Anthropological Survey of India

Cancer vaccines have emerged as a promising strategy for personalized cancer immunotherapy; however, their development has traditionally relied on bulk sequencing approaches that average molecular information across millions of cells, thereby obscuring the extensive intratumoral heterogeneity that drives disease progression, therapeutic resistance, and immune escape. Recent advances in multi-modal single-cell genomics have transformed the ability to characterize tumors at unprecedented resolution, enabling the identification of distinct cellular populations, clonal evolutionary trajectories, and complex tumor-immune interactions. In parallel, artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly expanded the capabilities of reverse vaccinology by facilitating large-scale analysis of genomic and immunological datasets for neoantigen discovery and vaccine design. This review aims to present a unique conceptual framework for future personalized cancer immunotherapies, rather than simply integrating the already established approaches. The framework is built on two levels: (1) filtering of false-positive targets using multi-modal single cell data and removing antigen loss clones; and (2) feeding the resulting rigorously filtered data into advanced structural and generative AI models to inform de novo design of multi-epitope vaccines. Particular emphasis is placed on the application of deep learning, graph neural networks, transformer architectures, and generative AI models for data preprocessing, clonal evolution analysis, immune microenvironment characterization, neoantigen prioritization, and peptide–major histocompatibility complex (MHC) interaction prediction. Furthermore, we discuss the development of integrated computational pipelines capable of translating high-resolution multi-modal single-cell data into personalized multi-epitope cancer vaccines. Finally, we highlight the major translational challenges, including model interpretability, tumor plasticity, manufacturing constraints, and clinical implementation. By integrating multi-modal single-cell genomics with advanced AI methodologies, reverse vaccinology is poised to accelerate the development of highly targeted, adaptive, and durable cancer vaccines, offering a promising roadmap for the future of personalized cancer immunotherapy.

The objective of the present article is to understand the structure of the universe as reflected in the playback singing of Lata Mangeshkar. At the same time, it seeks to analyze the concept of gender (female) harmony embedded in her songs. For this study, Hindi films produced between 1954 and 1969, in which Lata Ji sang as a playback singer, have been selected. The present study is entirely based on secondary sources. A total of six Hindi films and eleven songs have been considered for the preparation of this article. An attempt has been made to understand gender (female) harmony on the basis of three selected songs. The study employs descriptive and thematic analysis methods for the interpretation of the songs. The findings of the study indicate that Lata Ji frequently incorporated various elements of the universe in her songs, such as the moon (moonlight), clouds, stars, constellations, and the sky (blue firmament). Through these elements, she expressed emotional themes and contributed to strengthening relationships between lovers and married couples. By integrating cosmic imagery, her songs promote harmony, reconciliation, and deeper emotional bonding in human relationships.

One of the known risk factors for male breast cancer is germline mutations in the BRCA2 gene, which are linked to genomic alterations. Men carrying a germline BRCA2 mutation have a higher risk of developing breast carcinoma than the general population. Breast Cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and the most common cancer in developed and developing countries. Male breast cancer accounts for approximately 1% of all breast cancer cases. The incidence of male breast cancer has increased over the past few decades, yet its etiology is still poorly understood, which may be due to the rarity of the disease and the lack of large-scale genetic epidemiologic studies. The present study aimed to evaluate the risk of developing Breast Carcinoma among Bengalee Hindu males. For the study, 36 male patients and 70 matched controls were included in this study. DNA sequencing and gene expression analysis revealed a significant association (p < 0.0001) between male breast cancer patients and BRCA2 mutations (rs1799943). There were many intronic variations whose associations were not determined. A 2.4-fold downregulation of tumour proteins was associated with patient risk, whereas controls showed a 1.28-fold upregulation. The present study, being the first attempt in Eastern India, envisaged a significant association (p < 0.001) of the disease for mutations in the exonic and flanking regions of the gene (OR-9.92; 95% CI = 4.40-22.37; p < 0.0001).

The presence of mendosal sutures is mostly known from fetuses, neonates, and infants and is discussed in medical circles as an osteological condition. However, its presence in an adult human skull, in the archaeological context, has been rarely reported. Here, we report the discovery of a vivid, well-defined persistent mendosal suture in a middle-aged male human cranium excavated from the site of Kumhar Tekri in central India. The site dates from the third and second centuries BCE and was largely a burial mound consisting of skeletal remains and other grave goods. The left side of the cranium was largely missing and has since been reconstructed. The mendosal suture appears to be present above the superior nuchal line, originates above the asterion on both sides, and traverses across the occiput, thus creating a distinct and large mendosal bone between it and the lambdoidal suture. There appear to be no major morphological changes to the cranium due to the presence of the mendosal suture, except for a small curvature of the occiput. This finding is significant as no such case of a mendosal suture is unprecedented in archaeological and paleopathological research. Similarly, a persistent mendosal suture may be used in forensic identification and age estimation. Further research on such cranial sutures is vital.

The Kanheri caves (6th-9th century CE) contain extensive earthen plasters whose composition has remained largely uncharacterized, despite their cultural and conservation significance. This study applies a multi-technique approach - X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR with deconvolution), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and physical measurements - to characterize their mineralogical and microstructural properties. XRD revealed quartz, calcite, dolomite/ankerite, clays, and hematite, but also an unusual sulfate component (similar to 10% gypsum/bassanite) absent in comparable Deccan cave plasters. Scherrer analysis indicated nanoscale crystallites (19-30 nm), while FTIR deconvolution of the 1000-1150 and 620-740 cm(-1) windows confirmed sulfate-silicate overlap, validating gypsum assignment. SEM-EDS identified fibrous organics and plant-derived potassium, corroborated by high loss-on-ignition (11-17%). The coexistence of sulfates with organics suggests both technological choices and post-depositional alteration under humid coastal conditions. These findings establish the first baseline dataset for Kanheri plasters and show that the detected gypsum reflects environmental sulfation processes rather than original technology, underscoring important conservation risks.