ABSTRACT
Aim Restoration of bladder and bowel continence after pudendal nerve anastomosis has been shown successfully in animal models and may be applicable in humans. Aim of this cadaveric study was to assess feasibility of pudendal nerve neurotization using motor fascicles from sciatic nerve. Methods Pudendal and sciatic nerves were exposed via gluteal approach in 5 human cadavers (10 sites). Size of pudendal and sciatic nerves and the distance between two nerves was measured. Results There were four male and one female cadavers. Mean age was 62 (range, 50-70) years. Mean pudendal nerve diameter was 2.94 mm (right side) and 2.82 mm (left side). Mean sciatic nerve diameter was 11.2 mm (right side) and 14.2 mm (left side). The distance between two nerves was 23.4 mm on both sides. Conclusion Transfer of the motor fascicles from sciatic nerve to pudendal nerve to restore the bladder and bowel continence is feasible.
ABSTRACT
Various carbon sources were evaluated for production of inulinase by yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus MTCC 3995. Highest inulinase activity was observed with Dahlia extract (25.3 nkat mL-1) as carbon source. The enzyme activity was 1.4 folds higher than that observed in media containing pure chicory inulin (17.8 nkat mL-1). The yeast showed good growth on a simple medium containing dahlia extract (20% w/v) and yeast extract (2%w/v) as carbon and nitrogen source respectively, in 96 h. at 28°C and 120 rpm. Lowest inulinase yield (4.8 nkat mL-1) was seen in the medium containing glucose as C-source. Although varied inulinase levels were noticed on different C- sources, Inulinase: Sucrase (I/S) ratios were noticed to be similar. Among various protein sources tested, yeast extract was found to be the best source followed by beef extract (17.9 nkat mL-1) and peptone (13.8 nkat mL-1). The enzyme was optimally active at pH (4.0) and 50°C. TLC analysis of end product revealed that inulinase hydrolyzed inulin exclusively into fructose. Results suggest that the dahlia extract induced exoinulinase synthesis in Kluyveromyces marxianus and can be utilized as a potential substrate for inulinase production.
Subject(s)
Plant Structures/enzymology , Plant Extracts/analysis , Fructose/analysis , Inulin/analysis , Inulin/isolation & purification , Kluyveromyces/isolation & purification , Yeasts/isolation & purification , Dahlia , Enzyme Activation , MethodsABSTRACT
Various carbon sources were evaluated for production of inulinase by yeast, Kluyveromyces marxianus MTCC 3995. Highest inulinase activity was observed with Dahlia extract (25.3 nkat mL(-1)) as carbon source. The enzyme activity was 1.4 folds higher than that observed in media containing pure chicory inulin (17.8 nkat mL(-1)). The yeast showed good growth on a simple medium containing dahlia extract (20% w/v) and yeast extract (2%w/v) as carbon and nitrogen source respectively, in 96 h. at 28°C and 120 rpm. Lowest inulinase yield (4.8 nkat mL(-1)) was seen in the medium containing glucose as C-source. Although varied inulinase levels were noticed on different C- sources, Inulinase: Sucrase (I/S) ratios were noticed to be similar. Among various protein sources tested, yeast extract was found to be the best source followed by beef extract (17.9 nkat mL(-1)) and peptone (13.8 nkat mL(-1)). The enzyme was optimally active at pH (4.0) and 50°C. TLC analysis of end product revealed that inulinase hydrolyzed inulin exclusively into fructose. Results suggest that the dahlia extract induced exoinulinase synthesis in Kluyveromyces marxianus and can be utilized as a potential substrate for inulinase production.
ABSTRACT
Streptomyces exfoliatus CFS 1068, an isolate of cultivated field soil, produced maximum collagenase activity (58.19 +/- 0.83 U ml-1 min-1) in 5 days when soybean meal and starch were used as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively at pH 7 and 30 degrees C in shake cultures (150 rpm). Production of collagenase was higher (40.43 +/- 0.63 U ml(-1) min(-1)) when poultry feathers were used as nitrogen source. Thus, the strain was found to be of biotechnological importance. The purified enzyme showed 30.34 fold increase in collagenase activity and was stable at 70 degrees C for 1h. The enzyme was found to be of serine type.
