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সিগমুন্ড ফ্রয়েড (১৮৫৫-১৯৩৯) প্রদত্ত মনঃসমীক্ষণবাদ (Psychoanalysis) প্রথম বিশ্বযুদ্ধোত্তর দুনিয়ায় এক কালব্যাপী আলোড়ন তুলেছিল। সাহিত্যের বিষয় ও গঠনের ধীরে ধীরে বদল ঘটেছিল। এমতাবস্থায় প্রথম জীবনে ফ্রয়েড অনুগামী ও পরবর্তী জীবনে ফ্রয়েড বিরোধী মনঃসমীক্ষণবাদী কার্ল গুস্তাভ ইয়ুং (১৮৭৫-১৯৬১) ফ্রয়েডের মনঃসমীক্ষণবাদ (Psychoanalysis) ভাবনার ওপর ভিত্তি করে তার বিশ্লেষণাত্মক মনঃসমীক্ষণবাদ (Analytical Psychoanalysis) ভাবপ্রতিমা নির্মাণ করেন। তাঁর দৃষ্টিভঙ্গিগুলির মধ্যে জনপ্রিয় একটি ভাবনা হল, যৌথ অচেতন ( Collective Unconscious), যার মধ্যে অ্যানিমা-অ্যানিমাস (Anima-Animas), পার্সোনা (Persona), ছায়া (Shadow), স্ব (Self) অন্যতম। অপরটি হল ব্যক্তিত্ব (Individuation)। এছাড়া ব্যক্তিত্বের প্রকারভেদ ও কমপ্লেক্স ইয়ুং প্রদত্ত ভাবনাগুলির মধ্যে অন্যতম। ঔপন্যাসিক জীবনানন্দ তাঁর উপন্যাসগুলির বিষয় বা চরিত্র চিত্রণের ক্ষেত্রে বেশ কিছু স্থানে স্বকীয়তা প্রদর্শন করেছেন। তিনি নিজে মনঃসমীক্ষণবাদের জনক সিগমুন্ড ফ্রয়েড দ্বারা প্রভাবিত। এই গবেষণাপত্রে মনঃসমীক্ষণবাদী কার্ল গুস্তাভ ইয়ুং এর ভাবনা দ্বারা তাঁর রচনাশৈলী কতটা প্রভাবিত তা আলোচ্য। আলোচনার সুবিধার্থে জীবনানন্দের তিনটি উপন্যাস, যথাক্রমে, ‘মাল্যবান’ (১৯৪৮), ‘জলপাইহাটি’ (১৯৪৮), ‘কারুবাসনা’ (১৯৩৩) কে নির্বাচন করা হল। আলোচনার মাধ্যমে উপন্যাসের বিভিন্ন চরিত্রের মধ্যে ইয়ুং প্রবর্তিত ভাবনাগুলির প্রতিফলন নিয়ে বিস্তারিত আলোচনা করা হল।

Many bacteria form mats at the air-liquid interface of static microcosms. These structures typically involve the secretion of exopolysaccharide(s), the production of which is often controlled by the secondary messenger c-di-GMP. Mechanisms of mat formation have been particularly well characterized in Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25; mutations that lead to an increase in c-di-GMP production by diguanylate cyclases (WspR, AwsR, or MwsR) result in the secretion of cellulose, and mat formation. Here, we characterize and compare mat formation in two close relatives of SBW25: Pseudomonas simiae PICF7 and Pseudomonas fluorescens A506. We find that PICF7 – the strain more closely related to SBW25 – can form mats through mutations affecting the activity of the same three diguanylate cyclases as SBW25. However, instead of cellulose, these mutations activate the production of the Pel exopolysaccharide. We also provide evidence for at least two further – as yet uncharacterized – routes to PICF7 mat formation. P. fluorescens A506, while retaining the same mutational routes to mat formation as SBW25 and PICF7, forms mats by a semi-heritable mechanism that likely culminates in Pga and/or Psl production. Overall, our results demonstrate a high level of evolutionary flexibility in the molecular and structural routes to mat formation, even among close relatives.

The present investigation was conducted to find out the influence of different polyamines (PAs) viz. spermine (spm), spermidine (spd) and putrescine (put) and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on multiplication, rooting, callusing and regeneration in Aristolochia indica L. in vitro. Firstly, the A. indica plants were collected, surface sterilized and cultured in Schenk and Hildebrandt (SH) media fortified with various PGRs and PAs in different concentrations and combinations. SH media fortified with benzylaminopurine (BAP) (2.0 mg/l)+put (0.5 mM) and in another experiment, BAP (2.0 mg/l)+spd (1 mM) produced best results with 41.00 and 39.2 axillary shoots/ nodal explant respectively. Following 4-6 weeks of incubation, explants propagated in SH media augmented with various combinations and concentrations of BAP and kinetin (kin) (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 mg/l), spm, spd and put (0.5 and 1 mM) generated white friable callus. SH media supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l)+spd (0.5 mM) displayed best response with an average number of 47.5 base callus derived shoots . Following 6 weeks of incubation, SH+ indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (1.0 mg/l)+spd (0.5 mM) resulted maximum average number (7) of roots per shoot. The genetic homogeneity of the mother plant (MP), hardened plant (HP) and in vitro regenerated plants was ascertained employing random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. In this present study, in randomly selected A. indica plants, by using 6 ISSR and 5 RAPD primers, 63 scorable bands were derived, 59 of which were recorded as monomorphic with a degree of monomorphism of 90%. High-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) revealed aristolochic acid (AA) content in in vitro grown A. indica roots and the roots from the mother plant (MP) as 6074.54 µg/g and 5891.14 µg/g respectively.

Green leaf volatiles impart characteristic aroma and flavour to a variety of natural foods due to their inherent grassy note contributed by aldehydes. Hydroperoxide lyase (HPL) is an enzyme that helps in the cleavage of fatty acid hydroperoxides to short-chain aldehydes and ω-oxo-acids. A tomato hydroperoxide lyase gene was successfully expressed in

Many bacterial species secrete polymers and form mat-like structures. These mats can be useful (e.g., in bioremediation), or problematic (e.g., in hospital settings). The molecular bases of mat formation have been investigated in a number of species, including various pseudomonads. One well-characterized example is the plant symbiont Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25. Laboratory populations of SBW25 readily acquire mutations in one of three regulatory loci (wsp, aws, mws), leading to the over-production of the secondary messenger cyclic-di-GMP. In turn, this activates the production of a cellulose-like polymer, the major structural component of the SBW25 mat. Here, we dissect and compare the molecular mechanisms of mat formation in two further plant-associated pseudomonads: P. simiae PICF7 and P. fluorescens A506. We find that both PICF7 and A506 are capable of mat formation in the laboratory, by distinct molecular routes. Mat formation in PICF7 involves mutations in wsp, aws, or mws that serve to activate the production of Pel (as opposed to cellulose in SBW25). Contrastingly, A506 mat formation does not require mutation of wsp, aws, or mws (despite their retention in the genome). Instead, our results are consistent with a readily reversible, non-mutational route to polymer production and mat formation in A506. Overall, our results demonstrate the presence of multiple molecular routes to mat formation among environmental, plant-associated pseudomonads. The presented work has since been published: Mukherjee A, Dechow-Seligmann G, Gallie J. 2022. Molecular Microbiology 117(2): 394-410.

Background\udNeonatal sepsis is a primary cause of neonatal mortality and is an urgent global health concern, especially within low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 99% of global neonatal mortality occurs. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence and associations with neonatal sepsis and all-cause mortality in facility-born neonates in LMICs.\udMethods\udThe Burden of Antibiotic Resistance in Neonates from Developing Societies (BARNARDS) study recruited mothers and their neonates into a prospective observational cohort study across 12 clinical sites from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Data for sepsis-associated factors in the four domains of health care, maternal, birth and neonatal, and living environment were collected for all mothers and neonates enrolled. Primary outcomes were clinically suspected sepsis, laboratory-confirmed sepsis, and all-cause mortality in neonates during the first 60 days of life. Incidence proportion of livebirths for clinically suspected sepsis and laboratory-confirmed sepsis and incidence rate per 1000 neonate-days for all-cause mortality were calculated. Modified Poisson regression was used to investigate factors associated with neonatal sepsis and parametric survival models for factors associated with all-cause mortality.\udFindings\udBetween Nov 12, 2015 and Feb 1, 2018, 29 483 mothers and 30 557 neonates were enrolled. The incidence of clinically suspected sepsis was 166·0 (95% CI 97·69–234·24) per 1000 livebirths, laboratory-confirmed sepsis was 46·9 (19·04–74·79) per 1000 livebirths, and all-cause mortality was 0·83 (0·37–2·00) per 1000 neonate-days. Maternal hypertension, previous maternal hospitalisation within 12 months, average or higher monthly household income, ward size (>11 beds), ward type (neonatal), living in a rural environment, preterm birth, perinatal asphyxia, and multiple births were associated with an increased risk of clinically suspected sepsis, laboratory-confirmed sepsis, and all-cause mortality. The majority (881 [72·5%] of 1215) of laboratory-confirmed sepsis cases occurred within the first 3 days of life.\udInterpretation\udFindings from this study highlight the substantial proportion of neonates who develop neonatal sepsis, and the high mortality rates among neonates with sepsis in LMICs. More efficient and effective identification of neonatal sepsis is needed to target interventions to reduce its incidence and subsequent mortality in LMICs.\udFunding\udBill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In the present report, the effect of methyl jasmonate (MJ) and salicyclic acid (SA) elicitation, on the indole alkaloid production from micropropagated culture of the endangered Ayurvedic medicinal plant Rauvolfia serpentina Benth. ex Kurz, was investigated. The highest shoot multiplication was found in Murashige and Skoog (MS) media augmented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) following 4 weeks of culture. MS media fortified with cytokinins produced nodal explant-derived nodular base callus (NBC)/ nodular meristemoids (NMs) following 6 weeks. Maximum root length was found in half strength MS basal (½ MSO) media and maximum number of roots per shoot was noted in ½ MS media augmented with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (1.5 mg/l). Clonal fidelity of the in vitro plants was assessed by 10 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers of which only 3 primers (UBC-810, UBC-820, and UBC-827) produced clear and reproducible bands. The content wise variation of indole alkaloids (reserpine and ajmalicine), post elicitor (MJ and SA) treatment (0.5-2 mg/l) was quantified via high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). In vitro raised R. serpentina root accumulated highest amount of reserpine (0.456% and 0.440%) followed by 1.5 mg/l MJ and SA mediated elicitation respectively. Ajmalicine content of in vitro root, grown on culture elicitated with MJ (1.5 mg/l and 2 mg/l), was 0.261%. The ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity was the highest in MJ (1.5 mg/l) treated micropropagated plantlets (0.86 EU/min/mg protein) and comparatively lesser in root samples (0.77 EU/min/mg protein) following 9 days of treatment. In all tested concentrations, SA treated plant sample exhibited strong superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity but the MJ and SA mediated elicitation caused sharp decrease in catalase (CAT) activity in all plant samples. In elicitor treated plant samples, the 1,1-diphenyl2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (%) as well as total phenolics and flavonoids contents were marginally higher than the untreated ones. In vivo and in vitro grown R. serpentina root extracts showed best response against the four evaluated ATCC strains of bacteria.

Medicinally important steroid-based compound diosgenin is usually obtained from the secondary metabolic products of several plant species. Diosgenin has been proven as a prospective bioactive drug lead to the pharmaceutical industries as having anti-cancer activity, anti-microbial activity, anti-thrombic activity, anti-diabetic activity, cardioprotective activity, anti-inflammatory activity, osteoarthritis protective activity etc. Observing the multiple therapeutic values of this compound, scientists and chemists have become interested to discover alternative sources. Endophytic microorganisms possess the potentials producing prospective secondary metabolites. Some diosgenin producing endophytic fungi and bacteria are detected and reported by authors. Extraction and quantification of the respective secondary metabolite in a proper way is required initially for its large scale production. Regular involvement of advance biotechnological approaches plus industrial fermentation technology along with proper funding following government policy is necessary for further progress in this field. Exploration of a higher number of diosgenin producing endophytic strains will definitely increase the supply for social requisition in a cost-effective and environment-friendly manner as limiting the excessive exploitation of plant sources.

