Publications by authors named "Raja Shankar"

The squash species has been historically utilized by both animals and humans as a food source. It is an annual dicotyledonous vegetable known for its health benefits, including reducing the risk of various diseases, such as cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, intestinal disorders, and atherosclerosis, in humans. However, the cultivation of this valuable crop is often challenged by diseases such as powdery mildew (PM), caused by the fungus .

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The cell wall of the max altered by the polygalacturonases (PGs) secreted by the fungus causes disease and quality losses. In soybeans, a resistance protein called polygalacturonases-inhibiting proteins (PGIPs) binds to the PG to block fungal infection. The active site residues of PGIP3, VAL170 and GLN242 are mutated naturally by various amino acids in different types of PGIPs.

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Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) have multifarious beneficial activities for plant growth promotion; act as source of metabolites, enzymes, nutrient mobilization, biological control of pests, induction of disease resistance vis-a-vis bioremediation potentials by phytoextraction and detoxification of heavy metals, pollutants and pesticides. Agrochemicals and synthetic pesticides are currently being utilized widely in all major field crops, thereby adversely affecting human and animal health, and posing serious threats to the environments. Beneficial microorganisms like PGPR could potentially substitute and supplement the toxic chemicals and pesticides with promising application in organic farming leading to sustainable agriculture practices and bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated sites.

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Spot blotch disease of wheat, caused by the fungus (Sacc.) Shoem., produces several toxins which interact with the plants and thereby increase the blightening of the wheat leaves, and Bipolaroxin is one of them.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates a harmful bacterial pathogen that utilizes a signaling mechanism called "quorum sensing" to thrive in various environments.
  • Researchers focused on two proteins involved in this signaling pathway, PhcA and PhcR, creating 3D models and screening natural compounds to find potential inhibitors.
  • Two promising compounds, ZINC000014762512 and ZINC000011865192, were identified, showing potential to disrupt the quorum sensing process, which could help in controlling the spread of this damaging pathogen.
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Nearly 2 billion people globally have no access to essential medicines. This means essential medicines are unavailable, unaffordable, inaccessible, unacceptable or of low quality for more than a quarter of the population worldwide. This supplement demonstrates the implications of poor medicine access and highlights recent innovations to improve access to essential medicines by presenting new research findings from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

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A patient with recurrent meningioma in the right frontal lobe, treated with resection and radiation, had a routine magnetic resonance imaging scan that was suspicious for recurrent disease. Follow-up Octreoscan showed moderately increased focal uptake in same region, compatible with recurrence of meningioma; however, the histopathology was consistent with radiation fibrosis. There are reported cases of uptake on Octreoscans at other sites of the body due to chronic inflammation, but only one other case has been reported in the brain.

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We studied the usefulness of ictal single-photon emission computed tomography in the presurgical evaluation of children with partial epilepsy resulting from focal cortical dysplasia. Fifteen children, age 1-18 years, were identified with partial epilepsy caused by focal cortical dysplasia (confirmed by histology) who underwent subtraction ictal single-photon emission computed tomography during presurgical evaluation. All children later underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center between 1996 and 2000.

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