ETHNOMEDICINAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF TRIDAX PROCUMBENS: A REVIEW

Tridax procumbens is a plant used majorly in Indian traditional medicine. This is rich in alkaloids, steroids, carotenoids, flavonoids (such as catechins, centaurein and bergenins), fatty acids, phytosterols, tannins and minerals. Concoctions of extracts from T. procumbens leaves, stem, flower, and roots are used to treat patients suffering from diabetes, arthritis, inflammatory reactions and even applied to open wounds. The medicinal value of extracts has been evident by in vitro/in vivo assay of antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, vasorelaxant, anti-leishmanial and mosquitocidal activities. Still, there is derth in the studies on isolation, characterization and evaluation of active principles from the extracts. This current review article gives comprehensive information about the T. procumbens taxonomy, morphology, geographical distribution, phytoconstituents and pharmacological activities

Blind Video Watermarking Scheme for Mpeg-4 Videos with Parity Sequences in Transform Domain

High quality video broad casting is of high demand both with DVB-2 (Digital Video Broad casting) and Internet services. But these broadcasted data is distributed without protection. Invisible mode of video watermarking is one of the solutions, here in this paper a novel approach of data embedding scheme is proposed for MPEG-4 videos with different parity check codes and processed in transform domain. A subjective and objective analysis is performed to examine the proposed approach. Experimental results on various videos have shown that LDPC (Low density parity check) code with Gold spreading sequence in transform domain outperforms when compared against the other methods

Polymorphic microsatellite loci for primitively eusocial wasp Ropalidia marginata

We report here development and characterization of 48 novel microsatellite markers for Ropalidia marginata, a tropical, primitively eusocial polistine wasp from peninsular India. Thirty-two microsatellites showed polymorphism in a wild population of R. marginata (N = 38) collected from Bangalore, India. These markers will facilitate answering some interesting questions in ecology and evolutionary biology of this wasp, such as population structure, serial polygyny, intra-colony genetic relatedness and the pattern of queen succession

Immune upregulation of novel antibacterial proteins from silkmoths (Lepidoptera) that resemble lysozymes but lack muramidase activity

Study on immune proteins in domesticated and wild silkmoths Bombyx mori and Antheraea mylitta, respectively, led to identification of a new class of antimicrobial proteins. We designated them as lysozyme-like proteins (LLPs) owing to their partial similarity with lysozymes. However, lack of characteristic catalytic amino acid residues essential for muramidase activity in LLPs puts them functionally apart from classical lysozymes. Two LLPs, one from B. mori (BLLP1) and the other from A. mylitta (ALLP1) expressed in a recombinant system, exhibited a broad-spectrum antibacterial action. Further investigation of the antibacterial mechanism revealed that BLLP1 is bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal against Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus. Substantial increase in hemolymph bacterial load was observed in B. mori upon RNA interference mediated in vivo knockdown of BLLP1. We demonstrate that the antibacterial mechanism of this protein depends on peptidoglycan binding unlike peptidoglycan hydrolysis or membrane permeabilization as observed with lysozymes and most other antimicrobial peptides. To our knowledge, this is the first report on functional analysis of novel, non-catalytic lysozyme-like family of antibacterial proteins that are quite apart functionally from classical lysozymes. The present analysis holds promise for functional annotation of similar proteins from other organisms

A SIMPLE AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATION USING FLEXRAY™ PROTOCOL

FlexRay™ protocol is emerging as the next generation automotive communication protocol which offers high data rate, deterministic, fault tolerant, flexible in-vehicle data communication. This protocol supports both time triggered and event triggered data communication. The network that uses FlexRay™ protocol is called FlexRay™ network. The need for FlexRay™ protocol is the substantial demand for the high capacity in-vehicle data communication between the electronic components. In this work, we used Infineon SoCs as FlexRay™ nodes and establish communication between multiple nodes using FlexRay™ protocol. A simple automotive application is developed with temperature and magnetic field sensor being connected to a node and the sensor data is being communicated over the FlexRay™ network

Morphological and molecular characterization of a new microsporidian (Protozoa: Microsporidia) isolated from Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

