Assessing genetic parameters for first parity reproductive traits for early selection in Saanen × Beetal goats of India.

The present study aimed to evaluate the genetic parameters of first parity reproductive traits. Information on 762 reproductive records on Saanen × Beetal (S × B) goats reared for approximately five decades was collected from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana (1973-2020). For genetic analysis, single-trait and multiple-trait animal models were used. Gibbs sampler for animal model (GSAM) approach was used for estimating (co)variance components of reproductive traits. Six different single-trait animal models (with or without maternal and environmental effects) were used and the deviance information criterion (DIC) determined the best model. The least squares mean for age at first service (AFS), age at first kidding (AFK), service period (SP), dry period (DP), gestation length (GL), kidding interval (KI), litter weight (LW), number of kids born (NKB) and number of female kids born (NFKB) in first parity were 526.99 ± 4.86, 662.96 ± 5.03, 219.11 ± 6.25, 109.38 ± 6.00, 150.48 ± 0.27, 356.63 ± 4.80 days, 3.87 ± 0.05 kg, 1.27 ± 0.02 and 0.67 ± 0.03, respectively. Lower heritability estimates for these reproductive traits revealed a sparse scope for genetic improvement. Multivariate analysis using Model 1 was carried out to evaluate the genetic and phenotypic correlation of these nine reproductive traits. The genetic correlation of DP and SP was negatively with LW, NKB and NFKB, which is favourable as reduction in SP and DP can improve these economically important traits through indirect selection. Consistent efforts towards genetic improvement of these goat flock poses a promising future for meat industry owing to high prolificacy and good reproductive potential in this flock.

Characterization of runs of Homozygosity revealed genomic inbreeding and patterns of selection in indigenous sahiwal cattle.

Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are contiguous genomic regions, homozygous across all sites which arise in an individual due to the parents transmitting identical haplotypes to their offspring. The genetic improvement program of Sahiwal cattle after decades of selection needs re-assessment of breeding strategy and population phenomena. Hence, the present study was carried out to optimize input parameters in PLINK for ROH estimates, to explore ROH islands and assessment of pedigree and genome-based inbreeding in Sahiwal cattle. The sliding window approach with parameters standardized to define ROH for the specific population under study was used for the identification of runs. The optimum maximum gap, density, window-snp and window-threshold were 250 Kb, 120 Kb/SNP, 10, 0.05 respectively and ROH patterns were also characterized. ROH islands were defined as the short homozygous genomic regions shared by a large proportion of individuals in a population, containing significantly higher occurrences of ROH than the population specific threshold level. These were identified using the -homozyg-group function of the PLINK v1.9 program. Our results indicated that the Islands of ROH harbor a few candidate genes, ACAD11, RFX4, BANP, UBA5 that are associated with major economic traits. The average FPED (Pedigree based inbreeding coefficient), FROH (Genomic inbreeding coefficient), FHOM (Inbreeding estimated as the ratio of observed and expected homozygous genotypes), FGRM (Inbreeding estimated on genomic relationship method) and FGRM0.5 (Inbreeding estimated from the diagonal of a GRM with allele frequencies near to 0.5) were 0.009, 0.091, 0.035, -0.104 and -0.009, respectively. Our study revealed the optimum parameter setting in PLINK viz. maximal gaps between two SNPs, minimal density of SNPs in a segment (in kb/SNP) and scanning window size to identify ROH segments, which will enable ROH estimation more efficient and comparable across various SNP genotyping-based studies. The result further emphasized the significant role of genomics in unraveling population diversity, selection signatures and inbreeding in the ongoing Sahiwal breed improvement programs.

Explicating the genetic diversity and population structure of Saanen × Beetal goats using pedigree analysis.

