Pathogenic diversity of Sclerotium rolfsii isolates, a potential biocontrol agent against Parthenium hysterophorus L.

Parthenium hysterophorus L. is a wide-spread weed creating problems for agriculture and public health. Microbes and their by products is now proved to be a worthy alternative to toxic chemicals used for weed management. We determined the relative pathogenicity of ten Sclerotium rolfsii isolates recovered from diseased parts of Parthenium collected during a survey of various habitats in Central India. There was a considerable diversity amongst various isolates. The isolate designated Par # 02 from Jabalpur showed the maximum disease incidence (80%) whereas isolate Par#10 also from Jabalpur showed the lowest infection rate against targeted hosts (30%). The wide range of pathogenicity among S. rolfsii support the view that strain breeding for biological control of P. hysterophorus L. is warranted.Key words: Parthenium hysterophorus, variability, pathogenicity, Sclerotium rolfsi

Effect of combined thyroxine and cortisol treatment on hatching of eggs, post-embryonic growth and survival of larvae of Heteropneustes fossilis

In order to record the effects of thyroxine and cortisol (individual/combined) on hatching, post-embryonic growth and survival of larvae of Heteropneustes fossilis, newly fertilized eggs were given bath immersion treatments of L-thyroxine (T sub(4); 0.05 mg/l), cortisol (0.50 mg/l) and T sub(4)+ cortisol (0.05 mg/l+0.50 mg/l) for 15 days. Hatching of eggs, growth and survival of the larvae improved significantly (P<0.001) in the hormone treated groups as compared to those of control. The frequency of deformities was reduced in the combined hormone treatment group. The present observations suggest that the advanced digestive function probably induced by T sub(4)+cortisol treatment might have resulted in improvement in food utilization during the critical phases of first feeding and promoted vital developmental processes resulting in uniform growth, decreased mortality, better survival and transformation of larvae to juveniles. This combined hormone therapy appears to have practical utility in fish hatchery practice for better success in larval rearing

Long-term treatment and poor management of psychiatric manifestations in mesial temporal sclerosis leading to suicidality in a young male

AbstractPsychiatric disorders including anxiety, psychosis, and aggressive behaviors are frequently diagnosed in patients with epilepsy. In this communication, we report a patients with mesial temporal lobe sclerosis with interictal affective-somatoform (dysphoric) disorders who was never treated for psychiatric manifestations, and who deliberately took a massive dose of phenytoin and phenobarbitone with a motive of suicide, resulting in severe combined toxicity. Such unfortunate incidences may be prevented, and quality of life can be improved with early diagnosis, through the selection of the right antiepileptic drugs, reasonable psychiatric consultation, and appropriate biological and psychological treatments

Application of somatic hybridization for the improvement of horticultural crops

Somatic hybridization (SH) using protoplast fusion is a promising tool to produce symmetrical and asymmetrical polyploidy somatic hybrids in many agricultural crops. The technique of SH could facilitate conventional breeding by providing of novel lines so as to use them as elite breeding materials in conventional crosses for both scion and rootstock improvement. Further, SH can overcome those problems associated with sexual hybridization viz., sexual incompatibility, nucellar embryogenesis, and male/female sterility. Successful exploitation of SH in horticultural crops mainly comes from transfer of resistance genes for biotic and abiotic stresses from related species in several horticultural crops, viz., citrus, potato, brinjal, tomato, mango, avocado, banana, strawberry, pear, cherry etc. Unlike transgenic technology, SH is not affected by legal formalities and able to transfer uncloned multiple genes. However, certain boundaries and limitations of SH restricts its use over sexual hybridization but, envisage of new genomic technologies providing better insight into the plant genomes will increase the potentiality of SH in betterment of agriculture

Histopathological changes in gill, kidney and liver of an estuarine mullet, Liza parsia, induced by sublethal exposure to DDT

