Epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis of fungal corneal ulcer in the Sundarban Region of West Bengal, eastern India

INTRODUCTION

Corneal ulcers are the second most-common cause of preventable blindness after cataract in tropical developing countries. Fungal corneal ulcers constitute 30 to 62 % of the total microbial culture-positive corneal ulcers.

OBJECTIVE

To study the epidemiological characteristics, risk factors and laboratory diagnosis of fungal corneal ulcer in the Sundarban Region, West Bengal, eastern India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of 399 culture-positive, fungal corneal ulcers out of a total 928 corneal ulcer patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata,eastern India, over a period of four years from February 2007 to January 2011.

RESULTS

Males (246; 61.65 %) were more commonly affected than females (P less than .0001).The affected people were mostly (342; 85.71 %) residing in the rural areas (P less than .0001). 196 patients (49.12 %) were involved in agricultural activities (P less than .0001). The younger people of, 21 - 50 years of age, were particularly prone to this disease (269; 67.41 %). Corneal trauma (354; 88.72 %) was the commonest risk factor (P less than .0001) and 261 patients (61.41 %) had a history of trauma with vegetative matter (P less than .0001). The use of topical corticosteroids was implicated in 65 (16.29 %) cases. The incidence of the disease was highest in the monsoon season, between June to September (192; 48.12 %). The aspergillus spp was the most common fungal growth (151; 37.84 %), followed by an Fusarium spp (81; 20.3 %).

CONCLUSION

The fungal corneal ulcers are an important cause of ocular morbidity in people residing in the Sundarban Region. The identification of the etiology and the predisposing factors of corneal ulcers in this region are important for the prevention and early treatment of the disease.

miR-125b promotes cell death by targeting spindle assembly checkpoint gene MAD1 and modulating mitotic progression

The spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) is a 'wait-anaphase' mechanism that has evolved in eukaryotic cells in response to the stochastic nature of chromosome-spindle attachments. In the recent past, different aspects of the SAC regulation have been described. However, the role of microRNAs in the SAC is vaguely understood. We report here that Mad1, a core SAC protein, is repressed by human miR-125b. Mad1 serves as an adaptor protein for Mad2 - which functions to inhibit anaphase entry till the chromosomal defects in metaphase are corrected. We show that exogenous expression of miR-125b, through downregulation of Mad1, delays cells at metaphase. As a result of this delay, cells proceed towards apoptotic death, which follows from elevated chromosomal abnormalities upon ectopic expression of miR-125b. Moreover, expressions of Mad1 and miR-125b are inversely correlated in a variety of cancer cell lines, as well as in primary head and neck tumour tissues. We conclude that increased expression of miR-125b inhibits cell proliferation by suppressing Mad1 and activating the SAC transiently. We hypothesize an optimum Mad1 level and thus, a properly scheduled SAC is maintained partly by miR-125b.

HPV-16 E1, E2 and E6 each complement the Ad5 helper gene set, increasing rAAV2 and wt AAV2 production

Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV) is a popular vector for human gene therapy, because of its safety record and ability to express genes long term. Yet large-scale recombinant (r) AAV production remains problematic because of low particle yield. The adenovirus (Ad) and herpes (simplex) virus helper genes for AAV have been widely used and studied, but the helper genes of human papillomavirus (HPV) have not. HPV-16 E1, E2 and E6 help wild-type (wt) AAV productive infection in differentiating keratinocytes, however, HEK293 cells are the standard cell line used for generating rAAV. Here we demonstrate that the three HPV genes were unable to stimulate significant rAAV replication in HEK293 cells when used alone. However, when used in conjunction (complementation) with the standard Ad5 helper gene set, E1, E2 and E6 were each capable of significantly boosting rAAV DNA replication and virus particle yield. Moreover, wt AAV DNA replication and virion yield were also significantly boosted by each HPV gene along with wt Ad5 virus co-infection. Mild-to-moderate changes in rep- and cap-encoded protein levels were evident in the presence of the E1, E2 and E6 genes. Higher wt AAV DNA replication was not matched by similar increases in the levels of rep-encoded protein. Moreover, although rep mRNA was upregulated, cap mRNA was upregulated more. Higher virus yields did correlate most consistently with increased Rep52-, VP3- and VP-related 21/31 kDa species. The observed boost in wt and rAAV production by HPV genes was not unexpected, as the Ad and HPV helper gene sets do not seem to recapitulate each other. These results raise the possibility of generating improved helper gene sets derived from both the Ad and HPV helper gene sets.

