Nature Related Virtue in Saivism

Nature is the most important thing when it comes to religions.  Preserving nature and seeing nature as God are considered as a moral value among Tamil people. Seeking spirituality through nature is a sacred thing. During Covid-19 we realize that it is our duty to love nature and to maintain clean environment even if we are under social distancing, isolation and self-defense. That was a good time in restoring nature. Tamil people have witnessed various religious practices and religious literatures. National and international religions spread divine principles in Tamil Nadu, Jainism, Buddhism, Saivism, Vaishnavism, Christianity and Islam grew and flourished in our country.  Tamil grew out of these religions and in turn religions grew out of Tamil. Saivism was enriched by devotional hymns sung by sixty-three diviners. Hinduism and nature cannot be separated. Nature is considered as a religion. The idea was to create separate shrines for the five elements, to maintain it and protect living beings and plants by associating them with the gods. Saivisim encouraged the conservation of the natural environment

Replacement of Marine Fish Oil with de novo Omega-3 Oils from Transgenic Camelina sativa in Feeds for Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata L.)

Omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are essential components of the diet of all vertebrates and. The major dietary source of n-3 LC-PUFA for humans has been fish and seafood but, paradoxically, farmed fish are also reliant on marine fisheries for fish meal and fish oil (FO), traditionally major ingredients of aquafeeds. Currently, the only sustainable alternatives to FO are vegetable oils, which are rich in C18 PUFA, but devoid of the eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) abundant in FO. Two new n-3 LC-PUFA sources obtained from genetically modified (GM) Camelina sativa containing either EPA alone (ECO) or EPA and DHA (DCO) were compared to FO and wild-type camelina oil (WCO) in juvenile sea bream. Neither ECO nor DCO had any detrimental effects on fish performance, although final weight of ECO-fed fish (117 g) was slightly lower than that of FO- and DCO-fed fish (130 and 127 g, respectively). Inclusion of the GM-derived oils enhanced the n-3 LC-PUFA content in fish tissues compared to WCO, although limited biosynthesis was observed indicating accumulation of dietary fatty acids. The expression of genes involved in several lipid metabolic processes, as well as fish health and immune response, in both liver and anterior intestine were altered in fish fed the GM-derived oils. This showed a similar pattern to that observed in WCO-fed fish reflecting the hybrid fatty acid profile of the new oils. Overall the data indicated that the GM-derived oils could be suitable alternatives to dietary FO in sea bream

Plaque Type Blue Naevus

A case of plaque type blue naevus was encountered in a Dermatology Clinic in Madras. The various clinical differential diagnoses are discussed, the hitopathological features described and the benign nature of the tumour stressed. The case is reported for its rarity and to create an awareness of this entity

Dermatophytosis And Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV) Infection

The incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) antibody through Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA) technique was observed to be 2.5% among the 200 patients with dermatophytosis. The incidence was less (1%) in those with chronic disease compared to those with nonchronic disease (4%). The positivity seemed to be more in females screened. The clinical presentation of dermatophytosis in HIV positive patients was similar to that screen in general population. Trichophyton rubrum was the commonest isolate. Unusual widespread lesions and atypical lesions of nails like proximal subungual white onychomycosis were not encountered in the present series