वेलांचली ओलिगोकीटे पोन्टोड्रिलस बेर्मूडेन्सिस बेड्डार्ड: पेनिआइड झींगे और पोर्टूनिड केकडे में परिपक्वन को प्रेरित करनेवाले अरकिडोनिक अम्ल का शक्य स्रोत

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

Littoral Oligochaete Pontodrilus bermudensis Beddard: A potential source for Arachidonic acid that stimulates maturation in penaeid shrimp

The littoral oligocheate Pontodrilus bermudensis Beddard, is widely distributed in the tropical, subtropical and warm tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its distribution extends to 45° N and 45° S of the equator with particular abundance in the tropical and subtropical belt. As a broodstock diet along with clam meat and squid for penaeid shrimps and portunid crabs it has promoted repetitive maturation and spawning in commercially important species such as Penaeus semisulcatus, Fenneropenaeus indicus, Penaeus monodon, Portutunus pelagicus and Scylla tranquebarica. Three successive experiments were conducted to identify the diet that support

Culture of the littoral oligochaete Pontodrilus bermudensis Beddard

The use of the littoral oligochaete Pontodrilus bermudensis Beddard as a dietary supplement promotes maturation and spawning for a prolonged period in Feneropenaeus indicus, Penaeus monodon, P. semisulcatus, Portunus pelagicus, and Scylla tranquebarica. Thus, production of these worms in captivity will be useful for successful management of shrimp/crab hatcheries. To develop a culture protocol for this worm, different organic amendments were tested. Experiments conducted in plastic trays with a 2-cm-thick sand base, have revealed that out of four organic amendments (cow dung; cow dung + seaweeds; cow dung + leaf litter; and cow dung + hay) tested first three promoted multiplication of worms by 108.5%, 280.0%, and 230.0% , respectively, after 30 days. Subsequent experiments conducted in wooden crates with verminbed (12 cm intertidal sand + 5–

Association of fibroblast growth factor 21 with oxidative stress and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FBG 21) is an endocrine factor that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and obesity. Blood levels of FGF21 are elevated in patients with atherosclerosis, macrovascular, and microvascular complications of diabetes, possibly due to a compensatory up regulation. Studies reported that FGF21 is an important regulator of mitochondrial and oxidative stress. The role of FGF21 in chronic diseases and the diminished oxidative stress observed with anti-diabetic therapy has been the target of new studies. Current study aimed to evaluate serum FGF21 levels and its association with oxidative stress and lipid profile levels in type 2 diabetic patients.Methods: 100 controls and 100 diabetic patients on oral hypoglycemic drugs between 35-55 years of age without any cardiac, renal, liver, and thyroid dysfunction were selected for this study. Oxidative stress (MDA), total antioxidant status (FRAP), and FGF21 were measured. FGF21 was analyzed by ELISA methods. Serum MDA was assessed by the method of Yagi  serum total antioxidant status was measured by the method of Benzie et al.Results: FGF21 level was increased in diabetic patients compared with controls. There was a significant positive correlation of FGF21 with MDA (r=0.875, p<0.01) and negative correlation with FRAP observed (r= -0.867 p<0.01). There was also positive correlation of FGF21 with total cholesterol (r=0.499, p<0.01), triglycerides (r=0.648, p<0.01), LDL-cholesterol (r=0.337, p<0.01) and negative correlation with HDL-cholesterol (r= -0.172, p<0.05) were observed.Conclusions: Increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant status were observed in diabetics. This could be due to dyslipidemia and increased generation of free radicals. High levels of FGF21 observed in our study might represent its resistant state and the compensatory response to maintain metabolic homeostasis. Further studies are needed to explore the role of FGF21 as a novel marker in predicting cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients

Plasma polymerised nanoscale coatings of controlled thickness for efficient solid-phase presentation of growth factors

The engineering of biomaterial surfaces and scaffolds for specific biomedical and clinical application is of growing interest. Certain functionalised surfaces can capture and deliver bioactive molecules, such as growth factors (GF), enhancing the clinical efficacy of such systems. With a custom-made plasma polymerisation reactor described here we have developed bioactive polymer coatings based on poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA). This remarkable polymer unfolds fibronectin (FN) upon adsorption to allow the GF binding region of FN to sequester and present GFs with high efficiency. We systematically evaluate process conditions and their impact on plasma polymerised PEA coatings and characterise the effect of plasma power and deposition time on thickness, wettability and chemical composition of the coatings. We demonstrate that functional substrate roughness can be maintained after deposition of the polymer coatings. Importantly, we show that coatings deposited at different conditions all maintain a similar or better bioactivity than spin coated PEA references. We show that in PEA plasma polymerised coatings FN assembles into nanonetworks with high availability of integrin and GF binding regions that sequester bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). We also report similar mesenchymal stem cell adhesion behaviour, as characterised by focal adhesions, and differentiation potential on BMP-2 coated surfaces, regardless of plasma deposition conditions. This is a potent and versatile technology that can help facilitate the use of GFs in clinical applications

Plankton taxonomy

Plankton includes all those organisms that live suspended in the water column of aquatic ecosystems. Unlike nektons, which swim actively against water currents, plankton are characterized by feeble power of locomotion and drift in the water column at the mercy of currents, winds, and tides. The term “plankton” was coined by Victor Hensen from the Greek word "plankton" meaning drifter or wanderer

