The prevalence of stroke increases with age and the ability to absorb all nutrients from our diets decreases with age. Nutrition is a modifiable risk factor for stroke, which is a leading cause of ...death and disability in world-wide. Deficiencies in one‑carbon metabolism, including in methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), have been linked to increased risk of stroke. The Mthfr+/− mice mouse model mimic the phenotype of the MTHFR677C➔T polymorphism, such as elevated levels of homocystine. Using this mouse model, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation with 5-methylTHF, vitamin B12, and choline after ischemic stroke. Male Mthfr+/− and wildtype littermate control mice were aged (~1.5-year-old) and were placed on control diet (CD) 4-weeks prior to sensorimotor cortex damage using photothrombosis (PT), a model for ischemic stroke. Post-operatively, one group of Mthfr+/− and wildtype littermate mice were placed on 5-methylTHF, vitamin B12, and choline supplemented diet (SD). Four weeks after PT and SD motor function was assessed using the accelerating rotarod, forepaw asymmetry, and ladder beam walking tasks. Total homocysteine and cysteine levels were measured in blood. Brain tissue was processed to assess lesion volume and investigate biochemical and molecular changes. After PT and SD, Mthfr+/− mice were able to stay on the accelerating rotarod longer and used their impaired forepaw to explore more when compared to CD animals. Furthermore, total homocysteine levels in plasma and lesion volume were reduced in Mthfr+/+ and Mthfr+/− SD mice. Within the damage site, there were reduced levels of apoptotic cell death and increased neuroprotective cellular response in the brains of SD treated Mthfr+/− mice. This study reveals a critical role for one‑carbon supplementation, with 5-methylTHF, vitamin B12, and choline, in supporting improvement after ischemic stroke damage.
•In Mthfr+/−mice supplementation reduced motor impairment after stroke.•tHcy levels and lesion volumes were reduced in supplemented animals.•In brain tissue, there were reduced levels of active caspase-3 of supplemented mice.•HIF-α levels were increased in ischemic core of Mthfr+/− supplemented mice.
Evidence from India, a country with unique and distinct food intake patterns often characterized by lifelong adherence, may offer important insight into the role of diet in breast cancer etiology. We ...evaluated the association between Indian dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in a multi-centre case-control study conducted in the North Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Eligible cases were women 30⁻69 years of age, with newly diagnosed, biopsy-confirmed breast cancer recruited from hospitals or population-based cancer registries. Controls (hospital- or population-based) were frequency matched to the cases on age and region (Punjab or Haryana). Information about diet, lifestyle, reproductive and socio-demographic factors was collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. All participants were characterized as non-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians (those who consumed no animal products except dairy) or lacto-ovo-vegetarians (persons whose diet also included eggs). The study population included 400 breast cancer cases and 354 controls. Most (62%) were lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Breast cancer risk was lower in lacto-ovo-vegetarians compared to both non-vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.6 (0.3⁻0.9) and 0.4 (0.3⁻0.7), respectively. The unexpected difference between lacto-ovo-vegetarian and lacto-vegetarian dietary patterns could be due to egg-consumption patterns which requires confirmation and further investigation.
An experiment was conducted in a factorial randomized block design during rabi 2016-18 at Ludhiana. There were 14 treatments consisting of two factors. Factor I comprised two levels of inorganic ...fertilizers 100% RDF (recommended dose of inorganic fertilizers) and 75% RDF and factor II consisted of six combinations of biofertilizers along with a control. The data pooled over years revealed that the utilization of various biofertilizers significantly improved the plant height, number of leaves, 20-bulb weight, bulb equatorial diameter and yield over control at both levels of inorganic fertilizers. However, the per cent increase over their respective control was higher when these biofertilizers were used with 75% RDF than with 100% RDF. Biofertilizer treatments significantly improved the ascorbic acid, total soluble solids and pyruvic acid of bulbs, reduced the physiological loss in bulb weight during storage but the differences in bulb dry matter and ash content were non-significant. The effects of all biofertilizers on soil chemical and microbiological properties were beneficial but non-significant. Two treatments, i.e. 100% RDF + T6 (Azotobacter + Sphingobacterium + Burkholderia) and 100% RDF + T1 (Azotobacter + Bacillus) that exhibited 11.5% and 8.6% increment in bulb yield over control (100% RDF) have been identified. Besides, three treatments, i.e. 75% RDF + T6, 75% RDF + T1 and 75% RDF + T5 (Azotobacter + Bacillus + Burkholderia) registered 8.3%, 7.8% and 7.3% higher bulb yield over control (100% RDF) and therefore may be recommended to save 25% inorganic fertilizers.
