Developing a Cloud-Based Air Quality Monitoring Platform Using Low-Cost Sensors.

Conventional air quality monitoring has been traditionally carried out in a few fixed places with expensive measuring equipment. This results in sparse spatial air quality data, which do not represent the real air quality of an entire area, e.g., when hot spots are missing. To obtain air quality data with higher spatial and temporal resolution, this research focused on developing a low-cost network of cloud-based air quality measurement platforms. These platforms should be able to measure air quality parameters including particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5, PM1) as well as gases like NO, NO2, O3, and CO, air temperature, and relative humidity. These parameters were measured every second and transmitted to a cloud server every minute on average. The platform developed during this research used one main computer to read the sensor data, process it, and store it in the cloud. Three prototypes were tested in the field: two of them at a busy traffic site in Stuttgart, Marienplatz and one at a remote site, Ötisheim, where measurements were performed near busy railroad tracks. The developed platform had around 1500 € in materials costs for one Air Quality Sensor Node and proved to be robust during the measurement phase. The notion of employing a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for the efficient working of a dryer that is used to reduce the negative effect of meteorological parameters such as air temperature and relative humidity on the measurement results was also pursued. This is seen as one way to improve the quality of data captured by low-cost sensors.

Genetic variant in TNF-α gene and its plasma level in relation to obstructive sleep apnoea in the Pakistani population.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the link between tumour necrosis factor-alpha -308 guanine/adenine polymorphism and tumour necrosis factor-alpha plasma levels in relation to obstructive sleep apnoea. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2018 to March 2021 at the sleep clinic of Dow University Hospital, Karachi, on obstructive sleep apnoea patients and healthy controls. Epworth Sleep Scale score was used to determine daytime sleepiness, while full-night polysomnography was carried out for obstructive sleep apnoea confirmation and categorisation according to severity. Blood sample collection was followed by deoxyribonucleic acid extraction and plasma tumour necrosis factor-alpha measurement using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genotype distribution and allelic frequency were assessed. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Out of the 225 subjects, with a mean age of 47.68±9.88 years, 132 (58.7%) were males, and 93 (41.3%) were females. Among them, 150 (66.7%) were patients, and 75 (33.3%) were controls. Heterozygous tumour necrosis factor-alpha -308 guanine/adenine genotypes were significantly higher among the patients (p<0.05). Minor allele - 308 adenine showed an association with obstructive sleep apnoea, its severity, higher tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels, neck circumference, excessive daytime sleepiness and the presence of hypertension (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Tumour necrosis factor-alpha -308 adenine allele and higher tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels were found to be linked with obstructive sleep apnoea. The polymorphism also showed an association with hypertension in obstructive sleep apnoea patients.

Temperature-induced lipocalin-mediated membrane integrity: Possible implications for vindoline accumulation in Catharanthus roseus leaves.

Plant lipocalins perform diverse functions. Recently, allene oxide cyclase, a lipocalin family member, has been shown to co-express with vindoline pathway genes in Catharanthus roseus under various biotic/abiotic stresses. This brought focus to another family member, a temperature-induced lipocalin (CrTIL), which was selected for full-length cloning, tissue-specific expression profiling, in silico characterization, and upstream genomic region analysis for cis-regulatory elements. Stress-mediated variations in CrTIL expression were reflected as disturbances in cell membrane integrity, assayed through measurement of electrolyte leakage and lipid peroxidation product, MDA, which implicated the role of CrTIL in maintaining cell membrane integrity. For ascertaining the function of CrTIL in maintaining membrane stability and elucidating the relationship between CrTIL expression and vindoline content, if any, a direct approach was adopted, whereby CrTIL was transiently silenced and overexpressed in C. roseus. CrTIL silencing and overexpression confirmed its role in the maintenance of membrane integrity and indicated an inverse relationship of its expression with vindoline content. GFP fusion-based subcellular localization indicated membrane localization of CrTIL, which was in agreement with its role in maintaining membrane integrity. Altogether, the role of CrTIL in maintaining membrane structure has possible implications for the intracellular sequestration, storage, and viability of vindoline.

Pharmacophore Synergism in Diverse Scaffold Clinches in Aurora Kinase B.

