ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANT IN TRADITIONAL TREATMENT OF WOUND INFECTION IN SOUTHEAST INDIA

Objective: The wound healing potential of fruit peel of Pithecellobium dulce Benth, a plant traditionally used for wound treatment against wound- infecting bacteria, was assessed using disc diffusion and microtitre plate methods. Methods: P. dulce fruit peel was extracted using ethyl acetate, methanol and water and tested for their antimicrobial activities against bacterial isolates from wound infection using disc diffusion and microtitre plate methods. Results: All the three extracts had antimicrobial activities, among which methanol extract had higher activities against all the tested organisms compared to the ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts. The most susceptible organism to all the extracts was K. pneumonia and S. aureus while the most resistant were P. mirabilis and P. vulgaris. Conclusion: The potential antibacterial activity of P. dulce plant against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria justifies the use of the plant as the wound healing agent. The isolation of active principle of this plant may serve as source and lead for the synthesis of drugs in pharmaceutical industries

Anti-Diabetic Activity Of Aqueous Extract Of Pithecellobium Dulce Benth Fruit Peel On Streptozotocin Induced Diabetic Rats

The decoction of the Pithecellobium dulce fruit peel has been used for the control of diabetes mellitus in the traditional method adopted by the local people of northwest region of Tamil Nadu, India. The present study was carried out to investigate the anti-diabetic potential of aqueous extract of Pithecellobium dulce fruit peel by its oral administration (200 mg/kg) to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The levels of blood glucose, urine sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin, glucose-6-phosphatase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, total cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and reduced  glutathione were increased significantly whereas the levels of plasma insulin, hexokinase, protein, liver glycogen, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were decreased in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and it was normalized after treatment of aqueous extract. Glibenclamide was used as the standard drug. These outcomes suggest that the aqueous extract possesses anti-diabetic activity and supports the traditional use of the Pithecellobium dulce fruit peel decoction as hypoglycemic agent

Genetic diversity within and among populations of the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx assessed through RAPD analysis

Genetic diversity was studied among 40 different zone samples in the Indian short-nosed fruit bat, Cynopterus sphinx. Samples were collected from 127 locations in different districts of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Polymorphism at molecular level was studied by random amplified polymorphic DNA marker technique. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with 30 arbitrary decamer oligonucleotide primers was applied to the 40 zone samples. Out of 30 random primers screened, 22 gave reproducible polymorphic bands. PCR product of bat genome revealed a total of 234 bands, out of which 171 were found to be polymorphic. The dendrogram displaying the relative genetic similarities between the zones ranged from 0.42 to 0.92. Principal coordinates analysis revealed that the first two components accounted for 51.4% of the total variation. The results show that considerable genetic diversity was observed in this species from different zonal populations, possibly due to complete dispersal of juveniles of both sexes from their natal groups and gene flow between the zones. The results obtained from this study suggest not only a predictive framework for future studies, but also the use of genetic data in the management and meaningful conservation of this species

Simultaneous observations of ESF irregularities over Indian region using radar and GPS

In this paper, we present simultaneous observations of temporal and spatial variability of total electron content (TEC) and GPS amplitude scintillations on L1 frequency (1.575 GHz) during the time of equatorial spread F (ESF) while the MST radar (53 MHz) located at Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E, Dip latitude 6.3° N), a low latitude station, made simultaneous observations. In particular, the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of TEC and L-band scintillations was studied in the Indian region for different types of ESF structures observed using the MST radar during the low solar activity period of 2004 and 2005. Simultaneous radar and GPS observations during severe ESF events in the pre-midnight hour reveal that significant GPS L band scintillations, depletions in TEC, and the double derivative of the TEC index (DROTI), which is a measure of fluctuations in TEC, obtained at low latitudes coincide with the appearance of radar echoes at Gadanki. As expected, when the irregularities reach higher altitudes as seen in the radar map during pre-midnight periods, strong scintillations on an L-band signal are observed at higher latitudes. Conversely, when radar echoes are confined to only lower altitudes, weak scintillations are found and their latitudinal extent is small. During magnetically quiet periods, we have recorded plume type radar echoes during a post-midnight period that is devoid of L-band scintillations. Using spectral slopes and cross-correlation index of the VHF scintillation observations, we suggest that these irregularities could be "dead" or "fossil" bubbles which are just drifting in from west. This scenario is consistent with the observations where suppression of pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) in the eastward electric field is indicated by ionosonde observations of the height of equatorial F layer and also occurrence of low spectral width in the radar observations relative to pre-midnight period. However, absence of L-band scintillations during post-midnight event, when radar observed plume like structures and scintillations were recorded on VHF band, raises questions about the process of evolution of the irregularities. A possible explanation is that whereas small scale (∼3 m) irregularities are generated through secondary waves that grow on the walls of km scale size irregularities, in this case evolution of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability itself did not extend to irregularities of scale sizes of a few hundred meters that produce scintillation on a L-band signal

