Aboveground-belowground linkages and carbon allocation in pasture grasses during climate extremes

Predicted increases in climate extremes, such as an increase in the intensity and frequency of drought events and heatwaves, are expected to affect ecosystem functions and services. Pastures and rangelands are particularly sensitive to these changes in climate, with negative consequences for livestock production and associated food security. Knowledge of grass species’ responses to climate extremes in terms of their carbon allocation and trait plasticity associated with resource acquisition can inform management decisions for sustainable pasture production in the face of ongoing and projected changes in a global climate. For this, I employed field and growth chamber manipulation experiments and examined the partitioning of primary production to respiration and growth, as well as biomass allocation and root trait plasticity, in response to predicted changes in rainfall patterns (60% reduction in winter and spring rainfall) and atmospheric warming (ambient +3 ℃). I specifically tested the following overarching questions in this thesis: i) Are there differences in the root economic spectrum and resistance and resilience strategies between C3 and C4 pasture grasses in response to drought?; ii) Do belowground responses in a common pasture grass facilitate aboveground production during heat and drought?; iii) Does partitioning of primary products of photosynthesis between growth and respiration explain pasture production during heat and drought, and how does clipping influence these relationships? Overall, my research provides insight into several resource allocation and carbon uptake mechanisms behind pasture grasses’ responses to drought and warming, both above and belowground. In addition, this work highlights adaptation strategies of pasture species to maintain aboveground production both during exposure to climate stress and for post-stress recovery. In conclusion, this study, in line with ecosystem model projections, demonstrates the heat and drought sensitivity of pasture production and associated implications of declining pasture productivity for the meat, livestock and dairy industries in a future warmer and drier climate. However, findings from my study can also help inform a framework for selecting pasture species and cultivars with traits favoring climate resistance and resilience that will support sustained pasture production under future climates

Flux Balance Analysis Based Model for the Identification of Potent Drug Target: A Novel Strategy

No Abstract

A comparative study of antinociceptive effect of fluoxetine with pentazocine in rodent model

Background: Chronic pain affects millions of people across the globe, commonly coexisting with depression. Antidepressants like fluoxetine have shown potential to have analgesic activity with superior safety profile and hence might be better suited in the treatment of chronic pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of fluoxetine and to compare the antinociceptive effect of fluoxetine with pentazocine.Methods: Adult albino rats weighing 150-200 grams were used in this study. Screening method used was Acetic acid induced writhing method in rats. Rats were divided into three groups of 5 animals and drugs administered as follows: group-1:  distilled water (control), group-2:  Fluoxetine, group-3:  Pentazocine. All drugs were administered 30 minutes before the onset of pain stimulus. Statistical analysis was done by using one way-analysis of variance (one way ANOVA) followed by Tukey-Kramer test.Results: Fluoxetine failed to show significant antinociceptive activity in Acetic acid induced writhing method.Conclusions: Fluoxetine is an SSRI and one of the most commonly prescribed drug for depression. It is proven to act at multiple sites like serotonin transporter and opioid µ receptor, both of which may play a role in its analgesic activity

A prospective analysis of the cost-effectiveness of alfuzosin, tamsulosin and silodosin for 12 weeks in benign prostatic hyperplasia

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is usually seen in men above 45 years. α-blockers (alfuzosin, tamsulosin and silodosin) form the mainstay of pharmacological management of symptomatic BPH and may differ in their efficacy, tolerability and treatment costs. The present study compares them prospectively to evaluate the most cost-effective α-blocker in the management of BPH.Methods: Ninety subjects diagnosed with symptomatic BPH were randomised to receive alfuzosin, tamsulosin or silodosin and were followed up at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks after treatment initiation. Effectiveness was assessed by rate of treatment success and number of symptom free days (SFDs). Treatment related direct medical, direct non-medical and indirect costs were analysed both from patient and third-party perspective. Cost-effectiveness was assessed using average cost-effectiveness ratio (ACER) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER).Results: With rate of treatment success as the outcome measure, alfuzosin had the least ACER, followed by tamsulosin and silodosin. With number of SFDs as the outcome measure, alfuzosin had the least ACER followed by silodosin and tamsulosin. An additional INR 3982 and INR 30 were required per extra success and extra SFD respectively with alfuzosin when compared to tamsulosin. Alfuzosin dominated silodosin as a more cost-effective option in achieving treatment success. However, an additional INR 231 was required to achieve an extra SFD with silodosin.Conclusions: Compared with tamsulosin and silodosin, alfuzosin seems to be the most economical α-blocker in the management of BPH, both from patient and third-party perspective.Short duration of study of 12 weeks was a limitation in the present prospective study

