Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Clinical Correlation with Biochemical Status

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age group. PCOS consist of chronic anovulation, menstrual disturbances, hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovaries and metabolic syndrome. Objectives: to find out clinical, biochemical and hormonal profiles in PCOS cases and correlate with normal individual. Material and methods: A prospective case control study of 200 women in the age group of 18-30 years, 100 having PCOS and 100 in the control group. Results: Menstrual irregularity seen in 92 % of PCOS, oligomenorrhoea was the most common presentation. 52% had infertility. 53% were hirsute. Mean BMI, waist: hip ratio, mean LH level, LH: FSH ratio, total testosterone, fasting insulin and total cholesterol were high in PCOS compared to control group and the difference in mean values were statistically significant (P value <0.001). Mean LH was 15.44 ± 7.09 in PCOS and 9.92 ± 4.55 in control group. Mean LH: FSH ratio was 2.86 ± 1.44 in PCOS and 1.71 ± 0.71 in Control group. Mean testosterone was 70.69 ± 25.67 in PCOS and 30.41 ± 14.43 in control group. It was raised in 67 % of PCOS. Mean fasting insulin in PCOS was 21.45 ± 12.49 and 15.58 ± 5.47 in control group. Mean prolactin was 23.85 ± 12.50 in PCOS and 19.69± 9.00 in control group. Conclusion: Most of the PCOS were oligomenorrhoic, hirsute with raised BMI and waist-hip ratio. Mean LH, LH: FSH ratio, testosterone and fasting Insulin level were significantly raised in PCOS

Assessment of Groundwater Flow Dynamics Using MODFLOW in Shallow Aquifer System of Mahanadi Delta (East Coast), India

Despite being a biodiversity hotspot, the Mahanadi delta is facing groundwater salinization as one of the main environmental threats in the recent past. Hence, this study attempts to understand the dynamics of groundwater and its sustainable management options through numerical simulation in the Jagatsinghpur deltaic region. The result shows that groundwater in the study area is extensively abstracted for agricultural activities, which also causes the depletion of groundwater levels. The hydraulic head value varies from 0.7 to 15 m above mean sea level (MSL) with an average head of 6 m in this low-lying coastal region. The horizontal hydraulic conductivity and the specific yield values in the area are found to vary from 40 to 45 m/day and 0.05 to 0.07, respectively. The study area has been calibrated for two years (2004–2005) by using these parameters, followed by the validation of four years (2006–2009). The calibrated numerical model is used to evaluate the net recharge and groundwater balance in this study area. The interaction between the river and coastal unconfined aquifer system responds differently in different seasons. The net groundwater recharge to the coastal aquifer has been estimated and varies from 247.89 to 262.63 million cubic meters (MCM) in the year 2006–2007. The model further indicates a net outflow of 8.92–9.64 MCM of groundwater into the Bay of Bengal. Further, the outflow to the sea is preventing the seawater ingress into the shallow coastal aquifer system

Recharge and Geochemical Evolution of Groundwater in Fractured Basement Aquifers (NW India): Insights from Environmental Isotopes (δ18O, δ2H, and 3H) and Hydrogeochemical Studies

Considering water as a limiting factor for socio-economic development, especially in arid/semi-arid regions, both scientific communities and policymakers are interested in groundwater recharge-related data. India is fast moving toward a crisis of groundwater due to intense abstraction and contamination. There is a lack of understanding regarding the occurrence, movement, and behaviors of groundwater in a fractured basement terrane. Therefore, integrated environmental isotopes (δ18O, δ2H, and 3H) and hydrogeochemical studies have been used to understand the recharge processes and geochemical evolution of groundwater in the fractured basement terranes of Gujarat, NW India. Our results show that the relative abundance of major cations and anions in the study basin are Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > NO3−, respectively. This suggests that the chemical weathering of silicate minerals influences the groundwater chemistry in the aquifer system. A change in hydrochemical facies from Ca-HCO3 to Na-Mg-Ca-Cl. HCO3 has been identified from the recharge to discharge areas. Along the groundwater flow direction, the presence of chemical constituents with different concentrations demonstrates that the various geochemical mechanisms are responsible for this geochemical evolution. Furthermore, the chemical composition of groundwater also reflects that the groundwater has interacted with distinct rock types (granites/granulites). The stable isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) of groundwater reveal that the local precipitation is the main source of recharge. However, the groundwater recharge is affected by the evaporation process due to different geological conditions irrespective of topographical differences in the study area. The tritium (3H) content of groundwater suggests that the aquifer is mainly recharged by modern rainfall events. Thus, in semi-arid regions, the geology, weathering, and geologic structures have a significant role in bringing chemical changes in groundwater and smoothening the recharge process. The findings of this study will prove vital for the decision-makers or policymakers to take appropriate measures to design water budgets as well as water management plans more sustainably

Phylogenomic and Comparative Genomic Studies Robustly Demarcate Two Distinct Clades of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains: Proposal to Transfer the Strains from an Outlier Clade to a Novel Species Pseudomonas paraeruginosa sp. nov.

Supplemnetary data for 'Phylogenomic and Comparative Genomic Studies Robustly Demarcate Two Distinct Clades of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strains: Proposal to Transfer the Strains from an Outlier Clade to a Novel Species Pseudomonas paraeruginosa sp. nov.', as described in  International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. </p

Phylogenomic and comparative genomic studies robustly demarcate two distinct clades of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains: proposal to transfer the strains from an outlier clade to a novel species Pseudomonas paraeruginosa sp. nov

The strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibit considerable differences in their genotypic and pathogenic properties. To clarify their evolutionary/taxonomic relationships, comprehensive phylogenomic and comparative genomic studies were conducted on the genome sequences of 212 P. aeruginosa strains covering their genetic diversity. In a phylogenomic tree based on 118 conserved proteins, the analysed strains formed two distinct clades. One of these clades, Clade- 1, encompassing >70 % of the strains including the type strain DSM 50071T, represents the species P. aeruginosa sensu stricto. Clade- 2, referred to in earlier work as the outlier group, with NCTC 13628T as its type strain, constitutes a novel species level lineage. The average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between the strains from Clade- 1 and Clade- 2 are in the range of 93.4–93.7, 95.1–95.3 and 52–53 %, respectively. The 16S rRNA gene of P. aeruginosa DSM 50071T also shows 98.3 % similarity to that of NCTC13628T. These values are lower than the suggested cut- off values for species distinction, indicating that the Clade- 2 strains (NCTC 13628T) constitute a new species. We also report the identification of 12 conserved signature indels in different proteins and 24 conserved signature proteins that are exclusively found in either Clade- 1 or Clade- 2, providing a reliable means for distinguishing these clades. Additionally, in contrast to swimming motility, twitching motility is only present in Clade- 1 strains. Based on earlier work, the strains from these two clades also differ in their pathogenic mechanisms (presence/absence of Type III secretion system), production of biosurfactants, phenazines and siderophores, and several other genomic characteristics. Based on the evidence from different studies, we propose that the Clade- 2 strains constitute a novel species for which the name Pseudomonas paraeruginosa is proposed. The type strain is NCTC 13628T (=PA7T=ATCC 9027T). The description of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is also emended to include information for different molecular markers specific for this species