DNA-based identification of Lentinula edodes strains with species-specific primers

Lentinula edodes is among the five globally cultivated edible mushrooms, which are wood decaying spore bearing Basidiomycetes possessing separate hyphae. Specific identification of this fungus from others in the division Basidiomycota using specific primers enables a fast and accurate detection through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). As a prelude to additional nutritional and sequence characterization research, we have developed a species specific PCR assay for this fungus after screening four primer-pairs and two universal primer pairs. The primer-pair LE1F/R was specific in amplifications of ATCC-defined L. edodes strains and did not amplify DNA from six medicinally and nutritionally important fungal reference strains, Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus), Maitake (Grifola frondosa), Enoki (Flammulina velutipes), Baby bella (Agaricus bisporus), Porcini (Boletus edulis), and Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). However, amplifications using the universal primers were positive for all six strains. This assay will therefore serve to validate morphology-based identifications of L. edodes strains.Keywords: Lentinula edodes, LE1F/R, species-specific primer

Genetic Resistance to the Reniform Nematode in Cotton

Among major nematode pests of Upland, cotton production is the reniform nematode, which is a serious threat in various cotton-producing regions. The availability of germplasm lines with tolerance or resistance to this menacing pest is a valued asset. To date, various laboratories and research institutions have collaborated to transfer the reniform nematode resistance from wild gene pools of cotton into widely cultivated Upland cotton, which have led to positive results. This chapter focuses on the current status of these introgressions and resistance mechanisms in cotton. In this overview, four major themes are being pursed: (1) tolerance mechanisms in cotton to the reniform nematode, (2) genotype evaluations, (3) introgression of reniform resistance into Upland cotton, and (4) functional analysis of reniform infection in Upland cotton. Genetic resistance in Upland cotton to the reniform nematode is the only practical solution because conventional control measures are the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable and therefore have been and will be actively pursued. Resistance genes, if successfully introgressed into crop plants from wild relatives, should complement management of the reniform nematode with traditional methods

Bioinformatics Tools and Genomic Resources Available in Understanding the Structure and Function of Gossypium

Cotton is economically and evolutionarily important crop for its fiber. In order to improve fiber quality and yield, and to exploit the natural genetic potential inherent in genotypes, understanding genome structure and function of cultivated cotton is important. In order to achieve this, a functional understanding of bioinformatics resources such as databases, software solutions, and analysis tools is required. But currently, there are very few unified reports on bioinformatics tools and even fewer repositories to access cotton genomic information. Also, resourceful developers and bioinformatics scientists actively addressing complex genomic challenges in cotton genomes are much in need. The primary goal of this chapter is to provide a review of such tools and resources for analyzing the structure and function of the cotton genome with preferential emphasis on this complex and economically important plant species. This discourse begins with a description of concurrent advances in high‐throughput genome sequencing and bioinformatics analyses and focuses on four major sections covering bioinformatics tools and resources for analysis of: (1) genomes; (2) transcriptomes; (3) small RNAs; and (4) epigenomes. In each section, recent advances in cotton have been discussed. Cotton genome sequencing and annotation efforts are outlined within these sections. This review discusses the availability of genome information of both diploid and tetraploid species that have impelled cotton genome research into the post‐genomics era, opening new avenues for exploring regulatory mechanisms associated with fine‐tuning of gene expression of fiber‐related genes. Finally, the potential impacts of these rapid advances, especially the challenges in handling and analyzing the large datasets are discussed

