Wave-like oscillations of clamped microtubules driven by collective dynein transport.

Microtubules (MTs) are observed to move and buckle driven by ATP-dependent molecular motors in both mitotic and interphasic eukaryotic cells as well as in specialized structures such as flagella and cilia with a stereotypical geometry. In previous work, clamped MTs driven by a few kinesin motors were seen to buckle and occasionally flap in what was referred to as flagella-like motion. Theoretical models of active-filament dynamics and a following force have predicted that, with sufficient force and binding-unbinding, such clamped filaments should spontaneously undergo periodic buckling oscillations. However, a systematic experimental test of the theory and reconciliation to a model was lacking. Here, we have engineered a minimal system of MTs clamped at their plus ends and transported by a sheet of dynein motors that demonstrate the emergence of spontaneous traveling-wave oscillations along single filaments. The frequencies of tip oscillations are in the millihertz range and are statistically indistinguishable in the onset and recovery phases. We develop a 2D computational model of clamped MTs binding and unbinding stochastically to motors in a "gliding-assay" geometry. The simulated MTs oscillate with a frequency comparable to experiment. The model predicts the effect of MT length and motor density on qualitative transitions between distinct phases of flapping, regular oscillations, and looping. We develop an effective "order parameter" based on the relative deflection along the filament and orthogonal to it. The transitions predicted in simulations are validated by experimental data. These results demonstrate a role for geometry, MT buckling, and collective molecular motor activity in the emergence of oscillatory dynamics.

Quantification of cell shape, intracellular flows and transport based on DIC object detection and tracking.

Computational image analysis combined with label-free imaging has helped maintain its relevance for cell biology, despite the rapid technical improvements in fluorescence microscopy with the molecular specificity of tags. Here, we discuss some computational tools developed in our lab and their application to quantify cell shape, intracellular organelle movement and bead transport in vitro, using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy data as inputs. The focus of these methods is image filtering to enhance image gradients, and combining them with segmentation and single particle tracking (SPT). We demonstrate the application of these methods to Escherichia coli cell length estimation and tracking of densely packed lipid granules in Caenorhabditis elegans one-celled embryos, diffusing beads in solutions of different viscosities and kinesin-driven transport on microtubules. These approaches demonstrate how improvements to low-level image analysis methods can help obtain insights through quantitative cellular and subcellular microscopy.

Auxin-Responsive (Phospho)proteome Analysis Reveals Key Biological Processes and Signaling Associated with Shoot-Borne Crown Root Development in Rice.

The rice root system is primarily composed of shoot-borne adventitious/crown roots (ARs/CRs) that develop from the coleoptile base, and therefore, it is an excellent model system for studying shoot-to-root trans-differentiation process. We reveal global changes in protein and metabolite abundance and protein phosphorylation in response to an auxin stimulus during CR development. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of developing crown root primordia (CRP) and emerged CRs identified 334 proteins and 12 amino acids, respectively, that were differentially regulated upon auxin treatment. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of global proteome data uncovered the biological processes associated with chromatin conformational change, gene expression and cell cycle that were regulated by auxin signaling. Spatial gene expression pattern analysis of differentially abundant proteins disclosed their stage-specific dynamic expression pattern during CRP development. Further, our tempo-spatial gene expression and functional analyses revealed that auxin creates a regulatory module during CRP development and activates ethylene biosynthesis exclusively during CRP initiation. Further, the phosphoproteome analysis identified 8,220 phosphosites, which could be mapped to 1,594 phosphoproteins and of which 66 phosphosites were differentially phosphorylated upon auxin treatment. Importantly, we observed differential phosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase G-2 (OsCDKG;2) and cell wall proteins, in response to auxin signaling, suggesting that auxin-dependent phosphorylation may be required for cell cycle activation and cell wall synthesis during root organogenesis. Thus, our study provides evidence for the translational and post-translational regulation during CR development downstream of the auxin signaling pathway.

The tale of antibiotics beyond antimicrobials: Expanding horizons.

