Supported-amine-catalyzed cascade synthesis of spiro-thiazolone-tetrahydrothiophenes: assessing HSA binding activity.

We have devised a supported-amine-catalyzed efficient synthesis of spiro-thiazolone-tetrahydrothiophenes via a sulfa-Michael/aldol cascade approach. The catalyst demonstrated sustained efficacy over 21 cycles. These derivatives were found to exhibit excellent binding abilities with purified human serum albumin as indicated by both in silico and in vitro-based experiments.

The rapid construction and biological evaluation of densely substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles via a BF3·OEt2-assisted cascade approach.

Lewis-acid cascade reactions promoted by BF3·OEt2 are reported for the synthesis of highly substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]indoles and congeners of benzofuro[2,3-b]indoles. These reactions are highly regio- and diastereoselective towards generating up to five contiguous stereogenic centers, including two vicinal quaternary centers. Furthermore, an established cascade approach and the mechanism proposed herein are well supported by quantum chemistry calculations. In addition, a self-dimerization intermediate was trapped and isolated to establish a strategy for potential access to both pyrrolo and benzo indole derivatives, leaving sufficient freedom for broadening. Furthermore, in-silico molecular docking and all atomistic molecular dynamic (MD) simulation analysis suggests that the synthesized pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole derivatives stably bind at the active site of the mycobacterial secreted tyrosine phosphatase B (MptpB) enzyme, an emerging anti-mycobacterial drug target. Deep learning-based affinity predictions and MMPBGBSA-based energy calculations of the docked poses are presented herein.

Mitigating the barriers of industrial symbiosis for waste management: An integrated decision-making framework for the textile and clothing industry.

Waste management in the textile and clothing (TAC) industry is a challenging issue due to high resource consumption and pollution generation. Therefore, the adoption of industrial symbiosis (IS) is the need of the hour for the TAC industry. However, the adoption of IS in emerging economies like India, Brazil, Bangladesh, etc. is limited due to various impediments. The present work aims to identify and analyse these barriers and develop mitigation strategies in the context of Indian TAC industry. Eighteen IS barriers have been identified and validated; and the interrelationships among them are studied by applying the 'weighted influence non-linear gauge system (WINGS)' method, which not only estimates the intensity of influence but also takes the self-strength of barriers into account. The results show that lack of trust amongst supply chain partners, lack of financial incentives from the government, lack of guidance from regularity bodies and industry associations and lack of consumer awareness are the most significant barriers. Additionally, the strategies to mitigate these barriers are developed based on a quadruple helix framework considering academia--government-industry-society as the main actors. The findings of the study will be helpful for the TAC industry, policymakers and other concerned stakeholders in framing suitable strategies to improve the long-term waste management practices of the industry and to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Intensity of estrus expression - valuable obvious determinant of fertility in Bos indicus cows.

This study aimed to characterize estrus response and to establish relationships between intensity of estrus, preovulatory follicle (POF) size and estradiol (E2) concentrations on day of AI, luteal profiles and pregnancy outcome in lactating Hariana breed of cows. 200 cyclic cows were subjected to Ovsynch (n = 54) and Pre-OV treatment (n = 146). Ovsynch: Buserelin acetate (BA; 10 µg), Cloprostenol (500 µg) and BA (10 µg) were injected i.m. on day 0, 7 and 9, respectively, irrespective of treatment. Pre-OV: BA (10 µg) and Cloprostenol (500 µg) was also injected i.m. simultaneously 7 days prior to initiate Ovsynch. On the basis of estrus behavior, the cows were classified into three groups: weak, moderate and intense. Artificial insemination performed at 18-24 hours after 2nd BA of Ovsynch in both treatments. The average duration of estrus did not differ (p > 0.05) between Ovsynch and Pre-OV treatment. A positive correlation was observed between estrus response and POF size, concentration of E2 on day of AI and luteal profiles on day 12 post-AI. First service conception rate was higher in cows exhibited intense (45.46%) and moderate (42.56%) estrus response than weak (28.57%) estrus response. In conclusion, intensity of estrus expression could be considered as important determinant for deciding pregnancy outcomes in Bos indicus cows.

