Legume Research - An International Journal 33 (3)., 2010
K.Beena Anto, Jayaram K.M.**
Department of Botany, St. Joseph's College, lrinjalakuda -680 121, India.
**Division of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Calicut, Malappuram Dt., Kerala-673 635, India.
*Email beenajose40@yahoo.in
Abstract
The effect of high temperature treatment on seeds/seedlings of pea and soybean was investigated by analyzing qualitative protein profiles of heat-stressed and control seed/seedlings samples by performing Sodium Oodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SOS-PAGE). A comparative study of SDS-PAGE protein profiles of both the legume grains showed different response towards heat-stress. The high temperaturetreatment up to 70°C for 10 continuous days induced some changes on the metabolism of the seed tissues producing some new bands of proteins-probably heat shock proteins in pea where as in soybean the same stress promoted the disintegration of proteins and as a result, certain characteristic bands of proteins in the gel of control samples were disappeared from the high temperature-treated seed samples. SOS-PAGE derived seed protein profile is species specific and this analysis is very helpful to elucidate the response of seeds towards heatstress and the production of heat shock proteins by seed tissues. The response towards the heat-stress varied in pea and soybean because pea seeds are protein and starch rich but soybean seeds are protein and lipid rich type.
Monday, 6 September 2010
Epidemiology of Brucellosis in Occupationally Exposed Human Beings
Indian Journal of Animal Research, 44(3), 2010.
Kumar Arvind, Kumar Ajith,Sadish S., LathaC., Kumar K.,Kumar A.
Division of Veterinary Public Health College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Pookot, - 673 576, India
Abstract
A serological survey was undertaken to assess the extent of brucellosis in human beings of Lakhidi district in Kerala. A total of 365 serum samples were examined for the presence of Brucella agglutins. The sera were screened by Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Standard Tube Agglutination Test (STAT) and the samples, which showed a positive reaction, either by RBPT or STAT or both, were subjected to Heat Inactivation Test (HIT) and 2-Mercaptoethanol Test (MET).The human sera revealed 2.74% seroprevalence for brucellosis by RBPT and 1.74% by STAT. Only three out of ten showed an agglutination titre positive for brucellosis in HIT whereas one out of ten were positive in MET. Seroprevalence of brucellosis was recorded only among farmers (2.78%). Females recorded a relatively higher (3.45%) seroprevalence than males (2.33%). Human reactors positive for brucellosis were aged above 40 years. None of the sera collected from patients joint pain and veterinary or paraveterinary staff were positive for the disease. Of the serological tests, RBPT detected the highest number of samples as positive for brucellosis followed by STAT, HIT and MET. It was also observed that, of the RBPT and STAT positive cases, HIT recorded more positivity than MET.
Kumar Arvind, Kumar Ajith,Sadish S., LathaC., Kumar K.,Kumar A.
Division of Veterinary Public Health College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Pookot, - 673 576, India
Abstract
A serological survey was undertaken to assess the extent of brucellosis in human beings of Lakhidi district in Kerala. A total of 365 serum samples were examined for the presence of Brucella agglutins. The sera were screened by Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Standard Tube Agglutination Test (STAT) and the samples, which showed a positive reaction, either by RBPT or STAT or both, were subjected to Heat Inactivation Test (HIT) and 2-Mercaptoethanol Test (MET).The human sera revealed 2.74% seroprevalence for brucellosis by RBPT and 1.74% by STAT. Only three out of ten showed an agglutination titre positive for brucellosis in HIT whereas one out of ten were positive in MET. Seroprevalence of brucellosis was recorded only among farmers (2.78%). Females recorded a relatively higher (3.45%) seroprevalence than males (2.33%). Human reactors positive for brucellosis were aged above 40 years. None of the sera collected from patients joint pain and veterinary or paraveterinary staff were positive for the disease. Of the serological tests, RBPT detected the highest number of samples as positive for brucellosis followed by STAT, HIT and MET. It was also observed that, of the RBPT and STAT positive cases, HIT recorded more positivity than MET.
Evaluation of Antidiabetic Efficacy of Coccinia Indica in Rats
Indian Journal of Animal Research 44(3),2010.
Jose Eliza,Usha P.T.A
College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy-680 651, India
Abstract
The present study was aimed to assess the hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of a common herb, Coccinia indica. The study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley strain of albino rats and the chemical, alloxan was used for the experimental induction of diabetes. Thirty two adult albino rats were divided into four groups of eight each. Group I served as normal control and group II was made as diabetic control. Group III and IV were made diabetic and administered orally with 200 mg/kg of ethanolic extract of C. indica leaves and 0.25 mg/kg of glibenclamide, respectively, for 45 days. There was a significant (p<0.05) reduction in blood glucose, serum cholesterol, triglyceride and lipid peroxides levels and elevation of reduced glutathione and liver glycogen in C. indica treated group when compared with the diabetic control. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of C. indica leaves possessed significant hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects. The ethanolic extract of C. indica leaves was screened for the active ingredients and also for acute oral toxicity and sub acute toxicity. No toxic effects were revealed from the toxicity studies. The results indicate the safety and efficacy of indica in diabetes mellitus.
