Virulence of Phytophthora isolates from Piper nigrum L. and their sensitivity to metalaxyl-mancozeb

Foot rot disease caused by Phytophthora capsici in black pepper is the most destructive disease. A total of 82 isolates from the National Repository of Phytophthora at ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research were evaluated for their sensitivity to metalaxylmancozeb and also tested for their virulence. Of the 82 isolates studied, 19 (23.2%) were highly sensitive to metalaxyl-mancozeb and six (7.3%) were comparatively insensitive (EC90 value >40 ppm; range 41.3 to 68.5 ppm). The isolates also varied in the degree of virulence, viz., 34 (41.5%) were highly virulent, 39 (47.6%) moderately virulent, 4 (3.7%) mildly virulent, and 5 (6.1%) non-virulent. There was neither any significant correlation between sensitivity to metalaxyl-mancozeb and virulence nor with the geographical location.Â

Discovery of a nuclear haplotype potentially useful for the identification of medicinal rice Njavara (Oryza sativa L.)

The present study report the development of an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)-derived sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker for reliable identification of Njavara (Oryza sativa landrace Njavara), a rice landrace in India used extensively in health foods and Ayurveda treatments. The SCAR locus, named OsNSCAR131 after O. sativa landrace Njavara, is located on chromosome 3 between nucleotide positions 7793982 and 7794108, and yields a 131-bp allele in Njavara accessions and a 127-bp allele in other rice cultivars due to a 4-bp Insertion-Deletion (InDel) mutation at nucleotide position 7794026. We standardized the SCAR assay to be like those used for detecting microsatellite markers by using fluorescently (6-FAM) labeled primers and separating the alleles by capillary electrophoresis. As an alternative, we further adapted the method so as to allow allele detection by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). A single rice grain can be tested for authentication by this PAGE assay. The SCAR marker developed here has great utility in authenticating Njavara grains in both the health food and pharmaceutical sectors

Contribution towards the development of a DNA barcode reference library for West African mammals

DNA barcoding is a widely used molecular approach for species cataloging for unambiguous identification and conservation. In the present study, DNA barcoding of some West African mammals were performed with six new mitochondrial CO1 sequences for Civettictis civetta, Tadarida nigeriae, Orycteropus afer, Heliosciurus gambianus, Equus africanus asinus and Funisciurus anerythrus which are absent in public databases such as BLAST/NCBI and BOLD. Sequence identifications were made by comparing unknown sequences against the DNA barcodes of known species through distance-based tree construction and alignment probing. The sequences have been deposited to GenBank/NCBI.Keywords: mtDNA, West African mammals, conservation, biodiversity

Cross species amplification of microsatellite loci from Phytophthora spp to assess genetic diversity among the Phytophthora isolates from black pepper

Phytophthora capsici is one of the most destructive pathogens of black pepper in India and the world over. Diversity of 114 Phytophthora isolates obtained from leaf, stem, root and soil of different agro climatic areas was studied using 25 SSR primers that were previously described. twenty primers were successfully amplified. Of these, 15 were polymorphic among the Phytophthora isolates and altogether 37 loci were detected. Of the 37 bands generated from 20 primers, 75.67% were polymorphic. Cluster analysis using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averages divided the isolates into seven major groups. The dendrogram generated showed that all the isolates were separated at similarity coefficient between 57-95%. Group 7 with a single isolate stood as an out group. Clustering did not follow the pattern of geographical origin or plant part from where the isolates were obtained. &nbsp

Comprehensive survey of VUV induced dissociative photoionization of aniline: Role of H migration assisted isomerization

A complete dissociation progression of aniline under VUV irradiation over the entire relevant internal energy range and inclusive of all decay channels is presented. The onset energy and breakdown curve was found to be instrumental in selecting relevant pathways out of multiple possibilities predicted by computation for all significant decay channels. The relevance of the ring contraction in the formation of the intermediate five-member ring structure and its consequences for the important channels such as HNC, H and HNCH losses are highlighted. In addition, a potential route for the formation of previously unexplored and astronomically important fragments HNCH and HCCN has been found. It could be deduced that aniline differs from its bicyclic nitrogenated counterpart, naphthalamine, as ring contraction in aniline is found to be favourable over ring expansion. Moreover, the role of H migration-assisted isomerization is highlighted in the context of the formation of astronomically important species

In search of universalities in the dissociative photoionization of PANHs via isomerizations

