Characterization of a novel seed protein of Prosopis cineraria showing antifungal activity.

An antifungal protein with a molecular mass of 38.6 kDa was isolated from the seed of Prosopis cineraria. The protein was purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The antifungal activity of purified protein was retained up to 50 °C for 10 min. The MALDI TOF mass spectroscopy revealed 15 assorted peptides. The molecular weight of the antifungal protein is different from antifungal proteins reported in seeds of other leguminous plants. The purified protein exerted antifungal activity against post-harvest fruit fungal pathogens Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Aspergillus fumigatus, isolated from the rotten fruits. The antifungal properties of this novel antifungal protein can be potentially exploited to manage post-harvest fungal disease of fruits through alternative means to reduce use of hazardous chemicals.

Neuroretinal evaluation using optical coherence tomography in patients affected by pituitary tumors.

AIM: To investigate the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), the ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and choroid thickness (CT) in patients with pituitary tumours, microadenoma and macroadenoma, using spectral optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Thirty six patients who had micro and macroadenoma, and 34 healthy participants (control group) were included in the study. Spectral OCT was used to measure the RNFL, GCL, IPL, and CT values for all patients. CT measurements were performed by the same author (A.S.K). Additionally, retinal nerve fiber length, which is a sublayer of ganglion cell complex (GCC), was also measured for each patient and after segmentation oF GCC. RESULTS: No difference was detected between group according to sociodemographic data. The mean age of patients and the control group was 34.31 ± 12.47 and 33.12 ± 11.75 years, respectively. In the patient group had RNFL thinning while there was a thickening of the choroid layer. When all pituitary tumours patients (without grouping) were compared with the control group and there were significant differences on all parameters: RNFL, GCL, IPL thickness, and CT (p<0.05), while there were no significant differences in RNFL and GCL measurements between microadenoma and macroadenoma (p>0.05). All patients were significantly different from one another with respect to CT (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that neurodegeneration occurs in the course of pituitary tumours, and this degeneration may be presented by decreased GCL at early stages, and as the disease progresses it may also affect ather layers of GCC like RNFL and IPL. RNFL and GCL were significantly thinner in the all patients as compared with the control subjects. In pituitary tumours, both microadenoma and macroadenoma, when evaluating ophthalmological findings patients' choroid thinning should be considered. KEY WORDS: Choroid thickness Ganglion cell layer thickness, Optical coherence tomographyl Pituitary tumours, Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.

Micronuclei and other nuclear anomalies in normal human buccal mucosa cells of oral cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy: a field effect.

We evaluated micronuclei and other nuclear anomalies in exfoliated epithelial cells of the oral cavity on the side opposite the lesion targeted by radiotherapy and correlated them with radiation doses. Buccal smears were obtained from oral cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy with a cumulative dose of at least 1000 rad for 3 weeks and from controls matched for age, gender and habits. The exfoliated cells from the mucosa were collected using a cytobrush; smears were prepared, fixed in 80% methanol and stained using the Feulgen plus fast green method. The mean number of micronuclei and other nuclear anomalies/1000 cells was significantly greater in patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment, but the differences were not significant compared to radiation doses. It appears that radiotherapy has a potent clastogenic effect on buccal mucosal cells of oral cancer patients.

Investigations of some aspects of the spray process in a single wire arc plasma spray system using high speed camera.

A high speed camera has been used to record and analyze the evolution as well as particle behavior in a single wire arc plasma spray torch. Commercially available systems (spray watch, DPV 2000, etc.) focus onto a small area in the spray jet. They are not designed for tracking a single particle from the torch to the substrate. Using high speed camera, individual particles were tracked and their velocities were measured at various distances from the spray torch. Particle velocity information at different distances from the nozzle of the torch is very important to decide correct substrate position for the good quality of coating. The analysis of the images has revealed the details of the process of arc attachment to wire, melting of the wire, and detachment of the molten mass from the tip. Images of the wire and the arc have been recorded for different wire feed rates, gas flow rates, and torch powers, to determine compatible wire feed rates. High speed imaging of particle trajectories has been used for particle velocity determination using time of flight method. It was observed that the ripple in the power supply of the torch leads to large variation of instantaneous power fed to the torch. This affects the velocity of the spray particles generated at different times within one cycle of the ripple. It is shown that the velocity of a spray particle depends on the instantaneous torch power at the time of its generation. This correlation was established by experimental evidence in this paper. Once the particles leave the plasma jet, their forward speeds were found to be more or less invariant beyond 40 mm up to 500 mm from the nozzle exit.