Antibiotics had proved to be a godsend for mankind since their discovery. They were once the magical solution to the vexing problem of infection-related deaths. German scientist Paul Ehrlich had termed salvarsan as the silver bullet to treatsyphilis.As time passed, the magic of newly discovered silver bullets got tarnished with raging antibiotic resistance among bacteria and associated side-effects. Still, antibiotics remain the primary line of treatment for bacterial infections. Our understanding of their chemical and biological activities has increased immensely with advancement in the research field. Non-antibacterial effects of antibiotics are studied extensively to optimise their safer, broad-range use. These non-antibacterial effects could be both useful and harmful to us. Various researchers across the globe including our lab are studying the direct/indirect effects and molecular mechanisms behind these non-antibacterial effects of antibiotics. So, it is interesting for us to sum up the available literature. In this review, we have briefed the possible reason behind the non-antibacterial effects of antibiotics, owing to the endosymbiotic origin of host mitochondria. We further discuss the physiological and immunomodulatory effects of antibiotics. We then extend the review to discuss molecular mechanisms behind the plausible use of antibiotics as anticancer agents.

A comprehensive review of chlorophenols: Fate, toxicology and its treatment.

Chlorophenols represent one of the most abundant families of toxic pollutants emerging from various industrial manufacturing units. The toxicity of these chloroderivatives is proportional to the number and position of chlorine atoms on the benzene ring. In the aquatic environment, these pollutants accumulate in the tissues of living organisms, primarily in fishes, inducing mortality at an early embryonic stage. Contemplating the behaviour of such xenobiotics and their prevalence in different environmental components, it is crucial to understand the methods used to remove/degrade the chlorophenol from contaminated environment. The current review describes the different treatment methods and their mechanism towards the degradation of these pollutants. Both abiotic and biotic methods are investigated for the removal of chlorophenols. Chlorophenols are either degraded through photochemical reactions in the natural environment, or microbes, the most diverse communities on earth, perform various metabolic functions to detoxify the environment. Biological treatment is a slow process because of the more complex and stable structure of pollutants. Advanced Oxidation Processes are effective in degrading such organics with enhanced rate and efficiency. Based on their ability to generate hydroxyl radicals, source of energy, catalyst type, etc., different processes such as sonication, ozonation, photocatalysis, and Fenton's process are discussed for the treatment or remediation efficiency towards the degradation of chlorophenols. The review entails both advantages and limitations of treatment methods. The study also focuses on reclamation of chlorophenol-contaminated sites. Different remediation methods are discussed to restore the degraded ecosystem back in its natural condition.

Saga of monokines in shaping tumour-immune microenvironment: Origin to execution.

Cellular communication mediated by cytokines is an important mechanism dictating immune responses, their cross talk and final immune output. Cytokines play a major role in dictating the immune outcome to cancer by regulating the events of development, differentiation and activation of innate immune cells. Cytokines are pleiotropic in nature, hence understanding their role individually or as member of network cytokines is critical to delineate their role in tumour immunity. Tumour systemically manipulates the immune system to evade and escape immune recognition for their uncontrollable growth and metastasis. The developing tumour comprise a large and diverse set of myeloid cells which are vulnerable to manipulation by the tumour-microenvironment. The innate immune cells of the monocytic lineage skew the fate of the adaptive immune cells and thus dictating cancer elimination or progression. Targeting cells at tumour cite is preposterous owing to their tight network, poor reach and abundance of immunosuppressive mechanisms. Monocytic lineage-derived cytokines (monokines) play crucial role in tumour regression or progression by either directly killing the tumour cells with TNFα or promoting its growth by TGFß. In addition, the monokines like IL-12, IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10 and TGFß direct the adaptive immune cells to secrete anti-tumour cytokines, TNFα, IFNγ, perforin and granzyme or pro-tumour cytokines, IL-10 and TGFß. In this review, we elucidate the roles of monokines in dictating the fate of tumour by regulating responses at various stages of generation, differentiation and activation of immune cells along with the extensive cross talk. We have attempted to delineate the synergy and antagonism of major monokines among themselves or with tumour-derived or adaptive immune cytokines. The review provides an update on the possibilities of placing monokines to potential practical use as cytokine therapy against cancer.

