Experimental neutrino physics in a nuclear landscape.

There are profound connections between neutrino physics and nuclear experiments. Exceptionally precise measurements of single and double beta-decay spectra illuminate the scale and nature of neutrino mass and may finally answer the question of whether neutrinos are their own anti-matter counterparts. Neutrino-nucleus scattering underpins oscillation experiments and probes nuclear structure, neutrinos offer a rare vantage point into collapsing stars and nuclear fission reactors and techniques pioneered in neutrino nuclear physics experiments are advancing quantum sensing technologies. In this article, we review current and planned efforts at the intersection of neutrino and nuclear experiments. This article is part of the theme issue 'The liminal position of Nuclear Physics: from hadrons to neutron stars'.

An insight decipher on photocatalytic degradation of microplastics: Mechanism, limitations, and future outlook.

Plastic material manufacturing and buildup over the past 50 years has significantly increased pollution levels. Microplastics (MPs) and non-biodegradable residual plastic films have become the two most pressing environmental issues among the numerous types of plastic pollution. These tiny plastic flakes enter water systems from a variety of sources, contaminating the water. Since MPs can be consumed by people and aquatic species and eventually make their way into the food chain, their presence in the environment poses a serious concern. Traditional technologies can remove MPs to some extent, but their functional groups, stable covalent bonds, and hydrophobic nature make them difficult to eliminate completely. The urgent need to develop a sustainable solution to the worldwide contamination caused by MPs has led to the exploration of various techniques. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as photo-catalytic oxidation, photo-degradation, and electrochemical oxidation have been investigated. Among these, photocatalysis stands out as the most promising method for degrading MPs. Photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly process that utilizes light energy to facilitate a chemical reaction, breaking down MPs into carbon dioxide and water-soluble hydrocarbons under aqueous conditions. In photocatalysis, semiconductors act as photocatalysts by absorbing energy from a light source, becoming excited, and generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS, including hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and superoxide ions ( [Formula: see text] ), play a crucial role in the degradation of MPs. This extensive review provides a detailed exploration of the mechanisms and processes underlying the photocatalytic removal of MPs, emphasizing its potential as an efficient and environmentally friendly approach to address the issue of plastic pollution.

An evaluation of glass beads from the southwestern coastal state of Goa, India, as a potential pollutant in marine ecosystem.

Glass beads laid on the road, mainly used for better visibility, can contribute to harmful anthropogenic waste to the marine environment, and it is a prerequisite to distinguish the chemical properties associated with it. This is the first systematic approach and evaluation of the toxic and non-toxic characteristics of the glass beads from the Indian coastal region (Goa state), which originated from the wearing of road paint over a period. Glass beads ranging from a few hundred to ~ 1000 µm were found on various beaches far from the roadside throughout the coastal state. Examination of these glass beads revealed the possible contribution of toxic elements such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and barium beyond the global regulatory limit. Mercury and other analyzed elements are within acceptable limits. However, a quantitative assessment of their environmental impact indicates that glass beads can impact the marine ecosystem and increase the background level of environmental pollutants.

Deciphering soil-plant-animal continuum in relation to trace elements in middle Gangetic plain region of India.

The soil-plant-animal continuum represents an evolving realm in biological research that's why this study was undertaken in the middle Gangetic plain region of India. Trace and ultra-trace elements were analyzed in 100 soil samples, 147 feed and fodder samples, as well as 69 blood and 127 hair samples with the help of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The levels of trace and ultra-trace elements in the soil were significantly higher than those in the feed, and similarly, the concentrations in the feed were notably higher than those in the blood of dairy cattle. Blood and hair samples from the cattle showed deficiencies in copper (Cu) and manganese (Mn), with reaching approximately 20% and 50%, respectively. Correlation analysis indicated significant (P < 0.05) associations between the trace and ultra-trace elements in plants and the corresponding elements found in cattle's hair, specifically for iron (Fe) and molybdenum (Mo). Conversely, a significant (P < 0.05) negative correlation was observed between soil composition and cattle's blood, while a positive correlation was evident only in the case of silver content between plant and cattle's hair. Regression analyses revealed positive linear relationships between minerals in soils and plants, as well as between plants and cattle. However, the correlation coefficients were statistically insignificant. The regression equations established to predict mineral concentrations in cattle based on soil and plant mineral contents indicated a positive relationship for both trace and ultra-trace elements, suggesting the potential to measure the mineral status in dairy cattle through this approach.

