Characterization of root-endophytic actinobacteria from cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) for plant growth promoting traits.

The present study is the first report of isolation and characterization of endophytic actinobacteria from cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica). A total of 179 morphologically distinct endophytic actinobacterial isolates were purified from the roots of two different genetic accessions of cactus. All these isolates were screened for their plant growth promotion traits, namely, growth on N-free medium, P-solubilization, siderophore production, ACC deaminase activity and auxin production. A majority of the endophytic actinobacterial isolates (85%) exhibited their potential for plant growth promotion under in vitro conditions. Ten among the isolates were selected based on their multi-PGP traits and were identified as Streptomyces sp. following the 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Plant growth promotion potential of these selected endophytic Streptomyces was studied in wheat seedlings. All these selected isolates significantly enhanced the growth parameters such as seedling length and rootlets number compared to the uninoculated control. The wheat seeds inoculated with Streptomyces tuirus VL-70-IX exhibited maximum number of rootlets (6.33) compared to uninoculated control (3.67). The inoculation of endophytic actinobacteria Streptomyces levis VL-70-XII caused maximum seedling length (20.53 cm) and root length (8.26 cm), while the inoculation of S. radiopugnans HV-VIII resulted in highest shoot length (12.33 cm). These endophytic actinobacteria isolated from the roots of cactus accessions showed potential PGP traits. This work lays foundation for characterization and selection of endophytic actinobacteria from the under-exploited, drought tolerant species such as cactus with potential cross-compatibility for the improvement of plant growth of field crops especially under abiotic stress conditions.

A study on the efficacy of single layer full thickness duct to mucosa pancreatojejunostomy following pancreatoduodenectomy.

OBJECTIVE: Pancreatoduodenectomy is the procedure of choice for treating periampullary and pancreatic head malignancy. The procedure has been standardized and the mortality has reduced considerably to fewer than 5% in high volume centers specializing in pancreatic surgeries. Unfortunately, the morbidity still hovers around 40%. The Achiles heal of pancreatoduodenectomy is the pancreatoenteric anastamosis, the failure of which leads to significant morbidity. Literature is flooded with a plethora of techniques of reconstruction, and the results are variable. In this present study, we have analyzed a technique in which we used a single layer full thickness duct to mucosa pancreatojejunostomy. Among the 25 subjects in this study, there was only one case of one mortality due to drug-induced cardiac arrhythmia, and no mortality secondary to pancreas-specific complications were reported. The present study was a pilot study compared with historical controls, where these results were comparable to the historical data reported earlier as well as our own historical data of two-layered anastamosis. The results of this pilot study supported our concept of single layer full thickness duct to mucosa anastamosis being least traumatic to the pancreas and having an equal efficacy to that other conventional techniques.

Segmentation and Boundary Detection of Fetal Kidney Images in Second and Third Trimesters Using Kernel-Based Fuzzy Clustering.

Organ segmentation is an important step in Ultrasound fetal images for early prediction of congenital abnormalities and to estimate delivery date. In many applications of 2D medical imaging, they face problems with speckle noise and object contours. Frequent scanning of fetal leads to clinical disturbances to the fetal growth and the quantitative interpretation of Ultrasonic images also a difficult task compared to other image modalities. In the present work a three-stage hybrid algorithm has been developed to segment the US fetal kidney images for the detection of shape and contour. At the first stage the hybrid Mean Median (Hybrid MM) filter is applied to reduce the speckle noise. Then a kernel based Fuzzy C - means clustering is used to detect the shape and contour. Finally, the texture features are obtained from the segmented images. Based on the obtained texture features, the abnormalities are detected. The Gaussian Radial basis function provides an accuracy of 80% at the second and third trimesters with weighted constant ranging from 4 to 8, compared to other global kernel functions. Similarly the proposed method has an accuracy of 86% with compared to other FCM techniques.

Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Ethanol and Oxyhydrogen Addition on Nanocoated Gasoline Engine.