Purulia, the land of distinctive geological and archaeological features, abundant natural resources and a home to a number of aboriginals, has been studied widely to apprehend the role of ethnic remedies against myriad of diseases. Availability of natural remedies and practice of traditional knowledge have popularized the use of medicinal plants among local communities. The objective of the study is to elucidate the use of folk medicine against common otorhinolaryngologic and ophthalmic medical conditions, by various ethnic groups of Purulia district, West Bengal, India. A completely randomized ethnobotanical approach was carried out during a number of field visits conducted to interview 55 traditional healers (THs) residing across the 20 blocks of district Purulia via semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. The similarity of usage of plants for different diseases was calculated by the informant consensus factor (Fic), whereas fidelity level indicated the plants mostly cited by the informants. The correlative importance of the usage of the plants was measured by the use value (UV). A total number of 28 plant species belonging to 27 genera and 20 families are reported in this present study in the treatment of a number of otorhinolaryngologic and ophthalmic ailments such as cough and cold, eye diseases (sore eye, red eye, eye inflammation and conjunctivitis), ear diseases (earache and pus in ears), nosebleed and throat infection. The highest value for informant’s consensus factor (Fic) was observed in cough and cold (0.87) that indicates most of the plants possess analgesic and antipyretic potential, whereas the lowest value (0.33) was shown by sore eye that denotes least number of plants have been applied for eye cure. Mostly, leaf part (41.4%) is utilized to cure selected otorhinolaryngologic and ophthalmic disorders where most of the herbal formulations were applied as leaf juices (60.7%). Most significant plant species were Piper nigrum L., Ocimum sanctum L. and Zingiber officinale Roscoe according to their highest UV (1.80), followed by Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees (1.79) and Justicia adhatoda L. (1.66). The present work represents first quantitative ethnobotanical study against some tropical otorhinolaryngologic and ophthalmic disorders in remote areas of Purulia district where acute poverty, underprivileged livelihood, illiteracy, unavailability of conventional health care as well as age-old trust on THs have popularized the use of natural resources (i.e. medicinal plants). Many of the reported ethnomedicinal properties of some plants have been backed up by clinical data also. Aboriginal people also showed keen interest and knowledge regarding conservation of endangered medicinal plants and on sustainable utilization of botanical resources. Proper documentation of traditional knowledge and potential preclinical and clinical studies based on the ethnobotanical data procured may be suggested for safe and efficacious use of herbal medicine against otorhinolaryngologic and ophthalmic disorders.

Several plant-derived neuroprotective nutraceuticals have shown their neuroprotective efficacy in various in vitro, in vivo, and clinical investigations. These molecules represent diverse types of chemical structures such as organosulfur, flavone, flavonol, alkaloid, polyphenol, and isothiocyanate. Neuroprotection offered by these molecules is mediated by antioxidation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-inflammation and by maintaining mitochondrial functionality. These nutraceuticals also prevent neurodegeneration by modulating several signaling pathways and gene expression. These include regulation of NOS via Akt and ERK, enhancement of mitochondrial function, downregulation of MAPK pathways, reducing convulsions, upregulating amyloidogenic route of brain APP processing, upregulating Keap1/Nrf2 pathway, and modulating NF-κB activation via the p38MAPK/PKC pathway and so on. Due to their ability to target multiple factors responsible for neuronal loss, they can serve as an excellent therapeutic agent to combat the complex nature of most of these neurodegenerative diseases. The present review focuses on the role of such botanical-derived nutraceuticals in the protection and prevention of several neurodegenerative diseases in vitro and in vivo mediated by their ability to modulate several signaling pathways, molecules, and gene expression to control various pathophysiological features of such diseases.

Frequent use of medicinal plants is common in healthcare needs of mankind since ancient ages. Among these Moringa oleifera Lam. is one of the vastly used plant whose various parts (leaf, fruit, seeds etc.) are included in regular diet for their multiple ability of combating several health issues. WHO has highlighted on the proper utilization of natural products and marked plant-based medicines as prime study candidates. Taking initiative to explore bioactive leads other than conventional chemotherapeutic agents (with undesirable side effects) have drawn attention of the scientists involved in viral research due to the lack of effective vaccines and insufficient supply of existing costly drugs to socio-economic demands. Several studies were reported regarding the antiviral activity of M. oleifera plant, a pronounced bioprospective aspirant. The plant is known to be used in many traditional medicines and pharmacopeias against an array of medical conditions that include malaria, diabetes, skin infection, tuberculosis, anemia, headaches, epilepsy, sexually transmitted diseases and so on. In African traditional medicine, the plant is popularly used against AIDS and related secondary infections associated with HIV. It showed significant activities against viruses like HIV, HSV, HBV, EBV, FMDV and NDV. In some cases active molecules with mode of actions were documented by authors. On the other hand, there is a number of reports where neither lead compounds nor the relevant mechanisms were clarified regarding the viral inhibitory activities of crude plant extract. Immense studies should be going on to resolve those unanswered motifs along with the well planned trials of clinical application of already discovered potent phytochemicals. For conducting the continuous investigational groundwork in this field, the respective plant should be preserved with proper maintenance, necessarily.

One of the most effective antitumor drugs is the Taxol (paclitaxel), a diterpenoid compound initially sequestered from the Pacific yew tree bark extract in the middle of 1960s. With a distinctive mode of action, paclitaxel is effective against several types of cancers, and hence there is an increasing demand for its worldwide supply. It is difficult to meet the present market requisite using existing industrial production approaches for the drug, i.e., total chemical synthesis and semi-synthesis by extracting paclitaxel precursors from the Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) tree species. Therefore, other methods have been meticulously explored, and one such encouraging strategy is the use of endophytic fungi. In this chapter, sources of endophytic fungi, their association with host plants, and their influence in producing the anticancer compound, paclitaxel, from their host plants are discussed. Also, paclitaxel-producing endophytic fungi and their possible scientific exploration are explained in detail.

