To minimize the agricultural chemical footprint, extracts of Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) have been explored for their ability to improve plant growth and agricultural productivity. The scientific literature reviewed in this article attempts to explain how certain bioactive compounds present in extracts aid to improve plant tolerances to abiotic and/or biotic stresses, plant growth promotion, and their effects on root/microbe interactions. These reports have highlighted the use of various seaweed extracts in improving nutrient use efficiency in treated plants. These studies include investigations of physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms as evidenced using model plants. However, the various modes of action of A. nodosum extracts have not been previously reviewed. The information presented in this review depicts the multiple, beneficial effects of A. nodosum -based biostimulant extracts on plant growth and their defense responses and suggests new opportunities for further applications for marked benefits in production and quality in the agriculture and horticultural sectors.

Context.—: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is a mesenchymal neoplasm of low malignant potential. It was first described in lung, but is known to occur in many extrapulmonary sites including female genital organs, most commonly the uterus. It has a high recurrence rate and a low risk for metastasis. A more recently described aggressive variant, epithelioid myofibroblastic sarcoma with a predilection for the abdominal cavity of males, has also been recently reported to occur in the ovary. This tumor is composed of spindled and epithelioid myofibroblasts in a variably myxoid stroma and commonly shows a fascicular growth pattern with positive staining for desmin, smooth muscle actin, and CD10, which may mimic a smooth muscle or endometrial stromal neoplasm. In the female genital tract it has the potential for being misdiagnosed as a leiomyoma, endometrial stromal tumor, or as a myxoid leiomyosarcoma, resulting in undertreatment or overtreatment. It harbors rearrangements in the ALK gene, resulting in abnormal expression of ALK protein. Immunostaining for ALK is a helpful diagnostic tool., Objective.—: To provide a brief review of clinical, histologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular features of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor with emphasis on possible diagnostic pitfalls in the female genital tract., Data Sources.—: Review of pertinent literature on inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor occurring in the female genital tract and personal experience of the authors., Conclusions.—: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in the female genital tract can mimic other more common benign and malignant tumors like leiomyoma, leiomyosarcoma, and endometrial stromal sarcoma. Familiarity with clinical and histologic features and use of ALK immunostaining can be critical for correct diagnosis.

Ascophyllum nodosum extract (ANE) contains bioactive compounds that improve the growth of Arabidopsis in experimentally-induced saline conditions; however, the molecular mechanisms through which ANE elicits tolerance to salinity remain largely unexplored. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression, playing crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. Next generation sequencing of miRNAs from leaves of control Arabidopsis and from plants subjected to three treatments (ANE, NaCl and ANE+NaCl) was used to identify ANE-responsive miRNA in the absence and presence of saline conditions. Differential gene expression analysis revealed that ANE had a strong effect on miRNAs expression in both conditions. In the presence of salinity, ANE tended to reduce the up-regulation or the down-regulation trend induced caused by NaCl in miRNAs such as ath-miR396a-5p, ath-miR399, ath-miR2111b and ath-miR827. To further uncover the effects of ANE, the expression of several target genes of a number of ANE-responsive miRNAs was analyzed by qPCR. NaCl, but not ANE, down-regulated miR396a-5p, which negatively regulated the expression of AtGRF7 leading to a higher expression of AtDREB2a and AtRD29 in the presence of ANE+NaCl, as compared to ANE alone. ANE+NaCl initially reduced and then enhanced the expression of ath-miR169g-5p, while the expression of the target genes AtNFYA1 and ATNFYA2, known to be involved in the salinity tolerance mechanism, was increased as compared to ANE or to NaCl treatments. ANE and ANE+NaCl modified the expression of ath-miR399, ath-miR827, ath-miR2111b, and their target genes AtUBC24, AtWAK2, AtSYG1 and At3g27150, suggesting a role of ANE in phosphate homeostasis. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed the improved growth of Arabidopsis in presence of ANE, in saline conditions and in phosphate-deprived medium, further substantiating the influence of ANE on a variety of essential physiological processes in Arabidopsis including salinity tolerance and phosphate uptake., 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. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. ATC, DH and JN affiliation with Acadian Seaplants Limited does not alter the authors’ adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

There is an increasing global concern about the availability of water for agricultural use. Drought stress negatively impacts plant physiology and crop productivity. Soybean ( Glycine max ) is one of the important oilseed crops, and its productivity is often reduced by drought. In this study, a commercial extract of Ascophyllum nodosum (ANE) was evaluated for its potential to alleviate drought stress in soybean. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ANE on the response of soybean plants to drought stress by monitoring stomatal conductance, relative leaf water content, antioxidant activity and expression of stress-responsive genes. Plants treated with ANE had higher relative water content and higher stomatal conductance under drought stress. During early recovery in the post-drought phase, ANE treated plants had significantly higher stomatal conductance. The antioxidant activity was also found higher in the plants treated with ANE. In addition, ANE-treatment led to changes in the expression of stress-responsive genes: GmCYP707A1a , GmCYP707A3b , GmRD22 , GmRD20 , GmDREB1B , GmERD1 , GmNFYA3 , FIB1a , GmPIP1b , GmGST , GmBIP and GmTp55 . Taken together, these results suggest that applications of ANE improve the drought tolerance of soybean by changing physiology and gene expression.

A 43-year-old male had progressive pleuritic left-sided chest tightness with shortness of breath. He had dental caries and tenderness on palpation of the left lateral chest. Complete blood count showed leucocytosis. CT scan of the chest with pulmonary emboli protocol showed multiple pulmonary nodules and nodular pleural thickening at left posterior lateral pleura. Forty-eight hours post CTPE scan, CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis displayed right lower lobe consolidation and left-sided pleural effusion with superimposed compressive atelectasis. Ceftaroline intravenous was initiated, with CT-guided pigtail chest tube insertion. Pleural fluid later grew group F beta-haemolytic Streptococcus anginosus Patient improved significantly and was discharged 11 days later with intravenous ertapenem. Patients with group F beta-haemolytic streptococci should be managed aggressively with early and accurate diagnosis, antibiotics, drainage and possible surgery., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Biodegradation of lobster shells by chitinolytic microorganisms are an environment safe approach to utilize lobster processing wastes for chitin derivation. In this study, we report degradation activities of two microbes, "S223" and "S224" isolated from soil samples that had the highest rate of deproteinization, demineralization and chitinolysis among ten microorganisms screened. Isolates S223 and S224 had 27.3 and 103.8 protease units mg -1 protein and 12.3 and 11.2 μg ml -1 of calcium in their samples, respectively, after 1 week of incubation with raw lobster shells. Further, S223 contained 23.8 μg ml -1 of N -Acetylglucosamine on day 3, while S224 had 27.3 μg ml -1 on day 7 of incubation with chitin. Morphological observations and 16S rDNA sequencing suggested both the isolates were Streptomyces . The culture conditions were optimized for efficient degradation of lobster shells and chitinase (∼30 kDa) was purified from crude extract by affinity chromatography. The digested lobster shell extracts induced disease resistance in Arabidopsis by induction of defense related genes ( PR1 > 500-fold, PDF1.2 > 40-fold) upon Pseudomonas syringae and Botrytis cinerea infection. The study suggests that soil microbes aid in sustainable bioconversion of lobster shells and extraction of chitin derivatives that could be applied in plant protection.

