INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT IN POTATO WITH COMPOST MADE THROUGH DIFFERENT BIO-DEGRADATION PROCESSES

To achieve the goal of safe and sustainable food, the only realistic option now-a-days lies with the introduction of a low input farming system concept i.e. organic and integrated agriculture. Keeping in view the present scenario, a study was undertaken in Satyapole village, Haringhata block of Nadia district, West Bengal on integrated nutrient management in potatoes during rabi 2018 and 2019. The efficacy of different composts, in terms of their quality, easiness of preparation along with yield and economic attributes were accessed for the high nutrient loving crop, potato. The experiment was planned out in randomized block design (RBD) with 5 treatments and 4 replications. High yield with a marginal difference was found among all the treatments with integrated management. But, the treatment with 50% of recommended inorganic fertilizer dose (recommended dose N:P: K @ 200:150:150 kg/ha, 1/3 N, full P and 1/3 K as basal; 1st and 2nd top dressing with 1/3 N and 1/3 K) and vermicompost @ 5 ton/ha showed the best result. According to the B: C ratio composting with NOVCOM showed the best result whereas, in terms of the bio-degradation process with respect to its end-product quality, easiness of procedure, and cost, compost made through waste decomposer and NOVCOM has better results in comparison with vermicompost

Tumor necrosis factor-inducible gene 6 promotes liver regeneration in mice with acute liver injury

INTRODUCTION: Tumor necrosis factor-inducible gene 6 protein (TSG-6), one of the cytokines released by human mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hMSC), has an anti-inflammatory effect and alleviates several pathological conditions; however, the hepatoprotective potential of TSG-6 remains unclear. We investigated whether TSG-6 promoted liver regeneration in acute liver failure. METHODS: The immortalized hMSC (B10) constitutively over-expressing TSG-6 or empty plasmid (NC: Negative Control) were established, and either TSG-6 or NC-conditioned medium (CM) was intraperitoneally injected into mice with acute liver damage caused by CCl(4). Mice were sacrificed at 3 days post-CM treatment. RESULTS: Higher expression and the immunosuppressive activity of TSG-6 were observed in CM from TSG-6-hMSC. The obvious histomorphological liver injury and increased level of liver enzymes were shown in CCl(4)-treated mice with or without NC-CM, whereas those observations were markedly ameliorated in TSG-6-CM-treated mice with CCl(4). Ki67-positive hepatocytic cells were accumulated in the liver of the CCl(4) + TSG-6 group. RNA analysis showed the decrease in both of inflammation markers, tnfα, il-1β, cxcl1 and cxcl2, and fibrotic markers, tgf-β1, α-sma and collagen α1, in the CCl(4) + TSG-6 group, compared to the CCl(4) or the CCl(4) + NC group. Protein analysis confirmed the lower expression of TGF-β1 and α-SMA in the CCl(4) + TSG-6 than the CCl(4) or the CCl(4) + NC group. Immunostaining for α-SMA also revealed the accumulation of the activated hepatic stellate cells in the livers of mice in the CCl(4) and CCl(4) + NC groups, but not in the livers of mice from the CCl(4) + TSG-6 group. The cultured LX2 cells, human hepatic stellate cell line, in TSG-6-CM showed the reduced expression of fibrotic markers, tgf-β1, vimentin and collagen α1, whereas the addition of the TSG-6 antibody neutralized the inhibitory effect of TSG-6 on the activation of LX2 cells. In addition, cytoplasmic lipid drops, the marker of inactivated hepatic stellate cell, were detected in TSG-6-CM-cultured LX2 cells, only. The suppressed TSG-6 activity by TSG-6 antibody attenuated the restoration process in livers of TSG-6-CM-treated mice with CCl(4). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that TSG-6 contributed to the liver regeneration by suppressing the activation of hepatic stellate cells in CCl(4)-treated mice, suggesting the therapeutic potential of TSG-6 for acute liver failure. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-015-0019-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Obesity and risk of pancreatic cancer among postmenopausal women: the Women's Health Initiative (United States)

