Harnessing weedy rice as functional food and source of novel traits for crop improvement.

A relative of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), weedy or red rice (Oryza spp.) is currently recognized as the dominant weed, leading to a drastic loss of yield of cultivated rice due to its highly competitive abilities like producing more tillers, panicles, and biomass with better nutrient uptake. Due to its high nutritional value, antioxidant properties (anthocyanin and proanthocyanin), and nutrient absorption ability, weedy rice is gaining immense research attentions to understand its genetic constitution to augment future breeding strategies and to develop nutrition-rich functional foods. Consequently, this review focuses on the unique gene source of weedy rice to enhance the cultivated rice for its crucial features like water use efficiency, abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, early flowering, and the red pericarp of the seed. It explores the debating issues on the origin and evolution of weedy rice, including its high diversity, signalling aspects, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping under stress conditions, the intricacy of the mechanism in the expression of the gene flow, and ecological challenges of nutrient removal by weedy rice. This review may create a foundation for future researchers to understand the gene flow between cultivated crops and weedy traits and support an improved approach for the applicability of several models in predicting multiomics variables.

Perceived leadership quality and empathy among Indian undergraduate medical students.

BACKGROUND: Efficient leaders from the medical fraternity may understand healthcare in depth. Empathy is important for patient care, job satisfaction, and the psychological well-being of doctors. Empathic leadership is concerned with an interest in the people around them. This study aimed to observe the perceived leadership quality and empathy among Indian medical undergraduate students, find any correlation between them, and assess age, sex, and semester of study as predictor variables for leadership and empathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted on Google Forms with undergraduate medical students in India with a convenient snowball sample. The Abbreviated Self Leadership Quality (ASQL) was used to find the leadership quality and the eight-item Empathy Quotient (EQ-8) to find the empathy. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated between ASQL and EQ-8 score. Age, sex, and semester were used as predictor variables in regression analysis with leadership and empathy as dependent variables. RESULT: A total of 439 (50.8% male, 49.2% female) Indian undergraduate students participated in the study. Males showed higher leadership qualities. There was no gender difference in empathy. Leadership was positively correlated (rs =0.13, P = .006) with empathy in the overall sample. The age (P = .001), sex (P < .0001), and semester of study (P < .0001) successfully predicts leadership (F = 57.167, P < .0001). Although age, sex, and semester combined successfully predict empathy (F = 5.31, P = .001), individually, only a semester of study (P = .009) significantly contributes to the prediction. CONCLUSION: Male and female medical students show a similar level of empathy but male shows higher leadership quality. Leadership and empathy are positively correlated; hence, students with higher leadership quality would show higher empathy and vice versa. The age, sex, and semester of study are determinants of leadership whereas semester of study is the determinant of empathy.

A Novel Mutation in Cystic Fibrosis Presenting as Pseudo Bartter Syndrome: A Case Report.

Pseudo-Bartter's (PB) syndrome is characterized by hypokalemic metabolic alkalosis and failure to thrive which constitutes a rare but typical presentation of cystic fibrosis (CF) in children. The most common mutation of CF is F508del, due to loss of 3 base pairs, causing deletion of phenylalanine, at position 508. We present a case of CF presenting with failure to thrive, dehydration, PB syndrome associated with urosepsis and primo-colonization with Escherichia coli suggesting the role of epigenetic factors. The heterozygous state for Phe508del mutation in Exon 11 combination with Glu92Ala in Exon 4 resulted in epigenetic effect on atypical phenotype as PBS, a novel mutation identified in our case.

Deciphering phenotyping, DNA barcoding, and RNA secondary structure predictions in eggplant wild relatives provide insights for their future breeding strategies.

