The efficacy of statins as otoprotective agents: A systematic review

Objective: This systematic review examined the current literature, summarized research findings and identified research gaps regarding the efficacy of statins on audiological outcomes. Methods: Systematic search of electronic databases and grey literature was performed. Eligibility criteria was the study of a statin drug with report of audiological outcomes such as hearing, tinnitus, or balance in either human or animal studies. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independently researchers. The characteristics of the study and research findings were collated and summarized. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity of the included studies.Results: Analysis of searches yielded 17 studies meeting the criteria. Included studies had variable drug type and dosage, outcome measures, and associated inner ear conditions. Most animal experiments showed promising audiological outcomes after statin treatment, demonstrated by the results of auditory brain stem response, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, and inner ear histology. However, no clear effect can be discerned in human trials due to the mixed results, and heterogeneity in research methodology and quality. Audiological outcomes were not always correlated with cholesterol levels. Conclusions: Statins remain a potential candidate as otoprotective agents which warrant further investigation

First simultaneous lidar observations of sodium layers and VHF radar observations of E-region field-aligned irregularities at the low-latitude station Gadanki

Simultaneous observations of atmospheric sodium (Na) made by a resonance lidar and E-region field-alignedirregularities (FAI) made by the Indian MST radar, both located at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) and horizontal winds acquired by a SKiYMET meteor radar at Trivandrum (8.5°N, 77°E) are used to investigate the relationship among sodium layer, FAI and neutral winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region. The altitudes and descent rates of higher altitude (~ 95 km) Na layer and FAI agree quite well. The descending structures of the higher altitude Na layer and FAI are found to be closely related to the diurnal tidal phase structure in zonal winds observed over Trivandrum. At lower altitudes, the descent rate of FAI is larger than that of Na layer and zonal tidal phase. These observations support the hypothesis that the metallic ion layers are formed by the zonal wind shear associated with tidal winds and subsequently get neutralized to manifest in the form of descending Na layers. The descending FAI echoing layers are manifestation of the instabilities setting in on the ionization layer. In the present observations, the altitudes of occurrence of Na layer and FAI echoes being low, we surmise that it is quite possible that the FAI echoes are due to the descent of already formed irregularities at higher altitudes

Complete Design and Finite Element Analysis of an all Terrain Vehicle

We have tried to design an all terrain vehicle that meets international standards and is also cost effective at the same time. We have focused on every single system to improve the performance of each component. Our vehicle can navigate through almost all terrain, which ultimately is the objective behind the making of any all terrain vehicle. We began the task of designing by conducting extensive research of each main component of the vehicle. We did not want to design certain areas such as the frame, and then make the rest to fit. We considered each component to be significant, and thereby designed the vehicle as a whole trying to optimize each component while constantly considering how other components would be affected. This forced us to think outside the box, research more thoroughly, and redesign components along the way in order to have a successful design. We used the necessary parameters to create a Qualitative Function Diagram (QFD) to determine which parameters were the most critical. These key parameters ranging from most critical to least critical are safety, reliability, low cost, ease of operation and maintenance, and overall performance

First record of Bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas (Valenciennes, 1839) in commercial landings from New Ferry Wharf, Mumbai, Maharashtra

A female specimen of big eye hound sharkIago omanensis measuring 66 cm was landed at Mangrol fishing harbor on 17th September 2013. The specimen was collected along with 13 others of the same species. I. omanensis was not recorded earlier from Gujarat

IN VITRO ANTIPLASMODIAL ACTIVITY OF NATIVE INDIAN SEAWEED SARGASSUM SP.

ABSTRACTObjectives: To investigate the antiplasmodial activity of three different solvent extracts of Sargassum tenerrimum against Plasmodium falciparum.Methods: The seaweed species of S. tenerrimum were collected from Rameshwaram, Southeast coast of India. The collected samples were dried andextracted with three different polaritic (hexane, acetone, and ethylacetate) solvents and tested against P. falciparum parasite strain.Results: Acetone extract exhibited better activity than the other two extracts. The inhibitory concentration values of acetone S. tenerrimum werefound to be 27.82 and 18.14 µg/ml at 24-48 hrs, respectively. S. tenerrimum crude extracts were subjected for the phytochemical analysis, and itshowed the presence of steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, amino acids, and phenol compounds. The gas chromatography-massspectroscopy result reveals that the presence of 10 major and minor compounds in the S. tenerrimum extract. In that, cyclotrisiloxane hexamethylcompounds might be responsible for the effective parasite suppression.50Conclusion: It can be concluded from the present study that the acetone extract of S. tenerrimum has strong antiplasmodial activity. Furthermore, thestudy has been extended to the isolation of the possible active compounds that is responsible for the antiplasmodial properties.Keywords: Antiplasmodial assay, Different polaritic solvents, Plasmodium falciparum, Sargassum tenerrimum

Unusual landing of the sharks at Sassoon dock landing centre, Mumbai

On 5th June 2013, unusual landing of the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), the spot-tail shark (Carcharhinus sorrah), the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) and the blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) belongs to the family Carcharhinidae was observed at Sassoon dock (Fig. 1). About 4 tonnes of sharks of the above species in the length range of 1.5 – 3.25 m and weight ranging from 50 to 120 kg were landed by trawler