miRNA polymorphisms are recently identified as a risk factor for various cancers, and it is associated with change in the expression of target genes in vitro. rs11614913 polymorphism in miR196a2 was associated with risk of glioma in Chinese population. In this study, we have evaluated the role of rs11614913 polymorphism and glioma risk in Indian population in 180 cases and controls. Seventy-two glioma tissue-blood pairs were also assessed for mutation in this SNP. Further, the effect of this polymorphism on mature miR196a2 expression and HOXC8 gene expression was analysed in 33 glioma tissue samples with different genotypes. Allelic discrimination assay was performed for genotyping and quantitative real time PCR for the expression of miR196a2 and HOXC8 gene. We could not find any association between rs11614913 polymorphism and glioma risk in Indian population. The rs11614913 genotyping of glioma tissue and blood pair revealed presence of mutations showing changes from C to T allele in majority of samples. The expression of the mature miR196a2 was significantly high in glioma samples, but there was no difference in expression with genotype. HOXC8 gene expression was not significantly different in glioma tissue when compared to non-glioma and interestingly there was a significant difference in expression with different genotypes, especially TT genotype was showing over expression when compared to other genotypes. Our study suggests that the rs11614913 polymorphism does not affect the mature miRNA expression, but shows its effect through target gene HOXC8 expression in glioma.

Main Conclusion: SbMYB15, R2R3-type MYB was induced by the different stresses, and conferred stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco by regulating the expression of stress-responsive genes. MYBs are the master regulators of various metabolic processes and stress responses in plants. In this study, we functionally characterised a R2R3-type SbMYB15 transcription factor (TF) from the extreme halophyte Salicornia brachiata. The SbMYB15 acts as a transcriptional activator. Transcriptional analysis showed that SbMYB15 transcript was strongly upregulated in red shoots and was also induced by different stresses; however, its expression remained unchanged with ABA. Overexpression of SbMYB15 in tobacco significantly improved salinity and dehydration tolerance. The enhanced tolerance of the transgenic plants was defined by the changes in chlorophyll, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, total soluble sugar and total amino acid contents. The transgenic plants exhibited a higher membrane stability and reduced electrolyte leakage, H2O2 and O 2 (-) content compared to the wild type (WT). With ionic stress, transgenics showed a low Na(+) and a high K(+) content. In the transgenic plants, the expression of stress-responsive genes such as LEA5, ERD10D, PLC3, LTP1, HSF2, ADC, P5CS, SOD and CAT was enhanced in the presence of salinity, dehydration and heat. Exposure to gradual salinity and dehydration resulted in an increased stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, photosynthesis rate, photochemical quenching and reduced transpiration rate. Thus, SbMYB15 served as an important mediator of stress responses regulating different stress signalling pathways, leading to enhanced stress tolerance.

Extraneural ependymomas are rare tumors that occur in sacrococcygeal, pelvic and extra pelvic regions. While sacrococcygeal extraneural ependymomas are equally distributed among males and females, pelvic and extra pelvic ependymomas have been exclusively reported in women, mainly of child bearing age. We present a case of extraneural, pelvic ependymoma that showed clinical response to GnRH therapy with its immunohistochemical and electron microscopic analysis, and an overview of primary extraneural ependymomas based on a review of all such cases published in English literature.

Abiotic stresses like drought, salinity and extreme temperature significantly affect crop productivity. Plants respond at molecular, cellular and physiological levels for management of stress tolerance. Functional and regulatory genes play a major role in controlling these abiotic stresses through an intricate network of transcriptional machinery. Transcription factors are potential tools for manipulating stress tolerance since they control a large number of downstream genes. In the present study, we have isolated SbMYB44 from a succulent halophyte, Salicornia brachiata Roxb. SbMYB44 with an open-reading frame of 810 bp encodes a protein of 269 amino acids, with an estimated molecular mass of 30.31 kDa and an isoelectric point of 6.29. The in silico analysis revealed that the SbMYB44 protein contains the conserved R2R3 imperfect repeats, two SANT domains and post-translational modification sites. The SbMYB44 transcript showed up-regulation in response to salinity, desiccation, high temperature, and abscisic acid and salicylic acid treatments. The SbMYB44 recombinant protein showed binding to dehydration-responsive cis-elements (RD22 and MBS-1), suggesting its possible role in stress signalling. Overexpression of SbMYB44 enhanced the growth of yeast cells under both ionic and osmotic stresses., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.)

