Identification of pH tolerant Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains and their symbiotic effectiveness in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in low nutrient soil

Eight strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum were isolated from the root nodules of soybean cultivar PK 472 collected from Adaptive Trial Centre, Bundi, India. All the isolates were authenticated through plant assay test in germination pouches. Growth of the isolated strains on different pH levels was observed and three strains namely Bj-3, Bj-5 and Bj-8 were found to be able to grow up to pH 8.5. Symbiotic efficiency of these isolates was determined under the mist house conditions in the sterilized sandy soil (pH 8.4). Maximum and minimum nodulation and vegetative growth were observed in Bj-3 and Bj-2 inoculated soybean plants, respectively. Three pH tolerant strains could also pose better results in the efficiency determination experiment. Considerable variability in terms of the symbiotic effectiveness was found in the tested strains.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 663-666,200

Cloning of taxadiene synthase gene into Arabidopsis thaliana (ecotype Columbia-0)

Paclitaxel (Taxol), a complex diterpenoid, produced by yew tree (Taxus sp.) is the most important chemotherapeutic agent that is widely used against a variety of malignancies such as ovarian and breast cancers. However, destructive methods for its production from natural resources together with currently used low-yielding industrial production systems via total synthesis or semi-synthesis have led researchers to invent a robust alternative biological production system using biotechnological approaches. The first committed step in taxol biosynthesis pathway is the  production of taxadiene from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) catalyzed by the plastid-localized enzyme taxadiene synthase (TXS). In this research, an attempt was made to evaluate the effects of the first critical enzyme in thetaxol biosynthesis pathway on Arabidopsis plant through the expression of taxadiene synthase gene under the control of a dexamethasone-inducible promoter. To achieve this goal, Arabidopsis plants (ecotype Columbia-0) were transformed with the construct pTA-TXS-His via floral dip method using Agrobacterium tumefaciens AGL1. The transformed plants were confirmed using the PCR reaction amplifying an 800 bp fragment of the cloned gene. Upon these findings, a proposal was made that biotechnological strategies could be utilized for the production of taxol components

Outcome of surgical management of developmental dysplasia of hip in children between 18 and 24 months

Background: Developmental dysplasia of hip (DDH) is a common condition presenting to a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. There is a consensus on the surgical treatment of children with ages ranged from 18 to 24 months where majority agree on open reduction and hip spica. Open reduction was done with an additional pelvic procedure wherever required to get better results and prevent residual acetabular dysplasia (RAD) and early osteoarthritis. Materials and Methods: 35 children with unilateral DDH were operated between 2002 and 2007 at our institute. Open reduction was performed in all using the standard anterior approach and peroperative test for hip stability was done. Nine children got an additional pelvic procedure in the form of Dega acetabuloplasty. All were followed up for a minimal period of 2 years (range 2-7 years). Results: No hip got redislocated. At the end of 18 months, there were seven cases of RAD with acetabular index (AI) of 35° and above. These were all from the group where open reduction alone was done. Conclusion: We feel that a preoperative AI of >40° and a per-operative safe-zone <20° increases the need for supplementary pelvic osteotomy in age group of 18 to 24 months because in such cases, the remodeling capacity of the acetabulum is unable to overcome the dysplasia and to form a relatively normal acetabulum

Pathogenesis of Infectious Coryza in Chickens (Gallus gallus) by Avibacterium paragallinarumn Isolate of Bangladesh

An investigation was conducted to isolate and identify the causal agent of infectious coryza (IC) with pathogenesis study by local isolate of Avibacterium paragallinarum in chicks in Bangladesh. One isolate of A. paragallinarum was used to study the experimental pathogenesis. For this, 14 days old 24 chicks were grouped into two (A and B) and each group contained 12 birds. Chicks of group A were inoculated with 1ml of 2 days old nutrient broth and were kept as control group while group B were inoculated with 1 ml of 2 days old culture broth of A. paragallinarum. To study the pathology, 4 birds from each group were sacrificed on day 3, 5 and 7 of post inoculation. Sacrificed birds of group A did not reveal any clinical sign and lesion. Chicks of group B showed mild nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, depression and inability to move. The gross lesions of the chicks of group B included mucous in nasal passage, conjunctivitis, swelling of sinuses and face and congested lungs. The microscopic lesions of the chicks of this group were acanthosis and congested blood vessels of nasal passage, pneumonic lesion of lung, focal hepatitis of liver and fatty change and lipid nodules in macrophages of heart which were progressively prominent on day 7 of bacterial inoculation. A. paragallinarum was reisolated from day 7 of post inoculation (PI) from nasal passage of chicks in which lesions were prominent. The proposed experimental pathogenesis was after intranasal inoculation with A. paragallinarum, rhinitis developed, bacteria entered into blood, reached different organs producing lesions. The lesions which are discussed here (rhinitis in association with focal hepatitis, fatty change in heart with lipid granuloma, progressive pneumonic lesions) are not usually present in adult and young birds. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/agric.v11i1.15240 The Agriculturists 2013; 11(1) 39-46</jats:p