Unveiling the dynamic relationship of viruses and/or symbiotic bacteria with plant resilience in abiotic stress.

In the ecosphere, plants interact with environmental biotic and abiotic partners, where unbalanced interactions can induce unfavourable stress conditions. Abiotic factors (temperature, water, and salt) are primarily required for plants healthy survival, and any change in their availability is reflected as a stress signal. In certain cases, the presence of infectious pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and insects can also create stress conditions in plants, leading to the emergence of disease or deficiency symptoms. While these symptoms are often typical of abiotic or biotic stress, however, there are instances where they can intensify under specific conditions. Here, we primarily summarize the viral interactions with plants during abiotic stress to understand how these associations are linked together during viral pathogenesis. Secondly, focus is given to the beneficial effects of root-associated symbiotic bacteria in fulfilling the basic needs of plants during normal as well as abiotic stress conditions. The modulations of plant functional proteins, and their occurrence/cross-talk, with pathogen (virus) and symbiont (bacteria) molecules are also discussed. Furthermore, we have highlighted the biochemical and systematic adaptations that develop in plants due to bacterial symbiosis to encounter stress hallmarks. Lastly, directions are provided towards exploring potential rhizospheric bacteria to maintain plant-microbes ecosystem and manage abiotic stress in plants to achieve better trait health in the horticulture crops.

Utilization of Quince (Cydonia oblonga) Peel and Exploration of Its Metabolite Profiling and Cardioprotective Potential Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Wistar Rats.

Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) is a pomaceous fruit that is typically processed into jams, jellies, and marmalade. The byproduct, i.e., the quince peel emanated from the processing industry, can be upcycled, ensuring zero waste policy and resulting in a sustainable food system. In our study, the quince peel was explored for in vitro phytochemical analysis and in vivo cardioprotective potential. Two diverse extractions (ultrasonication and reflux) and four different solvents (aqueous, ethanolic, hydroethanolic, and methanolic) were used for the extraction of quince peel and assessed for the phytochemical and antioxidant study. Among all the evaluated extracts, hydroethanolic quince extract extracted through the reflux extraction method showed the maximum phenolic (27.23 ± 0.85 mg GAE/g DW) and flavonoid (16.5 ± 1.02 mg RE/g DW) content. The maximum antioxidant potential (DPPH) with an IC50 value of 204.8 ± 2.24 µg/mL was noted for the hydroethanolic extract. This best active extract was then subjected to HPTLC, UPLC-MS, mineral, and FTIR analysis to study the metabolic profiling and inorganic composition and to confirm the presence of bioactives. Additionally, the in vivo study was done in rats using doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. The rats were given extracts orally at 160 and 320 mg/kg bw for 30 days. ECG analysis was done at the termination of the experiment. Besides this, the lipid profile, blood serum parameters (CK-MB, LDH, AST), and tissue parameters (MDA, SOD, GSH, CAT) were analyzed. The DOX-treated group unveiled a substantial variance (p < 0.001) in all the parameters in contrast to the normal control group and extract control groups. However, the pretreated groups substantially alleviated the DOX-induced changes in all the parameters. Additionally, recuperation in histopathological alterations of the cardiac tissue in contrast to the DOX-induced toxicity was also seen in the pretreated groups. Thus, it could be said that the cardioprotective activity of the quince peel extract attributed to the presence of phytoconstituents counteracted the DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and assisted in the restoration of the cardiac injury in rats.

Victims of armed conflict in India: psychosocial impact and available support.

India has been a part of 5 major wars since its independence in 1947 and hosts over 212,413 refugees from Sri Lanka, Tibet and Bangladesh. So, a wide spectrum of trauma survivors, both civilian and military, live in this country and require mental healthcare. We discuss the psychological impact of armed conflict and how the country and culture tint it uniquely. We not only explore the current scene but the resources available and what can be done to make such vulnerable parts of the Indian population feel safer.

The spectrum of victims of armed conflict in India and the impact on their mental health.The current deficient governmental and non-governmental psychosocial support available.Recommendations for optimum management of these trauma victims through programmes and individual therapy.

Ocular complications of plasma cell dyscrasias.

