Prevalence of reproductive drugs usage in humans and animals: A pilot study in Patiala city of India.

Reproductive drugs that include contraceptive and fertility drugs are used to manage reproductive health in both humans and animals. Contraceptive drugs are mainly used by humans for reversible contraception whereas fertility drugs are mainly used in animals to increase milk production, poultry products and meat production. Usage of these drugs has increased manifold in the last decade. These drugs are excreted through body fluids (mainly urine and milk) that lead to contamination of surface water, milk and animal produce. Consumption of such contaminated products or water results in reproductive disorders and different types of cancers in humans. This questionnaire-based study was designed and conducted involving gynecologists, pharmacies, medical stores and veterinarians in Patiala city and its adjoining areas in India to evaluate the quantitative and qualitative aspects of use of these drugs. A total of 150 survey points were identified with random sampling method. Data was analyzed using appropriate statistical tools. The results showed that contraceptive drugs constitute 86% of reproductive drugs usage in humans. Further, steroidal contraceptives constitute a huge 94.7% share of contraceptive drugs, and of these combined oral contraceptives have 79.79% share among which a combination is ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel is the most popular (20.92%). The consumption of COCs is higher than that of progestin only pills (Z = 3.39) as well as estrogen only pills (Z = 4.30). In contrast, usage of non-hormonal fertility drugs (89%) dominates over the hormonal class (11%) in humans. The most widely used non-hormonal fertility drug is clomiphene citrate (73.87%). In animals, the prescription rate of hormonal fertility drugs is higher (83%) than the non-hormonal one, where in the most widely prescribed drug is buserelin acetate. These findings are in consonance with the similar studies carried out in US, Europe and Canada which suggest that reproductive drugs usage pattern is more or less similar across the globe. A careful control to discourage indiscriminate use of such drugs is the need of hour to prevent damage of environment and ultimately to the health of living beings.

Kinetin mitigates Cd-induced damagesto growth, photosynthesis and PS II photochemistry of Trigonella seedlings by up-regulating ascorbate-glutathione cycle.

Cytokinins (CKs) plays a key role in plant adaptation over a range of different stress conditions. Here, we analyze the effects of a cytokinin (i.e., kinetin, KN) on the growth, photosynthesis (rate of O2 evolution), PS II photochemistry and AsA-GSH cycle in Trigonella seedlings grown under cadmium (Cd) stress. Trigonella seeds were sown in soil amended with 0, 3 and 9 mg Cd kg-1 soil, and after 15 days resultant seedlings were sprayed with three doses of KN, i.e.,10 µM (low, KNL), 50 µM (medium, KNM) and 100 µM (high, KNH); subsequent experiments were performed after 15 days of KN application, i.e., 30 days after sowing. Cadmium toxicity induced oxidative damage as shown by decreased seedling growth and photosynthetic pigment production (Chl a, Chl b and Car), rates of O2-evolution, and photochemistry of PS II of Trigonella seedlings, all accompanied by an increase in H2O2 accumulation. Supplementation with doses of KN at KNL and KNM significantly improved the growth and photosynthetic activity by reducing H2O2 accumulation through the up-regulation AsA-GSH cycle. Notably, KNL and KNM doses stimulated the rate of enzyme activities of APX, GR and DHAR, involved in the AsA-GSH cycle thereby efficiently regulates the level of AsA and GSH in Trigonella grown under Cd stress. The study concludes that KN can mitigate the damaging effects of Cd stress on plant growth by maintaining the redox status (>ratios: AsA/DHA and GSH/GSSG) of cells through the regulation of AsA-GSH cycle at 10 and 50 µM KN under Cd stress conditions. At 100 µM KN, the down-regulation of AsA-GSH cycle did not support the growth and PS II activity of the test seedlings.

In vitro evaluation of the effects of some plant essential oils on Ascosphaera apis, the causative agent of Chalkbrood disease.

Ascosphaera apis is one of the major fungal pathogens of honey bee broods and the causative agent of Chalkbrood disease. The factors responsible for the pathogenesis of Chalkbrood disease are still not fully understood, and the increasing resistance of A. apis to commonly used antifungal agents necessitates a search for new agents to control this disease. The in vitro antifungal activities of 27 plant essential oils against two isolates of A. apis (Aksu-4 and Aksu-9) were evaluated. Out of the 27 plant essential oils tested, 21 were found to be effective in killing both isolates of A. apis. Based on their minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values, the effective oils were grouped into three categories: highly effective, moderately effective and minimally effective. Mountain pepper oil, Kala Bhangra oil, spearmint oil, babuna oil, betel leaf oil, carrot seed oil, cumin seed oil and clove bud oil were highly effective, with MBC values between 50.0 µg/mL and 600.0 µg/mL. Mountain pepper was the most effective essential oil, with an MBC value of 50.0 µg/mL. Citral and caryophyllene containing oils were the most effective with MIC 50 ppm. The essential oils tested exhibited significant antimicrobial activities against both strains of A. apis, and they may contain compounds that could play an important role in the treatment or prevention of Chalkbrood disease of honeybee.

Effect of jujube honey on Candida albicans growth and biofilm formation.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Candida species, especially Candida albicans, are major fungal pathogens of humans that are capable of causing superficial mucosal infections and systemic infections in humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the jujube (Zizyphus spina-christi) honey for its in vitro inhibitory activity against pre-formed biofilm and its interference with the biofilm formation of C. albicans. METHODS: The XTT reduction assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were employed to determine the inhibitory effect of Jujube honey on C. albicans biofilm. Changes in the infrared spectrum after treatment with honey were also determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. RESULTS: Jujube honey affects biofilms by decreasing the size of mature biofilms and by disruption of their structure. At a concentration of 40% w/v, it interferes with formation of C. albicans biofilms and disrupts established biofilms. The SEM and AFM results indicated that this type of honey affected the cellular morphology of C. albicans and decreased biofilm thickness. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings show that jujube honey has antifungal properties against C. albicans and has the ability to inhibit the formation of C. albicans biofilms and disrupt established biofilms.