Development of High Fodder-Yielding Sweet Sorghum Strain Madhura-2 (NARI-SS-5) for Production under Monsoon and Post-Monsoon Seasons

Sweet sorghum owing to its high fodder yielding ability coupled with sweet and juicy stalks is more often used as a fodder crop in India than for its intended use as a sugar or bio-energy crop (Nimbkar et al., 2010). In addition, fodder quality of sweet sorghum is as good as that of the fodder sorghums. Sweet sorghum is also produced as forage in China (Zhu, 1998) and USA (Suttie, 2000). Sorghum genotypes rich in sugar are reported to have a better quality of fodder than the regular genotypes with low sugar content (Singh and Katiyar, 2003). With its concerted efforts for over four decades in improvement of sweet sorghum, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, at Phaltan has developed a high fodder-yielding sweet sorghum strain Madhura-2 (NARI-SS-5) by crossing an American sweet sorghum cultivar Keller with an indigenous genotype NSS-218 following the pedigree method of breeding. Madhura-2 is highly suitable for production under monsoon and post-monsoon seasons and present paper discusses its performance in the two seasons

Thyroid hormones And [<SUP>14</SUP>C] glucose metabolism in bacteria

The effects of triiodothyronine and thyroxine on metabolism and growth of bacteria were studied. It was observed that over a certain range of concentration thyroxine and triiodothyronine produced increase in 14CO2 release from [14C]-labeled glucose and also stimulated bacteria growth

A Comparison of the Growth Performance and Worm Resistance of Lambs Produced by Diallel Crossing of Three Indian Sheep Breeds

ABSTRACT: As part of a project aimed at increasing the efficiency of sheep meat production in Maharashtra state, rams of the Deccani (D), Bannur (B) and Garole (G) breeds were mated to D and B ewes in an incomplete diallel design over a 3 year period. Progeny were evaluated for growth rate and resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes. The Deccani is the local woolly meat sheep, the Bannur a hairy meat sheep and the Garole a small but highly fecund woolly meat sheep. Lambs sired by D and B rams had higher birthweights and growth to 6 months than those sired by G rams. Lambs sired by G and B rams were more resistant to naturally acquired worm infections and to artificial challenge with Haemonchus contortus than those sired by D rams

Protuupalno i analgetsko djelovanje ekstrakta cijele biljke Fumaria indica na eksperimentalnim životinjama

The 50% ethanolic extract of Fumaria indica was investigated for its anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive potential in animal models. Oral administration of F. indica dry extract (100, 200 and 400 mg kg1) exhibited dose dependent and significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute (carrageenean and histamine induced hind paw oedema – p < 0.05) and chronic (cotton pellet granuloma models of inflammation – p < 0.01). The extract (400 mg kg1) exhibited maximum anti-inflammatory effects of 42.2 and 42.1% after 3 h with carrageenean and histamine respectively. The same dose of extract showed 38.9% reduction in granuloma mass in a chronic condition. A significant anti-nociceptive activity was evidenced in mice; 6.6–67.7% (p < 0.01) protection in mechanical, 33.9–125.1% (p < 0.05) protection in thermal induced pain and 22.2–73.9% (p < 0.05) protection in acetic acid-induced writhing.Na animalnom modelu ispitivano je protuupalno i analgetsko djelovanje ekstrakta biljke Fumaria indica sa 50%-tnim etanolnom. Peroralna primjena suhog ekstrakta F. indica (100, 200 i 400 mg kg1) pokazuje značajno i o dozi ovisno protuupalno djelovanje na akutni (edem šape uzrokovan karagenom i histaminom – p < 0.05) i kronični upalni proces (granulomi uzrokovani pamučnim peletama – p < 0.01). Najveći protuupalni učinak u karagenskom, odnosno histaminskom testu od 42,2 i 42,1% dobiven je s dozom 400 mg kg1 nakon 3 h. Ista doza ekstrakta pokazala je 38,9% smanjenje mase granuloma. Značajno analgetsko djelovanje dokazano je pokusima na miševima: 6,6–67,7% (p < 0,01) zaštita od mehanički izazvane boli, 33,9–125,1% (p < 0,05) zaštita od termički izazvane boli i 22,2–73,9% (p < 0,05) zaštita od kemijski izazvane boli octenom kiselinom

Impact of primary kidney disease on the effects of empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease: secondary analyses of the EMPA-KIDNEY trial

