A Study Of Social And Breeding Behaviour In Ostrich (Struthio Camelus) In Captive Environment

The earth is teeming with a distinct variety of life forms, but many species are being threatened due to human encroachment, habitat degradation, climate change and pollution, putting the earth’s magnificent biodiversity at risk. The risk of extinction rises as the gene pool's diversity decreases. Thus, conserving the existing biodiversity based on sustainable development and several conservation strategies like zoological parks plays a key role in providing a home to a wide range of indigenous species and exotic birds in a stress-free environment with high veterinary care. Menagerie plays a role in ex-situ conservation by captive breeding and in-situ conservation by reintroduction into the wild. This research has been conducted to observe the behavioural pattern of Struthio camelus that were reared in captive condition.  Breeding, mating, aggression, pecking and locomotion patterns were investigated. Predominant reproductive behaviour in the wild and captive are kantling, soliciting and agonistic displays. The number of eggs laid by the females within the clutch, the length of laying period, egg shape, size and colour were noted. The male rooster showed more aggressive behaviour and was disturbed at the sight of visitors producing a hissing sound. The population of the ostrich is declining as they are hunted for their feathers and skin, thus by captive breeding strategies, these species can be reestablished in the wild. This research helps in contributing scientific knowledge through observation of animals in their enclosures and increases longevity through improved diet.&nbsp

Comparison Of Butterfly Diversity In Natural, Semi-Natural And Human-Modified Ecosystems At Kundamankadavu,Thiruvananthapuaram, Kerala, South India .

Among insects, butterflies are the most taxonomically studied group and play key role in ecosystem as pollinators and bioindicator species. The diversity of butterflies inhabiting at Kundamankadavu, Vilavoorkal Panchayath, Thiruvananthapuram was recorded through a Pollard walk method by traversing slowly and observing within 5m radius of the observer for the period of November 2019 to March 2020. Three different ecosystems such as natural, semi-natural and human-modified ecosystems were evaluated for analysis of the diversities of butterfly species. The maximum diversity was observed in the natural ecosystem. A total of 15 species were observed across the three habitat types during the study period. Maximum number of butterflies were observed in natural ecosystem (6) followed by human-modified (5) and minimum in semi-natural ecosystem (4) respectively. Out of these, members belonging to the family Nymphalidae was the most common with 6 species being recorded accounting for 34% of total species. The study area is rich in butterfly diversity and further research could be conducted to obtain more details and documentation on butterfly diversity for the conservation and butterfly park. As the population of these insects decline rapidly due to human activities, habitat destruction, uses of pesticides and unawareness of people about the importance of butterflies, appropriate measures should be adopted for their protection

Safety and efficacy of hybrid platform design sirolimus eluting stent system in percutaneous coronary intervention in ST elevation myocardial infarction patients at 1 year after treatment

Background: STEMI is among the most complex and dramatic clinical presentation of coronary artery disease. The highest risk of mortality and stent thrombosis is observed in the subjects undergoing primary PCI. Choice of stent is often critical in Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction. GenXsync (MIV Therapeutics India Ltd, Surat India) is a stent having hybrid stent platform biodegradable polymers with the confidence of Sirolimus. The primary objective of this study was to establish safety and efficacy of GenXsync Sirolimus Eluting hybrid design stent in STEMI.Methods: A total of 73 patients of STEMI undergoing PCI were enrolled from June 2013 to January 2014. The average door to balloon time was 30±0.04 minutes with the minimumbeing15 minutes and maximum of 2 hours 44min. Most of the patients (69/ 73: 94.52%) underwent primary PCI. One patient (1.37%) was taken up for PCI after successful thrombolysis and two patients had to undergo rescue PCI after failed thrombolysis. All subjects underwent PCI with GenXsync Sirolimus Eluting hybrid design stent. Total 79 stents were used (average 1.08±0.38 stent per patient).  The subjects were followed up for one year after discharge.Results: There were 80.82% (59) males, 41.09% (30) diabetic, 27.39% (20) hypertensive, 52.05% (38) current smokers and 2 (2.74%), patients with chronic renal disease. The cardiac history was significantly complex, characterized by prior coronary artery disease in 4 (5.48%), prior MI in 5 (6.85%) including prior PCI in 2 (2.74%), congestive heart failure in 1 (1.37%), ST depression in 71 (97.26%), complete heart block in 4 (5.48%) and left bundle branchblock 1 (1.37%). At admission, 4 (5.4%) patients had cardiac arrest. Among the patients 32 (43.84%), 34 (46.58%), 7 (9.59%) had single, double and triple vessel disease respectively. Average Troponin I was 55.20± 59.34 and by Killip classification, the subjects with class I, class III and class IV were 65 (89.04%), 4 (5.48%), 4 (5.48%) respectively. At discharge there were 3 (3.34%) Major adverse cardiac events and at 1 year, there were 5 (5.48%) major adverse cardiac events. There were no acute stent thromboses. All subjects received dual antiplatelet therapy for one year (Aspirin and one among Clopidogrel, Prasugrel or Ticagrelor at the discretion of the operator). There were total of 2 (2.74%) stent thrombosis events between discharge and 1 year, including in 1 subject who discontinued Antiplatelet therapy within 1 year. None of 4 deaths including 2 cardiac were practically related with the device and procedure. These 4 deaths were due to cardiogenic shock (1), during MVR surgery (1), During surgery on leg, due to major bleeding (1) and Due to pre-existing CHF (1).Conclusions: In contemporary practice of percutaneous coronary intervention in ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Genxsync stent was associated with low risks of stent thrombosis and MACE

