Retinoic acid related orphan receptor α is a genetic modifier that rescues retinal degeneration in a mouse model of Stargardt disease and Dry AMD.

Degeneration of the macula is associated with several overlapping diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Stargardt Disease (STGD). Mutations in ATP Binding Cassette Subfamily A Member 4 (ABCA4) are associated with late-onset dry AMD and early-onset STGD. Additionally, both forms of macular degeneration exhibit deposition of subretinal material and photoreceptor degeneration. Retinoic acid related orphan receptor α (RORA) regulates the AMD inflammation pathway that includes ABCA4, CD59, C3 and C5. In this translational study, we examined the efficacy of RORA at attenuating retinal degeneration and improving the inflammatory response in Abca4 knockout (Abca4-/-) mice. AAV5-hRORA-treated mice showed reduced deposits, restored CD59 expression and attenuated amyloid precursor protein (APP) expression compared with untreated eyes. This molecular rescue correlated with statistically significant improvement in photoreceptor function. This is the first study evaluating the impact of RORA modifier gene therapy on rescuing retinal degeneration. Our studies demonstrate efficacy of RORA in improving STGD and dry AMD-like disease.

Multi-omics analysis identifies potential microbial and metabolite diagnostic biomarkers of bacterial vaginosis.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a common clinical manifestation of a perturbed vaginal ecology associated with adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes if left untreated. The existing diagnostic modalities are either cumbersome or require skilled expertise, warranting alternate tests. Application of machine-learning tools to heterogeneous and high-dimensional multi-omics datasets finds promising potential in data integration and may aid biomarker discovery. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of the microbiome and metabolome-derived biomarkers in BV diagnosis. Interpretable machine-learning algorithms were used to evaluate the utility of an integrated-omics-derived classification model. METHODS: Vaginal samples obtained from reproductive-age group women with (n = 40) and without BV (n = 40) were subjected to 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and LC-MS-based metabolomics. The vaginal microbiome and metabolome were characterized, and machine-learning analysis was performed to build a classification model using biomarkers with the highest diagnostic accuracy. RESULTS: Microbiome-based diagnostic model exhibited a ROC-AUC (10-fold CV) of 0.84 ± 0.21 and accuracy of 0.79 ± 0.18, and important features were Aerococcus spp., Mycoplasma hominis, Sneathia spp., Lactobacillus spp., Prevotella spp., Gardnerella spp. and Fannyhessea vaginae. The metabolome-derived model displayed superior performance with a ROC-AUC of 0.97 ± 0.07 and an accuracy of 0.92 ± 0.08. Beta-leucine, methylimidazole acetaldehyde, dimethylethanolamine, L-arginine and beta cortol were among key predictive metabolites for BV. A predictive model combining both microbial and metabolite features exhibited a high ROC-AUC of 0.97 ± 0.07 and accuracy of 0.94 ± 0.08 with diagnostic performance only slightly superior to the metabolite-based model. CONCLUSION: Application of machine-learning tools to multi-omics datasets aid biomarker discovery with high predictive performance. Metabolome-derived classification models were observed to have superior diagnostic performance in predicting BV than microbiome-based biomarkers.

Effects of Ayurveda interventions on acute pain and quality of life of a trigeminal neuralgia patient - A case report.

Classical trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) is a disease characterized by severe pain in the facial area related to the trigeminal nerve. CTN occurs due to neurovascular compression of the Trigeminal nerve presenting with recurrent pain episodes. This case reports the effect of Ayurveda interventions on CTN. Thirty-nine-year-old male patient with pain on the right side of the face for two years presented to the National Institute of Ayurveda, Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The pain was distributed on the right side of the upper lip, cheek, and chin. Paroxysms of pain appeared at the interval of 1-2 h and were lasting of 1-2 min. The case was diagnosed with the help of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as right-side classical trigeminal neuralgia due to indentation of the vascular loop of the right superior cerebellar artery. The patient had a treatment history of two years with allopathic medicine, and he sought Ayurveda treatment due to recurrence and excessive pain. The patient was given Ayurvedic interventions (oral medication, Nasya, Kavalagraha, and Gandusha) for three months. The improvement were observed on the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and Short Form -36 questionnaire (SF-36) for quality of life. After three months of the treatment, the VAS scale for pain and the HADS scale for anxiety and depression showed marked improvement. Improvement in all the domains of SF-36 was observed, with a total percentage improvement from 10.7% to 83.2%. Observations of this case highlight the usefulness of Ayurveda interventions, i.e., Oral medication, Nasya, Kavalagraha, and Gandusha, in reducing the acute paroxysms of pain in Classical TN and improving the quality of life of CTN patients.

