Anatomical Variations in the Position of Vermiform Appendix – A Cadaveric Study

Appendicitis is one of the most common clinical conditions which require emergency surgery. Variations in the anatomical position of vermiform appendix can result in different clinical presentations. This study was carried on 50 human cadavers irrespective of sex and age from the department of anatomy over a periods of 10 months. In the present study the commonest position was retrocaecal(38%), followed by pelvic(28%), postileal(20%), subcaecal(10%) and midinguinal(4%). Preileal variety was not found. A thorough knowledge of normal anatomy and variations in the position of vermiform appendix is very important for the surgeons while performing abdominal surgeries in adult, children and infants as it helps them to make optimal diagnosis of various pathological conditions related to this organ and treat accordingly.

Effect of replacement of Caspian Sea gammarus meal by partial kilka fish meal on growth performance, feed conversion ratio and survival of juveniles of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The effects of using different of gammarus meal levels (0, 5, 10 and 20%) instead of kilk fish meal as a protein source on growth performance, feed conversion ratio and survival of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fingerlings were studied over 8 weeks. Rainbow trout fingerlings (mean body weight 5.48 ± 0.32g) were reared in a completely randomized design with three replications in the same conditions. Based on the results, no significant difference was observed in the final length and weight and specific growth rate among treatments. Increase of gammarus meal in diet led to increase of feed conversion ratio and decrease of survival, but the difference was not significant among treatments. Commercial analysis showed that the cost price of feed increased with increase of gammarus meal in diet, significantly. Thus, results of our study showed that adding up to 10% of gammarus meal instead of kilka fish meal in rainbow trout fingerlings diet is suitable, considering gammarus abundance in the shores of south Caspian Sea and lack of significance in difference on growth, feed conversion ratio and survival

Effects of different levels of Daphnia and Artemia extracts on food acceptability and growth factor rates of beluga (Huso huso Linnaeus, 1758)

In a 30 day feeding trial, Daphnia and Artemia extracts were added to diets of juvenile Beluga (Huso huso) at different levels to evaluate its effects on growth and survival rate of the fish. The trial was carried out in aquaculture research center of the Gorgan University, during which three different dietary levels of extracts (1:25, 1: 50 and 1:100) were used in 250 liter PVC tanks filled with about 125 liters of water. A total of 20 juvenile Beluga with an average weight of 5 plus or minus 0.2g each was stocked in tanks and were fed 4 meals a day. Growth and survival factors were analyzed at the end of the trial period. The results showed that the addition of extracts in diets led to improvement of body weight increase, weight increase percentage, specific growth rate (SGR), daily growth rate (DGR), daily growth index (DGI), condition factor (CF), price index (PI) and decrease of food conversion ratio (FCR) compared to the control treatment. The best improvement of growth index was achieved at the dietary level 1:50 Artemia extracts. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in survival among treatments

Electroless Deposition of Nanolayered Metallic Coatings

Electroless metallic coating is referred as the deposition of a substrate material by the process of chemical or autocatalytic reduction of aqueous metal ions deposited to a substrate material without any external supply of power. Electroless nickel alloys are generally considered synonymous to the word “electroless coating” as ~90% of productions in industries are of this alloy coating. Rest of the electroless metallic coatings includes gold, copper, palladium, cobalt, silver, etc. These electroless metallic coatings (other than electroless nickel coatings) are also one of the vibrant areas in the field of materials properties and surface engineering research. From the year 2000 to till date, nearly 1000 SCI indexed research papers were published on this topic. However, no comprehensive studies about the recent progress on this topic were reported elsewhere so far. In this context, the present chapter aims to give a complete overview on various aspects of the rest of the electroless metallic nanocoatings/layer as a whole. More importance will be on the recent developments of the nanocharacteristics and future scopes

Responses of beluga (Huso huso) to salinity exposure: a laboratory evaluation of the effect of field-based salinity levels on osmoregulatory characteristics and growth performance

There is a need for a better understanding of how sturgeon, especially hatchery reared juveniles, respond to salinity challenges. Therefore, here we examined the effects of different field-based salinities (Freshwater [FW] (0.5), 3, 6, 9 and 12 ppt) on osmoregulatory characteristics and growth performance of juvenile beluga sturgeon, Huso huso, (22.1±1.1 g body weight) over a 60-day period. Survival rate was relatively high in all treatments although there was a sign of adverse effects of salinity on the survival as fish at 12 ppt salinity. Growth performance was better in fish reared at 3 ppt, followed by 6, 9 and 12 ppt. Overall, an increase in plasma sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and glucose levels was found in association with the increase of salinity, while the FW control group maintained basal levels. Haematocrit levels were also affected by the salinity and the observed levels in FW, 3 and 6 ppt salinities were lower than other salinity concentrations. The results indicated that the beluga sturgeon juveniles are able to survive and acclimate to moderate salinities. Here, we also discussed the importance of evaluating and comparing specific mechanisms of acclimation in populations across brackish waters of the southern Caspian Sea as such investigations may aid and improve aquaculture strategies

A Study of hypomagnesemia in critically ill patients and its correlation with patient outcomes

Background: Magnesium (Mg) is essential for life and plays a key role in the human body's various biochemical and physiological processes. Hypomagnesemia is common in all hospitalized patients, especially with co-existing electrolyte abnormalities in critically ill patients. Hypomagnesemia, if not diagnosed on time and appropriately treated, can cause serious and potentially fatal complications and is associated with increased mortality.Aim and Objectives: To study hypomagnesemia in critically ill patients and its correlation with patient outcomes considering the following parameters: Age, Sex, Diabetic status, Association with other lab parameters, APACHE II score, Need for ventilator support, Length of stay in ICU, Total stay in the hospital, Mortality.Materials and Methods: The study was a prospective study done in the Department of General Medicine (Medical ICU), Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute from September 2016 to August 2017. A thorough clinical examination was done; clinical data were recorded into the EXCEL case sheet. Serum calcium, serum potassium, ABG, along with other basic labs was sent for all patients. APACHE II score was calculated and all parameters were entered into an excel sheet. The results of the study were analyzed and statistical data was summarized using SPSS 17 software. Pearson Correlation, Kendall Tau B, Student t-test, and ANOVA were done for specific variables.Results: A total of 1067 patients admitted in ICU between September 2016 to August 2017 were taken into the study out of which 169 patients had hypomagnesemia (< 1.8 mg/ dl). Various correlations were analyzed for age, sex, diabetic status, APACHE II score, serum calcium, serum potassium, ventilator requirement, ICU stay, hospital stay, and outcome. A total of 169 patients out of 1067 patients had hypomagnesemia in the present study (15.83%). The minimum magnesium value was 0.8 mg/dl and the maximum value was 1.7 mg/dL. The present study highlighted the importance of hypomagnesemia in intensive care unit and its outcome with various parameters. The present study showed that hypomagnesemia is associated with increased APACHE II score, increased incidence of ventilator requirement and higher mortality.Conclusion: Magnesium is an unrecognized cation in critically ill patients. The incidence of hypomagnesemia in the present study was less compared to other studies done in medically ill patients. Hypomagnesemia correlated well with APACHE II score, ventilator requirement, and mortality, which was statistically significant.&nbsp

Primary culture of ovarian follicular cells of Sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus to develop an in vitro system

The aim of the present study was to develop an in vitro system for functional investigation of ovarian follicular cells in Sterlet, Acipenser ruthenus. Oocytes for the primary culture were obtained from the ovaries of a 6 years old Sterlet 729 g in weight and 47 cm in total length. The oocytes were in advanced vitellogenesis stage (PI >10). A part of the ovary (containing about 300 follicles) was removed, ovarian follicles isolated by manually removing those from the interstitial tissue and washed with sterile phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing antibiotics and Amphotericin B. Follicular cells were separated by treating oocytes with 0.25% trypsin-EDTA in Ca2+ and Mg2+ free PBS and cultured in medium L-15 supplemented with 20% FBS, streptomycin sulphate (Gibco, 100 mg.ml-1), penicillin G potassium (Gibco, 100 IU.ml-1) and Amphotericin B (Gibco, 2.5 mg.ml-1) at 22 °C. The concentrations of Testosterone (T), Estradiol-17β (E2), Progesterone (P4) and 17α-hydroxyprogestron (17αOHP) in the medium were measured at days 3, 5 & 7 by the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. According to the results, the ovarian follicular cells of Sterlet proliferated in L-15 medium were steroidogenically active as expressed by the secretion of T, E2, P4 & 17αOHP. Testosterone was the dominant hormone secreted by cultivated follicular cells, which was correlated closely with the end of vitellogenesis in the isolated oocytes. Decrease in production of these hormones was greater at days 3 & 4 in comparison with those at days 5 & 6. By successfully culturing ovarian follicular cells of Sterlet in L-15 culture medium, an in vitro system was developed which enables functional studies to be carried out similar to the in vivo situation in the ovarian follicles

