Physico-Chemical and Rheological Trait-Based Identification of Indian Wheat Varieties Suitable for Different End-Uses.

India has increased its wheat production phenomenally in the last two decades and it now has a buffer stock of 9.7 million tonnes. However, despite the release of several wheat cultivars, the end-use quality traits of Indian wheat varieties have not been explored in-depth to determine the increasing demand of the domestic processing industry as well as export. In this study, 55 wheat genotypes including 47 released varieties, and 8 genetic stocks were grown along with 10 Australian varieties grown during cropping seasons: 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 and diversity in different physiochemical and rheological traits was evaluated. They showed considerable diversity in all the quality traits studied. However, very few genotypes could be found suitable for any one end-use. Five genotypes were found to possess four to five traits for superior bread-making quality. Two varieties and three advanced breeding lines had up to four good chapati quality traits. None of the released varieties investigated had suitable traits for biscuit making; however, two breeding lines possessed requisite quality traits suitable for biscuit making. It is, therefore, concluded that systematic breeding efforts are required to develop genotypes that bring together the most important quality traits in a single genotype to be suitable for domestic industry as well as for export.

Clinical Profile of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Hospital-Based Study.

Introduction Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a new concept and an important area of investigation. In Western country's literature, different studies reported on TNBC and all indicated the poor prognostic aspect of this molecular subtype over other types of breast cancer. However, there is a scarcity of comprehensive data from India. Hence, the present study was carried out to look at the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of TNBC in the Indian population. Methods The present study was performed between January 2020 and June 2021 at a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. A total of 150 patients with TNBC were enrolled in the study. The epidemiological and clinical features of enrolled patients were collected and reviewed. Results The median age of patients at TNBC presentation was 45.53 years (24 to 74 years). The median tumor size was reported to be 5.32 cm. Of 150 patients, 94(62.67%) showed enlarged lymph nodes and 56 (37.33%) patients had no lymph node enlargement. In the present study, 85 (56.67%) patients were in the pre/perimenopausal stage at presentation, whereas 65 (43.33%) patients were in the postmenopausal stage. Upon evaluating the spread of TNBC, it was observed that a maximum of patients 60 (40%) were at the T4 stage and 56 (37.33%) at the N0 condition. The clinical staging of TNBC reported a maximum of 74 (49.33%) patients at the IIA, and IIB stages followed by 53 (35.33%) patients at the IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC stages and a minimum of 11 (7.33%) patients at stage IV. Only five (3.33%) patients were reported with a family history of breast cancer. Of all patients, 126 (84%) had detected early breast cancer thereby applicable for surgery at the time of presentation, whereas 71 (47.33%) patients were eligible for radiation therapy and 138 (92%) patients received chemotherapy. A total of 112 (74.67%) patients were found alive after 24 months of follow-up, 22 (4.67%) patients were observed with remission, and 11 (7.33%) patients died due to TNBC progression. During the course of follow-up, five (3.33%) patients were lost in the study.  Conclusion TNBC is an aggressive malignancy that has a high risk of systemic relapses in the first two years after diagnosis. For more mature evidence on TNBC, longer follow-up of patients is necessary.

Unraveling Links between Chronic Inflammation and Long COVID: Workshop Report.

As COVID-19 continues, an increasing number of patients develop long COVID symptoms varying in severity that last for weeks, months, or longer. Symptoms commonly include lingering loss of smell and taste, hearing loss, extreme fatigue, and "brain fog." Still, persistent cardiovascular and respiratory problems, muscle weakness, and neurologic issues have also been documented. A major problem is the lack of clear guidelines for diagnosing long COVID. Although some studies suggest that long COVID is due to prolonged inflammation after SARS-CoV-2 infection, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The broad range of COVID-19's bodily effects and responses after initial viral infection are also poorly understood. This workshop brought together multidisciplinary experts to showcase and discuss the latest research on long COVID and chronic inflammation that might be associated with the persistent sequelae following COVID-19 infection.

Role of Cerebroplacental Ratio in Predicting Perinatal Outcome.

