Performance appraisal of Trichoderma viride based novel tablet and powder formulations for management of Fusarium wilt disease in chickpea.

In developing a Trichoderma viride-based biocontrol program for Fusarium wilt disease in chickpea, the choice of the quality formulation is imperative. In the present study, two types of formulations i.e. powder for seed treatment (TvP) and tablet for direct application (TvT), employing T. viride as the biocontrol agent, were evaluated for their ability to control chickpea wilt under field conditions at three dosages i.e. recommended (RD), double of recommended (DD) and half of recommended (1/2 RD). A screening study for the antagonistic fungi strains based on volatile and non-volatile bioassays revealed that T. viride ITCC 7764 has the most potential among the five strains tested (ITCC 6889, ITCC 7204, ITCC 7764, ITCC 7847, ITCC 8276), which was then used to develop the TvP and TvT formulations. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of T. viride strain confirmed the highest abundance of compositions comprising octan-3-one (13.92%), 3-octanol (10.57%), and 1-octen-3-ol (9.40%) in the most potential T. viride 7764. Further Physico-chemical characterization by standard Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council (CIPAC) methods revealed the optimized TvP formulation to be free flowing at pH 6.50, with a density of 0.732 g cm-3. The TvT formulation showed a pH value of 7.16 and density of 0.0017 g cm-3 for a complete disintegration time of 22.5 min. The biocontrol potential of TvP formulation was found to be superior to that of TvT formulation in terms of both seed germination and wilt incidence in chickpea under field conditions. However, both the developed formulations (TvP and TvT) expressed greater bioefficacy compared to the synthetic fungicide (Carbendazim 50% WP) and the conventional talc-based formulation. Further research should be carried out on the compatibility of the developed products with other agrochemicals of synthetic or natural origin to develop an integrated disease management (IDM) schedule in chickpea.

The addition of mobile SMS effectively improves dengue prevention practices in community: an implementation study in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is an emerging vector disease with frequent outbreaks in Nepal that pose a major threat to public health. Dengue control activities are mostly outbreak driven, and still lack systematic interventions while most people have poor health-related knowledge and practices. Mobile Short Message Service (SMS) represents a low-cost health promotion intervention that can enhance the dengue prevention knowledge and practices of the affected communities. This study aimed to explore the acceptability, appropriateness, and effectiveness of mobile SMS intervention in improving dengue control practices. METHODS: This study was an implementation research that used mixed-methods design with intervention. A total of 300 households were divided into three groups, i.e. one control group, one dengue prevention leaflet (DPL) only intervention group and one DPL with mobile SMS intervention group (DPL + SMS). We used a structured questionnaire to collect information regarding participants' knowledge and practice of dengue prevention. We conducted in-depth interviews with key informants to measure acceptability and appropriateness of intervention. Mean difference with standard deviation (SD), one-way ANOVA, paired t-test and regression analyses were used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Thematic analysis was used to assess the acceptability, and appropriateness as well as barriers and enablers of the intervention. RESULTS: The DPL + SMS intervention produced significantly higher mean knowledge difference (32.7 ± 13.7 SD vs. 13.3 ± 8.8 SD) and mean practice difference (27.9 ± 11.4 SD vs 4.9 ± 5.4 SD) compared to the DPL only group (p = 0.000). Multivariate analysis showed that the DPL + SMS intervention was effective to increase knowledge by 28.6 points and practice by 28.1 points compared to the control group. The intervention was perceived as acceptable and appropriate by the study participants and key stakeholders. Perceived barriers included reaching private network users and poor network in geographically remote areas, while enabling factors included mobile phone penetration, low cost, and shared responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: Mobile SMS is an effective, acceptable and appropriate health intervention to improve dengue prevention practices in communities. This intervention can be adopted as a promising tool for health education against dengue and other diseases.

Monocarbonyl Curcumin-Based Molecular Hybrids as Potent Antibacterial Agents.

Keeping in view various pharmacological attributes of curcumin, coumarin, and isatin derivatives, triazole-tethered monocarbonyl curcumin-coumarin and curcumin-isatin molecular hybrids have been synthesized and evaluated for their antibacterial potential against Gram-positive (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) human pathogenic bacterial strains. Among all hybrid molecules, A-4 and B-38 showed the most potent antibacterial activity with inhibition zones of 29 and 31 mm along with MIC values of 12.50 and 6.25 µg/mL, respectively. Structure-activity relationship that emerged from biological data revealed that the two-carbon alkyl chain between triazole and coumarin/isatin moiety is well tolerable for the activity. Bromo substitution at the fifth position of isatin, para-cholo substitution in the case of curcumin-isatin, and para-methoxy in the case of curcumin-coumarin hybrids on ring A of curcumin are most suitable groups for the antibacterial activity. Various types of binding interactions of A-4 and B-38 within the active site of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) of S. aureus are also streamlined by molecular modeling studies, suggesting their capability in completely blocking DHFR.

Implementation fidelity of provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling of tuberculosis patients under the National Tuberculosis Control Program in Kathmandu District of Nepal: an implementation research.

BACKGROUND: There exists low uptake of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing among Tuberculosis (TB) patients through Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling (PITC) under the national TB control program in Nepal. The degree and quality of program delivery were explored through determining whether the PITC program is currently implemented as intended. This study aimed to assess three major components of the program's implementation fidelity: adherence to PITC service, exposure, and quality of program delivery in order to optimize and standardize PITC implementation by exploring its barriers and enablers. METHODS: This research used a sequential explanatory mixed method design. Retrospective cross-sectional study of TB patients enrolled in five TB treatment centers of the Kathmandu district from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017 was done to assess PITC adherence to Direct Observed Treatment-Short Course (DOTS) protocols. The centers' TB-DOTS readiness was assessed using the WHO Service Availability and Readiness Assessment checklist. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the barriers and enablers of PITC service implementation. RESULTS: From a total of 643 TB patients registered, 591 (92.1%) patients were offered HIV test counseling. Amongst those, 571 (96.6%) accepted and 523 (91.5%) were tested. Service providers' HIV knowledge was found to be good although only 2/5 (40%) had participated in PITC training. The key barriers experienced by service providers were: patients feeling offended, stigmatization and lack of human resources in DOTS centers. The main enablers for PITC were national TB program commitment, health workers' motivation, collaboration between stakeholders and external development partners' promotion of program implementation. CONCLUSION: In the selected study sites, PITC services are well integrated into the routine TB control program with a high uptake of HIV testing among registered TB patients. This achievement should be sustained by addressing the identified barriers mainly in the quality of the PITC program delivery.