Breeding, larval rearing and seed production of maroon clown Premnas biaculeatus under captive conditions

The maroon clown Premnas biaculeatus is the sole member in the genus Premnas. P. biaculeatus is commonly known as 'Spine-Cheek Anemone fish' because of the presence of a pair of long spines on its pre-operculum. In India, this species is abundant in the coral reef ecosystem of Andaman and Nicobar Islands situated in Bay of Bengal. Their most striking bright red to maroon colouration on entire body and fin, demarcated abruptly with white to golden yellow narrow bands make them as one of the most attractive species among the marine ornamental clown fishes. Most of the salt water ornamental fishes are collected from the wild and hence there is a serious concern in respect of their conservation. Recent studies also showed that wild collected specimens have a dismal survival history in captivity, whereas captivebred clownfish are generally hardier, more disease free, easily adjust to life in aquaria and retain normal colouration. Due to the very high demand of the species in the aquarium fish trade, development of an appropriate technology for its captive production is felt as an alternative means of providing fish for the trade rather than wild collection which may cause depletion of the stocks. In this juncture, a viable technique has been developed in the marine hatchery of CMFRI, Kochi for the captive breeding and juvenile production of P. biaculeatus for the first time in India

Spawning and larval rearing of Amphiprion ocellaris under captive condition

Marine ornamental fishes have gained much popularity all over the world. India is endowed with a variety of marine ornamental fishes distributed in our coral reef areas which offers vast scope for the development of a domestic as well as export trad

Toll-Like Receptors and Cytokines as Surrogate Biomarkers for Evaluating Vaginal Immune Response following Microbicide Administration

Topical microbicides are intended for frequent use by women in reproductive age. Hence, it is essential to evaluate their impact on mucosal immune function in the vagina. In the present study, we evaluated nisin, a naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide (AMP), for its efficacy as an intravaginal microbicide. Its effect on the vaginal immune function was determined by localizing Toll-like receptors (TLRs-3, 9) and cytokines (IL-4, 6 , 10 and TNF-α) in the rabbit cervicovaginal epithelium following intravaginal administration of high dose of nisin gel for 14 consecutive days. The results revealed no alteration in the expression of TLRs and cytokines at both protein and mRNA levels. However, in SDS gel-treated group, the levels were significantly upregulated with the induction of NF-κB signalling cascade. Thus, TLRs and cytokines appear as sensitive indicators for screening immunotoxic potential of candidate microbicides

Effect of Boron Carbide on wear resistance of graphite containing Al7029 Based Hybrid Composites and its Dry Sliding Wear Characterization Through Experimental, Response Surface Method and ANOVA

Composites are often chosen for tribological applications due to its tailored material properties. The development of hybrid metal matrix composites and the study of their wear behavior has been a prominent focus of materials science research. Present paper deals with fabrication of Al-7029/B4C/Gr hybrid composite using stir casting. Particle distribution and material phase are identified by SEM and XRD. Hardness of the composite increased to 101 BHN while base alloy with 63 BHN. Pin-on-disc Tribometer used to carry wear test and the experimentation conducted by considering three input wear control parameters: 15–35 N (load), 1.5–3.5 m/s (speed) and 200–600 m (distance). Addition of 6%B4C/3%Gr, wear rate of hybrid composites reduced. ANOVA confirmed that load as the most influencing parameter on wear rate. RSM results correlates with mean effect plots of ANOVA and experiments and found that the results are in good compliance. SEM graphs of worn surface confirms that more wear occurred with increased load

Success in Captive Breeding of Maroon Clown Premnas biaculeatus (Bloch, 1790)

Under integrated hatchery operations, pair formation, broodstock development breeding of P. biaculeatus has been successfully achieved and Juveniles of the fish were produced in the Marine Hatchery of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi. This is the first report on the captive breeding of P. biaculeatus in India

Variation in Amino Acids Composition through Pre column Derivatisation using Phenylisothiocyanate by HPLC in Some Economically Important Less Explored Wild Allium Species of Western Himalayas

Less explored Allium species are being used as green vegetables and as a condiment by the local inhabitant of high-altitude areas of Uttarakhand. In the present study, four economically important less explored wild Allium species viz. A. auriculatum, A. ampeloprasum, A. ascalonicum and A. rubellum have screened for their amino acid contents by High-performance liquid chromatography. The hydrochloric acid hydrolysate of these four species, the Allium amino acids were derivatised with phenylisothiocyanate resulting phenylthiocarbamyl derivatives and separated on a reverse-phase column by gradient elution with aqueous buffer and acetonitrile-water (60:40 v/v) and detected in UV region at 254 nm. The Pico-tag (3.9 × 300 mm) C18 column equilibrated with the solvents. The elution of all amino acid derivatives was achieved in 12 min using gradient elution by increasing concentration of aqueous buffer and acetonitrile-water. Total seventeen amino acids were present in these Allium species. The ratio of essential amino acids to total amino acids found 1:2.14 in Allium auriculatum, 1:2.35 in Allium ampeloprasum, 1:1.38 in A. ascalonicum and 1:3.44 in Allium rubellum. These less explored Allium species contained substantial amount of essential and non-essential amino acids. Among these Allium species, Allium auriculatum and Allium rubellum found most promising as far as essential and non-essential amino acids composition concerned

