Groundnut virus research at ICRISAT

Several virus diseases of groundnut have been reported in India based on symptoms, host range and biological properties. These properties are now regarded as inadequate to identify a virus. Characterization should be based on serology, electron microscopy, transmission and physico-chemical properties. Three economically important virus diseases (bud necrosis, clump and peanut mottle) and several virus diseases of minor importance in India have now been fully characterized.....

Expanding horizons of anticoagulant therapy: Dabigatran etexilate a novel oral anticoagulant

Thrombo-embolic disease is a major challenging clinical problem associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Anticoagulation with the existing heparin products and vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulants are still the mainstay of management. However, due to the risk of bleeding and well-documented drawbacks, the quest for a novel oral anticoagulant has led to the clinical development of dabigatran etexilate. Dabigatran etexilate is a direct thrombin (IIa) inhibitor which has recently been approved in India for prevention of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) in patients who have undergone major orthopaedic (total knee or hip replacement) surgery and for prevention of stroke, systemic embolism and reduction of vascular mortality in adult patients with atrial fibrillation. Thus dabigatran etexilate is a promising alternative to the current heparin products and VKAs in patients who require long-term oral anticoagulation

EVALUATION OF ACUTE AND SUB-ACUTE TOXICITY OF A STANDARDIZED POLYHERBAL FORMULATION (HC9): AN IN VIVO STUDY

Objective: In the present study, we have performed the acute and sub-acute toxicity of a standardized polyherbal formulation (HC9) in Swiss albino mice. Methods: In acute toxicity study, the mice were orally administered with different doses (1750 and 2000 mg/kg) of HC9 and monitored for 14 d. In the sub-acute toxicity study, animals received HC9 extract by oral gavage at the doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg/day (????=5/group/sex) for 28 d. At the end of the study, the animals were sacrificed and evaluated for effect of HC9 on biochemical, hematological and histopathological parameters. Results: HC9 did not produce any adverse effects in biochemical, hematological, urine and histopathological parameters in mice. HC9 did not induce any adverse effects in terms of mortality and clinical signs in the acute toxicity study. It was well-tolerated by mice up to 2000 mg/kg/body weight. In sub-acute toxicity study, no treatment-related adverse effects were found in the mice upto 1000 mg/kg/day dose. No significant changes were observed in biochemical and hematological parameters as well as histopathology of tissues (liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lung, thymus, adrenal gland, epididymis and testis/ovary) among mice of either sex. Conclusion: Our results showed that HC9 did not induce any acute and sub-acute toxicity in male and female mice, thereby, suggesting its safety for future clinical application

VACUTAINER(® )CPT™ and Ficoll density gradient separation perform equivalently in maintaining the quality and function of PBMC from HIV seropositive blood samples

BACKGROUND: For immune monitoring studies during HIV vaccine clinical trials, whole blood specimens from HIV seropositive (HIV(+)) patients may be collected at multiple sites and sent to a central location for peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) isolation, cryopreservation and functional evaluation. In this study we show a comparison of two PBMC preparation options, Ficoll density gradient separation (Ficoll) and Cell Preparation Tubes (CPT) using shipped whole blood specimens from 19 HIV(+ )patients (CD4 > 350, viral load < 50). The pre- and post- cryopreservation performance of samples collected by these two methods were compared by assessment of antigen-specific IFNγ expression in CD8(+ )and CD8(- )T cells, cellular viability, and cellular recovery. RESULTS: The results indicate that cryopreserved PBMC samples tested for CMV- and HIV- specific interferon-gamma (IFNγ) expression performed equivalent to the respective fresh PBMC processed under both collection conditions. Compared to fresh PBMC, the viability was significantly lower for cryopreserved PBMC derived using Ficoll, although it was never less than 90%. There were no significant differences in the IFNγ response, viability, or recovery between cryopreserved PBMC derived by Ficoll and by CPT. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that CPT is an efficient system for the collection and cryopreservation of functionally active HIV(+ )PBMC, as well as a viable alternative to Ficoll gradient separation

Transmission of tomato spotted wilt virus, the causal agent of bud necrosis of peanut, by Scirtothrips dorsalis and Frankliniella schultzei

