Further Insight into the Definite Morphology and Formation Mechanism of Mesoporous Silica KCC-1.

The unique three-dimensional pore structure of KCC-1 has attracted significant attention and has proven to be different compared to other conventional mesoporous silica such as the MCM-41 family, SBA-15, or even MSN nanoparticles. In this research, we carefully examine the morphology of KCC-1 to define more appropriate nomenclature. We also propose a formation mechanism of KCC-1 based on our experimental evidence. Herein, the KCC-1 morphology was interpreted mainly on the basis of compiling all observation and information taken from SEM and TEM images. Further analysis on TEM images was carried out. The gray value intensity profile was derived from TEM images in order to determine the specific pattern of this unique morphology that is found to be clearly different from that of other types of porous spherical-like morphologies. On the basis of these results, the KCC-1 morphology would be more appropriately reclassified as bicontinuous concentric lamellar morphology. Some physical characteristics such as the origin of emulsion, electrical conductivity, and the local structure of water molecules in the KCC-1 emulsion were disclosed to reveal the formation mechanism of KCC-1. The origin of the KCC-1 emulsion was characterized by the observation of the Tyndall effect, conductometry to determine the critical micelle concentration, and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, the morphological evolution study during KCC-1 synthesis completes the portrait of the formation of mesoporous silica KCC-1.

In vitro antimicrobial activities of different fractions of Swertia chirata ethanolic extract.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of pet-ether, dichloromethane and methanol fractions of Swertia chirata (Family: Gentianaceae) ethanolic extract. Disc diffusion technique and food poison method were used for antibacterial and antifungal activity, respectively. Dichloromethane fraction from both leaf and stem showed significant antimicrobial activities against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and mild to moderate activity against some fungi. A large zone of inhibition was observed (19 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus. Test materials at a concentration of 400 microg disc(-1) were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity while Kanamycin at a concentration of 30 microg disc(-1) was used as positive control in this study. Among different fractions, dichloromethane fraction showed significant antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive, Gram-negative and fungi. The most significant antimicrobial activity was seen against Staphylococcus aureus which reflects it potentiality to be used in skin infections.

Evaluation of a dot-immunoblot assay for detecting leishmanial antigen in naturally infected Phlebotomus argentipes (Diptera: Psychodidae).

A simple and highly reproducible dot-immunoblot assay was developed to detect leishmanial antigen in Phlebotomus argentipes that were naturally infected with Leishmania donovani. The test was sensitive to as little as 10 ng of antigenic protein (equivalent to the gut content of one laboratory-infected sandfly) and also appeared to be specific, in that it gave a positive result with some P. argentipes (the primary vector of L. donovani in India) and L. donovani but not with P. papatasi or other pathogens. When used to investigate a large number of sandflies collected from two areas of the Indian state of Bihar where visceral leishmaniasis is endemic, the assay appeared sufficiently sensitive and specific to detect the naturally infected insects. The simplicity, reproducibility, high sensitivity and high specificity of the assay should make it useful for field studies, particularly in determining the prevalence of sandfly infection, the local level of transmission, and the impact of vector-control programmes.

Infection of human mononuclear phagocytes and macrophage-like THP1 cells with Leishmania donovani results in modulation of expression of a subset of chemokines and a chemokine receptor.

The expression of chemokines and chemokine receptors was studied in Leishmania donovani (LD)-infected human mononuclear phagocytes and the human monocytic cell line THP1. Our studies showed that LD infection caused the upregulation of three beta chemokines (macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1alpha), MIP-1beta and RANTES (regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted)), one alpha chemokine (interleukin-8 (IL-8)) and the CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) but not CCR1, as evident from reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. The CCR5 upregulation in human mononuclear phagocytes and THP1 cells was also evident by confocal microscopy. The possible association of such upregulation in relation to Leishmania and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection was discussed.

Effect of feeding and body condition score on multiple ovulation and embryo production in zebu cows.

The aim of this study was to standardize the feeding regimen and the body condition score (BCS) for maximum superovulatory responses in indigenous zebu cows. Ten regularly cycling 5-8-year-old dry cows, weighing 176--260 kg with BCS 2.5--4.5 were divided into two equal groups at random. The groups were maintained on either a good-nutrition or a high-nutrition diet. The feedstuffs were analysed by proximate feed analysis and the metabolizable energy content was estimated. After 3 months feeding, individual cows were injected (i.m) with 1500 IU pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) at day 10 or day 11 of the oestrous cycle (day of oestrus = day 0). Alfaprostol (6 mg) was injected (i.m) 48 h after the injection of PMSG to induce oestrus. At day 6 or day 7 (day of insemination = day 1), the contents of individual uterine horns were flushed with 150-200 ml of phosphate-buffered saline + 0.2% bovine serum albumin using a two-way Foley catheter. The embryos were identified, evaluated and graded as excellent, good, fair or poor under a stereomicroscope. For the good- and high-nutrition diets, the daily intake of green grass, straw, concentrate, dry matter, crude protein and estimated metabolizable energy by individual cows were 5 and 6 kg, 3 and 3 kg, 1.5 and 3.5 kg, 4.87 and 6.82 kg, 0.39 and 0.74 kg, and 39.60 and 59.12 MJ, respectively. The protein content was 8 and 11% in the good- and high-nutrition diets, respectively. The two groups of cows on different nutritional diets differed significantly with regard to body weight, body condition score and number of palpated corpora lutea (p < 0.01). For cows on the good-nutrition diet, the median number of recovered embryos and transferable quality embryos were three and two, respectively. The recovery rate of embryos was 79.30% of palpated corpora lutea. Cows on the high-nutrition diet did not yield any embryos. The indigenous zebu cows fed on the good-nutrition diet with BCS 2.5-3 were considered suitable for the induction of superovulation, the cows on the high-nutrition diet with BCS 4-4.5 were unsatisfactory and were more prone to cyst formation in the ovaries.

Isolated splenic metastasis from carcinoma of the breast.

A case of isolated splenic metastasis from carcinoma of the breast in a 54 year old woman, two years after treatment for breast carcinoma, is presented. There was no involvement of other organs like liver, bone, lungs, etc. The patient underwent splenectomy and recovered without any complications. This case is being reported because of the rarity of the lesion.

Artificial Brassica napus flowering in Bangladesh.

Natural rapeseed (Brassica napus L.; AACC 2n=38), originated in the temperate climate of the Southwest European Mediterranean region, fails to complete its generative phase in the subtropics and is thus not cultivated in countries like Bangladesh. Adapted agroecotypes are available from the diploid representatives of its genome A (B. campestris/pekinensis, 2n=20) and C (B. oleracea/alboglabra, 2n=18). An artificial resynthesis based on carefully selected progenitor lines was expected to give a photoperiodically better adapted rapeseed. ♀ B. pekinensis x ♂ B. oleracea/alboglabra gave 2 hybrids and 87 matromorphous plants from 1,448 crossed flowers and the reciprocal combination gave no hybrid but 11 matromorphous plants from 2,228 pollinated flowers. The two true hybrids were vegetatively propagated and chromosome doubled. Part of the F2 was grown in Sweden (all plants flowered and the most early ones were selected), part in Bangladesh (13 out of 706 plants flowered). The selected F3 material flowered in Bangladesh and transgressions in earliness could be recorded, some lines were of definite agronomic potential. A correlation in earliness between reaction in Sweden (long day) and Bangladesh (short day) was observed.