Serious fungal diseases are significant yet long neglected public health problem in India, setting an estimated 4.1% of the population and with the mortality from invasive fungal diseases approaching 50%, surpassing several nationally prioritised conditions. The emergence and spread of drug resistant pathogens such as Candida auris, azole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, and Trichophyton indotineae together with COVID-19 associated mucormycosis epidemic, expose critical gaps in preparedness prevention and care despite the presence of a WHO collaborating centre and an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) mycology Advanced Mycology Diagnostic and Research Centre network, major deficiencies persist in surveillance, diagnostics, antifungal access, stewardship, workforce, capacity and coordinated research OBJECTIVES: The Indian Fungal Infection National Declaration (I- FIND) seeks to catalyse a structured, time bound national response that elevates fungal diseases to a recognised public health priority and measurably reduces morbidity, mortality, and fungal resistance. Its objectives are to identify and target key at risk populations (including those with immunosuppression, critical illnesses, chronic lung disease and poorly controlled diabetes, to acknowledge major community mycoses such as chronic dermatophytosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, and fungal keratitis, and to define clear domains for action across governance, surveillance, diagnostics, clinical management, research, workforce development, public awareness, One Health, and accountability. I- FIND identifies 9 core domains, including governance, surveillance, diagnostics, clinical management, research, workforce development, public awareness, One Health measures, and accountability. Proposals cover creating a National Task Force, issuing a five-year fungal disease control strategy, integrating mycology network, setting diagnostic standards, incorporating stewardship and prioritizing translational research funding. The declaration is supported by major Indian and international professional societies guides formal adoption and implementation across India.
Adolescence is a critical developmental period during which parenting practices interact with temperament and sociocultural context to shape mental health and adaptation. Most parenting models are derived from Western settings, with limited evidence from India. This simultaneous mixed methods study drew on cross sectional data from the Indian Consortium on Vulnerability to Externalizing Disorders and Addictions (cVEDA) cohort, including adolescents aged 12-17 years (parent report n = 931; child report n = 836). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on parent and child versions of the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 31 adolescents and their parents and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings were integrated at the interpretation stage. The original APQ structure did not replicate. Parent reports yielded three dimensions-Involvement/Positive Parenting, Poor Monitoring, and Corporal Punishment-while child reports yielded five, distinguishing father's and mother's involvement. Inconsistent disciplining did not emerge as a distinct construct. Qualitative findings indicated high involvement and behavioural and psychological control, largely driven by academic goals. Adolescents experienced these practices as both supportive and restrictive, with parental openness shaping communication. Contextual pressures, including resource constraints and urban stressors, contributed to a competency-control paradox. Parenting of adolescents in India must be understood within its relational and sociocultural ecology. While involvement and control function as primary supports, excessive control may constrain broader competency development. Integrating parent and adolescent perspectives is essential for culturally grounded research and intervention.
To evaluate the efficacy of triplet chemotherapy (gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel) to the standard of care in locally advanced or metastatic gall bladder cancer. A total of 60 patients with locally advanced (unresectable) and metastatic gall bladder cancer were randomized to either of the 2 arms. Arm A received two drugs gemcitabine and cisplatin and arm B received three drugs gemcitabine, cisplatin and nab-paclitaxel. The evaluation was done post 3 and 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Patients were then followed up every 6 months for 2 years to assess response rates (RR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin (arm A) had an overall response rate of 13.3% whereas it was 61.9% in patients who received gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel (0.004). The median progression-free survival for patients who received gemcitabine and cisplatin was 4.5 months (95% CI, 4.0-4.9) compared to 7.6 months (95% CI, 3.9-11.2) for patients treated with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel (p ≤ 0.05). There was no increase in grade 3 adverse events with the addition of nab-paclitaxel. This study showed promising results, with triplet chemotherapy having a significantly better overall response rate and median progression-free survival.
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There are no Indian studies estimating Cognitive Reserve (CR) across rural and urban aging populations. We estimated CR from two ongoing aging studies in rural (CBR-SANSCOG, n = 4459) and urban (CBR-TLSA, n = 663) southern India. We used years of education (YOE), job skill level (JSL), social network diversity (SND) and multilingualism (ML) as factors and assigned weights based on their capability to predict cognitive performance (assessed using a culturally adapted cognitive test battery). We evaluated several candidate machine learning models and chose the linear regression based on its fit. In the rural cohort, YOE, ML, and SND contributed significantly (Rural CR = 0.085×YOE + 0.184×ML + 0.030×SND), whereas YOE, ML and JSL were significant contributors for the urban cohort (Urban CR = 0.064×YOE + 0.184×ML + 0.197×JSL). The contribution of CR factors differs across rural and urban Indian populations. Targeted interventions to enhance population-specific CR factors could reduce dementia risk.
