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Ciliates associated with advanced diseased lesions of Acropora sp. and Porites sp. in the field were isolated and characterised using microscopic and molecular analysis. The identified dominant coral-associated ciliates as Holosticha sp. and Cohnilembusverminus was propagated in vitro and taken for further study. Ciliates high cell numbers with substrate containing bacteria-free mucus confirms the feeding preference for nutrients in mucus instead of bacteria. Therefore, fatty acid composition of the coral mucus was analysed and noted for the different composition levels of SAFA, MUFA and PUFA in both the genera. This suggests the possible feed specific interactions of ciliates with coral mucus and tissues. Conversely, Holosticha sp. was observed for invading the host cells for its voracious ingestion of Symbiodiniaceae cells and tissues. Moreover, the aquarium based investigation revealed that the ciliates migrate to the injured and early disease signs of corals enhancing the tissue loss and disease lesion progression. Thus, our results indicate that the ciliates interact with the immunocompromised disease corals and play a major role in progression of disease lesions leading to rapid coral mortality., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A 30-year-old female presented to us with multiple tender erythematous papules and nodules. These lesions showed multi-segmental distribution along 5(th) cervical, 6(th) dorsal, and 1(st) sacral segments of right half of the body. Histopathological examination confirmed the clinical diagnosis of leiomyoma. Patient was started on nifedipine 10 mg thrice-daily with significant symptomatic improvement in 3 months. Though segmental distribution of leiomyoma is common, unilateral multi-segmental distribution has not been so far reported in the literature. Hence, the case is being reported for its rare presentation and the need for long-term follow-up in view of its association with aggressive renal carcinoma.

Understanding the effect of alpha radiation on biological systems is an important component of radiation risk assessment and associated health consequences. However, due to the short path length of alpha radiation in the atmosphere, in vitro radiobiological experiments cannot be performed with accuracy in terms of dose and specified exposure time. The present paper describes the design and dosimetry of an automated alpha-particle irradiator named 'BARC BioAlpha', which is suitable for in vitro radiobiological studies. Compared to alpha irradiators developed in other laboratories, BARC BioAlpha has integrated computer-controlled movement of the alpha-particle source, collimator, and electronic shutter. The diaphragm blades of the electronic shutter can control the area (diameter) of irradiation without any additional shielding, which is suitable for radiobiological bystander studies. To avoid irradiation with incorrect parameters, a software interlock is provided to prevent shutter opening, unless the user-specified speed of the source and collimator are achieved. The dosimetry of the alpha irradiator using CR-39 and silicon surface barrier detectors showed that ~4 MeV energy of the alpha particle reached the cells on the irradiation dish. The alpha irradiation was also demonstrated by the evaluation of DNA double-strand breaks in human cells. In conclusion, 'BARC BioAlpha' provides a user-friendly alpha irradiation system for radiobiological experiments with a novel automation mechanism for better accuracy of dose and exposure time.