An important disease of groundnuts in India has recently been shown to be caused by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), which is transmitted by thrips. The results are given of further studies on Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (which had earlier been shown to be a vector), on the role of Frankliniella schultzei (Tryb.) as a vector and on the application of the haemagglutination technique to detect viral antigen in thrips. Both species of thrips were able to transmit the virus from groundnuts to groundnuts and urd bean (Vigna mungo), but F. schultzei was the more efficient. Haemagglutination tests detected viral antigens in extracts from both species that had been exposed to infected leave

Seed protectants for healthy exports

Dry formulations of three insecticides (chlorpyriphos, fenvalerate and carbaryl) were compared for their efficacy against rice moth, Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) and groundnut bruchid Caryedon serratus Oliver, in the context of identifying a suitable alternative to aldrin. Fenvalerate 4 g/kg seed showed quick action and killed all the Corcyra eggs, and Caryedon grubs and adults, within 48 h. Chlorpyriphos and carbaryl were less effective, although the former showed high persistency. Fenvalerate and carbaryl were significantly superior to a range of rates of chlorpyriphos up to 180 DAT, and were on par with aldrin. For seed exports that require storage of 60 days or more, chlorpyriphos could be used as an effective replacement for aldrin. The chemicals tested hid no deleterious effects on seed viability of pearl millet and groundnut up to 180 days at ambient temperature during storag

Radiative energy and momentum transfer for various spherical shapes: a single sphere, a bubble, a spherical shell and a coated sphere

We use fluctuational electrodynamics to determine emissivity and van der Waals contribution to surface energy for various spherical shapes, such as a sphere, a bubble, a spherical shell and a coated sphere, in a homogeneous and isotropic medium. Near-field radiative transfer and momentum transfer between flat plates and curved surfaces have been studied for the past decades, however the investigation of radiative heat transfer and van der Waals stress due to fluctuations of electromagnetic fields for a single object is missing from literature. The dyadic Green's function formalism of radiative energy and fluctuation-induced van der Waals stress for different spherical configurations have been developed. We show (1) emission spectra of micro and nano-sized spheres display several emissivity sharp peaks as the size of object reduces, and (2) surface energy becomes size dependent due to van der Waals phenomena when size of object is reduced to a nanoscopic length scale.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Epidemiology and control of groundnut bud necrosis and other diseases of legume crops in India caused by tomato spotted wilt virus

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was first reported in India in tomato in 1964 (Todd et dl., 1975). The occurrence of TSWV on a legume in ~India was first recorded in 1968 (Reddy et dl., 1968). The "bud necrosis disease" of groundnut, caused by TSWV, is now considered to be one of the most damaging groundnut diseases in India (Ghanekar et al., 1979a; Reddy, 1980). Bud necrosis is likely to have been present in India for some time although it has only recently become economically important. TSWV has also been reported on groundnuts in Brazil (Costa, 1941), the United States of America (Halliwell & Philley, 1974), South Africa (Klesser, 1966) and Australia (Helms et al., 1961). This chapter considers the epidemiology and control of bud necrosis and gives a brief account of other economically important diseases of legumes in India caused by TSWV

Performance of plate-based cytokine flow cytometry with automated data analysis

BACKGROUND: Cytokine flow cytometry (CFC) provides a multiparameter alternative to ELISPOT assays for rapid quantitation of antigen-specific T cells. To increase the throughput of CFC assays, we have optimized methods for stimulating, staining, and acquiring whole blood or PBMC samples in 96-well or 24-well plates. RESULTS: We have developed a protocol for whole blood stimulation and processing in deep-well 24- or 96-well plates, and fresh or cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) stimulation and processing in conventional 96-well round-bottom plates. Samples from both HIV-1-seronegative and HIV-1-seropositive donors were tested. We show that the percent response, staining intensity, and cell recovery are comparable to stimulation and processing in tubes using traditional methods. We also show the equivalence of automated gating templates to manual gating for CFC data analysis. CONCLUSION: When combined with flow cytometry analysis using an automated plate loader and an automated analysis algorithm, these plate-based methods provide a higher throughput platform for CFC, as well as reducing operator-induced variability. These factors will be important for processing the numbers of samples required in large clinical trials, and for epitope mapping of patient responses