Can Dermoscopy and Ultrasonography be Considered a Prognostic Tool in Management of Psoriasis?

Background: Dermoscopy can reliably predict the diagnosis of plaque psoriasis. Ultrasonography has been increasingly used in dermatology in inflammatory diseases like psoriasis as a tool for evaluation. Hence, this study was done to evaluate the role of dermoscopy and ultrasonography as prognostic aid in plaque psoriasis.

The low copy nuclear region, RPB2 as a novel DNA barcode region for species identification in the rattan genus (Arecaceae).

Taxonomic complexities, like environmental plasticity and homoplasy, make precise identification challenging in , the genus of spiny climbing palms of the subfamily Calamoideae (Arecaceae). In the present study, the species discriminatory power of twelve potential DNA barcode regions (L, K, A-H, CBK-IF-H, Z-M, ITS1, ITS2, PRK, and RPB2) were evaluated in 21 species of from the Western Ghats region of India, using distance, tree, and similarity based statistical methods. Except for the low copy nuclear region, RPB2, none of the tested plastid loci or nuclear loci ITS, either singly or in combinations, could discriminate all the species of due to low substitution rate of plastid regions and multiple copies of ITS respectively.

DNA barcoding as a valuable molecular tool for the certification of planting materials in bamboo.

DNA barcodes developed for selected commercially important bamboo species can be utilized for the certification of planting stock in bamboo nurseries in absence of discriminatory features at the juvenile stage. Planting materials such as micropropagated plantlets, rhizome transplants and culm cuttings, generated at nursery level are directly procured for establishment of commercial plantations without any further verification Very often misidentification and mixing up occur at nursery level and the error is not discovered until several years have passed. The present study evaluated the potentiality of seven Consortium for Barcode of Life (CBOL) recommended standard DNA barcode regions in commercially important bamboo species of India.

Simultaneous influence of erythrocyte deformability and macromolecules in the medium on erythrocyte aggregation: a kinetic study by a laser scattering technique.

The aggregation and sedimentation kinetics of human erythrocytes was studied by modifying the cellular properties and medium compositions simultaneously. Dextrans of average molecular weight 70400 and 494000 were used to provide suspending medium modifications, while diamide (diazene dicarboxylic acid bis(N,N-dimethylamide)) was used to alter the membrane structural properties. Laser scattering method was employed for this study, and it was compared with a kinetic method combined with a low-shear rheoscope and an image analyzer.

Optical & rheological parameters of blood & their application to cardiovascular diseases.

As haemorheological factors such as erythrocyte deformability and blood viscosity are important in maintaining normal blood circulation, these parameters were measured by Hemorheometer and Cone-Plate Microviscometer respectively. He-Ne laser light and photodiode detector assembly was used to study the optical characteristics of blood samples from normal individuals and patients with various diseases. Both rheological and optical parameters were found to vary depending on the status of the blood samples.