The Trend and Growth Rate of Brinjal in Dhamtari Block and Chhattisgarh State, India

The research work was carried out with objectives to estimate the trend and growth rate in area, production & productivity of brinjal in Dhamtari block of Chhattisgarh state. The study was conducted in Dhamtari district which comprises of 4 blocks and among which Dhamtari block occupies maximum area and production of Brinjal. The secondary data was collected from Directorate of Horticulture, Directorate of Land record, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, and annual horticultural statistics, Raipur Chhattisgarh. The annual area, production and productivity of Brinjal in Dhamtari district is collected from Directorate of Horticulture Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh. The secondary data were collected for the last 10 years (2006-07 to 2015-16). Compound growth rate and simple growth rate were used to analyse the collected data. To reveal the behavior of selected variables in the district over time, regression analysis was carried out. The following form of linear production function was fitted by least square technique to estimate the trend and growth rate of the selected variable for the study period. Area, production and productivity of Brinjal in Chhattisgarh state was found to be increased at highly significant rate, whereas, in Dhamtari district, it was found that only area of Brinjal increased at highly significant rate

Effect of the Interaction of Nutrient Sources on the Growth, Yield and Quality of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The present field investigation was conducted in the years 2021 and 2022 at Horticultural Farm, Faculty of Agriculture Science & Technology, Mansarovar Global University, Sehore (Madhya Pradesh). The experiment was carried out to find out the interaction effect of various sources of nutrients on the growth, yield, and quality of tomatoes. The study comprised a total of 16 different treatment combinations of inorganic plant nutrients; biofertilizers included a control. It was found that the application of treatment T8 (Azotobacter 1 kg/ha + 120kg N2 + 60kg P2O5) recorded significantly higher growth attributes (number of branches per plant), days to first flowering, and days to first picking crop duration than the control. It has been determined that the maximum yield of 409.82 q ha-1 was recorded in treatment T8, followed by treatment T12 (Azospirillum 1 kg/ha + 120 kg N2 + 60 kg P2O5) and T16 total yields of 394.74 q ha-1 and 361.91 ha-1. The maximum TSS of 5.45 °brix was recorded in treatment T12 (Azospirillum 1 kg/ha + 120 kg N2 + 60 kg P2O5), followed by treatment T8 (Azotobacter 1 kg/ha + 120 kg N2 + 60 kg P2O5) over the control. The ascorbic acid content of 33.56 mg per 100 ml of juice was recorded in treatment T7 (Azotobacter 1 kg/ha + 80 kg N2+ 40 kg P2O5), followed by treatment T11 (Azospirillum 1 kg/ha + 80 kg N2+ 40 kg P2O5) over treatment T1 (Control). The results obtained during the investigation with different combinations of nutrient sources of inorganic fertilizers and biofertilizers on the growth, yield, and quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Hence, it is concluded that application of biofertilizers and inorganic fertilizers with the combination significantly effect on growth parameters, yield attributing characters and fruit quality characters also significantly affected were maximum in Azotobacter 1 kg/ha + 120 kg Nitrogen + 60 kg Phosphorus

Engineered Peptides for Applications in Cancer-Targeted Drug Delivery and Tumor Detection

Cancer-targeting peptides as ligands for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs or drug carriers have the potential to significantly enhance the selectivity and the therapeutic benefit of current chemotherapeutic agents. Identification of tumor-specific biomarkers like integrins, aminopeptidase N, and epidermal growth factor receptor as well as the popularity of phage display techniques along with synthetic combinatorial methods used for peptide design and structure optimization have fueled the advancement and application of peptide ligands for targeted drug delivery and tumor detection in cancer treatment, detection and guided therapy. Although considerable preclinical data have shown remarkable success in the use of tumor targeting peptides, peptides generally suffer from poor pharmacokinetics, enzymatic instability, and weak receptor affinity, and they need further structural modification before successful translation to clinics is possible. The current review gives an overview of the different engineering strategies that have been developed for peptide structure optimization to confer selectivity and stability. We also provide an update on the methods used for peptide ligand identification, and peptide-receptor interactions. Additionally, some applications for the use of peptides in targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics and diagnostics over the past 5 years are summarized