Six systemic fungicides viz., Kitazin 48 EC (iprobenfos), Tilt 25 EC (propiconazole), Folicur 25 EC (tebuconazole), Score 25 EC (difenoconazole), Amistar Top 325 SC (azoxystrobin 18.2% + ...difenoconazole 11.4%) and Nativo 75 WG (trifloxystrobin 25% + tebuconazole 50%), and two non-systemic fungicides viz., Indofil M-45 75 WP (mancozeb) and Kocide 77 WP (copper hydroxide), were evaluated under in vitro and field conditions for their efficacy to manage purple blotch complex of onion caused by Alternaria porri and Stemphylium vesicarium. Field efficacy of the fungicides at different concentrations were determined in controlling the purple blotch complex of onion under artificial epiphytotic conditions on bulb and seed crop (cultivar PRO-6) during the Rabi season 2014-2015 and 2015-2016, respectively. The triazole fungicides, tebuconazole and difenoconazole proved superior in inhibiting growth of A. porri and S. vesicarium under in vitro conditions, respectively. Further, foliar sprays (3 for bulb crop and 4 for seed crop) of tebuconazole 25 EC (Folicur) @ 0.1 per cent at fortnightly interval most effectively managed purple blotch complex of onion under field conditions with highest Benefit: Cost ratio (8.75:1 and 88.7:1) in bulb and seed crop, respectively. Seed-to-seed method of onion seed production recorded significantly lower disease severity and higher seed yield than that of bulb-to-seed method under natural epiphytotic conditions. The present findings can be instrumental in devising strategy for the integrated management of A. porri, S. vesicarium singly as well as in complex, serious limiting biotic factors in onion production. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 5(4): 554-565
A total of forty one genotypes of onion were evaluated for their relative response to purple blotch complex caused by Alternaria porri and Stemphylium vesicarium under artificial epiphytotic ...condition in field during Rabi 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. Significant variation in disease severity among the onion genotypes was found over two years but the pooled analysis revealed that most of the variations were due to genotype x year interaction. None of the genotypes exhibited resistance to the disease complex. Of the test genotypes, eighteen were found moderately susceptible while twenty one were found susceptible to the disease complex. Two genotypes viz., Punjab Naroya and OSR-1364 exhibited highly susceptible reaction. However, six genotypes viz., P-96, P-30, P-121, OSR-1359, P-98 and OSR-1370 showed superior yield performance. Purple blotch complex exhibited highly significant negative correlation of 0.71 and 0.67 with fresh bulb yield and bulb size, respectively. Cluster analysis of onion genotypes was performed based on disease and yield variables and the genotypes were furthered grouped into five clusters based on average values of disease and yield variables.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 5(4): 498-504
A retrospective case report.
The objective of the present article is to report an unusual complication of spinal instrumentation.
Migration of spinal implants to distant site is quite unusual, and ...literature till date has only 2 case reports. For the first time, we are reporting a case of anterior spinal rod migration from the dorsolumbar spine to the knee joint in a young male patient after 4 years of its fixation following spinal injury.
A 38-year-old man presented with pain, swelling, and restriction of movement of left knee joint. On clinical examination, a hard movable rod was palpable which was suspected to be a metallic foreign body initially. The detailed history of the patient revealed anterior spinal fixation following posttraumatic injury of L1 vertebra 4 years back. Radiograph showed a metallic rod lying around the knee joint with absence of anterior rod of dorsolumbar spine. The suspicion of migration of the rod was confirmed by surgical exploration.
After 1 week of removal of the rod, patient became totally asymptomatic with normal full range of movement of the knee joint.
Though rare, migration of implants from the spine to the distant sites is always a possibility and may have severe complications too. We stress the need of long-term follow-up with clinical examination and radiographs to prevent missing such a complication.
PDF
