ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF FRESH WATER CRAB AND SNAIL AND ISOLATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL PEPTIDES FROM HAEMOLYMPH BY SDS – PAGE

Objective: The present study was undertaken to characterize antimicrobial molecules from the fresh water snail and crab.Methods: Collection of haemolymph, preparation of extracts, antimicrobial activity, TLC analysis, SDS PAGE analysis.Results: The result of the present investigation reported that the fresh water snail (Pomacea insularium) and crab (Callinectes sapidus) having remarkable antimicrobial activity in methanol, di-ethyl ether and water extracts. Antimicrobial activity was high in di-ethyl ether extracts of the snail against Streptococcus sp. (37.16±0.76 mm) and methanol extract of crab against E. coli (32.16±0.28 mm). The MIC of extracts ranges between 5 µl to 30 µl methanol extract of both snail and crab inhibited the growth of organisms at very low concentration. Biomolecules from the extract was separated by TLC. The molecular mass of the peptide was determined by SDS PAGE. Peptides from snail and crab haemolymph were ranges in 9 to 110 and 40 to 100 kDa respectively.Conclusion: The present findings suggest that fresh water crab and snail having good antimicrobial activity against pathogenic microbes. Therefore they can be used to treat many pathogenic infections.Â

Observations of brown band disease in the Gulf of Mannar, India

The abundance and frequency of coral diseases have increased significantly during recent decades. The Gulf of Mannar in India has well-established coral reefs that have been affected by various climatic and non-climatic issues. Coral diseases, predominantly growth anomalies and white syndromes, have been reported on these reefs, but here we report the first observations of the ciliate disease brown band (BrB) on reefs of the Gulf of Mannar. Colonies with BrB lesions were found at 2 of the 21 islands surveyed, namely Poovarasanpatti and Puluvinichalli. Microscopic analysis of coral lesions confirmed the presence of zooxanthellae within ciliates indicating active feeding of coral tissues. The overall prevalence of BrB disease was 0.8% in Poovarasanpatti and 0.3% in Puluvinichalli. We only found Porites and Platygyra colonies infected with BrB ciliates even though Acropora, which is usually targeted by BrB, was the most abundant coral in our transects. This study extends the geographic range of BrB to the Gulf of Mannar and the host range to include Platygyra spp.The authors thank the Tamil Nadu Forest Department for permission to undertake this research and the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute for providing research facilities.Scopu

SYNTHESIS OF NANOFIBRE AND SILVER NANOPARTICLES FROM COELOMIC FLUID OF EARTHWORM, EUDRILUS EUGENIAE AND PONTOSCOLEX CORETHRURUS AND ITS ANTIMICROBIAL POTENCY

Nanotechnology is also referred to the ability for designing, characterization, production and application of structures. An increasingly common application is the use of silver nanoparticles and nanofibers for antimicrobial coatings, wound dressings, and biomedical devices.  In this recent world earthworms are showing the excellent scale in the medical field. In this present paper we have collected Eudrilus eugeniae, and Pontoscolex corethrurus to harvest the coelomic fluid from the earthworm for the synthesis of silver nanopaticles and nanofibers. Nanofibers are synthesized using human collagen and poly lactic acid. Coelomic fluid and Ag NPS was investigated for antibacterial activity and haemolytic activity.  Haemolytic activity of Eudrilus eugeniae was observed even in low quantity of coelomic fluid and haemolysis was observed for Pontoscolex corethrurus only in high quantity of fluid. The antimicrobial activity was found high in all types of earthworms. But nanoparticles from coelomic fluid showed higher activity than the coelomic fluid. Nanofibres from coelomic fluid does not showed any bioactivity against pathogens. Ag NPS was confirmed by the colour reduced to form brown and by UV-visible spectrum in the range of 400 to 430nm. Protein profile was investigated by the SDS-PAGE and the molecular weight was determined as 200KDa.  From this study we conclude that the coelomic fluid from earthworm can be used as therapeutic agent. Keyword: Ag NPS, Nanofibers, Haemolysis, UV-visible spectrum, SDS-PAG

Coral reef resilience differs among islands within the Gulf of Mannar, southeast India, following successive coral bleaching events

