Fixation of pfcrt chloroquine resistance alleles in Plasmodium falciparum clinical isolates collected from unrest tribal agencies of Pakistan

Plasmodium falciparum resistance to Chloroquine (CQ) is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. There is a paucity of documented data on the prevalence of CQ-resistant mutant haplotypes of Pfcrt and Pfmdr1 genes from malaria-endemic war effected Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of P. falciparum CQ-resistance in this area. Clinical isolates were collected between May 2017 and May 2018 from North Waziristan and South Waziristan agencies of Federally Administrated Trial Area. Subsequently, Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined to detect Plasmodium falciparum. Extraction of malarial DNA was done from microscopy positive P. falciparum samples, and P. falciparum infections were confirmed by nested PCR (targeting Plasmodium small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (ssrRNA) genes). All PCR confirmed P. falciparum samples were sequenced by pyrosequencing to find out mutation in Pfcrt gene at codon K76T and in pfmdr1 at codons N86Y, Y184F, N1042D, and D1246Y. Out of 121 microscopies positive P. falciparum cases, 109 samples were positive for P. falciparum by nested PCR. Pfcrt K76T mutation was found in 96% of isolates, Pfmdr1 N86Y mutation was observed in 20%, and 11% harboured Y184F mutation. All samples were wild type for Pfmdr1 codon N1042D and D1246Y. In the FATA, Pakistan, the frequency of resistant allele 76T remained high despite the removal of CQ. However, current findings of the study suggest complete fixation of P. falciparum CQ-resistant genotype in the study area.

Prevalence, Trends, and Socioeconomic Determinants of Coexisting Forms of Malnutrition Amongst Children under Five Years of Age in Pakistan

In Pakistan, malnutrition is a chronic issue. Concerns regarding coexisting forms of malnutrition (CFM) in an individual child are emerging, as children suffering from CFM have a 4 to 12-fold higher risk of death compared with healthy children. This study assessed the prevalence, trends, and socioeconomic determinants of various types of CFM using Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) datasets. Data from children aged 0–5 years old, with complete height and weight information, and valid anthropometry, from all regions of Pakistan (except residents of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and non-de jure residents), were included. The prevalence of CFM was 30.6% in 2012–2013 and 21.5% in 2017–2018 PDHS. Both PDHSs reported a significantly higher prevalence of CFM in Sindh and Baluchistan compared with other regions of Pakistan. Improved socioeconomic status significantly reduced the odds of various types of CFM, except the coexistence of underweight with wasting. The high prevalence of CFM in Pakistan can be averted by multisectoral collaboration and by integrating nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions.

A novel soil quality assessment method for sustainable soil management and enhancing crop productivity in tribal areas of central India

Soil quality degradation is a major threat to any agricultural production system. Therefore periodical monitoring of soil quality status is inevitable for sustainable management of agricultural production systems. Though there are various methods available to assess the soil quality, simple and management oriented methods are necessary. The current investigation aimed to evaluate soil quality of tribal areas of central India adopting minimum dataset of 15 soil physical, chemical and biological parameters. A novel scoring technique was followed to score soil quality indicators based on its relation with crop yield, degree of variation and percent deficiency. Relative soil quality index (RSQI) was calculated and was correlated with crop productivity. Most of the soils in the region had poor soil quality (77.2% in Jhabua, 85.4% in Alirajpur and 67.2% in Dhar) with low crop yield. The major constraints of crop production in these areas were low soil organic carbon (<0.5%), available N (<280 kg ha-1), S (<10 mg kg-1), P (<10 kg ha-1), Zn (<0.5 mg kg-1), dehydogenase activity (10 ?g TPF g-1 24 h-1) and soil depth (<1 m). Adopting sustainable management practices could improve soil quality and crop productivity. This new approach is simple and systematic; this principle can be easily adoptable to other locations, and principally focuses on management related and soil parameters that constraint to production and ecological functions.

India now has Naxalite threat well under control

Significance The epicentre of Maoist insurgency in India lies in neighbouring Chhattisgarh state’s southernmost division, Bastar. Naxalites accuse the Indian government of dispossessing tribal communities of their lands. Impacts Civilian casualties will mount as the authorities continue their crackdown on the rebels. Naxalite leaders will step up efforts to reach out to local communities. Popular protests in tribal areas over local grievances will increase.