Subject(s)
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Collagenases/metabolism , Culture Media/chemistry , Feathers/chemistry , Poultry , Streptomyces/enzymology , Animals , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Chickens , Collagenases/genetics , Collagenases/isolation & purification , Enzyme Stability , Industrial Microbiology/methods , Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors , Nitrogen/metabolismABSTRACT
Feather waste is generated in large amounts as a by-product of commercial poultry processing. This residue is almost pure keratin, which is not easily degradable by common proteolytic enzymes. Eight strains of Bacillus, isolated from decomposing feathers were tested for the hydrolysis of feather wastes in the laboratory. Among these strains, Bacillus cereus KB043 was the best feather degrading organism when grown on basal medium containing 1 percent hen feather as sole source of carbon and nitrogen. It caused 78.16 ± 0.4 percent degradation with a significant release of soluble protein (1206.15 ± 14.7 µg mL-1) and cysteine (20.63 ± 0.4 µg mL-1) in the cultivation fluid. The strain also showed the highest level of keratinase activity (39.10 ± 0.4 U mL-1). These data indicates that the Bacillus cereus KB043 could be useful in management of poultry wastes.
Subject(s)
Animals , Bacillus cereus , Bacillus/enzymology , Bacillus/isolation & purification , Enzyme Activation , Peptide Hydrolases/analysis , Feathers/enzymology , Keratins/analysis , Biodegradation, Environmental , Birds , MethodsABSTRACT
A keratinolytic bacterium Elizabethkingia meningoseptica KB042 was isolated from dropped off feathers. The bacterium showed 82.50 ± 0.3% feather degradation when grown on medium containing 10 g/l chicken feathers with initial pH 7.0 at 37°C, 150 rpm in 6 days. The pH of the medium was increased up to 10.02 ± 0.10 during 6 days of incubation. Soluble protein and amino acids concentration in the culture fluid was also found increased until the end of incubation. During the cultivation of strain KB042 on feather as sole source of carbon and nitrogen, the maximum cysteine release was noted on the 3rd day. Varying feather concentration 1.0-2.0% in basal medium resulted in soluble protein release between 1814.42 and 1954.61 µg/ml. The amino acid concentration was found to be maximum, i.e. 937.85 ± 11.9 µg/ml in the cultures grown with 2% feather. The hydrolysate was also found rich in essential amino acids valine, tryptophan, threonine, leucine and cysteine and contains minor amount of methionine and arginine. These data indicate a potential biotechnology for biotransformation and utilization of feather keratin as a source of protein which can be used as animal feed after successful animal trials.
ABSTRACT
Feather waste is generated in large amounts as a by-product of commercial poultry processing. This residue is almost pure keratin, which is not easily degradable by common proteolytic enzymes. Eight strains of Bacillus, isolated from decomposing feathers were tested for the hydrolysis of feather wastes in the laboratory. Among these strains, Bacillus cereus KB043 was the best feather degrading organism when grown on basal medium containing 1% hen feather as sole source of carbon and nitrogen. It caused 78.16 ± 0.4 % degradation with a significant release of soluble protein (1206.15 ± 14.7 µg mL(-1)) and cysteine (20.63 ± 0.4 µg mL(-1)) in the cultivation fluid. The strain also showed the highest level of keratinase activity (39.10 ± 0.4 U mL(-1)). These data indicates that the Bacillus cereus KB043 could be useful in management of poultry wastes.
ABSTRACT
A 70-year-old Indian woman presented with an acute anterior wall myocardial infarction and a large multinodular goiter causing tracheal compression and dyspnea. Coronary artery angiography revealed severe triple-vessel disease, with an 80% occlusion of the left main stem, necessitating early coronary artery bypass grafting combined with total thyroidectomy. The procedure was performed successfully. At the 1-year follow-up, the patient remains euthyroid and in New York Heart Association functional class I. This case provides further evidence that combined coronary artery bypass grafting and total thyroidectomy is both feasible and safe.
