Oviposition deterrent activity from the ethanolic extract of Pongamia pinnata, Coleus forskohlii, and Datura stramonium leaves against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefaciatus

The heat shock protein 20 gene editing suppresses mycelial growth of Botryosphaeria dothidea and decreases its pathogenicity to postharvest apple fruits

Apple ring rot caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea is an essential and prevalent disease in the apple orchard in China. Our previous study demonstrated that dimethyl trisulfide (DT) from Chinese leek (Allium tuberosum) significantly suppressed the mycelial growth of B. dothidea and inhibited the incidence of apple ring rot postharvest. However, the mechanism underlying the inhibitory role of DT against B. dothidea is not fully understood. Comparing the control and the DT-treated B. dothidea mycelial transcriptomes revealed that heat shock protein 20 (Hsp20) strongly responded to DT treatment. This study identified four Hsp20 genes throughout the B. dothidea genome (BdHsp20_1-4). Each BdHsp20 gene had a conserved ACD with a variable N-terminal region and a short C-terminal extension. The segmental duplication event has contributed to the expansion of the BdHsp20 gene family. Compared to the wild-type strain, the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited BdHsp20 mutant (ΔBdHsp20) decreased the mycelial growth by 55.95% and reduced the disease symptom in postharvest apple fruit by 96.34%. However, the BdHsp20 complemented strain (ΔBdHsp20_C) significantly restored the growth and pathogenicity, which suggested that the BdHsp20 gene was closely involved in the growth and pathogenicity of B. dothidea. This study would accelerate the exploration of the molecular mechanism of the inhibitory effect of DT against B. dothidea and also provide new insights for the management of apple ring rot disease.

Oviposition deterrent activity of three mosquito repellents diethyl phenyl acetamide (DEPA), diethyl m toluamide (DEET), and diethyl benzamide (DEB) on Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus

Oviposition deterrent activity of three mosquito repellents namely diethyl phenyl acetamide (DEPA), diethyl benzamide (DEB) along with diethyl toluamide (DEET) was studied in the laboratory against Aedes aegypti, A. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. All the repellents evaluated at three log concentrations 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001% in comparison with control by dual choice method. The oviposition response and oviposition activity index (OAI) was estimated by counting number of eggs laid in both the treatment and control. Mean OAI determined for A. aegypti was in the range of -0.23 to +0.22, -0.3 to +0.27, and +0.04 to +0.33 for DEPA, DEET, and DEB, respectively, whereas it was -0.77 to -0.035, -0.92 to +0.001, and -0.77 to -0.07 for A. albopictus and -0.927 to -0.251, -1 to -0.41, and -0.94 to -0.17 for C. quinquefasciatus. The oviposition deterrent activity was observed in the order of DEET > DEPA > DEB. Similarly, the response of species toward the repellents as oviposition deterrent was in the trend of C. quinquefasciatus > A. albopictus > A. aegypti. The finding suggests potential role of mosquito repellents as oviposition deterrent.

Can scientific evidence support using Bangladeshi traditional medicinal plants in the treatment of diarrhoea? A review on seven plants

Diarrhoea is a common disease which causes pain and may be deadly, especially in developing countries. In Bangladesh, diarrhoeal diseases affect thousands of people every year, and children are especially vulnerable. Bacterial toxins or viral infections are the most common cause of the disease. The diarrhoea outbreaks are often associated with flood affected areas with contaminated drinking water and an increased risk of spreading the water-borne disease. Not surprisingly, plants found in the near surroundings have been taken into use by the local community as medicine to treat diarrhoeal symptoms. These plants are cheaper and more easily available than conventional medicine. Our question is: What is the level of documentation supporting the use of these plants against diarrhoea and is their consumption safe? Do any of these plants have potential for further exploration? In this review, we have choosen seven plant species that are used in the treatment of diarrhoea; Diospyros peregrina, Heritiera littoralis, Ixora coccinea, Pongamia pinnata, Rhizophora mucronata, Xylocarpus granatum, and Xylocarpus moluccensis. Appearance and geographical distribution, traditional uses, chemical composition, and biological studies related to antidiarrhoeal activity will be presented. This review reveals that there is limited scientific evidence supporting the traditional use of these plants. Most promising are the barks from D. peregrina, X. granatum and X. moluccensis which contain tannins and have shown promising results in antidiarrhoeal mice models. The leaves of P. pinnata also show potential. We suggest these plants should be exploited further as possible traditional herbal remedies against diarrhoea including studies on efficacy, optimal dosage and safety.