Translatability of findings from cynomolgus monkey to human suggests a mechanistic role for IL-21 in promoting immunogenicity to an anti-PD-1/IL-21 mutein fusion protein

AMG 256 is a bi-specific, heteroimmunoglobulin molecule with an anti-PD-1 antibody domain and a single IL-21 mutein domain on the C-terminus. Nonclinical studies in cynomolgus monkeys revealed that AMG 256 administration led to the development of immunogenicity-mediated responses and indicated that the IL-21 mutein domain of AMG 256 could enhance the anti-drug antibody response directed toward the monoclonal antibody domain. Anti-AMG 256 IgE were also observed in cynomolgus monkeys. A first-in-human (FIH) study in patients with advanced solid tumors was designed with these risks in mind. AMG 256 elicited ADA in 28 of 33 subjects (84.8%). However, ADA responses were only robust and exposure-impacting at the 2 lowest doses. At mid to high doses, ADA responses remained low magnitude and all subjects maintained exposure, despite most subjects developing ADA. Limited drug-specific IgE were also observed during the FIH study. ADA responses were not associated with any type of adverse event. The AMG 256 program represents a unique case where nonclinical studies informed on the risk of immunogenicity in humans, due to the IL-21-driven nature of the response

Identity, Perceived Discrimination, and Psychological Well-Being in Sikh Americans

Post 9/11, Sikh Americans became particularly susceptible to discrimination due to often being misidentified as Arab American or Muslim, and subsequently assumed by some to be associated with terrorism. Research has demonstrated that discrimination experienced by people of color can have a variety of negative effects on their physical and mental health. However, the discrimination experiences of Sikh Americans have not yet been captured utilizing a quantitative method in the psychology literature. The present study conceptualized religious identity as being comprised of both a psychological dimension (i.e., in-group ties, in-group affect, and centrality) and behavioral aspect (i.e., engaging in Sikh religious practices). The relationships between religious identity (both psychological and behavioral), perceived discrimination, and psychological well-being (specifically, life satisfaction and resilience) were examined using a quantitative method in a sample of 228 Sikh American adults who self-identified as South Asian and Sikh. In addition, this study investigated whether religious identity moderated the effects of perceived discrimination on psychological well-being. Participants completed an online survey comprised of the Lifetime Exposure scale of the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Scale—Community Version, a multi-dimensional measure of social identity, items measuring the frequency in which Sikh principles and practices were followed, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Results revealed that individuals who had a stronger psychological identification as Sikh reported significantly higher satisfaction with their lives (p = .000). The behavioral aspect of Sikh identity was a marginally significant predictor of both life satisfaction (p = .055) and resilience (p = .091). Higher perceived discrimination scores significantly predicted lower life satisfaction scores (p = .004). The behavioral aspect of Sikh identity and perceived discrimination had a significant, positive relationship ( p = .003). There were no moderating effects found for either the psychological or behavioral dimensions of religious identity on the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being. Given the underrepresentation of Sikh Americans in the psychology literature, this study shed some light on this population\u27s discrimination experiences and their identity. The major findings of this study suggest that Sikh Americans with a stronger behavioral identity experience or are more aware of discrimination; individuals who reported more discrimination also reported lower life satisfaction. However, individuals with a stronger psychological identity (e.g., sense of belonging and similarity with other Sikhs, positive feelings about being Sikh) reported having higher life satisfaction. Given that Sikh Americans are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, it is important for practitioners to develop an awareness of the complexity of the Sikh identity, the unique discrimination experiences they face, and identify factors such as strong psychological identity that may minimize the negative effects of discrimination

The effects of meditation on individuals facing loneliness: a scoping review

Abstract Background Meditation is defined as a mind and body practice focused on interactions between the brain, mind, body, and behaviour, containing four key elements: a quiet location with little distractions, a comfortable posture, a focus of attention, and an open attitude. We sought to review the benefits of meditation on the alleviation of loneliness. Methods A scoping review was conducted based on Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework. Eligibility criteria included primary studies of any type that investigated the effects of meditation on loneliness. Search strategies were developed and conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, and CINAHL. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and American Psychological Association websites were also searched. Articles meeting the inclusion criteria were critically reviewed using a descriptive-analytical narrative method. Results Thirteen studies met our inclusion criteria and were published between 2012 and 2020 across 10 countries. Eleven studies reported improvements in relation to loneliness. Of the remaining two studies (15%), one mentioned the alleviation of loneliness, but only looked primarily at social closeness in lonely individuals. The other study found a correlation between loneliness and nuclear factor (NF)-κB levels, which was the measured outcome; however, the direct effects of meditation on loneliness were unclear. Three main themes emerged from our analysis, as follows: 1) positive results across all studies, 2) relatively small randomized control trials conducted over the last decade, and 3) lack of diverse demographic information. Conclusions While a small number of studies exist at this intersection, given all included studies indicated positive findings, the effects of meditation in alleviating loneliness are promising. Future research should be directed at understanding how meditation mitigates loneliness and how this intervention can impact practice for healthcare professionals

