Semisynthetic Quercetin Derivatives with Potent Antitumor Activity in Colon Carcinoma

Quercetin has been found to possess diverse pharmacological properties including in different types of cancers. The application of quercetin in the pharmaceutical field is limited due to its poor bioavailability resulting from poor water solubility and poor permeability. We report a systematic chemical modification of quercetin toward the development of semisynthetic derivatives through a selective synthetic methodology, which enables the installation of different substitutions at C-3′ and C-5 positions of quercetin. The hypothesis of the present manuscript was to modulate the log D value and aqueous solubility of quercetin through the attachment of some facilitator moieties. The semisynthetic derivatives with an ideal log D value and improved aqueous solubility will possess a better cell-penetrating ability compared to quercetin. Representative compound 17 shows 96-fold increase in the cytotoxic activity in HCT-116 colon cancer cells as compared to quercetin. The in vivo treatment of 17 in CT-26 tumor-bearing mice in a colon cancer model resulted in a striking increase in the survival rate and reduction in tumor weight (60%) with respect to quercetin. We believe that the current study has an immense potential toward the systemic development of clinically approved quercetin semisynthetic derivatives

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Not AvailableRed rice genotypes are characterized by their huge nutritional values. Apart from this property, they also possess valuable sources of resistance to many biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present investigation, a total of 215 red rice accessions collected from north east and other parts of India were screened for their resistance against brown plant hopper (BPH) at National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack by following modified screening technique. The results showed, among 215 genotypes, 4 were highly resistant, 11 were resistant and 13 were moderately resistant against BPH. The rest 187 genotypes were either susceptible or highly susceptible. The mechanism of resistance in these identified lines was studied. The nymphal survivility and development was lower in resistant genotypes (Mata Meher 43.33%) after 5day of releaseas compared to susceptible check TN-1 (100% survivility). Similarly the nymphal developmental period was less in resistant lines than TN-1 (100% nymphs were developed in to adult) after 15thdays of release. The highly resistant genotype Matameher has shown lowest FPLI index (6.75) as compared to resistant(R), moderately resistant (MR) and susceptible(S) reactionNot Availabl

Association of antecedent statin use on 30-day, 60-day and 90-day mortality among Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19

Objective To assess if the antecedent statin use was associated with all-cause death among COVID-19 patients enrolled in Medicaid.Design Cohort study.Setting Mississippi Medicaid population.Participants This study included 10 792 Mississippi Medicaid-enrolled patients between 18 and 64 years of age with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis from March 2020 to June 2021.Intervention Antecedent statin use, which was determined by a record of statin prescription in the 90-day period prior to the COVID diagnosis.Main outcome measures The outcomes of interest included mortality from all cause within 30 days, 60 days and 90 days after index.Results A total of 10 792 patients with COVID-19 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with 13.1% of them being antecedent statin users. Statin users were matched 1:1 with non-users based on age, sex, race, comorbidities and medication use by propensity score matching. In total, the matched cohort consisted of 1107 beneficiaries in each group. Multivariable logistic regression showed that statin users were less likely to die within 30 days (adjusted OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.32 to 0.83), 60 days (OR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.85) and 90 days (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.82) after diagnosis of COVID-19. Those with low-intensity/moderate-intensity statin use had significantly lower mortality risk in the 60-day and the 90-day follow-up period, while the high intensity of statin use was only found to be significantly associated with a lower odd of mortality within 30 days post index.Conclusion After COVID infection, Medicaid beneficiaries who had taken statins antecedently could be at lower risk for death. For patients with chronic conditions, continuity of care is crucial when interruptions occur in their medical care. Further research is required to further investigate the potential mechanisms and optimal use of statins in COVID-19 treatment

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Not AvailableRed rice is the reservoir of large amount of phytochemicals such as carotenoids, phenolics, alkaloids, nitrogen and organosulfur containing compounds, possesses antioxidant properties, richer source of protein, zinc and have nutritive and medicinal value. Present study examines the utility of red rice accessions for their resistance against Brown planthopper (BPH), a damaging insect pest of rice. A total of 215 red rice accessions along with susceptible check TN1, resistance checks PTB-33 and Salkathi were evaluated under greenhouse condition of the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack. Accessions were screened using standard seed box technique for mass screening followed by replicated screening for the confirmation of resistant reaction. Only four accessions, namely, matameher, manipuri black sonahanan and hormonona were found to be highly resistant (score-1) while eleven showed resistant reaction (Score-3) and 13 were moderately resitant (Score-5) to BPH. Mechanism of resistance was studied in the resistant accessions through the method of antixenosis or nymphal preference to plants. Matameher and manipuri black showed least nymphal preference as compared to the susceptible check TN1. Resistant genotypes identified and confirmed in the present study can be grown as resistant varieties in BPH endemic areas and also can be utilised in resistance breeding programme to develop BPH-resistant varieties with other desired traits.ICAR-NRR

Hymenopteran parasitoid complex and fall armyworm: a case study in eastern India

Abstract Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) has significantly affected maize crop yields, production efficiency, and farmers’ incomes in the Indian Eastern Gangetic Plains region since it was first observed in India in 2018. A lack of awareness by maize growers of the appropriate selection, method, and timing of insecticide application not only creates a barrier to sustainable FAW control but also contributes to increased environmental pollution, reduced human health and increased production costs. We demonstrated that FAW inflicted the most damage in early whorl growth stage of maize, regardless of whether chemical insecticides were applied. FAW egg masses and larvae collected from maize fields in which no insecticides had been sprayed showed high parasitism rates by parasitoid wasps; in contrast fields that had been sprayed had much lower rates of parasitism on FAW. Ten hymenopteran parasitoids were observed in maize fields across the study region, suggesting a diversity of natural methods to suppress FAW in maize at different growth stages. These included two FAW egg parasitoids and eight FAW larval parasitoids. Microplitis manilae Ashmead was the most abundant FAW larval parasitoid species, and Telenomus cf. remus was the dominant FAW egg parasitoid species. Endemic FAW parasitoids such as those observed in this study have great potential as part of a sustainable, cost-effective agroecological management strategy, which can be integrated with other methods to achieve effective control of FAW