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) present in type 2 diabetic patients greatly increases the risk of strokes and cardiovascular diseases. Timely detection and mapping of MetS facilitates appropriate preventive and therapeutic approaches to minimize these risks. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS among Nepalese type 2 diabetic patients using WHO (1999), NCEP ATP III (2001), IDF (2005) and Harmonized (2009) definitions and identify the diagnostic concordance and disparity resulting from these four definitions., Methods: Clinical and biochemical data were collected for 1061 type 2 diabetic patients at Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal. The data was analyzed in order to identify prevalence of MetS in these patients. Statistical analysis included usage of Student's t- and Chi-square tests, kappa statistics and 95% confidence intervals., Results: The total age adjusted prevalence rates of MetS were 80.3%, 73.9%, 69.9% and 66.8% according to Harmonized, NCEP ATP III, WHO and IDF definitions, respectively. Prevalence increased with the age and was higher in females (p <0.001) according to WHO, NCEP ATP III and Harmonized definitions. Patients of Dalit community had the highest prevalence (p<0.05) according to NCEP ATP III and Harmonized definitions while Mongoloid and Newar patients had the highest prevalence (p <0.05) according to WHO and IDF definitions, respectively. Prevalence was also highest among patient engaged in agriculture occupation. Central obesity and hypertension were respectively the most and the least prevalent components of MetS. The highest overall agreement was between Harmonized and NCEP ATP III definitions (κ =0.62, substantial) and the lowest between WHO & IDF definitions (κ=0.26, slight). The Harmonized definition had the highest sensitivity (99.9%) and negative predictive value (98.9%) while NCEP ATP III definition had the highest specificity (98.9%) and positive predictive values (99.9%) in identifying the cases of MetS., Conclusions: The prevalence of MetS among Nepalese type 2 diabetic patients was very high suggesting that these patients were at increased risk of strokes, cardiovascular diseases and premature death. The Harmonized definition was the most sensitive while NCEP ATP III and IDF definitions were the most specific in detecting the presence of MetS in Nepalese type 2 diabetic patients.

Genetic engineering of plants for abiotic stress tolerance is a challenging task because of its multifarious nature. Comprehensive studies for developing abiotic stress tolerance are in progress, involving genes from different pathways including osmolyte synthesis, ion homeostasis, antioxidative pathways, and regulatory genes. In the last decade, several attempts have been made to substantiate the role of "single-function" gene(s) as well as transcription factor(s) for abiotic stress tolerance. Since, the abiotic stress tolerance is multigenic in nature, therefore, the recent trend is shifting towards genetic transformation of multiple genes or transcription factors. A large number of crop plants are being engineered by abiotic stress tolerant genes and have shown the stress tolerance mostly at laboratory level. This review presents a mechanistic view of different pathways and emphasizes the function of different genes in conferring salt tolerance by genetic engineering approach. It also highlights the details of successes achieved in developing salt tolerance in plants thus far.

