Surgical retrieval of a metallic foreign body from the spleen of a dog

This is the first report of a metallic foreign body in the spleen of a dog. The animal had abdominal discomfort with a tucked-up abdomen and occasional vomition. Radiography and ultrasonography were used to identify a splenic foreign body which was surgically removed through a ventral midline celiotomy. Migration of the foreign body through the stomach wall was suspected as the most likely cause.     

Chemical pre-treatments improve seed germination and seedling growth in Semecarpus kurzii:an ethnomedicinally important plant

Semecarpus kurzii Engl.is an important ethnomedicinal plant used for curing tumours,inflammation,fever and pain,and is also a source of iso ricinoleic acid.During the present investigation,effect of chemical pretreatments on germination and seedling growth revealed significant differences.Different pre-treatments could improve germination and treatment with KNO_3 (9.9 mM)was significantly superior(94%) to the untreated control(76%).Mean daily germination varied among the treatments(0.90–4.14 seeds per day),when compared with 2.27 seeds per day in control.Mean germination time was significantly reduced from 22.14 days(control) to 16.40 days(19.8 mM KNO_3) and 17.16 days(1.45 mM GA_3).Treatment with KNO_3(19.8 mM) and GA_3(1.45 and 2.90 mM)significantly reduced the time for 50% germination.Treatment with higher concentrations of GA_3 and KNO_3 exhibited significantly faster germination initiation(11.0 and 12.0 days,respectively) over the control(17.0 days).Seedling vigour index was not improved by pre-treatments.Chemical treatments did not improve shoot growth,collar thickness,or number of seedling leaves; however,root growth was significantly improved over control.Treatment with GA_3(2.90 mM) promoted leaf elongation but reduced leaf width significantly.Treatment with KNO_3 and GA_3 could be recommended to obtain healthy seedlings for establishing new plantations of this important medicinal plant species.     

Problems, progress and future prospects of improvement of Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari, an endangered herbal magic, through modern biotechnological tools: a review

Commiphora wightii (Arn.) Bhandari syn. C. mukul Engl. (Burseraceae) is an economically and pharmacologically important slow growing, dioecious, balsamiferous woody, multipurpose shrub heading towards extinction. Commonly known as “Guggul” due to the presence of steroidal compound guggulsterone in the oleo-gum resin, it has been used in treating various ailments and disorders since ancient times (2000 B.C.). Evaluation and confirmation of hypolipidemic effects of guggul based on Ayurvedic text in 1960s provided a new insight into its pharmacological applications. Two bioactive isomers of guggulsterone, E and Z, are responsible for lipid- and cholesterol-lowering activities. Recently, it has been shown to have anti-cancerous activity also. It is found in the dry regions of Indian subcontinent, namely India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Ruthless and unscientific harvesting of oleo-gum resin from the wild, by local populations, for economic benefits with negligible conservation efforts has made this species endangered and has led to its inclusion in Red Data Book of IUCN. Although this plant has many excellent traits, adequate attention has not been focused on its conservation and improvement. Conventional propagation methods i.e., seeds, cuttings and air layering are in place but have many limitations. Therefore, application of modern biotechnological tools needs to be standardized for harnessing maximum benefits from this pharmaceutically important plant. An efficient regeneration system needs to be in place for improvement of this genus through genetic transformation and production of useful metabolites in cell cultures. Studies are in progress for micropropagation through shoot multiplication and somatic embryogenesis, as well as for secondary metabolite (guggulsterone) production in callus cultures and bioreactors. No selected germplasm is available for C. wightii since it is a wild plant. Breeding programs have not yet been started due to lack of systematic cultivation and conservation programs. Moreover, little information has been gathered regarding the genetic variability in this species using RAPD and ISSR markers. No details are available about genetic makeup and QTL linkage maps. Investigations are in progress to search sex linked markers in this dioecious species. Research is also in progress to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying various pharmacological actions of guggul. Since the approval of use of guggul as a food supplement by United States Food and Drug Administration in 1994, an exponential increase in research publications on various aspects of research on guggul have been published. Present communication summarizes the problems, progress made and suggests some future directions of research for this important endangered medicinal plant.     

Antidiarrhoeal activity of Rhus javanica ripen fruit extract in albino mice

The antidiarrhoeal effects of the methanolic extract of Rhus javanica ripen fruits (MERJ) were investigated by employing four experimental models of diarrhoea in Swiss albino mice. MERJ treated mice, showed significant reduction in the faecal output and protected them from castor oil-induced diarrhoea. The extract also reduced the intestinal fluid secretion induced by MgSO4 and gastrointestinal motility after charcoal meal administration in the albino mice. No mortality and visible signs of general weakness was observed in the mice following the test extract administration up to 2000 mg/kg dose.     