Subject(s)
Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump , Goiter, Nodular/epidemiology , Myocardial Infarction/epidemiology , Thyroidectomy , Aged , Comorbidity , Female , Goiter, Nodular/complications , Goiter, Nodular/diagnostic imaging , Goiter, Nodular/surgery , Humans , Myocardial Infarction/surgery , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Tracheal Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Tracheal Diseases/etiologyABSTRACT
The present study was aimed at characterizing the soil-water resource degradation in the rural areas of Gurgaon and Mewat districts, the two economically contrasting areas in policy zones-II and III of the National Capital Region (NCR), and assessing the impact of the study area's local conditions on the type and extent of resource degradation. This involved generation of detailed spatial information on the land use, cropping pattern, farming practices, soils and surface/ground waters of Gurgaon and Mewat districts through actual resource surveys, standard laboratory methods and GIS/remote sensing techniques. The study showed that in contrast to just 2.54% (in rabi season) to 4.87% (in kharif season) of agricultural lands in Gurgaon district, about 11.77% (in rabi season) to 24.23% (in kharif season) of agricultural lands in Mewat district were irrigated with saline to marginally saline canal water. Further, about 10.69% of agricultural lands in the Gurgaon district and 42.15% of agricultural lands in the Mewat district were drain water irrigated. A large part of this surface water irrigated area, particularly in Nuh (48.7%), Nagina (33.5%), and Punhana (24.1%) blocks of Mewat district, was either waterlogged (7.4% area with
Subject(s)
Agriculture , Environmental Monitoring , Soil Pollutants/analysis , Water Pollution, Chemical/analysis , India , Metals, Heavy/analysis , Water Movements , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Water Supply/analysisABSTRACT
For new antifungal antibiotics from actinomycetes, a strain of Streptomyces GS 1322 was isolated from a sample of garden soil. The strain was found to possess antagonistic activity against four fungi i.e., Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton sp. The strain was identified as Streptomyces sampsonii and the antifungal compound produced by it was found to be the heptaene group of polyene antibiotics.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/chemistry , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Soil Microbiology , Streptomyces/metabolism , Antibiosis , Antifungal Agents/biosynthesis , Antifungal Agents/isolation & purification , Aspergillus niger/growth & development , Candida albicans/growth & development , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Microsporum/growth & development , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet , Streptomyces/chemistry , Streptomyces/genetics , Streptomyces/isolation & purification , Trichophyton/growth & developmentABSTRACT
Controlled potential coulometric (CPC) studies were carried out for developing a method to determine gallium at milligram levels, in the mixed supporting electrolyte medium (4M NaClO(4)+0.5M NaSCN), employing stirring mercury as a working electrode. Investigations for optimization of working electrode potentials, quantity of charge, level of background current and electrolysis time for achieving quantitative reduction of Ga(III) to Ga and its oxidation back to Ga(III), were undertaken. Effect of gallium content and interference of zinc in of gallium determination were also studied. The developed methodology was employed for the determination of gallium in pure Ga as well as in synthetic U+Ga mixture solutions. Accuracy and precision values of better than 0.5% were obtained at 1-2mg levels.
ABSTRACT
Thyroid dysfunction is associated with attention deficit and impairment of the motor system (muscle weakness and fatigue). This paper investigates possible motor function deficit in thyroid patients,compared to the controls. Functional MRI studies (fMRI)were carried out in five hypo and five hyperthyroid patients and six healthy volunteers. Whole brain imaging was performed using echo planar imaging (EPI)technique, on a 1.5T whole body MR system (Siemens Magnetom Vision). The task paradigm consisted of 8 cycles of active and reference phases of 6 measurements each, with right index finger tapping at a rate of 120 taps/min. Post-processing was performed using statistical parametric mapping on a voxel-by-voxel basis using SPM99. Clusters of activation were found in the contralateral hemisphere in primary somatomotor area (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), somatosensory,auditory receptive and integration areas, inferior temporal lobe, thalamus and cerebellum. Increased clusters of activation were observed in M1 in thyroid subjects as compared to controls and with bilateral activation of the primary motor cortex in two hyperthyroid patients. The results are explained in terms of increased functional demands in thyroid patients compared to volunteers for the execution of the same task.
Subject(s)
Fingers/physiopathology , Hyperthyroidism/physiopathology , Hypothyroidism/physiopathology , Motor Activity , Motor Cortex/physiopathology , Adult , Brain Mapping , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Middle AgedABSTRACT
A strain of Streptomyces purpeofuscus CM 1261 isolated from a sample of compost collected locally was found to possess strong antagonistic activity against 4 human pathogenic fungi i.e., Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton sp. The active antifungal compound produced by it was found to be a heptaene group of polyene antifungal antibiotic.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/isolation & purification , Mitosporic Fungi/drug effects , Streptomyces/metabolism , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Aspergillus niger/drug effects , Candida albicans/drug effects , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Microsporum/drug effects , Polyenes , Trichophyton/drug effectsABSTRACT
Positron annihilation lifetime parameters in condensed media are sensitive to structural and conformational changes. This property has been exploited to study the phase diagrams of two ternary cationic surfactant systems. Positron lifetime measurements were performed in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/water/hexanol and tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB)/water/pentanol systems having varying concentrations of hexanol and pentanol respectively. For both the systems, changes were observed in the positron lifetime parameters whenever a phase transformation occurred. The various phase boundaries demarcated by this technique agrees well with those obtained by other conventional techniques. Besides this, the present work suggests the existence of two kinds of lamellar structures referred to as DI and DII phases in both the systems, which were otherwise considered to be a single D phase by other conventional techniques. The existence of such lamellar structures has been demonstrated by a change in the trend of o-Ps lifetime when the system passes from one type of lamellar structure to the other type. The results of these investigations are presented.
ABSTRACT
We report the case of a patient suffering from subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladophialophora bantiana. The face of the upper site was involved with small, stellate, pyogranulomatous foci and low inflammation. The patient was treated by topical and systemic corticosteriod and amphotericin B. After 3 months of treatment, the patient showed good response.
