Rare Case of Dematiaceous Fungal Infection in the Olecranon Bursa of a 75-year-old Diabetic Male - A Case Report.

Introduction: Dematiaceous fungi are a group of fungi characterized by the presence of melanin in their cell walls. These fungi are known to cause a wide range of infections in humans, including skin and soft-tissue infections, sinusitis, and meningitis. Infections caused by dematiaceous fungi are typically seen in immunocompromised hosts and manifest most commonly as cutaneous or subcutaneous disease. Systemic infections are exceedingly rare and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Case Report: Here is a case study of a 75-year-old diabetic male with a rare case of dematiaceous fungal infection in the olecranon bursa. The patient presented with a painless swelling of 3-year duration over the right elbow which started draining pus for 1 month. Surgical excision of the bursa was performed, and histopathological examination and culture confirmed the diagnosis of dematiaceous fungal infection. We discuss the diagnosis, treatment, and management of this rare fungal infection. Conclusion: Although dematiaceous fungal infections are a rare cause of olecranon bursitis, the clinician must send a fungal culture in every case for prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Reduced graphene oxide-nickel nanoparticles/biopolymer composite films for the sub-millimolar detection of glucose.

Hybrid conjugates of graphene with metallic/semiconducting nanostructures can improve the sensitivity of electrochemical sensors due to their combination of well-balanced electrical/electrocatalytic properties and superior surface-to-volume ratio. In this study, the synthesis and physical characterization of a hybrid conjugate of reduced graphene oxide and nickel nanoparticles (rGO-Ni NPs) is presented. The conjugate was further deposited onto a glassy carbon electrode as a nanocomposite film of chitosan and glucose oxidase. The electrochemical response and morphology of the films were investigated using SEM, CV, and EIS, and their applications as a glucose biosensor explored for the first time in proof-of-concept tests. The low operating potential along with the good linearity and sensitivity (up to 129 µA cm(-2) mM(-1)) found in the sub-millimolar range suggest potential applications in the self-management of hypoglycemia from blood samples or in the development of non-invasive assays for body fluids such as saliva, tears or breath.

Determination of in vitro free radical scavenging and antiproliferative effect of Pennisetum alopecuroides on cultured A549 human lung cancer cells.

CONTEXT: Pennisetum alopecuroides (Poaceae) is a grass predominantly distributed in tropics and sub tropics. It is used as a cattle feed in many regions. AIM: The objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro free radical scavenging and antiproliferative activity of ethanol extract of P. alopecuroides (EEPA) on cultured A549 human lung cancer cell lines. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The anti-oxidant activity of ethanol extract was evaluated at dose level 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 µg/ml. The in vitro antiproliferative activity was measured at doses of 10, 50, and 100 µg/ml. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The free radical scavenging activity of the EEPA was determined by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and in vitro antiproliferative activity on A549 human lung cancer cells was conducted by using MTT assay method. RESULTS: The phytochemical screening revealed that the P. alopecuroides contained alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and flavonoids as the major secondary metabolites. The IC50 value of DPPH scavenging activity was found to be 44.41 µg/ml and 31.02 µg/ml  for a mixture of EEPA and standard ascorbic acid, respectively. In vitro MTT assay showed that EEPA had anti-proliferation effects on A549 cells in a dose dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: This is the 1(st) time a pharmacological exploration of P. alopecuroides grasses has been conducted. We have shown that P. alopecuroides exhibits good free radical scavenging and strong in vitro cytotoxic activities against human lung cancer cell lines.

Fabrication of a glucose biosensor based on citric acid assisted cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles.

A novel and practical glucose biosensor was fabricated with immobilization of Glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme on the surface of citric acid (CA) assisted cobalt ferrite (CF) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). This innovative sensor was constructed with glassy carbon electrode which is represented as (GOx)/CA-CF/(GCE). An explicit high negative zeta potential value (-22.4 mV at pH 7.0) was observed on the surface of CA-CF MNPs. Our sensor works on the principle of detection of H2O2 which is produced by the enzymatic oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid. This sensor has tremendous potential for application in glucose biosensing due to the higher sensitivity 2.5 microA/cm2-mM and substantial increment of the anodic peak current from 0.2 microA to 10.5 microA.

Wet-chemical green synthesis of L-lysine amino acid stabilized biocompatible iron-oxide magnetic nanoparticles.

In this paper, we report a novel method for the synthesis of L-Lysine (lys) amino acid coated maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The facile and cost effective method permitted preparation of the high-quality superparamagnetic gamma-Fe2O3 MNPs with hydrophilic and biocompatible nature. For this work, first we synthesized magnetite phase Fe3O4/lys by wet chemical method and oxidized to y-Fe2O3 in controlled oxidizing environment, as evidenced by XRD and VSM magnetometry. The crystallite size and magnetization of gamma-Fe2O3/lys MNPs was found to be 14.5 nm, 40.6 emu/gm respectively. The surface functionalization by L-lysine amino acid and metal-ligand bonding was also confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. The hydrodynamic diameter, colloidal stability and surface charge on MNPs were characterized by DLS and zeta potential analyser.

Temperature dependence of the Henry's law constant for hydrogen storage in NaA zeolites: a Monte Carlo simulation study.

Grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations of hydrogen adsorption in zeolites NaA were carried out for a wide range of temperatures between 77 and 300 K and pressures up to 180 MPa. A potential model was used that comprised of three main interactions: van der Waals, coulombic and induced polarization by the electric field in the system. The computed average number of adsorbed molecules per unit cell was compared with available results and found to be in agreement in the regime of moderate to high pressures. The particle insertion method was used to calculate the Henry coefficient for this model and its dependence on temperature.