Sex hormones have been found to play an intimate role with some of the cancers such as the breast-cancer, prostate-cancer, uterine-cancer, etc. The relation between the estrogen and breast-cancer h...

Certain life events play major role leading behavioural problems in children. A co-relational study was undertaken to identify behavioural problems, faced life events, the relationship between faced life events and behavioural problems of the children. The conceptual framework was based on modied “Life Stress Model” (Ensel and Lin, 2000). Data were collected by non- probability purposive sampling technique from 100 children aged between 6-12 years, attending OPD with parents using semi-structured interview schedule, Child Psychopathological Measurement Schedule, Life Event Scale for Indian Children. Study ndings revealed that 20% of children were at clinically signicant level of maladjustment. 47%, 43% and 10% of children had relatively low, moderate and high amount of life change respectively. There was moderately positive correlation (r=0.51) between faced life events and behavioural problems of the children at clinically signicant level of maladjustment, which is statistically signicant (t=12.72, at 0.01 level of signicance). Statistically signicant association was found between behavioural problems with number of sibling and type of family. Study concluded that children faced more life events lead behavioural problems. Considering the ndings, recommendations were offered for future research such as conducting study on large sample and other age group.

Endophyte is a broad term for microorganisms that colonize asymptomatically inside the healthy tissue of a host plant and maintain mutualistic association for the whole or part of their lifecycle. Many reports are found in the current literature on endophyte-mediated secondary metabolite production in diverse plant species. Piper is a genus belonging to family Piperaceae; it is commonly known as “Paan” and is cultivated extensively in Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Taiwan, and other Southeast Asian countries. The parts of Piper utilized are leaves, roots, stems, stalks, and fruits. The plant has a large number of biomolecules that show diverse pharmacological activity. The leaves of Piper possess bioactivities with antitumor, antimutagenic, and antihelminthic properties. Piperine and piperidine are two such alkaloids found as the active compounds in the Piper. Few endophytes producing these compounds in Piper as secondary metabolites are reported and detailed in some existing literature. Further investigation needs to be undertaken for the identification of more such piperidine and piperine-producing fungi and survey on any bacterial endophytes. A survey of more such endophytes can assist in the commercial enrichment of these bioactive molecules and can limit the overuse of respective medicinal plant materials. The present review focuses on the utilization, extraction, and shortcomings of endophyte-mediated natural product biosynthesis in the major genera of Piper with a note on future perspectives.

Recent scientific investigations focused on drug discovery have accelerated the demand for novel pharmaceutical and agricultural products which are closely correlated with industrial applications. So, the present scenario of natural product-oriented research has expanded the combinatorial application of analytical chemistry, bioinformatics, and molecular biology to identify and isolate lead bioactive compounds from unexplored biological resources. The key features of natural selection attribute cumulatively in the functionality of any natural product, so secondary metabolites derived from specific organisms that exhibit exquisite niche specificity are favored over the common organism in ongoing pharmaceutical research. Endophytic fungi are ubiquitous, but their host infestation mechanism is quite interesting and evolutionarily very active, so the metabolic pathway regulating the mutualistic host-endophyte relationship possesses exclusive features and often biological applications. The research includes isolation, identification, and characterization of endophytic fungi as well as qualitative and quantitative estimation, structure elucidation, and screening of the structure-activity relationship of the biologically active compounds. However, biotope specificity and competitive vigor for nutrition, host, and survival of endophytic fungi are largely correlated with their biological activity, and are found to be superior to other microbes such as epiphytes. The precise balance between pathogenicity and mutualism is greatly monitored by the agonistic and antagonistic activity of fungal metabolites. Moreover, the influence of these metabolites boosts the immunological strength of the host and triggers a preventive reaction against herbivory or allelopathy in exchange for nutrients supplied to the microbial population. Interestingly, endophytes serve as a novel resource producing an array of bioactive compounds with great significance in basic research and medicine. Different biosynthetic pathways produce the secondary constituents, and they belong to diverse chemical classes including alkaloids, phenols, terpenes, quinones, isocoumarins, chromones, cytosporones, chalcone, steroids, xanthones, polyketides, and esters screened for a plethora of biological activities, that is, antibacterial, antifungal, insecticidal, and anticancer. Structure-activity relationship studies, key lead-based in vitro and in vivo investigations, and drug-metabolite synergism have largely elucidated the promising characteristics of endophytic fungi-derived metabolites to be the template of safe, economic, and bioactive therapeutics. However, authentication, screening, differentiation, clinical, and preclinical investigations are largely required before ensuring the medicinal efficacy of any metabolite derived from endophytic fungi.

Endophyte is a broad term covering a variety of microscopic organisms found within the living plant cells. Commonly they are different types of fungi and bacteria engaged in interactions with the plant host varying from symbiotic to pathogenic at various instances. Secondary metabolites are the diverse array of organic compounds produced by the plants or at times by some associated microorganisms essentially involved in a variety of defense-related activities of the plants. Several plant species have been reported with endophyte-mediated secondary metabolite production. A detailed examination and study of such secondary metabolites produced by the endophytic colonizers is helping to stress the medicinal properties of such products and ultimately to focus on unlocking new drug molecules. Asiaticoside and madecassoside are two such triterpenoid molecules of plant-origin found as the active compounds chiefly in the plant Centella asiatica. Few of the endophytes producing asiaticoside and madecassoside as secondary metabolites are being explored and are reported in different existing literatures. Different standardized protocols can be employed for the purpose of specific endophyte isolation and metabolite extraction. Further investigation needs to be undertaken for the identification of more asiaticoside and madecassoside producing fungi and also any bacterial endophytes. Industrial fermentation techniques can help in mass production of the compounds. Commercial enrichment of these bioactive molecules will help in curbing the overuse of the respective medicinal plant resources. Holistic knowledge about the wider distribution of endophytic microbial counterparts depending on various conditions of plant tissues can help in consistent grasping of the role of these organisms in synthesis of the bioactive metabolites.