Pedigree analysis is required to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of a close breeding population in order to effectively manage the breeding program and keep inbreeding under acceptable limits. Saanen × Beetal is a crossbred population of goats, reared at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, for the last five decades. This germplasm has been acclimated to a tropical climate and has a higher milk potential and prolificacy. The objective of this study was to elucidate the genetic diversity, population structure, and inbreeding in the flock of the Saanen × Beetal goats. The data were collected from the Animal Genetics and Breeding Division of ICAR-NDRI, Karnal, for 2603 animals from the year 1971 to 2021. Animals born between 2014 and 2017 were considered as a reference cohort. Results revealed that the average generation interval was 3.44 years for the complete pedigree. The average inbreeding coefficient and the average relatedness were 4.20% and 6.87%, respectively, for the complete pedigree and 10.78% and 10.80% for the reference population. Higher inbreeding coefficient and average relatedness in the reference cohort demonstrated the impact of the enclosed gene pool and demands immediate intervention for managing diversity in the closed nucleus under study. Ancestors contributing 50% of the gene pool were 8 and 3 for the complete pedigree and reference cohort, respectively, which illustrates the fact that very few ancestors were responsible for genetic diversity in the flock, which results in the decline of effective population size. Effective numbers of founders (fe), ancestors (fa), and founder genome equivalents (fg) were 15, 7, and 3.11, respectively. The (fe/fa) ratio in the reference population was 2.14, indicating the occurrence of the bottleneck effect in the flock. We observed that inbreeding was non-significant for all reproductive traits except for age at first service and age at first kidding. To lessen inbreeding and augment genetic diversity in the flock, the stratified breeding plan needs to be followed, where mate selection would be based on relatedness. Furthermore, the introduction of unrelated Saanen and Beetal crosses will help alleviate the inbreeding accumulation.

Comparative assessment of the effective population size and linkage disequilibrium of Karan fries composite cattle revealed viable population dynamics.

Objective: Karan Fries (KF), a high-producing composite cattle was developed through crossing indicine Tharparkar cows with taurine bulls (Holstein Friesian, Brown Swiss, and Jersey), to increase the milk yield across India. This composite cattle population must maintain sufficient genetic diversity for long-term development and breed improvement in the coming years. The level of Linkage disequilibrium (LD) measures the influence of population genetic forces on the genomic structure and provides insights into the evolutionary history of populations, while the decay of LD is important in understanding the limits of genome-wide association studies for a population. Effective population size (Ne) which is genomically based on LD accumulated over the course of previous generations, is a valuable tool for evaluation of the genetic diversity and level of inbreeding. The present study was undertaken to understand KF population dynamics through the estimation of Ne and LD for the long-term sustainability of these breeds. Methods: The present study included 96 KF samples genotyped using Illumina HDBovine array to estimate the effective population and examine the LD pattern. The genotype data were also obtained for other crossbreds (Santa Gertrudis, Brangus, and Beefmaster) and Holstein Friesian cattle for comparison purposes. Results: The average LD between SNPs was r2 = 0.13 in the present study. LD decay (r2 = 0.2) was observed at 40 kb inter-marker distance, indicating a panel with 62765 SNPs was sufficient for genomic breeding value estimation in KF cattle. The pedigree-based effective population size (Ne) of KF was determined to be 78, while the Ne estimates obtained using LD-based methods were 52 (SNeP) and 219 (Genetic Optimization for Ne Estimation - GONE), respectively. Conclusion: KF cattle have an effective population size (Ne) exceeding the FAO's minimum recommended level of 50, which was desirable. The study also revealed significant population dynamics of KF cattle and increased our understanding of devising suitable breeding strategies for long-term sustainable development.

Estimation of genetic parameters and genetic change of first parity reproductive traits in Alpine × Beetal goats.