Effect of trans-cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsion wash on chicken embryo development in fertilized eggs.

Cleanliness of eggs is critical in successful hatching egg operations. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of trans-cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsion (TCNE) wash treatments, as a sanitation strategy, on embryonic development in fertilized eggs. Trans-cinnamaldehyde is a generally recognized as safe status phytochemical obtained from cinnamon bark. TCNE were prepared with emulsifiers Tween 80 (Tw.80) or gum Arabic and lecithin (GAL) by sonication. Day-old fertilized eggs were subjected to TCNE wash treatments at 34°C for 5 min, followed by 18 d of incubation at 37.7°C. Washing of fertilized eggs with TCNE-Tw.80 or GAL at 0.48% concentration did not significantly alter the egg weight at d 18 of incubation, as compared to baseline and control (P > 0.05). The egg weight loss (calculated as percentage) did not differ significantly between eggs subjected to nanoemulsion wash treatments and control eggs (P > 0.05). In case of embryo fertility and mortality, for baseline and control, ∼ 95% fertility rate was achieved, with combined early and midterm mortality at 16%. Likewise, TCNE-Tw.80 or TCNE-GAL resulted in 95% fertility (P > 0.05), with 11% and 17% combined early and midterm mortality, respectively. Furthermore, TCNE wash treatments did not differ significantly in yolk sac and embryo weight (as compared to control) and did not affect the length of the d 18 embryo (P > 0.05). Moreover, TCNE wash treatments did not alter tibia weight and length (P > 0.05). Results suggest that TCNE could potentially be used as a natural antimicrobial for fertilized egg sanitation. Further studies in industry settings are warranted.

Outcome of adalimumab monotherapy in paediatric non-infectious uveitis.

BACKGROUND: Adalimumab in combination with other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) such as methotrexate has a proven efficacy in the management of paediatric non-infectious uveitis. However, many children experience significant intolerance to methotrexate while on this combination, leaving a dilemma for clinicians for choosing the subsequent therapeutic roadmap. Continuation of adalimumab monotherapy might be an alternative feasible option under such settings. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of adalimumab monotherapy in paediatric non-infectious uveitis. METHODS: Children with non-infectious uveitis on adalimumab monotherapy (from August 2015 to June 2022) following intolerance to accompanying methotrexate or mycophenolate mofetil were included in this retrospective study. Data were collected at the initiation of adalimumab monotherapy and at three monthly intervals until the last visit. The primary outcome was to evaluate disease control on adalimumab monotherapy as determined by the proportion of patients who had less than a 2-step worsening in uveitis (as per SUN score) and no additional systemic immunosuppression during follow-up. Secondary outcome measures were visual outcome, complications and side-effect profile of adalimumab monotherapy. RESULTS: Data was collected for 28 patients (56 eyes). The most common uveitis type and course were anterior and chronic uveitis respectively. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis was the most common underlying diagnosis. During the study period, 23 (82.14%) of the study subjects met the primary outcome. On Kaplan-Meier survival analysis 81.25% (95% CI; 60.6-91.7%) children maintained remission at 12 months on adalimumab monotherapy. CONCLUSION: Continuation of adalimumab monotherapy is an effective therapeutic option for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis in children who are intolerant to the combination of adalimumab and methotrexate or mycophenolate mofetil.

Mitigating abiotic stresses using natural and modified stilbites synergizing with changes in oxidative stress markers in aquaculture.

