Abstract background: Role of Convalescent plasma (COPLA) to treat severe COVID-19 is under investigation. We compared efficacy and safety of COPLA with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in severe COVID-19 patients. Methods: One group received COPLA with standard medical care (n = 14), and another group received random donor FFP, as control with standard medical care (n = 15) in severe COVID-19 disease. Results: The proportion of patients free of ventilation at day seven were 78.5% in COPLA group, and 93.3 % in control group were not significant (p= 0.258). However, improved respiratory rate, O2 saturation, SOFA score, and Ct value were observed in the COPLA group. No serious adverse events were noticed by plasma transfusion in both groups.

Abstract Cenchrus ciliaris L. is an apomictic forage grass grown in pastures and rangelands of the semi-arid tropics. It reproduces predominantly through apomixis; rarely, obligate sexual plants have also been reported. Absence of sexual reproduction limits the possibility of genetic improvement through hybridization. This study reports on hybridization of an obligate sexual, self-incompatible buffelgrass with pollen from apomictic plants towards development of an F2 population segregating for mode of reproduction and use of sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers for screening the population. The segregation ratio of 3:1 (facultative: apomictic) was observed in the F1 generation, whereas it was 1:2:1 (apomictic: facultative: sexual) in the F2 generation. A number of obligate sexual F2 progenies with desirable agronomic traits were obtained. The SCAR markers were able to screen out apomictic plants from sexual ones, but failed to discriminate between facultative and sexual. Marker-assisted screening could be useful for introgression of desirable trait(s) in the apomictic genotype through hybridization.

Pig production is an important component of the farming systems that are practised in the northeastern region of India and it has special significance for improving the socio-economic status of tribal farmers in the region. In an effort to optimize the production efficiency of rural pig production systems, the potential influence of oestrus synchronization and fixed-time artificial insemination (AI) on synchronizing husbandry programmes was investigated. A total of 117 crossbred sows, selected from various village production units, were randomly allocated to two (control and treatment) groups. The sows in the treatment group (n = 81) received 800 IU of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG), followed by 500 IU of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) 72 hours after the eCG injection. The sows in the control group (n = 36) served as the untreated control. The onset of oestrus, oestrus signs, oestrus intensity, and duration of oestrus were observed after treatment. The oestrus sows were inseminated twice at 24 h and 36 h, respectively, after hCG injection at various village production units. Results revealed that 86.4% of sows in the treatment group exhibited all the behavioural and physical signs of oestrus. The average interval between treatment and onset of oestrus was 84.8 + 2.43 hours. The mean oestrus intensity of sows in the treatment group was 2.3 (when assessed on a scale of 1 to 3), which did not differ significantly from the oestrus intensity exhibited by the control group. The duration of oestrus varied from 36 to 56 hours in the treated sows, which was significantly longer when compared with the duration of oestrus in the control group. The study obtained a farrowing rate of 82.6% and litter size of 9.2 + 0.32 after oestrus synchronization with timed insemination. Oestrus synchronization facilitated the insemination of a batch of sows at particular locations covering two to three village clusters, which drastically reduced the transport costs for the semen. Oestrus synchronization facilitated the effective implementation of AI by coordinating the insemination of batches of sows, thus reducing shipping and insemination costs. Improving heat detection contributed to shortening the weaning to oestrous interval in smallholder pig production system, which in turn decreased production costs.

Some 4-[{1-(substituted)methylidine}-amino]-3-(4-pyridyl)-5-mercapto-4H-1,2,4-triazol (3a- 3f) and N-[5-(4-substituted)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl] isonicotinamide derivatives (5a- 5e) were synthesized by a sequence of reactions starting from isonicotinic acid hydrazide and is illustrated in scheme 1 and 2. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of newly synthesized compounds were tested by the disc diffusion method using nutrient agar medium against various microorganisms such as gram positive Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, gram negative Escherichia coli and the fungi Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Ciprofloxacin and Fluconazole at 50 µg/mL were used as standard drugs for antibacterial and antifungal activities, respectively. All the synthesized compounds showed significant activity against various microorganisms.