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Background: The Indian dairy industry has progress consistently ever since the White revolution of the 1970s, making India, the world's largest and fastest producer of milk with 17 per cent global share. The Indian dairy market is expected to double within the next 10 years, primarily driven by over 16-20 per cent growth in value added dairy segment. To catch this high growth potential and to meet the rising demand, a sustainable and strong dairy production system will be critical. Methods: A study was conducted between December 2018 and February 2019 at four different dairy farms. The farms were identified based on rearing systems practiced. The farms were divided into two groups where the first one (n=10 dairy cattle) utilized automatic rearing systems (the ARS farms), while the second group (n=10) had conventional rearing systems (the CRS farms). Result: Based on the results, the effect of different rearing systems on the average lactation yield in the fourth lactation was significantly higher (P=0.05) in automatic rearing system. The lactation yield of both the treatment groups was not significant till third lactation. There was no significant difference observed in persistency of milk production in both the rearing systems. Reproductive performance of the ARS houses had better age at first calving and service period as compared to conventional house type with significant difference. By using an ARS it is possible to save time and achieve greater flexibility. The experiment indicates less man power minutes required for routine daily work like feeding, watering and milking in automatic rearing system as compare to conventional rearing system. A significant (P=0.01) reduction in working time by comparison with a different feeding, watering and management system however can only be expected in the case of sizeable herds. It appears that not much time can be saved with herds numbering 60 animals, but flexibility for the farm manager becomes significantly greater. In view of the relatively high amount invested in ARS, the profitability of such a system must be decided on a farm by farm basis. In principle an ARS can be a good opportunity for optimizing working time and workload in dairy farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) emerging in developed as well as developing countries, with the complicated pathogenesis. The study of expression of the genes related to kidney cells e.g. podocytes has been shown to be associated with the condition, helping in the elucidation of pathogenesis of the disease. Previously the gene expression associated was studied in urine samples. Material and Methods: In the present study, it was attempted to analyze the mRNA expression of podocyte related genes viz. podocalyxin, podocin and synaptopodin in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) in patients with diabetes with and without nephropathy in comparison with healthy controls by reverse transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), followed by semi-quantitative PCR. Results: The expression of Synaptopodin (SYNPO) was increased in diabetics than the controls, while no significant difference was found for Podocalixyn (PODXL) and Podocin (NPHS2). The expression of PODXL and NPHS2 was significantly up-regulated; SYNPO was unaltered in microalbuminuric patients than healthy controls. PODXL and SYNPO were increased significantly in nephropathy subjects than controls, with no significant change in NPHS2. The expression of only PODXL was found to be upregulated in microalbuminuric patients as compared to T2DM patients without nephropathy. PODXL, SYNPO were significantly up-regulated and NPHS2 was significantly down-regulated in nephropathy subjects as compared to T2DM patients without nephropathy. A significant down-regulation was found for NPHS2 expression in nephropathy patients than microalbuminuric patients of T2DM with nephropathy. Conclusion: The detection of gene expression of these proteins can be used as an early marker for the detection of development of nephropathy in T2DM patients and preventive measures can be taken to prolong the onset of nephropathy in these patients, increasing the life expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is generally considered redundant in cases of normozoospermia, or mild male factor cases of infertility and conventional method of insemination is advocated. However, there is a risk of low fertilization or total fertilization failure (TFF) and to avoid this, split in vitro fertilization (IVF)-ICSI method of insemination is advised. In our study, we have shown that not only TFF is avoided with split method of insemination, but also cancellation of embryo transfer (ET) can be avoided in a significant number of IVF cycles. Aims: This study aimed to assess whether the