In-depth mineralogical understanding and characterization are necessary to explore potential applications of clinoptilolites. In this study, the clinoptilolite collected from quarries and identified as stilbite microscopically and spectroscopically was subjected to physical and chemical treatments for the synthesis of modified stilbites, which were further evaluated for determining their removal efficiencies on ammonical contaminant in a predetermined concentration range from various source of aquaculture water namely fish pond, aquaponics and ornamental under laboratory condition. High-resolution transmission electron microscope results revealed that stilbite was rod-shaped in all forms but physically modified stilbite contains some nano-zeolite particles, synthesized probably due to heat treatment. The natural zeolite (stilbite) and microwave sodium acetate treated stilbite were found to be most effective in ammonia removal, hence both these products were further evaluated for the removal of cadmium and lead under laboratory conditions and for the ammonia removal in fish pond water under wet lab conditions. The results showed that these zeolites at 10-100 mg/L and 100-200 mg/L had a better removal efficiency of ammonical and metallic contaminants, respectively. Fish samples were taken at particular intervals to determine oxidative stress parameters, i.e., superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities were found to be increased in control fish samples without treatment due to abiotic stress caused by higher ammonia concentration. The levels of oxidative stress markers are decreased in the treatments with zeolite-stilbite which brings to light its potential efficiency in alleviating stress in fish. This study revealed the potential of natural and abundantly available native zeolite-stilbite and its chemically modified form in relieving ammonical stress from the aquaculture system. This work has potential applications for the environmental management of aquaculture, ornamental fisheries, and aquaponics.

Trans-cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsion wash inactivates Salmonella Enteritidis on shelled eggs without affecting egg color.

Salmonella Enteritidis is a major foodborne pathogen that causes enteric illnesses in humans, primarily through the consumption of contaminated poultry meat and eggs. Despite implementation of traditional disinfection approaches to reduce S. Enteritidis contamination, egg-borne outbreaks continue to occur, raising public health concerns and adversely affecting the popularity and profitability for the poultry industry. Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status phytochemicals such as Trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC) have previously shown to exhibit anti-Salmonella efficacy, however, the low solubility of TC is a major hurdle in its adoption as an egg wash treatment. Therefore, the present study investigated the efficacy of Trans-cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsions (TCNE) prepared with emulsifiers Tween 80 (Tw.80) or Gum Arabic and lecithin (GAL) as dip treatments, at 34°C, for reducing S. Enteritidis on shelled eggs in presence or absence of 5% chicken litter. In addition, the efficacy of TCNE dip treatments in reducing trans-shell migration of S. Enteritidis across shell barrier was investigated. The effect of wash treatments on shell color were evaluated on d 0, 1, 7, and 14 of refrigerated storage. TCNE-Tw.80 or GAL treatments (0.06, 0.12, 0.24, 0.48%) were effective in inactivating S. Enteritidis by at least 2 to 2.5 log cfu/egg as early as 1 min of washing time (P < 0.05). In presence of organic matter, nanoemulsions (0.48%) reduced S. Enteritidis counts by ∼ 2 to 2.5 log cfu/egg as early as 1 min, (P < 0.05). Nanoemulsion wash also inhibited trans-shell migration of S. Enteritidis, as compared to control (P < 0.05). The nanoemulsion wash treatments did not affect shell color (P > 0.05). Results suggest that TCNE could potentially be used as an antimicrobial wash to reduce S. Enteritidis on shelled eggs, although further studies investigating the effect of TCNE wash treatments on organoleptic properties of eggs are necessary.

Effect of Ayurveda interventions in non-alcoholic grade II fatty liver associated with obesity - A case report.

Fatty Liver, one of the most common liver diseases worldwide, usually emerges due to lipid accumulation, mostly triglycerides in hepatocytes. Fat exists in the liver naturally, but if it surpasses 5-10% of the liver's total weight, it can result in fatty liver. In this case, report effect of Ayurveda intervention in grade II fatty liver is reported. Thirty-five-year-old obese male with grade II fatty liver presented with fatigue, abdominal pain, heaviness, and incomplete bowel evacuation to the National Institute of Ayurveda hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. On examination, there was no significant clinical abnormality except a high body mass index (BMI = 30.2). Hematological examinations revealed altered Alanine transaminase, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides. The patient was diagnosed sonologically with a grade II fatty liver. The patient was given Ayurveda treatment for two months with three treatment regimens. The patient was assessed for improvement in signs and symptoms, hematological parameters, and quality of life using a chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ). After two months, significant improvement was observed in signs and symptoms, BMI (24.7), and CLDQ. No fatty tissue was reported sonologically, and all altered biochemical parameters were within normal limits. Present case highlights the potential of Ayurveda interventions in managing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity.