Objective Doppler velocimetry provides a sensitive, non-invasive, and safe method of surveillance of fetal hemodynamics and fetomaternal circulation. Cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) is an indicator of placental function and fetal maladaptation to placental insufficiency. Cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) is becoming a significant indicator of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes, which has implications for the assessment of fetal well-being. This study aimed to determine the cut-off value of the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) in appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fetuses in high-risk mothers to predict adverse perinatal outcomes. We also compared the efficacy of CPR, umbilical artery pulsatility index (UmA PI), and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA PI) for predicting adverse perinatal outcomes. Design and setting This was a prospective observational study conducted at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. Methods A total of 100 women with singleton high-risk pregnancies were included in this prospective observational study. Obstetric ultrasound was performed at the time of recruitment, and fetal weight and CPR were noted. Based on fetal weight, patients were divided into AGA and fetal growth restriction (FGR) groups; CPR was measured; patients were followed up fortnightly; and outcomes were noted. Main outcome The effectiveness of CPR, UmA PI, and MCA PI for predicting poor perinatal outcomes and identifying the cut-off value of CPR in appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fetuses in high-risk mothers was assessed. Result The values of MCA PI, UmA PI, and CPR were statistically significant between AGA and FGR (p-value =.023, .002 and .0001), respectively. The cut-off value for CPR-detecting adverse outcomes in AGA was 1.49. It has sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 67.5%, 68%, 71.69%, and 70.21%, respectively. Conclusion Cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) reflects both circulatory insufficiency of the placenta and adaptive changes of the middle cerebral artery, indicating an important non-invasive surveillance modality.

Assessing feasibility of sewage sludge composting in rotary drum reactor.

In a year-long study, the efficacy of a manually operated rotary drum prototype, jointly developed by CEIT Spain and IIM Mumbai, was examined for sanitized compost production in Indian conditions. The prototype, a 200-liter horizontal plastic drum made of high-density polyethylene, incorporated a perforated polypropylene pipe for passive aeration of the composting mixture. Focused on optimizing composting of sewage sludge from a Municipal MBBR, the research targeted key process variables in the rotary drum reactor to attain the thermophilic phase. Wood shavings emerged as the optimal bulking agent, with a mixing ratio of three parts dewatered sewage sludge to one-part bulking agent. A turning frequency of every 12 h proved optimal for achieving the desired temperature of around 60 °C. The study concluded that the final sludge quality met prescribed standards, showcasing the viability of the rotary drum system for efficient compost production in Indian settings.

Unlocking the potential of ancient hexaploid Indian dwarf wheat, Tritium sphaerococcum for grain quality improvement.

Wild and ancient wheat are considered to be a rich source of nutrients and better stress tolerant, hence being re-considered for mainstreaming its cultivation by the farmers and bringing it back to the food basket. In the present study, thirty-four diverse accessions of Indian dwarf wheat, Triticum sphaerococcum conserved in the Indian National Genebank were evaluated for thirteen-grain quality parameters namely thousand-grain weight (TGW), hectolitre weight (HW), sedimentation value (Sed), grain hardness index (HI), protein (Pro), albumin (Alb), globulin (Glo), gliadin (Gli), glutenin (Glu), gluten, lysine (Lys), Fe2+ and Zn2+ content, and four antioxidant enzymes activities. Substantial variations were recorded for studied traits. TGW, HW, Sed, HI, Pro, Alb, Glo, Gli, Glu, Gluten, Lys, Fe2+, and Zn2+ varied from 26.50-45.55 g, 70.50-86.00 kg/hl, 24.00-38.00 ml, 40.49-104.90, 15.34-19.35%, 17.60-40.31 mg/g, 10.75-16.56 mg/g, 26.35-44.94 mg/g, 24.47-39.56 mg/g, 55.33-75.06 mg/g, 0.04-0.29%, 42.72-90.72 ppm, and 11.45-25.70 ppm, respectively. Among antioxidants, peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity ranged from 0.06-0.60 unit/ml, 0.02-0.61 unit/ml, 0.11-2.26 unit/ml, and 0.14-0.97 unit/ml, respectively. Hardness Index was positively associated with Pro and Zn2+ content whereas Lys was negatively associated with gluten content. Likewise, gluten and Fe2+ content had a positive association with the major protein fraction i.e., Gli and Glu. Hierarchical cluster analysis grouped 34 accessions into four clusters and the major group had nine indigenous and eight exotic accessions. We also validated high GPC accessions and EC182958 (17.16%), EC187176 and EC182945 (16.16%), EC613057 (15.79%), IC634028 (15.72%) and IC533826 (15.01%) were confirmed with more than 15% GPC. Also, superior trait-specific accessions namely, EC187167, IC534021, EC613055, EC180066, and EC182959 for low gluten content and IC384530, EC313761, EC180063, IC397363, EC10494 for high iron content (>76.51) were identified that may be used in wheat quality improvement for nutritional security of mankind.