Mercury remediation potential of mercury-resistant strain Rheinheimera metallidurans sp. nov. isolated from a municipal waste dumping site.

A novel mercury-resistant bacterium, designated strain DCL_24T, was isolated from the legacy waste at the Daddu Majra dumping site in Chandigarh, India. It showed resistance up to 300 µM of inorganic mercury (mercuric chloride). The isolate was found to be a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, and rod-shaped bacterium that can grow at 4 - 30 °C (optimum 25 °C), pH 6.0 - 12.0 (optimum 7.0), and 0 - 4.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 0.5 - 2.0 %). The 16 S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis showed that DCL_ 24 T shared a 97.53 % similarity with itsºlosest type strain Rheinheimera muenzenbergensis E-49T. Insilico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values were found to be 18.60 % and 73.77 %, respectively, between the genomes of DCL_24T and R. muenzenbergensis E-49T. The strain DCL_24T has 44.33 DNA G+C content (mol %). Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and genotypic data, the strain DCL_24T represents a novel species within the genus Rheinheimera, for which the name Rheinheimera metallidurans sp. nov is proposed. The type strain is DCL_24T (MTCC13203T = NBRC115780T = JCM 35551 T). The isolate was found to volatilize and remove mercury efficiently, as demonstrated by X-ray film and dithizone-based colorimetric methods. Around 92 % of mercury removal was observed within 48 h. The mercury-resistant determinant mer operon consisting of merA, encoding the mercuric reductase enzyme, and transport and regulatory genes (merT, merP, merD, and merR) were found in the isolate. Relative expression analysis of merA at increasing concentrations of HgCl2 was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. These data indicate the merA-mediated reduction of toxic Hg2+ into a non-toxic volatile Hg0. The phytotoxicity assay performed using Arabidopsis thaliana seeds further demonstrated the mercury toxicity reduction potential of DCL_24T. The study shows that this novel isolate, DCL_24T, is an interesting candidate for mercury bioremediation. However, further studies are required to assess the bioremediation efficacy of the strain under the harsh environmental conditions prevailing in polluted sites.

The physiological effect of rimI/rimJ silencing by CRISPR interference in Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155.

N-terminal acetylation of proteins is an important post-translational modification (PTM) found in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. In bacteria, N-terminal acetylation is suggested to play various regulatory roles related to protein stability, gene expression, stress response, and virulence; however, the mechanism of such response remains unclear. The proteins, namely RimI/RimJ, are involved in N-terminal acetylation in mycobacteria. In this study, we used CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to silence rimI/rimJ in Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 to investigate the physiological effects of N-terminal acetylation in cell survival and stress response. Repeat analysis of growth curves in rich media and biofilm analysis in minimal media of various mutant strains and wild-type bacteria did not show significant differences that could be attributed to the rimI/rimJ silencing. However, total proteome and acetylome profiles varied significantly across mutants and wild-type strains, highlighting the role of RimI/RimJ in modulating levels of proprotein acetylation in the cellular milieu. Further, we observed a significant increase in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (from 64 to 1024 µg ml-1) for the drug isoniazid in rimI mutant strains. The increase in MIC value for the drug isoniazid in the mutant strains suggests the link between N-terminal acetylation and antibiotic resistance. The study highlights the utility of CRISPRi as a convenient tool to study the role of PTMs, such as acetylation in mycobacteria. It also identifies rimI/rimJ genes as necessary for managing cellular response against antibiotic stress. Further research would be required to decipher the potential of targeting acetylation to enhance the efficacy of existing antibiotics.

Interaction of cytochrome P450s with environmental risk factors increases their expression and risk to head and neck cancer.

