Conventional Taxonomy of Four Tilapia Species in South-East Coast of India

Tilapia belongs to the family Cichlidae. Tilapia is a generic term used to designate a group of commercially important food fishes belonging to the family Cichlidae. Tilapia species have been re-classified into three separate genera viz., Tilapia, Sarotherodon and Oreochromis, based mainly on their reproduction and feeding habits and biogeography. Tilapias are very sturdy in nature. The family Cichlidaeis is one of the most species-rich families of vertebrates. More than 3,000 species of cichlid fishes are distributed from Central and South America, through Africa and Madagascar to Southern India. Classification of species is fundamental for carrying out researches in biodiversity, ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology. With this as the background in the present study, four species of fishes namely O. mossambicus and O.niloticus, Tilapia rendalli and T.zilliiare were sequenced for their 647 bp, 645 bp, 642 and 481 region of cytochrome oxidase sub-unit I (COI) gene to test their efficacy in identifying the species and also to demonstrate their intra-species variations within the barcode region. The sequences were analyzed for their species identification, using the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD’s) identification engine. The COI sequences of O. mossambicus, O.niloticus, Tilapia rendalli and T.zillii from different geographical regions were extracted from NCBI for analyzing the intra-species variation. While comparing the sequences in the NCBI database with the present sequences, significant alignments with maximum similarity ranging from 99% to 100% were noticed. Four sequences are aligned using ClustalW. A phylogenetic tree was constructed with Bootstrap test. The optimal tree with the sum of branch length showed 0.000976 for O. mossambicus, 0.001556 for O. niloticus and 0.000000 for T. rendalli and T.zillii. In O. mossambicus, the maximum GC content was 46.9% whereas the GC content in all other closely related species was found to be 46% on an average. In O. niloticus, the maximum GC content of 47.9% was noticed and the closely related sequences exhibited 48% average in GC content (T.zillii 50.2% and T.rendalli 46.6%).The analyses revealed the molar concentration of bar-coded genes.The evolutionary relationship was inferred with the closely related sequences obtained from the NCBI database. Sequence divergence between individuals of the same species ranged from 0 to 0.057. Both phylography and phylogeographic signals were evident from the phylogram constructed with O. mossambicus and O.niloticus as the same group. Even though the present results confirm that the COI could be a potential barcode gene for species level identification, further research is needed for describing the divergence of sequences in a broader sense. Analysis of data undertaken with conventional tools like PCR amplification and gene sequencing methods clearly revealed the healthy nature of environment along the south-east coast of India.Keywords: Intra species, Variations, Barcode, Cytochrome oxidase, Phylogeneti

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Assessment of Coral Reef Environment Using Associated Fishes Along South-East Coast of India

In the present study, totally 162 species of coral reef associated fishes, belonging to 17 orders, 64 families and 94 genera have been recorded in Cuddalore, Parangipettai and Nallavadu reefs. The study was conducted for a period of two years from January 2012 to December 2013. In Cuddalore, during 2012 a total number of 138 species of coral reef associated fishes belonging to 83 genera, 55 families and 17 orders were recorded, and in 2013, as many as 131 species belonging to 76 genera, 51 families and 14 orders were recorded. In Parangipettai, 127 species of coral reef associated fishes belonging to 78 genera, 48 families and 13 orders were recorded during 2012, and in 2013, 120 species belonging to 73 genera, 45 families and 12 orders were recorded. In Nallavadu, 117 species of coral reef associated fishes were recorded in 2012. These belong to 77 genera, 51 families and 17 orders; whereas, in 2013, totally 112 species belonging to 75 genera, 52 families and 17 orders were recorded. Considering the family-wise distribution, families such as Carangidae, Serranidae and Lutjanidaeare were found dominant with 22, 15 and 12 species respectively, followed by Haemulidae and Mullidae (6 species each), Acanthuridae, Nemipteridae, Siganidae and Synodontidae (4 species each), Clupeidae, Ephippidae, Lethrinidae and Sphyraenidae (3 species each) and other families with less than three species.Shannon Wiener diversity index recorded was in the range of 5.775 (during pre-monsoon period in 2013 at Cuddalore) -4.326 (during summer in 2012 at Nallavadu). In Margalef’s richness index, the maximum of 13.74 was recorded in Cuddalore during pre-monsoon in 2012 and the minimum of 7.975 in Nallavadu during monsoon in 2013. In taxonomic diversity among the three regions, the maximum of 55.86 was recorded in Parangipettai and minimum (51.55) was found in Nallavadu during the pre-monsoon period in 2012. In phylogenetic diversity the maximum of 4217 Cuddalore and a minimum of 2467 were recorded in Nallavadu during summer in 2013. The higher values recorded in all diversity indices clearly showed the good health of the coral reef environment in the study area.Keywords: Health, Coral reef, Environment, Diversity indices, Fishe

Trastuzumab-conjugated vitamin e TPGS liposomes for sustained and targeted delivery of docetaxel

Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery106747-76

Theranostic liposomes of TPGS coating for targeted co-delivery of docetaxel and quantum dots

10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.01.036Biomaterials33123494-3501BIMA

Vitamin e TPGS coated liposomes enhanced cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of docetaxel in brain cancer cells

10.1016/j.ijpharm.2011.09.045International Journal of Pharmaceutics4212332-340IJPH

Development of docetaxel-loaded vitamin e TPGS micelles: Formulation optimization, effects on brain cancer cells and biodistribution in rats

10.2217/nnm.11.111Nanomedicine73353-36

Not Available

Not AvailableSouthwest coast of India has great potential for development of deep sea fishing for crustaceans. Earlier exploratory surveys have revealed the existance of commercially exploitable stocks of deep-sea prawns, lobsters and crab along the Kerala coast and schemes are under way for their large scale exploitation. FORV Sagar sampada , in her 40th and 42nd cruises, undertook a detailed survey of the resource characteristics of deep sea crustaceans between Trivandrum and ponnani during january-february, 1988 and the results are presented in this paper. In the bottom trawlsoperated between 60 and 777 m depths, prawns formed sizable portion of the catch from the Quilon Bank. with maximum abundance (64-201 kg/hr) between 290 and 370m depth. The multi species catch consisted of appreciable quantities of large and medium sized species such as Aristeus alocki: Heterocarpus woodmasoni, H.gibbosus Plesionika spinipes, solenocera hextii and Penaeopsis jerryi suggesting scope for their commercial exploitation and export. The deep sea spiny lobster puerulus sewelli recorded the highest yield (180 kg/hr) at 235-307m depth of Trivandrum Among other crustaceans, the swarming Charybdis (Goniohellenus) smithii was an important component registering maximum catch at 240-380m depth of Alleppey. Information on sex ratios, size frequency and mean size distribution, abundance of breeding population etc, from different bathymetric zones have been provided for important species.Not Availabl