Antioxidant property, traditional uses and chemical composition of seed oil plants of North-east India: A mini- review

Apart from being used as food, seed oils have also been used traditionally as medicinal products by several communities. However, the full medicinal potential of many seed oil plants is yet to be properly reviewed, particularly for their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. North-East India has rich resources of seed oil plants. The availability of detailed information on these plants is quite limited. This review aims to explore and evaluate these seed oil plants of the North-East India with particular emphasis on their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities as well as chemical compositions. A comprehensive literature search on seed oil plants of this region has been performed. Seed oil yielding plants of this region can be categorized into two categories: plants that are used traditionally as sources of edible or medicinal oils and plants that are used for purposes other than as sources of oils. Many seed oil plants of this region have been reported to possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and to produce various types of compounds. This review also highlights the importance of these plants in contributing to the local as well as the national economy of India

Naturally Occurring Calanolides: Occurrence, Biosynthesis, and Pharmacological Properties Including Therapeutic Potential

Calanolides are tetracyclic 4-substituted dipyranocoumarins. Calanolide A, isolated from the leaves and twigs of Calophyllum lanigerum var. austrocoriaceum (Whitmore) P. F. Stevens, is the first member of this group of compounds with anti-HIV-1 activity mediated by reverse transcriptase inhibition. Calanolides are classified pharmacologically as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI). There are at least 15 naturally occurring calanolides distributed mainly within the genus Calophyllum, but some of them are also present in the genus Clausena. Besides significant anti-HIV properties, which have been exploited towards potential development of new NNRTIs for anti-HIV therapy, calanolides have also been found to possess anticancer, antimicrobial and antiparasitic potential. This review article provides a comprehensive update on all aspects of naturally occurring calanolides, including their chemistry, natural occurrence, biosynthesis, pharmacological and toxicological aspects including mechanism of action and structure activity relationships, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic potentials and available patents

Prediction of anti-Alzheimer’s activity of flavonoids targeting acetylcholinesterase in silico

Introduction – Prenylated and pyrano-flavonoids of the genus Artocarpus J. R. Forster & G. Forster are well known for their acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitory, anticholinergic, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiproliferative and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. Some of these compounds have also been shown to be effective against Alzheimer’s disease. Objective – The aim of the in silico study was to establish protocols to predict the most effective flavonoid from prenylated and pyrano-flavonoid classes for AchE inhibition linking to the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Methodology – Three flavonoids isolated from Artocarpus anisophyllus Miq. were selected for the study. With these compounds, Lipinski filter, ADME/Tox screening, molecular docking and QSAR were performed in silico. In vitro activity was evaluated by bioactivity staining based on the Ellman’s method. Results – In the Lipinski filter and ADME/Tox screening, all test compounds produced positive results, but in the target fishing, only one flavonoid could successfully target AchE. Molecular docking was performed on this flavonoid, and this compound gained the score as -13.5762. From the QSAR analysis the IC50 was found to be 1659.59 nM. Again, 100 derivatives were generated from the parent compound and docking was performed. The derivative number 20 was the best scorer i.e., -31.6392 and IC50 was predicted as 6.025 nM. Conclusion – Results indicated that flavonoids could be efficient inhibitors of AchE and thus, could be useful in the management of Alzheimer’s disease

Factors affecting innovation and imitation of ICT in the agrifood sector

Diffusion of innovations has gained a lot of attention and concerns different scientific fields. Many studies, which examine the determining factors of technological innovations in the agricultural and agrifood sector, have been conducted using the widely used Technology Accepted Model, for a random sample of farmers or firms engaged in agricultural sector. In the present study, a holistic examination of the determining factors that affect the propensity of firms to innovate or imitate, is conducted. The diffusion of ICT tools of firms which are engaged in the NACE 02/03 as well as in the NACE 10/11 classifications for 49 heterogeneous national markets is examined, using the Bass model. The innovation parameter is positively associated with rural income, female employment, export activity and education of farmers, while the imitation parameter is increased in countries whose societies are characterized by uncertainty avoidance

Global burden of disease due to smokeless tobacco consumption in adults : analysis of data from 113 countries

BACKGROUND: Smokeless tobacco is consumed in most countries in the world. In view of its widespread use and increasing awareness of the associated risks, there is a need for a detailed assessment of its impact on health. We present the first global estimates of the burden of disease due to consumption of smokeless tobacco by adults. METHODS: The burden attributable to smokeless tobacco use in adults was estimated as a proportion of the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost and deaths reported in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease study. We used the comparative risk assessment method, which evaluates changes in population health that result from modifying a population's exposure to a risk factor. Population exposure was extrapolated from country-specific prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption, and changes in population health were estimated using disease-specific risk estimates (relative risks/odds ratios) associated with it. Country-specific prevalence estimates were obtained through systematically searching for all relevant studies. Disease-specific risks were estimated by conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses based on epidemiological studies. RESULTS: We found adult smokeless tobacco consumption figures for 115 countries and estimated burden of disease figures for 113 of these countries. Our estimates indicate that in 2010, smokeless tobacco use led to 1.7 million DALYs lost and 62,283 deaths due to cancers of mouth, pharynx and oesophagus and, based on data from the benchmark 52 country INTERHEART study, 4.7 million DALYs lost and 204,309 deaths from ischaemic heart disease. Over 85 % of this burden was in South-East Asia. CONCLUSIONS: Smokeless tobacco results in considerable, potentially preventable, global morbidity and mortality from cancer; estimates in relation to ischaemic heart disease need to be interpreted with more caution, but nonetheless suggest that the likely burden of disease is also substantial. The World Health Organization needs to consider incorporating regulation of smokeless tobacco into its Framework Convention for Tobacco Control