Categorisation in Forest Areas: A Study of the ‘OTFDs’ in the Forest Rights Act

There are certain demarcated tribal areas in our country where the Scheduled Tribes (STs) have special community rights to live their lives according to their customs and maintain control over local natural resource management. The Sixth Schedule and Fifth Schedule are examples of such areas, and after the enactment of the Forest Rights Act, (FRA), 2006, there are crucial preferential provisions for the STs in forest areas of the whole country too. This article probes the historical development of categorisations in India, particularly in the context of forest-dwelling communities, and attempts to examine constitutional provisions and the provisions of different laws passed by the Parliament to evaluate the situation of other minority communities, particularly dalits, living in ‘forest areas’. In this context, the article primarily focuses on the genesis and practice of the Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) category. Based on the field study of the Taungya village, the article shows the problem of categorisation in forest areas and marginalisation of dalits due to this process and emphasises the need for a more dialogical and democratic process of categorisation in India.

Origin and Dissemination of Altered El Tor Vibrio cholerae O1 Causing Cholera in Odisha, India: Two and Half Decade’s View

The origin, spread and molecular epidemiology of altered El Tor Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated from cholera outbreaks/surveillance studies between 1995 and 2019 from different district of Odisha were analyzed. The stock cultures of V. cholerae O1 strains from 1995 to 2019 were analyzed through molecular analysis using different PCR assays and pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. The spread map (month, year and place) was constructed to locate the dissemination of altered El Tor variants of V. cholerae O1 in this region. A total of 13 cholera outbreaks were caused by V. cholerae O1 Ogawa biotype El Tor carrying ctxB1 and ctxB7 genotypes. The ctxB1 alleles of V. cholerae O1 mostly confined to the coastal areas, whereas the ctxB7 genotypes, though originating in the coastal region of Odisha, concentrated more in the tribal areas. The positive correlation between virulence-associated genes (VAGs) was found through Pearson’s correlation model, indicative of a stronger association between the VAGs. The clonal relationship through PFGE between ctxB1 and ctxB7 genotypes of V. cholerae O1 strains exhibited 80% similarity indicating single- or multi-clonal evolution. It is evident from this study that the spread of multidrug-resistant V. cholerae O1-altered El Tor was dominant over the prototype El Tor strains in this region. The origin of altered El Tor variants of V. cholerae O1 occurred in the East Coast of Odisha established that the origin of cholera happened in the Gangetic belts of Bay of Bengal where all new variants of V. cholerae O1 might have originated from the Asian countries.

An analysis on the role played by the economy sector in upgrading in the farming sector

India is an agricultural country with majority of the people working in farming sector, with demand for ayurvedic medicine and indoor farming, today in the urban India majority of the people have started home farming which is helping to alleviate the problem of food security.If farming is practiced in every house in a small manner, imports will reduce in India and export will amplify. Smart farming and smart technology has helped urban India to adopt farming. Hydroponics and aquaponics is taking grounds in India.Demand of herbal products is rising where India herbal plants have reached to North America, Middle East, Europe and Africa thus contributing to the GDP. India being a leading export of agriculture, it place an outstanding role in the economic growth. If we promote agri tourism followed by proper land reforms and educate the farmers on the use of technology, followed by at schools if children are taught how to grow plants the amount of food production will rise in no time, with growing population, the demand also needs to be fulfilled, at old age home, tribal areas people are adopt horticulture, permaculture where each citizen have access to good amount of food, with the use of new technologies so that we don’t have food wastage and the import reduce and export rises, contributing to the economy where poverty will be limited.

Marae Ora Kāinga Ora: Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Solutions via Time-Honored Indigenous Spaces

Marae Ora, Kainga Ora (MOKO) is a three-year research study established as a marae-led intervention project to strengthen the provision of housing with five urban marae in South Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. In brief, marae are primarily places for cultural gatherings and are the centres of activity for Māori communities. Though just one of the marae involved is part of a pre-European tribal settlement, the four other marae were established to meet the cultural needs of Māori who had relocated many decades ago from their tribal areas outside of the Auckland region. The project works with Marae Research Coordinators (MRC) nominated by each marae to build research and development capacity and capability through the sharing of skills, information, and resources. Each MRC is affiliated with their respective marae, either through whakapapa (genealogical links) or through their contributions of service and leadership. The role of the MRC is critical in capturing the lived realities, experiences, and aspirations of their marae community. This was evident in the first year of the project (2020) when three of the five marae actively responded to the needs of their communities during COVID-19 lockdowns in Auckland. While the project has a housing focus, the marae involved demonstrate, in their own distinctive ways, how health and wellbeing is intrinsic to their core function.