Knowledge, practices and gender discrepancies of migrant labours concerning malaria in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Background: Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha is an up-coming city since 1960s. The capital is undergoing various developmental activities and rapid industrialization. This is leading to migration of labours from various districts of Odisha including malaria endemic districts. The records available in central malaria laboratory, Bhubaneswar revealed high malaria incidence (ranged from 5% to 11% during last five years).Methods: The study was undertaken in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, on migrant laboures (300 samples) through a pre-structured schedule.Results: The study revealed the migrated respondents were from malaria endemic districts of Odisha. The malaria endemicity of the districts ranged from 2.2-9.8. It was also found that only 6% of the migrants were from low endemic areas i.e. SPR5. Study of the awareness of the respondents showed 31% males and 9% females knew mosquito bite as a cause of malaria. Rapid Diagnostic Test showed twenty seven numbers of respondents tested positive for malaria (24 positive for PF and 3 positive for PV), out of them 6 were males and 21 were females. The study of their sleeping habits and personal protection methods showed that 32% respondents slept outdoor and 73% did not use anything as protection against mosquito bite. The study regarding knowledge of malaria signs and symptoms among respondents showed that the most commonly recognized signs and symptoms of malaria were headache (23%).  Vector incrimination study showed that per man hour density of an. stephensi is 5.7.Conclusions: Thus presence of efficient malaria vectors and inadequate knowledge in the migrant labour community and emphatically among female migrant labours regarding cause, symptoms, prevention, control measures and risks associated with malaria is the major reason of malaria transmission.

Metastases suppressor NME2 associates with telomere ends and telomerase and reduces telomerase activity within cells

Analysis of chromatin-immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) usually disregards sequence reads that do not map within binding positions (peaks). Using an unbiased approach, we analysed all reads, both that mapped and ones that were not included as part of peaks. ChIP-seq experiments were performed in human lung adenocarcinoma and fibrosarcoma cells for the metastasis suppressor non-metastatic 2 (NME2). Surprisingly, we identified sequence reads that uniquely represented human telomere ends in both cases. In vivo presence of NME2 at telomere ends was validated using independent methods and as further evidence we found intranuclear association of NME2 and the telomere repeat binding factor 2. Most remarkably, results demonstrate that NME2 associates with telomerase and reduces telomerase activity in vitro and in vivo, and sustained NME2 expression resulted in reduced telomere length in aggressive human cancer cells. Anti-metastatic function of NME2 has been demonstrated in human cancers, however, mechanisms are poorly understood. Together, findings reported here suggest a novel role for NME2 as a telomere binding protein that can alter telomerase function and telomere length. This presents an opportunity to investigate telomere-related interactions in metastasis suppression

Metastases suppressor NM23-H2 interaction with G-quadruplex DNA within c-MYC promoter nuclease hypersensitive element induces c-MYC expression

Regulatory influence of the G-quadruplex or G4 motif present within the nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) in the promoter of c-MYC has been noted. On the other hand, association of NM23-H2 to the NHE leads to c-MYC activation. Therefore, NM23-H2 interaction with the G4 motif within the c-MYC NHE presents an interesting mechanistic possibility. Herein, using luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation we show NM23-H2 mediated c-MYC activation involves NM23-H2-G4 motif binding within the c-MYC NHE. G4 motif complex formation with recombinant NM23-H2 was independently confirmed using fluorescence energy transfer, which also indicated that the G4 motif was resolved to an unfolded state within the protein-bound complex. Taken together, this supports transcriptional role of NM23-H2 via a G4 motif

CURATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE THROUGH LIBRARIES

Libraries, museums and archives hold valuable collections in a variety of media, presenting a vast body of knowledge rooted in the history of human civilisation. These form the repository of the wisdom of great works by thinkers of past and the present. The holdings of these institutions are priceless heritage of the mankind as they preserve documents, ideas, and the oral and written records. To value the cultural heritage and to care for it as a treasure bequeathed to us by our ancestors is the major responsibility of libraries. The past records constitute a natural resource and are indispensable to the present generation as well as to the generations to come. Libraries preserve the documentary heritage resources for which they are primarily responsible. Any loss of such materials is simply irreplaceable. Therefore, preserving this intellectual, cultural heritage becomes not only the academic commitment but also the moral responsibility of the librarians/information scientists, who are in charge of these repositories. The high quality of the papers and the discussion represent the thinking and experience of experts in their particular fields. The contributed papers also relate to the methodology used in libraries in Asia to provide access to manuscripts and cultural heritage. The volume discusses best practices in Knowledge preservation and how to collaborate and preserve the culture. The book also deals with manuscript and archives issues in the digital era. The approach of this book is concise, comprehensively, covering all major aspects of preservation and conservation through libraries. The readership of the book is not just limited to library and information science professionals, but also for those involved in conservation, preservation, restoration or other related disciplines. The book will be useful for librarians, archivists and conservators. We thank the Sunan Kalijaga University, Special Libraries Association- Asian Chapter for their trust and their constant support, all the contributors for their submissions, the members of the Local and International Committee for their reviewing effort for making this publication possible

