Diversity among 36 snapmelon landraces, collected from 2 agro-ecological regions of India (9 agro-climatic sub-regions), was assayed using RAPD primers, morphological traits of plant habit and fruit, ...2 yield-associated traits, pest and disease resistance and biochemical composition (TSS, ascorbic acid, titrable acidity). Typical differences among accessions were observed in plant and fruit characteristics and snapmelon germplasm with high titrable acidity and possessing resistance to downy mildew, Cucumber mosaic virus, Zucchini yellow mosaic virus, Papaya ringspot virus, Aphis gossypii and Meloidogyne incognita was noticed in the collection. RAPD based grouping analysis revealed that Indian snapmelon was rich in genetic variation and region and sub-region approach should be followed across India for acquisition of additional melon landraces. Accessions of var. agrestis and var. momordica clustered together and there was a separate cluster of the accessions of var. reticulatus. Comparative analysis of the genetic variability among Indian snapmelons and an array of previously characterized reference accessions of melon from Spain, Israel, Korea, Japan, Maldives, Iraq, Pakistan and India using SSRs showed that Indian snapmelon germplasm contained a high degree of unique genetic variability which was needed to be preserved to broaden the genetic base of melon germplasm available with the scientific community.
Understanding the effects of long-term use of fertilizers on soil carbon and nitrogen pools and their activities is essential for sustaining soil productivity. Our objectives were to quantify ...long-term changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) and mineralizable C in maize-wheat cropping sequence in fertilized and unfertilized plots (control, N, NP, NPK, and NPK + FYM). Continuous application of fertilizers increased SOC over its initial content. Active fractions of SOC, i.e., water-soluble carbon, hydrolysable carbohydrates, SMBC, SMBN and dehydrogenase activity, improved significantly with an application of NPK and NPK + FYM. A general increase in carbon mineralization with time period was observed throughout the experiment and was maximum in 100% NPK + FYM treated plots. The estimated annual C input value in NPK + FYM treatment was 1.05 MgC ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The overall net change in organic carbon was maximum in treatment receiving FYM along with inorganic fertilizers. Therefore, these results suggest that the integrated use of NPK and FYM is an important nutrient management option for sustaining maize-wheat cropping system.
Objective
Osteonecrosis is a serious comorbidity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The aims of this study were to describe the prevalence of symptomatic osteonecrosis, determine the ...pattern of joint involvement, identify the outcomes and investigate predictive factors in a large cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus followed prospectively.
Methods
At the Toronto Lupus Clinic patients have been followed prospectively according to a standard protocol since 1970. Osteonecrosis is recorded if patients are symptomatic and is confirmed by imaging. The site of osteonecrosis is recorded and whether or not surgery was performed. For determination of prevalence, pattern and outcome of osteonecrosis a longitudinal cohort design was performed. For the predictive factors, only patients with incident osteonecrosis were included and were matched for gender, year of entry to clinic (within 5 years), year of birth (within 5 years) and disease duration (within 3 years) with systemic lupus erythematosus patients without osteonecrosis.
Results
Of 1729 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus registered in the database, 234 (13.5%) developed symptomatic osteonecrosis in 581 sites. Hips and knees were most commonly affected and 47% of the patients had multiple sites involved. More than half of the joints involved at first occurrence of osteonecrosis had surgery. Univariate analysis identified black race, damage, elevated cholesterol and glucocorticosteroids as predictive factors, but glucocorticosteroids remained as the primary predictor for the development of osteonecrosis on multivariable analysis.
Conclusion
Despite advancements in the assessment and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, symptomatic osteonecrosis continues to be a significant comorbidity. Strategies to minimize glucocorticosteroid use are necessary to prevent this serious complication.