Liza parsia were exposed to sublethal (0.02 ppm) concentration of DDT for 15 days. The gill responded initially with copious secretion of mucus, oedematous separation of epithelial cells from the basement membrane and fusion of secondary gill lamellae. Hyperplasia of the cells lining primary gill lamellae and lamellar telangiectases (or aneurysms) was frequently seen after day 10 of exposure. Kidney exhibited hypertrophy of the epithelial cells lining proximal convoluted tubules which was followed by shrinkage in glomerular tufts, increase in Bowman's space, appearance of amorphous eosinophilic materials in the lumina of the tubules and focal necrosis on day 10 of the treatment. Hyaline droplets and casts were also encountered in the epithelial cells and lumina of the proximal tubules. Liver revealed an initial dilation of canaliculi and increased secretion of bile. Thereafter, the displacement of nuclei towards periphery of the hepatocytes, disorganization of blood sinusoids, pyknotic changes in nuclei, cytolysis and vacuolation as well as focal necrosis were noticed after day 10 of the intoxication

Wild edible fruit tree resources of Arunachal Pradesh, North East India

The paper reports on the survey of wild edible fruit trees covering 49 sites from 17 districts of Arunachal Pradesh, India. A total of 52 wild edible fruits species representing 33 families was reported, out of which 10 had medicinal uses. The highest number of wild edible fruits belonged to family Moraceae (9 spp.) followed by Anacardiaceae (4 spp.) and Actinidiaceae (3 spp.). More than half the fruits (66.67%) are available during the monsoon season, i.e. between June and October. Dilenia indica, Castanopsis indica, Canarium strictum, Terminalia citrina, Phoebe cooperiana, Phyllanthus emblica and Artocarpus intergifolia are the commonly traded fruits. This is perhaps the only extensive survey which has so far been carried out on wild edible fruit tree resources covering all the districts of Arunachal Pradesh. In the present era where there is global interest on bioresource documentation, this study is significant for securing intellectual property right and preventing biopiracy

The Curation of Genetic Variants: Difficulties and Possible Solutions

The curation of genetic variants from biomedical articles is required for various clinical and research purposes. Nowadays, establishment of variant databases that include overall information about variants is becoming quite popular. These databases have immense utility, serving as a user-friendly information storehouse of variants for information seekers. While manual curation is the gold standard method for curation of variants, it can turn out to be time-consuming on a large scale thus necessitating the need for automation. Curation of variants described in biomedical literature may not be straightforward mainly due to various nomenclature and expression issues. Though current trends in paper writing on variants is inclined to the standard nomenclature such that variants can easily be retrieved, we have a massive store of variants in the literature that are present as non-standard names and the online search engines that are predominantly used may not be capable of finding them. For effective curation of variants, knowledge about the overall process of curation, nature and types of difficulties in curation, and ways to tackle the difficulties during the task are crucial. Only by effective curation, can variants be correctly interpreted. This paper presents the process and difficulties of curation of genetic variants with possible solutions and suggestions from our work experience in the field including literature support. The paper also highlights aspects of interpretation of genetic variants and the importance of writing papers on variants following standard and retrievable methods. © 2012 Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Genetics Society of China

A review on systematic study of cellulose

This review attempts to bring together basic and systematic information which has been gathered on cellulose structure, types, principally that of native cellulose, over the last few decades. Even though advances have been made in the field of crystallography, powder crystallography cannot yield a definitive cellulose structure and single crystal diffraction is not possible due to the lack of suitable crystals. Knowledge obtained on the biosynthesis of native cellulose and on the polymorphy of cellulose and its derivatives help our understanding of ultrastructure. Many inconsistencies between early crystallographic studies of native cellulose have been clarified by the discovery that two polymorphs (á and â) of cellulose I exist. Models of the possible ultrastructural arrangements within native cellulose have been put forward over the decades; with advancement in technology, computer simulations of small and large systems are being created to test the viability of these ultrastructural models. It is hoped that this review will aid in the understanding of the complexity and uncertainties that still exist in this subject

COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS ON COGNITION FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN HARYANA

Objective: Depression is one of the most common mood disorders. Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) usually present alterations in various cognitive functions. Several cost-effective interventions have shown favorable recovery and positive outcomes in the care and management of depression. The objective of the study was to compare the effect of fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), and venlafaxine (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) on cognitive functioning in patients with MDD. Methods: This prospective, single-blinded, randomized, and comparative interventional clinical study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Haryana. Fifty-two patients of MDD (ICD-10) were randomly divided into two groups: Group F and Group V, allocated to receive fluoxetine and venlafaxine, respectively. The assessment was done during the enrolment and at the end of the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th weeks of treatment using the ABC-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Scale. Statistical Analysis Used: The intragroup analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA while intergroup analysis was performed using unpaired “t”-test. p&lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Mean HAM-D score was clinically as well as statistically significant at the end of the 12th week of treatment as compared to baseline in both the groups while on the intergroup comparison, there was no statistically significant difference in both groups. The mean MoCA score was (25±2.19) in Group F and (23.76±6.97) in Group V at the end of the 12th week. On intergroup analysis at the 12th week, a statistically significant improvement in cognitive functions was observed in patients Group F as compared to Group V (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: The study of fluoxetine comparatively better improves cognition functions as compared to venlafaxine

Effect of fertigation on available soil micro-nutrient under Kinnow Mandarin

A field experiment was conducted at Division of Fruit and Horticultural Technology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), on 5-year-old plants at Todapur Orchard, IARI, New Delhi, during 2010-2011, to study the effect of fertigation on nutrient distribution pattern under Kinnow mandarin. Standard dose of fertilizers were 600g of N, 300g of P, and 400g of K per tree per year, scheduled in three splits during the period of February (300g N, 75g P and 100g K), April (150g N, 112.5g P and 150g K) and August (150g N, 112.5g P and 150g K) respectively. The soil nutrient was measured at the start and end of the experiment in February 2010 and January 2011 at three depths, viz. 0-15, 15- 30 and 30- 60 cm corresponding to two radial distances (50 and 100 cm) for different experimental treatments. The highest amount of soil iron at the end of experiment was observed in T6 having 3.98 ppm, followed by 3.78 ppm and 3.72 ppm at three different depths viz: 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm respectively at 50 cm distance whereas 3.56 ppm followed by 3.49 ppm and 3.32 were found at 100 cm distance away from the tree. T6recorded the highest amount of available copper in soil having 2.76 ppm followed by 2.73 ppm and 2.67 ppm from 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm depths respectively at the distance of 50 cm while, 2.68 ppm, 2.65 ppm and 2.61 ppm from 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm depths respectively at 100 cm away from the tree. T8 recorded the highest amount of soil zinc at the end of experiment, 2.59 ppm, 2.50 ppm and 2.20 ppm from 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm depths respectively from the distance of 50 cm and 2.31 ppm, 2.20 ppm and 1.74 ppm from 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm depths respectively away from the tree. The highest amount of soil manganese was recorded in T8 at the end of experiment. From 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm depths respectively 28.38 ppm followed by 24.84 ppm and 21.09 ppm at a distance of 50 cm while 29.88 ppm, 22.40 ppm and 17.43 ppm were observed at 0-15, 15-30 and 30- 60 cm depths respectively away from the tree. Fertigation resulted in increase in concentrationsof micro- nutrients near the zone of active roots (0-15 and 15-30 cm depths), exhibiting a radial decrease with increasing horizontal distance from the point of application, i.e. higher at 50 cmand lower at 100 cm distance from the trunk. It was recommended that fertigation with 75 per cent N and 100 per cent P &amp; K (450 g N, 300g P and 400 g K) can be recommended for application in three splits during February (225N:75P:100K), Apri1(112.5N: 112.5P: 150 K) and August (112.5N: 112.5P: 150 K) for young Kinnow orchards.Keywords: Kinnow, fertigation, micronutrient, depth, distanc