The wisdom of traditional medicine has attained considerable appreciation and experimental research-based exposure in recent era. The emergence of the concept and practice of “complementary and alternative medicine” throughout the globe has considerably heightened the demand of medicinal plants. The trending approach of specific lead targeted drug-delivery system of modern medicine has utilized several plant-derived natural products and structural analog, some of which are under final stage of clinical trial. However, the bottlenecks regarding elucidation of mode of action rendered by active phytoconstituents and accelerated production of secondary metabolites through metabolic engineering are yet to be unveiled in many cases. The nonpathogenic symbiotic association between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plants has been reported for playing critical role in secondary metabolite accumulation. The mutualistic symbiosis in soil microflora not only influences plant growth and survival but also regulates various physiological features and stress responses. The probable mechanism includes altered stomatal conductance pattern, trichome density, photosynthesis rate, flowering, water and mineral uptake efficiency, plant growth regulator expression, and hormonal function. All these have contributed to cumulative production of secondary metabolites, viz., artemissin, glycyrrhizin, liquiritin, hypericin, pseudohypericin, and hyperforin, and enhanced accumulation is reported. The promising role of medicinal plant and AMF symbiosis in bioharvesting of natural products is an alternative and sustainable approach. The intensified plant biomass production is another positive outcome of this mutualistic association useful to cope with the industrial demand. This review is aimed to decipher the constructive effect of AMF symbiosis on medicinal plants, possible mechanism of bioactive compound accumulation under AMF association and degree of mutualistic effect under variable experimental conditions.

Cellular transport of water, i.e., essential for cell survival, takes place through a specialized water channel, referred to as an aquaporin (AQP). It falls under the category of the membrane intrinsic protein (MIP) superfamily and possesses several isoforms. AQP functions are directly related to an osmotic adjustment of plants facing different types of stresses. PIPs are the conserved ones among plant AQP subfamilies as found in most of the plant groups. About 30 kDa-sized monomers constitute the tetrameric structure of AQPs. Six transmembrane α-helices constitute the water transport channel where NPA, AEFL, and HW[V/I][F/Y]WXGP are the conserved sequences. Rapid water movement through this water channel occurs as a single-file configuration of water by means of channel selectivity with respective pore size. Specialized alignment of water molecules along with dipole charges plays a significant role in maintaining this water conduction. Basically, water stress is one of the substantial reasons for creating osmotic imbalances. Plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs) and tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs) are expressed in most of the plants with deficiency of optimum water content for normal physiological activities. Each type of biotic and abiotic stress condition eventually causes cell-damaging osmotic stress. There are different factors like protons (H +), divalent cations, pH status, reactive oxygen species (ROS), hormones, phosphorylation, cellular trafficking, etc., which regulate the expression of AQPs in response to osmotic imbalance by different mechanisms. Presently, study of the role of AQPs in osmoregulation is very important in advanced research. Moreover, a multidirectional investigation is essential to answer questions regarding unrevealed issues in this area of plant physiology.

Background Sepsis is a major contributor to neonatal mortality, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). WHO advocates ampicillin–gentamicin as first-line therapy for the management of neonatal sepsis. In the BARNARDS observational cohort study of neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance in LMICs, common sepsis pathogens were characterised via whole genome sequencing (WGS) and antimicrobial resistance profiles. In this substudy of BARNARDS, we aimed to assess the use and efficacy of empirical antibiotic therapies commonly used in LMICs for neonatal sepsis. Methods In BARNARDS, consenting mother–neonates aged 0–60 days dyads were enrolled on delivery or neonatal presentation with suspected sepsis at 12 BARNARDS clinical sites in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Stillborn babies were excluded from the study. Blood samples were collected from neonates presenting with clinical signs of sepsis, and WGS and minimum inhibitory concentrations for antibiotic treatment were determined for bacterial isolates from culture-confirmed sepsis. Neonatal outcome data were collected following enrolment until 60 days of life. Antibiotic usage and neonatal outcome data were assessed. Survival analyses were adjusted to take into account potential clinical confounding variables related to the birth and pathogen. Additionally, resistance profiles, pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic probability of target attainment, and frequency of resistance (ie, resistance defined by in-vitro growth of isolates when challenged by antibiotics) were assessed. Questionnaires on health structures and antibiotic costs evaluated accessibility and affordability. Findings Between Nov 12, 2015, and Feb 1, 2018, 36 285 neonates were enrolled into the main BARNARDS study, of whom 9874 had clinically diagnosed sepsis and 5749 had available antibiotic data. The four most commonly prescribed antibiotic combinations given to 4451 neonates (77·42%) of 5749 were ampicillin–gentamicin, ceftazidime–amikacin, piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin, and amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin. This dataset assessed 476 prescriptions for 442 neonates treated with one of these antibiotic combinations with WGS data (all BARNARDS countries were represented in this subset except India). Multiple pathogens were isolated, totalling 457 isolates. Reported mortality was lower for neonates treated with ceftazidime–amikacin than for neonates treated with ampicillin–gentamicin (hazard ratio [adjusted for clinical variables considered potential confounders to outcomes] 0·32, 95% CI 0·14–0·72; p=0·0060). Of 390 Gram-negative isolates, 379 (97·2%) were resistant to ampicillin and 274 (70·3%) were resistant to gentamicin. Susceptibility of Gram-negative isolates to at least one antibiotic in a treatment combination was noted in 111 (28·5%) to ampicillin–gentamicin; 286 (73·3%) to amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin; 301 (77·2%) to ceftazidime–amikacin; and 312 (80·0%) to piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin. A probability of target attainment of 80% or more was noted in 26 neonates (33·7% [SD 0·59]) of 78 with ampicillin–gentamicin; 15 (68·0% [3·84]) of 27 with amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin; 93 (92·7% [0·24]) of 109 with ceftazidime–amikacin; and 70 (85·3% [0·47]) of 76 with piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin. However, antibiotic and country effects could not be distinguished. Frequency of resistance was recorded most frequently with fosfomycin (in 78 isolates [68·4%] of 114), followed by colistin (55 isolates [57·3%] of 96), and gentamicin (62 isolates [53·0%] of 117). Sites in six of the seven countries (excluding South Africa) stated that the cost of antibiotics would influence treatment of neonatal sepsis. Interpretation Our data raise questions about the empirical use of combined ampicillin–gentamicin for neonatal sepsis in LMICs because of its high resistance and high rates of frequency of resistance and low probability of target attainment. Accessibility and affordability need to be considered when advocating antibiotic treatments with variance in economic health structures across LMICs. Funding The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