Management of Length Unstable Femur Fractures in Children by Flexible Intramedullary Nails: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Surgical options for paediatric femoral fractures include fl exible intramedullary nailing (FIN), plating, and external fi xators. Length unstable fractures are usually spiral, long oblique, or comminuted and are often associated with > 2 cm of shortening. The purpose of this study was to see whether FIN is effective for managing unstable femur fractures in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An electronic literature search was performed up to 25 February 2022 in Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase databases using a combination of MeSH search terms and keywords related to the population (e.g., "child" AND "diaphyses" AND "femur"), and intervention (e.g., "nail" OR "ESIN"). The data extracted included the study details, Demographic data, surgical details, postoperative immobilization, complications, and outcome. RESULTS: Eight studies with a total sample size of 369 patients were reviewed. The mean operative time, blood loss, and length of stay in the hospital were 67.62±12.32 minutes, 33.82±16.82 ml, and 4.9±1.27 days, respectively. The results were excellent in 61.92% of the patients, satisfactory in 32.61%, and poor in 5.43%. 4.54% of patients had major complications requiring reoperation and 32.46% of patients had minor complications. the most common complication was nail prominence seen in 26.30% of patients. Locked Ender's nail was associated with the least reoperation, malunion, and LLD rate compared to other types of FIN. CONCLUSIONS: FIN along with a single walking spica cast is a good choice in all forms of paediatric femoral fracture patterns allowing proper alignment and rotation. Locked Ender's nail is safe and effective for managing unstable paediatric femur fracture. KEY WORDS: pediatric femur fracture, length unstable, fl exible intramedullary nailing, submuscular plating, Flynn criterion.

Advancing Precision in Penile Length Measurement: Evidence-based Synthesis of Stretched Penile Length INdicator Technique (SPLINT).

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to synthesize evidence and propose a technique for estimation of stretched penile length (SPL) applicable to children. Materials and Methods: This review has been conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were queried on penile length (PL) measurement techniques in humans published from 1990 onward. The devices and the techniques used for PL measurement, state of the penis, the habitus of the participants, proximal and distal landmarks for measurement, handling the foreskin and pubic pad of fat, optimal stretching of the penis, and other factors (including the environment) which should be accounted for in the technique were identified from the study cohort (90895 participants across 145 included studies). Results: PL has been represented through flaccid (33.79%), stretched (81.3%), and erect (12.41%) PLs as well as the greatest corporeal length (1.4%). Following devices have been used to measure the PL in the study cohort: rulers [54.68%], calipers [9.7%], measuring tapes [14.5%], coloured measuring strips [2.06%], spatulas/tongue depressors [11.03%], FitKit, syringe [1.4%], cotton swab (and ruler), titan cylinders, slide gauge and ultrasonography [1.37%]. The factors relevant to SPL measurement have been incorporated into the proposed SPL INdicator Technique (SPLINT) which is essentially a holistic extension of the "Conventional PL Measurement" technique. Conclusions: There is a wide range of heterogeneity in the technique for estimation of PL across the study cohort; the underlying factors have been identified along with the respective variables, and the SPLINT for SPL has been described.

Comparative genomic diversity analysis of copy number variations (CNV) in indicine and taurine cattle thriving in Europe and Indian subcontinent.