Expression of microRNAs following radiation therapy and association with severity of radiotherapy‑induced toxicity among patients with prostate adenocarcinoma: A systematic review and meta‑analysis

Radiation‑induced normal tissue toxicity is a common acute and chronic outcome of radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer (PCa). There are currently no existing pre‑assessments before treatment to predict acute and late RT‑induced toxicity. Novel predictive blood biomarkers in radiation oncology may improve treatment decision‑making and therapeutic monitoring for patients with PCa. A comprehensive systematic search of microRNA (miRNA/miR) profiling studies published in PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar was performed. The present systematic review, supported by meta‑analysis, summarises key findings and discusses the results of prospective clinical studies investigating miRNA expression levels and their association with RT‑induced toxicity in PCa. Out of seven clinical studies, six highlighted levels of 10 miRNAs changing in plasma, serum or peripheral blood mononuclear cells during RT. The post‑RT expression levels of miRNA‑132‑5p, miRNA‑1‑3p, miRNA‑410 and miRNA‑221 were increased, and miRNA‑23a‑3p expression was decreased among patients with low‑grade RT‑induced toxicity. Furthermore, in patients with high‑grade RT toxicity, miRNA‑197‑3p, miRNA‑151a‑5p, miRNA‑18b‑5p, miRNA‑99a and miRNA‑21 expression was increased, while miRNA‑132‑5p expression was decreased. The present miRNA meta‑analysis could be the focus of future studies to identify their potential clinical value as PCa biomarkers and therapeutic mediators in RT‑induced toxicity. The variations in miRNA levels post‑RT could be used as predictive biomarkers of RT‑induced toxicity. However, further extensive validation is required to establish the relationship between miRNA expression levels and RT‑induced toxicity in PCa and to confirm their predictive value

Assessment of myofascial pain syndrome among married female healthcare workers: a cross sectional comparative study in a tertiary care centre

Background: Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is common among females between ages 20-40 years. Psychosomatic and mechanical reasons are attributed as causative factors. Female health care workers (FHW) in hospitals with rapid patient turn over are vulnerable to develop MPS. Our aim was to ascertain the prevalence of MPS in married FHW working in various departments of the hospital and its association with poor sleep and work stress. Methods: We selected married FHWs in 20-50 years age group and divided them into two groups, medical and paramedical (those involved directly and indirectly with patient care respectively). MPS was diagnosed after detailed personal interview and clinical examination. Sleep duration was divided into less than 5 hours and more than 5hours. Presence of work-related stress and other medical parameters were also recorded. Results: A total of 150 medical and 150 paramedical FHWs were included in the study. Overall prevalence of MPS among FHWs was 42%, of which, medical group was 32% and paramedical was 52%. The paramedical group showed significantly higher prevalence of MPS (p: 0.02). Sleep was less than 5 hours in 29.3% of medical FHW and 13.3% of paramedical. This difference didn’t show any association to MPS (p=0.8). 38% FHW perceived excessive work stress, 40% were paramedical and 36% were medical. This didn’t correlate with prevalence of MPS (p=0.2) among them. Conclusions: Paramedical FHW experienced more MPS than medical and it was more of mechanical type and not due to work stress or sleep deprivation

Effect of solarized potting mixture on growth of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) rooted cuttings in the nursery

Solarized potting mixture in combination with nutrients and biocontrol agents was evaluatedfor production of vigorous disease free rooted cuttings of black pepper. Plants raised insolarized potting mixture had better growth than plants raised in nonsolarized pottingmixture (soil, sand, and farm yard manure 2:1:1proportion). Among the various treatments,plants raised in solarized potting mixture with recommended nutrients (urea,superphosphate, potash and magnesium sulphate 4:3:2:1)  showed significant increase innumber of leaves(5.3), length of roots (20cm), leaf area (177cm2), nutrient contents andbiomass (3.7g pl-1). The results indicated the superiority of solarized potting mixture forreducing the incidence of diseases besides yielding vigorous planting material. Cost ofproduction of rooted cuttings with biocontrol agents was found to be cheaper in the case ofrooted black pepper cuttings raised in solarized potting mixture. Bio control agents or biofertilizers can be mixed with solarized potting mixture. &nbsp

