Pre-polycystic ovary syndrome and polymenorrhoea as new facets of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Evidences from a single centre data set.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex disorder with diverse metabolic implications. Diagnosis typically relies on oligo-amenorrhoea (OA), hyperandrogenism (HA), and polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM). However, the role of polymenorrhoea in PCOS remains understudied. Additionally, limited information exists regarding metabolic disturbances in women with partial PCOS phenotypes that do not meet diagnostic criteria. This extensive database aims to provide substantial evidence on the metabolic implications of polymenorrhoea and partial PCOS phenotypes. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS: In this single-centre study, 6463 women with PCOS-like characteristics and 3142 age-matched healthy women were included. The study compared clinical (anthropometry, modified Ferriman Gallwey [mFG] score), hormonal (serum testosterone), and metabolic (plasma glucose, serum lipids, insulin) characteristics between women diagnosed with PCOS, those with partial PCOS phenotypes, and the healthy control group RESULTS: In all, 5174 women met Rotterdam criteria for PCOS diagnosis, while 737 were classified as Pre-PCOS, including HA (n = 538), OA (n = 121), or PCOM (n = 78). Common clinical features included oligomenorrhoea (75.5%), hirsutism (82.9%), obesity (27.2%), hypertension (1.6%), metabolic syndrome (19.6%), and diabetes mellitus (5.6%). Women diagnosed with PCOS, HA only, and OA only exhibited higher average body mass index, plasma glucose levels (both fasting and 2 h after the oral glucose tolerance test), and lipid fractions in comparison to those with PCOM and the healthy controls. However, indices of insulin resistance were similar among women with PCOS, HA, PCOM, and OA, albeit higher than in the healthy controls. The polymenorrhoea subgroup (5.9%) had lower BMI and serum testosterone, but similar mFG score, plasma glucose, insulin, and lipid levels as the oligomenorrhoea subgroup. CONCLUSION: The metabolic disturbances observed in Pre-PCOS women highlight the need to reassess diagnostic criteria. Including the polymenorrhoea subcategory in PCOS criteria is recommended due to similar metabolic dysfunctions as the oligomenorrhoea group.

Efficacy and safety of various oral regimens (three oral doses) and schedules (daily v. monthly) of cholecalciferol in North Indian adults with low vitamin D status: evidence from a randomised controlled trial.

Vitamin D (VD) deficiency (serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration of < 20 ng/ml), in endemic proportions, demands a supplementation strategy with optimal dosing regimens. A randomised parallel-group, active-controlled trial was conducted among apparently healthy, VD-deficient subjects, aged 18-60 years who received 600 µg/d (Group A), 1000 µg/d (Group B), 2000 µg/d (Group C) and 60 000 µg/month (Group D) of oral cholecalciferol. The intervention was carried in two phases (I and II) of 12 weeks each, with same dose, separated by a washout phase of 12 weeks. Serum 25(OH)D, intact parathyroid hormones (iPTH), Ca, phosphorous (PO4), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and spot urine Ca/Cr were measured at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 weeks following the intervention, and adverse events were recorded at each occurrence and at 12, 24 and 36 weeks. A statistically significant time-group interaction was found in serum 25(OH)D concentration (P < 0·05). Serum 25(OH)D concentration increased significantly from baseline to 12 weeks (P < 0·05) in all the groups with no change at 24 weeks but further increase at 36 weeks (P < 0·05). At the end of the study, Group C had maximum increment in serum 25(OH)D concentration, while as Groups C and D (95 %, and 90 %) had higher proportion of subjects VD sufficient than Groups A and B (65 % and 78 %) (P < 0·05). No significant time-dose interactions were observed in serum iPTH, Ca, PO4 and ALP or urine Ca/Cr ratio. Three subjects (two in Group C and one in Group D) developed transient hypercalciuria. Supplementation with daily 2000 µg or monthly 60 000 µg of oral cholecalciferol among adults seems optimal and safe.