To investigate the role of interaction of tobacco metabolizing polymorphic cytochrome P450s (CYPs) and glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) with environmental risk factors in modifying the susceptibility to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a case-control study with 1250 proven cases of HNSCC and equal number of healthy controls was planned. A small but significant increase in the risk to HNSCC (1-2 fold) in the cases with variant genotypes of CYPs (1A1 or 1B1 or 2E1) increased several folds (up to 13 fold) in regular tobacco or alcohol users. This several fold increase in risk could be due to more than multiplicative interaction observed between the risk genotypes of CYPs and tobacco or alcohol. A synergistic effect was also observed between tobacco as well as alcohol users among cases with risk genotypes of CYPs and GSTM1 that resulted in a further increase in risk (up to 29 fold) to HNSCC. Interestingly, the increase in the risk in tobacco users among cases with variant genotypes of CYPs or a combination of CYPs & GSTM1 (-) was associated with a higher mRNA expression of CYPs when compared to nontobacco users in controls with wild type of genotypes of CYPs & GSTM1. The data suggest that the interaction of genetic and environmental risk factors leads to increased expression of CYPs which may increase the levels of tobacco-derived carcinogens thereby modifying the risk to HNSCC.

Is Site-Specific Assessment of Neck Nodes Relevant for Neck Dissection.

PURPOSE: To highlight the strategy of neck dissection for various subsites of oral squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS & METHODOLOGY: Retrospective study of 153 patients with 164 neck dissection was involved between 2010 and 2016. Predictor variables were patient demographics, biopsy reports, imaging assessment and outcome variables were type of neck dissection and reconstruction performed and histological assessment of regional metastasis to the neck in relation to various primary subsites was carried out. RESULTS: Out of 153 patients, 126 (82.3%) were males and 27 (17.6%) were females with male-to-female ratio being 4.6:1. The mean age among the patients was 49.9 which ranged from 20 to 80 years. Lymph node metastasis was found in 22.6% of T1 and T2 tumors and 77.4% of T3 and T4 tumors. Incidence for gingivobuccal sulcus accounted for 49.6% of primary sites, tongue and floor of the mouth for 15.2%, retromolar trigone for 11.7%, lower alveolus for 8.6%, upper alveolus for 5.9%, lower lip for 3.9%, buccal mucosa for 3.3% and hard palate for 2.6%. Histologically metastasis was seen in level Ib (46%), IIa (33.1%) followed by others. Level V involvement was seen only in 5.5%. CONCLUSION: For all subsites for N0 neck, minimum level III clearance should be performed, and for positive neck in RMT region, level IV or level V clearance is warranted. Apart from subsite, other factors to be considered are tumor stage, tumor thickness (DOI) and morphological characteristics of the primary tumor. The role of lymph node metastasis, number, size, extracapsular spread, its proximity and fixity to greater vessels in the neck.

Polymorphism in cytochrome P4502A6 reduces the risk to head and neck cancer and modifies the treatment outcome.

The present case-control study consisting of 1300 cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the equal number of controls aimed to investigate the association of functionally important polymorphisms in cytochrome P4502A6 (CYP2A6*1B, CYP2A6*4C, CYP2A6*9-rs28399433) with HNSCC and the treatment response in cases receiving a combination of chemotherapy/radiotherapy (CT/RT). A significant decrease in risk to HNSCC was observed in the cases with deletion (CYP2A6*4B and CYP2A6*4C) or reduced activity genotypes (CYP2A6*9) of CYP2A6. This risk to HNSCC was further reduced significantly in tobacco users among the cases when compared to nontobacco users among the cases. The risk was also reduced to a slightly greater extent in alcohol users among the cases when compared to nonalcohol users among the cases. In contrast with decreased risk to HNSCC, almost half of the cases with variant genotypes of CYP2A6 (CYP2A6*1A/*4C+*1B/*4C+*4C/*4C and *9/*9) did not respond to the treatment. Likewise, the survival rate in cases receiving the treatment, after 55 months of follow-up was significantly lower in cases with deletion (6.3%) or reduced activity (11.9%) allele than in the cases with common alleles (41%). The present study has shown that CYP2A6 polymorphism significantly reduces the risk to HNSCC. Our data further suggested that CYP2A6 polymorphism may worsen the treatment outcome in the cases receiving CT/RT.

