Women's Empowerment in the Context of Rural West Bengal: An Index Construction with Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Background: Women's empowerment, a precondition of sustainable development, is a multidimensional and complex concept, often described with three interrelated components: resources, agency, and achievement. There is no universal construct for women's empowerment; rather, it has been assessed based on the context. It had been hardly explored in rural West Bengal.

Malaria infection and associated household level risks in an urban and rural areas of West Bengal, India.

Background Objectives: Malaria is one of the critical public health problems globally as well as in India. Recent times have seen an increase in the importance of the possible effects of environmental and demographic factors on the local transmission of malaria. We conducted a community-level study between urban and rural areas to find out the factors associated with malaria infection.

A randomised phase 2 study of intermittent versus continuous dosing of dabrafenib plus trametinib in patients with BRAF mutant advanced melanoma (INTERIM).

Background: BRAF+MEK inhibitors extend life expectancy of patients with BRAF mutant advanced melanoma. Acquired resistance limits duration of benefit, but preclinical and case studies suggest intermittent dosing could overcome this limitation. INTERIM was a phase 2 trial evaluating an intermittent dosing regimen.

Benchmarking MicrobIEM - a user-friendly tool for decontamination of microbiome sequencing data.

Background: Microbiome analysis is becoming a standard component in many scientific studies, but also requires extensive quality control of the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data prior to analysis. In particular, when investigating low-biomass microbial environments such as human skin, contaminants distort the true microbiome sample composition and need to be removed bioinformatically. We introduce MicrobIEM, a novel tool to bioinformatically remove contaminants using negative controls.

The airway microbiota of neonates colonized with asthma-associated pathogenic bacteria.

Culture techniques have associated colonization with pathogenic bacteria in the airways of neonates with later risk of childhood asthma, whereas more recent studies utilizing sequencing techniques have shown the same phenomenon with specific anaerobic taxa. Here, we analyze nasopharyngeal swabs from 1 month neonates in the COPSAC prospective birth cohort by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V3-V4 region in relation to asthma risk throughout childhood. Results are compared with previous culture results from hypopharyngeal aspirates from the same cohort and with hypopharyngeal sequencing data from the later COPSAC cohort.

Utilisation of adolescent reproductive and sexual health services in a rural area of West Bengal: A mixed-method study.

Introduction: Despite policy actions and strategic efforts for improving the reproductive and sexual health of adolescents by promoting the uptake of adolescent reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) services, the utilisation rate remains significantly low, especially in rural areas of India. This study aimed to assess the utilisation of these services by adolescents in rural West Bengal and its associated determinants.

Method: This mixed-method study was conducted from May to September 2021 in the Gosaba rural block of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal.

Skin microbiome and its association with host cofactors in determining atopic dermatitis severity.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous, chronic inflammatory skin disease linked to skin microbiome dysbiosis with reduced bacterial diversity and elevated relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).

Objectives: We aimed to characterize the yet incompletely understood association between the skin microbiome and patients' demographic and clinical cofactors in relation to AD severity.

Efflux-linked accelerated evolution of antibiotic resistance at a population edge.

Efflux is a common mechanism of resistance to antibiotics. We show that efflux itself promotes accumulation of antibiotic-resistance mutations (ARMs). This phenomenon was initially discovered in a bacterial swarm where the linked phenotypes of high efflux and high mutation frequencies spatially segregated to the edge, driven there by motility.

Nutritional Status and Intra-household Food Distribution Among Reproductive-Age-Group Women in a Slum Area of Hooghly District, West Bengal: A Mixed-Methods Approach.

Introduction Malnutrition among women of reproductive age (WRA), especially those living in slum areas, is one of the most concerning nutritional issues because of the extreme nutritional stress they face in the form of inequitable intra-household food distribution (IHFD). This study aimed to assess the nutritional status (NS) and its association with IHFD among reproductive-age-group women along with exploring the perspectives of the stakeholders regarding inequitable food distribution. Materials and methods The quantitative part of the convergent parallel mixed-methods design study was conducted among 150 WRA, selected by cluster random sampling from 15 slum areas of Hooghly District, between December 2020 and May 2021.

COVID-appropriate facemask use: A study among patients attending outpatient Departments of a Public Health Institute in West Bengal.

Background: In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, facemask use has been the most feasible public health measure in preventing transmission of SARS-CoV2 with the dual benefit of controlling the source of infection and decreasing the risk of acquiring infection from infected people. Therefore, COVID-appropriate behavior regarding facemask use is imperative for controlling the pandemic. This study aimed to assess COVID-appropriate mask behavior and factors associated with it among the patients attending outpatient departments of a public health institute in West Bengal.

Differential effects of lung inflammation on insulin resistance in humans and mice.

Background: The rates of obesity, its associated diseases, and allergies are raising at alarming rates in most countries. House dust mites (HDM) are highly allergenic and exposure often associates with an urban sedentary indoor lifestyle, also resulting in obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological association and physiological impact of lung inflammation on obesity and glucose homeostasis.