Predicting habitat suitability and niche dynamics of Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Rheum webbianum in the Himalaya under projected climate change.

In the era of anthropocene, global warming tends to alter the distribution range of the plant species. Highly fragile to such changes are the species that are endemic, inhabit higher elevations and show narrow distribution ranges. Predicting and plotting the appropriate suitable habitats and keeping knowledge of how climate change will affect future distribution become imperative for designing effective conservation strategies. In the current study we have used BIOMOD ensemble forecasting to study the current and predict the future potential distribution of Dactylorhiza hatagirea and Rheum webbianum and describe their niche dynamics in Himalayan biodiversity hotspots under climate change scenarios using ecospat R package. Results reveal sufficient internal evaluation metrics with area under curve (AUC) and true skill statistic (TSS) values greater than 0.8 i.e. 0.93 and 0.98 and 0.82 and 0.90 for D. hatageria and R. webbianum respectively, which signifies robustness of the model. Among different bioclimatic variables, bio_1, bio_3, bio_8, bio_14 and bio_15 were the most influential, showing greater impact on the potential distribution of these plant species. Range change analysis showed that both the studied species will show significant contraction of their suitable habitats under future climatic scenarios. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 for the year 2070, indicate that the suitable habitats could be reduced by about 51.41% and 70.57% for D. hatagirea and R. webbianum respectively. The results of the niche comparisons between the current and future climatic scenarios showed moderate level of niche overlap for all the pairs with D. hatageria showing 61% overlap for current vs. RCP4.5 2050 and R. webbianum reflects 68% overlap for current vs. RCP4.5 2050. Furthermore, the PCA analysis revealed that climatic conditions for both the species vary significantly between current and future scenarios. The similarity and equivalence test showed that the niche between present and future climate change scenarios is comparable but not identical. From the current study we concluded that the influence of climate change on the habitat distribution of these plant species in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspots can be considered very severe. Drastic reduction in overall habitat suitability poses a high risk of species extinction and thereby threatens to alter the functions and services of these fragile ecosystems. Present results can be used by conservationists for mitigating the biodiversity decline and exploring undocumented populations on one hand and by policymakers in implementing the policy of conservation of species by launching species recovery programmes in future on the other. The outcomes of this study can contribute substantially to understand the consequences of climate change in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspots.

Unravelling the Role of Epigenetic Modifications in Development and Reproduction of Angiosperms: A Critical Appraisal.

Epigenetics are the heritable changes in gene expression patterns which occur without altering DNA sequence. These changes are reversible and do not change the sequence of the DNA but can alter the way in which the DNA sequences are read. Epigenetic modifications are induced by DNA methylation, histone modification, and RNA-mediated mechanisms which alter the gene expression, primarily at the transcriptional level. Such alterations do control genome activity through transcriptional silencing of transposable elements thereby contributing toward genome stability. Plants being sessile in nature are highly susceptible to the extremes of changing environmental conditions. This increases the likelihood of epigenetic modifications within the composite network of genes that affect the developmental changes of a plant species. Genetic and epigenetic reprogramming enhances the growth and development, imparts phenotypic plasticity, and also ensures flowering under stress conditions without changing the genotype for several generations. Epigenetic modifications hold an immense significance during the development of male and female gametophytes, fertilization, embryogenesis, fruit formation, and seed germination. In this review, we focus on the mechanism of epigenetic modifications and their dynamic role in maintaining the genomic integrity during plant development and reproduction.

Modeling of Valeriana wallichii Habitat Suitability and Niche Dynamics in the Himalayan Region under Anticipated Climate Change.

An increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases necessitates the use of species distribution models (SDMs) in modeling suitable habitats and projecting the impact of climate change on the future range shifts of the species. The present study is based on the BIOMOD ensemble approach to map the currently suitable habitats and predict the impact of climate change on the niche shift of Valeriana wallichii. We also studied its niche dynamics using the ecospat package in R software. Values of the area under curve (AUC) and true skill statistics (TSS) were highly significant (>0.9), which shows that the model has run better. From 19 different bioclimatic variables, only 8 were retained after correlation, among which bio_17 (precipitation of driest quarter), bio_1 (annual mean temperature), and bio_12 (annual mean precipitation) received the highest gain. Under future climate change, the suitable habitats will be significantly contracted by −94% (under representative concentration pathway RCP 8.5 for 2070) and −80.22% (under RCP 8.5 for 2050). There is a slight increase in habitat suitability by +16.69% (RCP 4.5 for 2050) and +8.9% (RCP 8.5 for 2050) under future climate change scenarios. The equivalency and similarity tests of niche dynamics show that the habitat suitability for current and future climatic scenarios is comparable but not identical. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis shows that climatic conditions will be severely affected between current and future scenarios. From this study, we conclude that the habitats of Valeriana wallichii are highly vulnerable to climate shifts. This study can be used to alleviate the threat to this plant by documenting the unexplored populations, restoring the degraded habitats through rewilding, and launching species recovery plans in the natural habitats.

Reproductive Biology of Rheum webbianum Royle, a Vulnerable Medicinal Herb From Alpines of North-Western Himalaya.

Information on reproductive biology and pollination ecology studies of threatened plants are essential to develop strategies for their sustainable utilization and effective conservation. As such, these studies were conducted on Rheum webbianum, a high-value "vulnerable" medicinal herb of the north-western Himalaya. This species presents a unique mode of reproductive behavior through the involvement of different floral events, including the movement of reproductive organs. The plants survive extremely cold conditions through underground perennating rhizomes that sprout into juvenile shoots with the onset of the favorable climatic conditions. The peduncle arises from the axils of the radical leaves, bearing a globular collection of densely arranged hermaphrodite flowers with temporally separated male and female phases; the male phase precedes the female phase (protandry). Anther dehiscence and stigma receptivity is post-anthesis. Anthers dehisce longitudinally along margins, liberating a large mass of spherical and tricolpate pollen with spinulose exine. Pollen viability decreased to < 10% on day 9. Pistil is tristylous, with each style terminating into a fan-shaped stigma lobe. The pollen receptive surface of each stigmatic lobe remains incurved at an angle of 360° and shows upward movement after anthesis, forming a funnel-like structure at an angle of 180° with respect to the ovary. Pollination syndrome is ambophilous. Spontaneous autogamy or geitonogamy to a certain extent is achieved in this species due to the arrangement of flowers in the inflorescence and overlapping of male and female reproductive phases among them. Incurved stigmatic lobes and outward movement of stamens too facilitate outcrossing. Pollen/ovule ratio estimates, results of pollination experiments on breeding behavior, outcrossing, and self-compatibility indices demonstrated that plants are self-compatible and cross-fertile.

Ecological assessment and environmental niche modelling of Himalayan rhubarb (Rheum webbianum Royle) in northwest Himalaya.

