Neuromuscular systems in the fifth instar larva of silkworm Bombyx mori (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae): II- Abdominal musculature and its innervation

The gross organisation of abdominal musculature and its innervation by segmental ganglionic nerves were studied in the fifth instar larva of Bombyx mori. The musculature comprises dorsal, ventral and lateral groups of muscles, represented as external and internal layers. The dorsal group includes musculi dorsales interni mediales (DIM), musculi dorsales externi mediales (DEM), musculi dorsales interni laterals (DIL) and musculi dorsales externi laterales (DEL). The ventral group includes musculi ventrales interni mediales (VIM), musculi ventralesexterni mediales (VEM), musculi ventrales interni laterales (VIL) and musculi ventrales externi laterales (VEL). The lateral group is represented by musculi laterales interni (LI) and musculi laterales externi (LE). The abdominal muscles are innervated by the dorsal (DN) and ventral (VN) nerves of abdominal ganglia. The DN innervates ventral internal, lateral internal and both dorsal external and internal muscles, while the VN innervates ventral external and lateral muscles. The sensory branches of DN and VN innervate the bodywall in the dorsal and ventral regions respectively with a sort of overlapping in the lateral region. The neuromuscular integration and intersegmental coordination in the abdominal region is discussed with reference to locomotion in the silkworm larva

The Determinants of Zero Leverage: Evidence from Multinational Firms

There is an ongoing debate in the capital structure literature as to the direction of the effects of internationalisation on firm debt. Despite the increasing attention on the role of internationalization in firms’ capital structure decisions, and the increasing adoption of zero leverage policies by multinationals, no study attempts to explain the effect of multi-nationality on the zero leverage decision. This study explores the relationship between the level of internationalization and zero leverage using a large panel of UK companies, while controlling for various company-related factors. We find strong evidence that multi-nationality affects the propensity of firms to have zero leverage and that this decision is affected by industry specificities

A STUDY ON STRUCTURE OF PO-TERNARY SEMIRINGS

This paper is divided into two sections. In section 1, the notion of a PO-ternary semiring was introduced and examples are given.  Further the terms commutative PO-ternary semiring , quasi commutative PO-ternary semiring, normal PO-ternary semiring, left pseudo commutative PO-ternary semiring, lateral  pseudo commutative PO-ternary semiring, right pseudo commutative PO-ternary semiring and pseudo commutative PO-ternary semiring are introduced and characterized them.  Further the terms left singular, right singular and singular with respect to addition and left singular, right singular, lateral singular, singular with respect to ternary multiplication and two sided singular are introduced and made a study on them. In section 2, the terms; PO-ternary subsemiring, PO-ternary subsemiring of T generated by a set A, cyclic PO-ternary subsemiring and cyclic PO-ternary semiring are introduced.  It is proved that T be a PO-ternary semiring and A be a non-empty subset of T.  Then (A) = {a1a2....an-1;n ϵ N, a1,a2....an Ïµ A } is a smallest PO-ternary subsemiring of T.  Let T be a PO-ternary semiring and A be a non-empty subset of T.  <A> = the intersection of all PO-ternary subsemirings of  T containing A

ApoB/ApoA-1 ratio and nitric oxide levels in pregnancy induced hypertensive women

Background: Pregnancy induced hypertension is considered as the major cause of maternal and perinatal mortality. Even though occurrence of PIH is due to abnormal placentation, endothelial dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the genesis of the multisystem disorder that develops in pre eclampsia and eclampsia. Various studies have proved that hyperlipidemia is one of the major causes of endothelial dysfunction. Since ApoB/apoA-I ratio is a dyslipidemic indicator, the study was designed to determine ApoB/ApoA-I in PIH women and to analyse whether this ratio can be correlated with ED in PIH women.Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study involved normotensive, preeclamptic and eclamptic pregnant women with hundred subjects in each group. They were investigated for serum lipid profile, ApoA, ApoB, NO, MDA, FRAP in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy.Results: The SBP & DBP were significantly high between 3 groups. The mean plasma TC, TGL, VLDL, LDL, MDA, ApoB levels, ApoB/ApoA-I were significantly high & HDL, ApoA-I, NO, FRAP levels were significantly low between 3 groups. The ApoB/ApoA-I was positively correlated with TC, TGL, VLDL, LDL, malondialdehyde and negatively correlated with HDL, FRAP & NO.Conclusions: Our results indicate that women with PE & E exhibit markedly elevated concentrations of TGL-rich lipoproteins. The negative correlation between ApoB/ApoA-I with NO indicates that the hyperlipidemia is directly related with severity of ED in PIH. So, careful monitoring of ApoB/ApoA-I along with NO might be helpful to predict the onset and progression of the disease

Bibliography: Diseases, Parasites and Toxicology of Perna viridis,Crassostrea madrasensis and Villorita cyprinoids (Mollusca: Pelecypoda) of India

