The great lockdown, uncertainty and trade: asymmetric impact on imports.

The world economy has recently navigated through the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. Almost all the affected countries have responded with stringency measures to control the pandemic. However, these restrictions appear to have critically impacted the global supply chain and cross-border movement of goods. In this regard, we attempt to investigate the impact of pandemic-related stringency measures on India's import demand. For this purpose, we use bilateral monthly import data of India with its major trading counterparts. Our findings suggest that stringency measures have a positive impact on imports, indicating that the economy relies more on imported items when its domestic production and supply chain are disrupted by the pandemic-related restrictions. Conversely, the import origin countries' restrictions have a negative impact on Indian imports, indicating that these restrictions have adversely affected the production and supply chain in origin countries, thereby reducing the overall flow of imports to India. We also find that economic policy uncertainty of home and product origin countries has a negative impact on Indian imports. Our results also confirm that the pandemic-related restrictions and different types of uncertainty have an asymmetric effect on imports.

Mitochondrial toxicity induced by linezolid causing lactic acidosis.

Linezolid-induced lactic acidosis is a rare, but life-threatening complication of a commonly used drug. Patients present with persistent lactic acidosis, hypoglycaemia, high central venous oxygen saturation and shock. Linezolid causes mitochondrial toxicity due to impaired oxidative phosphorylation. This is evidenced by cytoplasmic vacuolations in the myeloid and erythroid precursors of bone marrow smear as illustrated in our case. Discontinuation of the drug, administration of thiamine and haemodialysis reduces lactic acid levels.

Residue dynamics and bio-efficacy of triflumezopyrim against Nilaparvata lugens and non-targeted effect on natural enemies in a rice ecosystem.

Triflumezopyrim (TMP), a mesoionic insecticide, is commonly used for controlling planthoppers in rice. However, the relationship between the TMP residue and toxicity against brown planthoppers (BPHs) has not been studied in detail. We are reporting the dissipation of TMP from rice plant and soil under field conditions. The median lethal dose and median lethal concentration were 0.036 ng per insect and 0.525 mg L-1, respectively. TMP at recommended dose (25 g a.i. ha-1) recorded 1.25 live BPH per hill as against 25.5 per hill in control at 14 days after treatment. TMP was considered to be harmless to the natural enemies, namely, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis and Lycosa pseudoannulata in the rice ecosystem. The residue of TMP from rice plant and soil was estimated using the QuEChERS method using three different doses (12.5, 25, and 50 g a.i. ha-1). The limit of quantitation (LOQ) of TMP in plant and soil was 5 µg kg-1 and 1 µg kg-1, respectively. The maximum content of TMP in soil was less than 1% that of plant content on day 1. The dissipation pattern of TMP both from plant and soil was better explained by the first-order double-exponential decay model (FODED) as compared to the first-order kinetic model. Overall, the half-lives of TMP were ranged from 2.21 to 3.02 days in plant tissues and 3.78 to 4.79 days in soil as per the FODED model. Based on the persistence and toxicity of TMP, we could conclude that TMP will be effective against BPH up to 7-10 days after application. Triflumezopyrim with reasonable persistence and high efficacy could be recommended as an alternate pesticide in BPH management in rice.

Interplay between abiotic (drought) and biotic (virus) stresses in tomato plants.

With climate warming, drought becomes a vital challenge for agriculture. Extended drought periods affect plant-pathogen interactions. We demonstrate an interplay in tomato between drought and infection with tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Infected plants became more tolerant to drought, showing plant readiness to water scarcity by reducing metabolic activity in leaves and increasing it in roots. Reallocation of osmolytes, such as carbohydrates and amino acids, from shoots to roots suggested a role of roots in protecting infected tomatoes against drought. To avoid an acute response possibly lethal for the host organism, TYLCV down-regulated the drought-induced activation of stress response proteins and metabolites. Simultaneously, TYLCV promoted the stabilization of osmoprotectants' patterns and water balance parameters, resulting in the development of buffering conditions in infected plants subjected to prolonged stress. Drought-dependent decline of TYLCV amounts was correlated with HSFA1-controlled activation of autophagy, mostly in the roots. The tomato response to combined drought and TYLCV infection points to a mutual interaction between the plant host and its viral pathogen.

Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV) Promotes Plant Tolerance to Drought.