In an era of anthropocene, threatened and endemic species with small population sizes and habitat specialists experience a greater global conservation concern in view of being at higher risk of extinction. Predicting and plotting appropriate potential habitats for such species is a rational method for monitoring and restoring their dwindling populations in expected territories. Ecological niche modelling (ENM) coalesces species existence sites with environmental raster layers to construct models that describe possible distributions of plant species. The present study is aimed to study the potential distribution and cultivation hotspots for reintroducing the high value, vulnerable medicinal herb (Rheum webbianum) in the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh using population attributes and ecological niche modelling approach. Sixty-three populations inventoried from twenty-eight areas display a significant change in the phytosociological attributes on account of various anthropogenic threats. The current potential habitats coincide with actual distribution records and the mean value of Area Under Curve (AUC) was 0.98 and the line of predicted omission was almost adjacent to omission in training samples, thus validating a robustness of the model. The potential habitat suitability map based on the current climatic conditions predicted a total of 103760 km2 as suitable area for the growth of Rheum webbianum. Under the future climatic conditions, there is a significant reduction in the habitat suitability ranging from -78531.34 Km2 (RCP 4.5 for 2050) to -77325.81 (RCP 8.5 for 2070). Furthermore, there is a slight increase in the suitable habitats under future climatic conditions, ranging from +21.99 Km2 under RCP 8.5 (2050) to +3.14 Km2 under RCP 4.5 (2070). The Jackknife tests indicated Precipitation of Driest Month (BIO14) as the most contributing climatic variable in governing the distribution of R. webbianum. Therefore, scientifically sound management strategies are urgently needed to save whatever populations are left in-situ to protect this species from getting extinct. Present results can be used by conservationists for mitigating the biodiversity decline and exploring undocumented populations of R. webbianum on one hand and by policymakers in implementing the policy of conservation of species with specific habitat requirements by launching species recovery programmes in future on the other.

Reproductive Biology and Pollination Ecology of Berberis lycium Royle: A Highly Valued Shrub of Immense Medicinal Significance.

Study of reproductive biology and pollination ecology helps in understanding the life history patterns of species. Such a study brings to light the bottlenecks, if any, on account of which the individuals of the species are not able to reproduce in nature and ultimately helps in planning appropriate conservation strategies for the species under threat. The present study was aimed at examining the morphological and reproductive variance in Berberis lycium, a threatened ecological specialist growing within shrubberies and open hillsides of the North-Western Himalayas in India. B. lycium displays three different variants. Flowering period ranges from February to September. Pollen viability as reported on fluorescein diacetate and acetocarmine treatments was highest for variant I, while maximum pollen output was obtained for variant III. Pollen pistil interaction is brought by the movement of anther towards stigma. Fluorescence microscopy of hand pollinated club shaped stigma shows that the germinating pollen form a ring over the receptive adaxial surface. Pollination syndrome is entomophily. Variant II attracts a significantly large number of pollinators from diverse insect families. Breeding experiments reflect that plants are self-compatible and cross fertile. Reproductive output (% fruit set) was highest for variant II followed by III and I, respectively. This investigation helped to understand the effect of different biotic and abiotic constraints on the phenology and reproductive biology of the plant. The information generated so will enable conservationists to design appropriate strategies for its long-term survival and sustenance in nature.

Ecological analysis and environmental niche modelling of Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo: A conservation approach for critically endangered medicinal orchid.

The natural populations of Dactylorhiza hatagirea have been greatly affected due to incessant exploitation. As such, studies on its population attributes together with habitat suitability and environmental factors affecting its distribution are needed to be undertaken for its conservation in nature. Present study aimed at accessing an impact of anthropogenic pressure on population structure and locate suitable habitats for the conservation of this critically endangered orchid. Considerable changes in the phytosociological attributes were observed on account of the changing magnitude and extent of anthropogenic threat in their natural abode. The distribution pattern of species indicated that more than 90% of the populations exhibit substantially aggregated spatial distribution. Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) distribution modelling algorithm was used to predict suitable habitat and potential area for its cultivation and reintroduction. Twenty-seven occurrence records, nineteen bioclimatic variables, altitude, and slope were used. MaxEnt map output gave the habitat suitability for this species and predicted its distribution in the North-Western Himalayas of India for approximately 616 km2. Jackknifing indicated that maximum temperature of warmest month, annual mean temperature, mean temperature of the driest quarter, and mean temperature of the wettest quarter were the governing factors for its distribution and hence, presented a higher gain with respect to other variables. According to permutation importance, precipitation seasonality and mean temperature of wettest quarter shows the prominent impact on the habitat distribution. Results of AUC (area under curve) were statistically significant (0.940) and the line of predicted omission falls very close to an omission on training samples, validating a better run of the model. Response curves revealed a probable increase in the occurrence of D. hatagirea with an increase in mean temperature of the wettest quarter and maximum temperature of the warmest month contributed more than 50% to predicted habitat suitability. Direct field observations concurrent with predicted habitat suitability and google-earth images represent greater model thresholds for successful inception of the species. Together, the study proposes that the species can be conserved in or near its present-day natural habitats and is equally effective in determining the possible habitats for its cultivation and reintroduction.