Climate change, clean air, renewable energy, nontoxic surroundings, and the opportunity to live in a healthy community are just few of the issues that environmental sustainability addresses. To improve environmental health and quality of life, several researchers have turned their attention to alternative energy sources like ethanol and oxyhydrogen. In latest years, significant progress has been made in the development of ethanol and hydrogen as clean energy sources. A higher octane rating is achieved by mixing ethanol with gasoline rather than using regular gasoline. A novel mix of oxyhydrogen, ethanol, and gasoline is ecologically friendly while simultaneously increasing the performance of gasoline engines. In this study, a nanoparticle-coated piston on a low heat rejection gasoline engine fuelled by an ethanol-gasoline mix with oxyhydrogen addition was investigated. It has been evaluated that thermal efficiency improved by up to 25% while fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 28% on a volume basis compared to the baseline engine. Furthermore, the decrease in harmful carbon monoxide reached around 10%, and the reduction in unburned hydrocarbon emissions reached 18%.

Studies on antibacterial and chemotaxis properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa TEN01 biomass-derived sustainable biosurfactant.

Biosurfactant producing bacterial strains were isolated from oil-contaminated sites at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Chennai, the potential strain was selected and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa TEN01 by 16 S rRNA sequencing technique. Biosurfactant was produced from cassava solid waste from the sago industry. Further, it was extracted by solvent extraction and partially purified by column chromatography. The partially purified biosurfactant was qualitatively analyzed by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC), quantitatively analyzed by anthrone assay and characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Rf value and chemical groups confirm the presence of glycolipid in the partially purified biosurfactant. GC-MS results confirmed the presence of long-chain fatty acids and carbohydrate which is found to be mainly present in glycolipids. Biosurfactants are surface-active molecules which have been found to be the best alternative to chemical-based surfactants. The present study focuses on modifying the cell surface using a biosurfactant from P. aeruginosa TEN01 to enhance membrane permeabilization. Antibacterial and chemotaxis properties of biosurfactant from P. aeruginosa TEN01 were found to be better towards Xenorhabdus poinarii, a bio-pesticide producing microbial strain, X. poinarii exhibited 81.7% adhesion to hydrocarbons upon biosurfactant treatment as analyzed by Bacterial Adhesion to Hydrocarbon (BATH) assay. The alteration in the membrane permeability was tested in X. poinarii using biosurfactant and chemical surfactants viz. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and toluene by estimating the amount of intracellular protein released. High protein recovery (51.55%) was achieved with a biosurfactant. Cell viability in the biosurfactant-treated cells was also high (93.98%) in comparison to cells treated with chemical surfactants. Increased recovery of intracellular protein along with high cell viability makes the biosurfactant a potential candidate for application in numerous environmental fields.

Strange formation of N-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-2,6-diarylpiperidin-4-one and its oxime derivative--synthesis, stereochemistry, antibacterial and antifungal activity.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: A collection of novel N-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-2,6-diarylpiperidin-4-one oximes 28-32 are synthesized, characterized by melting point, elemental analysis, MS, FT-IR, one-dimensional NMR (1H & 13C) and two dimensional Noesy spectroscopic data and evaluate for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compound 32, exerted a wide range of antibacterial activities against the entire tested gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains except Escherichia coli, besides compound 30, which is more active against Klebsiella pneumoniae, a gram-negative coccus. Compound 29 exerted strong antifungal activities against Aspergillus flavus and Microsporum gypseum. In addition, compound 32 is more potent against Rhizopus.

Synthesis, spectral analysis, antibacterial and antifungal activities of some 4,6-diaryl-4,5-dihydro-3-hydroxy-2[H]-indazole-a novel fused indazole derivative.

A novel class of 4,6-diaryl-4,5-dihydro-3-hydroxy-2[H]-indazoles 25-32 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities. Four Compounds, which all possessed electron withdrawing functional groups (-Cl, -NO(2), -Br) 27, 28, 30 and 32 were more potent against the tested bacterial/fungal strains than the standard bacterial and fungal drugs ciprofloxacin and fluconazole respectively.

Design, synthesis, characterization, antibacterial and antifungal activities of a novel class of 5,7-diaryl-4,4-dimethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydropyridino[3,4-d]-1,2,3-selenadiazoles.

Compound 26 is more potent against Escherichia coli. and 24 is more active against Staphylococcus aureus, beta-Heamolytic streptococcus, Vibreo cholerae, Salmonella typhii, and Shigella flexneri than the standard drug ciprofloxacin. Moreover, of all the compounds tested, 26 is more effective against Aspergillus flavus and Mucor, than the standard drug fluconazole.

Salivary duct carcinoma of the palate.

