Effect of Ocimum tenuiflorum Leaf Extract against Infective Endocarditis

The ever increasing resistance of pathogens to antibiotics as well as the undesirable side effects of certain antimicrobial agents has necessitated the discovery of novel natural products. The ethanolic extract of O. tenuiflorum was investigated against S. aureus isolate which is a major pathogen causing infective endocarditis. The total phenolic content in O. tenuiflorum was found to be 1289 μg gallic acid equivalent/g and HPLC profile revealed the presence of catechin, Caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid. The antibacterial profile of O. tenuiflorum against S. aureus isolate from infective endocarditis patients exhibited significant inhibition at the MIC of 50 μg/ml and the standard antibiotic Vancomycin showed inhibition at 40 ng/ml. Percent inhibition of viable growth was found to be >95% and the scanning electron micrographs (SEM) revealed the disruption of the membrane of S. aureus treated with O. tenuiflorum extract. The antimicrobial activity correlates with phenolic content of the extract. These results demonstrate the potency of O. tenuiflorum, could serve as a new source of antimicrobials with potential applications and related health benefits

Practical recommendations for measuring rates of visual field change in glaucoma

To date, there has been a lack of evidence-based guidance on the frequency of visual field examinations required to identify clinically meaningful rates of change in glaucoma. The objective of this perspective is to provide practical recommendations for this purpose. The primary emphasis is on the period of time and number of examinations required to measure various rates of change in mean deviation (MD) with adequate statistical power. Empirical data were used to obtain variability estimates of MD while statistical modelling techniques derived the required time periods to detect change with various degrees of visual field variability. We provide the frequency of examinations per year required to detect different amounts of change in 2, 3 and 5 years. For instance, three examinations per year are required to identify an overall change in MD of 4 dB over 2 years in a patient with average visual field variability. Recommendations on other issues such as examination type, strategy and quality are also made

Effects of Timing of Drought Stress on Leaf Area Development and Canopy Light Interception of Short-duration Pigeonpea

Leaf area index (LAI), fractional canopy light interception (F) and plant mortality at maturity, were determined for nine short-duration Cajanus cajan genotypes in response to drought during the late-vegetative and flowering (stress 1), the flowering and early pod filling (stress 2), or pod filling (stress 3) stages. The crop was grown under rain shelters at Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh in 1988. LAI and F were reduced, but plant mortality did not increase under drought. Stress 2 reduced LAI to the greatest extent, consistent with the effects on seed yield. At the end of stress 1, seed yield was closely related to LAI for the different genotypes in stressed but not in unstressed (control) plots. Reductions in LAI due to reproductive growth were as great or greater than those due to water stress. Indeterminate genotypes had smaller but more leaves per plant compared with the determinate genotypes. The importance of these differences to drought resistance was not apparent. It was suggested that production of leaves with decreasing specific leaf area throughout plant growth may be advantageous, especially when drought is likely to occur during reproductive growth. Values of F during and following water stress gave an indication of genotypic drought resistance, with the most drought-sensitive genotype showing the largest reduction in F under water stress and the slowest rate of recovery following rewatering. It was concluded that for short-duration C. cajan, where plant mortality is not a factor under water stress, the maintenance of both LAI and F appears to indicate genotypic drought resistance

Effects of Timing of Drought Stress on Abscission and Dry Matter Partitioning of Short-duration Pigeonpea

Shoot dry weight partitioning and cumulative abscission of leaf, flowers and pods were determined for nine short-duration pigeonpea cultivars grown with adequate soil moisture throughout growth (control), or subjected to water stress during the late vegetative and flowering (stress 1), flowering and early pod development (stress 2), or pod fill (stress 3) growth stages. The total cumulative dry weight of abscised plant parts was lower for determinate cultivars, but it increased to a greater extent under water stress than that of indeterminate cultivars, with stress 2 having the greatest and stress 3 the least effects. The dry weight contribution of pods to total abscission was <5%, and not significantly affected by water stress, while the contribution of leaves increased and that of flowers decreased. Stress 3 had no significant effects on abscission dry weight totals or components. Reduction in shoot dry weight under water stress was most pronounced in the early pod development stage, and the dry weight contribution of leaves generally decreased and that of pods increased under stress 1 and stress 2. With similar abscission levels, the shoot dry weight of cv. ICPL 151, was similar to, or greater than that of hybrid ICPH 9 under stress 1 and stress 2, and the contribution of pods to shoot dry weight was lower for hybrid ICPH 9 under both stress treatments. It is suggested that cultivar differences in drought resistance were probably due to differences in the leaf area maintenance during, and in the recovery of dry weight and pod production following, water stress periods