Microalgal competence in urban wastewater management: phycoremediation and lipid production.

The present study was conducted to assess the strain aptness, phycoremediation potential and lipid yield in microalgae Chloroccocum humicola and Oscillatoria sp. Results revealed that microalgae treated with different concentration of wastewater (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) recovered nutrients (Nitrogen: 50.55-85.90%, Phosphorus: 69.98-93.72%) and removed heavy metals (24.17-88.10%) from wastewater. Microalgae C. humicola showed significant reduction in physico-chemical parameters of wastewater at 25% and 50% respectively with considerable increase in lipid production (1.61 folds) at 50% wastewater concentration. In order to counterbalance the wastewater induced toxicity, both microalgae exhibited stimulated antioxidants viz., proline (1.26-4.04 folds), ascorbic acid (1.01-9.21 folds), cysteine (1.44-4.92 folds), catalase (0.99-3.63 folds), superoxide dismutase (1.15-1.43 folds) and glutathione reductase (1.43-6.67 folds) at different wastewater concentrations. Further, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy spectral elucidation of Chloroccocum humicola at 50% reflected high lipid peak in the regions 3000-2800 cm-1 as compared to Oscillatoria sp. Thus, growth characteristics, biochemical responses and lipid yield presented the suitability of the Chloroccocum humicola to be used in phycoremedation, resource recovery as well as lipid production, which may be further utilized as potent feedstock for third generation energy demand.

A Mycobacterial Systems Resource for the Research Community.

Functional characterization of bacterial proteins lags far behind the identification of new protein families. This is especially true for bacterial species that are more difficult to grow and genetically manipulate than model systems such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis To facilitate functional characterization of mycobacterial proteins, we have established a Mycobacterial Systems Resource (MSR) using the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis This resource focuses specifically on 1,153 highly conserved core genes that are common to many mycobacterial species, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, in order to provide the most relevant information and resources for the mycobacterial research community. The MSR includes both biological and bioinformatic resources. The biological resource includes (i) an expression plasmid library of 1,116 genes fused to a fluorescent protein for determining protein localization; (ii) a library of 569 precise deletions of nonessential genes; and (iii) a set of 843 CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi) plasmids specifically targeted to silence expression of essential core genes and genes for which a precise deletion was not obtained. The bioinformatic resource includes information about individual genes and a detailed assessment of protein localization. We anticipate that integration of these initial functional analyses and the availability of the biological resource will facilitate studies of these core proteins in many Mycobacterium species, including the less experimentally tractable pathogens M. abscessus, M. avium, M. kansasii, M. leprae, M. marinum, M. tuberculosis, and M. ulceransIMPORTANCE Diseases caused by mycobacterial species result in millions of deaths per year globally, and present a substantial health and economic burden, especially in immunocompromised patients. Difficulties inherent in working with mycobacterial pathogens have hampered the development and application of high-throughput genetics that can inform genome annotations and subsequent functional assays. To facilitate mycobacterial research, we have created a biological and bioinformatic resource (https://msrdb.org/) using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a model organism. The resource focuses specifically on 1,153 proteins that are highly conserved across the mycobacterial genus and, therefore, likely perform conserved mycobacterial core functions. Thus, functional insights from the MSR will apply to all mycobacterial species. We believe that the availability of this mycobacterial systems resource will accelerate research throughout the mycobacterial research community.

Surveillance-based estimation of the malaria disease burden in a low endemic state of Punjab, India, targeted for malaria elimination.

BACKGROUND: The state of Punjab in India qualifies for malaria elimination because the number of cases reported through routine surveillance is in decline. However, surveillance system prevalence mainly provides malaria trends. Therefore, a prospective epidemiological study was designed to estimate the malaria burden in the state. METHODS: District-wise annual parasite incidence (API) was used for identification of three strata, representing high, moderate and low API zones. A total of 0.9 million people from nine districts was under malaria surveillance for 1 y. The weighted estimates of API for the three regions was calculated and combined to give an estimate of API for the total population of the state. RESULTS: Based upon the primary data generated, malaria cases from high, moderate and low malaria-endemic areas were estimated to be 3727, 904 and 106, respectively. Further, the total number of malaria cases in the state was estimated to be 4737 (95% CI 4006 to 5469) cases per annum. CONCLUSION: Actual burden of malaria in the state of Punjab, India, is about seven to eight times higher than that reported by routine surveillance activities. However, the state still qualifies for malaria elimination but needs vigorous efforts to strengthen the active surveillance and reporting system along with implementation of effective control strategies to achieve malaria elimination.

