Management of Extraocular Retinoblastoma: ICMR Consensus Guidelines.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common intraocular malignancy of childhood. Advanced stage presentation of RB is common in low middle-income countries (LMICs) due to lack of awareness, social taboos associated with enucleation, seeking alternative conservative treatment options, and poor accessibility to health care. Over the last few decades, there have been significant advancements in the management of extraocular RB (EORB) which have improved outcomes and helped in minimizing treatment-related toxicities. The incorporation of multimodality approaches including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy (RT) has shown promising results; however, prognosis remains poor especially in LMICs. In this article, authors have discussed the ICMR consensus guidelines on the management of EORB, including metastatic RB.

Microbial consortium with multifunctional attributes for the plant growth of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.).

In the past few decades, the pressure of higher food production to satisfy the demand of ever rising population has inevitably increased the use synthetic agrochemicals which have deterioration effects. Biostimulants containing beneficial microbes (single inoculants and microbial consortium) were found as an ideal substitute of synthetic chemical fertilizers. In recent years, microbial consortium is known as a better bioinoculant in comparison to single inoculant bioformulation because of multifarious plant growth-promoting advantages. Looking at the advantageous effect of consortium, in present investigation, different bacteria were isolated from rhizospheric soil and plant samples collected from the Himalayan mountains on the green slopes of the Shivaliks, Himachal Pradesh. The isolated bacteria were screened for nitrogen (N) fixation, phosphorus (P) solubilization and potassium (K) solubilization plant growth promoting attributes, and efficient strains were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and BLASTn analysis. The bacteria showing a positive effect in NPK uptake were developed as bacterial consortium for the growth promotion of eggplant crop. A total of 188 rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria were sorted out, among which 13 were exhibiting nitrogenase activity, whereas 43 and 31 were exhibiting P and K solubilization traits, respectively. The selected three efficient and potential bacterial strains were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Enterobacter ludwigii EU-BEN-22 (N-fixer; 35.68 ± 00.9 nmol C2H4 per mg protein per h), Micrococcus indicus EU-BRP-6 (P-solubilizer; 201 ± 0.004 mg/L), and Pseudomonas gessardii EU-BRK-55 (K-solubilizer; 51.3 ± 1.7 mg/mL), and they were used to develop a bacterial consortium. The bacterial consortium evaluation on eggplant resulted in the improvement of growth (root/shoot length and biomass) and physiological parameters (chlorophyll, carotenoids, total soluble sugar, and phenolic content) of the plants with respect to single culture inoculation, chemical fertilizer, and untreated control. A bacterial consortium having potential to promote plant growth could be used as bioinoculant for horticulture crops growing in hilly regions.

Management of Intraocular Retinoblastoma: ICMR Consensus Guidelines.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common childhood intraocular malignancy. Delayed presentation due to a lack of awareness and advanced intraocular tumors are a common scenario in low-middle income countries (LMICs). Remarkable treatment advances have been made in the past few decades allowing globe salvage in advanced intraocular RB (IORB) including systemic chemotherapy with focal consolidation and targeted treatments like intraarterial chemotherapy and intravitreal chemotherapy. However, a lack of availability and affordability limits the use of such advances in LMICs. External beam radiotherapy, despite risk of second cancers in RB with germline mutations, still remains useful for recalcitrant RB not responding to any other treatment. When choosing conservative treatment for advanced IORB, the cost and long duration of treatment, morbidity from multiple evaluation under anesthesias (EUAs), side effects of treatment and risk of treatment failure need to be taken into account and discussed with the parents. In this article, the authors discuss the ICMR consensus guidelines on the management of IORB.

Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Genetics of Retinoblastoma: ICMR Consensus Guidelines.