Hepatic cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) often co-exist, exacerbating each other through shared inflammatory and hemodynamic pathways. Portal hypertension in cirrhosis impairs renal blood flow, increasing CKD risk. This study aims to highlight the annual trends and demographic differences in mortality due to hepatic cirrhosis and CKD in the US population from 1999-2020 METHODS: Cirrhosis associated CKD-related mortality trends were analyzed from 1999 to 2020 using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) multiple-cause of death database. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 persons were calculated. Trends and annual percent changes (APCs) were assessed overall and stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, urbanization status, and census region. Between 1999 and 2020, 45,471 cirrhosis-associated CKD-related deaths occurred among adults in the U.S. The AAMR increased from 0.27 in 1999 to 1.14 in 2020 (APC, 6.84* [6.05 to 7.98], p < 0.000001) in the overall population. Over the study period, males averaged a considerably higher AAMR than females (overall AAMR: 0.83 vs 0.42, p < 0.001. Non-Hispanic (NH) American Indian or Alaskan Native had the highest AAMR (1.73), followed by Hispanics or Latinos (AAMR;1.2), NH Black or African Americans (AAMR; 0.89), NH Asian or Pacific Islander (AAMR; 0.48) and NH White (AAMR; 0.48) [p < 0.001]. West region had the highest AAMR (0.7), followed by South (AAMR; 0.6), Midwest (AAMR; 0.5), and Northeast (AAMR; 0.4). Moreover, metropolitan areas had a higher AAMR than non-metropolitan areas (AAMR: 0.6 vs 0.5, p < 0.001). Cirrhosis-associated CKD mortality increased significantly from 1999 to 2020. The highest AAMRs were observed among men, the NH American Indian or Alaskan Native population, and individuals residing in the West region and metropolitan areas. Targeted interventions addressing both hepatic cirrhosis and CKD are essential, with a particular emphasis on high-burden population.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), an inflammatory skin disorder characterized by painful nodules and abscesses, has varying prevalence among different races/ethnicities. This study explored the social drivers of health, burden, and impact of HS among different racial and ethnic groups. An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted among adult patients with HS (September 2023-December 2023) in the USA. Patients were recruited through HS Connect (patient advocacy group) and AmeriSpeak (US national sample panel). Descriptive data were collected using patient-reported outcome measures and de novo questions about patients' disease knowledge and perception, healthcare access and utilization, impact on quality of life (QoL), and social impact. All analyses were descriptive and stratified by racial/ethnic groups. The study included 583 patients (mean age, 34.8 years; 95.5% female) representing a range of racial backgrounds: Black or African American (n = 273; 46.8%), white (n = 236; 40.5%), Two or More Races (n = 47; 8.1%), American Indian or Alaska Native (n = 18; 3.1%), Asian (n = 7; 1.2%), and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (n = 2; 0.3%). Ethnic representation also varied (Hispanic/Latino = n = 76; 13.0%). Patients of all races and ethnicities reported considerable QoL impact (Dermatology Life Quality Index, EQ-5D-5L), with results for smaller subgroups (n < 10) included for descriptive completeness only and not intended for comparison with other groups. During flaring, most patients used over-the-counter products/medications (54.2%) or nonmedical intervention/home remedy (56.9%) Up to 36.5% of patients reported challenges in procuring food, utilities, medicine/healthcare, phone, clothing, or childcare when needed in the past year. Among those who paid out-of-pocket for their HS treatment, 55.6% reported that it stopped them from visiting a healthcare provider for treatment. The findings indicate a high burden and impact of HS across all races and ethnicities. Patients reported social drivers of health and challenges with healthcare utilization, indicating the need for integrating social workers and care management teams in dermatology practice, which could facilitate improved care of patients with HS. Hidradenitis suppurativa is a painful skin condition that causes lumps and abscesses. It affects people of all races and ethnicities but is more common in Black or African American individuals. This study surveyed 583 adults in the USA to understand how hidradenitis suppurativa affects people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Our focus was on how the disease impacts their daily lives, their ability to access healthcare, how often they visit doctors, their quality of life, and their mental and emotional well-being. Most people said that hidradenitis suppurativa lowers their quality of life and makes daily activities harder. During flaring, many used home remedies instead of seeing a doctor. People suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa also reported trouble getting basic needs such as food, medicine, and transportation. These challenges occurred among patients from different racial and ethnic groups; results for very small subgroups (Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander) are reported descriptively only and should not be interpreted as representative of these groups or compared with other groups. The research underscores the importance of improving awareness and tailoring care for people with hidradenitis suppurativa, particularly those facing barriers to healthcare.