Aurora kinase B (AKB) is a crucial signaling kinase with an important role in cell division. Therefore, inhibition of AKB is an attractive approach to the treatment of cancer. In the present work, extensive quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) analysis has been performed using a set of 561 structurally diverse aurora kinase B inhibitors. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines were used to develop a QSAR model that has high statistical performance (R2tr = 0.815, Q2LMO = 0.808, R2ex = 0.814, CCCex = 0.899). The seven-variable-based newly developed QSAR model has an excellent balance of external predictive ability (Predictive QSAR) and mechanistic interpretation (Mechanistic QSAR). The QSAR analysis successfully identifies not only the visible pharmacophoric features but also the hidden features. The analysis indicates that the lipophilic and polar groups-especially the H-bond capable groups-must be present at a specific distance from each other. Moreover, the ring nitrogen and ring carbon atoms play important roles in determining the inhibitory activity for AKB. The analysis effectively captures reported as well as unreported pharmacophoric features. The results of the present analysis are also supported by the reported crystal structures of inhibitors bound to AKB.

In Silico and Ex Vivo Studies on the Spasmolytic Activities of Fenchone Using Isolated Guinea Pig Trachea.

Fenchone is a bicyclic monoterpene found in a variety of aromatic plants, including Foeniculum vulgare and Peumus boldus, and is used in the management of airways disorders. This study aimed to explore the bronchodilator effect of fenchone using guinea pig tracheal muscles as an ex vivo model and in silico studies. A concentration-mediated tracheal relaxant effect of fenchone was evaluated using isolated guinea pig trachea mounted in an organ bath provided with physiological conditions. Sustained contractions were achieved using low K+ (25 mM), high K+ (80 mM), and carbamylcholine (CCh; 1 µM), and fenchone inhibitory concentration-response curves (CRCs) were obtained against these contractions. Fenchone selectively inhibited with higher potency contractions evoked by low K+ compared to high K+ with resultant EC50 values of 0.62 mg/mL (0.58-0.72; n = 5) and 6.44 mg/mL (5.86-7.32; n = 5), respectively. Verapamil (VRP) inhibited both low and high K+ contractions at similar concentrations. Pre-incubation of the tracheal tissues with K+ channel blockers such as glibenclamide (Gb), 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), and tetraethylammonium (TEA) significantly shifted the inhibitory CRCs of fenchone to the right towards higher doses. Fenchone also inhibited CCh-mediated contractions at comparable potency to its effect against high K+ [6.28 mg/mL (5.88-6.42, n = 4); CCh] and [6.44 mg/mL (5.86-7.32; n = 5); high K+]. A similar pattern was obtained with papaverine (PPV), a phosphodiesterase (PDE), and Ca2+ inhibitor which inhibited both CCh and high K+ at similar concentrations [10.46 µM (9.82-11.22, n = 4); CCh] and [10.28 µM (9.18-11.36; n = 5); high K+]. However, verapamil, a standard Ca2+ channel blocker, showed selectively higher potency against high K+ compared to CCh-mediated contractions with respective EC50 values of 0.84 mg/mL (0.82-0.96; n = 5) 14.46 mg/mL (12.24-16.38, n = 4). The PDE-inhibitory action of fenchone was further confirmed when its pre-incubation at 3 and 5 mg/mL potentiated and shifted the isoprenaline inhibitory CRCs towards the left, similar to papaverine, whereas the Ca2+ inhibitory-like action of fenchone pretreated tracheal tissues were authenticated by the rightward shift of Ca2+ CRCs with suppression of maximum response, similar to verapamil, a standard Ca2+ channel blocker. Fenchone showed a spasmolytic effect in isolated trachea mediated predominantly by K+ channel activation followed by dual inhibition of PDE and Ca2+ channels. Further in silico molecular docking studies provided the insight for binding of fenchone with Ca2+ channel (-5.3 kcal/mol) and K+ channel (-5.7), which also endorsed the idea of dual inhibition.

QSAR Evaluations to Unravel the Structural Features in Lysine-Specific Histone Demethylase 1A Inhibitors for Novel Anticancer Lead Development Supported by Molecular Docking, MD Simulation and MMGBSA.

