Comparative studies on age and growth patterns of cultivated and wild Catla catla (Hamilton)

144-149Catla catla (Hamilton) is one of the fastest growing Indian major carps (IMCs) with increasing market demand. Consistent demand and exploitation invites the attention of ichthyologists for its conservation strategies. Age and growth studies play a pivotal role for managing the fishery stocks in different water bodies. Here, we studied the age and growth patterns using opercula of both farm grown as well as the wild grown C. catla adopting standard methodologies. Wild specimens were caught from Harike wetland (Ramsar site) and the cultivated one from a farm at Dhudike in Punjab. High value of correlation coefficient ‘r’ 0.976 (wetland) and 0.983 (farm) reveals the strong relationship in total length and operculum radius of the fish. C. catla achieved average total length from wetland and farm, respectively at 1st (273.44 mm) 2nd (427.44 mm) 3rd (525.49 mm) 4th (624.52 mm) 5th (744.98 mm) 6th (813.62 mm) and 1st (282.1 mm) 2nd (463 mm) 3rd (601.7 mm) year of age of opercular bones study. The growth parameters such as, index of species average size (φh) 135.6 (wetland) and 200.6 (farm), growth constant (Clt) showed two growth phases from both localities i.e. sexual immaturity up to 2 years and sexual maturity afterwards. Whereas, growth characteristic (Cth) has revealed irregular growth pattern at wetland in comparison to growth of fish from farm. The results of this study concluded that the fish experienced more growth from the farm due to better and controlled conditions but, in wetland surrounding conditions were observed to be unfavourable for survival of the fish C. catla

Ultrastructural alterations in the gills of cyprinid, Labeo rohita (Hamilton) exposed to Lead nitrate

Lead contaminates aquatic ecosystems and causes deleterious effects on aquatic organisms, particularly fishes, and percolates to human beings through food chain as accumulated residue. In this context, we conducted histological studies on impact of lead toxicity in Rohu, Labeo rohita (Hamilton), a common freshwater fish consumed by humans, exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of lead nitrate. Previously, we observed damage in the gills using light microscope, and now we studied ultrastructural alterations at cellular level in the gills using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The gill tissues were dissected after 15, 30, 45 and 60 days of exposure, washed, fixed in Karnovsky's fixative, and processed further for histological investigation. Normal cellular architecture was noticed in the control group while, whereas large number of alterations could be observed in different organelles in the cells of the lead nitrate treated groups. The severity of the lesions was proportional to the increased concentration of the tested pollutant in a time dependent manner

Ultrastructural alterations in the gills of cyprinid,<i> Labeo rohita</i> (Hamilton) exposed to Lead nitrate

570-575Lead contaminates aquatic ecosystems and causes deleterious effects on aquatic organisms, particularly fishes, and percolates to human beings through food chain as accumulated residue. In this context, we conducted histological studies on impact of lead toxicity in Rohu, Labeo rohita (Hamilton), a common freshwater fish consumed by humans, exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of lead nitrate. Previously, we observed damage in the gills using light microscope, and now we studied ultrastructural alterations at cellular level in the gills using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The gill tissues were dissected after 15, 30, 45 and 60 days of exposure, washed, fixed in Karnovsky's fixative, and processed further for histological investigation. Normal cellular architecture was noticed in the control group while, whereas large number of alterations could be observed in different organelles in the cells of the lead nitrate treated groups. The severity of the lesions was proportional to the increased concentration of the tested pollutant in a time dependent manner

Maternal correlates of birth weight of newborn: A hospital based study

Background: weight of the baby at birth is considered to be a major determinant of future health and survival of the child. It is one of the important factors which determine the readiness with which the newborn baby adjusts to its surrounding. Many maternal socio-biological factors influence birth weight.&nbsp;Objective:&nbsp;To determine maternal socio-biological factors influencing birth weight of newborn.&nbsp;Methodology:&nbsp;Hospital based cross- sectional study undertaken in Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward of Nehru hospital, Gorakhpur. The study period extended from July 2011 to August 2012. The study subject included recently delivered mothers and data was collected on semi-structured interview schedule to know various socio-biological variables such as mother’s age, parity, inter-pregnancy interval etc, influencing the low birth weight of newborn. Chi-Square test was applied to observe the significance of association.&nbsp;&nbsp;Results:&nbsp;The overall proportion of low birth weight baby came out to be 32.06%. Out of various socio-biological factors taken the factors which came out to be statistically significant were age of mother, parity, inter-pregnancy interval, SLI, education. The factors which were not statistically significant were father’s education, religion.&nbsp;Conclusions:&nbsp; It was concluded that teenage pregnancy, non-utilization of antenatal care practices, anaemia, illiteracy are unfavorable predictors of birth weight of newborn babies

Congenital Juvenile Xanthogranuloma of Foot, a Nodular Lesion: An Unusual Case in 2-month-old Infant

