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The parasites of the genus Leishmania survive and proliferate in the host phagocytic cells by taking control over their microbicidal functions. The parasite also promotes differentiation of antigen-specific anti-inflammatory cytokines producing effector T cells, which eventually results in disease pathogenesis. The mechanisms that parasites employ to dominate host adaptive immunity are largely unknown. For the first time, we report that L. donovani , which causes visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent, upregulates the expression of an immune inhibitory receptor i.e., CD300a on antigen presenting and phagocytic cells to dampen their effector functions. The blocking of CD300a signals in leishmania antigens activated macrophages and dendritic cells enhanced the production of nitric oxide, pro-inflammatory cytokines along with MHCI/II genes expression, and reduced parasitic uptake. Further, the abrogation of CD300a signals in Leishmania infected mice benefited antigen-experienced, i.e., CD4 + CD44 + and CD8 + CD44 + T cells to acquire more pro-inflammatory cytokines producing phenotypes and helped in the early clearance of parasites from their visceral organs. The CD300a receptor blocking also enhanced the conversion of CD4 + T effectors cells to their memory phenotypes i.e., CCR7 high CD62L high up to 1.6 and 1.9 fold after 14 and 21 days post-infection, respectively. These findings implicate that CD300a is an important determinant of host phagocytic cells functions and T cells differentiation against Leishmania antigens.

In leishmaniasis, the protective immunity is largely mediated by proinflammatory cytokine producing abilities of T cells and an efficient parasite killing by phagocytic cells. Notwithstanding a substantial progress that has been made during last decades, the mechanisms or factors involved in establishing protective immunity against Leishmania are not identified. In ancient Indian literature, metallic “bhasma,” particularly that of “swarna” or gold (fine gold particles), is indicated as one of the most prominent metal-based therapeutic medicine, which is known to impart protective and curative properties in various health issues. In this work, we elucidated the potential of swarna bhasma (SB) on the effector properties of phagocytes and antigen-activated CD4+ T cells in augmenting the immunogenicity of L.donovani antigens. The characterization of SB revealing its shape, size, composition, and measurement of cytotoxicity established the physiochemical potential for its utilization as an immunomodulator. The activation of macrophages with SB enhanced their capacity to produce nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines, which eventually resulted in reduced uptake of parasites and their proliferation in infected cells. Further, in Leishmania-infected animals, SB administration reduced the generation of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, and enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine generation by antigen activated CD4+ T cells with increased frequency of double (IFNγ+/TNFα+) and triple (IFNγ+TNFα+IL-2+) positive cells and abrogated disease pathogeneses at the early days of infection. Our results also suggested that cow-ghee (A2) emulsified preparation of SB, either alone or with yashtimadhu, a known natural immune modulator which enhances the SB’s potential in enhancing the immunogenicity of parasitic antigens. These findings suggested a definite potential of SB in enhancing the effector functions of phagocytes and CD4+ T cells against L. donovani antigens. Therefore, more studies are needed to elucidate the mechanistic details of SB and its potential in enhancing vaccine-induced immunity.

The involuntary displacement and resettlement of people by the state for development purposes is reflective of the dialectical relationship between the state's use of coercive capacity against its citizens, particularly the poorer sections, and its relatively autonomous power to give concessions to them. Based on an empirical study of a coal mining project in a tribal district of Orissa, this paper focuses on the extent to which the displaced benefit from the policies purportedly designed to help them, by underlining the contradictory role of the state, which, while simultaneously trying to moderate exclusion through its resettlement policies, systematically seeks to deny them agency and freedom.

Oxidative stress originates from an elevated intracellular level of free oxygen radicals that cause lipid peroxidation, protein denaturation, DNA hydroxylation, and apoptosis, ultimately impairing cell viability. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals and reduce oxidative stress, which further helps to prevent cellular damage. Medicinal plants, fruits, and spices are the primary sources of antioxidants from time immemorial. In contrast to plants, microorganisms can be used as a source of antioxidants with the advantage of fast growth under controlled conditions. Further, microbe-based antioxidants are nontoxic, noncarcinogenic, and biodegradable as compared to synthetic antioxidants. The present review aims to summarize the current state of the research on the antioxidant activity of microorganisms including actinomycetes, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, microalgae, and yeast, which produce a variety of antioxidant compounds, i.e., carotenoids, polyphenols, vitamins, and sterol, etc. Special emphasis is given to the mechanisms and signaling pathways followed by antioxidants to scavenge Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), especially for those antioxidant compounds that have been scarcely investigated so far.