Background: Soil salinity adversely affects plant growth and development and disturbs intracellular ion homeostasis resulting cellular toxicity. The Salt Overly Sensitive 1 (SOS1) gene encodes a plasma membrane Na(+)/H(+) antiporter that plays an important role in imparting salt stress tolerance to plants. Here, we report the cloning and characterisation of the SbSOS1 gene from Salicornia brachiata, an extreme halophyte., Results: The SbSOS1 gene is 3774 bp long and encodes a protein of 1159 amino acids. SbSOS1 exhibited a greater level of constitutive expression in roots than in shoots and was further increased by salt stress. Overexpressing the S. brachiata SbSOS1 gene in tobacco conferred high salt tolerance, promoted seed germination and increased root length, shoot length, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll, K(+)/Na(+) ratio, membrane stability index, soluble sugar, proline and amino acid content relative to wild type (WT) plants. Transgenic plants exhibited reductions in electrolyte leakage, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and MDA content in response to salt stress, which probably occurred because of reduced cytosolic Na(+) content and oxidative damage. At higher salt stress, transgenic tobacco plants exhibited reduced Na(+) content in root and leaf and higher concentrations in stem and xylem sap relative to WT, which suggests a role of SbSOS1 in Na(+) loading to xylem from root and leaf tissues. Transgenic lines also showed increased K(+) and Ca(2+) content in root tissue compared to WT, which reflect that SbSOS1 indirectly affects the other transporters activity., Conclusions: Overexpression of SbSOS1 in tobacco conferred a high degree of salt tolerance, enhanced plant growth and altered physiological and biochemical parameters in response to salt stress. In addition to Na(+) efflux outside the plasma membrane, SbSOS1 also helps to maintain variable Na(+) content in different organs and also affect the other transporters activity indirectly. These results broaden the role of SbSOS1 in planta and suggest that this gene could be used to develop salt-tolerant transgenic crops.

Objective: This study was to assess liver involvement in multiple myeloma with the aid of liver function tests., Materials and Methods: A hospital based retrospective study was undertaken using data retrieved of multiple myeloma from the register maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of the Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between 1st January, 2007 and 28th February, 2012. We collected biomarkers of liver profiles including bilirubin (Total, Direct and Indirect), total protein, albumin, AG ratio, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, γGT, LDH, ferritin, renal profile and hematological profile. Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software., Results: Out of 37 cases of multiple myeloma, serum level of AST, ALT, ALP, γGT and LDH were increased above the cut-off point in 22 (59.5%), 24 (64.86%), 13 (35.13%), 9 (24.3%) and 11 (29.7%) respectively. The mean values of AST (65.5±28.18 U/L), ALT (68.37±29.74 U/L), ALP (328.0±148.4 U/L), γGT (44.5±29.6 U/L) and LDH (361.7±116.5 U/L), total protein (9.79±1.03 gm/ dl) were significantly increased when compared with controls. In contrast, albumin (3.68±0.43 gm/dl) and the AG ratio (0.62±0.15) were significantly decreased. Similarly, anemia, hyperuricemia, azotemia, hypercalcaemia and Bence Jones proteinuria were found in 30 (78.9%), 27 (71.1%), 19 (51.5%), 15 (39.5%) and 16 (42.1%) respectively, in cases of multiple myeloma., Conclusions: While clinical manifestation of liver disease among the multiple myeloma was not common, abnormalities in liver function were characteristic.

Objective: This study was performed to assess prostate biomarkers with reference to body mass index and duration of prostate cancer., Materials and Methods: A hospital based retrospective study was undertaken using data retrieved from the register maintained in the Department of Biochemistry of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between 1st January, 2009 and 28th February, 2012. Biomarkers studied were prostate specific antigen (PSA), acid phosphatase (ACP) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (γGT). Demographic data including age, duration of disease, body weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were also collected. Duration of disease was categorized into three groups: <1 year, 1-2 years and >2 years. Similarly, BMI (kg/m2) was categorized into three groups: <23 kg/m2, 23-25 kg/ m2 and >25 kg/m2. Descriptive statistics and testing of hypothesis were used for the analysis using EPI INFO and SPSS 16 software., Results: Out of 57 prostate cancers, serum level of PSA, ACP and PAP were increased above the cut-off point in 50 (87.5%), 30 (52.63%) and 40 (70.18%) respectively. Serum levels of PSA, ACP and PAP significantly declined with the duration of disease after diagnosis. We observed significant and inverse relation between PSA and BMI. Similar non-signficiant tendencies were apparent for ACP and PAP., Conclusions: Decreasing levels of prostate biomarkers were found with the duration of prostate cancer and with increased BMI. Out of prostate biomarkers, PSA was found to be significantly decreased with the duration of disease and BMI.

