Defensive stratagems of plants, with special reference to allelopathy

The green plant has evolved an array of defences to ameliorate the effects of stresses in its environment. Allelopathy, biochemical interactions between plants, plays a role in plant defence but recent work suggests that some compounds which act as allelochemicals may also be effective in the defence of plants against other organIsms. Some examples of allelopathy in associations of crop and weed species are discussed in this context

Barley Allelochemicals of Gramine and Hordenine: Their Effects on Broiler Chickens

An experiment aimed at examining the effects of gramine and hordenine, incorporated into diets, on the growth and histological structures of the chicken liver has been carried out at the animal house complex, Analytical Laboratory, and Histology laboratory of the University of New England, Armidale, Australia. Five treatment groups (50 and 500 ppm hordenine or gramine, and standard feed as control) were administered to one-week old broiler chickens. Each treatment group had six heads of chickens and were replicated 6 times. Data collected including body weight and feed intake (recorded weekly), liver tissue collection for histological examination, and determination of gramine and hordenine in the liver. Data were analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of confident. Results demonstrated that gramine had more effects than hordenine on the animal tested. A high concentration (500 ppm) of either gramine or hoedenine was sufficient to induce changes in liver structure of the chickens as indicated by cell vacuolation even though they were not necessarily associated with reduced feed intake or growth rate of the animals. Scab-like lesions on their feet during weeks 4 and 5 of the experiment were observed from the group of 500-ppm gramine.Key Words : gramine, hordenine, chicke

Neurostimulatory and ablative treatment options in major depressive disorder: a systematic review

Introduction Major depressive disorder is one of the most disabling and common diagnoses amongst psychiatric disorders, with a current worldwide prevalence of 5-10% of the general population and up to 20-25% for the lifetime period. Historical perspective Nowadays, conventional treatment includes psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy; however, more than 60% of the treated patients respond unsatisfactorily, and almost one fifth becomes refractory to these therapies at long-term follow-up. Nonpharmacological techniques Growing social incapacity and economic burdens make the medical community strive for better therapies, with fewer complications. Various nonpharmacological techniques like electroconvulsive therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, lesion surgery, and deep brain stimulation have been developed for this purpose. Discussion We reviewed the literature from the beginning of the twentieth century until July 2009 and described the early clinical effects and main reported complications of these methods. © The Author(s) 2010.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex