Effect of dietary antioxidants on growth and development of Taro caterpillar, Spodoptera litura (Fab.)

In India, crop yield losses due to various factors including insect-pests range from 15-25% amounting to INR 0.9-1.4 lakh crores annually.IPM including on-line pest monitoring and real time advisory dissemination system may help minimizing such yield losses. With regard to insect pests, it becomes imperative to understand their biology, life history, behaviour and feeding habits, susceptibility and resistance to insecticides. On the other hand, insect diets in rearing room are highly susceptible to microbial growth as well as oxidative destruction by reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA and proteins, and thereby check the growth and development of insects. However, not much attention has been paid on the role and nature of antioxidants in rearing insect. Free radicals have been implicated as relevant players in the biology of the insect midgut and as mediators of the relation with the indigenous micro biota. Furthermore, insect feeding contributes to acceleration of oxidative deterioration of diets due to introduction of extra-oral digestive secretions and increased surface area of the diet that is directly exposed to atmospheric oxygen. Here, we studied the effects of five dietary antioxidants in various combinations on the biological attributes like developmental period, survival, fecundity and growth index of tobacco caterpillar Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) using meridic diet. The larval weight at 14th day of development, total development period and per cent survival were 708.28 mg, 28.07 days and 88.0% in modified diet as compared to 498.64 mg, 30.22 days and 84.1%, in control. The combinations of α-tocopherol at 1500 ppm and ascorbic acid at 3200 ppm enhanced the survival by 1.33%, fecundity by 73 eggs per female and larval growth index (LGI) by 0.31 points. It also enhanced the reproductive potential of S. litura in combination with β-carotene at 200 ppm by enhancing survival to 89.33%, fecundity by 139 eggs per female, LGI by 5.04 and total developmental index (TDI) by 3.24 which were significantly higher over all other treatments.

Chimeric monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor alpha (infliximab) in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Insights into the pathogenesis of psoriasis have provided opportunities to target key steps in the disease process. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- alpha) being crucial to the pathogenesis of psoriasis, monoclonal antibodies against this cytokine have proved useful in its treatment. AIM: To study the efficacy of chimeric monoclonal antibody to TNF- alpha (infliximab) in Indian patients with recalcitrant psoriasis vulgaris. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three patients with recalcitrant psoriasis vulgaris were studied. Baseline haemogram, biochemical parameters, chest radiograph and Mantoux skin test were performed. A loading dose regimen of 5 mg/kg infliximab was administered at weeks 0, 2 and 6. PASI assessment, adverse drug event monitoring and laboratory assessments were carried out at 2-week intervals until week 10. Patients were followed up until week 22 for relapse. RESULTS: Infliximab was well tolerated. The mean PASI was 25.4 at presentation and declined to 5.5 at 10 weeks. PASI 75 was attained at a mean of 9.6 weeks. Relapse occurred at a mean of 18.6 weeks after the first infusion. CONCLUSIONS: This study on Indian patients brings out the importance of cytokine-based therapies in psoriasis. Indigenous production could make these therapies a viable therapeutic option for psoriasis patients in the near future.

Isolation and characterization of a green tissue-specific promoter from pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.].

Expression of rbcS genes encoding small subunit of rubisco, most abundant protein in green tissue, is regulated by at least three parameters--tissue type, light conditions and stage of development. One of the green tissue-specific promoters of rbcS gene family was isolated from pigeonpea by PCR. Expression of uidA gene encoding beta-glucuronidase in the transgenic tobacco plants under the control of pigeonpea rbcS promoter, clearly showed that this promoter was as strong as pea rbcS3A promoter characterized earlier. Study of the sequence similarity with pea rbcS3A promoter, especially the region (boxes I and III) that is required for rbcS3A expression, showed more than 50% divergence. In contrast, pigeonpea promoter sequence isolated in the present study was more similar to that of spinach and rice rbcS promoters.

Autoimmune thyroiditis perdating the presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus: two cases and a review of literature.

Autoimmune diseases are commonly encountered in dermatology practice. While the association of two autoimmune diseases in the same individual is not unknown, it is relatively rare for the second disease to be suspected based on cutaneous manifestations. We present two such cases wherein cutaneous manifestations were the first clue to the development of lupus erythematosus in a setting of autoimmune thyroiditis. Further, we have reviewed literature on this uncommon occurrence and discuss various aspects of this association.