Praj (India)

Women living with HIV have an elevated risk for cervical cancer, present earlier, and have more recurrent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections compared with women without HIV. To update WHO recommendations on screening and treatment to prevent cervical cancer, we aimed to identify whether women living with HIV should be screened for cervical cancer at a specific age, the optimal screening interval following a negative cervical screen, and the screening interval following treatment. We conducted a systematic literature review on cervical cancer and HIV by searching MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, the Cochrane Library, and clinical trial registries covering Jan 1, 2012, through to Oct 13, 2019, updating a previous systematic review covering database inception to July, 2012. Included articles reported original data and assessed one or more outcomes related to cervical precancer and cancer in women living with HIV; no restrictions on study design or setting were made. Articles were excluded if they did not include any women living with HIV, or if they reported only HPV genotype prevalence without any other relevant data. Two authors extracted data from any study reporting cervical cancer screening tests and histopathologically confirmed disease outcomes, by age. We analysed summary data on optimal age and screening intervals, providing pooled estimates when possible; we then conducted an individual patient data meta-analysis (IPDMA) to analyse age-specific data on cervical cancer and precancer. Authors of studies with 40 or more women living with HIV and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 2+ were invited to submit individual patient data for meta-analysis. Random-effects models were used to calculate predicted probabilities for cervical cancer screening results by age, HIV status, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) status. Of the 304 full-text articles screened, 34 studies from 12 countries, with 128 732 women, including 63 790 women living with HIV, were included in the systematic review. Of 55 studies potentially eligible for the IPDMA, eight studies provided data for 72 350 women, 12 527 of whom were living with HIV, from seven countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, India, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, and the USA). In the IPDMA, the pooled predicted probability of CIN2 or CIN3 among women living with HIV increased from 6·0% (95% CI 0·74-64·1) for ages 15-19 years to 32·4% (8·3-72·7) for ages 20-24 years, 42·1% (16·4-80·2) for ages 25-29 years, 50·3% (16·3-80·0) for ages 30-34 years, 47·0% (16·3-80·0) for ages 35-39 years, 49·0% (16·3-80·2) for ages 40-44 years, 58·1% (17·0-81·5) for ages 45-49 years, and 55·3% (21·0-86·6) for age 50 years and older; invasive cervical cancer was uncommon before 30 years of age. In the systematic review, women living with HIV who had a negative baseline cytology result and negative HPV test had a cumulative incidence of developing CIN2+ that ranged from 0·8% to 5% within 4·2-6·4 years and a cumulative incidence of developing of CIN of any grade up to 10% within 12 years. Also in the systematic review, women living with HIV had high recurrence of CIN2+ following treatment (11-27% by 1 year follow-up, 3-64% by 3 years, and 57% by 10 years). No significant evidence of publication bias was found in the data included in the IPDMA (Egger's test p=0·83). Our data show a clear, age-related increase in CIN2 and CIN3 among women living with HIV, with the highest risk occurring in the 45-49-year age group. Our findings informed WHO recommendations to initiate cervical cancer screening for women living with HIV at age 25 years, with regular screening every 3-5 years. Expanding screening and treatment is necessary to reduce cervical cancer incidence towards its elimination. US Agency for International Development and US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Present study aimed to evaluate the production performance and external egg quality traits of Desi chickens in Bidar district of Karnataka. A total of 100 grower-stage birds were sourced from nearby villages within the district. These desi chickens were reared under intensive system in cage with all standard managemental practices followed. In the present study the recorded age at sexual maturity of desi chicken in Bidar district in cage rearing system was 156.57±2.09 days and total egg production up to 52 week was represented as HHEP (Hen house egg production) of desi chicken was 59.31±11.49 eggs. The external egg quality traits of desi chicken for egg weight (g), shape index (%), shell weight (g), shell thickness (mm) and shell ratio (%) of desi chicken at 22nd week was 32.50±0.28, 76.49±0.71, 4.70±0.10, 0.417±0.013 and 14.45±0.25, at 34th week was 38.87±0.36, 74.17±0.46, 5.40±0.09, 0.396±0.007 and 13.90±0.20, at 42nd week was 41.23±0.24, 73.72±0.46, 5.63±0.11 0.369±0.004 and 13.66±0.27 and at 52nd week was 44.73±0.35 g, 72.93±0.55 (%), 5.97±0.08 g, 0.365±0.008 mm and 13.35±0.17 %, respectively.

