Oilseed scenario in India for self-reliance in edible oil

Globally, India ranks fourth in oilseed production. About 25 million hectares of land produce 32 million tons of oilseeds, including groundnut, rapeseed, and soybean. The annual per capita demand for edible oil in India is 19.5kg. Domestic production meets only 30% of this demand, and the rest is imported. Of this import, Palm oil has the maximum share (62%) from Indonesia and Malaysia, followed by soya (21%) from Argentina and Brazil, and sunflower oil (16%) from Ukraine and Argentina. Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine directly affect the price of edible oil in international and domestic markets. India can potentially increase domestic oilseeds production, thereby reducing the import burden. The Indian government has taken initiatives like the Technology Mission on Oilseeds, palm oil area expansion under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, development of buffer stock for oilseeds, and other policies to motivate farmers to use location-specific improved varieties and quality seeds production to fulfill the domestic demands of oilseeds. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reseverd.

Understanding the perceived psychological distress and health outcomes of children during COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: The study explored the impacts of restrictions on the perceived psychological distress and health outcomes in children by their mothers who acted as their full-time caregivers during the pan-India lockdown after the outbreak of COVID-19. Method: A narrative qualitative research design was used and a purposive heterogeneous sample of 20 mothers of children aged 9–11 years were chosen, who were in a full-time caregiving role. Data obtained through a telephonic semi-structured interview were analysed using Narrative Thematic Method. Results: Four themes were generated: aberrant social responsivity and loneliness, decreased interest in regular activities, psychological distress and defiant emotional responses, and negative health outcomes. Anxiety, irritation, quarrelsome behaviours, anger, frustration, feeling low, reduced interest in games, boredom, etc. were reported in children. Decreased appetite, sleep disturbances, complaints of indigestion and multiple complaints of body aches were major negative health outcomes. Conclusions: Mothers described a variety of psychological distress and health outcomes for children due to the extreme restrictions, uncertainty, apprehension, reduced positive engagement and lowered social connection after the outbreak of the pandemic. Family-, media-, school- and community-based real or virtual intervention programmes are recommended to minimize the negative impacts and to guard children against the ill-consequences of restrictions of current and future pandemics. © 2021 Australian Psychological Society.

Identification of potential hits against novel coronavirus-targeting glycoprotein for multi-target approach

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus impacting more than 75 million people across 220 countries. The pharma and biotech industries, along with research institutes, strive to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Efforts are also underway for finding drugs through drug repurposing and novel drug discovery methods. In this study, we have used a multi-target drug approach. The objective is to identify phytochemicals from plant sources effective against novel coronavirus. Natural products having good medicinal properties are known to have minimal side effects compared to synthetic drugs. Therefore, the medicinal products from natural sources are of significance in drug discovery research. In this study, compounds from three common plants were selected for analysis, namely, Tinospora cordifolia, Withania somnifera, and Punica granatum. The primary target selected for this study was glycoprotein. Glycoproteins are known to play a key role in the regulation of cell proliferation, growth, and signaling pathways. We also investigated the effect of screened compounds on other targets in order to have a multi-target therapy. The target proteins chosen for drug design are Spike glycoprotein, Main Protease, and uridylate-specific Endoribonuclease (EndoU). The spike glycoprotein (S) of coronavirus, is a trimeric transmembrane protein, which facilitates entry into cells and is the main target of antibodies. The spike glycoprotein is highly sensitive to mutation. The main protease (MPro) of SRAS-CoV-2 plays an essential role in disease propagation by processing the polyproteins necessary for its replication. Inhibiting the main protease by designing agonists/antagonists can serve in the repair mechanism—the uridylate-specific Endoribonuclease (EndoU) of SRAS-CoV-2 causes a delay in the host sensor system. The objective of this study was to identify potential natural hit compounds which could target multiple proteins of coronavirus. Compounds that can target all the three, namely, Spike glycoprotein, EndoU, and MPro will have better therapeutic index and efficacy than a single target approach. Therefore, the compounds were screened against all these three structural targets. The compounds targeting only one of the proteins were filtered and only those compounds showing activity against all the three structural proteins were retained for further analysis. Drug design methods, including Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination (ADME) profiling and molecular docking studies, have been used in the study to identify potential hit molecules. The twenty four hits obtained targeted all the three selected proteins. This will pave the way for developing lead molecules from the screened compounds effective against all three proteins of novel coronavirus: Main protease, Spike glycoprotein, and Endoribonuclease. © 2021, Trends In Carbohydrate Research. All rights reserved.

