Gene diversity and identification of putative hybridizing parents for root rot resistance in cassava using simple sequence repeats
October 2012
The incidence of root rot diseases partly contribute to the currently observed low percentage increase in the yield of cassava. We estimated gene diversities and identified putative hybridizing parents for root rot resistance using 18 simple sequence repeats loci in 43 improved genotypes of cassava. Root rot was measured over 2 years as the percentage proportion of rotten roots to the total number of roots harvested at...
Effect of feeding malted foods on the nutritional status of pregnant women, lactating women and preschool children in Lepakshi Mandal of Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India
October 2012
Information of preschool children (400), pregnant women (100) and lactating women (100) was collected. Anthropometric, hemoglobin, clinical and morbidity assessments were carried out before & after supplementation. Amylase Rich Malted Mixes (ARMMs) 2 types (Ragi/Wheat) were formulated and suitable products namely laddu, roti, kheer and porridge were prepared using formulated malted...
Enhancing thermostability of the biocatalysts beyond their natural function via protein engineering
June 2012
Majority of the naturally occurring enzymes lacks essential features required during the harsh conditions of the industrial processes, because of their less stability. Protein engineering tool offers excellent opportunity to improve the biochemical properties of these biocatalysts. These techniques further help in understanding the structure and function of the proteins. Most common methods employed in protein...
Extraction, purification and characterization of L-asparaginase from Penicillium sp. by submerged fermentation
June 2012
A fungal strain identified as Penicillium sp. was evaluated for its L–asparaginase enzyme production. The L-asparaginase enzyme was purified to homogeneity from Penicillium sp. that was grown on submerged fermentation. Different purification steps including salt precipitation, followed by separation on sephadex G-100-120 gel filtration and DEAE were applied to obtain pure enzyme preparation....
Chromium stress on peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and acid invertase in pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedling
March 2012
In this investigation, chromium (Cr) toxicity on enzymes like peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and acid invertase was studied in pea seedling to evaluate the relative tolerance of the different pea varieties. Effect of Cr (0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 mM) on different parts of the seedling that is, cotyledon, plumule and radicle were studied separately to have a comparative study of the enzyme activity in these parts of the plants...
Histopathological studies of microsporidian infected tissues of Lamerin breed of the silkworm, Bombyx mori L.
March 2012
Ultrastructure of gut and fat bodies of Lamerin breed of the silkworm Bombyx mori L infected with microsporidia did not show hypertropy of cells but structural disorganization was obvious in infected tissues. The different developmental stages (meronts and sporonts) and a few mature spore could be observed in direct contact with cell cytoplasm. Key words: Bombyx...
Studies of wine produced from pineapple (Ananas comosus)
January 2012
Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is the common name for a tropical plant with edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit, consisting of coalesced berries. The ratio of 1: 4 (pineapple must: sugar) was used to produce wine using recipes A to D. A contained only natural yeast; B contained natural yeast augmented with granulated sugar; C contained natural yeast augmented with baker’s yeast and granulated sugar...
A survey of avian malaria parasite in Kano State, Northern Nigeria
January 2012
As an attempt to keep abreast of the variety of avian Plasmodium parasite in Kano State, a total of 218 blood films were made from wild (116) and domesticated (102) bird species collected between January and July, 2009 period. The slides were examined for the presence of Plasmodium parasite (parasitaemia value). Birds examined were six Columbidae livia (pigeons), two Cisticola...
Solid lipid nanoparticles as new drug delivery system
December 2011
The main challenge in cancer chemotherapy is toxic side-effects induced by chemotherapeutic drugs. Thus, alternative methods of drug administration like appropriate drug carrier system is needed to overcome this problem. The main objective of new drug delivery systems is to improve the anti-tumor efficacy of drug and reduce their toxic effects on normal tissues. Recently Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLN) as...
Microbial bioinoculants and their role in plant growth and development
December 2011
The increase in the world's population, coupled with the limitations in the world's supply of natural resources and widespread degeneration of the environment presents a major challenge to agriculturalists. Chemical fertilizer is used to give the plant nutrient requirements within a short period to get faster results. Newly improved varieties of crops need high proportions of fertilizer. But chemical fertilizer...