Copy number variations (CNVs) include deletions, duplications, and insertions that are larger than 50 bp in size causing structural variation responsible for diversity, adaptation, and breed development. Indian cattle breeds are highly diverse from the taurine breeds. The pattern of CNVRs in 191 animals belonging to 39 cattle breeds (four Indicine and 35 Taurine) was studied based on Illumina 777K BovineHD chip data. The Indicine breeds revealed 2590 CNVs and 335 copy number variation regions (CNVRs) in autosomes. Out of the identified CNVs, 50 were found to be novel. Structure analysis revealed admixed nature of Siri. Neighbor joining tree from CNVR data showed that hot (Kankrej and Hallikar) and cold (Ladakhi and Siri) adapted cattle breeds clustered separately. CNVR of Indian and European breeds revealed that Balkan and Italian breeds of Podolian group are admixed with Indian cattle breeds corroborating indicine introgression (6.1-13.5%). CNVRs spanning the regions of olfactory receptors and immune system genes were identified. AMOVA revealed 9% variation among populations which is 2% greater than SNP based studies showing higher inclusion of variation by CNVR. Detailed analysis of CNVs/CNVRs in Indian cattle adapted to hot and cold climate, and their diversity among worldwide cattle is presented in this study.

Can adoption of climate resilient management practices achieve carbon neutrality in traditional green revolution states of Punjab and Haryana?

Decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhancing soil carbon (C) sequestration in cropland are necessary to achieve carbon neutrality at national scale. The major objective of this study is to quantify the GHG mitigation potential of adopted climate resilient (CR) practices in CR villages using Ex-ACT tool developed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Intensively cultivated area of Punjab and Haryana was selected for carrying out this study. In both the states, villages were selected by considering the climate for past 30 years. In the selected villages, a set of CR practices were implemented in annuals, perennials, irrigated rice, fertilizer use, land use change and livestock and quantified the GHG mitigation potential in these villages for next twenty years. The tool predicted that the CR practices adopted were successful in enhancing the overall sink (carbon balance) in all the study villages. The villages of Punjab had recorded higher mitigation potential as compared to the villages of Haryana. The overall sink potential in these villages ranged from -354 to -38309 Mg CO2-eq. The change in sink potential varied from 3.16 to 112% with lowest in Radauri and highest in Badhauchhi kalan village. The sink potential got doubled in Badhauchhi kalan village due to stopping rice straw burning and increase in area under perennials by 25%. The source potential varied from 6.33 to -7.44% across the study villages. Even with the implementation of NICRA, there was increase in source by 5.58 and 6.33% in Killi Nihal Singh Wala and Radauri due to irrigated rice, land use change and livestock. Majorly, rice straw burning was seen in most of the study villages, yet, with proper residue management and adoption of CR practices (mainly intermittent flooding) in rice cultivation resulted in emissions reduction up to 5-26% with enhanced productivity up to 15-18%, which can be considered for scaling up. Fertilizer management reduced the emissions by average of 13% across the study villages. Farm gate emission intensity per ton of milk and rice recorded highest emission intensity compared to annuals and perennials suggesting strict implementation of CR practices in rice cultivation and livestock sector. Implementation and scaling up of CR practices could potentially reduce the emissions and make the village C negative in intensive rice-wheat production system.

Retrospective analysis and risk of progression of partial anterior cruciate ligament injuries in a young population.

BACKGROUND: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common knee ligament injury. Partial ACL tears are common, and at least 10-27% of isolated ACL tears are diagnosed as partial tears. Patients with partial tears have high risk of progression of tears to complete tears, which may require surgical reconstruction. The risk factors associated with the progression to a complete tear are poorly understood. METHODS: The present case-control study assessed the incidence and risk factors for the progression of conservatively treated partial ACL tears to complete tears in 351 patients younger than 45 years. The diagnosis of partial ACL tears was based on clinical evaluation, side-to-side difference on Rolimeter, and magnetic resonance imaging. These patients were managed conservatively and followed up for a mean of 17.5 months or until the progression of the tear into a complete tear, requiring surgery. The patients in whom the tear progressed to complete tear (group P) were compared with those in whom the tear remained stable for a minimum of 18-month follow-up period (group S). RESULTS: Of the 351 partial ACL tear patients, 166 (47.3%) patients progressed to a complete tear at a mean duration of 17.5 months, whereas the tear in 185 (52.7%) patients remained stable and did not progress to a complete tear. Group P had mean international knee documentation committee (IKDC) scores and Tegner scores of 95.7 ± 3.7 and 7.6 ± 1.6, respectively, before the injury, and scores decreased to 52.4 ± 4.1 and 5.7 ± 2.2, respectively, at the 24-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Partial ACL tear progressed to a complete tear in 47.3% of evaluated patients. The associated risk factors were age less than 35 years, rigorous physical activities, high ACL-Return to Sport after Injury score during early rehabilitation days, early return to activity, and pivoting contact sports.

