Utilization of fungal biocontrol agents against rice sheath blight disease provides insight into their role in plant defense responses

Biotic and abiotic factors have an effect on rice production all around the world. Diseases are regarded as major restrictions among the biotic stressors, and rice sheath blight (Rhizoctonia solani Kühn) is one of the most calamitous diseases that significantly damage the crop. Lately, biocontrol of fungal plant pathogens has appeared as an appealing approach. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate different biocontrol agents like Talaromyces flavus, Chaetomium globosum, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Aspergillus niger against sheath blight disease. Prior to sowing, seeds were bioprimed with each isolate and sown in the nursery. After 21 days, seedlings were transplanted in-vivo and were inoculated with a virulent isolate of Rhizoctonia solani at maximum tillering stage. Observations on biochemical parameters and gene expression studies were carried out at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hpi. Enzymatic activity viz., chitinase, ?-1,3-glucanase, catalase, and PAL was observed maximum in Chaetomium globosum. PR-genes viz., IPT, BrD, HmPr, AMP, AldD, NIC and LisH showed up-regulation at 96 hpi. Chaetomium globosum had the highest yield, maximum number of tillers with least RLH% as compared to other treatments. However, results indicated biocontrol agents are helpful and they induce multitude of defence responses against R. solani in rice.

A comparative evaluation of I-gel and laryngeal mask airway supreme in laparoscopic surgeries: a randomized comparative study

Background: Supraglottic airway device results in less hemodynamic responses during laparoscopic surgery but supraglottic airway device to be used should have higher oropharyngeal seal pressure than peak pressure for effective ventilation as laparoscopic surgery also leads to higher airway pressure. In this study the efficiency of the I-gel with SLMA is compared in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgeries.Methods: Sixty patients were randomized in to two groups, group A where I-gel was considered for airway management and group B where LMA Supreme was the device chosen for airway management.Results: Oropharyngeal seal pressure was significantly lower in group A than group B, 5 minutes after insertion of airway device it was 24.90±3.03 cm H2O and 27.30±3.41 cm H2O in group A and group B, respectively and 5 minutes after creation of pneumoperitoneum it was 25.53±3.17 cm H2O and 27.57±3.36 cm H2O in group A and group B, respectively. There was significant difference in the difference between inspiratory and expiratory tidal volume between the groups at all the time periods being higher in group A than group B. Hemodynamics were comparable between the two groups. Time taken to insert the airway device and Ryle’s tube insertion was significantly lesser in group B in comparison to group A. The percentage of complications was higher in group A than group B with no significant (p>0.05) association.Conclusions: Both the I-gel and SLMA devices can be used safely in laparoscopic cholecystectomy in non-obese patients. But in SLMA group oropharyngeal seal pressure was higher with lesser leak volume in comparison to I-gel group.

Efficacy of intermittent prophylaxis vis a vis no prophylactic interventions in febrile seizure recurrence: randomised controlled trail

Background: To compare efficacy of intermittent prophylaxis during subsequent febrile episodes with antipyretics alone or antipyretics with anticonvulsant (clobazam) vis a vis no prophylactic interventions except need-based antipyretic measures in preventing recurrence of febrile seizures.Methods: This prospective randomized controlled interventional study was carried out in neurologically normal children. Study conducted over 14 months (March 2014 - May 2015), tertiary care hospital Mumbai. Inclusion criteria was, children aged from 6 month to 5 years with history of simple febrile seizure, lasting for less than 15 minutes, with Frequency less than one episode in 24 hours. Children with history of afebrile or complex febrile seizure, CNS comorbidity, family history of epilepsy, abnormal electroencephalogram, Unwillingness or non-feasibility of follow up were excluded from study. The patients were randomly grouped in A (No Prophylaxis n= 60), B (Antipyretic prophylaxis n=57) and C (Antipyretics + clobazam prophylaxis n=55). All cases were followed up telephonically every 15 days from date of first seizure as well as personal follow up at 1,3,6 months either in the hospital or at home. End point of study was taken as six months of follow-up from enrolment or lost-to-follow up. Efficacy of intervention was compared using chi-square test, Pearson chi-square test with/without Yates continuity correction and/or Fisher exact test, with p value of <0.05 as test of significance.Results: Sixty cases in group A developed febrile episodes and 6 of them developed recurrence of febrile seizures, with a recurrence rate of 10% among total cases and 9.67% among all febrile episodes. Recurrence rate was significantly higher (10%) in cases who did not receive any prophylactic intervention (Group A) as compared to pooled recurrence rate in group B and C together 1.78% (p=0.022).Conclusion: Regular antipyretic prophylaxis, alone or along with clobazam does not reduce the risk of recurrence in simple febrile seizures as compared to those who receive antipyretic intervention.