Plasma cell dyscrasias are a wide range of severe monoclonal gammopathies caused by pre-malignant or malignant plasma cells that over-secrete an abnormal monoclonal antibody. These disorders are associated with various systemic findings, including ophthalmological disorders. A search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Cochrane databases was performed in March 2021 to examine evidence pertaining to ocular complications in patients diagnosed with plasma cell dyscrasias. This review outlines the ocular complications associated with smoldering multiple myeloma and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, plasmacytomas, multiple myeloma, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, systemic amyloidosis, Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal gammopathy and Skin changes (POEMS) syndrome, and cryoglobulinemia. Although, the pathological mechanisms are not completely elucidated yet, wide-ranging ocular presentations have been identified over the years, evolving both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Moreover, the presenting symptoms also help in early diagnosis in asymptomatic patients. Therefore, it is imperative for the treating ophthalmologist and oncologist to maintain a high clinical suspicion for identifying the ophthalmological signs and diagnosing the underlying disease, preventing its progression through efficacious treatment strategies.

Effect of roasting and frying treatments on aflatoxins and capsaicinoids content and nutritional profile of green chilies (Capsicum annum L.).

This study was conducted to assess the effect of two thermal treatments, viz. roasting and pan frying (deep frying), on nutritional profile, aflatoxin, and capsaicin content in green chilies. Green chilies were subjected to roasting and frying to reduce the aflatoxin contamination, besides retaining their pungency and nutritional profile. Reversed-phase HPLC was employed to determine the levels of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in thermally treated and control samples. The proximate compositions of roasted and fried chili samples were significantly (p ≤ .05) different from raw chili (control), except ash content. Vitamin A levels decreased significantly (p ≤ .05) during roasting and were undetected in fried chili samples. Likewise, vitamin C was undetected in both roasted and fried chili samples. Significantly decreasing (p ≤ .05) trends were noticed in capsaicinoids viz. capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin contents including Scoville Heat Units (SHU) during roasting and frying. However, retention of capsaicinoids was higher in roasted chilies (730.00 ± 4.90 mg/kg) than fried samples (502.56 ± 5.10 mg/kg). The levels of all the four major aflatoxins (AFs)- AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 recorded in control were much higher than the limits prescribed by the European Union for spices. Both thermal treatments (roasting and frying) employed proved to be effective in reducing aflatoxins like AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 in chilies to below the prescribed limits, while as the level of AFB1 was reduced below the limits by only the frying method. This study therefore indicated the substantial impact of frying on aflatoxins.

Deciphering the Potential of Pre and Pro-Vitamin D of Mushrooms against Mpro and PLpro Proteases of COVID-19: An In Silico Approach.

Vitamin D's role in combating the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the virus causing COVID-19, has been established in unveiling viable inhibitors of COVID-19. The current study investigated the role of pre and pro-vitamin D bioactives from edible mushrooms against Mpro and PLpro proteases of SARS-CoV-2 by computational experiments. The bioactives of mushrooms, specifically ergosterol (provitamin D2), 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin-D3), 22,23-dihydroergocalciferol (provitamin-D4), cholecalciferol (vitamin-D3), and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) were screened against Mpro and PLpro. Molecular docking analyses of the generated bioactive protease complexes unravelled the differential docking energies, which ranged from -7.5 kcal/mol to -4.5 kcal/mol. Ergosterol exhibited the lowest binding energy (-7.5 kcal/mol) against Mpro and PLpro (-5.9 kcal/mol). The Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) and MD simulation analyses indicated that the generated complexes were stable, thus affirming the putative binding of the bioactives to viral proteases. Considering the pivotal role of vitamin D bioactives, their direct interactions against SARS-CoV-2 proteases highlight the promising role of bioactives present in mushrooms as potent nutraceuticals against COVID-19.

RGB colorimetric method based detection of oxytocin in food samples using cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles.

In the present investigation, a colorimetric method has been demonstrated for detection of oxytocin using Cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles (Cys-AuNP). The analyte oxytocin which finds its use in medical field is purposefully injected in fruits and vegetables for their faster growth. Also, it is used in the milk letdown in cattles. The complexity of segregating oxytocin induced fruit and vegetables from naturally grown ones led to development of the method. The choice of spherical gold nanoparticles for development of sensor was influenced from its unique optical properties. Moreover, functionalization with cysteamine increased its sensitivity towards oxytocin detection. The method was coupled with RGB colorimetric technique which exhibited excellent linear correlation between Oxytocin concentration and RGB color values (R2 = 0.96). The RGB method used measured the intensity of color and a relation was established between measured RGB values and concentration of analyte (Oxytocin) present in the sample. This formed the basis for generation of simple colorimetric card that can be used to relate the color with amount present in the sample. More significantly, the Cys-AuNP shows excellent selectivity towards other coexisting substances present in the sample. This method with good precision (RSD>15%) offers suitability for onsite application without need for complex instrumentation.

Green extraction of lutein from marigold flower petals, process optimization and its potential to improve the oxidative stability of sunflower oil.

Marigold flower petals are considered the richest source of lutein which possesses immense applications in the food and health sector. The study was undertaken to improve the stability of sunflower oil by enriching it with lutein extracted from marigold flower petals using safe and green technology. The extraction of lutein was optimized using Box-Behnken design by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) employing sunflower oil as a solvent. The impact of three independent variables i.e., ultrasonic intensity, solid to solvent ratio, and extraction time were evaluated on the amount of lutein extracted and its antioxidant activity. Highest amount of lutein (21.23 mg/g) was extracted by employing ultrasonic intensity of 70 W/m2, extraction time of 12.5 min, and solid to solvent ratio of 15.75%. FT-IR spectra of lutein extracted by ultrasound and conventional extraction show similar peaks depicting that ultrasound does not have any impact on the functionality of lutein. Sunflower oil incorporated with lutein at 1000 PPM and the synthetic antioxidant (TBHQ) showed good oxidative stability than oil with 500 PPM lutein and no lutein during accelerated storage for a month. The oxidative stability was shown by different oil samples in the following order: TBHQ = 1000PPM lutein˃500PPM lutein ˃control oil. It was concluded that the ultrasound technique extracts lutein efficiently from marigold flowers and this lutein was effective in improving the oxidative stability of sunflower oil under accelerated storage conditions.

The m6A reader YTHDC2 is essential for escape from KSHV SOX-induced RNA decay.

The role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications has increasingly been associated with a diverse set of roles in modulating viruses and influencing the outcomes of viral infection. Here, we report that the landscape of m6A deposition is drastically shifted during Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) lytic infection for both viral and host transcripts. In line with previous reports, we also saw an overall decrease in host methylation in favor of viral messenger RNA (mRNA), along with 5' hypomethylation and 3' hypermethylation. During KSHV lytic infection, a major shift in overall mRNA abundance is driven by the viral endoribonuclease SOX, which induces the decay of greater than 70% of transcripts. Here, we reveal that interlukin-6 (IL-6) mRNA, a well-characterized, SOX-resistant transcript, is m6A modified during lytic infection. Furthermore, we show that this modification falls within the IL-6 SOX resistance element, an RNA element in the IL-6 3' untranslated region (UTR) that was previously shown to be sufficient for protection from SOX cleavage. We show that the presence of this m6A modification is essential to confer SOX resistance to the IL-6 mRNA. We next show that this modification recruits the m6A reader YTHDC2 and found that YTHDC2 is necessary for the escape of the IL-6 transcript. These results shed light on how the host cell has evolved to use RNA modifications to circumvent viral manipulation of RNA fate during KSHV infection.

THAP9 Transposase Cleaves DNA via Conserved Acidic Residues in an RNaseH-Like Domain.

The catalytic domain of most 'cut and paste' DNA transposases have the canonical RNase-H fold, which is also shared by other polynucleotidyl transferases such as the retroviral integrases and the RAG1 subunit of V(D)J recombinase. The RNase-H fold is a mixture of beta sheets and alpha helices with three acidic residues (Asp, Asp, Glu/Asp-DDE/D) that are involved in the metal-mediated cleavage and subsequent integration of DNA. Human THAP9 (hTHAP9), homologous to the well-studied Drosophila P-element transposase (DmTNP), is an active DNA transposase that, although domesticated, still retains the catalytic activity to mobilize transposons. In this study we have modeled the structure of hTHAP9 using the recently available cryo-EM structure of DmTNP as a template to identify an RNase-H like fold along with important acidic residues in its catalytic domain. Site-directed mutagenesis of the predicted catalytic residues followed by screening for DNA excision and integration activity has led to the identification of candidate Ds and Es in the RNaseH fold that may be a part of the catalytic triad in hTHAP9. This study has helped widen our knowledge about the catalytic activity of a functionally uncharacterized transposon-derived gene in the human genome.