Comparison of glycoprofiles of rituximab versions licensed for sale in India and an analytical approach for quality assessment.

Glycosylation affects clinical efficacy and safety; therefore, is a critical quality attribute of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Glycans are often labile and complex in patterns, giving rise to macro- and micro-heterogeneity. Recombinant production, diverse geographical locations, associated transportation and storage conditions further compound the problem. Two-way studies comparing glycoprofile of the originator and its given biosimilar are aplenty. However, the extent of analytical variation and similarity in glycoprofile across all approved versions of a drug is hardly explored. Using UHPLC and mass spectrometry, we compared the glycoprofiles of eight rituximab drug samples licensed for sale in India. While the types of glycans were found identical, the abundance of some glycans varied significantly within the tested population. The quality range of glycosylation parameters of the tested sample population differed significantly from the previously established values for US/EU licensed rituximab. As the mean abundance of the 90% of identified glycans falls within ±3SD, the extent of mutual variations amongst tested lots is less significant compared to the extreme deviation from previously established QR limits. Thus, we propose this approach as an orthogonal method to capture glycan variations in licensed versions of mAbs for quality surveillance and in cases where originator samples' are limiting. SIGNIFICANCE: As fluctuation in glycosylation may be of clinical significance, we identify that a one-to-one comparison with originator alone is insufficient in sensing the extent of variations in glycosylation parameters in licensed biosimilars of a given therapeutic mAb. Here we propose that future biosimilarity analysis may include an orthogonal approach of generating an additional combined QR range representing variations across the originator and its biosimilars. The glycosylation profiles of eight rituximab drug samples of different make obtained from the point of sale in India were found identical amongst the tested rituximab versions. However, the QR limits corresponding to important glycosylation parameters differed significantly across all tested samples from the previously established QR limits of US- and EU-licensed rituximab in statistical terms. Such an approach may be useful in defining the true range of glycan variations in licensed versions of therapeutic mAbs.

Rationalization of water quality monitoring locations under spatiotemporal heterogeneity of diffuse pollution using seasonal export coefficient.

Water quality is continuously changing because of anthropogenic origin of point and diffuses (non-point) pollution sources. Most of the time diffuse sources are not considered for rationalization of sampling sites as their accurate estimation is tedious and data intensive. The estimation of diffuse pollution is conventionally carried out using observed water quality data. These conventional approaches are data intensive and demands detailed information for a considerably long-time horizon and hence becomes challenging to implement in data-scarce regions. Also, diffuse pollution sources are characterized by spatio-temporal heterogeneity as they depend upon seasonal behavior of precipitation. The present study proposes an innovative semi-empirical approach of Seasonal Export Coefficients (SECs) for estimation of diffuse pollution loads, especially for tropical countries like India. This approach takes into account the effect of seasonality on the estimation of diffuse pollution loads, by considering seasonal heterogeneity of terrain and precipitation impact factors and land use applications. This seasonal heterogeneity is then tested for its possible impact on rationalization of water quality monitoring locations for Kali River basin in India. The SECs are estimated for available water quality dataset of 1999-2000 and are further used for simulation of nutrient loading for experimental years 2004-2005, 2009-2010, and 2014-2015. The resulting SECs for Kali river basin are: 2.03 (agricultural), 1.44 (fallow), and 0.92 (settlement) for monsoonal nitrate; while for non-monsoonal nitrate, SECs are 0.51 (agricultural), 0.23 (fallow), and 0.10 (settlement). The monsoonal phosphate SECs for land use classes - agricultural, fallow and settlement are 1.01, 0.68, and 0.25, while non-monsoonal phosphate SECs are 0.27, 0.14 and, 0.03 respectively. The seasonal variation of diffuse pollution sources is effectively captured by SECs. The proposed approach, by considering both point and diffuse pollution, is found efficient in determining optimum locations and number of monitoring sites where seasonal variations are found evident during experimental years.

Synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles-antiubiquitin antibodies conjugates for depletion of dead/damaged spermatozoa from buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) semen.

The synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs)-antiubiquitin antibodies (Abs) complex for depletion of dead/damaged spermatozoa from buffalo semen was done. The IONPs synthesized were round in shape with size of 12.09 ± 0.91 nm. At the end of the two-step functionalization, that is, silanization and pegylation of bare IONPs and bioconjugation of functionalized IOPNs, particles with the sizes of 19.15 ± 1.46, 20.72 ± 0.95, and 73.01 ± 7.56 nm, respectively, were obtained. Twenty-four semen samples from four bulls with mean individual progressive motility (%) and sperm concentration (million/mL) of 77.1 ± 0.9 and 1,321.2 ± 84.7, respectively, were divided into Group I (control), and treatment groups viz. Groups II, III, and IV; with each group containing 150 ± 25 million dead/damaged spermatozoa. The IONPs-Abs complex was added at the ratio of 1:1 (0.5 µg/mL), 1:2 (1.0 µg/mL), and 1:4 (2.0 µg/mL), respectively, in the Groups II, III, and IV. The mean efficiency (%) of nanopurification was estimated to be greater in nanopurified semen with the increasing doses of the IONPs-Abs complex. A reduction of 29.3 ± 6.4%, 48.4 ± 5.3%, and 55.4 ± 4.4% in dead/damaged spermatozoa following nanopurification in Groups II, III, and IV, respectively, was observed. The study shows that in-house synthesized IONPs-Abs complex can be successfully used to deplete dead/damaged spermatozoa from buffalo semen with improvement in quality.

A two-stage multi-attribute decision-making model for selecting appropriate locations of waste transfer stations in urban centers.

Selecting appropriate locations for municipal solid waste (MSW) management facilities, such as transfer stations, is an important issue in rapidly developing regions. Multiple alternatives and evaluation attributes need to be analyzed for finalizing the locations of these facilities. Multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) approaches are found to be very effective for ranking several potential locations and hence selecting the best among them based on the identified attributes. However, conventional MADM approaches fail to find the rankings of alternatives derived from all possible combinations of these potential locations. Therefore, this study presents a two-stage MADM model that also accounts for all possible combinations of locations. This study evaluates economical, environmental, social and technical attributes based on realistic conditions of the study area, i.e., Nashik city (India). The results provide the ranks of all possible combinations along with their probabilities of rank reversibility. The mean and standard deviation of the relative closeness are further evaluated for the top-ranking locations under distinct schemes. The present study will help stakeholders in finding suitable locations for MSW management facilities while considering economic, environmental, social and technical attributes.

Nano-purification of raw semen minimises oxidative stress with improvement in post-thaw quality of buffalo spermatozoa.

The study consisted of application of anti-ubiquitin antibodies (Abs)-coated iron oxide-nanoparticles (IONPs) for minimisation of oxidative stress to contemporary live spermatozoa from the raw semen. Round-shaped IONPs (12.09 ± 0.91 nm) after two-stage functionalisation (silanisation and pegylation) were conjugated with Abs. Four aliquots from each of the 24 ejaculates (4 buffalo bulls) formed Control (Group I) and treatment (II, III and IV) groups; each containing 150 ± 25 million dead/damaged spermatozoa. IONPs-Abs complex were added at ratio of 1:1 (0.5 µg/ml), 1:2 (1.0 µg/ml) and 1:4 (2.0 µg/ml), respectively, in Groups II, III and IV. The semen quality parameters showed improvement at lag-stage (post-nano-purification before processing for cryopreservation). The mean post-thaw motility (%) in Group IV was found to be greater (p < .05) than Group I. Moreover, the overall DNA integrity (%) at post-thaw stage was improved in the nano-purified semen samples. The value of malondialdehyde was greater (p < .001) in Group I than Groups II, III and IV. The mean total antioxidant capacity and superoxide dismutase (U/mg protein) activity values in Group IV was greater (p < .05) than Group I. The study results show that IONPs conjugated with anti-ubiquitin Abs at 2.0 µg/ml can be an effective dose for depletion of dead/damaged spermatozoa from buffalo ejaculates to minimise oxidative stress.