A 2-month-old infant presented with a circumscribed nodule on left foot since birth. Excision biopsy showed juvenile xanthogranuloma, an uncommon diagnosis in an unusual site; common sites being head and neck. Uncommon sites are groin, genital organs, limbs and even internal organs. It carries a favorable prognosis

Association of occupational exposure on semen density in male industrial workers undergoing infertility treatment at tertiary care hospital

Background: Working with particular substances or under certain working situations may cause some workers to experience abnormalities in their sexual or reproductive health. Occupational exposures can lead to infertility, but the workers may not be aware of such problems. The purpose of the study was to determine the association between male infertility and occupation of industrial workers in organized sector.Methods: Prospective case-controlled study that included 136 industrial workers working in organized sector and attending infertility clinic for treatment. This study included male partners aged between 21-46 years with primary or secondary infertility and undertaking same occupation for at least last three months. Complete infertility workup of all male partners attending infertility clinic was done that included detailed history and information related to occupation. Routine semen parameters were evaluated according to the 2010 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria.Results: In the present study, significant semen abnormalities were observed in male partners with age more than 31 years and undertaking arduous jobs for more than 5 years (p &lt;0.05) in study group (n=136) as compared to control group (n=62). The abnormal semen count were observed in 114 (83.2%) workers in the study group that included 43 (31.6%) with total sperm concentration (TSC) less than 10 million/ml and azoospermia in 44 (32.3%). Reduced motility (asthenozoo-spermia) was observed in majority 125 (91.9%) of male partners. The findings were significant (p &lt;0.05) as compared to control group.Conclusions: Preventive measures in the workplace need to be established to reduce the effect of occupational hazards and its influence in the semen parameters ultimately leading to infertility

Diseño de muros de suelo reforzado: comparativa y sensibilidad entre normas internacionales

Las estructuras de suelo reforzado constituyen un método de contención de tierras extensamente utilizado y existen varias normas internacionales que permiten el diseño de muros suelo reforzado, como son la americana AASHTO LRFD y la británica BS 8006-1 y el EuroCódigo 7, actualmente en desarrollo. En algunos aspectos, difieren entre sí tanto en los métodos de cálculo como en algunos valores paramétricos impuestos. El siguiente documento tiene como objetivo diseñar un muro de suelo reforzado para diferentes escenarios y ver las diferencias entre las normas internacionales

Histopathological alterations in the gills of <i>Labeo</i> <i>rohita </i> (Hamilton-Buchanan) due to Lead toxicity

576-583Lead is an industrially important heavy metal used in manufacturing paints, batteries, explosives, pottery and other important products of daily life. On the other hand, it is the most damaging element for aquatic fauna especially fish as it accumulates in the body of organism and have low rate of elimination. The present paper emphasizes on the histopathological effects of different sub-lethal doses of lead nitrate on the gills of a commonly consumed freshwater fish Rohu, Labeo rohita. After 15, 30, 45 and 60 days of exposure, gill tissues were dissected and routine histological processes were done. No changes were seen in the gills of the control fingerlings. The histopathological changes such as cellular hypertrophy, hyperplasia, vacuolation, epithelial lifting, shortening, curling and abnormal elongation of the secondary lamellae, fusion of adjacent lamellae, telangiectasis, blood congestion, interstitial edema, necrosis, lamellar aneurysm, architectural distortion and degeneration of gills were observed in the gills of the treated fingerlings. The extent of damage of gill tissue was proportionate with the increased dosage and duration of lead nitrate exposure

Comparative studies on age and growth patterns of cultivated and wild Catla catla (Hamilton)

Catla catla (Hamilton) is one of the fastest growing Indian major carps (IMCs) with increasing market demand. Consistent demand and exploitation invites the attention of ichthyologists for its conservation strategies. Age and growth studies play a pivotal role for managing the fishery stocks in different water bodies. Here, we studied the age and growth patterns using opercula of both farm grown as well as the wild grown C. catla adopting standard methodologies. Wild specimens were caught from Harike wetland (Ramsar site) and the cultivated one from a farm at Dhudike in Punjab. High value of correlation coefficient ‘r’ 0.976 (wetland) and 0.983 (farm) reveals the strong relationship in total length and operculum radius of the fish. C. catla achieved average total length from wetland and farm, respectively at 1st (273.44 mm) 2nd (427.44 mm) 3rd (525.49 mm) 4th (624.52 mm) 5th (744.98 mm) 6th (813.62 mm) and 1st (282.1 mm) 2nd (463 mm) 3rd (601.7 mm) year of age of opercular bones study. The growth parameters such as, index of species average size (φh) 135.6 (wetland) and 200.6 (farm), growth constant (Clt) showed two growth phases from both localities i.e. sexual immaturity up to 2 years and sexual maturity afterwards. Whereas, growth characteristic (Cth) has revealed irregular growth pattern at wetland in comparison to growth of fish from farm. The results of this study concluded that the fish experienced more growth from the farm due to better and controlled conditions but, in wetland surrounding conditions were observed to be unfavourable for survival of the fish C. catla