An Observational Study on Cosmetics Use-related Adverse Effects: Cosmetovigilance Need of the Day.

INTRODUCTION: The pursuit of aesthetic attractiveness and increased awareness have contributed significantly to the growth of the cosmetic industry. However, it is crucial to recognize that even the minimal use of cosmetics may have harmful consequences for both the overall well-being and the broader community, an issue that has yet to be adequately recognized or addressed. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at providing insights into the usage pattern of consumer behavior regarding skin care products and to assess the prevalence and determinants of cosmetic-related adverse events among the general populace. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out for four months in a satellite city of the National Capital Region (NCR) of India. The data from 435 respondents was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: Among 435 participants, 32.9% experienced one or more adverse effects owing to the use of skincare products; the prevalence was higher in females (36.3%). Hair loss, allergies, and dry skin were the most frequently reported adverse effects. The majority of the adverse reactions were reported with soap (21%), followed by shampoo (17%). The gender-wise difference between adverse effects of skin care products was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: To improve the system's efficiency, a comprehensive review of the current regulatory protocols for cosmetics is crucial. Additionally, it is essential to widely disseminate information on Cosmetovigilance and promote the reporting of any adverse effects of cosmetics within the community; this is the demand of the present time.

AMMI and GGE biplot analysis of yield under terminal heat tolerance in wheat.

BACKGROUND: Wheat is an important cereal crop that helps to meet the food grain needs of people all over the world. Heat stress is one of the most significant abiotic stresses that wheat crops face during terminal growth stages in the wheat growing regions like India. It is very important to identify heat tolerant genotypes to be used as donors for breeding tolerant varieties. METHODS: Thirty-six wheat genotypes were evaluated under different sowing dates viz., Timely sown (TS), Late sown (LS) and very late sown (VLS), and the fourth was sown in the Temperature controlled phenotyping facility (TCPF) across two years. Genotypes were planted following lattice square design with two replications. Data was recorded for yield and yield contributing traits and analysed using selection indices as well AMMI and GGE biplot stability models. RESULTS: Heat stress affected all the traits under different heat environments which ranged from 1.6% (Spikelet number) to 37.2% (grain yield). Regression analysis indicated that the thousand grains weight (R2 = 0.50) contributed significantly towards grain yield under heat stress. Stress susceptibility index (SSI) found genotypes GW322, RAJ3765, Raj4037and MACS6145 as heat tolerant whereas, Stress Tolerance Index (STI) identified C306, HD2967, WH1080, WH730, DBW90, HD2932, DBW17, RAJ3765 as heat tolerant and high yielding. AMMI biplot analysis indicated stable genotypes DBW90, WH730, RAJ4083, CBW38, HD2932, NI5439, WR544, whereas GGE biplot analysis revealed stable genotypes NIAW34, NI5439, RAJ4083, DBW90, PBW590, Raj3765, HUW 510, WH730, HD2967 and UP2382. CONCLUSION: Heat stress affects significantly all yield contributing traits. Thousand grain weight was the most important trait that can be used as a selection criterion for selecting tolerant lines. Based on selection indices and both AMMI and GGE analysis, genotype RAJ3765 was identified to be highly heat tolerant with good grain yield.

Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) in Children: An Analysis of Reporting in VigiAccess.

INTRODUCTION: It is an indubitable fact that vaccination has been instrumental in the eradication and prevention of the deadliest diseases worldwide. Continuous vaccine safety surveillance is helpful to counter the negative perception and thus allay the fear of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) in the general public. VigiAccess, the WHO global database of reported side effects of medicinal products, can be accessed by the public at large. The objective of this study is to assess the characteristics of AEFIs of the commonly used vaccines in children in VigiAccess. MATERIALS AND METHODS: VigiAccess was thoroughly explored for the categories, number, and types of AEFIs of commonly used vaccines among children that are reported in five continents between 2011 and 2021. RESULTS: After a comprehensive analysis in VigiAccess, 27 kinds of AEFIs were discovered. For the nine vaccines, a total of 1,412,339 AEFIs were found. The most prevalent AEFIs were general disorder and administration site condition (436,199 or 30%). The majority of AEFIs are found in America, with Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa following closely behind. Girls of age from 27 days to 23 months had the highest number of AEFIs. The highest number of AEFIs was recorded in the year 2018. CONCLUSION: America has the maximum, whilst Africa has the least AEFI. Few AEFIs were caused by the measles vaccination, while the majority were related to the general disorder and administration site condition. Data synchronization in VigiAccess needs to be enhanced to improve its dependability.