Burden of malnutrition among school-going children in a slum area of Kolkata: A matter of concern.

Background: Malnutrition is still a great barrier to the growth and development of children, especially in India. Children from the underprivileged sections of the society like slum children are more vulnerable to both undernutrition and overnutrition. This study aimed to estimate the magnitude of malnutrition among school-going children in a slum area of Kolkata and to elicit the association of nutritional status with parental education.

Determinants of Treatment Adherence Among Patients Living With Noncommunicable Diseases: A Mixed-Method Study in a Rural Area of West Bengal.

The multisectoral impact of the COVID-19 pandemic can impair treatment adherence of patients with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This mixed-method study, conducted from November 2020 to January 2021, assessed the quantum of their treatment adherence and its determinants in rural West Bengal. Quantitative data were collected from 213 NCD patients while qualitative exploration for barriers of treatment adherence was conducted as 6 in-depth Interviews.

Hazardous practices related to blood borne viral infection transmission among male barbers: A study in a rural area of West Bengal.

Background: Barbers are occupationally predisposed to blood borne viral infection (BBVI) such as human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B and C. Unhygienic workplaces, improper disinfection and inadequate wound-care can increase the susceptibility of both clients and barbers to BBVI. There is paucity of studies on practices regarding BBVI among barbers, especially in India.

Why are our elderly distressed? A cross-sectional study in a rural community of West Bengal.

Context: Population across the globe are aging rapidly due to demographic transition. More than 50% of the elderly in India suffer from one or more chronic diseases and psychological distress is one of the most common morbidities among them.

Aims And Objective: This study was conducted with the objective to assess the status of psychological distress among the elderly.

Skin pH-dependent Staphylococcus aureus abundance as predictor for increasing atopic dermatitis severity.

Background: Atopic eczema (atopic dermatitis, AD) is characterized by disrupted skin barrier associated with elevated skin pH and skin microbiome dysbiosis, due to high Staphylococcus aureus loads, especially during flares. Since S aureus shows optimal growth at neutral pH, we investigated the longitudinal interplay between these factors and AD severity in a pilot study.

Method: Emollient (with either basic pH 8.

Coevolution of the translational machinery optimizes initiation with unusual initiator tRNAs and initiation codons in mycoplasmas.

Initiator tRNAs (i-tRNAs) are characterized by the presence of three consecutive GC base pairs (GC/GC/GC) in their anticodon stems in all domains of life. However, many mycoplasmas possess unconventional i-tRNAs wherein the highly conserved sequence of GC/GC/GC is represented by AU/GC/GC, GC/GC/GU or AU/GC/GU. These mycoplasmas also tend to preferentially utilize non-AUG initiation codons.

Ubiquitin Ligase COP1 Controls Hepatic Fat Metabolism by Targeting ATGL for Degradation.

Optimal control of hepatic lipid metabolism is critical for organismal metabolic fitness. In liver, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) serves as a major triacylglycerol (TAG) lipase and controls the bulk of intracellular lipid turnover. However, regulation of ATGL expression and its functional implications in hepatic lipid metabolism, particularly in the context of fatty liver disease, is unclear.

Agreement between MRI and pathologic breast tumor size after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and comparison with alternative tests: individual patient data meta-analysis.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may guide breast cancer surgery by measuring residual tumor size post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Accurate measurement may avoid overly radical surgery or reduce the need for repeat surgery. This individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis examines MRI's agreement with pathology in measuring the longest tumor diameter and compares MRI with alternative tests.

Sulfonoquinovosyl diacylglyceride selectively targets acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells and exerts potent anti-leukemic effects in vivo.

DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors e.g. doxorubicin and etoposide are currently used in the chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Identification of important interacting proteins (IIPs) in Plasmodium falciparum using large-scale interaction network analysis and in-silico knock-out studies.

Background: Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of malaria and affects 3.2 million people annually. Due to the increasing incidence of resistance to existing drugs, there is a growing need to discover new and more effective drugs against malaria.

Intermittent dosing with vemurafenib in BRAF V600E-mutant melanoma: review of a case series.

The selective BRAF inhibitors, vemurafenib and dabrafenib, yield high response rates and improved overall survival in patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic melanoma. Acquired drug resistance and drug toxicity are key challenges when using these drugs. We investigated whether vemurafenib toxicity could successfully be managed with intermittent dosing, and if its therapeutic efficacy could be maintained on intermittent dosing.

A phase II study of mitomycin, fluorouracil, folinic acid, and irinotecan (MFI) for the treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Background And Objectives: Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is standard care for metastatic transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary tract. However it is not appropriate for all patients, particularly those with poor renal function. There is no clear consensus on the optimal regimen for these individuals or for those after cisplatin failure.

Intranasal midazolam vs rectal diazepam in acute childhood seizures.

One hundred eighty-eight seizure episodes in 46 children were randomly assigned to receive treatment with rectal diazepam and intranasal midazolam with doses of 0.3 mg/kg body weight and 0.2 mg/kg body weight, respectively.