A growing body of research points to a positive interplay between viruses and plants. Tomato yellow curl virus (TYLCV) is able to protect tomato host plants against extreme drought. To envisage the use of virus protective capacity in agriculture, TYLCV-resistant tomato lines have to be infected first with the virus before planting. Such virus-resistant tomato plants contain virus amounts that do not cause disease symptoms, growth inhibition, or yield loss, but are sufficient to modify the metabolism of the plant, resulting in improved tolerance to drought. This phenomenon is based on the TYLCV-dependent stabilization of amounts of key osmoprotectants induced by drought (soluble sugars, amino acids, and proteins). Although in infected TYLCV-susceptible tomatoes, stress markers also show an enhanced stability, in infected TYLCV-resistant plants, water balance and osmolyte homeostasis reach particularly high levels. These tomato plants survive long periods of time during water withholding. However, after recovery to normal irrigation, they produce fruits which are not exposed to drought, similarly to the control plants. Using these features, it might be possible to cultivate TYLCV-resistant plants during seasons characterized by water scarcity.

DsRNA-mediated protection against two isolates of Papaya ringspot virus through topical application of dsRNA in papaya.

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) infections in papaya result in heavy yield losses, severely affecting the papaya industry worldwide, and hence warranting for effective control measures. In the past, transgenic papaya cultivars were developed that overexpressed parts of the PRSV genome and exhibited high levels of virus resistance. In the present study, a non-transgenic approach was employed, in which in vitro produced dsRNA molecules derived from a PRSV isolate from South India (PRSV-Tirupati) was tested for dsRNA-mediated protection against two isolates of PRSV through topical application of the dsRNA on papaya. The results showed that the dsRNA molecules from both the coat protein (CP) and helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) genes of the PRSV-Tirupati isolate conferred 100 % resistance against PRSV-Tirupati infection. Further, the same dsRNA molecules were highly effective against the PRSV-Delhi isolate on the papaya cv. Pusa Nanha, conferring a resistance of 94 % and 81 %, respectively. Systemic papaya leaves of the dsRNA-treated plants were virus-free at 14 days post-inoculation, confirming the robustness of this non-transgenic virus control strategy. In contrast, the control TMV dsRNA did not protect against the PRSV infection. This study on the topical application of dsRNA opened up a new avenue for the control of papaya ringspot disease worldwide.

Sequence diversity studies of papaya ringspot virus isolates in South India reveal higher variability and recombination in the 5'-terminal gene sequences.

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is one of the most devastating viruses which causes huge damage to papaya plantations across the globe. PRSV is a positive sense RNA virus encoding for a polyprotein that is processed into ten proteins. In this study for the first time we analyzed the variability for 15 PRSV isolates from a selected geographical region of a South Indian state Karnataka, which is under intensive papaya cultivation. Variability studies were done for two genes at the 5' end of the viral genome, namely P1 and helper component proteinase (Hc-Pro) and towards the 3' end, a 788 nt overlapping region of nuclear inclusion B (NIb, 692 nt) and of capsid protein (CP, 96 nt), referred as NIb-CP. Our studies indicate that the P1 is most variable region with a wider range of sequence identity, followed by Hc-Pro, while the 788 nt of NIb-CP was most conserved. P1 also showed maximum recombination events followed by Hc-Pro, whereas NIb-CP did not show any recombination. Further, the pattern and number of phylogenetic clusters was variable for each of the three genomic regions of PRSV isolates. Estimation of selection pressure for all the three PRSV genomic regions indicated negative and purifying selection.

First Complete Genome Sequence of a Distinct Papaya Ringspot Virus Isolate from the Northeastern Region of India.

This is the first report of a Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) isolate from the northeastern region of India. The nucleotide sequence identity of PRSV-Meghalaya was in the range of 72.6 to 82.5% with other Indian PRSV isolates, and the highest identity of 84.4% was with a French isolate. Population genetic analysis indicated positive selection.

Variability of Emaravirus Species Associated with Sterility Mosaic Disease of Pigeonpea in India Provides Evidence of Segment Reassortment.

