Evaluation of clopidogrel on acute and sub-acute models of inflammation in male Wistar rats

Background: Atherosclerosis and its complications remain the major cause of death and premature disability. Atherogenesis involves elements of inflammation, a process that now provides a unifying theme in the pathogenesis of the disease. Anti-platelet drugs are currently used in the treatment of atherosclerosis and its complications. Our study evaluated the influence of clopidogrel on acute and sub-acute models of inflammation in male Wistar rats.Methods: Male Wistar rats (150-200 g) were divided into three groups, i.e. control, aspirin and clopidogrel (n=6 animals in each group). The effect of clopidogrel administered orally on inflammation was studied using acute (carrageenan-induced rat paw edema) and sub-acute (cotton pellet granuloma and histopathological examination of grass piths) models. Experiment was conducted according to the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision on Experiments on Animals guidelines. Analysis was done using one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc test of Dunnets. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: Clopidogrel showed significant inhibition of rat paw edema in acute model (p<0.01) and granuloma dry weight, in sub-acute model of inflammation when compared to control (p<0.01). Histopathological examination of grass pith revealed markedly reduced fibroblasts, granulation tissue, fibrous tissue and collagen in clopidogrel group when compared to control.Conclusion: Clopidogrel exhibited a significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute and sub-acute models of inflammation

Effect of Sm3+ substitution on structural and magnetic investigation of nano sized Mn-​Sm-​Zn ferrites

Nano size Mn0.4Zn0.6SmxFe2-​xO4 (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.05) ferrites were prepd. by soln. combustion method. The structural and magnetic properties of samples were characterised by X-​ray diffractometer, Fourier transform IR spectrometer, transmission electron micrographs and magnetic properties at room temp. The X-​ray diffraction patterns and two prominent absorption bands in the frequency range 375-​589 cm-​1 confirmed the single phase with spinel cubic structure. The av. nano crystallite sizes were in best agreements with transmission electron microscope images. Magnetic studies revealed the narrow hysteresis loops of ferrimagnetic nature at room temp. The values of satn. magnetization (Ms)​, remanence magnetization (Mr)​, coercivity (Hc)​, remanence ratio (Mr/Ms)​, magneton no., anisotropy const. and Yaffet-​Kittle angle decreased with the increase in Sm3+ ion concn. was attributed to relative no. of ferric ions on the tetrahedral sites diminished and reduced the Sm-​Fe interaction

SBMDb: First whole genome putative microsatellite DNA marker database of sugarbeet for bioenergy and industrial applications

© 2015 The Author(s) 2015. DNA marker plays important role as valuable tools to increase crop productivity by finding plausible answers to genetic variations and linking the Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) of beneficial trait. Prior approaches in development of Short Tandem Repeats (STR) markers were time consuming and inefficient. Recent methods invoking the development of STR markers using whole genomic or transcriptomics data has gained wide importance with immense potential in developing breeding and cultivator improvement approaches. Availability of whole genome sequences and in silico approaches has revolutionized bulk marker discovery. We report world's first sugarbeet whole genome marker discovery having 145 K markers along with 5 K functional domain markers unified in common platform using MySQL, Apache and PHP in SBMDb. Embedded markers and corresponding location information can be selected for desired chromosome, location/interval and primers can be generated using Primer3 core, integrated at backend. Our analyses revealed abundance of 'mono' repeat (76.82%) over 'di' repeats (13.68%). Highest density (671.05 markers/Mb) was found in chromosome 1 and lowest density (341.27 markers/Mb) in chromosome 6. Current investigation of sugarbeet genome marker density has direct implications in increasing mapping marker density. This will enable present linkage map having marker distance of ∼2 cM, i.e. from 200 to 2.6 Kb, thus facilitating QTL/gene mapping. We also report e-PCR-based detection of 2027 polymorphic markers in panel of five genotypes. These markers can be used for DUS test of variety identification and MAS/GAS in variety improvement program. The present database presents wide source of potential markers for developing and implementing new approaches for molecular breeding required to accelerate industrious use of this crop, especially for sugar, health care products, medicines and color dye. Identified markers will also help in improvement of bioenergy trait of bioethanol and biogas production along with reaping advantage of crop efficiency in terms of low water and carbon footprint especially in era of climate change

Low temperature Mössbauer spectroscopic studies on Sm3+ doped Zn-Mn ferrites

For the first time, we report on the low temperature Mössbauer spectroscopic study of Zn2+ 0.5Mn2+ 0.5Sm3+ xFe3+ 2�xO4 (where x = 0.01�0.05) prepared by the modified solution combustion method using a mixture of urea and glucose as a fuel. The Mössbauer spectroscopy at room and low temperatures was applied to understand the magnetic properties of the samples. The room temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy results suggest that the occupation of the octahedral sites by Sm3+ ions leads to the distortion enhancement of 57Fe nuclei environments, which leads to an increase in quadrupole splitting � values of D2 and D3 doublets. The low temperature Mössbauer spectroscopy results indicate that the presence of Sm3+ ions in the octahedron sites causes the decrease in the number of Fe�O�Fe chains. The transformation of Mössbauer spectra doublets into Zeeman sextets is accompanied by a significant decrease in the magnitude IM of Mössbauer spectra intensity within the 0�1.2 mm/s velocity range normalized to its value at 300 K. This drop in the temperature dependence of IM allows one to obtain the magnetic phase transition temperature TM from the Mössbauer experiment. © 2017 Elsevier B.V

