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Background: The persistence of disease in periapical tissues is most commonly associated with difficulties or mishaps which occur during or after initial endodontic treatment. Aims and Objective: To isolate and identify the organisms in root canal failed cases & its current antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Materials and Methods: study was conducted on 51 patients attending the OPD of dental Department Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Patna. The results were analyzed using VITEK-2 automated analyser (Bio Merieux UK). Results: A total of 18 types of bacteria were isolated and among them 17.3% cases reported E- faecalis and another 15.2% cases reported E-cloacae complex. Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounted for 8.7% while 6.5% constituted of E-faecium, Escherichia coli etc. Conclusion: Enterococcus species was found in majority of cases indicates that it is the predominant bacteria responsible for endodontic failure.

Construction of a focused library of polycyclic ether-benzopyrans was undertaken in order to discover new therapeutic compounds that affect Leishmania growth and infectivity. This is especially of interest since there are few drug therapies for leishmaniasis that do not have serious drawbacks such high cost, side effects, and emerging drug resistance. The construction of these polycyclic ether-benzopyrans utilized an acetoxypyranone-alkene [5+2] cycloaddition and the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. The multi-gram quantity of the requisite aryl bromide was obtained followed by effective Pd-catalyzed coupling with boronic acid derivatives. Compounds were tested in vitro using the parasitic protozoan, Leishmania tarentolae. Effects of concentration, time, and exposure to light were evaluated. In addition, the effects on secreted acid phosphatase activity and nitric oxide production were investigated, since both have been implicated in parasite infectivity. The data presented herein are indicative of disruption of the Leishmania tarentolae and thus provide impetus for the development and testing of a more extensive library.

Phytases are enzyme capable of hydrolysing phytic acid to myo-inositol and inorganic phosphorus. The aim of the present study was the screening and isolation of efficient phytase producing bacteria from soil samples. 14 bacterial isolates were found to produce clear zone of hydrolysis on PSM containing 0.5% ca-phytate. Out of all phytase positive isolates, five bacterial isolates 100A, 9H, 14A, 4D, and 2B showed significant phytase production in submerged fermentation. The isolate 14A was found to be the best among all with the maximum production of 89.09 U/ml after 72 h of incubation at 30 ºC. Colony morphology and microscopic examination (Gram’s staining) of maximal phytase producer suggested that the isolate 14A is gram negative rod. Further on molecular analysis the bacterial isolate showed closest similarity with Pseudomonas sp. 16S rDNA sequencing and sequence similarity search using BLAST showed that it matches 97 % with Pseudomonas pulluriniana, while 3% was found to be unique sequence and named as Pseudomonas sp. aazad. The crude phytase from the isolate showed optimum activity at pH 6 and temperature 50 ºC.

Campylobacteriosis is a deadly disease which has developed resistance to most of the available chemotherapeutic agents. Although various studies provide evidence of acquired immunity following exposure to Campylobacter jejuni, no effective vaccine has been developed, still. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify potential vaccine candidates for Campylobacter species. In the proposed study, Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni serotype O:2 (strain NCTC 11168) was taken and computational approach was employed to screen C. jejuni genome for promising vaccine candidates. From 1623 protein-coding sequences, 37 potential antigens were screened for epitope prediction based on surface association, consensus antigenicity predictions, solubility, transmembrane domain, and ortholog analysis. Comprehensive immunogenic analysis of these 37 antigens revealed that antigen Q0PA22 shows the greatest potential for experimental immunogenicity analysis. It has several potential CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes, as well as high probability of B-cell epitope regions as compared to well-characterized antigen Omp18 (Uniprot ID:Q0PC24). Among the highest scoring predicted epitopes, an optimal set of epitopes with respect to overall immunogenicity in target populations for campylobacteriosis viz. Europe, North America and Southwest Asia was determined. An epitope AMLTYMQWL from antigen no. 6(Q0PA22) binds to the most prevalent allele HLA-A*0201, and this epitope has most immunogenicity for all the target populations. In addition, this epitope exhibited highly significant TCR-pMHC interactions having a joint Z value of 4.87. Homology mapping studies of the predicted epitope show best homology to a well-studied antigenic peptide from influenza virus H5N1. Therefore, the predicted epitope might be a suitable vaccine candidate.

