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Key Points Metabolic rewiring promotes ATO resistance in APL, independent of PML mutation status.Inhibition of mitochondrial respiration combined with ATO is a potential therapeutic option for relapsed APL and non-M3 AML., Visual Abstract, Acquired genetic mutations can confer resistance to arsenic trioxide (ATO) in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, such resistance-conferring mutations are rare and do not explain most disease recurrence seen in the clinic. We have generated stable ATO-resistant promyelocytic cell lines that are less sensitive to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and the combination of ATO and ATRA compared with the sensitive cell line. Characterization of these resistant cell lines that were generated in-house showed significant differences in immunophenotype, drug transporter expression, anti-apoptotic protein dependence, and promyelocytic leukemia-retinoic acid receptor alpha (PML-RARA) mutation. Gene expression profiling revealed prominent dysregulation of the cellular metabolic pathways in these ATO-resistant APL cell lines. Glycolytic inhibition by 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) was sufficient and comparable to the standard of care (ATO) in targeting the sensitive APL cell line. 2-DG was also effective in the in vivo transplantable APL mouse model; however, it did not affect the ATO-resistant cell lines. In contrast, the resistant cell lines were significantly affected by compounds targeting mitochondrial respiration when combined with ATO, irrespective of the ATO resistance-conferring genetic mutations or the pattern of their anti-apoptotic protein dependency. Our data demonstrate that combining mitocans with ATO can overcome ATO resistance. We also show that this combination has potential for treating non-M3 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and relapsed APL. The translation of this approach in the clinic needs to be explored further.

Borassus flabellifer leaf extract has been used for rapid biogenic-synthesis of Zinc-Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) due to rich source of bioactive compounds. The synthesized ZnO-NPs were preliminarily confirmed by UV-Visible spectroscopy adsorption peak range at 365nm. The XRD (X-ray diffraction) confirm purity of ZnO-NPs that were crystalline in nature. The analysis of FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) confirm the presence of following functional group such as alcohol, phenols, carboxylic acids, primary amides, secondary amides, alkyl halide. FE-SEM analysis indicated that ZnO-NPs were in spherical shape, followed by EDX analysis which confirmed the presence of Zn-element. Antimicrobial effect of ZnO-NPs was investigated using different clinical pathogens like bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella Pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans and Penicillium expansum and which confirmed ZnO-NPs efficiency as an antimicrobial agent. Antioxidant activity were ascertained to used for several biomedical applications. The ZnO-NPs was efficiently degraded the environmental toxic dyes (methylene blue and crystal violet) under sunlight. In support of photolight-degradation, the study was progressed to understand the ZnO-dye interaction stability using molecular mechanism and it was showing efficient bonding features in the NPs environment. Overall, this investigation have great potential for being an effective and eco-friendly materials was used in environmental applications.

Effective use of unique structural and electronic properties of UV light has made more researchers extremely involved for photocatalytical systems. The synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticle (NPs) has been successfully achieved by using Cardiospermum halicacabum L leaf Extract. The nanoparticle was characterized by High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) with elementary dispersive X-ray (EDX), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), XRD analysis, FT-IR, FT-Raman, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and UV–Vis DRS. This plant extract CeO2 nanopartricles has high photocatalytic activity of Rh B dye that of chemical method CeO2 nanopartricles and at various parameters was reported. Mineralization of dyes is confirmed by measurements of chemical oxygen demand. The reaction of this nanoparticle was described as a feasible mechanism. This catalyst was found to be stable and reusable. This nanoparticle has electrochemical activity showed highest activity by bio synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticle compared that of chemical synthesis CeO2 nanoparticle was reported in this article.

Fimbristylis sunilii, a new species of Cyperaceae, from Western Ghats of Kerala, Southwest India is described and illustrated with photographs. The paper provides distribution and phenology of the new species along with comparison of its allied species.

Gene therapy revolves around modifying genetic makeup by inserting foreign nucleic acids into targeted cells via gene delivery methods to treat a particular disease. While the genes targeted play a key role in gene therapy, the gene delivery system used is also of utmost importance as it determines the success of gene therapy. As primary cells and stem cells are often the target cells for gene therapy in clinical trials, the delivery system would need to be robust, and viral-based entries such as lentiviral vectors work best at transporting the transgene into the cells. However, even within lentiviral vectors, several parameters can affect the functionality of the delivery system. Using cardiac-derived c-kit expressing cells (CCs) as a model system, this study aims to optimize lentiviral production by investigating various experimental factors such as the generation of the lentiviral system, concentration method, and type of selection marker. Our findings showed that the 2nd generation system with pCMV-dR8.2 dvpr as the packaging plasmid produced a 7.3-fold higher yield of lentiviral production compared to psPAX2. Concentrating the virus with ultracentrifuge produced a higher viral titer at greater than 5 × 105 infectious unit values/ml (IFU/ml). And lastly, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of puromycin selection marker was 10 μg/mL and 7 μg/mL for HEK293T and CCs, demonstrating the suitability of antibiotic selection for all cell types. This encouraging data can be extrapolated and applied to other difficult-to-transfect cells, such as different types of stem cells or primary cells.

