The biodiversity bandwagon: the splitters have it

The accurate estimation of biodiversity has become one of the most important biological and conservation concerns of the 21st century. An unbiased estimate of biodiversity requires an unambiguous measurement unit. The most commonly used unit is the ‘species’, and though it is implicitly accepted as valid, consistent and appropriate, there has been little consensus over the many different species concepts proposed over the years1. Among these, the Biological Species Concept2 has been widely used, but it has come under fire due to the arbitrariness of the genetic distance or morphological divergence that is generally used to assign species status3,4. Recently, the phylogenetic species concept5, which recognizes diagnosably distinct taxa, has been used extensively for some groups. In the context of conservation, ‘management units’and ‘evolutionary significant units’ have been proposed6,7, but most studies still use species as the basic unit without examining or explaining which definition of ‘species’ they are using

TUTTHA SHODHANA: CLASSICAL VIEW AND SCIENTIFIC REVIEW

Rasa dravyas which are crude, are always subjected to many classical operative procedures before it used as a medicine, be it a metal, mineral or any other crude toxic drug. The aim of the Shodhana (detoxifying procedure) etc. procedures is to produce safe and effective medicine. Tuttha being one such rasa dravya a member of Maharasa varga and upadhatu of tamra is having a peculiar combination of nectar and poison mythologically, also subjected for different classical procedures like nirmalikarana (cleaning measures), Shodhana (procedures which removes blemishes) and Marana (incineration), Satwapatana (extractive procedures), so that it can be utilized in different forms for various therapeutic needs. So an attempt is made to review such Shodhana procedures through which crude drug Tuttha coverts into potent therapeutic drug and probable scientific aspects behind the media and method of Shodhana are dealt here.</jats:p

Assessment of Dentofacial Characteristics in Individuals with Different Midfacial Skeletal Morphologies

Abstract Introduction An orthodontist's primary objective is to diagnose and describe the characteristics of any particular malocclusion. It has been reported that when the anteroposterior dimension of the maxilla is either reduced or increased, the measured dentoalveolar and skeletal parameters gets affected in other dimensions also. Aim This study aims to assess and compare the dentofacial characteristics in individuals with different skeletal morphology (normal, retrognathic, and prognathic maxilla). Materials and Methods A total of 194 individuals in the age group of 18 to 32 years were grouped as group I (34 males, 33 females) with normal maxilla, group II (30 males, 32 females) with retrognathic maxilla, and group III (34 males, 31 females) with prognathic maxilla. The measurements of N-A and anterior nasal spine to posterior nasal spine were the basis for selecting the individuals. The dentoalveolar characteristics were assessed using 17 lateral cephalometric and 08 posteroanterior (P-A) cephalometric parameters. Results The data of the study when analyzed statistically using sample “t” test (p &lt; 0.05), revealed significant differences between the genders within the groups. All 08 characteristics measured in the P-A cephalogram showed had significant differences. Pairwise comparison between the groups was performed using the Tukey post hoc test (p &lt; 0.05) and significant differences in various dentoalveolar characteristics were observed between the groups. Conclusion Dentoalveolar and facial parameters showed a significant degree of sexual dimorphism associated with maxillary morphology in all three groups of individuals. The majority of the parameters showed male dominance, and the differences were statistically significant. Statistically significant differences were observed in dentofacial characteristics in individuals with different skeletal morphologies</jats:p

Modulation of immune responses in mice to recombinant antigens from PE and PPE families of proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the Ribi adjuvant

