On a sperm whale landed at Kalpeni island with notes on ambergris

In the Indian Ocean The sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus is found concentrated more in the Arabian Sea upto 20° N and between 50° and 80° E especially in the Gulf of Aden and approaches a little east of Minicoy Island and off Sri Lanka. The morphology of the sperm whales landed at various islands in the Lakshadweep are Total length 530; Distance from eye to snout 115 cm; Height of the body 98cm and Girth of the body 62cm. Ambergris is a valuable substance obtained from the sperm whale. In 1974 ambergris weighing 90 kg was found floating in the sea and it was auctioned at the rate of Rs. 1,160 per kg. Of this amount, 55% was paid to the fisherman who recovered it and 45% was credited to the Fisheries Department

A Phenomenological Approach to Understand the Challenges Faced by Medical Students

Life in a medical school is more challenging, when compared to other disciplines like arts and engineering. The innate nature of the medical curriculum and the demands of the profession have created extensive pressure on its students, leading to the prevalence of high stress levels and stress related disorders in them. The mental health of future doctors is very important for quality patient care. Hence it is high time for medical institutions to design interventions to mitigate this situation. A significant amount of research has gone into identifying the predominant stressors of medical education and the prevailing stress levels amongst medical students. However, there is dearth in research efforts that explicitly explain: the manifestation of stressors in different stages of medical education; coping strategies of students; and the kind of support required by the students to cope up with these challenges. Hence this study uses a phenomenological approach to understand the phenomenon of stress amongst medical students of a private medical college in South India. The study found that academic pressure, homesickness, faculty and institution related factors challenge the students. It was also found that the students require support to handle these challenges. These findings have interesting and important implications for institutions and policy makers, with respect to designing interventions to provide a congenial learning environment for our future doctors

Parallel twin-body trawl for shrimps, its design and efficiency

Comparative studies with a new 17 m parallel twin-body trawl and a 17 m bulged belly trawl conducted off Cochin during 1974-77 are reported. The parallel twin body trawl showed an increase of 28% in catch over that of bulged belly with a break up of 39.9% and 23.1 % for prawns and fishes respectively. The increase in catch is attributed to the extra wide mouth opening (26.6 %) of the parallel twin-body trawl. Parallel twin-body trawl had 8.96% lesser resistance which resulted in lower utilization of horse power

An Anti-C1s Monoclonal, TNT003, Inhibits Complement Activation Induced by Antibodies Against HLA.

Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) of solid organ transplants (SOT) is characterized by damage triggered by donor-specific antibodies (DSA) binding donor Class I and II HLA (HLA-I and HLA-II) expressed on endothelial cells. While F(ab')2 portions of DSA cause cellular activation and proliferation, Fc regions activate the classical complement cascade, resulting in complement deposition and leukocyte recruitment, both hallmark features of AMR. We characterized the ability of an anti-C1s monoclonal antibody, TNT003, to inhibit HLA antibody (HLA-Ab)-induced complement activation. Complement deposition induced by HLA-Ab was evaluated using novel cell- and bead-based assays. Human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) were cultured with HLA-Ab and human complement; production of activated complement proteins was measured by flow cytometry. Additionally, C3d deposition was measured on single antigen beads (SAB) mixed with HLA-Ab and human complement. TNT003 inhibited HLA-Ab mediated complement deposition on HAEC in a concentration-dependent manner; C3a, C4a and C5a anaphylatoxin production was also diminished by TNT003. Finally, TNT003 blocked C3d deposition induced by Class I (HLAI-Ab)- and Class II (HLAII-Ab)-specific antibodies on SAB. These data suggest TNT003 may be useful for modulating the effects of DSA, as TNT003 inhibits complement deposition and split product formation generated by HLA-I/II-Ab in vitro

Assessment and validation of i-skyradiometer retrievals using broadband flux and MODIS data

