Conventional and Biotechnological Approaches for Enhancing Shelf-life of Horticultural Crops

Not AvailableBackground: Due to its highly perishable nature and less shelf life, postharvest losses of fruits result in a high gap between production and availability. Various plant traits which need to be genetically modified for higher shelf life include lowered respiration and ethylene production, less sensitivity to ethylene, lowering ripening rates, reduced browning, decreased chilling sensitivity and increased postharvest disease resistance. Methods: The importance of understanding the biochemical process of softening and the use of such information for retarding the ripening process has been demonstrated in this paper. Result: After reviewing the development made in extending the shelf life of fruits, it becomes evident that although success in this field has been inadequate, there are possibilities that fruit breeders will succeed in the near future in evolving superior cultivars with longer shelf life by adopting conventional and biotechnological approaches.Not Availabl

Cardiac Repair and Regenerative Potential in the Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Heart

The remarkable ability of the heart to regenerate has been demonstrated in the zebrafish and giant danio, two fish members of the cyprinid family. Here we use light and electron microscopy to examine the repair response in the heart of another cyprinid, the goldfish (Carassius auratus), following cautery injury to a small portion of its ventricularmyocardium. We observed a robust inflammatory response in the first two weeks consisting primarily of infiltrating macrophages, heterophils, and melanomacrophages. These inflammatory cells were identified in the lumen of the spongy heart, within the site of the wound, and attached to endocardial cells adjacent to the site of injury. Marked accumulation of collagen fibers and increased connective tissue were also observed during the first and second weeks in a transition zone between healthy and injured myocardium as well as in adjacent sub-epicardial regions. The accumulation of collagen and connective tissue however did not persist. The presence of capillaries was also noted in the injured area during repair. The replacement of the cauterized region of the ventricle by myocardial tissue was achieved in 6 weeks. The presence of ethynyl deoxyuridinepositive cardiac myocytes and partially differentiated cardiac myocytes during repair suggest effective cardiac myocyte driven regeneration mechanisms also operate in the injured goldfish heart, and are similar to those observed in zebrafish and giant danio. Our data suggest the ability for cardiac regeneration may be widely conserved among cyprinids

Chronic musculoskeletal pain among elderly individuals in a rural area of West Bengal: A mixed-method study

Introduction: The high prevalence among elderly individuals and potential adverse impact on their overall life quality make chronic musculoskeletal pain a significant public health concern. Chronic musculoskeletal pain is an important cause of self-medication, which must be addressed to avoid various side effects and improve elderly health. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic musculoskeletal pain and its associated factors among individuals (age ≥60 years) in rural West Bengal and explore their perspectives and perceived barriers regarding pain and its management. Methods: This mixed-method study was conducted in rural West Bengal from December 2021 to June 2022. The quantitative strand was conducted by interviewing 255 elderly participants (age ≥60 years) using a structured questionnaire. The qualitative strand was conducted via in-depth interviews of 10 patients with chronic pain. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 16, and chronic pain-related factors were analyzed using logistic regression models. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: Among the participants, 56.8% reported chronic musculoskeletal pain. The most frequently affected site was the knee joint. Comorbidity (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=7.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.2–17.5), age (aOR=5.16, 95% CI=2.2–13.5), depression (aOR=2.96, 95% CI=1.2–6.7) and over-the-counter drug usage (aOR=2.51, 95% CI=1.1–6.4) were significantly associated with chronic pain. Analgesic dependency, lack of motivation to adopt lifestyle modifications, lack of knowledge on analgesic side effects were considered pain management barriers. Conclusion: Managing comorbidities, providing mental support, generating awareness of analgesic side effects, strengthening healthcare facilities should be prioritized for holistic chronic musculoskeletal pain management

Determinants of Modern Contraceptive Usage among Married Women: A Mixed-Methods Study in a Rural Community of India

Objective: A woman’s multifaceted feelings, knowledge, and perceptions of their intimate relations greatly influence their contraceptive behavior. In addition, women empowerment has been increasingly recognized as a key factor in family planning and reproductive health outcomes. This study aimed to assess modern contraceptive usage and its determinants among currently married women of reproductive-age (WRA) in rural Bengal. Materials and Methods: This mixed-method study was conducted in a rural area of Hooghly District, West Bengal from April to September 2021. The quantitative strand of the study was conducted by interviewing 210 currently married WRA. The qualitative strand was conducted via focussed group discussions among husbands/mothersin-law and in-depth interviews with healthcare workers. SPSS software was utilized for quantitative data analysis and factors associated with contraceptive usage were analyzed using logistic regression models. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Result: Currently 114 (54.8%) study participants were using modern contraceptive methods. Education (aOR=7.65, 95% CI=1.85-31.67), empowerment through freedom from family domination (aOR=5.56, 95% CI=1.30-23.66), attitude on contraception (aOR=4.67, 95% CI=1.26-17.19), and family planning counselling (aOR=4.41, 95% CI=1.12-17.33) were found to be significantly associated with modern contraceptive usage. Lack of couple counselling, family support, and knowledge gap was identified as the major barriers to contraceptive usage. Conclusion: Since a woman’s decision-making ability significantly affects their sexual and reproductive health outcomes, effective measures should be undertaken to empower them by creating awareness regarding their rights and freedom to make strategic life choices. Couple counselling should be prioritized to enhance male involvement and eliminate perceived barriers

Genome editing and cancer: How far has research moved forward on CRISPR/Cas9?

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGCancer accounted for almost ten million deaths worldwide in 2020. Metastasis, characterized by cancer cell invasion to other parts of the body, is the main cause of cancer morbidity and mortality. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of tumor formation and discovery of potential drug targets are of great importance. Gene editing techniques can be used to find novel drug targets and study molecular mechanisms. In this review, we describe how popular gene-editing methods such as CRISPR/Cas9, TALEN and ZFNs work, and, by comparing them, we demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9 has superior efficiency and precision. We further provide an overview of the recent applications of CRISPR/Cas9 to cancer research, focusing on the most common cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. We describe how these applications will shape future research and treatment of cancer, and propose new ways to overcome current challengesKing Khalid University in Abha, Saudi Arabia | Ref. RGP: 52/2/144

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat