Some crustacean zooplankton of Wular lake in Kashmir Himalaya

In a taxonomic survey of crustacean zooplankton collected from Wular lake of Kashmir, a pictorial key was developed. Thirty-six (36) pictures of 25 species of crustacean zooplankton, out of which 21 represented 16 Cladocera taxa belonging to Chydoridae (Alona affinis, A. rectangula and A. monacantha, Chydorus sphaericus and C. ovalis), Daphnidae (Daphnia magna, D. catawba, D. magna, D. pulex; D. rosea, D. galeata, D. retrocurva and Moinodaphnia), Polyphemidae (Polyphemus pediculus) and Sididae (Sida crystallina) and 15 pictures of Copepoda belonged to 9 species being represented by three families viz Cyclopidae (Cyclops scutifer, C. bicuspidatus, C. vernalis, C. panamensis, Eucyclops agilis, Megacyclops viridis), Canthocamptidae (Bryocamptus hiemalis) and Diaptomidae (Diaptomus sp.).Key words: Crustacean, Cladocera, Copepoda, taxonomy, Wular lake

THE VIABILITY OF HALAL FOOD INDUSTRY FOR BRUNEI ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION: SWOT ANALYSIS

There has been a growing interest in research for halal industry as the market has seen a tremendous growth in the global market and develops a strong presence in developed countries. With the halal industry being worth of US$1.2 trillion worldwide or US$650 billion alone in the food sector, vast opportunities in the global halal food industry for Brunei to use in order to diversify its economy. Brunei has been prioritised economic diversification as a mean to economic development; however, it has not shown any successful result so far. For a long period, Brunei has sustained its high dependency on oil and gas sector, in which economic diversification is a key to lower down the current dependency. Brunei Halal brand was established as one of attempts to help push forward Brunei's halal industry and supply the amount of halal certified food to the global Muslim population. In addition, owing to strong religious identity and principle, Brunei halal gained a reputable status to international and Islamic standards. The attempt of this paper is to assess the viability of the halal food industry as a source for economic diversification of Brunei with understanding of the current status of Brunei halal food industry by SWOT analysis. This study conducted semi-structured interview with respondents who are stakeholders in halal food industry to obtain further data in addition to data collected from secondary sources

Correction: Detecting antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli using benchtop attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and machine learning.

Correction for 'Detecting antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli using benchtop attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and machine learning' by Hewa G. S. Wijesinghe et al., Analyst, 2021, DOI: 10.1039/d1an00546d

Formulation and Permeation Kinetic Studies of Flurbiprofen Gel

Purpose: To investigate the in vitro permeation and drug release kinetics of flurbiprofen gel.Methods: Thirteen batches (G1, G2 … G13) of flurbiprofen gels were prepared using different ratios ofpermeation enhancers, i.e., propylene glycol (PG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), by response surface methodology (RSM). Viscosity, pH, spreadability, consistency and drug content of the flurbiprofen gels were measured. Permeation experiments were conducted using silicone membrane in a modified Franz diffusion cell. Permeation parameters determined include diffusion coefficient (D), Flux (J), lag time (tLag), permeation coefficient (Kp), input rate (IR) and enhancement ratio (ER). Primary skin irritation test was performed for the optimized gel, G3, using 11 human volunteers.Results: Maximum solubility (72.15 ± 0.02 mg/mL) of flurbiprofen was observed in a mixture (2:1) of methanol and water. Partition coefficient (Ko/w) was determined as logP = 3.68 ± 0.11. The gels were stable under various storage conditions, and were homogenous, crystalline and transparent. Viscosity, pH, spreadability, consistency and drug content were in the range of 150 – 178 × 102 cps, 5.42 - 5.75, 5.0 - 7.0 g.cm/s, 3.0 - 9.0 mm, and 97.99 - 99.86 %, respectively. No irritation or lesions (erythma, redness and ulceration) occurred in human volunteers over a 30-day period. The optimized formulation, G3, showed maximum flux through silicone membrane.Conclusion: PG and PEG are effective enhancers of flurbiprofen from  various formulations when used in various ratios.Keywords: Flurbiprofen, Gel, Diffusion, Permeation enhancers, Skin irritation, Silicone membran

Integrative analysis of subcellular quantitative proteomics studies reveals functional cytoskeleton membrane–lipid raft interactions in cancer