Salivary duct carcinoma is a rare high-grade neoplasm that more frequently affects the parotid gland. Though neoplasms of this type are infrequent in minor salivary glands, they are less aggressive and may lead to early diagnosis before distant metastases could occur. Salivary duct carcinoma is also the most frequent epithelial component of carcinosarcoma. The present article reports a case of SDC of the palate in a 26-year-old male and discusses SDC as a malignant epithelial component in carcinosarcoma.

Variability in the interpretation of dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy after urinary tract infection in children.

UNLABELLED: Technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy is a frequently used diagnostic test in pediatric practice to assess the presence and severity of renal damage. Most commonly it is performed after urinary tract infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the variability in the interpretation of DMSA scans by pediatric nuclear medicine physicians in this clinical setting. METHODS: We selected all 441 scans from children with first-time urinary tract infection who presented between 1993 and 1995 to a pediatric casualty department and who are participants in a prospective cohort study. Two hundred and ninety-four scans were performed at a median time of 7 days after diagnosis, and 147 scans were from children who were free from further infection over a 1-yr follow-up period. Two experienced nuclear medicine physicians independently interpreted the 441 scans according to whether renal damage was present or absent and using the modified 4-level grading system for DMSA abnormality of Goldraich. Apart from being informed that urinary tract infection was the indication for DMSA scintigraphy, no other clinical information was given to the nuclear medicine physicians. The indices of variability used were the percentage of agreement and the kappa statistic. For the grading scale used, both measures were weighted with integers representing the number of categories from perfect agreement. Disagreement was analyzed for children, kidneys and kidney zones. RESULTS: There was agreement in 86% (kappa = 69%) for the normal-abnormal DMSA scan dichotomy, and the weighted agreement was 94% (weighted kappa = 82%) for the grading of abnormality. Disagreement of DMSA scan interpretation of > or =2 grades was present in three cases (0.7%). The same high level of agreement was present for patient, kidney and kidney zone comparisons. Agreement was not influenced by age or timing of scintigraphy after urinary tract infection. CONCLUSION: Two experienced nuclear medicine physicians showed good agreement in the interpretation of DMSA scintigraphy in children after urinary tract infection and using the grading system of Goldraich.

Social factors and psychopathology in epilepsy.

One hundred and six epilepsy patients were assessed over a period of 6 months for psychiatric morbidity, social support, stressful life events in previous year and disability. 45 patients (42.45%) had a psychiatric diagnosis. Organic depressive disorder headed the list (16.98%) followed by mild cognitive disorder (11.32%) and tobacco dependence (8.49%). There was no significant difference in the mean age, sex, mean education, age at onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, psychiatric diagnosis, mean scores on social support scale, presumptive stressful life event scale and disability assessment schedule between different types of epilepsy. The difference in mean scores of presumptive stressful life events scale and disability assessment schedule between epileptics with and without psychiatric diagnosis was not statistically significant.

Differences in biochemical profile from active and inactive ovarian tissue in relation to oestrous cycle phases.

The differences in biochemical components between active and inactive ovarian tissue were studied during the oestrous cycle. Goats (Marwari breed) were slaughtered at six different phases of the oestrous cycle (n = 5) such as oestrus (day 1), ovulatory (day 2), early luteal (day 3), late luteal (day 9), follicular (day 15) phase, and goats having smooth ovaries without follicles or CL (SO). The levels of total protein, soluble protein, alkaline and acid phosphatase were significantly different (P < 0.05) at different phases of oestrous cycle. Differences in nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), ascorbic acid, free cholesterol and esterified cholesterol were non-significant. The levels of proteins (total and soluble) and nucleic acids were high in the active ovary on day 9 (peak luteal phase) and day 15 (follicular phase) of the cycle. The activity of both alkaline and acid phosphatases was higher on day 2 (ovulatory phase) in the active ovary as compared with the inactive ovary. Highly significant (P < 0.01) differences in total cholesterol concentration were found between different phases of the oestrous cycle. Maximum utilization of cholesterol was observed in the peak luteal phase (day 9) of the cycle.

Comparative bioactive studies between wild plant and callus culture of Tephrosia tinctoria pers.

