In vitro studies of antistress and antiallergic effects of semecarpus anacardium fruit in asthma

Semicarpus anacardium Linn. (Anacardiaceae) is a deciduous moderate sized tree. The plant is commonly known as Ballataka (Sanskrit), Bhela (Hindi) and marking nut in English. Fruits are acrid and sweet and used traditionally in the treatment of asthma. Allergy and stress are important contributing factors in asthma; hence, our objective was to study the effect of plant extracts on milk-induced leucocytosis (antistress) and milk-induced eosinophilia (antiallergic) as no work is done in this direction and to check a possible antiasthmatic role of the plant. Extracts were given at the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o., to mice. Ethyl acetate and ethanol extracts showed significant decrease in leukocytes and eosinophils count. These results confirm the use of S. anacardium fruits as antistress and antiallergic agents in the treatment asthma.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Genotype × Environment Studies on Resistance to Late Leaf Spot and Rust in Genomic Selection Training Population of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Foliar fungal diseases especially late leaf spot (LLS) and rust are the important production constraints across the peanut growing regions of the world. A set of 340 diverse peanut genotypes that includes accessions from gene bank of International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), elite breeding lines from the breeding program, and popular cultivars were screened for LLS and rust resistance and yield traits across three locations in India under natural and artificial disease epiphytotic conditions. The study revealed significant variation among the genotypes for LLS and rust resistance at different environments. Combined analysis of variance revealed significant environment (E) and genotype × environment (G×E) interactions for both the diseases indicating differential response of genotypes in different environments. The present study reported 31 genotypes as resistant to LLS and 66 to rust across the locations at 90 DAS with maturity duration 103 to 128 days. Twenty-eight genotypes showed resistance to both the diseases across the locations, of which 19 derived from A. cardenasii, five from A. hypogaea, and four from A. villosa. Site regression and Genotype by Genotype x Environment (GGE) biplot analysis identified eight genotypes as stable for LLS, 24 for rust and 14 for pod yield under disease pressure across the environments. Best performing environment specific genotypes were also identified. Nine genotypes resistant to LLS and rust showed 77% to 120% increase in pod yield over control under disease pressure with acceptable pod and kernel features that can be used as potential parents in LLS and rust resistance breeding. Pod yield increase as a consequence of resistance offered to foliar fungal diseases suggests the possibility of considering ‘foliar fungal disease resistance’ as a must-have trait in all the peanut cultivars that will be released for cultivation in rain fed ecologies in Asia and Africa. The phenotypic data of the present study will be used for designing genomic selection prediction models in peanut

G × E interactions in QTL introgression lines of Spanish-type groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Multi-environment testing at five locations for rust and late leaf spot (LLS) resistance with 41 introgressed lines (ILs) bred using marker-assisted backcross breeding in the genetic background Spanish- type groundnut varieties identified significant genotype, and genotype 9 environment interactions (GEI) for LLS disease resistance and yield parameters. Significant GEI effects suggest the need to identify location specific breeding lines to achieve gains in pod yield and LLS resistance. The observed variable LLS disease reaction among the ILs in part suggests influence of background genotype on the level of resistance. A breeding scheme with early generation selection using molecular markers followed by phenotyping for LLS, and multi-location testing of fixed breeding lines was optimized to enhance selection intensity and accuracy in groundnut breeding. The ILs, ICGVs 14431, 14436 and 14438 with pooled LLS score at 90 DAS of 3.5–3.7 were superior to respective recurrent parent for pod yield, with early maturing similar to recurrent parents. The pod yield advantage in ILs is attributed by more number of pods, besides resistance to LLS that contributes to better filling

Meningioma with the unique coexistence of secretory and lipomatous components: A case report with immunohistochemical study

Meningioma is the most common extra-axial neoplasm which accounts for 30% of all intracranial tumors with a female predilection. These tumors exhibit a broad spectrum of differentiation potency corresponding to different histological subtypes. Meningothelial cells can rarely show separate secretory or lipomatous (metaplastic) transformation. The coexistence of these two different histological subtypes in a single meningeal tumor is extremely rare with only two reported cases. We report an uncommon case of meningioma in a 40-year-old female showing histological admixture of both secretory and lipomatous (metaplastic) meningioma, which to our knowledge is only the third reported case in the world. It highlights the multipotency of phenotypic transformation of primary meningothelial cells. This rare tumor behaves in a fashion similar to benign meningioma of WHO Grade I type

Ethanolic stem extract of Excoecaria agallocha induces G1 arrest or apoptosis in human lung cancer cells depending on their p53 status

Excoecaria agallocha L. is a mangrove widely used as folklore medicine but its anticancer properties have not been evaluated yet. In this study, the ethanol stem extract of this plant exhibited remarkable cytotoxic activities on human lung cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner after 48 h of incubation. Analysis of the mechanism of action demonstrated that the extract exerted apoptotic cell death in p53 +/+ cells and G1 arrest in p53-/- cells. Morphological observation using phase-contrast microscope also displayed apoptotic characteristics in treated p53 +/+ cells such as nuclear blebbing and chromatin condensation. Cell cycle analysis showed G1 arrest caused by the extract in p53-/-cells. Furthermore, acute exposure to the extract produced a significant regulation of p21, Bcl-2 and Bax protein expression in both these cell lines. Due to its potent cytotoxic effect on lung cancer cell lines, it is strongly suggested that the extract could be further developed as an anticancer drug