Traditional artifacts from dried leaves of Cymbidium species (orchidaceae) in Indian state of Sikkim

390-394Sikkim is one of the most beautiful tourist hill states with tremendous biodiversity wealth. Cymbidium orchid dominates the states for hobby gardeners and commercial cultivating farmers. Handicraft is a part of hobbies and livelihood of the indigenous communities of the region. The Lepcha tribe craftsmen based on dried leaves of Cymbidium orchid is becoming promising apart from their handloom, cane and bamboo products. Attractive, simple products of dried Cymbidium leaves such as fruit and vegetable baskets, containers, sitting mats, hanging pots, trash bins, and plant growing pots is gaining popularity. Due to no noticeable researches and development in this sector, the traditional artifact craftsmen are unable to establish as a source of livelihood. With strategic approaches and intervention, these unique traditional craftsmen would be a reliable economic venture for the rural youth

Molecular cloning of HSP17 gene (sHSP) and their differential expression under exogenous putrescine and heat shock in wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Polyamines (PAs) are low molecular weight ubiquitous nitrogenous compounds found in all the living  organisms, which have been implicated in the expression of various stress-proteins against the abiotic  stresses. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are of particular importance in the thermotolerance and have  been reported to act as molecular chaperones preventing denaturation or aggregation of the target proteins. Here, we report cloning of a small HSP of ~573 bp from C-306 cultivar of wheat (Triticum aestivum L), having open reading frame of 162 amino acids. In silico analysis showed the presence of an alpha crystalline domain (ACD), the signature domain for small HSPs. Consensus localization prediction (ConLoc) provides 98%  consensus prediction of HSP17 in the nucleus. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of HSP17 gene showed maximum (34 fold) transcript in C-306 and minimum (1.5 fold) in HD2329  cultivars of wheat in response to differential treatment of putrescine (1.5 to 2.5 mM + heat shock of 42°C for 2 h). Putrescine seems to enhance the transcript levels against the heat shock much more pronounced in  thermotolerant than in the susceptible cultivars.Key words: Triticum aestivum, heat stress, small heat shock protein, putrescine, HSP17, polyamine, domain, cloning

Mechanism of action of hydrogen peroxide in wheat thermotolerance - interaction between antioxidant isoenzymes, proline and cell membrane

Terminal heat stress causes an array of physiological, biochemical and morphological changes in plants, which affect plant growth and development. It has very severe effect on the pollen viability and seed setting in wheat. In the present investigation, an altered expression of H2O2 (0.9 μg/g in C-306 and 0.75 μg/g in HD2329) was observed with the highest accumulation at seed hardening stage and against heat shock (HS) of 42°C for 2 h. With the increase in H2O2 accumulation, an increase in the number of isoenzymes of superoxide dismutase and catalase were observed with high activities under differential heat shock. A decrease in the proline accumulation was observed under differential heat shock. Exogenous application of H2O2 (10 mmole/L) leads to increase in the accumulation of intracellular H2O2 and further an increase in the number of isoenzymes of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) was observed. The tolerant cultivar was more responsive to exogenous application of H2O2 compared to susceptible cultivar. The percentage decrease in cell membrane stability under differential heat shock was low in H2O2 treated plants compared to non-treated. The results from this study suggest a potential role for H2O2 in regulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes and accumulation of proline inside cells and in turn influence the cell membrane stability under heat stress. All the defense associated genes were observed to be very responsive to intracellular H2O2, which gives inference that H2O2 has regulatory role to play in controlling the expression and activities of these proteins under abiotic stresses.Key words: Antioxidant enzymes, wheat, heat stress, H2O2, proline, catalase, superoxide dismutase, cell membrane stability, reactive oxygen species

Registration of 'ICTP 8203' pearl millet

The Pennisetum glaucum [P. americanum] variety ICTP8203, released in 1988, was produced by random mating 5 S2 progeny of an Iniari (early maturing) landrace from northern Togo. When evaluated as Togo-P8203 at Patancheru (3 tests), Hissar and Bhavanisagar in the 1983 rainy season, it yielded 2.6 t/ha of grain (18% more than WC-C75, the leading commercial open-pollinated cultivar in India). After full-sib mating in the 1984 dry season followed by selection for phenotypic similarity and bulking, ICTP8203 yielded 1.6 t grain/ha (4% less than WC-C75) in 79 replicated trials during 1984-86. However, in 19 trials in Maharashtra it yielded 2.1 t/ha, 7% more than WC-C75 and in 11 trials in Andhra Pradesh it yielded 1.5 t/ha, 11% more than WC-C75. ICTP8203 has a 1000-grain weight >12 g, at least 50% greater than any open pollinated cultivar previously released in India. It is 1.5-1.6 m tall and takes 50-52 days to 50% flowering in Maharashtra and Andra Pradesh. Heads are of medium length (16-18 cm), compact to semicompact and cylindrical to lanceolate with slight tapering towards the tip. ICTP8203 has good resistance to Sclerospora graminicola and generally escapes terminal drought owing to rapid grain filling and early maturity

Bio-nanotechnology application in wastewater treatment

The nanoparticles have received high interest in the field of medicine and water purification, however, the nanomaterials produced by chemical and physical methods are considered hazardous, expensive, and leave behind harmful substances to the environment. This chapter aimed to focus on green-synthesized nanoparticles and their medical applications. Moreover, the chapter highlighted the applicability of the metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) in the inactivation of microbial cells due to their high surface and small particle size. Modifying nanomaterials produced by green-methods is safe, inexpensive, and easy. Therefore, the control and modification of nanoparticles and their properties were also discussed

A multicentric evaluation of dipstick test for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ethiopia and Spain

Author Correction: A multicentric evaluation of dipstick test for serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ethiopia and Spain PMID: 33574485Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the leading infectious diseases affecting developing countries. Colloidal gold-based diagnostic tests are rapid tools to detect blood/serum antibodies for VL diagnosis. Lack of uniformity in the performance of these tests in different endemic regions is a hurdle in early disease diagnosis. This study is designed to validate a serum-based dipstick test in eight centres of six countries, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Ethiopia and Spain with archived and fresh sera from 1003 subjects. The dipstick detects antibodies against Leishmania donovani membrane antigens (LAg). The overall sensitivity and specificity of the test with 95% confidence intervals were found to be 97.10% and 93.44%, respectively. The test showed good sensitivity and specificity in the Indian subcontinent (>95%). In Brazil, Ethiopia, and Spain the sensitivity and specificity of the dipstick test (83.78-100% and 79.06-100%) were better as compared to the earlier reports of the performance of rK39 rapid test in these regions. Interestingly, less cross-reactivity was found with the cutaneous form of the disease in Spain, Brazil, and Sri Lanka demonstrating 91.58% specificity. This dipstick test can therefore be a useful tool for diagnosing VL from other symptomatically similar diseases and against cutaneous form of leishmaniasis.S

Pleosporales

One hundred and five generic types of Pleosporales are described and illustrated. A brief introduction and detailed history with short notes on morphology, molecular phylogeny as well as a general conclusion of each genus are provided. For those genera where the type or a representative specimen is unavailable, a brief note is given. Altogether 174 genera of Pleosporales are treated. Phaeotrichaceae as well as Kriegeriella, Zeuctomorpha and Muroia are excluded from Pleosporales. Based on the multigene phylogenetic analysis, the suborder Massarineae is emended to accommodate five families, viz. Lentitheciaceae, Massarinaceae, Montagnulaceae, Morosphaeriaceae and Trematosphaeriaceae

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy