Study of inspiratory lung function parameters in Indian children

Background: The inspiratory parameters of pulmonary function test commonly used for various purposes in clinical practice including diagnosing airway obstruction. Expiratory portion of the flow volume loop of the pulmonary function test is studied in detail. The prediction equations for expiratory parameters are available for different population. However, the reference equation for inspiratory parameters is not available in Indian context. The current study derived the prediction equation for inspiratory parameters of pulmonary function test.Methods: The current study was carried out in school going 732 healthy girls and 1377 boys aged 6-15 years in India.  The children who meet the inclusion criteria were recruited in the study after detailed medical examination by registered medical practitioner. The lung function parameters were recorded by spirometry. The multivariate regression analysis was done to develop the prediction model.Results: The prediction equation for predicting inspiratory parameter were developed. This study revealed gender-wise and geographical variation in the inspiratory parameters. Hence this study recommends to derive gender wise prediction equations. The reference equations derived in this study can be used in population with similar background.Conclusions: Use of these equations for population having similar backgrounds will help for early and accurate diagnosis of the airway abnormalities in children. The inspiratory parameter assessment shall be included in the routine assessment of respiratory patient

Integrated transcriptome, small RNA and degradome sequencing approaches provide insights into Ascochyta blight resistance in chickpea

Ascochyta blight (AB) is one of the major biotic stresses known to limit the chickpea production worldwide. To dissect the complex mechanisms of AB resistance in chickpea, three approaches, namely, transcriptome, small RNA and degradome sequencing were used. The transcriptome sequencing of 20 samples including two resistant genotypes, two susceptible genotypes and one introgression line under control and stress conditions at two time points (3rd and 7th day post inoculation) identified a total of 6767 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These DEGs were mainly related to pathogenesis�related proteins, disease resistance genes like NBS�LRR, cell wall biosynthesis and various secondary metabolite synthesis genes. The small RNA sequencing of the samples resulted in the identification of 651 miRNAs which included 478 known and 173 novel miRNAs. A total of 297 miRNAs were differentially expressed between different genotypes, conditions and time points. Using degradome sequencing and in silico approaches, 2131 targets were predicted for 629 miRNAs. The combined analysis of both small RNA and transcriptome datasets identified 12 miRNA�mRNA interaction pairs that exhibited contrasting expression in resistant and susceptible genotypes and also, a subset of genes that might be post�transcriptionally silenced during AB infection. The comprehensive integrated analysis in the study provides better insights into the transcriptome dynamics and regulatory network components associated with AB stress in chickpea and, also offers candidate genes for chickpea improvement

Genomic-enabled prediction models using multi-environment trials to estimate the effect of genotype × environment interaction on prediction accuracy in chickpea

Genomic selection (GS) by selecting lines prior to field phenotyping using genotyping data has the potential to enhance the rate of genetic gains. Genotype × environment (G × E) interaction inclusion in GS models can improve prediction accuracy hence aid in selection of lines across target environments. Phenotypic data on 320 chickpea breeding lines for eight traits for three seasons at two locations were recorded. These lines were genotyped using DArTseq (1.6 K SNPs) and Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS; 89 K SNPs). Thirteen models were fitted including main effects of environment and lines, markers, and/or naïve and informed interactions to estimate prediction accuracies. Three cross-validation schemes mimicking real scenarios that breeders might encounter in the fields were considered to assess prediction accuracy of the models (CV2: incomplete field trials or sparse testing; CV1: newly developed lines; and CV0: untested environments). Maximum prediction accuracies for different traits and different models were observed with CV2. DArTseq performed better than GBS and the combined genotyping set (DArTseq and GBS) regardless of the cross validation scheme with most of the main effect marker and interaction models. Improvement of GS models and application of various genotyping platforms are key factors for obtaining accurate and precise prediction accuracies, leading to more precise selection of candidates

Genome-Wide Discovery and Deployment of Insertions and Deletions Markers Provided Greater Insights on Species, Genomes, and Sections Relationships in the Genus Arachis

Small insertions and deletions (InDels) are the second most prevalent and the most abundant structural variations in plant genomes. In order to deploy these genetic variations for genetic analysis in genus Arachis, we conducted comparative analysis of the draft genome assemblies of both the diploid progenitor species of cultivated tetraploid groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) i.e., Arachis duranensis (A subgenome) and Arachis ipaënsis (B subgenome) and identified 515,223 InDels. These InDels include 269,973 insertions identified in A. ipaënsis against A. duranensis while 245,250 deletions in A. duranensis against A. ipaënsis. The majority of the InDels were of single bp (43.7%) and 2–10 bp (39.9%) while the remaining were >10 bp (16.4%). Phylogenetic analysis using genotyping data for 86 (40.19%) polymorphic markers grouped 96 diverse Arachis accessions into eight clusters mostly by the affinity of their genome. This study also provided evidence for the existence of “K” genome, although distinct from both the “A” and “B” genomes, but more similar to “B” genome. The complete homology between A. monticola and A. hypogaea tetraploid taxa showed a very similar genome composition. The above analysis has provided greater insights into the phylogenetic relationship among accessions, genomes, sub species and sections. These InDel markers are very useful resource for groundnut research community for genetic analysis and breeding applications

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING WITH LC-HRMS PROFILING AND IN-VITRO BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF ARGYREIA CUNEATA (L.) & ARGYREIA SETOSA (L.).

The present study was designed for phytochemical screening and biological activities of Argyreia cuneata (L.) & Argyreia setosa (L.) medicinal plants. The mature leaves of A. cuneata (L.) & A. setosa (L.) were extracted with methanol (Ac-Me and As-Me) and ethyl acetate (Ac-EA and As-EA) solvent. The highest total phenolic content (0.840 ± 0.130 mg Gallic acid equivalent/ mg extract) reported from As-Me and for flavonoids 0.128 ± 0.012 mg/ml Quercetin equivalent from Ac-EA.  The Ac-Me showed higher RZID (Relative inhibition zone diameter) against Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus & Protease vulgaris. In Antioxidant activity, Ac-Me and Ac-EA reports highest (IC50 = 0.580 ± 0.012 mg/ml) 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging potential. However, Ac-EA showed highest (IC50 = 0.772 ± 0.059 mg/ml) nitric oxide radical scavenging potential. For Anti-diabetic activity, As-Me showed highest (IC50 = 0.783 ± 0.037 mg/ml) α-amylase inhibition activity and As-Me displayed highest (39.1 ± 2.53 mM ) glucose absorption. In Anti-inflammatory activity, Ac-EA exhibits highest (IC50 = 0.529 ± 0.009 mg/ml) protein denaturation inhibition and Ac-Me showed highest ( 91.56 ± 1.96 % ) hemolysis inhibition. The LC-HRMS analysis of methanolic extract reports the majority of phenolic compounds. The study showed that, the plants A. cuneata (L.) & A. setosa (L.)  are well exploited and can be used for the source of potent natural bioactive components. This study also may thereby provide an insight in screening of crude drug

Conventional and microwave-assisted multicomponent reaction of alkyne, halide and sodium azide catalyzed by copper apatite as heterogeneous base and catalyst in water

The conventional and microwave assisted multicomponent synthesis of disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles from terminal alkynes and in situ generated organic azide using copper apatite catalyst in water is reported. The catalytic activity is intimately connected to the basicity of the catalyst. The best activities were observed with the copper hydroxyapatite. The catalyst could be used ten times without further treatment and activation under controlled microwave heating. The protocol was also applicable for various alkynes and halides which affords desired product in good to excellent yield