Morphological and molecular detection of Fusarium chlamydosporum from root endophytes of Dendrobium crumenatum

Fusarium has a cosmopolitan distribution, with some species able to cause diseases in agricultural crops. A number of isolates of endophytic fungi were isolated from healthy roots of Dendrobium crumenatum (Orchidaceae) at Universiti Putra Malaysia campus. The isolates were primarily identified as Fusarium chlamydosporum based on morphological characteristics. The cultures were produced in a range of chicory pink to red and brown pigmentation. Only morphological studies of Fusarium can notgive any guarantee at the species levels of identification but key the putative species names. Therefore, molecular studies based on gene sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 regions of theribosomal DNA (rDNA) were carried out. The amplified DNA was sequenced and aligned against the reference sequences, previously identified as Fusarium species. Results obtained have shown that all of the isolates putatively identified as F. chlamydosporum were in agreement with the ex-type strains of F. chlamydosporum gene sequences collected from the GenBank database. Thus, data from the present study suggested that the best conceivable connection between the morphological characters and themolecular characters are to use sequence based analysis of the ITS 1/2 regions of the rDNA of the original specimen at the same times as it could be removed any kind of controversial identification of F. chlamydosporum at the species level

Antifungal activity of selected plant leaves crude extracts against a pepper anthracnose fungus, Colletotrichum capsici (Sydow) butler and bisby (Ascomycota: Phyllachorales)

The antifungal activities of the leaves extract of 15 selected medicinal plants; Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd., Alstonia spatulata Blume., Annona muricata L., Blechnum orientale L., Blumea balsamifera L., Centella asiatica L., Dicranopteris linearis (Burm. f.) Underw., Dillenia suffruticosa (Griff ex Hook.f. and Thomson) Martelli, Litsea garciae Vidal., Melastoma malabathricum L., Momordica charantia L., Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.), Pangium edule Reinw., Piper betle L. and Polygonum minus Huds., were evaluated on the plant pathogenic fungus, Colletotrichum capsici which was isolated from chilli. The antifungal assay was carried out in potato dextrose media in five different treatments, which were distilled water as the negative control, crude extract of leaves in methanol, chloroform, acetone and Kocide 101 as the positive control. They were carried out in three replicates. The two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out on all the data to justify the difference between critical difference (CD) of mean (P = 0.05) and coefficient of variation (CV %) in terms of mean percent reduction in colony diameter, sporulation and minimum inhibitory concentration (MICs) of C. capsici to take statistical decisions. Crude extract of P. betle in all the solvents was found to be the most effective and exhibited the highest antifungal activities. Crude extract of P. betle in methanol inhibited 85.25% of radial growth of C. capsici followed by 78.53% leaves crude extract in chloroform and 73.58% leaves crude extract in acetone at the concentration of 10 μg/ml (p < 0.05). The exact concentrations that had definite potential to fully restrict the growth (100% inhibition) of C. capsici (MIC) by P. betle was 12.50 μg/ml in methanol, 17.50 μg/ml in chloroform and 15.00 mg/ml in acetone. The sporulation assay also revealed that, P. betle leaves crude extracts showed the highest inhibition of spore germination rate of C. capsici overall at the concentration of 10 μg/ml; with 80.93% inhibition by leaves crude extracts in methanol, 74.09% by leaves crude extracts in chloroform and 72.91% by leaves crude extracts in acetone. Concentration of plant leaves crude extracts that inhibited 50% or more of the radial growth and sporulation was considered as effective (LC ≥ 50). As a conclusion, the leaf crude extracts that exhibited effectiveness by showing more than 50% inhibition against C. capsici should be considered for further evaluation. P. betle leaf crude extracts was the most effective in inhibiting the fungus respectively and thus, exhibited the highest potential as a new leading biofungicide in the agriculture field.Key words: Plant leaves crude extracts, antifungal activities, Colletotrichum capsici

The effects of benzofury (5-APB) on the dopamine transporter and 5-HT2-dependent vasoconstriction in the rat

5-APB, commonly marketed as ‘benzofury’ is a new psychoactive substance and erstwhile ‘legal high’ which has been implicated in 10 recent drug-related deaths in the UK. This drug was available on the internet and in ‘head shops’ and was one of the most commonly sold legal highs up until its recent UK temporary ban (UK Home Office). Despite its prominence, very little is known about its pharmacology. This study was undertaken to examine the pharmacology of 5-APB in vitro. We hypothesized that 5-APB would activate the dopamine and 5-HT systems which may underlie its putative stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. Autoradiographic studies showed that 5-APB displaced both [125I]RTI-121 and [3H]ketanserin from rat brain tissue suggesting affinity at the dopamine transporter and 5-HT2 receptor sites respectively. Voltammetric studies in rat accumbens brain slices revealed that 5-APB slowed dopamine reuptake, and at high concentrations caused reverse transport of dopamine. 5-APB also caused vasoconstriction of rat aorta, an effect antagonized by the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist ketanserin, and caused contraction of rat stomach fundus, which was reversed by the 5-HT2B receptor antagonist RS-127445. These data show that 5-APB interacts with the dopamine transporter and is an agonist at the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2B receptors in the rat. Thus 5-APB’s pharmacology is consistent with it having both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. In addition, 5-APB’s activity at the 5-HT2B receptor may cause cardiotoxicity

Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species in Pathogenesis of Vascular Complications of Diabetes

Macrovascular and microvascular diseases are currently the principal causes of morbidity and mortality in subjects with diabetes. Disorders of the physiological signaling functions of reactive oxygen species (superoxide and hydrogen peroxide) and reactive nitrogen species (nitric oxide and peroxynitrite) are important features of diabetes. In the absence of an appropriate compensation by the endogenous antioxidant defense network, increased oxidative stress leads to the activation of stress-sensitive intracellular signaling pathways and the formation of gene products that cause cellular damage and contribute to the vascular complications of diabetes. It has recently been suggested that diabetic subjects with vascular complications may have a defective cellular antioxidant response against the oxidative stress generated by hyperglycemia. This raises the concept that antioxidant therapy may be of great benefit to these subjects. Although our understanding of how hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress ultimately leads to tissue damage has advanced considerably in recent years, effective therapeutic strategies to prevent or delay the development of this damage remain limited. Thus, further investigation of therapeutic interventions to prevent or delay the progression of diabetic vascular complications is needed

Chronic non-specific low back pain - sub-groups or a single mechanism?

