Search

Rice (Oryza Sativa) is a staple food for over half of the World's population and around 90 percent is produced and consumed in Asia. Its different fractions are rice husk, bran, brown and white rice. Concerns have been raised regarding the elevated levels of Arsenic (As), a toxic metalloid, in rice. Arsenic toxicity is associated with cancer and other health related disorders. Arsenic levels in white rice has been studied widely however, few studies have been focused on the levels of arsenic in rice husk. This is of major concern as rice husk is used as animal fodder. Total arsenic in rice and its different fractions varies geographically depending on the arsenic concentration of soil and irrigation water. Therefore, this study was undertaken to assess the arsenic concentration in rice husk produced in the Trans Indo-Gangetic plain (TIGP) of India. Total arsenic was estimated using Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry. WHO (2011) recommended permissible limit of 1.0 mg As kg-1 for white rice; however no recommended limit has been established for the arsenic concentration in rice husk. The total As concentration in rice husk of TIGP ranged, from 0.377 to 4.724 mg As kg-1, (dw), with a mean value of 1.724 mg As kg-1 (dw). When results of the present study were compared with WHO limit, the Arsenic level was found to be higher than the limit. Therefore, this study concluded that rice husk produced in the TIGP of India is not safe to be used as animal fodder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit is an important invader of the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. In our study, it has been investigated that how does the H. suaveolens invasion regulate plant species diversity across the seasons in the dry tropical grassland. We hypothesized that a shift in soil inorganic-N availability is caused by invasion, and this shift is integral to access the invasion effect on plant diversity. Methods The study was performed in experimental plots at the Botanical Garden of the Banaras Hindu University (25°16′3.3″ N and 82°59′22.7″ E), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Five replicates (each, 2 × 2m) of non-invaded grassland plots (NIG) and five grassland plots invaded with H. suaveolens (IG) were established. These plots were constructed by transplanting indigenous grassland patches from an adjacent native grassland. In the invaded plots, 20 individuals of H. suaveolens were transplanted per plot. After 1 year of establishment, diversity attributes and soil properties were recorded from these plots in three seasons as per standard protocol. Important Findings The results indicated that Hyptis invasion negatively affects plant diversity, with relatively higher impact in rainy season as compared to the winter season. IG exhibited lower soil moisture content and temperature than NIG in rainy season, whereas soil ammonium-N, nitrate-N, total inorganic-N, N mineralization registered higher values for IG than NIG in both rainy and winter season. Diversity indices were negatively correlated with soil inorganic-N pool and N mineralization. However, these indices were positively correlated with microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and the correlation coefficient for this relationship was higher for rainy season as compared to winter. Species richness (r = 0.65) and Shannon diversity (r = 0.757) were significantly correlated with the ratio of ammonium-N to nitrate-N. The negative effect of invasion by H. suaveolens on the plant diversity is possibly mediated by the effect of invasion on N mineralization processes (mainly nitrification) and the availability of soil inorganic-N pools. The study indicates that Hyptis invasion has an enormous potential to change the structure and composition of plant communities in the dry tropical grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human height is a classic polygenic trait and currently available data explains only 10% of the phenotypic variation in height. Almost 60%-80% of the children coming to pediatric and endocrinology outpatient department for the evaluation of short stature are still labeled as idiopathic. Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify various chromosomal alterations causing idiopathic short stature (ISS) and short stature with dysmorphic features not pertaining to known genetic syndromes. Materials and Methods: After exclusion of all nutritional, systemic, endocrine, and syndromic causes of short stature, 19 patients with height <2 standard deviation scores were subjected to chromosomal microarray (CMA) study using Affymetrix CytoScan 750K array and CMA Scanner 3000 platform. Results: We identified total 61 copy-number variant (CNV) and polymorphs (33 gains, 11 loss, and 17 gain-mosaics) not described as normal variants in database of genomic variations. We identified SHOX haploinsufficiency as a cause of short stature in two patients, whereas one patient was gain-mosaic for SHOX. All three had normal conventional karyotype. One of these patients also had deletion of PAX3, which could be the cause of both short stature and associated mild intellectual impairment in this patient. We also found a long noncoding RNA, namely, KIAA0125 and a pseudogene ADAM6 in 18 out of our 19 patients which might have a regulatory role. Conclusion: This study shows that CMA is a very promising tool for the identification of pathogenic CNVs in patients with ISS. It can also help to identify novel genes controlling height and can open up new insight into pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying ISS, and thus may help to unfold new therapeutic targets for treatment of this condition. The association of CNV having genes for long noncoding RNAs, such as KIAA0125 and pseudogene such as ADAM6 with ISS suggest that they may play a role in controlling the expression of height-related genes and it needs further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Riparian ecosystems are amongst the most vulnerable ecosystems of the world. The natural gradients and increasing human perturbations under these ecosystems can be explored