A new species of peyronellaea from Indian soil

Summary A new species of genusPeyronellaea, P. indianensis sp. nov., has been described. Its isolation from the soil is the first record to science. It differs from previously recorded five species parasitizing various host plants. As it is isolated on a filter paper buried in the soil, it is a cellulose decomposing fungus     

Efficacy of single versus multiple exposure by electromagnetic modalities on gram-negative and positive bacterial strains in an in-vitro model

ObjectivesThe primary purpose of the recent experiment was to scrutinize the dissimilarity between single and multiple exposures by electrotherapeutic modalities to determine the development of Gram-positive and Gram negative bacteria spectrum.Material and methodsBacterial strains employed in this study were Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumonae and Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Fluence for Low level laser therapy (LLLT) (810 nm) was 40 J/cm² for 80 s, for microwave (MWD) a dosage of 100-Watt with duration of 5 min and for magnetic field therapy (MT) duration of 30 min with 100% intensity was used.ResultsRepeated Measures of analysis of variances (RANOVA) for within-subject effects was used to detect a global significant change within the means at dissimilar time points. The experiments of within-subjects revealed a significant difference within groups, df of (3, 40), F value of 39.38 and a p value less than 0.001, representing a significant variation between the three groups between pre and post exposures. There was a significant variation between single exposure and multiple exposures in the experimental sample’s pre-post between the four groups with df (1, 40) f value of 2943.69 and p value less than 0.001. Scanning and Transmission electron microscopy images were also taken into account to determine the extent of damage caused to the bacterial cells surface topography in Gram negative and Gram positive spectrums.ConclusionThe study demonstrated that single high exposure with the LLLT appears to have the most emphatic effect followed by exposure by MWD and MT.     

White grubs,Holotrichia rustica and Holotrichia mucida (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) as pests of teak (Tectona grandis L. f.) seedlings

Abstract Field observations were carried out between 2002 and 2005 on bio‐ecology of white grubs infesting teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) seedlings at Ramdongari Forest Nursery, Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra, Nagpur in central India. The study collected the data required for an integrated pest management strategy against the white grubs. The species damaging teak seedlings were Holotrichia rustica (Burmeister) and H. mucida Gyllenhal. The beetles (adults) of both these species began to emerge just after the pre‐monsoon showers and when the relative humidity had risen rapidly over several days, but before the first monsoon rains. While the adults fed and mated on naturally growing bushes of Ziziphus jujuba, Z. mauritiana, Z. xylopyra, Acacia leucophloea and A. catechu immediately after the emergence from the teak beds in the nursery, the immature stages (grubs) of both species fed on roots of the teak seedling, leading to plant death. This is the first report of (i) damage caused to teak seedlings by grubs of H. rustica and H. mucida, and (ii) of Z. jujuba and Z. mauritiana being hosts for the beetles of H. mucida and H. rustica. It is also the first detailed report on the field bio‐ecology of the H. rustica and H. mucida as major pests of teak. White grubs are among the toughest‐to‐manage pests of economic importance and information presented here on the pest incidence and damage of H. rustica and H. mucida is important to researchers and nursery field managers for the management of these pests on teak.     

Evidence for Compromised Insulin Signaling and Neuronal Vulnerability in Experimental Model of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease

Evidence from animal studies categorizes sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (sAD) as a metabolic syndrome with accompanying cognitive deficits. Given that glial cells act as “silent partners” to neurons by providing trophic support and defense, the present study investigated the role of glia in sAD pathology. A streptozotocin (STZ)-induced glial-neuronal co-culture model of sAD was used to study the metabolic status of the two cell types. Real time RT-PCR and Western blotting results indicated that amyloid precursor protein (APP) and β-secretase (BACE1) were highly expressed in co-cultured neurons than in monocultures. Increased amyloidogenesis was accompanied by decreased expression of mediators in insulin signaling pathway that included insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2), insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2), insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), total-glycogen synthase kinase 3β (t-GSK3β), and phosphorylated-GSK3β^ser9 (p-GSK3β^ser9), suggesting that neuronal cells are more prone to metabolic variability when cultured in the presence of glial cells. Findings from the sAD model induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of STZ revealed that increased amyloid beta (Aβ) load in the hippocampus was potentially responsible for the hyperphosphorylation of tau at ser³⁹⁶. Furthermore, impaired cognitive functions and decreased dendritic spine density and axonal thinning in CA1 region of hippocampus were associated with decreased IR and p-GSK3β^ser9/t-GSK3β expression. Taken together, the present study provides evidence that glia mediated response and insulin signaling defects drive pathological changes in sAD and represent potential targets for delaying sAD progression.