The present study investigates the presence of phytochemical compounds in the ethanol and methanol extract of Curculigo orchiodes, it was elucidated using Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry. Qualitative phytochemical compounds of both extracts reveal the presence of flavonoids, tannins, phenol, protein, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, and carbohydrate and have a higher level compounds in ethanol extracts of C.orchiodes. Fifteen bioactive phytocompounds were identified in the ethanol and methanol extract of C.orchiodes. GCMS reveal the presence of 2-Furanmethanol, Cyclopentanone, 2-Methyl, Formic acid, 2-Propenyl ester, 2,5-Furandione, 3-Methyl, phenol 3-Methoxy-, 2-Methoxy-4-vinyl phenol, 1,2-Benzenediol, 3-methoxy-, n-Hexadecanoic acid and phytol which has medicinal property such as antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer and antioxidant. C.orchiodes was assayed for antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms such as Escherichia Coli, Klebsiella Pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa using well diffusion method. Ethanol extract show the highest zone of inhibition ranging from 3.4±0.200 to 5.28±0.350 compared with standard antibiotics. From this study, results highlight that the ethanol extract of C.orchiodes will be a valuable source for the production of herbal medicine and maintaining human health.

First quantitative dung beetle-feeding trophic network analysis for the Oriental region is carried out by investigating trophic network interaction between dung beetles and mammal dung types in the moist forests of the Western Ghats a global biodiversity hot spot in south-western India. Dung-beetle assemblage associated with the dung of the prominent mammals, such as the macaque, boar, gaur, elephant and deer, showed differences in richness, abundance and composition among different dung types. Most dung beetles were generalists with low resource specificity and community-wide generalist feeding on herbivore and omnivore dung types. Dung beetles in the region displayed high species richness and abundance in boar dung. The high attraction and specificity of dung beetles towards the odoriferous boar dung indicate that the omnivore mammal Sus scrofa has a major role in maintaining the dung beetle community in the forests of the Western Ghats. Network interaction analysis shows that the vast majority in the assemblage are generalist species, and the few specialist species were all with low abundance. Low overall specialisation and low resource partitioning with high species richness is recorded in the assemblage. The assemblage's trophic level preference is reflected in the high dung specificity recorded in the omnivore and herbivore dung types.

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp hybrids) is a major commercial crop grown in tropical and subtropical regions in different countries. Like any other crop, biotic stresses are a major constraint to sugarcane production and of these fungal and viral diseases are causing economically significant losses, worldwide. Among various viral diseases causing major destruction, leaf fleck caused by Sugarcane bacilliform virus (SCBV) is one of the emerging threats which affects global exchange of sugarcane germplasm. In sugarcane varietal development, parents of interest are crossed and true seed or “fluff” is obtained to develop new varieties. SCBV occurs in the new varieties throughout India and such widespread occurrence was suspected due to true seed transmission of SCBV. However, until now, no experimental evidence has corroborated these observations. In this study, we have attempted to establish possible transmission of the virus from sugarcane parents to their progenies. Eight- and three-month-old progenies from 18 crosses and their parents were tested through PCR assays to confirm presence of the virus. All the tested parents were found to be positive to the virus infection. About 50 to 100% of the progenies were positive to SCBV in PCR assays. Real-time PCR assays of three-month-old progenies along with their parents also revealed that all the samples were positive to the virus. Fluff samples of the parents Co 0238 and Co 11015 commonly used in hybridization were also tested positive for the virus. Even though viral titre is comparatively low in the fluff samples, it could be concluded that true seed acquires the virus from the parents and it has a direct role in disease transmission. Probable seed transmission may be attributed to the rampant occurrence of leaf fleck under field conditions in the country.

Maize yellow mosaic virus (MaYMV) was first reported in the field-grown maize crop showing mosaic and foliar yellowing symptoms in Yunnan provinces of China during the year 2016. Since then, its widespread occurrence has been reported in many countries of Africa, China, and South America in maize crop and other related hosts, sugarcane, sorghum, and Panicum sp. In India, we studied the prevalence of the virus in sugarcane during 2019–2020 by RT-PCR assays using the MaYMV specific primers designed from the consensus ORF 3 and ORF 4 regions. Our studies confirmed MaYMV infection in 14.15% of the sugarcane leaf samples in RT-PCR assays followed by sequencing. The pairwise multiple sequence alignment of all the 15 consensus sequences of this study from sugarcane had shown the highest nucleotide similarities with 97.4% to 100% among themselves as well as to other MaYMV sequences of maize from Africa and China and mainly, all the Saccharum isolates of China. In phylogenetic analysis, all the isolate sequences from this study and others retrieved from GenBank representing all the reported countries clustered together in a single clade. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and new report of MaYMV infecting sugarcane in India, which necessitates more focused research on mixed infections of sugarcane viral diseases in perspectives of management.

