Distribution of hydro-biological parameters in coastal waters off Rushikulya Estuary, East Coast of India: A premonsoon case study

The hydro-biological parameters of coastal waters off Rushikulya estuary was investigated during premonsoon 2011. Important hydro-biological parameters such as water temperature, salinity, pH, DO, NO2, NO3, NH4, PO4, SiO4, TSM, Chl-α, phytoplankton and zooplankton were measured during the present study. Temperature established a strong positive correlation with salinity and pH during the present study. Chl-α found in positive relation with NO3, SiO4 and TSM. Analysis of variance revealed significant monthly variation in pH, salinity and TSM. Significant station wise variation was observed in DO and most of the nutrients i.e., NO3, NH4, PO4, SiO4. A total of 119 species of phytoplankton were identified of which 84 species are of diatoms, 22 species of dinoflagellates, 7 species of green algae, 5 species of cyanobacteria (blue green algae) and 1 species of cocolithophore. Phytoplankton abundance varied between 25543 (Nos. L-1) and 36309 (Nos. L-1). Diatoms dominated the phytoplankton community followed by dinoflagellates in all the months. Diatoms contributed to 82-89 of the total phytoplankton population density whereas dinoflagellates contributed to 6-12. The regression between Chl-α and phytoplankton abundance resulted with weak relation (R2 = 0.042). Zooplankton fauna composed of 134 species of holoplankton and 20 types of meroplankton were encountered during the study period. Zooplankton population dominated by copepod during all months and accounted for 74 to 85 to the total zooplankton. The population density ranged from 6959 to 35869 Nos./10 m3. Analysis of variance explained no significant variation in total zooplankton abundance and also for different groups of zooplankton

Biological implications of cyclone Hudhud in the coastal waters of northwestern Bay of Bengal

A very severe cyclonic storm, Hudhud, equivalent to a category-4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS), originated in the Andaman Sea on 6 October 2014. The cyclone propagated west-northwestward and made landfall near Visakhapatnam, northern coast of Andhra Pradesh on 12 October 2014. The study area, Gopalpur (southern coast of Odisha) was in the active influence zone of Hudhud and in close proximity (~260 km north) to the landfall point (Figure 1). This region is an important mass nesting rookery for vulnerable olive ridley sea turtles, which aggregate for breeding in the coastal waters off Odisha from November to May1. This region is also identified as a time-series station under the SATellite Coastal and Oceanographic REsearch (SATCORE) programme coordinated by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS); it is being monitored since 2009

EN-BIRTH Data Collector Training - Handbook and Manual

The EN-BIRTH study aims to validate selected newborn and maternal indicators for routine facility-based tracking of coverage and quality of care for use at district, national and global levels. The item contains the EN-BIRTH_Trainer's Manual (14 June 2017) and EN-BIRTH_Training Handbook (23 May 2017)

Serum microRNA array analysis identifies miR-140-3p, miR-33b-3p and miR-671-3p as potential osteoarthritis biomarkers involved in metabolic processes.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in circulation have emerged as promising biomarkers. In this study, we aimed to identify a circulating miRNA signature for osteoarthritis (OA) patients and in combination with bioinformatics analysis to evaluate the utility of selected differentially expressed miRNAs in the serum as potential OA biomarkers. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 12 primary OA patients, and 12 healthy individuals were screened using the Agilent Human miRNA Microarray platform interrogating 2549 miRNAs. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the deregulated miRNAs. Expression levels of selected miRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in all serum and in articular cartilage samples from OA patients (n = 12) and healthy individuals (n = 7). Bioinformatics analysis was used to investigate the involved pathways and target genes for the above miRNAs. Results: We identified 279 differentially expressed miRNAs in the serum of OA patients compared to controls. Two hundred and five miRNAs (73.5%) were upregulated and 74 (26.5%) downregulated. ROC analysis revealed that 77 miRNAs had area under the curve (AUC) > 0.8 and p < 0.05. Bioinformatics analysis in the 77 miRNAs revealed that their target genes were involved in multiple signaling pathways associated with OA, among which FoxO, mTOR, Wnt, pI3K/akt, TGF-β signaling pathways, ECM-receptor interaction, and fatty acid biosynthesis. qRT-PCR validation in seven selected out of the 77 miRNAs revealed 3 significantly downregulated miRNAs (hsa-miR-33b-3p, hsa-miR-671-3p, and hsa-miR-140-3p) in the serum of OA patients, which were in silico predicted to be enriched in pathways involved in metabolic processes. Target-gene analysis of hsa-miR-140-3p, hsa-miR-33b-3p, and hsa-miR-671-3p revealed that InsR and IGFR1 were common targets of all three miRNAs, highlighting their involvement in regulation of metabolic processes that contribute to OA pathology. Hsa-miR-140-3p and hsa-miR-671-3p expression levels were consistently downregulated in articular cartilage of OA patients compared to healthy individuals. Conclusions: A serum miRNA signature was established for the first time using high density resolution miR-arrays in OA patients. We identified a three-miRNA signature, hsa-miR-140-3p, hsa-miR-671-3p, and hsa-miR-33b-3p, in the serum of OA patients, predicted to regulate metabolic processes, which could serve as a potential biomarker for the evaluation of OA risk and progression.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Morbidity Profile of Inmates of Selected Old Age Homes of Bangalore City

Aging is an inevitable phenomenon in the life of all living beings. With the increase of life expectancy, the numbers of people who are attaining old age are increasing throughout the globe.1 By the year 2025, the number of elderly people is expected to rise to more than 1.2 billion all over the world.2 In 2011, the share of older persons aged 60 years and above was 8.6% which has placed India in the “aged” category as per United Nations Classification. Undoubtedly, the process of health transition has accelerated in India, and consequently India has to confront rapid aging of population.3 Old age is associated with deterioration of health and increase in morbidity. Health status among elderly is a serious problem for health service utilization in India due to increase in elderly population

