Integrated morphometric and molecular approaches to screen hybrid from wild Labeo rohita and Labeo catla parent populations.

BACKGROUND: Interspecific hybrids of rohu (Labeo rohita) and catla (Labeo catla) are common, especially in India due to constrained breeding. These hybrids must segregate from their wild parents as part of conservational strategies. This study intended to screen the hybrids from wild rohu and catla parents using both morphometric and molecular approaches. METHODS & RESULTS: The carp samples were collected from Jharkhand and West Bengal, India. The correlation and regression analysis of morphometric features are considered superficial but could be protracted statistically by clustering analysis and further consolidated by nucleotide variations of one mitochondrial and one nuclear gene to differentiate hybrids from their parents. Out of 21 morphometric features, 6 were used for clustering analysis that exhibited discrete separation among rohu, catla, and their hybrids when the data points were plotted in a low-dimensional 2-D plane using the first 2 principal components. Out of 40 selected single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) positions of the COX1 gene, hybrid showed 100% similarity with catla. Concerning SNP similarity of the 18S rRNA nuclear gene, the hybrid showed 100% similarity with rohu but not with catla; exhibiting its probable parental inheritance. CONCLUSIONS: Along with morphometric analysis, the SNP comparison study together points towards strong evidence of interspecific hybridization between rohu and catla, as these hybrids share both morphological and molecular differences with either parent. However, this study will help screen the hybrids from their wild parents, as a strategy for conservational management.

Prevalence of CVD risk factors among some tribal and nontribal populations of Jharkhand - A comparative survey.

BACKGROUND: World especially India had been witnessing a sharp increase of death and disability due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Prevention, cure and management of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) necessitate true picture of the spread of CVD risk factors throughout the country. Among few surveys in India, very little reports were from state Jharkhand. This study aimed to report the status of CVD risk factors among tribal and nontribal population of Jharkhand. METHODS: Comparative study was conducted on rural tribals and urban nontribals with no apparent CVD related symptoms. Informed consents, filled up CVD risk questionnaire were collected. Anthropometric and behavioral data with measured Blood pressure (BP), blood sugar and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression to find out the association of inappropriate features related to CVD, if any with age, gender and ethnicity. RESULTS: Almost 2 fold more susceptibility to develop hypertension, pre-hypertension and obesity was found in nontribals over 8.0%, 15.6% and 22.1% of respective affected tribals. This trend increased up to 3 fold in > 40 years age group. This >40 when compared with < 40 years age group nearly 16 fold and 11 fold significantly increased hypertension risk was reported in nontribals and tribals respectively We report 14.8% diabetic in tribals, highest so far in India. CONCLUSION: With age above 40 years, susceptibility to different CVD risk factors like hypertension, pre-hypertension, obesity, high MAP reported to increase severely in urban nontribals than rural tribals.