Prevalence, pattern & correlates of hypertension among tribal population of Kashmir, India: A cross-sectional study.

Background & objectives: The prevalence of hypertension is increasing among all ethnic groups across the globe with only a handful of studies from India addressing the prevalence of hypertension among tribal population. In view of paucity of data, this study was aimed at estimating the prevalence of hypertension and associated risk factors among tribal population of Kashmir, India. Methods: This cross-sectional survey included 6808 tribals aged >20 yr (5695 Gujjars and 1113 Bakarwals) from five randomly selected districts of Kashmir. Modified WHO-STEPS surveillance questionnaire was used to collect relevant data. Hypertension was defined by Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of Hypertension (JNC 8) criteria. Results: The mean age of our study participants was 43.12 ± 15.69 years. Overall prevalence of hypertension [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 41.4% (39.9-42.9%) [men=46.7% (44.1-49.1%); women=37.9% (35.9-39.9%)]. The prevalence of prehypertension (95% CI) in our study was 35 per cent (33.7-36.6%). Higher age [adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% CI): >70 yr-2.2 (1.9-2.4)], passive smoking [OR-1.3 (1.1-1.5)], family history of hypertension [OR-1.6 (1.4-1.7)] and obesity [OR-1.3 (1.1-1.6)] were significantly associated with hypertension. A weak positive correlation was observed between BP (systolic/diastolic) with haemoglobin, red blood cell count and haematocrit (P<0.05). Interpretation & conclusions: Gujjar and Bakarwal tribes of Jammu and Kashmir showed high prevalence of hypertension. Hence, urgent policies and reforms are needed to tackle this silent epidemic and further studies focusing on community-based interventions are required.

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo: A Critically Endangered Perennial Orchid from the North-West Himalayas.

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (Orchidaceae) is a perennial herb inhabiting sub-alpine to alpine regions, ranging at elevations between 2500 and 5000 m.a.s.l. With palmately lobed rhizome and lanceolate leaves having a sheathing leaf base, it bears pink flowers with purple-colored notches and a curved spur. It finds wide use in ayurveda, siddha, unani, and folk medicine in curing disorders of the circulatory, respiratory, nervous, digestive, skeletal, and reproductive systems, besides boosting the immune system to fight infectious diseases. Secondary metabolites such as dactylorhins A-E, dactyloses A-B, and others exhibit a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities (antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiseptic, anticancer, and immune enhancing activities). Its use as a dietary supplement was found to be beneficial in increasing testosterone levels, resulting in improved sexual desire and arousal. Incessant overexploitation of this medicinally important herb has resulted in the dwindling of its populations in the wild, which has resulted in its classification as a critically endangered plant species. Efforts involving mass reproduction through in vitro (through tissue culture) and in vivo (by vegetative propagation) means are currently being made to maintain the germplasm of this critically endangered orchid. Holding immense significance in clinical research and drug discovery, work on the genomic front (transcriptomics) has recently been carried out to discover the wealth of unexplored genetic information for this perennial herb. The present study is aimed at reviewing different aspects of the orchid to present collective (summarized) information on this medicinally important herb in the present, particularly its botany, ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacognosy, along with the strategies that need to be adopted to prevent its overexploitation in natural habitats.

Mechanistic Insights of the Interaction of Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) With Plant Roots Toward Enhancing Plant Productivity by Alleviating Salinity Stress.