The study of reproductive traits is crucial for improving genetic potential of goats because of their significant utility in meat production. Hence, genetic analysis was conducted for reproductive traits on Alpine × Beetal goats using animal model for first parity data. Information on 1462 reproductive records were collected over five decades from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana (1971-2021). Single-trait and multi-trait animal models were used for genetic analysis. Estimates of (co)variance components and genetic parameters were obtained using Gibbs Sampler for Animal Model due to non-normal distribution of data. Six single-trait animal models (including or excluding maternal and environmental effects) were fitted and best models were determined based on Deviance Convergence Criterion values. The prolificacy for the A × B goats for first parity data was 32%, having 68% single births, 31% twins and 1% triplets/quadruplets. The least squares mean for age at first service (AFS), age at first kidding (AFK), service period (SP), dry period (DP), gestation length (GL), kidding interval (KI), litter weight (LW), number of kids born (NKB) and number of females kids born (NFKB) in first parity were 546.15 ± 4.10 days, 679.05 ± 4.07 days, 226.51 ± 4.02 days, 67.96 ± 2.76 days, 150.74 ± 0.13 days, 362.53 ± 3.35 days, 3.99 ± 0.04 kg, 1.32 ± 0.02 and 0.64 ± 0.02, respectively. The heritability estimates obtained from best model for AFS, AFK, GL, KI, SP, and DP were 0.12 ± 0.00, 0.10 ± 0.00, 0.09 ± 0.01, 0.03 ± 0.00, 0.04 ± 0.00, and 0.05 ± 0.00, respectively. For NKB, NFKB and LW, heritability estimates were 0.16 ± 0.01, 0.03 ± 0.03, and 0.04 ± 0.00, respectively. These results imply lower heritability estimates for reproductive traits, and hence meagre scope for selection for further improvement. Maternal effects contributed significantly for traits such as GL, NKB and NFKB. Genetic correlation for number of female kids born was negative with SP and DP which is favourable. Furthermore, genetic correlation was negative for dry period and litter weight which is favourable as number of kids born and litter weight are traits of direct economic importance. Results reveal high genetic potential of this breed for meat industry owing to high prolificacy, provided consistent efforts are made for the genetic improvement of this germplasm.

Comparative genetic analysis of frequentist and Bayesian approach for reproduction, production and life time traits showing favourable association of age at first calving in Tharparkar cattle.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was aimed primarily for estimating various genetic parameters (heritability, genetic correlations) of reproduction (age at first calving [AFC], first service period [FSP]); production (first lactation milk, solid-not fat, and fat yield) and lifetime traits (lifetime milk yield, productive life [PL], herd life [HL]) in Tharparkar cattle to check the association of reproduction traits with lifetime traits through two different methods (Frequentist and Bayesian) for comparative purpose. METHODS: Animal breeding data of Tharparkar cattle (n = 964) collected from Livestock farm unit of ICAR-NDRI Karnal for the period 1990 through 2019 were analyzed using a Frequentist least squares maximum likelihood method (LSML; Harvey, 1990) and a multitrait Bayesian-Gibbs sampler approach (MTGSAM) for genetic correlations estimation of all the traits. Estimated breeding values of sires was obtained by BLUP and Bayesian analysis for the production traits. RESULTS: Heritability estimates of most of the traits were medium to high with the LSML (0.20±0.44 to 0.49±0.71) and Bayesian approach (0.24±0.009 to 0.61±0.017), respectively. However, more reliable estimates were obtained using the Bayesian technique. A higher heritability estimate was obtained for AFC (0.61±0.017) followed by first lactation fat yield, first lactation solid-not fat yield, FSP, first lactation milk yield (FLMY), PL (0.60±0.013, 0.60±0.006, 0.57±0.024, 0.57±0.020, 0.42±0.025); while a lower estimate for HL (0.38±0.034) by MTGSAM approach. Genetic and phenotypic correlations were negative for AFC-PL, AFC-HL, FSP-PL, and FSP-HL (-0.59±0.19, -0.59±0.24, -0.38±0.101 and -0.34±0.076) by the multi-trait Bayesian analysis. CONCLUSION: Breed and traits of economic importance are important for selection decisions to ensure genetic gain in cattle breeding programs. Favourable genetic and phenotypic correlations of AFC with production and lifetime traits compared to that of FSP indicated better scope of AFC for indirect selection of life-time traits at an early age. This also indicated that the present Tharparkar cattle herd had sufficient genetic diversity through the selection of AFC for the improvement of first lactation production and lifetime traits.

Bayesian estimates for genetic and phenotypic parameters of growth traits in Sahiwal cattle.

Analyses were carried out for the estimation of (co)variance components and genetic parameters for birth weight (BWT), 6-month weight (6WT), 12-month weight (12WT), 18-month weight (18WT), 24-month weight (24WT), 30-month weight (30WT), 36-month weight (36WT), weight at first service (WFS), and weight at first calving(WFC) in Sahiwal cattle. Data for 802 lifetime records (raw data) were collected over a period of 30 years (1990-2019) for various growth traits in the herd for Sahiwal cows maintained at the livestock farm unit of ICAR-NDRI Karnal, Haryana, India. Bayesian estimates using the multi-trait Gibbs sampling animal model approach were calculated in the present study. Total heritability for BWT, 6WT, 12WT, 18WT, 24WT, 30WT, 36WT, WFS, and WFC by Bayesian modeling was estimated as 0.22 ± 0.0052, 0.47 ± 0.0037, 0.30 ± 0.0025, 0.65 ± 0.0021, 0.32 ± 0.0039, 0.33 ± 0.0027, 0.39 ± 0.0031, 0.49 ± 0.0020, and 0.57 ± 0.0023, respectively, along with its Monte Carlo error in Sahiwal cattle. Direct genetic covariances between body weight traits were ranging from - 2762.5 for 18WT and WFC to 4739.6 between WFS and WFC. Environmental covariances were ranging from - 169.98 for 30WT and 36WT to 4539.4 between WFS and WFC. Family relationships as well as the existing interaction effects between two or more traits in opposite direction effect lead to negative estimates for genetic covariances between some of the combinations with various growth traits. Although most of the estimates for posteriori were somewhat skewed, the marginalization effect enabled them to fit into the Gaussian distribution, by comparing the mean, mode, and median with each other. Results suggest that genetic progress through growth traits can be achieved if the selection is carried out for highly heritable 18-month weight as well as for the selection of pubertal and fertility traits, viz., 24WT, 30WT, 36WT, WFS, and WFC with a balanced feeding and optimum management.

Genome-Wide Scanning for Signatures of Selection Revealed the Putative Genomic Regions and Candidate Genes Controlling Milk Composition and Coat Color Traits in Sahiwal Cattle.

BACKGROUND: In the evolutionary time scale, selection shapes the genetic variation and alters the architecture of genome in the organisms. Selection leaves detectable signatures at the genomic coordinates that provide clues about the protein-coding regions. Sahiwal is a valuable indicine cattle adapted to tropical environments with desirable milk attributes. Insights into the genomic regions under putative selection may reveal the molecular mechanisms affecting the quantitative and other important traits. To understand this, the present investigation was undertaken to explore signatures of selection in the genome of Sahiwal cattle using a medium-density genotyping INDUS chip. RESULT: De-correlated composite of multiple selection signals (DCMS), which combines five different univariate statistics, was computed in the dataset to detect the signatures of selection in the Sahiwal genome. Gene annotations, Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) enrichment, and functional analyses were carried out for the identification of significant genomic regions. A total of 117 genes were identified, which affect a number of important economic traits. The QTL enrichment analysis highlighted 14 significant [False Discovery Rate (FDR)-corrected p-value ≤ 0.05] regions on chromosomes BTA 1, 3, 6, 11, 20, and 21. The top three enriched QTLs were found on BTA 6, 20, and 23, which are associated with exterior, health, milk production, and reproduction traits. The present study on selection signatures revealed some key genes related with coat color (PDGFRA, KIT, and KDR), facial pigmentation (LEF), milk fat percent (MAP3K1, HADH, CYP2U1, and SGMS2), sperm membrane integrity (OSTC), lactation persistency (MRPS30, NNT, CCL28, HMGCS1, NIM1K, ZNF131, and CCDC152), milk yield (GHR and ZNF469), reproduction (NKX2-1 and DENND1A), and bovine tuberculosis susceptibility (RNF144B and PAPSS1). Further analysis of candidate gene prioritization identified four hub genes, viz., KIT, KDR, MAP3K1, and LEF, which play a role in coat color, facial pigmentation, and milk fat percentage in cattle. Gene enrichment analysis revealed significant Gene ontology (GO) terms related to breed-specific coat color and milk fat percent. CONCLUSION: The key candidate genes and putative genomic regions associated with economic traits were identified in Sahiwal using single nucleotide polymorphism data and the DCMS method. It revealed selection for milk production, coat color, and adaptability to tropical climate. The knowledge about signatures of selection and candidate genes affecting phenotypes have provided a background information that can be further utilized to understand the underlying mechanism involved in these traits in Sahiwal cattle.