Depletional induction therapies are routinely used to prevent acute rejection and improve transplant outcome. The effects of depleting agents on T‐cell subsets and subsequent T‐cell reconstitution ...are incompletely defined. We used flow cytometry to examine the effects of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (rATG) on the peripheral T‐cell repertoire of pediatric and adult renal transplant recipients. We found that while rATG effectively depleted CD45RA+CD27+ naïve and CD45RO+CD27+ central memory CD4+ T cells, it had little effect on CD45RO+CD27− CD4+ effector memory or CD45RA+CD31−, CD45RO+CD27+ and CD45RO+CD27− CD8+ T cell subsets. When we performed a kinetic analysis of CD31+ recent thymic emigrants and CD45RA+/RO+ T cells, we found evidence for both thymopoiesis and homeostatic proliferation contributing to immune reconstitution. We additionally examined the impact of rATG on peripheral CD4+Foxp3+ T cells. We found that in adults, administration of rATG‐induced peripheral expansion and new thymic emigration of T cells with a Treg phenotype, while CD4+Foxp3+ T cells of thymic origin predominated in children, providing the first evidence that rATG induces Treg in vivo. Collectively our data indicate that rATG alters the balance of regulatory to memory effector T cells posttransplant, providing an explanation for how it positively impacts transplant outcome.
This prospective study examines the contribution of thymopoiesis versus homeostatic proliferation to immune reconstitution following rATG and the influence of rATG on the emergence of Treg in renal transplant recipients.
Seven nicotinic acid amides were synthesized by condensation of nicotinic acid adsorbed on silica gel with different aromatic amines. The synthesized compounds were characterized by
1
H and
13
C NMR ...and IR spectroscopy and screened for their nematicidal activity against root knot nematode
Meloidogyne incognita
by egg hatching and mortality test. All compounds exhibited significant nematicidal potential as compared to control. Maximum egg hatching inhibition potential was exhibited by
N
-(4-bromophenyl)nicotinamide while
N
-(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl)nicotinamide showed the maximum mortality potential.
Pyrazole derivatives were synthesized by bromination of pyrazole, followed by N-alkylation of 4-bromopyrazole. The synthesized derivatives were characterized by microanalytical data and IR and
1
H ...and
13
C NMR spectra and were evaluated for their nematicidal activity against the root knot nematode
Meloidogyne incognita
. The compounds were screened for their egg hatch inhibition and mortality potential, and they showed significant nematicidal activity as compared to the control. 1
H
-Pyrazol-5(4
H
)-one was found to be most effective in egg hatch inhibition, and 4-bromopyrazole was found to be most effective in juvenile mortality.
2-Substituted benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized by condensation of
o
-phenylenediamine with the corresponding substituted benzaldehydes and were alkylated at the nitrogen atom using C
3
–C
...10
alkyl bromides in the presence of tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate as a phase-transfer catalyst and 30% aqueous potassium hydroxide as a base. The synthesized derivatives were characterized by
1
H and
13
C NMR and IR spectroscopy and screened for their nematicidal activity against the root-knot nematode
Meloidogyne incognita
by egg hatching and mortality tests. All compounds exhibited significant nematicidal potential as compared to control. The maximum egg hatching inhibition potential and maximum mortality potential were exhibited by 2-(2-nitrophenyl)-1
H
-benzimidazole.
Seven arylbis(indolyl)methanes were synthesized by electrophilic substitution reaction of aromatic aldehydes on indole using glacial acetic acid as catalyst in aqueous media under ultrasonic ...irradiation. The synthesized bis-indole derivatives were characterized using elemental analysis,
1
H and
13
C NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry and were screened for their nematicidal activity against the root knot nematode
Meloidogyne incognita
. The efficiency of the synthesized compounds was evaluated in vitro by egg hatching and mortality tests. All tested compounds showed significant nematicidal potential, and the nitro substituted derivative, 3,3′-(4-nitrophenyl)methylenedi(1
H
-indole), exhibited the highest activity.
A novel series of substituted benzothiazole derivatives were synthesized by reacting with various aryl aldehydes and magnesium turnings/dry MeOH as reducing agent. These compounds were characterized ...with various spectral techniques. The resultant compounds were screened for their antinemic activity against root knot nematode,
Meloidogyne incognita
by egg hatching and mortality test. All the tested compounds showed vital efficacy as antinemic agents against
M. incognita
. The results indicated that synthesized benzothiazole derivatives exhibited significant antinemic activity, of which synthesized compound 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzothiazole showed the best nematicidal activity as compared to other benzothiazole derivatives.
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