The objectives of the present study were to ascertain the variations in the serum levels of malondialdehyde and total antioxidant status, in head and neck malignancies with different stages, with and without oral antioxidant supplementation, before and after radiotherapy, and to validate the protective effects of an antioxidant supplementation during radiotherapy. The pretreatment values of serum malondialdehyde were significantly raised, while that of serum total antioxidant status were significantly declined in all the stages of head and neck malignancies, when compared with the healthy controls values (P<0.001). A significant correlation was observed related to the studied parameters and different stages of the disease. The study suggests that an oral antioxidant supplementation during radiotherapy is an effective mode in reducing oxidative stress. Antioxidant supplementation during radiotherapy may serve as an adjuvant therapy in malignancies offering a protection to normal cells that may further reduce the risk of developing secondary cancers.

Ovarian serous tumors make up about one-fourth of all ovarian tumors. There is a spectrum of proliferation and cellular atypia in these tumors with benign serous cystadenoma, borderline tumors, and low grade or type I serous carcinoma at the lower end and type II or high-grade serous papillary cystadenocarcinoma at the higher end. Fascin is a globular actin cross-linking protein involved in cell motility that has been shown to be upregulated in many human neoplasms and associated with the aggressiveness of malignancy. The aim of this study was to investigate fascin expression in serous tumors of ovary and to evaluate its relationship with the aggressiveness of tumor. Sections from a total of 66 serous tumors of ovary were collected including 26 serous carcinomas, 20 borderline serous tumors, and 20 benign serous cystadenomas. Ten benign ovaries with inclusion cysts were used as controls. Sections were immunostained with fascin. Fascin expression was significantly increased in borderline (13/20, 65%) and malignant serous tumors (22/26, 84%) compared with benign serous cystadenoma (0/20) (P<0.001). There was increased quantitative expression of fascin in carcinoma compared with borderline tumors (diffuse versus patchy). Fascin expression also correlated well with the tumor grade in serous carcinoma cases with 8/12 (66%) of grade I/II tumors staining positive compared with all 14 (100%) of grade III tumors showing fascin expression (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that upregulation of fascin plays a role in increasing aggressiveness of serous ovarian tumors and could potentially be a molecular therapeutic target and a prognostic marker.

Fasting samples of 914 subjects from healthy population were analyzed for total cholesterol, triglyceride and three major fractions of lipoproteins i.e. high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low lipoprotein cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The values obtained were (in mg/dl) 165.7±30.2,88.36±31.2, 44.86±10.68, 101.66±29.8 and 18.11±7.35 respectively. When these subjects were grouped according to the age and sex, no appropriate differences were observed between most of the groups. Triglycerides were found to be low and HDL cholesterol was high in female when compared with male of similar age. Beyond age 40 years cholesterol level and low density lipoprotein cholesterol was found to be gradually increased in case of women. Minor difference was observed with dietary pattern. Present study suggests that clinical evaluation of patient should be made on the basis of these reference values for Western Maharashtra population.

Defective sperm function is the most common cause of infertility. A prospective study was carried out to correlate the concentration of nitrite (the stable metabolite of nitric oxide) in seminal plasma with leukocytospermia, and sperm membrane integrity. Total Fifty-seven normozoospermic subjects with and without leukocytospermia visiting the Infertility clinic at KH and MRC, Karad, were included in the present study. Semen samples were checked for sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm motility, seminal leukocyte concentration and sperm membrane integrity as Hypoosmotic Swelling Test. Similarly the concentration of nitrite in seminal plasma was measured by Griess reaction and total antioxidant power measured as ferric reducing ability of plasma. The concentration of nitrite in seminal plasma was found to be raised with significantly increased leukocyte concentration in semen. Also significantly lowered levels of total antioxidant power along with defective sperm function was observed. Our results suggest that supplementary treatment of antioxidants with antibiotic for leukocytospermic infertile male patients may improve the sperm membrane integrity.

