An annual algal diversity of Lakhna, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India

The nature of an ecosystem can be easily assumed by the presence of planktonic diversity, as they have a major role in oxygen amelioration, binding and removal of toxic substances from water body. The present enumeration deals with the annual algal diversity from the Lakhna town of Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. During this one year period, total fifty-four species of Algae recorded viz. Achnanthes minutissima, Amphora ovalis, Anabaena oscillarioides, A. oryzae, Ankistrodesmus falcatus, Aphanocapsa littoralis, Aphanothece microscopica, Arthrospira sp., Calothrix gloeocola, Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorococcum  humicola, Chroococcus minor, C. minutes, Cladophora glomerata, Closterium venus, Coelosphaerium kuetzingianum, Cyclotella meneghiniana, Cylindrospermum minutissimum, Euglena minuta, Fragilaria crotonensis, Gloeocapsa magma, Gloeotrichia pisum, Gomphonema parvulum, Hydrodictyon reticulatum, Lyngbya contorta, L. epiphytica, L. majuscula, Merismopedia glauca, M. tenuissima, Microcystis aeruginosa, M. flos-aquae, M. robusta, Mougeotia calcarea, Navicula ambigua, N. brebissonii, N. lata, Nostoc commune, N. punctiforme, Oscillatoria formosa, O. subuliformis, O. princeps, Pediastrum  boryanum, Phormidium ambiguum, P. fragile, P. lucidum, Rivularia aquatica, Scenedesmus bijuga, S. obliquus, Spirogyra affinis, S. submaxima, Spirulina gigantea, S. major, Ulothrix  zonata, Zygnema collinsianum. This information can be used as baseline data and may be further used to assess any change in algal diversity of Gangetic plain after a sufficient gap to understand the impact of changing climate on it

Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF): The ‘Kyoto Consensus’-Steps From Asia

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a condition associated with high mortality in the absence of liver transplantation. There have been various definitions proposed worldwide. The first consensus report of the working party of the Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) set in 2004 on ACLF was published in 2009, and the APASL ACLF Research Consortium (AARC) was formed in 2012. The AARC database has prospectively collected nearly 10,500 cases of ACLF from various countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This database has been instrumental in developing the AARC score and grade of ACLF, the concept of the \u27Golden Therapeutic Window\u27, the \u27transplant window\u27, and plasmapheresis as a treatment modality. Also, the data has been key to identifying pediatric ACLF. The European Association for the Study of Liver-Chronic Liver Failure (EASL CLIF) and the North American Association for the Study of the End Stage Liver Disease (NACSELD) from the West added the concepts of organ failure and infection as precipitants for the development of ACLF and CLIF-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and NACSELD scores for prognostication. The Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B (COSSH) added COSSH-ACLF criteria to manage hepatitis b virus-ACLF with and without cirrhosis. The literature supports these definitions to be equally effective in their respective cohorts in identifying patients with high mortality. To overcome the differences and to develop a global consensus, APASL took the initiative and invited the global stakeholders, including opinion leaders from Asia, EASL and AASLD, and other researchers in the field of ACLF to identify the key issues and develop an evidence-based consensus document. The consensus document was presented in a hybrid format at the APASL annual meeting in Kyoto in March 2024. The \u27Kyoto APASL Consensus\u27 presented below carries the final recommendations along with the relevant background information and areas requiring future studies

Harvesting the faith on “Local Deities” to make folks in remote villages of Himachal shun Tobacco use!

Background Over 21 percent of adults in state of Himachal, India, use some form of tobacco. The state cancer hospital receives about 6000 cases every year, with tobacco related mouth cancers at the top. The state of Himachal has banned tobacco products including Gutkha (Chewable smokelessTobacco) and has recently notified the ban on sale of loose cigarettes and bidis. The law enforcement by government on one side, the state, which is known as the land of Gods, is advantaged by the supreme faith of people on local deities in certain interior villages, as for as health related issues are concerned. Methods A study of cultural faiths of people in Hurang village of interior Chuhar valley of Mandi district and Tuin and Jathani villages in Lug valley of Kullu district was done by taking interviews of a cross section of local residents so as to assess the influence and role of local deities in decision making by the people in their day to day life. Results It was found that hill villages have their own deities, which have a great influence on the life of local people. The local deities has a say in village matters through their 'kardars', (priests). The people have day to day psycho-socio-cultural dependence on them. That is why in these villages, the local deity's diktat against smoking and any kind of tobacco use like smoking, chewing Gutkha, selling or bringing any tobacco product is completely prohibited by local deity's order. Unaware of ban on tobacco the deity's order is sacred for them and any violation can invite deity's wrath for them. [Hurang Deity giving message of no smoking] Conclusions The cultural faiths should be re-enforced and integrated with tobacco control programme for greater influence by making the local symbols of faith, the 'Kardars' as brand ambassadors for spreading the message of shunning all tobacco products and drugs