Over expression of modified Isomaltulose Synthase Gene II (ImSyGII) under single and double promoters drive unprecedented sugar contents in sugarcane.

Sugarcane has been grown all around the world to meet sugar demands for industrial sector. The current sugar recovery percentage in sugarcane cultivars is dismally low which demands scientific efforts for improvements. Multiple approaches were adopted to enhance sugar contents in commercial sugarcane plants in contrast to conventional plant breeding methods.

Engagement of private health sector in communicable disease and immunization programmes in Pakistan.

Background: In Pakistan, where the burden of communicable diseases remains high, the private sector accounts for 62% of health care provision.

Aim: To describe the role of the private sector in communicable disease management in Pakistan and inform a more effective engagement towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

Methods: We searched the literature and available documents on policies, regulations and experiences in private health sector engagement in Pakistan.

Host-induced silencing of the CpCHI gene resulted in developmental abnormalities and mortality in maize stem borer (Chilo partellus).

RNAi-based insecticides for crop protection have witnessed rapid improvement over the years. However, their potential to efficiently control maize stem borer (Chilo partellus) pests has remained underexplored. In this study, double-stranded C.

Enhancement of healthful novel sugar contents in genetically engineered sugarcane juice integrated with molecularly characterized ThSyGII (CEMB-SIG2).

Enhancement of sugar contents and yielding healthful sugar products from sugarcane demand high profile scientific strategies. Previous efforts to foster manipulation in metabolic pathways or triggering sugar production through combating abiotic stresses fail to yield high sugar recovery in Saccharum officinarum L. Novel sucrose isomers trehalulose (TH) and isomaltulose (IM) are naturally manufactured in microbial sources.

Heterologous expression of cry1Ia12 insecticidal gene in cotton encodes resistance against pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae); an alternate insecticidal gene for insect pest management.

Background: Cotton is continuously exposed to sucking and chewing insect pest pressure since emergence to harvesting. Pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) has become major chewing insect pest to reduce the cotton yield and results in bad lint quality even in transgenic crops. The efficiency of insecticidal genes has been compromised due to extensive utilization of transgenic crops.

Silencing of multiple target genes via ingestion of dsRNA and PMRi affects development and survival in Helicoverpa armigera.

RNA interference (RNAi) triggered by exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a powerful tool to knockdown genetic targets crucial for the growth and development of agriculturally important insect pests. Helicoverpa armigera is a pest feeding on more than 30 economically important crops worldwide and a major threat. Resistance to insecticides and Bt toxins has been gradually increasing in the field.

Silencing a Myzus persicae Macrophage Inhibitory Factor by Plant-Mediated RNAi Induces Enhanced Aphid Mortality Coupled with Boosted RNAi Efficacy in Transgenic Potato Lines.

Myzus persicae causes considerable losses to crops as a major pest. The damage is direct by feeding and also partly indirect because it vectors plant viruses. The currently available control strategies rely on unsafe and nonecofriendly chemical pesticide applications.

Novel approaches to circumvent the devastating effects of pests on sugarcane.

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is a cash crop grown commercially for its higher amounts of sucrose, stored within the mature internodes of the stem. Numerous studies have been done for the resistance development against biotic and abiotic stresses to save the sucrose yields.

Expression of ice recrystallization inhibition protein in transgenic potato lines associated with reduced electrolyte leakage and efficient recovery post freezing injury.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is considered to be frost-susceptible as short spells of frost can reduce the tuber yield and quality. Ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) protein helps prevent growth of ice crystals in the cell apoplast during frost and help prevent damage associated with freezing stress.

Advances in exogenous RNA delivery techniques for RNAi-mediated pest control.

Climate change imposes a great threat to world food security and encourages insect pest proliferation and spreading. Because of these challenges, identifying novel biotechnology pest management and its applications is inevitable. RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene regulatory process used for the maintenance and regulation of host defences against invading viruses.

Resistance to Chilo infuscatellus (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) in transgenic lines of sugarcane expressing Bacillus thuringiensis derived Vip3A protein.

Sustainable agriculture requires management of insect pests through resistance development. The biological potential of Cry toxins and Vip protein, derived from Bacillus species, is widely recognized in this context. The identification, evaluation of new insecticidal protein genes with different mode of action and entomotoxicity against sugarcane stem borer (Chilo infuscatellus) is important to overcome evolved insect resistance.

Report-Biochemical and molecular characterization of catalase enzyme in the saprobic fungus: Sordaria fimicola.

Fungi have been used in modern scientific research due to their high potential for different enzymes production based on genomic features. The great proportion of soil mycoflora represented by saprobic fungi plays an important role in decomposition, thus contribute to the global carbon cycle. Sordaria fimicola strains (n= 61) collected from different environments were evaluated for catalase enzyme activity at first stage.

Target prediction of candidate miRNAs from Oryza sativa for silencing the RYMV genome.