Jose Eliza,Usha P.T.A
College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy-680 651, India
Abstract
The present study was aimed to assess the hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities of a common herb, Coccinia indica. The study was conducted in Sprague-Dawley strain of albino rats and the chemical, alloxan was used for the experimental induction of diabetes. Thirty two adult albino rats were divided into four groups of eight each. Group I served as normal control and group II was made as diabetic control. Group III and IV were made diabetic and administered orally with 200 mg/kg of ethanolic extract of C. indica leaves and 0.25 mg/kg of glibenclamide, respectively, for 45 days. There was a significant (p<0.05) reduction in blood glucose, serum cholesterol, triglyceride and lipid peroxides levels and elevation of reduced glutathione and liver glycogen in C. indica treated group when compared with the diabetic control. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of C. indica leaves possessed significant hypoglycaemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects. The ethanolic extract of C. indica leaves was screened for the active ingredients and also for acute oral toxicity and sub acute toxicity. No toxic effects were revealed from the toxicity studies. The results indicate the safety and efficacy of indica in diabetes mellitus.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Herbs and herbal constituents active against snake bite
- Gomes, Antony, Das Rinku, Sarkhel, Sumana Mishra, Roshnara Mukherjee, Sanghamitra Bhattacharya, Shamik Gomes, Aparna
- Indian Journal of Experimental Biology Vol.48 (09), September 2010.
- Abstract:Snake bite, a major socio-medical problem of south east asian countries is still depending on the usage of antisera as the one and only source of treatment, which has its own limitations. In India, mostly in rural areas, health centres are inadequate and the snake bite victims mostly depend on traditional healers and herbal antidotes, as an alternative treatment. The present review has been focussed on the varied folk and traditional herbs and their antisnake venom compounds, which might be a stepping stone in establishing the future therapy against snake bite treatment and management.
Genetic characterization of dengue virus serotypes causing concurrent infection in an outbreak in Ernakulam, Kerala, South India
- Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 48(8), PP 849-857. August 2010
- Anoop, M, Issac, Aneesh, Mathew, Thomas Philip, Sairu Kareem, Nabeel Abdul, Unnikrishnan, R Sreekumar, E
- Abstract:Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infection, causes significant morbidity and has become endemic in the Indian subcontinent. Virus strains currently circulating in many parts of the country are not well studied at the molecular level. In the present study, genetic characterization of virus strains from a dengue outbreak that occurred in and around a tertiary care hospital in Ernakulam, Kerala in the year 2008 has been reported. By reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), 37 out of 75 (49.3%) clinically suspected cases were positive for dengue viral RNA. Among these, 21 (56.8%) samples showed concurrent infection with multiple serotypes of the virus. Majority of the combined infections were caused by dengue serotype 2 and 3. Co-infections with type 1 and 2 in two patients, and type 1, 2 and 3 in one patient were also observed. The core-pre-Membrane (CprM) junction nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the type 1 strains were related to the viral strains reported from Delhi-2001 and Gwalior-2002 dengue outbreaks, while the type 2 strains were related to the strains from Gwalior-2001 epidemic. Sequences of type 3 strains did not show clear relation to any of the previous Indian isolates, and in the phylogenetic analysis, they formed a distinct lineage within the Indian type 3 strains. This study indicates hyperendemicity of dengue in the region with the presence of multiple serotypes and high rates of co-infection, and local genomic evolution of the viral strains involved in this outbreak.
Effect of Aloe vera gel extract on antioxidant enzymes and azoxymethane-induced oxidative stress in rats
- Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 48(8), PP 837-842. August 2010
- Anilakumar, K R, Sudarshanakrishna, K R, Chandramohan, G, Ilaiyaraja, N, Khanum, Farhath Bawa, A S
- Abstract:The present work was undertaken with a view to study the effect of oral feeding of 2% Aloe vera gel extract (AGE) for 30 days on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced oxidative stress in rats. It was observed that AOM administration resulted in a significant increase in malondialdehyde and conjugated dienes, with reduction in hepatic glutathione (GSH), vitamin A and uric acid contents. AOM-induced reduction in hepatic GSH and uric acid was brought back to normal by AGE. There was a significant raise in hepatic catalase, superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) activities as a result of feeding of the extract. Ingestion of the extract effected reduction in AOM-induced colonic GSH-peroxidase, G-6- PD and glutathione S-transferase and femur bone marrow micronuclei formation. Hence, it is suggested that Aloe vera gel extract possess the ability to reduce AOM- induced oxidative stress and toxicity in liver.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Copenhagen and the ‘BASIC’ countries: some basic differences between the Indian and Chinese emissions
- CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 99, NO. 4, 439-443, AUGUST 2010
- James Jacob
- Rubber Research Institute of India, Rubber Board, Kottayam 686 009, India.
- E-mail: james@rubberboard.org.in
- Abstract: The Copenhagen Accord was cobbled together in hasty closed-doors consultations in the final hours of the failing climate meet by a select group of 26 countries. The Accord did not even get the imprimatur of the UNFCCC. Copenhagen failed to deliver a comprehensive and legally binding emissions reduction treaty.Copenhagen succeeded in ‘institutionalizing’ the new entity of the BASIC group of countries, butfundamental differences exist in their emissions patterns, particularly between India and China.China is far ahead of India in total gross domestic product (GDP), annual rate of growth in GDP,carbon intensity of economy, aggregate and per capita emissions, rate of growth in emissions andthe contribution its emissions make towards the current rate of build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere.The climate burden of the Chinese economic growth on the rest of the world is disproportionatelylarge compared to that of India. The climate interlocutors en route Mexico 2010 (CoP 16) shouldnot ignore these ‘inconvenient truths’ about the Chinese emissions and economy and they shouldstop equating India with China when it comes to likely emissions capping, sooner or later. Exerting pressure on India to limit its emissions could be seen only as a covert political strategy to constrain its economic growth rather than gaining any substantial emissions reduction globally and it is convenient for the developed countries to put India together with China in the BASIC group for exerting such pressure. India should seriously reconsider its strategy of aligning with China on the emissions issue.
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