Incidence and determinants of low birth weight in a tertiary hospital at South Andaman: a prospective study

Background: Birth weight is an important predictor of an individual’s survival and well-being and the complications of children born with low birth weight (LBW) continue till adulthood. The incidence and risk factors of LBW are not known in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and research answers can help institute appropriate preventive measures. The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of LBW due to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preterm birth (PTB) and its association with selected factors.Methods: The prospective study was conducted in Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences amongst pregnant women admitted between January-June 2021. Women<18 years, with gestational age<28 weeks, and belonging to tribal groups were excluded. After delivery, birth-weight was recorded to the nearest 10 g in first hour.Results: The incidence of LBW was 24% with 57% due to IUGR. It was significantly higher in recent immigrants, gravidity beyond three, smokeless tobacco uses during pregnancy, high risk pregnancies including multiple miscarriages and preterm deliveries. Five or more antenatal check-ups and > 6 Kg weight gain during pregnancy were protective. Conclusions: Ensuring adequate antenatal check- ups and weight gain during pregnancy, control of tobacco exposure and quality care for women with recurrent abortions and high risk pregnancy is imperative, particularly targeting recent migrants. Strengthening ongoing family planning programmes to increase spacing, identifying pregnancies at risk of preterm deliveries and improved care of premature newborns should be a priority

Knowledge and awareness of emergency contraception among women undergoing medical termination of pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is a safe and cost effective measure, which when used judiciously can avoid unintended pregnancies. This is especially relevant in our country where both population control and unsafe abortions are a serious concern. For any contraceptive to be effective, the general population must have a proper knowledge and a positive attitude towards it. Women who come for medical termination of unwanted pregnancy are the best representatives of this and our study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of EC in this group.Methods: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted using a predesigned questionnaire among 100 women who came for medical termination of pregnancy at G. B. Pant Hospital, Port Blair. Questions were asked to evaluate their awareness, knowledge and attitude towards EC.Results: Out of 100 women, only 26 % had heard about EC, mostly from mass media, and seven of these 26 women had correct knowledge of timing of using EC. Four women had used EC before, whereas among others, fear of menstrual irregularity was the major deterrent. A significant association was found between education level and occupation with knowledge of EC.Conclusions: Although EC is a potent tool to avoid unwanted pregnancies, ignorance and misconceptions regarding EC is unfortunately still prevalent among those who would benefit the most from it. Medical personnel and health workers should be more proactive to propagate benefits of EC and encourage its use, as they are usually the first point of contact to the target population

Steady state, relaxation and first-passage properties of a run-and-tumble particle in one-dimension

We investigate the motion of a run-and-tumble particle (RTP) in one dimension. We find the exact probability distribution of the particle with and without diffusion on the infinite line, as well as in a finite interval. In the infinite domain, this probability distribution approaches a Gaussian form in the long-time limit, as in the case of a regular Brownian particle. At intermediate times, this distribution exhibits unexpected multi-modal forms. In a finite domain, the probability distribution reaches a steady state form with peaks at the boundaries, in contrast to a Brownian particle. We also study the relaxation to the steady state analytically. Finally we compute the survival probability of the RTP in a semi-infinite domain. In the finite interval, we compute the exit probability and the associated exit times. We provide numerical verifications of our analytical results

Homo-dimerization and ligand binding by the leucine-rich repeat domain at RHG1/RFS2 underlying resistance to two soybean pathogens

BACKGROUND: The protein encoded by GmRLK18-1 (Glyma_18_02680 on chromosome 18) was a receptor like kinase (RLK) encoded within the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) Rhg1/Rfs2 locus. The locus underlies resistance to the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) Heterodera glycines (I.) and causal agent of sudden death syndrome (SDS) Fusarium virguliforme (Aoki). Previously the leucine rich repeat (LRR) domain was expressed in Escherichia coli. RESULTS: The aims here were to evaluate the LRRs ability to; homo-dimerize; bind larger proteins; and bind to small peptides. Western analysis suggested homo-dimers could form after protein extraction from roots. The purified LRR domain, from residue 131–485, was seen to form a mixture of monomers and homo-dimers in vitro. Cross-linking experiments in vitro showed the H274N region was close (<11.1 A) to the highly conserved cysteine residue C196 on the second homo-dimer subunit. Binding constants of 20–142 nM for peptides found in plant and nematode secretions were found. Effects on plant phenotypes including wilting, stem bending and resistance to infection by SCN were observed when roots were treated with 50 pM of the peptides. Far-Western analyses followed by MS showed methionine synthase and cyclophilin bound strongly to the LRR domain. A second LRR from GmRLK08-1 (Glyma_08_g11350) did not show these strong interactions. CONCLUSIONS: The LRR domain of the GmRLK18-1 protein formed both a monomer and a homo-dimer. The LRR domain bound avidly to 4 different CLE peptides, a cyclophilin and a methionine synthase. The CLE peptides GmTGIF, GmCLE34, GmCLE3 and HgCLE were previously reported to be involved in root growth inhibition but here GmTGIF and HgCLE were shown to alter stem morphology and resistance to SCN. One of several models from homology and ab-initio modeling was partially validated by cross-linking. The effect of the 3 amino acid replacements present among RLK allotypes, A87V, Q115K and H274N were predicted to alter domain stability and function. Therefore, the LRR domain of GmRLK18-1 might underlie both root development and disease resistance in soybean and provide an avenue to develop new variants and ligands that might promote reduced losses to SCN