Estimation of malaria mortality of A District in India during 2010 by using three models

There is no standard method for estimating annual malaria deaths in India. The degree of under-reporting in routine system is uncertain with a varied picture of 10, 15, 25 and 200 times as found in different studies/models. During October 2010 a community based cross-sectional survey was conducted by National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) in 32 villages of West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. 'Gap filling', 'fever survey' and 'verbal autopsy' models, developed in NVBDCP were used on the data obtained from two surveys done simultaneously: 'fever survey' with 2 weeks recall period and 'death survey' with one year recall period. Inputs from demographic and epidemiological data of the district were also given. During 2010, the district has reported 32 malaria deaths. Degrees of under-reporting found in the study were 6.93, 7.53 and 12 times in three models respectively. The first two models yielded closer estimates. But, verbal autopsy model gave inflated value as the method was unreliable for diagnosing malaria deaths. First two models, if found to be replicable, can be incorporated in NVBDCP activities to evaluate malaria control measures at district level. Verbal autopsy model may be used after concordance study in those districts where Pf malaria cases occur but no death is reported.

Molecular basis for identification of species/isolates of gastrointestinal nematode parasites

Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitism is the most serious constraint throughout the world in small ruminants which causes significant production loss in animals. GI parasites are major contributor to reduce productivity in terms of meat, milk and wool in animals. Control of GI parasite is done primarily by anthelmintic treatment where choice and schedule of treatment is done after identification and quantitation of individual parasite. Identification of GI parasites is done through microscopic method by identifying specific morphological characteristics of egg and larva (L(3)). Since most of parasite eggs are having similar morphological characteristics, identification up to species level through microscopy is not possible in most of cases. To address this issue, molecular techniques are the viable alternative for identification of species as well as molecular level differences within a species (isolates) of parasites. Different DNA based molecular techniques viz. PCR, AFLP, RAPD, RFLP, PCR-SSCP, real time PCR, DNA microarray etc. have been used for identification and to assess the genetic diversity among parasite population. For identification of species, the characteristic sequence of genomic DNA of different species should differ to allow the delineation of species, but at the same time, no/minor variation within the species should exist. In contrast, for purpose of identifying population variants (strains/isolates), a considerable degree of variation in the sequence should exist within a species. Various target regions, including nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or repetitive DNA elements (microsatellite loci), which show considerable variation in the number of repeats within individuals have been employed to achieve the identification of parasites species or strain.

P1-08-16: Benign Breast Disease (BBD) and Breast Cancer in African American Women

African American (AA) women have higher mortality rates from breast cancer (BrCa) and are diagnosed at younger ages than their Caucasian counterparts. Women who have had a benign breast biopsy are at increased risk of the disease, although less is known about the risk of BrCa associated with benign breast disease in AA women. We examined 1428 breast biopsies from AA women which occurred from 1997–2000 and assessed various pathologic markers including: apocrine metaplasia, ductal hyperplasia including atypia, evidence of cysts, duct ectasia, fibrosis, intra-ductal papilloma, sclerosing adenosis, columnar alteration, and involution (atrophy). These women were followed for later BrCa through the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System, part of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program through 2008. Women who developed BrCa were compared to those in the cohort who did not, and to other AA women with BrCa in the SEER registry. AA women in our study were also compared to Caucasian women in the Mayo Clinic cohort. Differences in variables were assessed by chi-squared tests and 95% confidence intervals. Of the 1428 biopsies, 52 (3.6%) subsequent incident breast cancers were reported in SEER. The mean age at diagnosis was 59, and the mean time from biopsy to BrCa diagnosis was 6.1 years. Individuals with atypical ductal hyperplasia at biopsy (n=37, 2.6%) were more likely to develop breast cancer (n=7, 13.5%, p<0.01). No other pathologic variables were associated with increased risk. Women in our cohort with breast cancer did not differ from AA in the SEER database with respect to age at diagnosis, stage at diagnosis, or receptor positivity. Compared to the Caucasian women in the Mayo Clinic BBD cohort, AA women in our study were younger at biopsy (p<0.01), but had similar percentages of involution and atypia (p=0.50 and 0.15, respectively). Our preliminary findings among a relatively small group of AA women with prior benign breast biopsies and incident breast cancers suggest that results from the Mayo Cohort study are likely to apply to AA populations.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-16.