Mosquito-borne flaviviruses (MBFVs) are important cause of emerging and re-emerging human diseases nearly worldwide, transmitted by arthropod vectors (mostly aedes and culex mosquitoes), with particular reference to yellow fever virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, dengue fever virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus, etc. In over 100 countries, more than 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection, and approximately 20 million infections are reported annually. Through the analysis of gene sequence data of these virus populations it is possible to infer phylogenetic relationships, which in turn can yield important epidemiological information, including their demographic history. Early attempts to define the evolutionary relationships and origins of viruses in the genus flavivirus are hampered by the lack of genetic information particularly amongst the MBFVs. In this study, complete genome, translated polyprotein, structural and non-structural proteins of MBFVs have been targeted and revealed an extensive series of clades defined by their epidemiology and disease associations. The branching patterns of at the deeper nodes of the resultant trees were different from those reported in the previous study. The significance of these observations is discussed.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an acute central nervous system inflammatory disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). JEV is a small, enveloped, plus-strand RNA virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus. In this study, envelope protein (E) that mediates the entry of JEV into host cell has been preferred as potential molecular target for drug development. The 3-D structure of E protein was designed and validated using modeler9.10 and procheck tool, respectively, and also optimized using molecular dynamics simulation. A number of lead molecules were used for computational virtual screening against JEV E protein. Three top ranked lead molecules with strong binding affinity to JEV E protein were identified based on minimum binding energy. Molecular dynamic simulation was also performed for protein–ligand complex to study the mobility of complex at various time intervals. Drug likeliness and comparative bioactivity analysis for these leads using OSIRIS Property Explorer had shown that these molecules would have the potential to act as better drug. The mycophenolate was found to be most suitable as entry inhibitor therapeutic molecule for JEV E protein, which may be considered as a potential ligand for treatment of Japanese encephalitis.

A microwave-induced technique has been developed for the synthesis of a series of novel spiro indoline-based heterocycles (7a–g) at atmospheric pressure in an open vessel using an environmentally benign procedure. This rapid method produces pure products in good yields within a few minutes in comparison to the conventional procedure developed for the synthesis of these heterocycles. The synthesized compounds have been screened in vitro for antifungal activity against two fungal strains (i.e., Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus). All compounds have shown significant activity against these pathogens. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® for the following free supplemental resource: Full experimental and spectral details.]

Background Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a wellestablished precancerous condition affecting the oral mucosa. It is a disease that causes significant morbidity (in terms of loss of mouth function as tissues become rigid and mouth opening becomes difficult) and mortality (when transformation into squamous cell carcinoma occurs). Aim The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of Aloe vera with antioxidant when given along with physiotherapy in the management of OSMF. Materials and methods Forty patients presenting with clinical signs and symptoms of OSMF were included for the study after informed consent. Group A included 20 patients who received Aloe vera gel (forever living gel) along with physiotherapy. Group B included 20 patients who received antioxidant capsules twice daily for 3 months along with physiotherapy exercises four times in a day. The following parameters, that is, burning sensation, mouth opening, tongue protrusion and cheek flexibility were recorded at each visit. Results Majority of the participant enrolled were in the age range of 30 to 35 years. Improvement in all the parameters was seen with the individuals receiving Aloe vera gel in comparison to antioxidants. Conclusion So, Aloe vera being a soothing, simple and safe mode of treatment along with proper habit restriction can be considered to be an effectual protocol in the management of OSMF. The analgesic effects of Aloe vera with the physiotherap exercises provide better results in reducing burning sensation and improving mouth opening, tongue protrusion and cheek flexibility in comparison to antioxidants. How to cite this article Singh N, Hebbale M, Mhapuskar A, Ul Nisa S, Thopte S, Singh S. Effectiveness of Aloe Vera and Antioxidant along with Physiotherapy in the Management of Oral Submucous Fibrosis. J Contemp Dent Pract 2016;17(1): 78-84.

The phytochemical investigation of the bark of Zizyphus xylopyra resulted in the isolation of two new 14-membered ring cyclopeptide alkaloids, xylopyrine-G and xylopyrine H. Their structures have been established by chemical and spectral evidences.