Caspase-1 inhibition by YVAD generates tregs pivoting IL-17 to IL-22 response in ß-glucan induced airway inflammation.

BACKGROUND: During Aspergillus fumigatus mediated lung inflammation, NLRP3 inflammasome is rapidly activated that aggravates IL-1ß production contributing to lung inflammation. Previously, we have shown the protective role of SYK-1 inhibition in inhibiting inflammasome activation during lung inflammation. In the current manuscript, we explored the protective role of direct caspase-1 inhibition during ß-glucan-induced lung inflammation. METHODS: We have mimicked the lung inflammation by administering intranasal ß-glucan in mice model. YVAD was used for caspase-1 inhibition. RESULTS: We have shown that caspase-1 inhibition by YVAD did not alter inflammasome independent inflammatory cytokines, while it significantly reduced inflammasome activation and IL-1ß secretion. Caspase-1 inhibited bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs), co-cultured with T cells showed decreased T-cell proliferation and direct them to secrete high TGF-ß and IL-10 compared to the T cells co-cultured with ß-glucan primed dendritic cells. Caspase-1 inhibition in BMDCs also induced IL-22 secretion from CD4+T cells. Caspase-1 inhibition in intranasal ß-glucan administered mice showed decreased tissue damage, immune cell infiltration and IgA secretion compared to control mice. Further, splenocytes challenged with ß-glucan show high IL-10 secretion and increased FOXp3 and Ahr indicating an increase in regulatory T cells on caspase-1 inhibition. CONCLUSION: Caspase-1 inhibition can thus be an attractive target to prevent inflammation mediated tissue damage during Aspergillus fumigatus mouse model and can be explored as an attractive therapeutic strategy.HIGHLIGHTSCaspase-1 inhibition protects lung damage from inflammation during ß-glucan exposureCaspase-1 inhibition in dendritic cells decreases IL-1ß production resulting in decreased pathogenic Th17Caspase-1 inhibition promotes regulatory T cells thereby inhibiting lung inflammation.

Collective dynein transport of the nucleus by pulling on astral microtubules during Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitosis.

Positioning the nucleus at the bud neck during Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitosis involves pulling forces of cytoplasmic dynein localized in the daughter cell. Although genetic analysis has revealed a complex network positioning the nucleus, quantification of the forces acting on the nucleus and the number of dyneins driving the process has remained difficult. To better understand the collective forces involved in nuclear positioning, we compare a model of dyneins-driven microtubule (MT) pulling, MT pushing, and cytoplasmic drag to experiments. During S. cerevisiae mitosis, MTs interacting with the cortex nucleated by the daughter spindle pole body (SPB) (SPB-D) are longer than the mother SPB (SPB-M), increasing further during spindle elongation in anaphase. Interphasic SPB mobility is effectively diffusive, while the mitotic mobility is directed. By optimizing a computational model of the mobility of the nucleus due to diffusion and MTs pushing at the cell membrane to experiment, we estimate the viscosity governing the drag force on nuclei during positioning. A force balance model of mitotic SPB mobility compared to experimental mobility suggests that even one or two dynein dimers are sufficient to move the nucleus in the bud neck. Using stochastic computer simulations of a budding cell, we find that punctate dynein localization can generate sufficient force to reel in the nucleus to the bud neck. Compared to uniform motor localization, puncta involve fewer motors suggesting a functional role for motor clustering. Stochastic simulations also suggest that a higher number of force generators than predicted by force balance may be required to ensure the robustness of spindle positioning.

Isolation and characterization of a novel Gram-negative bacterium Chromobacterium alkanivorans sp. nov., strain IITR-71T degrading halogenated alkanes.

