Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhize on Growth and Productivity of \u3cem\u3eStylosanthes seabrana\u3c/em\u3e

Stylosanthes seabrana, an important range legume was introduced in India in the year 1998 through ACIAR-ICAR joint project. It has given good results under agroforestry/silvopastoral systems and can be grown as sole pasture crop or along with compatible grasses/legumes on a variety of soils. For its year round production, intensive cutting approach is generally employed. Under such conditions, plant demands large amount of soil nutrients for better productivity, which are generally applied as inorganic fertilizers (Chandra et al., 2006). In soils with low nutrient contents especially phosphorus (P), large amount of phosphatic fertilizers are required for establishment and growth of legumes. P is often a growth-limiting factor for plant growth and legumes are poor scavengers of P. In soils, P may present in sufficient amounts but much of it is poorly available to plants because of less solubility of phosphates of calcium, aluminum and iron. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), an important soil microorganism mobilize phosphates and make available to the plants, which indirectly increases their growth (Jha et al., 2012). AM fungi have proved their usefulness in plant production, How even the efficiency of AM inoculants can be affected by properties and texture of the potting substrates (Herrera-Peraza et al., 2011). Since, reports on effect of AM inoculations on growth and productivity of S. seabrana are very scarce in literature; hence, present study was carried out to identify the suitable AM inoculants for S. seabrana

Inhibition of snake venom induced sterile inflammation and PLA2 activity by Titanium dioxide Nanoparticles in experimental animals.

Sterile inflammation (SI) is an essential process in response to snakebite and injury. The venom induced pathophysiological response to sterile inflammation results into many harmful and deleterious effects that ultimately leads to death. The available treatment for snakebite is antiserum which does not provide enough protection against venom-induced pathophysiological changes like haemorrhage, necrosis, nephrotoxicity and often develop hypersensitive reactions. In order to overcome these hindrances, scientists around the globe are searching for an alternative therapy to provide better treatment to the snake envenomation patients. In the present study TiO2 (Titanium dioxide)-NPs (Nanoparticles) has been assessed for antisnake venom activity and its potential to be used as an antidote. In this study, the synthesis of TiO2-NPs arrays has been demonstrated on p-type Silicon Si  substrate (∼30 ohm-cm) and the surface topography has been detected by Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The TiO2-NPs successfully neutralized the Daboia russelii venom (DRV) and Naja kaouthia venom (NKV)-induced lethal activity. Viper venom induced haemorrhagic, coagulant and anticoagulant activities were effectively neutralized both in in-vitro and in vivo studies. The cobra and viper venoms-induced sterile inflammatory molecules (IL-6, HMGB1, HSP70, HSP90, S100B and vWF) were effectively neutralised by the TiO2-NPs in experimental animals

Endothelial cell Nrf2-KO attenuates endothelial function and skeletal muscle antioxidant capacity

INTRODUCTION: Endothelial cells line the inner surface of blood vessels and play a major role in modulating blood flow and gas exchange. Endothelial dysfunction is thought to be a contributor to cardiovascular disease development, and it is well-accepted that excessive reactive oxygen species (harmful molecules) likely contribute to endothelial dysfunction. The transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is considered the master regulator of cellular protection in response to elevated reactive oxygen species. Therefore, Nrf2 may be a potential therapeutic target to protect against endothelial dysfunction. However, the roles of endothelial cell-specific Nrf2 on endothelial function are not known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of endothelial cell-specific Nrf2 deletion on vascular function (endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent vasodilation) and skeletal muscle antioxidant status. METHODS: Leg arteries were harvested from 6-mo old C57BL/6 mice (WT, n = 6) and endothelial cell-specific Nrf2-knockout mice (Tie2-Cre-Nrf2 floxed-KO, n = 6). Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was assessed in response to flow (30 uL·min-1) and acetylcholine (ACh, 10-7-10-3 M) with and without Nω-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and endothelium-independent vasodilation was assessed with sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 10-9-10-4 M) using videomicroscopy. Skeletal muscle antioxidant protein expression for glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPX-1) and catalase (CAT) was assessed by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Endothelium-dependent vasodilation was lower in Nrf2-KO compared to WT induced by flow (WT: 34.8±2.9%, Nrf2-KO: 20.7±3.7%, P-3M, WT: 68.3±8.2%, Nrf2-KO: 44.5±7.1%, PP-3 M, 19.1±4.4%, PP=0.28) or ACh (10-3 M, 37.7±7.0%, P = 0.16). Endothelium-independent vasodilation was not different (SNP 10-4 M, WT: 92.7±3.6%, Nrf2-KO: 81.9± 0.2%, P=0.157). In addition, GPX-1 was lower in Nrf2-KO mice (WT: 0.47±0.06, Nrf2-KO: 0.001±0.003, PP=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Endothelial cell Nrf2 may play a key role in endothelial-mediated vasodilatory function. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME attenuated endothelial-mediated vasodilation in WT but not in endothelial cell Nrf2-KO. Furthermore, endothelial cell Nrf2 may play a role in skeletal muscle antioxidant homeostasis, which suggests potential systemic implications of endothelial cell Nrf2 deletion. These results collectively suggest that the endothelial cell Nrf2 system is linked to endothelial dysfunction and changes in the skeletal muscle redox environment, likely through nitric oxide- and oxidative stress-related mechanisms

