Search

The effect of improved practice [IP; gypsum application @ 25% gypsum requirement (GR) +10 t/ha press mud] over existing practice (EP; gypsum application @ 50% GR) on rice productivity and profitability in sodic soils (pH 9.2-10.4) was evaluated at farmers' fields for 3 years during 2011-14 in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, India. All growth parameters were significantly higher for IP than EP, with 36.5 and 39.3% higher straw and grain yield, respectively. Interaction effect between sodicity levels and reclamation practices were significant for grain and straw yields. Use of IP with S1, S2, S3, and S4 sodicity levels reduced reclamation costs by ` 15480, 18540, 22560 and 24780/ha, respectively. The combination of reduced costs and increased yields in the IP reclamation treatment led to higher returns from rice cultivation in sodic soils, because IP effect on rice yield was better at higher sodicity level, whereas under EP, this was achieved only for sodicity levels of S2 and S3. Soil properties like pH, EC, organic carbon, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), contents of cations and anions were improved significantly under IP than EP. Overall, improved practice of sodic soil reclamation had better effects on soil properties and crop yields than the current practices in vogue besides considerable reduction in cost of reclamation.

Objective MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short regulatory RNAs that can modulate gene expression and function as negative regulators. Common genetic variants like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in miRNA genes may alter their expression or maturation resulting in varied functional consequences in carcinogenesis. Therefore, we evaluated the genetic variants in pre-miRNAs: hsa-miR-146a G/C (rs2910164), hsa-miR-196a2 C/T (rs11614913), and hsa-miR-499 T>C (rs3746444) for their role in breast cancer susceptibility. Study design The study comprised 121 breast cancer patients, 115 with benign breast disease, and 164 controls. The genotypic frequency of miRNA polymorphisms was determined by PCR-RFLP assay. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis using SPSS Software version 15.0. In silico analysis was done using various bioinformatics tools (F-SNP, FAST-SNP). Results The heterozygous variant of miR-146a G/C (rs2910164) is associated with the reduced risk of breast cancer at the genotype level as well as at the allele level (p < 0.05, OR = 0.5) as compared to controls. On the contrary, no significant difference was observed in the distribution of miR-196a2 C/T (rs11614913) and miR-499 T>C (rs3746444) polymorphisms in any groups both at genotype and allele levels. On the other hand, in multivariate analysis, we found that the miR-196a2 (rs11614913) C>T was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal females (p = 0.02, OR = 3.2). We also attempted to find out the risk of malignant breast disease in relation to each of the above SNPs on dividing our data on the basis of benign and malignant status, but no significant difference was observed. In silico analysis using F-SNP showed change in transcriptional regulation by miR-146a G/C (rs2910164), miR-196a2 C/T (rs11614913) and miR-499 T>C (rs3746444) variations; the functional score was 0.100, 0.065 and 0.277, respectively. Conclusion The results of the present study demonstrate that miR-146a G/C (rs2910164) polymorphism is associated with reduced genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. However, multivariate analysis showed as miR-196a2 (rs11614913) C>T to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal females. Further multicentric studies involving a large number of cases need to be carried out to strengthen the present results.