A survey of vocal health in church choir singers.

PURPOSE: Choir singing is an important tradition of Christian worship across India. However, vocal health issues related to the church choir singers are less addressed in the literature. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of vocal symptoms, identify the variables associated with increased risk of voice problems and knowledge of factors influencing vocal health in church choir singers. METHOD: One hundred and forty-eight church choir singers (61 males and 85 females) between the age range of 18 and 70 years participated in the study. They completed a self-reported questionnaire addressing demographic and singing-related details, vocal symptoms, variables associated with increased risk reporting voice problems and knowledge about factors influencing vocal health. RESULT: Eighty-four percent of the choir singers reported two or more vocal symptoms sometimes or more frequently while or after singing. More than half of the church choir singers had experienced vocal symptoms such as accessing notes in the upper range, loss of vocal endurance, pitch breaks, hoarseness, dryness in the throat, and discomfort in the throat. Among the different variables, systemic hydration found to have a significant association with reporting of voice problems in church choir singers. The overall knowledge regarding the factors influencing vocal health was found to be limited among the choir singers. CONCLUSION: Choir singers like other professional singers experienced a higher prevalence of vocal symptoms during or after singing and exhibited limited knowledge about factors that negatively influence vocal health. Hence, there is a need to look into these singer's vocal requirements, who usually go unnoticed.

Data-driven modelling and prediction of COVID-19 infection in India and correlation analysis of the virus transmission with socio-economic factors.

AIMS: The current study attempts to model the COVID-19 outbreak in India, USA, China, Japan, Italy, Iran, Canada and Germany. The interactions of coronavirus transmission with socio-economic factors in India using the multivariate approach were also investigated. METHODS: Actual cumulative infected population data from 15 February to May 15, 2020 was used for determination of parameters of a nested exponential statistical model, which were further employed for the prediction of infection. Correlation and Principal component analysis provided the relationships of coronavirus spread with socio-economic factors of different states of India using the Rstudio software. RESULTS: Cumulative infection and spreadability rate predicted by the model was in good agreement with the actual observed data for all countries (R2 = 0.985121 to 0.999635, and MD = 1.2-7.76%) except Iran (R2 = 0.996316, and MD = 18.38%). Currently, the infection rate in India follows an upward trajectory, while other countries show a downward trend. The model claims that India is likely to witness an increased spreading rate of COVID-19 in June and July. Moreover, the flattening of the cumulative infected population is expected to be obtained in October infecting more than 12 lakhs people. Indian states with higher population were more susceptible to virus infection. CONCLUSIONS: A long-term prediction of cumulative cases, spreadability rate, pandemic peak of COVID-19 was made for India. Prediction provided by the model considering most recent data is useful for making appropriate interventions to deal with the rapidly emerging pandemic.

Comparative analysis of ChIP-exo peak-callers: impact of data quality, read duplication and binding subtypes.

BACKGROUND: ChIP (Chromatin immunoprecipitation)-exo has emerged as an important and versatile improvement over conventional ChIP-seq as it reduces the level of noise, maps the transcription factor (TF) binding location in a very precise manner, upto single base-pair resolution, and enables binding mode prediction. Availability of numerous peak-callers for analyzing ChIP-exo reads has motivated the need to assess their performance and report which tool executes reasonably well for the task. RESULTS: This study has focussed on comparing peak-callers that report direct binding events with those that report indirect binding events. The effect of strandedness of reads and duplication of data on the performance of peak-callers has been investigated. The number of peaks reported by each peak-caller is compared followed by a comparison of the annotated motifs present in the reported peaks. The significance of peaks is assessed based on the presence of a motif in top peaks. Indirect binding tools have been compared on the basis of their ability to identify annotated motifs and predict mode of protein-DNA interaction. CONCLUSION: By studying the output of the peak-callers investigated in this study, it is concluded that the tools that use self-learning algorithms, i.e. the tools that estimate all the essential parameters from the aligned reads, perform better than the algorithms which require formation of peak-pairs. The latest tools that account for indirect binding of TFs appear to be an upgrade over the available tools, as they are able to reveal valuable information about the mode of binding in addition to direct binding. Furthermore, the quality of ChIP-exo reads have important consequences on the output of data analysis.

