Comparative efficacy of three plant extracts for the control of leaf spot disease in fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.)

The production and leaf quality of Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis hook f) in Nigeria are threatened by leaf spot and blight. The comparative efficacy of Siam weed (Chromolaena odorata (L.), Utazi leaf (Gongronema latifolium and Bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) and a synthetic fungicide (Forcelet) against the mycelia growth of the leaf spot pathogen (Phoma sorghina), leaf spot disease, growth and yield of fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis hook f) was studied in vitro and in vivo. In 2013 and 2014. The experiments design for the in vitro experiment was Completely Randomize Design (CRD) with six replicates and Randomize Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications in the in vitro study. All plant extracts consistently inhibited the growth of P. sorghina in vitro, and suppressed leaf spot development by between 26.2 and 53.54% in 2013 and by between 26.3 and 51.79% in 2014 under field conditions. Leaf and pod yield were also enhanced, C. odorata leaf extract was significantly (p≤0.05) superior to all other treatments followed by V. amygdalina whose effect did not differ significantly (P≥ 0.05) from Forcelet in all the parameters measured. These results show that leaf extracts of C.odorata and V. amygdalina could be used for the control of leaf spot disease and enhanced yield in fluted pumpkin. Keyword: Efficacy, Plant extract, Control, Leaf spot disease, Yield

Coexistence of dilute and densely packed domains of ligand-receptor bonds in membrane adhesion

We analyze the stability of micro-domains of ligand-receptor bonds that mediate the adhesion of biological model membranes. After evaluating the effects of membrane fluctuations on the binding affinity of a single bond, we characterize the organization of bonds within the domains by theoretical means. In a large range of parameters, we find the commonly suggested dense packing to be separated by a free energy barrier from a regime in which bonds are sparsely distributed. If bonds are mobile, a coexistence of the two regimes should emerge, which agrees with recent experimental observations.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted by EP

Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer using Soft Computing Paradigms

The process of diagnosing of prostate cancer using traditional methods is cumbersome because of the similarity of symptoms that are present in other diseases. Soft Computing (SC) paradigms which mimic human imprecise data manipulation and learning capabilities have been reviewed and harnessed for diagnosis and classification of prostate cancer. SC technique based on Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) facilitated symptoms analysis, diagnosis and prostate cancer classification. Age of Patient (AP), Pains in Urination (PU), Frequent Urination (FU), Blood in Semen (BS) and Pains in Pelvic (PP) served as input attributes while Prostate Risk (PR) served as output. Matrix laboratory provided the programming tools for system implementation. The practical function of the system was assessed using prostate cancer data collected from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. A 95% harmony observed between the computed and the expected output in the ANFIS model, showed the superiority of the ANFIS model over the fuzzy model. The system is poised to assist medical professionals in the domain of diagnosis and classification of prostate cancer for the promotion of management and treatment decisions

Susceptibility of staphylococci isolated from a burns unit to mupirocin and other antimicrobial agents

The activity of mupirocin (Bactroban) against coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated in a burns unit was tested to ascertain its effectiveness, and to detect any resistant isolates after continuous use of mupirocin for 2.5 years. A total of 395 staphylococci, consisting of 330 Staphylococcus aureus and 65 coagulase-negative staphylococci, were tested for resistance to mupirocin and other antimicrobial agents. The results showed that 94.5% of the isolates were fully susceptible to mupirocin (MIC ≤4 mg/l), and 5.3% expressed low-level resistance (MIC 8-128 mg/l). One Staphylococcus haemolyticus isolate expressed high-level resistance (MIC >1,024 mg/l). It transferred high-level mupirocin resistance to other staphylococci in conjugation experiments, which indicated a capacity to transmit mupirocin resistance between species. The results demonstrated that mupirocin was still highly effective against staphylococci in the burns unit. However, the demonstration that the resistant S. haemolyticus isolate could transfer high-level mupirocin resistance to other staphylococci was of concern. There is a compelling need to test staphylococci from clinical materials for mupirocin resistance. Early detection of resistance can prevent the establishment and spread of the mupirocin-resistant strains in the unit

Effects of ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Bryophyllum pinnatum on haematological parameters of normal and streptozotocin–induced diabetic rats

The effect of the oral administration of both ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts from Bryophyllum pinnatum (BP) on haematological parameters of normal and streptozotocin - induced (STZ) diabetic rat was investigated. Twenty-five male Wister rats were used and divided into five groups of five rats each. They were designated as (Normal Control – NC, Diabetic Control – DC, Diabetic Ethanolic Extract – DEE, Diabetic Aqueous Extract – DAE, and Normal Aqueous Extract – NAE). Groups NC and DC served as ‘control’ animals receiving food and water only. Groups DC, DEE and DAE were injected intraperitoneally with 65mg/kg body weight streptozotocin. Induction of diabetes mellitus was confirmed after 48 hours using glucose test strips. The test rats were all treated with 100mg/kgbwt ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Bryophyllum pinnatum for 28days. At the end of the 28days, the rats were sacrificed and whole blood collected for Haematological assay. Results obtained showed a significant difference(P<0.05) in White Blood Cell (WBC), Red Blood Cell (RBC), Platelet (PLT), Haemoglobin (HBG), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Mean Cell Volume (MCV), Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) and Lymphocytes (LYM) in treated rats with BP leaf extracts when compared to the diabetic and normal control groups

