Air pollution from household solid fuel combustion in India: an overview of exposure and health related information to inform health research priorities

Environmental and occupational risk factors contribute to nearly 40% of the national burden of disease in India, with air pollution in the indoor and outdoor environment ranking amongst leading risk factors. It is now recognized that the health burden from air pollution exposures that primarily occur in the rural indoors, from pollutants released during the incomplete combustion of solid fuels in households, may rival or even exceed the burden attributable to urban outdoor exposures. Few environmental epidemiological efforts have been devoted to this setting, however. We provide an overview of important available information on exposures and health effects related to household solid fuel use in India, with a view to inform health research priorities for household air pollution and facilitate being able to address air pollution within an integrated rural–urban framework in the future

Network-Guided Analysis of Genes with Altered Somatic Copy Number and Gene Expression Reveals Pathways Commonly Perturbed in Metastatic Melanoma

Cancer genomes frequently contain somatic copy number alterations (SCNA) that can significantly perturb the expression level of affected genes and thus disrupt pathways controlling normal growth. In melanoma, many studies have focussed on the copy number and gene expression levels of the BRAF, PTEN and MITF genes, but little has been done to identify new genes using these parameters at the genome-wide scale. Using karyotyping, SNP and CGH arrays, and RNA-seq, we have identified SCNA affecting gene expression (‘SCNA-genes’) in seven human metastatic melanoma cell lines. We showed that the combination of these techniques is useful to identify candidate genes potentially involved in tumorigenesis. Since few of these alterations were recurrent across our samples, we used a protein network-guided approach to determine whether any pathways were enriched in SCNA-genes in one or more samples. From this unbiased genome-wide analysis, we identified 28 significantly enriched pathway modules. Comparison with two large, independent melanoma SCNA datasets showed less than 10% overlap at the individual gene level, but network-guided analysis revealed 66% shared pathways, including all but three of the pathways identified in our data. Frequently altered pathways included WNT, cadherin signalling, angiogenesis and melanogenesis. Additionally, our results emphasize the potential of the EPHA3 and FRS2 gene products, involved in angiogenesis and migration, as possible therapeutic targets in melanoma. Our study demonstrates the utility of network-guided approaches, for both large and small datasets, to identify pathways recurrently perturbed in cancer

Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics (vol 587, pg 252, 2020)

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Studies on nucleotidases in plants - Reversible denaturation of the crystalline mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase and the effect of adenylates on the native and renatured enzyme

The crystalline mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase was inhibited nonlinearly by AMP, one of the products of the reaction. The partially inactive enzyme was specifically reactivated by ADP, and V at maximal activation was the same as that of the native enzyme. ATP was a linear, noncompetitive inhibitor. The kinetic evidence suggested that ADP and ATP might not be reacting at the same site as AMP. The electrophoretic mobility of the enzyme was increased by AMP, whereas ADP and ATP were without effect. The enzyme was denatured on treatment with urea or guanidine hydrochloride. The renatured and the native enzyme had the same pH (9.4) and temperature (49 °C) optimum. The Km (0.2 m ) and V (3.2) of the native enzyme increased on renaturation to 1.8 m and 8.0, respectively. In addition, renaturation resulted in desensitization of the enzyme to inhibition by low concentrations of AMP. Renaturation did not affect the reactivation of the apoenzyme by Zn2+

Studies on nucleotidases in plants Dimerization of the crystalline mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase by 5-adenosine monophosphate and the properties of the dimerized enzyme

The addition of AMP to the crystalline and homogeneous mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase [EC 3.6.1.9]altered its electrophoretic mobility. AMP was tightly bound to the enzyme and was not removed on passage through a column of Sephadex G-25 or on electrophoresis. The molecular weight of the native and AMP-modified enzymes were 65,000 and 136,000, respectively. The properties of the native enzyme such as the pH (9.4) and temperature (49 °C) optima, inhibition by EDTA, reversal of EDTA-inhibition by Zn2+ and Co2+, were not altered on dimerization by AMP. The AMP-modified enzyme had a linear time-course of reaction, unlike the native enzyme which exhibited a biphasic time-course of reaction. The AMP-modified enzyme was irreversibly denatured by urea. AMP concentrations larger than 100 μM inhibited linearly the activity of the AMP-modified enzyme. ADP and ATP inhibited the activity in a sigmoidal manner. Km and V of the native and AMP-modified enzymes were, 0.25 mImage and 0.58 mImage ; and 3.3 and 2.5, respectively

