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In silico analysis of cubebinol for evaluating its efficiency against menacing respiratory ailments
Get PDFOver the recent decade a survey states that the advent of respiratory diseases had took a rapid transmittance and transformation rate. The mortality and the morbidity rates were also exorbitant. Piper cubeba is one of the traditional plant species belongs to Piperacea family, which possess good antibacterial activity. The plant comprise of several phytocomponent one among which is cubebinol, whose specific activities have not been much explored. Hence it is subjected in this research and its antibacterial efficiency is investigated through virtual screening technique. Techniques like Auto dock, Discovery studio, Pymol are evolved in the investigation to know the unknown nature of the phytocomponent by analyzing its binding affinity along with the major respiratory disease causing organism’s macromolecules. Thus it manifests the efficiency and the potency of the plant phytocomponent, which is found to be better than that of the readily available and commercially consumed drug molecules. By both the pharmacokinetic test as well as the docking validation we found that the docked ligand compound cubebinol is a potent drug against several fatal bacterial respiratory diseases
The diversity profile of pepper and banana based high range home gardens in Kerala
Get PDFKerala, renowned for its rich biodiversity, is endowed with home garden based agroecosystems which act as a reservoir to satisfy the escalating food, nutritional and economic demands of the people. The home gardens on the high range area are of typical, with complex biodiversity profile, peculiar ecological and edaphic factors. In this context, the overriding objective of the present study was to identify and analyze the diversity profile of the high range home gardens and also to compare the species diversity of different crop based home gardens in the high range area. The results of diversity index using Shannon and Weaners diversity index revealed that the total diversity (H’t) of the home garden was high (H’t=4.443 and H’t=5.907) in ‘pepper and banana’-based home gardens respectively, however the mean total biodiversity index (H’m) that could be considered as the real measure of biodiversity was (H’m=1.481 and H’m=1.969) which indicated that high range home gardens that was once considered to mimic the forest ecosystems with high biodiversity, is now attributing declining trends in diversity profile. However, the crop abundance profile disclosed that the high-value crops viz., spices and plantation crops dominated the home gardens of high range areas which subjugated the diversity of vegetables and tubers which act as the pillars of food security.
Studies on standardization and purification processes of VEERAM
Get PDFIn Siddha system of medicine Veeram is one of the toxins among the sixty four known toxins. Geologically it is called Calomel. It is a very toxic material therapeutically, these arsenic based medicines are used in Siddha system. Natural substances of milk, tender coconut water, bitter guard and lemon juice are used to purify the veeram. This research work analyzed the raw veeram and products obtained after purification. Geochemical, physico-chemical analysis, instrumentation techniques of XRF, TG-DTA, FE-SEM, EDAX and particle size analyzer. Among physicochemical parameters total ash value was low. Loss on drying increased in the products in the various intermediate stages which due to the impact of plant agents used in the process. XRF results revealed mercury is present in major concentration. Raw veeram showed 77.14% of mercury. In the raw veeram particles observed were distributed within the range of 0.0920 µm–0.948 µm. FE-SEM analysis suggested that the bitter gourd treated veeram consisted of individual particles with a size ranging from 94 nm to 144 nm. Milk treated samples when subjected to analysis revealed increased particle size which may be attributed to aggregation. Lemon juice treated samples showed particle size in the range of 82 nm to 96 nm and in tender coconut range was 78 nm to 91 nm. In the EDAX raw and other samples showed peak for mercury and chloride. TG-DTA analysis showed that the raw veeram sample had a sublimation temperature of 220°C where as in other treated samples sublimation temperature was reduced compared to raw veeram. The from the stydy depict that these purification processes forms new organic substances and transformation of the starting toxic metal. These processes have an important role in the formation of complexes and in altering toxic state to non-toxic state.
