TANDULIYAKA (AMARANTHUS VIRIDIS): A HIGHLY NUTRITIONAL HERB

In the past 20 years, very little progress has been achieved in reducing food insecurity, child malnutrition and hunger in Africa. Under-nutrition and micronutrients deficiencies are widespread and affect mainly women and children. To address these problems, increased consumption of African leafy vegetables is promoted as sources of both micronutrients and bio-active compounds. Widely promoted African leafy vegetables include Amaranthus sp., Species of this genus are used as pseudo-cereals in Europe and America, and are mostly planted as vegetables in Africa. Amaranthus has been rediscovered as a promising food crop mainly due to its resistance to heat, drought, diseases and pests, and the high nutritional value of both seeds and leaves. Leaves are rich in proteins and micronutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin C and vitamin A. All parts of the plant are used as medicine to heal many diseases in African communities. Tanduliyaka (A. viridis) is grown and utilized in many areas of the world as both a wild and cultivated pot herb. The plant is rich in calcium and iron and is a good source of vitamins B and C. Due to its small seed size and use as a pot herb, A. viridis is moved, both on purpose and unwittingly, throughout the world. The seeds can survive in the digestive tract of chickens. It is good cattle fodder, and is used medicinally and for making soap, but is poisonous to pigs.

Moving from rabies research to rabies control: lessons from India

BACKGROUND: Despite the availability of effective interventions and public recognition of the severity of the problem, rabies continues to suffer neglect by programme planners in India and other low and middle income countries. We investigate whether this state of 'policy impasse' is due to, at least in part, the research community not catering to the information needs of the policy makers. METHODS & FINDINGS: Our objective was to review the research output on rabies from India and examine its alignment with national policy priorities. A systematic literature review of all rabies research articles published from India between 2001 and 2011 was conducted. The distribution of conducted research was compared to the findings of an earlier research prioritization exercise. It was found that a total of 93 research articles were published from India since 2001, out of which 61% consisted of laboratory based studies focussing on rabies virus. Animals were the least studied group, comprising only 8% of the research output. One third of the articles were published in three journals focussing on vaccines and infectious disease epidemiology and the top 4 institutions (2 each from the animal and human health sectors) collectively produced 49% of the national research output. Biomedical research related to development of new interventions dominated the total output as opposed to the identified priority domains of socio-politic-economic research, basic epidemiological research and research to improve existing interventions. CONCLUSION: The paper highlights the gaps between rabies research and policy needs, and makes the case for developing a strategic research agenda that focusses on rabies control as an expected outcome

Ageratum enation virus Infection Induces Programmed Cell Death and Alters Metabolite Biosynthesis in Papaver somniferum

A previously unknown disease which causes severe vein thickening and inward leaf curl was observed in a number of opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) plants. The sequence analysis of full-length viral genome and associated betasatellite reveals the occurrence of Ageratum enation virus (AEV) and Ageratum leaf curl betasatellite (ALCB), respectively. Co-infiltration of cloned agroinfectious DNAs of AEV and ALCB induces the leaf curl and vein thickening symptoms as were observed naturally. Infectivity assay confirmed this complex as the cause of disease and also satisfied the Koch’s postulates. Comprehensive microscopic analysis of infiltrated plants reveals severe structural anomalies in leaf and stem tissues represented by unorganized cell architecture and vascular bundles. Moreover, the characteristic blebs and membranous vesicles formed due to the virus-induced disintegration of the plasma membrane and intracellular organelles were also present. An accelerated nuclear DNA fragmentation was observed by Comet assay and confirmed by TUNEL and Hoechst dye staining assays suggesting virus-induced programmed cell death. Virus-infection altered the biosynthesis of several important metabolites. The biosynthesis potential of morphine, thebaine, codeine, and papaverine alkaloids reduced significantly in infected plants except for noscapine whose biosynthesis was comparatively enhanced. The expression analysis of corresponding alkaloid pathway genes by real time-PCR corroborated well with the results of HPLC analysis for alkaloid perturbations. The changes in the metabolite and alkaloid contents affect the commercial value of the poppy plants

Overexpression of Prothymosin Alpha Predicts Poor Disease Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer

In our recent study, tissue proteomic analysis of oral pre-malignant lesions (OPLs) and normal oral mucosa led to the identification of a panel of biomarkers, including prothymosin alpha (PTMA), to distinguish OPLs from histologically normal oral tissues. This study aimed to determine the clinical significance of PTMA overexpression in oral squamous cell hyperplasia, dysplasia and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Immunohistochemistry of PTMA protein was performed in HNSCCs (n = 100), squamous cell hyperplasia (n = 116), dysplasia (n = 50) and histologically normal oral tissues (n = 100). Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the association of PTMA overexpression with clinicopathological parameters and disease prognosis over 7 years for HNSCC patients.<0.001). Chi-square analysis showed significant association of nuclear PTMA with advanced tumor stages (III+IV). Kaplan Meier survival analysis indicated reduced disease free survival (DFS) in HNSCC patients (p<0.001; median survival 11 months). Notably, Cox-multivariate analysis revealed nuclear PTMA as an independent predictor of poor prognosis of HNSCC patients (p<0.001, Hazard's ratio, HR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.3–11.8) in comparison with the histological grade, T-stage, nodal status and tumor stage.Nuclear PTMA may serve as prognostic marker in HNSCC to determine the subset of patients that are likely to show recurrence of the disease

Nuclear S100A7 Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Head and Neck Cancer

Tissue proteomic analysis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and normal oral mucosa using iTRAQ (isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation) labeling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, led to the identification of a panel of biomarkers including S100A7. In the multi-step process of head and neck tumorigenesis, the presence of dysplastic areas in the epithelium is proposed to be associated with a likely progression to cancer; however there are no established biomarkers to predict their potential of malignant transformation. This study aimed to determine the clinical significance of S100A7 overexpression in HNSCC.Immunohistochemical analysis of S100A7 expression in HNSCC (100 cases), oral lesions (166 cases) and 100 histologically normal tissues was carried out and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and disease prognosis over 7 years for HNSCC patients. Overexpression of S100A7 protein was significant in oral lesions (squamous cell hyperplasia/dysplasia) and sustained in HNSCC in comparison with oral normal mucosa (p(trend)<0.001). Significant increase in nuclear S100A7 was observed in HNSCC as compared to dysplastic lesions (p = 0.005) and associated with well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.031). Notably, nuclear accumulation of S100A7 also emerged as an independent predictor of reduced disease free survival (p = 0.006, Hazard ratio (HR = 7.6), 95% CI = 1.3-5.1) in multivariate analysis underscoring its relevance as a poor prognosticator of HNSCC patients.Our study demonstrated nuclear accumulation of S100A7 may serve as predictor of poor prognosis in HNSCC patients. Further, increased nuclear accumulation of S100A7 in HNSCC as compared to dysplastic lesions warrants a large-scale longitudinal study of patients with dysplasia to evaluate its potential as a determinant of increased risk of transformation of oral premalignant lesions

Optimization of an EPQ Model in an Imprecise Environment with Defuzzification by the Centroid Method Under Inflation

The awareness of making decisions in an imprecise environment has resulted in considering the inventory system under a fuzzy approach. The effects of uncertain demand have been finding increased application in many inventory systems. Uncertainty creates complicated situations for the manufacturer in making decisions. Markets have become more competitive as a result of technological advancements. The effect of inflation on the overall cost of the inventory system is useful in providing a tool for the analysis of inventory decisions. This study intended to estimate the effect of different fuzzy numbers on a manufacturer's annual joint expected total cost. The comparative study of this proposed model has been considered for two different fuzzy numbers with the defuzzification technique as the centroid method. The optimization technique has been used to minimize the producer's joint expected total cost under the condition mentioned earlier, and the model is validated numerically. (original abstract

The efficacy and safety of intralesional immunotherapy with measles, mumps, rubella virus vaccine for the treatment of common warts in adults

Background: Most therapeutic modalities for common warts remain unsatisfactory. Objectives: To evaluate efficacy and safety of intralesional MMR (measles, mumps, rubella virus) vaccine in the treatment of common warts in adults. Patients and Methods: There were 110 (M:F = 61:49) patients aged 19–62 years having 1–211 warts over dorsal hands, feet, palms, soles, and periungual skin for 1–252 months. MMR vaccine 0.25 mL was injected intralesionally in the largest wart and repeated at 2-week interval until complete clearance or maximum of five doses. The outcome was evaluated as complete clearance, excellent, good, or unsatisfactory response on visual analog scale at every visit and at 4 and 8 weeks, thereafter by comparing baseline clinical photograph. Likert scale was used for patient satisfaction level assessment similarly. Results: Only 51 patients completed the study and 42 (82.4%) of them showed complete clearance of warts and 9 (17.6%) patients showed good or unsatisfactory response. In 4 (7.8%) patients, the warts subsided completely after one dose itself. The four patients showing excellent response after five doses initially also continued to improve during follow-up period of 8 weeks. Except for injection site pain, no adverse effects were noted. There was no recurrence of warts among cured who were also very much satisfied from treatment. Conclusion: Despite variable results, intralesional MMR vaccine immunotherapy appears another possible safe and effective treatment option for common warts in a set of adult patients with advantages of regression of distant warts, no significant adverse effects and low recurrence. However, well-designed, controlled studies for minimum effective dose and treatment schedule are highly desirable to make any recommendation

Analysis of Blockade in Charge Transport Across Polymeric Heterojunctions as a Function of Thermal Annealing: A Different Perspective

A blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl C-61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) is popularly used as an active medium in polymeric solar devices. According to the most recent understanding, the blend is a three-phase system contrary to its earlier understanding of two-phase bicontinuous network. We have synthesized a P3HT-PCBM based layered heterostructure system by spin coating and thermal vacuum evaporations. Current density (J) was measured as a function of applied electric field (E) across the system bound between two metal electrodes. J-E relations were analyzed into the backdrop of space charge limited current model and Schottky model. The later was used to predict dc-dielectric constants from the linear slopes of ln (J) versus E (1/2). The curves were not monotonously linear, but observe a knee-bend separating into two linear segments for each curve. Thermal annealing from 40A degrees C to 80A degrees C was used as an activation tool for driving changes in the internal morphology via inter-diffusion of polymers and current measurements were performed at room temperature after each annealing. At the last stage of annealing the two linear slopes were highly distinct. The presence of sharp knee-bend results in approximately 20 times jump in dielectric constant as a function of electric field. Such high jumps in dielectric constant illustrate the potential for switching applications and charge storage. The high dielectric constants can be understood in terms of space charge polarization due to isolated domains which hindrance to charge transport. The high dielectric constants were confirmed by another experiment of capacitance measurements of a different set of similar samples. A study of thermal evolution of internal morphology was also carried out using x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques to correlate the morphological changes with the transport properties

Phytochemicals Profiling of Blue-Green Alga Nostoc sp. HANL07: Antioxidant, Antibacterial Activity and GC-MS Analysis

In recent years, studies on phytochemicals, antioxidants, and antibiotics using blue green algae from harsh environments has become increasingly prevalent. The search for novel bioactive molecules exhibiting diverse biological activity is one of the most important strategies for addressing the issue of rising concerns regarding bacterial antibiotic resistance. In present study, the phytochemicals, antioxidant potentiality and antibacterial assessment of organic solvent extracts of blue-green alga isolated from Naini lake water were characterized. From the mass culture of alga, extracts were prepared in MeOH, EtOH, acetone, AcOEt, hexane and DCM and antioxidant potential and antibacterial properties were studied against multiple antibiotic-resistant E. coli, P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescence, S. enteric, S. typhimurium and Sh. dysenteriae. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree revealed that blue-green algal isolate belongs to Nostoc sp. A higher extraction yield (5.3%) was recorded for MeOH extract as compared to other solvent extracts. Alkaloids, flavonoids and phenols were present in all extracts. DPPH free radical scavenging activity was determined using various concentrations of extracts (1 to 2048 μg mL-1). Maximum % inhibition (free radical scavenging activity) was observed in MeOH extract (35.23 ± 0.12). The methanolic extract was found to be inhibitory against P. aeruginosa and P. fluorescence. 2048 μg mL-1 MIC value was recorded against P. aeruginosa. In GC-MS profiling, a total of 8 significant peaks showing various compounds were identified among the 21 peaks. Oxirane hexadecyl was reported as the main components in this compound. The results showed that Nostoc sp. HANL07 is a good source of antioxidant and antibacterial compounds and could be used for further study in the field of drug discovery

White organic light emitting diodes based on DCM dye sandwiched in 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinolinolatolithium

Stable white electroluminescence (EL) has been achieved from organic LED, in which an ultrathin 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethyl-aminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) dye layer has been inserted in between two 2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinolinolatolithium [LiMeq] emitter layer and by optimizing the position of the DCM dye layer from the α-NPD/LiMeq interface. Electroluminescence spectra, current–voltage–luminescence (I–V–L) characteristics of the devices have been studied by changing the position of the dye layer. As the distance of DCM layer from α-NPD/LiMeq interface is increased, the intensity of host emission enhances rapidly. Introduction of thin layer of DCM in emissive layer increases the turn on voltage. The best Commission International de L’ Eclairage (CIE) coordinates i.e. (0.32, 0.33) were obtained with device structure ITO/α-NPD(30 nm) /LiMeq(10 nm)/DCM(1 nm)/LiMeq(25 nm)/BCP(6 nm)/Alq3(28 nm)/LiF(1 nm)/Al(100 nm). The EL spectrum covers the whole visible spectra range 400–700 nm. The color rendering index (CRI) for our best white light (Device 4) is 47.4. The device shows very good color stability in terms of CIE coordinates with voltages. The maximum luminescence 1240 cd/m−2 has been achieved at 19 V