ClimFish NICRA Newsletter Vol.1

Govt. of India has accorded high priority on research and development to cope with climate change in agricultural sector. The Prime Minister’s National Action Plan has identified agriculture as one of eight national missions. The project so far has benefitted several stakeholders across the nation. National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) is a network project of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) aimed at enhancing resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change

ASGS: an alternative splicing graph web service

Alternative transcript diversity manifests itself a prime cause of complexity in higher eukaryotes. The Alternative Splicing Graph Server (ASGS) is a web service facilitating the systematic study of alternatively spliced genes of higher eukaryotes by generating splicing graphs for the compact visual representation of transcript diversity from a single gene. Taking a set of transcripts in General Feature Format as input, ASGS identifies distinct reference and variable exons, generates a transcript splicing graph, an exon summary, splicing events classification and a single line graph to facilitate experimental analysis. This freely available web service can be accessed at

Potential effect of metformin and vildagliptin against isoniazid induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar albino rats

Background: Metformin and vildagliptin both are anti-diabetic agent and they play an important role in diabetic patients as they reduce blood glucose levels. Studies revealed that both metformin and vildagliptin has the ability to promote beta cell neogenesis and regeneration. So, our study was planned to explore the hepatoprotective potential of metformin and vildagliptin in Wistar albino rats exposed to isoniazid (INH) induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: Wistar albino rats weighing 150-180 g were obtained from Mass Biotech, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu. The animals were divided into 6 groups (n=6) and further treated orally against INH-induced hepatotoxicity except normal control group. group 1: normal control, group 2: INH, group 3: metformin+INH, group 4: vildagliptin+INH, group 5: metformin amd vildagliptin+INH, group 6: silymarin. Results: In the present study, INH was administered for 21 days to induce liver damage to rats except normal group. Each group was treated with metformin, vildagliptin, (metformin+vildagliptin) combination and silymarin half an hour before INH challenge. On the 22nd day the blood samples were collected to estimate the AST and ALT levels. Immediately after blood collection the animals were sacrificed, the livers were removed and kept in 10% formalin for histopathological examination. Conclusions: The study found that metformin, vildagliptin, and their combination showed hepatoprotective activity against INH-induced hepatotoxicity. The combination of metformin+vildagliptin was the most effective. Metformin reduces oxidative stress, while vildagliptin balances pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant levels, contributing to their hepatoprotective effects. This suggests their potential usefulness in drug-induced hepatotoxicity

Investigations on the creeks of Saurashtra

Gujarat has a rich estuarine system supported by run-off from five major rivers, viz., Narmada, Mahi, Tapti, Banas and Sabarmati. The branches of these rivers form several small creeks which act as outlets to the sea. These creeks are known to have supported traditional fisheries for a variety of shrimps and fishes over the years. However, these fisheries are now on a declining phase. With reduced rainfall in recent years, these creeks remain saline for a major part of the year. Natural flushing is further obstructed by the numerous check dams and small impoundments constructed across the rivers and rivulets flowing into these creeks

Exploring Biodiversity: Sampling, Analysis, and Identification of Microbial Treasures in Diverse Soil Ecosystems

In the present study, bacterial colonies in Cashew Oil Industry Soil (COS), Fertilizer-applied Field Soil (FFS) and Control samples were enumerated and characterized across varying dilution factors. The results revealed significant variations in bacterial colony formation across dilution factors, indicating diverse growth rates and population densities. The investigation aimed to discern the microbial populations and characteristics in these contrasting samples. COS and FFS exhibited dilution-dependent colony counts, showcasing distinctions in bacterial populations compared to Control samples. Morphological analysis revealed diverse colony sizes, shapes, and colours, ranging from small to medium, with hues spanning yellow to orange. Margins, elevations, and opacities varied, and Gram staining indicated both positive and negative strains and Gram-positive cocci and diplococci, were identified illustrating taxonomic diversity. Biochemical tests unveiled diverse metabolic traits, identifying Cellobiosococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. at the genus level in COS and Micrococcus sp. in FFS. Given that these three bacterial strains were isolated from contaminated soil and considering the prior use of Micrococcus sp. and Staphylococcus sp. in remediation efforts, our upcoming research will specifically concentrate on exploring the bioremediation potential of pollutants using Micrococcus sp., Cellobiosococcus sp., and Staphylococcus sp., with particular emphasis on the unique capabilities of Cellobiosococcus sp as there are nostudies related to Cellobiosococcus sp. involved in bioremediation

Erythromycin before endoscopy in upper GI bleeding : a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common medical emergency that accounts for numerous hospital admissions each year. Given its significant morbidity and mortality, urgent endoscopy with adequate gastric mucosal visualization is imperative for identification and treatment of bleeding lesions. Various studies have been done evaluating the effectiveness of erythromycin infusion prior to endoscopy to improve visibility and therapeutic potential of endoscopy; however, the results have been controversial. To evaluate further, we performed a meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of erythromycin infusion before endoscopy in acute UGIB

Unusal landings of large-sized Sepia pharaonis from the coastal waters of Saurashtra

Fishing grounds for cuttlefishes are beyond 50m depth zone, off Dwaraka. This report is on unsual landings of Sepia pharaonis from the coastal waters off Saurashtra. The total landing of S. pharaonis was estimated to be around 20 tonnes. It is revealed that minor upwelling has been the reason for this unusual catch

Report on the landing of the critically endangered Rhinobatid Acroteriobatus variegatus (Nair & Lal Mohan, 1973) with some insights into its reproductive biology

A single specimen of a gravid female of the stripenose guitarfish, Acroteriobatus variegatus was landed as by-catch by a tuna hook and line at Sakthikulangara, Kerala from a depth of 110-130 m. The species is categorized as ‘critically endangered’ by IUCN. The morphometric characteristics of A. variegatus are described for the first time since its original description by Nair and Lal Mohan (1973) from Gulf of Mannar. The present study provides preliminary insights into its reproductive biology. The mode of reproduction in A. variegatus is aplacental yolk sac viviparity with low uterine fecundit

CMFRI Marine Fisheries Policy Series No-6; Non-Detriment Findings (NDF) for the export of Shark and Ray species listed in Appendix II of the CITES and harvested from Indian waters

This document entitled “Guidance on National Plan of Action for Sharks in India” is intended as a guidance to the NPOA-Sharks, and seeks to (1) present an overview of the current status of India’s shark fishery, (2) assess the current management measures and their effectiveness, (3) identify the knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in NPOA-Sharks and (4) suggest a theme-based action plan for NPOA-Sharks

Minimum Legal Size proposed for commercially exploited marine finfish and shellfish resources of Tamil Nadu

Marine fisheries in Tamil Nadu have undergone tremendous change in terms of fishing pattern, fishing method, extension of fishing grounds, composition of fish catch and consequent increase in the total fish catch in recent years. The recent demand from industries involved in fish meal and fish oil encourages targeted fishing for by-catch resulting in heavy landing of low value by-catch in certain places along Tamil Nadu coast. These by-catch are often dominated by juveniles of many commercially important marine finfishes and shell fishes. So it warrants some caution and intervention. One of the methods to discourage the indiscriminate exploitation of juveniles is to impose a Minimum Legal Size (MLS) which is the size at which a particular species can be legally retained if caught. The advantage of a MLS is that it aids in the control of two major problems in the fisheries management, growth overfishing and recruitment overfishing either by increasing the minimum size of harvest or by increasing or maintaining the size of the spawning stock. The most common method of increasing the reproductive output through the use of size limits is to set the minimum size at which the females become sexually mature. As the individuals of a species do not attain sexual maturity at the same size, it can be a size at which higher proportions are mature