Effects of Coriandrum Sativum Extract and Simvastatin in Isopreterenol Induced Heart Failure in Rats

Heart failure is a syndrome, caused due to structural and functional cardiac abnormalities, characterized by changes in the hemodynamic and neurohumoral mechanisms. It is becoming a major health burden worldwide. More effective therapies are desperately needed. Coriandrum sativum (C. sativum), a traditional spice crop has been known to possess many biological and medicinal properties. The present study was designed to investigate the cardioprotective efficacy of C. sativum in rat model of isoproterenol induced heart failure. Heart failure was produced by injecting isoproterenol subcutaneously (85 mg/kg twice at an interval of 24 h). Oral efficacy of seed extract was assessed on hemodynamic profile, antioxidant enzyme activities, lipid peroxidation, lipid profile, atherogenic indices, mRNA and protein expression of endothelin receptors (ETA and ETB) and histopathology. Treatment of heart failure rats with C. sativum orally (1g/kg b.wt) improved the altered hemodynamics, restored the cardiac antioxidant enzymes armory, attenuated oxidative stress, improved lipid profile, lowered atherogenic indices, decreased the levels of ETA and ETB receptor mRNA and protein, and restored the cardiac morphology. In conclusion, our results suggest C. sativum to be a cardioprotective agent in heart failure, possibly by the virtue of its ability to alleviate oxidative stress, improve lipid profile and endothelial dysfunction

Development and Validation of the Emotion Laden Sentences Toolbox for Emotion Recognition (ELSTER)

Introduction: Emotion recognition plays a crucial role in our social interactions and overall well-being. The present cross-sectional study aimed to develop and validate Emotion Laden Sentences Toolbox for Emotion Recognition (ELSTER), that utilizes emotion-laden sentences as stimuli to assess individuals’ ability to perceive and identify emotions conveyed through written language. Methods: In Phase I, a comprehensive set of emotion-laden sentences in English language were validated by 25 (eight males and 17 females) qualified mental health professionals (MHPs). In Phase II, the sentences that received high interrater agreement in Phase I were selected and then a Hindi version of the same sentences was also developed. The English and Hindi database was then validated among 50 healthy individuals (30 males and 20 females). Results: The percentage hit rate for all the emotions after exclusion of contempt was 84.3% with a mean kappa for emotional expression being 0.67 among MHPs. The percentage hit rate of all emotion-laden sentences across the database was 81.43% among healthy lay individuals. The mean hit rate percentage for English sentences was similar to Hindi sentences with a mean kappa for emotional expression being 0.63 for the combined English and Hindi sentences. Conclusion: The ELSTER database would be useful in the Indian context for researching textual emotion recognition. It has been validated among a group of experts as well as healthy lay individuals and was found to have high inter-rater reliability

Study of Sleep Disorders among Young Children Using Hindi Translated and Validated Version of Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of sleep disorders among children aging between 4 and 9 years using Hindi version of Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). Methods: This study had two parts first, translation and validation of PSQ into Hindi language, and second, assessment of the prevalence of sleep disorders using PSQ Hindi version. Hindi PSQ was distributed in randomly chosen primary schools in a semi-urban area. The children were requested to get them filled by their parents. When the questionnaires were returned, responses were analyzed. Results: Most of the items of the Hindi version had perfect agreement with original questionnaire in a bilingual population (κ =1). Totally, 435 children were included in the field study having average age of 6.3 years. Obstructive sleep apnea was reported in 7.5% children; symptoms suggestive of restless legs syndrome were reported by 2%–3%; teeth grinding by 13.9% and sleep talking by 22.6% children. Conclusion: PSQ Hindi version is a validated tool to screen for sleep disorders among children. Sleep disorders are fairly prevalent among young children in India

Phenotyping of lymphocyte subsets, Th-1/Th-2 cytokines and other parameters in high-risk contacts of SARS-CoV-2

Background: The information on the pathophysiology of infection in high-risk contacts of SARS-CoV-2 is limited. Aims: The aim of the present study was to assess the various factors and their elucidation in the protection of SARS- CoV-2 infection in high-risk contacts. Settings and Design: Cross-sectional descriptive clinical study. Materials and Methods: A total of 136 subjects were recruited in the present study including 100 high-risk subjects and 36 control subjects. Out of 100 high-risk subjects, 44 subjects were found positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Further, absolute blood counts of total T-cells (CD3+), T-helper cells (CD4+), T-cytotoxic cells (CD8+), B lymphocytes (CD19+) Natural Killer (NK) Cells (CD16+, CD56+), cytokines, and other parameters were measured in the samples of study subjects. Statistical Analysis Used: The continuous variables were analyzed by unpaired 't' test, analysis of variance and 'Tukey test' for multiple comparisons. Results: A significant reduction of total leukocyte counts and absolute lymphocyte count was found in the acute SARS-CoV-2 positive group as compared to control group (<0.05). Interestingly, IL-4 level was significantly elevated in SARS-CoV-2 negative high-risk subjects as compared to control and acute SARS-CoV-2 positive group (p < 0.05). A significant decrease of T-cytotoxic, B-cells, and NK cells were found in acute SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects as compared to control groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study may augment our knowledge about the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection that could help in making future strategies to control its infection