Retinoblastoma (RB) is the most common intraocular tumor in childhood. It is mainly caused by mutations in both alleles of the RB1 tumor suppressor gene that is found on chromosome 13 and regulates the cell cycle. Approximately 8000 children are diagnosed with RB globally each year, with an estimated 1500 cases occurring in India. The survival rate of RB has improved to more than 90% in the developed world. Leukocoria and proptosis are the most common presenting features of RB in Asian Indian populations. Most cases of RB are diagnosed by fundus examination followed by ultrasound. The International Classification of Retinoblastoma is the most used scheme for the staging and classification of intraocular RB in India. Prenatal testing and preimplantation genetic testing for RB may be beneficial in high-risk families. Histopathologic risk factors such as massive choroidal invasion and post-laminar optic nerve help in predicting the occurrence of metastasis in children with RB, while presence of microscopic residual disease requires aggressive adjuvant treatment in eyes enucleated for group E RB. The review provides a consensus document on diagnosis and genetics of RB in India.

Plant endophytes: unveiling hidden applications toward agro-environment sustainability.

Endophytic microbes are plant-associated microorganisms that reside in the interior tissue of plants without causing damage to the host plant. Endophytic microbes can boost the availability of nutrient for plant by using a variety of mechanisms such as fixing nitrogen, solubilizing phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, and producing siderophores, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and phytohormones that help plant for growth and protection against various abiotic and biotic stresses. The microbial endophytes have attained the mechanism of producing various hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulase, pectinase, xylanase, amylase, gelatinase, and bioactive compounds for plant growth promotion and protection. The efficient plant growth promoting endophytic microbes could be used as an alternative of chemical fertilizers for agro-environmental sustainability. Endophytic microbes belong to different phyla including Euryarchaeota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mucoromycota, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The most pre-dominant group of bacteria belongs to Proteobacteria including α-, ß-, γ-, and δ-Proteobacteria. The least diversity of the endophytic microbes have been revealed from Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus, and Acidobacteria. Among reported genera, Achromobacter, Burkholderia, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Herbaspirillum, Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Rhizobium, and Streptomyces were dominant in most host plants. The present review deals with plant endophytic diversity, mechanisms of plant growth promotion, protection, and their role for agro-environmental sustainability. In the future, application of endophytic microbes have potential role in enhancement of crop productivity and maintaining the soil health in sustainable manner.

Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study (ICMR-INDIAB-17).

BACKGROUND: Non-communicable disease (NCD) rates are rapidly increasing in India with wide regional variations. We aimed to quantify the prevalence of metabolic NCDs in India and analyse interstate and inter-regional variations. METHODS: The Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study, a cross-sectional population-based survey, assessed a representative sample of individuals aged 20 years and older drawn from urban and rural areas of 31 states, union territories, and the National Capital Territory of India. We conducted the survey in multiple phases with a stratified multistage sampling design, using three-level stratification based on geography, population size, and socioeconomic status of each state. Diabetes and prediabetes were diagnosed using the WHO criteria, hypertension using the Eighth Joint National Committee guidelines, obesity (generalised and abdominal) using the WHO Asia Pacific guidelines, and dyslipidaemia using the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. FINDINGS: A total of 113 043 individuals (79 506 from rural areas and 33 537 from urban areas) participated in the ICMR-INDIAB study between Oct 18, 2008 and Dec 17, 2020. The overall weighted prevalence of diabetes was 11·4% (95% CI 10·2-12·5; 10 151 of 107 119 individuals), prediabetes 15·3% (13·9-16·6; 15 496 of 107 119 individuals), hypertension 35·5% (33·8-37·3; 35 172 of 111 439 individuals), generalised obesity 28·6% (26·9-30·3; 29 861 of 110 368 individuals), abdominal obesity 39·5% (37·7-41·4; 40 121 of 108 665 individuals), and dyslipidaemia 81·2% (77·9-84·5; 14 895 of 18 492 of 25 647). All metabolic NCDs except prediabetes were more frequent in urban than rural areas. In many states with a lower human development index, the ratio of diabetes to prediabetes was less than 1. INTERPRETATION: The prevalence of diabetes and other metabolic NCDs in India is considerably higher than previously estimated. While the diabetes epidemic is stabilising in the more developed states of the country, it is still increasing in most other states. Thus, there are serious implications for the nation, warranting urgent state-specific policies and interventions to arrest the rapidly rising epidemic of metabolic NCDs in India. FUNDING: Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Evaluation of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation-Indian Diabetes Risk Score in detecting undiagnosed diabetes in the Indian population: Results from the Indian Council of Medical Research-INdia DIABetes population-based study (INDIAB-15).