A proper understanding of the hazards associated with the fishery products on national basis has been the primary objective of the AP Cess Funded National Network Project on National Risk Assessment Programme for Fish and Fish Products for Domestic and International Markets. In this connection, the bibliography is prepared with the sole aim to compile all the available literature on this subject to produce a ready source of reference material for future investigators. In spite of the meticulous task and completeness, the authors express their regrets for any errors or omissions

Galectins in the Pathogenesis of Common Retinal Disease

Diseases of the retina are major causes of visual impairment and blindness in developed countries and, due to an ageing population, their prevalence is continually rising. The lack of effective therapies and the limitations of those currently in use highlight the importance of continued research into the pathogenesis of these diseases. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a major role in driving vascular dysfunction in retinal disease and has therefore become a key therapeutic target. Recent evidence also points to a potentially similarly important role of galectins, a family of β-galactoside-binding proteins. Indeed, they have been implicated in regulating fundamental processes, including vascular hyperpermeability, angiogenesis, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress, all of which also play a prominent role in retinopathies. Here, we review direct evidence for pathological roles of galectins in retinal disease. In addition, we extrapolate potential roles of galectins in the retina from evidence in cancer, immune and neuro-biology. We conclude that there is value in increasing understanding of galectin function in retinal biology, in particular in the context of the retinal vasculature and microglia. With greater insight, recent clinical developments of galectin-targeting drugs could potentially also be of benefit to the clinical management of many blinding diseases

Probiotic activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PIC-4) isolated from Visakhapatnam coast, Bay of Bengal, India, against Vibrio harveyi in Penaeus monodon

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PIC 4), isolated from coastal waters of Visakhapatnam (Gen Bank Accession no: KF803248) was tested for its antagonistic activity against Vibrio harveyi as probiotic in cultured Penaeus monodon. Pseudomonas aeruginosa PIC 4 has proved to be non-pathogenic to the shrimp by pathogenicity tests. Vibrio counts in probiotic fed shrimp and the surrounding water medium were significantly lower when compared to the control group of shrimp and water during 50 days of culture. Mean weight of probiont fed shrimps after 50 days of culture was (2.21 + 0.15 g) , significantly higher than that of normal diet fed ones (1.33+0.18 g). Survival percent was also significantly higher in probiont fed shrimp (47.33% + 5.55%) than that of the control diet fed shrimp (26.33% + 7%). Percent survival in probiotic fed and normal diet fed shrimp after the challenge with V. harveyi was 93.04 and 38.87 respectively

RP-HPLC METHOD DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF METRONIDAZOLE AND NALIDIXIC ACID IN TABLETS

Objective: To develop an accurate, precise and linear Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method for simultaneous quantitative estimation of Metronidazole and Nalidixic acid in tablets and validate as per ICH guidelines.Methods: The optimized method uses a reverse phase C18 column Inertsil ODS C18 column (250X4.6 mm×5µ) mobile phase consisting of mixed phosphate buffer (pH 4.5; KH2PO4+K2HPO4):methanol: acetonitrile in the proportion of 30:50:20 v/v. The mobile phase was set at a flow rate of 1.2 ml/min and the volume injected was 20μl for every injection. The detection wavelength was set at 271 nm. Results: The developed method resulted in Metronidazole eluting at 2.92 min and Nalidixic acid at 3.99 min. Metronidazole exhibited linearity in the range 30-70μg/ml, while Nalidixic acid exhibited linearity in the range 45-105μg/ml. The precision is exemplified by relative standard deviations of 0.714% for Metronidazole and 0.398% for Nalidixic acid. Percentage Mean recoveries were found to be in the range of 98â€102, during accuracy studies. The limit of detection (LOD) for Metronidazole and Nalidixic acid were found to be 2.48µg/ml and 2.24µg/ml respectively, while limit of quantitiation (LOQ) for Metronidazole and Nalidixic acid were found to be 7.51µg/ml and 6.79µg/ml respectively.Conclusion: A simple, accurate, precise, linear and rapid RP-HPLC method was developed for simultaneous quantitative estimation of Metronidazole and Nalidixic acid in tablets and validated as per ICH guidelines. Hence it can be used for the routine analysis of Metronidazole and Nalidixic acid in tablets in various pharmaceutical industries.Â

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals and pesticides in Villorita cyprinoides (Hanley) (Pelecypoda: Corbiculidae) from Cochin backwaters, Kerala

Bivalves are notorious for their ability to bioconcentrate contaminants and hence they can be used as effective indicators for monitoring trace toxic contaminants in coastal waters due to their wide distribution, sessile life style, euryhaline nature, resistance to stress and high accumulation of wide range of chemicals and ease of sampling. Bivalve resources of Kerala State mainly include different species of clams, oysters and mussels. During 2005- 2006 period, the total bivalve landing was about 61280 tones, of which 75% was contributed by a single species, Villorita cyprinoides (black clam). More than 90% of the total black clam production of the state is supported by Vembanad Lake system