Effects of heterozygous deletion of autism-related gene Cullin-3 in mice.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder in which children display repetitive behavior, restricted range of interests, and atypical social interaction and communication. CUL3, coding for a Cullin family scaffold protein mediating assembly of ubiquitin ligase complexes through BTB domain substrate-recruiting adaptors, has been identified as a high-risk gene for autism. Although complete knockout of Cul3 results in embryonic lethality, Cul3 heterozygous mice have reduced CUL3 protein, demonstrate comparable body weight, and display minimal behavioral differences including decreased spatial object recognition memory. In measures of reciprocal social interaction, Cul3 heterozygous mice behaved similarly to their wild-type littermates. In area CA1 of hippocampus, reduction of Cul3 significantly increased mEPSC frequency but not amplitude nor baseline evoked synaptic transmission or paired-pulse ratio. Sholl and spine analysis data suggest there is a small yet significant difference in CA1 pyramidal neuron dendritic branching and stubby spine density. Unbiased proteomic analysis of Cul3 heterozygous brain tissue revealed dysregulation of various cytoskeletal organization proteins, among others. Overall, our results suggest that Cul3 heterozygous deletion impairs spatial object recognition memory, alters cytoskeletal organization proteins, but does not cause major hippocampal neuronal morphology, functional, or behavioral abnormalities in adult global Cul3 heterozygous mice.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the vulva - a rare occurrence.

Vulval tumours are rare, representing merely 4% of all gynaecological neoplasms. 98% of vulvar lesions are benign, and only 2% are malignant. Of all vulvar malignancies, while squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignancy, leiomyosarcomas of the vulva are extremely rare. Usually these tumours have nonspecific clinical manifestations, often leading to misdiagnoses of Bartholin cysts or abscesses. We describe a case of a 47-year-old woman who presented with a nonspecific painless swelling in the left vulva for 2 months which was diagnosed as leiomyosarcoma of the vulva on biopsy as well as resection.

G-quadruplex formation at human DAT1 gene promoter: Effect of cytosine methylation.

The dopamine transporter gene (DAT1), a recognized genetic risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is principally responsible for the regulation of dopamine synaptic levels and serves as a key target in many psychostimulants drugs. DAT1 gene methylation has been considered an epigenetic marker in ADHD. The identification of G-rich sequence motifs potential to form G-quadruplexes is correlated with functionally important genomic regions. Herein, biophysical and biochemical techniques are employed to investigate the structural polymorphism along with the effect of cytosine methylation on a 26-nt G-rich sequence present in the promoter region of the DAT1 gene. The gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and UV-thermal melting data are well correlated and conclude the formation of a parallel (bimolecular), as well as antiparallel (tetramolecular) G-quadruplex in Na+ solution. Interestingly, the existence of uni-, bi-, tri-, and tetramolecular quadruplex structures in K+ solution exhibited only the parallel type G-quadruplex. The results demonstrate that in presence of either cation (Na+ or K+) the cytosine methylation reserved the structural topologies unaltered. However, methylation lowers the thermal stability of G-quadruplexes and the duplex structures, as well. These findings provide insights to understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying the formation of the G-quadruplex structure induced by DNA methylation.

Lipid mediated brain disorders: A perspective.

The brain, one of the most resilient organs of the body is highly enriched in lipid content, suggesting the essential role of lipids in brain physiological activities. Lipids constitute an important structural part of the brain and act as a rich source of metabolic energy. Besides, lipids in their bioactive form (known as bioactive lipids) play an essential signaling and regulatory role, facilitating neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, and cell-cell communication. Brain lipid metabolism is thus a tightly regulated process. Any alteration/dysregulation of lipid metabolism greatly impact brain health and activity. Moreover, since central nervous system (CNS) is the most metabolically active system and lacks an efficient antioxidative defence system, it acts as a hub for the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent lipid peroxidation. These peroxidation events are reported during pathological changes such as neuronal tissue injury and inflammation. Present review is a modest attempt to gain insights into the role of dysregulated bioactive lipid levels and lipid oxidation status in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. This may open up new avenues exploiting lipids as the therapeutic targets for improving brain health, and treatment of nervous system disorders.