A specialized group of aliphatic polycations is referred to as polyamines distributed ubiquitously in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Free polyamines as well as conjugated polyamines are found in living cells. In plants, polyamines are synthesized from arginine via two alternative pathways. Plants have well-organized transport system for polyamine conduction. Among the wide range of physiological functions of polyamines, stress response is an important one. Plants have evolved a variety of mechanisms to recognize distinct stimuli for the alteration of the gene expression in response to different types of stresses (Hatmi et al. Osmotic stress and ABA affect immune response and susceptibility of grapevine berries to gray mold by priming polyamine accumulation. Front Plant Sci 65:75–88. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01010, 2018). Often, partially overlapping sets of responses are activated in different stress conditions, and several points of crosstalk exist between abiotic and biotic stress responses. Rice, an important food grain of South Asian countries, has been confronted with several stresses in the field of agriculture. Destructive pathogenic attack is one of the major challenges for their survival and good production. Apart from the conventional chemical treatment, modulation of genes for polyamine biosynthesis and expression might be a worthwhile means of solution for this problem. Considering the preventive role of polyamines during microbial infection, scientists are now trying to develop resistant varieties with the help of genetic engineering. In the present review, some relevant aspects are talked over to find out some cues about the detailing of the respective gene expression regarding this particular issue.

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. (Scrophulariaceae), commonly known as water hyssop, is an extensively used herb in Ayurveda. The bioactive phyto-constituents like the dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins such as bacosides A, B, and C were reported mostly for neuroprotective, nootropic, and memory-enhancing properties. Furthermore, B. monnieri also acts as a natural antioxidant, which can ameliorate morphine dependence, memory deficit in epilepsy, hepatocarcinogenesis, hepatotoxicity, β-amyloid cytotoxicity, inflammation, and oxidative stress (Singh et al., Physiol Plant. 2019). The neuroprotective role of the plant was manifested against neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-associated dementia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, and anxiety. Somer report also found the traces of heavy metals in various species of Bacopa monnieri. Inadequate knowledge regarding underlying mechanism of neuroprotection and associated systematic structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies and development of semisynthetic derivatives of saponins are of high importance to facilitate rational designing of novel drugs based on leads from bacopasaponins. This review systematically summarizes the origin, analysis of the pharmacotherapeutic properties, and structural significance of bioactivities exerted by the bacopasaponins. Moreover, future research arenas, lacunae in the present understanding, are also highlighted in this work. Together, this book chapter may further direct to the synthetic optimization of bacopasaponins as lead compounds for the designing of efficacious and clinically acceptable analogues.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an incurable, chronic, progressive, and autosomal-dominant genetic neurodegenerative disorder manifested by abnormal involuntary and voluntary movements, cognitive, and psychiatric disruptions linked with corticostriatal neuronal loss. HD is one of the deadliest diseases commonly affecting older people and the present treatment offers only systematic relief without hindering the onset or ameliorating the disease. 3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP) treatment mimics HD pathology via striatal degeneration leading to motor and cognitive anomalies. Therefore, striatal neurodegeneration involving a 3-NP model using transgenic animals and expressing mutant proteins is commonly used in preclinical investigations in order to elucidate HD-pathology and explore possible anti-HD therapeutics. In this present review, a number of plant-derived natural products are reported on the basis of their ability as disease-modifying agents active against HD-pathology in various neurotoxic and transgenic animal models via biochemical and molecular modulations of different signaling pathways commonly involving mitochondrial and oxidative stress. Anti-HD activity has been observed for α-mangostin, astragalan, berberine, celastrol, curcumin, galantamine, ginsenosides, hesperidin, lycopene, melatonin, onjisaponin b, protopanaxtriol, resveratrol, S-allylcysteine, sesamol, spermidine, vanillin, etc. These natural compounds alleviated disease pathology via retarding motor dysfunction, autophagy, mitochondrial dysfunction, lipid peroxidation, neuroinflammation, striatal toxicity, and also by promoting antioxidation, mutant protein degradation, motor and cognitive functions, behavioral improvement via modulation of biochemical and molecular signaling pathways, viz., Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway, MAPKs and NF-κB pathways, ERK pathway, etc. Moreover, the complex nature and possible synergism of polyherbal formulations containing phytochemicals against the multifactorial nature of HD-pathogenesis have also been discussed. However, very few systematic structure–activity relationship studies have been performed in order to explain the underlying mechanism of action of the natural products against neurodegenerative disorders, such as HD. Limited animal models and overdependence on cellular models are considered as major constraints in evaluating anti-HD natural products. However, the advent of HD transgenic models expressing mutant proteins may facilitate the routine screening of probable anti-HD natural therapeutics besides explaining HD-pathogenesis and more efficacious treatment strategies.

Marine biodiversity is a great reservoir of various types of fascinating structures such as sponges, bryozoans, tunicates, and fungi. In the past few years, natural products from marine life have acquired the limelight in drug discovery as they reduce the burden and dependency on plants. Marine fungi have drawn the attention of the scientific community toward their medically important secondary metabolites. The exclusive evolution pattern and osmoregulatory mechanism have contributed to its significantly enriched chemical biodiversity. Many bioactive compounds, phenolics, and amino-aldehydes with novel carbon skeletons were discovered and the search for new metabolites as pharmaceutical leads is on the rise. Many novel natural products from marine fungi have been reported as promising therapeutic drugs. For example, simplicilliumtides A, E, G, and H were isolated from Simplicillium obclavatum, a deep sea-derived fungal strain. It showed weak cytotoxicity toward selective human leukemia cell lines. Chemical compounds are classified according to their biological activity such as antiviral, anticancer, and antibacterial. Biological activities are mainly focused on the areas of antibiotic and anticancer properties. However, other critical features such as cell cycle inhibition, phosphatase and kinase inhibition, radical scavenging, and antagonistic platelet activation are closely associated with the antiproliferative mechanism. A different kind of metabolite has been discovered from various sources of fungi such as sponges, algae, and mangroves. The vast diversity of fungi habitats has an impact on the biosynthesis of these products. Although there is proven significance of the active metabolites of marine fungi, none of them has been successfully established in the market. The aim of this review is to highlight different sources of potential anticancer natural products obtained from marine fungi.