Studies on nucleotidases in plants : Reversible denaturation of the crystalline mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase and the effect of adenylates on the native and renatured enzyme

The crystalline mung bean nucleotide pyrophosphatase was inhibited nonlinearly by AMP, one of the products of the reaction. The partially inactive enzyme was specifically reactivated by ADP, and V at maximal activation was the same as that of the native enzyme. ATP was a linear, noncompetitive inhibitor. The kinetic evidence suggested that ADP and ATP might not be reacting at the same site as AMP. The electrophoretic mobility of the enzyme was increased by AMP, whereas ADP and ATP were without effect. The enzyme was denatured on treatment with urea or guanidine hydrochloride. The renatured and the native enzyme had the same pH (9.4) and temperature (49 °C) optimum. The Km (0.2 mImage ) and V (3.2) of the native enzyme increased on renaturation to 1.8 mImage and 8.0, respectively. In addition, renaturation resulted in desensitization of the enzyme to inhibition by low concentrations of AMP. Renaturation did not affect the reactivation of the apoenzyme by Zn2+

Correlation and Path Analysis of Yield and Seedling Vigour Related Traits in Wild Introgression Lines

Early establishment of crop plants are highly influenced by resource availability in its environment. Seedling early vigour refers to the ability of seeds to germinate quickly and uniformly, resulting in the robust crop establishment especially under stress environments. Modern cultivars which are bred for transplanting under irrigated conditions with semi-dwarf architecture lacks early seedling vigour, required under stress situations. Vigorous seedlings have additional advantage of better nutrient uptake by smothering weed plants and inhibit their growth. Improving rice plant architecture with high seedling vigour is a major breeding objective in the context of climate change effect. Backcross Introgression Lines derived from interspecific crosses were screened for seedling vigour traits and yield related traits and correlation analysis was employed to assess the trait association. Among all the 31 traits studied for correlation concluded that positively significant correlation was observed for panicle length, panicle weight, filled grains, total number of grains. Genotypic and phenotypic correlation revealed that the traits panicle length, panicle weight, filled grains, total number of grains, days to 50% flowering have shown significant correlation with single plant yield. Path analysis concluded that days to 50% flowering, number of tillers, fresh weight, dry weight, germination percentage and total number of grains had shown a positive direct effect with single plant yield. Days to 50% flowering, panicle weight, total numbers of grains had a positive significant and direct contribution towards yield improvement. Therefore, these traits are given more weightage while selecting the genotypes, for further utilization in crop improvement programmes

Vortex phase diagrams in R3Rh4Sn13 (R = Yb,Ca)

A comparative study of vortex phase diagrams in two weakly pinned low Tc superconductors, Ca3Rh4Sn13 (CaRhSn) and Yb3Rh4Sn13 (YbRhSn), is presented. In CaRhSn, we can witness a disorder-driven transition via the phenomenon of second magnetization peak whose field-temperature dependence is analogous to that often discussed in the context of a Bragg glass (BG) to vortex glass (VG) transition.© Elsevie

Comparison of thermomagnetic history effects in weakly pinned single crystals of R3Rh4Sn13 (R = Yb, Ca)

A comparative study of the thermomagnetic memory effects of J(c) in two weakly pinned low T-c superconductors, Ca3Rh4Sn13 (CaRhSn) and Yb3Rh4Sn13 (YbRhSn), is presented. In both the systems, the peak effect (PE) phenomenon appears as an order-disorder transformation through stepwise amorphization of the flux line lattice (FLL). However, in CaRhSn, we can witness another disorder-driven transition (Bragg glass (BG) to a vortex glass (VG)) in a distinct manner as in a single crystal of high T, YBa2Cu3O7-delta for Hparallel toc