Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Potential of Streptomyces sp. RAMPP- 065 isolated from Kudremukh soil, Karnataka, India

Actinomycetes are among the industrially and therapeutically relevant microorganisms and are known to produce useful products such as antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins etc.  Among actinomycetes, genus  Streptomyces is known to produce a great array of products. In the present study, we have recovered a Streptomyces species RAMPP-065 from Western ghats soil of Kudremukh, Karnataka, India and determined its  antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The isolate was recovered on Starch  casein agar and identified as Streptomyces species on the basis of  cultural, microscopic, staining and biochemical characteristics. Fermentation was carried out in Starch casein broth for 7 days and filtered. The culture filtrate was extracted with ethyl acetate and the solvent was evaporated to get the extract. Antimicrobial activity of extract was tested against 8 bacteria and 2 fungi by agar well diffusion method. Gram positive bacteria were more sensitive to extract than Gram negative bacteria. Among fungi, susceptibility to extract was higher in Candida albicans than Cryptococcus neoformans. The extract showed a dose dependent scavenging of DPPH free radical as revealed by bleaching of DPPH radical color with increase in concentration of extract. In ferric reducing assay, the absorbance was  found to increase with increase in extract concentration. Total phenolic content of extract, as estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau method, was 59mg Gallic acid equivalents/gram. The scavenging and reducing activity of extract were lesser when compared to reference compounds. The soils of Western ghats are rich sources for microorganisms with potent biological activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on  bioactivity of Streptomyces species from Kudremukh soil. Further studiesare to be carried out to characterize the Streptomyces isolate and the active principles present in the extract

MFC-09-1: A New Forage Cowpea (\u3cem\u3eVigna unguiculata\u3c/em\u3e (L.) Walp) Variety for South Zone of India

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is a leguminous crop grown throughout West Africa, often in association with pearl millet and sorghum. Cowpea is well adapted to the harsh growing conditions, including low soil fertility, high temperatures, and drought. Cowpea can fix atmospheric nitrogen to improve soil fertility and cropping system productivity. Additionally, farmers feed cowpea fodder to livestock to increase income, and collect the manure produced for use in their fields thereby reduces farmers’ reliance on commercial fertilizers and sustains soil fertility. Previous studies with cowpea indicated that this legume improves soil fertility and enhances the intake and utilization of poor quality roughage consequently improving livestock production and productivity

Performance of Dual Purpose Pearl Millet Genotypes as Influenced by Cutting Management and Nitrogen Levels

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is important minor millets cultivated both for food and fodder. The dual purpose nature of pearl millet has recently identified due to its profused tillering, repeated harvesting and absence of anti nutritional factor. In fodder crops, the production potential can be manipulated by fertilizer management and time of harvest. In this regard, peal millet no exception, scientific study on cutting and nitrogen management on green fodder yield, quality and grain yield is meagre. Therefore, the present investigation was under taken to study the influence of cutting management and nitrogen levels on green forage and grain yield of dual purpose pearl millet

Enhancing Productivity of Guinea Grass Variety JHGG-08-1 through Agro-Techniques in Southern Dry Zone of Karnataka

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) is a major pan tropical grass used throughout the tropics for pasture, cut-and-carry, silage and hay. It is a fast growing and leafy grass, which is palatable to livestock with a good nutritional value. However, it is generally recommended to supplement it with sources of protein in order to meet nutritional requirements or improve animal performance. It grows well on a wide variety of well drained soils of good fertility and it is a good vegetative barrier. It can survive quick moving fires which does not harm the underground roots and drought because of the deep, dense and fibrous root system. The potentiality of the varieties varies with agro climatic situation and soil type, keeping these things in view, the present investigation was undertaken to identify the optimum plant population and nutrient levels for enhancing the productivity and quality of guinea grass variety JHGG-08- in southern Zone of Karnataka

Performance of Guinea Grass Variety JHGG-08-1 in Southern Region of Karnataka

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) is native to Africa but this grass was introduced to almost all tropical countries as a source of animal forage. It grows well on a wide variety of well drained soils of good fertility and it is suitable for vegetative barrier and conservation of soil. It can survive quick moving fires which does not harm the underground roots and drought because of the deep, dense and fibrous root system. The Potentiality of the varieties varies with agro climatic situation and soil type. Keeping these things in view, the present investigation was taken up to study the performance of Guinea grass varieties in southern dry zone of Karnataka under protective irrigation

