Task shifting to frontline community health workers for improved Diabetes care in low-resource settings in India : A phase II Non-randomized controlled clinical trial

Acknowledgments: We are indebted to the our research team who worked passionately to complete the study, health workers who were willing to function as patient navigators to improve diabetes management, and to all the participants who responded to our screening invitations and structured care Funding: We acknowledge the funding received from Friends of Vellore, UK and NHS Grampian Endowment fund, University of Aberdeen- Approval Number: EA0852Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Schizophrenia-associated somatic copy-number variants from 12,834 cases reveal recurrent NRXN1 and ABCB11 disruptions

While germline copy-number variants (CNVs) contribute to schizophrenia (SCZ) risk, the contribution of somatic CNVs (sCNVs)—present in some but not all cells—remains unknown. We identified sCNVs using blood-derived genotype arrays from 12,834 SCZ cases and 11,648 controls, filtering sCNVs at loci recurrently mutated in clonal blood disorders. Likely early-developmental sCNVs were more common in cases (0.91%) than controls (0.51%, p = 2.68e−4), with recurrent somatic deletions of exons 1–5 of the NRXN1 gene in five SCZ cases. Hi-C maps revealed ectopic, allele-specific loops forming between a potential cryptic promoter and non-coding cis-regulatory elements upon 5′ deletions in NRXN1. We also observed recurrent intragenic deletions of ABCB11, encoding a transporter implicated in anti-psychotic response, in five treatment-resistant SCZ cases and showed that ABCB11 is specifically enriched in neurons forming mesocortical and mesolimbic dopaminergic projections. Our results indicate potential roles of sCNVs in SCZ risk

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Farmers’ Perspective to Mitigate Crop Residue Burning in Haryana State of IndiaThis present study was undertaken in Haryana state to identify the prevailing constraints and suggestive measures from farmers’ perceptive to mitigate crop residue burning. The data were solicited from 180 farmers from three major crop residue burning districts of Haryana state. The severity of constraints was analyzed using the Garret ranking technique. These constraints were categorized as technological, straw use constraints, communication constraints, economic and management. Suggestions were delineated using open ended schedule and after screening, categorized as policy, management, Finance and technology related. The study reveals that availability of less time between two crops was found the major constraints with a highest mean score of 81.67 per cent. Secondly, high production cost through hiring of the machinery was ranked as second constraint (73.01%), followed by less availability of practical techniques (69.12%). In present study extension contacts & annual income of farmers was negative and significantly (P<0.05) association between perception about constraints. Mainly farmers suggested that bio energy based power plant should be promoted (94.44%) and by increasing industrial use of residue as fuel or input (96.66%) can promote farmers to sell instead of burning. Therefore, for increasing the adoption rate of management alternatives, there is a need to resolve these problems with research, extension and policy measures.Not Availabl