Effects of danicamtiv, a novel cardiac myosin activator, in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: experimental data and clinical results from a phase 2a trial.

Aims: Both left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) dysfunction and remodelling contribute to adverse outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Danicamtiv is a novel, cardiac myosin activator that enhances cardiomyocyte contraction.

Methods And Results: We studied the effects of danicamtiv on LV and LA function in non-clinical studies (ex vivo: skinned muscle fibres and myofibrils; in vivo: dogs with heart failure) and in a randomized, double-blind, single- and multiple-dose phase 2a trial in patients with stable HFrEF (placebo, n = 10; danicamtiv, n = 30; 50-100 mg twice daily for 7 days).

Prevalence of endoparasites in captive snakes of Kerala, India.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the status of parasitic infections in captive snakes of Kerala. Faecal samples were collected from captive snakes of State Museums and Zoos of Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram. Parasites were screened by direct smear, sedimentation, simple floatation and Shaether’s sugar floatation method.

Seasonality of litter insects and relationship with rainfall in a wet evergreen forest in South Western Ghats.

The seasonality of litter insect abundance and its relationship with rainfall was analyzed in a wet evergreen forest on the windward side of south Western Ghats. Monthly litter samples were collected using Berlese funnels during 4 seasons of a year: southwest monsoon season June-August), northeast monsoon season (September-November), summer (March -May) and pre-summer season (December-February). Insect fauna as a whole showed no seasonal variation in abundance, however, some individual insect orders showed significant seasonal variation.

Biodiversity analysis of forest litter ant assemblages in the wayanad region of Western ghats using taxonomic and conventional diversity measures.

The diversity of litter ant assemblages in evergreen, deciduous and Shola evergreen (Shola) forest vegetation types of the Wayanad region of the Western Ghats was assessed employing conventional and taxonomic diversity indices. Non-dependence on quantitative data and the ability to relate the phylogenetic structure of assemblages with ecological conditions of the habitat, and to ascertain priorities for conservation of habitats, makes non-parametric taxonomic diversity measures, such as variation in taxonomic distinctness Lambda(+) and average taxonomic distinctness Delta(+), highly useful tools for assessment of litter ant biodiversity. Although Delta(+) values saturated leading to closer values for the 3 litter ant assemblages, Lambda(+) proved to be a more dependable index.