Assessment of Mental Health and Various Coping Strategies among general population living Under Imposed COVID-Lockdown Across world: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The 2019 corona virus disease (COVID-19) which outbreak in December 2019, in the Chinese city of Wuhan has became a global threat and is currently the largest known outbreak of atypical pneumonia affecting every continent of the world with about 6,416,828 cases and 382,867 deaths. Disease enforced lockdowns are known to cause heightened levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Our study aimed to investigate the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic enforced lockdown on mental health and quality of life among general population aged 18 years and to identify various coping strategies used under lockdown. An online survey was conducted between 1st of April-10th of May, 2020; using a validated questionnaire based on DASS-42, employing a snowball sampling technique. A total of 418 responses from 16 different countries were received. The respondents had a high level of depression and anxiety scores, which were significantly different among genders. Also, participants from developing countries-India and Pakistan had severe depression while as participants from India, Pakistan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had severe anxiety. We also found that among the various coping strategies, (a) watching television for entertainment, (b) social networking, (c) listening to music, (d) sleeping, (e) doing mundane house chores like cleaning, washing, etc. (f) eating well, and (g) clearing/finishing thepiled-up work were ranked among the most utilized coping strategies by all participants. This study identifies the need to provide the free professional and psychological services to help cope with stress during the disease-enforced lockdown.

La maladie à corona (COVID-19) qui s'est déclarée en décembre 2019 dans la ville chinoise de Wuhan est devenue une menace mondiale et constitue actuellement la plus grande épidémie connue de pneumonie atypique affectant tous les continents du monde avec environ 6 416 828 cas et 382 867 décès. On sait que les confinements imposés par la maladie provoquent des niveaux accrus de dépression, d'anxiété et de stress. Notre étude visait à étudier l'impact immédiat du confinement imposé par la pandémie de COVID-19 sur la santé mentale et la qualité de vie de la population générale âgée de 18 ans et à identifier les différentes stratégies d'adaptation utilisées dans le cadre du confinement. Une enquête en ligne a été menée entre le 1er avril et le 10 mai 2020, à l'aide d'un questionnaire validé basé sur la DASS-42, en utilisant une technique d'échantillonnage en boule de neige. Au total, 418 réponses provenant de 16 pays différents ont été reçues. Les personnes interrogées présentaient un niveau élevé de dépression et d'anxiété, qui différaient sensiblement entre les sexes. En outre, les participants des pays en développement ­ Inde et Pakistan ­ souffraient de dépression grave, tandis que les participants de l'Inde, du Pakistan et du Royaume d'Arabie Saoudite souffraient d'anxiété grave. Nous avons également constaté que parmi les différentes stratégies d'adaptation, (a) regarder la télévision pour se divertir, (b) les réseaux sociaux, (c) écouter de la musique, (d) dormir, (e) faire des tâches ménagères banales comme le nettoyage, la lessive, etc. (f) bien manger, et (g) nettoyer/finir mon travail accumulé ont été classés parmi les stratégies d'adaptation les plus utilisées par tous les participants. Cette étude identifie le besoin de fournir des services professionnels et psychologiques gratuits pour aider à faire face au stress pendant le confinement imposé par la maladie.

Evaluation of deletion polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase genes and colorectal cancer risk in ethnic Kashmiri population: A case-control study.

AIM: Glutathione S.transferases. (GSTs) are known to play a pivotal role in the detoxification of potential carcinogens, and their gene variation may alter susceptibility to colorectal cancer. (CRC). The aim of the study was to evaluate the genetic association of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene deletion/null polymorphism with disease susceptibility and risk development in CRC patients of ethnic Kashmiri population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genotype frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene deletion/null polymorphism were compared between 160 CRC patients and 200 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction multiplex. RESULTS: The frequency of GSTM1-null was found to be 76.2% in cases and 81.5% in controls and odds ratio. (OR) = 1.37 (95% confidence interval. [CI]: 0.82-2.28). Likewise, the GSTT1-null genotype was found in 75.5% of cases and 77.5% of controls and the OR = 1.14 (95% CI: 0.76-1.8). The overall association between the GSTM1-null and GSTT1-null polymorphism and the CRC cases was found to be insignificant (P < 0.05). However, individuals with double-null genotype (GSTM1-/GSTT1-) were found to have 3.5-fold increased risk for the development of CRC. Further, the risk genotype (null) of GSTT1 was found to be associated with tumor grade (P = 0.001) and GSTM1 (null) genotype was significantly associated with smoking status (P = 0.004), when compared to the (present) genotype in CRC cases. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene deletion/null gene polymorphisms are not a key modulators of the risk of developing CRC in Kashmiri population.

Filamentous fungi are large-scale producers of pigments and colorants for the food industry.

With globalization in the research trends, healthier life styles, and the growing market for the natural food colorants in the economically fast-growing countries all over the world, filamentous fungi are being investigated as readily available sources of chemically diverse colorants. With two selected examples, polyketide-Monascus-like pigments from the new fungal production strains, and the promising and yet unexplored hydroxy-anthraquinoid colorants, the present review highlights exciting recent findings, which may pave the way for alternative and/or additional biotechnological processes for the industrial production of natural food colorants of improved functionality. As an additional aspect, marine fungi are discussed as potential sources of novel pigments of numerous color hues and atypical chemical structures.

Genetic polymorphism of the glutathione-S-transferase P1 gene (GSTP1) and susceptibility to prostate cancer in the Kashmiri population.

Glutathione-S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) is a critical enzyme of the phase II detoxification pathway. One of the common functional polymorphisms of GSTP1 is A→G at nucleotide 313, which results in an amino acid substitution (Ile105Val) at the substrate binding site of GSTP1 and reduces catalytic activity of GSTP1. To investigate the GSTP1 Ile105Val genotype frequency in prostate cancer cases in the Kashmiri population, we designed a case-control study, in which 50 prostate cancer cases and 45 benign prostate hyperplasia cases were studied for GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism, compared to 80 controls taken from the general population, employing the PCR-RFLP technique. We found the frequency of the three different genotypes of GSTP1 Ile105Val in our ethnic Kashmir population, i.e., Ile/Ile, Ile/Val and Val/Val, to be 52.4, 33.3 and 14.3% among prostate cancer cases, 48.5, 37.5 and 14% among benign prostate hyperplasia cases and 73.8, 21.3 and 5% in the control population, respectively. There was a significant association between the GSTP1 Ile/Val genotype and the advanced age group among the cases. We conclude that GSTP1 Ile/Val polymorphism is involved in the risk of prostate cancer development in our population.

Risk of colorectal cancer associated with the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism in the Kashmiri population.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a critical enzyme in folate metabolism and is involved in DNA synthesis, DNA repair and DNA methylation. The two common functional polymorphisms of MTHFR, 677 C→T and 1298 A→C, have been shown to impact various diseases, including cancer. The 677 C→T polymorphism has been widely investigated in different cancers and has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of various cancers. We investigated MTHFR C677T genotype frequency in colorectal cancer cases in the Kashmiri population and correlated this information with the known clinicopathological characters of colorectal cancer, in a case-control study. Eighty-six colorectal cancer cases were studied for MTHFR C677T polymorphism, compared to 160 controls taken from the general population, employing the PCR-RFLP technique. We found the frequency of the three different genotypes of MTHFR in our ethnic Kashmir population, i.e., CC, CT and TT, to be 68.6, 20.9 and 10.4% among colorectal cancer cases and 75.6, 16.9 and 7.5% among the general control population, respectively. There was a significant association between the MTHFR TT genotype and colorectal cancer in the higher age group. We conclude that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism slightly increases the risk for colorectal cancer development in our ethnic Kashmir population.

Water-soluble red pigments from Isaria farinosa and structural characterization of the main colored component.

