Physico-chemical properties and chromatographic findings of different natural solvent extracts of Vitex negundo Linn.

Introduction: Ayurveda, uses various herbs that are converted into different dosage forms mostly in presence of Jala (water) as solvent. In addition to water; seers also advocated certain other solvents for extraction of active principles from the herbs. Works on using traditional solvents other than water in extracting principles from different herbs are not reported till date. Aims: Considering lack of such evidences, an attempt has been made to prepare Nirgundi Ghana (solid extract of Vitex negundo Linn.) in three different solvents i.e. Jala (water), Kanji (sour gruel) and Gomutra (cow’s urine) and analyze respective physico-chemical profiles. Materials and Methods:  Ghana was prepared by classical methods described in Ayurveda. The samples were analyzed through relevant physico-chemical parameters. Results: In pharmaceutical study; yield was found more in presence of Kanji and Gomutra. Physico-chemical profiles showed few differences, but in most of the cases, they were insignificant. Conclusion: Based on preliminary physico-chemical profiles, it cannot be ascertained the usefulness of the finished products in therapeutics. Relevant experimental studies to identify and characterize the active phyto-constituents and evaluate therapeutic utilities of the principles extracted into the respective solvents are essential in further studies.Â

Significance of FSHR and LHCGR gene polymorphisms on clinical outcomes in gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol with freeze-all strategy: A case-control study

Background: Follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) are integral to ovarian function, facilitating follicle development and maturation through their respective hormonal interactions. The influence of receptor polymorphisms on the outcomes of freeze-all cycles remains unclear. Objective: This study investigates the impact of FSHR N680S and LHCGR N312S polymorphisms on clinical outcomes in freeze-all cycles. Materials and Methods: Women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for assisted reproductive technology participated in this study. They were administered a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol, with recombinant folliclestimulating hormone (rFSH) dosages adjusted according to age, body mass index, antral follicle count, and individual hormonal responses. Additionally, human menopausal gonadotropin dosages were tailored based on the LHCGR N312S genetic variant. Results: Analysis revealed no significant differences in age, body mass index, antral follicle count, or marital status across the genotypes of FSHR N680S and LHCGR N312S. However, notable differences were observed in the rFSH dosage required daily and in total among the FSHR polymorphism genotypes. Genotypes of the LHCGR polymorphism correlated with fewer stimulation days. A significant interaction was observed between the 2 polymorphisms concerning total rFSH dosage. Conclusion: The presence of serine in the FSHR polymorphism was associated with higher rFSH dosage requirements. Both FSHR N680S and LHCGR N312S polymorphisms significantly influenced clinical pregnancy and live birth outcomes in freeze-all cycles, underscoring the potential of a pharmacogenomic approach to optimize hormone supplementation in controlled ovarian stimulation protocols during assisted reproductive technology treatments. Key words: LHCGR, FSHR, Polymorphism

Quantifying the influence of climate, host and change in land-use patterns on occurrence of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and development of spatial risk map for India

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), is an emerging zoonosis globally and in India. The present study focused on identifying the risk factors for occurrence of CCHF in the Indian state of Gujarat and development of risk map for India. The past CCHF outbreaks in India were collated for the analyses. Influence of land use change and climatic factors in determining the occurrence of CCHF in Gujarat was assessed using Bayesian spatial models. Change in maximum temperature in affected districts was analysed to identify the significant change points over 110 years. Risk map was developed for Gujarat using Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) model with remotely sensed environmental variables and host (livestock and human) factors. We found the change in land use patterns and maximum temperature in affected districts to be contributing to the occurrence of CCHF in Gujarat. Spatial risk map developed using CCHF occurrence data for Gujarat identified density of buffalo, minimum land surface temperature and elevation as risk determinants. Further, spatial risk map for the occurrence of CCHF in India was developed using selected variables. Overall, we found that combination of factors such as change in land-use patterns, maximum temperature, buffalo density, day time minimum land surface temperature and elevation led to the emergence and further spread of the disease in India. Mitigation measures for CCHF in India could be designed considering disease epidemiology and initiation of surveillance strategies based on the risk map developed in this study

Rarefaction plots for three different primer pairs.

<p>Sequence depths a) 200, b) 5000 and c) 7000 displaying species richness (Chao 1 and Observed species) and phylogenetic relationship (Shannon index); (P1: targeting V1–V3 region; P2: targeting V4–V5 region and P3: targeting V6–V8 region).</p

Effect of dietary treatment, fraction and primer and their interactions on relative abundance of rumen bacterial taxa at the genus level.

<p>P: primer; T: treatment; F: fraction; NS: Non-significant;</p><p>***: P<0.001;</p><p>**: P<0.01;</p><p>*: P<0.05.</p><p>Effect of dietary treatment, fraction and primer and their interactions on relative abundance of rumen bacterial taxa at the genus level.</p

Bacterial Diversity Dynamics Associated with Different Diets and Different Primer Pairs in the Rumen of Kankrej Cattle

<div><p>The ruminal microbiome in herbivores plays a dominant role in the digestion of lignocellulose and has potential to improve animal productivity. Kankrej cattle, a popular native breed of the Indian subcontinent, were used to investigate the effect of different dietary treatments on the bacterial diversity in ruminal fractions using different primer pairs. Two groups of four cows were assigned to two primary diets of either dry or green forages. Each group was fed one of three dietary treatments for six weeks each. Dietary treatments were; K1 (50% dry/green roughage: 50% concentrate), K2 (75% dry/green roughage: 25% concentrate) and K3 (100% dry/green roughage). Rumen samples were collected using stomach tube at the end of each dietary period and separated into solid and liquid fractions. The DNA was extracted and amplified for V1–V3, V4–V5 and V6–V8 hypervariable regions using P1, P2 and P3 primer pairs, sequenced on a 454 Roche platform and analyzed using QIIME. Community compositions and the abundance of most bacterial lineages were driven by interactions between primer pair, dietary treatment and fraction. The most abundant bacterial phyla identified were <i>Bacteroidetes</i> and <i>Firmicutes</i> however, the abundance of these phyla varied between different primer pairs; in each primer pair the abundance was dependent on the dietary treatment and fraction. The abundance of <i>Bacteroidetes</i> in cattle receiving K1 treatment indicate their diverse functional capabilities in the digestion of both carbohydrate and protein while the predominance of <i>Firmicutes</i> in the K2 and K3 treatments signifies their metabolic role in fibre digestion. It is apparent that both liquid and solid fractions had distinct bacterial community patterns (P<0.001) congruent to changes in the dietary treatments. It can be concluded that the P1 primer pair flanking the V1–V3 hyper-variable region provided greater species richness and diversity of bacterial populations in the rumen of Kankrej cattle.</p></div

PCR primer pair targeting different hyper variable regions of 16S rDNA.

<p>PCR primer pair targeting different hyper variable regions of 16S rDNA.</p