Challenges to research implementation during public health emergencies: anecdote of insights and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gujarat, India.

Health emergencies, including pandemics, are not new occurrences; some notable ones occurred in the past. However, the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the unpreparedness of national health systems in effectively managing health emergencies.

Comparison of pulmonary function in immigrant vs US-born Asian Indians.

Objective: This study investigated whether there is a difference in pulmonary function between healthy adult US-born Asian Indians and immigrant Asian Indians attributable to country of birth, environmental, and socioeconomic factors.

Design: FEV(1), FVC, and forced mid-expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of vital capacity (FEF(25-75)) were measured in India-born and US-born subjects residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. Hollingshead Index of Social Position was used to evaluate socioeconomic factors.

In vivo and in vitro CYP1B mRNA expression in channel catfish.

Our goal was to study the induction of CYP1B mRNA expression in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). CYP1B belongs to the cytochrome P450 superfamily of genes, is involved in the oxidation of endogenous and exogenous compounds, and could potentially be a useful biomarker in fish for exposure to AhR ligands. The full-length catfish CYP1B cDNA is 2417 nt to the polyA tail and encodes a putative protein of 536 amino acids.

Effects of benzo(a)pyrene exposure on killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) aromatase activities and mRNA.

Cytochrome P450 aromatase (CYP19) plays an important role in steroid homoeostasis by converting androgens to estrogens. To evaluate the effects of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a model carcinogenic PAH and AhR ligand, on aromatase mRNA expression and enzyme activity, adult Fundulus were exposed to water-borne BaP (1 and 10 microg/L) for 15 days, and embryos were exposed to 10 microg/L for 10 days. Effects of BaP were examined by tissue, gender, and season in adults.