Qualitative and quantitative assessment of wild genotypes of mango (Mangifera indica L.) in coastal districts of Karnataka, India

Western Ghats are known for wild mangoes known for their distinctive flavours, tastes, and scents. The exploration of wild mangoes of coastal districts of Karnataka was undertaken. A total of 45 mango accessions were assessed for morphological characters (leaf and fruit) using numerical approach. The 14 traits including leaf blade length, leaf blade width, petiole length, fruit length, diameter, weight, and breadth, pulp, TSS, peel, and fruit thickness were analyzed. Fruit weight (g), stone weight (g), pulp (%), peel (%) and leaf blade length (cm) showed most diversity. The Moodbidri accession had most fruit weight (109.55 g), whereas, the Dakshina Kannada district’s Moodbidri accession had the lightest stone weight (12.72 g). It is the first documentation of the local mango germplasm variability in coastal Karnataka

Outcome of laparoscopic surgeries during pregnancy for non-obstetric emergencies

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the surgical and obstetric outcome, safety and feasibility of various laparoscopic surgeries for non-obstetric indications in pregnancy.Methods: We did a retrospective analysis of 18 pregnant patients who underwent laparoscopic surgeries. Study period was from October 2013 till September 2015 conducted in Radhakrishna multispeciality hospital /IVF center Bangalore. Patients operated are 6 cases cholicystectomy, 6 cases appendicectomy, 5 adnexal mass removals, one salpingectomy for heterotopic pregnancy resulted from ART. All patients were between 11 to 32 weeks of gestation, with mean gestational age 21±6.5 weeks at the time of surgery and mean duration of surgery was 46±16.3 minutes.Results: All eighteen pregnant patients had uneventful hospital courses after laparoscopic procedures. Mean duration of hospital stay after surgery was 43±8.5 hours. One pregnancy was terminated at 11 weeks for suspected ovarian malignancy and 16 delivered full-term babies without complications, one patient delivered preterm at 35 weeks with NICU admission. The mean birth weight at the time of delivery was 2.8±550 gms. There was no maternal morbidity or mortality, or any identifiable neonatal birth defect. No conversion to laparotomy required in any case.Conclusions: Laparoscopic surgeries can be done in any trimester of pregnancy, but more safe and feasible during the second and early third trimester of pregnancy. Laparoscopic surgeries are as safe as laparotomy in the hands of experienced laparoscopic surgeon with no deleterious effects on either mother or fetus

Synthesis and characterization of nickel oxide nanoparticles by self-propagating low temperature combustion method

Nickel Oxide (NiO) nanoparticles have been synthesised by self-propagating low temperature Combustion synthesis method using Nickel salt with polyethylene glycol as fuel. As synthesized NiO nanoparticles was characterized by employing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis studies (EDAX) techniques and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of NiO nanoparticles in the range 20 to 40 nm. SEM images clearly shows the NiO particles are in Nano size.&nbsp

Photo-Irradiated Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Edible Mushroom Pleurotus florida and Their Antibacterial Activity Studies

This is a report on photo-irradiated extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles using the aqueous extract of edible oyster mushroom (Pleurotus florida) as a reducing agent. The appearance, size, and shape of the silver nanoparticles are understood by UV-visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The X-ray diffraction studies, energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicate that particles are crystalline in nature. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis revealed that the nanoparticles are covered with biomoieties on their surface. As can be seen from our studies, the biofunctionalized silver nanoparticles thus produced have shown admirable antimicrobial effects, and the synthetic procedure involved is eco-friendly and simple, and hence high range production of the same can be considered for using them in many pharmaceutical applications

A Rare Case of Sinonasal Cavernous Hemangioma

Abstract He mangio mas are co mmon benign lesions of the head and neck which predominantly orig inate fro m lips, tongue and buccal mucos

Lectin-gated and glycan functionalized mesoporous silica nanocontainers for targeting cancer cells overexpressing Lewis X antigen

[EN] Gated mesoporous silica nanoparticles can deliver payload upon the application of a predefined stimulus, and therefore are promising drug delivery systems. Despite their important role, relatively low emphasis has been placed on the design of gating systems that actively target carbohydrate tumor cell membrane receptors. We describe herein a new Lewis X (Le(x)) antigen-targeted delivery system comprising mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with ATTO 430LS dye, functionalized with a Le(x) derivative (1) and capped with a fucose-specific carbohydrate-binding protein (Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL)). This design takes advantage of the affinity of AAL for Le(x) overexpressed receptors in certain cancer cells. In the proximity of the cells, AAL is detached from MSNs to bind Le(x), and selectins in the cells bind Le(x) in the gated MSNs, thereby inducing cargo delivery. Gated MSNs are nontoxic to colon cancer DLD-1 cells, and ATTO 430LS dye delivered correlated with the amount of Le(x) antigen overexpressed at the DLD-1 cell surface. This is one of the few examples of MSNs using biologically relevant glycans for both capping (via interaction with AAL) and targeting (via interaction with overexpressed Le(x) at the cell membrane).The authors thank the Spanish Government (Projects MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R and MAT2013-46101-R (MINECO/ FEDER)), Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria (PI15/00480) and Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/047 and project GVA/2014/13) for support. R. B. is thankful to Svagata. Eu (Erasmus Mundus Action-II program) for his fellowship. The authors also thank the Electron Microscopy Service at the UPV for support.Bhat, R.; García, I.; Aznar, E.; Arnáiz, B.; Martínez-Bisbal, M.; Liz-Marzán, L.; Penadés, S.... (2018). Lectin-gated and glycan functionalized mesoporous silica nanocontainers for targeting cancer cells overexpressing Lewis X antigen. Nanoscale. 10(1):239-249. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7nr06415bS239249101Argyo, C., Weiss, V., Bräuchle, C., & Bein, T. (2013). Multifunctional Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Universal Platform for Drug Delivery. Chemistry of Materials, 26(1), 435-451. doi:10.1021/cm402592tAznar, E., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2009). Controlled release using mesoporous materials containing gate-like scaffoldings. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 6(6), 643-655. doi:10.1517/17425240902895980Aznar, E., Oroval, M., Pascual, L., Murguía, J. R., Martínez-Máñez, R., & Sancenón, F. (2016). Gated Materials for On-Command Release of Guest Molecules. Chemical Reviews, 116(2), 561-718. doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00456Wang, X., Tan, L.-L., Li, X., Song, N., Li, Z., Hu, J.-N., … Yang, Y.-W. (2016). 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Chemical Communications, 48(45), 5647. doi:10.1039/c2cc31563gOroval, M., Climent, E., Coll, C., Eritja, R., Aviñó, A., Marcos, M. D., … Amorós, P. (2013). An aptamer-gated silica mesoporous material for thrombin detection. Chemical Communications, 49(48), 5480. doi:10.1039/c3cc42157kHe, D., He, X., Wang, K., Chen, M., Zhao, Y., & Zou, Z. (2013). Intracellular acid-triggered drug delivery system using mesoporous silica nanoparticles capped with T–Hg2+–T base pairs mediated duplex DNA. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 1(11), 1552. doi:10.1039/c3tb00473bChen, L., Zhou, X., Nie, W., Zhang, Q., Wang, W., Zhang, Y., & He, C. (2016). Multifunctional Redox-Responsive Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Efficient Targeting Drug Delivery and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 8(49), 33829-33841. doi:10.1021/acsami.6b11802Croissant, J. G., Zhang, D., Alsaiari, S., Lu, J., Deng, L., Tamanoi, F., … Khashab, N. M. (2016). 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Epigenetic Silencing of the Sulfate Transporter Gene DTDST Induces Sialyl Lewisx Expression and Accelerates Proliferation of Colon Cancer Cells. Cancer Research, 70(10), 4064-4073. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.can-09-2383Golijanin, D., Sherman, Y., Shapiro, A., & Pode, D. (1995). Detection of bladder tumors by immunostaininc of the lewis x antigen in cells from voided urine. Urology, 46(2), 173-177. doi:10.1016/s0090-4295(99)80189-7Hittelet, A., Camby, I., Nagy, N., Legendre, H., Bronckart, Y., Decaestecker, C., … Yeaton, P. (2003). Binding Sites for Lewis Antigens Are Expressed by Human Colon Cancer Cells and Negatively Affect Their Migration. Laboratory Investigation, 83(6), 777-787. doi:10.1097/01.lab.0000073129.62433.39De la Torre, C., Casanova, I., Acosta, G., Coll, C., Moreno, M. J., Albericio, F., … Martínez-Máñez, R. (2014). 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Rapid biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using pepino (Solanum muricatum) leaf extract and their cytotoxicity on HeLa cells