Eggplant or aubergine (Solanum melongena L.) and its wild cousins, comprising 13 clades with 1500 species, have an unprecedented demand across the globe. Cultivated eggplant has a narrow molecular diversity that hinders eggplant breeding advancements. Wild eggplants need resurgent attention to broaden eggplant breeding resources. In this study, we emphasized phenotypic and genotypic discriminations among 13 eggplant species deploying chloroplast-plastid (Kim matK) and nuclear (ITS2) short gene sequences (400-800 bp) at DNA barcode region followed by ITS2 secondary structure predictions. The identification efficiency at the Kim matK region was higher (99-100%) than in the ITS2 region (80-90%). The eggplant species showed 13 unique secondary structures with a central ring with various helical orientations. Principal component analysis (PCoA) provides the descriptor-wise phenotypic clustering, which is essential for trait-specific breeding. Groups I and IV are categorized under scarlet complexes S. aethiopicum, S. trilobatum, and S. melongena (wild and cultivated). Group II represented the gboma clade (S. macrocarpon, S. wrightii, S. sisymbriifolium, and S. aculeatissimum), and group III includes S. mammosum, and S. torvum with unique fruit shape and size. The present study would be helpful in genetic discrimination, biodiversity conservation, and the safe utilization of wild eggplants.

Reactive oxygen species turnover, phenolics metabolism, and some key gene expressions modulate postharvest physiological deterioration in cassava tubers.

Rapid postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) tuber is a significant concern during storage. The freshly harvested tubers start spoiling within 24 to 72 h. Accumulation of H2O2 is one of the earliest biochemical events that occurred during PPD, which was detected using the 3,3 diaminobenzidine (DAB) in two contrast cassava genotypes, MNP Local A (29-57 µg g-1) and Sree Prakash (64-141 µg g-1). Accumulating the fluorescence hydroxycoumarin compounds emitted by the cassava tubers observed under an ultraviolet (UV) lamp showed significant variations at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days of storage. The total phenolics and carotenoids significantly and negatively correlated with PPD progression; however, the anthocyanin and flavonoids positively correlated with the PPD-anchored ROS accumulation. The primary compound, Phthalic acid, di(2-propylpentyl) ester, was identified in both the cassava tubers, Sree Prakash (57.21 and 35.21%), and MNP Local A (75.58 and 60.21%) at 0, and 72 h of PPD, respectively. The expression of PPD-associated genes APX-2, APX-3, PAL, and AP was higher at 6-12 days of PPD, which signified the synthesis of ROS turnover and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. A significant, strong, and positive correlation was established between the secondary metabolites and PPD signaling gene expression, which was inversely correlated with hydroxycoumarin and H2O2 accumulation. MNP Local A tubers exhibited longer storage life of 15 days with a low PPD score, higher metabolites synthesis, and gene expression. The PPD-resistant lines may be used to augment cassava breeding strategies for large-scale commercial and industrial use.

Infections in Critically Ill Children.

Health care-associated infections (HAI) directly influence the survival of children in pediatric intensive care units (PICU), the most common being central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) 25-30%, followed by ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) 20-25%, and others such as catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) 15%, surgical site infection (SSI) 11%. HAIs complicate the course of the disease, especially the critical one, thereby increasing the mortality, morbidity, length of hospital stay, and cost. The incidence of HAI in Western countries is 6.1-15.1% and in India, it is 10.5 to 19.5%. The advances in healthcare practices have reduced the incidence of HAIs in the recent years which is possible due to strict asepsis, hand hygiene practices, surveillance of infections, antibiotic stewardship, and adherence to bundled care. The burden of drug resistance and emerging infections are increasing with limited antibiotics in hand, is still a dreadful threat. The most common manifestation of HAIs is fever in PICU, hence the appropriate targeted search to identify the cause of fever should be done. Proper isolation practices, judicious handling of devices, regular microbiologic audit, local spectrum of organisms, identification of barriers in compliance of hand hygiene practices, appropriate education and training, all put together in an efficient and sustained system improves patient outcome.

DNA Barcoding and ITS2 Secondary Structure Predictions in Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) from the North Eastern Hill Region of India.

Taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott, Araceae), an ancient root and tuber crop, is highly polygenic, polyphyletic, and polygeographic in nature, which leads to its rapid genetic erosion. To prevent the perceived loss of taro diversity, species discrimination and genetic conservation of promising taro genotypes need special attention. Reports on genetic discrimination of taro at its center of origin are still untapped. We performed DNA barcoding of twenty promising genotypes of taro indigenous to the northeastern hill region of India, deploying two chloroplast-plastid genes, matK and rbcL, and the ribosomal nuclear gene ITS2. The secondary structure of ITS2 was determined and molecular phylogeny was performed to assess genetic discrimination among the taro genotypes. The matK and rbcL genes were highly efficient (>90%) in amplification and sequencing. However, the ITS2 barcode region achieved significant discrimination among the tested taro genotypes. All the taro genotypes displayed most similar sequences at the conserved matK and rbcL loci. However, distinct sequence lengths were observed in the ITS2 barcode region, revealing accurate discriminations among the genotypes. Multiple barcode markers are unrelated to one another and change independently, providing different estimations of heritable traits and genetic lineages; thus, they are advantageous over a single locus in genetic discrimination studies. A dynamic programming algorithm that used base-pairing interactions within a single nucleic acid polymer or between two polymers transformed the secondary structures into the symbol code data to predict seven different minimum free energy secondary structures. Our analysis strengthens the potential of the ITS2 gene as a potent DNA barcode candidate in the prediction of a valuable secondary structure that would help in genetic discrimination between the genotypes while augmenting future breeding strategies in taro.

Role of biostimulants in mitigating the effects of climate change on crop performance.

Climate change is a critical yield-limiting factor that has threatened the entire global crop production system in the present scenario. The use of biostimulants in agriculture has shown tremendous potential in combating climate change-induced stresses such as drought, salinity, temperature stress, etc. Biostimulants are organic compounds, microbes, or amalgamation of both that could regulate plant growth behavior through molecular alteration and physiological, biochemical, and anatomical modulations. Their nature is diverse due to the varying composition of bioactive compounds, and they function through various modes of action. To generate a successful biostimulatory action on crops under different parameters, a multi-omics approach would be beneficial to identify or predict its outcome comprehensively. The 'omics' approach has greatly helped us to understand the mode of action of biostimulants on plants at cellular levels. Biostimulants acting as a messenger in signal transduction resembling phytohormones and other chemical compounds and their cross-talk in various abiotic stresses help us design future crop management under changing climate, thus, sustaining food security with finite natural resources. This review article elucidates the strategic potential and prospects of biostimulants in mitigating the adverse impacts of harsh environmental conditions on plants.

Elucidating the impact of boron fertilization on soil physico-chemical and biological entities under cauliflower-cowpea-okra cropping system in an Eastern Himalayan acidic Inceptisol.

Information on the role of boron (B) on soil physico-chemical and biological entities is scarce, and the precise mechanism in soil is still obscure. Present field investigation aimed to assessing the implication of direct and residual effect of graded levels of applied-B on soil biological entities and its concomitant impact on crop productivity. The treatments comprised of five graded levels of B with four replications. To assess the direct effect of B-fertilization, cauliflower was grown as a test crop wherein, B-fertilization was done every year. For assessment of succeeding residual effects of B-fertilization, cowpea and okra were grown as test crops and, B-fertilization was phased out in both crops. The 100% recommended dose of NPK (RDF) along with FYM was uniformly applied to all crops under CCOCS. Results indicated that the direct effect of B had the edge over residual effect of B in affecting soil physico-chemical and biological entities under CCOCS. Amongst the graded levels of B, application of the highest B level (2 kg ha-1) was most prominent in augmenting microbiological pools in soil at different crop growth stages. The order of B treatments in respect of MBC, MBN, and soil respiration at different crop growth stages was 2.0 kg B ha-1 > 1.5 kg B ha-1 > 1.0 kg B ha-1 > 0.5 kg B ha-1 > 0 kg B ha-1, respectively. Moreover, maximum recoveries of potentially mineralizable-C (PMC) and potentially mineralizable-N (PMN) were noticed under 2 kg B ha-1. Analogous trend was recorded in soil microbial populations at different crop growth stages. Similarly, escalating B levels up to 2 kg B ha-1 exhibited significantly greater soil enzymatic activities viz., arylsulphatase (AS), dehydrogenase (DH), fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and phosphomonoesterase (PMA), except urease enzyme (UE) which showed an antagonistic effect of applied-B in soil. Greater geometric mean enzyme activity (GMEA) and soil functional diversity index were recorded under 2 kg B ha-1 in CCOCS, at all crop growth stages over control. The inclusive results indicated that different soil physico-chemical and biological properties CCOCS can be invariably improved by the application of graded levels of B up to 2 kg B ha-1 in an acid Inceptisol.

Molecular Phylogeny, DNA Barcoding, and ITS2 Secondary Structure Predictions in the Medicinally Important Eryngium Genotypes of East Coast Region of India.

Commercial interest in the culinary herb, Eryngium foetidum L., has increased worldwide due to its typical pungency, similar to coriander or cilantro, with immense pharmaceutical components. The molecular delimitation and taxonomic classification of this lesser-known medicinal plant are restricted to conventional phenotyping and DNA-based marker evaluation, which hinders accurate identification, genetic conservation, and safe utilization. This study focused on species discrimination using DNA sequencing with chloroplast-plastid genes (matK, Kim matK, and rbcL) and the nuclear ITS2 gene in two Eryngium genotypes collected from the east coast region of India. The results revealed that matK discriminated between two genotypes, however, Kim matK, rbcL, and ITS2 identified these genotypes as E. foetidum. The ribosomal nuclear ITS2 region exhibited significant inter- and intra-specific divergence, depicted in the DNA barcodes and the secondary structures derived based on the minimum free energy. Although the efficiency of matK genes is better in species discrimination, ITS2 demonstrated polyphyletic phylogeny, and could be used as a reliable marker for genetic divergence studies understanding the mechanisms of RNA molecules. The results of this study provide insights into the scientific basis of species identification, genetic conservation, and safe utilization of this important medicinal plant species.

Fortification of ready-to-eat extruded snacks with tree bean powder: nutritional, antioxidant, essential amino acids, and sensory properties.

Nutrition-rich extruded snacks were developed from a mixture of cornflour, Bengal gram flour fortified by tree bean (TB) powder (0, 5, and 10%) using a twin-screw extruder. The nutritional, antioxidant, and amino acid profile and structural, functional, and sensory properties of the ready-to-eat (RTE) extruded snacks were evaluated. Ash, protein, and fiber content in TB-fortified extrudates were increased, whereas nitrogen-free extract was decreased. Total phenolics (2.34 mg g-1 FW), ascorbate (2.23 mg g-1 FW), total flavonoids (0.16 mg g-1 FW), and reduced glutathione (8.53 µM g-1 FW) were higher in the extrudates with 10% TB powder. Similarly, RTE extruded snacks fortified by 10% TB exhibited higher DPPH, FRAP, ABTS, hydroxyl radical activities, reducing power, and essential amino acids, such as lysine, leucine, isoleucine, cysteine, threonine, tyrosine, and methionine derived by HPLC. Extrudates fortified by 5% TB powder exhibited better microstructure through scanning electron microscopy. However, 10% TB powder possessed higher physicochemical properties and overall sensory attributes. This study reveals the tremendous industrial potential of nutrient-rich RTE extruded snacks fortified by underutilized TB (10%). Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05251-w.

Medical students' perception on the usefulness of online formative assessment: A single-center, mixed-method, pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Distance digital learning is newly implemented in the Indian medical institutions. Formative assessment is also conducted online. In this context, this study aimed at finding the perception on the usefulness of online formative assessment along with online classes among 1st-year medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in August 2020. The students were exposed to online classes and online formative assessments with five multiple choice questions for a period of 4 months before the conduct of the survey. An online survey was conducted (both quantitative and qualitative data collection) to ascertain the perception on the online formative assessment quiz. RESULTS: A total of 36 (14 female, 21 male, 1 did not disclose sex) 1st-year medical students with a mean age of 19.97 ± 1.16 years participated in the survey. The majority of the students agreed that the online quiz was a valuable learning activity and has potential to replace the face-to-face assessment. The online quizzes provided them feedback of classroom learning and helped in identifying the weak area and motivated students to the study. The qualitative data showed that students like to get a greater number of questions and also like to participate in chapter wise multiple quizzes in spare time. CONCLUSION: First-year medical students considered the online formative assessments quiz coupled with the online classes as a valuable learning activity. It provided them feedback of learning and a motivation for further study on the topic. They like to participate in anonymous quiz with a greater number of questions with online classes. The finding of this pilot study should be further evaluated with multicenter study with more participants.