The present study describes the red pigment synthesized by the filamentous fungi Isaria farinosa under submerged culture conditions. The pigment production was optimal under the following conditions: pH 5, agitation speed 150 rpm, temperature 27 °C, incubation time 192 h, light source total darkness, sucrose and glucose as carbon source, yeast extract, meat peptone and monosodium glutamate at a fixed concentration of 3% as nitrogen source. The addition of 10 mM CaCl2 to the culture medium increased the biomass and pigment production. Structural elucidation of the pigment using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the red pigment contains an anthraquinone-related compound. In addition, the isolated pigment was water soluble, and was stable when exposed to salt solution (96.1% of stability after treatment with sodium chloride), acid (72.1% with citric acid), heat (86.2% at 60 °C), and sunlight (99.4%). These results are promising to further exploit the fungal culture of Isaria farinosa for producing the red pigment and, subsequently, to considerably increase its yield. The study has commercial importance in the production of Isaria farinosa pigment for industrial application after considerable toxicological examination.

TP53 Pro47Ser and Arg72Pro polymorphisms and colorectal cancer predisposition in an ethnic Kashmiri population.

Two TP53 gene polymorphisms at codon 47 (TP53 Pro47Ser) and at codon 72 (TP53 Arg72Pro) have been associated with susceptibility to various cancers. We carried out a case-control study and examined the genotype distribution of TP53 Pro47Ser and Arg72Pro single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), using a PCR-RFLP approach, to determine if these two SNPs are risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC) development and to look for a possible correlation of these two SNPs with clinicopathological variables of CRC. We investigated the genotype distribution of these SNPs in 86 CRC cases in comparison with 160 healthy subjects in an ethnic Kashmiri population. TP53 Arg72Pro SNP genotype frequencies differed significantly (P = 0.000001) between the groups; the frequency of the Pro/Pro mutant was almost 20% in the general population. We also found significant association of the Pro/Pro mutant with tumor location, nodal status/higher tumor grade and bleeding per rectum/constipation. We conclude that Arg72Pro SNP is associated with susceptibility to developing CRC in this ethnic Kashmiri population.

Fungal polyketide azaphilone pigments as future natural food colorants?

The recent approval of fungal carotenoids as food colorants by the European Union has strengthened the prospects for fungal cell factories for the production of polyketide pigments. Fungal production of colorants has the main advantage of making the manufacturer independent of the seasonal supply of raw materials, thus minimizing batch-to-batch variations. Here, we review the potential of polyketide pigments produced from chemotaxonomically selected non-toxigenic fungal strains (e.g. Penicillium and Epicoccum spp.) to serve as food colorants. We argue that the production of polyketide azaphilone pigments from such potentially safe hosts is advantageous over traditional processes that involve Monascus spp., which risks co-production of the mycotoxin citrinin. Thus, there is tremendous potential for the development of robust fungal production systems for polyketide pigments, both to tailor functionality and to expand the color palette of contemporary natural food colorants.

hs-CRP: A potential marker for hypertension in Kashmiri population.

Hypertension is the most important public health problem in developing countries and one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, and it has been reported that hypertension is in part an inflammatory disorder and several workers have reported elevated levels of CRP in hypertensive individuals. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between blood pressure and serum CRP levels across the range of blood pressure categories including prehypertension. A total of 104 patients and 63 control subjects were included in the present study. The level of CRP in the serum samples was estimated by a high sensitivity immunoturbidometric assay. Standard unpaired student's 't' test was used for comparison of hs-CRP levels between hypertensive patients and normotensive control subjects and between patient groups with different grades of hypertension and different durations of hypertensive histories. The mean serum hs-CRP level in hypertensive patients was 3.26 mg/L compared with 1.36 mg/L among normotensive control subjects (P<0.001). On comparison with normotensive control subjects, the hs-CRP levels vary significantly both with grades and duration of hypertension, with most significant difference found in patients with prehypertension (P<0.001), followed by Stage-I (P=0.01) and Stage-II(P=0.02) hypertensives. Significant difference in hs-CRP levels was also found in patients with shorter duration of hypertensive history (≤ 1year) when compared with those with ≥5 years of hypertensive history (P<0.01). Our study reveals a graded association between blood pressure and CRP elevation in people with hypertension. Individuals with prehypertension or with shorter duration of hypertension (≤1 Year) had significantly a greater likelihood of CRP elevation in comparison to chronic stage-I or stage-II hypertensives.