Documentation of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITKs) system prevalent among poultry farmers of Palakkad district, Kerala

A number of communities, most of which have distinctive long-established knowledge and know-how base, populate Kerala state. Indigenous technological knowledge can be encouraged through a scientific approach as one of the means of sustainable agricultural practices, which will be environment-friendly. ITK that are in practice all over rural India is little acknowledged and there is a threat of loss of this knowledge. Hence some of the local knowledge and technologies were studied and the importance of the same has been evaluated. The study was carried out within the scaffold of poultry farming and allied activities. A broad range of varied sectors including poultry housing, feeding and disease management were taken into account for the purpose of the study. It is observed from the study that farmers adopt traditional knowledge in every aspects of poultry farming including housing, brooding, feeding management, hatching process, seasonal management, poultry health management etc. The documented ITKs showed the richness of the time-tested traditional knowledge applied to animal husbandry in the region specified under the study.

Sterol Composition of the Indian Green Lipped Mussel Perna virdis

Sterol composition of green lipped mussel Perna virdis was analysed using GCMS. Cholesterol was found to be the dominant sterol (54.162% of the total sterol content). Other sterols such as Cholesta-5,22-dien-3-ol (3β), ergosta-5,22-dien-3-ol (3 β,22E, 24S),  26,26-dimethyl-5,24 (28)-Ergostadien-3β-ol, 26-nor-5cholesten- 3β-ol, stigmasterol and γ sitosterol were also detected. Presence of phytosterols like stigmasterol and γ sitosterol underlines high nutritional potential and food value of this bivalve mollusk

Seasonal variability in the distribution of microplastics in the coastal ecosystems and in some commercially important fishes of the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, Southeast coast of India

Impact of microplastic pollution on the marine environment and its biota is a major concern globally. Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and Palk Bay (PB) are two important biodiversity hotspots along the south-east coast of India. However, in the recent years the intense tourism and fishery activities have made the ecosystem and biota of these two ecologically significant coastal zones vulnerable to microplastic contamination. Hence, a comparative study on the seasonal distribution of microplastics in the surface waters, sediments, and in commercially important fishes were conducted to evaluate the threats imposed by microplastics on the environment and biota of both these coastal ecosystems. Microplastic distribution in the surface waters and sediments of GoM and PB exhibited conspicuous seasonal variation and showed positive correlation with the seasonal current patterns. In the surface waters of GoM, microplastics were abundant during the South West Monsoon whereas in PB it was high during the Early Winter Monsoon period. In the sediments of PB, microplastics was more during Spring Inter-monsoonand South West Monsoon whereas in GoM it was high during Late Winter Monsoon. Fragments, of size 1 to 5 mm formed the abundant microplastic type in the surface waters whereas in the sediments, fragments of size < 1 mm dominated. Of the gut content of the 613 fishes belonging to 12 families examined, microplastics were more in pelagic than demersal fishes with higher incidences in the family Clupeidae (42%). Among the fishes studied, microplastic ingestion was more in Selaroides leptolepis (27.77%), Sphyraena sp. (14.28%), Pelates quadrilineatus (12%), Caranx sp. (10.34%), and Sphyraena barracuda (10%)

Molecular-genetic characterization of human parvovirus B19 prevalent in Kerala State, India

peer-reviewedBackground Human parvovirus B19V is a DNA virus, and a member of the family Parvoviridae, that causes various clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic to persistent infection that is associated with different autoimmune diseases. The parvovirus B19 evolves with a very high mutation rate that is closer to those of existing RNA viruses. Globally circulating B19V is currently classified into three genotypes, but their distribution is not spatially and temporally correlated. Except for a few recent reports on B19V entry into the human host and its genetic diversity, there is a lack of sufficient studies on this virus from distinct geographical locations and no clear understanding of its evolution has been documented. Methods To better understand the evolution of the Human parvo B19V virus from India's southern part, a geographically distinct location with no reports of B19V genomes, we have screened for B19V in 456 suspected cases using VP1/2 surface marker genes, and its characteristics were studied in detail. Amongst 456 clinically suspected B19V samples, 7.2% (33/456) were found positive by nested PCR (nPCR) were subsequently validated by real-time PCR, Sanger sequencing, and metagenome analysis. Results Human parvovirus B19 infection was shown among 33 of 456 patients when tested by nPCR; 30 among these were also positive by qPCR and were subsequently confirmed by sequencing 75% nPCR positive samples and 76% qPCR positive samples were from patients with age. ≥ 50 years respectively (Additional file 1: Table S1). The complete VP1/2 gene assembly from the South Indian strain showed three novel mutations (T122A, V128I, I283V), which might significantly impact the stability and virulence of the B19V virus circulating in this part of the world. These mutations might be crucial for its adaptive evolutionary strategies facilitating the spread and infectivity potential of the virus. In maximum likelihood phylogeny of VP1/2 sequences, the South Indian B19V strain forms a separate clade closer to the existing genotype two strains circulating worldwide. Conclusion Our study contributes to a better understanding of the human parvovirus's genetic and evolutionary characteristics in South India. Also, it highlights the possibility that a positive selection pressure acting on VP1/2 could increase the survival and replication capabilities of the viruses