Indigenous plant protection practices of Tripura, India.

BACKGROUND: Traditional plant protection strategies have an integral part of food production system in North Eastern state Tripura, India, which has bestowed with rich heritage and biodiversity. However, there is no comprehensive report on the indigenous plant protection practices (IPPPs) specific to insect and vertebrate pest management, being followed by the inhabitants of the region for centuries. The present study was conducted to investigate, collect, and document the vulnerable IPPP practices followed by the native people from far flung locations of the Tripura. METHODS: The study aimed to document the IPPP following semi-structured questionnaires, participatory interaction, and direct observations with a total of 200 informants. We have calculated the relative frequencies of citation (RFC) for IPPP and estimated principal component analysis to link the status of IPPP with socio-demographic factors of the informants. The relationship between the field of IPPP used and different covariates (age, education, occupation, gender, location, and house type) was assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and Chi-square test. The relationship between adoption level and the respondents' characteristics was analyzed using count regression analysis. RESULTS: The study found that the status of the IPPP has increased for mitigating pest issues. A total of 39 indigenous practices were recorded specifically to pest management from the ethnic people of Tripura, India. People acquired pretty knowledge about IPPP, and these were inherited from ancestors. The respondents in the study developed notable innovations for the management of many pest issues using locally available resources that warrant cost-effective and eco-friendly. Seed drying before storage to protect grain commodities was the most cited IPPP with a frequency of citation 0.675. In the field of IPPP used, the people primarily practiced agriculture + horticulture + storage category. An important implication from the study is the identification of two IPPP strategies in this region for the first time. Furthermore, the recorded IPPP used field was significantly associated with age, education, occupation, gender, locality, and house type. Likewise, the respondents' socio-demographic variables were coupled considerably with the adoption of specific IPPP. CONCLUSION: The reported IPPP for alleviating pest problems reflects the wisdom and generosity of the ethnic growers of Tripura, India. The study suggests the IPPP has strong potential in an integrated pest management approach passed down from generation to generation. The vulnerable practices largely remained unexplored due to inadequate scientific scrutiny and authenticity, yet in danger of being lost if not documented systematically. This study provides the first step toward accessing the valuable technology of untapped Tripura in IPPP and could be viable in paving action paradigm for their preservation, diffusion, and application with advanced pest management options.

RAPD, ISSR, and SCoT markers based genetic stability assessment of micropropagated Dendrobium fimbriatum Lindl. var. oculatum Hk. f.- an important endangered orchid.

Dendrobium fimbriatum is an ornamental and medicinal orchid listed in the Red data book of IUCN. Phytohormones' effect on the in vitro regeneration of the orchid was studied using Mitra medium supplemented with different growth regulators. KN produced effective shoot formation when present alone or in combination with IBA or NAA. The shooting was gradually increased when KN concentration was increased from 0.8 to 4.8 mg L-1, but the opposite response was observed with BAP at higher concentration (4.8 mg L-1). IBA either in combination with BAP or KN promoted effective root development and multiplication. Micropropagated orchids grown in the basal medium devoid of any phytohormone showed 100% monomorphism, while low genetic polymorphism of 1.52% (RAPD-Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA), 1.19% (ISSR-Inter Simple Sequence Repeat) and 3.97% (SCoT-Start Codon Targeted) was exhibited among the regenerants propagated in the hormone enriched medium. UPGMA (Unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages) dendrograms showed the grouping of mother plant (MP) with the in vitro regenerants. The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) further confirmed the clustering patterns as determined by the cluster analysis. The study reported for the first time the successful in vitro propagation of Dendrobium fimbriatum and their genetic stability assessment using molecular markers.

High efficient de novo root-to-shoot organogenesis in Citrus jambhiri Lush.: Gene expression, genetic stability and virus indexing.