The intake of microbial-contaminated food poses severe health issues due to the outbreaks of stern food-borne diseases. Therefore, there is a need for precise detection and identification of pathogenic microbes and toxins in food to prevent these concerns. Thus, understanding the concept of biosensing has enabled researchers to develop nanobiosensors with different nanomaterials and composites to improve the sensitivity as well as the specificity of pathogen detection. The application of nanomaterials has enabled researchers to use advanced technologies in biosensors for the transfer of signals to enhance their efficiency and sensitivity. Nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes, magnetic and gold, dendrimers, graphene nanomaterials and quantum dots are predominantly used for developing biosensors with improved specificity and sensitivity of detection due to their exclusive chemical, magnetic, mechanical, optical and physical properties. All nanoparticles and new composites used in biosensors need to be classified and categorized for their enhanced performance, quick detection, and unobtrusive and effective use in foodborne analysis. Hence, this review intends to summarize the different sensing methods used in foodborne pathogen detection, their design, working principle and advances in sensing systems.

Microorganisms including actinomycetes, archaea, bacteria, fungi, yeast, and microalgae are an auspicious source of vital bioactive compounds. In this review, the existing research regarding antimicrobial molecules from microorganisms is summarized. The potential antimicrobial compounds from actinomycetes, particularly Streptomyces spp.; archaea; fungi including endophytic, filamentous, and marine-derived fungi, mushroom; and microalgae are briefly described. Furthermore, this review briefly summarizes bacteriocins, halocins, sulfolobicin, etc., that target multiple-drug resistant pathogens and considers next-generation antibiotics. This review highlights the possibility of using microorganisms as an antimicrobial resource for biotechnological, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications. However, more investigations are required to isolate, separate, purify, and characterize these bioactive compounds and transfer these primary drugs into clinically approved antibiotics.

