Micropropagation of a Valuable Ethnomedicinal Plant Streblus asper Lour.

A micropropagation protocol is presented for conservation of critically threatened woody tree species, Streblus asper Lour. In vitro axillary bud proliferation followed by multiple shoot induction was obtained using mature nodal segments. Initially, explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with different concentrations of BA (2.2, 4.4, 6.6, 8.9, 11.1 and 13.3 µM), Kn (2.3, 4.6, 6.9, 9.3, 11.6 and 13.9 µM) or TDZ (2.2, 4.5, 6.7, 8.90, 11.1 and 13.5 µM). These individual levels of cytokinins did not support in vitro shoot regeneration in S. asper. Combinations of cytokinins, Kn with BA or TDZ, significantly influenced shoot regeneration ability. The combination of Kn (4.60 µM) with BA (4.44 µM) evoked an optimum response towards shoot proliferation whereas, medium containing Kn (4.60 µM) plus TDZ (4.54 µM) induced multiple shoot formation. In vitro developed microshoots were rooted on MS half strength medium supplemented with 2.46 µM IBA. The plantlets established in vitro were transferred to pots containing sterilized soil and vermiculite (1:1) mixture and were hardened in the greenhouse with 70-75% survival rate. Key words: Clonal propagation, Cytokinins, Mature nodal explant, Medicinal woody tree, Multiple shoot induction Abbreviations: BA - 6-benzyladenine, IBA - indole 3-butyric acid, Kn - kinetin, µM - micro moles, MS – Murashige and Skoog TDZ - thidiazuron Kranthi Gadidasu et al. Micropropagation of a Valuable Ethnomedicinal Plant Streblus asper Lour.. J Phytol 3/2 (2011) 18-2

Direct Shoot Regeneration from Mature Leaf Explants of Sphaeranthus indicus L., A Multipurpose Medicinal Plant

A rapid and reproducible protocol for in vitro regeneration of Sphaeranthus indicus (Asteraceae), a medicinal herb has been established. Leaf segments isolated from mature plants were cultured on MS medium with different concentrations of 6-benzyladenine (2.2, 4.4, 6.6 and 8.8 µM) or kinetin (1.3, 2.3, 4.6 and 6.9 µM). Inclusion of IAA into BA supplemented medium triggered a high frequency of regeneration response from leaf explants. Maximum number of shoots (12 ±1.15) with highest shoot length (3.0 ±0.73) were obtained directly (without intervening callus phase) from the leaf explants using combination of BA (4.4 µM) and IAA (1.71 µM) within 3-4 week of culture. The elongated shoots were rooted on MS medium fortified with IBA (2.46 µM).The regenerated plantlets were successfully hardened on earthen pots after proper acclimatization under greenhouse conditions

A Study of Nuclear Transcription Factor-Kappa B in Childhood Autism

BACKGROUND: Several children with autism show regression in language and social development while maintaining normal motor milestones. A clear period of normal development followed by regression and subsequent improvement with treatment, suggests a multifactorial etiology. The role of inflammation in autism is now a major area of study. Viral and bacterial infections, hypoxia, or medication could affect both foetus and infant. These stressors could upregulate transcription factors like nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a master switch for many genes including some implicated in autism like tumor necrosis factor (TNF). On this hypothesis, it was proposed to determine NF-κB in children with autism. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 67 children with autism and 29 control children were evaluated for NF-κB using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). A phosphor imaging technique was used to quantify values. The fold increase over the control sample was calculated and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 15. RESULTS: We have noted significant increase in NF-κB DNA binding activity in peripheral blood samples of children with autism. When the fold increase of NF-κB in cases (n = 67) was compared with that of controls (n = 29), there was a significant difference (3.14 vs. 1.40, respectively; p<0.02). CONCLUSION: This finding has immense value in understanding many of the known biochemical changes reported in autism. As NF-κB is a response to stressors of several kinds and a master switch for many genes, autism may then arise at least in part from an NF-κB pathway gone awry

Isolated neurofibroma of the eyelid mimicking recurrent chalazion

Neurofibroma is a peripheral nerve sheath tumor which is seen in neurofibromatosis type 1 and is characterized by various ophthalmic manifestations. Solitary neurofibroma of the eyelid is rare. We report a case of a 53-year-old female patient who presented with a painless swelling in the left upper lid of 4 years' duration. She had undergone surgery for the same lesion twice. The lesion was excised and histopathological examination revealed a solitary neurofibroma. She did not have any other features of generalized neurofibromatosis