Prevalence of Anemia in Children of Rural Population of Northern State of India / Prevalencia de anemia en niños de la población rural del estado norteño de la India

INTRODUCTION: India carries the highest burden of anemia, particularly in children and women. Children at the growing stage are at the risk of nutrition depletion, hence anemia. Fewer data are available on the prevalence of anemia in growing children of age 10-14 years. It is important to intervene early and track this group. The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of anemia and its correlation to age, gender and body mass index in children of rural area of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. METHOD: Total 600 children of 5-13 years age group were included in this study. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect the health details of the children and socioeconomic status of the parents. Hemoglobin was determined by the calibrated Hemoglobin analyzer. Body mass index values were calculated based on the measurements of weight and height of the children. RESULTS: Prevalence of anemia as per WHO standards in these children was 57.67%. Results of the study population reveal that anemia in this region is more prevalent in girls (68%) when compared to boys (47.3%). However, association between body mass index and hemoglobin was not statistically significant in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that increased prevalence of anemia in the children of rural area is associated with multiple nutrient deficiencies. Nutritional interventions, evaluation of predisposing risk factors and increased coverage of supplementation programme are recommended measures that can be adopted to control anemia in children

INTRODUCCIÓN: India soporta la mayor carga de anemia, especialmente en niños y mujeres. Hay menos datos disponibles sobre la prevalencia de anemia en niños en crecimiento de 10 a 14 años. Es importante intervenir temprano y rastrear a este grupo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue estimar la prevalencia de anemia y su correlación con la edad, sexo e índice de masa corporal en niños del área rural de Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. MÉTODO: Se incluyó un total de 600 niños de entre 5 y 13 años. Se utilizó un cuestionario detallado para recopilar datos de salud de los niños y el estado socioeconómico de los padres. Se midió peso talla y se calculó el índice de masa corporal. Se midió la hemoglobina mediante analizador calibrado. RESULTADOS: La prevalencia de anemia según los estándares de la OMS en estos niños fue de 57,67%. Los resultados revelan que la anemia en esta región es más prevalente en las niñas (68%) en comparación con los niños (47,3%). Sin embargo, la asociación entre el índice de masa corporal y la hemoglobina no fue estadísticamente significativa en el presente estudio. CONCLUSIONES: Nuestros resultados sugieren que el aumento de la prevalencia de anemia en los niños del área rural está asociado con múltiples deficiencias de nutrientes. Las intervenciones nutricionales, la evaluación de los factores de riesgo predisponentes y una mayor cobertura del programa de suplementación son medidas recomendadas que se pueden adoptar para controlar la anemia en los niños

Development and validation of heat-responsive candidate gene and miRNA gene based SSR markers to analysis genetic diversity in wheat for heat tolerance breeding.

Being a major staple food crop of the world, wheat provides nutritional food security to the global populations. Heat stress is a major abiotic stress that adversely affects wheat production throughout the world including Indo-Gangatic Plains (IGP) where four wheat growing countries viz., India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan produce 42% of the total wheat production. Therefore, identification of heat stress responsive molecular markers is imperative to marker assisted breeding programs. Information about trait specific gene based SSRs is available but there is lack of information on SSRs from non-coding regions. In the present study, we developed 177 heat-responsive gene-based SSRs (cg-SSR) and MIR gene-based SSR (miRNA-SSR) markers from wheat genome for assessing genetic diversity analysis of thirty- six contrasting wheat genotypes for heat tolerance. Of the 177 SSR loci, 144 yielded unambiguous and repeatable amplicons, however, thirty-seven were found polymorphic among the 36 wheat genotypes. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of primers used in this study ranged from 0.03-0.73, with a mean of 0.35. Number of alleles produced per primer varied from 2 to 6, with a mean of 2.58. The UPGMA dendrogram analysis grouped all wheat genotypes into four clusters. The markers developed in this study has potential application in the MAS based breeding programs for developing heat tolerant wheat cultivars and genetic diversity analysis of wheat germplasm. Identification of noncoding region based SSRs will be fruitful for identification of trait specific wheat germplasm.

Identification and development of novel salt-responsive candidate gene based SSRs (cg-SSRs) and MIR gene based SSRs (mir-SSRs) in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum).

Salt stress adversely affects the global wheat production and productivity. To improve salinity tolerance of crops, identification of robust molecular markers is highly imperative for development of salt-tolerant cultivars to mimic yield losses under saline conditions. In this study, we mined 171 salt-responsive genes (including 10 miRNAs) from bread wheat genome using the sequence information of functionally validated salt-responsive rice genes. Salt-stress, tissue and developmental stage-specific expression analysis of RNA-seq datasets revealed the constitutive as well as the inductive response of salt-responsive genes in different tissues of wheat. Fifty-four genotypes were phenotyped for salt stress tolerance. The stress tolerance index of the genotypes ranged from 0.30 to 3.18. In order to understand the genetic diversity, candidate gene based SSRs (cg-SSRs) and MIR gene based SSRs (miR-SSRs) were mined from 171 members of salt-responsive genes of wheat and validated among the contrasting panels of 54 tolerant as well as susceptible wheat genotypes. Among 53 SSR markers screened, 10 cg-SSRs and 8 miR-SSRs were found to be polymorphic. Polymorphic information content between the wheat genotypes ranged from 0.07 to 0.67, indicating the extant of wide genetic variation among the salt tolerant and susceptible genotypes at the DNA level. The genetic diversity analysis based on the allelic data grouped the wheat genotypes into three separate clusters of which single group encompassing most of the salt susceptible genotypes and two of them containing salt tolerance and moderately salt tolerance wheat genotypes were in congruence with penotypic data. Our study showed that both salt-responsive genes and miRNAs based SSRs were more diverse and can be effectively used for diversity analysis. This study reports the first extensive survey on genome-wide analysis, identification, development and validation of salt-responsive cg-SSRs and miR-SSRs in wheat. The information generated in the present study on genetic divergence among genotypes having a differential response to salt will help in the selection of suitable lines as parents for developing salt tolerant cultivars in wheat.