A new species of silverline butterfly, Cigaritis Donzel, 1847 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India.

A new species, Cigaritis conjuncta sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae), is described based on five male and four female specimens from Honey Valley, Kodagu District, Karnataka, which is part of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. Cigaritis conjuncta sp. nov. is distinguished from all other congeners in India and Sri Lanka based on the following combination of diagnostic characters in the male: (a) dorsal forewing outer half, costal margin and nearly upper half of the cell black without orange markings, the remaining wing shining deep blue, (b) dorsal hindwing tornus pale orange-red with two black spots, (c) ventral forewing bands at end of discal cell conjoined, and (e) ventral hindwing subbasal and discal bands composed of spots that are not separated but conjoined to form broad bands that have irregular outlines, leaving only a narrow background colour in between. Female is similar on the ventral side, but entirely dark brown above. Male and female genitalia are dissected and figured for two paratypes of each sex, and natural history notes on the species are provided.

Prevalence and attributes of traumatic dental injuries to anterior teeth among school going children of Kolkata, India.

Background: Traumatic Dental Injuries (TDI) have emerged as a very significant public health and social problem, especially among children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of traumatic dental injuries to permanent anterior teeth in school going children of Kolkata aged 7-14 years. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3762 school going children attending various private and public schools of Kolkata aged 7-14 years. A multistage random clustering sampling technique was adopted to select the children.Type of trauma using Ellis and Davey classification of fractures along with Andresen's Epidemiological Classification of Traumatic Injuries to Anterior Teeth, including WHO codes, was used. All values were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. Results: Prevalence of TDI to anterior teeth was found to be 9.89%. The mean age of children who presented with TDI was 11.06 ± 1.99.years. The most common place of occurrence of TDI was home. Falls were the most common causes of trauma. Children belonging to higher socioeconomic status were observed to have an increased prevalence of TDIs.The highest potential risk factor for the occurrence of trauma was a past history of trauma. Conclusion: Present study found a prevalence of 9.89%, and a very low percentage of children had received treatment.

Interactions between the intestinal microbiota and epigenome in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by variable impairment of cognitive function and interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, some individuals with ASD have gastrointestinal disorders that have been correlated with impairments in intestinal microbiota. Gut microbiota are important not only for intestinal health, but also for many other functions including food digestion, energy production, immune system regulation, and, according to current data, behavior. Disruption of the indigenous microbiota, microbial dysbiosis (imbalance between microorganisms present in the gut), overgrowth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, a less diverse microbiome, or lower levels of beneficial bacteria in children with ASD can affect behavior. Metabolome analysis in children with ASD has identified perturbations in multiple metabolic pathways that might be associated with cognitive functions. Recent studies have shown that the intestinal microbiome provides environmental signals that can modify host response to stimuli by modifying the host epigenome, which affects DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs. The most studied microbiota-produced epigenetic modifiers are short-chain fatty acids, although other products of intestinal microbiota might also cause epigenetic modifications in the host's DNA. Here we review evidence suggesting that epigenetic alterations caused by modification of gene expression play an important role in understanding ASD.

A Survey on the Use of Antibiotics among the Dentists of Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

INTRODUCTION: Dental infections are multimicrobial in origin with their etiological factors involving a combination of Gram-positive, Gram-negative, facultative anaerobes, and obligate anaerobic bacteria. Thus, antibiotics and analgesics account for a great majority of medicines prescribed by the dental surgeons. Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics by health care professionals has become a worldwide issue nowadays. AIM: The purpose of the present study was to:• Determine the pattern of antibiotic prescription among dentists of Kolkata.• Assess the attitude of dentists toward antibiotic resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic version of the questionnaire of cross-sectional survey regarding antibiotic use and attitude toward growing antibiotic resistance was constructed using Qualtrics (Qualtrics Pvt. Limited Provo, Utah), an internet online survey tool that was e-mailed to dental surgeons of Kolkata registered with Indian Dental Association (IDA), West Bengal. A reminder e-mail was given after 1 month to recollect the responses from them. RESULTS: The survey was e-mailed to 300 dental surgeons, out of which 115 dental surgeons completed the survey, thereby achieving a response rate of 38.33%. Majority of the respondents (60%) chose amoxicillin in nonallergic patients. Average minimum duration of antibiotic therapy was 5 days. The drug of first choice for patients with an allergy to penicillin was erythromycin. The prime determinant of antibiotic use was facial swelling (68%). The prime determinant to select a particular brand of antibiotics was affordability of that brand (61%). Almost all (99%) dental surgeons were aware of antibiotic resistance being a growing concern. As per their views, there was overprescription of antibiotics.How to cite this article: Kaul R, Angrish P, Jain P, Saha S, Sengupta AV, Mukherjee S. A Survey on the Use of Antibiotics among the Dentists of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018;11(2):122-127.

Lycaenidae parasitoids from peninsular India with description of four new species of microgastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) along with new insights on host relationships.

In the comprehensive rearing of lepidopterans from peninsular India, eleven species of Lycaenidae were parasitized by ten species of wasps. Four new taxa of lycaenid associated microgastrine wasps Parapanteles eros Gupta n. sp., P. arka Gupta n. sp., P. esha Gupta n. sp., and P. regale Gupta n. sp. reared from Chilades pandava (Horsfield), Curetis thetis (Drury), Prosotas dubiosa (Semper), Tajuria cippus (Fabricius), respectively, are described with diagnostic details and illustrations along with documentation of six species of wasps viz., Apanteles folia, Apanteles sp., Protapanteles sp. 01 & 02 (Braconidae), Charops obtusus obtusus Morley (Ichneumonidae), and Brachymeria lasus (Walker) (Chalcididae). This is the first record of host-parasitoid association of lycaenid butterflies with Parapanteles. Wasps from three different families were recorded: Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, and Chalcididae. The parasitoid species were reared from the following Lycaenidae hosts: Anthene lycaenina (Felder), Arhopala amantes Hewitson, Chilades pandava (Horsfield), Curetis thetis (Drury), Jamides celeno (Cramer), Prosotas dubiosa (Semper), Rathinda amor (Fabricius), Spindasis vulcanus (Fabricius), Tajuria cippus (Fabricius), Tarucus balkanicus nigra Bethune-Baker, and Tarucus callinara Butler. All lycaenids were collected from peninsular India, except T. callinara (central India). A comparative account of all newly described species is provided along with the detailed illustrated description and differences vis-à-vis its closely allied Indian species. Also a comprehensive table comprising parasitoid species, associated host, stage of parasitism, and nature of cocoon is provided.