Chemical pre-treatments improve seed germination and seedling growth in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Semecarpus kurzii</Emphasis>: an ethnomedicinally important plant

Semecarpus kurzii Engl. is an important ethnomedicinal plant used for curing tumours, inflammation, fever and pain, and is also a source of iso ricinoleic acid. During the present investigation, effect of chemical pre-treatments on germination and seedling growth revealed significant differences. Different pre-treatments could improve germination and treatment with KNO₃ (9.9 mM) was significantly superior (94%) to the untreated control (76%). Mean daily germination varied among the treatments (0.90–4.14 seeds per day), when compared with 2.27 seeds per day in control. Mean germination time was significantly reduced from 22.14 days (control) to 16.40 days (19.8 mM KNO₃) and 17.16 days (1.45 mM GA₃). Treatment with KNO₃ (19.8 mM) and GA₃ (1.45 and 2.90 mM) significantly reduced the time for 50% germination. Treatment with higher concentrations of GA₃ and KNO₃ exhibited significantly faster germination initiation (11.0 and 12.0 days, respectively) over the control (17.0 days). Seedling vigour index was not improved by pre-treatments. Chemical treatments did not improve shoot growth, collar thickness, or number of seedling leaves; however, root growth was significantly improved over control. Treatment with GA₃ (2.90 mM) promoted leaf elongation but reduced leaf width significantly. Treatment with KNO₃ and GA₃ could be recommended to obtain healthy seedlings for establishing new plantations of this important medicinal plant species.     

A HPTLC densitometric method for the determination of aloeverose in Aloe vera gel

Aloe vera gel is a familiar ingredient in a range of widely available and advertisement healthcare and cosmetic products. As to date there are no documented reports on the standardization of A. vera gel and the following study is an attempt in this direction. A. vera gel was evaluated for its aloeverose content for the first time. Aloeverose, was separated on a thin-layer of silica gel by isocratic gradient elution technique was determined by using HPTLC-photodensitometry. The proposed method is simple and sensitive and can be used for the routine assay of aloeverose in phytomedicines containing A. vera gel.     

Fuel properties and combustion characteristics of some promising bamboo species in India

We investigated the fuel characteristics of five important bamboo species viz., Dendrocalamus strictus, D. brandisii, D. stocksii, Bambusa bambos and B. balcooa. The selected species cover more than 85% of the total growing stock of bamboo in India. Basic density varied from 0.48 to 0.78 g?cm-3 among the bamboo species studied. Ash content, volatile matter content and fixed carbon content ranged between 1.4%-3.0%, 77.2%-80.8% and 17.6%-21.1%, respectively. Variation in calorific value(18.7-19.6 MJ?kg-1) was marginal. Fuel value index varied widely(586-2120) among bamboo species. The highest calorific value(19.6 MJ?kg-1) and fuel value index(2120) were found in B. balcooa. Ash elemental analysis revealed that silica and potassium are the major ash forming minerals in bamboo biomass. Silica content ranged from 8.7% to 49.0%, while potassium ranged from 20.6% to 69.8%. We studied combustion characteristics under oxidizing atmosphere. Burning profiles of the samples were derived by applying the derivative thermogravimetric technique which is discussed in detail. The five bamboo species were different in their combustion behaviour, mainly due to differences in physical and chemical properties. We compare fuel properties, ash elemental analysis and combustion characteristics of bamboo biomass with wood biomass of Eucalyptus hybrid(Eucalyptus tereticornis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis).     

Brine shrimp lethality bioassay of selected Indian medicinal plants

Ethanolic extracts of six Indian medicinal plants, piperine, guggulsterone E and guggulsterone Z were tested for cytotoxicity using brine shrimp lethality test. Piper longum showed most potent cytotoxic activity. Piperine, guggulsterone E and guggulsterone Z showed potent activity with LC(50) 2.4, 8.9 and 4.9, respectively.     

Climate change adaptation,greenhouse gas mitigation and economic profitability of conservation agriculture: Some examples from cereal systems of Indo-Gangetic Plains

Achieving sustainability of the cereal system in the Indo-Gangetic Plains(IGP)of India under progressive climate change and variability necessitates adoption of practices and technologies that increase food production,adaptation and mitigation in a sustainable way.This paper examines conservation agriculture(CA)from the perspective of:(i)increased yield and farm income,(ii)adaptation to heat and water stresses,and(iii)reduction in greenhouse gas(GHGs)emissions.The analyses and conclusions are based on the literature and evidences from a large number of on-station as well as farmers’field trials on CA in the cereal systems of IGP.Our analyses show that CA-based system substantially reduces the production cost(up to 23%)but produces equal or even higher than conventional system;thereby increasing economic profitability of production system.CA-based production systems also moderated the effect of high temperature(reduced canopy temperature by 1–4°C)and increased irrigation water productivity by 66–100%compared to traditional production systems thus well adapting to water and heat stress situations of IGP.Our continuous monitoring of soil flux of CO2,N2O and CH4 revealed that CA-based rice-wheat systems emit 10–15%less GHGs than conventional systems.This is the first time that CA and its components are synthesized and analyzed from food security-climate change nexus.From this holistic analysis,we suggest that wide-scale promotion of suitable CA practices by integrating into national agriculture development strategy is a way forward to address food security,climate change adaptation and mitigation challenges faced by present agriculture.