In the present work, a facile synthesis was applied for the silver-gold decorated yttrium oxide nanoparticles with the use of Justicia adhatoda (leaves extract) and [BMIM] PF6 (Ionic liquid) as a capping/stabilizing agent. The XRD analysis showed that Ag-Au/Y2O3 nanoparticles have a face-center cubic structure and crystallite size of 30 nm. The Y-O stretching bands were observed in the FT-IR spectrum at 464 to 495 cm−1. The band gap of the silver-gold decorated Y2O3 nanoparticles was estimated as 5.75 eV from the UV-DRS spectrum. In the SEM and TEM images, the morphology of silver-gold/Y2O3 nanoparticles shows a nanoflake-like structure. The presence of silver, gold, yttrium and oxygen of elements has been confirmed by the EDX spectrum. The antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated for the Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) bacteria. The anticancer activity was also studied by the human cervical cancer cell line. The silver-gold decorated yttrium oxide nanoparticles revealed an exceptional microbicidal and antitumor activity when compared with yttrium oxide, silver decorated yttrium oxide and gold decorated yttrium oxide.

Stomatopods in India are well known with 79 species recorded to date. Here I report the Odontodactylus japonicus (De Haan, 1844) and Golden Mantis Shrimp Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata Holothuis, 1941 for the first time in Puducherry coastal waters. A single specimen of Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata was collected from by-catch in the Nallavadu landing centre, Puducherry coast on 19 November 2019 and two specimens of L. tredecimdentata were recorded again in Pillaichavadi landing centre of Puducherry coast on 22 November 2019. One specimen of Odontodactylus japonicus was collected at Nallavadu landing centre, Puducherry coast on 20 December 2019. The present study was undertaken to identify the status of distribution, habitat, and ecological aspects along with the information of spread, confinement, endemism as well as rare, threatened and endangered species. The significance of these new observations is to discern the taxonomic position and characteristics for better understanding of the mantis shrimp group. The specimens were identified, described, illustrated, and measured morphometrically.

Ninety landraces of rice were evaluated for various physio-morphological traits in completely randomized design with two treatment levels, i.e. control and high-temperature stress (3–5 °C) more than the ambient condition with three replications each. The high-temperature stress was induced from panicle initiation to maturity stage by keeping the pots in a temperature-controlled green house facility. High values of genotypic coefficient of variability, phenotypic coefficient of variability, heritability and genetic advance were found for the traits number of unfilled grains/panicle and number of filled grains/panicle, indicating the pre-ponderance of additive gene action and, therefore, scope for improvement of the trait through selection. Four principle components were depicted having Eigen value > 1 and cumulative variation of 59.84%. Based on the performances of various physio-morphological traits under control and heat stress conditions, we were able to identify Karuthacheera, LN-9956-Vellakaravala (Pavumba) and Pokkali white were recorded the highest number of fertile grains under high temperature.

Heat stress is an important abiotic stress affecting the productivity of tomato. Understanding the physiological basis of heat tolerance is needed to adapt to the current or future heat stress. Thus this study was undertaken to evaluate the phenology, physiology, biochemical and yield parameters of twenty-two contrasting tomato accessions when exposed to high temperature stress and to identify SSR markers associated with these traits. The experiment was laid out in completely randomized design with two treatment levels i.e. control and high temperature stress (36 ± 2 °C) with three replications each. The high temperature stress was induced from flower initiation to maturity stage by keeping the pots in a temperature controlled green house facility for 45 days. Twenty five SSR primers were employed to analyze genetic diversity and population structure among 22 tomato accessions collected from different eco-geographical regions of India. SSR markers proved to be more informative in genetic diversity assessment. These accessions showed significant genetic variability for physio-morphological and yield traits under both control and high temperature condition. Clustering by average linkage method was done to establish a relationship among the 22 tomato accessions. All the accessions were clustered into mainly three clusters. Principle component analysis revealed that, the first principal component revealed 43.39 per cent variation, while the second component showed 12.93 per cent variation under high temperature condition. Principle co-ordinate analysis evidently differentiated the accessions to three main groups based on genetic relatedness. Population structure analysis also obviously separated the accessions to four sub populations.GLM analysis identified 10, 9 highly significant marker traits association under high temperature and control condition respectively. Among them, RM270, SSR605 and RM356 were linked to more than one traits. Identified tolerant accessions and molecular markers can be utilized for developing high yielding high temperature tolerant tomato varieties in breeding programmes.

Eupatorium glandulosum of Asteraceae family is an important medicinal plant used to cure various diseases by tribal populace. In the present study, a protocol for mass propagation of Eupatorium glandulosum has been developed from nodal explants cultured in the MS basal medium supplemented with various concentrations and combinations of IAA and BA. The maximum rate of proliferation of shoots per explants (59.66 ± 1.76) was observed in the medium containing 0.5 mg/l of IAA and 3 mg/l of BA, but medium with 1 mg/l of IAA and 4 mg/l of BA showed the maximum shoot length. When the regenerated shoots were rooted in vitro on MS basal medium supplemented with various concentrations of IAA and IBA, medium with 4 mg/l of IBA induced more number of roots per shoot (32.67 ± 0.89) while maximum root length (6.1 ± 0.12 cm) was recorded in 3 mg/l of IBA. The plantlets, with well developed root systems, were successfully acclimatized and transferred to the pots containing a mixture of Soil, Sand and Coco peat (1:1:1) with 100% survival rate. The research article tends to elucidate the tissue cultural techniques for the mass propagation and sustainable utilization of Eupatorium glandulosum. This technique could be implemented for the continuous extraction of valuable medicinal components in the pharmaceutical industry.