The taxonomic position of a Gram-stain negative, non-violaceinpigmented bacterium isolated from an insecticide-contaminated site was characterized by a polyphasic approach. The bacterium was able to grow on three different halogenated compounds namely 1-hlorobutane, 1-hloropropane and 1,2-ichloroethane. As a critical step in the degradation of these haloalkanes, stoichiometric amounts of dechlorination were estimated. Based on selective enrichment method for three months, using a highly contaminated mixed chemical soil, a bacterium was obtained and designated as IITR-71T. Its versatility and novelty led us to further characterize it by polyphasic taxonomy. The 16S rRNA gene sequence (1446 bases) comparison showed highest similarity with those of members of the genus Chromobacterium with the most closely related species to strain IITR-71T being Chromobacterium aquaticum (99.3 %) followed by Chromobacterium haemolyticum (98.6 %) and Chromobacterium piscinae (97.1 %). The major ubiquinone was Q-8. Predominant polar lipids are phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG). The DNA G+C content of IITR-71T was estimated to be 61.2 mol%. The genotypic and phenotypic distinctiveness of IITR-71T and its phylogenetic relationships indicate that IITR-71T represents a novel species, for which the name Chromobacterium alkanivorans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is IITR-71T (=MTCC 11059T=JCM 30068T=KCTC 52433T).

Genetic and functional diversity of fluorescent Pseudomonas from rhizospheric soils of wheat crop.

Wheat rhizospheric soils were collected from different part of northern and eastern Indo-Gangetic plains, which is being irrigated from water of Ganga River. Isolation of fluorescent Pseudomonas species was carried out from the soil samples collected. The percentage of isolates positive for indolic compound, P-solubilisation, siderophore production and ACC deaminase activity were 64.0, 38.6, 63.5, and 19.7, respectively. A total of 543 isolates were randomly selected for studies based on the genus specific confirmation by the Pseudomonas specific primer. Among the 543 isolates, 26 different clusters were formed from 16S rDNA-RFLP whereas 27 clusters were generated by the rpoB-RFLP with similarity percent ranging from 3 to 100%. 16S rDNA sequencing showed 9 different species of Pseudomonas whereas, rpoB sequencing showed 13 different species of Pseudomonas. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA gene sequences generated 15 branches showing the more than 70% of boot strap value, whereas 18 branches in the rpoB based phylogenetic tree were supported by bootstrap values above 70%. Diversity indices based on rpoB were higher than the ribosomal RNA gene.

Synergistic potency of ultrasound and solar energy towards oxidation of 2,4-dichlorophenol: a chemometrics approach.

Industrial units based on chemical processes-the textile and paper industries-are major sources of chlorophenols in the environment, and chlorophenolic compounds persist within the environment for a long time with high toxicity levels. The photo-assisted Fenton's and photocatalysis processes were investigated for the degradation of chlorophenols in the present study. Response surface methodology was employed to get optimised conditions for photocatalysis and photo-Fenton process-governing factors, thus, yielding a profound removal efficiency. Under optimised conditions, with a photocatalyst dose of 0.2 g/L, oxidant concentration of 10.0 mM and pH 5.0, complete removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was observed in 210 minutes in photocatalytic treatment. In the case of the photo-Fenton process, at an H2O2 dose of 5.0 mM and Fe2+ concentration of 0.5 mM, the organic pollutant was eliminated within 5 minutes of reaction time under acidic conditions (pH 3.0). The RSM model reported the perfect fit of experimental data with the predicted response. Among different isotherm models, the Langmuir isotherm was the best fit. The process followed pseudo-first order rate kinetics among various kinetics models. For the obtained optimised conditions, sonication and solar energy-driven processes were incorporated to study enhanced mineralisation. The solar-assisted Fenton process reported maximum mineralisation (90%) and cost-effective ($0.01/litre for 100 mg/L 2,4-DCP) treatment among different hybrid oxidation processes. The work provides insight into harnessing the naturally available solar energy, reducing the overall treatment cost and opting for a sustainable treatment method.

Macrophage subsets and their role: co-relation with colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor and clinical relevance.

