Spectral signatures of moisture-stressed wheat

One of the important parameters affecting crop yield is the availability of soil moisture to the crop. Lackof it may bring about moistur~ stress in plants which manifests itself in terms of changes in the spectral reflectance and emittence properties of plants. An experiment involving radiometric measurements over six wheat plots subjected to different irrigation schedules was conducted to test this hypothesis, Vegetation index defined in terms of cropreflectances in 0.6 to 0.7 and 0.8 to 1,1 micrometer bands was found to ben sensitive parameter to distinguish normal plants from moisture-stressed plants. The optimum period for the discrimination of such plants through remote sensing techniques has been indicated to be 45-80 days after sowing. The experiment also demonstrates that yield per unit area is linearly related to the maximum leaf-area index of the crop thus providing a possible method of crop yield prediction

Associations of antidiabetic drugs with diabetic retinopathy in people with type 2 diabetes: an umbrella review and meta-analysis

BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most frequent complication of type 2 diabetes and remains the leading cause of preventable blindness. Current clinical decisions regarding the administration of antidiabetic drugs do not sufficiently incorporate the risk of DR due to the inconclusive evidence from preceding meta-analyses. This umbrella review aimed to systematically evaluate the effects of antidiabetic drugs on DR in people with type 2 diabetes.MethodsA systematic literature search was undertaken in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (from inception till 17th May 2022) without language restrictions to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials or longitudinal studies that examined the association between antidiabetic drugs and DR in people with type 2 diabetes. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of included studies using the AMSTAR-2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) checklist, and evidence assessment was performed using the GRADE (Grading of recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Random-effects models were applied to calculate relative risk (RR) or odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022332052).ResultsWith trial evidence from 11 systematic reviews and meta-analyses, we found that the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), or dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) was not statistically associated with the risk of DR, compared to either placebo (RR: GLP-1 RA, 0.98, 0.89-1.08; SGLT-2i, 1.00, 95% CI 0.79-1.27; DPP-4i, 1.17, 0.99-1.39) or other antidiabetic drugs. Compared to other antidiabetic drugs, meglitinides (0.34, 0.01-8.25), SGLT-2i (0.73, 0.10-5.16), thiazolidinediones (0.92, 0.67-1.26), metformin (1.15, 0.81-1.63), sulphonylureas (1.24, 0.93-1.65), and acarbose (4.21, 0.44-40.43) were not statistically associated with the risk of DR. With evidence from longitudinal studies only, insulin was found to have a higher risk of DR than other antidiabetic drugs (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 2.04-2.99).ConclusionOur results indicate that antidiabetic drugs are generally safe to prescribe regarding the risk of DR among people with type 2 diabetes. Further robust and large-scale trials investigating the effects of insulin, meglitinides, and acarbose on DR are warranted.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=332052, identifier CRD42022332052

Development of a derivative spectrophotometric method for the determination of fungicide zinc ethylenebisdithiocarbamate using sodium molybdate

A derivative spectrophotometric procedure was developed for the determination of zinc(II) ethylenebisdithiocarbamate, Zineb, after formation of its blue colored complex with sodium molybdate in acidic medium. The Beer's law is obeyed up to 40 µg mL-1of Zineb at 956 nm. The detection limit was 0.006 µg mL-1 for Zineb when S/N ratio is 3 taking into account various parameters, such as the effect of acid concentration. The interference of a large number of ions on the determination of Zineb was evaluated. Most of the alkaline metals and metal salts did not interfere. The procedure presented proper sensitivity and it was applied for determining Zineb in food stuffs and commercial samples of Dithane Z 78 and Hexathane 75% W.P.. Results were compared with earlier reported methods. Zineb was successfully determined without any interferences in the presence of other dithiocarbamates like ziram, thiram, ferbam etc

Serosurveillance for Japanese encephalitis virus infection among equines in India

The seroprevalence of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) among equines was evaluated from January 2006 to December 2009 in 13 different states of India by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and virus neutralization test (VNT). Antibodies against JEV were detected in 327 out of 3,286 (10%) equines with a maximum prevalence reported in the state of Manipur (91.7%) followed by Gujarat (18.5%), Madhya Pradesh (14.4%), and Uttar Pradesh (11.6%). Evidence of JEV infection was observed in equines in Indore (Madhya Pradesh) where a 4-fold or higher rise in antibody titer was observed in 21 out of 34 horses in November 2007 to October 2006. In March 2008, seven of these horses had a subsequent 4-fold rise in JEV antibody titers while this titer decreased in nine animals. JEV-positive horse sera had a JEV/WNV (West Nile virus) ratio over 2.0 according to the HI and/or VNT. These results indicated that JEV is endemic among equines in India

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Electrographic studies on the nature of sleep and wakefulness

Electroencephalographic activity of the neocortical gyri, ventral hippocampus, caudate nucleus and reticular formation (diencephalon to medulla) and other regions was investigated during natural sleep-wakefulness cycles spread over 88 sessions in 34 cats, free moving with implanted electrodes. The electrooculgram and the electromyogram of neck nuchal muscles were simultaneously recorded and correlated with the behavior. Regional EEG cycles differed in 4 ways: (a) those with synchronized EEG throughout the sleep and wakefulness, as in the ventral hippocampus, (b) those with desynchronised activity throughout, as in the bulbo-pontine reticular formation, (c) those with desynchronized EEG during wakefulness and active sleep and synchronized patterns during slow sleep, as in the neocortical gyri, caudate nucleus and near by regions, and (d) those that follow the pattern of (c) with slow waves superimposed, as in the mesencephalic reticular formation. Low voltage, low frequency stimulations given to the area lateral to the massa intermedia, nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis, nucleus reticularis ventralis, optic chiasma and the sciatic nerve induced EEG synchronization occasionally, but never an active sleep. A region more dynamogenic than the other diencephatic and reticular areas explored, was observed near the nucleus tractus trigemini. In view of the observations that the activation of restricted hypnogenic centres did not consistently produce somnolence and that the EEG changes during natural sleep-wakefulness cycles are simultaneous in the different regions and involve almost the whole structure of the brain, it is discussed that the involved integratory networks are likely to be much more extensive including the hypnogenic and the dynamogenic regions investigated here

Piperazine Complexes of Some Lanthanides & Actinides

196-19

Electrical activity of the hypothalamic 'feeding centres' under the effect of changes in blood chemistry

Electrodes were stereotaxically implanted in the medial hypothalamic "satiety" and lateral "feeding" centres as well as in other hypothalamic and cerebral cortical regions. The electrical activity of these regions was recorded electroencephalographically. Changes in blood sugar, blood proteins and blood lipid contents were produced and their effects on the electrical activity observed. Hyperglycaemia increased the activity of the "satiety" centres and produced some drop in voltage in the electrical activity of the "feeding" centres. Hypoglycaemia decreased the activity of the "satiety" centres and occasionally slightly increased the activity of the "feeding" centres. No change in the activities of other areas was observed. Increased in blood proteins and blood lipid contents did not change the hypothalamic activity. It appears therefore, that the medial "satiety" regions of the hypothalamus show a glucoreceptor mechanism