Stable Artesunate Resistance in A Humanized Mouse Model of <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em>

Plasmodium falciparum, the most devastating human malaria parasite, confers higher morbidity and mortality. Although efforts have been made to develop an effective malaria vaccine, stage- and species-specific short-lived immunity crippled these efforts. Hence, antimalarial drug treatment becomes a mainstay for the treatment of malaria infection in the wake of the unavailability of an effective vaccine. Further, there has been a wide array of antimalarial drugs effective against various developmental stages of P. falciparum due to their different structures, modes of action, and pharmacodynamics as well as pharmacokinetics. The development of resistance against almost all frontline drugs by P. falciparum indicates the need for combination therapy (artemisinin-based combination therapy; ACT) to treat patients with P. falciparum. A higher pool of parasitemia under discontinuous in vivo artemisinin drug pressure in a developed humanized mouse allows the selection of artesunate resistant (ART-R) P. falciparum. Intravenously administered artesunate, using either single flash doses or a 2-day regimen, to the P. falciparum-infected human blood chimeric NOD/SCID.IL-2Rγ−/− immunocompromised (NSG) mice, with progressive dose increments upon parasite recovery, was the strategy deployed to select resistant parasites. Parasite susceptibility to artemisinins and other antimalarial compounds was characterized in vitro and in vivo. P. falciparum has shown to evolve extreme artemisinin resistance as well as co-resistance to antimalarial drugs. Overall, the present information shall be very useful in devising newer therapeutic strategies to treat human malaria infection

The Juvenile Hormone Analogue W-328 Affects Adult Development and Emergence in the Tsetse Fly, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Diptera: Glossinidae)

The tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes fuscipes Newstead (Diptera: Glossinidae) transmits protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma, which cause human trypanosomosis

Physico-chemical properties of binary mixtures of tert-butanol with (nitro-, chloro- and bromo-) benzene at 303.15 K and 308.15 K

The density (), viscosity () and speed of sound (u) of three binary liquid mixtures of tert-butanol with (nitro-, chloro- and bromo-) benzene have been measured over the entire composition range at 303.15 K, 308.15 K and atmospheric pressure. From the experimental data, excess molar volume (VE), isentropic compressibility (κs), excess Gibbs free energy of activation (G*E), deviation parameters like viscosity (), speed of sound (u) and isentropic compressibility (κs) are obtained. These functions have been fitted to Redlich-Kister polynomial equation to derive the coefficients and standard deviations

<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: Mangal;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HI" lang="EN-US">Physico-chemical properties of binary mixtures of tert-butanol with (nitro-, chloro- and bromo-) benzene at 303.15 K and 308.15 K</span>

790-795<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-US">The density (<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi;mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-US">), viscosity (<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi;mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-US">) and speed of sound (u) of three binary liquid mixtures of tert-butanol with (nitro-, chloro- and bromo-) benzene have been measured over the entire composition range at 303.15 K, 308.15 K and atmospheric pressure. From the experimental data, excess molar volume (VE), isentropic compressibility (κs), excess Gibbs free energy of activation (<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol; mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi;mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-US">G*E), deviation parameters like viscosity (<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US">), speed of sound (<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:mangal;mso-ansi-language:="" en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:hi;mso-char-type:symbol;="" mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family: " times="" new="" roman","serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi"="" lang="EN-US">u) and isentropic compressibility (<span style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;mso-ascii-font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" roman";mso-hansi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-bidi-font-family:="" mangal;mso-ansi-language:en-us;mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:="" hi;mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:symbol"="" lang="EN-US">κs) are obtained. These functions have been fitted to Redlich-Kister polynomial equation to derive the coefficients and standard deviations.</span

Evaluation of the agricultural vocational training programmes conducted by the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Farm Science Centres) in Indian Punjab

Gedruckte Ausg. im Verlag Kassel Univ. Press (www.upress.uni-kassel.de) erschienen