Climate change perspectives and conservation of sacred groves: Case of Sharngakavu, Kerala
Get PDFIndia has a rich tradition in conserving non-forest patches known as sacred groves, through cultural and religious beliefs. Sacred groves not only preserve the indigenous biodiversity, it also mitigates the effects of climate change. This study explored the climate change awareness and environmental and cultural perceptions of people associated with Sharngakavu sacred grove in Kerala. Data was collected separately from native residents (NR) and non-resident devotees (NRD) through interviews and focus group discussions (FGD). Weighted average index (WAI) and Garrett scores were used to measure the perceived effects of climate change and the importance of socio-cultural values in sacred grove conservation. The results indicated that females in the middle age group of 41-65 years belonging to above poverty line economic status and graduate level of education dominated both NR and NRD categories. There was not much difference in the climate change awareness score of NR and NRD which were recorded at 97.5% and 92.5%, respectively. The majority of the respondents indicated a perceived increase in atmospheric temperature, decrease in precipitation, high seasonal variation in rainfall pattern, heavy decrease in water availability in natural sources, frequent occurrence of heat waves, and frequent recurring natural calamities as the important changes in weather parameters which was actually reflected in the weather data recorded from the region. Among the socio-economic parameters, the majority perceived food production to have recorded a very high increase despite the effect of climate change but livelihood options indicated deterioration. Religious beliefs and the conservation of biodiversity were the most important factors that influenced the continued conservation of this sacred grove.
Indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) used in agriculture by selected ethnic communities of Assam
Get PDFThe role of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in a range of sectors is being talked about. Over the years, people have tried to develop new farming techniques based on their experience and age old experiments for their farming operation. Assam consists of a large number of ethnic groups that have different ITKs relating to agricultural sector. The present study attempts to document the ITKs used by four major ethnic communities of Assam viz., Ahom, Mishing, Deori, and Karbi. Twenty respondents from each community were selected and data were collected by different Participatory Rural Appraisal tools from Sivsagar, Majuli and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam during 2020. Different ITKs such as, broadcasting goat’s excreta on the standing crop of paddy to control hispa, dried leaves of ‘Neem’ kept with rice grains in for its insecticidal properties, etc were used in agriculture. Most of the identified indigenous practices were found to be of biological origin. The documented ITKs need to be scientifically validated to be recommended at the state level. The result of the study is expected to help in a technology blending programme for generation of low-cost, eco-friendly and location-specific technology by modifying already existing technologies. Further, the documented data might help in national-level data bank management on ITKs.
Systematic validation of anti-inflammatory activity of raw drug samples in Holostemma annulare (Roxb.) K. Schum
Get PDFThe tuberous roots of Holostemma annulare are utilized as the drug Jivanti in Ayurvedic medicine system. There is a huge demand of root tubers of this plant by pharmacies. Conversely, there are reports concerning adulteration in market samples of Jivanti resulting in damaging effect on the quality of drug formulations. Till now there is no significant study to relate the source plants available in markets as Jivanti. A meticulous phytochemical profiling especially of the roots is still a lacuna and no studies have been carried out yet regarding this. We focused on this concept and analyzed the anti-inflammatory activity by means of proteinase inhibition assay, as well as COX and LOX inhibition assays in the root samples collected from homestead cultivation (HS) and from an authenticated trade shop in Thiruvananthapuram (TS). Among the two samples, TS exhibited comparable anti-inflammatory activity to HS which further confirms the authenticity of the genuine drug in the preparation of Ayurvedic formulations. The study provides a scientific rationale in using Holostemma roots in traditional drug preparations for diseases linked with inflammation and also throw light in fortifying molecular approaches in validating elite raw drugs in order to supplement genuine samples for pharma needs.
Traditional wisdom of conserving biodiversity through sacred groves: Ethnobotanical treasure in Garhwal Himalayas
Get PDFThe present study was conducted to record the ethnomedicinal plants and their uses in sacred groves of Rudraprayag district in Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Field surveys were conducted to identify sacred groves and information was collected from local folks using structured questionnaires. Three sacred groves, namely 1) Banjyani, 2) Jakh devta, and 3) Satoli were identified in the region. The survey revealed 31 medicinal plant species representing 26 families and 29 genera. These plant species belong to diverse families and most dominant families in the groves were Lamiaceae, Moraceae, Ranunculaceae and Rosaceae. The medicinal plants used for different ailment in the sacred groves were dominated by herbs, followed by shrubs and trees. To treat different ailments, leaves were used in maximum number of ailments (33.33%), followed by bark (16.67%), root (12.50%), fruit (12.50%), whole plant (10.42%), flowers (6.25%), rhizome (4.17%) and bulb (2.09%). In identified sacred groves plants were used for different medicinal purposes i.e., cough, diarrhea, leprosy, leucorrhoea, jaundice, bronchitis, digestive issues and to improve appetite. The study confirms the dependence of local people on sacred groves for their health care. However, presence of threatened plants highlights the importance of sustainable utilization of medicinal plant resources available in the groves.
