Isolation of Somaclonal Variants for Morphological and Biochemical Traits in Curcuma longa (Turmeric)

Five types of somaclonal variants were isolated through callus phase of vegetativebud among the 105 regenerants, based on the morphological traits at the culture conditions.The variants showing higher values of the metric traits than the regenerants and control withregard to morphological parameters in the first generation were selected for furtherevaluation in the second generation (V2). The variants isolated based on the morphologicaltraits were subjected to biochemical analysis such as curcumin, oleoresin and volatile oilcontents and compared with the normal regenerants and the control plant. Significantly highcurcumin, oleoresin and volatile oil contents (%) were observed in somaclonal variants whencompared to the normal regenerants and also control plant. Somaclonal variation in turmericis a new prospective for the genetic improvement of turmeric varieties

An overview of advances in glass ionomer cements

Glass-ionomer dental cements (GICs) are aesthetic direct restorative materials with anticariogenic activity. Glass-ionomers are composed of alumino-silicate glass powder and poly acrylic acid liquid. The significant characteristics of GICs among restorative materials are their ability to bond to moist tooth structure without any pre-treatment and to provide a prolonged period of fluoride release, which prevents subsequent tooth decay (caries). These characteristics, along with the materials\u27 acceptable aesthetics and biocompatibility, make them popular and desirable for use in medical and dental applications. However, GICs exhibit poor mechanical qualities and moisture sensitivity. To improve their mechanical and physical qualities, the GIC powders have undergone extensive formulation and modification. This paper provides an overview of various fillers used to enhance the mechanical and physical properties of GICs

Molecular, microbiological and clinical characterization of Clostridium difficile isolates from tertiary care hospitals in Colombia

In Colombia, the epidemiology and circulating genotypes of Clostridium difficile have not yet been described. Therefore, we molecularly characterized clinical isolates of C.difficile from patients with suspicion of C.difficile infection (CDI) in three tertiary care hospitals. C.difficile was isolated from stool samples by culture, the presence of A/B toxins were detected by enzyme immunoassay, cytotoxicity was tested by cell culture and the antimicrobial susceptibility determined. After DNA extraction, tcdA, tcdB and binary toxin (CDTa/CDTb) genes were detected by PCR, and PCR-ribotyping performed. From a total of 913 stool samples collected during 2013–2014, 775 were included in the study. The frequency of A/B toxins-positive samples was 9.7% (75/775). A total of 143 isolates of C.difficile were recovered from culture, 110 (76.9%) produced cytotoxic effect in cell culture, 100 (69.9%) were tcdA+/tcdB+, 11 (7.7%) tcdA-/tcdB+, 32 (22.4%) tcdA-/tcdB- and 25 (17.5%) CDTa+/CDTb+. From 37 ribotypes identified, ribotypes 591 (20%), 106 (9%) and 002 (7.9%) were the most prevalent; only one isolate corresponded to ribotype 027, four to ribotype 078 and four were new ribotypes (794,795, 804,805). All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and metronidazole, while 85% and 7.7% were resistant to clindamycin and moxifloxacin, respectively. By multivariate analysis, significant risk factors associated to CDI were, staying in orthopedic service, exposure to third-generation cephalosporins and staying in an ICU before CDI symptoms; moreover, steroids showed to be a protector factor. These results revealed new C. difficile ribotypes and a high diversity profile circulating in Colombia different from those reported in America and European countries

Ethanomedicinal properties of Euphorbiaceae family- A comprehensive review

Ethanomedicine is the study of traditional medical practice which is concerned with the cultural interpretation of health, diseases and illness and also addresses the healthcare seeking process and healing practices. Euphorbiaceae is among the large flowering plant families consisting of a wide variety of vegetative forms some of which are plants of great importance. The family Euphorbiaceae is assessed taxonomically and phylogenetically in the light of different disciplines of botany. This article provides ethanomedicinal properties of 103 members of Euphorbiaceae family, it includes botanical name, local name, plant parts used for treatment and their reported activity. This study has revealed that Euphorbiaceae members act as an effective remedy for many diseases like diaheria, jaundice, diabetes, inflammation, etc

<em>In vitro</em> mutagenesis and characterization of mutants through morphological and genetic analysis in orchid <em>Aerides crispa</em> Lindl.

385-394Mutation breeding techniques combined with tissue culture and molecular marker methods provide a powerful tool for improvement of slow growing plants such as orchids. In this study, we developed a protocol for in vitro mutagenic studies in a medicinal orchid of Western Ghats, Aerides crispa Lindl., commonly called the Curled Aerides. In vitro grown 60 day old protocorms treated with low concentrations (0.025–0.03%) of colchicine, ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), and low doses (1–4Gy) of gamma radiations, and 27 combinations resulted in healthy multiple shoot bud formation with 40–60% survival frequency. Higher singly or combined dose treatments caused protocorm or shoot initials death, after 20–30 days. Healthy 2500 in vitro seedlings were screened for phenotypic changes in shoots and roots owing to a mutagenic effect. In total, 206 in vitro seedlings of 52 variant lines were identified on the basis of their unique leaf shape, colour, white stripes, thickness, length, and width and their root length and thickness. These variant lines were multiplied, established in an orchidarium, and compared with the control for genetic variability by using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA method. Only 15 genetically distinct mutant lines were identified, which exhibited disparity in growth rate, leaf shape, leaf length, width, chlorophyll variegation, stomatal density, and/or pigment contents