Biodiversity and distribution of cyanobacteria at Dronning Maud Land, East Antartica

Biodiversity and distribution of cyanobacteria at Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica.The current study describes the biodiversity and distribution of cyanobacteria from the natural habitats of Schirmacher land, East Antarctica surveyed during 23rd Indian Antarctic Expedition (2003�2004). Cyanobacteria were mapped using the Global Positioning System (GPS). A total of 109 species (91 species were non-heterocystous and 18 species were heterocystous) from 30 genera and 9 families were recorded; 67, 86 and 14 species of cyanobacteria were identified at altitudes of sea level >100 m, 101�150 m and 398�461 m, respectively. The relative frequency and relative density of cyanobacterial populations in the microbial mats showed that 11 species from 8 genera were abundant and 6 species (Phormidium angustissimum, P. tenue, P. uncinatum Schizothrix vaginata, Nostoc kihlmanii and Plectonema terebrans) could be considered as dominant species in the study area.Biodiversidad y distribución de las cianobacterias de Dronning Maud Land, Antártida Oriental. En este estudio se describe la biodiversidad y distribución de las cianobacterias presentes en los hábitats naturales de Schirmacher, Antártida Oriental, muestreados durante la 23ª Expedición India a la Antártida (2003-2004). Las muestras de cianobacterias fueron georreferenciadas mediante un GPS. Se identificaron 109 especies (91 no heterocistadas y 18 provistas de heterocistes) de 30 géneros y 9 familias; en los tramos de altitud sobre el nivel del mar >100 m, 101-150 m y 398-461 m se detectaron 67, 86 y 14 especies, respectivamente. La frecuencia y densidad relativas de las poblaciones de cianobacterias en los tapices microbianos mostraron que 11 especies de 8 géneros eran abundantes y que 6 especies (Phormidium angustissimum, P. tenue, P. uncinatum, Schizothrix vaginata, Nostoc kihlmanii y Plectonema terebrans) se pueden considerar como dominantes en el área de estudio

Employees Plays an Important Role in the Food Chain Outlets

The workforce holds a crucial position in food chain establishments, as they directly interact with customers. The efficiency and responsiveness of these staff members are pivotal in meeting customer demands. Recognizing the significance of employees is essential for the success of these enterprises. The main objective of this study is to underscore the importance of employees and their impact on shaping the reputation of food outlets. This positive reputation, in turn, fosters customer loyalty and repeat business. To achieve this goal, it is the responsibility of management to maintain employee motivation, as motivated staff members are the cornerstone of organizational excellence

A comparative study on nutritional status of under 6 years children in i.c.d.s. And non i.c.d.s. Tribal areas of uttar pradesh

Objectives : To find out the nutritional status of children under six year. To determine the level of difference in nutritional status of Children under six years in I.C.D.S. and Non I.C.D.S. tribal areas. To assess the impact of I.C.D.S. scheme on nutritional status of children below six years. Study Design : Cross Sectional Study Participants : Under six years children. Sample Size : 1536 children of Nighasan block (I.C.D.S. block) and 1471 of Ramia Behar block (Non I.C.D.S. block). Key Words : Nutritional status, I.C.D.S., height - weight index, Service impact. Results : All the value for height & weight in both groups were lower as compared to the I.C.M.R. standards. All children in I.C.D.S. group were below the normal weight - height index (i.e. > 0.15) while in Non I.C.D.S. group were below normal wt.-ht. index in all age group except 6 -<24 months male & 3 - < 9 months female. Overall prevalence of P.E.M. in I.C.D.S. group was 90.36& while it was 86.85% in Non I.C.D.S. group. The difference was significant

Contrasting patterns in lichen diversity in the continental and maritime Antarctic

Systematic surveys of the lichen floras of Schirmacher Oasis (Queen Maud Land, continental Antarctic), Victoria Land (Ross Sector, continental Antarctic) and Admiralty Bay (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctic) were compared to help infer the major factors influencing patterns of diversity and biogeography in the three areas. Biogeographic patterns were determined using a variety of multivariate statistical tools. A total of 54 lichen species were documented from Schirmacher Oasis (SO), 48 from Victoria Land (VL) and 244 from Admiralty Bay (AB). Of these, 21 species were common to all areas. Most lichens from the SO and VL areas were microlichens, the dominant genus being Buellia. In AB, in contrast, many macrolichens were also present and the dominant genus was Caloplaca. In SO and VL large areas lacked any visible lichen cover, even where the ground was snow-free in summer. Small-scale diversity patterns were present in AB, where the number of species and genera was greater close to the coast. Most species recorded were rare in the study areas in which they were present and endemic to Antarctic

Effect of cyclodextrin garcinol complex on isoproterenol-induced cardiotoxicity and cardiac hypertrophy in rats

Background: Garcinol is a polyisoprenylated benzophenone derivative present in the fruit rinds of Garcinia species namely Garcinia indica (common name 'Kokum') and Garcinia cambogia (common name 'Gombogee'). It appears to be involved in the regulation of oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity of heart tissue when the heart is subjected to oxidative stress in various pathogenic conditions/ chemical agent. But garcinol is associated with severe limitation of instability and poor bioavailability which can be improved complexing cyclodextrin with garcinol (garcinol complex). Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate effect of cyclodextrin with garcinol complex (20 mg/kg), on Iso induced cardiotoxicity and cardiac hypertrophy in rats.Methods: Male Wistar rats (250-300g) were divided into following 4 groups of six animals each. Group 1 was control (distilled water 2 ml/kg/day orally for 18 days and water for injection by i.p. from day 9 to day 18), group 2 was cyclodextrin (cyclodextrin 2 ml/kg/day orally for 18 days and water for injection by i.p. from day 9 to day 18), group 3 Iso (distilled water 2 ml/kg/day orally for 18 days and isoproterenol 1 mg/kg by i.p. from day 9 to day 18), group 4 garcinol complex (20 mg/kg/day orally for 18 days and isoproterenol 1 mg/kg by i.p. from day 9 to day 18). After 24 hrs of last dose of isoproterenol, electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart rate were recorded in anaesthetized rats. The animals were sacrificed by overdose of ether. The hearts of animals were isolated for measurement of reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation (MDA). Results: Isoproterenol treated rats showed significant myocardial hypertrophy, decreased endogenous antioxidants when compared with the control group animals. The garcinol complex (20 mg/kg) treatment for 18 days showed significant cardioprotective activity by lowering the myocardial hypertrophy, level of lipid peroxidation (MDA content) as well as elevated the level of GSH. The results suggest pre-treatment of garcinol complex (20 mg/kg), may offer potential benefits in the management of cardiotoxicity and cardiac hypertrophy. Conclusion: It is thus concluded that Garcinol Complex (20 mg/kg) administration offered significant protection against isoproterenol induced cardiotoxicity and cardiac hypertrophy as well as decreased myocardial injury by preservation of endogenous antioxidants and reduction of lipid peroxidation in rat heart

Risk of premature luteinization in IVF cycles and its impact on clinical pregnancy rate

Background: Premature luteinization (PL) refers to a rise in serum progesterone (P4) levels on the day of HCG administration (1-4). Most  studies use an absolute P4 level on the day of HCG administration as an indicator of PL. This study is carried out with the aim to evaluate the incidence of premature luteinizaition (P4 >1.5ng/ml on the day of HCG) and factors influencing it in both agonist and antagonist cycles & its effect on clinical outcome.Methods: 400 Patients treated by IVF/ICSI at Jaipur fertility centre (ART Unit of Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology) from January 2014 to June 2015 were included in this retrospective clinical study. 200 patients were taken in agonist group and 200 in antagonist group. Ovulation induction was given with r-FSH/HMG in both protocols. P4 along with E2, LH and number of oocytes on the day of HCG were taken for study.Results: Premature luteinization or PL (P4 > 1.5 ng/ml) was noticed in 16% cases in the agonist group and 6% in the antagonist group (p-0.002). In our study the factors predisposing to PL were agonist protocol (16%  Vs. 6%, p-0.002), total dose of gonadotrophins > 2000 IU ( 17.69 % Vs. 2.29, p-0.000), >10 follicles of > 14mm on the day of HCG with E2 Levels > 2500 pg/ml (33.33 % Vs. 0%, p-0.000) in agonist protocol and (17.39% Vs. 2.59%, p-0.000) in antagonist protocol.The clinical pregnancy rate was significantly reduced in cases with PL (32.73% Vs 12.5%, p-0.037) in agonist group. Though the difference was not statistically significant in antagonist group (32.97% Vs 8.33 %, P-0.144),this could be due to large difference in the proportion of sample size.Conclusions: Despite the use of GnRH analogues, risk of premature rise of progesterone is still there. The risk mainly depends on ovarian response. The high responders with high no of > 14mm follicles, high E2 Levels > 2500 pg/ml and high doses of gonadotrophins used are associated with high risk of PL. As premature rise in P4 level has significant Impact on clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), identification of high risk factors & their proper management can reduce the incidence of PL & cycle cancellation rate as well as can improve the clinical outcome

