Can Combretum erythrophyllum leaf extracts be used to control cholera in water sources?

Can Wolbachia be used to control malaria?

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by the infectious bite of Anopheles mosquitoes. Vector control of malaria has predominantly focused on targeting the adult mosquito through insecticides and bed nets. However, current vector control methods are often not sustainable for long periods so alternative methods are needed. A novel biocontrol app...

Crude extracts of bacterially expressed dsRNA can be used to protect plants against virus infections

BACKGROUND Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is a potent initiator of gene silencing in a diverse group of organisms that includes plants, Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and mammals. We have previously shown and patented that mechanical inoculation of in vitro-transcribed dsRNA derived from viral sequences specifically prevents virus infection in plants. The approach required the in vitro synthes...

DNA analysis of soil extracts can be used to investigate fine root depth distribution of trees

Understanding the root distribution of trees by soil coring is time -: consuming as it requires the separation of roots from soil and classification of roots into particular size classes. This labour-intensive process can limit sample throughput and therefore sampling intensity. We investigated the use of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on soil DNA extractions to determine live fi...

Can MTT be used to quantify the antioxidant activity of plant extracts?

Antioxidant properties of three different medicinal plant extracts from northern Nigeria were evaluated using the traditional qualitative 2,2, diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and a new 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) microdilution method described here. The results were in agreement. It is a simple, rapid and inexpensive method compared with many other ...

Can Male Fertility Be Improved Prior to Assisted Reproduction through The Control of Uncommonly Considered Factors?