Foliar Resistance to Phytophthora palmivora as an Indicator of Pod Resistance in Theobroma cacao.

Resistance to Phytophthora palmivora was assessed in leaves and pods of 12 diverse cacao genotypes at the penetration and post-penetration stages of infection to determine the relationship of resistance between stages and sites of infection. Penetration resistance was based on the frequency of lesions, whereas lesion size was used as a measure of post-penetration resistance. We observed significant clonal differences for leaf and pod resistance at the two stages of infection. A poor correlation between resistance at the penetration and post-penetration stages in both leaves and pods indicated that these two forms of resistance are independent and governed by different mechanisms. Correlation between resistance of leaves and pods was not significant at the penetration stage, whereas that of post-penetration resistance was positive and significant. This shows that internal or tissue resistance is common between leaf and pod and indicates that leaf resistance at the post-penetration stage of infection could be used to predict pod resistance; however, resistance of leaves at the penetration stage cannot be used to predict penetration resistance in pods. A high positive correlation obtained between attached leaves and pods with their detached counterparts showed that detached organs can be used for the prediction of resistance in attached leaves and pods.

Malignant melanoma and renal cell carcinoma: immunological and haematological effects of recombinant human interleukin-2.

The immunological and haematological effects of continuous infusion of recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2) in 6 patients with metastatic melanoma and 6 with disseminated renal cell carcinoma are reported. In patients with malignant melanoma dacarbazine was given before IL-2; in renal cell carcinoma IL-2 alone was given. In malignant melanoma, 1 complete (CR) and 1 partial response (PR) were seen; 2 patients had stable disease (SD) and 2 progressive disease (PD). In renal cell carcinoma 4 patients had SD and 2 PD. Toxicity of IL-2 therapy was minimal. All patients showed increased cytotoxicity, that was not major histocompatibility complex restricted, towards target cells sensitive and insensitive to natural killer cells. These activities varied between individual patients and were less marked in cases of renal cell carcinoma. Cellular proliferative responses increased in all patients, being consistently higher following the first course of therapy, as did HLA-DR, CD16 and CD25 activation marker expression. Hypersegmentation of neutrophils and eosinophilia were commonly observed, and in renal cell carcinoma these changes were accompanied by abnormal lymphocyte morphology.

Role of alternate medicines in total health care.

Medical therapies of various kinds practiced round the world have the role of reestablishing a homeostatic balance in an individual. Both the scientific community and populace at large take it for granted that Western (or as it is called, Modern) medicine is scientific while traditional medicine as unscientific and purely empirical, while the first idea may be partly true, the second attitude is completely false. The choice of a medical technology-be it modern medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture or any other natural or man-made technology-should rest with the society depending on the technology's efficacy for the particular disease in question, its immediate availability, cost effectiveness, psychosocial acceptance etc. several countries in Europe have kept their doors open for different medical technological choices to their population. In India, an attempt is made to provide support through reimbursement-to complimentary technologies in medical therapeutics.Western medicine is export-oriented, expensive and socially foreign to the majority of our patients. It is unavoidable and extremely useful in critically ill patients. However, for a large variety of chronic disorders, complimentary medical technologies are both inexpensive and patient oriented. It is necessary to judiciously blend modern medicine with ancient technologies so that an effective medical umbrella is provided to our heterogenous population.

In vitro propagation of a Saccharum officinarum (L.) and Sclerostachya fusca (Roxb.) A. Camus hybrid.

Callus induction and plant differentiation were obtained in an intergeneric hybrid of Saccharum officinarum and Sclerostachya fusca. The sub clones showed morphological variation. Chromosome numerical variation was not observed but structural aberrations were noticed in some sub clones. The study indicates the use of tissue culture technique for inducing intergeneric gene transfer in Saccharum hybrids.