In vitro regeneration and morphogenesis in Phyllanthus niruri L., an anti-plasmodial herb

We investigated the use of in vitro techniques for regeneration of adventitious shoots in Phyllanthus niruri, an anti-malarial plant as an initial effort towards its domestication. Fruits cultured on Murashige and Skoog (1962) basal medium (MS) supplemented with BAP had low germination (61%) due to seed coat imposed dormancy. The culture of nodal cuttings explants on BAP, kinetin or 2-isopentyl adenine (2iP) amended medium to avoid seed dormancy resulted in shoot regeneration without roots in all accessions with BAP producing the highest number of shoots (9.0). Subsequent inclusion of either 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) or indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) in the BAP, kinetin or 2iP amended MS medium also produced only shoots. Leaf lobe explants cultured on only 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) amended medium led to a significant calli development with 1 mg/L 2,4-D producing 100, 88.9 and 95.8% callus, respectively from Kwabenya, Kasoa and Aburi accessions. Subsequent transfer of calli to MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L BAP led to calli growth (increase in weight) and morphogenic response depending on the concentration of 2,4-D in the induction medium. Only 55 and 25% of these calli from Kwabenya and Kasoa, respectively produced shoots while roots development was significantly higher ranging from 48 to 88.9%. These shoots did not survive ex-vitro acclimatisation due to hyperhydricity while those regenerated from nodal cuttings or seeds had high percentage survival. The high morphogenetic response of Phyllanthus niruri in vitro can be used to propagate this anti malarial plant and enhance its utilization in the treatment of malaria.Key words: Shoot regeneration, morphogenic response, Phyllanthus niruri, accessions

From the Singular to the Plural: Exploring Diversities in Contemporary Childhoods in sub-Saharan Africa

The challenges that sub-Saharan Africa has faced in the post-colonial period have come to characterise the way the region is perceived. These narratives are especially evident in the various ways children’s lives are discussed, leading to a particular focus on childhoods in difficult circumstances or at the margins. This has eclipsed the mundanities of everyday life for many children whose lives are not characterised by ‘lacks’. This article seeks to move beyond an overwhelming focus on childhoods defined by what they lack by illustrating the multitude of childhoods which exist in the continent

Anemia Offers Stronger Protection Than Sickle Cell Trait Against the Erythrocytic Stage of Falciparum Malaria and This Protection Is Reversed by Iron Supplementation.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency causes long-term adverse consequences for children and is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. Observational studies suggest that iron deficiency anemia protects against Plasmodium falciparum malaria and several intervention trials have indicated that iron supplementation increases malaria risk through unknown mechanism(s). This poses a major challenge for health policy. We investigated how anemia inhibits blood stage malaria infection and how iron supplementation abrogates this protection. METHODS: This observational cohort study occurred in a malaria-endemic region where sickle-cell trait is also common. We studied fresh RBCs from anemic children (135 children; age 6-24months; hemoglobin <11g/dl) participating in an iron supplementation trial (ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN07210906) in which they received iron (12mg/day) as part of a micronutrient powder for 84days. Children donated RBCs at baseline, Day 49, and Day 84 for use in flow cytometry-based in vitro growth and invasion assays with P. falciparum laboratory and field strains. In vitro parasite growth in subject RBCs was the primary endpoint. FINDINGS: Anemia substantially reduced the invasion and growth of both laboratory and field strains of P. falciparum in vitro (~10% growth reduction per standard deviation shift in hemoglobin). The population level impact against erythrocytic stage malaria was 15.9% from anemia compared to 3.5% for sickle-cell trait. Parasite growth was 2.4 fold higher after 49days of iron supplementation relative to baseline (p<0.001), paralleling increases in erythropoiesis. INTERPRETATION: These results confirm and quantify a plausible mechanism by which anemia protects African children against falciparum malaria, an effect that is substantially greater than the protection offered by sickle-cell trait. Iron supplementation completely reversed the observed protection and hence should be accompanied by malaria prophylaxis. Lower hemoglobin levels typically seen in populations of African descent may reflect past genetic selection by malaria. FUNDING: National Institute of Child Health and Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and Department for International Development (DFID) under the MRC/DFID Concordat