Copyright 2008 Wand and O'Connell; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background: Low back pain is a substantial health problem and has subsequently attracted a considerable amount of research. Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of a variety of interventions for chronic non-specific low back pain indicate limited effectiveness for most commonly applied interventions and approaches. Discussion: Many clinicians challenge the results of clinical trials as they feel that this lack of effectiveness is at odds with their clinical experience of managing patients with back pain. A common explanation for this discrepancy is the perceived heterogeneity of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. It is felt that the effects of treatment may be diluted by the application of a single intervention to a complex, heterogeneous group with diverse treatment needs. This argument presupposes that current treatment is effective when applied to the correct patient. An alternative perspective is that the clinical trials are correct and current treatments have limited efficacy. Preoccupation with sub-grouping may stifle engagement with this view and it is important that the sub-grouping paradigm is closely examined. This paper argues that there are numerous problems with the sub-grouping approach and that it may not be an important reason for the disappointing results of clinical trials. We propose instead that current treatment may be ineffective because it has been misdirected. Recent evidence that demonstrates changes within the brain in chronic low back pain sufferers raises the possibility that persistent back pain may be a problem of cortical reorganisation and degeneration. This perspective offers interesting insights into the chronic low back pain experience and suggests alternative models of intervention. Summary: The disappointing results of clinical research are commonly explained by the failure of researchers to adequately attend to sub-grouping of the chronic non-specific low back pain population. Alternatively, current approaches may be ineffective and clinicians and researchers may need to radically rethink the nature of the problem and how it should best be managed

Lifestyle advice and interventions for cardiovascular risk reduction: A systematic review of guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle factors are important in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. We aimed to systematically review guidelines on primary prevention of CVD and their recommendations on lifestyle advice or intervention, in order to guide primary prevention programs. METHODS: Publications in MEDLINE, CINAHL over 7 years since May 3, 2009 were identified. G-I-N International Guideline Library, National Guidelines Clearinghouse, National Library for Health Guideline finder, Canadian Medical Association InfoBase were searched. On the February 8, 2017, we updated the search from Websites of organizations responsible for guidelines development. STUDY SELECTION: 2 reviewers screened the titles and abstracts to identify Guidelines from Western countries containing recommendations for lifestyle advice and interventions in primary prevention of CVD. DATA EXTRACTION: 2 reviewers independently assessed rigor of guideline development using the AGREEII instrument, and one extracted recommendations. RESULTS: Of the 7 guidelines identified, 6 showed good rigor of development (range 45-86%). The guidelines were consistent in recommendations for smoking cessation, limiting saturated fat and salt intake, avoiding transaturated-fat and sugar, with particular emphasis on sugar-sweetened beverages. Guidelines generally agreed on recommendations for physical activity levels and diets rich in fruit, vegetables, fish and wholegrains. Guidelines differed on recommendations for specific dietary patterns and alcohol consumption. Recommendations on psychological factors and sleep are currently limited. CONCLUSIONS: Current guidelines agree on the importance of lifestyle in the prevention of CVD with consensus on most factors including physical activity, smoking cessation and diet, which should be actively integrated in cardiovascular risk reduction programs aiming to improve clinical outcomes.Barts Charity for the HAPPY (Heart Attack Prevention Programme for You) London study (grant number 437/1412)

Blechnum Orientale Linn - a fern with potential as antioxidant, anticancer and antibacterial agent

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Blechnum orientale </it>Linn. (<it>Blechnaceae</it>) is used ethnomedicinally for the treatment of various skin diseases, stomach pain, urinary bladder complaints and sterilization of women. The aim of the study was to evaluate antioxidant, anticancer and antibacterial activity of five solvent fractions obtained from the methanol extract of the leaves of <it>Blechnum orientale </it>Linn.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Five solvent fractions were obtained from the methanol extract of <it>B. orientale</it> through successive partitioning with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol and water. Total phenolic content was assessed using Folin-Ciocalteu's method. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring the scavenging activity of DPPH radicals. Cytotoxic activity was tested against four cancer cell lines and a non-malignant cell using MTT assay. Antibacterial activity was assessed using the disc diffusion and broth microdilution assays. Standard phytochemical screening tests for saponins, tannins, terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids were also conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The ethyl acetate, butanol and water fractions possessed strong radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀8.6-13.0 μg/ml) and cytotoxic activity towards human colon cancer cell HT-29 (IC₅₀27.5-42.8 μg/ml). The three extracts were also effective against all Gram-positive bacteria tested: <it>Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus</it>, methicillin-susceptible <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>(MSSA), methicillin-resistant <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>(MRSA) and <it>Stapylococcus epidermidis</it>(minimum inhibitory concentration MIC 15.6-250 μg/ml; minimum bactericidal concentration MBC 15.6-250 μg/ml). Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids and tannins. Ethyl acetate and butanol fractions showed highest total phenolic content (675-804 mg gallic acid equivalent/g).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results indicate that this fern is a potential candidate to be used as an antioxidant agent, for colon cancer therapy and for treatment of MRSA infections and other MSSA/Gram-positive bacterial infectious diseases.</p