IVF-ICSI split insemination method was able to reduce the risk of ET cancellation in couples with normal or mild sperm characteristics. Settings and Design: It is a retrospective study including a total of 107 split insemination cycles done at our center. Materials and Methods: The female partner's age was under 37 years, and at least ten oocytes were retrieved in all cycles. Sibling oocytes were randomly allocated to IVF or ICSI. Statistical analysis was carried out using Graphpad Prism, Instat. Results and Conclusion: The fertilization rate in oocytes kept in conventional IVF was significantly higher (79.8%) compared to that of oocytes injected through ICSI (69.1%). Only one couple had TFF. In majority of the cycles, i.e., 97 out of 107 cycles, the mode of insemination did not affect the fertilization rate or embryo quality. Nearly 28% of the cycles were saved from ET cancellation by adopting the split insemination method. "Split IVF-ICSI" approach can save a significant number of ART cycles and is found to be cost-effective as it avoids incurring the cost of two ART cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is one of the leading non-communicable disorders, leading to various complications viz. cardiovascular diseases, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and peripheral vascular disorders. Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) patients further develop into End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and they have to undergo the repeated blood transfusions, increasing the social and economic burden. The number of risk factors are known for causation of diabetic nephropathy including the environmental, biochemical as well as genetic factors. The association of nephropathy with various genes has been proved. Aim and Objectives: In the present study we attempted to check the association of Insertion/Deletion (I/D) polymorphism of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) in diabetic patients with and without nephropathy and also with the biochemical markers. Material and Methods: Each group consisted of 110 individuals viz. diabetics with and without nephropathy and age and gender matched healthy controls. Results: The determination of I/D polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction revealed the significant increased 'D' allele frequencies in patients of diabetes with and without nephropathy than the controls, while no significant difference was noted in genotype frequencies. The odds ratios for this polymorphism were calculated to be 1.84 and 2.41 for DM and DN respectively in comparison with the healthy controls. The regression analysis indicated I/D polymorphism is associated positively with all the lipid parameters, except High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) which was negatively associated with the polymorphism. The levels of lipid parameters were also significantly increased in patients of diabetes with and without nephropathy carriers for 'D' allele than the patients having 'I' allele, while the level of HDL-C was significantly decreased. Conclusion: The conclusion can be made from these results that, the presence of I/D polymorphism of ACE may increase the risk of development of nephropathy in general population, with the role of 'D' allele in its causation, along with its effect on the biochemical markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mechanical ventilation in cirrhosis with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is not widely studied. We aimed to study the effect of the staircase recruitment manoeuvre followed by two different modes of ventilation. Methods Thirty patients with cirrhosis with moderate ARDS underwent the staircase recruitment manoeuvre followed by randomisation to volume control or pressure control group. Results The PaO~2~/FiO~2~ ratio showed a significant improvement in both the groups after recruitment. The improvement was significantly higher in the pressure control ventilation (PCV) group at the end of the first hour as compared to the volume control ventilation (VCV) group. However, this difference was not significant at the end of 6 and 12 h. In the PCV group it improved from 118.47 ± 10.21 at baseline to 189.87 ± 55.18 12 h post-recruitment. In the VCV group it improved from 113.79 ± 13.22 at baseline to 180.93 ± 81.971. Static lung compliance also improved in both the groups significantly (P \< 0.001). The PCV group showed an improvement from 25.42 ± 11.94 mL/cm H~2~O at baseline to 29.51 ± 14.58 mL/cm H~2~O. In the VCV group the lung compliance improved from 24.78 ± 4.87 mL/cm H~2~O to 31.31 ± 10.88 mL/cm H~2~O. Conclusion This study shows that stepwise recruitment manoeuvre is an effective rescue therapy to improve oxygenation in cirrhosis with moderate ARDS. PCV may have an advantage over VCV in terms of better oxygenation.

