Interference of horse purslane (Trianthema portulacastrum L.) and other weeds affect yield of autumn planted maize (Zea mays L.)

To assess comparative losses of Trianthema portulacastrum (HP) relative to other weeds, the experiment was set during consecutive summer seasons 2018 and 2019 at the Research Farm MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan. Experiment consisted three replications which were laid out under randomized complete block design. Experiment consisted of ten treatments viz: weeds free (whole season), HP free till 20 Days after emergence (DAE), HP free till 40 DAE, HP free till 60 DAE, all weeds free 20 DAE, all weeds free 40 DAE, all weeds free 60 DAE, weedy check (all weeds), weedy check except HP and weedy check containing only HP. During 2018 in all weeds weedy check, maximum HP relative density (33.33%) was observed while in 2019, plot where weeds were controlled from growing till 20 DAE showed (80%) relative density at 30 DAE. HP maximum frequency (66.67%, 77.78%) and relative frequency (66%, 100%) was recorded at 45 DAE in plots where HP was kept controlled till 20 DAE and all weeds kept controlled till 20 DAE, respectively. Maximum number of grains per cob (738, 700.68), 1000 grain weight (306.66, 271.51 g) and grain yield (6150, 8015 kg hec^-1) were recorded in plots which were kept all weed free till 60 DAE. As the competition period of weeds increased over 40 DAE, it substantially reduced yield of maize. Keeping the plots HP free till 40 DAE in the maize fields with HP as the major dominating weed, likely increase in maize grain yield is up to 30% compared to the fields where HP left un attended throughout the growing season. However, if maize field is infested with a mix of weeds with more than one dominating weeds including HP, compared to weedy situation the whole season, 30% higher grain yield can be obtained if all weeds are kept controlled till 40 DAE. Hence it can be concluded that whether the farmers face heavy HP infestation only or the mix of weeds as dominating weeds, in either case farmer should control weeds within first 40 days in maize field for better grain yield.     

Stink bug Agonoscelis spp. (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) – An emerging threat for seed production in alfalfa crop (Medicago sativa L.) and their successful management

Fodder crops play an important role in sustainable agriculture as they provide feed for animals, which is ultimately converted to human food. Alfalfa is one of the most important fodder crops having high nutritive value for livestock. However, seed production of alfalfa crop is seriously affected by several factors and the highest reduction in seed yield is caused by stink bug infestation. The current study evaluated different insecticides to control stink bugs during 2016–17. The efficacy of ten insecticides, i.e., acephate, dimethoate, malathion, chlorpyriphos, bifenthrin, lambdacyhalothrin, deltamethrin, acetamiprid, imidacloprid and carbosulfan was tested on Agonoscelis spp. (Heteroptera Pentatomidae). The mortality of stink bug was recorded at one, three, five, seven, ten and fifteen days after insecticide application. Similarly, the population of pollinators was recorded before and one, three and five days after the application of insecticides. It was observed that acetamiprid (81.14%) and acephate (80.65%) caused the highest mortality of stink bug and proved most effective. Insecticides application decreased the pollinators’ population one day after spray; however, it was rehabilitated three days after insecticide application. Insecticide application increased seed yield from 28.05 kg/acre (during last four year without chemical control) to 116 kg/acre in 2016–17 (with chemical control). It is concluded that acetamiprid and acephate can be successfully used in integrated management program of increasing alfalfa seed production.     

HCV entry receptors as potential targets for siRNA-based inhibition of HCV

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major worldwide problem causes acute and chronic HCV infection. Current treatment of HCV includes pegylated interferon-α (PEG IFN- α) plus ribavirin (RBV) which has significant side effects depending upon the type of genotype. Currently, there is a need to develop antiviral agents, both from synthetic chemistry and Herbal sources. In the last decade, various novel HCV replication, helicase and entry inhibitors have been synthesized and some of which have been entered in different phases of clinical trials. Successful results have been acquired by executing combinational therapy of compounds with standard regime in different HCV replicons. Even though, diverse groups of compounds have been described as antiviral targets against HCV via Specifically Targeted Antiviral Therapy for hepatitis C (STAT-C) approach (in which compounds are designed to directly block HCV or host proteins concerned in HCV replication), still there is a need to improve the properties of existing antiviral compounds. In this review, we sum up potent antiviral compounds against entry, unwinding and replication of HCV and discussed their activity in combination with standard therapy. Conclusively, further innovative research on chemical compounds will lead to consistent standard therapy with fewer side effects.     

Methodology: a modified method for high-quality DNA extraction for molecular analysis in cereal plants

Cereal crops that have rigid non-cellulose components in the cell wall tissues of leaves and high starch and protein content in grains face limitations in DNA extraction. Advanced molecular genetic techniques such as mapping and marker-assisted selection programs require pure and quick DNA extraction. In this study, we developed methods for isolating high-quality genomic DNA from leaves and seeds of major cereal crops with minor modifications. DNA yields ranged from 300 to 1800 ng for 0.01 g seed or leaf tissue.     

Molecular evolution of the Asian francolins (Francolinus, Galliformes): A modern reappraisal of a classic study in speciation

We investigated the evolution of the Asian francolins, five little known species in the genus Francolinus (Phasianidae). Evolutionary affinities of two of these species, F. gularis (swamp francolin) and F. pondicerianus (grey francolin), has long remained unclear. In contrast, the other three species, F. pintadeanus (Chinese francolin), F. pictus (painted francolin) and F. francolinus (black francolin) have been cast among the "spotted francolins" on a morphological and ecological basis. Previous molecular DNA investigations including Asian francolins mostly relied upon partial gene sequencing of one specimen per species (no more than three species and with the exclusion of F. pictus). Therefore, fundamental questions do persist. What relationship exists among the spotted and the other Asian francolins? What is the geographic origin of the black francolin, the species with the largest distribution range? How did the geological history influence the diversification of francolins across Asia? We sequenced the entire Control Region of the mitochondrial DNA in 228 samples of all five Asian francolin species, which were collected in 16 countries (from East Europe to East Asia). We constructed a molecular phylogeny according to four different procedures. We showed the monophyly of each of the Asian francolins and the spotted group, while that of the entire Asian group was presumed according to a biogeographical model we proposed. The splitting of the genus Francolinus occurred ～17.4Ma (95% HPD: 13.4-22.1) while the spotted francolins diverged ～10.5Ma (7.0-14.9). We resolved the most recent common ancestor to painted and black francolin as being in the Indian sub-continent, thus suggesting a westwards adaptive radiation of the latter. In Pakistan, we identified F. f. asiae representatives in the Northern Areas and in the Sindh. The latter represents a relict population of Indian fauna within the Pakistani range of the Great Rann of Kachchh.     

Geographically separate increases in the frequency of the derived ADH1B*47His allele in eastern and western Asia

The ADH1B Arg47His polymorphism has been convincingly associated with alcoholism in numerous studies of several populations in Asia and Europe. In a review of literature from the past 30 years, we have identified studies that report allele frequencies of this polymorphism for 131 population samples from many different parts of the world. The derived ADH1B*47His allele reaches high frequencies only in western and eastern Asia. To pursue this pattern, we report here new frequency data for 37 populations. Most of our data are from South and Southeast Asia and confirm that there is a low frequency of this allele in the region between eastern and western Asia. The distribution suggests that the derived allele increased in frequency independently in western and eastern Asia after humans had spread across Eurasia.     