A microsporidium was isolated from larvae of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) collected from Tamil Nadu, India. This microsporidian species is monomorphic, disporous and develops in direct contact with the cytoplasm of the host cell. The nuclear configuration of merogonic and sporogonic stages was diplokaryotic. The merogonic proliferative stage was unusual that normal development with 1, 2 and 4 binucleated forms were common, while large multinucleate meronts containing 8 and 12 small compact horseshoe-like diplokaryotic nuclei were also observed. The fresh spores were typically ovocylindrical in shape, with a mean size of 3.91× 1.91 μm and the polar filament length was ~90 μm. Infection was systemic with mature spores produced in the midgut, nervous tissue, muscles, labial glands, gonads, tracheae, epidermis, Malpighian tubules and, most extensively, fat body tissues. The new isolate was highly pathogenic to S. litura larvae. Host specificity tests performed on 37 non-target hosts of 5 different insect orders revealed that the new isolate is pathogenic only to lepidopteran insects. We sequenced the 16S small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene of the isolate and compared it with 72 non-redundant microsporidian sequences from the GenBank. Based on the light microscopic studies and phylogenetic analyses, the new isolate is assigned to the genus Nosema. Significant differences in the SSU rRNA sequence were identified when compared with the type species Nosema bombycis and other closely related species viz., Nosema spodopterae. Structural differences were also observed in the 16S SSU rRNA between the new isolate and the two above-mentioned microsporidian pathogens. We conclude that the microsporidian isolate reported here is distinctly different from the other known species and is likely to be a new species

Phylogenetic relationships of three new microsporidian isolates from the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The pathogenicity, mode of transmission, tissue specificity of infection and the small subunit rRNA (SSU-rRNA) gene sequences of the three new microsporidian isolates from the silkworm Bombyx mori were studied. Out of the three, NIK-2r revealed life cycle features and SSU-rRNA gene sequence similar to Nosema bombycis, suggesting that it is N. bombycis. The other two, NIK-4m and NIK-3h, differed from each other as well as from N. bombycis. NIK-4m was highly pathogenic and did not show any vertical transmission, in accordance with the apparent lack of gonadal infection, whereas NIK-3h was less pathogenic and vertical transmission was not detected but could not be excluded. Phylogenetic analysis based on SSU-rRNA gene sequence placed NIK-3h and NIK-4m in a distinct clade that included almost all the Vairimorpha species and Nosema species that infect lepidopteran and non-lepidopteran hosts, while NIK-2r was included in a clade containing almost all the Nosema isolates that infect only lepidopteran hosts. Thus, we have presented molecular evidence that one of the three isolates is in fact the type species N. bombycis, while the other two isolates are Vairimorpha spp. There was distinct separation of microsporidian isolates infecting only lepidopteran hosts and those infecting lepidopteran and non-lepidopteran hosts, reflecting possible co-evolution of hosts and microsporidian isolates

The effect of magnesium sulfate as an adjuvant to 0.5% bupivacaine on motor and sensory supraclavicular brachial plexus blockade

Background: Magnesium is a physiologic cation that blocks neuromuscular transmission and does not allow the nerve to be stimulated. This study investigates the effect of adding magnesium sulfate to 0.5% bupivacaine to extend the duration of sensory and motor blocks of the supraclavicular brachial plexus in orthopedic surgeries of the upper extremities.Methods: This controlled randomized double-blind study was performed on patients who were candidates for orthopedic surgery of the upper extremities. A total of 60 patients between 18 and 60 years with ASA Class 1 or 2 participated in the study. One Group M received 0.5% bupivacaine (1.5 mg/kg) with magnesium sulfate 20% (3 ml) as the case group, while the second Group P received 0.5% bupivacaine (1.5 mg/kg) with normal saline (3 ml) as a placebo to block the supraclavicular brachial plexus using nerve locator. The duration of the sensory and motor block of the supraclavicular brachial plexus was monitored and evaluated using the pinprick and modified Bromage scale.Results: A total of 60 patients were included in the study with 30 patients having received 0.5% bupivacaine plus magnesium and the other 30 patients having received 0.5% bupivacaine plus normal saline. The mean sensory block duration in the case Group M was 249±9.36 and in control Group P was 160±5.62 (p<0.39). The mean motor block duration in the case Group M was 232±9.64 and in control Group P was 147±26.52 (both p<0.32). The mean onset of sensory block in case Group M was 15.5±2.16 and the onset block in control Group P was 12.73±1.18 (p<0.49; statistically not significant). The mean onset of motor block in case Group M was 23.5±1.1 and the onset block in control Group P was 41±3 (p<0.53; statistically not significant).Conclusions: The addition of magnesium sulfate to 0.5% bupivacaine increased the duration of motor and sensory supraclavicular brachial block in the upper extremities during surgeries when compared to the use of 0.5% bupivacaine alone, though statistically not significant, but definitely in clinically significant proportions

Orofacial granulomatosis: a rare case report with review of literature

The term orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a descriptive term used for granulomatous disorders affecting the face and oral cavity, which can occur for a variety of reasons resulting in significant morbidity. It is characterised by persistent swelling that may involve one or both the lips and /or recurrent ulcers and a variety of other orofacial features. Medical history is very important in the diagnosis of OFG as medical condition like Crohn’s disease can also present an extra intestinal manifestation of OFG. Exclusion of other entities like sarcoidosis, mycobacterial infections, foreign body reactions and biopsy helps to establish a correct diagnosis. Herein we report a case of OFG in a 55 year old female patient with review of literature