Rapid activation of catalase followed by citrate efflux effectively improves aluminum tolerance in the roots of chick pea (Cicer arietinum).

The present study demonstrates the comparative response of two contrasting genotypes (aluminum (Al) tolerant and Al sensitive) of chick pea (Cicer arietinum) against Al stress. The Al-tolerant genotype (RSG 974) showed lesser inhibition of root growth as well as lower oxidative damages, measured in terms of the accumulation of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation compared to the Al-sensitive genotype (RSG 945). The accumulation of Al by roots of both genotypes was almost equal at 96 and 144 h after Al treatment; however, it was higher in Al-tolerant than Al-sensitive genotype at 48 h after Al treatment.

Pathology of Equine Influenza virus (H3N8) in Murine Model.

Equine influenza viruses (EIV)-H3N8 continue to circulate in equine population throughout the world. They evolve by the process of antigenic drift that leads to substantial change in the antigenicity of the virus, thereby necessitating substitution of virus strain in the vaccines. This requires frequent testing of the new vaccines in the in vivo system; however, lack of an appropriate laboratory animal challenge model for testing protective efficacy of equine influenza vaccine candidates hinders the screening of new vaccines and other therapeutic approaches.

Cysticercosis of Soleus muscle presenting as isolated calf pain.

CNS is the most common site of involvement by cysticercosis. Symptomatic involvement of isolated skeletal muscle by solitary cysticercosis cyst is extremely rare. We report a rare and unusual case of cysticercosis presenting as acute calf pain, which is a diagnostic challenge.

Interaction of Mg with heavy metals (Cu, Cd) in T. aestivum with special reference to oxidative and proline metabolism.

Little effort has been made to understand the influence of Mg on cellular processes of plant cell during Cu and Cd toxicities. The present work demonstrates the influence of magnesium (Mg) on copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) toxicity on Triticum aestivum (Wheat). We measured a range of parameters related to oxidative stress in wheat exposed to Cu or Cd toxicity in media with different concentrations of Mg.

Incidence of Burkholderia mallei infection among indigenous equines in India.

Burkholderia mallei is the causative agent of glanders which is a highly contagious and fatal disease of equines. Considering the nature and severity of the disease in equines, and potential of transmission to human beings, glanders is recognised as a 'notifiable' disease in many countries. An increasing number of glanders outbreaks throughout the Asian continents, including India, have been noticed recently.

Regulation of Notch Signaling by an Evolutionary Conserved DEAD Box RNA Helicase, Maheshvara in Drosophila melanogaster.

Notch signaling is an evolutionary conserved process that influences cell fate determination, cell proliferation, and cell death in a context-dependent manner. Notch signaling is fine-tuned at multiple levels and misregulation of Notch has been implicated in a variety of human diseases. We have characterized maheshvara (mahe), a novel gene in Drosophila melanogaster that encodes a putative DEAD box protein that is highly conserved across taxa and belongs to the largest group of RNA helicase.

Spirituality and Religiosity and Its Role in Health and Diseases.

Religiosity is a factor involved in the management of health and diseases/patient longevity. This review article uses comprehensive, evidence-based studies to evaluate the nature of religiosity that can be used in clinical studies, thus avoiding contradictory reports which arise from misinterpretation of religiosity. We conclude that religiosity is multidimensional in nature and ultimately associated with inherent protection against diseases and overall better quality of life.

Substrate topography: A valuable in vitro tool, but a clinical red herring for in vivo tenogenesis.

Unlabelled: Controlling the cell-substrate interactions at the bio-interface is becoming an inherent element in the design of implantable devices. Modulation of cellular adhesion in vitro, through topographical cues, is a well-documented process that offers control over subsequent cellular functions. However, it is still unclear whether surface topography can be translated into a clinically functional response in vivo at the tissue/device interface.

An additional cysteine in a typical 2-Cys peroxiredoxin of Pseudomonas promotes functional switching between peroxidase and molecular chaperone.