A total of 138 503 women in the Women's Health Initiative in the United States were followed (for an average of 7.7 years) through 12 September 2005 to examine obesity, especially central obesity in relation to pancreatic cancer (n=251). Women in the highest quintile of waist-to-hip ratio had 70% (95% confidence interval 10–160%) excess risk of pancreatic cancer compared with women in the lowest quintile

Microbiome to Brain:Unravelling the Multidirectional Axes of Communication

The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in host physiology. Disruption of its community structure and function can have wide-ranging effects making it critical to understand exactly how the interactive dialogue between the host and its microbiota is regulated to maintain homeostasis. An array of multidirectional signalling molecules is clearly involved in the host-microbiome communication. This interactive signalling not only impacts the gastrointestinal tract, where the majority of microbiota resides, but also extends to affect other host systems including the brain and liver as well as the microbiome itself. Understanding the mechanistic principles of this inter-kingdom signalling is fundamental to unravelling how our supraorganism function to maintain wellbeing, subsequently opening up new avenues for microbiome manipulation to favour desirable mental health outcome

The impact of modifiable risk factors on mortality from prostate cancer in populations of the Asia-Pacific Region

Mortality from cancer of the prostate is increasing in the Asia-Pacific, when much of this region is undergoing a transition to a Western lifestyle. The role that lifestyle factors play in prostate cancer appears limited, but existing data mainly are from the West. We conducted an individual participant data analysis of 24 cohort studies involving 320,852 men (83% in Asia). Cox proportional hazard models were used to quantify associations between risk factors and mortality from prostate cancer. There were 308 deaths from prostate cancer (14% in Asia) during 2.1 million person-years of follow-up. The age-adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval; CI) for men with body mass index (BMI) 28 kg/m2 or more, compared with below 25, was 1.55 (1.12 - 2.16); no such significant relationship was found for height or waist circumference. The BMI result was unchanged after adjustment for other variables, was consistent between Asia and Australia/New Zealand (ANZ) and did not differ with age. There was no significant relationship with diabetes, glucose or total cholesterol (p ≥ 0.18). Smoking, alone, showed different effects in the two regions, possibly due to the relative immaturity of the smoking epidemic in Asia. In ANZ, the multiple-adjusted hazard ratio for an extra 5 cigarettes per day was 1.12 (95%CI: 1.03 - 1.22), whereas in Asia it was 0.77 (0.56 - 1.05). Body size is an apparently important determinant of prostate cancer in the Asia-Pacific. Evidence of an adverse effect of smoking is conclusive only in the predominantly Caucasian parts of the region.link_to_OA_fulltex

Relationship between absolute and relative ratios of glutamate, glutamine and GABA and severity of autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental pathology characterized by an impairment in social interaction, communication difficulties, and repetitive behaviors. Glutamate signaling abnormalities are thought to be considered as major etiological mechanisms leading to ASD. The search for amino-acidic catabolytes related to glutamate in patients with different levels of ASD might help current research to clarify the mechanisms underlying glutamate signaling and its disorders, particularly in relation to ASD. In the present study, plasma levels of the amino acids and their derivatives glutamate, glutamine, and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), associated with their relative ratios, were evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique in 40 male children with ASD and in 38 age- and gender-matched neurotypical health controls. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was used to evaluate social cognition, and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used to assess subjects' behaviors. Children with ASD exhibited a significant elevation of plasma GABA and glutamate/glutamine ratio, as well as significantly lower levels of plasma glutamine and glutamate/GABA ratios compared to controls. No significant correlation was found between glutamate levels and the severity of autism, measured by CARS and SRS. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the area under the curve for GABA compared to other parameters was close to one, indicating its potential use as a biomarker. Glutamine appeared as the best predictive prognostic markers in the present study. The results of the present study indicate a disturbed balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in ASD. The study also indicates that an increased plasma level of GABA can be potentially used as an early diagnostic biomarker for ASD