Manual Instruments as an Alternative to Drilling for Bony Exposure in Skull Base Surgery: Concept and Technique.

 Drilling in neurosurgery is an integral part of surgical exposure, especially in skull base approaches and craniovertebral junction (CVJ) surgeries. Most of such drillings are done in close proximity to the neurovascular structures in skull base surgeries and cervical-medullary junction or facet/pedicle in CVJ surgeries. Reluctance to drilling among young neurosurgeons is due to less hands-on experience during training and also, in the early part of the career, due to fear of injury to neurovascular structures.

Surgical Outcome of Large Solid Posterior Fossa Hemangioblastoma without Preoperative Embolization.

Background:  Large solid hemangioblastoma in the posterior fossa has an abundant blood supply as an arteriovenous malformation. The presence of adjacent vital neurovascular structures makes them vulnerable and difficult to operate. Complete surgical resection is always a challenge to the neurosurgeon.

A Giant Nondural-Based Lumbosacral Clear Cell Meningioma Mimicking Schwannoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Spinal clear cell meningiomas (CCMs) are rare and dural-based lesion usually affecting the younger population. We report the rare case of giant nondural-based spinal CCM mimicking schwannoma and review the literature. A literature search was performed at PubMed and Embase until January 1, 2020.

Infected congenital lumbosacral dermal sinus tract with conus epidermoid abscess: a rare entity.

Purpose: Dermal sinus is more commonly associated with intradural dermoid than an epidermoid cyst. Conus epidermoid cyst with dermal sinus is a rare entity. We are presenting a rare case of infected conus epidermoid cyst along with the dermal sinus in an 18-month-old girl presented with flaccid paraparesis with sphincter dysfunction and timely intervention leads to complete recovery.

A highly differentiated region of wheat chromosome 7AL encodes a Pm1a immune receptor that recognizes its corresponding AvrPm1a effector from Blumeria graminis.

Pm1a, the first powdery mildew resistance gene described in wheat, is part of a complex resistance (R) gene cluster located in a distal region of chromosome 7AL that has suppressed genetic recombination. A nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor gene was isolated using mutagenesis and R gene enrichment sequencing (MutRenSeq). Stable transformation confirmed Pm1a identity which induced a strong resistance phenotype in transgenic plants upon challenge with avirulent Blumeria graminis (wheat powdery mildew) pathogens.

Over-Expression of Confers Enhanced Susceptibility to Abiotic Stresses in Transgenic Rice via Modulating Stress-Responsive Gene Expression.

Homeobox transcription factors play critical roles in plant development and abiotic stress responses. In the present study, we raised rice transgenics over-expressing stress-responsive gene (rice homeodomain-leucine zipper I sub-family member) and analyzed their response to various abiotic stresses at different stages of development. At the seed germination stage, rice transgenics over-expressing exhibited enhanced sensitivity to abiotic stress conditions and abscisic acid as compared to wild-type (WT).

Transcriptome analysis of Catharanthus roseus for gene discovery and expression profiling.

The medicinal plant, Catharanthus roseus, accumulates wide range of terpenoid indole alkaloids, which are well documented therapeutic agents. In this study, deep transcriptome sequencing of C. roseus was carried out to identify the pathways and enzymes (genes) involved in biosynthesis of these compounds.

Over-expression of a rice tau class glutathione s-transferase gene improves tolerance to salinity and oxidative stresses in Arabidopsis.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are multifunctional proteins encoded by large gene family in plants, which play important role in cellular detoxification of several endobiotic and xenobiotic compounds. Previously, we suggested the diverse roles of rice GST gene family members in plant development and various stress responses based on their differential expression. In this study, we report the functional characterization of a rice tau class GST gene, OsGSTU4.

Modified expression of an auxin-responsive rice CC-type glutaredoxin gene affects multiple abiotic stress responses.

Glutaredoxins (GRXs) are the ubiquitous oxidoreductase enzymes, which play an important role in defense against various stresses. Here, we report the role of a CC-type GRX gene from rice, OsGRX8, in abiotic stress tolerance. OsGRX8 protein was found to be localized in nucleus and cytosol and its gene expression is induced by various stress conditions and plant hormone auxin.