Machine Learning and Meta-Analysis Approach to Identify Patient Comorbidities and Symptoms that Increased Risk of Mortality in COVID-19

Background: Providing appropriate care for people suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 virus is a significant global challenge. Many individuals who become infected have pre-existing conditions that may interact with COVID-19 to increase symptom severity and mortality risk. COVID-19 patient comorbidities are likely to be informative about individual risk of severe illness and mortality. Accurately determining how comorbidities are associated with severe symptoms and mortality would thus greatly assist in COVID-19 care planning and provision. Methods: To assess the interaction of patient comorbidities with COVID-19 severity and mortality we performed a meta-analysis of the published global literature, and machine learning predictive analysis using an aggregated COVID-19 global dataset. Results: Our meta-analysis identified chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cerebrovascular disease (CEVD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, malignancy, and hypertension as most significantly associated with COVID-19 severity in the current published literature. Machine learning classification using novel aggregated cohort data similarly found COPD, CVD, CKD, type 2 diabetes, malignancy and hypertension, as well as asthma, as the most significant features for classifying those deceased versus those who survived COVID-19. While age and gender were the most significant predictor of mortality, in terms of symptom-comorbidity combinations, it was observed that Pneumonia-Hypertension, Pneumonia-Diabetes and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)-Hypertension showed the most significant effects on COVID-19 mortality. Conclusions: These results highlight patient cohorts most at risk of COVID-19 related severe morbidity and mortality which have implications for prioritization of hospital resources

Analysis of common genetic variation and rare CNVs in the Australian Autism Biobank.

BackgroundAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition whose biological basis is yet to be elucidated. The Australian Autism Biobank (AAB) is an initiative of the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC) to establish an Australian resource of biospecimens, phenotypes and genomic data for research on autism.MethodsGenome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes were available for 2,477 individuals (after quality control) from 546 families (436 complete), including 886 participants aged 2 to 17 years with diagnosed (n = 871) or suspected (n = 15) ASD, 218 siblings without ASD, 1,256 parents, and 117 unrelated children without an ASD diagnosis. The genetic data were used to confirm familial relationships and assign ancestry, which was majority European (n = 1,964 European individuals). We generated polygenic scores (PGS) for ASD, IQ, chronotype and height in the subset of Europeans, and in 3,490 unrelated ancestry-matched participants from the UK Biobank. We tested for group differences for each PGS, and performed prediction analyses for related phenotypes in the AAB. We called copy-number variants (CNVs) in all participants, and intersected these with high-confidence ASD- and intellectual disability (ID)-associated CNVs and genes from the public domain.ResultsThe ASD (p = 6.1e-13), sibling (p = 4.9e-3) and unrelated (p = 3.0e-3) groups had significantly higher ASD PGS than UK Biobank controls, whereas this was not the case for height-a control trait. The IQ PGS was a significant predictor of measured IQ in undiagnosed children (r = 0.24, p = 2.1e-3) and parents (r = 0.17, p = 8.0e-7; 4.0% of variance), but not the ASD group. Chronotype PGS predicted sleep disturbances within the ASD group (r = 0.13, p = 1.9e-3; 1.3% of variance). In the CNV analysis, we identified 13 individuals with CNVs overlapping ASD/ID-associated CNVs, and 12 with CNVs overlapping ASD/ID/developmental delay-associated genes identified on the basis of de novo variants.LimitationsThis dataset is modest in size, and the publicly-available genome-wide-association-study (GWAS) summary statistics used to calculate PGS for ASD and other traits are relatively underpowered.ConclusionsWe report on common genetic variation and rare CNVs within the AAB. Prediction analyses using currently available GWAS summary statistics are largely consistent with expected relationships based on published studies. As the size of publicly-available GWAS summary statistics grows, the phenotypic depth of the AAB dataset will provide many opportunities for analyses of autism profiles and co-occurring conditions, including when integrated with other omics datasets generated from AAB biospecimens (blood, urine, stool, hair)

The ER Stress/UPR Axis in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Cellular protein homeostasis in the lungs is constantly disrupted by recurrent exposure to various external and internal stressors, which may cause considerable protein secretion pressure on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), resulting in the survival and differentiation of these cell types to meet the increased functional demands. Cells are able to induce a highly conserved adaptive mechanism, known as the unfolded protein response (UPR), to manage such stresses. UPR dysregulation and ER stress are involved in numerous human illnesses, such as metabolic syndrome, fibrotic diseases, and neurodegeneration, and cancer. Therefore, effective and specific compounds targeting the UPR pathway are being considered as potential therapies. This review focuses on the impact of both external and internal stressors on the ER in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and discusses the role of the UPR signaling pathway activation in the control of cellular damage and specifically highlights the potential involvement of non-coding RNAs in COPD. Summaries of pathogenic mechanisms associated with the ER stress/UPR axis contributing to IPF and COPD, and promising pharmacological intervention strategies, are also presented