Macrophages are one of the first innate immune cells to reach the site of infection or injury. Diverse functions from the uptake of pathogen or antigen, its killing, and presentation, the release of pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines, activation of adaptive immune cells, clearing off tissue debris, tissue repair, and maintenance of tissue homeostasis have been attributed to macrophages. Besides tissue-resident macrophages, the circulating macrophages are recruited to different tissues to get activated. These are highly plastic cells, showing a spectrum of phenotypes depending on the stimulus received from their immediate environment. The macrophage differentiation requires colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) or macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), colony-stimulating factor-2 (CSF-2), or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and different stimuli activate them to different phenotypes. The richness of tissue macrophages is precisely controlled via the CSF-1 and CSF-1R axis. In this review, we have given an overview of macrophage origin via hematopoiesis/myelopoiesis, different phenotypes associated with macrophages, their clinical significance, and how they are altered in various diseases. We have specifically focused on the function of CSF-1/CSF-1R signaling in deciding macrophage fate and the outcome of aberrant CSF-1R signaling in relation to macrophage phenotype in different diseases. We further extend the review to briefly discuss the possible strategies to manipulate CSF-1R and its signaling with the recent updates.

Azithromycin alters Colony Stimulating Factor-1R (CSF-1R) expression and functional output of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages: A novel report.

Antibiotic treatment may lead to side effects that require mechanistic explanation. We investigated the effect of azithromycin (AZM) treatment on bone marrow-derived macrophage (Mφ) generation, their functional output, and the subsequent effect on bacterial clearance in a mouse model of S. flexneri infection. To our fascination, AZM increased PU.1, C/EBPß, CSF-1R/pCSF-1R expressions leading to M2-skewed in vitro BMDM generation. Altered Mφ-functions like- phagocytosis, oxidative stress generation, inflammasome-activation, cytokine release, and phenotype (pro-inflammatory-M1, anti-inflammatory-M2) even in the presence of infection were observed with AZM treatment. AZM increased CD206, egr2, arg1 (M2-marker) expression and activity while reducing CD68, inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) expression, and activity (M1-marker) in Mφs during infection. Pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-12, IL-1ß) were reduced and anti-inflammatory IL-10 release was augmented by AZM-treated-iMφs (aiMφs) along with decreased asc, nlrp3, aim2, nlrp1a, caspase1 expressions, and caspase3 activity signifying that aMφs/aiMφs were primed towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Interestingly, CSF-1R blockade increased NO, IL-12, TNF-α, IL-1ß, decreased TGF-ß release, and CD206 expression in aiMφs. T-cell co-stimulatory molecule cd40, cd86, and cd80 expressions were decreased in ai/aM1-Mφs and co-cultured CD8+, CD4+ T-cells had decreased proliferation, t-bet, IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-2 but increased foxp3, TGF-ß, IL-4 which were rescued with CSF-1R blockade. Thus AZM affected Mφ-functions and subsequent T-cell responses independent of its antibacterial actions. This was validated in the balb/c model of S. flexneri infection. We conclude that AZM skewed BMDM generation to anti-inflammatory M2-like via increased CSF-1R expression. This warrants further investigation of AZM-induced altered-Mφ-generation during intracellular infections.

Isolation of oxalic acid tolerating fungi and decipherization of its potential to control Sclerotinia sclerotiorum through oxalate oxidase like protein.

Oxalic acid plays major role in the pathogenesis by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; it lowers the pH of nearby environment and creates the favorable condition for the infection. In this study we examined the degradation of oxalic acid through oxalate oxidase and biocontrol of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. A survey was conducted to collect the rhizospheric soil samples from Indo-Gangetic Plains of India to isolate the efficient fungal strains able to tolerate oxalic acid. A total of 120 fungal strains were isolated from root adhering soils of different vegetable crops. Out of 120 strains a total of 80 isolates were able to grow at 10 mM of oxalic acid whereas only 15 isolates were grow at 50 mM of oxalic acid concentration. Then we examined the antagonistic activity of the 15 isolates against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. These strains potentially inhibit the growth of the test pathogen. A total of three potential strains and two standard cultures of fungi were tested for the oxalate oxidase activity. Strains S7 showed the maximum degradation of oxalic acid (23 %) after 60 min of incubation with fungal extract having oxalate oxidase activity. Microscopic observation and ITS (internally transcribed spacers) sequencing categorized the potential fungal strains into the Aspergillus, Fusarium and Trichoderma. Trichoderma sp. are well studied biocontrol agent and interestingly we also found the oxalate oxidase type activity in these strains which further strengthens the potentiality of these biocontrol agents.