Sugarcane is the world’s most widely grown sugar crop accounts for almost 75% of world sugar production. Diseases are the major productivity constraints for sugarcane that considerably reduce yield and sugar recovery. Identification of disease resistance is an important and sustainable approach for disease management. More recently, Brazilian researchers have characterized the whole genome sequences of a commercial sugarcane cv SP80-3280 and mapped 373,869 genes or ninety nine percent of the total genome. Use of next- generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have facilitated the availability of complete genomic information of various sugarcane pathogens, have led to the understanding of organization of the disease resistance gene clusters for unraveling the genetic mechanism involved in developing new resistance strategies to manage sugarcane diseases. Genome wide association study (GWAS) reveal polymorphisms related with composite characters in the whole genome. In the omics era, whole genome sequencing of host and pathogens combined with the availability of bioinformatics tools for their analyses led to the emergence of GWAS, a potent method for identifying genomics region covering resistance loci in various plants. This review summarizes the literature generated during last the 10 years on GWAS in sugarcane related to disease resistance and along with novel single nucleotide polymorphism and quantitative trait loci’s hotspots identified for economically important diseases of sugarcane.

The emergence of multi drug resistant clone CC320 serotype19F/19A and their capsular (cps) antigenic variants due to selective pressures such as vaccine had been reported worldwide. Hence, it is important to identify the prevalent clones, sequence types and cps variants of serotype 19F/19A in India, where PCV13 has been recently introduced. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed for all (n = 21) invasive S. pneumoniae isolates of serotype 19A (n = 5) and 19F (n = 16) collected between the years 2012 and 2018 from children less than 5 years. The genome characterization by whole genome sequencing for the Sequence types (STs) 320 and 271(n = 7) were performed and compared with another six Indian WGSs of similar STs available from the GPS platform. The predominant STs in the serotype 19F/19A study isolates were of CC320: ST 320, 236 and 271, associated with PMEN clone Taiwan19F-14. The WGSs of CC320 study isolates showed high genomic similarity to the Taiwan19F-14 clone, and the penicillin binding protein (PBP) amino acid sequence similarity was 100% for PBP1A, 93% for PBP 2B and 2X. Whilst PBP comparison with other global MDR ST320 strains revealed that the ST320 clones in India are of low-level penicillin resistance. The presence of a few ST320/19A/19F invasive isolates with high similarity to the Taiwan clone suggests slow and gradual expansion of Taiwan19F-14 associated CC320 clones in India. Since serotype 19F/19A is covered by PCV13 vaccine, the expansion of 19F/19A cones with non-PCV13 vaccine serotype in India should be monitored.

Graphical abstract Many patients develop coagulation abnormalities due to chronic and hereditary disorders, infectious disease, blood loss, extracorporeal circulation, and oral anticoagulant misuse. These abnormalities lead to bleeding or thrombotic complications, the risk of which is assessed by coagulation analysis. Current coagulation tests pose safety concerns for neonates and small children due to large sample volume requirement and may be unreliable for patients with coagulopathy. This study introduces a containerless drop-of-blood method for coagulation analysis, termed “integrated quasi-static acoustic tweezing thromboelastometry” (i-QATT™), that addresses these needs. In i-QATT™, a single drop of blood is forced to levitate and deform by the acoustic radiation force. Coagulation-induced changes in drop turbidity and firmness are measured simultaneously at different instants. The parameters describing early, intermediate, and late stages of the coagulation process are evaluated from the resulting graphical outputs. i-QATT™ rapidly ( 0.9) was established between fibrinogen concentration and two i-QATT™ parameters: maximum clot firmness and maximum fibrin level. Factor XIII activity was uniquely measured by the fibrin network formation time (r2 = 0.9). Reaction time, fibrin formation rate, and time to firm clot formation were linearly correlated with heparin concentration (r2 > 0.7). tPA-induced hyperfibrinolysis was detected in the clot firmness output at 10 min. i-QATT™ provides comprehensive coagulation analysis in point-of-care or laboratory settings, well suited to the needs of neonatal and pediatric patients and adult patients with anemia or blood collection issues. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00216-021-03278-8.

The unique environment of space is characterized by several stress factors, including intense radiation, microgravity, high vacuum and extreme temperatures, among others. These stress conditions individually or in-combination influence genetics and gene regulation and bring potential evolutionary changes in organisms that would not occur under the Earth's gravity regime (1 × g). Thus, space can be explored to support the emergence of new varieties of microbes and plants, that when selected for, can exhibit increased growth and yield, improved resistance to pathogens, enhanced tolerance to drought, low nutrient and disease, produce new metabolites and others. These properties may be more difficult to achieve using other approaches under 1 × g. This review provides an overview of the space microgravity and ionizing radiation conditions that significantly influence organisms. Changes in the genomics, physiology, phenotype, growth and metabolites of organisms in real and simulated microgravity and radiation conditions are illustrated. Results of space biological experiments show that the space environment has significant scientific, technological and commercial potential. Combined these potentials can help address the future of life on Earth, part of goal e of astrobiology.

