Occurrence of Blast Disease in Hybrid Napier

Hybrid napier, a cross between pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and napier grass (Pennisetum purpuriam) is a popular cultivated fodder grass in India. It is popular due to high yield, palatability and adaptability to varying soil and climatic conditions. It is relatively free from most of the pests and diseases and the question of plant protection normally does not arise. However, sporadic incidence of blast like symptoms has been observed in hybrid napier maintained in the college farm and the disease has been confirmed as blast caused by Pyricularia grisea Sacc. The disease causes severe leaf blight in some cultivars leading to leaf senescence. Leaf blast reduced photosynthetic rate of the remaining green parts of infected leaves (Bastiaans, 1991). Bastiaans and Kropff (1993) reported reduction in canopy photosynthesis because of the effect of blast lesions and shading by dead leaf area. Severe leaf blight caused by the pathogen induces production of phytotoxins and disruption of normal biochemical and physiological balance (Young-Ki et al., 2010)

Synthesis of 2-azetidinones substituted coumarin derivative

α-Naphthol is converted into 4-methylbenzo[h]chromen-2-one by reacting with ethyl acetoacetate in the presence of bismuth trichloride which is then oxidized to 2-oxo-2H-benzo[h]chromene-4-carbaldehyde and then condensed with aromatic primary amines to give Schiff bases (3a-3d). These Schiff bases are then reacted with acid chlorides in the presence of base in toluene to give 1, 3, 4-substituted 2-azetidinones

A rare case of heterotopic pregnancy: an avalanche of catastrophe

An ectopic pregnancy is the development of an embryo outside the uterus, a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. Heterotopic pregnancy is when an intrauterine implanted embryo develops simultaneously along with an extra uterine implantation. With rising incidence of assisted reproductive technology (ART), incidence of ectopic pregnancy is on a rise. We report a case of an elderly patient, conceived by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), who had a catastrophe of events following conception, where she had an intrauterine twin gestation and an ectopic gestation in the left fallopian tube. She presented with vomiting and on ultrasound scan, we found a twin intra uterine gestation, with demise of one twin with no sign of ectopic implantation. Initially we decided to continue pregnancy. However, she had persistent spotting per vagina, and on a repeat ultrasound scan there was intrauterine demise of the other foetus also. Her uterus was then evacuated under anaesthesia. Post operatively, she became hemodynamic ally unstable and ultrasound was inconclusive of the cause. So, we subjected her to an MRI which showed a left adnexal ruptured ectopic pregnancy with hemoperitoneum. She was immediately taken up for exploratory laparotomy and left salpingectomy was done hemoperitoneum evacuated. Due to timely intervention and use of advanced techniques for diagnosis, she recovered successfully. Thus, heterotopic pregnancy can be a rare, life threatening complication of IVF, a vigilant eye and not shying away from the use of novel and advanced techniques for diagnosis, can help in early diagnosis and timely intervention and thus prove to be lifesaving.

A rare case of acute non-puerperal uterine inversion due to large leiomyoma in COVID pandemic: challenges in clinical diagnosis and management

Non puerperal uterine inversion is a very rare clinical scenario with very few gynaecologist actually managing it in their lifetime. Acute variety of non-puerperal inversion is even rarer and thus possess diagnostic and management challenges. Case study of a rare case of a 45 years old female who was admitted for an elective surgery and had sudden acute inversion of uterus which was clinically diagnosed. Patient was managed by debulking of tumour which turned out to be large leiomyoma, followed by total abdominal hysterectomy. Rarity of the disease, atypical symptoms and less clinical exposure to such cases pose diagnostic as well as surgical challenges as in our case

Gender differences in perceived health related quality of life among persons living with HIV

In the era of HlV/AlDS and in the context of the developing world HIV/AIDS has led to a pandemic. HIV antiretroviral drugs are inaccessible and unaffordable and the only choice that health care providers have is to work towards improving the quality of life of individuals as long as they live with this dreaded disease. This study on 203 seropositive individuals, 102 women and 101 men, was undertaken to find out the differences in the quality of life perceived by women and men living with HIV/AIDS. The WHOQOL-BREF scale was used to assess the quality of life. The findings from this study reveal that men report a poor quality of life in the psychological domain (p<0.01) while women in the sociological domain (p=0.03). The stage of illness does not seem to influence quality of life among women and men. The findings emphasize the need for health providers to assess the QOL among people living with HIV/AIDS. This information would be helpful in planning effective intervention strategies for men and women living with HlV/AlDS in order to be ensured of a quality of life

Unraveling Genetic Diversity Through Molecular Insights: RAPD Profiling of Hybanthus enneaspermus (L.) F. Muell.