Background & objectives: Screening of individuals for early detection and identification of undiagnosed diabetes can help in reducing the burden of diabetic complications. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF)-Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) to screen for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes in a large representative population in India. Methods: Data were acquired from the Indian Council of Medical Research-INdia DIABetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study, a large national survey that included both urban and rural populations from 30 states/union territories in India. Stratified multistage design was followed to obtain a sample of 113,043 individuals (94.2% response rate). MDRF-IDRS used four simple parameters, viz. age, waist circumference, family history of diabetes and physical activity to detect undiagnosed diabetes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) with area under the curve (AUC) was used to assess the performance of MDRF-IDRS. Results: We identified that 32.4, 52.7 and 14.9 per cent of the general population were under high-, moderate- and low-risk category of diabetes. Among the newly diagnosed individuals with diabetes [diagnosed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)], 60.2, 35.9 and 3.9 per cent were identified under high-, moderate- and low-risk categories of IDRS. The ROC-AUC for the identification of diabetes was 0.697 (95% confidence interval: 0.684-0.709) for urban population and 0.694 (0.684-0.704) for rural, as well as 0.693 (0.682-0.705) for males and 0.707 (0.697-0.718) for females. MDRF-IDRS performed well when the population were sub-categorized by state or by regions. Interpretation & conclusions: Performance of MDRF-IDRS is evaluated across the nation and is found to be suitable for easy and effective screening of diabetes in Asian Indians.

Prokaryotic diversity and community structure in the rhizosphere of Lantana weed (Lantana camara L.).

Lantana weed (Lantana camara L.) is among the most noxious weeds in the world. Keeping in mind its invasive behavior and great ecological tolerance, it becomes imperative to analyze the structure and function of associated microbiome. In this perspective, Illumina-based metagenome sequencing was performed to gain a better understanding of prokaryotic diversity and community structure in the rhizosphere soil of L. camara L. The organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents in the rhizosphere soil were 0.91% (± 0.21%); 280 Kg ha-1 (± 4.02 Kg ha-1), 54.5 Kg ha-1 (± 3.12 Kg ha-1), and 189 Kg ha-1 (± 6.11 Kg ha-1), respectively. The metagenome analysis revealed the existence of 41 bacterial and 2 archaeal phyla, with only 12 showing ≥1% abundances. Pseudomonadota was the dominant phylum with 31.3% abundance, followed by Actinomycetota (20.9%). Further, 54 different genera were identified with the highest abundance of Devosia (2.8%). The PICRUSt analysis predicted various functional traits in the soil metagenome, with general cellular functions dominating, followed by stress tolerance. Moreover, 10% of the functions were associated with nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and potassium mobilization. In conclusion, the present study revealed the existence of diverse prokaryotic communities in the rhizosphere of the L. camara L. which was primarily associated with stress response and plant growth promotion. To the best of our knowledge, this study documents for the first time the L. camara L. microbiome. Furthermore, the identified genera can be explored for agricultural needs in future.

Mutualistic Effect of Macronutrients Availing Microbes on the Plant Growth Promotion of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L.).

Globally, man-made agrochemicals plays crucial role in plant growth promotion and boost crop yield. The agrochemicals overuse leaves the detrimental damage on the environment and humans. Biostimulants developed from single or multiple microbes (archaea, bacteria, and fungi) could be the appropriate alternative of agrochemical which sustains the agriculture as well as environment. In the present investigation, 93 beneficial bacteria associated with rhizospheric and endophytic region were isolated using diverse growth media. The isolated bacteria were screened for macronutrients availing traits including dinitrogen fixation, phosphorus and potassium solubilization. The bacterial consortium was developed using selected bacteria with multifunctional attributes and evaluated for the growth promotion of finger millet crop. Three potent NPK strains were identified as Erwinia rhapontici EU-FMEN-9 (N-fixer), Paenibacillus tylopili EU-FMRP-14 (P-solubilizer) and Serratia marcescens EU-FMRK-41 (K-solubilizer) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and BLAST analysis. The developed bacterial consortium inoculation on finger millet resulted in the improvement of growth and physiological parameters with respect to chemical fertilizer and control. The compatible mixture of bacteria was found to have more ability to increase the growth of finger millet and it might be utilized as biostimulants for nutri-cereal crops growing in hilly regions.

Macronutrient Recommendations for Remission and Prevention of Diabetes in Asian Indians Based on a Data-Driven Optimization Model: The ICMR-INDIAB National Study.

OBJECTIVE: To derive macronutrient recommendations for remission and prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Asian Indians using a data-driven optimization approach. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Dietary, behavioral, and demographic assessments were performed on 18,090 adults participating in the nationally representative, population-based Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study. Fasting and 2-h postglucose challenge capillary blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were estimated. With HbA1c as the outcome, a linear regression model was first obtained for various glycemic categories: newly diagnosed diabetes (NDD), prediabetes (PD), and normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Macronutrient recommendations were formulated as a constrained quadratic programming problem (QPP) to compute optimal macronutrient compositions that would reduce the sum of the difference between the estimated HbA1c from the linear regression model and the targets for remission (6.4% for NDD and 5.6% for PD) and prevention of progression in T2D in PD and NGT groups. RESULTS: Four macronutrient recommendations (%E- Energy) emerged for 1) diabetes remission in NDD: carbohydrate, 49-54%; protein, 19-20%; and fat, 21-26%; 2) PD remission to NGT: carbohydrate, 50-56%; protein,18-20%; fat, 21-27%; 3 and 4) prevention of progression to T2D in PD and NGT: carbohydrate, 54-57% and 56-60%; protein, 16-20% and 14-17%, respectively; and fat 20-24% for PD and NGT. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend reduction in carbohydrates (%E) and an increase in protein (%E) for both T2D remission and for prevention of progression to T2D in PD and NGT groups. Our results underline the need for new dietary guidelines that recommend appropriate changes in macronutrient composition for reducing the burden due to diabetes in South Asia.

Biosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles via endophyte Trichoderma viride and evaluation of their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

The biogenic method for synthesis of nanoparticles is preferred over the traditional strategies, on account of its ease, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectivity, wherein fungi endorse themselves to be the most appropriate precursor for the same. In recent times numerous metal nanoparticles have been reported to exhibit significant therapeutic activities, out of which Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) stand apart on account of their multidimensional nature. Thus, this study was carried out with an aim to biosynthesize ZnO NPs utilizing endophyte Trichoderma viride, isolated from the seeds of Momordica charantia. The physicochemical characterization of NPs was done via employing a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. The NPs were found to have a hexagonal shape and possessed an average particle size of around 63.3 nm. The antimicrobial activity of NPs was evaluated against multi-drug resistant organisms and it was observed to be an appreciable one whereas the antioxidant activity was deduced to be dose-dependent. Thus, these ZnO NPs can be considered as a probable active ingredient of any future therapeutic conceptualization after undertaking a thorough toxicological assessment.

Drought adaptive microbes as bioinoculants for the horticultural crops.

Drought stress is among the most destructive stresses for agricultural productivity. It interferes with normal metabolic activities of the plants resulting, a negative impact on physiology and morphology of the plants. The management of drought stress requires various adaptive and alleviation strategies in which stress adaptive microbiomes are exquisite bioresources for plant growth and alleviation of drought stress. Diverse drought adaptive microbes belonging to genera Achromobacter, Arthrobacter, Aspergillus, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Penicillium and Streptomyces have been reported worldwide. These bioresources exhibit a wide range of mechanisms such as helping plant in nutrient acquisition, producing growth regulators, lowering the levels of stress ethylene, increasing the concentration of osmolytes, and preventing oxidative damage under water deficit environmental conditions. Horticulture is one of the potential agricultural sectors to speed up the economy, poverty and generation of employment for livelihood. The applications of drought adaptive plant growth promoting (PGP) microbes as biofertilizers and biopesticides for horticulture is a potential strategy to improve the productivity and protection of horticultural crops from abiotic and biotic stresses for agricultural sustainability.

