Niche breadth and overlap of spotted deer and domestic cattle with swamp deer in tropical region of Nepal

Background Knowledge about the niche overlap among wild species and domestic cattle is helpful to conserve and manage wildlife. We assessed the habitat niche breadth and overlap of sympatrically living spotted deer (Axis axis) and domestic cattle with swamp deer (Cervus duvaucelii) in Shuklaphanta National Park, Nepal during the dry season to explore the possibility of interspecific competition by studying the habitat use by these species. The assumption was made that the presence of pellets is proof of habitat used by species. Methods Grids of 2 km x 2 km have four subgrids, each with four sample plots, making a total of 16 plots (20 m x 20 m) in each grid. The size of each sub-grid was 200 m x 200 m and they were placed randomly inside the grid but at least 1 km apart from one another. The data was collected in a 96 plots in total. Levin's niche breadth and Morisita's overlap index were calculated to determine the niche breadth and the habitat overlap, respectively. Results The Levin's measure of niche breadth suggested that spotted deer had the highest acclimatization with an index value of 0.94, followed by domestic cattle at 0.50, and swamp deer at 0.33 in our study area. Thus, our findings supported the evidence that spotted deer are habitat generalists, whereas swamp deer are habitat specialists. The swamp deer had lower niche breadth and more overlap with domestic cattle. Conclusion Our study showed the least niche breadth of swamp deer in comparison to spotted deer and domestic cattle. The domestic cattle had the highest and least niche overlap with spotted deer and swamp deer, respectively, in terms of habitat use. Our study suggests that domestic cattle grazing should be stopped, and grassland management should be carried out for the benefit of ungulates. Similar studies should be conducted, including different seasons and places, prior to appropriate habitat management. In addition, further studies are needed to quantify the extent of interspecific competition by incorporating more species.Peer reviewe

Studies of the neuronal elements of the guinea pig anterior major pelvic ganglion

The anterior major pelvic ganglion (AMPG) of the male guinea pig supplies the greater proportion of autonomic nerve fibres to the pelvic viscera and vasculature. Apart from a brief study (Schultzberg et al., 1983) the AMPG has not been extensively characterised in terms of the relationships between neuropeptides and classical neurotransmitters in the post-ganglionicand pre-ganglionic (including intraganglionic) components. The present study goes some way to rectifying this. Classical neurotransmitter associated enzymes (TH, DβH and AChE) were localised to groups of neuronal perikarya (producing regionalisation) and neuronal projections by indirect immunofluorescence and a histochemical method. Neuropeptides including NPY, VIP, ANF, SOM, MET, LEU and SP were localised to the neuronal elements of the AMPG by an indirect immunofluorescence method. The presence of multiple neuronal markers in neuronal perikarya established certain patterns of coexistence in the AMPG. Specific classes of neuronal perikarya could be related to immunoreactive (or histochemically reactive) groups of neuronal projections. Retrograde transport of fast blue dye injected into pelvic viscera, ductus deferens, seminal vesicle, urinary bladder(corpus/fundus), prostate and rectum, indicated that the AMPG innervate all the aforementioned viscera except for the urinary bladder (corpus/fundus). In fact, innervation of bilateral structures was from bilateral AMPG. Immunohistochemical analysis of dye laden neuronal perikarya demonstrated the `chemical coding' of groups of viscera-specific neurons. The selective or combined transection of the hypogastric and pelvic nerves allowed any segregation of neuropeptidergic neuronal projections to these inputs to be detected. SP- and LEU-immunoreactive neuronal projections are associated with both the hypogastric and pelvic nerves, while MET-immunoreactive neuronal projections appear to reach the AMPG via the hypogastric nerve. Hypogastric nerve transection produced the emergence of a few SP-immunoreative neuronal perikarya. AMPG maintained in vitro demonstrated that a far higher proportion of neuronal perikarya could exhibit SP-immunoreactivity; a property that could be down regulated by supplementing culture medium with different factors e.g. classical neurotransmitters or specific visceral factors.</p

Comparative yield of molecular diagnostic algorithms for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in India: evidence supporting whole exome sequencing as first tier test

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 in 100 children globally with a rapidly increasing prevalence. To the best of our knowledge, no data exists on the genetic architecture of ASD in India. This study aimed to identify the genetic architecture of ASD in India and to assess the use of whole exome sequencing (WES) as a first-tier test instead of chromosomal microarray (CMA) for genetic diagnosis. Methods Between 2020 and 2022, 101 patient-parent trios of Indian origin diagnosed with ASD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition, were recruited. All probands underwent a sequential genetic testing pathway consisting of karyotyping, Fragile-X testing (in male probands only), CMA and WES. Candidate variant validation and parental segregation analysis was performed using orthogonal methods. Results Of 101 trios, no probands were identified with a gross chromosomal anomaly or Fragile-X. Three (2.9%) and 30 (29.7%) trios received a confirmed genetic diagnosis from CMA and WES, respectively. Amongst diagnosis from WES, SNVs were detected in 27 cases (90%) and CNVs in 3 cases (10%), including the 3 CNVs detected from CMA. Segregation analysis showed 66.6% (n = 3 for CNVs and n = 17 for SNVs) and 16.6% (n = 5) of the cases had de novo and recessive variants respectively, which is in concordance with the distribution of variant types and mode of inheritance observed in ASD patients of non-Hispanic white/ European ethnicity. MECP2 gene was the most recurrently mutated gene (n = 6; 20%) in the present cohort. Majority of the affected genes identified in the study cohort are involved in synaptic formation, transcription and its regulation, ubiquitination and chromatin remodeling. Conclusions Our study suggests de novo variants as a major cause of ASD in the Indian population, with Rett syndrome as the most commonly detected disorder. Furthermore, we provide evidence of a significant difference in the diagnostic yield between CMA (3%) and WES (30%) which supports the implementation of WES as a first-tier test for genetic diagnosis of ASD in India

Possible high risk of transmission of the Nipah virus in South and South East Asia: a review

Abstract Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic, single-stranded RNA virus from the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus. NiV is a biosafety-level-4 pathogen that is mostly spread by Pteropus species, which serve as its natural reservoir host. NiV is one of the major public health challenges in South and South East Asia. However, few molecular studies have been conducted to characterise NiV in a specific region. The main objective of this review is to understand the epidemiology, pathogenesis, molecular surveillance, transmission dynamics, genetic diversity, reservoir host, clinical characteristics, and phylogenetics of NiV. South and South East Asian nations have experienced NiV outbreaks. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that two primary clades of NiV are in circulation. In humans, NiV causes severe respiratory illness and/or deadly encephalitis. NiV is mainly diagnosed by ELISA along with PCR. Therefore, we recommend that the governments of the region support the One Health approach to reducing the risk of zoonotic disease transmission in their respective countries