Multispectroscopic studies of binding interaction of phosmet with bovine hemoglobin.

Phosmet is a phthalimide derived broad spectrum organophosphate pesticide which is vastly used across the globe to protect several ornamental or horticulture crops. The toxicity of phosmet is of utmost concern because of its direct effect on the nervous system of the victim after exposure. The mechanism of phosmet toxicity was explored by the interaction with the model blood protein which is hemoglobin. Bovine Hemoglobin (BHb) is a major protein of red blood cells (RBCs) that plays an important role in the exchange of gases for respiration and ensures adequate oxygen supply to tissues for oxygenation. In the current study, the interaction of BHb with phosmet was revealed using various spectroscopic techniques. Circular dichroism (CD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies of BHb in the presence of phosmet showed secondary structural changes in the protein post binding, Fluorescence study shows the involvement of the dynamic quenching predominantly, Van't Hoffs thermodynamic study showed negative enthalpy value and free energy change and negative entropy change that revealed the involvement of hydrogen bonding and van der Waal forces predominantly further revealing spontaneous nature of binding interaction. The shift in Ultraviolet-visible spectra also revealed the nature of the interaction. In-silico study finally deduced the involvement of hydrogen bonding and polar interaction. The study inferred the moderate interaction of BHb with phosmet.

Excellence reporting in a neonatal intensive care unit during COVID-19 era.

We are reporting our engagement with the 'Learning from Excellence' initiative in the neonatal intensive care unit during the covid era, with enhanced professional and personal stresses in the workforce. It highlights the positive experiences around technical management of sick neonates and human factors, like team working, leadership and communication.

Mapping QTL for Phenological and Grain-Related Traits in a Mapping Population Derived from High-Zinc-Biofortified Wheat.

Genomic regions governing days to heading (DH), days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), thousand-kernel weight (TKW), and test weight (TW) were investigated in a set of 190 RILs derived from a cross between a widely cultivated wheat-variety, Kachu (DPW-621-50), and a high-zinc variety, Zinc-Shakti. The RIL population was genotyped using 909 DArTseq markers and phenotyped in three environments. The constructed genetic map had a total genetic length of 4665 cM, with an average marker density of 5.13 cM. A total of thirty-seven novel quantitative trait loci (QTL), including twelve for PH, six for DH, five for DM, eight for TKW and six for TW were identified. A set of 20 stable QTLs associated with the expression of DH, DM, PH, TKW, and TW were identified in two or more environments. Three novel pleiotropic genomic-regions harboring co-localized QTLs governing two or more traits were also identified. In silico analysis revealed that the DArTseq markers were located on important putative candidate genes such as MLO-like protein, Phytochrome, Zinc finger and RING-type, Cytochrome P450 and pentatricopeptide repeat, involved in the regulation of pollen maturity, the photoperiodic modulation of flowering-time, abiotic-stress tolerance, grain-filling duration, thousand-kernel weight, seed morphology, and plant growth and development. The identified novel QTLs, particularly stable and co-localized QTLs, will be validated to estimate their effects in different genetic backgrounds for subsequent use in marker-assisted selection (MAS).

Luminescence studies of binding affinity of vildagliptin with bovine serum albumin.