Understanding Sustenance of Small Farm Holders: A Study of Income Inequality among Farm Households in Indian Punjab

The sustenance of marginal and small farm households is a pertinent question given that their number is on the rise in South-Asia. The study aims to assess their present socio-economic profile and the challenges faced in order to draw a roadmap of development for these underprivileged households. The study pertains to Indian Punjab and data from the Situation Assessment Survey of the 70th Round of NSSO are used. The concepts of economic surplus, occupational diversity, farm productivity and vertical and horizontal inequalities are used to achieve the objectives. This study reveals that marginal farm households faced food insecurity as they failed to meet consumption expenditure from the income earned. In fact, small farm households are left with an annual economic surplus of Rs 8890 per capita only, after meeting consumption needs. Income is unevenly distributed among farm households with a Gini coefficient of 0.48. The majority of the marginal and small farm households fall in lower-income quintiles and are occupationally more diversified than their larger counterparts. Horizontal inequalities are lower between the farm-size categories (0.14) than within farm-size categories (0.27). The Gini coefficient within each farm-size category is the highest among marginal farm households (0.50), followed by small farm households (0.45), highlighting their economic stress and tug-of-war survival. Further, the farm households belonging to socially lower castes falls only in the marginal farm-size category and represent the lowest income. Development must be sustainable and inclusive, hence, policies to develop marginal farmers’ centric farming systems and high value crops such as potato, cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds, providing high yielding livestock breeds, value addition through farmer-producer organizations, non-farm employment through MGNREGA, provision of institutional credit at subsidised rate of interest and quality health and education facilities in the public sector are recommended to uplift the affected households

Revisiting the Genomic Approaches in the Cereals and the Path Forward

The important difficulties confronting humanity in the current era include combating global climate change, meeting human nutritional demands, and ensuring adequate energy sources. Cereal crops, which are grasses cultivated for their edible grains, are the primary dietary energy sources for humans and livestock and are produced in greater quantities than any other crop types. This chapter discusses the advancement and potential of various genomic tools for five main kinds of cereal: rice, maize, wheat, barley, and sorghum. We have discussed and speculated the advancements of genomics in plant improvement varying from transgenic cultivars, molecular markers and next-generation sequencing, linkage and association mapping, genome editing, pan-genome and super pan-genome sequencing, haplotype and optimal contribution selection, genomic and phenomics-assisted breeding, and finally merger of the domain of data science with plant genomics and breeding. The main success of each of these genomic tools is discussed for each crop, and why certain of them failed for specific crops is discussed with potential aspects to strengthen them with new tools. The chapter is divided into two sections. First, we have covered the traditionally used genomics. The other half shows the potential of novel genomic tools with the integration of data science. This chapter allows the reader to learn from the past inventions and failures to implement the new genomic tools with high precision and efficacy

Understanding Sustenance of Small Farm Holders: A Study of Income Inequality among Farm Households in Indian Punjab

The sustenance of marginal and small farm households is a pertinent question given that their number is on the rise in South-Asia. The study aims to assess their present socio-economic profile and the challenges faced in order to draw a roadmap of development for these underprivileged households. The study pertains to Indian Punjab and data from the Situation Assessment Survey of the 70th Round of NSSO are used. The concepts of economic surplus, occupational diversity, farm productivity and vertical and horizontal inequalities are used to achieve the objectives. This study reveals that marginal farm households faced food insecurity as they failed to meet consumption expenditure from the income earned. In fact, small farm households are left with an annual economic surplus of Rs 8890 per capita only, after meeting consumption needs. Income is unevenly distributed among farm households with a Gini coefficient of 0.48. The majority of the marginal and small farm households fall in lower-income quintiles and are occupationally more diversified than their larger counterparts. Horizontal inequalities are lower between the farm-size categories (0.14) than within farm-size categories (0.27). The Gini coefficient within each farm-size category is the highest among marginal farm households (0.50), followed by small farm households (0.45), highlighting their economic stress and tug-of-war survival. Further, the farm households belonging to socially lower castes falls only in the marginal farm-size category and represent the lowest income. Development must be sustainable and inclusive, hence, policies to develop marginal farmers’ centric farming systems and high value crops such as potato, cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds, providing high yielding livestock breeds, value addition through farmer-producer organizations, non-farm employment through MGNREGA, provision of institutional credit at subsidised rate of interest and quality health and education facilities in the public sector are recommended to uplift the affected households