HPV genotypes co-infections associated with cervical carcinoma: Special focus on phylogenetically related and non-vaccine targeted genotypes.

HPV is the major causative agent for cervical cancer. Study on the risk of cervical cancer associated with different hr-HPV genotypes would be useful for disease management and new vaccine strategy. With limited reports available, the present study aimed to investigate the pattern of HPV genotypes coinfections and risk of cervical carcinoma associated with them in Indian population. 15 HPV genotypes were detected by E6/E7 multiplex nested type-specific PCR in the HPV-positive cervical samples of 172 cervical cancer cases and 174 subjects with normal cytology. Association between the genotypes and cervical cancer was estimated by calculating the Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Risk of cervical carcinoma was associated with multiple genotypes excluding HPV16 (OR:5.87; 95% CI-1.28-26-29; p = .02), multiple genotypes excluding HPV18 (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.09-6.05; p = .03), multiple genotypes of α9 species(OR = 5.3 95% CI = 1.14-24.03; p = .007), and multiple genotypes of α7 species (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = .49-13.45; p = .2). Genotypes not targeted by quadrivalent vaccine types (OR = 2.94 95% CI = 1.48-5.80; p = .001) conferred 2.94 fold higher risk of cervical carcinoma. Cases those coinfected with phylogenetically related genotypes (OR = 2.29; 95% CI(.69-7.59) p = .17) were at 2.9 fold higher risk of invasive cervical carcinoma than those infected with other genotypes although it is not statistically significant. Whereas phylogenetically unrelated genotypes coinfection is negatively associated with cervical carcinoma (OR = .44 95% CI (.244-.8) p = .007) and it is statistically significant.Genotypes not targeted by 9-valent vaccines (OR = .40; 95% CI = .19-.85; p = .017) associated with lesser risk of cervical carcinoma as compared to other genotypes. Subjects infected with any HPV genotype/genotypes excluding HPV16 in association with HPV 18 (OR = 4.1; 95% CI = 1.81-9.25 P = < .001) were at 4.1 fold higher risk of developing invasive cervical carcinoma.In conclusion, the risk of development of cervical cancer is genotype specific and might be associated with type-specific interactions between the genotypes in multiple infections

Role of Vegetarian Diet in preventing diabetes in population practicing sedentary lifestyle: A case study in Eastern region of India

India in twenty-first century has seen a rapid transformation in dietary convention, with immoderate intake of calorie-rich food along with a sedentary lifestyle. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is quite alarming and observed to be 1.6 to 2 times as high among non-vegetarians (NV) compared to vegetarians. Dietary factors and physical activity are two major factors in T2D predisposition and disease management. Recent studies have shown that physical activity and vegetarian diets improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. The current investigation was carried out to observe the effect of diet in two Indian communities practicing sedentary lifestyle through a retrospective cross-sectional study. Depending on the lacto vegetarian diet (LV) and non-vegetarian dietary patterns in individuals, the study population was divided into two groups. Two Indian communities namely Jain and Marwari as LV and Odia as NV those are residing in Bhubaneswar, Odisha were considered for this study. The survey was conducted from January 2015 to April 2015. A total of 403 participants (253 male and 150 female) aged 30-80 years were enrolled in the study. Individuals undergoing medication for any known diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. including pregnant women or those with polycystic ovarian syndrome were also excluded from the study. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and lipid profile. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) measurements were also recorded. The incidence of T2D was lower in lacto-vegetarian (1.7%) than in NV group (5.3%) despite similar lipid profiles and BMI/WC between these two groups. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) was positively correlated with LDL and VLDL levels and negatively correlated with HDL, only in lacto-vegetarian group. The study ignited that although the sedentary lifestyle and fat-rich diet of the LV group had an effect on individual’s overall lipid profile and BMI/WC, the LV diet practiced has beneficial effects on blood sugar levels/T2D. The study suggests that a shift to an LV diet may be helpful for those leading an inactive lifestyle by compulsion