Biological utilities of Parthenium hysterophorus

Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) is a serious weed of pastures, wasteland and agricultural fields in world. Various problems are posed by the weed to human health, agriculture, live stock production and biodiversity. It is used as folk remedy against various afflictions. The review discusses several prominent biological utilities of P. hysterophorus as it contains several important chemical constituents mainly histamine, saponin, glucosides and triterpene (sesquiterpene) and can be of use for the purpose of biocontrol of various pathogens , for its medicinal utility and even for the purpose of food

Addition of power Doppler to grey scale transvaginal ultrasonography for improving the prediction of endometrial pathology in perimenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding

Background & objectives: Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) is a non-invasive procedure and can be used as a screening tool among women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). Power Doppler is useful in depicting the vascular architecture better than the conventional Doppler. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate whether addition of power Doppler to grey scale TVS can replace invasive hysteroscopy for the prediction of endometrial pathology in perimenopausal women with AUB. Methods: One hundred women (>45 yr) with perimenopausal AUB underwent evaluation with TVS, power Doppler and hysteroscopy-guided biopsy after a detailed history and examination. Histopathology was considered as gold standard and other tools such as grey scale TVS with power Doppler and hysteroscopy were compared with it. Results: Fifty six per cent women had no vascularity on power Doppler. Among those who had vascularity, the vascular patterns noted were single-vessel in 18 per cent, scattered-vessel in 15 per cent and multiple-vessel in 11 per cent. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of TVS-endometrial thickness with power Doppler in detecting hyperplasia were 50, 86.5, 13.3 and 97.6 per cent, respectively, whereas the same for hysteroscopy were 100, 97.6, 88.1 and 100 per cent, respectively. Interpretation & conclusions: Addition of power Doppler to grey scale TVS improved the specificity and negative predictive value almost comparable to hysteroscopy for evaluation of AUB, but sensitivity and positive predictive value remained poor

Oral misoprostol with mifepristone versus misoprostol alone for inducing labor in intrauterine fetal death: A randomized placebo-controlled trial

Context: Intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) causes emotional distress and could result in intrauterine infection. In view of these complications, medical induction is recommended, if it is safe. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol with oral misoprostol alone for induction of labor in IUFD. Settings and Design: This is a randomized placebo-controlled trial conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in southern India. Patients and Methods: We recruited 72 women with IUFD in a singleton pregnancy after 28 weeks with intact membranes. Thirty-six women received oral placebo followed by misoprostol. In other group, 36 women received 200 mg oral mifepristone followed by misoprostol (both groups received 50 μg orally 4th hourly up to 5 doses). The interval between mifepristone/placebo and the first dose of misoprostol was 24 h. Results: Successful delivery occurred within 72 h in 31 of 36 (86%) women who received mifepristone before misoprostol and in 28 of 36 (78%) women who received only misoprostol (P = 0.541). Median (interquartile range) induction to delivery interval was 3.5 (2–5) and 4 (3–5) h in the combination group and misoprostol group, respectively (P = 0.465). Conclusions: Addition of mifepristone to misoprostol appears to be marginally more effective than misoprostol alone for induction of labor in intermediate and late IUFD, although the differences were not statistically significant

The Tactical Strategy, Readiness, Epidemiology and Reaction to Potential Treatments for the Possibly Lethal Ebola Virus: A Review

Over the preceding 38 years, a few outbreaks have been brought on by the Ebola virus, which produces the Ebola illness. No specific treatment has been approved for EVD. Problem management and supportive care are the cornerstones of treatment. Effective outbreak control requires a multidisciplinary team effort that includes case care, infection prevention and control protocols, contact tracing and surveillance, a high-quality laboratory service, dignified and safe funerals, and social and community mobilization. The 2014 Ebola outbreak started in Africa and swiftly spread to other continents before turning into a pandemic. The illness gained international interest because to its relatively peculiar design, lethality and contagiousness, difficulty in containing its spread, and absence of a reliable treatment. Two medications have received FDA approval to treat EVD. Ebanga is a single monoclonal antibody, whereas Inmazeb is a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies.  Individuals utilizing any of the two FDA-approved treatments had a significantly greater overall survival rate. In this article, the known history of the Ebola virus, its mode of infection, epidemiology, lifecycle, and possible treatments are briefly reviewed

Structural and Functional Recovery of Sensory Cilia in <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> IFT Mutants upon Aging

<div><p>The majority of cilia are formed and maintained by the highly conserved process of intraflagellar transport (IFT). Mutations in IFT genes lead to ciliary structural defects and systemic disorders termed ciliopathies. Here we show that the severely truncated sensory cilia of hypomorphic IFT mutants in <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> transiently elongate during a discrete period of adult aging leading to markedly improved sensory behaviors. Age-dependent restoration of cilia morphology occurs in structurally diverse cilia types and requires IFT. We demonstrate that while DAF-16/FOXO is dispensable, the age-dependent suppression of cilia phenotypes in IFT mutants requires cell-autonomous functions of the HSF1 heat shock factor and the Hsp90 chaperone. Our results describe an unexpected role of early aging and protein quality control mechanisms in suppressing ciliary phenotypes of IFT mutants, and suggest possible strategies for targeting subsets of ciliopathies.</p></div

Experimental Incidence and Severity of Insect Pests of Brinjal (Solanum melongena)

The maximum population of Leucinodes orbonalis (fruit &amp; shoot borer) could be recorded at 40 SW or fourth week of September in 2014 and 41 SW 1st week of October in 2015 at a temperature range of 26-350C and RH 49-78% in season 2014 and 26-360C temperature and RH 48-81% in season 2015. At this temperature range and RH, 5.50/leaves in 2014 and 5.20/leaves in 2015. The maximum population of Amrasca biguttula biguttula was recorded at 40 SW or the fourth week of September in 2014 and 41 SW in 1st week of October in 2015 at a temperature range of 26-350C and RH 49-78% in season 2014 and 26-350C temperature and RH 48-81% in season 2015. At this temperature range and RH, 23.7/leaves in 2014 and 22.8/leaves in 2015. After that, it went on decreasing and became negligible at 49 SW

IFT motor proteins are necessary for age-dependent cilia recovery in IFT mutants.

<p><b>(A)</b> Quantification of ASI cilia length in 1d and 7d old animals of the indicated genotypes. ASI cilia were visualized via expression of <i>str-3</i>p::<i>srg-36</i>::<i>gfp</i>. Alleles used in the double mutant strains were <i>osm-6(p811)</i>, <i>kap-1(ok676)</i> and <i>osm-3(p802)</i>. Horizontal lines indicate 25^th, 50^th and 75^th percentiles; bars indicate 5^th and 95^th percentiles. *, ** and *** indicate different from 1d within a genotype at <i>P</i><0.05, 0.01 and 0.001, respectively (Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U test). n>30 for each; ≥3 independent experiments. <b>(B)</b> Histograms of KAP-1::GFP and <b>(C)</b> OSM-3::GFP anterograde velocities in the ASH/ASI cilia of 1d and 7d old wild-type or <i>osm-6(p811)</i> mutants. <i>kap-1</i>:<i>gfp</i> and <i>osm-3</i>::<i>gfp</i> were expressed under the <i>sra-6</i> promoter. IFT could not be reliably quantified in short cilia in 1d old <i>osm-6</i> mutants. Anterograde velocities in the middle and distal segments are indicated by black and gray bars, respectively; average velocities are indicated at top right in each panel in corresponding colors. See <a href="http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1006325#pgen.1006325.s008" target="_blank">S2 Table</a> for statistical analyses.</p

Cilia-dependent sensory behaviors are improved in aged IFT-B mutants.

<p><b>(A)</b> Chemotaxis responses of 1d and 7d old animals of the indicated genotypes to a point source of bacteria (see <a href="http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1006325#sec012" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a>). Positive chemotaxis indices indicate attraction. ** and *** indicate different from 1d within a genotype at <i>P</i><0.01 and 0.001, respectively (Kruskal-Wallis non parametric test). Error bars are SEM. n>200 animals each from 8 independent assays. <b>(B)</b> Fraction of animals of the indicated genotypes and ages that remain within a ring of 8M glycerol after 2 minutes. Error bars are SEM. *** indicate different from 1d at <i>P</i>< 0.001 within a genotype (Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test). n>100 animals each from 10 independent assays. <b>(C)</b> Length of ASH cilia in 7d old wild-type, <i>osm-5(p813)</i> and <i>osm-6(p811)</i> animals that remained within (inside), or escaped (outside), a ring of 8M glycerol after 2 minutes. Horizontal lines indicate 25^th, 50^th and 75^th percentiles. *** indicates different from 1d within a genotype at <i>P</i>< 0.001 (Wilcoxon Mann-Whitney U test). n≥15 animals for each condition.</p