Identification of potential hits against novel coronavirus-targeting glycoprotein for multi-target approach

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus impacting more than 75 million people across 220 countries. The pharma and biotech industries, along with research institutes, strive to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus. Efforts are also underway for finding drugs through drug repurposing and novel drug discovery methods. In this study, we have used a multi-target drug approach. The objective is to identify phytochemicals from plant sources effective against novel coronavirus. Natural products having good medicinal properties are known to have minimal side effects compared to synthetic drugs. Therefore, the medicinal products from natural sources are of significance in drug discovery research. In this study, compounds from three common plants were selected for analysis, namely, Tinospora cordifolia, Withania somnifera, and Punica granatum. The primary target selected for this study was glycoprotein. Glycoproteins are known to play a key role in the regulation of cell proliferation, growth, and signaling pathways. We also investigated the effect of screened compounds on other targets in order to have a multi-target therapy. The target proteins chosen for drug design are Spike glycoprotein, Main Protease, and uridylate-specific Endoribonuclease (EndoU). The spike glycoprotein (S) of coronavirus, is a trimeric transmembrane protein, which facilitates entry into cells and is the main target of antibodies. The spike glycoprotein is highly sensitive to mutation. The main protease (MPro) of SRAS-CoV-2 plays an essential role in disease propagation by processing the polyproteins necessary for its replication. Inhibiting the main protease by designing agonists/antagonists can serve in the repair mechanism-the uridylate-specific Endoribonuclease (EndoU) of SRAS-CoV-2 causes a delay in the host sensor system. The objective of this study was to identify potential natural hit compounds which could target multiple proteins of coronavirus. Compounds that can target all the three, namely, Spike glycoprotein, EndoU, and MPro will have better therapeutic index and efficacy than a single target approach. Therefore, the compounds were screened against all these three structural targets. The compounds targeting only one of the proteins were filtered and only those compounds showing activity against all the three structural proteins were retained for further analysis. Drug design methods, including Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Elimination (ADME) profiling and molecular docking studies, have been used in the study to identify potential hit molecules. The twenty four hits obtained targeted all the three selected proteins. This will pave the way for developing lead molecules from the screened compounds effective against all three proteins of novel coronavirus: Main protease, Spike glycoprotein, and Endoribonuclease.

The Adverse Effect of COVID Pandemic on the Care of Patients With Kidney Diseases in India.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the care of patients with noncommunicable diseases, including those suffering from kidney-related ailments. Many parts of the world, including India, adopted lockdown to curb community transmission of disease. The lockdown affected transportation, access to health care facilities, and availability of medicines and consumables as well as outpatient and inpatient services. We aimed to analyze the effect of lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of patients with kidney diseases in India. METHODS: We surveyed 19 major hospitals (8 in the public and 11 in the private sector) to determine the effect of lockdown on the care of patients with kidney disease, including those on dialysis after the first 3 weeks of lockdown. RESULTS: The total number of dialysis patients in these centers came down from 2517 to 2404. Approximately 710 (28.2%) patients missed 1 or more dialysis sessions, 69 (2.74%) required emergency dialysis sessions, 104 (4.13%) stopped reporting for dialysis, and 9 (0.36%) were confirmed to have died. Outpatient attendance in the surveyed hospital came down by 92.3%, and inpatient service reduced by 61%. Tele-consultation was started but was accessed by only a small number of patients. CONCLUSION: Lack of preparedness before lockdown resulted in an interruption in health care services and posed an immediate adverse effect on the outcome of dialysis patients and patients with kidney disease in India. The long-term impact on the health of patients with less severe forms of kidney disease remains unknown.