Locally Prepared Therapeutic Food for Treatment of Severely Underweight Children in Rural India: An Interventional Prospective Controlled Community-Based Study with Long Follow-Up:-'SAMMAN' Trial.

Background: Severely underweight (SUW) children contribute significantly to under-five mortality and morbidity. There are WHO guidelines for the management of severe acute malnutrition but no specific guidelines for SUW management.

Objective: The objectives were to achieve a recovery rate of 30% at 90 days of treatment for severe underweight (SUW) children aged 6-60 months, compare changes in weight-for-age Z (WAZ) scores, growth patterns, and case fatality rates between intervention and reference arms (RA), and reduce the prevalence of SUW in the intervention arm (IA).

Risk factors for the development of severe or very severe respiratory syncytial virus-related lower respiratory tract infection in Indian infants: A cohort study in Melghat, India.

Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is undoubtedly the single most important cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) globally. While new prevention measures in young infants have become available, their use in developing countries is likely many years away. While risk factors for severe or very severe RSV LRTI in impoverished rural areas likely differ to urban areas, there are very few studies, especially those conducted in India, the major country contributing to the global burden of disease.

Ocular morbidity among children (aged 6-18 yr) of the tribal area of Melghat, India: A community-based study.

Background Objectives: Most of the ocular morbidities among school children are preventable or treatable. Melghat, a difficult to access, hilly, forest, tribal area with poorly developed infrastructure in the Amravati district of Maharashtra. Scarcity of ophthalmologists and low health-seeking behaviour of tribal people contributes to the high burden of ocular morbidity.

Verbal autopsy to assess causes of mortality among the economically productive age group in the tribal region of Melghat, central India.

Background & Objectives: Verbal autopsy (VA) is the systematic and retrospective inquiry (from relatives) about the symptoms of an illness prior to death. In tribal India, 67-75 per cent of deaths occur at home with an unknown cause of death (CoD). Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the CoD in the 16-60 yr age group utilizing VA.

Identification of herpesvirus transcripts from genomic regions around the replication origins.

Long-read sequencing (LRS) techniques enable the identification of full-length RNA molecules in a single run eliminating the need for additional assembly steps. LRS research has exposed unanticipated transcriptomic complexity in various organisms, including viruses. Herpesviruses are known to produce a range of transcripts, either close to or overlapping replication origins (Oris) and neighboring genes related to transcription or replication, which possess confirmed or potential regulatory roles.

Heat-induced seizures, premature mortality, and hyperactivity in a novel nonsense model for Dravet syndrome.

Dravet syndrome (Dravet) is a severe congenital developmental genetic epilepsy caused by mutations in the gene. Nonsense mutations are found in ∼20% of the patients, and the R613X mutation was identified in multiple patients. Here we characterized the epileptic and non-epileptic phenotypes of a novel preclinical Dravet mouse model harboring the R613X nonsense mutation.

Community-Minimal Invasive Tissue Sampling (cMITS) using a modified ambulance for ascertaining the cause of death: A novel approach piloted in a remote inaccessible rural area in India.

Background: Melghat in India is a hilly, forested, difficult to access, impoverished rural area in northeast part of Maharashtra (Central India) with difficult healthcare access. Melghat has very high Mortality rates, because of grossly inadequate medical facilities. (1) Home deaths contribute to 67% of deaths,(2) which are difficult to track and where cause of death is mostly unknown.

Regulation of Adipose Progenitor Cell Expansion in a Novel Micro-Physiological Model of Human Adipose Tissue Mimicking Fibrotic and Pro-Inflammatory Microenvironments.

The expansion of adipose progenitor cells (APCs) plays an important role in the regeneration of the adipose tissue in physiological and pathological situations. The major role of CD26-expressing APCs in the generation of adipocytes has recently been highlighted, revealing that the CD26 APC subtype displays features of multipotent stem cells, giving rise to CD54- and CD142-expressing preadipocytes. However, a relevant human in vitro model to explore the regulation of the APC subpopulation expansion in lean and obese adipose tissue microenvironments is still lacking.

Effect of home-based childcare on childhood mortality in rural Maharashtra, India: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Melghat, an impoverished rural area in Maharashtra state, India; has scarce hospital services and low health-seeking behaviour. At baseline (2004) the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) (number of deaths in children aged 0-5 years/1000 live births) was 147.21 and infant mortality rate (IMR) (number of deaths of infants aged under 1 year/1000 live births) was 106.

A versatile transposon-based technology to generate loss- and gain-of-function phenotypes in the mouse liver.

Background: Understanding the contribution of gene function in distinct organ systems to the pathogenesis of human diseases in biomedical research requires modifying gene expression through the generation of gain- and loss-of-function phenotypes in model organisms, for instance, the mouse. However, methods to modify both germline and somatic genomes have important limitations that prevent easy, strong, and stable expression of transgenes. For instance, while the liver is remarkably easy to target, nucleic acids introduced to modify the genome of hepatocytes are rapidly lost, or the transgene expression they mediate becomes inhibited due to the action of effector pathways for the elimination of exogenous DNA.

Mortality From Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children Under 2 Years of Age: A Prospective Community Cohort Study in Rural Maharashtra, India.

Background: Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important viral cause of lower respiratory tract infection deaths in infants, there are few data on infant community deaths caused by RSV.

Methods: This was an active surveillance of children younger than 2 years of age in 93 villages, 5 primary health centers, and 3 hospitals serving these villages. Village health workers and counselors at the health facilities monitored all lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in consented subjects.

The Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Children Under 2 Years of Age in a Rural Community in Maharashtra, India.

Background: Globally, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of acute lower tract infection (LRTI) in children younger than 2 years of age, but there are scant population-based studies on the burden of RSV illness in rural communities and no community studies in preterm infants.

Methods: Active surveillance of LRTI was performed in the community and hospital setting for the population of 93 tribal villages in Melghat, Central India, over 4 respiratory seasons. A nasopharyngeal swab was obtained from cases presenting as a severe LRTI for molecular analysis of respiratory pathogens including RSVA and B.

Transplantation of fat tissues and iPSC-derived energy expenditure adipocytes to counteract obesity-driven metabolic disorders: Current strategies and future perspectives.

Several therapeutic options have been developed to address the obesity epidemic and treat associated metabolic diseases. Despite the beneficial effects of surgery and drugs, effective therapeutic solutions have been held back by the poor long-term efficiency and detrimental side effects. The development of alternative approaches is thus urgently required.

Promoting health and quality of life of patients with osteoarthritis of knee joint through non-pharmacological treatment strategies: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disorder which primarily affects the articular cartilage of synovial joints followed by bony remodeling and overgrowth at the margins of these joints. The consequences of OA are pain, joint stiffness, decreased muscle performance, and decreased aerobic capacity, which eventually affect the quality of life (QOL) and increased risk for disability. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of two nonpharmacological treatment regimens, that is, yoga and conventional physiotherapy, on QOL in patients suffering from OA of knee joint.

Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: A Relevant Model to Identify Pathways Governing Thermogenic Adipocyte Generation.

Brown and brown-like adipocytes (BAs) are promising cell targets to counteract obesity thanks to their potential to drain and oxidize circulating glucose and triglycerides. However, the scarcity of BAs in human adults is a major limitation for energy expenditure based therapies. Enhanced characterization of BA progenitor cells (BAPs) and identification of critical pathways regulating their generation and differentiation into mature BAs would be an effective way to increase the BA mass.

To compare the effects of aerobic exercise and yoga on Premenstrual syndrome.

Background: Eighty percent of women during their reproductive age experience some symptoms attributed to premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms that occur during late luteal phase of menstrual cycle and are relieved after the onset of menstruation. Aerobic exercise and yoga are one of the ways to reduce these symptoms.

[Impact of luteal phase support by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in intrauterine inseminations].

Objectives: The objective of our study is to evaluate the impact of luteal phase support by hCG in intrauterine inseminations preceded by ovarian gonadotropin stimulation.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the CHU of Nice between March 1, 2016 and October 31, 2017. During this period, 300 intrauterine inseminations were included in data analysis.

Comparison of metabolomic responses of earthworms to sub-lethal imidacloprid exposure in contact and soil tests.

Eisenia fetida earthworms were exposed to sub-lethal levels of imidacloprid for 48 h via contact filter paper tests and soil tests. After the exposure, H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics was used to measure earthworm sub-lethal responses by analyzing the changes in the polar metabolite profile. Maltose, glucose, malate, lactate/threonine, myo-inositol, glutamate, arginine, lysine, tyrosine, leucine, and phenylalanine relative concentrations were altered with imidacloprid exposure in soil.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and behavior about the disease process and physiotherapy management in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A qualitative study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of progressive lung diseases; the most common are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It is considered to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is considered to be one of the leading causes of deaths in India, the main reason being misconception/misinterpretation of the disease and unawareness about the risk factors which hinder early diagnosis and its treatment effectively. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and behavior about the disease process and physiotherapy management in patients diagnosed with COPD.

The effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound in patients with oral submucosal fibrosis.

Context: Oral submucosal fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic disease occurring due to a reduction in fibroelasticity of the oral mucosa leading to trismus and inability to open the mouth that mostly affects habitual betel quid chewers.

Aims: The present study aims to find the effectiveness of therapeutic ultrasound (US) in addition to conventional exercises in patients with OSMF.

Settings And Design: It was a randomized controlled trial, carried out at KM Patel Institute of Physiotherapy, Shree Krishna Hospital, Karamsad, Anand, India.

[Barriers to the use of emergency contraception in a population consulting for an abortion].

Objectives: In France, one pregnancy out of three is unplanned. Half of those pregnancies lead to abortion. However, the use of emergency contraception is far from systematic.

Establishing the reference value for "timed up-and-go" test in healthy adults of Gujarat, India.

Context: Timed up-and-go (TUG) test is a valid, reliable, and an objective test for quantifying functional mobility and assessing the fall risk in all age groups. The analysis of patient scores on TUG test is limited by lack of data, having a wide range of performance scores among people without disabilities.

Aim: The objective of the study was to provide the reference value for TUG test in healthy individuals of Gujarat, India.

Analysis of earthworm sublethal toxic responses to atrazine exposure using H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics.

Atrazine toxicity to earthworms is still not fully understood, particularly at sublethal concentrations. Because of the ubiquity of atrazine in the environment, it is imperative to understand the impacts of atrazine presence to soil-dwelling organisms. To examine this in detail, we used H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics to elucidate earthworm (Eisenia fetida) responses after 48 h of atrazine exposure in contact tests.

Expression patterns of sterol transporters NPC1 and NPC2 in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

The symbiotic interaction between cnidarians (e.g., corals and sea anemones) and photosynthetic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium is triggered by both host-symbiont recognition processes and metabolic exchange between the 2 partners.