In the present study, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized using the stem aqueous extracts of Cissus quadrangularis (Cq) and characterized using UV, FTIR, XRD, TEM, SAED and EDAX. The synthesized Cq-ZnO NPs showed its optical absorbance at 378 nm and observed as spherical particles with a size of about ~ 75 to 90 nm. The potential antibacterial activity of Cq-ZnO NPs showed an effective inhibition of M. smegmatis at 50 µg/ml when compared to other bacterial species. The antiproliferative effect was observed at 100 μg/ml on MIA PaCa-2 cell lines with IC50 value of 7.02 ± 0.02 µg/ml at 24 h. The synthesized Cq-ZnO NPs was found potential activity against bacterial pathogens and cancer cells. Therefore, they may possibly be employed as useful antibacterial and antiproliferative agents.

Candida albicans and Staphylococcus epidermidis are important opportunistic human pathogens, which form mixed-species biofilms and cause recalcitrant device associated infections in clinical settin...

Food based approach can prove effective in improving access and availability of nutrients from foods required for daily life where most of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihood. A study on feasibility of Farming Systems for Nutrition (FSN) approach was undertaken from 2013 to 2018 in a few villages of Koraput district, Odisha state and Wardha district, Maharashtra state in India. Interventions were done to increase crop diversity, intercropping of pulses and cereals, promotion of seasonal vegetables and fruits along with nutrition awareness. The endline survey showed increase in production diversity leading to improved household dietary diversity. This paper demonstrates the impact of FSN interventions on household nutrient intake. The results show that the intake of nutrients like protein, vitamin C, iron and calcium increased significantly in Koraput and all the nutrients including energy and vitamin A increased significantly in Wardha. The evidence shows that Farming System for Nutrition approach improves individual nutrient intake which in the long run can address the problem of undernutrition.

The work deals with the mechanical characterization of Kenaf and Kevlar fiber reinforced epoxy-based composites. The tensile, flexural, double shear, impact, hardness and de-lamination tests were conducted on composite laminates developed through hand lay-up process. Morphological analysis was conducted to examine the split surface of the tested specimen. The experimental investigation reveals that the mechanical properties of epoxy composites were enhanced by the hybridization of Kenaf and Kevlar fiber.

The aim of this study is to update the list of fish species in order to increase the knowledge about biodiversity of commercially important fishes of Puducherry coastal waters. This study also concentrated on the availability and threatened status of commercially important fish species. A total of 88 fish species under 36 families and 11 orders has been collected during the study. Order Perciformes were made up to 65% with 23 families and 58 species followed by Clupeidae 15% with 3 families and 13 species. Clupeiformes stand on top in the catch followed by perches and mackerel’s. The study revealed that there were noteworthy variations found in the ichthyofaunal diversity. Among the 36 families, only 27 families were seen in the caught without any depletion. Order Beloniformes and Gadiformes showed sudden appearance in the catch which were not seen for the past 7 years. IUCN status of 88species were studied, about 63% of species were under least concern and 8% near threatened, 3% vulnerable category, 7% data deficient, 19% not evaluated. Anthropogenic activities affect aquatic habitats leading to loss of many species as well as bring changes in the species composition. Therefore, ichthyofaunal diversity studies on regular basis are essential for sustainable management.

Background: The present case–control study evaluated the association of PON1 gene polymorphisms and enzyme activity in the western Indian population. Materials & methods: Angiographically proven coronary artery disease (CAD) formed the cases. PON1 polymorphisms (Q192R, L55M) and enzymatic activity (paraoxonase) were assessed. Results: A total of 502 participants (251 per group) were studied. PON1 Q192R and L55M polymorphisms were not associated with the risk of CAD. Notably, a weak association was observed between Q192R polymorphisms and the risk of CAD. CAD patients had significantly lower PON1 enzymatic activity (U/L) as compared with the controls regardless of the genotype. Conclusion: Low serum PON1 activity was confirmed to be an independent predictor for the risk of CAD.

Bio efficacy of virulent isolate of entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana (MK918495) was evaluated against two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae on tuberose under pot culture condition at Insectary, Department of Agricultural Entomology, TNAU, Coimbatore. For effective working of any insect pathogen, it is mandatory to develop an effective formulation. Keeping this point in view, in the present study, compatibility of the fungal isolate with two different oils, viz., ground nut and sunflower were tested at different concentrations, viz., 1, 3, 5 and 10%. The results revealed that the groundnut oil was compatible with B. bassiana at all concentrations with respect to colony growth and spore yield compared to sunflower oil which was compatible only at one percent. Based on the results, oil in water and oil based formulations were prepared. At higher concentration of 10%, groundnut oil recorded the radial colony growth of 36.90 mm diameter and spore yield of 1.2 x 10 8 spores mL -1 . Among the seven formulations (A-G) tested, formulation D which contained surfactant mixture having HLB value of 10.00 (53.33% Tween 80 and 46.67% Span 80) formed a better suspension with less flocculation layer and dispersion of conidia in spray fluid and was found to be better as it formed a good emulsion with water by mere shaking. Results of pot culture studies revealed that groundnut oil based fungal formulation was effective with a cumulative mean mite population reduction of 64.98% followed by crude fungal spore suspension (62.16%) and both were statistically on par with each other. Standard chemical check, Fenazaquin 10% EC @ 1.5 mL L -1 recorded significantly highest population reduction of mites (77.20%).