Cerebrospinal fluid protein estimation is a routine diagnostic tool for various diseases. The proposed modified bromocresol green (BCG) method is applicable to automated as well as manual measurements. Protein concentrations and absorbance at 600 nm are linearly related throughout a wide range of concentrations from 10 mg % to 2000 mg %. Ninety C.S.F. samples were analyzed and results obtained by both the modified BCG method and routine pyrogallol red method were compared. An excellent co-relation was observed (n=90, g=0.996, P<0.001).

Chromosomal abnormalities that may predispose a group of individuals to develop certain neoplasms have been reported in lymphocytes. We evaluated cytogenetic abnormalities in 21 histopathologically confirmed primary breast cancer patients (BCPs), 52 healthy blood relatives (HBRs), belonging to 19 hereditary breast cancer families (HBFs) and 25 females as control. Phytohemagglutinin stimulated peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) cultures were used to study the chromosomal abnormalities in BCPs and their HBRs. Short term culture of the tumor tissue was also carried out in defined growth medium. Suitable metaphases (11 to 55) from tumors and a minimum of 100 metaphases from PBL were karyotyped for the cytogenetic analysis. Heterogeneous population of cells with random and nonrandom chromosomal abnormalities was noticed in tumors. In control groups 2-5% of metaphases showed numerical abnormalities, whereas this phenomenon was observed in 3-18% of metaphases in HBRs and 3-23% of metaphases in BCPs. In tumor tissue, 47.05% of BCPs showed numerical abnormalities in more than 16 metaphases. In lymphocytes, this event was observed in 33.33% of BCPs and 13.14% of HBRs. In controls 1.28%, in BCPs 52.04% (tumor) and 13.42% (lymphocytes), and in HBRs 9.03% of metaphases were found aneuploid. Statistically it was highly significant (Fisher's exact test, P<0.00001). In lymphocytes of BCPs, chromosomes 1, 6, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18, 20, and X and in HBRs, chromosomes 8, 15, 17, 18, and X were frequently involved. It can be inferred from the findings that the above mentioned chromosomes may have an important role in early stage of breast carcinogenesis in BCFs. Moreover, presence of similar abnormalities in HBR indicates inherited pattern of this genetic error among them.

In the present study the property of lectin agglutination in blood on normal and different cancer patients has been observed. The purifiedSynadenium grantii root lectin was non blood group specific and its utility as a diagnostic tool in malignancy was studied. Hemagglutination (units/ml) of red blood cells of different types of cancer was compared with the normal control's red blood cells. Out of 113 total cancer patients, only a group of 29 breast cancer patients showed significant increase in titre value (P<0.05) compared to normal control.

An unexpected increase in erythrocyte osmotic resistance during viral hepatitis in two patients prompted study of effects of hepatitis (in Karad) on osmotic resistance. The test was performed by placing erythrocytes in saline solutions of decreasing osmolarity and osmotic fragility defined in terms of the saline concentration at which hemolysis begins. Study included 44 infected subjects (acute viral hepatitis non-A non-B). All forty four infected subjects showed abnormal results when compared to normal subjects. increased erythrocyte osmotic resistance i.e. hemolysis begins between 0.45% to 0.40% of NaCl and is completed between 0.25% to 0.20% NaCl, whereas in normal subjects. hemolysis begins between 0.50% to 0.45% NaCl and is completed between 0.35% to 0.30% NaCl. Osmotic resistance was observed with increase in total bilirubin (mean±SD) (4.6 ±3.6), direct bilirubin (3.0±2.5), SGOT (58.8±55.5) SGPT (114.2±150.3) activity. Physiologic shifts in erythrocyte osmotic resistance may be due to changes in membrane lipid ratio.