P2-11-07: Expression of Selected Predictive Markers in African American Women with Atypical Hyperplasia of the Breast

Invasive breast carcinoma in African American (AA) women differs significantly from their Caucasian (CA) counterparts in its incidence, morphology and outcome. These tumors are more likely to be high grade, hormone receptor negative, present at a younger age and at a higher stage. Evaluation and a better understanding of precursor lesions may help delineate the mechanisms underlying the development of breast cancer in these two groups. Atypical hyperplasia (AH) in the breast has been associated with an increased risk of developing cancer (relative risk∼4.0). Risk stratification of these women by identification of predictive biomarkers would be beneficial for optimal patient care. In our study we evaluated the expression of the following prognostic biomarkers: estrogen receptor (ER), Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme and Ki-67 in AH in a cohort of AA women with benign breast biopsies.

AA women with benign breast biopsies from years 1997–2000 were retrieved from our departmental database. Clinical and follow up data was obtained from the SEER database. The hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) slides for these cases were reviewed by 2 pathologists, who were blinded to the outcome, and those with atypia were included in this study. Paraffin blocks were retrieved for immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis and standardized scoring methods applied.

A total of 1608 AA women had benign breast biopsies during the study period. We performed IHC analysis on 37 (2.3%) who were diagnosed with atypia (25 cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and 12 cases of atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH)). Increased COX-2 expression was seen in 19 of 28 (67.8%) cases with AH. Of these, 13 of 19 cases (68.4%) were of ADH and 6 of 9 cases (66.7%) were of ALH. Twenty of 25 cases had a high expression of ER overall. Of these, 15 of17 (88.2%) of the positive cases was in the ADH category and 3 of 7 (42.8%) was in the ALH group.

Of 32 cases, only 3 cases showed a proliferation rate of > 2% (9.4%) with Ki-67 IHC stain. All of these cases belonged to the ADH (21) category. In summary, the majority of AH cases showed increased COX-2 expression, although no differences were observed between lobular and ductal lesions. In contrast, ADH lesions appeared to exhibit increased reactivity for ER compared to ALH. Similarly, although rare, more ADH cases showed an increased proliferation rate compared to ALH. From our data, COX-2 and ER might be of prognostic significance in AA patients with AH. Larger studies with follow up are needed to understand this disease further.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-11-07.

Addressing healthcare needs of people living below the poverty line: a rapid assessment of the Andhra Pradesh Health Insurance Scheme

BACKGROUND

Families living below the poverty line in countries which do not have universal healthcare coverage are drawn into indebtedness and bankruptcy. The state of Andhra Pradesh in India established the Rajiv Aarogyasri Community Health Insurance Scheme (RACHIS) in 2007 with the aim of breaking this cycle by improving the access of below the poverty line (BPL) families to secondary and tertiary healthcare. It covered a wide range of surgical and medical treatments for serious illnesses requiring specialist healthcare resources not always available at district-level government hospitals. The impact of this scheme was evaluated by a rapid assessment, commissioned by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The aim of the assessment was to explore the contribution of the scheme to the reduction of catastrophic health expenditure among the poor and to recommend ways by which delivery of the scheme could be improved. We report the findings of this assessment.

METHODS

Two types of data were used for the assessment. Patient data pertaining to 89 699 treatment requests approved by the scheme during its first 18 months were examined. Second, surveys of scheme beneficiaries and providers were undertaken in 6 randomly selected districts of Andhra Pradesh.

RESULTS

This novel scheme was beginning to reach the BPL households in the state and providing access to free secondary and tertiary healthcare to seriously ill poor people.

CONCLUSION

An integrated model encompassing primary, secondary and tertiary care would be of greater benefit to families below the poverty line and more cost-effective for the government. There is considerable potential for the government to build on this successful start and to strengthen equity of access and the quality of care provided by the scheme.

Prevalence of Deg Nala disease in eastern India and its reproduction in buffaloes by feeding Fusarium oxysporum infested rice straw

OBJECTIVE

To undertake a study on prevalence of Deg Nala disease in eastern states of India and to reproduce the disease in buffaloes by the Fusarium spp., isolated from the affected region.

