Comparative Efficacy of PercollTM Discontinuous Density Gradient Centrifugation and Glass Wool Filtration Techniques for Spermatozoa Selection in Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

Dead and damaged spermatozoa cells present universally in the ejaculates of all eutherian mammals exert toxic effect on contemporary healthy cells mostly through generation of excessive free radicals. This is much more evident during extended period of processing, resulting in poor ejaculate quality. The solution lies in depletion of dead/damaged spermatozoa from the neat ejaculates itself. Thus the objective of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of the protocols such as discontinuous PercollTM density gradient centrifugation (PDGC) and glass wool filtration (GWF) for depletion of dead/damaged spermatozoa from fresh semen in buffalo. Random ejaculates (n=6) of Murrah buffalo bulls were divided into two aliquots after quality assessment: PDGC and GWF protocols (Group I and II, respectively). At the end of the purification protocol, efficiency of the protocols in depleting dead/damaged spermatozoa as reflected by certain quality parameters were evaluated. The mean efficiency (%) of purification protocols based on recovery of spermatozoa was 44.68 and 40.02% for PDGC and GWF, respectively. Moreover significantly (p<0.05) greater values for quality parameters was observed in the Group II (26.4+6.8 vs 68.8+4.4 for acrosome integrity (%); 12.68+6.6 vs 57.7+7.5 for functional plasma membrane integrity (%); 20.3+5.8 vs 80.75+6.7 for viability (%) in Group I and II, respectively). It was concluded that GWF is a better technique than PGDC to filter out dead/damaged spermatozoa from fresh semen with improvement in semen quality and can be a valuable tool in assisted reproductive technology

Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among health-care workers at a tertiary care hospital in Northern India

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is resistant to all beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems, and betalactamase inhibitors. MRSA remains a public health problem globally. MRSA infection increases morbidity, risk of mortality, increased financial burden, and loss of productivity. A major source of MRSA in the hospital environment can be asymptomatically colonized health-care workers (HCWs). Objectives: The aim of the study is to screen nasal swabs collected from HCWs of our hospital for colonization with S. aureus and detect methicillin resistance among them. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, consenting HCWs were consecutively enrolled. Nasal swabs were collected aseptically from study participants and processed using standard microbiological protocols for the recovery of S. aureus and MRSA. Methicillin resistance was detected by cefoxitin disc diffusion method according to the CLSI guidelines. Results: Out of a total of 184 HCWs studied, the prevalence of S. aureus carriage in anterior nares was 14.6%. The overall MRSA prevalence was 3.8%. Highest carriage rates for MRSA were found in laboratory technicians (7.1%) followed by nursing staff (4.4%). The ophthalmology department had the highest MRSA carriage rate of 22%. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that nasal carriage of MRSA among HCWs is relatively low in this study compared to other Indian studies done in tertiary care centres. Further studies are needed to evaluate the incidence of infections due to MRSA in this population.

A comparative study of blood groups with relation to academic achievements among medical students in North India

Background: The purpose of present study was to know the relation between the four blood groups (A, B, AB, and O) and high academic scores among students of Government medical colleges of North India. Materials and methods: Study was conducted in Department of Physiology, Dr BSA Medical College, Delhi and UCMS, Delhi on 247 medical students both males and females of age group 18-20 years. Blood groups were collected from past medical records during the time of admission and Confirmation was done during the blood grouping practical classes. Blood group, completion test marks, internal assessment marks (theory, practical and viva-voce) in percentage were tabulated. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS 16.0 software. Results: Out of 247 students 98 students were B group, 76 students were O group, 57 students were A group and 16 students were AB group. Total number of Blood group B students (N=22) who scored high marks were more than the other blood group students. While the %age of students of A blood group (29.8%) were more than other blood groups. Conclusion: Though our study showed that there was a variation in the academic scores between the blood groups A, B, O and AB, there was no significant association (p < 0.05) found between any blood group and academic scores. So, the conclusion of our study was that there was no real correlation between blood groups and academic scoring

Homology Modeling of DNA polymerases of Herpesviridae family and structure-based virtual screening for inhibitor identification.

Human herpes viruses are responsible for the several transmitted infections in human. It is known that the DNA polymerase enzyme is one of the putative targets for herpes. Therefore, it is of interest to model all known DNA polymerases of Herpesviridae family. Here, all the DNA polymerases of Herpesviridae without any crystal structure were modeled using HHV-1 DNA polymerase as a template. Modeled structures were screened by ramachandran plot and Descrete Optimization of Protein Energy (DOPE) score. To find out multi-target inhibitor for Herpesviridae, 21 natural antiviral compounds were selected from literature and screened using Lipinski’s rule of five. Binding pose of acyclovir with HHV-1 DNA polymerase was taken for the comparative docking study. Comparative binding analysis was done after settling of 120 and eight partial mono flexible protein-ligand docking sets for natural compounds and acyclovir, respectively. From the study it is found that alliin and gallic acid exhibit good binding affinity than acyclovir and other natural compounds. So, here we purpose that these two compounds can be potential candidates to inhibit Herpesviridae family.

