Production of Inulinase by Free and Immobilized Cells of Penicillium funiculosum p.36

The aim of this work was to optimize the growth conditions and continuous production of the enzyme using free and immobilized cells of inulinase by Penicillium funiculosum. The highest yield of enzyme (163.5U/mL) was obtained when the culture was incubated at 27oC and 200 rpm for 96h in a fermentation medium containing both inulin and peptone as sole carbon and nitrogen source, respectively. When the cells of the P. funiculosum were immobilized on different carriers, especially linen fibers, their production ability was successfully maintained for seven successive batches. When the fermentation was carried out using inulin juice prepared from Jerusalem artichoke tubers (in place of pure inulin), inulinase production could be sustained till the second cultivation batch of the P. funiculosum immobilized on linen fibers, yielding 122 U/mL enzyme. Results proved the feasibility of using crude inulin juice as a simple and economic carbon source for the production of inulinase.

Risk factors of low birth weight at three hospitals in Khartoum State, Sudan.

The aim of this study was to determine the percentage of women who give birth to low birth weight (LBW) children and to study the association of the different risk factors with LBW in three of large hospitals in Khartoum State, Sudan. This was a cross sectional study of 381 women. Three groups: 151, 130 and 100 women, who gave birth to live children, were selected from Alsuadi Teaching Hospital, Khartoum Teaching Hospital and Alribat University Hospital, respectively. Data were collected through structured interviews and the birth weights were recorded as measured by midwives. Uni-Multi variate analysis of the data was performed using SPSS 19. Permissions were taken from hospital administration and the participants before the conduction of the research. 13% of live born children were of low birth weight. The main risk factors for low birth weight in the study were the lack of adequate education (OR= 1.9) gestational age (OR= 5.5), type of pregnancy (OR= 9.6), presence of hypertension (OR= 3.6), renal disease (OR= 2.1), bleeding during pregnancy (OR= 6.1) and presence of moderate or severe anemia (OR= 3.19). While Adequacy of antenatal care (ANC) visits, presence of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy, smoking and malaria in the first three trimesters, presence of previous children and spacing were all found to be statistically not significant risk factors. Many of the risk factors are modifiable and can be prevented by improvement of the health care during pregnancy.