Background: The EMPA KIDNEY trial showed that empagliflozin reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of kidney disease progression or cardiovascular death in patients with chronic kidney disease mainly through slowing progression. We aimed to assess how effects of empagliflozin might differ by primary kidney disease across its broad population. Methods: EMPA-KIDNEY, a randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial, was conducted at 241 centres in eight countries (Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, and the USA). Patients were eligible if their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 20 to less than 45 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or 45 to less than 90 mL/min per 1·73 m2 with a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR) of 200 mg/g or higher at screening. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to 10 mg oral empagliflozin once daily or matching placebo. Effects on kidney disease progression (defined as a sustained ≥40% eGFR decline from randomisation, end-stage kidney disease, a sustained eGFR below 10 mL/min per 1·73 m2, or death from kidney failure) were assessed using prespecified Cox models, and eGFR slope analyses used shared parameter models. Subgroup comparisons were performed by including relevant interaction terms in models. EMPA-KIDNEY is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03594110. Findings: Between May 15, 2019, and April 16, 2021, 6609 participants were randomly assigned and followed up for a median of 2·0 years (IQR 1·5–2·4). Prespecified subgroupings by primary kidney disease included 2057 (31·1%) participants with diabetic kidney disease, 1669 (25·3%) with glomerular disease, 1445 (21·9%) with hypertensive or renovascular disease, and 1438 (21·8%) with other or unknown causes. Kidney disease progression occurred in 384 (11·6%) of 3304 patients in the empagliflozin group and 504 (15·2%) of 3305 patients in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·71 [95% CI 0·62–0·81]), with no evidence that the relative effect size varied significantly by primary kidney disease (pheterogeneity=0·62). The between-group difference in chronic eGFR slopes (ie, from 2 months to final follow-up) was 1·37 mL/min per 1·73 m2 per year (95% CI 1·16–1·59), representing a 50% (42–58) reduction in the rate of chronic eGFR decline. This relative effect of empagliflozin on chronic eGFR slope was similar in analyses by different primary kidney diseases, including in explorations by type of glomerular disease and diabetes (p values for heterogeneity all &gt;0·1). Interpretation: In a broad range of patients with chronic kidney disease at risk of progression, including a wide range of non-diabetic causes of chronic kidney disease, empagliflozin reduced risk of kidney disease progression. Relative effect sizes were broadly similar irrespective of the cause of primary kidney disease, suggesting that SGLT2 inhibitors should be part of a standard of care to minimise risk of kidney failure in chronic kidney disease. Funding: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, and UK Medical Research Council

Emerging applications of microfluidization in the food industry

In recent times, microfluidization has emerged as a novel processing technology. With meticulously designed interaction chamber and high-performing pump, unique pressure profiles are generated which perform cavitation, and develop shear, velocity, and turbulence. Primarily evolved as a homogenization technique, it provides significantly lower droplet size and narrow size distribution compared to other high-energy techniques such as high-pressure homogenization and ultrasonication. However, it is susceptible to over-processing, resulting in reduced stability of emulsions. Therefore, careful optimization of processing conditions is a crucial step. The present work discusses the applications of microfluidization in this aspect and comparison with the aforementioned techniques. Furthermore, microfluidization finds successful applications in the field of encapsulation, extraction, and modification of biological molecules. These aspects are also discussed with their advantages and limitations. To conclude, the challenges in the industrial scale-up of microfluidization are discussed in detail. Overall, microfluidization holds tremendous potential for several applications in the food industry

Development of Screen-Printed Electrode Biosensor for Rapid Determination of Triglyceride Content in Coconut Milk

The screen-printed electrode biosensor was developed for triglyceride determination in coconut milk. The biosensor was developed by adding lipase, glycerol-3-phosphate (GPO), and glycerol kinase (GK), which is immobilized to a gelatin solution. The concentration of triglyceride is found to be linear to the current produced. The developed screen-printed electrode biosensor showed the optimum response for pH 7.0, 45 mg amount of gelatin, 2.5% glutaraldehyde concentration solution. The developed biosensor was able to find triolein concentrations 0.1 to 1.5 mM. The correlation obtained between these two methods was 93% which was found to be good

Role of <img src='http://www.niscair.res.in/jinfo/small.gif' border=0>-lysine HCl in adoptive immune therapy towards development of suitable tuberculosis vaccination

758-765-Lysine HCl is being proposed to be a possible biocompatible adjuvant to enhance immune response by virtue of its probable non-specific bridging action and cellular proliferation properties. This proposal has been tried to be substantiated by designing an in vitro culture protocol, varying the concentration of -lysine HCl and its further in vivo application. Splenic lymphocyte population has been extracted from mice and co-cultured with extracted mice macrophage population in presence of either Bacille Calmette Guerrin (BCG) or Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) and added -lysine hydrochloride in culture media. Post incubation of these cultures, ‘‘taught’’ cell population has been adoptively transferred in na'ive mice. These mice were then challenged by respective antigen dose, Change in Immune response with this challenge was noted. Antibody titre was followed in all the experiments as a measure of immune response. In adoptive immune transfer experiment of with HbsAg (AIT-HbsAg), similar to that with BCG (AIT-BCG), after the incubation period, antibody titre was higher in added lysine containing cultures in comparison with the control ones. Post transfer followed by antigen challenge, in AIT-BCG the expected augmentation in immune response was hardly visible. But in AIT-HbsAg, with the help of lysine booster, the animals responded belter as far as the anti body titre is concerned