We used a 12-yr data set of benthic cover (2005–2017), spanning two bleaching events, to assess changes in benthic cover and coral community composition along 21 islands within Gulf of Mannar (GoM), southeast India. Overall, between 2005 and 2017 reefs had a simultaneous decrease in relative coral cover (avg. =  − 36%) and increase in algal cover (avg. =  + 45%). Changes in benthic cover were not consistent among islands, ranging from − 34 to + 5% for coral cover and from − 0.3 to + 50% for algae. There was a spatial gradient in coral mortality, which increased among islands from west to east. However, there was a disconnect between coral loss and subsequent increases in algae. Algal cover increased more on islands in west GoM where coral loss was minimal. Environmental co-factors (coral cover, percent bleaching, degree heating weeks, fish densities, Chl-a, pollution) explained > 50% of the benthic cover responses to successive bleaching. Coral survival was favored on islands with higher fish densities and chlorophyll-a levels, and increases in algal cover were associated with higher measures of pollution from terrestrial runoff. Coral morphotypes differed in their response following successive bleaching resulting in changes in the relative abundance of different coral morphotypes. Existing climate projections (RCP8.5) indicate a 22-yr gap in the onset of annual severe bleaching (ASB) for reefs in the east versus west GoM, and ASB was ameliorated for all reefs under the RCP4.5 projections. There is limited knowledge of the resilience of GoM reefs, and this study identifies coral morphotypes and reefs that are most likely to recover or decline from successive bleaching, in the context of forecasts of the frequency of future bleaching events in GoM

Coral reef resilience differs among islands within the Gulf of Mannar, southeast India, following successive coral bleaching events

We used a 12-yr data set of benthic cover (2005�2017), spanning two bleaching events, to assess changes in benthic cover and coral community composition along 21 islands within Gulf of Mannar (GoM), southeast India. Overall, between 2005 and 2017 reefs had a simultaneous decrease in relative coral cover (avg. = ? 36%) and increase in algal cover (avg. = + 45%). Changes in benthic cover were not consistent among islands, ranging from ? 34 to + 5% for coral cover and from ? 0.3 to + 50% for algae. There was a spatial gradient in coral mortality, which increased among islands from west to east. However, there was a disconnect between coral loss and subsequent increases in algae. Algal cover increased more on islands in west GoM where coral loss was minimal. Environmental co-factors (coral cover, percent bleaching, degree heating weeks, fish densities, Chl-a, pollution) explained > 50% of the benthic cover responses to successive bleaching. Coral survival was favored on islands with higher fish densities and chlorophyll-a levels, and increases in algal cover were associated with higher measures of pollution from terrestrial runoff. Coral morphotypes differed in their response following successive bleaching resulting in changes in the relative abundance of different coral morphotypes. Existing climate projections (RCP8.5) indicate a 22-yr gap in the onset of annual severe bleaching (ASB) for reefs in the east versus west GoM, and ASB was ameliorated for all reefs under the RCP4.5 projections. There is limited knowledge of the resilience of GoM reefs, and this study identifies coral morphotypes and reefs that are most likely to recover or decline from successive bleaching, in the context of forecasts of the frequency of future bleaching events in GoM. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.Climate projections for GoM were done under the Third NATCOM (National Communication) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) project of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), Government of India�(GOI). The authors are thankful to the MoEF & CC,�GOI; Tamil Nadu Forest Department (TNFD), Government of Tamil Nadu (GOTN); Department of Environment, GOTN; Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve Trust, GOTN; Coral Reef Degradation in Indian Ocean, Sweden; and V.O.Chidambaranar Port Trust (VOCPT), GOI for funding support. Thanks are also due to Chief Wildlife Warden, TNFD; Wildlife Warden, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park (GOMMNP), GOTN; and Chairman, VOCPT, GOI, for research permissions to carry out coral reef surveys and monitoring within the Marine National Park and harbour area and to Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute for logistical support.�Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Scopu

Implementing an intensive care registry in India: Preliminary results of the case-mix program and an opportunity for quality improvement and research

Background: The epidemiology of critical illness in India is distinct from high-income countries. However, limited data exist on resource availability, staffing patterns, case-mix and outcomes from critical illness. Critical care registries, by enabling a continual evaluation of service provision, epidemiology, resource availability and quality, can bridge these gaps in information. In January 2019, we established the Indian Registry of IntenSive care to map capacity and describe case-mix and outcomes. In this report, we describe the implementation process, preliminary results, opportunities for improvement, challenges and future directions. Methods: All adult and paediatric ICUs in India were eligible to join if they committed to entering data for ICU admissions. Data are collected by a designated representative through the electronic data collection platform of the registry. IRIS hosts data on a secure cloud-based server and access to the data is restricted to designated personnel and is protected with standard firewall and a valid secure socket layer (SSL) certificate. Each participating ICU owns and has access to its own data. All participating units have access to de-identified network-wide aggregate data which enables benchmarking and comparison. Results: The registry currently includes 14 adult and 1 paediatric ICU in the network (232 adult ICU beds and 9 paediatric ICU beds). There have been 8721 patient encounters with a mean age of 56.9 (SD 18.9); 61.4% of patients were male and admissions to participating ICUs were predominantly unplanned (87.5%). At admission, most patients (61.5%) received antibiotics, 17.3% needed vasopressors, and 23.7% were mechanically ventilated. Mortality for the entire cohort was 9%. Data availability for demographics, clinical parameters, and indicators of admission severity was greater than 95%. Conclusions: IRIS represents a successful model for the continual evaluation of critical illness epidemiology in India and provides a framework for the deployment of multi-centre quality improvement and context-relevant clinical research