Influence of Ethylene Inhibitors and Ethrel on Production of Protocorm Like Bodies in Orchid-Dendrobium 'Sonia'

To increase the efficiency of production of protocorm like bodies, ethylene inhibitors like silver nitrate, salicylic acid and cobalt chloride at three concentrations, viz., 2, 5 and 20 μM and ethrel at 0.7, 1.4 and 14.0 μM were tested, by supplementing MS basal with BAP 4.44 μM. The explant used was fractionated protocorm like bodies (plb). Ethylene and methane gases evolved by the explant in the culture container were measured at 20 and 40 days after inoculation (DAI). Among various ethylene inhibitors tested, the maximum number of plb's were produced in media containing silver nitrate (5 μM), cobalt chloride (2 μM) and salicylic acid (20 μM). All ethrel treatments produced succulent, vitrified and deformed plb's. No ethylene evolution was observed in any of the ethylene inhibitor treatments. Only in ethrel treatments was evolution of ethylene observed. Methane evolution was observed in all the ethylene inhibitor treatments. Absolute amounts of methane evolved could not be related to the observed plb production. However, when the evolution of methane was more than 1 nano mole g-1 FW h-1, poor plb production was observed

Development of <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i> endochitinase gene construct conferring antifungal activity in transgenic tobacco

199-206Trichoderma harzianum is a popular biocontrol agent used extensively against phytopathogenic fungi. The mode of action of this fungus is through secretion of cell wall degrading enzymes including chitinases. Thus, the chitinase genes isolated from T. harzianum have been successfully utilized in the production of transgenic plants with enhanced resistance to several fungi. The stringent rules of IPR necessitates that genes are cloned and constructs are developed from the local isolates of this fungus. In view of which full length chitinase gene was isolated and a construct was developed under the expression of constitutive promoter CaMV 35S for use in plant transformation. Expression of chitinase gene in transgenic tobacco plants was found to be higher as revealed by the endochitinase assay and relative quantitative RT-PCR. Its efficacy in inhibiting the fungal growth was also reported in vitro as well as in vivo in the detached leaves of tobacco transformants containing the gene. Thus, the development of T. harzianum chitinase gene construct (pIIHR-Th-Chit) would facilitate the exchange of the construct amongst researchers in the country for the development of fungus resistant transgenic plants

Six end-stage renal disease patients benefited from first non-simultaneous single center 6-way kidney exchange transplantation in India

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Expanding the donor pool for kidney transplantation in India

The best and most cost-effective treatment for end-stage renal disease patients is living donor (LD) renal transplantation. It has survival benefit compared to deceased donor (DD) kidney transplant (DDKT) and long-term dialysis and provides a better quality of life. Efficient and effective kidney allocation methods are increasingly necessary to address the problem of organ scarcity. The use of kidney paired donation transplant has increased access to LD kidney transplantation (LDKT) with outstanding results. ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation (KT) and desensitization protocol can expand the donor pool, but as integral to any aggressive immunosuppression protocol, they are associated with increased risk of infection and malignancy. Given the widespread organ shortage, DDKT from donors with sepsis, donors who died from snakebite or acute kidney injury, controlled donation after cardiac death, older donors, can be considered for KT with an acceptable outcome. The acceptable outcome can be achieved with dual KT using kidneys from expanded criteria donors in older population. Dual KT from pediatric donors to adult recipients or from adult marginal DDs is a promising way to expand the donor pool. Carefully selected donor with HIV, HCV, and HBV positivity is not a contraindication for living kidney donation. Careful and meticulous selection of patient and donor is essential for successful outcome. Affordable or free transplantation is other way to increase transplantation rate in developing country. The community support can make transplantation available free to the poor patients under community-government partnership. Various steps should be taken to promote LDKT and DDKT program