Status of Mangroves in Thekkumbad, Kannur, Kerala

The status of mangroves in Thekkumbad island of Kerala state was documented and assessed using the following parameters; total area covered, diversity, population structure and threats to mangroves. The study was conducted in Dec. 2008 using the plot quadrate method. Ten plots were non-randomly distributed in the study area. Eleven true mangrove species and six associates were found in the study area (H’=1.76). The dominant species were Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica, Sonneratia alba and Excoecaria agallocha with important values 35.83, 32.43, 13.31, 25.02 respectively. Considering the small area of the island , the diversity was relatively high compared to nearby mangrove rich areas. However the continuous anthropogenic activities posses threat to the survival of mangroves. Thus the management of the present mangrove is urgent for a sustainable living.---Department of PG studies and Research in Botany, Sir Syed College, Taliparamba, Kerala – 670142, India ---Please Cite This Article As:P. Sreeja and K.M. Khaleel. 2010. Status of Mangroves in Thekkumbad, Kannur, Kerala. J. Exp. Sci. 1(8):1-2

Morphometric study of the neurons in human hypoglossal nerve nucleus during early gestation

Hypoglossal nerve, XII cranial nerve is responsible for the motor innervation of the tongue muscles, which assists in various motor activities such as chewing, swallowing, vocalization. Thus, weakness of this nerve will lead to weakness and deviation of the tongue to one side. Clinically besides these functions it is also responsible for the most important function such as modulation of respiration and drinking behavior. Thus, a detailed study about the cell dynamics, which involves the development of neurons in the hypoglossal nerve nucleus becomes essential. 12 foetuses [Gestational age 10 – 24 weeks] were included in the study. They were divided into 4 groups based on their gestational age and CRL measurements. Hypoglossal nucleus extends throughout the length of medulla oblongata in the para-median plane. Tissues were collected from hind brain section and section of medulla. The tissues will be processed by routine histological procedure were stained with hematoxylin & eosin and also with Holmer’s Silver nitrate to study the histological details. Morphometric study covered the cell dimensions and volumes of hypoglossal neurons and its nucleus. From these data, coefficients were drawn to identify the proportion of growth between cell and nuclear volume. Morphometric analysis of hypoglossal nerve neurons in human from 10th to 24th gestational week concludes that the primitive migratory cells seen in the initial period and later it will become round neuroblast. In the initial 16 weeks nucleus occupied the entire volume of the cell.Keywords: Hypoglossal nerve nucleus, Deglutition, Mastication, Morphometry, Histogenesi

STATUS OF ENZYMATIC ANTIOXIDANTS IN EYE LENS EXTRACTED FROM CATARACTOUS SUBJECTS

Objectives: Cataract is a common kind of blindness prevailing in India. Eye lens is normally exposed to toxic elements of the surroundings, leading to the formation of free radicals. In normal conditions, the presence of antioxidants may help to counteract the progression of free radical formation in an eye lens. Hence, it was requisite to assess the activities of enzymatic antioxidants in the eye lens extracted from cataractous subjects.Methods: The cataractous lens samples of 120 subjects were collected from the ophthalmic centres in and around Coimbatore. The subjects were categorised into apparently normal cataract men (ACM), apparently normal cataract women (ACW), diabetic cataract men (DCM), diabetic cataract women (DCW), hypertensive cataract men (HCM) and hypertensive cataract women (HCW) with each group consisting of 20 samples. Activities of enzymatic antioxidants namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were assessed in the cataractous lens samples from the selected subjects. Data was interpreted using SPSS 16.0 software package.Results: The activities of SOD and CAT were found to be significantly decreased (p<0.05) in all the five groups when compared to apparently normal cataract men. Enzymes of glutathione system exhibited a significant variation (p<0.05) in their activity in the cataractous eye lens extracted from diabetic and hypertensive cataract women in comparison to apparently normal cataract men. A significant decrease (p<0.05) in the activities of GR and GST was also observed in the cataractous eye lens extracted from diabetic and hypertensive cataract men when compared to the subjects of ACM group. Conclusion: The outcome of the study suggested that cataractous subjects with clinical complications were much disposed to the reactive oxygen species and more affected than the apparently normal cataractous subjects. Â

Alzheimers Disease Diagnosis using Machine Learning: A Review

Alzheimers Disease AD is an acute neuro disease that degenerates the brain cells and thus leads to memory loss progressively. It is a fatal brain disease that mostly affects the elderly. It steers the decline of cognitive and biological functions of the brain and shrinks the brain successively, which in turn is known as Atrophy. For an accurate diagnosis of Alzheimers disease, cutting edge methods like machine learning are essential. Recently, machine learning has gained a lot of attention and popularity in the medical industry. As the illness progresses, those with Alzheimers have a far more difficult time doing even the most basic tasks, and in the worst case, their brain completely stops functioning. A persons likelihood of having early-stage Alzheimers disease may be determined using the ML method. In this analysis, papers on Alzheimers disease diagnosis based on deep learning techniques and reinforcement learning between 2008 and 2023 found in google scholar were studied. Sixty relevant papers obtained after the search was considered for this study. These papers were analysed based on the biomarkers of AD and the machine-learning techniques used. The analysis shows that deep learning methods have an immense ability to extract features and classify AD with good accuracy. The DRL methods have not been used much in the field of image processing. The comparison results of deep learning and reinforcement learning illustrate that the scope of Deep Reinforcement Learning DRL in dementia detection needs to be explored.Comment: 10 pages and 3 figure

A CASE REPORT: DRUG INTERACTION BETWEEN LINEZOLID AND DOPAMINE

Linezolid is a weak, non-selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (MAO). It can inhibit the breakdown of the tyramine by MAO in the gut and can also potentiate the effect of tyramine at nerve endings, thereby causing an increase in blood pressure. We encountered a neonate who developed acute hypertensive episode after simultaneous administration of dopamine and linezolid. A 25 w preterm neonate was admitted in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) with complaints of Patent Ductus Arteriosus and respiratory infection. Linezolid infusion 6.5 mg every 8 h over 30 min (7 am, 3pm, 11 pm) was added after confirmation of gram-positive cocci (Staphylococcus epidermis) growth. Inj. Dopamine 20 mcg/kg/min was started for derangement in blood pressure 52/28 mm Hg (Mean blood pressure 43) at 5 pm. The baby developed acute hypertensive episode at 5.30 pm for which dopamine was withdrawn immediately. The half-life of Linezolid is 5.6 h in preterm baby, and that of Dopamine is 2 min. Since the probability of peak concentration for both the administered drugs was around the same time period, the baby developed acute hypertensive episode. So the combination of Linezolid with Dopamine should be avoided if possible or the dosage interval has to be extended to minimize the adverse reaction.Â