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The G-protein-coupled receptor C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) functions as a co-receptor for the entry of HIV into immune cells. CCR5 binds promiscuously to a diverse array of ligands initiating cell signaling that includes guided migration. Although well known to be expressed on immune cells, recent studies have shown the induction of CCR5 on the surface of breast cancer epithelial cells. The function of CCR5 on breast cancer epithelial cells includes the induction of aberrant cell survival signaling and tropism towards chemo attractants. As CCR5 is not expressed on normal epithelium, the receptor provides a potential useful target for therapy. Inhibitors of CCR5 (CCR5i), either small molecules (maraviroc, vicriviroc) or humanized monoclonal antibodies (leronlimab) have shown anti-tumor and anti-metastatic properties in preclinical studies. In early clinical studies, reviewed herein, CCR5i have shown promising results and evidence for effects on both the tumor and the anti-tumor immune response. Current clinical studies have therefore included combination therapy approaches with checkpoint inhibitors.

Objective This study aimed to investigate the mental health status of primary and secondary school teachers. This study sought to comprehensively assess the psychological symptoms and identify potential problems. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 2711 (response rate: 84.72%) primary and secondary school teachers were recruited through a random sampling method from urban and rural areas. The Symptom Checlist-90 (SCL-90) was used to assess their mental status. Data were analyzed using statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, t - tests, and one-way ANOVA to explore differences in mental health status among different demographic groups. Results In total, 7% of the participants showed mild to severe level of psychological distress. Specifically, symptoms of obsessive - compulsive (M ± SD: 1.72 ± 0.63) and depression (M ± SD: 1.56 ± 0.65) were relatively common. Statistically significant differences were found in mental health scores among teachers with different teaching experience, urbanicity, age and gender ( p  < .0001). Teachers with more than 10 years of teaching experience had higher psychological distress. Male teachers reported more severe symptoms compared with female teachers. Teachers teaching in urban areas faced with worse mental health than teachers teaching in rural areas. Conclusions The study revealed that primary and secondary school teachers face certain mental health challenges. These findings emphasize the urgent need for educational institutions and relevant departments to pay attention to teachers’ mental health, develop comprehensive mental health promotion programs, and provide appropriate support based on different teachers’ characteristics to improve their mental well-being.

New methods are required to manage hypertension in resource-poor settings. We hypothesised that a community health worker (CHW)-led group-based education and monitoring intervention would improve control of blood pressure (BP). We conducted a baseline community-based survey followed by a cluster randomised controlled trial of people with hypertension in 3 rural regions of South India, each at differing stages of epidemiological transition. Participants with hypertension, defined as BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg or taking antihypertensive medication, were advised to visit a doctor. In each region, villages were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care (UC) in a 1:2 ratio. In intervention clusters, trained CHWs delivered a group-based intervention to people with hypertension. The program, conducted fortnightly for 3 months, included monitoring of BP, education about hypertension, and support for healthy lifestyle change. Outcomes were assessed approximately 2 months after completion of the intervention. The primary outcome was control of BP (BP < 140/90 mm Hg), analysed using mixed effects regression, clustered by village within region and adjusted for baseline control of hypertension (using intention-to-treat principles). Of 2,382 potentially eligible people, 637 from 5 intervention clusters and 1,097 from 10 UC clusters were recruited between November 2015 and April 2016, with follow-up occurring in 459 in the intervention group and 1,012 in UC. Mean age was 56.9 years (SD 13.7). Baseline BP was similar between groups. Control of BP improved from baseline to follow-up more in the intervention group (from 227 [49.5%] to 320 [69.7%] individuals) than in the UC group (from 528 [52.2%] to 624 [61.7%] individuals) (odds ratio [OR] 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.1; P = 0.001). In secondary outcome analyses, there was a greater decline in systolic BP in the intervention than UC group (-5.0 mm Hg, 95% CI -7.1 to -3.0; P < 0.001) and a greater decline in diastolic BP (-2.1 mm Hg, 95% CI -3.6 to -0.6; P < 0.006), but no detectable difference in the use of BP-lowering medications between groups (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.8-1.9; P = 0.34). Similar results were found when using imputation analyses that included those lost to follow-up. Limitations include a relatively short follow-up period and use of outcome assessors who were not blinded to the group allocation. While the durability of the effect is uncertain, this trial provides evidence that a low-cost program using CHWs to deliver an education and monitoring intervention is effective in controlling BP and is potentially scalable in resource-poor settings globally. The trial was registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2016/02/006678).

