Erratum to: Engineering cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) for resistance to cotton leaf curl disease using viral truncated AC1 DNA sequences

Virus Genes - An error notified in the labelling of Fig.&;nbsp;1b, 3′tAC1 has been erroneously published as 5′tAC1.     

Blurred vision as the sole initial presentation of disseminated lung malignancy

Symptomatic choroidal metastasis (CM) is a rare presenting feature of disseminated lung malignancy. Detection of the primary malignancy usually precedes ocular findings. We report a rare case of blurred vision secondary to bilateral CM as the sole initial manifestation of disseminated lung malignancy in a female patient. Pulmonary symptoms appeared 2 months later. She received radiotherapy and palliative chemotherapy and survived for 7 months after the initial presentation.     

Valproate (depakine-chrono) in the acute treatment of outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder without psychiatric comorbidity: randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in population of European countries. However, the effect of Valproate (depakine-chrono) on generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has not been studied in a double-blind placebo-controlled design. METHOD: Eighty patients (all men) were washout from the all medications. Each patient was randomized to receive either depakine-chrono (40 patients) for 6 weeks or matched placebo (40 patients) in a double-blind manner. Eligible participants, in addition to meeting the DSM-IV criteria for GAD and having a minimum score of 25 and more on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, were required to be between 18 and 65 years. Response was defined as a 50% reduction in the Hamilton anxiety scale score. Response and side effects with depakine-chrono and placebo were compared by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square tests. Six patients did not return for at least one subsequent assessment, leaving 74 patients (36 taking depakine-chrono and 38 taking placebo) in the valuables study group. RESULTS: Twenty six of the 36 depakine-chrono-treated participants responded by 6 weeks, versus six of the 38 placebo-treated participants (p<0.001). The most common and problematic side effect in the depakine-chrono group was dizziness and nausea. CONCLUSIONS: The authors believe this to be the first double-blind placebo-controlled randomization study to test the efficacy of a depakine-chrono in the management of anxiety disorders. They need to be replicated in a larger study group.     

An account of the botanical anthelmintics used in traditional veterinary practices in Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan

AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study was aimed at documentation of botanical anthelmintics used in the traditional veterinary practices in Sahiwal district of Punjab, Pakistan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In rapid rural appraisal, 331 traditional veterinary healers (TVH) were identified as key respondents in the study area followed by participatory rural appraisal for data collection using a well-structured questionnaire. Information was collected through interviews, focused group discussions and field visits over a period of 2 years. RESULTS: A total of 49 traditional recipes, with 41 plant species representing 39 genera and 27 families, were recorded for the treatment of helminthosis in animals. Most frequently used plants (>/=5 times) were Brassica campestris L. and Mallotus philippinensis (Lam.) Muell.-Arg. and most frequently used families (>/=5 times) were Brassicaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Solanaceae. Most frequently used part of the plant was leaves (n=10) followed in order by seeds (n=9), whole fruit (n=5), aerial parts and whole plant (n=4), fruit (n=3), bulb (n=2) and bark, rhizome, stem, stem plus root and twigs (n=1). Five recipes out of 49 (10.2%) contained more than one plant species and rest 44 (89.8%) contained single plant species. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty out of 41 plants (48.78%) are reported for the first time for their traditional use as anthelmintics in Pakistan. Further studies on pharmacokinetics using scientific procedures may prove these plants as promising candidates for their future use as anthelmintics.     

The temporal order judgment paradigm: subcortical attentional contribution under exogenous and endogenous cueing conditions.

The role of subcortical attentional processing was investigated under exogenous and endogenous cueing conditions. As retinotectal projections arise predominantly from the nasal retina i.e., temporal hemifield, subcortical attention should be distributed asymmetrically under monocular viewing conditions with a temporal hemifield advantage. We compared the results of monocular and binocular viewing conditions using a temporal order judgment (TOJ) paradigm. Subjects fixated a centrally located cross and two stimuli were presented with a variable onset asynchrony. Three experiments were conducted: no cue, exogenous cue and endogenous cue. Subjects reported which stimulus seemed to appear first. An effect consistent with subcortical processing was found under exogenous cueing conditions. No such effect was found under endogenous cueing conditions. We believe that subcortical attentional processing in response to an exogenous cue facilitates rapid shifts in attention towards environmental stimuli. We found no evidence for subcortical processing in voluntary directed attention and believe this process to be cortical in nature.     

Efficacy of crude neem seed kernel extracts against natural infestation of Sarcoptes scabiei var. ovis

This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of crude aqueous-methanol and aqueous extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica) seed kernel against sarcoptic mange of sheep. Crude aqueous-methanol (AME) and aqueous extracts (AE) of neem seed kernel (NSK) were prepared and formulated as 10% and 20% ointments (w/w), using Vaseline as vehicle. Forty-two lambs of Pak Karakul breed, having natural infection of sarcoptic mange were divided into seven experimental groups. Skin scrapings and clinical examination were carried out at scheduled intervals after treatment. Ivermectin (positive control) completely cleared infesting mites from animals after 10 days and 20% AME after 16 days. While, clinical mange was completely cured after 16 and 20 days with ivermectin and 20% AME, respectively, under field conditions. Only the higher concentration (20% AME) of NSK extracts completely cured the clinical mange, suggesting a dose-dependent response. Our results consolidate the belief that use of folk remedies can provide an effective and economic way of combating sarcoptic mange in sheep.