Interaction of glutathione-s-transferase genotypes with environmental risk factors in determining susceptibility to head and neck cancer and treatment response and survival outcome.

The present case-control study aimed to investigate the role of interaction of glutathione-s-transferase (GST) genotypes with environmental risk factors in determining susceptibility to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) involving 1,250 cases and equal number of healthy controls. An increase in the risk of HNSCC and its subsites (larynx, pharynx, and oral cavity) was observed among the cases with null genotypes of GSTM1 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.87) or GSTT1 (OR = 1.39) while reduced risk (OR = 0.81) was observed the cases with variant genotype of GSTP1. Tobacco use in the form of smoking or chewing interacted multiplicatively with GSTM1 or GSTT1 to increase the risk several folds (3-10 folds) in HNSCC and its subsites. Alcohol use also increased the risk (2-3 folds) to HNSCC and its subsites in cases with null or variant genotypes of GSTs, though this risk was of lesser magnitude when compared to the tobacco users. A synergistic effect of both, tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking, led to several folds (25-folds) increased risk to HNSCC among the cases with null genotype of GSTM1 and GSTT1 when compared to nonsmokers and nondrinkers with wild genotype of GSTM1 and GSTT1 in controls. Furthermore, cases with variant genotypes of GSTP1 (Val/Val) showed superior treatment response with improved survival rate and lower risk of death when compared to the patients with wild type genotype (Ile/Ile). The data suggest that though polymorphism in GSTs may be a modest risk factor for determining HNSCC risk, gene-environment interactions significantly modify the susceptibility to HNSCC by several folds.

Validation of gene expression profiles of candidate genes using low density array in peripheral blood of tobacco consuming head and neck cancer patients and auto/taxi drivers with preneoplastic lesions.

TaqMan Low-Density Array (TLDA) based Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR) of selected genes showed increased expression of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) metabolizing cytochrome P450s (CYPs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and associated transcription factors in biopsy and peripheral blood samples isolated from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients when compared to the controls. The genes involved in DNA repair, signal transduction pathway, EMT pathway, apoptosis, and cell adhesion/motility were found to be altered in both peripheral blood and biopsy samples of HNSCC patients. Transcription profiles in blood isolated from auto/taxi drivers, with pre-neoplastic lesions and history of tobacco use, also showed similar alterations. The present TLDA data thus demonstrates that low-density array of selected genes in peripheral blood has the potential to be used as a surrogate for providing insight into cancer progression pathways and possibly as an early biomarker for monitoring tobacco induced HNSCC.

A new bivariate risk classifier for flood management considering hazard and socio-economic dimensions.

Identification of flood-risk dynamics is pivotal for refurbishing the existing and future flood-management options. The present study quantifies the marginal and compound contributions of hazard and vulnerability to flood-risk through an innovative concept of Risk-classifier, designed in the form of a 5 × 5 choropleth. The proposed framework is demonstrated at the finest administrative scale of village-level over Jagatsinghpur district in Mahanadi River basin, Odisha (India) for two-time frames: Scenario-I (1970-2011) and Scenario-II (1970-2001). An increase in high and very high hazard and vulnerable villages is noticed in Scenario-I, the majority of them lying in the coastal stretches (S-E region) and adjoining flood plains of Mahanadi River (N-W region). Scenario-I is characterized by the majority of hazard-driven and compound (both hazard and vulnerability) risk villages, while Scenario II is characterized by a majority of vulnerability driven-risk villages. For the vulnerability-driven risk villages, rigorous enforcement of policies and mitigation schemes are recommended, while for hazard-driven risk villages, enhancement of structural measures and flood-plain zoning should be exercised. Such exhaustive flood-risk information may serve as a valuable cartographic product for the civic authorities and stakeholders and help in prioritizing flood mitigation actions for improved environmental planning and management.