A partnership model for capacity-building of primary care physicians in evidence-based management of diabetic retinopathy in India.

In India, more than 72 million people have diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a vision-threatening complication of people with diabetes, is an important cause of avoidable blindness. The delay in the detection of DR is due to lack of awareness and shortage of ophthalmologists trained in the management of DR. With this background, in 2015, we initiated a capacity-building program "Certificate Course in Evidence Based Management of Diabetic Retinopathy (CCDR)" with an objective to build the skills and core competencies of the physicians across India in the management of diabetes and DR. The program has completed four cycles and 578 physicians have been trained. The course elicited an excellent response, which reflects the much-felt need for skill improvement in DR diagnosis and management for physicians in India. This model demonstrates an innovative modality to address DR-related avoidable blindness in a resource-restraint country like India.

Dental Caries, Body Mass Index, and Socioeconomic Status among Preschoolers in Private Preschools and Anganwadi Centers in Bengaluru City: A Comparative Study.

AIM: Preschool is the time when deleterious oral habits, caries pattern, and risk factor are established and is the time to intervene and establish healthy trends which can have a lifelong influence. Individuals living in various socioeconomic conditions have an assortment of hazard factors that impact oral well-being. This work was conducted to study the prevalence of dental caries, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status (SES) among preschoolers in private preschools and Anganwadi centers within Bengaluru. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Anganwadis and preschools in Bengaluru city. About 800 students were selected by stratified cluster sampling technique. Written informed consent was obtained before the start of the study. Study proforma was used for the recording of sociodemographic details, anthropometric measurements, decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft), and decayed, missing and filled surfaces (dmfs) index scoring. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0. RESULTS: The mean dmf (t) score in Anganwadi children was 1.60, whereas in private preschool children mean dmf (t) was 1.16. The mean dmf (s) score in Anganwadi children was 3.05, whereas in private preschool children mean dmf (s) was 1.76. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups with respect to dmf (s) score (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: It was found that there is an association between dental caries, BMI, and SES among Anganwadi children when a linear correlation was done. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Dental caries can cause serious physical and mental problems in children which affects their quality of life. These problems have their root cause from childhood and are related to their BMI and SES. This can be prevented by giving proper health education and dietary advice to parents. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sukumaran N, Sharma V, Bhat PK. Dental Caries, Body Mass Index, and Socioeconomic Status among Preschoolers in Private Preschools and Anganwadi Centers in Bengaluru City: A Comparative Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(6):630-634.

Combination of Ayurveda and Yoga therapy reduces pain intensity and improves quality of life in patients with migraine headache.

OBJECTIVES: To Understand the efficacy of Ayurveda and Yoga in the management of Migraine Headache. METHODS: 30 subjects recruited to Ayurveda and Yoga (AY) group underwent traditional Panchakarma (Bio-purificatory process) using therapeutic Purgation followed by Yoga therapy, while 30 subjects of Control (CT) group continued on symptomatic treatment (NSAID's) for 90 days. Body constitution questionnaire was administered to both groups. The outcome measures included Symptom check list, Comprehensive Headache related Quality of Life Questionnaire and Visual Analogue Scale. RESULTS: Forty-six (76.6%) out of 60 subjects belonging to both groups had Pitta based body constitution. Following 90 days of intervention the AY group showed significant reduction in Migraine symptoms including pain intensity (p < .001) and improvement in Headache related Quality of Life (p < .001). The CT group showed no significant change (p > .05). CONCLUSION: Traditional Ayurveda along with Yoga therapy reduces symptoms, intensity of pain and improves Quality of life in Migraine patients.