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are strongly associated with psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety (D/A), which can exacerbate disease burden and worsen outcomes. However, mortality trends in patients with both conditions remain underexplored. This study examines mortality trends among U.S. adults in whom both depression/anxiety (D/A) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were documented on the death certificate from 1999 to 2023. Data were extracted from the CDC WONDER Multiple Cause-of-Death database for adults aged ≥25 years to identify deaths in which both D/A and CVD were listed anywhere on the death certificate (underlying or contributing causes), and to calculate age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000 population. Joinpoint Regression v5.2.0 calculated annual percent changes (APCs) and average annual percent changes (AAPCs) with 95% CIs (p ≤ 0.05), stratified by year, sex, race, region, urbanization, and 10-year age groups. From 1999 to 2023, 299,201 deaths were attributed to coexisting D/A and CVD, with highest rates in older adults (AAMR: 22.26). After declining between 1999 and 2015, overall AAMR increased from 4.92 in 2015 to 7.14 in 2021 (APC: 7.51; 95% CI: 1.23-12.12). Females showed consistently higher mortality than males (5.62 vs 4.66), with female AAMR rising from 5.05 (1999) to 7.44 (2023) [AAPC: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.24-1.55]. Non-Hispanic Whites had the highest AAMR (5.90), followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives (4.62). Geographically, the Midwest (6.85) and West (5.08) had highest rates, while rural areas exceeded urban areas (6.78 vs 4.79). State-level variation ranged from North Dakota (11.33) to Nevada (1.85). Rising mortality involving co-listed D/A and CVD disproportionately affects females, Non-Hispanic Whites, Midwest residents, rural populations, and older adults. These findings highlight critical demographic and geographic disparities requiring targeted interventions and further investigation into underlying mechanisms.
Zoanthus sansibaricus is a marine invertebrate native to the Indian and North Pacific Oceans. A chemical investigation of Z. sansibaricus, cultured in an aquafarm, led to the isolation of two new zoanthamine derivatives, named 3β-hydroxyzoanthamine (1) and 3α-hydroxynorzoanthaminone (2), along with five known derivatives (3‒7). Their structures were elucidated through quantum chemical calculations and a detailed analysis of spectroscopic data, including mass, IR, and NMR spectra. New compounds 1 and 2 represent additional examples of the oxidation of zoanthamine derivatives. The potential photoprotective effect of all isolated alkaloids (1‒7) was evaluated against UVA-induced damage in human dermal fibroblasts. Among the tested compounds, only 26-norzoanthamine (4) significantly attenuated UVA-induced oxidative stress. Notably, this antioxidant activity did not translate into sustained cell viability protection at 72 hours post-irradiation, suggesting that the photoprotective mechanism of compound 4 is limited to acute oxidative stress attenuation.
The Tibetan Plateau (TP), sometimes referred to as the "Third Pole," is a highly sensitive ecosystem. Understanding historical organic pollutant inputs and their responses to climate conditions and human activities is essential for assessing future environmental sustainability in the region. Here, we present a 2000-year record of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from Lake Basongcuo, southeast TP, and discuss their variations and sources through time, and influencing factors. Analyses revealed four zones of increasing PAH concentrations, from Zone I (1900-1250 cal yr BP) to IV (50 cal yr BP-present). Source apportionment via diagnostic ratios and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) modelling showed that PAH sources shifted from similar proportions of petrogenic, biomass and high-temperature combustion in Zone Ⅰ to biomass-dominated sources (31.4%), with emerging coal combustion, in Zone Ⅱ (1250-650 cal yr BP). High-temperature combustion subsequently rose to prominence (35.5%) in Zone III (650-50 cal yr BP) and persisted as the major source (31.5%) in Zone IV. Our findings also highlight the evolving roles of climate conditions and human activities as PAH drivers. Zone I PAH inputs were predominantly climate-driven, evidenced by wildfires during arid periods of the weakened Indian Summer Monsoon. A discernible human signal emerged in Zone II, with coal combustion from introduced smelting technologies, which intensified in Zone III through sustained metal-smelting and religious practices. Ultimately, human impacts became the predominant driver in Zone IV, associated with transportation and tourism. Three PAH-identified human-activity intervals identified in the sediments align temporally with three episodes of historically documented regional development, Tubo fragmentation, Yuan-Ming centralisation, and modernization. This illustrates that sediment PAHs are reliable proxies for millennial-scale human activities in the southeastern TP.