Crocus sativus L. (common name: Saffron; family: Iridaceae) is an important flowering plant used extensively in spice and food coloring as well as a flavoring agent. Among 85 species reported under the genus Crocus, Saffron (C. sativus) is the most interesting and commercially important species. Saffron is a triploid (3n) and sterile herb propagated naturally by corms, originated from mother corms. In the traditional system of medicine, it has been reported widely for its profound therapeutic efficacy; viz. anti-depressant, aphrodisiac, analgesic and expectorants. Saffron stigma is the potent source of bioactive compounds and an essential marketed spice as well as a food colorant. The expensive spice, Saffron and its bioactive apocarotenoids are known for their therapeutic effects on neurodegenerative diseases exhibiting anti-convulsant, anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, anti-ischemia, anti-Parkinsons’, anti-Alzheimer’s and anti-nociceptive activities. The principle pigments of saffron are crocin, safranal, glycoside picrocrocin and crocetin. However, there has been little success in enhancing the levels of these bioactive apocarotenoids of commercial importance. The genetic study has shown that this plant represents variegated ploidy pattern and the occurrence of genetically heterogenous forms—indicating the possibility of clonal selection, mutation breeding and polyploidy induction in the development of new high yielding cultivars of C. sativus. Tissue culture is an alternative, sustainable and biotechnologically advance method for large scale production of infection free corm biomass of Crocus. This review illustrates therapeutic potential of saffron and its active phytoconstituents, their extraction method, analysis of genetic diversity, quality control assessment and sustainable production of bioactive compounds harvested from C. sativus.

About one third of the world's population is affected by insomnia. Insomnia may be due to various reasons such as physiological, psychological, genetic etc. It affects the health as well as the pro...

Incorporation of green chemistry techniques in undergraduate (UG) laboratories has a great demand. The challenge is to select and modify the known fundamental reactions in a greener way to implement into UG laboratories. A practical, two-step synthesis of 4-bromoacetanilide from aniline through a greener approach is described. Design of the synthetic route is based on the fundamental concepts of green chemistry. It can be adapted in most of the UG laboratories, including those with limited facilities. In the first step, aniline is converted to acetanilide using Zn dust/Fe powder–acetic acid instead of conventional acetic anhydride. In the second step, acetanilide is brominated using ceric ammonium nitrate–KBr combination in ethanolic–aqueous medium instead of bromine. The overall concept of modification could be useful to teach students about the concept of green chemistry, functional group protection, aromatic electrophilic substitution, and laboratory techniques such as reaction setup, isolation, purifi...

Stroke is known to be a major cause of mortality across the world. One of its type, cerebral ischemia (CI), caused due to reduction of blood flow to the brain, is being studied extensively nowadays in the field of herbal drug discovery in order to minimize the side effects of conventional medication and thereby eliminate the limitations of pharmacological treatment. This review on anti-cerebral ischemia therapeutics from nature uses electronic search engines such as Pubmed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Springer, Jstor etc. with appropriate search strings. The World Health Organization (WHO) places the global occurrence of cerebral ischemia at around 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, although the data varies among countries. Prevalent treatment includes drugs of thrombolytic, neuroprotective, anti-coagulatory, anti-platelet and vasodilatory nature. Side effects of these drugs have led to the discovery of herbal treatment which includes anti ischemic plant derived phytochemicals, plant crude ext...

