Heat stress-induced neuroinflammation and aberration in monoamine levels in hypothalamus are associated with temperature dysregulation.

Heat Stress (HS) induces diverse pathophysiological changes, which include brain ischemia, oxidative stress and neuronal damage. The present study was undertaken with the objective to ascertain whether neuroinflammation in Hypothalamus (HTH) caused under HS affects monoamine levels and hence, its physiological role in thermoregulation. Rats were exposed to HS in a heat simulation environmental chamber (Ambient temperature, Ta=45±0.5°C and Relative Humidity, RH=30±10%) with real-time measurement of core temperature (Tc) and skin temperature (Ts). Animals were divided into two subgroups: Moderate HS (MHS) (Tc=40°C) and Severe HS (SHS)/Heat stroke (Tc=42°C). Rats with MHS showed an increase in Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) and Heart Rate (HR) while fall in MAP and rise in HR was observed in rats with SHS. In addition, oxidative stress and an increase in pyknotic neurons were observed in HTH. High levels of Adrenocorticotropic-hormone (ACTH), Epinephrine (EPI), Norepinephrine (NE) and Dopamine (DA) in the systemic circulation and progressive increase in EPI and DA levels in HTH were recorded after the thermal insult. Moreover, a substantial increase in Glutamate (Glu) level was observed in HTH as well as in systemic circulation of heat stroke rats. We found a rise in NE whereas a fall in Serotonin (5-HT) level in HTH at MHS, without perturbing inflammatory mediators. However, rats with SHS exhibited significant elevations in NF-kB, IL-1ß, COX2, GFAP and Iba1 protein expression in HTH. In conclusion, the data suggest that SHS induces neuroinflammation in HTH, which is associated with monoamines and Glu imbalances, leading to thermoregulatory disruption.

Quantification of sesquiterpene lactones in Parthenium hyterophorous by normal-phase HPLC.

This paper describes the development of a normal-phase liquid chromatography ultraviolet-diode array detection method for the simultaneous quantification of parthenin and coronopilin in the leaves and flowers of Parthenium hysterophorous. The compounds were analyzed on a Merck Si60 silica column (5 µm, 250 × 4 mm) using an isocratic 15:85 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and hexane. The calibration curves resulting from the reference compounds in the concentration range of 200-2,000 ng exhibited acceptable linearity (r > 0.999). The method was developed to study the levels of parthenin and coronopilin in the leaves and flowers of P. hysterophorous collected during different seasons, and the method was validated by analyzing the spiked samples.

A novel optimised and validated method for analysis of multi-residues of pesticides in fruits and vegetables by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE)-dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE)-retention time locked (RTL)-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with Deconvolution reporting software (DRS).

A rapid, effective and ecofriendly method for sensitive screening and quantification of 72 pesticides residue in fruits and vegetables, by microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) followed by dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE), retention time locked (RTL) capillary gas-chromatographic separation in trace ion mode mass spectrometric determination has been validated as per ISO/IEC: 17025:2005. Identification and reporting with total and extracted ion chromatograms were facilitated to a great extent by Deconvolution reporting software (DRS). For all compounds LOD were 0.002-0.02mg/kg and LOQ were 0.025-0.100mg/kg. Correlation coefficients of the calibration curves in the range of 0.025-0.50mg/kg were >0.993. To validate matrix effects repeatability, reproducibility, recovery and overall uncertainty were calculated for the 35 matrices at 0.025, 0.050 and 0.100mg/kg. Recovery ranged between 72% and 114% with RSD of <20% for repeatability and intermediate precision. The reproducibility of the method was evaluated by an inter laboratory participation and Z score obtained within ±2.

Epibrassinolide induces changes in indole-3-acetic acid, abscisic acid and polyamine concentrations and enhances antioxidant potential of radish seedlings under copper stress.

In the present study, the effects of epibrassinolide (EBL) on indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA) and polyamine (PA) tissue concentrations and antioxidant potential of 7-day-old Raphanus sativus L. cv. 'Pusa chetki' seedlings grown under Cu stress were investigated. EBL treatment alone or in combination with Cu enhanced free and bound IAA titers when compared with the metal alone. Modest increases in free and bound ABA contents were observed for EBL treatment alone. However, the combination of EBL with Cu caused major increases in both forms of ABA, over Cu alone. Among the PAs analyzed, only putrescine and cadaverine concentrations were enhanced by EBL treatment alone. By contrast, a significant decline in putrescine and spermine contents was found in seedlings treated with EBL plus Cu. EBL treatments alone or in combination with Cu enhanced activities of guaiacol peroxidase (EC1.11.1.7), catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2) and protein contents in comparison with metal and control treatments. A major decrease in malondialdehyde content was also recorded for EBL treatments with or without Cu. An increase in phytochelatin content was also observed in seedlings treated with EBL alone or in combination with Cu. Major improvement in radical scavenging activities, as attested by the antioxidant activity assay using DPPH (1,1-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl), and elevated deoxyribose and reducing powers, along with increased contents of ascorbic acid, total phenols and proline, also suggest a major influence of EBL application in mitigating copper-induced oxidative stress in radish seedlings.

Polyaniline/carbon nanotubes platform for sexually transmitted disease detection.

Polyaniline/carbon nanotubes composite (PANI-CNT) electrochemically deposited onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass plate has been utilized for Neisseria gonorrhoeae detection by immobilizing 5'-amino-labeled Neisseria gonorrhoeae probe (aDNA) using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. PANI-CNT/ITO and aDNA-Glu-PANI-CNT/ITO electrodes have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). This bioelectrode can be used to detect N. gonorrhoeae using methylene blue (MB) as redox indicator with response time of 60 s and stability of about 75 days when stored under refrigerated conditions. DPV studies reveal that this bioelectrode can detect complementary DNA concentration from 1 x 10(-6) M to 1 x 10(-17) M with detection limit of 1.2 x 10(-17) M. Further, this bioelectrode (aDNA-Glu-PANI-CNT/ITO) exhibits specificity toward N. gonorrhoeae species and shows negative response with non-Neisseria gonorrhoeae Neisseria species (NgNS) and other gram negative bacteria (GNB).