Comparison of TiO2 catalysis and Fenton's treatment for rapid degradation of Remazol Red Dye in textile industry effluent.

The contamination of water bodies by toxic industrial effluents is a serious threat to environment and the exposed organisms. The treatment of carcinogenic azo dyes in wastewater of grossly polluting textile industry is a major challenge considering the persistent nature of chemical dyes against biological treatment. The present study explores efficacy of advanced oxidation processes-photocatalysis and photo-Fenton, towards degradation of Remazol Red dye in the textile industry effluent. It was observed that both processes can completely remove the colour and approximately 85% mineralization of the dye within reaction time of 60 min and 8 min, respectively. The economic analysis placed photo-Fenton as a cost-effective method with treatment cost of approx. 0.0090 US $/litre of wastewater containing Remazol Red dye. Although, Photocatalysis was relatively slow, it is substantially effective in removal/degradation of colour from textile effluent against the biological treatment. The study concludes that photo-Fenton and Photocatalysis are cost-effective and substantial treatment options for removal of toxicity arising from coloured textile effluents.

Role of breath phase and breath boundaries for the classification between asthmatic and healthy subjects.

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways which causes cough, chest tightness, wheezing and other distinct sounds during breathing. Spirometry is a golden standard lung function test, is used to monitor and diagnose asthma. Spirometry is very time-consuming and requires a lot of patient's efforts. Therefore, an alternate method which can overcome spirometry limitations is required. Sound based method can be one such alternative as it is less tedious, less time consuming and suitable for patients of all ages. It has been shown in the past that breath, among other vocal sounds, performs the best for an asthma vs healthy subject classification task. Breath consists of two phases, namely, inhale and exhale. Experiments in this work show, exhale performs better for classification task compared to the entire breath cycle as well as the inhale. However, this requires manual marking of the breath boundaries, which is a very time-consuming task. We, in this work, investigate how critical are the breath cycle and breath phase boundaries for the classification task. Experiments with chunks of random duration shows that they perform on par or better than the exhale. However, a segment comprising the second and third quarters of a breath cycle results in the highest classification accuracy of 80.64%. This suggests that, while breath phase boundaries may not be important, breath cycle boundaries could benefit in the classification task.

Target Based Virtual Screening of New Leads Inhibitor against Bacterial Cell Division Protein FtsZ for the Discovery of Antibacterial Agents.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococus epidermidis coagulase negative and gram positive streptococci have emerged as major nosocomial pathogens associated with the infection of implanted medical devices and dandruff on human scalp. S. epidermidis filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ) gene encoded FtsZ protein that assembles at future bacterial cell division site that forms Z-ring structure. FtsZ is a tubulin homolog protein with low sequence similarity; this makes it possible to inhibit bacterial FtsZ protein without affecting the eukaryote cell division. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, phytochemicals of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Punica granatum and Glycyrrhiza glabra were virtually screened for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis cell division protein, FtsZ. METHODS: Molecular docking method was used to investigate new lead inhibitor against bacterial cell division protein FtsZ. SwissADME and ProTox tool were used to evaluate the toxicity of the lead molecule. RESULTS: Molecular docking based screening confirmed that among 122 phytochemicals, ß- sitosterol and glabrol showed the highest inhibitory activity against FtsZ. SwissADME tool showed ß-sitosterol and glabrol as the ideal antibacterial agents. CONCLUSION: Structure based drug design strategy has been broadly used to optimize antimicrobial activity of small molecule/ligand against large protein receptor of disease, causing pathogens which gives a major breakthrough in pharmaceuticals industries. The molecular docking and SwissADME tool showed that ß-sitosterol and glabrol may be developed to be potential topical and sublingual antibacterial agents, respectively.