Hybanthus enneaspermus (L.) F. Muell, commonly known as the Indian Violets or Purple Balsam, is a flowering plant belonging to the family Violaceae. It is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. It holds cultural and medicinal importance in various traditional systems of medicine. Extracts from different parts of the plant have been traditionally employed to address ailments ranging from respiratory conditions to skin disorders. RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) analysis is a molecular biology technique used to generate fingerprint-like patterns of genomic DNA. In this study, we employ RAPD analysis to investigate the genetic diversity and relationships within species/Population/group of interest. Through the amplification of random genomic regions, we aim to generate informative banding patterns that will serve as molecular fingerprints for the individuals under investigation. This study clearly demonstrates the efficacy of this technique as a robust tool for molecular characterization, underscoring its relevance in contemporary genetic research

Cervical cancer-associated suffering: Estimating the palliative care needs of a highly vulnerable population

Purpose: To enable design of optimum palliative care for women with cervical cancer, we studied the most common types of suffering and their severity, prevalence, and duration.Methods: We first reviewed the literature on the major types, severity, prevalence, and duration of suffering associated with cervical cancer. We then conducted a modified Delphi process with experts in cervical cancer care to supplement the literature. For each type of suffering, we distinguished between decedents (those who die from cervical cancer in a given year) and nondecedents (those who have cervical cancer in a given year but do not die). By applying the suffering prevalence and duration estimates to the number of decedents, nondecedents, and family caregivers in 2017, we were able to estimate their palliative care needs and the intensity of palliative care needed to respond adequately to this suffering.Results: There is a high prevalence among decedents of moderate or severe pain (84%), vaginal discharge (66%), vaginal bleeding (61%), and loss of faith (31%). Among both decedents and nondecedents, there is a high prevalence of clinically significant anxiety (63% and 50%, respectively), depressed mood (52% and 38%, respectively), and sexual dysfunction (87% and 83%, respectively). Moderate or severe financial distress is prevalent among decedents, nondecedents, and family caregivers (84%, 74%, and 66%, respectively). More than 40% of decedents and nondecedents are abandoned by their intimate partners. Most patients experience some combination of moderate or severe physical, psychological, social, and spiritual suffering. In total, 258,649 decedents and 2,558,857 nondecedents needed palliative care in 2017, approximately 85% of whom were in low- and middle-income countries where palliative care is rarely accessible.Conclusion: Among women with advanced cervical cancer, suffering is highly prevalent and often severe and multifaceted

Repressor element-1 silencing transcription factor/neuronal restrictive silencer factor (REST/NRSF) can regulate HSV-1 immediate-early transcription via histone modification

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During primary infection of its human host, Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 (HSV-1) establishes latency in neurons where the viral genome is maintained in a circular form associated with nucleosomes in a chromatin configration. During latency, most viral genes are silenced, although the molecular mechanisms responsible for this are unclear. We hypothesized that neuronal factors repress HSV-1 gene expression during latency. A search of the HSV-1 DNA sequence for potential regulatory elements identified a Repressor Element-1/Neuronal Restrictive Silencer Element (RE-1/NRSE) located between HSV-1 genes ICP22 and ICP4. We predicted that the Repressor Element Silencing Transcription Factor/Neuronal Restrictive Silencer Factor (REST/NRSF) regulates expression of ICP22 and ICP4.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Transient cotransfection indicated that REST/NRSF inhibited the activity of both promoters. In contrast, cotransfection of a mutant form of REST/NRSF encoding only the DNA-binding domain of the protein resulted in less inhibition. Stably transformed cell lines containing episomal reporter plasmids with a chromatin structure showed that REST/NRSF specifically inhibited the ICP4 promoter, but not the ICP22 promoter. REST/NRSF inhibition of the ICP4 promoter was reversed by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA). Additionally, chromatin immuno-precipitation (ChIP) assays indicated that the corepressor CoREST was recruited to the proximity of ICP4 promoter and that acetylation of histone H4 was reduced in the presence of REST/NRSF.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Since the ICP4 protein is a key transactivator of HSV-1 lytic cycle genes, these results suggest that REST/NRSF may have an important role in the establishment and/or maintenance of HSV-1 gene silencing during latency by targeting ICP4 expression.</p

Innovations in Information Systems Education - Reflections of AIS Award Winners

AIS Council monitors social and technical trends that might affect the timeliness and relevance of IS curricula. Consequently, AIS Council charged the AIS VP for Education with developing a process to highlight the importance of these trends and to stimulate the development of education innovations to address them. The result is an AIS-sponsored awards competition (http://www.aisnet.org/award/awards.asp), first held in 2004. The call for submissions focused on the two themes of offshore outsourcing and software development innovations. A panel of expert judges made six awards— three awards of excellence and three honorable mentions. Members of five of the six winning teams appear on this panel. Panelists will address the following questions: · What was the origin of the innovation idea? · What support did you receive upfront for developing your innovation? · What barriers did you encounter in developing your innovation and how did you overcome them? · What learning or other benefits did you, your students, and your program experience from the innovation? · What other areas do you see where innovation in the IS curriculum is required? · What advice do you have for other IS educational innovators