DNA Barcoding of Fish Fauna using Mitochondrial CO1 Gene

This study aimed to investigate the quantitative relationships between four fish species from three genera based on molecular analyses (barcoding) of nine species from five genera utilizing the mitochondrial COI gene. Species within the same genus showed more transitional incompatibilities than transversional mismatches. The samples were divided into four main groups by a phylogenetic tree built from the sequencing data (cytochrome COI) of samples from the two populations using the neighbour-joining method. As dissimilar species were clustered under separate nodes and similar species were clustered under the same nodes, the neighbour-joining tree revealed various clusters corresponding to the taxonomic status of the species. In conclusion, the mitochondrial CO1 gene is a useful molecular marker for DNA barcoding.

AC loss and contact resistance of different CICC cable patterns: Experiments and numerical modeling

© 2020 The Author(s) For upcoming nuclear fusion energy reactors, like the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) and EU-DEMO, the superconducting Cable-In-Conduit Conductors (CICC) are in the design phase, and the operating conditions like electromagnetic forces can be higher than in previous devices like ITER. The prototype conductors for the Central Solenoid (CS) coils in the CFETR, for example, are designed to produce a peak field of 19.9 T and are expected to be made of high current density Nb3Sn strands. Investigations are also ongoing on the application of bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide (BSCCO) and MgB2 strands for CICCs in fusion reactors. The latter material, MgB2, could be applied for superconductors subjected to lower magnetic fields, such as Poloidal Field coils, Correction Coils, and Feeders. The performance of all these strands is sensitive to strain, and the mechanical strength of the brittle filaments is relatively weak. This requires a thorough analysis of the cable pattern in terms of the mechanical support of the strands along their length in combination with the minimization of the interstrand coupling currents and strand indentation. As an initial step to finding the most appropriate cable pattern for CICCs, three prototype CICCs made of ITER type Nb3Sn strands with significantly different cable twist patterns are tested experimentally for AC coupling loss, interstrand contact resistance, and strand indentation. The three cabling patterns referred to as the Twente, CWS (copper wound superconducting strand), and CFETR-CSMC (CFETR Central Solenoid Model Coil) design. The numerical code JackPot ACDC developed at the University of Twente is used to analyze the interstrand coupling loss and contact resistance. The new ASIPP (Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) triplet modified CWS design is aimed at reducing strand pinching during cabling, which causes degradation of transport properties during compaction and cyclic loading. The Twente design has the same objective but also aims at reducing the coupling loss while maximizing the mechanical lateral support for the strands by making the twist pitch ratio of the sequential cabling stages close to one. The CFETR-CSMC, taken as a reference for comparison, has cable a pattern mostly similar to the ITER CS cable design

Prevalence of Charcot arthropathy in Type 2 diabetes patients aged over 50 years with severe peripheral neuropathy: A retrospective study in a Tertiary Care South Indian Hospital

Aims: Available literature on the prevalence of Charcot arthropathy (CA) represents mainly Western population. No study has been reported from India so far. Hence we attempted to study the prevalence of CA in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and severe peripheral neuropathy (T2DMPN), belonging to Indian population amongst whom type 2 diabetes is on the rise in alarming proportions. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 3387 patients who performed an objective vibration perception threshold test during the year 2015 were screened for T2DMPN. Out of these, 1475 T2DMPN patients above 50 years were selected and analyzed in detail for CA. CA was diagnosed based on clinical features and/or radiological investigations. The anatomical localization of the disease distribution of the affected foot was done according to Brodsky's classification. Results: The prevalence of CA in T2DMPN patients was found to be 9.8%. The mean age of patients diagnosed with CA was 63 ± 8.36 years, and mean duration of DM for CA to develop was 18.01 ± 8.23 years. About 62.5% of the patients were male and 37.5% female. Bilateral presentation of CA was observed in 20.8% of patients. Multiple sites of the foot were affected in 48.6% of patients and belonged to type 4 classification of Brodsky. Conclusions: A high prevalence of CA (9.8%) was observed in the present study conducted on T2DMPN patients who presented to the endocrinology department of a tertiary care South Indian hospital. In the majority of patients, the area of foot affected belonged to type 4 classification of Brodsky

Advanced glycation end products dietary restriction effects on bacterial gut microbiota in peritoneal dialysis patients; a randomized open label controlled trial

<div><p>The modern Western diet is rich in advanced glycation end products (AGEs). We have previously shown an association between dietary AGEs and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in a population of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). In the current pilot study we explored the effects of dietary AGEs on the gut bacterial microbiota composition in similar patients. AGEs play an important role in the development and progression of cardiovascular (CVD) disease. Plasma concentrations of different bacterial products have been shown to predict the risk of incident major adverse CVD events independently of traditional CVD risk factors, and experimental animal models indicates a possible role AGEs might have on the gut microbiota population. In this pilot randomized open label controlled trial, twenty PD patients habitually consuming a high AGE diet were recruited and randomized into either continuing the same diet (HAGE, <i>n</i> = 10) or a one-month dietary AGE restriction (LAGE, <i>n</i> = 10). Blood and stool samples were collected at baseline and after intervention. Variable regions V3-V4 of 16s rDNA were sequenced and taxa was identified on the phyla, genus, and species levels. Dietary AGE restriction resulted in a significant decrease in serum N^<i>ε</i>-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) and methylglyoxal-derivatives (MG). At baseline, our total cohort exhibited a lower relative abundance of <i>Bacteroides</i> and <i>Alistipes</i> genus and a higher abundance of <i>Prevotella</i> genus when compared to the published data of healthy population. Dietary AGE restriction altered the bacterial gut microbiota with a significant reduction in <i>Prevotella copri</i> and <i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> relative abundance and increased <i>Alistipes indistinctus</i>, <i>Clostridium citroniae</i>, <i>Clostridium hathewayi</i>, and <i>Ruminococcus gauvreauii</i> relative abundance. We show in this pilot study significant microbiota differences in peritoneal dialysis patients’ population, as well as the effects of dietary AGEs on gut microbiota, which might play a role in the increased cardiovascular events in this population and warrants further studies.</p></div

Species (A), genus (B), and Phyla (C) differences between groups at baseline and after intervention.

<p>HAGE (bl), high advanced glycation end products group at baseline; LAGE (bl), low advanced glycation end products group at baseline; HAGE (Int), high advanced glycation end products group after intervention; LAGE (Int), low advanced glycation end products group after intervention. The top ten species in relative abundance (74%) are shown in Fig 3A, full species are shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0184789#pone.0184789.s002" target="_blank">S2 Fig</a>.</p

Shannon-Wiener diversity index indicating no differences among groups before and after intervention (bars and columns represent diversity index mean ± standard deviation).

<p>HAGE (bl), high advanced glycation end products group at baseline; LAGE (bl), low advanced glycation end products group at baseline; HAGE (Int), high advanced glycation end products group after intervention; LAGE (Int), low advanced glycation end products group after intervention.</p

AGE levels before and after intervention.

<p>AGE levels before and after intervention.</p