Issues In Open Source Software (OSS)

According to the Open Source Initiative (a non-profit corporation at www.opensource.org): “Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in.” Open Source software (OSS) has established itself as a significant component in the software industry and its adoption continues to gain momentum. In this work, a group of five participants in CS 692 (winter 2008) elected to investigate important issues related to the adoption of OSS. The issues and investigators are: 1. Economic Benefits of OSS … (Jeffrey Martin) 2. Integration, Compatibility and Usability of OSS … (Sherzod Odinae) 3. Performance, Reliability and Scalability of OSS … (Silpa Pathapati) 4. Security of OSS … (Harsha Lella) 5. Licensing and Legal Issues in OSS … (Divya Abbagani

Agrobacterium tumefaciens – Mediated transformation of Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz

In the present study, a protocol for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation has been optimized for Woodfordia fruticosa (L.) Kurz. Precultured axenic leaf segments were co-cultivated with A. tumefaciens strain LBA4404 harboring the binary plasmid pCAMBIA1301 with β-glucuronidase (uidA) containing intron as the reporter gene and hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt) as a selectable marker gene. After 3 days of co-cultivation, leaf segments were cultured on MS medium containing Thidiazuron (TDZ 4.54 μM) and Indole-3-acetic acid IAA (1.14 μM) + 20 mg/l hygromycin + 200 mg/l cefotaxime (PTSM1) for 4 weeks (includes a single subculture onto the same medium at a 2 week interval). They were subsequently cultured for 3 weeks on MS medium containing Thidiazuron (TDZ 4.54 μM) and Indole-3-acetic acid IAA (1.14 μM) + 25 mg/l hygromycin + 100 mg/l cefotaxime (PTSM2) medium for further development and shoot elongation. The hygromycin resistant shoots were rooted on a rooting medium (PTRM) containing half strength MS medium + 4.90 μM IBA + 25 mg/l hygromycin. A highest transformation efficiency of 44.5% with a mean number of 2.6 transgenic shoots per explant was achieved. Successful transformation was confirmed by the histochemical GUS activity of the regenerated shoots, PCR and RT-PCR analysis using respective primers. Southern blot analysis revealed that the hpt gene integrated into the genome of transgenic W. fruticosa. Establishment of genetic transformation protocol may facilitate the improvement of this medicinal plant in terms of enhancement of secondary metabolites

Role of proteases and antiprotease in the etiology of chronic pancreatitis

Background/Aim: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is the progressive and irreversible destruction of the pancreas characterized by the permanent loss of endocrine and exocrine function. Trypsin, the most important digestive enzyme plays a central role in the regulation of all other digestive enzymes. Chymotrypsin, an endopeptidase hydrolyzes peptides at amino acids with aromatic side chains. Alpha-1-antitrypsin is a principal antiprotease which protects the mucosal tissue from the proteolytic effects of trypsin and chymotrypsin by the formation of molar complexes. The present study is aimed at examining the role of proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin) and anti-protease (α1-anti-trypsin) in the etiopathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis. Patients and Methods: A total of 90 CP patients and 110 age and sex matched controls were considered for the study. Serum trypsin, chymotrypsin and α1-anti-trypsin levels were determined prospectively in CP patients and compared to healthy controls as described previously. Results: The mean activity of trypsin were found to be increased in CP patients (X ± SD = 0.82 ± 0.838) in comparison to normal control group (X ± SD = 0.55 ± 0.328), (P = 0.001). Chymotrypsin activity were also found to be elevated in CP patients (X ± SD = 0.63 ± 0.278) in comparison to control group (X ± SD = 0.39 ± 0.295), (P = 0.0001). The mean α-1-anti-trypsin activity were found to be lowered in CP patients (X ± SD = 0.42 ± 0.494) in comparison to control group (X ± SD = 0.67 ± 0.465), with the variation being significant (P = 0.0003). Conclusion: The findings suggest an imbalance in the synthesis and degradation of proteolytic enzymes and antiprotease indicating an altered aggressive and defensive role in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis