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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), is a highly contagious pathogenic coronavirus to emerge and spread in human populations. Although substantial exertions have been laid to avert spread of COVID-19 by therapeutic and preventive countermeasures, but emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants as a result of mutations make the infection more ominous. New viral confers a higher nasopharyngeal viral load, increased viral transmissibility, higher infectiousness, immune escape, increased resistance to monoclonal/polyclonal antibodies from convalescence sera/vaccine, and an enhanced virulence. Thus, it is pertinent to monitor evolving mutations and genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 as it is decisive for understanding the viral variants. In this review we provide an overview of colloquial nomenclature and the genetic characteristics of different SARS-CoV-2 variants in the context of mutational changes of the circulating strains, transmissibility potential, virulence and infectivity.

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Introduction The root cause of preeclampsia is placental ischemia due to impaired trophoblastic invasion in the uterine spiral arterioles. Ischemic placenta liberates various inflammatory mediators that cause widespread endothelial dysfunction leading to insulin resistance (IR). Increased IR in pregnant females can further lead to high occurrence of maternal and fetal complications. Objectives To compare and evaluate the role of measuring IR among women with preeclampsia and normal pregnancy. Materials and methods A total of 35 women with preeclampsia and 35 women with normal pregnancy were included in the study as cases and controls, respectively. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and fasting plasma insulin (FI) were measured and IR indices, such as FPG to FI ratio (FGIR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), and log FI were calculated. Unpaired Student's t-test was used for comparison. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. Results The mean FI and log FI were significantly higher while QUICKI and FGIR were significantly lower in cases when compared with controls (p < 0.001). Conclusion As disease advances, IR increases. There is increased risk of maternal and fetal complications in presence of increased IR. Screening of all hypertensive pregnancies for IR and timely intervention may help to improve outcome. How to cite this article Sonagra AD, Deba Z, Makandar A, Biradar SM. Study of Insulin Resistance in Women with Preeclampsia. Indian J Med Biochem 2017;21(2):127-130.

Oral cancer (OC) has become a significant barrier to health worldwide due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. OC is among the most prevalent types of cancer that affect the head and neck region, and the overall survival rate at 5 years is still around 50&#37;. Moreover, it is a multifactorial malignancy instigated by genetic and epigenetic variabilities, and molecular heterogeneity makes it a complex malignancy. Oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) are often the first warning signs of OC, although it is challenging to predict which cases will develop into malignancies. Visual oral examination and histological examination are still the standard initial steps in diagnosing oral lesions; however, these approaches have limitations that might lead to late diagnosis of OC or missed diagnosis of OPMDs in high-risk individuals. The objective of this review is to present a comprehensive overview of the currently used novel techniques viz., liquid biopsy, next-generation sequencing (NGS), microarray, nanotechnology, lab-on-a-chip (LOC) or microfluidics, and artificial intelligence (AI) for the clinical diagnostics and management of this malignancy. The potential of these novel techniques in expanding OC diagnostics and clinical management is also reviewed.