Carvacrol attenuates Campylobacter jejuni colonization factors and proteome critical for persistence in the chicken gut.

Campylobacter jejuni is a major foodborne pathogen that causes gastroenteritis in humans. Chickens act as the reservoir host for C. jejuni, wherein the pathogen asymptomatically colonizes the ceca leading to contamination of carcasses during slaughter. The major colonization factors in C. jejuni include motility, intestinal epithelial attachment, acid/bile tolerance, and quorum sensing. Reducing the expression of the aforementioned factors could potentially reduce C. jejuni colonization in chickens. This study investigated the efficacy of subinhibitory concentration (SIC; compound concentration not inhibiting bacterial growth) of carvacrol in reducing the expression of C. jejuni colonization factors in vitro. Moreover, the effect of carvacrol on the expression of C. jejuni proteome was investigated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The motility assay was conducted at 42°C, and the motility zone was measured after 24 h of incubation. For the adhesion assay, monolayers of primary chicken enterocytes (∼105 cells/well) were inoculated with C. jejuni (6 log cfu/well) either in the presence or absence of carvacrol, and the adhered C. jejuni were enumerated after 90 min of incubation at 42°C. The effect of carvacrol on C. jejuni quorum sensing and susceptibility to acid/bile stress was investigated using a bioluminescence assay and an acid-bile survival assay, respectively. The SIC (0.002%) of carvacrol reduced the motility of C. jejuni strains S-8 and NCTC 81-176 by ∼50 and 35%, respectively (P < 0.05). Carvacrol inhibited C. jejuni S-8 and NCTC 81-176 adhesion to chicken enterocytes by ∼0.8 and 1.5 log cfu/mL, respectively (P < 0.05). Moreover, carvacrol reduced autoinducer-2 activity and increased the susceptibility of C. jejuni to acid and bile in both the strains (P < 0.05). Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry revealed that the SIC of carvacrol reduced the expression of selected C. jejuni colonization proteins critical for motility (methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein), adhesion (GroL), growth and metabolism (AspA, AcnB, Icd, Fba, Ppa, AnsA, Ldh, Eno, PurB-1), and anaerobic respiration (NapB, HydB, SdhA, NrfA) (P < 0.05). Results suggest the mechanisms by which carvacrol could reduce C. jejuni colonization in chickens.

A Comparison of the Reliability of the Patellar Tendon-Trochlear Groove (PTTG) Distance and the Tibial Tuberosity-Trochlear Groove (TTTG) Distance Measured on MRI.

INTRODUCTION: An increased tibial tuberosity-trochlear groove (TTTG) distance is used for deciding a treatment plan in patello-femoral instability (PFI). The centre of the patellar tendon and the chondral trochlear groove can be directly visualised on MRI, and measured, giving the patellar tendon-trochlear groove (PTTG) distance. A study was designed to compare the inter-rater and the test-retest reliabilities of PTTG and TTTG measurements in MRI of patients without PFI and in a group with PFI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional reliability study was done on archival MRI films of 50 patients without patellar instability and 20 patients with patellar instability. TTTG and PTTG distances were independently measured by two orthopaedic surgeons and two radiologists. A hybrid PTTG measurement with bony landmarks on the femoral side and the patellar tendon landmark on the tibial side, was used to estimate the influence of the differences in the femoral and tibial landmarks on the difference in reliabilities. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated for all four raters, as well as separately for each rater. RESULTS: The PTTG distance had a higher inter-rater reliability (ICC=0.86, 95% CI=0.79-0.92) compared to the TTTG distance (ICC=0.70, 95% CI=0.59-0.80) in patients without PFI. Similar trends were seen in patients with PFI (0.83 vs 0.66). The inter-rater reliability for the hybrid PTTG distance was found to lie in between the TTTG and PTTG. CONCLUSIONS: The MRI-based PTTG distance had better inter-rater reliability compared with the MRI-based TTTG distance.

