Existence of Vivipary in Mango (Mangifera indica cv. ‘Amrapali’) – A Report

Aim: The Amrapalii cultivar of mango is known for its dwarf stature, high productivity and ability to capture the market late when mango from other regions of the country gets over. Vivipary is of unusual occurrence in mango. The aim of the study is to report the occurrence of vivipary in mango especially in cultivar Amrapali under the sub-Himalayan subtropics of India. Materials and Methods: Incidental occurrence of vivipary in mango has been reported from the Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh during the growing season of the year 2021. Upon observance of abnormal protuberances from the fruit surface, the harvesting was commenced at the weekly intervals and the per cent proportion of viviparous fruits was ascertained by cutting the fruits longitudinally and confirming the viviparous germination of the seeds. Weather data of the fruit development state were analysed for the accumulation of heat units and rainfall distribution. Efforts have been made for ascertaining the reason behind the viviparous seed development. Results and Discussion: The proportion of viviparous seeds increased with the progression of time and by the mid of September, more than 12% of seeds were found viviparous. The weather data show that there was an early accumulation of heat units. Also, the rainfall during the period of fruit development was high particularly at the time when fruits were advancing toward maturity. It has been observed that the seed maturity has preceded the fruit pulp maturity and ripening may be due to the early accumulation of heat units and high rainfall. This coincidence might have resulted in precocious germination of seed inside the fruit, leading to vivipary. Conclusion: The development of vivipary in Amrapali mango has been found to be associated with the early accumulation of heat units and high rainfall. Under the current changing climatic scenario, a need has been projected for strategic research for curtailing vivipary incidences and saving economic losses to the growers of late mango varieties in the sub-Himalayan subtropics.

COVID-19 as a Trigger for De Novo Crohn’s Disease

Lay Summary A 47-year-old woman developed a de novo occurrence of Crohn’s disease after coronavirus disease 2019. This is an unusual occurrence and suggests that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 could trigger inflammatory bowel disease in predisposed people.

Interesting presentation of a broad complex tachycardia during the head up tilt table test

Broad complex tachycardia (BCT) during head up tilt test (HUTT) is infrequent. Electrophysiology Study (EPS) plays an important part in further differentiation of BCT. We present a case of BCT during HUTT in a patient presenting with presyncope which later on EPS with 3D mapping was diagnosed as ventricular tachycardia. This case highlights the unusual occurrence of BCT during HUTT, the differential diagnosis of BCT and the utility of EPS to reliably identify the type and origin of BCT.

An Unusual Occurrence of Erythrocytosis in a Child with Nephrotic Syndrome and Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Anemia is common in patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) for various reasons. Furthermore, anemia can occur in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) predominantly owing to inappropriately low erythropoietin (EPO) production relative to the degree of anemia. However, erythrocytosis is uncommon in patients with NS and advanced CKD who are not treated with exogenous erythropoietin stimulating agents, and when present, will necessitate exploration of the other etiologies. Case summary: Here, we describe an 8-year-old girl with erythrocytosis in association with NS and advanced CKD. The patient was found to have erythrocytosis during the evaluation for hypertensive urgency. She also had nephrotic range proteinuria without edema. Serum hemoglobin and hematocrit were 17 gm/dL and 51%, respectively, despite hydration. Renal function test showed an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. There was mild iron deficiency anemia with serum iron saturation of 18%. Serum EPO level was normal. Urine EPO was not measured. Renal biopsy showed evidence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Genetic testing for NS showed mutations in podocyte genes: NUP93, INF2, KANK1, and ACTN4. Gene sequence analysis of genes associated with erythrocytosis showed no variants in any of these genes. She required chronic dialysis ten months later and, subsequently, a renal transplantation 14 months after the initial presentation. Conclusion: Since the serum EPO level was normal, an increased sensitivity to EPO is the most probable mechanism of erythrocytosis. The unusual association of erythrocytosis in patients with NS and advanced CKD needs to be studied further in larger studies.

The occurrence of the coronuloid barnacle Chelonibia Leach, 1817 as an encruster on mammalian bone in the central Mediterranean Sea

Among the turtle and whale barnacles (Coronuloidea: Chelonibiidae, Coronulidae, †Emersoni-idae and Platylepadidae), the members of the chelonibiid species Chelonibia testudinaria (Linnaeus, 1758) are known as epizoic barnacles that can attach to a rather wide spectrum of substrates (pri-marily sea turtles, crabs and sirenians). At present, three living morphs of C. testudinaria have been recognised; of these, the less host-specific is the patula morph, which also displays a remarkably simple, unspecialised shell architecture. Here we report on several chelonibiid shells, referred to the patula morph of C. testudinaria, encrusting a cetacean scapula collected from the floor of the Adriatic Sea facing Salento (Apulia Region, southeastern Italy) and tentatively referred to Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821). This is one of the few records worldwide of a coronuloid barnacle from an inanimate substrate, as well as the second as an encruster on mammalian bone. Such an unusual occurrence is then briefly discussed in the broader framework of the coronuloid commensalism and substrate habits.

Measuring Epistemic Deliberation on Polarized Issues: The Case of Abortion Provision in Ireland

This paper compares the debate quality in the plenary sessions of an Irish Citizens’ Assembly and an Irish parliamentary committee to assess the epistemic effects of public deliberation on a contentious subject: abortion. The unusual occurrence of a similar process of detailed discussion on the same topic in different institutions at around the same time (in 2016–2017) allows us to compare the deliberative capacities of these institutions and thus contribute to discussions on the appropriateness of an increasingly debated democratic reform: assigning political offices by lot. We suggest that the epistemic effect of deliberation on abortion should facilitate nuanced multi-layered discussion that is both ‘deeper’ in being based on multi-faceted arguments and ‘wider’ in terms of a more accommodative view. We anticipate that these effects should be more pronounced in the more deliberative, less polarized, environment of a citizens’ assembly rather than in a parliamentary committee. The analysis deploys the psychological concept of ‘cognitive complexity’. We find that members of the Citizens’ Assembly demonstrate a deeper cognitively complex grasp of the subject matter. In contrast, experts and parliamentarians tend to adjust their mode of delivery at a parliamentary committee reflecting the conflictual and strategic aspects of political debates in such a forum.