Lærerstudenters refleksjoner over undervisning og mangfold i norsk grunnskole

The purpose of this study is to investigate how preservice teachers reflect on diversity and on teaching pupils from diverse backgrounds. Following a qualitative research design, the empirical data were constructed through focus group interviews with pre-service teachers attending a 4-year initial teacher education programme for compulsory school in Norway. The thematic analysis of focus group interviews yielded three main results, namely differences are individual and considered natural, diversity as a value and challenge, and belief in practice rather than theory. Results suggest that despite their appreciative views towards diversity, the preservice teachers seem to be having a dilemmatic position regarding whether they should treat every pupil the same or differently. Moreover, the results point to the significance of establishing coherence between theory and practice in initial teacher education regarding the preparation of preservice teachers for their work with diverse pupils.Formålet med denne studien er å undersøke hvordan lærerstudenter i den fireårige grunnskolelærerutdanningen reflekterer over mangfold og undervisning av elever som har ulik bakgrunn. Studien er basert på et kvalitativt forskningsdesign, og data er kon-struert ved hjelp av fokusgruppeintervjuer med lærerstudenter i den fireårige grunn-skolelærerutdanningen. Den tematiske analysen ledet fram til tre hovedresultater: Forskjeller er individuelle og forstås som noe naturlig, mangfold som en verdi og utfordring, og vektlegging av praksis heller enn teori. Resultatene viser at til tross for deltakernes verdsetting av mangfold, opplever lærerstudentene dilemma når det gjelder hvordan de skal handle i praksis. Resultatene peker videre på betydningen av å etablere koherens mellom praksis og teori i lærerutdanningen for å forberede lærerstudentene for arbeidet med mangfoldige elevgrupper.publishedVersio

Erratum: Author Correction: Identification of genes required for eye development by high-throughput screening of mouse knockouts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s42003-018-0226-0.]

EN-BIRTH Data Collector Training - Supporting Annexes

The EN-BIRTH study aims to validate selected newborn and maternal indicators for routine facility-based tracking of coverage and quality of care for use at district, national and global levels. The item contains consent forms and participant information, in addition to standard operating procedures (SOP) for adverse clinical events, and managing distress in interviews. The full complement of annex files used during the training can be requested via this site if required

Clinico-histopathological analysis of orbito-ocular lesions: a hospital-based study

Introductions: Preoperative diagnosis of orbital and ocular lesions is necessary for optimum treatment. The study aims to analyze the histomorphological spectrum of orbito-ocular lesions and to evaluate the need of ancillary techniques for confirmation of diagnosis. Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study of orbito-ocular surgical biopsy samples obtained in the Department of Pathology, at Birat Medical College Teaching Hospital, Nepal during one-year period was analysed for clinical and histopathological findings. Demographic data, site and tissue type, benign or malignant, recommendations for special stains and immunohistochemistry panel study were analysed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Results: Out of 185 total samples, male to female ratio of 1.1:1, age ranged from ten month to 82 years, 11-20 year age group had 39 (21.1%) orbito-ocular lesions and cornea-conjunctiva was involved in 104 (56.2%). Clinical diagnosis correlated well with histopathological diagnosis, p&lt;0.001. The non-neoplastic, benign and malignant lesions were 36.7%, 33.5% and 29.7% respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was seen in 28 (50.9%) of malignant lesions followed by sebaceous carcinoma 7 (12.7%). The special stains and immunohistochemistry panel was recommended in 38 (20.5% and 21 (11.3%) cases respectively. Conclusions: Findings suggest the clinical and histopathological diagnosis correlated well in diagnosis of a wide spectrum of orbito-ocular lesions. Keywords: ancillary techniques, clincio-pathological correlation, immunohistochemistry, orbito-ocular lesions, squamous cell carcinom

Clinico-histopathological analysis of orbito-ocular lesions: a hospital-based study

Introductions: Preoperative diagnosis of orbital and ocular lesions is necessary for optimum treatment. The study aims to analyze the histomorphological spectrum of orbito-ocular lesions and to evaluate the need of ancillary techniques for confirmation of diagnosis. Methods: A cross sectional hospital based study of orbito-ocular surgical biopsy samples obtained in the Department of Pathology, at Birat Medical College Teaching Hospital, Nepal during one-year period was analysed for clinical and histopathological findings. Demographic data, site and tissue type, benign or malignant, recommendations for special stains and immunohistochemistry panel study were analysed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Results: Out of 185 total samples, male to female ratio of 1.1:1, age ranged from ten month to 82 years, 11-20 year age group had 39 (21.1%) orbito-ocular lesions and cornea-conjunctiva was involved in 104 (56.2%). Clinical diagnosis correlated well with histopathological diagnosis, p&lt;0.001. The non-neoplastic, benign and malignant lesions were 36.7%, 33.5% and 29.7% respectively. Squamous cell carcinoma was seen in 28 (50.9%) of malignant lesions followed by sebaceous carcinoma 7 (12.7%). The special stains and immunohistochemistry panel was recommended in 38 (20.5% and 21 (11.3%) cases respectively. Conclusions: Findings suggest the clinical and histopathological diagnosis correlated well in diagnosis of a wide spectrum of orbito-ocular lesions. Keywords: ancillary techniques, clincio-pathological correlation, immunohistochemistry, orbito-ocular lesions, squamous cell carcinom