Antibacterial, Cytotoxic and Antioxidant Potential of Vitex Negundo Var. Negundo and Vitex Negundo Var. Purpurascens – A Comparative Study

The present study was carried out to estimate the content of total phenolics, flavonoids, negundoside and agnuside and to determine  antibacterial, cytotoxic and antioxidant efficacy of methanol extract of two varieties of Vitex negundo namely V. negundo var. negundo (Vnvn) and V. negundo var. purpurascens (Vnvp). Total phenolic and flavonoid content of leaf extracts were estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and Aluminium chloride colorimetric estimation method respectively. Negundoside and agnuside content were estimated using HPLC. Antibacterial activity of both the extracts was tested by Agar well diffusion assay. Cytotoxicity of extractwas evaluated by Brine shrimp lethality bioassay. Antioxidant activity of extracts was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging and Ferric  reducing assay. The content of total phenolics and flavonoid were higher in extract of Vnvp. Negundoside and agnuside contents were high in Vnvn and Vnvp respectively. Leaf extract of Vnvp was shown to display marked antibacterial, cytotoxic and antioxidant activity when compared with extract of Vnvn. Both the varieties of V. negundo showed marked antibacterial, cytotoxic and antioxidant activity. The extract of Vnvp displayed markedbioactivities than that of extract of Vnvn. The presence of high phenolic and flavonoid content could be attributed to the marked bioactivities of Vnvp

High-levels of acquired drug resistance in adult patients failing first-line antiretroviral therapy in a rural HIV treatment programme in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and patterns of acquired antiretroviral drug resistance in a rural primary health care programme in South Africa. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study nested within HIV treatment programme. METHODS: Adult (≥ 18 years) HIV-infected individuals initially treated with a first-line stavudine- or zidovudine-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen and with evidence of virological failure (one viral load >1000 copies/ml) were enrolled from 17 rural primary health care clinics. Genotypic resistance testing was performed using the in-house SATuRN/Life Technologies system. Sequences were analysed and genotypic susceptibility scores (GSS) for standard second-line regimens were calculated using the Stanford HIVDB 6.0.5 algorithms. RESULTS: A total of 222 adults were successfully genotyped for HIV drug resistance between December 2010 and March 2012. The most common regimens at time of genotype were stavudine, lamivudine and efavirenz (51%); and stavudine, lamivudine and nevirapine (24%). Median duration of ART was 42 months (interquartile range (IQR) 32-53) and median duration of antiretroviral failure was 27 months (IQR 17-40). One hundred and ninety one (86%) had at least one drug resistance mutation. For 34 individuals (15%), the GSS for the standard second-line regimen was <2, suggesting a significantly compromised regimen. In univariate analysis, individuals with a prior nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) substitution were more likely to have a GSS <2 than those on the same NRTIs throughout (odds ratio (OR) 5.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.60-12.49). CONCLUSIONS: There are high levels of drug resistance in adults with failure of first-line antiretroviral therapy in this rural primary health care programme. Standard second-line regimens could potentially have had reduced efficacy in about one in seven adults involved

Mortality of HIV-Infected Patients Starting Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Comparison with HIV-Unrelated Mortality

Comparing mortality rates between patients starting HIV treatment and the general population in four African countries, Matthias Egger and colleagues find the gap decreases over time, especially with early treatment

Mutational processes molding the genomes of 21 breast cancers

All cancers carry somatic mutations. The patterns of mutation in cancer genomes reflect the DNA damage and repair processes to which cancer cells and their precursors have been exposed. To explore these mechanisms further, we generated catalogs of somatic mutation from 21 breast cancers and applied mathematical methods to extract mutational signatures of the underlying processes. Multiple distinct single- and double-nucleotide substitution signatures were discernible. Cancers with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations exhibited a characteristic combination of substitution mutation signatures and a distinctive profile of deletions. Complex relationships between somatic mutation prevalence and transcription were detected. A remarkable phenomenon of localized hypermutation, termed "kataegis," was observed. Regions of kataegis differed between cancers but usually colocalized with somatic rearrangements. Base substitutions in these regions were almost exclusively of cytosine at TpC dinucleotides. The mechanisms underlying most of these mutational signatures are unknown. However, a role for the APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases is proposed