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Abstract A 70% increase in food production is required over the next four decades to feed an ever-increasing population. The inherent difficulties in achieving this unprecedented increase are exacerbated by the yield-depressing consequences of climate change and variations and by the pressures on food supply by other competing demographic and socioeconomic demands. With the dwindling or stagnant agricultural land and water resources, the sought-after increases will therefore be attained mainly through the enhancement of crop productivity under eco-efficient crop production systems. ‘Smart’ crop varieties that yield more with fewer inputs will be pivotal to success. Plant breeding must be re-oriented in order to generate these ‘smart’ crop varieties. This paper highlights some of the scientific and technological tools that ought to be the staple of all breeding programs. We also make the case that plant breeding must be enabled by adequate policies, including those that spur innovation and investments. To arrest and reverse the worrisome trend of declining capacities for crop improvement, a new generation of plant breeders must also be trained. Equally important, winning partnerships, including public-private sector synergies, are needed for 21st century plant breeding to bear fruits. We also urge the adoption of the continuum approach to the management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture as means to improved cohesion of the components of its value chain. Compellingly also, the National Agricultural Research and Extension System of developing countries require comprehensive overhauling and strengthening as crop improvement and other interventions require a sustained platform to be effective. The development of a suite of actionable policy interventions to be packaged for assisting countries in developing result-oriented breeding programs is also called for.

Objectives: Interleukin-2 (alias: IL-2, TCGF, Lymphokine), a type of interleukin, is also a potent signalling molecule in the signalling cascade of the immune-mediated activation of T Lymphocytes leading to the destruction of haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) which is the basis of acquired aplastic anaemia (AAA). The objective was to study the association of IL-2 in the bone marrow plasma (BMP) and peripheral blood plasma (PBP) in AAA patients. Methods: A total of 52 BMP and PBP-paired samples (both from the same patients) was collected from the confirmed AAA patients and 10 healthy individuals. The level of IL-2 was measured by the quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The Mann–Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Significantly increased level of IL-2 was observed in the BMP than PBP of AAA patients. The level of IL-2 in PBP and BMP was found to be very low in the control cases. Considerably increased levels of IL-2 were found in the PBP and BMP of AAA patients as compared to controls (48.54 ± 21.89 vs. 1.99 ± 1.25 p-value < 0.00001) and (75.33 ± 41.9 vs. 3.12 ± 1.82; p-value < 0.00001) respectively. Among these patients, the IL-2 levels were higher in patients with Very Severe Aplastic Anaemia (VSAA) and Severe Aplastic Anaemia (SAA) than those with Non-severe Aplastic Anaemia (NSAA) in the PBP (65.6 ± 23.61 vs. 31.72 ± 7.64; p-value 0.00338) and (45.37 ± 16.25 vs. 31.72 ± 7.64; p-value 0.01468) respectively. Again the IL-2 levels were higher in patients with VSAA and SAA than those with NSAA in the BMP (115.01 ± 38.91 vs. 38.32 ± 19.49; p-value < 0.00001) and (66.44 ± 23.34 vs. 38.32 ± 19.49; p-value 0.0006). The IL-2 level was higher in VSAA than SAA in PBP (65.6 ± 23.61vs. 45.37 ± 16.25; p-value 0.0114) and BMP (115.01 ± 38.91 vs. 66.44 ± 23.34; p-value 0.00044). Conclusion: This study emphasized on the bone marrow and blood plasma levels of IL-2 in aplastic anaemia and their relationship with disease severity. The results indicate towards the fact that IL-2 may have an important association with the marrow failure of AAA patients and thus can help in disease development. Further study is necessary for better understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pain during propofol injection is a very commonly and frequently encountered event during induction of anaesthesia. A 5HT3 antagonists like granisetron are commonly used just prior to intravenous propofol as pre anaesthetic medication to prevent emesis in patients. Aim: To compare the relief of pain on injection of propofol pretreated with lignocaine or granisetron in two groups of patient admitted for elective surgery under general anaesthesia. Materials and Methods: A randomized double blinded controlled study was conducted with patients divided into three groups with (n=30) in each group. Group I (the placebo group) received 2 ml of 0.9% normal saline, Group II received 2 ml of 1% lignocaine and Group III received 2 ml of granisetron (1 mg/ml) as pre treatment medication respectively. The patient's complain regarding pain on intravenous propofol administration was recorded using the Verbal Rating Score. Pulse, BP, SpO2 were noted meticulously on four occasions--prior to pre treatment, immediately after pre-treatment, injecting full dose of propofol (not for pain assessment) and after 10 minutes. The results were analysed using the null hypothesis and two sample t-tests. Results: It was observed and obvious that the relief of pain was significant (p<0.05) when granisetron or lignocaine was compared with the placebo group. But there was insignificant difference (p>0.05) when granisetron was compared with lignocaine in terms of relieve of pain induced by propofol. Conclusion: It was concluded that parenteral administration of granisetron can be considered to be superior to lignocaine as pre treatment medication for pain relief after propofol injection along with the advantage of its anti-emetic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of farmers depend on the use of local crops and varieties for their food and livelihood. These resources constitute