Surviving the stress: Understanding the molecular basis of plant adaptations and uncovering the role of mycorrhizal association in plant abiotic stresses.

Environmental stresses severely impair plant growth, resulting in significant crop yield and quality loss. Among various abiotic factors, salt and drought stresses are one of the major factors that affect the nutrients and water uptake by the plants, hence ultimately various physiological aspects of the plants that compromises crop yield. Continuous efforts have been made to investigate, dissect and improve plant adaptations at the molecular level in response to drought and salinity stresses. In this context, the plant beneficial microbiome presents in the rhizosphere, endosphere, and phyllosphere, also referred as second genomes of the plant is well known for its roles in plant adaptations. Exploration of beneficial interaction of fungi with host plants known as mycorrhizal association is one such special interaction that can facilitates the host plants adaptations. Mycorrhiza assist in alleviating the salinity and drought stresses of plants via redistributing the ion imbalance through translocation to different parts of the plants, as well as triggering oxidative machinery. Mycorrhiza association also regulates the level of various plant growth regulators, osmolytes and assists in acquiring minerals that are helpful in plant's adaptation against extreme environmental stresses. The current review examines the role of various plant growth regulators and plants' antioxidative systems, followed by mycorrhizal association during drought and salt stresses.

Novel trends in development of dietary fiber rich meat products-a critical review.

Meat and meat products are generally recognized as good sources of high biological value proteins, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, trace elements and bioactive compounds. Changes in socioeconomic factors in recent years have increased the consumer's preference for ready to eat foods including meat products. The processing of meat and meat products leads to generation of many functional compounds beneficial to human health but most of those foods are rich in fat, added salts but deficient in complex carbohydrates like dietary fiber and pose a health hazard that somehow is proved to be a predisposing factor for cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, obesity including diabetes mellitus. With increasing consciousness among consumers about their nutrition and well being, there is a growing concern over nutritional diseases of affluence. Therefore an increase in dietary fiber inclusion in daily diet has been recommended. For adults, the recommended acceptable intakes of dietary fiber are 28-36 g/day, 70-80 % of which must be insoluble fiber. The insoluble fraction of dietary fiber has been related to intestinal regulation whereas soluble fiber is associated with decrease in cholesterol level and absorption of intestinal glucose. So incorporation of dietary fibers from different sources in meat products would help to enhance their desirability. Dietary fiber sources are generally agricultural byproducts that are comparatively cheap and incorporation in meat products reduces its overall cost. Whole grains and cereal brans are the rich source of insoluble fiber and pectins, gums, starch and other storage polysaccharides have high content of the soluble fraction. With this background, the effect of various dietary fibers on the quality attributes of meat and meat products with its physiological role has been reviewed here.

Intra procedure rupture of intracranial aneurysm during endovascular coiling: neurosurgeons' experience and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors and outcome of intra procedure rupture (IPR) during endovascular coiling of intracranial aneurysms, a neurosurgeons' experience. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The frequency of IPR was studied in 168 aneurysms treated by endovascular coiling in 150 consecutive patients. Aneurysm size, morphology, history of previous subarachnoid hemorrhage (ruptured) and timing of treatment after subarachnoid hemorrhage were the data collected for comparison. RESULTS: Procedure-related rupture during endovascular coiling occurred in five (2.97%) of the 168 aneurysms treated. IPR was the cause for 1.78% treatment-related deaths. Small aneurysm size was the major risk factor for IPR in this series (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the frequency of IPR was similar to the reported frequency in the procedures performed by neurointerventionists.

Development of dietary fiber rich chicken meat patties using wheat and oat bran.

Dietary fiber rich chicken meat patties were developed by incorporating wheat and oat bran to chicken meat at 5, 10 and 15% levels. Oat bran contained higher amount of soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) than wheat bran, whereas total dietary fiber (TDF), insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) were higher in wheat bran. Incorporation of bran significantly increased the water holding capacity (WHC) and emulsion stability (ES). Oat bran showed better effect on WHC and ES than wheat bran. Addition of bran resulted in significant increase in cooking yield, firmness, TDF, USFA and reduction in sensory attributes, moisture, protein, fat and cholesterol content. IDF was higher in wheat bran added patties and SDF and SFA/USFA ratio in oat bran added patties. It is concluded that oat and wheat bran can be incorporated up to 10 and 15% level, respectively for preparation of baked and steamed chicken patties.