Using 84 structurally diverse and experimentally validated LSD1/KDM1A inhibitors, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models were built by OECD requirements. In the QSAR analysis, certainly significant and understated pharmacophoric features were identified as critical for LSD1 inhibition, such as a ring Carbon atom with exactly six bonds from a Nitrogen atom, partial charges of lipophilic atoms within eight bonds from a ring Sulphur atom, a non-ring Oxygen atom exactly nine bonds from the amide Nitrogen, etc. The genetic algorithm-multi-linear regression (GA-MLR) and double cross-validation criteria were used to create robust QSAR models with high predictability. In this study, two QSAR models were developed, with fitting parameters like R2 = 0.83-0.81, F = 61.22-67.96, internal validation parameters such as Q2LOO = 0.79-0.77, Q2LMO = 0.78-0.76, CCCcv = 0.89-0.88, and external validation parameters such as, R2ext = 0.82 and CCCex = 0.90. In terms of mechanistic interpretation and statistical analysis, both QSAR models are well-balanced. Furthermore, utilizing the pharmacophoric features revealed by QSAR modelling, molecular docking experiments corroborated with the most active compound's binding to the LSD1 receptor. The docking results are then refined using Molecular dynamic simulation and MMGBSA analysis. As a consequence, the findings of the study can be used to produce LSD1/KDM1A inhibitors as anticancer leads.

QSAR, Molecular Docking, MD Simulation and MMGBSA Calculations Approaches to Recognize Concealed Pharmacophoric Features Requisite for the Optimization of ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors as Anticancer Leads.

ALK tyrosine kinase ALK TK is an important target in the development of anticancer drugs. In the present work, we have performed a QSAR analysis on a dataset of 224 molecules in order to quickly predict anticancer activity on query compounds. Double cross validation assigns an upward plunge to the genetic algorithm−multi linear regression (GA-MLR) based on robust univariate and multivariate QSAR models with high statistical performance reflected in various parameters like, fitting parameters; R2 = 0.69−0.87, F = 403.46−292.11, etc., internal validation parameters; Q2LOO = 0.69−0.86, Q2LMO = 0.69−0.86, CCCcv = 0.82−0.93, etc., or external validation parameters Q2F1 = 0.64−0.82, Q2F2 = 0.63−0.82, Q2F3 = 0.65−0.81, R2ext = 0.65−0.83 including RMSEtr < RMSEcv. The present QSAR evaluation successfully identified certain distinct structural features responsible for ALK TK inhibitory potency, such as planar Nitrogen within four bonds from the Nitrogen atom, Fluorine atom within five bonds beside the non-ring Oxygen atom, lipophilic atoms within two bonds from the ring Carbon atoms. Molecular docking, MD simulation, and MMGBSA computation results are in consensus with and complementary to the QSAR evaluations. As a result, the current study assists medicinal chemists in prioritizing compounds for experimental detection of anticancer activity, as well as their optimization towards more potent ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Identification of potent aldose reductase inhibitors as antidiabetic (Anti-hyperglycemic) agents using QSAR based virtual Screening, molecular Docking, MD simulation and MMGBSA approaches.

The aldose reductase (AR) enzyme is an important target enzyme in the development of therapeutics against hyperglycaemia induced health complications such as retinopathy, etc. In the present study, a quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) evaluation of a dataset of 226 reported AR inhibitor (ARi) molecules is performed using a genetic algorithm - multi linear regression (GA-MLR) technique. Multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) analysis furnished two five variables based QSAR models with acceptably high performance reflected in various statistical parameters such as, R2 = 0.79-0.80, Q2 LOO = 0.78-0.79, Q2 LMO = 0.78-0.79. The QSAR model analysis revealed some of the molecular features that play crucial role in deciding inhibitory potency of the molecule against AR such as; hydrophobic Nitrogen within 2 Å of the center of mass of the molecule, non-ring Carbon separated by three and four bonds from hydrogen bond donor atoms, number of sp2 hybridized Oxygen separated by four bonds from sp2 hybridized Carbon atoms, etc. 14 in silico generated hits, using a compound 18 (a most potent ARi from present dataset with pIC50 = 8.04 M) as a template, on QSAR based virtual screening (QSAR-VS) furnished a scaffold 5 with better ARi activity (pIC50 = 8.05 M) than template compound 18. Furthermore, molecular docking of compound 18 (Docking Score = -7.91 kcal/mol) and scaffold 5 (Docking Score = -8.08 kcal/mol) against AR, divulged that they both occupy the specific pocket(s) in AR receptor binding sites through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. Molecular dynamic simulation (MDS) and MMGBSA studies right back the docking results by revealing the fact that binding site residues interact with scaffold 5 and compound 18 to produce a stable complex similar to co-crystallized ligand's conformation. The QSAR analysis, molecular docking, and MDS results are all in agreement and complementary. QSAR-VS successfully identified a more potent novel ARi and can be used in the development of therapeutic agents to treat diabetes.