METHODS

During this investigation, a survey was conducted covering four states of eastern region to identify the Deg Nala cases as well as to isolate and characterize the causative agent(s). An experimental study was carried out to reproduce the disease in healthy male buffaloes (2-3 years age) by randomly dividing them into five groups (four in each group). Each individual group was fed with rice straw artificially infested with either of the two representative isolates of Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum) (F01, F02) or representative reference strains of Fusarium equiseti (F. equiseti) (ITCCF-2470) and Fusarium moniliforme (F. moniliforme) (ITCCF-4821) for 30 days, whereas the control group was fed with normal rice straw only.

RESULTS

A total of 658 Deg Nala cases were recorded and 12 Fusarium isolates were identified from the mouldy rice straw collected from these affected areas. The characterization of the isolates revealed three species viz., F. oxysporum, F. equiseti and F. moniliforme, among which F. oxysporum was predominant. The disease was artificially reproduced in three buffaloes in F01 group and one in F02 group within 20-23 days by feeding F. oxysporum infested rice straw which resembled the clinical symptoms and gross lesions of natural Deg Nala cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The field investigation and laboratory studies, including experimental production of Deg Nala disease suggest the possible involvement of mycotoxins. However, further investigations needs to be done to understand nature of the toxic factors involved in production of the Deg Nala disease.

Detection of bovine herpesvirus 1 sequences in yaks (Bos grunniens) with keratoconjunctivitis, using a highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction

Thirty-seven yaks (Bos grunniens) with keratoconjunctivitis and 22 healthy yaks were used to investigate the role of bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) in keratoconjunctivitis in yaks. Nucleic acid sequences of BoHV-1 glycoproteins B and E were detected in conjunctival swabs from all yaks with keratoconjunctivitis using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In 21 yaks, BoHV-1 sequences were detected along with Moraxella bovis (M. bovis) and Neisseria spp. The amplified BoHV-1 sequences were identical, and no nucleotide variation was observed when compared with a BoHV-1 reference strain using single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis of the amplified DNA sequences. Interestingly, BoHV-1 sequences could not be detected in samples from healthy yaks. However, conjunctival swabs from two healthy yaks (9.09%) yielded M. bovis and Neisseria spp. Samples from 35 yaks with keratoconjunctivitis showed positive reactions in an avidin biotin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for BoHV-1 antibodies; all the healthy yaks were seronegative. This is the first report of a possible association of BoHV-1 with keratoconjunctivitis in yaks.

Effect of 50 MeV Li3+ irradiation on structural and electrical properties of Mn-doped ZnO

The present work aims to study the effect of ion irradiation on structural and electrical properties and their correlation with the defects in the Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)O-type system. Zn(1 - x)Mn(x)O (x = 0.02, 0.04) samples have been synthesized by the solid-state reaction method and have been irradiated with 50 MeV Li(3+) ions. The concomitant changes have been probed by x-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-dependent electrical resistivity and positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy. The XRD result shows a single-phase wurtzite structure for Zn(0.98)Mn(0.02)O, whereas for the Zn(0.96)Mn(0.04)O sample an impurity phase has been found, apart from the usual peaks of ZnO. Ion irradiation removes this impurity peak. The grain size of the samples is found to be uniform. For Zn(0.98)Mn(0.02)O, the observed sharp decrease in room temperature resistivity (ρ(RT)) with irradiation is consistent with the lowering of the full width at half maximum of the XRD peaks. However, for Zn(0.96)Mn(0.04)O, ρ(RT) decreases for the initial fluence but increases for a further increase in fluence. All the irradiated Zn(0.98)Mn(0.02)O samples show a metal-semiconductor transition in temperature-dependent resistivity measurements at low temperature. But all the irradiated Zn(0.96)Mn(0.04)O samples show a semiconducting nature in the whole range of temperatures. Results of room temperature resistivity, XRD and PAL measurements are consistent with each other.

Detection & characterization of Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) & enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in poultry birds with diarrhoea

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

Limited information is available on shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in animals and birds from India. An outbreak of acute diarrhoea in poultry birds at Aizawl, Mizoram was investigated for detection and characterization of STEC and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC).

METHODS

E. coli was isolated and identified from rectal swabs, intestinal contents, heart blood and spleen of 19 poultry birds that died due to acute diarrhoea during the outbreak. Phenotypic characterization was done by standard bacteriological and biochemical techniques. All the isolates were serotyped based on their somatic antigens. Virulence genes (stx 1, stx 2, eaeA and hlyA) were detected by multiplex PCR assay.