Isolation and Characterization of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Enterobacter hormaechei and their Suppression Efficacy against Colletotrichum falcatum in Combination with Chitosan

Aims: This study aimed to explore the suppression efficacy of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Enterobacter hormaechei, chitosan and its oligomers either singly or in combination on red rot disease causing pathogen Colletotrichum falcatum in sugarcane. Methodology: The study was conducted to isolate twenty nine bacteria from sugarcane rhizosphere and investigate their potential for plant growth activities. Selected isolate PSC3 was characterized by biochemical and molecular identification by 16S rRNA sequencing. The study was further preceded for in vitro screening of plant growth promoting traits viz., production of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), hydrogen cyanide (HCN) ammonia (NH3) production and antifungal activity against C. falcatum. Results: Among twenty nine isolates strain PSC3 showed highest plant growth promoting traits viz., indole-3-acetic acid, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia production and antifungal activity against C. falcatum among other isolated strains. Nucleotide 16S rRNA sequence analysis using clustalW program revealed that isolate PSC3 showed phylogenetic affiliation and maximum homology (99%) with E. hormaechei. Antifungal activity of chitosan, chitooligosaccharides (COS) and E. hormaechei were checked by inhibition of C. falcatum mycelial radial growth. Among three treatments of chitosan, COS and chitosan + E. hormaechei, two treatments showed significant antifungal activity (P&lt;0.05). Chitosan treatment showed radial growth range from 2.5±0.07 to 1.9±0.03 cm against C. falcatum in comparison with control (9.1±0.09 cm). The significant growth inhibition 79.0% was observed in chitosan at concentration 0.6% but the combination of chitosan with PGPR E. hormaechei PSC3 showed highest growth suppression of C. falcatum (86.8%) whereas fungal treated with only E. hormaechei showed growth radial inhibition 41.3%. Conclusion: The findings reveal that chitosan and E. hormaechei have significant effect on C. falcatum. This new antifungal combination may be help to prevent red rot disease in sugarcane

Catalytic Iodine and Morpholine as Reagent Combination for Hydration of Alkynes via Markovnikov Addition

This work describes the iodine-catalyzed N-methyl morpholine-promoted hydration of alkynes via Markovnikov type addition. The developed protocol provides a direct approach to synthesize methyl ketones under metal-free condition. A series of aromatic alkynes embedded with electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups were well-investigated to give the corresponding products in good to high yields

C-H Functionalization and C-N Bond Formation Approaches under Catalytic Conditions for the Synthesis of α-Ketoamides and 2,4-Disubstituted-1,3,5-triazines

This work describes an easy way to perform approach for the transformation of arylmethyl ketones to α-ketoamides using secondary amines as starting materials in the presence of iodine as a catalyst in water under peroxide free reaction conditions. The established amidation reaction proceeds via α-C(sp3)-H functionalization and C-N bond formation approaches in water at ambient temperature. On the other hand, a novel and straightforward synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted-1,3,5-triazines via nickel-catalyzed cyclization of amidines with DMSO as one-carbon synthon has been developed. The developed strategy proceeds via C-N bond formation

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Not AvailableThe fishes in this study belong to the difficult group. It is difficult to identify about more than 50 nemacheilid loach species in India, mainly due to the poor quality of the original descriptions, the lack of good reviews, and the similarity of a number of the banded species. In view of this, a morphometric and genetic study was conducted on four species that have been documented in Central Himalayan region of India. Using comparative methods, a contribution to the knowledge about the variability of four Himalayan hillstream loaches, a molted loach Acanthocobitis botia (Hamilton, 1822), Nemacheilus corica (Hamilton, 1822), a creek loach Schistura beavani (Gunther, 1868), and Schistura montana (McClelland, 1838), was accomplished. Morphometric data were analyzed by univariate (CV and analysis of variance) and multivariate analyses (discriminant function analysis and cluster analysis). Based on the results of these statistical analyses, generally all four species grouped into their own species cluster with minimal overlap between two species of genus Schistura. Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene analysis revealed 7.7-17.6% genetic distances among the four species. Molecular phylogenetic relationship among these species and other Balitoridae species was investigated using published mitochondrial Cyt b sequences. Dendrograms obtained by the maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony method analyses exhibited the same topology. According to this topology, all the four species represented distinct species group and A. botia form the most distinct species while S. beavani and S. montana are clustered together with Nemacheilus species to form a single group. This work may build the base for the revision of taxonomic identity of fishes of the family Balitoridae. The results may further help to enhance the knowledge of the ichthyologists in understanding the fish fauna of India and assist them in planning conservation and management strategies for the propagation of these less studied small indigenous species along their natural range of distribution.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableTraditionally, fish species identification is based on morphological characters, yet, in many cases it is difficult toestablish identity as in the case of seahorses which lack key species-diagnostic morphological features. The spotted oryellow seahorse - Hippocampus kuda has a complex identity and the samples collected from the east and west coasts ofIndia were analyzed for the species identification and phylogenetic relationship, based on partial sequence informationof mitochondrial genes - 16S rRNA and Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI). Estimates of genetic divergence withboth 16S rRNA and COI genes, when compared with the sequence divergence values of H. kuda from other continents(as obtained from NCBI accessions) were sufficient enough to discriminate individuals of the same species from Indianwaters. Pair-wise fST values using AMOVA indicated significant levels of genetic differentiation of H. kuda populationsamong east coast, Kerala and Konkan populations; however, no significant genetic partitioning was observed betweenthe Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar populations.Not Availabl