Ground-based network of cloud measurements is presently limited and there exists uncertainty in the cloud microphysical parameters derived from ground-based measurements. Bias in the i-skyradiometer derived cloud optical depth () and droplet effective radius () and the importance of these parameters in the parameterization of clouds in climate models have made us intend to develop a possible method for improving these parameters. A new combination method, which uses zenith sky transmittance and surface radiation measurements, has been proposed in the present study to improve the retrievals. The i-skyradiometer derived parameters and have been provided as a first guess to a radiative transfer model (SBDART) and a new retrieval algorithm has been implemented to obtain the best combination of and having minimum bias (−0.09 and −2.5) between the simulated global and diffuse fluxes at the surface with the collocated surface radiation measurements. The new retrieval method has improved and values compared to those derived using the transmittance only method and are in good agreement with the MODIS satellite retrievals. The study therefore suggests a possible improvement of the i-skyradiometer derived cloud parameters using observed radiation fluxes and a radiative transfer model

The role of Fyn kinase in mediating microglial pro-inflammatory responses in Parkinson\u27s disease

Disparate lines of evidence including in vitro cell culture, ex vivo brain slice culture, and virtually every in vivo model system have clearly implicated microglial activation and neuroinflammation in the pathophysiology of the dopaminergic neuronal cell death in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The signaling pathways that lead to this chronic activation are still being elucidated. We show herein, the role of the non-receptor Src family tyrosine kinase Fyn in mediating pro-inflammatory signaling in microglia cells in response to various inflammogens. Our results from cell and animal models as well as postmortem brain tissues conclusively demonstrate that Fyn is preferentially activated in microglia post-stimulation with either Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Activated Fyn then tyrosine-phosphorylates the known pro-inflammatory kinase PKCδ, mediating PKCδ-dependent activation of the NF-κB pathway, leading to pro-inflammatory cytokine and nitrite production. Both Fyn-/- and PKCδ-/- mice were remarkably resistant to LPS-mediated neuroinflammation, as well as neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neuronal loss induced by the Parkinsonian toxicant 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, mediated by fibrillar amyloid-β, the major component of Alzheimer’s disease-associated senile plaques, has recently been shown to contribute to disease progression. Thus, we sought to validate whether the aggregated form of the PD-associated protein α-synuclein could activate the NLRP3 inflammasome within microglia. Our results conclusively demonstrate that α-synuclein can elicit the NF-κBdependent induction of the inflammasome components pro-IL-1β and NLRP3, as well as the Caspase-1- and ASC-dependent processing of pro-IL-1β to mature IL-1β. Remarkably, Fyn kinase was shown to contribute to both processes, via PKCδ-dependent NF-κB pathway activation to prime the NLRP3 inflammasome as well as to the uptake of α-synuclein into the cell, which leads to the assembly and activation of the inflammasome complex. Lastly, we demonstrate activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in various α-synuclein-overexpressing PD model systems, as well as in post-mortem PD patient tissues. Fyn also contributes to microglial ASC speck formation in the adenoviral α-synuclein overexpression system. Overall, we identify Fyn kinase as a key upstream regulator of the microglia-mediated chronic neuroinflammatory cascade that is central to the pathophysiological process of nigral dopaminergic degeneration in PD

Urinary, bowel and sexual symptoms in a cohort of patients with Friedreich's ataxia

BACKGROUND: Pelvic symptoms are distressing symptoms experienced by patients with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA). The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), bowel and sexual symptoms in FRDA. METHODS: Questionnaire scores measuring LUTS, bowel and sexual symptoms were analysed with descriptive statistics as a cohort and as subgroups (Early/Late-onset and Early/Late-stage FRDA) They were also correlated with validated measures of disease severity including those of ataxia severity, non-ataxic symptoms and activities of daily living. RESULTS: 80% (n = 46/56) of patients reported LUTS, 64% (n = 38/59) reported bowel symptoms and 83% (n = 30/36) reported sexual symptoms. Urinary and bowel or sexual symptoms were significantly likely to co-exist among patients. Late-onset FRDA patients were also more likely to report LUTS than early-onset ones. Patients with a longer disease duration reported higher LUTS scores and poorer quality of life scores related to urinary symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of FRDA have symptoms suggestive of LUTS, bowel and sexual dysfunction. This is more marked with greater disease duration and later disease onset. These symptoms need to be addressed by clinicians as they can have a detrimental effect on patients