Mutation pattern of K-ras gene in colorectal cancer patients of Kashmir: a report.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading malignancies worldwide. CRC has been reported to show geographical variation in its incidence, even within areas of ethnic homogeneity. The aim of this study is to identify K-ras gene mutations in CRC patients among the Kashmiri population, and to assess whether they are linked with the clinicopathological parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paired tumor and normal tissue samples were collected from a consecutive series of 53 patients undergoing resective surgery for CRC. In addition blood was also collected from all the cases for ruling out germline mutation. RESULTS: Colorectal patients, 22.64% (12 of 53), presented with mutations in K-ras constituting 13 missense mutations out of which 11 were G-->A transition, one G-->C transversion, and one G-->T transversion. 61.5% percent of the mutations occurred in codon 12 and 38.5% in codon 13. One tumor contained missense mutations in both codons. K-ras mutations were significantly associated with advanced Dukes' stage (P < 0.05) and positive lymph node status (P < 0.05). Moreover Codon 12 K-ras mutations were associated with mucinous histotype (P < 0.05). Comparison of the mutation profile with other high-risk areas reflected both mucinous histotype differences and similarities indicating coexposure to a unique set of risk factors. CONCLUSION: Mutation of the K-ras gene is one of the commonest genetic changes in the development of human CRC, but it occurs in a rather low frequency in Kashmiri population.

Photostability of natural orange-red and yellow fungal pigments in liquid food model systems.

The variation in the photostability among the currently authorized natural pigments limits their application span to a certain type of food system, and more robust alternatives are being sought after to overcome this problem. In the present study, the photostability of an orange-red and a yellow fungal pigment extract produced by ascomycetous fungi belonging to the genera Penicillium and Epicoccum , respectively, were studied in a soft drink model medium and in citrate buffer at low and neutral pH. The quantitative and qualitative color change pattern of the fungal pigment extracts indicated an enhanced photostability of fungal pigment extracts compared to the commercially available natural colorants Monascus Red and turmeric used as controls. Yellow components of the orange-red fungal pigment extract were more photostable than the red components. Chemistry of the photodegradation of the orange-red pigment extract was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS), and a light-induced formation of a structural analogue of sequoiamonascin C, a Monascus -like polyketide pigment discovered in the extract of Penicillium aculeatum IBT 14263 on yeast extract sucrose (YES) medium, was confirmed in the soft drink medium at pH 7.

Computerized screening for novel producers of Monascus-like food pigments in Penicillium species.

Monascus pigments have been used as natural food colorants in Asia for centuries. They are not authorized for use in the European Union and the United States mainly due to the risk of coproduction of the mycotoxin citrinin by Monascus spp. In the present study, we screened for novel producers of Monascus-like pigments from ascomycetous filamentous fungi belonging to Penicillium subgenus Biverticillium that are not reported to produce citrinin or any other known mycotoxins. The screening was carried out using the X-hitting algorithm as a tool to quickly screen through chromatographic sample data files of 22 different Penicillium extracts with 12 Monascus pigment extracts as controls. The algorithm searched for the most similar UV-vis spectra of the metabolites (cross hits) present in the pigment extracts to those of the selected reference metabolites viz. monascin, rubropunctatin, rubropunctamine, and citrinin. The cross hits were then manually identified on the basis of their UV-vis and mass spectra. X-hitting was found to be a good tool in the rapid screening of crude pigment extracts. Monascus pigments were discovered in the extracts of two closely related species of Penicillium that were only distantly related to the genus Monascus. Monascorubrin, xanthomonasin A, and threonine derivatives of rubropunctatin were identified in the extract of Penicillium aculeatum IBT 14263, and monascorubrin was identified in the extract of Penicillium pinophilum IBT 13104. None of the tested Penicillium extracts showed the presence of citrinin. Thus, the present study brought out two novel promising sources of yellow, orange, and purple-red Monascus-like food pigments in the species of Penicillia that do not produce citrinin and opened the door to look for several more new promising sources of natural food colorants in the species of Penicillia.

