Triploidy induction by heat-shock treatment in red tilapia

The possible use of sterile triploid red tilapia is an interesting option for culture due to their proliferating breeding activities. The aim of the present study was to investigate and optimize the time of heat-shock treatment to prevent second polar body extrusion from the newly fertilized eggs of red tilapia, to produce a maximum number of triploid individuals. Heat-shock treatment was applied at a temperature of 41 degrees C for a total duration of 3.5 minutes after 2, 3, 4, 4.5, 5 and 6 minutes of fertilization. The best survival rate (67.0) and triploid percentage (89.7) was observed for the treatment at 4 minutes after fertilization. It is thus successfully demonstrated that 4 minutes after fertilization was the most suitable timing of heat-shock treatment for second polar body retention in newly fertilized eggs of red tilapia

On rationality of longarithmic Q-homology planes - I

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Biblioteca Centrale / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Pharmacognostical evaluation of Psoralea corylifolia Linn. seed

Psoralea corylifolia Linn. belonging to Fabaceae family is an important endangered plant that has been therapeutically used to treat different pathological manifestations since ages. It is commonly known as Bakuchi in Sanskrit. Though it is an important plant, till date, no pharmacognostical reports have been available on its seed. A lot of adulterations are also present in the market. The present study is aimed towards evaluating pharmacognostical and histochemical characteristics of the seeds of P. corylifolia Linn. in detail. Macroscopic and microscopic pharmacognostical characters of seeds and histochemical studies were noted by following standard methods. Pharmacognostical evaluation of seed shows the presence of volatile oil, silica deposits and stone cells. The observations found in current work can be considered as reference standards in future studies. Keywords: Bakuchi, Pharmacognosy, Psoralea corylifolia, Silica deposits, Stone cell

Prevalence and severity of secondary traumatic stress and optimism in Indian health care professionals during COVID-19 lockdown

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the lacunae in the preparedness of healthcare systems across the globe. This preparedness also includes the safety of healthcare providers (HCPs) at various levels. Sudden spread of COVID-19 infection has created threatening and vulnerable conditions for the HCPs. The current pandemic situation has not only affected physical health of HCPs but also their mental health. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to understand the prevalence and severity of secondary traumatic stress, optimism parameters, along with states of mood experienced by the HCPs, viz., doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals (including Physiotherapist, Lab technicians, Phlebotomist, dieticians, administrative staff and clinical pharmacist), during the COVID-19 lockdown in India. METHODOLOGY: The assessment of level of secondary traumatic stress (STS), optimism/pessimism (via Life Orientation Test-Revised) and current mood states experienced by Indian HCPs in the present COVID-19 pandemic situation was done using a primary data of 2,008 HCPs from India during the first lockdown during April-May 2020. Data was collected through snow-ball sampling technique, reaching out to various medical health care professionals through social media platforms. RESULT: Amongst the study sample 88.2% of doctors, 79.2 of nurses and 58.6% of allied HCPs were found to have STS in varying severity. There was a female preponderance in the category of Severe STS. Higher optimism on the LOTR scale was observed among doctors at 39.3% followed by nurses at 26.7% and allied health care professionals 22.8%. The mood visual analogue scale which measures the “mood” during the survey indicated moderate mood states without any gender bias in the study sample. CONCLUSION: The current investigation sheds light on the magnitude of the STSS experienced by the HCPs in the Indian Subcontinent during the pandemic. This hitherto undiagnosed and unaddressed issue, calls for a dire need of creating better and accessible mental health programmes and facilities for the health care providers in India