Using real-world price-elasticity data across various categories, and country-level measures from 48 countries, we demonstrate that cultural tightness leads to greater price sensitivity, even after controlling for other cultural and socio-economic variables. We replicate this in four controlled experiments, and also establish the mediating role of consumer frugality. Firms need to better understand how consumers will react to their future price actions. This knowledge is especially crucial in inflationary times when companies are compelled to engage in frequent and substantial price increases. Despite decades of economic research on price elasticity, we have a very scant understanding of personality factors that drive consumer price sensitivity. Consequently, researchers have called for more work into understanding factors influencing consumers' price sensitivity (Gao, Zhang, and Mittal, 2017; Lee, Lalwani, and Wang, 2020). In the pursuit of this agenda, we examine one such factor: does consumers' cultural Tightness (vs. looseness) affect their price sensitivity? The answer to this question is especially important due to the deeprooted link between ecological hardship and cultural tightness looseness. In recent years, Tightness-Looseness has emerged as an important crosscultural construct. Gelfand et al. (2011) conceptualized Tightness as a theory about adaptation- the adaptation of societies (i.e., strengthening of social norms and intolerance of norm deviance) to the characteristics of their ecological environments and the adaptation of individuals to the resultant societal characteristics. The contention is further supported by a recent study by Jackson et al. (2019), demonstrating a tightening of cultural norms in response to ecological threats. Given the increased number of threats in consumers' environments (e.g., COVID-19, global economic slowdown, and political instability), the tightness-looseness framework presents itself as an imperative theory to study consumers' price sensitivity. Specifically, we hypothesize that individuals from tight (vs. loose) cultures exhibit higher price sensitivity. Additionally, we propose a novel mechanism and hypothesize that increased importance placed on the virtue of frugality in tight (vs. loose) cultures manifests as higher price sensitivity. Frugality entails a judicious usage of resources and avoidance of waste (De Young 1986); and represents an individual's general preference for resource conservation and application of economic rationale (i.e., opportunity cost consideration) during resource acquisition (Michaelis et al., 2020). Our conceptualization is based on research suggesting that frugality as an individual trait stems from one's life experience and culture (Michaelis et al., 2020) and is likely to be a more highly valued virtue in resource-scarce cultural contexts (Ratchford, Schnitker, and Reppas 2021). Additional support for this argument comes from past research demonstrating a positive relationship between self-regulatory strength and frugality (Michaelis et al., 2020) and the evidence suggesting higher self-regulatory strength among individuals from tight (vs. loose) societies (e.g., Gelfand, Nishii, and Raver 2006). We test the hypothesized relationship using four experimental studies and one real-world archival data analysis. In study 1, following Gao et al. (2017; Study 1), we examine the proposed relationship using country-level price elasticity for food, beverages, and tobacco, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA's) International Food Consumption Patterns Data Set. For our analysis, we collected the country-level tightness scores from Gelfand et al. (2021) and covariates suggested by Gao et al. (2017). The regression analysis with the tightness index as the predictor variable and per-capita income, and the country's competitiveness index as covariates, demonstrates a significant negative association between the Tightness Index and price elasticity (b = -.014, t (44) = -3.90, p < .001). Thus, demonstrating that tight cultures exhibit greater price sensitivity. We ran additional models to control for Hofstede's cultural dimensions and globalization index. The result is robust even after inclusion of significant covariates (b = -.009, t (26) = -2.35, p < .05). In study 2a (N= 199), we replicate the results of country-level data at an individual level by measuring cultural Tightness (Youn, Park, and Eom, 2019; α = .72) and price sensitivity (Wakefield and Inman, 2003, study 2; α = .83). The regression results indicated cultural Tightness and price sensitivity are positively related (b = .378, t (197) = 3.315, p < .01), indicating that individuals from tight culture exhibit higher price sensitivity. As consumers demonstrate differential price sensitivity for hedonic vs. utilitarian purchases (Wakefield and Inman, 2003). In study 2b, we replicated the previous findings using two purchase categories (i.e., grocery supplies and dine-in restaurants) and additionally controlled for relevant covariates (including household income and sociocultural traits: power-distance belief, global-local identity). The regression result indicates that the relationship between cultural tightness and price sensitivity is robust across the two purchase categories and with inclusion of relevant covariates (bdine-in restaurant's= .407, t (183) = 2.805, p < .01; bgrocery= .424, t (183) = 3.295, p< .01). In preceding studies, we measured price sensitivity using an established scale. In pursuit of greater generalizability, in study 3 (N=189), we test the hypothesized effect by manipulating price in a single product category (i.e., fruits). Specifically, participants indicate the number of apples they will purchase at five incremental price increases (i.e., 10 cents increments from$1.30 to $ 1.80). The difference between the quantity purchased at the two extreme price points served as the dependent variable. The regression results revealed a significant positive relationship between cultural tightness and price sensitivity (b = .543, t (187) = 2.389, p <. 01). In study 4 (N = 210), we test the proposed mediation model. Participants first completed the five-item measure of price sensitivity (Lichtenstein, Ridgway, and Netemeyer 1993), followed by the measures of frugality (Lastovicka et al. 2003) and cultural Tightness (Youn et al., 2019). The mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 4 (Hayes, 2018), with cultural Tightness as the independent variable, frugality index as the mediator, and price sensitivity as the dependent variable, showed a significant indirect effect (.2976, 95% [CI]: [.1603, .4574]), and the direct effect became insignificant (p > 0.10). Our research contributes to the growing literature on cultural Tightness and consumer behavior by introducing consumers' price sensitivity as a key manifestation of cultural Tightness. Second, we add to the literature on consumer frugality and introduce cultural Tightness as a factor influencing consumer frugality and its downstream effect on price sensitivity. At a substantive level, the availability of cultural tightness scores across different countries and across different U.S. states can help marketers identify segments that are less price sensitive.