Urban heat stress is an escalating environmental risk in rapidly industrialising regions of India, where land-use transformation and industrial expansion interact with background climatic warming. This study examines the spatio-temporal evolution of land surface temperature (LST) and the Urban Heat Index (UHI_index) across Telangana, India, over the period 2003-2023, with specific emphasis on the thermal influence of major industrial zones. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery, land-use information, and meteorological variables were analysed within a geospatial data analytics framework to quantify UHI intensity, temporal trends, and industrial attribution. Results indicate systematic amplification of UHI_index within industrial areas relative to non-industrial zones. Mean UHI_index in industrial regions increased from approximately 1.35 in 2003 to 2.70 in 2023, whereas non-industrial areas exhibited a lower increase from 1.00 to 1.82. Machine learning models demonstrated strong predictive performance (R2 ≈ 0.87; RMSE ≈ 0.26), identifying industrial land use, built-up density, and near-surface air temperature as dominant drivers. Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis (n = 100) indicates stable regional inference (± 0.18 UHI_index). The findings provide quantitative evidence of industrial contributions to urban thermal intensification and offer a reproducible framework for industrial heat mitigation planning in rapidly developing Indian states.
Labeo catla is a commercially important Indian Major Carp, yet its genetic improvement has been hindered by a lack of high-resolution genomic resources. We report the construction of the first high-density SNP-based genetic linkage map for this species and present the associated genomic datasets deposited in public repositories. Mapping populations derived from five full-sib families (CF1, CF5, CF7, CF8, and CF11) comprising 196 individuals (10 parents and 190 offspring) were genotyped via Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS), generating 133.94 GB of raw sequence data. Using 782 informative SNP markers and Kosambi's mapping function, we resolved 25 complete linkage groups (LGs), consistent with the haploid karyotype of L. catla (n = 25). The resulting map spans a total genetic distance of 1279.8 cM, achieving a high-resolution average marker interval of 1.63 cM. Beyond linkage mapping, these markers were utilized to anchor 668 previously unplaced scaffolds, effectively organizing 502.33 Mb (49.29%) of the L. catla draft genome into pseudo-chromosomes. LG2 was identified as the largest pseudo-chromosome (213.83 Mb), while LG4 was the smallest (1.8 Mb). The average chromosome size was approximately 36.39 Mb. Comparative genomic analysis confirmed extensive chromosomal colinearity and conserved synteny between L. catla and Labeo rohita, with significantly higher structural divergence observed against the Danio rerio model. This high-density map and the subsequent chromosome-level scaffold anchoring provide a critical genomic framework for positional cloning, Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS), and the identification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for traits such as rapid growth and disease resistance, accelerating the genetic enhancement of this species in Asian aquaculture.
The digital transformation of healthcare, driven by electronic health records, together with the IoT-enabled medical devices and AI-driven analytics, has provided the healthcare with more care and innovation but also created unprecedented levels of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in medical informatics ecosystem. Recent incidents, such as ransomware attacks on pharmaceutical companies, breaches at the European Medicines Agency, and the Indian Council of Medical Research, are just a couple of examples of how the incident that was restricted by one jurisdiction can spread to the research, manufacturing, and data networks around the globe. The study gives a comparative overview of cybersecurity regulation across the United States, the European Union, and India, and examines how the three approaches to risk-based, rights-based, and hybrid regulatory models affect the resilience of the system as a whole. The analysis also indicates structural imbalances in breach notification, medical-device regulation and cross-border data management that disrupts global interoperability. The study ends with recommendations on harmonized international standards, secure-by-design, empower breach-response networks, and improved cooperation by WHO, ITU, and GDHP to make the global health cybersecurity resilient. The paper concentrates on the fact that by redefining cybersecurity as a networked socio-technical challenge, there is a need to have collaboratively designed, globally consistent governance policies to protect digital health systems and deliver continuity, trust, and innovation across jurisdictions.