Pattern of vitamin D status in prediabetic individuals: a case control study at tertiary hospital in South India

Background: Role of vitamin D in the regulation of calcium metabolism is well established. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 DM in humans. There is a limited available data on the relationship of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency with glucose homeostasis among prediabetic individuals in South Indian population. Hence we examined serum 25(OH) D3 concentration among prediabetics. The objective of this study is to evaluate prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in prediabetics and to study any correlation between vitamin D and BMI, FBS and PPBS among prediabetics.  Methods: A case control study was carried out among 40 prediabetics & controls, after obtaining consent from subjects and clearance from institutional ethics committee. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in both groups. Statistical analysis was done using “t” test & Pearson correlation co-efficient (r).Results: Vitamin D levels less than 20 ng/ml were found in 72.5% of cases and 35% of controls. 5% of the cases and 12.5% of the controls had vitamin D above 30 ng/ml and this difference was statistically significant. Mean vitamin D levels in cases and controls was 17.09±5.89 ng/ml and 23.67±11.02 ng/ml respectively (P<0.05). A significant inverse correlation was observed between vitamin D levels & body mass index (r=-0.274; p=0.014); random blood sugar (r=-0.35; p=0.001); fasting blood sugar (r=-0.328; p=0.003); post prandial blood sugar (r=-0.276; p=0.013).Conclusions: High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D exists among prediabetics and there is significant inverse correlation between BMI, FBS, PPBS and vitamin D levels. Hence, a prospective study covering large pre-diabetic individuals is essential to confirm the findings.

In vitro culture and characterisation of a new brain cell line from the spine cheek anemone fish Premnas biaculeatus (Bloch, 1790)

In this study, a new brain cell line designated PB1BrTr was derived from the maroon clownfish Premnas biaculeatus (Bloch, 1790) and characterised. The PB1BrTr cell line was developed by trypsinisation method using Leibovitz’s L15 (L-15) medium supplemented with 20% FBS (foetal bovine serum) and subcultured over 100 times. Characterisation encompassed studies on optimal growth kinetics, chromosomal analysis and genotyping of the mitochondrial CO1 gene. A high revival rate (85-95%) and good attachment during seeding after a year of cryostorage demonstrated the high stability of the cell line. This cell line exhibited good seeding efficiency of 84% at 1.25 x 105 cells ml-1 and a range of plating efficiencies from 14-23% at varying cell densities. It was observed that 28˚C was the ideal temperature for its growth. Serum requirement decreased with increased passage and lowered to 2% FBS beyond 60 passages. However, higher serum concentration (2-20%) caused a concurrent increase in cell growth. The cell line displayed a fibroblast-type morphology, with immunotyping results revealing robust reactivity towards the fibroblast marker. Chromosome analysis of this cell line revealed aneuploidy and its authenticity was validated by mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit I (COI) genotyping analysis. This brain cell line demonstrated notably high transfection efficiency with pcDNA3-EGFP plasmid using Lipofectamine 3000 transfection reagent. This continuous cell line presents a valuable in vitro tool for diverse research applications, including gene transfer and expression studies

Morpho-molecular assessment of Acetabularia jalakanyakae Sp. Nov. (Dasycladales, Chlorophyta) - a new species from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

701-708Acetabularia (Dasycladales) is an extant genus of a single-celled green alga. There are four species of this genus reported from India, three reported from Andaman and Nicobar Islands. For this study, Acetabularia isolate was collected from a rocky intertidal habitat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used for the morphological characterization. The distinct traits of caps of the thalli were prioritized because, traditionally, species delimitations in Acetabularia mainly were based on cap morphology. Our isolate showed morphological similarity with Acetabularia crenulata. However, the number of hairs in the inner ring of lobes of caps and the stalk length were observed to be different from A. crenulata and other closely related species. The phylogenetic tree constructed for partial 18S rDNA using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method revealed the evolutionary affinity of this new species with Acetabularia dentata. Based on morphological and molecular synapomorphy, a new species of Acetabularia, Acetabularia jalakanyakae is formally proposed herein, and the further implications of this species discovery are discussed