Biofilm formation by respiratory pathogen favour their colonization, persistence and virulence. Cigarette smoke have the ability to cause induction and increase in biofilm formation. This quantitative in vitro study is aimed at understanding the dose-dependent change in the biofilm formation, which can be correlated to the degree of virulence of the respiratory pathogens. Materials and Methods:In the present study, 77 respiratory isolates of non-smokers were included. They were processed and exposed to varying concentrations of Cigarette Smoke Extract (CSE).Quantification of biofilm production was done according to the Microtitre dish biofilm formation assay. Fischer’s exact test was used to compare the biofilm production status. Results:We observed that 42[80.77%] isolates out of 52 biofilm producers and 12[48%] isolates out of 25 non-biofilm producers were found to show an increase in Biofilm index (BFI) with exposure to CSE. Among the total of 77 respiratory isolates, 32 isolates accounting for 41.57% [95% CI; 30.6% to 52.6%] showed a dose-related augmentation of biofilm formation on exposure to CSE. Interpretation and Conclusions:Progressive increase of biofilm with increase in concentration of CSE was the major finding. This emphasizes the need to initiate appropriate empirical therapy for smokers at the earliest. Keywords: Biofilm producer, Cigarette smoke extract, CSE, Dose related augmentation, Respiratory pathogens, Staphylococcus aureusa

Drug-induced resistance, or tolerance, is an emerging yet poorly understood failure of anticancer therapy. The interplay between drug-tolerant cancer cells and innate immunity within the tumor, the consequence on tumor growth, and therapeutic strategies to address these challenges remain undescribed. Here, we elucidate the role of taxane-induced resistance on natural killer (NK) cell tumor immunity in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and the design of spatiotemporally controlled nanomedicines, which boost therapeutic efficacy and invigorate “disabled” NK cells. Drug tolerance limited NK cell immune surveillance via drug-induced depletion of the NK-activating ligand receptor axis, NK group 2 member D, and MHC class I polypeptide-related sequence A, B. Systems biology supported by empirical evidence revealed the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) simultaneously controls immune surveillance and persistence of drug-treated tumor cells. On the basis of this evidence, we engineered a “chimeric” nanotherapeutic tool comprising taxanes and a cholesterol-tethered Hsp90 inhibitor, radicicol, which targets the tumor, reduces tolerance, and optimally reprimes NK cells via prolonged induction of NK-activating ligand receptors via temporal control of drug release in vitro and in vivo. A human ex vivo TNBC model confirmed the importance of NK cells in drug-induced death under pressure of clinically approved agents. These findings highlight a convergence between drug-induced resistance, the tumor immune contexture, and engineered approaches that consider the tumor and microenvironment to improve the success of combinatorial therapy. Significance: This study uncovers a molecular mechanism linking drug-induced resistance and tumor immunity and provides novel engineered solutions that target these mechanisms in the tumor and improve immunity, thus mitigating off-target effects.

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) is a distinct member of the Polerovirus genus of the Luteoviridae family. SCYLV is the major limitation to sugarcane production worldwide and presently occurring in most of the sugarcane growing countries. SCYLV having high genetic diversity within the species and presently ten genotypes are known to occur based on the complete genome sequence information. SCYLV is present in almost all the states of India where sugarcane is grown. Virion comprises of 180 coat protein units and are 24-29 nm in diameter. The genome of SCYLV is a monopartite and comprised of single-stranded (ss) positive-sense (+) linear RNA of about 6 kb in size. Virus genome consists of six open reading frames (ORFs) that are expressed by sub-genomic RNAs. The SCYLV is phloem-limited and transmitted by sugarcane aphid Melanaphis sacchari in a circulative and non-propagative manner. The other aphid species namely, Ceratovacuna lanigera, Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominalis, and R. maidis also been reported to transmit the virus. The virus is not transmitted mechanically, therefore, its transmission by M. sacchari has been studied in different countries. SCYLV has a limited natural host range and mainly infect sugarcane (Sachharum hybrid), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and Columbus grass (Sorghum almum). Recent insights in the protein-protein interactions of Polerovirus through protein interaction reporter (PIR) technology enable us to understand viral encoded proteins during virus replication, assembly, plant defence mechanism, short and long-distance travel of the virus. This review presents the recent understandings on virus biology, diagnosis, genetic diversity, virus-vector and host-virus interactions and conventional and next generation management approaches.

