In-silico investigation on the discovery of synthesized nucleoside-based antivirals against monkeypox and SARS-CoV-2 Virus (preprint)

The monkeypox virus and the SARS-CoV-2 virus serve as illustrative instances of agents that give rise to outbreaks. In the current study, we sought new broad-spectrum nucleoside-based antivirals that target viral particle attachment and target cell penetration. We used virtual molecular docking tools to assess the binding capability of the synthesized nucleoside-based medicines to the surface viral proteins and cell receptors. The results showed that the nucleoside-based antiviral drugs bounded well with the primary protease of SARS CoV-2 Mpro (PDB ID: 6LU7) and A42R Profilin-like protein of monkeypox virus (PDB ID: 4QWO). The interaction scores were observed to be of -7.82 kcal/mol by 8-amino G for 6LU7 and -7.95 kcal/mol by 8-Bromo A for 4QWO. The ligands tested were found to have high gastrointestinal absorption, with no blood-brain barrier permeability. The binding mode analysis revealed that most of the peptides that showed high interaction score were non-mutagenic but were found to be developmental toxicant. These compounds can be taken into consideration in the future for additional optimization and in-vitro experimental validation for the development of anti-susceptible drugs and vaccines.

Derivation and Characterization of Novel Cytocompatible Decellularized Tissue Scaffold for Cellular Farming (preprint)

Consumption of conventional animal meat is associated with various zoonotic and chronic diseases which is putting an extra burden on the health sector. Previously, COVID-19, an animal-derived zoonotic disease, exerted detrimental effects globally. Thus, an alternative approach to produce safe and disease-free meat could pave the way to reduce the burden on the health sector. Cellular farming has been suggested and emerged as a potential alternative approach to produce the disease-free cultured meat. However, an appropriate scaffold is key to develop an alternative animal protein in the form of cultured meat or lab-grown meat. Decellularized tissues have been suggested as a potential scaffold for cultured meat production as it provides a suitable environment and niche for the proliferation and growth of the cells and helps to develop the 3D tissues in the laboratory. In the present study, decellularized mushroom tissue has been derived, characterized and the myogenic differentiation capacity of the scaffold was evaluated. The outcome of the study would provide an edible and natural scaffold to produce a safe and disease-free source of animal protein.

Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Findings in Vision-Threatening Rhino-Orbital Cerebral Mucor Mycosis-A Prospective Analysis.

Rhino-orbital cerebral mucor mycosis is a rare disease entity, where retinal involvement is described in the literature mostly as CRAO. However, pathological studies have shown mucor invading the choroid and retina with a neutrophilic reaction. So, it is pertinent that retinal inflammation secondary to invading mucor has some role in microstructural changes seen in the vitreous and retina of these patients. This novel study aims to describe the vitreal and retinal features of patients with vision-threatening rhino-orbital cerebral mucor mycosis and how they evolve on spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). This study shall also provide insight into the pathophysiology of these vitreoretinal manifestations by in vitro analysis of the exenterated orbital content. Fifteen eyes of fifteen patients with vision-threatening ROCM treated with standard care were enrolled in this study and underwent complete ophthalmic examination, serial colour fundus photography, and SD-OCT for both qualitative and quantitative analysis, at baseline and follow-up visits. SD-OCT on serial follow-up revealed thickening and increased inner-retinal reflectivity at presentation followed by thinning of both, other features such as the loss of the inner-retinal organized layer structure, external limiting membrane (ELM) disruption, necrotic spaces in the outer retina, and hyperreflective foci. Vitreous cells with vitreous haze were also seen. There was a significant reduction in CMT, inner and outer retinal thickness, total retinal thickness (all p < 0.05) with time, the quantum of reduction concentrated primarily to the inner retina. In summary, in vivo and in vitro analysis revealed that early microstructural changes were primarily a result of retinal infarctions secondary to thrombotic angioinvasion. With the late microstructural changes, there was possible sequelae of retinal infarction with some contribution from the inflammation, resulting from mucor invading the choroid and retina.

