Proteome analysis of Daboia russelii venom, a medically important snake from the Indian sub-continent.

Daboia russelii is a category-I medically important snake throughout the Indian sub-continent contributing to majority of snakebite incidences in this part of the world. As such, extensive studies on its venom composition and search of efficient and appropriate interventions for its treatment become crucial. In this study, the proteome of Daboia russelii venom from Tanore, Rajshahi, Bangladesh was profiled using a combination of chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques.

Nuclear and Mitochondrial Genome Assemblies of the Beetle, Zygogramma bicolorata, a Globally Important Biocontrol Agent of Invasive Weed Parthenium hysterophorus.

Implementing a genetic-based approach to achieve the full potential of classical biocontrol programs has been advocated for decades. The availability of genome-level information brings the opportunity to scrutinize biocontrol traits for their efficacy and evolvability. However, implementation of this advocacy remains limited to few instances.

Oral Rehabilitation of a Patient with Papillon Lefèvre Syndrome Using Fixed Full-Arch Hybrid Prostheses Supported by Four Axially Loaded Implants: A Case Report with Four-Year Follow-up.

This report details the successful prosthetic rehabilitation of a 25-year-old male patient with Papillon Lefèvre Syndrome (PLS) using an implant-supported hybrid prosthesis. Six implants were placed in the maxilla, and four were placed in the mandibular arch. All implants were inserted axially (non-tilted) and were planned to be loaded after a healing period of 6 months.

Proteome Decomplexation of Venom from Mizoram, India.

Green pit vipers are the largest group of venomous vipers in tropical and subtropical Asia, which are responsible for most of the bite cases across this region. Among the green pit vipers of the Indian subcontinent, is the most prevalent; however, limited knowledge is available about its venomics. Proteome decomplexation of venom using mass spectrometry revealed a blend of 53 different proteins/peptides belonging to 10 snake venom protein families.

Evaluating Antivenom Efficacy against Venoms-Screening for In Vitro Alternatives.

In India, polyvalent antivenom is the mainstay treatment for snakebite envenoming. Due to batch-to-batch variation in antivenom production, manufacturers have to estimate its efficacy at each stage of IgG purification using the median effective dose which involves 100-120 mice for each batch. There is an urgent need to replace the excessive use of animals in snake antivenom production using in vitro alternatives.

Reproduction technologies for the sustainable management of Caudata (salamander) and Gymnophiona (caecilian) biodiversity.

We review the use of reproduction technologies (RTs) to support the sustainable management of threatened Caudata (salamanders) and Gymnophiona (caecilian) biodiversity in conservation breeding programs (CBPs) or through biobanking alone. The Caudata include ∼760 species with ∼55% threatened, the Gymnophiona include ∼215 species with an undetermined but substantial number threatened, with 80% of Caudata and 65% of Gymnophiona habitat unprotected. Reproduction technologies include: (1) the exogenous hormonal induction of spermatozoa, eggs, or mating, (2) in vitro fertilisation, (3) intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), (4) the refrigerated storage of spermatozoa, (5) the cryopreservation of sperm, cell or tissues, (6) cloning, and (7) gonadal tissue or cell transplantation into living amphibians to eventually produce gametes and then individuals.

A practical method for storage, preservation and transportation of anuran urine samples using filter paper for hormone analysis.

Anurans (frogs and toads) expelled urine when handled and it could provide insights into their physiological status. However, storage, preservation and transportation are often challenging. The study aimed to standardize and validate a field method for short-term storage and preserve of anuran urine samples using Whatman filter papers.

Immunorecognition capacity of Indian polyvalent antivenom against venom toxins from two populations of Echis carinatus.

Clinicians report low efficacy of Indian polyvalent antivenom (PAV), with >20 vials required for treatment of a snakebite envenoming. We hypothesize that the antivenom efficacy could be reduced due to insufficient antibodies against some venom toxins. To test this, we used third-generation antivenomics to reveal bound and unbound venom toxins of Echis carinatus venom from Goa (ECVGO) and Tamil Nadu (ECVTN).

Chytridiomycosis in Asian Amphibians, a Global Resource for (Bd) Research.

Chytridiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease affecting amphibians globally and it is caused by the fungal pathogen () Chytridiomycosis has caused dramatic declines and even extinctions in wild amphibian populations in Europe, Australia, Central and North America. Spanning over two and a half decades, extensive research has led to discovery of epizootic and enzootic lineages of this pathogen. However, the -amphibian system had garnered less attention in Asia until recently when an ancestral lineage was identified in the Korean peninsula.

Bacterial Community in the Skin Microbiome of Frogs in a Coldspot of Chytridiomycosis Infection.

Chytridiomycosis is a fungal disease caused by the pathogens, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), which has caused declines in amphibian populations worldwide. Asia is considered as a coldspot of infection, since adult frogs are less susceptible to Bd-induced mortality or morbidity.

Comparative proteomics of geographically distinct saw-scaled viper () venoms from India.

Snakebite is a socio-economic problem in tropical countries and it is exacerbated by geographical venom variation of snakes. We investigated on venom variation in geographically distinct populations of from three ecologically distinct regions: Tamil Nadu (ECVTN), Goa (ECVGO), and Rajasthan (ECVRAJ). Venom was fractionated by RP-HPLC, combined with SDS-PAGE, and subjected to tandem mass spectrometry.

Effects of incorporation of silver and titanium nanoparticles on feldspathic ceramic toughness.

Porcelain is brittle and in many situations it requires replacement in fractured or chipped restorations. The prospects exist in improving the strength of feldspathic porcelain to widen its applications. This study evaluated the fracture toughness of feldspathic porcelain after incorporation of silver and titanium nanoparticles at varying concentrations (0.

A salivary sensor for the management of xerostomia in edentulous patients.

This article describes a method for managing xerostomia in edentulous patients with a newly developed salivary sensor. A micropressure sensor unit with a capsule to hold artificial salivary substitute was built into the dental prosthesis. This sensor prosthesis can help patients overcome mouth dryness, improves patient comfort, and aids in retention of the prosthesis.

Niche dissociated assembly drives insular lizard community organization.

Interspecific competition for resources leading to niche partitioning is considered as one of the major drivers of community assembly. Competitive niche partitioning is diagnosed from species co-occurrence, species abundance distributions (SADs), and body size distributions of species. For several decades, studies have explored these patterns for the relative significance of interspecific competition in shaping communities.

Enzootic frog pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Asian tropics reveals high ITS haplotype diversity and low prevalence.

Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) are a major threat to wildlife and a key player in the declining amphibian populations worldwide. One such EID is chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen. Aetiology of Bd infection is poorly known from tropical frogs in Asian biodiversity hotspots.

Watch out where you sleep: nocturnal sleeping behaviour of Bay Island lizards.

Sleeping exposes lizards to predation. Therefore, sleeping strategies must be directed towards avoiding predation and might vary among syntopic species. We studied sleeping site characteristics of two syntopic, congeneric lizards-the Bay Island forest lizard, Coryphophylax subcristatus and the short-tailed Bay Island lizard, C.

A new genus and species of arboreal toad with phytotelmonous larvae, from the Andaman Islands, India (Lissamphibia, Anura, Bufonidae).

A new bufonid amphibian, belonging to a new monotypic genus, is described from the Andaman Islands, in the Bay of Bengal, Republic of India, based on unique external morphological and skeletal characters which are compared with those of known Oriental and other relevant bufonid genera. Blythophryne gen. n.

The devil is in the detail: estimating species richness, density, and relative abundance of tropical island herpetofauna.

Background: One of the basic premises of drawing samples from populations is that the samples are representative of the populations. However, error in sampling is poorly recognized, and it goes unnoticed especially in community ecology. By combining traditional open quadrats used for sampling forest floor herpetofauna with intensive bounded quadrats, we explore the effect of sampling error on estimates of species richness, diversity, and density in the Andaman Islands.

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas.

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses.

Literature based species occurrence data of birds of northeast India.

The northeast region of India is one of the world's most significant biodiversity hotspots. One of the richest bird areas in India, it is an important route for migratory birds and home to many endemic bird species. This paper describes a literature-based dataset of species occurrences of birds of northeast India.