Allium stracheyi (Baker), the endangered and traditional medicinally important herb of Uttarakhand Himalaya, India: A Review

 Allium stracheyi (Alliaceae), is the high-altitude growing plant, commonly known as Jamboo, and Dhungar in Uttarakhand, India. It is a good source of income for the tribal communities and cultivars of Uttarakhand with medicinally and economically importance. A. stracheyi has higher amount of fibre and protein contents with lower fat and carbohydrates. It is used in various ailments. Considering phytoconstituents studies revealed different types of compounds like hydrocarbons, terpenes, terpenoids and sulfur-containing components as volatile constituents. The present study aimed to provide a general review of the available literature of A. stracheyi on phytochemistry, biological activities and pharmacological uses with special reference to traditional and economic importance

Hemato-metabolički profil visokoproizvodnih mliječnih krava za vrijeme prijelaznog razdoblja

The objective of the present study was to assess the haematological [haemoglobin, packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (TEC), erythrocytic indices, total leucocyte count (TLC) and differential leucocyte count (DLC)] changes and metabolic adjustment, viz. blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and cholesterol, in high-yielding Sahiwal and Karan Fries cows during the transition period. For this purpose, blood samples were collected from 8 pregnant Karan Fries crossbred cows and 8 pregnant Sahiwal cows on days -15, -7, 0 (the day of calving), +7 and +15 from calving, and used for estimation of haemoglobin, PCV, TLC, TEC, erythrocytic indices and DLC, and metabolic parameters, such as blood glucose, BUN, NEFA and cholesterol. It was found that haemoglobin concentrations, PCV and TEC increased significantly (P<0.01) up to the day of calving, and gradually decreased thereafter to reach pre-partum levels in the subsequent weeks post-calving. While the TLC, number of neutrophils and monocytes were found to increase (P<0.01), the number of lymphocytes decreased significantly (P<0.01) on the day of calving and then reached pre-partum levels after calving. No significant effect was observed on erythrocytic indices parameters. Blood glucose, BUN and NEFA levels showed an increasing trend (P<0.01) from 2 weeks pre-partum until the day of calving, and then decreased to the pre-partum level after calving. Unlike the other parameters, the plasma cholesterol level increased consistently from 2 weeks pre-partum to 2 weeks post-partum. In conclusion, the results of our study clearly show a definite pattern of the haematological and metabolic adjustment of high-producing dairy cows during the pre-partum to postpartum transition.Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je procijeniti hematološke promjene i metaboličku prilagodbu visokoproizvodnih Sahiwal i Karan Fries krava u prijelaznom razdoblju. Hematološke promjene su uključile hemoglobin, volumen eritrocita (PCV), ukupan broj eritrocita (TEC), eritrocitne pokazatelje, ukupan broj leukocita (TLC) i diferencijalni broj leukocita (DLC), a metaboličke prilagodbe glukozu, urea-nitrat u krvi (BUN), neesterificirane masne kiseline (NEFA) i kolesterol. Prikupljeni su uzorci krvi od 8 gravidnih krava križanki Karan Fries i 8 gravidnih krava pasmine Sahiwal. Uzorci su prikupljeni na dane –15., –7., 0. (dan teljenja), +7. i +15. nakon teljenja. Koncentracija hemoglobina, PCV i TEC znakovito su porasli (P < 0,01) do dana teljenja, da bi se poslije teljenja postupno smanjivali sve dok nisu postignute prijeporođajne vrijednosti. Dok je TLC, broj neutrofila i monocita porastao (P < 0,01), broj limfocita znakovito se smanjio (P < 0,01) na dan teljenja te je poslije teljenja postigao prijeporođajne vrijednosti. Nije bilo znakovitih učinaka na eritrocitne pokazatelje. Razine glukoze u krvi, BUN i NEFA pokazali su porast (P < 0,01) od dva tjedna prije porođaja do dana teljenja, a zatim su se nakon teljenja smanjili na prijeporođajne vrijednosti. Za razliku od ostalih pokazatelja, razina kolesterola u plazmi dosljedno je rasla od drugog tjedna prije porođaja do dva tjedna poslije porođaja. Zaključno, rezultati našeg istraživanja nedvojbeno su pokazali određen obrazac hematološke i metaboličke prilagodbe visokoproizvodnih mliječnih krava u prijelaznom razdoblju od prije porođaja do poslije porođaja