Minerals solubilizing and mobilizing microbiomes: A sustainable approach for managing minerals' deficiency in agricultural soil.

Agriculture faces challenges to fulfil the rising food demand due to shortage of arable land and various environmental stressors. Traditional farming technologies help in fulfilling food demand but they are harmful to humans and environmental sustainability. The food production along with agro-environmental sustainability could be achieved by encouraging farmers to use agro-environmental sustainable products such as biofertilizers and biopesticides consisting of live microbes or plant extract instead of chemical-based inputs. The eco-friendly formulations play a significant role in plant growth promotion, crop yield and repairing degraded soil texture and fertility sustainably. Mineral solubilizing microbes that provide vital nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium are essential for plant growth and development and could be developed as biofertilizers. These microbes could be plant associated (rhizospheric, endophytic and phyllospheric) or inhabit the bulk soil and diverse extreme habitats. Mineral solubilizing microbes from soil, extreme environments, surface and internal parts of the plant belong to diverse phyla such as Ascomycota, Actinobacteria, Basidiomycota, Bacteroidetes, Chlorobi, Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Euryarchaeota, Firmicutes, Gemmatimonadetes, Mucoromycota, Proteobacteria and Tenericutes. Mineral solubilizing microbes (MSMs) directly or indirectly stimulate plant growth and development either by releasing plant growth regulators; solubilizing phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium and silicon; biological nitrogen fixation and production of siderophores, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, hydrolytic enzymes and bioactive compound/secondary metabolites. Biofertilizer developed using mineral solubilizing microbes is an eco-friendly solution to the sustainable food production system in many countries worldwide. The present review deals with the biodiversity of mineral solubilizing microbes, and potential roles in crop improvement and soil well-being for agricultural sustainability.

Microbial consortium with nitrogen fixing and mineral solubilizing attributes for growth of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Bioinoculants provide better opportunity for ecological farming practices to improve the plant growth and enhanced crop productivity. Different types of bioinoculants containing single microbial culture and multiple microbial strains in single formulation could be used for agricultural sustainability. The different efficient microbial strain in single formulation as a consortium is an emerging trend in the present era. The present study deals with the isolation of nitrogen fixing, phosphorus and potassium solubilizing microbes from rhizospheric soil and root's internal tissues of different cereal/pseudocereal crops and their application as a microbial consortium for the growth of cereal crops. A total of 152 rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria were isolated and screened for the plant growth promoting (PGP) traits of nitrogen fixation, solubilization of phosphorus, and potassium. Among all the isolates, nine were found to fix nitrogen, fifteen and eleven exhibited phosphorus and potassium solubilization activity, respectively. Three selected efficient bacterial strains were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Erwinia sp. EU-B2SNL1 (N-fixer), Chryseobacterium arthrosphaerae EU-LWNA-37 (P-solubilizer), and Pseudomonas gessardii EU-MRK-19 (K-solubilizer). The inoculation of these three bacterial strains on barley crop as single inoculum and as microbial consortium enhanced the growth and physiological parameters including root/shoot length and biomass, chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolics, flavonoids and soluble sugar content in comparison with untreated control. The microbial consortium was found to be more effective as compared to single inoculum. The microbial consortium of nitrogen fixing and mineral solubilizing microbes could be used as biofertilizer for plant growth and soil health.