The isomeric alkaloids jatrorrhizine and columbamine isolated from the whole plant of Argemone mexicana were assessed against spore germination of some fungi, e.g. Alternaria cajani, Bipolaris sp., Helminthosporium sp., Fusarium udum and Curvularia sp. Both the alkaloids were effective against most of the fungi tested. Jatrorrhizine was highly effective against spore germination of Bipolaris sp., Fusarium udum and Curvularia sp. at 5000 ppm concentration, whereas columbamine was highly effective against Alternaria cajani, Helminthosporium sp. and Fusarium udum at 5000 ppm.

The mixture of tertiary and quaternary alkaloids isolated from Argemone ochroleuca was separately assessed against spore germination of some plant pathogenic fungi, e.g. Alternaria alternata, Alternaria brassicae, Alternaria cajani, Bipolaris sp., Curvularia lunata, Curvularia sp., Colletotrichum musae, Fusarium udum, Helminthosporium sp., Helminthosporium pennisetti and Helminthosporium speciferum. Spore germination of Fusarium udum and Helminthosporium sp. was completely inhibited at very low concentration (200 ppm). A similar effect was observed on A. alternata, C. musae and H. pennisetti at 600, 800 and 1000 ppm. With quaternary alkaloids, Curvularia sp. and Colletotrichum musae were most sensitive as complete inhibition of spore germination was observed at 400, 600, 800 and 1000 ppm and a similar effect was observed with A. brassicae and A. cajani at 600, 800 and 1000 ppm. The remaining fungi were also highly sensitive to the mixture at different concentrations.

The anti-fungal activity of a mixture of quaternary alkaloids of Argemone mexicana was observed at different concentrations (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 μl/ml) against 10 fungi, viz., Ustilago cynodontis, Cercospora cajani, Sphaerotheca sp., Cercospora sp., Alternaria solani, Bipolaris sp., Helminthosporium sp., Curvularia sp., Fusarium udum and Alternaria cajani. Spore germination was inhibited at 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 μg/ml. Analysis of phenolics by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) recorded 11 peaks in the alkaloids but only three could be identified, viz., tannic, caffeic and ferulic acids. The significant efficacy of the alkaloid under in vitro conditions may open the possibility of its use by farmers under field conditions for controlling some crop diseases.

A new benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, argemexirine, together with two known protoberberine alkaloids, dl-tetrahydrocoptisine and dihydrocoptisine, have been isolated from the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Argemone mexicana L. The compounds were identified by spectral and chemical evidence. This is the first report of these alkaloids in this plant species.

A new indole alkaloid, N-formylscholarine, together with picrinine, strictamine and nareline has been isolated from the fruit pods of Alstonia scholaris, and their structures were established by various spectral data. This is the first report of these alkaloids in A. scholaris fruit pods.

This study demonstrates highest biosorption of Fe followed by Ni and Cr by Microcystis in single, bi and trimetallic combination. Fe was not only preferentially adsorbed from the metal mixtures but Ni and Cr failed to decrease its biosorption. The agreement of the data of Fe biosorption with the Langmuir model suggested monolayer sorption and existence of constant sorption energy during the experimental conditions. In contrast to Fe biosorption, Ni and Cr sorption followed the Freundlich isotherm; this demonstrates a multilayer biosorption of the two metals. IR analysis of Microcystis cells confirmed the presence of a large number of -COO(-) and some amino groups in the Microcystis cell wall. The oxygen and nitrogen donor atoms from carboxyl and amino groups were found to play a vital role in metal biosorption by Microcystis cell walls, and ion exchange mechanisms were involved in the biosorption of test metals. Extra peaks present in Ni and Cr treated cells implied that amino groups are more responsible for Ni and Cr biosorption.

Argemone mexicana Linn. (Papaveraceae) has been used as traditional medicine in India and Taiwan for the treatment of skin diseases, inflammations, bilious, fever, etc. Some alkaloids of A. mexicana have been screened for their cytotoxicity on different cancer cell lines.The study investigates potential cytotoxic effects of alkaloids isolated from aerial part of A. mexicana on SW480 human colon cancer cell line.Six alkaloids, 13-oxoprotopine, protomexicine, 8-methoxydihydrosanguinarine, dehydrocorydalmine, jatrorrhizine, and 8-oxyberberine were isolated from the methanol extract of A. mexicana. Cytotoxicity of these alkaloids was studied on SW480 human colon cancer cell line at 1, 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, and 200 µg/mL for 24 and 48 h. Cells were seeded in a 96-well micro-plate at a concentration of 2 × 10(4) cells per well and MTS assay was performed to assess cytotoxicity in terms of cell viability.At 200 µg/mL, protomexicine and 13-oxoprotopine showed mild cytotoxicity (∼24-28%) whereas dehydrocorydalmine exhibited moderate cytotoxicity (∼48%). 8-Oxyberberine was mildly cytotoxic (∼27%) at 24 h but was more potent (∼76%) at 48 h. Jatrorrhizine and 8-methoxydihydrosanguinarine were most potent (∼95-100%) in inhibiting the human colon cancer cell proliferation showing complete reduction in cell viability.This is the first study on the effect of these alkaloids on SW480 human colon cancer cell line. This study indicates that some alkaloids of A. mexicana strongly inhibit the cell proliferation in human colon cancer cells, and it might be a basis for future development of a potent chemotherapeutic drug.

Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) is an RNA virus and causes delta hepatitis in humans. Although a lot of data is available for HDV, but retrieval of information is a complicated task. Current web database 'HDVDB' provides a comprehensive web-resource for HDV. The database is basically concerned with basic information about HDV and disease caused by this virus, genome structure, pathogenesis, epidemiology, symptoms and prevention, etc. Database also supplies sequence data and bibliographic information about HDV. A tool 'siHDV Predict' to design the effective siRNA molecule to control the activity of HDV, is also integrated in database. It is a user friendly information system available at public domain and provides annotated information about HDV for research scholars, scientists, pharma industry people for further study.

The kinetics of Ni (II) and Cr (VI) sorption by Microcystis, was studied in single and multimetal systems. External mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion data suggested that Microcystis resembles a physical sorbent and therefore holds great potential for employment as a substitute (but requires revalidation at large scale) of physical sorbents in wastewater treatment. Microcystis showed better Ni (II) sorption efficiency than Cr (VI) in a single metal system at pH 6.4±0.1 and 6.0±0.3. However, in a multimetal system Ni (II) showed an insignificant difference from Cr (VI) due to a competitive effect. Sorption of Ni (II) and Cr (VI) was dependent on their initial concentration. The initial sorption rate showed non-proportionality with initial concentration (Co), and intraparticle diffusion rate parameters (Ki) which were not directly related to initial concentration (Ki=(Co)n where n=0.5). This suggests that neither external mass transfer rate nor intraparticle diffusion was a rate limiting factor. On fitting the experimental data both in first and second order equations, the regression analysis of second order equation gave a better r2 value. Thus, external mass transfer and intraparticle diffusion together are involved in the sorption process and pseudo second order equation provides an appropriate description than the first order equation.

This paper provides information on the use of differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) for the measurement of the metal biosorption potential of Lemna, Microcystis field-grown (MF), Microcystis lab-grown (ML) and Spirogyra from aqueous solution containing Pb, Cu, Cd and Zn in single, bi-, tri- and multimetallic mixture. This technique was useful for the evaluation of different metal species (Pb 2+ , Cu 2+ , Cd 2+ , Zn 2+ ) that exist in the test solution. Free-floating Lemna exhibited the highest (94%) Pb 2+ biosorption. This, in turn, was followed by MF (89.5%), ML (78.8%) and Spirogyra (58.4%) in single metal condition. The dead biomass of test organisms exhibited the following order of metal biosorption: Pb 2+ >Cu 2+ >Zn 2+ >Cd 2+ . In sharp contrast to single metal system, the biosorption of Cd was greater than Zn in tri- and multimetallic combination. Results indicated the following metal sorption capabilities in both single and multimetallic systems: Lemna >MF>ML> Spirogyra . All bimetallic combinations showed antagonistic interaction. Pb 2+ biosorption by Lemna , MF and ML from multimetallic combination did not depict any deviation from the single metal ion system. However, synergistic interaction (6–7% higher) for Cu 2+ +Cd 2+ +Pb 2+ and Zn 2+ +Cd 2+ +Pb 2+ combination was observed for Spirogyra . Contrary to the above, the Cu 2+ +Zn 2+ +Pb 2+ combination showed antagonistic behaviour with Spirogyra . The biosorption of Pb 2+ was never affected by the presence of other metals tested. The IR data also supported a preferential biosorption of Pb 2+ and revealed that COOH plays a major role in metal binding onto biomass surface.