We have shown, the outcome of antifungal activity of phenazine derivatives which is produced by fluorescent pseudomonads (FPs) for the control of sheath blight of rice. A total of 50 fluorescent pseudomonads (FPs) were isolated from rice rhizosphere. Off which, 36 FPs exhibited antagonistic activity against Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata and Sclerotium rolfsii up to 70-80% compared to control by dual culture method. BOX-PCR analyses of antagonistic isolates indicated that two phylogenetic group, where group I consisted of 28 isolates and eight isolates belongs to group II. Among 36 FPs, a total of 10 FPs revealed that the presence of phenazine derivatives on thin layer chromatography (TLC), which is coincided with that of authentic phenazine with Rf value 0.57. Similar to TLC analysis, antibiotic encoding gene phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN) was detected in 10 FPs by PCR analysis with respective primer. Among, PCN detected isolates of FPs, a significant biocontrol potential possessing isolate designated as VSMKU1 and it was showed prominent antifungal activity against R. solani and other tested fungal pathogens. Hence, the isolate VSMKU1 was selected for further studies. The selected isolate VSMKU1 was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The antifungal metabolite phenazine like compound produced by VSMKU1 was confirmed by UV, FT-IR and HPLC analysis. The phenazine compound from VSMKU1 significantly arrest the growth of R. solani compared to carbendazim by well diffusion method. The detached leaf assay showed remarkable inhibition of lesion height 80 to 85% by the treatments of culture (VSMKU1), cell free culure filtrate and phenazine like compound compared to control and other treatments was observed in detached leaves of rice. These results emphasized that VSMKU1 isolate can be used as an alternative potential biocontrol agent against sheath blight of rice, instead of using commercial fungicide such as validamycin and carbendazim which cause environmental pollution and health hazards.

A new species, Capparis danielii (Capparaceae), is described from the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. This new species was found in the coastal dry evergreen scrubs, and only three individuals were recorded from the type locality. It is very closely allied to C. brevispina and C. divaricata but can easily be distinguished from them by its glaucous branchlets, ovate-obovate leaves, short gynophore, oblong, 4-angular, pubescent ovary and usually longitudinally 4-ribbed, or rarely 6-ribbed berry. Detailed description, illustration, colour photographs, flowering and fruiting period and habitat ecology of the new species are provided.

In the context of increasing demand for novel pharmaceutical high-value compounds and their natural sources, endophytic fungi from medicinal plants are being recently explored for diverse bioactive metabolites. We report bioprocess optimization and biochemical characterization of the endo-metabolome possessing broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, from an endophytic fungus Cercospora sp. PM018 that was isolated from Lal-bisalyakarani (Aerva javanica Juss. Ex.Schult, an Indian indigenous medicinal plant). Potato dextrose medium having pH 4.0 and incubation temperature of 30 °C were found to be optimal for the enhanced bioactivities of the endo-metabolome after 12 days of fungal growth. In the antibiotic-potentiating assay, fractional inhibitory concentration

It is essential to elucidate genetic diversity and relationships among related varieties of origin and landraces for improving the breeding process. Since rice breeding has improved agronomic traits such as yield and eating quality during green revolution, modern rice varieties are originated from narrow genetic resource and closely related. To resolve the population structure and genetic diversity in bold type rice varieties of southern India, we used a total of 81 rice genotypes by 100 simple sequence repeat markers composed of 36 improved varieties and 45 landraces, which are representative and important for bold type grain rice breeding. The landraces exhibit greater gene diversity than improved lines, suggesting that landraces can provide additional genetic diversity for future breeding. Clustering by Ward method was done to establish a relationship among the 81 rice genotypes. All the genotypes were clustered into mainly 5 clusters. Principle component analysis revealed that the first principal component revealed 42.87% variation, while the second component showed 14.01% variation. Among the eight morpho-physiological and plant production traits studied, the relative water content and spikelet fertility percentage contributed towards maximum diversity. Principle co-ordinate analysis evidently differentiated the genotypes to high yielding varieties with common ancestry. Population structure analysis also obviously classified the genotypes into high yielding susceptible and indigenous tolerant groups. These old varieties and landraces present in crop germplasm collections represent a strategic reserve of genetic variation that can be tapped for varieties and understanding of stress response and developing new varieties that are physiologically adapted to highly variable, climate-resilient environments.

Ultrasound-assisted extract of Acalypha indica was used to prepare the green soap formulation. Previously, D-optimal mixture design was used to optimize the mixture of oil components including coconut oil (A, 34–56%), soybean oil (B, 19–31%), castor oil (C, 14–23%), sunflower oil (D, 4–6%), and olive oil (E, 5–9%). Linear regression models were proposed to predict the responses, i.e., hardness (Y1), iodine (Y2), and iodine number saponification (INS) (Y3), and validated with a high degree of statistical accuracy (Fcal > Ftab; df = 4, p 0.9950). Optimization results revealed that the formulation containing 44.57% A, 23.62% B, 17.44% C, 5.37% D, and 9.0% E would yield 41 Y1, 62 Y2, and 159 Y3. The chemical properties of the optimized soap formulation were quite comparable concerning the standard soap specifications (IS13498). Further, this formulation was supplemented with Acalypha indica extract to prepare the green soap, and its antifungal activity was determined using the agar dilution method.

