Prevalence of substance use among adolescents residing in urban slums of Vellore: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Adolescent substance abuse is a growing public health concern. Adolescence is the starting point for adult substance misuse. The likelihood of acquiring dependence in adulthood is significantly decreased when substance use is not initiated during adolescence.

Detection of ALK fusion transcripts in plasma of non-small cell lung cancer patients using a novel RT-PCR based assay.

Background: Detection of genomic rearrangements, like anaplastic lymphoma kinase () fusions, is a pivotal requirement in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for the initiation of a targeted treatment. While tissue testing remains the gold standard, detection of these alterations using liquid biopsies is an unmet need. To enable the detection of rearrangements from circulating-free RNA (cfRNA) from NSCLC patients, we have evaluated a novel reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) based assay.

Levels and distribution pattern of organochlorine pesticide residues in eggs of 22 terrestrial birds from Tamil Nadu, India.

Long-term monitoring is essential to assess the patterns and distribution of the residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in biota. Bird eggs have several advantages than other environmental matrixes, which have been used extensively to portray the accumulation and distribution of OCPs. The present study investigated the organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues in eggs of 22 species of terrestrial birds collected from Tamil Nadu, India.

Correlation of ROS1 Immunohistochemistry With Fusion Status Determined by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization.

Context.—: The ability to determine status has become mandatory for patients with lung adenocarcinoma, as many global authorities have approved crizotinib for patients with -positive lung adenocarcinoma.

Objective.

Toxicity Assessment on the Levels of Select Metals in the Critically Endangered Indian White-backed Vulture, Gyps bengalensis, in India.

To assess the potential contribution of metals to the catastrophic population decline of the White-backed Vulture, Gyps bengalensis, their concentrations in various organs was quantified. Liver, kidney, pectoral muscle, gut contents and femur bone were collected from dead birds between 1999 and 2008. These samples were analysed for lead, cadmium, copper and zinc, which were detected in all organs with no significant variation among tissues or between sexes.