Four quaternary isoquinoline alkaloids, dehydrocorydalmine, jatrorrhizine, columbamine, and oxyberberine, have been isolated from the whole plant of Argemone mexicana Linn. (Papaveraceae) and their structures established by spectral evidence. This is the first report of these alkaloids (dehydrocorydalmine, jatrorrhizine, columbamine, and oxyberberine) from Argemone mexicana and the Argemone genus.

The alkaloid securinine was assessed against spore germination of some plant pathogenic and saprophytic fungi (Alternaria alternata, Alternaria brassicae, Alternaria brassicicola, Curvularia lunata, Curvularia maculans, Curvularia pallenscens, Colletotrichum musae, Colletotrichum sp., Erysiphe pisi, Helminthosporium echinoclova, Helminthosporium spiciferum, Heterosporium sp.). Spore germinations of all the tested fungi were inhibited. Alternaria brassicicola, C. lunata, C. pallenscens and H. spiciferum were highly sensitive as complete inhibition of spore germination was observed at very low concentrations (200 ppm).

This paper provides first hand information on the metal biosorption by capsulated and decapsulated cells of field and laboratory-grown unicellular cyanobacterium Microcystic . Field-grown capsulated Microcystis showed a higher biosorption efficiency than the decapsulated laboratory-grown one. A higher adsorption capacity of capsulated field and laboratory-grown Micrycystis was further confirmed by respective high K 1 values of 2·161 and 1·976 for Fe 3+ than 1·761 and 1·569 for Cu 2+ . Biosorption maxima (saturation) for Fe 3+ and Cu 2+ were obtained respectively after 20 and 60 min; the rates for biosorption of two metals being 27·04 μg Fe 3+ mg 1 min 1 and 3·31 μg Cu 2+ mg 1 min 1 . In the bimetallic combination of Fe 3+ and Cu 2+ , Fe 3+ was more efficiently biosorbed than Cu 2+ . Application of Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms offered support to a multilayer binding for Cu 2+ and monolayer for Fe 3+ . This study suggested that the naturally abundant biomass of otherwise nuisance Microcystis holds great potential for use as biological biosorbent in the removal of heavy metals.

The yield and composition of the essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of inflorescences from different populations of Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae), transplanted during different months, was analysed using a combination of GC and GC–MS. Oil yield was found to range from 0.5 to as high as 1.6% (w/v), in which 24 constituents were identified, representing 84.4–92.2% of the total oil. Camphor was identified as the most abundant component in all the samples examined, followed by 1,8-cineole, except in June-transplanted plants, where b-caryophyllene was found to be the second most abundant compound. Camphor and 1,8-cineole alone constituted 44.7–65% of the total oil. The percentage occurrence of rest of the compounds was found to vary in different populations. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hepatitis D is a liable reason of mortality and morbidity worldwide. It is caused by an RNA virus known as Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV). Genetic studies of HDV have shown that delta antigen protein is responsible for replication of genome and play a foremost role in viral infection. Therefore, delta antigen protein may be used as suitable target for disease diagnosis. Viral activity can be restrained through RNA interference (RNAi) technology, an influential method for post transcriptional gene silencing in a sequence specific manner. However, there is a genetic variability in different viral isolates; it is a great challenge to design potential siRNA molecules which can silence the respective target genes rather than any other viral gene simultaneously. In current study two effective siRNA molecules for silencing of HDV were rationally designed and validated using computational methods, which may lead to knockdown the activity of virus. Thus, this approach may provide an insight for the chemical synthesis of antiviral RNA molecule for the treatment of hepatitis D, at genome level.

A new protopine alkaloid, protomexicine and a new isoflavonoid, mexitin, together with 8-methoxydihydrosanguinarine, 13-oxoprotopine, rutin and quercetrin have been isolated from the aerial part of the methanolic extract of Argemone mexicana. The structures of these compounds have been established by various spectral data. The structure of protomexicine was further confirmed by heteronuclear multiple bond correlation experiment. Protomexicine and mexitin are new compounds, and other compounds are first reported from A. mexicana and genus Argemone.