a reservoir of alternative traits and characteristics, which allow us to diversify crops, foods and farming methods and provide material for targeted plant breeding. Still, many countries lag behind in providing support to farming communities for the maintenance and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). A global survey was conducted among a wide range of stakeholders to gain insights into the state of on-farm management (OFM) as a strategy for enhancing the maintenance and sustainable use of PGRFA. The survey showed that a wide range of stakeholders provide de facto support to OFM and that the practices they consider critical are focused on building capabilities in local communities. This supports the fact that the management of crop diversity on farm can be promoted in a variety of ways, depending on the specific context, and that local solutions are needed to successfully support OFM. Partnerships and networks should be considered as one of the critical means to promote OFM, as they involve a diversity of stakeholders working towards common goals. The survey further showed that many respondents currently contribute to existing networks relevant to OFM, but that these networks are mainly nationally or internationally oriented and might therefore exclude crucial local stakeholders, such as community-based organizations. Therefore, mechanisms should be put in place to strengthen the collaboration between stakeholders and networks, especially at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A global survey was conducted among a wide range of stakeholders to gain insight into the state of on-farm management (OFM) as a strategy for enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA). The results show that OFM is not considered a priority in national PGRFA programmes (NPGRPs), and that OFM practitioners and their organizations are not always aware of, or involved in, NPGRPs. The survey also highlighted the lack of awareness, understanding and collaboration between OFM practitioners and the managers and policy-makers associated with NPGRPs. The outcome of the analysis supports a hypothesis that OFM is, to a large extent, supported by stakeholders who are not directly engaged in the conservation and use of PGRFA, and therefore not associated with NPGRPs. This should be taken into consideration when seeking to improve the performance and impact of national programmes, and their commitment to safeguard PGRFA and contribute to food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global food security could be imperilled by the combined pressures from the effects of continually evolving climatic conditions, demographics and other socio-economic factors, the demands of the livestock, bioenergy and fibre industries for food-based substrates, the static or decreasing availability of natural resources for agriculture and the impracticality of increased use of economically and environmentally costly agricultural inputs. The optimal harnessing of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) in manners that translate their repertoire of hidden potentials into significantly enhanced crop productivities has been severally identified as crucial to achieving the required considerably significant increases in food production. The scope of the problems and the plausible means for addressing them compel the devising of novel and more efficient ways for deploying PGRFA in need-based crop improvement programmes. We posit a continuum approach to the management of PGRFA which links seamlessly the effective conservation and access to PGRFA through their use in developing superior and resilient crop varieties to the provision of their high-quality seeds and planting materials to the growers. To achieve the mainstreaming of this paradigm, we propose the institutionalization of overarching national PGRFA strategies that prescribe result-oriented action plans spanning above three components of the management of PGRFA for a country's priority crops. We also describe the strategy as a means for identifying and assigning responsibilities to critical stakeholders and providing for the governance of all aspects of PGRFA activities over specific time frames. Steps to developing and adopting a national PGRFA strategy are also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor suppressor gene in lung cancer (TSLC1) encodes a membrane glycoprotein containing extensive homology in the extracellular domain with the immunoglobulin-superfamily cell adhesion molecules. The intracellular cytoplasmic domain (CT) contains a protein 4.1 (FERM) binding motif, and a PDZ-interacting motif. Expression of TSLC1 is silenced in non-small cell lung cancer and in other cancers by promoter hypermethylation. Restoration of TSLC1 expression suppresses tumorigenicity of lung cancer cells. We report here the critical role of the FERM-binding and PDZ- interacting domains of TSLC1 in tumor suppressor activity in non-small cell lung cancer. The entire CT domain [amino acid (aa) 398-442], the FERM binding motif (aa 398-410), or the PDZ-interacting motif (aa 432-442) was deleted to generate mutants CT1, CT3, and CT4, respectively. The lung cancer cell line A549, deficient in TSLC1 expression, was stably transfected with the wild-type TSLC1 or the deletion mutants. The cell lines were then injected into athymic (nu/nu) nude mice, and tumor formation at the sites of injection was monitored. A549 cells stably transfected with the empty vector or mutant TSLC1 constructs induced tumors at the sites of injection within 10 days. In contrast, A549 cells expressing wild-type TSLC1 showed the appearance of tumors after 35 days, and the tumors grew substantially slower. A549 cells expressing wild-type TSLC1 also showed suppression of anchorage-independent colony formation in soft agar and markedly increased cell-cell adhesion activity. These results suggest that the cytoplasmic domain of TSLC1 is important in its tumor suppressor activity, and the tumor suppression activity involve protein(s) interacting with the FERM- and PDZ-interacting regions.