The potential for aflatoxin predictive risk modelling in sub-Saharan Africa: a review

This review presents the current state of aflatoxin risk prediction models and their potential for value actors throughout the food chain in sub-Saharan Africa, with a specific focus on improving smallholder farmer management practices. Several empirical and mechanistic models have been developed either in academic research or by private sector aggregators and processors in high-income countries including Australia, the USA, and Southern Europe, but these models have been only minimally applied in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is significant potential and increasing need due to climate variability. Predictions can be made based on historic occurrence data using either a mechanistic microbiological framework for aflatoxin accumulation or an empirical model based on statistical correlations with climate conditions and local agronomic factors. Model results can then be distributed to smallholders through private, public, or mobile extension services, used by policymakers for strategy or policy, or utilised by private sector institutions for management decisions. Specific agricultural advice can be given during the three most critical points in the phenological cycle: preseason insight including sowing timing and crop varieties, preharvest advice about management and harvest timing, and postharvest optimal practices including storage, drying, and market information. Model development for sub-Saharan Africa is limited by a dearth of georeferenced aflatoxin occurrence data and real-time high resolution climate data; the wide diversity of farm typologies each with significant information and technology gaps; a prevalence of informal market structures and lack of economic incentives systems; and general lack of awareness around aflatoxins and best management practices to mitigate risk. Given advancements towards solving these challenges, predictive aflatoxin models can be integrated into decision support platforms to focus on optimisation of value for smallholders by minimising yield and nutritional losses, which can propagate value throughout the production and postharvest phases

Acid emissions monitoring needs in ceramic tile industry: Challenges derived from new policy trends

The emission of acid compounds during the manufacture of ceramic tiles is strongly related to the presence of precursors in the raw materials and/or fuels used, with some exceptions such as the production of thermal NOX. The stages with the potential to produce significant emissions of these compounds have been identified as the suspension spray drying and tile firing stages. The monitoring of emission levels of acid pollutants in these stages has turned in a great importance issue from a regulatory and industrial aspect. The DREAM project (https://www.spire2030.eu/dream) will tackle the regulation of acidic emissions focusing in the firing stage. The initial stages of the project have made it possible to identify the design requirements for the monitoring system. This will allow the control of acid pollutants emissions and other key parameters such as pressure, flow, temperature and humidity. One of the tasks developed has been the review and compilation of current emissions monitoring systems detailing technical specifications such as: position (in situ or extractive), measurement principle and frequency. The future policy trends in air pollution are encouraging the continuous monitoring across the European industry. The present document assesses the advantages regarding environmental impact control, highlighting the main challenges for the ceramic tile industry.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programm

Enhancing cell and gene therapy manufacture through the application of advanced fluorescent optical sensors (Review)

Cell and gene therapies (CGTs) are examples of future therapeutics that can be used to cure or alleviate the symptoms of disease, by repairing damaged tissue or reprogramming defective genetic information. However, despite the recent advancements in clinical trial outcomes, the path to widescale adoption of CGTs remains challenging, such that the emergence of a “blockbuster” therapy has so far proved elusive. Manufacturing solutions for these therapies require the application of scalable and replicable cell manufacturing techniques, which differ markedly from the existing pharmaceutical incumbent. Attempts to adopt this pharmaceutical model for CGT manufacture have largely proved unsuccessful. The most significant challenges facing CGT manufacturing are process analytical testing and quality control. These procedures would greatly benefit from improved sensory technologies that allow direct measurement of critical quality attributes, such as pH, oxygen, lactate and glucose. In turn, this would make manufacturing more robust, replicable and standardized. In this review, the present-day state and prospects of CGT manufacturing are discussed. In particular, the authors highlight the role of fluorescent optical sensors, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses, for CGT manufacture. The review concludes by discussing how the integration of CGT manufacture and fluorescent optical sensors could augment future bioprocessing approaches