Freshwater catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, were injected daily intraperitoneally either with vehicle (0.1 ml of 0.6% NaCl/100 g body wt) or calcitonin (0.5 MRC U/100 g body wt) and maintained either in artificial freshwater, calcium-rich freshwater, or calcium-deficient freshwater for 10 days. The blood samples were collected on days 1, 3, 5, and 10 after initiation of the experiment, and serum calcium and inorganic phosphate levels were analysed. (i) Artificial freshwater: There is no change in the serum calcium and inorganic phosphate levels of calcitonin-injected fish. (ii) Calcium-rich freshwater: In vehicle-injected fish there is a progressive hypercalcemia from day 1 to day 5. On day 10 the value decreases but it is still hypercalcemic. No change has been noticed in the serum calcium level of calcitonin-treated fish. In vehicle-treated fish the serum inorganic phosphate level indicates a decrease on day 10. The serum inorganic phosphate level of calcitonin-treated specimens exhibits no change. (iii) Calcium-deficient freshwater: There is a progressive decrease from day 1 to day 3 in serum calcium level of vehicle-injected fish. Thereafter, from day 5 the level increases thus resulting in hypercalcemia on day 10. Calcitonin treatment to the fish evokes a decrease in the serum calcium level from day 1 to day 3. Thereafter a significant hypercalcemia is recorded on day 5 and day 10. In vehicle-injected fish the serum inorganic phosphate levels decrease from day 3 to day 5. However, the value increases on day 10. Serum inorganic phosphate level of calcitonin-treated fish exhibits a decrease on day 1. Thereafter, it rises progressively from day 3 to day 10. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Freshwater catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, were injected daily intraperitoneally either with vehicle (0.05 ml of 95% ethanol/100 g body wt) or vitamin D3 (50 I.U./100 g body wt) and maintained in artificial fresh water, calcium-rich fresh water, or calcium-deficient fresh water for 10 days. The specimens were sacrificed on Days 1, 3, 5, and 10 after initiation of the experiment. The blood samples were collected on these intervals and serum calcium and inorganic phosphate levels were analyzed. Vitamin D3 induced hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia in the freshwater catfish, H. fossilis. These effects of vitamin D3 are not dependent upon the calcium concentration of the different ambient media used in this study.

The absence o!!f a hypocalcemic effect of calcitonin (CT) in fishes has been suggested due to exceedingly high plasma levels of CT; the fish may be saturated with respect of circulating CT and therefore unable to respond to exogenously administered CT. Earlier it has been suggested that a hypocalcemic action of injected CT may be obscured by changes in the release of endogenous CT and other calcium regulating hormones. In this study we have used artificial freshwater, calcium-deficient freshwater and calcium-rich freshwater and injected the fish with CT. The aim behind selecting these media were (i) in calcium-deficient medium there would be reduced circulating levels of CT, (ii) in calcium-rich medium there would be diminished secretion of prolactin (this hormone is hypercalcemic in fish), and (iii) by keeping the fish in calcium-rich medium we can test the antihypercalcemic action of CT. Moreover, the present study would reveal the changes in the ultimobranchial gland (UBG) after keeping the fish in all the above three media and/or injecting the fish with CT. Freshwater catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, were administered intraperitoneally daily with vehicle or 0.5 U/100g body wt of salmon calcitonin (CT) and kept in artificial freshwater, calcium-rich freshwater and calcium-deficient freshwater for 10 days. Blood samples were collected on 1, 3, 5, and 10 days following the treatment and analyzed for serum calcium levels. The ultimobranchial gland (UBG) was also fixed for histological studies on these intervals. In artificial freshwater there was no change in the serum calcium levels of calcitonin-injected fish. The ultimobranchial gland of calcitonin-injected fish exhibited a progressive decrease in the nuclear volume from day 5 onwards. On day 10 vacuolization in the gland was also noticed. In vehicle-injected fish (control) kept in calcium-rich freshwater hypercalcemia has been noticed which persists till the end of the experiment. In calcitonin-treated fish maintained in calcium-rich freshwater there is no change in serum calcium level as compared to vehicle-injected fish. In vehicle-injected fish the UBG depicts decreased staining response and increased nuclear volume at day 5. On day 10 the nuclear volume is further increased and few degenerating cells have been noticed. Calcitonin fails to induce any histological change in the UBG as compared to control. In vehicle-injected fish kept in calcium-deficient freshwater the serum calcium levels decrease from day 1 to day 3. The levels exhibit hypercalcemia on day 10. CT treatment to the fish kept in calcium-deficient freshwater evokes a decrease in the calcium levels on day 1 and day 3. A significant hypercalcemia has been noticed on day 5 and day 10. In vehicle-injected fish kept in calcium-deficient freshwater the UBG reveals a decreased staining response on day 10. In CT-injected fish maintained in calcium-deficient freshwater the UBG depicts an increased nuclear volume and few exhausted cells on day 10. It can be concluded that CT can provoke hypocalcemia only when the fish is kept in medium which reduces the circulating levels of this hormone. The UBG of the fish kept in different calcemic media responded in a manner to indicate that it produces hypocalcemic factor - CT.