In target areas where human mosquito-borne diseases are diagnosed, the inclusion of the pre-adult mosquito aquatic niches parameters will improve the integrated mosquito control program.

In human communities inhabiting areas-such as West Bengal- India-where perpetuate the pre-imago & adult developmental stages of mosquitoes; many infectious diseases are still diagnosed such as Dengue, Malaria and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. The control of the aquatic developmental stages is one of the easiest way to prevent the emergence of adults-the blood feeding adult females being thus prevented to sample their blood meal and to lay their eggs in the aquatic milieu where develop the aquatic pre-imaginal developmental stages. Moreover, reducing the adult population size also the probability of for the blood feeding adult female mosquitoes to act as hosts and vectors of the arboviruses such as dengue virus & Japanese encephalitis virus as well as of Plasmodium. Several environmental factors including water quality parameters are responsible for the selection of oviposition sites by the female mosquitoes. In our study, larval densities of three important mosquitoes (Aedes/A. albopictus, Anopheles/An. stephensi and Culex/C. vishnui) were measured and water qualities of their habitat i.e. pH, Specific Conductance, Dissolved Oxygen, Chemical Oxygen Demand, Total alkalinity (Talk), Hardness, Nitrate nitrogen and Ammonia nitrogen were analyzed in 2017 and 2018 in many districts of West Bengal where humans beings are suffering from arboviruses and /or malaria. Whereas we have found positive correlation of density of C. vishnui and A. albopictus with the water factors except Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Talk, for An. stephensi all these factors except pH, COD and Talk have positive correlation. Hardness of the water shows positive correlation with the density of An. stephensi and C. vishnui but negative correlation with density of A. albopictus. Contour plot analysis demonstrates that occurrence of each mosquito species lies in between specific range of water factors. Inter- correlation analysis revealed that mosquitoes were negatively correlated with each other. A positive correlation of the water quality parameters and larval density, over two successive years, was also noticed. In conclusion, the increasing level of pollution due to industrial and other irresponsible waste management system which changes the water quality parameters may also influence mosquito population.

Muscle transcriptome signature and gene regulatory network analysis in two divergent lines of a hilly bovine species Mithun (Bos frontalis).

A massive bovine, Bos frontalis, also known as Mithun or Gayal, found at higher altitude is very promising meat and milk animal. For candidate gene and marker discovery, RNA-seq data was generated from longissimus dorsi muscle tissues with Illumina-HiSeq. Such markers can be used in future for genetic gain of traits like feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and average daily gain (ADG). Analysis revealed 297differentially expressed genes (DEGs) having 173 up and 124 down-regulated unigenes. Extensive conservation was found in genic region while comparing with Bos taurus. Analysis revealed 57 pathways having 112 enzymes, 72 transcriptional factors and cofactors, 212 miRNAs regulating 71 DEGs, 25,855 SSRs, mithun-specific 104,822 variants and 7288 indels, gene regulatory network (GRN) having 24 hub-genes and transcriptional factors regulating cell proliferation, immune tolerance and myogenesis. This is first report of muscle transcriptome depicting candidate genes with GRN controlling FCE and ADG. Reported putative molecular markers, candidate genes and hub proteins can be valuable genomic resources for association studies in genetic improvement programme.

Whole genome sequence and de novo assembly revealed genomic architecture of Indian Mithun (Bos frontalis).