Recent Applications of RNA Sequencing in Food and Agriculture

RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is the leading, routine, high-throughput, and cost-effective next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach for mapping and quantifying transcriptomes, and determining the transcriptional structure. The transcriptome is a complete collection of transcripts found in a cell or tissue or organism at a given time point or specific developmental or environmental or physiological condition. The emergence and evolution of RNA-Seq chemistries have changed the landscape and the pace of transcriptome research in life sciences over a decade. This chapter introduces RNA-Seq and surveys its recent food and agriculture applications, ranging from differential gene expression, variants calling and detection, allele-specific expression, alternative splicing, alternative polyadenylation site usage, microRNA profiling, circular RNAs, single-cell RNA-Seq, metatranscriptomics, and systems biology. A few popular RNA-Seq databases and analysis tools are also presented for each application. We began to witness the broader impacts of RNA-Seq in addressing complex biological questions in food and agriculture

Recent Developments in Fiber Genomics of Tetraploid Cotton Species

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) produces naturally soft, single-celled trichomes as fiber on the seed coat supplying the main source of natural raw material for the textile industry. It is economically considered as one of the most leading cash crops in the world and evolutionarily very important as a model system for detailed scientific investigations. Cotton production is going through a big transition stage such as losing the market share in competition with the synthetic fibers, high popularity of Bt and herbicide resistance genes in cotton cultivars, and the recent shift of fiber demands to meet the standard fiber quality due to change of textile technologies to produce high superior quality of fibers in the global market. Recently, next-generation sequencing technologies through high-throughput sequencing at greatly reduced costs provided opportunities to sequence the diploid and tetraploid cotton genomes. With the availability of large volume of literatures on molecular mapping, new genomic resources, characterization of cotton genomes, discoveries of many novel genes, regulatory elements including small and microRNAs and new genetic tools such as gene silencing or gene editing technique for genome manipulation, this report attempted to provide the readers a comprehensive review on the recent advances of cotton fiber genomics research

A study on the low-latitude daytime E region plasma irregularities using coordinated VHF radar, rocket-borne, and ionosonde observations

[1] In this paper we study the off-electrojet low-latitude daytime E region plasma irregularities using first multi-instrument observations in India made during July 2004 by the MST radar from Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E, magnetic latitude 6.4°N), Langmuir probe on board the RH-300 Mk II rocket, and ionosonde from Sriharikota (13.6°N, 80.2°E, magnetic latitude 6.4°N). Radar echoes were confined to altitudes below 105 km and were observed in the form of a descending echoing layer with the descent rate of 1 km/h. Virtual height of the E layer, as observed by ionosonde, shows identical descending behavior. A detailed analysis based on the radar and ionosonde observations shows that the radar echoes are related to the range spread in the ionogram. Rocket observations made on 23 July 2004 revealed weak plasma irregularities with scale sizes more than 100 m and no noticeable irregularity at shorter scales. The spectral slope of the irregularities observed by the rocket probe is found to be À4 for scales in between 1 km and 100 m. During the rocket launch, radar did not detect any echo conforming that the small-scale irregularities were not present. Examination of concurrent observations of neutral wind made by TIMED Doppler interferometry suggests that zonal wind plays a crucial role in forming electron density layers, which become unstable via the gradient drift instability with background electric field or/and zonal neutral wind generating low-latitude E region plasma irregularities. Citation: Patra, A. K., N. Venkateswara Rao, D. V. Phanikumar, H. Chandra, U. Das, H. S. S. Sinha, T. K. Pant, and S. Sripathi (2009), A study on the low-latitude daytime E region plasma irregularities using coordinated VHF radar, rocket-borne, and ionosonde observations