The plant endosphere world - bacterial life within plants.

The plant endosphere is colonized by complex microbial communities and microorganisms, which colonize the plant interior at least part of their lifetime and are termed endophytes. Their functions range from mutualism to pathogenicity. All plant organs and tissues are generally colonized by bacterial endophytes and their diversity and composition depend on the plant, the plant organ and its physiological conditions, the plant growth stage as well as on the environment. Plant-associated microorganisms, and in particular endophytes, have lately received high attention, because of the increasing awareness of the importance of host-associated microbiota for the functioning and performance of their host. Some endophyte functions are known from mostly lab assays, genome prediction and few metagenome analyses; however, we have limited understanding on in planta activities, particularly considering the diversity of micro-environments and the dynamics of conditions. In our review, we present recent findings on endosphere environments, their physiological conditions and endophyte colonization. Furthermore, we discuss microbial functions, the interaction between endophytes and plants as well as methodological limitations of endophyte research. We also provide an outlook on needs of future research to improve our understanding on the role of microbiota colonizing the endosphere on plant traits and ecosystem functioning.

Investigating a Low-Cost Dryer Designed for Low-Cost PM Sensors Measuring Ambient Air Quality.

Air pollution in urban areas is a huge concern that demands an efficient air quality control to ensure health quality standards. The hotspots can be located by increasing spatial distribution of ambient air quality monitoring for which the low-cost sensors can be used. However, it is well-known that many factors influence their results. For low-cost Particulate Matter (PM) sensors, high relative humidity can have a significant impact on data quality. In order to eliminate or reduce the impact of high relative humidity on the results obtained from low-cost PM sensors, a low-cost dryer was developed and its effectiveness was investigated. For this purpose, a test chamber was designed, and low-cost PM sensors as well as professional reference devices were installed. A vaporizer regulated the humid conditions in the test chamber. The low-cost dryer heated the sample air with a manually adjustable intensity depending on the voltage. Different voltages were tested to find the optimum one with least energy consumption and maximum drying efficiency. The low-cost PM sensors with and without the low-cost dryer were compared. The experimental results verified that using the low-cost dryer reduced the influence of relative humidity on the low-cost PM sensor results.

Mechanistic and Predictive QSAR Analysis of Diverse Molecules to Capture Salient and Hidden Pharmacophores for Anti-Thrombotic Activity.

Thrombosis is a life-threatening disease with a high mortality rate in many countries. Even though anti-thrombotic drugs are available, their serious side effects compel the search for safer drugs. In search of a safer anti-thrombotic drug, Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) could be useful to identify crucial pharmacophoric features. The present work is based on a larger data set comprising 1121 diverse compounds to develop a QSAR model having a balance of acceptable predictive ability (Predictive QSAR) and mechanistic interpretation (Mechanistic QSAR). The developed six parametric model fulfils the recommended values for internal and external validation along with Y-randomization parameters such as R2tr = 0.831, Q2LMO = 0.828, R2ex = 0.783. The present analysis reveals that anti-thrombotic activity is found to be correlated with concealed structural traits such as positively charged ring carbon atoms, specific combination of aromatic Nitrogen and sp2-hybridized carbon atoms, etc. Thus, the model captured reported as well as novel pharmacophoric features. The results of QSAR analysis are further vindicated by reported crystal structures of compounds with factor Xa. The analysis led to the identification of useful novel pharmacophoric features, which could be used for future optimization of lead compounds.