Lipid rafts are dynamic membrane microdomains that orchestrate molecular interactions and are implicated in cancer development. To understand the functions of lipid rafts in cancer, we performed an integrated analysis of quantitative lipid raft proteomics data sets modeling progression in breast cancer, melanoma, and renal cell carcinoma. This analysis revealed that cancer development is associated with increased membrane raft-cytoskeleton interactions, with ∼40% of elevated lipid raft proteins being cytoskeletal components. Previous studies suggest a potential functional role for the raft-cytoskeleton in the action of the putative tumor suppressors PTRF/Cavin-1 and Merlin. To extend the observation, we examined lipid raft proteome modulation by an unrelated tumor suppressor opioid binding protein cell-adhesion molecule (OPCML) in ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells. In agreement with the other model systems, quantitative proteomics revealed that 39% of OPCML-depleted lipid raft proteins are cytoskeletal components, with microfilaments and intermediate filaments specifically down-regulated. Furthermore, protein-protein interaction network and simulation analysis showed significantly higher interactions among cancer raft proteins compared with general human raft proteins. Collectively, these results suggest increased cytoskeleton-mediated stabilization of lipid raft domains with greater molecular interactions as a common, functional, and reversible feature of cancer cells

A systematic review of current knowledge of HIV epidemiology and of sexual behaviour in Nepal

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review information on HIV epidemiology and on sexual behaviour in Nepal with a view to identifying gaps in current knowledge. METHODS: Systematic review covering electronic databases, web-based information, personal contact with experts and hand searching of key journals. RESULTS: HIV-1 seroprevalence has been rising rapidly in association with high-risk behaviours, with current levels of 40% amongst the nation's injecting drug users and approaching 20% amongst Kathmandu's female commercial sex workers (FCSWs). HIV seroprevalence remains low in the general population (0.29% of 15–49 year olds). There are significant methodological limitations in many of the seroprevalence studies identified, and these estimates need to be treated with caution. There are extensive migration patterns both within the country and internationally which provide the potential for considerable sexual networking. However, studies of sexual behaviour have focused on FCSWs and the extent of sexual networks within the general population is largely unknown. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst some of the ingredients are present for an explosive HIV epidemic in Nepal, crucial knowledge on sexual behaviour in the general population is missing. Research on sexual networking is urgently required to guide HIV control in Nepal. There is also a need for further good-quality epidemiological studies of HIV seroprevalence

Assessment of the determinant of choice of ‘over the counter’ analgesics among students of a university in Abbottabad, Pakistan

Purpose: To ascertain the preference of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan (CIIT) students for various ‘over the counter’ analgesics.Methods: This cross-sectional survey study on self-medication of ibuprofen in students of CIIT was conducted in July - August 2013 using a self-administered questionnaire. Five hundred students with an average age of 20 - 25 years cooperated in this inquisition. The questionnaire contained 18 questions including socio-demographic queries, economical status, perception of the frequency of pain, their locality, and behavior and knowledge of participants on the use of ibuprofen regarding its therapeutic and adverse effects, and interactions.Results: Out of the 500 participants in the study, 70.4 % were female. The response rate was 68.2 %. Ibuprofen (54 %) was the most used analgesic of all the NSAIDs among the respondents. Approximately, 11.2 % of the respondents reported that they suffer from pain almost every day. The younger and more educated respondents had better level of awareness about the ibuprofen’s indications as compared to those who had low level of education. Of the respondents, 29.6 % were not aware of any side effect caused by ibuprofen. Approximately, 22.4 % of the respondents had no knowledge of the interactions of ibuprofen while 61.2 % of the participants consult a physician about painkillers.Conclusion: Although many of the students undergo almost daily pain and favor ibuprofen over other NSAIDs analgesics among but they still lack information on its appropriate handling and safety. The overall result of the survey indicates very low level of information about the drug interaction.Keywords: Pain, OTC, analgesic, ibuprofen, questionnaire based survey, awarenes

The unresolved safety concerns of bovine thrombin

A recent review has suggested that bovine thrombin is not associated with an increased risk of bleeding in surgical populations. In spite of extremely limited evidence available, many valuable resources (e.g. safety surveillance and post-marketing programs, case reports) were excluded in reaching this conclusion. While waiting for the adequately powered, controlled clinical trials to address the effects of bovine thrombin on bleeding and thrombotic events, the potential risk cannot be simply ignored. Rather, continued vigilance in the post-surgical setting for bleeding events that may be associated with the development of acquired coagulation factor inhibitors following bovine thrombin administration is warranted

Glial Heterotopia of the orbit: A rare presentation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glial heterotopias are rare, benign, congenital, midline, non-teratomatous extracranial glial tissue. They may masquerade as encephalocoele or dermoid cyst and mostly present in nose. Herein, we present an unusual case of glial heterotopia of the orbit with unilateral blindness.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 6 year-old-boy presented with a progressive painless mass over the nose and medial aspect of the left eye noticed since birth. On examination, the globe was displaced laterally by a firm, regular, mobile, non-pulsatile and non-tender medial mass. The affected eye had profound loss of vision. Computed tomography scan showed a large hypodense mass in the extraconal space with no intracranial connectivity and bony erosion. The child underwent total surgical excision of the mass and histopathological examination confirmed glial heterotopia of the orbit.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Though the incidence of this condition is rare, the need of appropriate diagnosis and management of such mass to prevent the visual and cosmetic deterioration is warranted. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of Glial heterotopia of orbit causing unilateral blindness.</p