RESULTS

A total of 42 E. coli isolates were obtained, of which 24 belonged to 3 serogroups (O64, O89 and O91) and the remaining 18 were untypable (UT). Altogether, 14 (33.33%) isolates carried at least 1 virulence gene, of which 10 (23.81%) and 4 (9.52%) were recorded as STEC and EPEC, respectively. Of the 10 STEC isolates, one carried only stx2 , one carried stx 2 and hlyA, four carried stx1 , stx2 and hlyA, two carried stx 1, eaeA and hlyA genes and two carried stx 1 and eaeA. Of the four EPEC isolates, two carried eaeA and hlyA, one carried only eaeA gene and 1 carried only hlyA gene.

INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report on the involvement of STEC in poultry in India.

Genomic evolution in Barrett's adenocarcinoma cells: critical roles of elevated hsRAD51, homologous recombination and Alu sequences in the genome

A prominent feature of most cancers including Barrett's adenocarcinoma (BAC) is genetic instability, which is associated with development and progression of disease. In this study, we investigated the role of recombinase (hsRAD51), a key component of homologous recombination (HR)/repair, in evolving genomic changes and growth of BAC cells. We show that the expression of RAD51 is elevated in BAC cell lines and tissue specimens, relative to normal cells. HR activity is also elevated and significantly correlates with RAD51 expression in BAC cells. The suppression of RAD51 expression, by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) specifically targeting this gene, significantly prevented BAC cells from acquiring genomic changes to either copy number or heterozygosity (P<0.02) in several independent experiments employing single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays. The reduction in copy-number changes, following shRNA treatment, was confirmed by Comparative Genome Hybridization analyses of the same DNA samples. Moreover, the chromosomal distributions of mutations correlated strongly with frequencies and locations of Alu interspersed repetitive elements on individual chromosomes. We conclude that the hsRAD51 protein level is systematically elevated in BAC, contributes significantly to genomic evolution during serial propagation of these cells and correlates with disease progression. Alu sequences may serve as substrates for elevated HR during cell proliferation in vitro, as they have been reported to do during the evolution of species, and thus may provide additional targets for prevention or treatment of this disease.

A study of regenerated gratings produced in germanosilicate fibers by high temperature annealing

In light of recent proposals linking structural change and stresses within regenerated gratings, the details of regeneration of a seed Type-I Bragg grating written in H2 loaded germanosilicate fiber annealed at high temperatures (~900°C) are systematically explored. In particular, the influence of the strength of the grating, the effect of GeO2 doping concentration and the annealing conditions on regeneration are studied. We show that the role of dopants such as Ge and F contribute nothing to the regeneration, consistent with previous results. Rather, they may potentially be detrimental. Strongest regenerated gratings with R ~35% from a 5mm seed grating could be obtained in fibres with the lowest GeO2 concentrations such as standard telecommunications-compatible grade fibre.

Molecular characterization of antigen B2 subunit in two genotypes of Echinococcus granulosus from Indian bubaline isolates, its stage specific expression and serological evaluation

Echinococcus granulosus is a parasitic helminth which affects both man and animals. During infection with larval stage of the organism secretory and membrane-bound (S/M) proteins play a meaningful role for evasion of immune system. Antigen B (AgB) is one of them. Present investigation has defined sequence diversity of AgB2 subunit of cattle and buffalo isolates of the organism. A total of 55 isolates were screened by polymerase chain reaction based single stranded conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). Subsequently, six conformers could be detected. Based on predicted amino acid sequences of 90 amino acid residues, three clusters could be deduced. Sequence information of two buffalo isolates was homologous to AgB4 indicating gene switching phenomenon in between closely related isoforms. Numerical value of Tajima's D test proved negative selection pressure. Using artificial neural network (ANN), B cell linear epitope and stretches of agretope were predicted. Three clusters could be defined on the basis of B cell linear epitope. Out of three clusters, two showed more than 50% binding propensity with same MHCII alleles whereas, cluster 3 exhibited binding propensity with other MHCII alleles (DRB1_1501, DRB1_1502). Relative expression of AgB2 was more in active cysts (1.636 ± 0.092) followed by degenerating (0.449 ± 0.037) and calcified (0.255 ± 0.008). This result suggested that relative expression of AgB2 declines with progression of the disease. Using recombinant AgB2 sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the ELISA test was 96.7, 94.7 and 95.9%, respectively. No cross reactivity was found with common cestode and trematode infected cattle and buffalo because cross reactive antigen was expressed intracellularly. Finally, this was concluded that AgB2 is the suitable immunological marker for detection, diagnosis and progression of the disease.