Mucormycosis infection associated with global COVID-19 pandemic - an institutional histopathological study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the recent times have instilled signs of immunosuppression globally which has further precipitated increasing range of opportunistic infections. Mucormycosis is a distressing opportunistic fungal infection with a high incidence and is the third commonest acute invasive infection following candidiasis and aspergillosis. The aim of the present observational study is to delineate the enigmatic histopathological profile between mucormycosis cases seen prior to pandemic (PPM) and pandemic associated mucormycosis (PAM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Tissue archives of 105 histopathologically diagnosed cases of mucormycosis were included and analysed for demographical details and histopathological parameters like fungal load and localization, granuloma formation, necrosis, inflammatory infiltrate and tissue invasion. RESULTS: 0ut of 105 included cases, 11/105 (10.48%) were reported PPM and 94/105 (89.52%) PAM. Among 94 cases of PAM, 51/94 (54%) cases also showed COVID-19 positivity, while 43/94 (46%) did not. Of all the histological variables, increased fungal load and necrosis were observed in PAM relative to PPM cases. CONCLUSIONS: The histopathological variables like fungal load, necrosis, granuloma formation and tissue invasion, could help the clinician in assessing the clinical status at the time of tissue diagnosis and improve the treatment accordingly.

A Meta-Analysis on Comparison of Open vs Closed Reduction of Gartland Type 3 Supracondylar Humerus Fractures in Children.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Although there are numerous studies on outcomes and comparison of open and closed reduction but there is no clarity on relationship between outcomes and complications with type of surgical intervention done for Type 3 Gartland supracondylar humerus fracture. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes and complications of closed vs open reduction in Type 3 Gartland supracondylar humerus fractures. MATERIAL AND METHODS Electronic literature searches of Embase, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library was conducted in February 2022 using the terms "supracondylar", "humerus", "fracture", "Gartland type 3" and synonymous. The data extracted included the study details, demographic data, procedure performed, final functional and cosmetic outcome according to Flynn criteria and complications of included studies. RESULTS Pooled data analysis revealed no significant difference in mean satisfactory outcome rate according to Flynn cosmetic criteria in open group (97%, 95% CI 95.5%-98.5%), as compared to closed group (97.5%, 95% CI 96.3%-98.7%), although a statistically significant difference in mean satisfactory rate according to Flynn functional criteria in open group (93.4%, 95% CI 90.8%- 96.1%) as compared to closed group (98.5%, 95% CI 97.5%-99.4%) was noted. On separate comparison of the two-arm studies, closed reduction favoured better functional outcomes (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99). CONCLUSIONS Closed reduction and percutaneous fixation have better functional outcome than open reduction with K-wire fixation. But there was no significant difference in cosmetic outcomes, overall complication rate and nerve injury with either open or closed reduction. The threshold of converting a closed reduction to an open reduction in supracondylar humerus fractures of children should be high. Key words: supracondylar humerus, open reduction, percutaneous pinning, Flynn criteria.