BACKGROUND: Mithun (Bos frontalis), also called gayal, is an endangered bovine species, under the tribe bovini with 2n = 58 XX chromosome complements and reared under the tropical rain forests region of India, China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. However, the origin of this species is still disputed and information on its genomic architecture is scanty so far. We trust that availability of its whole genome sequence data and assembly will greatly solve this problem and help to generate many information including phylogenetic status of mithun. Recently, the first genome assembly of gayal, mithun of Chinese origin, was published. However, an improved reference genome assembly would still benefit in understanding genetic variation in mithun populations reared under diverse geographical locations and for building a superior consensus assembly. We, therefore, performed deep sequencing of the genome of an adult female mithun from India, assembled and annotated its genome and performed extensive bioinformatic analyses to produce a superior de novo genome assembly of mithun. RESULTS: We generated ≈300 Gigabyte (Gb) raw reads from whole-genome deep sequencing platforms and assembled the sequence data using a hybrid assembly strategy to create a high quality de novo assembly of mithun with 96% recovered as per BUSCO analysis. The final genome assembly has a total length of 3.0 Gb, contains 5,015 scaffolds with an N50 value of 1 Mb. Repeat sequences constitute around 43.66% of the assembly. The genomic alignments between mithun to cattle showed that their genomes, as expected, are highly conserved. Gene annotation identified 28,044 protein-coding genes presented in mithun genome. The gene orthologous groups of mithun showed a high degree of similarity in comparison with other species, while fewer mithun specific coding sequences were found compared to those in cattle. CONCLUSION: Here we presented the first de novo draft genome assembly of Indian mithun having better coverage, less fragmented, better annotated, and constitutes a reasonably complete assembly compared to the previously published gayal genome. This comprehensive assembly unravelled the genomic architecture of mithun to a great extent and will provide a reference genome assembly to research community to elucidate the evolutionary history of mithun across its distinct geographical locations.

High-density Genotyping reveals Genomic Characterization, Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Indian Mithun (Bos frontalis).

The current study aimed at genomic characterization and improved understanding of genetic diversity of two Indian mithun populations (both farm, 48 animals and field, 24 animals) using genome wide genotype data generated with Illumina BovineHD BeadChip. Eight additional populations of taurine cattle (Holstein and NDama), indicine cattle (Gir) and other evolutionarily closely related species (Bali cattle, Yak, Bison, Gaur and wild buffalo) were also included in this analysis (N = 137) for comparative purposes. Our results show that the genetic background of mithun populations was uniform with few possible signs of indicine admixture. In general, observed and expected heterozygosities were quite similar in these two populations. We also observed increased frequencies of small-sized runs of homozygosity (ROH) in the farm population compared to field mithuns. On the other hand, longer ROH were more frequent in field mithuns, which suggests recent founder effects and subsequent genetic drift due to close breeding in farmer herds. This represents the first study providing genetic evidence about the population structure and genomic diversity of Indian mithun. The information generated will be utilized for devising suitable breeding and conservation programme for mithun, an endangered bovine species in India.

Presence, patterns & predictors of hypocortisolism in patients with HIV infection in India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: : Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is rarely diagnosed in patients with HIV infection, in spite of autopsy studies showing very high rates of adrenal involvement. This study was aimed to determine the presence, patterns and predictors of AI in patients with HIV infection. METHODS: : Consecutive HIV patients, 18-70 yr age, without any severe co-morbid state, having at least one-year follow up at the antiretroviral therapy clinic, underwent clinical assessment and hormone assays. RESULTS: : From initially screened 527 patients, 359 patients having good immune function were analyzed. Basal morning cortisol <6 µg/dl (<165 nmol/l; Group 1), 6-11 µg/dl (165-300 nmol/l; Group 2), 11-18 µg/dl (300-500 nmol/l; Group 3) and ≥18 µg/dl (500 nmol/l; Group 4) were observed in 13, 71, 199 and 76 patients, respectively. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test revealed 87 patients (24.23%) to have AI. AI in groups 1-4 was 100, 56.34, 17.09 and 0 per cent, respectively. AI patients were more likely to be females (P< 0.05), having longer disease duration (P< 0.05), immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, hyperkalaemia (P< 0.01), lower fasting glucose (P< 0.01), dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and vitamin D. Regression analysis revealed morning cortisol and DHEAS to be best predictors of AI (P=0.004 and 0.028, respectively). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: : AI is a significant problem in HIV-infected individuals, observed in nearly a quarter of patients. Diagnosis warrants high index of suspicion and low threshold for screening, especially in those having low DHEAS and hyperkalaemia. Morning cortisol is a reasonable screening test, with ACTH stimulation warranted to confirm diagnosis, especially in patients with morning cortisol <11 µg/dl (300 nmol/l).