Three proteins of PE and PPE families of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were evaluated for their ability to induce T cell responses in mice. To enhance immunity induced by protein immunization, we tested the efficacy of adjuvant Ribi (monophosphoryl lipid A+TDM), along with three proteins of the PE/PPE family. Balb/c mice were subcutaneously injected with recombinant proteins, encoded by Rv1818c, Rv3018c and Rv3812 genes of M. tuberculosis H37Rv, formulated with Ribi or IFA for comparative study. Sera from mice immunized with Ribi revealed an increase in the specific immunoglobulin G titers by twofold against Ribi than in mice immunized with IFA. Ribi also elicited stronger delayed-type hypersensitivity and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity against the recombinant proteins when compared with IFA. Antigen specific IgG subclass analysis showed that Ribi tends to facilitate IgG2a production, suggesting enhancement of predominant Th1 response which in turn may facilitate increased production of protective IFN-\gamma. Furthermore, Ribi preparation increased the number of T cells secreting IFN-\gamma. These results indicate that Ribi acts as an effective adjuvant for immune response to antigens of M. tuberculosis. For the first time, we demonstrate that Rv3018c, Rv1818c and Rv3812 proteins of PE/PPE family are T cell antigens with vaccine potential

Evaluation of T-cell responses to peptides with MHC class I-binding motifs derived from PE_PGRS 33 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The PE and PPE proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis form a source of antigenic variation among different strains of M. tuberculosis. One of the PE-PGRS proteins, Rv1818c, plays a role in the pathogenesis of mycobacterial infection and specifically influences host-cell responses to tuberculosis infection. Although little is known about these two classes of protein, an immunoinformatics approach has indicated the possibility of their participation in eliciting a major histocompatibility complex (MHC class 1-mediated immune response against tuberculosis, as peptides derived from Rv1818c are predicted to bind to MHC class I molecules with high affinity. In the present work, a DNA vaccine was constructed encoding the full-length Rv1818c protein of M. tuberculosis and its immunogenicity was analysed in BALB/c mice. Immunization with Rv1818c DNA induced a strong CD8(+) cytotoxic lymphocyte and Th1-type response, with high levels of gamma interferon and low levels of interleukin-4. Two nonameric peptides (Peptides (6-14) and Peptide(385-393)) from Rv1818c were identified by their ability to induce the production of IFN-gamma by CD8(+) T cells in mice immunized with Rv1818c DNA. An epitope-specific response was demonstrated by the lysis of peptide-pulsed antigen-presenting cells, release of cytotoxic granules and IFN-gamma production. These peptides bound with high affinity to MHC H-2K(d) and showed low dissociation rates of peptide-MHC complexes. These results could form the basis for testing the identified T-cell epitopes of PE_PGRS proteins in the induction of protective immunity against M. tuberculosis challenge in the mouse model

HLA-A*0201-restricted Cytotoxic T-cell Epitopes in Three PE/PPE Family Proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

$CD8^+ T$ cells are thought to play an important role in protective immunity against tuberculosis. We report the identification of three peptides derived from Rv1818c, Rv3812 and Rv3018c proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that bound to HLA-A*0201 molecules and their ability to induce in vitro T-cell response in peripheral blood lymphocytes from HLA-A*0201-positive healthy individuals (PPD+) and patients with TB. The peptide-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) generated were capable of recognizing peptide pulsed targets. Three 9-mer peptides bound with high affinity to HLA-A*0201 and displayed low dissociation rates of the bound peptide from HLA. Epitope-specific recognition was demonstrated by the release of perforin and γ-interferon. Overall, our results demonstrate the presence of HLA class I-restricted $CD8^+$ CTL against proteins from PE and PPE proteins of M. tuberculosis and identify epitopes that are strongly recognized by HLA-A*0201-restricted $CD8^+ T$ cells in humans. These epitopes thus represent potential subunit components for the design of vaccines against tuberculosis

MRI of acquired Brown syndrome: a report of two cases

Brown syndrome is characterized by upward gaze impairment while the eye is in adduction. It is caused by abnormalities involving the superior oblique tendon-trochlea complex. Imaging can help confirm the diagnosis, shed light on its etiology, and determine the best course of treatment. However, reports of magnetic resonance imaging findings of acquired Brown syndrome are scarce in the literature. Here, we describe magnetic resonance imaging features of 2 cases of acquired Brown syndrome