Evaluation of N2 fixation by nodulation-variants of chickpea in India

Five nodulation-variants of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cv. ICC 5003, delineated on the basis of visual ratings ('SI' for minimum nodulation to 'S51 for maximum), were used to investigate the optimum levels of nodulation and N2 fixation for growth and yield. Two field experiments were conducted, with fertilizer N (enriched in I5N) applied at 10 ('NT) or 100 kg ha"1 ('N2') on contrasting soils in different years; plants were evaluated for nodulation, growth, N2 fixation and yield. Experiment 2 included high-nodulating (HN) and low-nodulating (LN) selections of cw. ICC 4948, ICC 14196 and Kourinsky. Non-nodulating selections of chickpea were included as references to quantify N2 fixation. In both experiments the trends in amounts of N fixed by the five selections at Nl were similar when assessed by I5N-enriched and by N-difference methods. The percent N derived from N2 fixation (estimated from 15N data) correlated with yield and amount of N fixed in Experiment 2, but not Experiment 1. The relative nodulation differences were consistent across locations; the S4 and S5 (and HN) lines were generally superior to SI and S2 (and LN) for nodulation, N2-fixation, total dry matter and grain yield. Nodule number and mass correlated signficantly (P<0.05) with total dry matter, grain yield, total N and quantity of N2-fixed in both experiment

Effect of a High Nodulating Selection of Chickpea Cultlvar ICC 4948 on 5011 Properties of a Chlckpea- Sorghum Cropping System Yield and

Plants of widely different nodulation capacities occurring in a chickpea variety ICC 4948 (=0 130) and lat-er developed into separate lines were compared in ch ickpcap$orghum field. a experiment. The high nodul,'ing (liN) chickpca scl.clion produced only marginally h i g her' grai n yield (3.3·6.9%, mean or the two N levels) than th.'lt of the unselected normal variety and the: low nodulating (LN) sd�ction. Out t h e liN selection fixed signiricanUy more atmospheric nitrogen at low soil N (as measured by acetylene reduction a\.:tivity). and also liupported increased microbial plots activity in the rhizosphcre. Also. at low soil mineral N I.::vel. the microbial (lush C:N ratio in the of the of the liN selection was narrower (16.0) than that in plols LN (24.4) nnd nonnodulating (20.4) selections. (ncreased microbial activity. along with a narrower flush C:N ratio in the case. of HN seh:clions compared with the LN selection, lead to nil increased availability of N for the following sorghum crop. This resulted in an extra uptake of 20 kg N ha·1 by chickpea and! sorghum together. These studies indicated the benefits of liN selections of chickpea under low soil N and inigated conditions for increased N yield and incrensed microbial activity in a chickpea�sorghum cropping syslem These results are for I year only and suggesl tile need 10 s lu dy the cumul.tive crre� . of the high BNF lines on crop productivity over lime in a cropping systems perspective

Virtual mobility to enhance intercultural competencies for a more sustainable future

The UN locates education at the heart of the process to achieve a more sustainable future and deliver the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) by 2030. Within this context, this paper outlines the experience of designing and delivering an international virtual mobility workshop which brought together university students from the UK and Ghana. It offers a critical evaluation of the extent to which the workshop's objectives were achieved, through comparison of pre- and post-workshop survey results, with a particular emphasis on changing levels of understanding of the UN-SDGs and the development of key intercultural competencies. The discussion highlights positive trajectories of change in student learning, and the challenges of delivering workshops of this nature. It is concluded that such challenges can be embraced as learning opportunities and that the associated discomfort and uncertainty is important to facilitate impactful learning experiences

Social research on neglected diseases of poverty: Continuing and emerging themes

Copyright: © 2009 Manderson et al.Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) exist and persist for social and economic reasons that enable the vectors and pathogens to take advantage of changes in the behavioral and physical environment. Persistent poverty at household, community, and national levels, and inequalities within and between sectors, contribute to the perpetuation and re-emergence of NTDs. Changes in production and habitat affect the physical environment, so that agricultural development, mining and forestry, rapid industrialization, and urbanization all result in changes in human uses of the environment, exposure to vectors, and vulnerability to infection. Concurrently, political instability and lack of resources limit the capacity of governments to manage environments, control disease transmission, and ensure an effective health system. Social, cultural, economic, and political factors interact and influence government capacity and individual willingness to reduce the risks of infection and transmission, and to recognize and treat disease. Understanding the dynamic interaction of diverse factors in varying contexts is a complex task, yet critical for successful health promotion, disease prevention, and disease control. Many of the research techniques and tools needed for this purpose are available in the applied social sciences. In this article we use this term broadly, and so include behavioral, population and economic social sciences, social and cultural epidemiology, and the multiple disciplines of public health, health services, and health policy and planning. These latter fields, informed by foundational social science theory and methods, include health promotion, health communication, and heath education