Se-acquisition and reactive oxygen species role in growth, photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigments, and biochemical changes in essential oil(s) monoterpene of geranium ( pelargonium graveolens L.HER.’ EX. AIT.).

Se is an essential element required for various metabolic pathways and act as an antioxidant in the various redox-reactions of primary and secondary plant production of – biomolecules. Geranium is an important essential monoterpene oil(s) bearing plant. Culturing the plant at different doses of Se from 0-1.0 mg Se ml-1 revealed that Se plays an important role as an in antioxidant promoter, apart from its micronutrient essentiality. 0.25 mg Se ml-1 is the critical concentrations for maximum content of (0.21%) total essential monoterpene oil(s). At concentration below and above 0.25 mg Se ml-1, the CO2 assimilation rate, photosynthetic pigments content and ultimately the accumulation of essential monoterpene oil(s) are affected. The maximum peroxidase and SOD activities were obtained at 0.25 mg Se ml-1, with the production of biomolecule geraniol. Results revealed an oxidoreducable reaction of Se in the formation of monoterpene essential oil(s) and possibly for the major constituents Geraniol.

Cr-acquisition and reactive oxygen species role in growth, photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigments, and biochemical changes in essential oil(s) monoterpene of geranium (pelargonium graveolens L.HER.’ EX. AIT.)

Cr is an essential element required for various metabolic pathways and act as an antioxidant in the various redox-reactions of primary and secondary plant production of – biomolecules. Geranium is an important essential monoterpene oil(s) bearing plant. Culturing the plant at different doses of Cr from 0-1.0 g Cr ml-1 revealed that Cr plays an important role as an in antioxidant promoter, apart from its micronutrient essentiality. 0.25 m g Cr ml-1 is the critical concentrations for maximum content of (0.21%) total essential monoterpene oil(s). At concentration below and above 0.25 g Cr ml-1, the CO2 assimilation rate, photosynthetic pigments content and ultimately the accumulation of essential monoterpene oil(s) are affected. The maximum peroxidase and SOD activities were obtained at 0.25 g Cr ml-1, with the production of biomolecule geraniol. Results revealed an oxido-reducable reaction of Cr in the formation of monoterpene essential oil(s) and possibly for the major constituents Geraniol.

Index for measuring child feeding practices.

OBJECTIVE: The present investigation was undertaken with the objective of creating an Infant and Child Feeding Index (ICFI) from a set of complementary feeding (CF) practices and to determine its association with growth of infants and young children (6-23 months). METHODS: A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect information for 204 children from one large slum (n=104) and two private pediatric clinics (n=100) of urban Vadodara. RESULTS: Results revealed that about half (50.5%) of the children were stunted Ht for Age Z score (HAZ<-2SD), nearly one-fourth (25.5%) were underweight Wt for Age Z score (WAZ<-2SD), but wasting (WHZ Wt for Ht Z score<-2SD) was low (3%). Significant associations were revealed between almost all positive CF practices and nutritional status of the children as measured by HAZ and WAZ (p<0.01), but not with WHZ. Good associations were revealed between ICFI and HAZ and WAZ, but not with WHZ. On multivariate analysis of factors affecting the HAZ, WAZ and WHZ scores, ICFI was not found to be significant whereas maternal education was the most significant factor, which was also found to be associated significantly with ICFI. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the composite index in its present form can reflect the CF practices more holistically than just one or few behaviors studied separately. More research is needed in the direction of constituting a composite index which can then be used for research, monitoring, evaluation and much needed advocacy for complementary feeding.

Various methods of caries removal in children: a comparative clinical study.

An in vivo study comparing the different methods of caries removal was done in children of age group 6-9 years. Among these patients a total number of 150 carious deciduous teeth were selected. Caries removal was done by hand instruments, airotor and carisolv. The efficacy, time taken and pain experienced by the patient during caries removal was evaluated. The results showed that airotor was the most efficient method (mean value 0.38), while carisolv was the least painful (mean value 0.080) and the most time consuming method (534.8 seconds).