This article presents a comprehensive critique of the Special Theory of Relativity by focusing on the fundamental aspects of the Lorentz transformation equations.Through a detailed examination of situations where a moving inertial reference frame approaches or recedes from a given point, the author, Dr. Hasmukh D Rathod, challenges the theory's core premises. By recalculating the Lorentz transformation for different scenarios, the paper argues against the concepts of time dilation, length contraction, and the four-dimensionality of space-time as posited by the special relativity. It suggests that the discrepancies in the Lorentz transformation calculations cast doubt on the entire framework of the theory, including its implications for the General Theory of Relativity and derived concepts such as Einsteins mass-energy equivalence equation. The author proposes a reevaluation of these foundational principles, calling for a reassessment of relativity's role in modern physics.

Background and Objectives:We are reporting the performance of HPV self-sample collected by a novel kit in comparison with clinician collected cervical sample for HPV testing for cervical cancer screening. Methods: Consenting, eligible women aged 25 to 60, with a positive cervical cancer screening test report in the past one year but without any prior treatment for cervical abnormalities were enrolled in the study. Each woman provided 2 samples for the HPV test (vaginal self-sample collected with the CERVICHECKTM, an indigenous kit from India and cervical sample collected by the clinician). These samples were analysed using cobas HPV test on 4800 platform and for liquid-based cytology. Results:We enrolled 156 eligible, consenting participants at 2 study sites. The agreement for the sample collected by CERVICHECKTM and clinician collected sample for any high-risk HPV was 95.1% (k= 0.90, SE 0.036, 95% CI 0.83-0.97). The agreement for HPV 16 or 18 only was 95.1%, (k=0.88, SE 0.045, 95% CI 0.79-0.97). The overall acceptability of the kit was good, participants expressed that self-sampling was easy and > 90% women were willing to recommend it to their friends. Interpretation and Conclusions:There was almost perfect or perfect agreement between the HPV self-sample collected by CERVICHECKTM and clinician collected cervical sample. Self-sampling was highly acceptable to the participating women.

Laccases are copper-containing enzymes belonging to the family of multicopper oxidases (MCOs). All MCOs use molecular oxygen to oxidize a wide range of organic compounds by radical catalysis. One of the key fundamental properties of laccases is having high or low redox potentials depending on the active site organization. Several experimental studies have been done to rationalize the high and low redox potential laccases (LRPL), however, molecular understanding is still lacking. In this work, we explored the proteomic profile of laccases produced in the fungal cultures, specifically induced with lignocellulosic biomass such as rice straw. This study was undertaken to explain the differences in the high redox and low redox potential values of different laccases using in-silico approaches. Proteomic profiling and structural and sequence analysis revealed a low level of similarity among them. Docking analyses and molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed that high redox potential laccases (HRPL) are having good binding affinity compared to low or medium redox potential laccases (MRPL). The stability of these complexes was further analyzed based on reactive distances, active site volume comparison and a number of tunnel formations that were observed to be significantly higher for HRPL. Our results indicate that the number of tunnel formations calculated from the simulation’s trajectories and available water molecules at the T3 site directly correlates with the laccases’ redox potentials. This study will be helpful and provide valuable inputs for the designing of new laccases to improve lignin degradation. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology is considered one of the renewable sources of energy for the production of bioelectricity from waste. Due to the depletion of fossil fuels and environmental considerations, MFC haa garnered increasing importance as it is a sustainable and environmentally-friendly method of generation of bioenergy. In MFC, electroactive bacteria (EAB) and biofilms are harnessed to convert organic substances to electrical energy. Extremophiles survive in extreme environments, and they have demonstrated potential applications in microbial electrical systems (MES) and MFC technology. The key limitations of MFC are the low power output and engineering constraints of the fuel cell. Hence, it is imperative to understand the genetics, key metabolic pathways, and molecular mechanisms of the EAB for enhancing the power generation in MFC. This chapter gives a brief overview of the scope and applications of extremophiles in wastewater treatment, bioelectricity, and biohydrogen production using MFC, eventually enhancing the functional efficiency of MFC.