Involvement of biotechnology in climate change adaptation and mitigation: Improving agricultural yield and food security
December 2011
In the context of climate change adaptation and mitigation, biotechnology can respond positively towards reducing vulnerability of natural and human systems to climate change effects. This paper reviews different approaches in which both conventional and modern biotechnology can be employed to address climate change adaptation and mitigation for improved crops adaptability, productivity and food security and...
Lead toxicity, oxidative damage and health implications. A review
December 2011
The toxicity of Lead was recognized centuries ago, and it continued to pose serious threat to the health of children as well as adults. This review presents an overview of the current knowledge of toxic effects of Lead induced oxidative damage and also suggests some possible measures which could reduce the toxic effects of the metal. This paper examines the effect s of Lead in blood, soft tissues,...
Studies of wine produced from banana (Musa sapientum)
December 2011
Banana, a wonderfully sweet fruit with firm and creamy flesh that come prepackaged in a yellow jacket, available for harvest throughout the year consists mainly of sugars and fibers which make it a source of immediate and slightly prolonged energy. When consumed, reduces depression, anemia, blood pressure, stroke risk, heartburns, ulcers, stress, constipation and diarrhea. It confers protection for eyesight, healthy...
Genetic variability among Coleus sp. studied by RAPD banding pattern analysis
December 2011
Genetic improvements of medicinal plants depend on the existence, nature and extent of the genetic variabiles available for manipulation. Genetic analysis with random amplification of polymorphic DNA markers has been extensively used to determine genetic diversity among Coleus sp. and to identify the best quality for human consumption and its medicinal purpose. The objectives of the present study were to assess...
Lung function decline: Screening of alpha-1 antitrypsin gene in a population exposed to coal dust
November 2011
Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is an inherited disorder that causes low levels of, or no alpha-1 antitrypsin in the blood. Most commonly, it is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema chronic bronchitis - inflammation of the lining of the bronchial tubes emphysema - permanent destruction of the alveoli. Mutations in the PI gene, located on...
Micropropagation of Allanblackia stuhlmannii: Amenability to tissue culture technique
November 2011
Allanblackia stuhlmannii is an endangered forest tree valued for its edible nut oil. Its limited regenerative potential in the wild hinders the sustainable utilization of its products. To achieve mass production of A. stuhlmannii, its amenability to micropropagation technique was examined. Explants were best surface sterilized at 8% sodium hypochlorite for 10 min and rinsed using sterile distilled water. Of eight basal...
Effects of polysorbate-80 on liver and kidney function in broiler chicken during juvenile growth period
October 2011
An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of polysorbate-80 (PS-80) on liver and kidney function in broiler chicken using 120 one-day-old Cobb 500 chicks. The birds were randomly divided into 6 groups, of 20 birds each (as one replicate) and then allocated to 1 of 6 floor pens (90×180 cm) at the stocking density of 0.08 m2/ bird in a concrete floor, cross ventilated house. All the birds received the...
Biofilm forming bacteria isolated from urinary tract infection, relation to catheterization and susceptibility to antibiotics
October 2011
In human medicine, it has been estimated that 65% of nosocomial infections are biofilm associated, loading the health care system enormous costs. These biofilm infections are 10 to 1000 times more resistant to the effects of antimicrobial agents. This study aimed at showing the difference between patients with catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) and those with non catheter associated (UTI) in terms of...
Comparative studies on properties of amylases extracted from kilned and unkilned malted sorghum and corn
September 2011
This study investigated the activities of a-amylase, β-amylase and glucoamylase extracted from kilned and unkilned sorghum and corn. Dry grains of sorghum and corn were obtained, steeped and allowed to undergo malting at room temperature for 48 h. Part of the malted starch was kilned by taken into an oven at 50°C for 24 h while the other part was derootted by hand before further processing. a-amylase,...
Bacteriological quality and diarrhoeagenic pathogens on River Njoro and Nakuru Municipal water, Kenya
September 2011
Waterborne diarrhoeal pathogens are considered a re-emerging threat and are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries. The objective of this study was to determine bacteriological quality, biochemical oxygen demand and presence of diarrhoeagenic pathogens in water samples collected from River Njoro and Nakuru Municipal water. A total of 432 samples were tested, 216 from...
Molecular characterization of a gene capable of degrading trichloroethylene, an environmental pollutant
September 2011
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widely used organic solvent and metal degreasing agent, one of the most frequently detected groundwater contaminants and a potential health hazard. Our novel isolate, Bacillus cereus strain 2479 was capable of degrading TCE efficiently. The gene for TCE degradation was PCR amplified from genomic DNA of B. cereus 2479. The amplified gene was cloned into expression vector pUC I8 in the E. coli...