[EN] Within nanotechnology, gold and silver nanostructures have unique physical, chemical, and electronic properties [1,2], which make them suitable for a number of applications. Moreover, biosynthetic methods are considered to be a safer alternative to conventional physicochemical procedures for both the environmental and biomedical applications, due to their eco-friendly nature and the avoidance of toxic chemicals in the synthesis. For this reason, employing bio routes in the synthesis of functionalized silver nanoparticles (FAgNP) have gained importance recently in this field. In the present study, we report the rapid synthesis of FAgNP through the extract of pepino (Solanum muricatum) leaves and employing microwave oven irradiation. The core-shell globular morphology and characterization of the different shaped and sized FAgNP, with a core of 20-50 nm of diameter is established using the UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Zeta potential and dynamic light scanning (DLS) studies. Moreover, cytotoxic studies employing HeLa (human cervix carcinoma) cells were undertaken to understand FAgNP interactions with cells. HeLa cells showed significant dose dependent antiproliferative activity in the presence of FAgNP at relatively low concentrations. The calculated IC50 value was 37.5 mu g/mL, similar to others obtained for FAgNPs against HeLa cells.We thank the Spanish Government (Projects MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R, AGL2015-70235-C2-2-R) and Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/047) for support. R.B. and A.V. are thankful to Svagata.Eu program for their fellowships. The authors also thank the Electron Microscopy Service of the UPV for their support.Gorbe, M.; Bhat, R.; Aznar, E.; Sancenón Galarza, F.; Marcos Martínez, MD.; Herraiz García, FJ.; Prohens Tomás, J.... (2016). Rapid biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using pepino (Solanum muricatum) leaf extract and their cytotoxicity on HeLa cells. Materials. 9(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9050325S3259

Breeding tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important vegetable crop cultivated in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Low productivity in India is due to occurrence of both biotic and abiotic stresses. Among the biotic stresses, tomato leaf curl disease, bacterial wilt, early blight and Groundnut Bud Necrosis Virus disease have become serious production constraints causing considerable yield loss in the major tomato growing areas of the country. Adoption of multiple disease resistant varieties or F1 hybrids would be the most appropriate way to address these diseases. At ICAR-IIHR, Bengaluru systematic breeding strategies were employed to pyramid genes for resistance to early blight, bacterial wilt and tomato leaf curl diseases and to develop advanced breeding lines& F1 hybrids with triple disease resistance. Stable source of resistance to early blight and bi-partite begomo-virus (Tomato Leaf Curl New Delhi Virus) has been identified in Solanum habrochaites LA-1777. Validation with molecular markers linked to tomato leaf curl virus resistance revealed that LA-1777 carryTy2 and other putative resistant genes. Several high yielding dual purpose hybrids were also developed for fresh market and processing with high level of resistance to multiple diseases. Cherry tomato lines have also been bred for high TSS, total carotenoids, total phenols, flavonoids, vitamin C, acidity and lycopene content. IIHR-249-1, IIHR-2101 (Solanum habrochaites LA-1777), IIHR- 2866 and IIHR-2864 recorded high values for quality parameters like total carotenoids, lycopene, vitamin C, total phenols, flavonoids and TSS. Drought tolerant root stock has been developed by an interspecific cross between S. habrochaites LA-1777 and S. lycopersicum (15 SB SB). Resistant sources have also been identified against Tuta absoluta, a serious insect pest reported from major tomato growing areas in the country in recent time. High temperature tolerant breeding lines are in pipe line

Quercetin activates vitamin D receptor and ameliorates breast cancer induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis

AimsTo explore the hepatoprotective role of quercetin and its novel molecular mechanism of action on breast cancer associated hepatic inflammation and fibrosis via Vitamin D receptor (VDR).Main methodsWe used Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (mouse mammary carcinoma) model for our in-vivo experiments and human breast cancer cell lines for in-vitro assays. We inoculated 1.5 × 106 Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells into female Swiss albino mice. Quercetin (50 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally for 15 days. Liver enzymes activity was determined using a spectrophotometric assay. The hallmarks of inflammation and fibrosis were determined using Immunohistochemistry. The effect of quercetin on tumor formation was elucidated using human breast cancer cell lines and chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Docking study was performed to explore the binding mode of quercetin with VDR.Key findingsIn EAC tumor-bearing mice, cell numbers, tumor volume, body weight and liver weight were dramatically increased, while they significantly decreased in mice treated with quercetin. Additionally, the peritoneal neo-angiogenesis was also significantly suppressed in the quercetin-treated mice, compared to the control. In addition, quercetin treated EAC tumor bearing mice had lower levels of liver enzymes, decreased hepatic inflammation and fibrosis compared with EAC tumor bearing mice. Docking study confirmed VDR-quercetin interaction. Furthermore, in-vitro assays and chick chorioallantoic membrane assay revealed the Vitamin D mimicking effect of quercetin.SignificanceDietary flavonoid, quercetin could act as a promising therapeutic drug to suppress the breast cancer induced tumor angiogenesis, hepatic inflammation, and fibrosis possibly via activation of VDR