Virulent and multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae from clinical samples in Balochistan.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen causing hospital-acquired infections in human beings. Samples from suspected patients of K pneumoniae associated with respiratory and urinary tract infections were collected at Bolan Medical Complex, Quetta, Balochistan. Clinical samples (n = 107) of urine and sputum were collected and processed for K pneumoniae isolation using selective culture media. Initially, 30 of 107 isolates resembling Klebsiella spp. were processed for biochemical profiling and molecular detection using gyrase A (gyrA) gene for conformation. The K pneumoniae isolates were analysed for the presence of drug resistance and virulence genes in their genomes. The 21 of 107 (19.6%) isolates were finally confirmed as K pneumoniae pathogens. An antibiogram study conducted against 17 different antibiotics showed that a majority of the isolates are multidrug resistant. All the isolates (100%) were resistant to amoxicillin, cefixime, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefotaxime, and ceftriaxone followed by tetracycline (95.2%), ciprofloxacin and gentamicin (76.2%), sulphamethoxazol (66.7%), nalidixic acid (61.9%), norfloxacine (42.9%), piperacillin-tazobactam (23.8%), cefoperazone-sulbactam (19%), and cefotaxime-clavulanic acid (33.3%), whereas all the isolates showed sensitivity to amikacin, chloramphenicol, and imipenem. The presence of tetracycline, sulphamethoxazol-resistant genes, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase was reconfirmed using different specific genes. The presence of virulence genes fimH1 and EntB responsible for adherence and enterobactin production was confirmed in the isolates. The high virulence and drug resistance potential of these Klebsiella isolates are of high public health concern. Multidrug resistance and virulence potential in K. pneumoniae are converting these nosocomial pathogens into superbugs and making its management harder.

Effect of Relative Humidity and Air Temperature on the Results Obtained from Low-Cost Gas Sensors for Ambient Air Quality Measurements.

Using low-cost gas sensors for air quality monitoring promises cost effective and convenient measurement systems. Nevertheless, the results obtained have a questionable quality due to different factors that can affect sensor performance. The most discussed ones are relative humidity and air temperature. This investigation aimed to assess the behavior of B4-series low-cost gas sensors from Alphasense for measuring CO, NO, NO2, and O3 for different levels of relative humidity and temperature. These low-cost gas sensors were tested for six relative humidity levels from 10% to 85% with increasing steps of 15% and four temperature levels of 10 °C, 25 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C against reference instruments in the laboratory. The effect of these parameters on low-cost gas sensors was quantified in laboratory from which a correction algorithm was calculated, which was then applied to the field data. The applied algorithm improved the data quality of the low-cost gas sensors in most of the cases. Additionally, a low-cost dryer was assessed to reduce the influence of these factors on the low-cost gas sensors, which also proved to be suitable to enhance the data quality.

In Silico, Ex Vivo and In Vivo Studies of Roflumilast as a Potential Antidiarrheal and Antispasmodic agent: Inhibition of the PDE-4 Enzyme and Voltage-gated Ca++ ion Channels.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible gut inhibitory role of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitor roflumilast. Increasing doses of roflumilast were tested against castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice, whereas the pharmacodynamics of the same effect was determined in isolated rabbit jejunum tissues. For in silico analysis, the identified PDE protein was docked with roflumilast and papaverine using the Autodock vina program from the PyRx virtual screening tool. Roflumilast protected against diarrhea significantly at 0.5 and 1.5 mg/kg doses, with 40% and 80% protection. Ex vivo findings from jejunum tissues show that roflumilast possesses an antispasmodic effect by inhibiting spontaneous contractions in a concentration-dependent manner. Roflumilast reversed carbachol (CCh, 1 µM)-mediated and potassium (K+, 80 mM)-mediated contractile responses with comparable efficacies but different potencies. The observed potency against K+ was significantly higher in comparison to CCh, similar to verapamil. Experiments were extended to further confirm the inhibitory effect on Ca++ channels. Interestingly, roflumilast deflected Ca++ concentration-response curves (CRCs) to the right with suppression of the maximum peak at both tested doses (0.001-0.003 mg/mL), similar to verapamil. The PDE-inhibitory effect was authenticated when pre-incubation of jejunum tissues with roflumilast (0.03-0.1 mg/mL) produced a leftward deflection of isoprenaline-mediated inhibitory CRCs and increased the tissue level of cAMP, similar to papaverine. This idea was further strengthened by molecular docking studies, where roflumilast exhibited a better binding affinity (-9.4 kcal/mol) with the PDE protein than the standard papaverine (-8.3 kcal/mol). In conclusion, inhibition of Ca++ channels and the PDE-4 enzyme explains the pharmacodynamics of the gut inhibitory effect of roflumilast.

Regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis by miRNA in Persicaria minor induced by Fusarium oxysporum.

BACKGROUND: Persicaria minor (kesum) is an herbaceous plant with a high level of secondary metabolite compounds, particularly terpenoids. These terpenoid compounds have well-established roles in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Although the terpenoids of P. minor have been studied thoroughly, the involvement of microRNA (miRNA) in terpenoid regulation remains poorly understood and needs to be explored. In this study, P. minor plants were inoculated with the pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum for terpenoid induction. RESULT: SPME GC-MS analysis showed the highest terpenoid accumulation on the 6th day post-inoculation (dpi) compared to the other treatment time points (0 dpi, 3 dpi, and 9 dpi). Among the increased terpenoid compounds, α-cedrene, valencene and ß-bisabolene were prominent. P. minor inoculated for 6 days was selected for miRNA library construction using next generation sequencing. Differential gene expression analysis showed that 58 miRNAs belonging to 30 families had significantly altered regulation. Among these 58 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 27 [corrected] miRNAs were upregulated, whereas 31 [corrected] miRNAs were downregulated. Two putative novel pre-miRNAs were identified and validated through reverse transcriptase PCR. Prediction of target transcripts potentially involved in the mevalonate pathway (MVA) was carried out by psRobot software, resulting in four miRNAs: pmi-miR530, pmi-miR6173, pmi-miR6300 and a novel miRNA, pmi-Nov_13. In addition, two miRNAs, miR396a and miR398f/g, were predicted to have their target transcripts in the non-mevalonate pathway (MEP). In addition, a novel miRNA, pmi-Nov_12, was identified to have a target gene involved in green leaf volatile (GLV) biosynthesis. RT-qPCR analysis showed that pmi-miR6173, pmi-miR6300 and pmi-nov_13 were downregulated, while miR396a and miR398f/g were upregulated. Pmi-miR530 showed upregulation at 9 dpi, and dynamic expression was observed for pmi-nov_12. Pmi-6300 and pmi-miR396a cleavage sites were detected through degradome sequence analysis. Furthermore, the relationship between miRNA metabolites and mRNA metabolites was validated using correlation analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that six studied miRNAs post-transcriptionally regulate terpenoid biosynthesis in P. minor. This regulatory behaviour of miRNAs has potential as a genetic tool to regulate terpenoid biosynthesis in P. minor.

Correction to: Regulation of terpenoid biosynthesis by miRNA in Persicaria minor induced by Fusarium oxysporum.

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors reported a number of errors, which are listed in this Correction article. The corrections are marked in bold.

Intra-Operative Predictors of difficult cholecystectomy and Conversion to Open Cholecystectomy - A New Scoring System.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intra-operative scoring system to predict difficult cholecystectomy and conversion to open surgery. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted from March 2016 to August, 2016 in the Department of Surgery, Shalimar Hospital. The study recruited 120 patients of either gender, age greater than 18 years and indicated for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Intra-operatively all patients were evaluated using the new scoring system. The scoring system included five aspects; appearance and adhesion of Gall Bladder (GB), distension or contracture degree of GB, ease in access, local or septic complications, and time required for cystic artery and duct identification. The scoring system ranges from 0 to 10, classified as score of <2 being considered easy, 2 to 4 moderate, 5-7 very difficult, and 8 to 10, extreme. Patient demographic data (i.e. age, gender), co-morbidities, intra-operative scores using the scoring system and conversion to open were recorded. The data was analysed using statistical analysis software SPSS (IBM). RESULTS: Among one hundred and twenty participants, sixty seven percent were females and the mean age (years) was 43.05 ± 14.16. Co-morbidities were present in twenty percent patients with eleven diagnosed with diabetes, six with hypertension and five with both hypertension and diabetes. The conversion rate to open surgery was 6.7%. The overall mean intra-operative scores were 3.52 ± 2.23; however significant difference was seen in mean operative score of converted to open and those not converted to open (8.00 ± 0.92 Vs. 3.20 V 1.92; p-value = 0.001). Among eight cases converted to open, three (37.5%) were in very difficult category while five (62.5%) were in extreme category. Moreover, age greater than 40 years and being diabetic were also the risk factors for conversion to open surgery. CONCLUSION: The new intra-operative scoring system is a valuable assessment tool to predict difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy and conversion parameters to open surgery and its utility could improve patient's clinical outcome indicated for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Shared and host-specific microbiome diversity and functioning of grapevine and accompanying weed plants.

