ABSTRACTMembers of the genusWolbachiaare intracellular bacteria that are widespread in arthropods and establish diverse symbiotic associations with their hosts, ranging from mutualism to parasitism. Here we present the first detailed analyses ofWolbachiain butterflies from India with screening of 56 species. Twenty-nine species (52%) representing five families were positive forWolbachia. This is the first report ofWolbachiainfection in 27 of the 29 species; the other two were reported previously. This study also provides the first evidence of infection in the family Papilionidae. A striking diversity was observed amongWolbachiastrains in butterfly hosts based on five multilocus sequence typing (MLST) genes, with 15 different sequence types (STs). Thirteen STs are new to the MLST database, whereas ST41 and ST125 were reported earlier. Some of the same host species from this study carried distinctly differentWolbachiastrains, whereas the same or different butterfly hosts also harbored closely relatedWolbachiastrains. Butterfly-associated STs in the Indian sample originated by recombination and point mutation, further supporting the role of both processes in generatingWolbachiadiversity. Recombination was detected only among the STs in this study and not in those from the MLST database. Most of the strains were remarkably similar in theirwspgenotype, despite divergence in MLST. Only twowspalleles were found among 25 individuals with complete hypervariable region (HVR) peptide profiles. Although bothwspand MLST show variability, MLST gives better separation between the strains. Completely different STs were characterized for the individuals sharing the samewspalleles.
The present study was to investigate the anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic potential of thymol. Anticonvulsant activity of thymol (5-100 mg/kg i.p.) was studied using maximal electroshock, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), strychnine and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) models. Thymol at the selected dose was also studied for its effect on locomotion. Antiepileptogenic property of thymol (5-25 mg/kg) was evaluated using PTZ-induced kindling model along with its effect on malondialdehyde and glutathione levels. Thymol (50 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) showed anticonvulsant activity against maximal electroshock and pentylenetetrazole (66.66 and 83.33 % protection at 50 and 100 mg/kg, respectively) model but not against strychnine and 4-aminopyridine models. Thymol exhibited decreased locomotor activity in dose-dependent manner at the same dose range. Thymol at the dose of (25 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly decreased the seizure score, increased glutathione levels and decreased malondialdehyde levels in pentylenetetrazole-induced kindling model. Thymol exhibited significant anticonvulsant and antiepileptogenic property.
Background: The 0.25mg short synacthen test (SST) is used to assess recovery from hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) suppression due to chronic glucocorticoid administration. We assessed the potential role of salivary cortisol and cortisone in predicting HPA function using the SST as the gold standard test. Method: Between 09:00 and 10:30 salivary and blood samples were collected just prior to a SST to assess HPA axis recovery in patients previously treated with oral glucocorticoids. The cut-off for a normal SST was a 30-minute cortisol â¥450nmol/L. Results: Fifty-six SSTs were performed on 47 patients. Of these, 15 were normal. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for serum cortisol, salivary cortisone and salivary cortisol were 0.772, 0.785 and 0.770 respectively. From the ROC analysis, the cut-offs for baseline serum cortisol (â¥365nmol/L) and salivary cortisone (â¥37.2nmol) predicted HPA axis recovery with 100% specificity in 26.7% of pass SSTs; whereas salivary cortisol predicted none. Baseline serum cortisol (â¤170nmol/L), salivary cortisone (â¤9.42nmol/L) and salivary cortisol (â¤1.92nmol/L) predicted HPA suppression with 100% sensitivity in 58.5%, 53.7% and 51.2% of failed SSTs respectively. Using these cut-offs, baseline serum cortisol, salivary cortisone and salivary cortisol could reduce the need for SSTs by 50%, 46% and 37% respectively. Conclusion: Although marginally inferior to early morning serum cortisol, early morning salivary cortisone may be used as a first-line test for assessing HPA function. We plan to incorporate salivary cortisone into a home based patient pathway to identify patients with HPA recovery, continuing HPA suppression and those who require a SST.
Hexagonal nanotowers (HNTs) of ZnO were formed by nanoparticle aggregation and coalescence during hydrothermal reaction, which at elevated reaction temperature through an adsorption–dissolution growth mechanism gave rise to hollow structures.
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