Achievement of guideline recommended diabetes treatment targets and health habits in people with self-reported diabetes in India (ICMR-INDIAB-13): a national cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: There is little information on comprehensive diabetes care comprising glycaemic, lipid, and blood pressure control in India; therefore, we aimed to assess the achievement of treatment targets among adults with self-reported diabetes. METHODS: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-India Diabetes (INDIAB) study is a cross-sectional, population-based survey of adults aged 20 years or older in all 30 states and union territories of India. We used a stratified multistage sampling design, sampling states in a phased manner, and selected villages in rural areas and census enumeration blocks in urban areas. We used a three-level stratification method on the basis of geography, population size, and socioeconomic status for each state. For the outcome assessment, good glycaemic control was defined as HbA1c of less than 7·0% (A), blood pressure control was defined as less than 140/90 mm Hg (B), and the LDL cholesterol target was defined as less than 100 mg/dL (C). ABC control was defined as the proportion of individuals meeting glycaemic, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol targets together. We also performed multiple logistic regression to assess the factors influencing achievement of diabetes treatment targets. FINDINGS: Between Oct 18, 2008, and Dec 17, 2020, 113 043 individuals (33 537 from urban areas and 79 506 from rural areas) participated in the ICMR-INDIAB study. For this analysis, 5789 adults (2633 in urban areas and 3156 in rural areas) with self-reported diabetes were included in the study population. The median age was 56·1 years (IQR 55·7-56·5). Overall, 1748 (weighted proportion 36·3%, 95% CI 34·7-37·9) of 4834 people with diabetes achieved good glycaemic control, 2819 (weighted proportion 48·8%, 47·2-50·3) of 5698 achieved blood pressure control, and 2043 (weighted proportion 41·5%, 39·9-43·1) of 4886 achieved good LDL cholesterol control. Only 419 (weighted proportion 7·7%) of 5297 individuals with self-reported diabetes achieved all three ABC targets, with significant heterogeneity between regions and states. Higher education, male sex, rural residence, and shorter duration of diabetes (<10 years) were associated with better achievement of combined ABC targets. Only 951 (weighted proportion 16·7%) of the study population and 227 (weighted proportion 36·9%) of those on insulin reported using self-monitoring of blood glucose. INTERPRETATION: Achievement of treatment targets and adoption of healthy behaviours remains suboptimal in India. Our results can help governments to adopt policies that prioritise improvement of diabetes care delivery and surveillance in India. FUNDING: Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Endophytic fungal communities and their biotechnological implications for agro-environmental sustainability.

Endophytic fungal communities have attracted a great attention to chemists, ecologists, and microbiologists as a treasure trove of biological resource. Endophytic fungi play incredible roles in the ecosystem including abiotic and biotic stress tolerance, eco-adaptation, enhancing growth and development, and maintaining the health of their host. In recent times, endophytic fungi have drawn a special focus owing to their indispensable diversity, unique distribution, and unparalleled metabolic pathways. The endophytic fungal communities belong to three phyla, namely Mucoromycota, Basidiomycota, and Ascomycota with seven predominant classes Agaricomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Mortierellomycotina, Mucoromycotina, Saccharomycetes, and Sordariomycetes. In a review of a huge number of research finding, it was found that endophytic fungal communities of genera Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Fusarium, Gaeumannomyces, Metarhizium, Microsphaeropsis, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Piriformospora, Talaromyces, Trichoderma, Verticillium, and Xylaria have been sorted out and well characterized for diverse biotechnological applications for future development. Furthermore, these communities are remarkable source of novel bioactive compounds with amazing biological activity for use in agriculture, food, and pharmaceutical industry. Endophytes are endowed with a broad range of structurally unique bioactive natural products, including alkaloids, benzopyranones, chinones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and quinines. Subsequently, there is still an excellent opportunity to explore novel compounds from endophytic fungi among numerous plants inhabiting different niches. Furthermore, high-throughput sequencing could be a tool to study interaction between plants and endophytic fungi which may provide further opportunities to reveal unknown functions of endophytic fungal communities. The present review deals with the biodiversity of endophytic fungal communities and their biotechnological implications for agro-environmental sustainability.

Assessment of nitrogen-fixing endophytic and mineral solubilizing rhizospheric bacteria as multifunctional microbial consortium for growth promotion of wheat and wild wheat relative Aegilops kotschyi.