Similarities in mRNA expression of peripheral blood drug metabolizing enzymes and cancer marker genes with biopsy samples of head and neck cancer patients.

Purpose: To develop peripheral blood mRNA expression profiles of drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) as a surrogate to monitor tobacco induced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), attempts were made to investigate (i) similarities in alterations with the cancer marker genes in biopsy samples and (ii) if alterations similar to that seen in biopsy samples are reflected in peripheral blood. Methods: Total RNA from eight soft gingival tissues and eight biopsy samples of HNSCC patients and total DNA and RNA from blood of healthy controls (n = 150) and HNSCC patients (n = 150) was processed for expression and genotyping studies. Blood from patients receiving chemo-radiotherapy was processed for follow-up study. Results: qRT-PCR revealed significant increase in mRNA expression of DMEs in biopsy and blood samples of HNSCC patients when compared to controls. Similar alterations were observed in cancer marker genes in these samples. Patients with variant genotypes of DMEs showed greater magnitude of alterations in mRNA expression when compared to wild type controls. Responders of chemo-radiotherapy showed significant decline in induction of mRNA expression of DMEs and cancer marker genes Conclusions: The data suggest that peripheral blood expression profiles could be used to monitor tobacco-induced HNSCC as well as the treatment response.

A facility location model for municipal solid waste management system under uncertain environment.

In municipal solid waste management system, decision makers have to develop an insight into the processes namely, waste generation, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal methods. Many parameters (e.g., waste generation rate, functioning costs of facilities, transportation cost, and revenues) in this system are associated with uncertainties. Often, these uncertainties of parameters need to be modeled under a situation of data scarcity for generating probability distribution function or membership function for stochastic mathematical programming or fuzzy mathematical programming respectively, with only information of extreme variations. Moreover, if uncertainties are ignored, then the problems like insufficient capacities of waste management facilities or improper utilization of available funds may be raised. To tackle uncertainties of these parameters in a more efficient manner an algorithm, based on interval analysis, has been developed. This algorithm is applied to find optimal solutions for a facility location model, which is formulated to select economically best locations of transfer stations in a hypothetical urban center. Transfer stations are an integral part of contemporary municipal solid waste management systems, and economic siting of transfer stations ensures financial sustainability of this system. The model is written in a mathematical programming language AMPL with KNITRO as a solver. The developed model selects five economically best locations out of ten potential locations with an optimum overall cost of [394,836, 757,440] Rs.1 /day ([5906, 11,331] USD/day) approximately. Further, the requirement of uncertainty modeling is explained based on the results of sensitivity analysis.

Phylogenetic analysis of immunomodulatory protein genes of camelpoxvirus obtained from India.

The haemagglutinin (HA) encoding gene and genes encoding for immunomodulatory proteins i.e., schlafen-like protein, epidermal growth factor and golgi anti apoptotic protein of camelpoxvirus (CMLV) obtained from Indian dromedarian camels were cloned and characterized. In this study, the size of the HA encoding gene obtained from the Indian CMLV is 941 bp which is only partial. Sequence analysis of schlafen-like protein gene revealed that CMLV obtained from India shared 99.6% identity with CMLV-Iran and CMLV-Kazakhstan strains both at nucleotide and amino acid level. The size of epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene of Indian CMLV obtained in this study was 418 bp, which was due to the addition of one cytosine residue position 132 of EGF gene of Indian CMLV. Sequence analysis revealed that the Golgi anti-apoptotic protein (GAAP) of Indian CMLV shared 99.5% sequence identity both at the nucleotide and amino acid level with CMLV-Kazakhstan. Based on the nucleotide and amino acid sequence identities and phylogenetic analyses of these genes, it is found that CMLV-India is forming a cluster with Kazakhstan and Iranian CMLV isolates.