The alkaloids dehydrocorydalmine and oxyberberine isolated from Argemone mexicana were assessed against spore germi- nation of some fungi, e.g., Alternaria cajani, Bipolaris sp., Helminthosporium sp., Fusarium udum and Curvularia sp. While dehydroco- rydalmine inhibited 100% spore germination of the fungi Helminthosporium sp. and Curvularia sp. at 5 000 ppm, oxyberberine showed similar activity against spore germination of Bipolaris sp. and Curvularia sp. All the five fungi were significantly inhibited at 1 000 to 5 000 ppm concentrations.

The plants of Spinacia oleracea L. grown on contaminated soil (CS) and different amendments of tannery sludge (TS) have shown high accumulation of metals in its edible part. The accumulation of toxic metal (Cr) in the leaves of the plants grown on CS was recorded as 40.67 μg g −1 dw. However, the leaves of the plants grown on 100% TS have accumulated about two times (70.80 μg g −1 dw) higher Cr than the 10% TS (31.21 μg g −1 dw). Among growth parameters, the root length was more affected at 90 d than the shoot length, number of leaves and leaf area. The study of scanning electron micrographs showed 29.31% increase in stomatal length in the leaves of the plants grown on CS as compared to garden soil (GS), which served as control, however it decreased in the plants grown on higher amendments of TS. The decrease in MDA content at initial period of exposure and lower amendment was recorded in the leaves, whereas, significant increase (>10% TS onward) was observed with increase in tannery sludge ratio at 90 d as compared to GS. A coordinated increase in all the studied antioxidants (cysteine, non-protein thiol, ascorbic acid, carotenoid contents) was found up to 75 d of growth. At 90 d, most of the antioxidant decreased as compared to 75 d causing oxidative stress as evidenced by increased level of lipid peroxidation and decreased chlorophyll and protein contents. Maximum increase of 181.43% in MDA content and maximum decrease of 53.69% in total chlorophyll content was recorded in the leaves of the plants grown on 100% TS after 90 d of growth. The plants grown on CS have shown an increase in shoot length, number of leaves, leaf area, photosynthetic pigments and protein contents and in all the studied antioxidants. Thus, these plants are able to combat stress involving defense mechanism, resulting in healthy growth of the plants. The results are well coordinated as there is no change in the MDA content as compared to the plants grown on GS. In view of high Cr accumulation in edible part of S. oleracea grown on CS after irrigation with tap water, it is not advisable to use these plants for edible purposes. Summing up, it is recommended that the level of metals in the edible part should be checked instead of healthy growth as deciding parameter for consumption. It is demonstrated through this study that metal enriched plants have detoxification mechanism and grow well on organic matter enriched contaminated soil.

Geminiviruses are single-stranded circular DNA viruses causing leaf curl disease in papaya crop. Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS), also known as RNAi, acts as a natural antiviral defence mechanism and plays a role in genome maintenance and development in plants. PTGS suppression by viruses makes the plant RNA silencing machinery inefficient. Three geminiviral genes namely AV2, AC2 and AC4 are found to play the role in suppression of RNA silencing. siRNA degrades the target mRNA in a homology-dependent manner. In-silico designing of siRNA against these three genes of geminiviruses infecting Carica papaya was done using bioinformatics tools. This strategy may provide PTGS by specifically targeting the viral genes involved in suppression of plant RNA silencing machinery.

0 presente estudo refere-se aos detalhes do corpo utimobranquial de Heteropneustes fossilis. A glândula está localizada no intersepto entre as cavidades pericárdicas e abdominais. A glândula geralmente consiste de um parênquimasólido o qual é composto de cordões celulares. Algumas vezes, foram vistos também folículos.