Vildagliptin (VDG)is a frontier drug for diabetes mellitus. It is prescribed both in the monotherapy as well as in an amalgamation with other antidiabetic drugs. Drug-serum protein binding is an essential parameter which influences ADME properties of the drug. In current study, binding of VDG with serum protein (bovine serum albumin: BSA) was investigated using multi-spectroscopic techniques. A computational approach was also employed to identify the binding affinity of VDG with BSA at both Sudlow I and II sites. An enzyme activity assay specific for esterase was also investigated to know the post-binding consequences of VDG with BSA. Fluorescence spectra of BSA samples treated with VDG shows static quenching with binding parameters for VDG-BSA complex show single class of equivalent binding stoichiometry(n = 1.331) and binding constant 1.1 x 104M-1 at 298.15 K. The binding constant indicates important role of non-polar interactions in the binding process. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis of VDG absorption spectra and emission spectrum of BSA confirmed no significant resonance in energy transfer. Synchronous fluorescence of BSA after binding with VDG show maximum changes in emission intensity at tryptophan (Trp) residues. Post binding with VDG, BSA conformation changes as suggested by circular dichorism (CD) spectra of BSA and this lead to enhanced protein stability as indicated by a thermal melting curve of BSA.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Bioprinted 3D outer retina barrier uncovers RPE-dependent choroidal phenotype in advanced macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness, initiates in the outer-blood-retina-barrier (oBRB) formed by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch's membrane, and choriocapillaris. The mechanisms of AMD initiation and progression remain poorly understood owing to the lack of physiologically relevant human oBRB models. To this end, we engineered a native-like three-dimensional (3D) oBRB tissue (3D-oBRB) by bioprinting endothelial cells, pericytes, and fibroblasts on the basal side of a biodegradable scaffold and establishing an RPE monolayer on top. In this 3D-oBRB model, a fully-polarized RPE monolayer provides barrier resistance, induces choriocapillaris fenestration, and supports the formation of Bruch's-membrane-like structure by inducing changes in gene expression in cells of the choroid. Complement activation in the 3D-oBRB triggers dry AMD phenotypes (including subRPE lipid-rich deposits called drusen and choriocapillaris degeneration), and HIF-α stabilization or STAT3 overactivation induce choriocapillaris neovascularization and type-I wet AMD phenotype. The 3D-oBRB provides a physiologically relevant model to studying RPE-choriocapillaris interactions under healthy and diseased conditions.

Valproic Acid-Induced Upregulation of Multidrug Efflux Transporter ABCG2/BCRP via PPARα-Dependent Mechanism in Human Brain Endothelial Cells.

Despite the progress made in the development of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), poor response to them is a rising concern in epilepsy treatment. Of several hypotheses explaining AED treatment failure, the most promising theory is the overexpression of multidrug transporters belonging to ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family at blood-brain barrier. Previous data show that AEDs themselves can induce these transporters, in turn affecting their own brain bioavailability. Presently, this induction and the underlying regulatory mechanism involved at human blood-brain barrier is not well elucidated. Herein, we sought to explore the effect of most prescribed first- and second-line AEDs on multidrug transporters in human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells, hCMEC/D3. Our work demonstrated that exposure of these cells to valproic acid (VPA) induced mRNA, protein, and functional activity of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2). On examining the substrate interaction status of AEDs with BCRP, VPA, phenytoin, and lamotrigine were found to be potential BCRP substrates. Furthermore, we observed that siRNA-mediated knockdown of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) or use of PPARα antagonist, resulted in attenuation of VPA-induced BCRP expression and transporter activity. VPA was found to increase PPARα expression and trigger its translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus. Findings from chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays showed that VPA enhances the binding of PPARα to its response element in the ABCG2 promoter, resulting in elevated ABCG2 transcriptional activity. Taken together, these in vitro findings highlight PPARα as the potential molecular target to prevent VPA-mediated BCRP induction, which may have important implications in VPA pharmacoresistance. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Induction of multidrug transporters at blood-brain barrier can largely affect the bioavailability of the substrate antiepileptic drugs in the brains of patients with epilepsy, thus affecting their therapeutic efficacy. The present study reports a mechanistic pathway of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) upregulation by valproic acid in human brain endothelial cells via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha involvement, thereby providing a potential strategy to prevent valproic acid pharmacoresistance in epilepsy.

Alkali cation-mediated topology displayed by an exonic G-rich sequence of TRPA1 gene.