Peroxiredoxins (Prx) have received considerable attention during recent years. This study demonstrates that two typical Pseudomonas-derived 2-Cys Prx proteins, PpPrx and PaPrx can alternatively function as a peroxidase and chaperone. The amino acid sequences of these two Prx proteins exhibit 93% homology, but PpPrx possesses an additional cysteine residue, Cys112, instead of the alanine found in PaPrx.

Microbiome Variation Across Amphibian Skin Regions: Implications for Chytridiomycosis Mitigation Efforts.

Cutaneous bacteria may play an important role in the resistance of amphibians to the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Microbial communities resident on hosts' skin show topographical diversity mapping to skin features, as demonstrated by studies of the human microbiome. We examined skin microbiomes of wild and captive fire-bellied toads (Bombina orientalis) for differences across their body surface.

Site-directed mutagenesis substituting cysteine for serine in 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (2-Cys Prx A) of Arabidopsis thaliana effectively improves its peroxidase and chaperone functions.

Background And Aims: The 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (Prx) A protein of Arabidopsis thaliana performs the dual functions of a peroxidase and a molecular chaperone depending on its conformation and the metabolic conditions. However, the precise mechanism responsible for the functional switching of 2-Cys Prx A is poorly known. This study examines various serine-to-cysteine substitutions on α-helix regions of 2-Cys Prx A in Arabidopsis mutants and the effects they have on the dual function of the protein.

Impact of Hospital Volume on Outcomes of Lower Extremity Endovascular Interventions (Insights from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample [2006 to 2011]).

Our primary objective was to study postprocedural outcomes and hospitalization costs after peripheral endovascular interventions and the multivariate predictors affecting the outcomes with emphasis on hospital volume. The study cohort was derived from Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (2006 to 2011). Peripheral endovascular interventions were identified using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnostic and procedural codes.

Comparison of Inhospital Outcomes and Hospitalization Costs of Peripheral Angioplasty and Endovascular Stenting.

The comparative data for angioplasty and stenting for treatment of peripheral arterial disease are largely limited to technical factors such as patency rates with sparse data on clinical outcomes like mortality, postprocedural complications, and amputation. The study cohort was derived from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2006 to 2011. Peripheral endovascular interventions were identified using appropriate International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) Diagnostic and procedural codes.

Assessment of metal species in river Ganga sediment at Varanasi, India using sequential extraction procedure and SEM-EDS.

Aim of the present study was to assess impact of urban drains over river water and sediments by physico-chemical and metal analysis. Metal speciation (Sequential Extraction Procedure) and elemental composition analysis (SEM-EDS) was used to quantify metal pollution load in river sediments. Metal speciation analysis showed dominance of available and labile fractions of all heavy metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) except Mn and Fe which were dominant in residual forms.

Predictors of early neurological deterioration in patients with acute ischaemic stroke with special reference to blood urea nitrogen (BUN)/creatinine ratio & urine specific gravity.

Background & Objectives: Early neurological deterioration (END) occurs in about 20 to 40 per cent of patients with acute ischaemic stroke and results in increased mortality and functional disability. In recent studies relative dehydration has been found to be associated with END in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. This study was conducted to identify factors useful for predicting END and to assess the role of blood urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio (BUN/creatinine) and urine specific gravity (USG) as predictors of END in patients with acute ischaemic stroke.

An Apela RNA-Containing Negative Feedback Loop Regulates p53-Mediated Apoptosis in Embryonic Stem Cells.

Maintaining genomic integrity is of paramount importance to embryonic stem cells (ESCs), as mutations are readily propagated to daughter cells. ESCs display hypersensitivity to DNA damage-induced apoptosis (DIA) to prevent such propagation, although the molecular mechanisms underlying this apoptotic response are unclear. Here, we report that the regulatory RNA Apela positively regulates p53-mediated DIA.

Predictable communities of soil bacteria in relation to nutrient concentration and successional stage in a laboratory culture experiment.