Abstract Background Kudzu, Pueraria montana var. lobata, is a woody vine native to Southeast Asia that has been introduced globally for cattle forage and erosion control. The vine is highly invasive in its introduced areas, including the southeastern US. Modern molecular marker resources are limited for the species, despite its importance. Transcriptomes for P. montana var. lobata and a second phaseoloid legume taxon previously ascribed to genus Pueraria, Neustanthus phaseoloides, were generated and mined for microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms. Results Roche 454 sequencing of P. montana var. lobata and N. phaseoloides transcriptomes produced read numbers ranging from ~ 280,000 to ~ 420,000. Trinity assemblies produced an average of 17,491 contigs with mean lengths ranging from 639 bp to 994 bp. Transcriptome completeness, according to BUSCO, ranged between 64 and 77%. After vetting for primer design, there were 1646 expressed simple sequence repeats (eSSRs) identified in P. montana var. lobata and 1459 in N. phaseoloides. From these eSSRs, 17 identical primer pairs, representing inter-generic phaseoloid eSSRs, were created. Additionally, 13 primer pairs specific to P. montana var. lobata were also created. From these 30 primer pairs, a final set of seven primer pairs were used on 68 individuals of P. montana var. lobata for characterization across the US, China, and Japan. The populations exhibited from 20 to 43 alleles across the seven loci. We also conducted pairwise tests for high-confidence SNP discovery from the kudzu transcriptomes we sequenced and two previously sequenced P. montana var. lobata transcriptomes. Pairwise comparisons between P. montana var. lobata ranged from 358 to 24,475 SNPs, while comparisons between P. montana var. lobata and N. phaseoloides ranged from 5185 to 30,143 SNPs. Conclusions The discovered molecular markers for kudzu provide a starting point for comparative genetic studies within phaseoloid legumes. This study both adds to the current genetic resources and presents the first available genomic resources for the invasive kudzu vine. Additionally, this study is the first to provide molecular evidence to support the hypothesis of Japan as a source of US kudzu and begins to narrow the origin of US kudzu to the central Japanese island of Honshu.

An acute and subacute oral toxicity study of Holstein Friesian cross bred cow urine was conducted to determine the median lethal dose for both. male and female rats separately. Five groups of male rats and five groups of female rats, each consisting of six rats were used for estimating LD5O value. The study was conducted as per the OECD guidelines. In the acute toxicity study in male and female rats there was no mortality even at the highest dose tested (5 mI/kg body weight) indicating that cow urine was practically non-toxic. In the repeated dose 28 day subacute oral toxicity study the serum samples were analyzed on day 0, 14 and 28 for different biochemical parameters such as AST, ALT, ALP, BUN, Creatinine, Bilirubin and STP concentration. There were significant (P<0.O1) changes in biochemical values as well as concentration of various biochemical parameters, but the significant values were under normal ranges. Study concludes that Holstein Friesian cross bred cow urine has no effect on biochemical parameters in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effectiveness of subcutaneous methotrexate (MTX) in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It notes that MTX has become the first-line strategy for RA management and before starting biologic treatment. Also mentioned are the superior clinical efficacy of subcutaneous MTX over oral MTX at the same dose and potential disease remission for patients who switch from oral to parenteral MTX.

Most of the preschool children suffer from severe anxiety and apprehension before operation. This can largely affect the smooth conductance and emergence from anaesthesia. Above all this can lead to development of maladaptive behavioral responses in later part of life. Midazolam in current time has emerged as an ideal premedicant having all the desirable properties in this regard. It has been used by several routes for premedication. Each has its own advantage and disadvantage. The search for an ideal route and dose still exists. So the current study was planned to find out the efficacy of midazolam intranasally. Forty five paediatric patients of 2-5 years of age belonging to ASA I& II, scheduled for minor elective surgery were selected for this study. Patients were divided in three equal groups to receive normal saline (Group I), 0.2 mgkg-1 midazolam (Group II), or 0.3mgkg-1 midazolam (Group III) intranasally. Vital parameters and level of sedation (using a sedation scale) were assessed before administering the drug and at 5 min interval up to induction of anaesthesia. Standard anaesthesia technique was used intraoperatively. Recovery parameters were assessed in the recovery area using a recovery scale. A statistically significant change in the level of sedation was found at 5 min in group II and at 10 min in group III compared to control group. Parental separation was significantly easier in midazolam groups. Mask acceptance rate was also found to be significantly higher in midazolam groups. There was no statistical difference in recovery parameters in any group. No major adverse effect was seen in any midazolam group. No major advantage was found with higher dose of midazolam. Therefore we conclude that 0.2 mgkg-1 intranasal midazolam is an effective method of producing anxiolysis and sedation in paediatric patients.

