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Efficacy of certain plant extracts in reducing Bean common mosaic potyvirus strain blackeye cowpea mosaic (BCMV-BlCM) disease in cowpea was evaluated. All the six botanicals Azadirachta indica, Boerhaavia diffusa, Bougainvillea spectabilis, Clerodendrum inerme, Psidium guajava, and Thuja occidentalis improved the germination and vigour index of cowpea. The disease incidence was reduced to 7% when 0.75% (w/v) of B. diffusa leaf extract was used as seed treatment under screen house conditions when compared to 80% in control. Under field conditions B. diffusa reduced the disease incidence up to 40% at 0.75% (w/v) concentration of extract. In spray treatment, B. diffusa and B. spectabilis reduced the disease incidence up to 13 and 12% under screenhouse conditions, whereas B. diffusa and C. inerme reduced the disease incidence up to 31 and 32% under field conditions. When plant extracts were mixed with BCMV-BlCM inoculum and young seedlings inoculated, B. spectabilis, C. inerme and M. jalapa extracts reduced the disease incidence up to 42, 40 and 48% respectively under screenhouse conditions when compared with the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author presents his perspective on the cause of thermal asymmetry of the scrotum in both humans and primates. One cause cited is anatomical asymmetry, which, the author notes, could disturb the laminar convection currents in the whole scrotum and circulating air. He also discusses the clinical implications of thermal asymmetry by citing cases that manifest the influence of dissimilar testicular temperature on the incidence of testicular cancer and varicocele.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a commonly occurring reproductive disorder among the reproductive-aged women. Its global occurrence varies based on diagnostic guidelines, ethnicities, and locations of concern. Insulin resistance (IR) is commonly observed around 65–70% of women diagnosed with PCOS, representing a prevalent association. Consequently, the study was designed with an objective of illustrating the effect of insulin on mural and cumulus granulosa cells (GCs) of PCOS patients in comparison to normal ovulating women. This study is a case–control design, wherein a total of 80 participants were recruited meeting criterion of inclusion and exclusion, divided into 8 groups with each group consisting of 10 samples. The process involves the isolation and culturing of mural granulosa cells (MGC) and cumulus granulosa cells (CGC) with and without exposure to insulin. The proteins released by untreated GCs and insulin-treated GCs were extracted, and complex protein mixtures were digested with trypsin, followed by tandem mass spectrometry analysis and data processing using bioinformatics. We found 595 proteins in both control and PCOS samples, of which 310 were contributed by MGCs and 285 by CGCs. The PCOS MGCs expressed 20%, both the normal MGCs and CGCs have equal representation of 16% by each, whereas the PCOS CGCs proteins contributed 15% of the total of the proteomic expression. However, the poor expression observed with the Insulin exposure, the Insulin treated PCOS CGCs contributes 13%, PCOS MGCs contributes 8%. The normal MGCs upon the Insulin treatment give 8% then and there only 4% of proteins expressed by normal CGCs after Insulin treatment. The Venn analysis widened on their precise expression topographies. The examination of strings exhibited important protein–protein interaction pathways. This is a pioneering investigation aimed to establish the link between hyperinsulinemia in localized follicular GCs and PCOS mechanisms by comparing them to control group. The examination of various attributes, mechanisms, and traits shown by genes and proteins in individuals with PCOS compared to control populations, alongside the investigation of the dynamics of these genes and proteins following exposure to insulin, holds promise for the formulation of novel hypotheses and strategies in the identification of new biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]