Psychometric precision in phenotype definition is a useful step in molecular genetic investigation of psychiatric disorders

Affective disorders are highly heritable, but few genetic risk variants have been consistently replicated in molecular genetic association studies. The common method of defining psychiatric phenotypes in molecular genetic research is either a summation of symptom scores or binary threshold score representing the risk of diagnosis. Psychometric latent variable methods can improve the precision of psychiatric phenotypes, especially when the data structure is not straightforward. Using data from the British 1946 birth cohort, we compared summary scores with psychometric modeling based on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) scale for affective symptoms in an association analysis of 27 candidate genes (249 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)). The psychometric method utilized a bi-factor model that partitioned the phenotype variances into five orthogonal latent variable factors, in accordance with the multidimensional data structure of the GHQ-28 involving somatic, social, anxiety and depression domains. Results showed that, compared with the summation approach, the affective symptoms defined by the bi-factor psychometric model had a higher number of associated SNPs of larger effect sizes. These results suggest that psychometrically defined mental health phenotypes can reflect the dimensions of complex phenotypes better than summation scores, and therefore offer a useful approach in genetic association investigations

Triplet heterotopic pregnancy following ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate: a case report and review of literature

Heterotopic pregnancy, though rare is a combined pregnancy in which synchronous intrauterine and extra uterine pregnancy occur. An estimated incidence of between 1/8000 to 1/30,000 has been reported following spontaneous conception. After artificial reproductive techniques, the incidence is as high as 1/100 and after ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate, it is around 1/900. We are reporting a case of 26 year old gravida 2 who conceived after ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate and presented to the emergency department with acute abdominal pain. Ultrasound pelvis showed viable twin intrauterine gestation of 8 weeks along with ruptured ectopic pregnancy on the right tube. After stabilizing the patient, emergency laparotomy and right salpingectomy was performed. Fortunately, the intrauterine twin fetuses grew satisfactorily and patient was delivered by caesarean section at 36 weeks in view of previous lower segment caesarean section with preterm labour. Heterotopic pregnancy must be considered in a patient with amenorrhea, abdominal pain, adnexal mass and enlarged uterus particularly, conception following artificial reproductive techniques or fertility drugs, even though the intrauterine pregnancy has been documented. A high index of suspicion is important to avoid maternal morbidity, sometimes mortality and loss of intrauterine pregnancy

Fyn kinase regulates microglial neuroinflammatory responses in cell culture and animal models of parkinson’s disease

Sustained neuroinflammation mediated by resident microglia is recognized as a key pathophysiological contributor to many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the key molecular signaling events regulating persistent microglial activation have yet to be clearly defined. In the present study, we examined the role of Fyn, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, in microglial activation and neuroinflammatory mechanisms in cell culture and animal models of PD. The well-characterized inflammogens LPS and TNFɑ rapidly activated Fyn kinase in microglia. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that activated Fyn preferentially localized to the microglial plasma membrane periphery and the nucleus. Furthermore, activated Fyn phosphorylated PKCδ at tyrosine residue 311, contributing to an inflammogen-induced increase in its kinase activity. Notably, the Fyn-PKCδ signaling axis further activated the LPSand TNFɑ-induced MAP kinase phosphorylation and activation of the NFB pathway, implying that Fyn is a major upstream regulator of proinflammatory signaling. Functional studies in microglia isolated from wild-type (Fyn) and Fyn knock-out (Fyn) mice revealed that Fyn is required for proinflammatory responses, including cytokine release as well as iNOS activation. Interestingly, a prolonged inflammatory insult induced Fyn transcript and protein expression, indicating that Fyn is upregulated during chronic inflammatory conditions. Importantly, in vivo studies using MPTP, LPS, or 6-OHDA models revealed a greater attenuation of neuroinflammatory responses in Fyn and PKCδ mice compared with wild-type mice. Collectively, our data demonstrate that Fyn is a major upstream signaling mediator of microglial neuroinflammatory processes in PD