Pharmacognostic and phytochemical investigation of the leaves of Malvastrum coromandelianum (L.) Garcke.

BACKGROUND: Malvastrum coromandelianum belongs to the family Malvaceae, commonly known as false mallow. Ethnobotanical survey revealed that it is used to treat various disorders. Pharmacological screening revealed that the plant possess antinoceceptive, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antibacterial activities. Lack of standardization parameters for herbal raw material is a great hindrance in ensuring the purity of M. coromandelianum. The present work was taken up to with a focus to set standardization parameters for M. coromandelianum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The plant was subjected to macroscopic and microscopic studies. Physicochemical parameters such as ash value and extractive value were determined by standard procedures. Different extracts were screened for the presence of secondary metabolites. Phenolic and flavonoid contents were estimated. Plant was subjected for high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis using standard chromatographic procedure. RESULT: The microscopic characteristics showed the dorsiventral nature of leaf. Two types of trichomes were observed: Covering, unicellular, uniseriate, and bi-cellular head sessile glandular. Vascular bundle was surrounded by spongy parenchyma. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence alkaloids, tannins, amino acid proteins, and carbohydrates. The phenolic and flavonoid content estimation revealed the presence of appreciable amount of these constituents, while HPTLC analysis showed the presence of ß-sitosterol in petroleum ether extract. CONCLUSION: These findings will be useful for the establishment of standardization parameters for M. coromandelianum.

Pollen-specific expression of Oryza sativa indica pollen allergen gene (OSIPA) promoter in rice and Arabidopsis transgenic systems.

Earlier, a pollen-specific Oryza sativa indica pollen allergen gene (OSIPA), coding for expansins/pollen allergens, was isolated from rice, and its promoter--upon expression in tobacco and Arabidopsis--was found active during the late stages of pollen development. In this investigation, to analyze the effects of different putative regulatory motifs of OSIPA promoter, a series of 5' deletions were fused to ß-glucuronidase gene (GUS) which were stably introduced into rice and Arabidopsis. Histochemical GUS analysis of the transgenic plants revealed that a 1631 bp promoter fragment mediates maximum GUS expression at different stages of anther/pollen development. Promoter deletions to -1272, -966, -617, and -199 bp did not change the expression profile of the pollen specificity. However, the activity of promoter was reduced as the length of promoter decreased. The region between -1567 and -199 bp was found adequate to confer pollen-specific expression in both rice and Arabidopsis systems. An approximate 4-fold increase in the GUS activity was observed in the pollen of rice when compared to that of Arabidopsis. As such, the OSIPA promoter seems promising for generation of stable male-sterile lines required for the production of hybrids in rice and other crop plants.

A systematic review of different type of tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a leading cause of death worldwide. Almost a third of the world's population is infected with TB bacilli, and each year approximately 8 million people develop active tuberculosis and 2 million die as a result. However, there are few studies of long-term TB treatment outcomes from Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course (DOTS) programs in high-burden settings and particularly settings of high drug resistance. This study is a systematic review to evidence the incidence and prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) and disease and to evaluate the impact of various preventive strategies that have been attempted. To identify relevant studies, we searched electronic databases and journals, and contacted experts in the field. This review demonstrates that, various types of tuberculosis have different imaging findings, and typical computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MG) findings can suggest the diagnosis. Available evidence reinforces the need to design and implement simple, effective, and affordable tuberculosis infection-control programs in health-care facilities in our countries. With the revision of all the data's, we are able to conclude that the controlling of tuberculosis by human beings is yet not achieved. So, there is an urgency to develop awareness amongst the individuals and also a new drugs regimen for the proper treatment of tuberculosis.

Economic security for the elderly in India: an overview.

The basic concept of social security is not new in India. Traditionally, a sort of moral economy existed to provide security to older destitute and other vulnerable groups in society. However, gradually, traditional support systems are disappearing, and state-based social security systems have come into existence. Under standardized economic security policies, government is covering retirement benefits for those in the organized sector; economic security benefits for those in the unorganized sector; and old-age pension for rural elderly. These are contributory as well as non-contributory programs. Besides life insurance approaches, savings-linked insurance and Annapurna (food security) are other important programs. However, in terms of coverage, program quality and effectiveness have been largely criticized by social security experts, suggesting immediate reforms to old-age programs.