Fungicidal Control of Downy Mildew of Pearl Millet

Among the three fungicides tested in vitro against Sclerospora graminicola, metalaxyl and oxadixyl were effective in completely inhibiting sporangial production and germination at 250 ppm concentration. With mancozeb, complete inhibition of sporangial production was observed only at 1000 ppm concentration while there was no complete inhibition of sporangial germination even at 1000 ppm. In a field trial conducted during the kharif season of 1985, metalaxyl 25 WP seed treatment protected the pearl millet crop from downy mildew upto 30 days. Seed treatment followed by one foliar spray with metalaxyl or mancozeb was more effective than seed treatment alone. Seed treatment with metalaxyl followed by a single combined foliar spray of metalaxyl + mancozeb was superior to seed treatment with metalaxyl followed by a single foliar spray of either of these fungicides

Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Exhibit Heterogeneous CD52 Expression Levels and Show Differential Sensitivity to Alemtuzumab Mediated Cytolysis

Alemtuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets cell surface CD52 and is effective in depleting lymphocytes by cytolytic effects in vivo. Although the cytolytic effects of alemtuzumab are dependent on the density of CD52 antigen on cells, there is scant information regarding the expression levels of CD52 on different cell types. In this study, CD52 expression was assessed on phenotypically distinct subsets of lymphoid and myeloid cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from normal donors. Results demonstrate that subsets of PBMCs express differing levels of CD52. Quantitative analysis showed that memory B cells and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) display the highest number while natural killer (NK) cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and basophils have the lowest number of CD52 molecules per cell amongst lymphoid and myeloid cell populations respectively. Results of complement dependent cytolysis (CDC) studies indicated that alemtuzumab mediated profound cytolytic effects on B and T cells with minimal effect on NK cells, basophils and pDCs, correlating with the density of CD52 on these cells. Interestingly, despite high CD52 levels, mDCs and monocytes were less susceptible to alemtuzumab-mediated CDC indicating that antigen density alone does not define susceptibility. Additional studies indicated that higher expression levels of complement inhibitory proteins (CIPs) on these cells partially contributes to their resistance to alemtuzumab mediated CDC. These results indicate that alemtuzumab is most effective in depleting cells of the adaptive immune system while leaving innate immune cells relatively intact

Studies on surface morphology and thermal stability of polypyrrole-poly (e-caprolactone) polymer composites

: Polypyrrole (PPy) polymer composites were prepared via chemical polymerization of the pyrrole monomer in an aqueous solution using different weight percentages of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt%) as the dopant and ammonium per sulfate as the oxidant. The cryst-allinity of the synthesized PPy-PCL composites was dete-rmined using X-ray diffraction, and the surface morphology was observed under scanning electron and transmission electron microscopes. Thermogravimetry, differential thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry were used to study the thermal stability of the compo-sites, which was found higher than that of pure PPy. The improvement in the thermal stability of the PPy-PCL composites is attributed to the interaction between PPy and PCL, which restricts the thermal motion of the PPy chains and prevents the degradation of PPy

Synthesis, Characterization, and Biological Studies of Binuclear Copper(II) Complexes of (2E)-2-(2-Hydroxy-3-Methoxybenzylidene)-4N-Substituted Hydrazinecarbothioamides

Four novel binuclear copper(II) complexes [1–4] of (2E)-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-4N-substituted hydrazinecarbothioamides, (OH)(OCH3)C6H4CH=NNHC(S)NHR, where R = H (L1), Me (L2), Et (L3), or Ph (L4), have been synthesized and characterized. The FT-IR spectral data suggested the attachment of copper(II) ion to ligand moiety through the azomethine nitrogen, thioketonic sulphur, and phenolic-O. The spectroscopic characterization indicates the dissociation of dimeric complex into mononuclear [Cu(L)Cl] units in polar solvents like DMSO, where L is monoanionic thiosemicarbazone. The DNA binding properties of the complexes with calf thymus (CT) DNA were studied by spectroscopic titration. The complexes show binding affinity to CT DNA with binding constant (Kb) values in the order of 106 M−1. The ligands and their metal complexes were tested for antibacterial and antifungal activities by agar disc diffusion method. Except for complex 4, all complexes showed considerable activity almost equal to the activity of ciprofloxacin. These complexes did not show any effect on Gram-negative bacteria, whereas they showed moderate activity for Gram-positive strains

Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) Complexes of Schiff's Base Type Ligands Containing Benzofuran Moiety

Six new complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) with substituted benzofuran derivatives have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic moments, conductance measurements, spectral characterization, and so forth. Elemental data coincide with the general formula MLC1n, where L = (E)-7-Methoxy-N1-(2,4,5-trimethoxy benzylidene) benzofuran-2-carbohydrazide (L1) or (E)-N1-(2,6-dichloro benzylidene)-7-methoxy benzofuran-2-carbohydrazide (L2), of the complexes. The ligands coordinate to the metal ions through the oxygen of the carbonyl group and the nitrogen of the hydrazine group. Electronic spectral data of the complexes suggests the probable geometry is octahedral in nature. All the complexes and ligands were screened for their antibacterial activity. Among them, Co, Ni, and Cu complexes of L2 showed good activity against all microbes

Total crude protein extract of Trichoderma spp. induces systemic resistance in pearl millet against the downy mildew pathogen

Several proteins and peptides of microbial origin are reported for their elicitor properties, which play a vital role in the development of local and systemic resistances in plants. In this study, the efficacy of total crude proteins (TCP) extracted from six different Trichoderma spp. (T. asperellum, T. harzianum, T. atroviride, T. virens, T. longibrachiatum, and T. brevicompactum) was evaluated for their ability to elicit defense responses in pearl millet against downy mildew disease. Priming of pearl millet seeds (with or without mannitol) with different concentrations of TCP from Trichoderma spp. does not affect the seed germination and seedling vigor significantly. Under greenhouse conditions, a varied level of disease protection was recorded with TCP of different Trichoderma spp., and furthermore, its efficacy was found increased when treated with mannitol. Total crude protein extracts of T. atroviride (75 µg/ml) with mannitol recorded significantly higher disease protection of 53.6% in comparison with respective controls. Furthermore, this observation was supported by elevated levels of peroxidase (7.7 U @ 36 h after inoculation) and lipoxygenase (29.5 U @ 48 h after inoculation) and hypersensitive necrotic spots (56% @ 24 h after inoculation). The present study illustrated the capability of TCP extracted from different Trichoderma spp. to elicit the disease resistance mechanism in pearl millet seedlings against Sclerospora graminicola

Evaluating the anthelmintic potential of leaf gall extracts of Terminalia chebula (Gaertn.) Retz. (Combretaceae)

Objective: Terminalia chebula gall extracts are widely used Asian folk and traditional medicine. The present study was carried out to evaluate the anthelmintic potential of different extracts of leaf galls. Materials and Methods: The anthelmintic activity was assessed by applying five different concentrations of the plant extracts on Indian adult earthworms, and the time of paralysis and death was recorded. Results: The ethanolic extract processed potent anthelmintic activity, when compared to the other extracts. The lowest time for paralysis and death of worms, for test sample at highest concentration (250 mg/ml), were found to be 7.30 ± 2.66 and 14 ± 0.58 min, respectively. Albendazole, which was used as standard, caused paralysis and death of worms at 07.00 ± 3.55 min and 12.60 ± 2.01 min, respectively; whereas no mortality of the worms was observed, when distilled water was used as control. The presences of phenolics, flavonoids, triterpens, saponins, glycosides, phytosterols, reducing sugars were identified in the extracts and the significant anthelmintic property of T. chebula might be due to the presence of alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and flavanoids. Conclusion: The results of this study establishes the antihelmentic activities of T. chebula leaf gall extracts and justify the ethnobotanical approach in the search for novel bioactive compounds. The anthelmintic potential of T. chebula extracts may be due to the presence of phyto-constituents like alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and flavanoids. Future work will be interesting to know the chemical composition and better understand the mechanism of action of the antioxidants present in the extract for development as drug for therapeutic application