Proteomics Comparison of Cerebrospinal Fluid of Relapsing Remitting and Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Based on clinical representation of disease symptoms multiple sclerosis (MScl) patients can be divided into two major subtypes; relapsing remitting (RR) MScl (85-90%) and primary progressive (PP) MScl (10-15%). Proteomics analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has detected a number of proteins that were elevated in MScl patients. Here we specifically aimed to differentiate between the PP and RR subtypes of MScl by comparing CSF proteins. Methodology/Principal Findings: CSF samples (n = 31) were handled according to the same protocol for quantitative mass spectrometry measurements we reported previously. In the comparison of PP MScl versus RR MScl we observed a number of differentially abundant proteins, such as protein jagged-1 and vitamin D-binding protein. Protein jagged-1 was over three times less abundant in PP MScl compared to RR MScl. Vitamin D-binding protein was only detected in the RR MScl samples. These two proteins were validated by independent techniques (western blot and ELISA) as differentially abundant in the comparison between both MScl types. Conclusions/Significance: The main finding of this comparative study is the observation that the proteome profiles of CSF in PP and RR MScl patients overlap to a large extent. Still, a number of differences could be observed. Protein jagged-1 is a ligand for multiple Notch receptors and involved in the mediation of Notch signaling. It is suggested in literature that the Notch pathway is involved in the remyelination of MScl lesions. Aberration of normal homeostasis of Vitamin D, of which approximately 90% is bound to vitamin D-binding protein, has been widely implicated in MScl for some years now. Vitamin D directly and indirectly regulates the differentiation, activation of CD4+ T-lymphocytes and can prevent the development of autoimmune processes, and so it may be involved in neuroprotective elements in MScl

ARRDC3 suppresses breast cancer progression by negatively regulating integrin β4

Large-scale genetic analyses of human tumor samples have been used to identify novel oncogenes, tumor suppressors and prognostic factors, but the functions and molecular interactions of many individual genes have not been determined. In this study we examined the cellular effects and molecular mechanism of the arrestin family member, ARRDC3, a gene preferentially lost in a subset of breast cancers. Oncomine data revealed that the expression of ARRDC3 decreases with tumor grade, metastases and recurrences. ARRDC3 overexpression represses cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, growth in soft agar and in vivo tumorigenicity, whereas downregulation of ARRCD3 has the opposite effects. Mechanistic studies showed that ARRDC3 functions in a novel regulatory pathway that controls the cell surface adhesion molecule, β-4 integrin (ITGβ4), a protein associated with aggressive tumor behavior. Our data indicates ARRDC3 directly binds to a phosphorylated form of ITGβ4 leading to its internalization, ubiquitination and ultimate degradation. The results identify the ARRCD3-ITGβ4 pathway as a new therapeutic target in breast cancer and show the importance of connecting genetic arrays with mechanistic studies in the search for new treatments

Clinical implications of a possible role of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis

Hypovitaminosis D is currently one of the most studied environmental risk factors for multiple sclerosis (MS) and is potentially the most promising in terms of new clinical implications. These practical consequences, which could be applied to MS patients without further delay, constitute the main purpose of this review. Vitamin D is involved in a number of important general actions, which were not even suspected until quite recently. In particular, this vitamin could play an immunomodulatory role in the central nervous system. Many and varied arguments support a significant role for vitamin D in MS. In animal studies, vitamin D prevents and improves experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Epidemiologically, latitude, past exposure to sun and the serum level of vitamin D influence the risk of MS, with, furthermore, significant links existing between these different factors. Clinically, most MS patients have low serum levels of vitamin D and are in a state of insufficiency or even deficiency compared to the international norm, which has been established on a metabolic basis. Large therapeutic trials using vitamin D are still lacking but the first results of phase I/II studies are promising. In the meantime, while awaiting the results of future therapeutic trials, it can no longer be ignored that many MS patients have a lack of vitamin D, which could be detected by a serum titration and corrected using an appropriate vitamin D supplementation in order to restore their serum level to within the normal range. From a purely medical point of view, vitamin D supplementation appears in this light to be unavoidable in order to improve the general state of these patients. Furthermore, it cannot currently be ruled out that this supplementation could also be neurologically beneficial