Sterility mosaic disease (SMD) of pigeonpea is a serious constraint for cultivation of pigeonpea in India and other South Asian countries. SMD of pigeonpea is associated with two distinct emaraviruses, Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus 1 (PPSMV-1) and Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus 2 (PPSMV-2), with genomes consisting of five and six negative-sense RNA segments, respectively. The recently published genome sequences of both PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2 are from a single location, Patancheru from the state of Telangana in India. However, here we present the first report of sequence variability among 23 isolates of PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2, collected from ten locations representing six states of India. Both PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2 are shown to be present across India and to exhibit considerable sequence variability. Variability of RNA3 sequences was higher than the RNA4 sequences for both PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2. Additionally, the sixth RNA segment (RNA6), previously reported to be associated with only PPSMV-2, is also associated with isolates of PPSMV-1. Multiplex reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analyses show that PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2 frequently occur as mixed infections. Further sequence analyses indicated the presence of reassortment of RNA4 between isolates of PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2.

Elevated Serum ADA Activity as a Marker for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis and Post Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis in Indian Patients.

Serum adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity increases in diseases where cellular immunity is involved. Since cell-mediated immune responses play a paramount role in the pathogenesis and healing of the visceral leishmaniasis, therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the serum ADA activity in different pathological conditions. Adenosine deaminase was determined in sera of active visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients (n = 39), active postkala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases (n = 34) at the point of diagnosis and after treatment stages along with healthy controls (n = 30), endemic healthy subjects (n = 34) and endemic asymptomatic subjects (n = 34).Our in-vitro result revealed that monocytes secrete significant ADA level in response to Leishmania donovani (L.donovani) stimulation. The serum ADA activity in active VL and PKDL subjects were found to be significantly higher than that of respective treated cases and healthy controls. We also observed a marginal number (17.6%) of endemic asymptomatic subjects showed elevated serum ADA activity. Further, the ADA activity in PKDL was found to be decreased gradually during the different phases of treatment. Interestingly, 2 out of 32 treated VL cases found to have high serum ADA activity during follow up period were relapsed within few days. These results suggest the possibility of ADA as a marker of clinical pathogenesis and can be used as a surrogate marker in the diagnosis and prognosis of VL and PKDL.

Analysis of genome comparison of two Indian isolates of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus from India.

The complete sequence of two Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus (CABMV) isolates (RR3 and RR4) from India was determined. Phylogenetic analysis showed that both isolates showed different closeness with other isolates of CABMV. CABMV-RR3 showed maximum identity of 99 % with CABMV-BR1 from Brazil at nucleotide and protein levels, whereas CABMV-RR4 showed identity of 73 and 95 % with CABMV-Z isolate from Zimbabwe at nucleotide and protein levels respectively. Similarity identity matrix revealed 69 % identity at nucleotide level and 91 % at protein level with each other. Recombination breakpoint detection showed that CABMV-MG-Avr from Brazil and CABMV-Z from Zimbabwe act as major parents in our isolates RR3 and RR4, respectively.

Reduction of Chromium-VI by Chromium Resistant Lactobacilli: A Prospective Bacterium for Bioremediation.

Chromium is a toxic heavy metal, which primarily exists in two inorganic forms, Cr (VI) and Cr (III). Highly soluble hexavalent chromium is carcinogenic due to its oxidizing nature. It is well established that the intestinal bacteria including Lactobacilli have regulatory effect on intestinal homeostasis and a breakdown in the relationship between intestinal cells and bacteria results in the manifestation of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. In this study Cr (VI) resistance was developed in Lactobacillus strains and the reduction of Cr (VI) was evaluated. All resistant strains showed similarities with their respective normal strains and did not acquire resistance to various antibiotics. A complete bacterial reduction of 32ppm Cr (VI) was observed within 6 to 8 hours. The presence of chromate reducing enzyme have also been established following the partial purification (2 to 5 fold) and characterization of chromate reductase in Lactobacillus strains. The chromate reductase of our strains showed optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 30°C. To our knowledge; these strains are fast in Cr (VI) reduction than any other known bacteria. The results suggest that chromate- resistant Lactobacillus strains would be useful for chromium detoxification from GI-tract as well as for bioremediation of hexavalent chromium from contaminated environment.

In vitro development of resistance to arsenite and chromium-VI in Lactobacilli strains as perspective attenuation of gastrointestinal disorder.