for understanding the soil carbon (C) dynamics, especially soil carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) efflux. However, studies on soil CO 2 efflux and its governing variables under different land uses of dry tropical riparian ecosystems are limited. Therefore, the present study aimed (1) to assess the impact of riparian land use on soil CO 2 efflux, and (2) to identify the key drivers of soil CO 2 efflux along the river Ganga, Varanasi, India. The riparian land uses taken in this study were moist sandy flat (MSF), uncultivated sandy land (USL) and cultivated sandy land (CSL) depending upon their slope and distance from river body to upland, respectively. Soil CO 2 efflux and other soil biophysical properties were measured at 54 locations distributed in six sites having these land uses, in dry season of 2014–15. Soil biophysical properties considered in this study were soil organic C, soil moisture, bulk density, porosity, fine particles, microbial biomass C and soil pH. Riparian land uses were found to have significant impact over soil CO 2 efflux with a respective increase of 222, 424 and 63%, for MSF to USL, MSF to CSL, and USL to CSL land use transitions ( P < 0.01), respectively. Similarly, the regulators of soil CO 2 efflux varied with the land uses. It showed strong positive correlation with soil organic C (r = 0.81), fine particles (r = 0.64) and porosity (r = 0.61), whereas negative correlation with soil moisture (r = 0.61) and bulk density (r = 0.62) for overall dataset. However, soil organic C, fine particles, microbial biomass C and soil pH at MSF; soil organic C and microbial biomass C at USL; and soil moisture, porosity and microbial biomass C at CSL land uses were observed to regulate soil CO 2 efflux. The findings revealed that riparian land uses have significant control over soil CO 2 efflux and its biophysical regulators which have relative control over it. Soil organic C, soil moisture, fine particles, porosity and microbial biomass C were identified as prevalent regulators of soil CO 2 efflux under dry seasons. Overall, the results indicate that the biophysical variables in addition to human interferences (CSL land use) have pronounced regulation over soil CO 2 efflux in dry tropical riparian ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: GH Insensitivity Syndrome (GHIS), Laron syndrome, is a rare autosomal recessive condition associated with postnatal growth failure leading to extreme short stature, midfacial hypoplasia, truncal obesity, and hypoglycemia. Patients have raised GH levels, associated with deficiency of IGF-I and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3). These features commonly result from GH receptor (GHR) dysfunction and consequent failure of signal transduction pathways. Case Report: We report the case of a 7-year-old girl who was presented for evaluation of short stature. She belongs to a consanguineous Muslim family. Her antenatal and postnatal period was uneventful. Her motor, verbal and social mile stones were normal. On examination her height and weight were <5th centile with height age 1½ years weight age 1 years and bone age 4 years. Mean parental height was 151.5 cms. Her routine investigations were within normal limits. Her Prolactin, Cortisol and Thyroid functions were normal. GH stimulation test was done, at baseline >40 ng/dl at 60, 90 and 120 minutes it was 38 ng/dl, 37.8 ng/dl and >40 ng/dl respectively. An IGF-I generation test did not increase IGF-I levels (baseline insulin-like growth factor 1 levels, 37 μg/L; and at 12 and 84 hours 63 μg/L and 44 μg/L, respectively). In view of these, the diagnosis of primary growth hormone insensitivity syndrome was made, and recombinant insulin-like growth factor 1 therapy was advised. Conclusion: Primary growth hormone resistance or growth hormone insensitivity syndrome, also known as Laron syndrome, is a hereditary disease caused by deletions or different types of mutations in the growth hormone receptor gene or by post-receptor defects. This disorder is characterized by a clinical appearance of severe growth hormone deficiency with high levels of circulating growth hormone in contrast to low serum insulin-like growth factor 1 values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transverse Testicular ectopia (TTE) is an interesting though very uncommon anatomical anomaly of gonads. It is characterized by decent of both testes through single inguinal canal and towards the same hemiscrotum. TTE also known as transverse testicular ectopia, testicular pseudoduplication, unilateral double testis and transverse aberrant testicular maldescent. We report a 32-year old male had registered to our outpatient department for the evaluation of infertility. He was married 7 years back and has been living with wife since his marriage. His wife has normal menstrual cycle and has no history of endocrine disease and other chronic disease. On physical examination, the right hemiscrotum was well developed but right testis was not palpable. The left testis was in left hemiscrotum with normal in size and consistency. There was another lump on the posterosuperior position of left scrotum with very similar feeling of normal testis. He had complete inguinal hernia on the left side. Serum total testosterone value was 659.57 ng/dl. His serum LH, FSH, TSH, Prolactin values were also within normal range. There was azoospermia in the first semen analysis. Repeated semen analysis, 3 months later, revealed severe oligospermia. The karyotype of the patient is 46, XY with no Y chromosome micro deletions. Scrotal ultrasound with Color Doppler revealed that one testis was in left hemiscrotum and other was also in left hemiscrotum near to left superficial inguinal ring. TTE is a rare anomaly whose pathogenesis remains unclear. The diagnosis should be considered when unilateral hernia and concurrent cryptorchidism of the contralateral side are present. In suspected cases, ultrasonographic evaluation and laparoscopy may be helpful in diagnosing this condition before surgery. Transseptal orchiopexy is recommended to manage TTE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]