It is difficult to understand the processes that structure immensely complex bacterial communities in the soil environment, necessitating a simplifying experimental approach. Here, we set up a microcosm culturing experiment with soil bacteria, at a range of nutrient concentrations, and compared these over time to understand the relationship between soil bacterial community structure and time/nutrient concentration. DNA from each replicate was analysed using HiSeq2000 Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene.

Application of chemometric analysis and self Organizing Map-Artificial Neural Network as source receptor modeling for metal speciation in river sediment.

Present study deals with the river Ganga water quality and its impact on metal speciation in its sediments. Concentration of physico-chemical parameters was highest in summer season followed by winter and lowest in rainy season. Metal speciation study in river sediments revealed that exchangeable, reducible and oxidizable fractions were dominant in all the studied metals (Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) except Mn and Fe.

Effects of functionalized and raw multi-walled carbon nanotubes on soil bacterial community composition.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely used in industry, but their environmental impacts on soil microbial communities are poorly known. In this paper, we compare the effect of both raw and acid treated or functionalized (fCNTs) multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on soil bacterial communities, applying different concentrations of MWCNTs (0 µg/g, 50 µg/g, 500 µg/g and 5000 µg/g) to a soil microcosm system. Soil DNA was extracted at 0, 2 and 8 weeks and the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene was PCR-amplified and sequenced using paired-end Illumina bar-coded sequencing.

The influence of anisotropic nano- to micro-topography on in vitro and in vivo osteogenesis.

Aim: Topographically modified substrates are increasingly used in tissue engineering to enhance biomimicry. The overarching hypothesis is that topographical cues will control cellular response at the cell-substrate interface.

Materials & Methods: The influence of anisotropically ordered poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) substrates (constant groove width of ~1860 nm; constant line width of ~2220 nm; variable groove depth of ~35, 306 and 2046 nm) on in vitro and in vivo osteogenesis were assessed.

Ultrasound-assisted selective hydrogenation of C-5 acetylene alcohols with Lindlar catalysts.

The selective hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBY) was performed in the presence of Lindlar catalyst, comparing conventional stirring with sonication at different frequencies of 40, 380 and 850 kHz. Under conventional stirring, the reaction rates were limited by intrinsic kinetics, while in the case of sonication, the reaction rates were 50-90% slower. However, the apparent reaction rates were found to be significantly frequency dependent with the highest rate observed at 40 kHz.

Enhanced activity of acetyl CoA synthetase adsorbed on smart microgel: an implication for precursor biosynthesis.

Acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) is an essential precursor molecule for synthesis of metabolites such as the polyketide-based drugs (tetracycline, mitharamycin, Zocor, etc.) fats, lipids, and cholesterol. Acetyl CoA synthetase (Acs) is one of the enzymes that catalyzes acetyl CoA synthesis, and this enzyme is essentially employed for continuous supply of the acetyl CoA for the production of these metabolites.

Efficiency of Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia for heavy metal removal from wastewater.

A cost-effective and promising technology has been demonstrated for the removal of copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from urban sewage mixed with industrial effluents within 14 days. With the help of P. australis and T.

CDK5 is a major regulator of the tumor suppressor DLC1.

DLC1 is a tumor suppressor protein whose full activity depends on its presence at focal adhesions, its Rho-GTPase activating protein (Rho-GAP) function, and its ability to bind several ligands, including tensin and talin. However, the mechanisms that regulate and coordinate these activities remain poorly understood. Here we identify CDK5, a predominantly cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinase, as an important regulator of DLC1 functions.

The impact of selective-logging and forest clearance for oil palm on fungal communities in Borneo.

Tropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging, and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil fungi, which play vital roles in the soil ecosystem functioning and services, is a major conservation frontier. Using 454-pyrosequencing of the ITS1 region of extracted soil DNA, we compared communities of soil fungi between unlogged, once-logged, and twice-logged rainforest, and areas cleared for oil palm, in Sabah, Malaysia.