The cross-sectional morphology of median nerve in carpal tunnel of healthy, adult population: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The cross-section area is a crucial parameter to assess peripheral neuropathy. The ultrasonographic evaluation of cross-section area of median nerve is a low-cost and readily available tool for diagnosis and assessment. However, the intra-nerve dimensional variability and its normative reference value in a healthy subject are missing. The current meta-analysis aims to capture the median nerve cross-section area for healthy subjects and generate a comprehensive ultrasonographic reference data set for each population. METHODS: The full text of manuscripts were collected after short-listing the abstracts collected from search strategy. A quality assurance tool was used to capture the risk of bias of each study after reviewing the included manuscripts. The pooled estimate of cross-section area was stratified according to anatomical landmarks, sex, and ancestry. RESULTS: A total of 97 observational studies dealt with 6679 wrists of healthy subjects were included. The pooled estimate of the cross-section area of median nerve at carpal tunnel inlet was 8.54mm2 [95% CI: 8.34-8.74mm2]. The same pooled estimate at carpal tunnel outlet was 8.03mm2 [95% CI: 7.46-8.60mm2]. Both these pooled estimates have significant correlation with mean age of population. Age and sex were two primary predictors of the cross-section of median nerve. The flattening ratio, circularity, and wrist-forearm ratio of median nerve were also computed. CONCLUSION: These normative data could serve as a reference for assessing median nerve pathologies, including carpal tunnel syndrome. The ethnic variation of pooled estimate and heterogeneity will guide clinician set up the reference value for diagnostic criteria.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ILLNESS CHARACTERISTIC OF YOUTH WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL CONDITION.

Irritable Bowel Disorder (IBD) is a prevalent digestive illness that frequently affects young people and drastically decreases the Quality of Life (QoL). Adults with IBD indications may find relief from their symptoms through nutritional changes like the Mediterranean-style diet. Concerning the seriousness of symptoms, QoL, and additional pertinent results in young people with IBD, this investigation seeks to determine the impact of the Mediterranean-style diet. 200 individuals with IBD who met the Rome-IV criterion and were between the ages of 13 and 19 were enrolled in the present research. A Mediterranean-style diet was provided to the Study Group (SG), which consisted of 100 individuals, while the Control Group (CG), which consisted of 100 patients, followed the usual diet. Various laboratory and clinical characteristics were also assessed at the beginning and end of the study, in addition to IBD values. The Mediterranean-style diet has been demonstrated to be effective and tolerated well in kids and teenagers with IBD. The IBD -SSS (from 148±42.3 to 224±71) IBD -QoL (from 76.7±8.1 to 61.3±9.8), and cumulative IBD rating (from 29.3±11.7 to 32.6±12.1) all showed notable increases in individuals who followed well to this diet. The CG, in comparison, did not show any significant enhancements in these factors. This indicates that a Mediterranean-style diet might provide therapeutic advantages for IBD individuals, especially those who keep adherent to it, concerning symptom severity and QoL. The Mediterranean-style diet proved to be both secure and associated with notable improvements in IBD rates in young and adolescents with IBD.

Observation of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition in a Two-Dimensional Bose Gas via Matter-Wave Interferometry.

We probe local phase fluctuations of trapped two-dimensional Bose gases using matter-wave interferometry. This enables us to measure the phase correlation function, which changes from an algebraic to an exponential decay when the system crosses the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition. We determine the temperature dependence of the BKT exponent η and find the critical value η_{c}=0.17(3) for our trapped system. Furthermore, we measure the local vortex density as a function of the local phase-space density, which shows a scale-invariant behavior across the transition. Our experimental investigation is supported by Monte Carlo simulations and provides a comprehensive understanding of the BKT transition in a trapped system.

Newly designed acrylamide derivative-based pH-responsive hydrogel-urease bioconjugates: synthesis and catalytic urea hydrolysis.

Jack bean urease, the first nickel metalloenzyme, and crystallized enzymes have historical significance due to their several applications in the biomedical and other fields. For the first time, cross-linker free pH-responsive hydrogel-urease bioconjugates have been reported. Without the use of divinyl benzene or divinyl acrylamide derivatives, urease was immobilized inside the hydrogel matrix and various grades of bioconjugates were synthesized. The hydrogel-urease bioconjugate exhibits excellent swelling-deswelling and pH-responsive characteristics without affecting the urease enzyme. The pH-responsive bioconjugates were characterized by FT-IR, powder XRD, SEM, TGA, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Urea hydrolysis and enzyme affinity have been investigated at pH 4, pH 7, and pH 11 using bioconjugates and free urease. At basic pH, BCs showed excellent enzyme activity. In summary, this technique is effective for stabilizing biomacromolecules at different pHs for a variety of real applications.