An effective method for obtaining high quality messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) with minimal ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) contents
August 2011
Plant transcriptomes are very complex in nature and includes overlapping transcripts, transcribed intergenic regions, and abundant non-coding ribonucleic acids (RNAs). With RNA-Seq approach using next generation sequencing technology, complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) library constructed either from Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) or from ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) minus total RNA can be directly...
Genomic DNA extraction protocols from a Moroccan medicinal and aromatic plant Artemisia herba-alba Asso for RAPD-PCR studies
August 2011
This is the first report on development of protocol for high purity genomic DNA isolation from the Moroccan Artemisia herba-alba schrub leaves and optimization of conditions for RAPD-PCR analysis. Two DNA extraction protocols were specifically developed: QIAgen DNA Kit and protocol developed by Ouenzar et al. (1998). DNA yield and purity were monitored by gel electrophoresis and by determining absorbance at UV...
Screening of different insect pests of mulberry and other agricultural crops for microsporidian infection
August 2011
In the present study, different insect pests of mulberry and other agricultural crops were collected from mulberry gardens and agricultural crop fields in and around Mysore, Karnataka, India. The collected insects were screened for microsporidian infection and microsporidian spores were isolated from infected specimens, purified and tentatively designated as NIK- 1Pr, NIK- 1Cc, NIK- 1Cpy, NIK- 1So and NIK- 1Dp. The...
Authentication of fusion genes in chronic myeloid leukemia
July 2011
Chronic myeloid leukemia is a multifactorial molecular anomaly that confounds the standardization of therapy to date. It is triggered by a broad spectrum of “fused oncoproteins” which are entailed in the disease refractoriness. In Pakistan the molecular diagnosis for leukemia is still in its infancy, as the diagnosis does not efficiently encompass a wide range of the fusion transcripts which are generated as...
Sourcing starter cultures for Parkia biglobosa fermentation I: Phylogenic grouping of Bacillus species from commercial ‘iru’ samples
July 2011
Twenty five isolates of Bacillus species were obtained from ten commercial samples of ‘iru’ (fermented African locust bean), after heat-treatment at 80°C for 30 min. All the isolates were Gram-positive, spore-former, catalase-positive, non-motile rods. The phylogenic relationship between the isolates was studied by repetitive PCR fingerprinting using the (GTG)5 primer, referred to as (GTG)5-PCR...
Genetic polymorphism of growth hormone locus and its association with bodyweight in Grati dairy cows
July 2011
The aim of this research was to study genetic polymorphism in growth hormone (GH) locus and its association with body weight of 43 Grati dairy cows ranging from 2 to 4 years old. Polymorphism of GH locus was ascribed using a PCR-RFLP method involving restricted enzyme Msp1 on 2% agarose gel. All data were subjeced to statistical analysis based on one way classification model using a statistical software package of...
Antigen specific cellular response in patients with hepatitis C virus infection and its association with HLA alleles
June 2011
Article retracted by the authors
Decolorization of anthroquinone based dye Vat Red 10 by Pseudomonas desmolyticum NCIM 2112 and Galactomyces geotrichum MTCC 1360
June 2011
Wastewater, from the textile and other dyestuff industries containing synthetic dyes, require prior treatment to prevent groundwater contamination. The microbial decolorization and degradation of these dyes play a pivotal role in this aspect. Pseudomonas desmolyticum NCIM 2112 and Galactomyces geotrichum MTCC 1360 could bring about oxidative degradation resulting in decolorization of this water insoluble Vat Red 10...
HLA-DQA1 and –DQB1 genotyping in individuals with family history of gastritis
June 2011
The objective was to study HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 genotyping in individuals (patients and controls) with family history of gastritis. This study was carried out in College of Medicine, University of Basrah. HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1 genotyping was done in College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, and Winnpeg, Canada during the period from 17th of April 2009 to 15th of July 2010. A total of 100 patients (41 males and 59...
Drug release and antimicrobial studies on polylactic acid suture
May 2011
The aim of the present study was to develop drug releasing polylactic acid (PLA) suture. PLA suture was taken for the research work. The material was analyzed, its properties, such as tensile strength, elongation, knot strength and diameter. Biopolymers such as chitosan, sodium alginate, calcium alginate, and their blends were coated on the suture material. The polymer coated samples were subjected to Fourier transform...
Temperature as a factor in the elaboration of mycotoxins by two fungi in groundnut fodder
May 2011
Production of patulin and terreic acid by Aspergillus terreus and zearalenone by Fusarium oxysporum in groundnut fodder in relation to temperature was investigated. Biodeterioration activity of F. oxysporum and A. terreus was more at incubation temperature of 20 and 30°C respectively. F. oxysporum elaborated maximum amount of zearalenone at 20 to 25°C, while A. terreus could produce maximum terreic acid and...
Back propagation neural network method for predicting Lac gene structures in Streptococcus pyogenes M Group A Streptococcus strains
April 2011
The rapid growth and availability of whole genome sequences of Streptococcus pyogenes M Group A Streptococcus strains which is a spherical gram-positive bacteria that causes important human diseases ranging from mild superficial skin infections to life-threatening systemic diseases have initiated the need to analyze these sequences. The motivation of this paper is to adopt content based gene prediction method...
Proposal for access to the femur in rats
April 2011
Reconstructions, implantation procedures and bone synthesis materials used to treat bone loss caused by tumors or fractures require in vivo testing. In this study, we created an access route to the femur in rats, allowing us to conduct in vivo bone experiments with less cost, more easily obtainable materials and simplified storage and care. Eighteen male Wistar rats, 180 days of age and weighting 350 to 370 g were...
In vitro propagation of Rorippa indica L. from nodal and shoot tip explants
March 2011
A simple micropropagation method from nodal and shoot tip explants were reported here for Rorippa indica, an economically important medicinal plant. High frequency of micro shoots were obtained from these two explants on MS medium supplemented with various concentrations of BAP (1.0 to 4.0 mg/l) and Kn (1.0 to 4.0 mg/l). Maximum number of shoots was obtained from nodal explants in the medium containing 3.0 mg/l BAP. The...
Molecular docking analysis of whey proteins with angiotensin converting enzyme to lessen high blood pressure
March 2011
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) catalyses the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II a potent vasoconstrictor in a substrate concentration dependent manner and degrades bradykinin a potent vasodilator and other vasoactive peptides which leads to increase in blood pressure. Prolonged increase in blood pressure condition increases the risk of heart attacks, heart failure, stroke, or kidney failure....
Transient receptor potential channels interference has broader implications in safeguarding against genomic instability
February 2011
Prostate cancer is a multistep molecular disorder that arises because of a miscellany of proteins. Calcium channels, hotspots in genome and susceptibility to DNA damage, an illegitimate repair of the genome, all these factors work synchronously at various levels to worsen the clinical management of the disease. Fusion transcripts are recently acclaimed candidates for exacerbation of the disease. Erlotinib has been used...
Incidence of mycotoxigenic penicillia in feeds of Andhra Pradesh, India
February 2011
Incidence of different species of Penicillium in poultry feeds (starter, breeder, boiler and layer) and cattle feeds was analyzed. In all twenty three species of Penicillium, Penicillium aethiopicum, Penicillium alli, Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium brevicampactum, Penicillium camemberti, Penicillium caseifulvum, Pchrysogenum, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium commune, Penicillium crustosum, Penicillium...
Construction of genome-length cDNA for foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype Asia 1 IND 63/72 vaccine strain
February 2011
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically important viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals. The virus (FMDV) belongs to the genus Apthovirus of the family Picornaviridae. The FMDV genome consists of a positive sense ssRNA of about 8500 nt encoding a single open reading frame (ORF) which later processed into multiple viral proteins. Although FMDV replication resembles those of other picorna...
Application of subspecies-specific marker system identified from O. sativa to O. glaberrima accessions and O. sativa × O. glaberrima F1 interspecific progenies
January 2011
Interspecific hybrids (F1's) between Asian rice (Oryza sativa 2n=24 AA) and African rice (Oryza glaberrima 2n=24 AA) are almost completely sterile. This hybrid sterility barrier is mainly caused by an arrest of pollen development at the microspore stage. Intersubspecific F1 hybrid sterility is mainly caused by cryptic chromosomal aberrations and allelic interaction between indica and japonica. To identify O....