Association of Climatic Factors on Population Dynamics of Leaf Roller, Diaphania pulverulentalis

The production of quality mulberry leaf and subsequent production of quality silk is hampered due to the incidence of various insect pests. The present study analyses the population dynamics of Diaphania pulverulentalis (leaf roller), a serious pest of mulberry in a sericulture seed farm. The results indicated that maximum population buildup of the pest was recorded during rainy season. High humidity coinciding with low temperature because of southwest and northeast monsoon was conducive for breeding and multiplication of the pest. Correlation studies revealed that there was a significant negative correlation between increase in temperature and pest infestation. All other weather factors recorded from the study location have a positive correlation with incidence of the pest. The regression model developed also supported the relationship between the pest population buildup and weather factors

Evolution of Integrated Crop-Livestock Production Systems

Key points 1. Many factors contribute to changes in the crop-livestock systems, but no logical end-point in the evolution process exists. 2. While benefits of integrated crop-livestock systems over specialised crop and livestock systems are well documented, there has been a move to specialised crop and livestock production. 3. Sustainability issues (manure nutrient concentration, soil quality maintenance, salinity, herbicide resistance, economic instability) have created a renewed interest in integrated crop-livestock systems. 4. Farmer adaptability is as an important link in the evolution between ‘states of integration’

Evolution of Integrated Crop-Livestock Production Systems

Many factors contribute to changes in the crop-livestock systems, but no logical end-point in the evolution process exists. While benefits of integrated crop-livestock systems over specialised crop and livestock systems are well documented, there has been a move to specialised crop and livestock production. Sustainability issues (manure nutrient concentration, soil quality maintenance, salinity, herbicide resistance, economic instability) have created a renewed interest in integrated crop-livestock systems. Farmer adaptability is as an important link in the evolution between ‘states of integration’

Identifikacija ptičjih vrsta lančanom reakcijom polimerazom i analizom slijeda mitohondrijskoga gena 12S rRNA

Authentic identification and differentiation of avian species is a vital step in conservative, taxonomic, forensic, legal and other ornithological interventions. The present investigation involved the application of molecular biological approach to identify and differentiate avian species i.e. two species of birds, namely black kite (Milvus migrans) and parakeet (Psittacula krameri). The DNA was isolated from blood samples of each species and a part of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene was amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were sequenced and aligned using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) of the GenBank (NCBI). Based on the alignment and similarity/divergence, these avian species were accurately identified and differentiated.Autentična identifikacija i razlikovanje ptičjih vrsta od presudnoga su značenja u različitim konzervirajućim, taksonomskim, sudbenim, zakonskim i drugim ornitološkim aktivnostima. Ovo istraživanje bavi se molekularnobiološkim pristupom identifikaciji i razlikovanja dviju ptičjih vrsta: crvenkaste lunje (sokola) (Milvus migrans) i papige (Psittacula krameri). DNA je bila izdvojena iz uzoraka njihove krvi te je dio mitohondrijskoga 12S rRNA bio umnožen lančanom reakcijom polimerazom. Proizvodi PCR-a bili su sekvencirani i analizirani upotrebom Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) genske banke GenBank (NCBI). Na osnovi sličnosti odnosno različitosti nalaza identificirane su te dvije pretraživane vrste

Pinning-induced transition to disordered vortex phase in layered superconductors

Destruction of the vortex lattice by random point pinning is considered as a mechanism of the ``second peak'' transition observed experimentally in weakly coupled layered high temperature superconductors. The transition field separating the topologically ordered quasilattice from the amorphous vortex configuration is strongly influenced by the layered structure and by the nonlocal nature of the vortex tilt energy due to the magnetic interlayer coupling. We found three different regimes of transition depending on the relative strength of the Josephson and magnetic couplings. The regimes can be distinguished by the dependence of the transition fieldComment: 8 pages, 3 Postscript figures. Accepted to Phys. Rev.B. (regular article

Double-digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing-based genotyping and its applications in sesame germplasm management

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an ancient oilseed crop belonging to the family Pedaliaceae and a globally cultivated crop for its use as oil and food. In this study, 2496 sesame accessions, being conserved at the National Genebank of ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), were genotyped using genomics-assisted double-digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) approach. A total of 64,910 filtered single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were utilized to assess the genome-scale diversity. Applications of this genome-scale information (reduced representation using restriction enzymes) are demonstrated through the development of a molecular core collection (CC) representing maximal SNP diversity. This information is also applied in developing a mid-density panel (MDP) comprising 2515 hyper-variable SNPs, representing almost equally the genic and non-genic regions. The sesame CC comprising 384 accessions, a representative set of accessions with maximal diversity, was identified using multiple criteria such as k-mer (subsequence of length “k” in a sequence read) diversity, observed heterozygosity, CoreHunter3, GenoCore, and genetic differentiation. The coreset constituted around 15% of the total accessions studied, and this small subset had captured >60% SNP diversity of the entire population. In the coreset, the admixture analysis shows reduced genetic complexity, increased nucleotide diversity (π), and is geographically distributed without any repetitiveness in the CC germplasm. Within the CC, India-originated accessions exhibit higher diversity (as expected based on the center of diversity concept), than those accessions that were procured from various other countries. The identified CC set and the MDP will be a valuable resource for genomics-assisted accelerated sesame improvement program