Extensive cultivation of paddy and burning of paddy straw by farmers in north-western India has led to a serious problem of decreased underground water table along with degradation of soil health and environmental pollution. The utilization of paddy straw as mulch in wheat crop can be a good option to solve these problems. So, a field experimentwas conducted with the objective to study the influence of paddy straw mulch on productivity and economics of bed and flat sown wheat crop under different irrigation schedules. Treatments comprised of combination of two sowing methods i.e., bed sowing and conventional flat sowing and three mulch levels viz., no mulch, paddy straw mulch @ 3000 kg ha\"1 and paddy straw mulch @ 6000 kg ha\"1 in main plots and three irrigation schedules viz., 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0 irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation (IW/CPE) in sub-plots and conducted in split-plot design with three replications at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during winter season of 2013-14 and 201415. The growth parameters were recorded periodically at 30 day interval and yield attributes and yield were recorded at harvest. The net returns were calculated by subtracting the total variable cost from gross returns. Both the sowing methods did not significantly influence the growth, yield attributes, yield and gross and net returns. Mulch application @ 6000 kg ha\"1 significantly increased the plant height (88.3 cm), number of spikes (358.7 m\"2) and spike length (10.1 cm) and as a result achieved highest biological (12800 kg ha1) and grain yield (5380 kg ha\"1) and net returns (? 62763.5 ha\"1) than mulch @ 3000 kg ha\"1 and no mulch. Among the irrigation schedules, significantly higher biological (12480 kg ha\"1) and grain yield (5250 kg ha1) was registered under irrigation schedule of 1.0 IW/CPE ratio, might be due to significantly more number of spikes (347.0 m\"2), grains spike\"1 (49.4), grain weight spike\"1 (1.85 g) and 1000-grain weight (38.5 g) which led to significantly higher net returns (? 62817.0 ha\"1) as compared with 0.8 and 0.6 IW/CPE ratio. Productivity and economics were found to be higher under mulch application @ 6000 kg ha\"1 and irrigation schedule of 1.0 IW/CPE ratio in wheat crop.

Background: To improve the control of hypertension in low- and middle-income countries, we trialed a community-based group program co-designed with local policy makers to fit within the framework of India's health system. Trained accredited social health activists (ASHAs), delivered the program, in three economically and developmentally diverse settings in rural India. We evaluated the program's implementation and scalability. Methods: Our mixed methods process evaluation was guided by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council guidelines for complex interventions. Meeting attendance reports, as well as blood pressure and weight measures of attendees and adherence to meeting content and use of meeting tools were used to evaluate the implementation process. Thematic analysis of separate focus group discussions with participants and ASHAs as well as meeting reports and participant evaluation were used to investigate the mechanisms of impact. Results: Fifteen ASHAs led 32 community-based groups in three rural settings in the states of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, Southern India. Overall, the fidelity of intervention delivery was high. Six meetings were delivered over a 3-month period to each of the intervention groups. The mean number of meetings attended by participants at each site varied significantly, with participants in Rishi Valley attending fewer meetings [mean (SD) = 2.83 (1.68)] than participants in West Godavari (Tukeys test, p = 0.009) and Trivandrum (Tukeys test, p < 0.001) and participants in West Godavari [mean (SD) = 3.48 (1.72)] attending significantly fewer meetings than participants in Trivandrum [mean (SD) = 4.29 (1.76), Tukeys test, p < 0.001]. Culturally appropriate intervention resources and the training of ASHAs, and supportive supervision of them during the program were critical enablers to program implementation. Although highly motivated during the implementation of the program ASHA reported historical issues with timely remuneration and lack of supportive supervision. Conclusions: Culturally appropriate community-based group programs run by trained and supported ASHAs are a successful and potentially scalable model for improving the control of hypertension in rural India. However, consideration of issues related to unreliable/insufficient remuneration for ASHAs, supportive supervision and their formal role in the wider health workforce in India will be important to address in future program scale up. Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registry of India [CTRI/2016/02/006678, Registered prospectively].

A dehumidifier was one of the main component in the hybrid liquid desiccant system and solar chimney micro-plant. The performance of the hybrid liquid desiccant system and solar chimney micro-plant was strongly depended on the performance of it dehumidifier, but it is yet to be analyzed in any of the previous studies. Therefore, moisture removal rate (MRR) and dehumidification effectiveness (ε) were two parameters that had been chosen to evaluate the performance of the cross flow, cellulose panel structured bed dehumidifier in this study. Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) desiccant solution was the only liquid desiccant solution used in this application. From the experiment, it was found that the highest effectiveness of the dehumidifier was about 22.78% and the highest moisture removal rate was about 0.22ml/s. Besides that, parametric analysis had been conducted on five inlet parameters: desiccant inlet concentration, desiccant inlet temperature, inlet air humidity ratio, inlet air mass flow rate and inlet air temperature; the most influencing parameter was found to be the inlet air humidity ratio, ya1. MRR increased by 52.68% and ε of the dehumidifier increased by 48.59% when ya1 increased from 0.0175-0.0200. Finally, three improvement strategies had been recommended: increasing the concentration of liquid desiccant, changing the type of liquid desiccant and increasing the thickness of the dehumidifier.

Irrigation water, being a scarce resource, requires proper management for good quality aerobic basmati rice production. Field experiments were conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana to evaluate the effect of different irrigation schedules on grain quality of direct seeded basmati rice ‘Pusa Basmati 1121’. Ten treatments comprising of conventional puddled transplanting and nine in direct seeding were tested in randomized block design with four replications. Direct seeding treatments comprised of combination of withholding first irrigation for 6, 9 or 12 days after sowing and follow up irrigations at 30, 50 or 70 mm cummulative pan evaporation (CPE). The milling quality characters of rice like brown, milled and head rice recoveries were highest in conventional transplanting (81.4, 70.9 and 52.4 %, respectively) statistically at par with irrigation schedule of withholding first irrigation for 6 days and subsequent irrigations at 30 mm CPE (80.3, 69.9 and 51.1 %,respectively) significantly better than rest of the treatments.The other quality characters like protein content, minimum cooking time, elongation ratio etc. were also significantly affected by different irrigation schedules at 5 % level of significance. The maximum values of protein content (7.26 %) and minimum cooking time (23.5 minutes) were obtained in irrigation schedule of withholding first irrigation for 6 days and subsequent irrigations at 30 mm CPE whereas elongation ratio was maximum in conventional transplanting (1.87). In Indian Punjab, good quality direct seeded basmati rice can be obtained by holding the first irrigation for 6 days and then irrigating at 30 mm CPE with yields comparable to transplanted rice.

Management practices need to be developed for successful cultivation of good quality aerobic basmati rice. Field experiments were conducted at Ludhiana, India during the summer seasons of 2011 and 2012 to ascertain the optimum irrigation schedule and dose and timings of nitrogen application to direct seeded basmati rice cultivar Pusa Basmati 1121. Three irrigation schedules (irrigations at 30, 50 and 70 mm CPE), three nitrogen levels (40, 60 and 80 kg N ha⁻¹) and two modules of nitrogen splits (3 splits, i.e. application at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing and 4 splits, i.e. application at 0, 3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing) were tested in randomized block design with four replications on a loamy sand soil. The maximum grain yield, protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery were obtained with irrigations at 30 mm CPE and these were significantly better than 50 and 70 mm CPE irrigation schedules. Among nitrogen levels, the significant increase in grain yield as well as quality parameters, viz. protein content, brown, milled and head rice recovery was recorded only up to a nitrogen dose of 60 kg ha⁻¹. In Indian Punjab, good quality direct seeded basmati rice can be produced by following the irrigation schedule of 30 mm CPE and with the application of 60 kg N ha⁻¹ applied in 3 splits (3, 6 and 9 weeks after sowing).

A lot of research work regarding irrigation scheduling in rice has been carried out at global level with the objective of increasing irrigation water productivity (IWP) and sustaining grain yield. Under natural conditions rain disturb the planned irrigation treatments. One way to overcome this problem is to use rain shelters which is a costly affair, crop growth simulation models offer a good scope to conduct such studies by excluding the effect of rain. Very limited studies are available where FAO’s AquaCrop model has been used to develop irrigation schedule for crops. Therefore, a study was conducted using FAO AquaCrop model to develop irrigation schedule for rice having higher IWP. The model was calibrated and validated using the experimental data of field experiments conducting during 2009 and 2010, respectively. The model underestimated the above ground dry biomass at 30 days after transplanting (DAT) in the range of 21.60 to 24.85 %. At the time of harvest the model overestimated the above ground dry biomass within the range 11.58 to 14.34 %. At harvest the values of normalized root mean square error (15.54%) suggested a good fit for the above ground dry biomass and an excellent agreement (3.34%) between observed and model predicted grain yield. The model suggested to irrigate rice transplanted in puddled loamy sand soil on every 5th day to get higher IWP coupled with statistically similar grain yield as obtained with daily irrigation schedule.

The effect of different chemical insecticides, viz. monocrotophos 36 SL, chlorpyriphos 20 EC, triazophos 40 EC, imidacloprid 200 SL, endosulfan 35 EC, Quinalphos 25 EC, Methyl parathion 50 EC and cartap hydrochloride 4 G on natural enemy fauna and their diversity were studied at different crop growth stages, viz. vegetative, maximum tillering and booting in irrigated rice production system of Punjab, India for two wet seasons. Sampling of natural enemy fauna was done at 3 and 10 days after application. Cartap hydrochloride and endosulfan were safe for the natural enemy fauna among different insecticides tested, while in most of observations chlorpyriphos and methy1 parathion were found to be toxic. Natural enemy diversity was maximum in cartap hydrochloride (1.803–1.943), endosulfan (1.437–1.833) and imidacloprid (1.550–1.847) treated plots at all the three phenophases under study. Least diversity was observed in monocrotophos (1.195–1.335), chlorpyriphos (1.002–1.429) and methyl parathion (0.861–1.522) treated plots.