Transient leukaemia of Down syndrome in a neonate: case report

Transient leukemia of Down syndrome(TL-DS)' or transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) or transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) is a hematologic abnormality characterized by an uncontrolled proliferation of myeloblasts in peripheral blood and bone marrow which characteristically affects newborns and babies with Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) have a unique predisposition to develop myeloid leukemia of Down syndrome(ML-DS). In majority of cases of TL-DS, the GATA1 mutant clone goes into spontaneous remission without the need for chemotherapy. However, 10-20 % of neonates with TL-DS and silent TL-DS subsequently develop ML-DS in the first 5 years of life due to additional oncogenic mutations acquired by the persistent GATA1 mutant cells. We present here, one such case of Down syndrome with TL-DS in a neonate.

Feeding practices in infants: ritual factors dominating mother’s education - a cross sectional study.

Background: The objective was to know the impact of mother education on feeding practices of infants. Methods: Observational analytic cross sectional study. We used Semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire to interview 355 mothers of infants, aged one and half to 12 months, who came in OPD of Department of Paediatrics UPRIMS and R, Saifai for immunization or some problem. Results: Total 267 (75.2 %) out of 355 women had initiated breast feeding within 24 hours of birth. 172 (48.5%) mothers exclusively breast fed their infants. Total 166 (46.8%) practiced Prelacteal feed. Out of 166 subjects, 121 (34.1%) practiced for 7 days and 41 (12.7%) beyond the 7 days. There were highly significant relationship found between education level of mothers with type of breast feeding, in the form of exclusive or non- exclusive breast feeding and Prelacteal feeding practices ( p <. 05). Relation between education level of mother with time of initiation of breast feeding since birth was not found statistically significant (p >0.05), but an important pattern of initiation of breast feeding was seen at the different level of mothers education. Conclusion: Ritual and customary factors have much impact then mother’s education on breast feeding practices of infants. Apart from education, breast feeding awareness programme should be increased including both literate and illiterate mothers.

In vitro PHYTOTHERAPY OF VECTOR SNAILS BY BINARY COMBINATIONS OF LARVICIDAL ACTIVE COMPONENTS IN EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF FASCIOLIASIS / Fitoterapia in vitro de caramujos vetores por combinações binárias de componentes ativos larvicidas como controle efetivo de fasciolíase

SUMMARY A food-borne trematode infection fascioliasis is one among common public health problems worldwide. It caused a great economic loss for the human race. Control of snail population below a certain threshold level is one of the important methods in the campaign to reduce the incidence of fascioliasis. The life cycle of the parasite can be interrupted by killing the snail or Fasciola larva redia and cercaria inside of the snail Lymnaea acuminata. In vitro toxicity of different binary combinations (1:1 ratio) of plant-derived larvicidal active components such as citral, ferulic acid, umbelliferone, azadirachtin and allicin against Fasciola redia and cercaria were tested. The mortality of larvae was observed at 2h, 4h, 6h and 8h of treatment. In in vitro condition azadirachtin + allicin (1:1 ratio) was highly toxic against redia and cercaria (8h LC50 0.006 and 0.005 mg/L). Toxicity of citral + ferulic acid was lowest against redia and cercaria larvae. .