Impact of a comprehensive telephone-based disease management programme on quality-of-life in patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Disease management programmes for patients with heart failure have improving the quality-of-life (QOL) of patients with heart failure. METHODS: Patients attending the heart failure clinic were randomized into 2 groups of 25 patients each. The control group was managed in the heart failure clinic and the intervention group underwent the following additional interventions: (i) interactive sessions with the patient and spouse informing them about the disease, drugs, and self-management of fluid intake and diuretic dose; (ii) a telephonic helpline was established and regular telephone calls made to reinforce the information and modify drug dosages. The QOL was assessed using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy questionnaire. Functional capacity was assessed by the 6-minute walk test. Continuous variables were compared with the Student t-test (paired or unpaired). RESULTS: There was significant improvement in the QOL and functional capacity of patients in the intervention group compared with controls over a 6-month period. The mean (SD) QOL scores in the intervention group improved from 60.0 (23.6) to 76.3 (17.3) but did not change significantly in the control group (62.2 [22.6] to 63.4 [21.9]). There was a similar improvement in the functional capacity measured by the 6-minute walk test in the intervention group (from 202.2 [81.5] to 238.1 [100.9] metres, p < 0.05) but not in the control group (193.8 [81.5] to 179.7 [112.0] metres). In the intervention group, the use of beta-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was similar but in the intervention group patients were placed on higher doses. There was no significant difference in the number of emergency room visits or admissions in either group. For every 20 patients in the intervention group, 14 patients improved by 1 functional class while in the control group this was observed in only 3 patients for every 20 treated. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that in the setting of a developing country, improvement in QOL by intensive management of heart failure patients through a heart failure programme with telephonic reinforcement and a helpline is greater than that usually achieved with drug therapy in a routine heart failure clinic.

Infant and child feeding index.

Traditional indicators of child feeding practices are widely used and appear to be useful, although the validity and reliability of those related to complementary feeding have not been established. Composite child feeding indices have the potential to address some of the methodological constraints related to the quantitative measurement of child feeding practices. They can address the multi-dimensionality of child feeding practices i.e. the need to consider the type, quality, texture, nutrient density of food, frequency of feeding and diversity of the diet; the age-specificity of child feeding practices; and the fact that feeding practices tend to cluster. The main advantage of creating a composite index is that it allows construction of one variable representing various dimensions of feeding or care practices. This variable, in turn, can be used to illustrate graphically the importance of child feeding or care for child outcomes or to model their determinants. This can be invaluable for advocacy, apart from being an indispensable tool for the purposes of research, monitoring and evaluation. Experience with creation of composite child feeding indices with the studies in Accra and DHS data sets from Latin America and Ethiopia has been encouraging and suggests that this is a promising area for future development and program applications.

Profile of non communicable disease risk factors in an industrial setting.

AIM: The profile of non communicable diseases (NCD) risk factors was identified in an industry by pre tested WHO's STEPS questionnaire. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of all employment categories of an Industry (2000 employees) was done after randomly selecting subjects (220) from worker (52%) and non worker categories (47.4%), after informed consent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information was collected on behavioural risk factors (STEP I), followed by anthropometric and blood pressure measurements by a trained investigator (STEP II). STEP III constituted biochemical assessment of "at risk" subjects (> 3 risk factors). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Percentage of subjects having NCD risk factors and the odds ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Overall risk factor profile of the study subjects revealed universal prevalence of 3 risk factors) with prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and diabetes of 40.5, 38.2 and 19.1% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of NCD risk factors in industrial setting was seen; therefore public health approaches are required at workplace settings to curtail the rising epidemic in the productive populations.

Pancreatic duct ascariasis: sonographic diagnosis--a case report.

We report the case of a 19-year old boy presenting in the emergency with severe epigastric pain whose biochemical tests revealed elevated serum amylase and lipase levels and a clinical diagnosis of acute pancreatitis was made. On ultrasonic examination, the pancreas appeared bulky with a linear tubular echogenic worm (ascaris) seen within the prominent main pancreatic duct. Successful removal of the pancreatic duct worm was achieved through endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP).

Fused supernumeraries in deciduous dentition: a case report.

The occurrence of supernumerary teeth and fusion of two teeth is not a very rare findings but the fusion of two supernumeraries especially in primary is very rare. Reported here, is a case of three supernumerary teeth present in the same region, out of which two of them were fused with each other. Since the interference with the normal eruption of the permanent successor was anticipated, the fused supernumeraries were extracted.

Chlorpyrifos induced alterations in levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and glutathione in rat brain.

Chlorpyrifos, O,O'-diethyl-O-3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl phosphorothionate, exposure in rats caused significant inhibition of acetylcholinesterae activity in different regions of brain and generated oxidative stress as evidenced by increase in the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and decrease in the ratio of reduced to oxidized glutathione in all the three regions of brain. Malondialdehyde level was increased significantly in all regions of brain and the increase was dose dependent. Mid brain showed highest level of lipid peroxidation.

Apolipoprotein(a) polymorphism and its association with plasma lipoprotein(a) levels: a north Indian study.

Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) has been regarded as an independent risk factor for coronary, peripheral and cerebral atherosclerosis. The enormous intra-personal variation in the plasma concentration of lipoprotein(a) is almost entirely controlled by the apolipoprotein(a) i.e. gene locus on the chromosome 6q 26-27. The apolipoprotein(a) molecule is highly polymorphic and is known to exist in multiple, genetically determined isoforms. These polymorphisms may be responsible for difference in promoter activity, variable size of apolipoprotein(a) and thereby variation in plasma lipoprotein(a) concentration. We studied the effect of two types of polymorphisms, (i) variation in length of the pentanucleotide repeat in the 5' flanking region starting -1373 bp upstream of AUG codon, and (ii) the Kringle-4 type 2 size polymorphism, on plasma lipoprotein(a) levels in North Indian population. The study group consisted of 88 angiographically assessed male coronary artery disease patients (age range 30-70 years) and 83 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The pentanucleotide repeat polymorphism was analysed using polymerase chain reaction. In all, 8/11 pentanucleotide repeat isoforms were observed. Using SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting isoforms having 12-50 Kringle-4 type 2 repeats were detected. Our study indicates a strong association of elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) concentration with coronary artery disease. An inverse correlation was seen between lipoprotein concentration and isoform size for both the pentanucleotide repeat polymorphism and the Kringle-4 type 2 polymorphisms; statistically significant difference (p = 0.001) was, however, observed only for the later.

Effect of endodontic smear layer and various solvents on the calcium ion diffusion through radicular dentin--an in vitro study.

External root resorption and ankylosis remains the major cause of failure of replanted teeth. This study was conducted to explore the different ways to increase the pH of periradicular area in order to overcome the problem of root resorption and ankylosis. 60 freshly extracted permanent anteriors were used after removing the crown at CEJ. After biomechanical preparation Ca (OH)2 was injected and assays were done using EDTA, Citric and tannic acid Assays were repeated. Calcium diffusion and pH in the root exterior was measured using spectrophotometer. Results showed that dentin is permeable to calcium & hydroxyl ions and placement of Ca (OH)2 in the canal resulted in its increased recovery and alkaline pH periradicularly. Smear layer removal did not result in significant increase in Ca++ recovery or alkaline pH however combination of EDTA & NaOCl was found best than the other two.

The multifaceted roles of the RNA processing enzyme ribonuclease III.

Ribonuclease III was initially characterized as an endoribonuclease specific for double stranded RNA. Subsequently RNase III was found to be involved in the processing and maturation of ribosomal and tRNAs. Recent studies demonstrate that RNase III also participates in the processing of small stable RNAs. A number of other biological processes in which RNase III participates are: (a), conversion of polycistronic transcript of the bacteriophage T7 early region into discrete monocistronic mRNAs, (b), controlling expression of a variety of genes by processing of gene transcripts, (c), autoregulation of its own gene and (d), regulation of mRNA stability and stimulation of translation. No single processing enzyme displays such a wide variety of roles in RNA metabolism and gene expression as RNA processing enzyme ribonuclease III. This review provides an account of the various roles of RNase III in regulating gene expression and RNA metabolism.

Analysis and potential of excretory-secretory antigens of Setaria cervi for immunodiagnosis of human filariasis.

The excretory-secretory (E-LS) products released by the adult Setaria cervi, a bovine filarial parasite, were used to raise polyvalent hyperimmune serum in rabbits. Analysis of E-S products, using anti-E-S serum showed the presence of 10-14 immunogenic proteins, the rabbit anti-E-S serum showed reciprocal antibody titres in the range of 100,000-250,000 by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The anti-E-S antibodies could detect circulating antigen in filarial patients sera by Counter immunoelectrophoresis.

A rapid method for the preparation of plasmid DNA.

A rapid method was developed to prepare plasmid DNA to be used for in vitro transcription, subcloning and sequencing. Clean plasmid DNA can be prepared within 90 min using this method and the quality of the plasmid DNA was found to be suitable for sequencing, preparation of in vitro RNA transcript and electroporation. Using this method plasmid DNA can be prepared from 2 ml to 100 ml culture. The yield of the recombinant plasmids was found to be in the range of 50-100 micrograms from 10 ml culture depending on the low and high copy number plasmids. The advantage of this method is that one can easily and rapidly prepare large quantities of plasmid DNA of high quality to be used for various purposes.

Rejuvenation of epididymal principal cells by prolactin under androgen deficiency.

Influence of prolactin on the ultrastructure of principal cells lining the epididymal epithelium was investigated in Wistar rats. Orchidectomy produced degenerative changes suggesting that structural integrity of principal cell is maintained by factors originating in the testis. The atrophic changes in the principal cell of ordhidectomised rats were significantly reversed when prolactin was administered to these animals. The number of cells that responded were found to increase with the dose of prolactin injected. On the otherhand, bromocryptine treatment did not appreciably change the ultrastructure of principal cells in orchidectomised rats. Results suggest that prolactin may have a rejuvenating epididymal principal cells in androgen deficient states.