G-rich sequences are intrinsic parts of the genome, widespread in promoters, telomeres, or other regulatory regions. The in vivo existence and biological significance have established the functional aspect of G-quadruplex structures and thus have developed immense interest in exploring their therapeutic aspects. Herein, using biophysical methods, we examined the structural status and comprehensive cation-dependence of a 17-bp G-rich genomic sequence (SKGT17) located in the coding region of the human TRPA1 gene, known to be associated with various neurovascular, cardiovascular, and respiratory conditions. TRPA1 is primarily seen as a therapeutic target for the development of novel analgesics. Bioinformatics analysis has suggested that 17-bp quadruplex motif is a binding site for transcription factor 'Sp1'. The formation and recognition of SKGT17 G-quadruplex might impact its regulatory functioning. Biophysical studies confirmed that the presence of alkali metal ions facilitated the formation of G-quadruplex in parallel topology. Native gel further substantiated the formation of a biomolecular species. Circular dichroism (CD), UV-thermal melting (Tm), and CD melting confirmed the formation of parallel G-quadruplex with metal ion-dependent stability. The stability of the G-quadruplex formed is found to be significantly high in the presence of K+ ions than that of other ions. Intriguingly, we have also established that this segment of the TRAP1 gene favors G-quadruplex formation over its participation in the corresponding duplex formation under K+ ions conditions. This study attempts to explain the rationale for the stabilization of G-quadruplex in the presence of alkali metal ions and may add to a better understanding and insights into DNA-metal ions interactions.

A Retrospective Study of Association of Tumor Budding, Tumor Microenvironment, and Clinicopathological Characteristics of Invasive Breast Carcinoma.

Background Tumor budding (TB) has been identified in many solid cancers and thought to be involved in invasion and is the initial step in the metastatic process. Limited information is available documenting the role of tumor budding in breast carcinoma. With this aim, the present study evaluates the association of tumor budding, tumor microenvironment, and its correlation with clinicopathologic parameters. Materials and Methods A total of 102 cases were archived and evaluated for peripheral and intra tumoral budding along with tumor microenvironment on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides. Statistical Analysis Correlation between tumor budding, tumor microenvironment, and other classical clinicopathological parameters was studied by Chi-square test. A p -value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results Females constituted 99 cases out of 102 and 3 were males. We found 55.9% and 44.1% of patients in the age group less than or equal to 50 and greater than 50, respectively. Also, 65.6% of cases presented with small tumor size less than or equal to 5 cm, 80.39% with lymph node metastasis, and 76.4% with lympho-vascular emboli. High peripheral tumoral budding (PTB) was seen in 45.10%, low peripheral tumoral budding in 54.9%, high ITB in 53.9%, and low ITB in 46.1%. Necrosis was found only in 39.21%. Significant statistical association of PTB was found with lymph node metastasis, lymphovascular emboli, and tumor necrosis, whereas ITB with tumor grade, lymph node metastasis, lympho-vascular emboli, and necrosis. Both PTB and ITB showed no statistically significant correlation with age and size of the tumor. Conclusion Tumor budding is an independent adverse prognostic factor in invasive breast carcinoma. However, further work is needed to establish a standard method for the quantification of this parameter, which will help in effective stratification of patients in terms of disease-free survival and likely outcome.

Synthesis of Affective Expressions and Artificial Intelligence to Discover Mental Distress in Online Community.

Looking at the rapidity the social media has gained ascendancy in the society, coupled with considerable shortage of addressing the health of the social media users, there is a pressing need for employing mechanized systems to help identify individuals at risk. In this study, we investigated potential of people's social media language in order to predict their vulnerability towards the future episode of mental distress. This work aims to (a) explore the most frequent affective expressions used by online users which reflect their mental health condition and (b) develop predictive models to detect users with risk of psychological distress. In this paper, dominant sentiment extraction techniques were employed to quantify the affective expressions and classify and predict the incident of psychological distress. We trained a set of seven supervised machine learning classifiers on logs crowd-sourced from 2500 Indian Social Networking Sites (SNS) users and validated with 3149 tweets collected from Indian Twitter. We test the model on these two different SNS datasets with different scales and ground truth labeling method and discuss the relationship between key factors and mental health. Performance of classifiers is evaluated at all classification thresholds; accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score. and experimental results show a better traction of accuracies ranging from ~ 82 to ~ 99% as compared to the models of relevant existing studies. Thus, this paper presents a mechanized decision support system to detect users' susceptibility towards mental distress and provides several evidences that it can be utilized as an efficient tool to preserve the psychological health of the social media users.