Tephrosia tinctoria, a perennial under shrub of Fabaceae family, is endemic to Western Ghats. In this study, friable whitish yellow callus was developed after 45 days using Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2.0 mg/l) + 6-benzylaminopurine (0.5 mg/l) in various explants of T. tinctoria. The ethyl acetate extracts of leaf (LE), stem (SE), and root (RE) were compared with leaf (LCE), stem (SCE), and root (RCE) derived callus, for antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. The SE possessed the highest phenolic and flavonoid content among all the extracts tested and showed a significant antioxidant assays. The study of anticancer activity on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line revealed that the callus extracts especially RCE possessed significant inhibition of cell growth (IC50 20 µg/ml) at 72 h treatment period on analysis with MTT assay. The apoptotic cell death was observed through DNA fragmentation analysis in HepG2 cells treated with the T. tinctoria extracts. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry finger printing profile showed that more than 60 % percentage of metabolites are similar in both SE and SCE. The higher percentage area of antioxidant compound (stigmast-4-en-3-one) was observed in SE (2.01 %) and higher percentage area of anticancer compound (phenol, 2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)) in SCE (0.91 %). In addition to that, callus extracts contain squalene, which is used for target deliver and also used as anticancer drug. Thus, the present study revealed that the T. tinctoria has potent antioxidant and antiproliferative activity and the callus culture can be used for the production of the bioactive compounds due to the endemic nature of this plant.

A novel aphrodisiac compound from an orchid that activates nitric oxide synthases.

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to have roles in several crucial biological functions including vasodilation and penile erection. There are neuronal, endothelial and inducible NO synthases that influence the levels of NO in tissues and blood. NO activates guanylate cyclase and thereby increases the levels of cyclic GMP (cGMP). Viagra (sildenafil), a top selling drug in the world for erectile dysfunction, inhibits phosphodiesterase-5, which hydrolyses cGMP to GMP. Thus, it fosters an NO-mediated increase in the levels of cGMP, which mediates erectile function. Here, we show the aphrodisiac activity of a novel chemical isolate from the flowers of an epiphytic orchid, Vanda tessellata (Roxb.) ex Don, which activates neuronal and endothelial, but not inducible, NO synthases. The aphrodisiac activity is caused by an increase in the level of NO in corpus cavernosum. The drug increases blood levels of NO as early as 30 min after oral administration. The active compound was isolated by column chromatography. Based on the spectral data, the active compound is found to be a new compound, 2,7,7-tri methyl bicyclo [2.2.1] heptane. We anticipate that our findings could lead to the development of a commercially viable and valuable drug for erectile dysfunction.

Three components coupling catalysed by NaHSO(4).Sio(2) - a convenient synthesis, antibacterial and antifungal activities of novel 6-Aryl-1,2,4,5-tetrazinan-3-ones.

A novel method has been developed for the synthesis of 6-aryl-1,2,4,5-tetrazinan-3-ones through a one-pot reaction of urea, various substituted aromatic benzaldehyde having electron donating and electron withdrawing groups and ammonium acetate in the presence of reusable NaHSO(4).SiO(2) heterogeneous catalyst in dry media under microwave irradiation. FT-IR, (1)H NMR, D(2)O Exchange, (13)C NMR, Heteronuclear Single Quantum Correlation (HSQC) spectra, MS and elemental analysis characterized all the synthesized compounds. In vitro antibacterial/fungal activities were evaluated for six new compounds. The antibacterial studies revealed that compounds 1-6 had better activity against tested Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. Compounds 1 and 5 were more active against beta-Heamolytic streptococcus, a Gram-positive bacteria and Pseudomonas, a Gram-negative bacteria, respectively, than the standard drug ciprofloxacin. Besides, of all the compounds tested, compound 5 was more effective against Aspergillus flavus, a fungal strain than the standard drug fluconazole.

Island of salivary gland in adipose tissue: a report of three cases.

Although uncommon, many variants of lipomatous lesions in or around salivary glands have been reported in the literature. We report a series of three such cases in the minor salivary gland region. The first case (oral floor) is a well-circumscribed lipocytic lesion admixed with glandular components (mucous acini, serous demilunes and ducts). The second case (alveolar mucosa) is a diffuse lipomatous proliferation with entrapped salivary glandular elements, muscles and blood vessels. The third case (palate) is similar to the first case but the gland is located at the periphery of the lesion. The purpose of the article was to report these three lesions and discuss in relation to other pertaining lipomatous lesions (sialolipoma, lipoadenoma, lipomatosis, lipometaplasia in pleomorphic adenoma and infiltrating lipoma).

How to name it: a rare case of odontogenic cyst.