Weeds and crop plants select their microbiota from the same pool of soil microorganisms, however, the ecology of weed microbiomes is poorly understood. We analysed the microbiomes associated with roots and rhizospheres of grapevine and four weed species (Lamium amplexicaule L., Veronica arvensis L., Lepidium draba L. and Stellaria media L.) growing in proximity in the same vineyard using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We also isolated and characterized 500 rhizobacteria and root endophytes from L. draba and grapevine. Microbiome data analysis revealed that all plants hosted significantly different microbiomes in the rhizosphere as well as in root compartment, however, differences were more pronounced in the root compartment. The shared microbiome of grapevine and the four weed species contained 145 OTUs (54.2%) in the rhizosphere, but only nine OTUs (13.2%) in the root compartment. Seven OTUs (12.3%) were shared in all plants and compartments. Approximately 56% of the major OTUs (>1%) showed more than 98% identity to bacteria isolated in this study. Moreover, weed-associated bacteria generally showed a higher species richness in the rhizosphere, whereas the root-associated bacteria were more diverse in the perennial plants grapevine and L. draba. Overall, weed isolates showed more plant growth-promoting characteristics compared with grapevine isolates.

Sweet sorghum bagasse and corn stover serving as substrates for producing sophorolipids.

To make the process of producing sophorolipids by Candida bombicola truly sustainable, we investigated production of these biosurfactants on biomass hydrolysates. This study revealed: (1) yield of sophorolipds on bagasse hydrolysate decreased from 0.56 to 0.54 and to 0.37 g/g carbon source when yellow grease was dosed at 10, 40 and 60 g/L, respectively. In the same order, concentration of sophorolipids was 35.9, 41.9, and 39.3 g/L; (2) under similar conditions, sophorolipid yield was 0.12, 0.05 and 0.04 g/g carbon source when corn stover hydrolysate was mixed with soybean oil at 10, 20 and 40 g/L. Sophorolipid concentration was 11.6, 4.9, and 3.9 g/L for the three oil doses from low to high; and (3) when corn stover hydrolysate and yellow grease served as the substrates for cultivating the yeast in a fermentor, sophorolipid concentration reached 52.1 g/L. Upon further optimization, sophorolipids production from ligocellulose will be indeed sustainable.

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients of respiratory tract infections in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Peshawar.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine the prevalence and susceptibility pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates in patients suffering from respiratory tract infection. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted from January to December 2014 in Northwest General Hospital and Research Centre, Peshawar. A total of 615 sputum samples were collected from both in and out-patients. Sputum samples were collected as per standard procedure and were inoculated on Blood, MacConkey and Chocolate agar. The isolates were identified by standard protocols using biochemical tests. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of each isolate was checked as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines using Kirby-Bauer's disc diffusion method. RESULTS: Out of 615 sputum samples, 354 (57.56%) were culture positive. Out of these a total of 71 (20.05%) strains of Pseudomonas were isolated, where 54.93% was from males and 45.07% were from females (Mean age was 44.29 ± 22.72:). Highest sensitivity was seen to Amikacin (92.86%) followed by Meropenem (91.55%) while lowest sensitivity was seen to Cefoperazone + Sulbactam (16.9%). There were 39.44% MDR strains, out of which 25% were Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) and 10.71% were Pan Drug Resistant (PDR). In vitro susceptibility of MDR isolates showed highest sensitivity to Amikacin (82.14%) followed by Carbapenems (78.57%). All MDR isolates were resistant to Cefoperazone + Sulbactam. Resistance to Piperacillin + Tazobactam was 96.43%. CONCLUSION: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the commonly isolated organisms and it is becoming more resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Carbapenems and aminoglycosides were the two classes of drugs that showed highest activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.