Subject(s)
Cladosporium/isolation & purification , Dermatomycoses/microbiology , Facial Dermatoses/microbiology , Amphotericin B/therapeutic use , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Dermatomycoses/drug therapy , Drug Therapy, Combination , Face/microbiology , Facial Dermatoses/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Drug Industry , Health Facilities, Proprietary , Conflict of Interest , Humans , India , Pharmaceutical PreparationsABSTRACT
A total of 287 actinomycetes were isolated from 79 samples collected from five different habitats i.e., cultivated field soil (CFS), garden soil (GS), compost (CM), decaying organic matter (DOM) and stored agricultural products (SAP) of different localities of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh (23 degrees 50 degrees N latitude and 78 degrees 40 degrees E longitude). These were screened for antagonistic activity against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Microsporum gypseun and Trichophyton sp. using 'Cross streak method'. Out of these, a total of 166 isolates were found antagonistic to Candida albicans, while 164, 134 and 132 actinomycetes showed antagonistic properties against A. niger, M. gypseum and Trichophyton sp., repectively. A total of 17 isolates showed very strong anticandidal activity causing total inhibition in the growth of C. albicans and hence, distribution of isolated test actinomycetes in different habitats and the cultural and antagonistic properties of selected 17 promising strains are reported here.
Subject(s)
Actinobacteria/chemistry , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Actinobacteria/isolation & purification , Antifungal Agents/isolation & purification , Environment , Fungi/drug effects , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
Seventeen strains of actinomycetes antagonistic to yeast and moulds have been tested for their ability to produce amylase, lipase, gelatinase and caseinase using solid media containing starch, Tween-20, gelatin and skimmed milk, respectively, Enzyme producing potential of test strains is expressed in ternis of relative enzyme activity (REA). Actinomycetes strain Streptomyces somaliensis GS 1242 and Streptomyces sampsonii GS 1322 showed higher amylase production (REA 6.5) while maximum lipase activity was noted in Streptomyces strain SAP 1089 (REA 7.0). Gelatinase activity was noted higher is S. sampsonii GS 1322 (REA 9.6) and S. somaliensis GS 1242 (REA 8.8). Enzyme producing potential of these strains has been discussed in terms of their industrial significance.
Subject(s)
Actinobacteria/enzymology , Antifungal Agents/biosynthesis , Enzymes/biosynthesis , Actinobacteria/chemistry , Actinobacteria/metabolism , Amylases/biosynthesis , Amylases/chemistry , Enzymes/chemistry , Gelatinases/chemistry , Gelatinases/isolation & purification , Lipase/chemistry , Lipase/isolation & purification , Metalloendopeptidases/chemistry , Metalloendopeptidases/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
The efficacy of four sulfadrugs i.e., sulfadiazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfaguanidine and sulfamoxole were taken in different doses (500, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500 ppm) to test their effectiveness against five pathogenic organisms for the control of mycelial growth and sporulation. Amongst the drugs tested sulfamethoxazole seems to be most effective against most of the test fungi showing 96.78, 90.53, 86.62, 54.16 and 43.91 percent inhibition in mycelial growth of P. nigricans, A. flavus, A. corymbifera, A. niger and C. albicans, respectively at its 2500 ppm dose in the basal medium. Gradual reduction in sporulation in all the test organisms almost in all the sulfadrugs have caused inhibition in sporulation, in comparison to their respective controls. Maximum inhibitory effect of sulfadiazine was recorded in A. niger showing 77.26 percent inhibition in the mycelial growth at a dose of 2500 ppm. Sulfaguanidine at its higher dose i.e., 2500 ppm proved to be most toxic against A. corymbifera causing 56.39 percent inhibition in the mycelial growth, while the same dose could not be found much effective against other test fungi. Sulfamoxole was found to be quite effective against most of the test fungi causing 47.16 to 85.86 percent inhibition in the mycelial growth. A gradual inhibition in the vegetative growth and sporulation or budding in all the test fungi was noted by increasing the concentrations of the test sulfadrugs.
Subject(s)
Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Fungi/drug effects , Mycoses/microbiology , Otitis Media/microbiology , Sulfonamides/pharmacology , Fungi/growth & development , Humans , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Spores, Fungal/drug effectsABSTRACT
We observe a new feature ( plateau), sandwiched between two exponentially decaying components, in the switching response of a polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal (PDLC) cell. Upon application of square-wave electrical pulses, the cell response exhibits a complex decay whose characteristics are significantly different within and outside the applied field. We interpret these results in terms of reorientation dynamics of nonspherical droplets in the PDLC. Irradiation of the PDLC with gamma rays induces significant changes in the cell response in a manner that is consistent with redistribution of charges at the liquid-crystal-polymer interface in the PDLC.