Objectives: To understand the monophasic kinetic behavior of hemicellulose hydrolysis and determination of thermodynamic parameters involved in dilute acid pretreatment by tartaric acid. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Biomass samples from thatched roofs were collected and analyzed for cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin through Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF), Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) and Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL) methods. The ground biomass was hydrolysed with tartaric acid, saccharified applying cellulase, xylanase at different time/agitation speed for obtaining reducing sugar and finally fermented for ethanol yield. The kinetics of hemicellulose hydrolysis was critically studied in the present work. Findings: The maximum yield of xylose and reducing sugars after hydrolysis and saccharification at optimum conditions were 134 mg/g and 494.8 mg/g using tartaric acid as hydrolyzing media. Pichia stipitis was very effective for conversion of pentoses and hexoses during fermentation. The maximum ethanol yield of 25.1% using tartaric acid was obtained after fermentation. Overall, the present works depicts the introduction of a new hydrolytic agent, tartaric acid and a comprehensive view of the complete bio processing of waste rice straw to bioethanol. The amount of ethanol yield was from 17% to 25.1%. It was noticed that the ethanol content was directly proportional with the increase in age of the samples. An increasing trend of ethanol with time was visible until 9th hour. High ethanol yield was obtained in this study since Pichia stipitisstrain could utilize both hexose sugars and pentose sugars together. Applications/Improvements: Thatched rice straw roof can be better utilized for ethanol making with natural degradation of lignin due to aging instead of increasing environment pollution using significantly less synthetic enzymes.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. ex Schult. (Apocynaceae) is widely used in traditional medicine in the different parts of the Indian subcontinent due to the various biological activities attributed to its different parts, especially the roots. It has traditionally been used for treating snakebites, scorpion stings, diabetes, urinary diseases, dyspnea, menorrhagia, oligospermia, anorexia, fever, abdominal colic and pain, dysentery, diarrhea, cough, rheumatism, pain including headache, inflammation, pyrosis, skin diseases, leprosy, sexually transmitted diseases and cancer. In Ayurveda, the plant is used in the treatment of bone-loss, low body weight, and fever, stress, topical wound and psoriasis. Besides, Ayurvedic literature also depicts its use as anti-atherogenic, anti-spasmodic, memory enhancing, immunopotentiating and anti-inflammatory agents. Aim of the study In this review, we aim to present a comprehensive update on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, specific pharmacology, and toxicology of H. indicus and its bioactive metabolites. Possible directions for future research are also outlined in brief. Materials and methods Popular and widely used international databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar and JSTOR were searched and traditional literature were consulted using the various search strings to retrieve a number of citations related to the ethnopharmacology, biological activity, toxicology, quality control and phytochemistry of H. indicus. All studies on the ethnobotany, phtochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of the plant up to May, 2019 were included in this review. Results H. indicus has played an important role in traditional Indian medicine (including Ayurveda) and also in European medicine. The main pharmacological properties of H. indicus include hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-ophidian, cardioprotective, nephroprotective, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Phytochemical evaluations of the roots have revealed the presence of aromatic aldehydes and their derivatives, phenolics, triterpenoids and many other compounds, some of which were attributed to its bioactivity. This review also compiles a list of Ayurvedic formulations and commercial preparations where H. indicus has been used as an active ingredient. We have included the critical assessment of all the papers cited in this manuscript based on experimental observation and other important points which reflects the loop-holes of research strategy and ambiguity of the papers reviewed in this manuscript. Conclusions The study presents an exhaustive and updated review on the traditional, pharmacological and phytochemical aspects of H. indicus with notes on its quality control and toxicological information. Although the crude extracts of H. indicus exhibit an array of pharmacological activities, it is high time to identify more active phyto-constituents by bioactivity-guided isolation besides elucidating their structure-activity relationship. More designed investigations are needed to comprehend the multi-target network pharmacology, to clarify the molecular mode of action and to ascertain the efficacious doses of H. indicus. Moreover, H. indicus is not fully assessed on the basis of its safety and efficacy on human. We hope this review will compile and improve the existing knowledge on the potential utilization of H. indicus in complementary and alternative medicine.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Aristolochia indica L. (Aristolochiaceae) is a common medicinal plant described in many traditional medicine as well as in Ayurveda used against snakebites. Besides, the plant has also been reported traditionally against fever, rheumatic arthritis, madness, liver ailments, dyspepsia, oedema, leishmaniasis, leprosy, dysmenorrhoea, sexual diseases etc. The plant is known to contain its major bioactive constituent aristolochic acid (AA) known for its anti-snake venom, abortifacient, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Materials and methods This present work describes a validated, fast and reproducible high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) method to estimate AA from the roots of 20 chemotypes of A. indica procured from 20 diverse geographical locations from the state of West Bengal, India. Further, an evidence-based approach was adopted to investigate the reported anti-venom activity of the aqueous extracts of the A. indica roots by assessing its phospholipase A2 (PLA2) inhibitory properties since PLA2 is a major component of many snake-venoms. Finally, the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the aqueous root extract of the Purulia (AI 1) chemotype were assessed at various concentrations using Allium cepa root meristematic cells. Results The highest amount of AA (7643.67 μg/g) was determined in the roots of A. indica chemotype collected from Purulia district followed by the chemotypes collected from Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri and Birbhum districts (7398.34, 7345.09 and 6809.97 μg/g respectively). This study not only determines AA in the plants to select pharmacologically elite chemotypes of A. indica, but it also identifies high AA producing A. indica for further domestication and propagation of the plants for pharmacological and industrial applications. The method was validated via analyzing inter-day and intra-day precision, repeatability, reproducibility, instrumental precision, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) and specificity. Chemotypes with high AA content exhibited superior anti-PLA2 activity by selectively inhibiting human-group PLA2. Moreover, A. indica root extract significantly inhibited mitosis in Allium cepa root tips as a potent clastogen. Conclusions The present quick, reproducible and validated HPTLC method provides an easy tool to determine AA in natural A. indica plant populations as well as in food and dietary supplements, a potential antivenin at one hand and a possible cause of aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) at another. Besides, the cytotoxic and mitotoxic properties of the root extracts should be used with caution especially for oral administration.

Lignin is the principal impediment in the production of biofuel from different lignocellulosic sources through hydrolysis, saccharification and fermentation route. The two main types of treatment for lignin separation from the other main constituent plant materials, hemicellulose and cellulose, are biodegradation and the chemical degradation including base-catalyzed, acid-catalyzed, ionic liquids-assisted lignin depolymerization. Severe reaction conditions, such as high pressure, high temperature and extreme pH, are being in practice for chemical degradation and result in the requirement of specially designed reactors. This leads to high costs of facility and handling along with the inadvertent generation of toxins. Biological degradation seems to be widespread and cost effective if enzymes degrading lignin could be produced by isolation of fungi. Bacterial strains could also be prepared that produce the lignin-splitting enzyme laccase. The present article reviews the available processes for lignin degradation during lignocellulosic conversion of ethanol and discusses the research gaps in these fields.

Herbal therapeutics was in vogue since time immemorial and has become trendy again in the recent era due to its proven efficacy in disease management with lesser side effects and low price tag. In ...

Assessment of effect of oromotor stimulation on feeding performance and weight gain in selected hospitals, Kolkata. Introduction: According to WHO, every year about 15 million babies are born prematurely around the world. Almost 1 million children die each year due to complication of preterm birth (2013). In India, out of 27 million babies born every year (2010 data), 3.5 million babies are premature. Oral feeding difficulties are almost common in preterm neonates. Coordinated suck-swallow-breath pattern is not developed under 34 weeks of gestational age. So most of the preterm neonates are not able to have an independent feeding in that due time. Aims: 1. To assess the effect of oromotor stimulation in the interventional group. 2. To compare the effect of oromotor stimulation between interventional group and the control group. Design: Non probability purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from sixty preterm babies (30 in interventional group and 30 in control group) with the help of standardized IBFAT ( Infant Breast Feeding assessment tool) & weight checking proforma. Inter rater reliability for IBFAT (r = 0.92) & Weighing machine used for weight checking (r = 0.93) was done. Pretest posttest time series design was adopted. Demographic data (gestational age , birth weight , age of day of 1st intervention) was collected from each baby. Results: Results revealed the significant difference in pre and post interventional breast feeding performance and weight of preterm babies between day 1 and day 7 in the experimental group as computed ‘t’ value 30.91[ (df 29) =2.71, p Conclusion: Oromotor stimulation is effective in improving feeding performance and weight gain of preterm baby. Implication: In practice, oromotor stimulation can be practiced by nurse. The mothers of those preterm babies also can be taught this oromotor stimulation for practicing this method. In education, students may be provided with learning experiences in neonatal units and prac