High altitude (HA) conditions induce several physiological and molecular changes, prevalent in individuals who are unexposed to this environment. Individuals exposed towards HA hypoxia yields physiological and molecular orchestration to maintain adequate tissue oxygen delivery and supply at altitude. This study aimed to understand the temporal changes at altitude of 4,111m. Physiological parameters and transcriptome study was conducted at high altitude day 3, 7, 14 and 21. We observed changes in differentially expressed gene (DEG) at high altitude time points along with altered BP, HR, SpO.sub.2, mPAP. Physiological changes and unsupervised learning of DEG's discloses high altitude day 3 as distinct time point. Gene enrichment analysis of ontologies and pathways indicate cellular dynamics and immune response involvement in early day exposure and later stable response. Major clustering of genes involved in cellular dynamics deployed into broad categories: cell-cell interaction, blood signaling, coagulation system, and cellular process. Our data reveals genes and pathways perturbed for conditions like vascular remodeling, cellular homeostasis. In this study we found the nodal point of the gene interactive network and candidate gene controlling many cellular interactive pathways VIM, CORO1A, CD37, STMN1, RHOC, PDE7B, NELL1, NRP1 and TAGLN and the most significant among them i.e. VIM gene was identified as top hub gene. This study suggests a unique physiological and molecular perturbation likely to play a critical role in high altitude associated pathophysiological condition during early exposure compared to later time points.

Increased population and increasing demands for food in the Indo-Gangetic plain are likely to exert pressure on fresh water due to rise in demand for drinking and irrigation water. The study focuses on Bhojpur district, Bihar located in the central Ganga basin, to assess the groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purpose and discuss the issues and challenges. Groundwater is mostly utilized in the study area for drinking and irrigation purposes (major crops sown in the area are rice and wheat). There were around 45 groundwater samples collected across the study region in the pre-monsoon season (year 2019). The chemical analytical results show that Ca2+, Mg2+ and HCO3− ions are present in abundance in groundwater and governing the groundwater chemistry. Further analysis shows that 66%, 69% and 84% of the samples exceeded the acceptable limit of arsenic (As), Fe and Mn respectively and other trace metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) are within the permissible limit of drinking water as prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standard for drinking water. Generally, high As concentration has been found in the aquifer (depth ranges from 20 to 40 m below ground surface) located in proximity of river Ganga. For assessing the irrigation water quality, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) values, residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Na%, permeability index (PI) and calcium alteration index (CAI) were calculated and found that almost all the samples are found to be in good to excellent category for irrigation purposes. The groundwater facie has been classified into Ca-Mg-HCO3 type.

Diabetes is a major public health concern and natural easy-going remedies are being searched. Since Blume has a low coumarin concentration and possible insulin-enhancing properties, it is preferred over all other cinnamon species. Although similar research has been done on humans, there have been very few studies on this particular species, and none among South Asians. Moreover, no human trial that properly described their intervening agent ( ) and checked its efficacy at the molecular level along with clinical variables was conducted. Therefore, the current research aimed to explore the effects of on the glycemic index, lipid profile, and expression of the protein tyrosine phosphatase 1 B (PTP1B) enzyme in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in type 2 diabetes. We examined the presence of bioactive compounds in young bark (Alba grade) from native Sri Lanka using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, high-performance thin-layer chromatography, and thin-layer chromatography before introducing it in the clinical study where trans-Cinnamaldehyde was found to be a major chemical constituent (>60%). Then, from January 2020 to March 2022, a randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial was carried out in the Diabetic Clinic at AIIMS Rishikesh. A total of 154 diabetic patients were enrolled and were taken either cinnamon or placebo capsules (1.5 g/day) for 120 days on an empty stomach with warm water along with their conventional treatment. Reduction in fasting blood glucose levels in the cinnamon group was found -35.50% (95% CI, -173 to 58.4), whereas in the placebo group change was 5.00% (95% CI, -165 to 224). For glycosylated hemoglobin, it differed -0.85% (95% CI, -8.2 to 1.6) in the cinnamon group compared to the placebo where it was found 0.15% (95% CI, -6.1 to 5.5). PTP1B expression in PBMC was determined from pre- and post-trial blood samples using the Western Blot, and significant inhibition was also observed (p=0.039). The study result depicts, is emerging as a beneficial plant for type 2 diabetes in Northern India and could be used as an adjunctive treatment rather than as a standalone managerial remedy.