A protocol for high-frequency direct organogenesis from root explants of Kachai lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush.) was developed. Full-length roots (~3 cm) were isolated from the in vitro grown seedlings and cultured on Murashige and Skoog basal medium supplemented with Nitsch vitamin (MSN) with different concentrations of cytokinin [6-benzylaminopurine, (BAP)] and gibberellic acid (GA3). The frequency of multiple shoot proliferation was very high, with an average of 34.3 shoots per root explant when inoculated on the MSN medium supplemented with BAP (1.0 mg L-1) and GA3 (1.0 mg L-1). Optimal rooting was induced in the plantlets under half strength MSN medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, 0.5-1.0 mg L-1). IAA induced better root structure than 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), which was evident from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The expressions of growth regulating factor genes (GRF1 and GRF5) and GA3 signaling genes (GA2OX1 and KO1) were elevated in the regenerants obtained from MSN+BAP (1.0 mg L-1)+GA3 (1.0 mg L-1). The expressions of auxin regulating genes were high in roots obtained in ½ MSN+IAA 1.0 mg L-1. Furthermore, indexing of the regenerants confirmed that there was no amplicons detected for Huanglongbing bacterium and Citrus tristeza virus. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers detected no polymorphic bands amongst the regenerated plants. This is the first report that describes direct organogenesis from the root explant of Citrus jambhiri Lush. The high-frequency direct regeneration protocol in the present study provides an enormous significance in Citrus organogenesis, its commercial cultivation and genetic conservation.

Reactive oxygen species scavenging mechanisms associated with polyethylene glycol mediated osmotic stress tolerance in Chinese potato.

Influence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) mediated osmotic stress on reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging machinery of Chinese potato (Solenostemon rotundifolius (Poir.) J. K. Morton) was investigated. Five genotypes of Chinese potato were raised in Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium containing 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP, 1 mg L-1) along with various concentrations of PEG-6000 mediated stress conditions (0, -0.2 and -0.5 MPa) and evaluated for osmotic stress tolerance in vitro. The medium containing PEG-6000 had a detrimental effect on plantlet growth and development while compared with the control. Accumulation of H2O2 was lower in Sreedhara and Subala and higher in Nidhi under PEG stress, which was evident by in situ detection in leaves. Lipid peroxidation product such as malondialdehyde (MDA) content was increased due to PEG stress which was more in susceptible genotype than that in tolerant ones. An enhanced ROS-scavenging antioxidant enzyme was observed under stress with respect to the control. The enzymes of ascorbate-glutathione cycle showed an important role in scavenging ROS. The imposition of PEG stress also increased the non-enzymatic antioxidants viz., the ascorbate and reduced glutathione content which was prominent in tolerant genotypes in comparison to susceptible. The present study indicated that, Sreedhara and Subala showed more tolerance to osmotic stress with better ROS scavenging machineries which would be the lines of interest for augmenting future breeding strategies in this climate resilient minor tuber crop.

Nup358 binds to AGO proteins through its SUMO-interacting motifs and promotes the association of target mRNA with miRISC.

MicroRNA (miRNA)-guided mRNA repression, mediated by the miRNA-induced silencing complex (miRISC), is an important component of post-transcriptional gene silencing. However, how miRISC identifies the target mRNA in vivo is not well understood. Here, we show that the nucleoporin Nup358 plays an important role in this process. Nup358 localizes to the nuclear pore complex and to the cytoplasmic annulate lamellae (AL), and these structures dynamically associate with two mRNP granules: processing bodies (P bodies) and stress granules (SGs). Nup358 depletion disrupts P bodies and concomitantly impairs the miRNA pathway. Furthermore, Nup358 interacts with AGO and GW182 proteins and promotes the association of target mRNA with miRISC A well-characterized SUMO-interacting motif (SIM) in Nup358 is sufficient for Nup358 to directly bind to AGO proteins. Moreover, AGO and PIWI proteins interact with SIMs derived from other SUMO-binding proteins. Our study indicates that Nup358-AGO interaction is important for miRNA-mediated gene silencing and identifies SIM as a new interacting motif for the AGO family of proteins. The findings also support a model wherein the coupling of miRISC with the target mRNA could occur at AL, specialized domains within the ER, and at the nuclear envelope.

Lithium-Induced Motor Neuropathy: An Unusual Presentation.

Peripheral neuropathy secondary to lithium is under-recognized. Most cases of polyneuropathy were reported with lithium intoxication. However, very few cases were reported without lithium toxicity. We present a case of motor neuropathy due to the use of lithium in a 26-year-old male with a therapeutic lithium level.