Prevalence and Predictors of Thyroid Dysfunction in Patients with HIV Infection and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: An Indian Perspective.

Background. Predictors of thyroid dysfunction in HIV are not well determined. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of thyroid dysfunction in HIV infected Indians. Methods. Consecutive HIV patients, 18-70 years of age, without any severe comorbid state, having at least 1-year follow-up at the antiretroviral therapy clinic, underwent clinical assessment and hormone assays. Results. From initially screened 527 patients, 359 patients (61.44 ± 39.42 months' disease duration), having good immune function [CD4 count >200 cell/mm(3): 90.25%; highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART): 88.58%], were analyzed. Subclinical hypothyroidism (ScH) was the commonest thyroid dysfunction (14.76%) followed by sick euthyroid syndrome (SES) (5.29%) and isolated low TSH (3.1%). Anti-TPO antibody (TPOAb) was positive in 3.90%. Baseline CD4 count had inverse correlation with TPOAb after adjusting for age and body mass index. Stepwise linear regression revealed baseline CD4 count, TPOAb, and tuberculosis to be best predictors of ScH after adjusting for age, weight, duration of HIV, and history of opportunistic fungal and viral infections. Conclusion. Burden of thyroid dysfunction in chronic HIV infection with stable immune function is lower compared to pre-HAART era. Thyroid dysfunction is primarily of nonautoimmune origin, predominantly ScH. Severe immunodeficiency at disease onset, TPOAb positivity, and tuberculosis were best predictors of ScH.

A patient with recurrent attacks of drowsiness and lethargy--a diagnosis not to be missed.

Polyglandular auto-immune syndromes are uncommon constellation of organ specific auto-immune diseases, characterised by the existence of two or more endocrinopathies. Polyglandular autoimmune type II syndrome also known as Schmidt's syndrome is more common, comprising Addison's disease, auto-immune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes mellitus and/or hypogonadism, pernicious anaemia, coeliac disease, vitiligo, hypophysitis, etc. Here a case of a 56-year-old man is reported with a prior history of hypothyroidism who presented with adrenal crisis. Further laboratory investigations revealed primary auto-immune hypothyroidism, primary adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism and he was diagnosed as a case of polyglandular auto-immune type II syndrome or Schmidt's syndrome. Early recognition of the syndrome and replacement therapy can be life saving, particularly when there is adrenal or thyroid insufficiency.

The Role of Crevicular Fluid Iron in Periodontal Disease.

This article presents a brief review of literature on the role of iron in infection and reports the concentration of iron in crevicular fluid (CF) in humans and beagle dogs. Crevicular fluid from human subjects was collected from gingivitis and periodontitis sites. The CF from beagle dogs was collected from gingivitis and active periodontitis (ligature-induced) sites. The results showed that the concentration of iron in human CF was often higher than in human serum. Also, a comparison between CF collected from gingivitis sites and periodontitis sites revealed a significantly higher concentration of iron in CF collected from the periodontitis sites. The studies in ligature-induced periodontitis in beagle dogs revealed at least a 3-fold increase in iron concentration in CF following ligation compared to the preligation values. Based on the available literature it is suggested that high concentration of iron in CF is not due to serum transferrin or polymorphonuclear leukocyte lactoferrin. Also, this high concentration of iron in CF might play an important role in enhancement of growth and virulence of microorganisms of the subgingival plaque and the initiation of active periodontitis.