Odontogenic cysts and tumors are well-recognized entities to the specialist oral pathologist and they seldom pose problems in differential diagnosis. This paper deals with an aggressive cystic lesion in the maxilla of a 65-year-old male that was characterized by a large radiographically multilocular lesion and a multicystic pattern microscopically. The categorization of this lesion was complicated by the presence of features suggestive of both glandular odontogenic cyst and cystic ameloblastoma with aggressive histologic phenotypes.

A convenient 'one-pot' synthesis and in vitro microbiological evaluation of novel 2,7-diaryl-[1,4] -diazepan-5-ones.

A convenient method for the 'one-pot' synthesis of novel target molecule 2,7-diaryl-[1,4]-diazepan-5-ones from the respective 2,6-diaryl-piperidin-4-ones was catalyzed by NaHSO4.Al2O3 heterogeneous catalyst in dry media under microwave irradiation in solvent-free conditions. Moreover, the catalyst could be recovered and re-used up to 4 times after washing with ethyl acetate. They were evaluated for potential antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, beta-Haemolytic streptococcus, Vibreo cholerae, Salmonella typhii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas and antifungal activity against Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Mucor, Candida albicans and Rhizopus. Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) led to the conclusion that, of all the compounds 25-32 tested, compound 30 exerted strong in vitro antibacterial activity against S. aureus, S. typhii, and Pseudomonas and all the compounds 25-32 were less active against E. coli, whereas all the compounds 25-32 displayed potent in vitro antifungal activity against all the fungal strains used, except compound 30, which was more effectual against Mucor.

Symptomatic urinary tract infection in preschool Australian children.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the demographic and clinical features, short-term outcomes, microbiology and renal tract abnormalities of a cohort of young Australian children with symptomatic urinary tract infection. METHODOLOGY: A total of 304 children < 5 years with their first documented symptomatic urinary tract infection who presented consecutively to the Emergency Department of a paediatric hospital between March 1993 and December 1994 and without a known predisposing cause were identified and details of their acute illness were recorded. Renal tract sonography, micturating cystourethrography and Tc-99 m dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphy (DMSA) were routinely performed. RESULTS: Of those who presented with urinary tract infection, 169 were boys and 135 girls; 64% were less than 1 year of age. For children from the local community, the cumulative incidence of urinary tract infection within the first 5 years of life was estimated to be 1.9% for boys and 1.8% for girls. There were no significant differences in illness characteristics according to mode of referral or geographical locality. Presenting symptoms were generally nonspecific and not referrable to the urinary tract. There were no deaths. One per cent of children required ventilatory support, and bacteraemia occurred in 6%, all of whom were under 6 months of age. E. coli was the causal organism in 84%, and a high in vitro resistance to ampicillin/ amoxycillin (54%) was demonstrated by the pathogens isolated. Bacteriuria was eradicated in 99% with antimicrobial treatment. In this setting, the sensitivities of dipstick urinalysis (leucocyte esterase+/-nitrites) and pyuria on microscopy (>10 x 10(6) white cells L(-1)) were 85%. Abnormal DMSA scintigraphy was detected in 39%, vesicoureteric reflux in 28%, and obstructive uropathy in 1%. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides current and local data on a large sample of children <5 years with urinary tract infection, which are useful to clinicians who manage children at risk of the condition.

Daytime urinary incontinence in primary school children: a population-based survey.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and severity of, and risk factors for, daytime urinary incontinence in children starting primary school. DESIGN AND SETTING: Population-based cross-sectional survey of new entrant primary school children in Sydney, Australia. METHODS: A random cluster sample of 2020 primary school children was surveyed by using a daytime incontinence questionnaire with known substantial repeatability (mean kappa = 0.70). RESULTS: The questionnaire was returned for 1419 (70%) children with a mean age of 5.9 years; 16.5% of children had experienced one or more episodes of wetting in the last 6 months (mild), 2.0% had wet twice or more per week (moderate), and 0.7% were wet every day (severe) (overall prevalence of 19.2%). On multivariate analysis, recent emotional stress (odds ratio 5.7), a history of daytime wetting along the paternal line (odds ratio 9.3), and a history of wetting among male siblings (odds ratio 5.3) were independent risk factors for moderate to severe daytime wetting. Expressed as population attributable risk, 59% and 28% of moderate-severe and mild daytime wetting, respectively, can be attributed to these 3 factors. Only 16% of families with affected children had sought medical help. CONCLUSIONS: Daytime urinary incontinence in the first year of primary school is more common than previously reported, and only a small proportion of affected children seek medical help. Emotional stress and family history are likely to be major causal factors.