Inadvertent intake of inorganic arsenic and chromium through drinking water and food causing their toxic insults is a major health problem. Intestinal bacteria including Lactobacilli play important regulatory roles on intestinal homeostasis, and their loss is known to cause gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Probiotic Lactobacilli resistance to arsenite and chromium-VI could be an importantfactorfor the perspective attenuation of Gl-disorders caused by these toxic metals/metalloid. In the present study resistance of arsenite (up to 32 ppm), Cr-VI (up to 64 ppm), and arsenite plus Cr-VI (32 ppm each) were developed under in vitro condition following chronological chronic exposures in Lactobacilli strains. Comparative study of biochemical parameters such as membrane transport enzymes and structural constituents; dehydrogenase and esterase activity tests, which are respective indicators for respiratory and energy producing processes, and the general heterotrophic activity of cells, of resistant strains showed similarities with their respective normal parent strains. The resistant strains were also found to be sensitive to antibiotics. Findings indicate that these resistant probiotic Lactobacilli would be useful in the prophylactic interventions of arsenic and chromium GI-toxicity.

Electrochemical determination of antihypertensive drug irbesartan in pharmaceuticals.

A sensitive voltammetric method has been developed for the determination of irbesartan in a Britton-Robinson buffer medium. Irbesartan exhibited a well-defined cathodic peak over the entire pH range from 2.0 to 12.0. The mechanism of reduction was postulated on the basis of controlled potential electrolysis, coulometry, and spectral analysis. Under optimal conditions, a linear response of irbesartan was obtained in the range from 3.0 × 10(-5) to 5.7 × 10(-3)molL(-1) and with a limit of detection of 5.33 × 10(-7)molL(-1). The effect of cationic surfactant on the voltammetric reduction peak of irbesartan in Britton-Robinson buffer is also described.

Adsorptive stripping voltammetric behavior of nortriptyline hydrochloride and its determination in surfactant media.

The effect of adding surface active agents to electrolytes containing nortriptyline hydrochloride on the voltammetric response of a hanging mercury drop electrode (HMDE) was studied. The current signal due to the reduction process was a function of the amount of nortriptyline hydrochloride, pH of the medium, type of the surfactant, and accumulation time at the electrode surface. Addition of Tween-20 to the nortriptyline hydrochloride containing electrolyte enhances the reduction current signal. Voltammograms of the drug with Tween-20 in Britton Robinson buffers of pH 2-11 exhibit a single well-defined reduction peak, which may be due to the reduction of -C horizontal lineC group. The reduction process was irreversible over the entire pH range, and the mechanism of reduction was postulated on the basis of controlled potential electrolysis and coulometry. Application of Tween-20 in the electrochemical determination of nortriptyline hydrochloride using square-wave voltammetry at the HMDE enhanced the detection limit of the analyte concentration from 8.24 ng/mL in the absence of surfactant to 0.92 ng/mL when present.

Stripping voltammetric behaviour of toxic drug nitrofurantoin.

A simple, sensitive and reproducible squarewave cathodic adsorptive stripping voltammetric method has been developed for the determination of nitrofurantoin in solubilized system. The objective of the present paper is to investigate the redox behaviour of nitrofurantoin by using different voltammetric techniques and to establish the methodology for its determination in the presence of surfactants. Voltammograms of the drug with cetrimide in phosphate buffers of pH 2-11 exhibited a single well-defined reduction peak which may be attributed to the reduction of -NO(2) group. The reduction process is irreversible over the entire pH range studied. The mechanism of reduction has been postulated on the basis of controlled potential electrolysis, coulometry and spectral analysis. The proposed SWCAdSV voltammetric method allows the determination of nitrofurantoin in linear concentration range 2 x 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-7) mol L(-1). The lower limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantification (LOQ) are 0.06 and 0.27 ng/mL, respectively.

Voltammetric behavior of cefdinir in solubilized system.

The voltammetric behavior of cefdinir has been studied in different surfactant media viz. anionic, neutral, and cationic surfactants over the pH range 2.5-12 in phosphate buffer (0.2 M). Addition of cationic surfactant (citrimide) to the cefdinir containing electrolyte enhanced the reduction current signal while anionic surfactant (sodium lauryl) and neutral surfactant (Tween-20) showed an opposite effect. The reduction process was irreversible over the entire pH range studied (2.5-12). The mechanism of reduction has been postulated on the basis of controlled potential electrolysis, coulometry and spectral analysis. An analytical method with adequate precision and accuracy was developed for the determination of cefdinir in linear concentration range 2x10(-4)-1x10(-5) mol L(-1) with detection limit 0.3x10(-6) mol L(-1). The analysis of cefdinir in its pharmaceutical formulation resulted in mean recoveries of 99 and 98% for both the reduction peaks.