Pasting Characteristics of Stored Wheat in Hermetic Bags and Conventional Methods

This study was performed in India to observe the effect of type of structure on pasting characteristics of stored wheat. Wheat of WH-711 variety was stored in hermetic bag and two conventional grain storage structures viz. steel bin and gunny bag piles which are usually employed in India. Pasting characteristics of wheat flour were measured in the Rapid Visco-Analyzer (RVA). The results revealed the significant influence of type of structure on pasting properties of stored wheat. Highest values of peak, trough, setback and final viscosity were observed in steel bins storage and minimum were in the gunny bag storage. Peak, trough, and final viscosity were found to be increased with the advancement of storage time in all structures. Setback and breakdown viscosity decreased with time. Breakdown and maximum setback viscosity were found minimum in hermetic bag storage, gave equal final viscosity as steel bins. Gelatinization temperature and peak time of all structures were same and remained constant. A small increase in the value of pasting temperature was observed in all the structures but maximum increase (about 1.5˚C) was recorded in gunny bags and minimum (0.8˚C) in hermetic storage than initial values

Sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader-A viable machine to avoid trash burning

Trash burning is a major problem in sugarcane to overcome this, a sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader was tested at farmer’s field for its performance and economic feasibility. The chopper cum spreader was tested at five levels of moisture content of trash (13.2, 14, 15.15, 16.6, and 18.8% db) and five levels of operationalspeed (2.6, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, and 3.4 km/h). The performance of the sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader heavily depends on moisture content and speed of operation. The maximum field capacity (0.43ha/h) was obtained at a speed of 3.2 km/h, but maximum shredding efficiency (90.40%) was found at a speed of 2.9 km/h. Maximumuniformity coefficient (0.95) and shredding capacity (4.31 t/h) was obtained at a speed of 2.9 km/h and at a moisture content of 13.13%. Maximum trash lifting efficiency (93.95%) was observed at a speed of 2.76 km/h and at a moisture content of 13.13%. The cost of operation was Rs. 2015/ha with B: C ratio of 1.5. The break-even point ofthe chopper cum spreader was 17.7 ha and payback of the machine was 1.3 years if operated for 250 h/year. The energy consumption of machine was calculated to be 1327.7 MJ ha-1. The optimum performance of sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader was obtained at a moisture content of 13.13% (M5) and forward speed of 2.9 km h-1 (V3). The sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader may be recommended for chopping of sugarcane trash for mulching to avoid burning of trash and conserving natural resources

EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF VARIOUS EXTRACTS OF Swertia chirata ON ANTIMICROBIAL-RESISTANT STRAINS OF PATHOGENS

In several Asian nations, as well as other regions of the world, the plant Swertia chirata is commonly utilized as a herbal remedy. The current study aimed to assess Swertia chirata's impact on a range of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. To achieve this, the plant's leaves and stems were extracted using ethanol and methanol. Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) were used as test organisms. The agar well diffusion method was utilized to determine the antibacterial activity and calculate the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). Using the broth dilution procedure, MIC was determined. Bacterial sp. demonstrated a significant zone of inhibition against all extracts out of all the strains. Methanol and ethanol were employed as controls. The results indicated that the ethanol extract of the stem and leaves was superior to the methanol extract in terms of its ability to the methanol extrac

Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination Among Health Care Workers in India

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 has been spread almost all over the world in the last two years, including in India. Vaccines are a critical tool in the battle against COVID-19, and India has flagged the largest vaccination drive on 16 January 2021. Although public acceptance was varying, which can lead to non-acceptance. Aim & Objective: To estimate an acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and its associated factors. Settings and Design: An analytical cross-sectional study among health care workers in India   Methods & Material: It was conducted using a validated, self-administrated online survey questionnaire, and data were analyzed using SPSS 23 version. The outcome variable was healthcare workers’ acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Results: A total of 450 HCWs participated, including 205(45.6%) women and 245(54.4%) men. A total of 270 (60%) subjects will accept vaccines, while 33.3% were unwilling to accept and wait for vaccines. Male gender (OR=3.14), being married and experienced (OR=11.49), vaccine effectiveness (OR=6.4), vaccine safety (OR=3.4), and past history (OR=2.28) were significantly associated. On applying logistic regression for associated factors, gender (B= -1.145, S.E.= 0.200, Wald 32.748), being married (B= -1.482, S.E.= 0.216, Wald 46.937), for experienced (B= -0.865, S.E.= 0.200, effectiveness (B= -1.856, S.E.= 0.245, Wald 57.431), Safety (B= -1.224, S.E.= 0.202, Wald 36.633) and past history (B= -0.357, S.E.= 0.248, Wald 2.071) found significant. Recommendation: Proper information is crucial and healthcare workers’ attitudes about vaccines are an important factor for acceptance and recommendation of the vaccine to the public for population-wide coverage

dsRNA molecules from the tobacco mosaic virus p126 gene counteract TMV-induced proteome changes at an early stage of infection