Forecasting groundwater level of karst aquifer in a large mining area using partial mutual information and NARX hybrid model.

Predicting the groundwater level of karst aquifers in North China Coalfield is essential for early warning of mine water hazards and regional water resources management. However, the dynamic changes of strata structure and hydrogeological parameters driven by coal mining activity cause challenges to the process-oriented groundwater model. In order to achieve accurate prediction of groundwater level in large mining areas, this study was the first to use the data-driven Nonlinear Autoregressive with External Input (NARX) model to predict the groundwater level of six karst aquifer observation wells in Pingshuo Mining Area. Three variable input scenarios were set up, solely considering meteorological factors, anthropogenic disturbance factors, and considering both meteorological and anthropogenic disturbance factors. The novel partial mutual information (PMI) screening algorithm was adopted to determine optimized input variables in each scenario. The input and feedback delay coefficients of NARX model were determined by using Seasonal-trend Decomposition Procedure Based on Loess (STL) algorithm and auto- and cross-correlation functions. The results showed that PMI algorithm can effectively screen out the optimal input variables for predicting groundwater level, the NSE coefficients of the PMI-NARX models under the three scenarios were 38.81%, 4.26% and 41.46% higher than those of the corresponding control experiments, respectively. In addition, the prediction performance of the PMI-NARX built on the basis of meteorological factors is poor (NSE <0.63). However, in scenarios which solely use anthropogenic disturbance factors and both use meteorological and anthropogenic disturbance factors, the PMI-NARX coupling models exhibit good prediction performance (NSE and R2 are all greater than 0.8). Especially under solely considering anthropogenic disturbance factors scenario, the model still exhibited good prediction accuracy with a negligible number of input variables. The results can provide technical and theoretical support for the prediction of groundwater level in other mining areas.

Diagnosis of urogenital tuberculosis by multiplex-nested PCR targeting mpt64 (Rv1980c) and IS6110: comparison with multiplex PCR and GeneXpert® MTB/RIF.

A multiplex-nested PCR (M-nested PCR) targeting mpt64 (Rv1980c) + IS6110 was designed to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) DNA within urine (n = 35), endometrial biopsies (n = 22) and menstrual blood (n = 3) of male/female UGTB patients, and results were compared with M-PCR using the same targets. Detection limit of the purified Mtb DNA was found to be 1 fg by M-nested PCR, which was 106 -fold lower than M-PCR. Moreover, sensitivities of 100% and 81·8% were obtained in confirmed (n = 5) and clinically suspected UGTB (n = 55) cases, respectively, by M-nested PCR, with a specificity of 97·1% (n = 70). Sensitivities attained by M-nested PCR were significantly higher (p < 0·05) than M-PCR in both clinically suspected and total UGTB (n = 60) cases. To confirm the true PCR-negative results, an internal amplification control, that is, human ß-globin gene (hbb) was incorporated in the M-nested PCR/M-PCR assays, wherein all the clinical specimens (positive/negative for mpt64/IS6110) were found to be positive for hbb. Some UGTB specimens (n = 35) were also subjected to GeneXpert® MTB/RIF assay that revealed a significantly lower (p < 0·001) sensitivity (17·1 vs 88·6%) than M-nested PCR, although high specificity (100%) was attained with GeneXpert. After validating the results in a higher number of UGTB specimens, our M-nested PCR may be translated into an attractive diagnostic kit.

Diagnosis of osteoarticular tuberculosis by immuno-PCR assay based on mycobacterial antigen 85 complex detection.