Prevalence of submicroscopic malaria in low transmission state of Punjab: A potential threat to malaria elimination.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Submicroscopic malaria infections with low parasite density serve as a silent reservoir for maintaining residual transmission in the population. These infections should be identified and targeted to be eliminated for sustained malaria control. The conventional methods of diagnosis such as light microscopy and rapid diagnostic kits often fail to detect low density infections. Therefore, the more sensitive molecular techniques should be employed to detect low density infections. The objectives of the study was to explore the prevalence of sub-microscopic infections in low transmission areas of Punjab using highly sensitive molecular tool. METHODS: A total of 1114 finger prick blood samples were collected through active surveillance and tested for malaria diagnosis using light microscopy, RDT and PCR. Nested PCR amplification was performed using a pair of Plasmodium genus-specific primers from the 18S rRNA small subunit gene (18S rRNA). The amplified PCR products were analysed using a 2% agarose gel, stained with ethidium bromide and observed under transilluminator. RESULTS: Test positive rate (TPR) by microscopy, RDT and PCR was 4.4, 3.95 and 5.75%, respectively. Microscopy and RDT failed to detect mixed infections whereas 0.26% cases were found to be mixed infection in PCR. Compared to LM and RDT, PCR has detected 1.3% additional positive cases. However, of the total positive cases detected by PCR, 23.4% infections were found to be submicroscopic, which could not be detected by conventional methods of diagnosis. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: The molecular study revealed the existence of submicroscopic malaria cases in the study population which would have remained undetected by conventional methods of diagnosis. This is particularly important because Punjab state is in malaria elimination phase and targeted to achieve elimination in 2021. However, such undetected parasite positive cases may pose bigger problem any time due to continued transmission. Therefore, application of more sensitive diagnostic tools like PCR and LAMP with conventional methods may be much more useful in case detection particularly in low transmission settings for malaria elimination.

Carvacrol antimicrobial wash treatments reduce Campylobacter jejuni and aerobic bacteria on broiler chicken skin.

Campylobacter jejuni, a major cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide, is often associated with the consumption of contaminated poultry products. With increasing consumer preference to natural and minimally processed foods, interventions utilizing natural antimicrobials for controlling C. jejuni on poultry products are gaining popularity. This study investigated the efficacy of the generally recognized as safe compound carvacrol (CR) as a wash treatment in reducing C. jejuni and aerobic bacteria on chicken skin. Two separate studies, each with 2 trials, were conducted. In the first study, the efficacy of CR suspension (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2%) was investigated, whereas in the second the efficacy of CR as suspension, emulsion, and nanoemulsion was studied. In both studies, skin samples were inoculated with 50 µL (∼8 log10 cfu/sample) of a cocktail of 4 wild strains of C. jejuni. After 30 min of attachment, samples were washed with the respective treatments for 1 min, drip dried for 2 min, and processed at 0, 8, 24, h post-treatment for enumeration of C. jejuni and aerobic bacterial counts (n = 5/treatment/time point). In addition, the effect of treatments on the color of chicken skin was evaluated. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED procedure of SAS. In the first study, all the tested doses of CR suspension consistently reduced C. jejuni counts across all time points. The 2% CR suspension wash reduced C. jejuni counts by ∼2.4 to 4 log10 cfu/sample (P < 0.05). In addition, 1% and 2% CR suspensions significantly reduced aerobic counts at all the time points. The results from the second study suggest that anti-Campylobacter efficacy of CR emulsion or nanoemulsion treatments was not improved compared to CR suspension. Several CR suspension treatments were more effective than corresponding emulsion or nanoemulsion treatments. No significant differences were observed in the color of the samples between treatments (P > 0.05). The results suggest that CR could potentially be used as an antimicrobial wash treatment in postharvest poultry.

Pectin or chitosan coating fortified with eugenol reduces Campylobacter jejuni on chicken wingettes and modulates expression of critical survival genes.