Rapid flow cytometric analysis of the cell cycle in intact plant tissues.

Mechanical chopping of plant tissues in the presence of mithramycin released intact nuclei representative of the cells within the tissues. The amount of nuclear DNA in the homogenates of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants was accurately and rapidly determined by flow microfluorometry, and the distribution of nuclei involved in the cell cycle was charted for tissues selected from different physical locations or developmental stages.

Effect of Dietary Fiber Enrichment and Different Cooking Methods on Quality of Chicken Nuggets.

The effect of dietary fiber enrichment (wheat bran) and cooking methods (oven, steam and microwave) on functional and physico-chemical properties of raw nuggets formulation as well as nutritional, color and textural properties of chicken nuggets were analyzed in this study. Among different cooking methods used for nuggets preparation, steam cooked nuggets had significantly (p<0.05) higher water holding capacity (56.65%), cooking yield (97.16%) and total dietary fiber content (4.32%) in comparison to oven and microwave cooked nuggets. The effect of cooking methods and wheat bran incorporation was also noticed on textural properties of the nuggets. Hardness, firmness and toughness values of oven and steam cooked nuggets were significantly (p<0.05) higher than microwave cooked nuggets. Among nuggets prepared by different cooking methods, cohesiveness of microwave cooked nuggets was found to be significantly (p<0.05) highest, whereas, oven cooked nuggets had significantly (p<0.05) highest gumminess and chewiness values. Steam cooked nuggets were found to be better among all nuggets due to their higher cooking yield and dietary fiber content.

Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis and hydrocephalus.

A child presenting with hydrocephalus with extensive inactive retinochoroiditis and his mother with a healed toxoplasmic scar is being discussed. Maternal ocular examination in each case of hydrocephalus is recommended, as uveitis work up of the child is often unrewarding.

Scleral rigidity in glaucoma, before and during topical antiglaucoma drug therapy.

A study of 30 subjects (10 normal and 20 having glaucoma) was done to find out the scleral rigidity in glaucoma cases as compared to normal. The effect of miotics, timolol (0.25%) and pilocarpine (2%) eye drops on the scleral rigidity in cases of glaucoma was observed.

The hypotensive effect of verapamil eye drops on ocular hypertension.

Verapamil eye drops (0.125%) were prepared in phosphate buffer (pH7). Ten patients with unilateral (5 cases) or bilateral (5 cases) ocular hypertension received the drug topically three times daily for two weeks. A significant reduction in the mean ocular tension was observed in 6 right eyes at the end of the first (4.5 mm Hg Schiotz) and second week (7 mm Hg Schiotz) and in 9 left eyes at the end of the second week (6.7 mm Hg Schiotz). The reduction in tension was minimal (1 mm Hg Schiotz) in the eyes with normal initial values. The systolic and diastolic blood pressured dropped by 12.8 mm Hg and 4.0 mm Hg in the first week and by 11.2 mm Hg and 5.4 mm Hg in the second week respectively. There was also a reduction in the mean pulse rate by 7 beats and 13 beats in the first and second week of therapy. These observations indicate persistent hypotensive effect of topical Verapamil on ocular hypertension and some amount of systemic absorption of the drug from eye.

Appropriate management of femoral neck fractures in Nepal.

The management of femoral neck fractures in the Third World has always been a problem. Its management in Nepal reflects the level of available treatments for other orthopaedic conditions, as well as for medical care in general. The most successful methods of fracture treatment have remained the simple ones, consistent with the available resources. Adherence to this philosophy of management, carried out with attention to the needs of the people, reduces the incidence of iatrogenic complications. Six years of experience in the management of femoral neck fractures by traction, plaster, McMurray's osteotomy, modified Girdlestone's excision arthroplasty and Austin Moore prosthetic replacement have been reviewed, along with the relevant literature. Non-operative management has been found to be the most satisfactory method of treatment when related to the overall medical resources in Nepal.

Protein bound iodine levels during oestrus, pregnancy and non-pregnancy states in goats.

Thyroidal function in goats as estimated by PBI values of blood serum showed a very high activity in oestrus, followed by that in pregnancy state. There was significant increase in PBI values between oestrus and non-pregnancy groups. The lack of significance between pregnancy and non-pregnancy values has been explained. Mean PBI values in oestrus, pregnancy and non-pregnancy were respectively 5.91, 5.31 and 3.74 mug/100 ml blood serum.