In search of the cause behind the similarities often seen in the fragmentation of PANHs, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photodissociation of two pairs of isomers quinoline-isoquinoline and 2-naphthylamine-3-methyl-quinoline are studied using the velocity map imaging technique. The internal energy dependence of all primary fragmentation channels is obtained for all four target molecules. The decay dynamics of the four molecules is studied by comparing their various experimental signatures. The dominant channel for the first pair of isomers is found to be hydrogen cyanide (HCN) neutral loss, while the second pair of isomers lose HCNH neutral as its dominant channel. Despite this difference in their primary decay products and the differences in the structures of the four targets, various similarities in their experimental signatures are found, which could be explained by isomerization mechanisms to common structures. The fundamental role of these isomerization in controlling different dissociative channels is explored via a detailed analysis of the experimental photoelectron-photoion coincidences and the investigation of the theoretical potential energy surface. These results add to the notion of a universal PANH fragmentation mechanism and suggests the seven member isomerization as a key candidate for this universal mechanism. The balance between isomerization, dissociation, and other key mechanistic processes in the reaction pathways, such as hydrogen migrations, is also highlighted for the four molecules

The Prehistoric Indian Ayurvedic Rice Shashtika Is an Extant Early Domesticate With a Distinct Selection History

Fully domesticated rice is considered to have emerged in India at approximately 2000 B.C., although its origin in India remains a contentious issue. The fast-growing 60-days rice strain described in the Vedic literature (1900–500 B.C.) and termed Shashtika (Sanskrit) or Njavara (Dravidian etymology) in Ayurveda texts including the seminal texts Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita (circa 660–1000 B.C.) is a reliable extant strain among the numerous strains described in the Ayurveda literature. We here report the results of the phylogenetic analysis of Njavara accessions in relation to the cultivars belonging to the known ancestral sub-groups indica, japonica, aromatic, and aus in rice gene pool and the populations of the progenitor species Oryza rufipogon using genetic and gene genealogical methods. Based on neutral microsatellite markers, Njavara produced a major clade, which comprised of minor clades corresponding to the genotypic classes reported in Njavara germplasm, and was distinct from that were produced by the ancestral sub-groups. Further we performed a phylogenetic analysis using the combined sequence of 19 unlinked EST-based sequence tagged site (STS) loci with proven potential in inferring rice phylogeny. In the phylogenetic tree also the Njavara genotypic classes were clearly separated from the ancestral sub-groups. For most loci the genealogical analysis produced a high frequency central haplotype shared among most of the rice samples analyzed in the study including Njavara and a set of O. rufipogon accessions. The haplotypes sharing pattern with the progenitor O. rufipogon suggests a Central India–Southeast Asia origin for Njavara. Results signify that Njavara is genetically distinct in relation to the known ancestral sub-groups in rice. Further, from the phylogenetic features together with the reported morphological characteristics, it is likely that Njavara is an extant early domesticate in Indian rice gene pool, preserved in pure form over millennia by the traditional prudence in on-farm selection using 60-days maturity, because of its medicinal applications

A multicentric consortium study demonstrates that dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 is not a dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase

Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH1) protects against cardiovascular disease by metabolising the risk factor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA). However, the question whether the second DDAH isoform, DDAH2, directly metabolises ADMA has remained unanswered. Consequently, it is still unclear if DDAH2 may be a potential target for ADMA-lowering therapies or if drug development efforts should focus on DDAH2's known physiological functions in mitochondrial fission, angiogenesis, vascular remodelling, insulin secretion, and immune responses. Here, an international consortium of research groups set out to address this question using in silico, in vitro, cell culture, and murine models. The findings uniformly demonstrate that DDAH2 is incapable of metabolising ADMA, thus resolving a 20-year controversy and providing a starting point for the investigation of alternative, ADMA-independent functions of DDAH2

Outcomes of elective liver surgery worldwide: a global, prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study

Background: The outcomes of liver surgery worldwide remain unknown. The true population-based outcomes are likely different to those vastly reported that reflect the activity of highly specialized academic centers. The aim of this study was to measure the true worldwide practice of liver surgery and associated outcomes by recruiting from centers across the globe. The geographic distribution of liver surgery activity and complexity was also evaluated to further understand variations in outcomes. Methods: LiverGroup.org was an international, prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study following the Global Surgery Collaborative Snapshot Research approach with a 3-month prospective, consecutive patient enrollment within January–December 2019. Each patient was followed up for 90 days postoperatively. All patients undergoing liver surgery at their respective centers were eligible for study inclusion. Basic demographics, patient and operation characteristics were collected. Morbidity was recorded according to the Clavien–Dindo Classification of Surgical Complications. Country-based and hospital-based data were collected, including the Human Development Index (HDI). (NCT03768141). Results: A total of 2159 patients were included from six continents. Surgery was performed for cancer in 1785 (83%) patients. Of all patients, 912 (42%) experienced a postoperative complication of any severity, while the major complication rate was 16% (341/2159). The overall 90-day mortality rate after liver surgery was 3.8% (82/2,159). The overall failure to rescue rate was 11% (82/ 722) ranging from 5 to 35% among the higher and lower HDI groups, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first to our knowledge global surgery study specifically designed and conducted for specialized liver surgery. The authors identified failure to rescue as a significant potentially modifiable factor for mortality after liver surgery, mostly related to lower Human Development Index countries. Members of the LiverGroup.org network could now work together to develop quality improvement collaboratives