Severe incidence of striped flea beetle, Phyllotreta striolata (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in radish is being reported from Delhi National Capital Region and Haryana. The larvae and adult of this species were found to damage both roots and leaves of radish, respectively. Overall there was an average 63.02 percent leaf infestation and 53.96 percent root infestation in the radish fields surveyed, which was above the economic threshold level (25% infestation). Infestation was also observed on other cruciferous crops like turnip, mustard, cabbage and cauliflower in National Capital Region and Haryana. In the present study, we have furnished the species diagnosis, sexual dimorphism, nature of damage and illustrations of various stages of the pest. DNA barcoding was employed to confirm the species identity and molecular phylogenetic studies based on mt CO I sequences from across the world showed that there were two clusters; the Old World and the New World. The biology of the pest and the importance of studies on area specific population dynamics for formulating management strategies are discussed.

The present study deals with the outer membrane OprD porin protein in 29 clinical bacterial isolates of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. oprD porin gene expression was investigated using...

Sugarcane is an important sugar crop contributes more than 80% of world sugar production. Mosaic, leaf fleck, and yellow leaf (YL) are the major viral diseases affecting sugarcane, amongst YL occurrence is widely reported in all the sugarcane growing countries. It is caused by Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) and detailed works were done on complete genome characterization, transmission, and management. However, in countries like Egypt, South Africa, Cuba, Mauritius and Hawaii, the disease was reported to the cause of sugarcane yellow leaf phytoplasma (SCYP) and/or SCYLV as single/combined infections. Hence, we have investigated in detail to identify the exact Candidatus phytoplasma taxon associated in Indian cultivars affected with YL. The sequencing results and the restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern of the PCR products using the universal phytoplasma primers confirmed presence of sugarcane grassy shoot (SCGS) phytoplasma (16SrXI group) in the YL-affected plants. Mixed infection of SCYLV and SCGS phytoplasma was estimated as 32.8% in YL affected plants. Evolutionary genetic relationship between SCYP and SCGS phytoplasma representatively taken from different countries showed that SCYP from South Africa and Cuba were diverged from others and had a highest similarity with SCGS phytoplasma. Although we wanted to identify SCYP from YL affected Indian sugarcane cultivars, the study clearly indicated a clear absence of SCYP in YL affected plants and we found SCYLV as the primary cause for the disease.

Von Willebrand factor has a pivotal role in primary hemostasis. Its role in thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA), as well as cardiovascular disease, has been demonstrated. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a thrombotic microangiopathy, is a life-threatening condition with a high mortality rate if untreated. Current management strategies comprise plasma exchange to remove autoantibodies and replenish ADAMTS13, along with immunosuppressive agents in immune TTP. This review focuses on novel antiplatelet strategies that target VWF and GPIb. The benefits of the nanobody caplacizumab in achieving faster normalization of platelet count, as well as reduced thromboembolic events were shown through TITAN and HERCULES trials, and these findings have been practice changing. The use of caplacizumab in patients with immune TTP (iTTP) has now become well established. Potential benefits of ARC1779 and N-acetylcysteine have also been shown on a small scale in iTTP, however these lack evidence through larger randomized controlled trials. Further therapies, some in early phase, others in clinical practice, target platelet aggregation within arteries and their utility is presented with cerebrovascular disorders.

Aquaculture industries are the fastest food producing sector and are found globally to resolve the food demands of the fast growing human population. The aquaculture sector has typically been affected by the biofilm forming aquatic pathogens that lead to economic losses with seafood spoilage. Vibrio spp. are the most common and well known aquatic pathogens causing Vibriosis infections in aquatic animals. They are natural habitants of coastal and estuarine environments where they can be associated with aquatic animals. The biofilm forming Vibrio spp. pose increasing problems with the development of antibiotic resistance that causes severe threats in aquaculture. Although commercial antibiotics have been used for Vibrio spp., several natural and organic compounds have been reported against Vibrios biofilm infections. The specific structural genes and regulatory systems of the quorum sensing system mediate the biofilm formation in Vibrios.

Anti-HLA-antibody characteristics aid to risk-stratify patients and improve long-term renal graft outcomes. Complement activation by donor-specific antibody (DSA) is an important characteristic that may determine renal allograft outcome. There is heterogeneity in graft outcomes within the moderate to high immunological risk cases (cross-match-positive). We explored the role of C3d-positive DSAs in sub-stratification of cross-match-positive cases and relate to the graft outcomes. We investigated 139 cross-match-positive living-donor renal transplant recipients from four transplant centres in the United Kingdom. C3d assay was performed on serum samples obtained at pretreatment (predesensitization) and Day 14 post-transplant. C3d-positive DSAs were found in 52 (37%) patients at pretreatment and in 37 (27%) patients at Day 14 post-transplant. Median follow-up of patients was 48 months (IQR 20.47–77.57). In the multivariable analysis, pretreatment C3d-positive DSA was independently associated with reduced overall graft survival, the hazard ratio of 3.29 (95% CI 1.37–7.86). The relative risk of death-censored five-year graft failure was 2.83 (95% CI 1.56–5.13). Patients with both pretreatment and Day 14 C3d-positive DSAs had the worst five-year graft survival at 45.5% compared with 87.2% in both pretreatment and Day 14 C3d-negative DSA patients with the relative risk of death-censored five-year graft failure was 4.26 (95% CI 1.79, 10.09). In this multicentre study, we have demonstrated for the first time the utility of C3d analysis as a distinctive biomarker to sub-stratify the risk of poor graft outcome in cross-match-positive living-donor renal transplantation.