Molecular Strategies for Developing Salt Tolerant Crops

121-137Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses for agricultural crops. High concentrations of salts cause hyperosmotic and ionic stresses, which, in turn, may generate secondary stresses such as oxidative stress, etc. The complexity and polygenic nature of salt tolerance trait has seriously limited the efforts to develop salt-tolerant crop varieties. This paper reviews new molecular strategies that have been or can be used for the molecular dissection of plant responses to salt stress, discovery of novel structural and regulatory genes involved in stress adaptation, and transgenic and molecular marker strategies used for engineering salt tolerance in plants. Application of novel techniques such as genome sequencing, high-throughput analysis of genomic-scale expressed sequence tags (ESTs), DNA chips/cDNA microarray analyses, targeted or random mutagenesis, knockouts, molecular mapping and gain-of-function or mutant complementation, is expected to accelerate the discovery of the new genes involved in stress adaptation as well as improve understanding of stress biology. A number of stress-related genes have been characterized including the ones that encode for important enzymes or a biochemical pathway, participate in signaling pathways or act as transcriptional regulators for coordinated regulation of stress related genes. Some of these genes have been successfully transferred in model plant species including Arabidopsis, rice and tobacco, and a marginal to significant improvement in salt-tolerance has been reported. In addition, molecular markers can be used for linkage mapping of genes/QTLs for salinity tolerance trait, marker-assisted transfer and pyramiding of such QTLs into agronomically desirable genotypes and/or for map-based cloning of genes. Application of transgenic and molecular marker research coupled with rapid gene discovery via functional genomic research in plants shall provide effective means for designing salt-tolerant crops.</span

Molecular strategies for developing salt tolerant crops

Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses for agricultural crops. High concentrations of salts cause hyperosmotic and ionic stresses, which, in turn, may generate secondary stresses such as oxidative stress, etc. The complexity and polygenic nature of salt tolerance trait has seriously limited the efforts to develop salt-tolerant crop varieties. This paper reviews new molecular strategies that have been or can be used for the molecular dissection of plant responses to salt stress, discovery of novel structural and regulatory genes involved in stress adaptation, and transgenic and molecular marker strategies used for engineering salt tolerance in plants. Application of novel techniques such as genome sequencing, high-throughput analysis of genomic-scale expressed sequence tags (ESTs), DNA chips/cDNA microarray analyses, targeted or random mutagenesis, knockouts, molecular mapping and gain-of-function or mutant complementation, is expected to accelerate the discovery of the new genes involved in stress adaptation as well as improve understanding of stress biology. A number of stress-related genes have been characterized including the ones that encode for important enzymes or a biochemical pathway, participate in signaling pathways or act as transcriptional regulators for coordinated regulation of stress related genes. Some of these genes have been successfully transferred in model plant species including Arabidopsis, rice and tobacco, and a marginal to significant improvement in salt-tolerance has been reported. In addition, molecular markers can be used for linkage mapping of genes/QTLs for salinity tolerance trait, marker-assisted transfer and pyramiding of such QTLs into agronomically desirable genotypes and/or for map-based cloning of genes. Application of transgenic and molecular marker research coupled with rapid gene discovery via functional genomic research in plants shall provide effective means for designing salt-tolerant crops

Identification of microsatellite markers for differentiating some Basmati and non-Basmati rice varieties

519-526Microsatellite marker (SSR) analysis was used to differentiate premium traditional Basmati rice varieties from other cheaper cross-bred Basmati/long-grain rice varieties and monitor the cases of adulteration in milled rice samples. Thirteen rice cultivars (4 commercial traditional Basmati, 6 cross-bred Basmati and 3 non-Basmati varieties) were evaluated for allelic diversity using 35 SSR markers. A total of 123 alleles (79-345 bp) were detected; 25 of these were present in Basmati rice varieties only. Polymorphism information content (PIC) value, which is indicative of level of polymorphism, varied from 0.0 (RM167) to 0.858 (RM252), with an average value of 0.447. SSR analysis generated polymorphism sufficient to differentiate all the 13 rice genotypes. Of the 35 markers, 16 showed amplification of a different allele in one or more of the traditional/cross-bred Basmati rice varieties than in IR36 (indica) and Azucena (japonica). Some SSRs (RM60, RM84, RM252, RM171, and RM257) were found unique among the closely related traditional Basmati rice varieties. Traditional Basmati rice varieties could be differentiated from one or more of the cross-bred Basmati rice varieties by allelic polymorphism at 27 of the 35 SSR loci; the most useful markers being RM171, RM1, RM44, RM110, RM229, RM234, RM242, and RM255. Rice varieties were clustered in three groups (indica, japonica, Basmati groups), which correspond well to their known pedigree data. This paper provides effective means to the Basmati traders for varietal differentiation and monitoring adulteration cases using milled rice samples