Agriculture plays an important role in a country's economy. The sector is challenged by many stresses, which led to huge loss in plant productivity worldwide. The ever-increasing population, rapid urbanization with shrinking agricultural lands, dramatic change in climatic conditions, and extensive use of agrochemicals in agricultural practices that caused environmental disturbances confront mankind of escalating problems of food security and sustainability in agriculture. Escalating environmental problems and global hunger have led to the development and adoption of genetic engineering and other conventional plant breeding approaches in developing stress-tolerant varieties of crops. However, these approaches have drawn flaws in their adoption as the process of generating tolerant varieties takes months to years in bringing the technology from the lab to the field. Under such scenario, sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices that avail bacterial usage open the avenues in fulfilling the incessant demand for food for the global population. Ensuring stability on economic fronts, bacteria minimizes plant salt uptake by trapping ions in their exopolysaccharide matrix besides checking the expression of Na+/H+ and high-affinity potassium transporters. Herein we describe information on salinity stress and its effect on plant health as well as strategies adopted by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in helping plants to overcome salinity stress and in mitigating loss in overall plant productivity. It is believed that acquisition of advanced knowledge of plant-beneficial PGPR will help in devising strategies for sustainable, environment-friendly, and climate-smart agricultural technologies for adoption in agriculture to overcome the constrained environmental conditions.

The era of editing plant genomes using CRISPR/Cas: A critical appraisal.

The versatility of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas (CRISPR/Cas) genome editing tool ushered biologists into an exciting era of editing genomes with great efficiency and at a pace that was never imagined before. Though the CRISPR/Cas genome editing was developed after Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs) and Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), it is more popular and successful than these genome editing systems. The advent of targetable nucleases such as Cas9 has enabled manipulation of genomes in an accurate and precise manner. The CRISPR/Cas system of editing plant genomes has technical and economical advantages over conventional breeding methods. It has led to the development of traits within plant genomes that fulfill the needs of mankind. Advent of innovative procedures have paved the way for effective and efficient genome editing that has revolutionized genetic aspects and meets the safety regulations toward development of crops. The present review highlights the critical aspects of employing CRISPR/Cas for editing plant genomes in comparison with previously known editing approaches, such as ZFNs and TALENs. The study includes descriptive information on the approaches, procedural programs and applications in editing plant genomes for improving traits such as crop yield, resistance against emerging pathogens, abiotic stresses and herbicide tolerance thereof in the present-day world.

Prevalence, risk factors and consequences of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study in Kashmir, India.

BACKGROUND: Obesity among children and adolescents is a growing public health problem. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors and metabolic consequences of obesity among schoolchildren from Kashmir, India. METHODS: The study subjects (n=2024) included 870 boys and 1154 girls, aged between 6 and 18 years. Data were collected by interviewer-administered questionnaires. Information was obtained about different lifestyles, anthropometric parameters and dietary habits. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) percentile as per the guidelines of Centers for Disease Control, 2000. For the evaluation of different clinical parameters, blood samples were collected from the subjects in the fasting state at 8 to 9 am after an overnight (10-12 h) fast. RESULTS: The highest representation of subjects was from fee-paying private schools. Out of the total subjects, 6.69% were overweight and 4.64% were obese. The hip circumference, abdominal circumference, BMI, blood pressure (BP), use of ready-made foods as well as the clinical parameters like glucose, phosphorous, cholesterol and triglycerides were found significantly higher among girls than boys (p<0.05). Boys were taller and were physically more active than girls (p<0.01). Compared to the boys (3.33%), the girls were found to be more obese (5.63%). Rural dwelling subjects (4.22%) exhibited a lower percentage of obesity than urban population (5.00%). The difference in obesity among the different age groups was found statistically significant (p<0.05). Additionally, children with active lives in the form of vigorous (10.59%) or moderate (10.34%) exercise decreased their chances of gaining weight substantially. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the present study have shown that prevalence of obesity among children was high in our population.