Identification of Ralstonia solanacearum using conserved genomic regions
January 2011
The aim of the present study is to develop a scheme for identification of Ralstonia solanacearum with high specificity based on conserved genomic regions. Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) in R. solanacearum genome were searched using Tandem Repeat Finder software. A total of 189 and 74 STRs were found in chromosomal and megaplasmid DNA respectively. Sequence homology of these STRs analyzed using BLAST showed that out of...
Nutrigenomic analysis of mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) strains using polymerase chain reaction - simple sequence repeats (PCR-SSR)
December 2010
The DNA marker use in assisting selection are safe method in breeding process and it is an important tool for authentication of new gene cascade in genome. In mulberry silkworm, the major economic and nutrigenomic traits are polygenic in nature. In the present study, we have utilized ten PCR-SSR microsatellite markers to gain better understanding on genotyping of certain nutrigenomic gene loci in nutritionally efficient...
Green energy from chemicals and bio-wastes
December 2010
This paper discusses a comprehensive review of biomass energy sources, environment and sustainable development. This includes the biomass energy technologies, energy efficiency systems, energy conservation scenarios, energy savings and other measures necessary to reduce climate change. Energy use reductions can be achieved by minimising the energy demand, by rational energy use, and by recovering heat. The increased...
Chemical fractionation and heavy metal accumulation in maize (Zea mays) grown on chromated copper arsenate (CCA) contaminated soil amended with cow dung manure
September 2010
Cow dung used as soil amendments and a sequential chemical speciation (six steps) procedure were used to predict the uptake of Cr, Cu and As by maize (Zea mays) plant in chromated copper arsenate (CCA) contaminated soil. A pot experiment containing the contaminated soil samples with different percentage levels of amendments and control (no amendment) was set up. The relative concentrations of the metals in the CCA...
Ethnomedicinal plants and other natural products with anti-HIV active compounds and their putative modes of action
September 2010
The use of ethnomedicines to manage HIV/AIDS has recently gained public interest, although harmonization with official HIV/AIDS policy remains a contentious issue in many countries. Plants and other natural products present a large repertoire from which to isolate novel anti-HIV active compounds. In this literature survey, 55 plant families containing 95 plant species, and other natural products, were found to contain...
Effects of planting dates and compost on mucilage variations in borage (Borago officinalis L.) under different chemical fertilization systems
August 2010
The experimental design was a split factorial on the basis of completely randomized block design with three replications at the expermintal field of the Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Iran in 2009. The planting dates (1 March, 15 March and 1 April) were assigned to the main plots and the combination of compost including 5, 10, 15 and 20 ton ha-1 and the chemical fertilization systems (N1P1K1 = 160, 128,...
Elaboration of mycotoxins by seed-borne fungi of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.)
August 2010
Mycotoxin producing potential of fungi associated with finger millet was investigated. Many species of Aspergillus elaborated aflatoxins, patulin, terreic acid and sterigmocystin, while species of Fusarium elaborated zearalenone, fusarinone-X, deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, diacetoxyscripenol, neosolanil and HT-2 toxins. Penicillium griseofulvum elaborated cyclopiazonic acid. The toxigenic potential of individual fungus...
Antimutagenic activity of aqueous extract of Momordica charantia
July 2010
Toxicological studies have undergone a significant evolution during the past decade, with inclusion and great emphasis on chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and mutagenicity. Present study was taken up to evaluate antimutagenicity of aqueous extract of Momordica charantia (MC) by bone marrow micronucleus assay (MNT) and chromosomal aberration test (CAT) in mice. Cyclophosphamide (100 mg/kg,...
Patterns of colonization and immune response elicited from interactions between enteropathogenic bacteria, epithelial cells and probiotic fractions
July 2010
The purpose of this study was to investigate by in vitro studies the antimicrobial activity of eight lactic acid bacterial (LAB) strains belonging to Lactobacillus paracasei spp. paracasei, L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus species against Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella flexneri and EPEC pathogenic strains isolated from pediatric diarrhoea cases, simultaneously with the assessment of the cytotoxicity and immunomodulatory...
Theileria parva apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) shares conserved sequences with apicomplexan homologs
June 2010
The apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) is a leading malaria vaccine candidate that is expressed in mature stage parasites and is thought to be essential for invasion. In Plasmodium falciparum, AMA-1 is localized initially to the micronemes, apical organelles of the parasite. A similar apicomplexan parasite, Theileria parva infects and transforms lymphocytes of cattle and African buffalo causing the disease called East...
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