Background & objectives: In this study we describe the epidemiological data, comorbidities, clinical symptoms, severity of illness and early outcome of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from a tertiary care teaching hospital in New Delhi, India. Methods: In this preliminary analysis of a prospective observational study, all adult patients admitted to the screening intensive care unit (ICU) of the institute who fulfilled the WHO case definition of COVID-19 and confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were included. Demographics, clinical data and 24 h outcome were assessed. Results: The preliminary analysis of 235 patients revealed that the mean age was 50.7±15.1 yr and 68.1 per cent were male. Fever (68.1%), cough (59.6%) and shortness of breath (71.9%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Hypertension (28.1%) and diabetes mellitus (23.3%) were the most common associated comorbid illnesses. Patients with mild, moderate, severe and critical illness were 18.3, 32.3, 31.1 and 18.3 per cent, respectively, at the time of ICU admission. The proportions (95% confidence interval) of patients requiring any form of oxygen therapy, oxygen therapy by high-flow nasal cannula and invasive mechanical ventilation were 77, 21.7 and 25.5 per cent, respectively, within 24 h of hospital admission. The 24 h ICU mortality was 8.5 per cent, and non-survivors had higher respiratory rate (P <0.01, n=198) and lower baseline oxyhaemoglobin saturation (P <0.001, n=198) at presentation and higher baseline serum lactate (P <0.01, n=122), total leucocyte count (P <0.001, n=186), absolute neutrophil count (P <0.001, n=132), prothrombin time (P <0.05, n=54) and INR (P <0.05, n=54) compared to survivors. Interpretation & conclusions: Nearly half of the patients presented with severe and critical disease and required high-flow nasal oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation at admission. Severity of the presenting respiratory illness, haematological parameters and lactate rather than age or presence of comorbidity predicted early death within 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabies is a progressively fatal viral disease affecting a wide variety of warm-blooded animals and human beings. With cattle being major part of Indian livestock population, rabies can result in significant financial losses. Immunization of livestock vulnerable to exposure is the best way to control rabies. The present study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of a rabies pre-exposure prophylactic vaccine administered through different routes and to sequentially monitor the levels of rabies virus-neutralizing antibody (RVNA) titers in cattle. Thirty cattle were divided into five groups of six animals each. Group I and III animals were immunized with 1 mL and 0.2 mL of rabies vaccine through intramuscular (IM) and intradermal (ID) routes, respectively, on day 0, with a booster dose on day 21; Group II and IV animals were immunized with 1 mL and 0.2 mL of rabies vaccine, respectively, without the booster dose; unvaccinated animals served as a control (Group V). Serum samples were collected on days 0, 14, 28, and 90 to estimate RVNA titers using the rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT). The titers were above an adequate level (≥0.5 IU/mL) on day 14 and maintained up to 90 days in all animals administered the rabies vaccine through the IM and ID route with or without a booster dose. The study indicated that both routes of vaccination are safe and effective in providing protection against rabies. Hence, both routes can be considered for pre-exposure prophylaxis. However, the ID route proved to be more economical due to its dose-sparing effect.

The corrosion inhibition performance of Hexa (3-methoxy propan-1,2 diol) cyclotriphosphazene (HMC) on carbon steel in 3% NaCl solution was investigated by weight loss (WL), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements, Density functional theory (DFT) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The corrosion inhibition efficiency at optimum concentration (10 -3 M) is 99% of HMC at 298 K. The corrosion inhibition efficiency at 10 -3 M decreases with increase in temperature. The adsorption of HMC on the surface of carbon steel obeyed Langmuir isotherm. Potentiodynamic polarization study confirmed that inhibitor anodic-type. DFT and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations based computational approaches were under taken to support the experimental findings. DFT studies revealed that HMC interact with metallic surface through donor-acceptor interactions in which the anionic parts act as electron donor (HOMO) and cationic parts behaved as electron acceptor (LUMO). The MC simulations study showed that studied HMC adsorb spontaneously on Fe (110) surface.