In-Vitro Effect of some Commonly Found Botanicals on the Growth and Sporulation of Choanephora Cucurbitarum (Berkeley and Ravenel)

A soft rot infection of Abelmoschus esculentus, Amaranthus hybridus and Vigna unguiculata was observed in home gardens and Government farms in the 2010 cropping season. This disease caused remarkable yield loss in these crops. Due to residual effects of synthetic chemical control, it became necessary to test the potency of some botanicals on the growth and  sporulation of the fungus as a control measure.  The  procedures involved isolation and identification of the fungus and potency trials of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the  botanicals on the assay fungus. The isolated fungus was confirmed  as Choanephora cucurbitarum. The extracts were obtained from Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Gmelina arborea Roxb, Chromolaena odorata Linnaeus and Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Different concentrations of the extracts (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%) were used. With ethanol extract, there was complete inhibition of growth by all plant extracts and at all concentrations;  and a little growth in aqueous extracts with Azadirachta indica showing the highest inhibitory effect, while C. odorata showed the lowest inhibitory effect on the first day, (A. indica, 0.1 ± 0.0 ≥ G. arborea, 0.1 ± 0.0 ˃ Z. officinale, 0.2 ± 0.0 ˃ C. odorata, 0.3 ± 0.0). On the last day, the level of inhibition was as follows A. indica, 0.4 ± 0.0 ˃ G. arborea, 0.6 ± 0.0 ˃ Z. officinale, 0.7 ± 0.0 ≥ C. odorata 0.7 ± 0.0. The inhibitory effect increased with increase in the percentage concentration of the extracts. The  potency  was also due in part to the phytochemical constituents of the plant extracts which was observed from the screening test that Saponins, Tannins, Alkaloids, Cardiac glycosides, Flavonoids, Reducing Compounds, Polyphenol, Phlobatannins, Anthraquinones and Hydroxymethyl anthraquinones were either present or absent. Ke words: Botanicals, Cross-River, Phytochemicals, Extract, Susceptibility.

Escape from a metastable well under a time-ramped force

Thermally activated escape of an over-damped particle from a metastable well under the action of a time-ramped force is studied. We express the mean first passage time (MFPT) as the solution to a partial differential equation, which we solve numerically for a model case. We discuss two approximations of the MFPT, one of which works remarkably well over a wide range of loading rates, while the second is easy to calculate and can provide a valuable first estimate.Comment: 9 pages, including 2 figure

Straightening of Thermal Fluctuations in Semi-Flexible Polymers by Applied Tension

We investigate the propagation of a suddenly applied tension along a thermally excited semi-flexible polymer using analytical approximations, scaling arguments and numerical simulation. This problem is inherently non-linear. We find sub-diffusive propagation with a dynamical exponent of 1/4. By generalizing the internal elasticity, we show that tense strings exhibit qualitatively different tension profiles and propagation with an exponent of 1/2.Comment: Latex file; with three postscript figures; .ps available at http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/~nelson/pull.p

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates expressing low- and high-level mupirocin resistance in Nigeria and South Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mupirocin is a topical antimicrobial agent which is used for the treatment of skin and postoperative wound infections, and the prevention of nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant <it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>(MRSA). However, the prevalence of mupirocin resistance in <it>S. aureus</it>, particularly in MRSA, has increased with the extensive and widespread use of this agent in hospital settings. This study characterized low- and high-level mupirocin-resistant <it>S. aureus </it>isolates obtained from Nigeria and South Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 17 mupirocin-resistant <it>S. aureus </it>isolates obtained from two previous studies in Nigeria and South Africa, were characterized by antibiogram, PCR-RFLP of the coagulase gene and PFGE. High-level mupirocin resistant isolates were confirmed by PCR detection of the <it>mupA </it>gene. The genetic location of the resistance determinants was established by curing and transfer experiments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All the low-level mupirocin resistant isolates were MRSA and resistant to gentamicin, tetracycline and trimethoprim. PFGE identified a major clone in two health care institutions located in Durban and a health care facility in Pietermaritzburg, Greytown and Empangeni. Curing and transfer experiments indicated that high-level mupirocin resistance was located on a 41.1 kb plasmid in the South African strain (A15). Furthermore, the transfer of high-level mupirocin resistance was demonstrated by the conjugative transfer of the 41.1 kb plasmid alone or with the co-transfer of a plasmid encoding resistance to cadmium. The size of the mupirocin-resistance encoding plasmid in the Nigerian strain (35 IBA) was approximately 35 kb.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The emergence of mupirocin-resistant <it>S. aureus </it>isolates in Nigeria and South Africa should be of great concern to medical personnel in these countries. It is recommended that methicillin-susceptible <it>S. aureus </it>(MSSA) and MRSA should be routinely tested for mupirocin resistance even in facilities where the agent is not administered. Urgent measures, including judicious use of mupirocin, need to be taken to prevent clonal dissemination of the mupirocin/methicillin resistant <it>S. aureus </it>in KZN, South Africa and the transfer of the conjugative plasmid encoding high-level mupirocin resistance identified in this study.</p