Diagnosis of osteoarticular tuberculosis (OATB) exhibits serious challenges owing to paucibacillary nature of specimens and localization of disease at sites that are difficult to access. We recently developed indirect immuno-PCR (I-PCR) and real-time I-PCR (RT-I-PCR) assays for the detection of mycobacterial antigen 85 complex (Ag85) in OATB patients. Detection limits for the purified Ag85 protein were found to be 1 and 41 fg ml-1 by I-PCR and RT-I-PCR, respectively, which were at least 105 -fold lower than respective ELISA. While spiking synovial fluids of non-TB control subjects with the purified Ag85 protein, LODs of 100 and 120 fg ml-1 were obtained by I-PCR and RT-I-PCR, respectively, thus demonstrating the sample matrix effect. Sensitivities of 87·5 and 70·5% were observed in bodily fluids of confirmed (n = 8) and clinically suspected (n = 51) OATB cases, respectively, by I-PCR, with a specificity of 93·9% (n = 33). Markedly, the sensitivities obtained by I-PCR/RT-I-PCR were significantly higher (P < 0·05-0·01) than ELISA and GeneXpert assay (n = 30). However, no substantial difference in sensitivity was observed between the I-PCR and RT-I-PCR assays. After further improving the accuracy of I-PCR, this test may lead to development of an attractive diagnostic kit.

Enhanced production of Bacopa saponins by repeated batch strategy in bioreactor.

Cultivation of cell suspension culture of Bacopa monnieri targeting the production of bacosides was explored in a 5-l stirred tank reactor using statistically optimized conditions. The bioreactor cultivation conditions were modified and this led to profuse biomass growth (2.81 ± 0.20 g/l) and total bacosides (1.26 ± 0.23 mg/g in cells and 0.60 ± 0.11 mg/l in fermenter broth) production in 9 days. The values of static volumetric mass transfer coefficient (kLa), dimensionless mixing time (Nm) were measured in the bioreactor. The culture grew efficiently and produced enhanced amount of bacoside A (5.59 ± 0.41 mg/g total bacosides in cells and 3.12 ± 0.13 mg/l in the fermenter broth) using one cycle of repeated batch strategy adopted in the bioreactor for 15 days. The intracellular concentration of bacoside A3 (1.18 ± 0.11 mg/g), bacopaside II (2.09 ± 0.35 mg/g), bacopaside X (0.79 ± 0.17 mg/g) and bacopasaponin C (2.24 ± 0.23 mg/g) were significantly higher in repeated batch as compared to batch bioreactor cultivation. The yield of total bacosides in the fermenter broth was 5-times higher in repeated batch as compared to batch cultivation. This strategy can be helpful for the enhanced production of other valuable triterpenoid saponins.

Effect of physiological status and parity on metabolic and trace element profile of crossbred Rambouillet sheep of Himalayan region.

The study was designed to evaluate the effect of physiological status and parity on metabolic profile in crossbred Rambouillet ewes of the Himalayan region. The study was conducted on 20 ewes divided into two groups, primiparous (PP) and multiparous (MP), with 10 ewes in each group. Blood samples were collected on 4- and 1-week pre-lambing and 1- and 4-week post-lambing to measure metabolic parameters and minerals. The glucose (p < 0.01), total plasma protein (TPP) (p < 0.05), albumin (p < 0.05), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (p < 0.05), cholesterol (p < 0.05), triglyceride (p < 0.01), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p < 0.05), calcium (Ca) (p < 0.01), phosphorus (Pi) (p < 0.05), magnesium (Mg) (p < 0.01), copper (Cu) (p < 0.05), and zinc (Zn) (p < 0.01) levels revealed significant change along the time with the concentration decreasing from 3-week pre-lambing to immediate post-lambing; thereafter, levels increased steadily. Significant increase (p < 0.01) was observed in non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), iron (Fe) (p < 0.05), and bilirubin (p < 0.05) concentrations along the sampling time. No group difference was observed in any of the parameters; however, parity and time interaction was observed in glucose, NEFA, GGT, Ca, and Pi. While NEFA levels were significantly high in pre-lambing in PP ewes compared to MP ewes, the post-lambing levels were significantly high in MP ewes. Pre-lambing levels of GGT were at par between the two groups; however, post-lambing levels were significantly high in MP ewes. Glucose, Ca, and Pi were low during pre-lambing in PP ewes and post-lambing in MP ewes. The result showed that ewes show a significant change in metabolic profile and trace minerals during late gestation and immediate postpartum; however, these changes were more pronounced during late gestation in primiparous and post-lambing in multiparous.