Effect of different levels of Azolla meal on growth performance and digestibility of common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

In this study, the effects of different dietary levels of Azolla meal were investigated on growth performance and digestibility of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fingerlings during 60 days. Five experimental diets approximately iso-protein (30%) and isolipidic (10%), were formulated with different levels of Azolla meal consisting of 0, 15, 25, 35 and 45%, respectively. In each experimental treatment, triplicate groups of common Carp fingerlings (16.5± 0.2 g) were used in a completely randomized design. Twenty fish were assigned to each experimental unit and stocked in 300 L tank. The results showed that the use of Azolla meal up to 15% had no negative effect on growth performance. The growth of fish was reduced significantly with increasing Azolla meal level of more than 15% of diet. Based on results, the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of dry matter decreased with increasing Azolla meal in diets. The highest ADC of protein was observed in control treatment. However, no significant difference was observed between the treatment 2 (diet with 15% Azolla meal) and control (without Azolla meal) for ADC of protein. In general, results of the present study showed that Azolla meal can be used up to 15% in Cyprinus carpio diet

Efficacy of fish oil- and linseed oil-enriched Artemia nauplii on growth performance and stress resistance of tiger barb larvae (Puntius tetrazona)

Fish oil is the important fat source in fish nutrition. High demand for fish oil and low global supply arise a need of alternative oils in fish culture. Plant oils are a good candidate in this case. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of fish oil and linseed oil on growth and stress resistance of tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona) larvae. Artemia nauplii were enriched by 2.5, 5 and 7.5 of each oil. The enriched nauplii were offered to larvae for 14 d. thereafter, fish were fed non-enriched nauplii for another 14 d. At the end of the trial, larvae were subjected to osmotic stress and their survival was recorded. There was no significant difference in final weight, SGR and weight gain among the treatments at day 14. However, oil type and oil levels significantly affected these parameters after 28 d. Fish of 2.5-LO and 5-FO groups showed the best and worst performance, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival rate among the treatments, after 14 and 28 d; however, oil type significantly affected survival of the larvae after osmotic stress. Survival of larvae fed on linseed oil-enriched nauplii was significantly higher than that of those fed on fish oil-enriched nauplii. Linseed oil showed significantly better results in growth performance and stress resistance compared to fish oil. It is concluded that linseed oil is more suitable than fish oil for Artemia enrichment to feed tiger barb larvae. The potential reasons for the better performance of larvae fed on linseed oil-enriched Artemia were discussed

Structural analysis of phosphoribosyltransferase-mediated cell wall precursor synthesis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Rv3806c is a membrane-bound phosphoribosyltransferase (PRTase) involved in cell wall precursor production. It catalyses pentosyl phosphate transfer from phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate to decaprenyl phosphate, to generate 5-phospho-β-ribosyl-1-phosphoryldecaprenol. Despite Rv3806c being an attractive drug target, structural and molecular mechanistic insight into this PRTase is lacking. Here we report cryogenic electron microscopy structures for Rv3806c in the donor- and acceptor-bound states. In a lipidic environment, Rv3806c is trimeric, creating a UbiA-like fold. Each protomer forms two helical bundles, which, alongside the bound lipids, are required for PRTase activity in vitro. Mutational and functional analyses reveal that decaprenyl phosphate and phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate bind the intramembrane and extramembrane cavities of Rv3806c, respectively, in a distinct manner to that of UbiA superfamily enzymes. Our data suggest a model for Rv3806c-catalysed phosphoribose transfer through an inverting mechanism. These findings provide a structural basis for cell wall precursor biosynthesis that could have potential for anti-tuberculosis drug development.</p