Fast advection of magnetic fields by hot electrons

Experiments where a laser-generated proton beam is used to probe the megagauss strength self-generated magnetic fields from a nanosecond laser interaction with an aluminum target are presented. At intensities of 10(15)   W  cm(-2) and under conditions of significant fast electron production and strong heat fluxes, the electron mean-free-path is long compared with the temperature gradient scale length and hence nonlocal transport is important for the dynamics of the magnetic field in the plasma. The hot electron flux transports self-generated magnetic fields away from the focal region through the Nernst effect [A. Nishiguchi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 262 (1984)] at significantly higher velocities than the fluid velocity. Two-dimensional implicit Vlasov-Fokker-Planck modeling shows that the Nernst effect allows advection and self-generation transports magnetic fields at significantly faster than the ion fluid velocity, v(N)/c(s)≈10.

A study in awareness about eye health care and eye donation among secondary level students of North Kolkata, India

BACKGROUND

Corneal blindness is one of the important types of blindness that can be prevented by proper health care education and conventionally cured by corneal transplantation for which awareness regarding eye donation is essential.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study is to assess the awareness of eye health care and eye donation among secondary level school students of North Kolkata.

METHODS

It was a cross-sectional study.

SETTINGS

Eight Government aided schools of North Kolkata, West Bengal, India. A total of 1525 students of standard VIII, IX and X of Government aided schools of North Kolkata participated in this study. A pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire was administered on eye health care and eye donation.

RESULTS

1284 (84.2%) participants opined that awareness on eye health care can prevent most of the blindness and 1206 (79.1%) students knew that Vitamin A has important role in prevention of childhood blindness. Majority, 1235 (81.0%) students were aware of eye donation after death while only 489 (32.1%) participants knew that the ideal time for eye donation is within 6 hours of death. 802 (52.6%) participants mentioned printed and electronic media (like newspaper and television) as the major source of information on eye donation.

CONCLUSIONS

Media publicity to increase awareness of eye donation and eye health care is not enough. Strategies have to be developed to educate the students, so that they can act as motivators for enhancing eye donation and increasing eye health care awareness in the community.

Proton radiography of a shock-compressed target

In this paper we report on the radiography of a shock-compressed target using laser produced proton beams. A low-density carbon foam target was shock compressed by long pulse high-energy laser beams. The shock front was transversally probed with a proton beam produced in the interaction of a high intensity laser beam with a gold foil. We show that from radiography data, the density profile in the shocked target can be deduced using Monte Carlo simulations. By changing the delay between long and short pulse beams, we could probe different plasma conditions and structures, demonstrating that the details of the steep density gradient can be resolved. This technique is validated as a diagnostic for the investigation of warm dense plasmas, allowing an in situ characterization of high-density contrasted plasmas.

Serological evidence of antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus in free-ranging yak (Poephagus grunniens) in Arunachal Pradesh, India

Serum samples were randomly collected from 172 free-ranging yak (Poephagus grunniens, presently Bos grunniens) from six different yak tracts of Arunachal Pradesh, India, and subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect the presence of specific antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus. The overall prevalence of this disease in yak was 35%. The prevalence of Cp. abortus-specific antibodies was significantly higher in yak cows (41%) than among bulls (25%). The highest prevalence (39%: 95% confidence interval [Cl] = 27, 55) was found in yak between one and three years of age, while the lowest prevalence (20%: 95% CI = 10, 41) was reported in yak below one year of age.

A serological survey of antibodies against bovine herpesvirus-1 in yak (Poephagus grunniens) in Arunachal Pradesh in India

Serum samples were collected from 254 yak (Poephagus grunniens, presently Bos grunniens) in different yak tracts of India. These samples were then screened by virus neutralisation test (VNT) and avidin-biotin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (AB-ELISA) to study the seroprevalence of antibodies against bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1). The overall seroprevalence in yak was found to be 41% (105) by VNT and AB-ELISA. The sex of the animal, whether it was on a farm or free-ranging and the location of the different yak tracts did not seem to have any effect on seroprevalence. However, seroprevalence was found to increase with the age of the animals, being highest in yak older than three years of age (49%). Yak generally share feeding, watering and grazing areas with other domestic and wild animals and this common ecological niche is thought to be a possible avenue of infection. This is the first time that the seroprevalence of antibodies against BHV-1 has been studied in yak in India.