Production of a high molecular weight levan by Bacillus paralicheniformis,an industrially and agriculturally important isolate from the buffalo grass rhizosphere

A new exopolysaccharide (EPS) producing Gram-positive bacterium was isolated from the rhizosphere of Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalo grass) and its EPS product was structurally characterized. The isolate, designated as LB1-1A, was identified as Bacillus paralicheniformis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic tree analysis. The EPS produced by LB1-1A was identified as a levan, having β(2?→?6) linked backbone with β(2?→?1) linkages at the branch points (4.66%). The isolate LB1-1A yielded large amount (~?42 g/l) of levan having high weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 5.517?×?10⁷ Da. The relatively low degree of branching and high molecular weight of this levan makes B. paralicheniformis LB1-1A a promising candidate for industrial applications.

     

Predictors of Non-Adherence to Breast Cancer Screening among Hospitalized Women

Objective

Disparities in screening mammography use persists among low income women, even those who are insured, despite the proven mortality benefit. A recent study reported that more than a third of hospitalized women were non-adherent with breast cancer screening. The current study explores prevalence of socio-demographic and clinical variables associated with non-adherence to screening mammography recommendations among hospitalized women.

Patients and Methods

A cross sectional bedside survey was conducted to collect socio-demographic and clinical comorbidity data thought to effect breast cancer screening adherence of hospitalized women aged 50–75 years. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between these factors and non-adherence to screening mammography.

Results

Of 250 enrolled women, 61% were of low income, and 42% reported non-adherence to screening guidelines. After adjustment for socio-demographic and clinical predictors, three variables were found to be independently associated with non-adherence to breast cancer screening: low income (OR = 3.81, 95%CI; 1.84–7.89), current or ex-smoker (OR = 2.29, 95%CI; 1.12–4.67), and history of stroke (OR = 2.83, 95%CI; 1.21–6.60). By contrast, hospitalized women with diabetes were more likely to be compliant with breast cancer screening (OR = 2.70, 95%CI 1.35–5.34).

Conclusion

Because hospitalization creates the scenario wherein patients are in close proximity to healthcare resources, at a time when they may be reflecting upon their health status, strategies could be employed to counsel, educate, and motivate these patients towards health maintenance. Capitalizing on this opportunity would involve offering screening during hospitalization for those who are overdue, particularly for those who are at higher risk of disease.     

Increased Thymic Cell Turnover under Boron Stress May Bypass TLR3/4 Pathway in African Ostrich

Previous studies revealed that thymus is a targeted immune organ in malnutrition, and high-boron stress is harmful for immune organs. African ostrich is the living fossil of ancient birds and the food animals in modern life. There is no report about the effect of boron intake on thymus of ostrich. The purpose of present study was to evaluate the effect of excessive boron stress on ostrich thymus and the potential role of TLR3/4 signals in this process. Histological analysis demonstrated that long-term boron stress (640 mg/L for 90 days) did not disrupt ostrich thymic structure during postnatal development. However, the numbers of apoptotic cells showed an increased tendency, and the expression of autophagy and proliferation markers increased significantly in ostrich thymus after boron treatment. Next, we examined the expression of TLR3 and TLR4 with their downstream molecular in thymus under boron stress. Since ostrich genome was not available when we started the research, we first cloned ostrich TLR3 TLR4 cDNA from thymus. Ostrich TLR4 was close to white-throated Tinamou. Whole avian TLR4 codons were under purify selection during evolution, whereas 80 codons were under positive selection. TLR3 and TLR4 were expressed in ostrich thymus and bursa of fabricius as was revealed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). TLR4 expression increased with age but significantly decreased after boron treatment, whereas TLR3 expression showed the similar tendency. Their downstream molecular factors (IRF1, JNK, ERK, p38, IL-6 and IFN) did not change significantly in thymus, except that p100 was significantly increased under boron stress when analyzed by qRT-PCR or western blot. Taken together, these results suggest that ostrich thymus developed resistance against long-term excessive boron stress, possibly by accelerating intrathymic cell death and proliferation, which may bypass the TLR3/4 pathway. In addition, attenuated TLRs activity may explain the reduced inflammatory response to pathogens under boron stress.