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Background: Tigers are protected under schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The current report highlights the detection of Hepatoozoon felis in a tiger cub. The infection is transmitted by ingestion of infected tick, infected prey and carrion. It is subclinical in adults; however, the cubs and immunocompromised adults may show clinical symptoms. Concurrent infection with bacterial or viral infections may be fatal to the infected animal. Methods: Hepatozoonosis was detected by blood smear examination using Giemsa staining. A PCR targeting the 18S ribosomal RNA was used to confirm the infection. The amplicon was purified and sequenced using a sanger sequencer. The 18S ribosomal RNA fragment sequence was compared to the available sequences in NCBI database using the nucleotide BLAST Tool. Neighbour joining phylogenetic trees using the bootstrap method were constructed using MEGA X software. Result: The presence of an intermediate gamont stage in neutrophils was seen under high resolution. The 660 bp amplicon was purified, sequenced and analysed for identity using the nucleotide BLAST tool of NCBI. The sequence was found to be 99.32%, similar to Hepatozoon felis. The phylogenetic analysis by neighbour joining phylogenetic tree using the bootstrap method indicated similarity with other reported sequences of H. felis isolated from Asian Lions. The sequence, however, was very dissimilar to the previously reported H. felis isolated from Royal Bengal Tiger. Considering the potential threat Hepatozoonosis can have in the wild, the prevalence must be estimated in prey base, sympatric cat species and arthropod vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the study of strongly r-precious ring is initiated. An element r ∈ R is strongly r-precious if r is the sum of an idempotent element, a regular element, a nilpotent element and these elements are commute with each other. A ring R is considered to be a strongly r-precious ring if all of its elements are strongly r-precious. In this article, we discuss some of the fundamental properties of strongly r-precious rings and discuss the behaviour of strongly r-precious rings under finite direct product, homomorphic images, matrix ring and group rings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflict leopards are often critically wounded and need care and rehabilitation under captivity. These incapacitated leopards need special health care and management including changes in diet to suit their physiological needs. In most zoos, a monotonous diet protocol of carabeef / beef is followed. It is essential to make changes to diet to suit the incapacity and provide wise supplementation where needed. In our study, five incapacitated or geriatric leopards were selected, their diet was modified considering their incapacity and their health was monitored by daily health monitoring, body score indexing, faecal scores, blood and biochemical monitoring etc. It was observed that making changes in regular diet to suit incapacitated and geriatric leopards was instrumental in the health and well being of incapacitated leopards in captivity. Similarly, geriatric leopards need special care to avert health complications and lead a healthy life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrologic phenomena which directly influence the interest of an engineer are rainfall, runoff, flood and drought. The characteristics of rainfall which are of importance for a design engineer are those which are responsible for producing runoff. These characteristics are intensity, duration, frequency of rainfall, time distribution and geographical distribution. Rainfall intensity-frequency-duration equations are required for design of soil and water conservation and runoff disposal structures and for planning flood control projects. The rainfall intensity-duration-return period relationship as I=(KTa) / (t+b)d has been developed for Pandharpur in Solapur district under scarcity zone of Maharashtra. The constants K, a, b and d in this equation are location specific. The values of parameters a and b were determined by using graphical method and the values of K and d by least square method. The daily automatic rain gauge charts of Pandharpur for 27 years were analyzed in the form of annual maximum series of various durations viz. 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours. The constants K, a, b and d for Pandharpur were found as 3.08, 0.2295, 0.8 and 0.9573 respectively by analyzing daily automatic rain gauge charts of Pandharpur. These constants K, a, b and d are useful in determining the maximum intensity of rainfall which is used in calculation of runoff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study related to assessment of meteorological drought in Maharashtra, India. It mentions that standardized precipitation index (SPI), decile drought index (DI) and effective drought index (EDI) are widely used meteorological drought indices for drought quantification. It also mentions that SPI and EDI detect the onset of drought, its spatial and temporal variation consistently.

Present study was taken up to develop a topical formulation that releases the drug in controlled manner, reduce the side effects associated with topical drug delivery and improve product efficacy with aid of microsponges. Microsponges loaded with sertaconazole nitrate were prepared by using quasi emulsion solvent diffusion with five different proportions of the polymer (Eudragit RS 100). The developed microsponges were analyzed for particle size, production yield, entrapment efficiency and drug content. Scanning electron microscopic images of microsponges revealed that they are spherical in shape and contain pores. Pore structure analysis was done by using mercury intrusion porosimetry technique, which confirmed the porous nature of microsponges. Microsponges were then incorporated in to a 1% corbopol gel and evaluated for pH, drug content, texture profile analysis and in vitro drug release. The batch F IV was found to be optimal as it shown 69.38% controlled drug release in 8 h that followed Higuchi model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term field experiments were conducted at Agra, Solapur and Hisar from 2000 to 2008 to identify efficient tillage and nutrient management practices and to develop predictive models that would describe the relationship between crop yields and monthly rainfall for rainfed pearl millet grown on arid and semi-arid Inceptisol, Vertisol and Aridisol soils. Nine treatments comprising a factorial combination of three tillage practices, viz., conventional tillage (CT), low tillage + interculture (LT1) and low tillage + herbicide (LT2) and three fertilizer treatments viz., 100% N from an organic source (F1), 50% organic N + 50% inorganic N (F2) and 100% inorganic N (F3) were tested in a split-plot design at the three locations. Studies revealed that tillage and fertilizer treatments, and their interactions, significantly influenced pearl millet grain yields at the three locations. Prediction models describing the relation between grain yield and monthly rainfall indicated that rainfall occurring in June, July and August at Agra; June and July at Solapur; and June and August at Hisar significantly influenced pearl millet grain yield attained by different treatments. The R2 values of the model ranged from 0.64 to 0.81 at Agra; 0.63 to 0.92 at Solapur, and 0.75 to 0.89 at Hisar. When averaged over all the treatment combinations, mean pearl millet grain yields varied from 1590 to 1744 kg ha−1 at Agra; 1424 to 1786 kg ha−1 at Solapur; and 1675 to 1766 kg ha−1 at Hisar while their corresponding sustainability yield indice (SYI) varied from 35.4 to 42.2%, 19.9 to 45.6% and 64.1 to 68.3%, respectively. At Agra (Inceptisol), CTF3 resulted in significantly higher mean net returns (Rs 11 439 ha−1), benefit-cost ratio (2.33), rainwater use efficiency (RWUE) (3.52 kg ha−1 mm−1) and the second best SYI (39.9%). At Solapur (Vertisol), the LT1F3 resulted in significantly higher net returns (Rs 12 818 ha−1), benefit-cost ratio (3.52), RWUE (3.89 kg ha−1 mm−1) and the fourth best SYI (42.6%). At Hisar (Aridisol), the LT1F3 treatment gave higher net returns (Rs 3866 ha−1), benefit-cost ratio (1.26), RWUE (5.05 kg ha−1 mm−1) and the fourth best SYI (67.8%). These treatment combinations can be recommended for their respective locations to achieve maximum RWUE, productivity and profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the diagnosis tool of liver disorders in dogs which is ultrasonography. It cites clinical cases with manifestation of liver disease of dogs in which they were subjected to ultrasound examination. It mentions that Toshiba Ultrasound machine is used as the ultrasound machine for the clinical cases. It notes that the liver was scanned in transverse and longitudinal section fanning movement.

Eleven dogs were diagnosed with corneal opacity based on clinical and opthalmic examination. Antibiotic and corticosteriod therapy initially for seven days followed by cyclosporine after confirmation of epithelization. Negative fluorescin dye test was confirmation for effective therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: Medical licensing bodies and professional colleges require their members to maintain a broad spectrum of knowledge, skills and attitudes, which, when taken together, define a competent emergency physician (EP). The objectives of this pilot study were: 1) to determine the resources used by academic EPs to maintain competence and 2) to determine academic EPs' learning priorities. METHODS: Using a modified Dillman method, we surveyed EPs from 2 Canadian academic tertiary health sciences centres. RESULTS: Thirty-seven (68.5%) of 54 EPs responded. Of those responding, 14 (37.8%) attended grand rounds 3 times or more annually, and 34 (91.7%) attended a medical conference or course at least once annually. Thirty-three (89.2%) respondents read journal articles at least once monthly, with 22 (59.5%) of those reading synopses of original articles. Twenty-three (62.1%) received clinical updates via email, and 11 (29.7%) subscribed to an audio journal or podcast of reviews of original research. Among the CanMEDS roles, Medical Expert, Scholar and Manager were selected as top professional development priorities by more than one-third of respondents. The topics that were not selected as priorities by respondents included patient communication and charting (Communicator); conflict resolution skills and teamwork abilities (Collaborator); advocate for patient and promote health in emergency department populations (Health Advocate) and ethical conflict resolution (Professional). CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study suggest that in order to maintain clinical competence in emergency medicine, traditional formats of professional development (e.g., grand rounds, print media and original research) are being substituted for independent study, online media and reviews of original research. This study also suggests a strong preference for Medical Expert topics, while Professional, Health Advocate, Collaborator and Communicator topics are not a reported priority for professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY OBJECTIVE: An assessment of the methods of medical record review studies published in emergency medicine journals during a 5-year period ending in 1993 provided strategies for improvements. We assess and quantify the current methodologic quality of medical record review studies in emergency medicine journals using published guidelines and compare these results among journals and with those of 10 years previously. METHODS: Independent, systematic searches of emergency medicine journals identified all medical record review studies published in 2003. Methodology assessments of each selected study were conducted independently by 2 other researchers, and disagreements were resolved by arbitration. RESULTS: We identified 79 (14%) medical record review studies in 563 original research articles in 6 emergency medicine journals. The highest adherence to methodologic standards was found for sampling method (99%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 93% to 100%), and the lowest was for abstractor blinding to hypothesis (4%; 95% CI 1% to 11%). Interobserver agreement for the 12 criteria ranged from 57% to 95%. A comparison of these results with those of 10 years ago revealed significant improvements in 3 of the 8 original criteria assessed: data abstraction forms, mentioning interobserver performance, and testing interobserver performance. CONCLUSION: Medical record review studies continue to comprise a substantial proportion of original research in the emergency medicine literature. Important improvements are noted in some criteria, but adherence remains below 50% for 7 of the 12 criteria assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning disabilities (LD) is one of the important causes of poor academic performance in school going children. Learning disabilities are developmental disorders that usually manifest during the period of normal education. These disabilities create a significant gap between the true potential and day to day performance of an individual. Dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia denote the problem related to reading, writing and mathematics. Perinatal problems are certain neurological conditions, known to be associated with LD; however, genetic predisposition seems to be the most probable etiological factors. Evaluation of a child suspected to be having LD consists of medical examination, vision and hearing test analysis of school performance. The psycho-behaviour assessment and education testing are essential in the process of diagnosis. The experienced persons in the field of LD should interpret the results of such tests. With Individualized Remedial Education Plan (IEP) most children learn to cope up with disability and may get integrated in a regular steam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 12 female dogs presented at TVCC, NVC, Nagpur were included in this study and were divided into 2 different groups of 6 dogs each. The dogs were subjected to laparoscopic ovariectomy and laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy in group I and II, respectively. The surgical parameters like surgical operating time, time to resect left and right organs and length of incision were studied. The mean surgical time of 71.16 ± 3.08 minutes was recorded in group I than that of 60.66 ± 5.60 minutes in group II. The time for resection of left ovary was longer in laparoscopic ovariectomy (26.66 ± 2.53 minutes) than by laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy (20.66 ± 3.02 mins). The time for resection of right ovary was longer in laparoscopic ovariectomy (18.83 ± 2.42 minutes) followed by laparoscopic ovariohysterectomy (14.33 ± 2.71 mins). Ovarian pedicle bleeding and splenic puncture in one dog were the intraoperative complications recorded in the study. It could be concluded that both the techniques were found equally feasible and safe for patients and further that surgical time can be reduced with experienced and skilled surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new minimal invasive technique using stainless steel stapling in six dogs was compared with practiced surgical technique. After draining, the haematoma and removal of complete blood and fibrin clots through the incision, haematoma cavity was flushed with Povidine iodine and stainless steel stapling was applied into the ear in six (6) dogs and practiced surgical method in another six (6) dogs. The stapling technique required less surgical time for obliteration of dead space and less time required for complete healing as compared to surgical technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two bullocks with history of fracture of horn, foul smelling, head shaking, mucopurulent discharge from the corresponding nostrils, dull, depressed, partially closed eyes and head pressing were presented. Both animals were suspected for sinusitis and in second case tumor mass (squamous cell carcinoma) at the tip was observed. The affected horns were surgically removed and no recurrence was observed. Animals recovered uneventfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nine year old pomeranian female dog was reported with inappetance, reduced water intake, occasional vomiting, and large growth since last two months. Clinical examination revealed fever, dysponea, auscultation of chest revealed lung consolidation and large tumor in left caudal abdominal gland. Surgical intervention under dissociative anaesthesia, removal of tumorous mass and post-operative care was undertaken. The histopathological examination revealed proliferation of mesenchymal cells along with tubular epithelial type representing fibrosarcoma of mammary gland. Uneventful recovery marked the successful surgical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A six year old male dog was presented with complaints of serosangineous discharge from the prepuce and the nostrils with a huge swelling on the nasal bridge and difficult breathing with snoring sounds. Clinical examination revealed venereal granuloma on the shaft of penis and mucosa of prepuce. Examination of the nostrils revealed softening of the nasal bridge and the nasal canal was packed with the extensive growth. Radiography revealed extensive loss of the nasal bone due to destruction and soft tissue mass above lesion. The histopathological examination of biopsy samples confirmed the growth to be venereal granuloma. The growth from the genitelia was removed surgically and post-operative antibiotic and analgesic course was given. Chemotherapy of Inj. vincristin instituted at weekly interval for 5 weeks for regression of the intranasal growth and also to avoid the recurrence of tumour. The discharge from the genitelia and nasal canal completely subsided at the end of first week and the swelling subsided by the end of fourth week. The surgical excision and vincristin chemotherapy lead to complete regression of growth in the nasal passage. No recurrence of the case was reported till the period of 6 months follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 10-month-old Labrador male with history of anorexia for the past six days, inability to pass faeces for 8 days, arched back and dullness. The diagnosis of intussusception was confirmed through the ultrasound examination. The article also discusses several procedures necessary for detecting and managing intussusception including abdominal ultrasonography and cranial midline laparotomy.

The article presents a case study of a four-year-old Labrador bitch with complaint of severe pain followed by anorexia, unsuccessful attempts of vomiting and not passing faeces for one day. Radiographic examination confirmed the diagnosis of gastric torsion distension. The article also discusses the surgical management in correcting the abnormality.