Gyrothrix sagarensis SP. NOV.: A NOVEL HYPHOMYCETOUS FUNGUS ON MEDICINAL PLANT Gardenia latifolia AITON FROM CENTRAL INDIA

Gardenia latifolia is commonly known as Indian boxwood or Ceylon boxwood. Various parts of this plant are utilized to treat several cases of inflammatory pain, skin diseases, caries in humans, snake bite, stomachache, haemorrhage along with the ephemeral fever in live stocks. During the routine survey of Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya Campus, Sagar for mycotaxonomic evaluation of terrestrial plants an interesting fungal specimen was encountered on G. latifolia Aiton which upon detailed morphological observations and mycotaxonomic treatment, proved to be a novel fungal species Gyrothrix sagarensis. It is also noteworthy that most of the species of this genus Gyrothrix (Corda) Corda, are reported on dead plant parts while the present novel species was collected and examined on living plant parts (i.e. on twig) of G. latifolia

Fixed Point Result in Probabilistic Metric Space

In this paper we prove common fixed point theorem for four mapping with weak compatibility in probabilistic metric space. Keywords: Menger space, Weak compatible mapping, Semi-compatible mapping, Weakly commuting mapping, common fixed point. AMS Subject Classification: 47H10, 54H25

Dominant hemisphere functional networks compensate for structural connectivity loss to preserve phonological retrieval with aging.

INTRODUCTION: Loss of hemispheric asymmetry during cognitive tasks has been previously demonstrated in the literature. In the context of language, increased right hemisphere activation is observed with aging. Whether this relates to compensation to preserve cognitive function or dedifferentiation implying loss of hemispheric specificity without functional consequence, remains unclear. METHODS: With a multifaceted approach, integrating structural and functional imaging data during a word retrieval task, in a group of younger and older adults with equivalent cognitive performance, we aimed to establish whether interactions between hemispheres or reorganization of dominant hemisphere networks preserve function. We examined functional and structural connectivity on data from our previously published functional activation study. Functional connectivity was measured using psychophysiological interactions analysis from the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left insula (LINS), based on published literature, and the right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG) based on our previous study. RESULTS: Although RIFG showed increased activation, its connectivity decreased with age. Meanwhile, LIFG and LINS connected more bilaterally in the older adults. White matter integrity, measured by fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging, decreased significantly in the older group. Importantly, LINS functional connectivity to LIFG correlated inversely with FA. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that left hemispheric language areas show higher functional connectivity in older adults with intact behavioral performance, and thus, may have a role in preserving function. The inverse correlation of functional and structural connectivity with age is in keeping with emerging literature and merits further investigation with tractography studies and in other cognitive domains

The current state of animal models and genomic approaches towards identifying and validating molecular determinants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease

Animal models are important in understanding both the pathogenesis of and immunity to tuberculosis (TB). Unfortunately, we are beginning to understand that no animal model perfectly recapitulates the human TB syndrome, which encompasses numerous different stages. Furthermore, Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is a very heterogeneous event at both the levels of pathogenesis and immunity. This review seeks to establish the current understanding of TB pathogenesis and immunity, as validated in the animal models of TB in active use today. We especially focus on the use of modern genomic approaches in these models to determine the mechanism and the role of specific molecular pathways. Animal models have significantly enhanced our understanding of TB. Incorporation of contemporary technologies such as single cell transcriptomics, high-parameter flow cytometric immune profiling, proteomics, proteomic flow cytometry and immunocytometry into the animal models in use will further enhance our understanding of TB and facilitate the development of treatment and vaccination strategies

Geogenomic segregation and temporal trends of human pathogenic Escherichia coli o157:H7, Washington, USA, 2005-2014

The often-noted and persistent increased incidence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections in rural areas is not well understood. We used a cohort of E. coli O157:H7 cases reported in Washington, USA, during 2005–2014, along with phylogenomic characterization of the infecting isolates, to identify geographic segregation of and temporal trends in specific phylogenetic lineages of E. coli O157:H7. Kernel estimation and generalized additive models demonstrated that pathogen lineages were spatially segregated during the period of analysis and identified a focus of segregation spanning multiple, predominantly rural, counties for each of the main clinical lineages, Ib, IIa, and IIb. These results suggest the existence of local reservoirs from which humans are infected. We also noted a secular increase in the proportion of lineage IIa and IIb isolates. Spatial segregation by phylogenetic lineage offers the potential to identify local reservoirs and intervene to prevent continued transmission

A CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY ON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DIABETES AND RISK OF HYPOGLYCEMIA WITH CONCURRENT USE OF NATURAL HERBS/HERBAL PRODUCTS

Objective: To determine the various misconceptions in diabetes mellitus and the factors leading to such misconceptions. To find out the association of various misconceptions with the socio-demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 350 diabetic patients for a period of 6 mo. The study was done in diabetic clinics in the districts of Salem and Erode. Results: The study included a total of 350 patients, among which 206 (58.86%) were females and 144 (41.14%) were males. The majority of the study population was between the age group 61-70 (30.86%). The total misconception scores were low (0-34) in 144 (41.14%), moderate (35-69) in 180 (51.43%) and high (70-104) in 26 (7.43%). Out of 25 patients identified with hypoglycemia 2 patients (8%) had only drug-drug interaction. 10 patients (40%) with both DI and HDI were identified. Herb-drug interactions alone were identified in 13 diabetic patients with hypoglycemia (52%) indicating the risk of hypoglycemia with concurrent use of herbs along with diabetic medications. Conclusion: In this study carried out in a study population of 350 patients, the majority of the population, which contributes to about 94% had high to moderate knowledge about their condition of diabetes mellitus. The misconceptions about diabetes mellitus were high in 6.57% of the study population