Development of a novel angiotensin converting enzyme 2 stimulator with broad implications in SARS-CoV2 and type 1 diabetes (preprint)

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is protective in cardiovascular disease, lung injury and diabetes yet paradoxically underlies our susceptibility to SARs-CoV2 infection and the fatal heart and lung disease it can induce. Furthermore, diabetic patients have chronic, systemic inflammation and altered ACE2 expression resulting in increased risk of severe COVID-19 and the associated mortality. A drug that could increase ACE2 activity and inhibit cellular uptake of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARs-CoV2), thus decrease infection, would be of high relevance to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and SARs-CoV2 infection. While the need for such a drug lead was highlighted over a decade ago receiving over 600 citations,1 to date, no such drugs are available.2 Here, we report the development of a novel ACE2 stimulator, designated ‘2A’(international PCT filed), which is a 10 amino acid peptide derived from a snake venom, and demonstrate its in vitro and in vivo efficacy against SARs-CoV2 infection and associated lung inflammation. Peptide 2A also provides remarkable protection against glycaemic dysregulation, weight loss and disease severity in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes. No untoward effects of 2A were observed in these pre-clinical models suggesting its strong clinical translation potential. 

Exploring trade prospects of Chhurpi and the present status of Chhurpi producers and exporters of Nepal

Chhurpi is the hardest cheese known in the world that is typically made in the mountain region of Nepal by coagulating milk with the help of coagulating agents and thereby partly draining the whey from the milk of Yaks, Chauris, Cows, and Buffaloes. Especially hard Chhurpi of Nepal is gaining popularity abroad as a dog food. However, the crosscutting issues of Chhurpi production and trade have remained largely unexplored. Therefore, to increase our understanding and add some information on the Chhurpi enterprise in Nepal, the present study was undertaken to investigate the current status of producers and exporters of Chhurpi and the crosscutting issues of the Chhurpi trade. The study was conducted during the month of July/August (2021) by preparing a different set of questionnaires for exporters and producers, for which five municipalities of Ilam were purposively selected for producers, while Kathmandu was selected for exporters as a study area. The study was performed during COVID-19 pandemic, so a survey was done via telephonic and electronic means at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University. After analysis of obtained data, results revealed that exporting companies are making annual average growth of 10–11% from the last five fiscal years resulting in an increment of export. With an increase in annual sales, exporters are earning 10–15% profit of sales which is surging each year. The percentage of annual export decreased recently in the fiscal year 2020/21 due to COVID-19 as demand was low so production was made lower. The study area was dominated by educated, middle-aged respondents who mostly were males. Brahmin and Chhetri were major ethnic groups among producers most of whom are involved in cooperatives. Most of the producers were earning up to NPR 5 lakhs (USD 3817) annually only from Chhurpi. Price variation among wholesalers and retailers was prevalent in the production area. Most producers have reared cattle and their major problem includes feed shortage, disease in animal and breed improvement. Production areas should be made Foot and Mouth Disease free zone by the government through specific laws to further increase export to new countries.

Analysis of inflammatory protein profiles in the circulation of COVID-19 patients identifies patients with severe disease phenotypes (preprint)

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) can present with a broad range of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic to severe multiple organ failure. The severity of the disease can vary depending on factors such as age, sex, and ethnicity, as well as pre-existing medical conditions. Despite efforts to identify reliable prognostic factors and biomarkers, the predictive capacity of these markers for clinical outcomes remains poor. Circulating proteins, which reflect the active mechanisms in an individual can be easily measured in clinical practice, and therefore may be useful as biomarkers for COVID-19 disease severity. In this study, we sought to identify protein biomarkers and endotypes for COVID-19 severity and evaluate their reproducibility in an independent cohort. Methods: We investigated a cohort of 153 Greek patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in which plasma protein levels were measured using the Olink Explore 1536 panel, which consists of 1472 proteins. We compared protein profiles from severe and moderate COVID-19 patients to identify proteins associated with disease severity. To evaluate the reproducibility of our findings, we compared the protein profiles of 174 patients with comparable COVID-19 severities in a US COVID-19 cohort to identify proteins consistently correlated with COVID-19 severity in both groups. Results: We identified 31 differentially regulated proteins, 20 of which were also significantly different in our initial cohort. Moreover, we performed unsupervised clustering of patients based on 97 proteins with the highest fold changes in order to identify COVID-19 endotypes. Clustering of patients based on differentially regulated proteins revealed the presence of three clinical endotypes. While endotypes 2 and 3 were enriched for severe COVID-19 patients, endotypes 3 represented the most severe form of the disease. Conclusions: These results suggest that identified circulating proteins may be useful for identifying COVID-19 patients with worse outcomes, and this potential utility may extend to other populations. Trial registration: NCT04357366

COVID-19: Containment, Life, Work and Restart Urban and Regional Studies

COVID-19 manifests as a viral respiratory disease that first was imported from Wuhan, Peoples Republic of China and then it spreads from human to human when they come in to contact everywhere in every continent. The response has been national and state governance with cooperation from the local government based on disaster management laws. The public health system became the frontline Corona Warriors and was respected by all for their services, but the system capacity was evaluated for its capability to have an unusually substantial number of patients. Many disciplines jointly must contribute a knowledge-based solution based on time-series data on infected, recovered and died as well as more reliable serum tests. When a nation declares one peak has reached the local data shows it has not and so local governance shall be the effective measure based on local data for COVID-19 governance. This book concentrates on local governance for COVID-19. This book believes that COVID-19 cannot be eliminated like smallpox or polio. It can appear and disappear seasonally like common cough and cold, with never-ending mutation of the virus, but it can cause deaths even after we had full vaccinations. The public health systems came out with preventive culture such as wearing masks, practising social distancing, washing hands with disinfectants etc. to combat this virus. The police were deployed to implement preventive measures enumerated above. In this process, both police and public health workers got infected and can even threaten the entire population with more deaths and collapse of the public health system. This book advocates concentrating on urban centres for COVID-19 because of high population density and public realms where the danger of COVID-19 spread from human contact is maximum. The use of humans for data collection and management involving surveys and analysis, policing and intervention of public health persons are all risky prepositions for the individuals involved. This book concentrates on the public realm for work and living and finds an alternate solution that can automate COVID-19 prevention methods with less human involvement. This book gives more importance to local governance based on local data and the use of tools available for local governance such as Master Plans, Zonal Plans, Public realm management using ICT-IoT systems, E-Democracy and E-government. These require modifications to the existing body of knowledge based on COVID-19 prevention capabilities. Hence zonal plans may get modified and non-human control of the public realm may be institutionalized. This chapter brings together the state of knowledge on all these discussed and the rest of the chapters use many of them to demonstrate locally based solutions based on locally generated data. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Collaborative Research: ‘COVID-19: Containment, Life, Work and Restart: Regional Studies’ and Conclusions

This chapter has two parts. In the first part, the goals and the organizational details of the international collaborative research project ‘COVID-19: Containment, Life, Work and Restart: Regional Studies’ are discussed. In the second part in consultation with the team leaders of the area studies including the city study, their general conclusions of the area study on COVID-19 are presented. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Collaborative Research: “COVID-19: Containment, Life, Work and Restart: Urban Studies” and Conclusions

This chapter has two parts. In the first part, the goals and the organisational details of the international collaborative research project “COVID-19: Containment, Life, Work and Urban Restart” are discussed. In the second part in consultation with the team leaders of the area studies including the city study, their general conclusions of the area study on COVID-19 are presented. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

COVID-19: Containment, Life, Work and Restart: Urban and Regional Studies

COVID-19 manifests as a viral respiratory disease that first was imported from Wuhan, People’s Republic of China, and then it spreads from human to human when they come into contact everywhere in every continent. The response has been national and state governance with cooperation from the local government based on disaster management laws. The public health system became the frontline Corona Warriors and was respected by all for their services, but the system capacity was evaluated for its capability to have an unusually substantial number of patients. Many disciplines jointly must contribute a knowledge-based solution based on time series data on infected, recovered and died as well as more reliable serum tests. When a nation declares one peak has reached, the local data shows it has not and so local governance shall be the effective measure based on local data for COVID-19 governance. This book concentrates on local governance for COVID-19. This book believes that COVID-19 cannot be eliminated like smallpox or polio. It can appear and disappear seasonally like common cough and cold, with never-ending mutation of the virus, but it can cause deaths even after we had full vaccinations. The public health systems came out with preventive culture such as wearing masks, practising social distancing, washing hands with disinfectants to combat this virus. The police were deployed to implement preventive measures enumerated above. In this process, both police and public health workers got infected and can even threaten the entire population with more deaths and collapse of the public health system. This book advocates concentrating on urban centres for COVID-19 because of high population density and public realms where the danger of COVID-19 spread from human contact is maximum. The use of humans for data collection and management involving surveys and analysis, policing and intervention of public health persons is all risky prepositions for the individuals involved. This book concentrates on the public realm for work and living and finds an alternate solution that can automate COVID-19 prevention methods with less human involvement. This book gives more importance to local governance based on local data and the use of tools available for local governance such as Master Plans, zonal plans, public realm management using ICT-IoT systems, E-Democracy and E-government. These require modifications to the existing body of knowledge based on COVID-19 prevention capabilities. Hence, zonal plans may get modified and non-human control of the public realm may be institutionalised. This chapter brings together the state of knowledge on all these discussed, and the rest of the chapters use many of them to demonstrate locally based solutions based on locally generated data. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Reply to Letter to the Editor: A Fatal Case of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis-A Diagnosis to Ponder in Pandemic.