Campylobacter jejuni infection in humans is strongly associated with the consumption of contaminated poultry products. With increasing consumer demand for minimally processed and natural product, there is a need for novel intervention strategies for controlling C. jejuni. Antimicrobial coatings are increasingly being used for preventing food contamination due to their efficacy and continuous protection of product. This study investigated the efficacy of pectin and chitosan coating fortified with eugenol to reduce C. jejuni on chicken wingettes. Pectin, chitosan, and eugenol are generally recognized as safe status compounds derived from berries, crustaceans, and cloves respectively. Each wingette was inoculated with a mixture of 4 wild-type strains of C. jejuni (approximately 107 CFU/sample) and randomly assigned to controls, pectin (3%), chitosan (2%), eugenol (0.5, 1, or 2%), or their combinations. Following 1 min of coating, wingettes were air-dried, vacuum sealed, and sampled on 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 d of refrigerated storage for C. jejuni and aerobic counts (n = 5 wingettes/treatment/d). In addition, the effect of treatments on wingette color and expression of C. jejuni survival/virulence genes was evaluated. All 3 doses of eugenol or chitosan significantly reduced C. jejuni and aerobic bacteria from 0 d through 7 d. Incorporation of 2% eugenol in chitosan improved coating efficiency and reduced C. jejuni counts by approximately 3 Log CFU/sample at the end of 7 d of storage (P < 0.05). Similarly, the antimicrobial efficacy of pectin was improved by 2% eugenol and the coating reduced C. jejuni by approximately 2 Log CFU/sample at 7 d of storage. Chitosan coating with 2% eugenol also showed greater reductions of total aerobic counts as compared to individual treatments of eugenol and chitosan. No significant difference in the color of chicken wingettes was observed between treatments. Exposure of C. jejuni to eugenol, chitosan, or combination significantly modulated select genes encoding for motility, quorum sensing, and stress response. Results demonstrate the potential of pectin or chitosan coating fortified with eugenol as a postharvest intervention against C. jejuni contamination on poultry products.

Sodium chloride incites reactive oxygen species in green algae Chlorococcum humicola and Chlorella vulgaris: Implication on lipid synthesis, mineral nutrients and antioxidant system.

In the present study, microalgae Chlorococcum humicola and Chlorella vulgaris were grown in different concentrations of NaCl (25-1000 mM) to elucidate its impact on morphology, lipid synthesis, minerals status and antioxidative responses. Scanning Electron microscopy showed distorted cell morphology and increased cell size by 33.52% (C. humicola) and 27.79% (C. vulgaris) at 100 mM NaCl. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy data revealed reduction in mineral contents (C, S, Fe, Mg, Si, Mn and Zn) by 14-54% in both algae. Further, C. humicola was found to have high lipid content than C. vulgaris under NaCl regime. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase were increased by 2.5-5 folds in both algae as compared to control. The increased level of ascorbate, cysteine and proline in both algae indicated tolerance against salinity. Thus, C. humicola and C. vulgaris may exhibit dual benefits viz., high lipid production and reclamation of sodic soil.

Regulation of oxidative stress and mineral nutrient status by selenium in arsenic treated crop plant Oryza sativa.

The present study was conducted to examine the impact of selenium (Se) on mineral nutrient status and oxidative stress in crop plant Oryza sativa treated with arsenic (As). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) study revealed the morphological deformities in leaf veins along with granular deposition on the leaf surface. The EDS analysis exhibited loss of elements (S, Si, Cl, K, Ca, Fe and Cu) in As(III) treatment in rice roots as compared to untreated root. In the case of As(III) treated shoot, changes in elements content in term of percent atomic weight was K (1.17-0.90%), Cl (1.04-24.75%), Na (0.65-3.52%) and S (0.49-2.52%) when compared with untreated shoot. The result of EDS analysis showed that As limits the concentration of important mineral elements present in the rice root and shoot. Rice plant treated with Se (10µM) and sub lethal dose of As(III) (60µM) showed better growth responses in term of root, shoot length (11.4% and 10.71%, respectively), biomass (11.7%), reduced malonyldialdehyde content (35.14%) and stimulated antioxidant level indicating better As tolerance potential against As. Further, a selenium dependent significant reduction in As accumulation was also observed in root (14.24%) and shoot (23.78%) of rice plant when compared with plant treated with As alone. This study highlights the potential of Se to ameliorate the ecotoxicological risks associated with the As buildup in agricultural land.