RESUMO A infecção alimentar pelo trematóide da fasciolíase é uma dentre os mais comuns problemas de saúde pública mundiais, causando grande prejuízo econômico para a humanidade. Controle da população de caramujos abaixo de determinado nível é um dos métodos no campo mais importantes para a redução da incidência da fasciolíase. O ciclo de vida do parasita pode ser interrompido pela morte do caramujo ou da larva redia e cercária da Fasciola dentro da Lymnaea acuminata. Foi testada a toxicidade in vitro das diferentes combinações binárias (relação 1:1) entre os vários componentes larvicidas ativos da planta tais como citral, ácido ferúlico, umbeliferone, azadiractina, e alicina contra a Fasciola redia e a cercária. A mortalidade das larvas foi observada após duas, quatro, seis e oito horas de tratamento. A condição in vitro azadiractina + alicina (relação 1:1) foi altamente tóxica contra redia e cercária (8h LC50 0,006 e 0,005 mg/L). Toxicidade do citral + ácido ferúlico foi a mais baixa contra redia e larvas de cercária. .

Establishment of cell line from embryonic tissue of Pipistrellus ceylonicus bat species from India & its susceptibility to different viruses.

Background & objectives: Pipistrellus ceylonicus bat species is widely distributed in South Asia, with additional populations recorded in China and Southeast Asia. Bats are the natural reservoir hosts for a number of emerging zoonotic diseases. Attempts to isolate bat-borne viruses in various terrestrial mammalian cell lines have sometimes been unsuccessful. The bat cell lines are useful in isolation and propagation of many of the viruses harboured by bats. New stable bat cell lines are needed to help such investigations and to assist in the study of bat immunology and virus-host interactions. In this study we made an attempt to develop a cell line from P. ceylonicus bats. Methods: An effort was made to establish cell line from embryo of P. ceylonicus species of bat after seeding to Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10 per cent foetal bovine serum; a primary cell line was established and designated as NIV-BtEPC. Mitochondrial DNA profile analysis was done using cyt-b and ND-1 gene sequences from the cell line. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using neighbour-joining algorithm for cyt-b and ND-1 genes with 1000-bootstrap replicates. Results: NIV-BtEPC cell line was susceptible to Chandipura (CHPV) and novel adenovirus (BtAdv-RLM) isolated from Rousettus leschenaulti from India but did not support multiplication of a number of Bunyaviruses, Alphaviruses and Flavivirus. This might be useful for isolation of a range of viruses and investigation of unknown aetiological agents. Interpretation & conclusions: In this study, a new bat cell line was developed from P. ceylonicus. This cell line was successfully tested for the susceptibility to Chandipura and BtAdv-RLM virus isolated from bats. The approach developed and optimised in this study may be applicable to the other species of bats and this established cell line can be used to facilitate virus isolation and basic research into virus-host interaction.

CHARACTERIZATION OF MOLLUSCICIDAL COMPONENT OF Moringa oleifera LEAF AND Momordica charantia FRUITS AND THEIR MODES OF ACTION IN SNAIL Lymnaea acuminata / Caracterização do componente moluscicida das folhas da Moringa oleifera e das frutas da Momordica charantia e seus modos de ação sobre o caramujo Lymnaea acuminata