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF CURCUMIN AND CAPSAICIN AUGMENTED IN COMBINATION

Objective: Dietary curcumin and capsaicin are well known for their health beneficial potencies. The current study was done to assess the anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin, capsaicin and their combination by employing in vitro and in vivo models.Methods: We investigated the protective effect of curcumin, capsaicin and their combination using in vitro heat induced human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane stabilisation, in vivo 3% agar induced leukocyte mobilisation and acetic acid induced vascular permeability assay.Results: Curcumin, capsaicin and their combination exhibited concentration dependent protective effect against heat-induced HRBC membrane destabilisation, while combined curcumin and capsaicin restored 87.0±0.64 % membrane stability and it is found to be better than curcumin, capsaicin and diclofenac sodium (75.0±0.25. 72±0.9 and 80.0±0.31 %) protective effect. In agar suspension induced leukocyte mobilization assay, the combined curcumin and capsaicin had shown 39.5±1.58 % of inhibition compared to individual curcumin and capsaicin, which showed moderate inhibition of 16.0±3.14 and 21.6±2.17 % respectively. Besides, the combined curcumin and capsaicin had shown highly significant inhibition of acetic acid-induced vascular permeability in rats (62.0±3.14 %), whereas individual curcumin and capsaicin showed moderate inhibition of vascular permeability with 36.0±2.41 and 43.0±1.92 % respectively.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the significant anti-inflammatory property of combined curcumin and capsaicin at half of the individual concentration of curcumin and capsaicin

A monoclonal antibody that inhibits mycobacterial DNA gyrase by a novel mechanism

DNA gyrase is a DNA topoisomerase indispensable for cellular functions in bacteria. We describe a novel, hitherto unknown, mechanism of specific inhibition of Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA gyrase by a monoclonal antibody (mAb). Binding of the mAb did not affect either GyrA–GyrB or gyrase–DNA interactions. More importantly, the ternary complex of gyrase–DNA–mAb retained the ATPase activity of the enzyme and was competent to catalyse DNA cleavage–religation reactions, implying a new mode of action different from other classes of gyrase inhibitors. DNA gyrase purified from fluoroquinolone-resistant strains of M.tuberculosis and M.smegmatis were inhibited by the mAb. The absence of cross-resistance of the drug-resistant enzymes from two different sources to the antibody-mediated inhibition corroborates the new mechanism of inhibition. We suggest that binding of the mAb in the proximity of the primary dimer interface region of GyrA in the heterotetrameric enzyme appears to block the release of the transported segment after strand passage, leading to enzyme inhibition. The specific inhibition of mycobacterial DNA gyrase with the mAb opens up new avenues for designing novel lead molecules for drug discovery and for probing gyrase mechanism

Comparative proteome analysis and thermal stress induced changes in the embryo of poly- and bi-voltine strains of Bombyx mori

Proteins are the ultimate operating molecules producing the physiological effect in all the stages of an organism. As a consequence, proteome of the embryo play a pivotal role in determining the biological structures besides cellular organization and morphogenetic movements that occur during embryo development. But, changes in the environment temperature for few hours whether that alter the embryo development, protein expression and hatching of infants are unknown in Bombyx mori L. Hence, eggs of poly- and bi-voltine breeds were exposed to heat shock temperature of 35, 40 and 45°C for 2 h to measure tolerance level and differential expression of proteins in different age of the embryos. To facilitate comparative analysis among different breeds a comprehensive proteome map was constructed considering protein profile of different day’s embryos. Interestingly, ~10 to 21 protein bands were recorded during embryo development - from ovipostion till hatching - along with few new protein bands on day-6, which were differ in their intensity in different silkworm strains. Interestingly, no change in the protein pattern was observed in different days embryos exposed to thermal stress at 35 and 40°C. But degradation of 18 and 19 kDa proteins were recorded in all the days of embryos exposed to 45°C while four major protein bands remain unaltered. Further, the percent of hatching was slightly declined in 35 and 40°C and zero hatching was recorded in all the stages of eggs HS at 45°C. This clearly indicates that differential expression/degradation of proteins as a response to thermal stress not only influences the growth and development but also determine hatching of embryo. Accordingly, we suggest that embryonic protein map constructed in the present study shall be a valid reference for comparative analysis and hatching of embryos as one of the key traits to measure the rate of thermotolerance in the existing or new strains/breeds of B. mori