Variability in Colletotrichum infecting chilli plants of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Aim: The aim of the present study was to understand the basic pathogen dynamics of Colletotrichum species infecting chilli crop in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for disease management practices. Methodology: Twenty fungal isolates associated with chilli (Capsicum annuum) anthracnose disease from diverse locations of tropical Andaman, India were characterized using polyphasic approaches. Results: Upon morphological studies, out of twenty isolates, fourteen isolates were found chromogenic and eleven showed concentric ring pattern of mycelial growth. Based on conidial morphology, the isolates were grouped into two species (C. capsici and C. gloesporioides). The pathogenicity tests on three chilli varieties revealed difference in the pathogenic potential among the collected isolates. The sequence analysis using internal transcriber spacer (ITS) region revealed the presence of two other species C. siamense and C. plurivorum, in addition to C. gloesporioides and C. capsici. Interpretation: The present study revealed the presence of high level of genetic and pathogenic variability among the Colletotrichum isolates infecting chilli in Andaman Islands.

Efficacy Of Dhathu Bushti Chooranam In The Management Of Male Infertility With Special Reference To Oligospermia - An Open Pilot Study

Infertility is a common problem of new age couples. It is affecting them psychologically and also affecting the harmony of the family. Among infertility couples, 40% was caused by male partner particularly by oligospermia. Literally oligospermia means insufficient number of spermatozoa in semen, but significantly, it means that oligospermia is a medical condition characterized by the total sperm count less than 20 million/ml of ejaculate. Extensive clinical researches are going on worldwide to treat oligospermia by utilizing various natural sources like plants, mineral and animal origin. Siddha medicine is having many formulations to treat oligospermia, one among them is Dhathu bushti chooranam described in Noigalukku Siddha Parigaram –a Sasthiric siddha literature. 10 male partners of infertility couples attending Sool mahalir maruthuvam OPD of the Ayothidoss Pandithar Hospital, National Institute of Siddha, Tambaram sanatorium, Chennai-47 were recruited for this pilot study. All patients were treated with 10 gm of Dhathu bushti chooranam twice a day with milk for 90 days. All patients were subjected to complete semenogram on 0th and 90th day of treatment. Results were observed by analyzing the semenogram parameters. The ingredients of Dhathu bushti chooranam are Salamisiri, Nilapanai kizhangu,Thaneervittan kizhangu, Poonaikaali vidhai, Boomisarkkarai kizhangu and most of them are having good spermatogenesis and aphrodiasic activities, hence the author selected this drug for this study. The efficacy of the trial drug Dhathu bushti chooranam was appreciable and the drug may be taken for clinical trial in large number of population.

Optical Coherence Tomography: A new era in dentistry.

Dental prostheses are very complex systems, heterogenous in structure, made up from various materials, with different physical properties. They have to satisfy high stress requirements as well as aesthetic challenges. The failures of dental prostheses lead to functional, aesthetic and phonetic disturbances which finally render the prosthetic treatment inefficient. OCT is a tomography imaging technology capable of producing high-resolution cross-sectional images of the internal architecture of materials and tissues. This includes not only the images of normal and abnormal dental hard tissue structures but also teeth after several treatment methods. It can be used for non-invasive investigations for both in-vivo and in-vitro structural imaging within the oral cavity.