Neglected Disease – African Sleeping Sickness: Recent Synthetic and Modeling Advances

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) also called sleeping sickness is caused by subspecies of the parasitic hemoflagellate Trypanosoma brucei that mostly occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. The current chemotherapy of the human trypanosomiases relies on only six drugs, five of which have been developed more than 30 years ago, have undesirable toxic side effects and most of them show drug-resistance. Though development of new anti-trypanosomal drugs seems to be a priority area research in this area has lagged far behind. The given review mainly focus upon the recent synthetic and computer based approaches made by various research groups for the development of newer anti-trypanosomal analogues which may have improved efficacy and oral bioavailability than the present ones. The given paper also attempts to investigate the relationship between the various physiochemical parameters and anti-trypanosomal activity that may be helpful in development of potent anti-trypanosomal agents against sleeping sickness

Nutrient Budget of Themedia Triandra and Heteropogon controtus Dominated Grasslands of Tamil Nadu in South India

Nutrient availability of a grassland mainly depends on the productivity of grasses. Total 3252.20 g/m2/yr dry matter production was recorded in Themeda grassland. Annual uptake and return of nitrogen (31.10 g/m2) phosphorus (3.08 g/m2) and potassium (29.45 g/m2) through litter and belowground biomass was higher in Themeda. Themeda triandra is better fodder grass than Heteropogon contortus in the Eastern ghats grasslands

Effect of Clipping Frequency of some Fodder Grasses in the Semi-Arid Region of Tamil Nadu, India

Clipping frequency and water stress play a major role in the biomass production of grasses. Bajra - Napier BN2 and CO1 showed maximum above ground biomass under monthly clipping without water stress. The above ground biomass of Bajra-Napier BN2, Panicum maximum Hamil and Guinea grass were not affected under weekly and fortnightly clipping with water stress. Water stress affected the monthly clipped and unclipped plant above ground biomass but the below ground biomass increased in all the fodder grasses except Brachiaria mutica

Nutrient Composition and Flux in a Semi-Arid Grazing Land of Southern India

The distribution and cycling of minerals in various compartments of the ecosystem form one of the important aspects of ecosystem study. The uptake of nutrients through the root system and their release via litter and root decomposition depends upon a number of factors including the species, growth and stage of maturity. The semi-arid grazing land ecosystem at Madurai has developed under short evolutionary grazing histories and low moisture regimes, in which grazing pressure has had dramatic effects on the plant community and biomass (Karunaichamy 1992). The biological cycle includes circulation of nutrients between soil and biotic communities by the phenomena of uptake, retention and loss (Duvigneaud and Denacyer 1970). No systematic studies are available on the nutrient cycling of semiarid grazing land of southern India. Therefore, the present study aims to study the distribution of Ca, Mg and Na in vegetation and to estimate the annual nutrient budget in grazed and ungrazed lands dominated by Chrysopogon fulvus (Spreng) Chiov

Nutrient Dynamics and Inventory in Tropical Grassland Ecosystem in Southern India

The present study was to ascertain the distribution of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) in the different plant components and in the soil top 30 cm at Kalikesam in Western Ghats region of southern India. Magnesium concentration increased in the order: dead shoots \u3e belowground \u3e litter \u3e aboveground live. Sodium concentration in live shoots was maximum in February (0.51%) and minimum in August (0.05%). Annually 8.94 g/m2 Ca, 2.41g/ m2 Mg and 2.30g/ m2 Na was taken up by plants. The distribution of the three nutrients in plant/soil system indicated that the major portion of the nutrients in the system was retained in the soil, while small fraction of it stayed in plant components. Less than 0.4% of Mg entered the vegetation. Ca and Na entered 16% and 6% respectively