A Study of Association of Premature Graying of Hair and Osteopenia in North Indian Population.

CONTEXT: Hair graying is one of the signs of human aging and is caused by a progressive loss of pigmentation from growing hair shafts. Studies have shown a correlation of early hair graying with osteopenia, indicating that premature graying could serve as an early marker of osteopenia. AIM: To compare the degree of osteopenia in individuals with premature graying of hair (PGH) compared to ordinary individuals. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: We conducted an observational, case-control study among 132 healthy individuals between 18 and 30 years of age. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Detailed history and examination of PGH was taken. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed using Furuno CM-200 ultrasound bone densitometer. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: SPSS 21 software was used, and the data were summarized in the form of mean ± standard deviation for quantitative values and percentages for qualitative values. Chi-square test, Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and other appropriate tests were applied for comparison, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: PGH was present in 82 (62.1%) cases, whereas osteopenia was present in 56 (42.4%) cases. The mean age of onset of graying of hair among the cases was 20.62 ± 3.74 years. A higher age group of 25-30 years (P = 0.016) and family history of PGH (P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for PGH. The mean BMD of the case group was 0.76 ± 1.00 and the control group was 0.68 ± 1.11, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.649). CONCLUSION: The study concluded that there is no significant association between osteopenia and PGH.

Comparison of Cough, Wheeze and Sustained Phonations for Automatic Classification Between Healthy Subjects and Asthmatic Patients.

In this work, we consider the task of automatic classification of asthmatic patients and healthy subjects using voice stimuli. Cough and wheeze have been used as voice stimuli for this classification task in the past. In this work, we focus on sustained phonations, namely /aː/, /iː/, /uː/, /eɪ/, /o℧/ and compare their classification performances with the cough and wheeze. Classification experiments using 35 asthmatic patients and 36 healthy subjects show that sustained vowel /iː/ achieves the highest classification accuracy of 80.79% among five vowels considered. However, it is found to be higher and lower than the classification accuracies of 78.72% and 90.25% obtained using cough and wheeze respectively. This suggests that for speech-based asthma classification, /iː/ would be a better choice compared to other vowels considered in this work. However, when non-speech sounds are included for classification, wheeze is a better choice than sustained /iː/.

Planctopirus hydrillae sp. nov., an antibiotic producing Planctomycete isolated from the aquatic plant Hydrilla and its whole genome shotgun sequence analysis.

An antibiotic producing novel Planctomycete strain, designated JC280T, was isolated from the surface of the plant Hydrilla verticillata collected from an alkaline lake (Buffalo lake), University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. The morphological and chemotaxonomic properties of strain JC280T were in agreement with the characteristics of the genus Planctopirus. The cell shape was spherical to ovoid and some were tear drop shaped. The cells were Gram-stain-negative divided by budding presenting stalks and rosette formation and were non-sporulating. Crateriform structures with a sub-polar flagellum were observed. Characteristic polyamines were putrescine and spermidine. Diagnostic polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified phospholipid (PL1), unidentified glycolipids (GL1-2), an unidentified aminophospholipid (APL), and an unidentified lipid (L3). Major (>10%) fatty acids were C16:0, C17:1ω8c, C18:1ω9c, and summed feature-3. Major (88%) respiratory quinone was MK-6 with minor amount (12%) of MK-7. Strain JC280T showed 99.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Planctopirus limnophila DSM 3776T. To resolve their full taxonomic position, the genome sequence was obtained and compared with the available P. limnophila DSM 3776T genome. The genome sequence of strain JC280T was 5,750,243 bp in size with a total of 4490 protein-coding genes, 66 RNA genes, and 2 CRISPR repeats. Based on whole-genome statistics, ANI value, in silico DDH, diversity of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, distinct physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic differences, strain JC280T represents a new species in the genus Planctopirus, for which the name Planctopirus hydrillae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JC280T (=KCTC 42880T = LMG 29153T).