Population growth, nauplii production and post-embryonic development of Pseudodiaptomus annandalei (Sewell, 1919) in response to temperature, light intensity, pH, salinity and diets

1000-1009The present attempt revealed influence of salinity, temperature, pH, light intensity and diet on survival, fecundity, population density and embryonic development of the marine calanoid copepod, Pseudodiaptomus annandalei. Various levels of salinity viz., 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 ppt; temperature (21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 °C); pH (6.5, 7, 7.5, 8.0, and 8.5); light intensity (500, 1500, 3000, and 4500 lux); and different microalgal feed viz., Chlorella marina (CHL), Isochrysis galbana (ISO), Tetraselmis suecica (TET), Nannochloropsis occulata (NAN), Dunaliella salina (DUN), Picochlorum maculatum (PICO) and mixed microalgae (MIX) at equal ratio were employed to determine the impact on biology of P. annandalei. The better survival and reproduction was achieved under the salinity 25 ppt, temperature 27 °C, pH 8, light intensity 500 lux and with ISO diet. The developmental time was recorded to be short at 25 ppt, 30 ºC, pH 8 and light intensity 500 lux with ISO diet. Although, the highest yield was obtained under those parameter regimes, P. annandalei seems to be optimistic with wide range of environmental conditions. This study has confirmed that P. annandalei can be cultured at commercial scale as aqua feed and as model organism in toxicity experiments

Randomized Clinical Trial of High-Dose Rifampicin With or Without Levofloxacin Versus Standard of Care for Pediatric Tuberculous Meningitis: The TBM-KIDS Trial

Background. Pediatric tuberculous meningitis (TBM) commonly causes death or disability. In adults, high-dose rifampicin may reduce mortality. The role of fluoroquinolones remains unclear. There have been no antimicrobial treatment trials for pediatric TBM. Methods. TBM-KIDS was a phase 2 open-label randomized trial among children with TBM in India and Malawi. Participants received isoniazid and pyrazinamide plus: (i) high-dose rifampicin (30 mg/kg) and ethambutol (R30HZE, arm 1); (ii) high-dose rifampicin and levofloxacin (R30HZL, arm 2); or (iii) standard-dose rifampicin and ethambutol (R15HZE, arm 3) for 8 weeks, followed by 10 months of standard treatment. Functional and neurocognitive outcomes were measured longitudinally using Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) and Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). Results. Of 2487 children prescreened, 79 were screened and 37 enrolled. Median age was 72 months; 49%, 43%, and 8% had stage I, II, and III disease, respectively. Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 58%, 55%, and 36% of children in arms 1, 2, and 3, with 1 death (arm 1) and 6 early treatment discontinuations (4 in arm 1, 1 each in arms 2 and 3). By week 8, all children recovered to MRS score of 0 or 1. Average MSEL scores were significantly better in arm 1 than arm 3 in fine motor, receptive language, and expressive language domains (P < .01). Conclusions. In a pediatric TBM trial, functional outcomes were excellent overall. The trend toward higher frequency of adverse events but better neurocognitive outcomes in children receiving high-dose rifampicin requires confirmation in a larger trial. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT02958709