Hyperosmolar-hypernatremic dehydration (HHND) is a life-threatening yet preventable neonatal condition, often due to inadequate breastfeeding. The recent North Indian heat wave heightened dehydration risks, necessitating an evaluation of extreme temperatures' impact on neonatal hydration. This retrospective study analysed neonates admitted to a tertiary care level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at AIIMS Jodhpur between April and June 2024. Case records were reviewed, and details on maternal age, feeding practices, presenting complaints, biochemical profile, and outcome were studied. The 2024 (April-May) heat wave led to a threefold increase in NICU admissions for HND compared to the previous 2 years, with cases rising from 2 to 3 per year to 10. Primigravida mothers accounted for 70% of the cases. The mean age of presentation was 6.7 days. Affected neonates experienced weight loss ranging from 11% to 33%, with serum sodium levels between 149 and 185 mEq/l and plasma osmolarity reaching 370-450 mOsm/l. Six neonates required peritoneal dialysis (PD) due to encephalopathy/anuria. One developed aortic thrombosis with lower limb gangrene, necessitating thrombolytic therapy. MRI abnormalities were observed in one case. Despite intensive management, one neonate succumbed to sepsis. Extreme environmental heat significantly heightens the risk of hyperosmolar-hypernatremic dehydration (HND) in neonates. Proactive neonatal monitoring, early breastfeeding support, and parental education are critical to preventing dehydration and its complications, especially in tropical and resource-limited settings, where extreme heat, early discharge, and limited lactation support increase neonatal vulnerability. Judicious fluid management targeting plasma osmolarity and timely intervention with PD in severe cases can optimize survival and neurological outcomes, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance during heat waves.
Consistent among-individual differences in behaviours, also known as animal personalities, are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. At the same time, the expression of these behaviours may remain context- and time- dependent. Social spiders lack morphological castes and apparent dominant hierarchies, but show consistent among-individual differences in behaviours such as boldness and aggression. Previous studies have shown that these personality traits are not associated with task participation and that personality repeatability weakens over longer durations. In this study, we tested whether short-term boldness was stable across intrinsic (nutritional state) and extrinsic (disturbance) contexts in the Indian social spider, Stegodyphus sarasinorum. We subjected individuals to feeding or starvation and repeated disturbance or no disturbance treatments, and measured boldness over three consecutive days. We found that neither variation in nutritional state nor disturbance influenced the mean boldness scores or their repeatability. Our results show that boldness is robust to short-term changes in hunger and disturbance. The ecological and social functions of the boldness personality trait remain unresolved in social spiders and further studies are warranted to understand how exactly among-individual variation in boldness influences colony productivity and demographic outcomes.
Burkholderia pseudomallei, an environmental Gram-negative saprophyte is the causative agent of melioidosis, a potentially fatal yet treatable clinical entity. We report an unusual colony morphology of the organism to minimize misidentification and enable accurate diagnosis.
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping drug repurposing by integrating systems biology with molecular design. Here, we present a unified framework combining AI-enhanced Kinase Enrichment Analysis (KEA), geometric deep learning, and federated learning to enable scalable and privacy-preserving therapeutic discovery. KEA prioritizes disease-relevant kinases from multi-omics data, while geometric deep learning captures structure-activity relationships (SARs) at atomic resolution. Federated learning facilitates secure, multi-institutional model training across heterogeneous datasets. This integrative pipeline enhances identification of repurposable kinase inhibitors and supports emerging modalities, such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs). A case study in Alzheimer's disease (AD) highlights improved target prioritization and predictive performance. By bridging kinase signaling networks with AI-driven modeling, this framework provides a robust strategy for accelerating precision drug discovery and repurposing.
Staphylococcus aureus, a common foodborne pathogen, thrives in various environments, including milk, meat, and vegetables. With increasing consumer concerns about the harmful effects of chemical additives, alternative antimicrobial agents are urgently needed. This study evaluates the potential of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) as an inhibitor of the bacterial enzyme tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS). PPE, rich in bioactive compounds such as ellagitannins, ellagic acid, and gallic acid, was extracted using hot water, microwave, and ultrasound methods. The ultrasound assisted extract showed the highest phenol content (178.6 ± 0.6 GAE/g) and antioxidant activity (9.43 ± 1.6 µmole TE/g DW). The MIC value of this extract was found to be 2.0 mg/ml and it inhibited S. aureus growth significantly (20.6 ± 0.31 mm) in agar diffusion tests. To elucidate the molecular mechanism, in silico analyses including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and MM-PBSA calculations were performed for major PPE-derived phytochemicals, gallic acid, ellagic acid, punicalagin, and punicalin, along with the reference TyrRS inhibitor SB-219,383. Among the tested compounds, punicalagin exhibited the most favorable binding affinity and dynamic stability, with binding free energy comparable to SB-219,383. These findings highlight PPE's potential in combating S. aureus along with utilization of agricultural by-products as source of antimicrobial substance that has the potential of offering a sustainable approach to antimicrobial resistance.