2,060 research outputs found
Cage Farming of Cobia Rachycentron canadum
Cobia has gained popularity as a good
candidate for mariculture due to its rapid
growth and white meat of versatile use. It
is considered as one of the most promising
candidates for warm-water marine fish
aquaculture in the world. Being the only
member of the family Rachycentridae, it is
found in the warm, temperate to tropical
waters of the West and East Atlantic,
throughout the Caribbean and in the
Indo-Pacific off India, Australia and Japan.
To date, research and development of
cobia aquaculture has been initiated in
over 23 countries and territories
Repurposing cancer drugs, batimastat and marimastat, to inhibit the activity of a group I metalloprotease from the venom of the Western Diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox
Snakebite envenomation causes over 140,000 deaths every year predominantly in developing countries. As a result, it is one of the most lethal neglected tropical diseases. It is associated with an incredibly complex pathophysiology due to the vast number of unique toxins/proteins found in the venoms of diverse snake species found worldwide. Here, we report the purification and functional characteristics of a group I metalloprotease (CAMP-2) from the venom of the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. Its sensitivity to matrix metalloprotease inhibitors (batimastat and marimastat) was established using specific in vitro experiments and in silico molecular docking analysis. CAMP-2 shows high sequence homology to atroxase from the venom of Crotalus atrox and exhibits collagenolytic, fibrinogenolytic and mild haemolytic activities. It exerts a mild inhibitory effect on agonist-induced platelet aggregation in the absence of plasma proteins. Its collagenolytic activity was completely inhibited by batimastat and marimastat. Zinc chloride also inhibits the collagenolytic activity of CAMP-2 by around 75% at 50 M, while it is partially potentiated by calcium chloride. Molecular docking studies demonstrate that batimastat and marimastat are able to bind strongly to the active site residues of CAMP-2. This study demonstrates the impact of matrix metalloprotease inhibitors in the modulation of a purified, group I metalloprotease activities in comparison to the whole venom. By improving our understanding of snake venom metalloproteases and their sensitivity to small molecule inhibitors, we can begin to develop novel and improved treatment strategies for snakebites
Necropsy findings and observations on marine mammals stranded in Gulf of Mannar coast
A dead female dolphin was washed ashore on 19
April 2016 at Singhivalaikuchu, near Vedhalai,
Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu along the
coast of Gulf of Mannar (N.09.260700; E.79.084858).
Based on morphological features and teeth pattern,
the specimen was identified as Indo-pacific
bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus. A total of 26
morphometric parameters were recorded
Farming of Silver Pompano Trachinotus blochii in coastal aquaculture ponds
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has
initiated aquaculture research on pompano from 2008
and the first successful broodstock development,
induced breeding and larval production was achieved in
2011. Following the successful seed production of silver
pompano, demonstration of farming in brackishwater
ponds was initiated by the CMFRI to popularize among
the farmers about its suitability for aquaculture. The first
farming demonstration from the hatchery produced seed
was carried out in a coastal aquaculture pond at Anthervedi
Village, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. It has
been proven that silver pompano can be cultured in the
brackishwater shrimp culture ponds as an alternative
species with high survival rate, appreciable FCR and meat
quality. These fishes have attained an average weight of
450 grams in 240 days (8 months).
Based on the experience gained on the brackishwater
farming of silver pompano, the practices to be adopted
for pompano farming are narrated
Soluble CD200 Correlates With Interleukin-6 Levels in Sera of COPD Patients: Potential Implication of the CD200/CD200R Axis in the Disease Course
BACKGROUND: COPD represents a multifactorial lung disorder with high morbidity and mortality. Despite intensive research concerning the underlying disease mechanisms, the involvement of the CD200/CD200R axis in supporting or preventing the onset of COPD has not yet been addressed. Since the CD200/CD200R axis is crucially implicated in the maintenance of pulmonary immune homeostasis, we hypothesized that it might be involved in controlling the onset of COPD. METHODS: To address this, we analyzed the serum samples from COPD patients and normal controls for soluble (s) CD200 and correlated the data to COPD-relevant clinical parameters. In addition, basic studies were conducted in CD200-deficient and wild-type mice in which COPD-like inflammation was induced with elastase/LPS followed by lung and serum component analysis. RESULTS: We observed a positive correlation between serum sCD200 and IL-6 levels as well as a trend toward a negative correlation of sCD200 with vitamin D3 in COPD patients. Further investigations in mice revealed that despite elevated serum concentration of MMP-9 in CD200KO mice, the early onset of COPD-like lung inflammation was similar in CD200-deficient and wild-type animals in terms of immune cell infiltration, emphysematous changes, and mucus overproduction. CONCLUSIONS: While our murine studies suggest that the co-inhibitory molecule CD200 does not appear to play a prominent role in the early onset of COPD-like features, correlation of sCD200 serum levels with COPD-related parameters in humans with established disease revealed that the CD200/CD200R axis may be mechanistically linked to the disease course in COPD patients
Synthetic flavonoids as novel modulators of platelet function and thrombosis
Cardiovascular diseases represent a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the world and thrombotic conditions such as heart attacks and strokes are caused by unwarranted activation of platelets and subsequent formation of blood clots (thrombi) within the blood vessels during pathological circumstances. Therefore, platelets act as a primary therapeutic target to treat and prevent thrombotic conditions. Current treatments are limited due to intolerance and they are associated with severe side effects such as bleeding complications. Hence, the development of novel therapeutic strategies for thrombotic diseases is an urgent priority. Flavonoids are naturally occurring plant-derived molecules that exert numerous beneficial effects in humans through modulating the functions of distinct cell types. However, naturally occurring flavonoids suffer from several issues such as poor solubility, lipophilicity, and bioavailability, which hinder their efficacy and potency. Despite this, flavonoids act as versatile templates for the design and synthesis of novel molecules for various therapeutic targets. Indeed, several synthetic flavonoids have recently been developed to improve their stability, bioavailability and efficacy including for the modulation of platelet function. Here, we provide insight into the actions of certain natural flavonoids along with the advantages of synthetic flavonoids in the modulation of platelet function, haemostasis and thrombosis
Successful seed production of Cobia, Rachycentron canadum, in India
Climate change is affecting farming systems worldwide. It is
expected that the impacts will be disproportionately felt by
small scale farmers who are already amongst the most poor
and vulnerable members of the society. NACA’s efforts to map
farmers’ perceptions and attitude towards climate change
impacts and adaptive capacities to address these impacts
in four Asian countries including the shrimp culture practices
in India (CIBA-NACSA/MPEDA-NACA project) through the
‘Aquaclimate’ project is highly admirable. I hope the project
will provide farmers with strategies to maintain their resilience
in the face of climate change
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