Entomology

Shot hole borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichh) is one of the most serious pests of robusta coffee. Small black beetle bore into green succulent stem and make galleries which leads drying of the twig. Ambrosia fungus grows inside the gallery helps the development of the beetle. Whole stages develop inside the gallery and this concealed nature makes it difficult to control. The present review discusses the distribution, taxonomy, biology and the control of shot hole borer.

Human T-cell leukemia Virus (HTLV) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity rate in adults. In India the incidence of HTLV infection are 100 in 100,000. The transmission of HTLV is through unprotected sex, HTLV donor and from infected mother to baby by means of breast feeding. Transcription of HTLV provirus leads to T-cell multiplication. A study was done to determine the presence of HTLV-I infections in pregnant women during third trimester. 57 maternal samples of three trimesters were collected. The serum was separated by centrifugation and aliquot. The presence of HTLV infection was assayed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).  Seropositivity for HTLV -1 infection among the third trimester of pregnant women was found to be 2.44 %.

Housefly (Musca domestica L.) is considered a key domestic, veterinary and medical pest, causes irritation, spoils food and also an important vector for many pathogenic organisms. A number of social and health problems are caused due to housefly, which emphasize the need to control its population. Hence several control strategies viz., cultural, biological, chemical control and certain technical customs are commonly used. The main purpose of this review is to highlight different house fly control strategies such as ultraviolet machines, through biological control agents, plant sources chemicals (Neem, Wood vinegar and Basel plant). The IPM (integrated pest management) practices, which can offer relatively more reliable field performance, have also been described. However the preservation of the housefly's natural enemies could be an ecologically sustainable method of maintaining the fly populations below threshold level.

This experiment was conducted to determine the potential of formulated Annona squamosa (Linn) and Moringa oleifera (Lam) against Podagrica species (jacoby) and Zonocerus variegatus (Loew) of okra during the major planting season of 2013 and 2014. The experiment was set up in a Randomized Complete Block Design and each treatment was replicated three times. The paste was separately mixed with Texapol, Nitrosol, Black soap and Salt at different proportion. The solution collected was stored in a 5-littre keg for further use. The result revealed that the formulated extracts had significant effect in all the tested parameters when compared with unprotected plants. Ethanolic plant extracts had higher insecticidal efficacy (36.1 to 46.9%) than Acetonic extracts which had the efficacy ranging from 18.4 to 29.3%. The yield obtained from ethanolic plant extracts treated plots was two times that of Acetonic extracts. The solution was stored at a room temperature for three months without being fermented. Therefore, these plant extracts can be used in the management of insect pests of okra especially in organic farming system.

The present review deals with the interaction of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with various host factors and the underlying mechanisms involved in liver pathology during HCV infection. The persistence of virus after HCV infection causing chronic hepatitis in high majority of patients was explained in terms of host immune response varying with mutating nature of HCV virus. High scale variability in HCV genome arising of frequent mutation favours HCV to escape immune mediated eradication and to persist in host causing continued liver cell injury. HCV shows pathogenic effect via its role in several metabolic changes and inducing reactive phenomenon including hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress and insulin resistance in HCV infected patients. The structural and non-structural components of HCV virus, particularly, HCV-core, NS3 and NS5A proteins were involved in causing all these reactive state. Moreover, HCV-genotypes showed their varying effect on overall HCV pathogenesis. The HCV core protein from HCV-genotype-3 had close association with causing hepatic steatosis, increasing oxidative stress and inducing insulin resistance in HCV infected patients. All these reactions, ie. hepatic steaotis, oxidative stress and insulin resistance play important role in progression / regression of disease. However, many more studies are still needed to understand it in full measure for developing an effective anti-viral or anti-infection therapy.

Docetaxel stabilizes microtubules while inhibits mitotic spindle formation. It has been found to be effective in treating several solid cancers. The aim of this study was to in cooperate docetaxel in conventional and Chitosan coated liposomes, and to evaluate the antiproliferative effects of different formulations on MCF-7 and HepG-2 cell lines. MTT assay was used to determine the growth inhibition of the cell line by docetaxel. A significant dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation was found after the cells were exposured to certain liposomal docetaxel preparations, suggesting the possible use of liposomes as effective docetaxel delivery devices.

Although Ethiopia is working hard to exploit its enormous potential of beekeeping through the introduction of improved hives and capacity building, the country has been challenged by absence of appropriate queen rearing practice. This paper tries to review existing situations of queen rearing and colony multiplication in Tigray region of Ethiopia. In order to the bridge gaps and promote beekeeping in the region, higher education and research institutions should focus on the establishment of bee centers committed for research and bee breeding programs whereas the extension should target on capacity building for beekeepers to accomplish queen rearing and bee breeding effectively.