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FIRST NIGHT AT THE FOREIGNERS RESTRICTION CENTRE

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After spending a sleepless night outside my apartment on the 29th, I found myself the next night sitting on a hard chair at the KR Puram Police Station. The hours stretched endlessly until the evening of the 30th, when the police inspector assigned two officers to escort me to the Bureau of Immigration; the FRRO office.           At the office, I was instructed to submit all my documents for verification. After a careful review, they confirmed that everything was valid; except my visa, which had unfortunately exhausted. Because of that, I was told I had to be transferred to the FRC.           The journey there was long; about 37 kilometres from the city, and by the time we arrived, it was around 8:20 p.m. My few belongings were checked and taken by the security guards. Later, I was called to the administrative section to collect my papers, hand over my gadgets, and sign some forms.            It ...
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A VIOLATION OF POLICE ACTS

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It is with deep sadness that I reflect on the conduct of certain officers of the Bangalore Police. My experience began when I visited the police station to report a case involving a violation of rights. After waiting for hours in the reception area, I was finally called in to meet the inspector on duty.          During our interaction, the inspector asked me to hand over the bag I carried, which contained sensitive personal and professional documents. Without my explicit consent, he took the bag and went through it. This act deeply concerned me, as no police officer has the right to seize or examine a citizen’s or individual personal documents without lawful authority or the individual’s consent.          Under the Indian Police Act, 1861, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, such conduct constitutes a breach of procedure and personal liberty. Specifically:            Section 51 of the CrPC allow...
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CLINICAL GENETIC TESTING FOR CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY 🎗️

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“ℂ𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕥𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕖. 𝕌𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕠𝕠𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕚𝕥 𝕓𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕤.” - Prof. Bert Vogelstein 🧬 Advances in clinical genetic testing transformed cancer prevention and treatment by revealing inherited mutations that heighten susceptibility to specific cancers. Roughly 5-10% of all cancers are hereditary, often linked to mutations in genes such as BRCA1/2 (breast and ovarian cancers) and MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 in Lynch syndrome (colorectal and endometrial cancers). Identifying these variants enables early detection, preventive measures, and precision therapy prepared to individual genetic profiles.            🔹 Testing begins with genetic counseling, followed by targeted or multi-gene sequencing using next-generation technologies; now faster ...
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WEEKEND READS 📚

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Recommended book of the weekend: 🍃 ☕ ➡️ "ANNIHILATION" By Jeff Vandermeer   🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁
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EPITRANSCRIPTOMICS IN CANCER PROGRESSION 🎗️

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“ℂ𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕖𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟; 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕦𝕞𝕠𝕣 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕡𝕠𝕡𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕗 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕖𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖𝕤.” - Professor Peter Nowell (Emeritus) 🧬 Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity & mortality worldwide, characterized by uncontrolled cell growth, invasion, and metastasis. Beyond genetic alterations, post-transcriptional regulation of RNA has emerged as a critical determinant of cancer biology. Epitranscriptomics, the study of chemical modifications on RNA, provides a dynamic layer of regulation influencing RNA stability, translation, & cellular localization. 🔹 Epitranscriptomic modifications include N6-methyladenosine (m6A), 5-methylcytidine (m5C), pseudouridine (Ψ), and RNA editing. These modifications are catalyzed by "writers" (e.g., methyltransferases), recognized by "readers," & reversed by "erasers" (demeth...
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WEEKEND READS 📚

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Recommended book of the weekend: 🍃 ☕ ➡️ "I AM GEORGIA: MY ROOTS, MY PRINCIPLES" By H.E Georgia Meloni    🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁
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MUTATIONAL SIGNATURES IN CANCER GENOMES 🎗️

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“𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣 𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕤 𝕒 𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 ‘𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕖𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕,’ 𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕟 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔻ℕ𝔸 𝕔𝕠𝕕𝕖 𝕚𝕥𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕗, 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕠𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕦𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖𝕣.” - Sir. Mike Stratton 🧬 Cancer arises from the accumulation of somatic mutations, each carrying clues about the biological and environmental forces that shaped the tumor’s evolution. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing and large-scale projects like TCGA and ICGC, we have uncovered distinct mutational signatures; recurring patterns of DNA alterations that reflect specific mutagenic processes. 🔹 What are mutational signatures? They are characteristic patterns of nucleotide substitutions, insertions, or deletions, shaped by mechanisms such as aging, tobacco exposure, UV light, or defective DNA repair. For example, Signature 1 correlates with age-related deamin...
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