SUMMARY The molluscicidal activity of the leaf powder of Moringa oleifera and lyophilized fruit powder of Momordica charantia against the snail Lymnaea acuminata was time and concentration dependent. M. oleifera leaf powder (96 h LC50: 197.59 ppm) was more toxic than M. charantia lyophilized fruit powder (96 h LC50: 318.29 ppm). The ethanolic extracts of M. oleifera leaf powder and Momordica charantia lyophilized fruit powder were more toxic than other organic solvent extracts. The 96 h LC50 of the column purified fraction of M. oleifera leaf powder was 22.52 ppm, while that of M. charantia lyophilized fruit powder was 6.21 ppm. Column, thin layer and high performance liquid chromatography analysis show that the active molluscicidal components in M. oleifera leaf powder and lyophilized fruit of M. charantia are benzylamine (96 h LC50: 2.3 ppm) and momordicine (96 h LC50: 1.2 ppm), respectively. Benzylamine and momordicine significantly inhibited, in vivo and in vitro, the acetylcholinesterase (AChE), acid and alkaline phosphatase (ACP/ALP) activities in the nervous tissues of L. acuminata. Inhibition of AChE, ACP and ALP activity in the nervous tissues of L. acuminata by benzylamine and momordicine may be responsible for the molluscicidal activity of M. oleifera and M. charantia fruits, respectively. .

RESUMO A atividade moluscicida do pó das folhas de Moringa oleifera e do pó liofilizado das frutas da Momordica charantia contra o caramujo Lymnaea acuminata é dependente do tempo e da sua concentração. O pó da folha da M. oleifera (96 h LC50: 197.59 ppm) foi mais tóxico do que o pó liofilizado da fruta da M. charantia (96 h LC50: 318.29 ppm). Os extratos etanólicos do pó de folha da M. oleifera e do pó liofilizado da fruta da M. charantia foram mais tóxicos do que outros extratos orgânicos solventes. O 96 h LC50 da fração purificada por coluna do pó das folhas da M. oleifera foi 22.52 ppm enquanto que o pó liofilizado do fruto da M. charantia foi 6.21 ppm. Coluna, camada fina e a alta performance da análise da cromatografia líquida mostram que os componentes ativos moluscicidas do pó da folha da M. oleifera e do liofiliizado da fruta da M. charantia são a benzilamina (96 h LC50: 22.3 ppm) e a momordicina (96 h LC50: 1.2 ppm), respectivamente. A benzilamina e a momordicina inibiram de maneira significante in vivo e in vitro a acetilcolinesterase (AChE), as atividades das fosfatases alcalina e ácida (ACP/ALP) nos tecidos nervosos da L. acuminata. A inibição da atividade da AChE, ACP e ALP nos tecidos nervosos da L. acuminata pela benzilamina e momordicina podem ser responsáveis pela atividade moluscicida da M. oleifera e dos frutos da M. charantia, respectivamente. .

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).

We present 2 cases of Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), both of the cases presented to us with typical signs of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but they also had history of falls and difficulty in looking downwards. PSP is one of the variants of Parkinson Plus Syndromes.

Multiple visceral abscesses due to tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis is a global epidemic, especially in India. In immuno-competent host, abdominal tuberculosis most commonly presents as ileo-caecal tuberculosis and ascitis. Presented is a rare case of immuno-competent host with abdominal tuberculosis in the form of multiple visceral abscess.

Percepção dos pacientes a respeito da utilidade do Ambulatório de Avaliação Pré-anestésica em um país caribenho em desenvolvimento / Patient perception of the utility of the Preanesthetic Clinics in a caribbean developing country / Percepción de los pacientes respecto de la utilidad del Ambulatorio de Evaluación Preanestésica en un país caribeño en desarrollo

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: A percepção dos pacientes a respeito da utilidade do Ambulatório de Avaliação Pré-anestésica e o fluxo de pacientes não foram extensamente estudados no mundo em desenvolvimento. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar esse aspecto. MÉTODO: Foi realizada pesquisa aplicando-se questionário entre pacientes atendidos no Ambulatório de Avaliação Pré-anestésica de um hospital terciário de ensino em Trinidad. A título de comparação, esse questionário também foi distribuído aos pacientes atendidos no Ambulatório de Cirurgia Geral. Os parâmetros demográficos, incluindo idade, sexo, nível escolar e estado físico ASA foram anotados. Outros dados registrados incluíam o fluxo de pacientes e detalhes a respeito da equipe médica. RESULTADOS: Dos 220 pacientes atendidos no Ambulatório de Avaliação Pré-anestésica, 92,7% participaram do estudo. A validade do questionário foi apoiada pelo coeficiente alfa de Cronbach (0,67). O tempo médio para o encaminhamento do Ambulatório de Cirurgia para a Clínica Pré-anestésica foi de 50 dias; a espera média na clínica foi de 2,7 horas e da espera pela intervenção cirúrgica após a aceitação pelo ambulatório foi de 13 dias. As opiniões dos pacientes a respeito dos benefícios da clínica e tempo de espera não foram influenciadas pela idade nem pelo nível educacional. Na opinião dos pacientes, o atendimento no Ambulatório de Avaliação Pré-anestésica foi satisfatório, mas os tempos de espera foram considerados longos. CONCLUSÕES: Na opinião dos pacientes, a consulta no Ambulatório de Avaliação Pré-anestésica antes do procedimento cirúrgico foi útil e o atendimento foi considerado satisfatório.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Perception of the patients regarding the utility of the Preanesthetic Clinics and flow time in clinics has not been widely studied in the developing world. The present study aims to study this aspect. METHODS: A self-administered 15-item questionnaire survey was conducted among patients attending the Preanesthetic Clinics at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Trinidad. The questionnaire was also distributed to the patients attending the General Surgical Clinic for comparison. Another questionnaire was distributed among the staff of the Preanesthetic Clinic. Patient demographics including age, gender, and educational status and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status were noted. Other data recorded were patient flow time and details of attending staff. RESULTS: Of the 220 patients who attended the Preanesthetic Clinics, 92.7% participated in the study. The reliability of the questionnaire was supported by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.67). The median time for referral from the surgical clinic to Preanesthetic Clinic was 50 days, median waiting time in the clinic was 2.7 hours, and the median waiting time for surgery after acceptance in the clinic was 13 days. The patients' opinions regarding the benefits of the clinic, length of the waiting time was independent of their age and educational status. Patients felt that attending the Preanesthetic Clinic was beneficial and not costly to them, although the waiting times were found to be longer. CONCLUSIONS: Patients perceive that attending the Preanesthetic Clinic has been useful before the surgical procedure and the care they received in the clinic was satisfactory.

JUSTIFICATIVA Y OBJETIVOS: La percepción de los pacientes respecto de la utilidad del Ambulatorio de Evaluación Preanestésica como también el flujo de pacientes, no fueron extensamente estudiados en el mundo en desarrollo. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar ese aspecto. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una investigación aplicando un cuestionario entre los pacientes atendidos en el Ambulatorio de Evaluación Preanestésica de un hospital subcontratado de enseñanza en Trinidad. Como comparación, ese cuestionario también se distribuyó a los pacientes atendidos en el Ambulatorio de Cirugía General. Los parámetros demográficos, incluyendo edad, sexo, nivel escolar y estado físico ASA se registraron. Otros datos registrados incluían el flujo de pacientes y los detalles respecto del equipo médico. RESULTADOS: De los 220 pacientes atendidos en el Ambulatorio de Evaluación Pré-anestésica, un 92,7% participaron del estudio. La validez del cuestionario fue apoyada por el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach (0,67). El tiempo promedio para la derivación al ambulatorio de cirugía para la Clínica Preanestésica fue de 50 días; el tiempo promedio de espera en la clínica fue de 2,7 horas y el de espera por la cirugía después de la aceptación por parte del ambulatorio fue de 12 días. Las opiniones de los pacientes respecto de los beneficios de la clínica y tiempo de espera no tuvieron ningún influjo por la edad ni por el nivel cultural. Según los pacientes, la atención en el Ambulatorio de Evaluación Preanestésica fue benéfica, pero los tiempos de espera fueron considerados extensos. CONCLUSIONES: Según los pacientes, la consulta en el Ambulatorio de Evaluación Preanestésica antes del procedimiento quirúrgico fue útil y la atención fue considerada satisfactoria.