How to cite this article: Kumar A, Sabharwal P, Gupta P, Singh VK, Rao BK. Reply to Letter to the Editor: A Fatal Case of Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis-A Diagnosis to Ponder in Pandemic. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(9):1062.

Demographic analysis and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 and myocardial infarction from a tertiary care centre in south India

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Back ground – COVID-19  is reported in India from March 2020. It is known to cause  myocarditis , arrythmias and heart failure. COVID-19 infection has been proposed to be associated with myocardial infarction. PURPOSE –We intent to study outcomes of acute coronary syndrome associated with  COVID-19 patients . METHODS – This is a  single center case-control study done in an University hospital in south India ,  from May 2020 to October 2020 . Data of patients who came with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with COVID- 19 were collected retrospectively from the hospital database. The clinical outcomes of the these patients were compared with the patients who were admitted in the hospital for ACS without  COVID -19  in the same period. RESULITS – 508  patients were admitted between May 2020 to October 2020  with ACS and out of which  58 patients were positive for COVID-19 and 450 patients were COVID-19 negative.  In COVID positive group, most of the patients were above 50 years  with 17 % of them being female sex.  60 %  were having diabetes and 44.8 % had hypertension . 55%  of them had STEMI with the rest being  NSTE- ACS . 43.1 %  patients were thrombolysed . 25% patients underwent revascularization either with  PCI / CABG . 10.3% died in the COVID - 19 positive group ,  at the same time there were only  2.2 % deaths in the control group . Most the patients were asymptomatic COVID-19 at presentation . Among the symptomatic COVID-19  patients the onset of myocardial infarction after COVID-19 ranged from 9 – 90 days . CONCLUSION – Acute coronary syndrome in COVID-19 patients  can present as late  as 3 months after index infection,  and these patients had higher mortality compared with those who did not have COVID -19 .

MUC5AC genetic variation is associated with tuberculosis meningitis CSF cytokine responses and mortality (preprint)

ABSTRACT Rationale Lung mucins are an understudied component of the mucosal immune response and may influence tuberculosis pathogenesis and outcomes. Objectives To assess if variants in lung mucins MUC5B and MUC5AC are associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis immune responses, susceptibility, and outcomes. Methods We characterized four haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MUC5B and MUC5AC for association with log 2 TNF concentrations in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) from TBM patients. SNPs associated with CSF TNF concentrations were carried forward for analyses of pulmonary and meningeal TB susceptibility and TBM mortality. Measurements and Main Results MUC5AC SNP rs28737416 T allele was associated with lower CSF concentrations of TNF(p=1.8*10 −8 ) and IFNγ(p=2.3*10 −6 ), and higher TBM, but not pulmonary TB, susceptibility (OR 1.24, 95% confidence interval 1.03, 1.49; p=0.021). Mortality from TBM was higher among participants with the rs28737416 T/T and T/C genotype (35/119, 30.4%) versus the C/C genotype (11/89, 12.4%; log-rank p=0.005) in a Vietnamese cohort (N=211). This finding was confirmed in an independent Vietnamese validation cohort (N=87; 9/87, 19.1% vs 1/20, 2.5%; log-rank p=0.02) and an Indonesian validation cohort (N=468, 127/287, 44.3% vs 65/181, 35.9%, log-rank p=0.06). Conclusions The MUC5AC rs28737416 T/T and T/C genotypes were associated with higher susceptibility and mortality from TBM and lower CSF concentrations of TNF and IFNγ compared to the C/C genotype, suggesting that MUC5AC contributes to immune changes that influence TBM outcomes.

Theaflavin 3-gallate inhibits the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 and reduces its count in vitro (preprint)

Main protease (M pro ) of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for its replication/infection and has been recognized as an attractive drug target. In this study, we identified theaflavin 3-gallate as an inhibitor of M pro protein of SARS-CoV-2 with IC 50 value of 18.48 ± 1.29 µM. Compared to theaflavin, theaflavin 3-gallate exhibited superior antiviral activity and at a concentration of 200 µM reduced the viral count by 75% (viral particles reduced from 10 6.7 to 10 6.1 ). Time-dependent analyses of conventional and steered MD-simulations revealed stronger interactions of theaflavin 3-gallate with the active site residues of M pro than the standard molecule GC373 and theaflavin. Taken together, our findings suggest that theaflavin 3-gallate can be developed into a potential lead molecule against SARS-CoV-2.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of dental practitioners, interns and post-graduate trainees about COVID-19 pandemic in Chennai.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease-2019 COVID-19) pandemic has been sweeping around the globe and the cases have been reported in India since the second week of March, with Chennai being one of the most affected cities. Healthcare professionals, particularly the dental personnel have a higher risk of infection due to close face-to-face contact and the risk of inhalation of aerosolised particles. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice about COVID-19 among interns, post-graduate trainees and dental practitioners. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using Google forms among three groups: interns, post-graduate trainees and dental practitioners. Data obtained was analysed by Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis and post hoc test using SPSS IBM software. RESULTS: Of total score of 9 for knowledge-based questions, the score obtained by interns, post-graduate trainees and practitioners were 7.2, 7.2 and 7.5, respectively, with no statistically significant difference among the groups (P = 0.24). Of total score of 4 for attitude-based questions, the score obtained by interns, post-graduate trainees and practitioners were 1.6, 2.0, and 1.9, respectively, with statistically significant difference among the groups (0.009). Of total score of 7 for practice-based questions, the score obtained by interns, post-graduate trainees and practitioners were 3.2, 3.3, and 3.1, respectively, with no statistically significant difference among them (P = 0.63). CONCLUSION: Though the knowledge about COVID-19 appeared adequate, the attitude and practice component needs improvement. Continuing dental education programs and webinars can be conducted to update the dental professionals about the protocols to be followed during COVID-19 pandemic.

Demographic analysis and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 and myocardial infarction from a tertiary care centre in south India

Back ground-COVID-19 is reported in India from March 2020. It is known to cause myocarditis , arrythmias and heart failure. COVID-19 infection has been proposed to be associated with myocardial infarction. PURPOSE -We intent to study outcomes of acute coronary syndrome associated with COVID-19 patients . METHODS-This is a single center case-control study done in an University hospital in south India , from May 2020 to October 2020 . Data of patients who came with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with COVID- 19 were collected retrospectively from the hospital database. The clinical outcomes of the these patients were compared with the patients who were admitted in the hospital for ACS without COVID -19 in the same period. RESULITS-508 patients were admitted between May 2020 to October 2020 with ACS and out of which 58 patients were positive for COVID-19 and 450 patients were COVID-19 negative. In COVID positive group, most of the patients were above 50 years with 17 % of them being female sex. 60 % were having diabetes and 44.8 % had hypertension . 55% of them had STEMI with the rest being NSTEACS . 43.1 % patients were thrombolysed . 25% patients underwent revascularization either with PCI / CABG . 10.3% died in the COVID-19 positive group , at the same time there were only 2.2 % deaths in the control group . Most the patients were asymptomatic COVID-19 at presentation . Among the symptomatic COVID-19 patients the onset of myocardial infarction after COVID-19 ranged from 9-90 days . CONCLUSION-Acute coronary syndrome in COVID-19 patients can present as late as 3 months after index infection, and these patients had higher mortality compared with those who did not have COVID -19.

Rhino-orbital mucormycosis: Our experiences with clinical features and management in a tertiary care center

Objective: To determine the prevalence, risk factors, and elaborate our experiences with diagnosis and treatment of patients with mucormycosis, enabling a better understanding of the disease and its management. Methods: This is a case series of patients with Covid-19 associated with Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis, managed in our tertiary care center from April 2021 to June 2021. Results: Six cases of Covid-19 associated with Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis have been analyzed in the study. The mean age of patients was 40.67 years with a male preponderance (83.3%). The most common complaint was headache (100%), while a minority (33%) came with ocular complaints. All the patients either had a previous history of diabetes mellitus or developed increased blood sugar levels following Covid infection, and were kept on insulin to control their blood sugar levels. 4 patients (66.67%) had a history of corticosteroid use during Covid-19 hospitalization. Treatment included intravenous liposomal Amphotericin B (100%), functional endoscopic sinus surgery (66.67%), maxillectomy (33.33%) and transcutaneous retrobulbar liposomal Amphotericin B (33.33%). Amphotericin B induced nephrotoxicity, which was seen in 1 patient (16.67%). Mortality occurred in only one patient (16.67%), 25 days following successful surgery. Conclusion: Diabetes Mellitus is the most important predisposing factor for the development of Covid-19 associated Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis. Early presentation, prompt diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment with liposomal Amphotericin B and surgical debridement along with strict blood sugar control can lead to a favorable outcome. However, regular follow-up and monitoring of serum electrolytes and kidney profile must be ensured for such patients.

Trends and performance of India's agricultural trade in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic

Agricultural sector has played an important role in the economic development of the country not only by earning precious foreign exchange by exporting agricultural commodities but also for achieving the goal of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The present study attempts to analyse the trends and performance of agricultural trade during 1990-91 to 2020-21, with the last year coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on secondary data. the study highlights that despite of COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural exports from India increased from Rs.253976 crore in 2019-20 to Rs.305469 crore in 2020-21 and net agriculture export surplus has also increased to Rs.147681 crore in 2020-21 from Rs.105530 crore in 2019-20, registering a growth of 20.75 per cent and 39.94 per cent, respectively compared to the previous year. Further, exports of agri-products registered a 35.76 per cent increase in the first quarter (April-June) of 2021-22 as compared to the same period in 2020-21 due to reasons such as on higher overseas demand. The main drivers of increase in agri-exports in 2020-21 were wheat, vegetable oils, other cereals, non-basmati rice and molasses and during first quarter of 2021-22, other cereals, meat, dairy and poultry products, cereal preparations, miscellaneous processed items, oil meals and marine products. Agri-imports in the first quarter of 2021-21 also grew, being highest for vegetable oils, followed by fruits and vegetables and cotton raw and waste in comparison to the same period in 2020-21. The largest markets for India's agricultural products are USA, China, Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nepal, Iran and Malaysia. The study also revealed that share of agricultural exports to agricultural gross value added (GVA) increased from 3.88 per cent in 1990-91 to 8.48 per cent in 2020-21. While the share of agricultural imports to agricultural GVA decreased from 6.54 per cent in 2016-17 to 4.36 per cent in 2020-21 indicating decreased dependence on import of agricultural products in India. During 1990-91 to 2020-21, agri-exports grew (13.99 per cent) less than the agri-import (16.85 per cent). However, agriculture trade grew more than the total merchandise trade in the country. These results have important policy implications. Emphasis needs to be given for diversification of agricultural exports for more products and more destinations with improved infrastructure, trained human resources and support facilities to move up the value chain and meet international standards like sanitary and phytosanitary measures, etc. The efficiency at production level needs to be raised in order to make the product price competitive in the international market. The producers and exporters need to be educated and trained to maintain the quality of the products as per global standards.

SARS-CoV-2 transgressing LncRNAs uncovers the known unknowns.

SARS-CoV-2 harbors many known unknown regions in the form of hypothetical open reading frames (ORFs). Although the mechanisms underlying the disease pathogenesis are not clearly understood, molecules such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a key regulatory role in the viral pathogenesis from endocytosis. We asked whether or not the lncRNAs in the host are associated with the viral proteins and argue that lncRNA-mRNAs molecules related to viral infection may regulate SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Toward the end of the perspective, we provide challenges and insights into investigating these transgression pathways.