In order to maintain a consistent supply of rice globally, control of pathogens affecting crop production is a matter of due concern. Rice yellow mottle virus(RYMV) is known to cause a variety of symptoms which can result in reduced yield. Four ORFs can be identified in the genome of RYMV encoding for P1 (ORF1), Polyprotein (processed to produce VPg, protease, helicase, RdRp4) (ORF2), putative RdRp (ORF3) and capsid/coat protein (ORF4).

Identification and validation of potential reference gene for effective dsRNA knockdown analysis in Chilo partellus.

Chilo partellus is an invasive polyphagous pest that has not been effectively managed with chemical pesticides. To select potential dsRNAs for use in an alternate control strategy, it is crucial to identify and evaluate stable reference genes for knockdown expression studies. This study evaluates the expression stability of seven candidate reference genes in C.

A Combinational Approach of Enhanced Methanol Production and Double Bt Genes for Broad Spectrum Insect Resistance in Transgenic Cotton.

The prevalence of insect resistance against Bt toxins has led to the idea of enhancing demethylation from cell wall pectin by pectin methylesterase enzyme for overproduction of methanol which is toxic to insects pests. The AtPME and AnPME fragments ligated into pCAMBIA1301 vector were confirmed through restriction digestion with EcoR1 and BamH1. Excision of 3363 bp fragment from 11,850 bp vector confirmed the ligation of both fragments into pCAMBIA1301 vector.

Antifungal activity of chitinase II against Colletotrichum falcatum Went. causing red rot disease in transgenic sugarcane.

We evaluated transgenic lines of sugarcane modified with the barley chitinase class-II gene to create resistance against the red rot causative agent Colletotrichum falcatum Went. Local sugarcane cultivar SP93 was transformed with a 690-bp coding sequence of the chitinase-II gene under the influence of a polyubiquitin promoter. Transgenic sugarcane lines (T 0) overexpressing the chitinase gene were obtained through a particle bombardment method with 13.

Health systems changes after decentralisation: progress, challenges and dynamics in Pakistan.

Decentralisation is widely practised but its scrutiny tends to focus on structural and authority changes or outcomes. Politics and process of devolution implementation needs to be better understood to evaluate how national governments use the enhanced decision space for bringing improvements in the health system and the underlying challenges faced. We use the example of Pakistan's radical, politically driven provincial devolution to analyse how national structures use decentralisation opportunities for improved health planning, spending and carrying out transformations to the health system.

A virus-derived short hairpin RNA confers resistance against sugarcane mosaic virus in transgenic sugarcane.

RNA interference (RNAi) is commonly used to produce virus tolerant transgenic plants. The objective of the current study was to generate transgenic sugarcane plants expressing a short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) targeting the coat protein (CP) gene of sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Based on multiple sequence alignment, including genomic sequences of four SCMV strains, a conserved region of ~ 456 bp coat protein (CP) gene was selected as target gene and amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Role of Molecular Biology in Cancer Treatment: A Review Article.

Background: Cancer is a genetic disease and mainly arises due to a number of reasons include activation of onco-genes, malfunction of tumor suppressor genes or mutagenesis due to external factors.

Methods: This article was written from the data collected from PubMed, Nature, Science Direct, Springer and Elsevier groups of journals.

Results: Oncogenes are deregulated form of normal proto-oncogenes required for cell division, differentiation and regulation.

Improved antifungal activity of barley derived chitinase I gene that overexpress a 32kDa recombinant chitinase in Escherichia coli host.

Agricultural crops suffer many diseases, including fungal and bacterial infections, causing significant yield losses. The identification and characterisation of pathogenesis-related protein genes, such as chitinases, can lead to reduction in pathogen growth, thereby increasing tolerance against fungal pathogens. In the present study, the chitinase I gene was isolated from the genomic DNA of Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.

Factors influencing father's antenatal and perinatal involvement in maternal health care.

Background: Maternal health care refers to the better outcome of labor and reduced maternal mortality. Antenatal care utilization is an important determinant for improved maternal health care. In this study, we examine how father's involvement influences antenatal and perinatal care utilization by mothers.

MCMV Silencing Concludes Potential Host-Derived miRNAs in Maize.

Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus (MCMV) is a deleterious pathogen which causes Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease (MLND) that results in substantial yield loss of Maize crop worldwide. The positive-sense RNA genome of MCMV (4.4 kb) encodes six proteins: P32 (32 kDa protein), RNA dependent RNA polymerases (P50 and P111), P31 (31 kDa protein), P7 (7 kDa protein), coat protein (25 kDa).

HIV Diagnosis and Treatment through Advanced Technologies.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the chief contributor to global burden of disease. In 2010, HIV was the fifth leading cause of disability-adjusted life years in people of all ages and leading cause for people aged 30-44 years. It is classified as a member of the family Retroviridae and genus Lentivirus based on the biological, morphological, and genetic properties.

Correction: Deletion at the GCNT2 Locus Causes Autosomal Recessive Congenital Cataracts.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.