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Not AvailableA 60-day feeding trial was conducted to illustrate the effect of suboptimal crude pro-tein (CP) levels on growth and physio- metabolic status of Anabas testudineus finger-lings reared in inland saline water (ISW) at 8 g/L salinity. Six isoenergetic (16 MJ/kg) and isolipidic (60 g/kg) diets with 240 (T24), 260 (T26), 280 (T28), 300 (T30), 320 (T32) and 340 (T34) g suboptimal CP/kg diet were formulated. Weight gain (%) and specific growth rate were significantly higher (p < .05) in T32 and T34 groups. Feed conver-sion ratio was significantly lower (p < .05) in T30 and T32 group than the other groups. The protein utilizing efficiency was significantly (p < .05) decreased beyond 320 g CP/kg diet. The protease activity was significantly increased (p < .05) up to 320 g CP/kg diet, whereas amylase activity was significantly higher (p < .05) in 240–260 g CP/kg diets. The transaminase enzyme activities were significantly higher (p < .05), and en-ergy demanding enzymes were significantly lower (p < .05) in 300–340 g CP/kg diets. Fish of T24 and T26 groups had lowest (p < .05) glycogen, erythrocyte count and total protein with highest (p < .05) glucose and antioxidant enzyme activities. In conclusion, feeding 320 g CP/kg diet is recommended for cost-effective growth of A. testudineusreared in ISW at 8 g/L salinity.Not Availabl

Identifying druggable targets from active constituents of Azadirachta indica A. Juss. for non-small cell lung cancer using network pharmacology and validation through molecular docking.

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify druggable targets of active constituents of A. indica A. Juss. for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using network pharmacology and validation of activity through molecular docking analysis. Methodology: Targets of all the active phytochemicals from A. indica were predicted and genes related to NSCLC were retrieved. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of the overlapping genes were prepared. Various databases and servers were employed to analyse the disease pathway enrichment analysis of the clustered genes. Validation of the gene/protein activity was achieved by performing molecular docking, and ADMET profiling of selected phytocompounds was performed. Result: Gene networking revealed three key target genes as EGFR, BRAF and PIK3CA against NSCLC by the active components of A. indica. Molecular docking and ADMET analysis further validated that desacetylnimbin, nimbandiol, nimbin, nimbinene, nimbolide, salannin and vepinin are the best suited anti- NSCLC among all the phytocompounds present in this plant. Conclusion: The present study has provided a better understanding of the pharmacological effects of active components from A. indica and its potential therapeutic effect on NSCLC

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Not AvailableA 60 days feeding trial was conducted to illustrate the effect of graded levels of protein on the growth and metabolic enzymes of grey mullet (Mugil cephalus L.) fin-gerlings reared in inland saline water (ISW). Six isoenergetic (16 MJ/kg) and isolipidic (60 g/kg) diets containing 240, 260, 280, 300, 320 and 340 g crude protein (CP)/kg diet were formulated and fed to triplicate. Weight gain %, specific growth rate, pro-tein utilizing efficiency, feed efficiency and RNA:DNA ratio were significantly higher (p .05) variations were observed for lactate dehydrogenase, oxida-tive stress enzymes, blood parameters and serum osmolality among all the treatment groups, but red blood cell count increases with increasing dietary CP levels. Based on the results, feeding dietary protein level of 300 g CP/kg is economically viable for rearing of grey mullet in ISW.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe present study revealed the gene action and inheritance of yield and different yield attributing characters in bitter gourd. Six generations including P1 (DBGS-2) and P2 (Pusa Purvi), F1, F2, back cross 1 and back cross 2, were subjected to the generation mean analysis, scaling and joint scaling test. The results showed the presence of positive and significant additive effect (d) for the traits like days taken to first lateral, leaf length and width, peduncle length, pericarp thickness, seed number per fruit and yield. Among the two parents, DBGS-2 was observed as the higher yielding (25.86 tonne/ ha). Among the three inter-allelic interactions, the additive × additive [i] was observed significant for the traits like number of primary branches (2.71±1.21), leaf width (2.48±0.30), peduncle length (2.72±0.33), seed number per fruit (12.20±1.20) and yield (38.75±3.82). The duplicate type of epistasis was the observed as the predominant type for various traits studied. The correlation analysis revealed that yield was having significant, positive correlation with peduncle length (0.295) and seed number per fruit (0.269). It was observed that yield is a polygenic and complex trait, governed by many genes in a cumulative manner showing both additive and non-additive gene interaction.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableA 60-day feeding trial was conducted to illustrate the effect of dietary protein lev-els on the growth and physio-metabolic responses of juvenile Litopenaeus vannameireared in inland saline water (ISW). Six isoenergetic (15 MJ/kg) and isolipidic (60 g/kg) diets with graded level of crude protein viz., 240 (T240), 260 (T260), 280 (T280), 300 (T300), 320 (T320) and 340 (T340) g/kg diet were formulated. Significantly higher (p< .05) weight gain (%), specific growth rate, with lower food conversion ratio were found in T320 and T340 groups. The protein utilizing efficiency and whole-body pro-tein content were significantly higher (p< .05) in the T320 group. Trypsin activity increased with the increasing dietary CP level but amylase activity decreased with the increasing dietary CP level. Transaminase enzymes, haemolymph protein and haemocyanin were elevated in T320 and T340 groups. The lactate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase activities were significantly higher (p< .05) in the T240 group. Shrimp of T240 group had the lowest (p< .05) glycogen and total haemocyte count with highest (p< .05) haemolymph glucose and antioxidant enzymes activities than the other groups. Based on the results, feeding 320 g CP/kg is found to be opti-mum for supporting maximum growth and health status of L. vannamei reared in ISW at 8 g/L salinity. The finding of the present study will help in developing a low-cost feed for L. vannamei reared in ISW.Not Availabl