Exogenous application of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in the tobacco–Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) pathosystem was shown previously to induce resistance against TMV providing an alternative approach to transgenesis. In the present study, we employed proteomics technology to elucidate the effect of TMV on tobacco as well as the effect of exogenous application of TMV p126 dsRNA molecules (dsRNAp126) at an early stage of the tobacco–TMV interaction. The proteome of tobacco leaf at 15 min post inoculation (mpi) in the presence or absence of dsRNAp126 molecules was studied. Thirty-six tobacco proteins were differentially accumulated in TMV-infected vs. healthy tobacco leaf tissue. The identified main differential TMV-responsive proteins were found to be involved in photosynthesis, energy metabolism, stress, and defense responses. Most of the virus-induced changes in the tobacco leaf proteome were not observed in the leaves treated with dsRNAp126 + TMV. The results indicated that the protein changes induced by TMV infection were counteracted by the exogenous application of dsRNAp126 molecules. Moreover, using small RNA sequencing, we showed that the exogenously applied dsRNAp126 was efficiently processed in tobacco as early as 15 min post application (mpa) to produce small interfering RNAs (siRNAs); the dicing pattern was not affected by the presence of TMV. The presence of dsRNAp126 reduced TMV p126 RNA abundance suggesting virus titer reduction via a sequence-specific mechanism, since a non-homologous dsRNA did not protect from TMV infection nor affect TMV accumulation

Extraction of pectin from Ethiopian prickly pear fruit peel and its potency for preparing of cellulose-reinforced biofilm

The objective of this research was to extract and characterize the pectin from the fruit peels of Ethiopian prickly pears (EPP) (Opuntia ficus-indica) using microwave assisted method. Solution pH and microwave potential were optimized using different pH values (1, 3, and 4) and power (300, 400, and 500 W), respectively, to extract ameliorated pectin yield. The pectin yield for EPP varied between 2.3 and 10.0 %. At a pH of 1.0 with 400 microwave intensity, the highest yield was seen. The extracted pectin from EPP had a 25.16 % ash content; however, the pectin sample contained less water and weighed less than the control sample. Further, transforming the acquired pectin from EPP was used to prepare biofilm reinforced by cellulose. Film was prepared using the casting method. It was aimed to provide a new function to EPP waste for preparing the biofilms by developing with the use of cellulose-reinforced modification to ameliorate the mechanical property Therefore, with further optimization and improvements, EPP-F could be used for nonstructural applications, such as a sustainable food packaging material

Plant-Based Antioxidant Extracts and Compounds in the Management of Oral Cancer

Oral cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence is particularly high in developing countries, where people chew tobacco and betel nut on a regular basis. Radiation-, chemo-, targeted-, immuno-, and hormone-based therapies along with surgery are commonly used as part of a treatment plan. However, these treatments frequently result in various unwanted short- to long-term side effects. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop treatment options for oral cancer that have little or no adverse effects. Numerous bioactive compounds derived from various plants have recently attracted attention as therapeutic options for cancer treatment. Antioxidants found in medicinal plants, such as vitamins E, C, and A, reduce damage to the mucosa by neutralizing free radicals found in various oral mucosal lesions. Phytochemicals found in medicinal plants have the potential to modulate cellular signalling pathways that alter the cellular defence mechanisms to protect normal cells from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induce apoptosis in cancer cells. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of various medicinal plants and phytoconstituents that have shown the potential to be used as oral cancer therapeutics

Clinical, Immunological, and Molecular Findings in 57 Patients With Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) From India

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) represents one of the most severe forms of primary immunodeficiency (PID) disorders characterized by impaired cellular and humoral immune responses. Here, we report the clinical, immunological, and molecular findings in 57 patients diagnosed with SCID from India. Majority of our patients (89%) presented within 6 months of age. The most common clinical manifestations observed were recurrent pneumonia (66%), failure to thrive (60%), chronic diarrhea (35%), gastrointestinal infection (21%), and oral candidiasis (21%). Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative therapy available for treating these patients. Four patients underwent HSCT in our cohort but had a poor survival outcome. Lymphopenia (absolute lymphocyte counts/μL <2,500) was noted in 63% of the patients. Based on immunophenotypic pattern, majority of the cases were T−B− SCID (39%) followed by T−B+ SCID (28%). MHC class II deficiency accounted for 10.5% of our patient group. A total of 49 patients were molecularly characterized in this study and 32 novel variants were identified in our cohort. The spectrum of genetic defects in our cohort revealed a wide genetic heterogeneity with the major genetic cause being RAG1/2 gene defect (n = 12) followed by IL2RG (n = 9) and JAK3 defects (n = 9). Rare forms of SCID like Purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) deficiency, reticular dysgenesis, DNA-Protein Kinase (DNA-PKcs) deficiency, six cases of MHC class II deficiency and two ZAP70 deficiency were also identified in our cohort. Fourteen percent of the defects still remained uncharacterized despite the application of next generation sequencing. With the exception of MHC class II deficiency and ZAP70 deficiency, all SCID patients had extremely low T cell receptor excision (TRECs) (<18 copies/μL)