Evaluation of Epicoccum nigrum for growth, morphology and production of natural colorants in liquid media and on a solid rice medium.

Four nonpathogenic and nontoxigenic Epicoccum nigrum strains were evaluated for their growth, morphology and pigment producing ability in three complex and one defined liquid media. Epicoccum nigrum IBT 41028 produced pigments in all the four media tested with a maximum pigment of 3.68 AU at 410 nm in M1 medium (unoptimized) containing 5 g/l yeast autolysate. The color hue of the crude pigment extracts ranged from 74 to 102 exhibiting dark orange to green-yellow color. Pelleted morphology was shown to have a positive influence on the pigment production by E. nigrum strain IBT 41028 in the liquid media, and the use of Bis-tris buffer was found to diminish or reduce the pellet formation. Since Monascus is a well known pigment producer on rice. Pigment producing ability of E. nigrum IBT 41028 was tested on rice and compared to liquid media with Monascus ruber IBT 7904 as control. Though, both genera preferred rice but E. nigrum produced 4.6 folds higher pigment in the liquid unoptimized fermentation medium compared to M. ruber. Solid phase extraction and subsequently HPLC-DAD analysis of the crude pigment extracts showed qualitative as well as quantitative variation in the pigment composition under solid and liquid cultivations.

Colorimetric characterization for comparative analysis of fungal pigments and natural food colorants.

Exogenous pigments produced by ascomycetous filamentous fungi belonging to the genera Penicillium, Epicoccum, and Monascus, preselected based on chemotaxonomic knowledge, have been extracted and characterized by quantitative colorimetry. The color characteristics of the fungal extracts were compared to water soluble natural colorants derived from sources currently in use. The tested fungal extracts also included some commercially available Monascus colorants. The a values for the fungal extracts were found to be both positive and negative, the b values were found to be positive, while the hue angles of the fungal color extracts ranged from 40 to 110 indicating the color distribution of fungal extracts over the red-orange-yellow region of the CIELAB color space. The fungal extracts exhibited additional color hues in the red spectrum and similar hues in the yellow spectrum as compared to the reference natural colorants. They were also found to be similar or brighter in terms of chroma to some of the reference natural colorants. Principal component analysis was performed to group and distinguish different colors based on the a and b values. The fungal color extracts could be grouped in accordance with the similarity or difference in the color to those of the existing natural colorants. The diversity of colors was not only found among different fungal genera and/or species but also within the same species on changing the media. There was a marked change in the color composition of the extracts resulting in relatively different hues. Our results, thus, indicate that there exists pigment-producing genera of ascomycetous fungi other than Monascus that produce color shades in the red and the yellow spectra in addition or similar to reference colorants. These color shades could add to the color palette of the natural colorants currently in use. In addition, the multivariate approach in distinguishing and classifying the colorants was shown to be a very useful tool in colorimetric comparison of colorants.

Exploring fungal biodiversity for the production of water-soluble pigments as potential natural food colorants.

The production of many currently authorized natural food colorants has a number of disadvantages, including a dependence on the supply of raw materials and variations in pigment extraction. Fungi provide a readily available alternative source of naturally derived food colorants that could easily be produced in high yields. The recent authorization of a fungal food colorant has fuelled research to explore the extraordinary chemical diversity and biodiversity of fungi for the biotechnological production of pigments as natural food colorants. These studies require an appropriate use of chemotaxonomic tools and a priori knowledge of fungal metabolites to carry out intelligent screening for known or novel colorants as lead compounds. Such screening would result in the preselection of some potential pigment producers and the deselection of pathogenic strains and toxin producers. With advances in gene technology, in the future it should be possible to employ metabolic engineering to create microbial cell factories for the production of food colorants.