Microbes play crucial functions in maintaining the health and growth of the plants directly or indirectly by supplying nutrients. These microbes could be used as biofertilizers for the enhancement of soil health and growth of crops. In preset investigation, potential microbes from endophytic and rhizospheric region of Aegilops kotschyi growing in green slopes of Shivaliks, Himachal Pradesh were sorted out and screened for plant growth promoting attributes including phosphorus and potassium solubilization. The potential bacterial strains were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing and developed as microbial consortium for the plant growth of wheat and wild wheat relative Aegilops kotschyi. A total 125 isolates of bacteria were sorted out and among them 36 were found as P-solubilizers and 19 showed K-solubilization attribute and two highly potential bacterial strain were identified as Bacillus tropicus EU-ARP-44 (P-solubilizer; 270.5 ± 0.00 mg L-1) and B. megaterium EU-ARK-23 (K-Solubilizer; 51.3 ± 1.7 mg mL-1). The microbial consortium of Rahnella sp. strain EU-A3SNfb (N-fixer; MN294545), B. tropicus EU-ARP-44 (P-solubilizer) and B. megaterium EU-ARK-23 (K-solubilizer) evaluation in Aegilops kotschyi and wheat crop resulted in the enhancement of growth as well as physiological parameter including shoot/root length, fresh/dry weight and chlorophyll, carotenoid, total soluble sugar content, phenolic and flavonoid content as compared to un-inoculated control. Microbial consortium consisting of potential plant growth promoting (PGP) bacterial strains could be used as biofertilizer and bioinoculants in cereals crop growing in hilly region.

Himalayan Microbiomes for Agro-environmental Sustainability: Current Perspectives and Future Challenges.

The Himalayas are one of the most mystical, yet least studied terrains of the world. One of Earth's greatest multifaceted and diverse montane ecosystems is also one of the thirty-four global biodiversity hotspots of the world. These are supposed to have been uplifted about 60-70 million years ago and support, distinct environments, physiography, a variety of orogeny, and great biological diversity (plants, animals, and microbes). Microbes are the pioneer colonizer of the Himalayas that are involved in various bio-geological cycles and play various significant roles. The applications of Himalayan microbiomes inhabiting in lesser to greater Himalayas have been recognized. The researchers explored the applications of indigenous microbiomes in both agricultural and environmental sectors. In agriculture, microbiomes from Himalayan regions have been suggested as better biofertilizers and biopesticides for the crops growing at low temperature and mountainous areas as they help in the alleviation of cold stress and other biotic stresses. Along with alleviation of low temperature, Himalayan microbes also have the capability to enhance plant growth by availing the soluble form of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and iron. These microbes have been recognized for producing plant growth regulators (abscisic acid, auxin, cytokinin, ethylene, and gibberellins). These microbes have been reported for bioremediating the diverse pollutants (pesticides, heavy metals, and xenobiotics) for environmental sustainability. In the current perspectives, present review provides a detailed discussion on the ecology, biodiversity, and adaptive features of the native Himalayan microbiomes in view to achieve agro-environmental sustainability.

Variations in glycated haemoglobin with age among individuals with normal glucose tolerance: Implications for diagnosis and treatment-Results from the ICMR-INDIAB population-based study (INDIAB-12).

AIM: To report on glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) values among individuals with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) at different age groups, using data acquired from a large national survey in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data on glycaemic parameters at different age groups were obtained from the Indian Council of Medical Research-INdia DIABetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study, in adults aged ≥ 20 years representing all parts of India. Age-wise distribution of HbA1c was assessed among individuals with NGT (n = 14,222) confirmed by an oral glucose tolerance test using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Results were validated in another large epidemiological study (n = 1077) conducted in Chennai, India. RESULTS: Among NGT individuals, HbA1c increased gradually with age from 5.16 ± 0.71% (33 mmol/mol) in the age group of 20-29 years to 5.49 ± 0.69% (37 mmol/mol) in those aged 70 + years. In the validation study, conducted in another study population, HbA1c was 5.35 ± 0.43% (35 mmol/mol) in age group of 20-29 years and 5.74 ± 0.50% (39 mmol/mol) in those aged 70 and above. In the INDIAB study, for every decadal increase in age, there is a 0.08% increase in HbA1c and this increase was more significant in females (females: 0.10% vs. males: 0.06%) and in urban (urban: 0.10% vs. rural: 0.08%) population. CONCLUSIONS: HbA1c levels increase steadily with age. This suggests that age-specific cutoffs be used while utilizing HbA1c to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes, so as to minimize the risk of overdiagnosis and unnecessary initiation of treatment in elderly people who could have physiological increase in HbA1c levels.