An assessment of socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented loss and disruptions over all across the world. From developed to developing, no country has been spared from its brunt. In this paper, we have analyzed the implications of COVID-19 on the economy and society of India so far. An impact assessment on the basis of available lietrature is made on all the three sectors-primary, secondary and service sector along with the impact on migrants, health, poverty, job losses, informal sector, environment, and so forth. The all sectors of the economy has been disproportionately affected and even within a sector, there is a disproportionate loss. The societal impacts are dire too with job losses, mental illness, increased domestic violence, and so forth. Some positive effects can be seen in terms of improved air quality, water quality, wildlife but the sustainability of such impact is conditional upon post-COVID and people's habits and future policies related to the environment.

Evaluation of biotechnology-derived novel proteins for the risk of food-allergic potential: advances in the development of animal models and future challenges.

Increasing concern from the public about the safety of genetically modified food has made critical to have suitable methods for recognizing associated potential hazards. Hierarchical approaches to allergenicity determination were proposed, and these include evaluation of the structural and sequence homology and serological identity of novel proteins with existing allergens, measuring the resistance to proteolytic digestion and assessment of sensitizing potential using animal models. Allergic individuals have a predisposed (i.e. atopic) genetic background, and a close resemblance to this setup is therefore desirable in animal models, which is possible by using a strain of an animal species that is prone for allergic disorders. So far, none of the animal model has been validated for the purpose of hazard identification in the context of safety assessment. However, the available knowledge suggests that the judicious use of an appropriate animal model could provide important information about the allergic potential of novel proteins. This paper provides an up-to-date review of the progress made in the field of development of in vivo models in this direction and the further goals that have to be achieved.