Simultaneous detection of thirteen exons of dystrophin gene by optimized multiplex PCR assay to screen Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy
Get PDFAdvancements in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology and other techniques like Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)signal and target amplification have become key procedures in molecular diagnostics. PCR enables the synthesis of nucleic acids in vitro through which a DNA segment can be specifically replicated in a semiconservative way that sets forth deletion and mutation analysis. Multiplex PCR (M-PCR) is beneficial over standard and long PCR as this can amplify more than one locus using the respective primer sets. In harmony with this, the present study aimed to optimize M-PCR followed by its chemistry and condition to screen Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) [OMIM #310200] and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD) [OMIM #300376]. Muscular Dystrophies (MDs) are a broad group of hereditary, progressive, and degenerative disorders of muscles. X-linked recessive D/BMD are caused by mutation/s in the dystrophin gene [OMIM #300377] that encodes for dystrophin protein [UniProt#P11532]. As dystrophin is the human metagene with 79 exons, mutational analysis is very challenging. Chamberlain set (10 plex), Beggs set (9 Plex), and Kunkel set (7 Plex) is used for many years to diagnose this condition. However, in this study, Beggs set is customized with 13 exons to screen DMD gene mutation in a single reaction. Optimization of M-PCR was designed with many physicochemical parameters. According to the literature and after many appraisals the present study demonstrated the most sufficient concentration of various chemical components and optimal cycling conditions to optimize the modified Beggs set (13 Plex). 50 µL PCR reaction includes primer(s) (0.3–0.5 µM each), dNTP mixture (160 µM each), Dream Taq buffer (1X), Taq DNA polymerase (6U/50 µL), DNA template (250 ng/50 µL), BSA (0.4 µg/µL), and MgCl2 (1.4 mM). To get the most effective results cyclic conditions obtained were 10 min initial denaturation at 94°C, 62°C annealing temperature, and 35 PCR cycles at 72°C extending temperature. Consequently, the study successfully formulated a less expensive and simple approach for >3000 bp that was used to screen D/BMD. Finally, a developed M-PCR mix with a unique combination of specificity and sensitivity coupled with great flexibility has led to a true revolution in molecular diagnostics
A study of ‘calf-path’ in file naming in institutional repositories in India
Get PDFThis study examined the file naming practices in 39 institutional repositories. There is evidence that calf-path exists infile naming among the curators of institutional repositories in India. The study showed that no standard or logic seems tohave been followed by repositories in the naming of the files, except by the National Digital Library of India (NDLI) and theCSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR). The study also examined thecomposition of the filenames, which shows that the author names (11.2%), titles (11.9%), journal title with volume and issuenumbers (21.1%) form the basis for the formation of filenames. It is suggested that digital repository managers have to givemore attention to name files in the institutional repository in the interest of uniformity and consistency
Raman and Structural Characterization of Spinel Compound Zn8/5Al4/15TiO4
Get PDFMicrowave dielectric materials have been attracted enormous attention for their application in microwave communication. A new microwave dielectric material with composition Zn8/5Al4/15TiO4 was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction method. The structure of Zn8/5Al4/15TiO4 was refined with the cubic P4332 space group (number of formula unit per unit cell, Z = 4). The Rietveld refinement study revealed the theoretical density ρ = 4.80 g/cm3 and lattice parameter a = 8.405 Å. This compound was crystallized in cubic spinel structure and 1:3 ordering was observed on the octahedral sites. Raman spectrum of the compound was collected at room temperature. Theoretical Factor group analysis for this compound predicts 40 Raman modes and 22 IR modes. However, experimentally 13 vibrational modes have been observed in the Raman spectrum which can be separated into internal TiO6 vibration and external rotation and translation TiO6 modes. Raman modes in the range of 500-800 cm-1 are assigned to internal vibrational modes