Helicobacter pylori Infection in Endoscopic Biopsy Specimens of Gastric Antrum: Laboratory Diagnosis and Comparative Efficacy of Three Diagnostic Tests

Aims and objectives The present study was undertaken to compare the diagnostic yield of three available test procedures for detecting Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in endoscopic biopsies

Outcome of albendazole therapy in the management of hepatic hydatid disease

Background: The treatment modalities for managing patients with hepatic hydatidosis include surgical treatment and non-surgical treatments. The non-surgical methods include albendazole therapy and percutaneous management. Use of albendazole as an adjuvant therapy to surgery has been found to significantly reduce the viability of daughter cyst and recurrence of hydatid disease. The aim of the study was to understand the effect of albendazole therapy on the viability of protoscoleces and recurrence rate of hydatid disease of liver.Methods: The study was conducted at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences and Medical College, Srinagar, Kashmir India, from March 2010 to February 2012 with further follow up of 3-4 years and the total of 64 patients were studied. ; Patients were divided into two groups, Group A and Group B, each comprising of 32 patients. In group A, patients were given albendazole for 12 weeks preoperatively followed by further postoperative course for 12 weeks. In group B, patients were first taken for surgery followed by postoperative course of albendazole for 12 weeks. The two main outcome measures studied and compared during present study were the viability of the hydatid cysts and the recurrence rate in two groups.Results: Out of those, patients who received preoperative albendazole, 9.37% had viable cysts at the time of surgery as compared to 96.87% of patients who did not receive any preoperative albendazole. In those patients who received only postoperative albendazole therapy, recurrence rate was 18.75% while as there was no recurrence was in patients who received both preoperative and postoperative albendazole therapy.Conclusions: Study concludes that albendazole is safe and effective adjuvant therapy in the treatment of hydatid liver disease.

EFEKTIVITAS PENGHAMBATAN BAKTERI KITINOLITIK TERHADAP Fusarium proliferatum

Fusarium spp. merupakan penyebab penyakit pada beberapa jenis tanaman salah satunya bawang merah sehingga dapat menurunkan produktivitas tanaman bawang merah (Allium cepa L.). Bakteri kitinolitik diketahui memiliki sifat antagonis terhadap Fusarium spp.  Penelitian bertujuan mengetahui kemampuan isolat  bakteri ABP5.1, ABP5.2.2, ABS4.1.2, BBP5.2.2 yang berasal dari pertanian bawang merah dalam menghambat pertumbuhan F. proliferatum. Sebanyak empat isolat bakteri terpilih hasil isolasi dari penelitian sebelumnya diuji kemampuannya dalam menghambat pertumbuhan Fusarium proliferatum.  Tahapan penelitian terdiri atas karakterisasi isolat, uji aktivitas kitinolitik, uji antagonis antar isolat bakteri, dan uji antagonis isolat bakteri terhadap cendawan Fusarium proliferatum. Keempat isolat bakteri ABP5.1, ABP5.2.2, ABS4.1.2, dan BBP5.2.1 merupakan bakteri gram negatif. Uji kualitatif kitinolitik menunjukkan keempat isolat menghasilkan zona bening dengan indeks kitinolitik antara 0,04-1,0.   Isolat bakteri ABS4.1.2 memiliki nilai indeks kitinolitik terbesar yaitu 1,09. Uji antagonis antar isolat bakteri menunjukkan hasil keempat isolat bakteri tidak bersifat saling antagonis. Uji antagonis bakteri terhadap cendawan Fusarium proliferatum dengan metode dual culture menunjukkan bahwa sebanyak dua dari empat  isolat mampu menghambat pertumbuhan cendawan F.proliferatum. Isolat ABP5.2.2 memiliki daya hambat terbesar yaitu 41%, sedangkan isolat ABS4.1.2 memiliki daya hambat sebesar 40%

SPECIES AND FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY OF RHIZOBACTERIA OF RICE PLANT IN THE COASTAL SOILS OF INDONESIA

Rhizobacteria are important components of soil and directly or indirectly influence the soils quality and plant growth for maintaining adequate plant nutrition and reducing the negative environmental effects of fertilizers. Applying high dose of chemical fertilizers in most of rice fields in the coastal areas could reduce the quality of the soil in the long time. There are few studies addressed to verify the species and functional diversity of cultivable rhizobacteria associated with rice plant in the coastal soils. The objective of the study was to verify the species and functional diversity of rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal soils of two rice production areas of Subang and Indramayu, West Java. Special focus was given to verify phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, IAA and cellulase production of the selected 78 strains of rice rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal paddy field, as well as taxonomical analyses based on 16S rRNA. The results showed that among 78 bacterial isolates from the coastal paddy field, mostly were belonging to the Firmicutes, most of them affiliated with genera Bacillus, 75 strains produced IAA, 32 strains fixed nitrogen, 37 strains solubilized phosphate and 33 strains produced cellulase. Several strains of the rhizobacteria were capable of producing plant growth promoting substances (PGPR), alone or in combination, such as IAA, fixing nitrogen,  solubilizing phosphate, and producing cellulase. Taking all of these diverse PGPR characteristics into account, it is clear that the 78 identified isolates have great potential for improving saline soils of the coastal paddy fields in Indonesia

Species and Functional Diversity of Rhizobacteria of Rice Plant in the Coastal Soils of Indonesia

Rhizobacteria are important components of soil and directly or indirectly influence the soils quality and plant growth for maintaining adequate plant nutrition and reducing the negative environmental effects of fertilizers. Applying high dose of chemical fertilizers in most of rice fields in the coastal areas could reduce the quality of the soil in the long time. There are few studies addressed to verify the species and functional diversity of cultivable rhizobacteria associated with rice plant in the coastal soils. The objective of the study was to verify the species and functional diversity of rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal soils of two rice production areas of Subang and Indramayu, West Java. Special focus was given to verify phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, IAA and cellulase production of the selected 78 strains of rice rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal paddy field, as well as taxonomical analyses based on 16S rRNA. The results showed that among 78 bacterial isolates from the coastal paddy field, mostly were belonging to the Firmicutes, most of them affiliated with genera Bacillus, 75 strains produced IAA, 32 strains fixed nitrogen, 37 strains solubilized phosphate and 33 strains produced cellulase. Several strains of the rhizobacteria were capable of producing plant growth promoting substances (PGPR), alone or in combination, such as IAA, fixing nitrogen, solubilizing phosphate, and producing cellulase. Taking all of these diverse PGPR characteristics into account, it is clear that the 78 identified isolates have great potential for improving saline soils of the coastal paddy fields in Indonesia

Species and Functional Diversity of Rhizobacteria of Rice Plant in the Coastal Soils of Indonesia

Rhizobacteria are important components of soil and directly or indirectly influence the soils quality and plant growth for maintaining adequate plant nutrition and reducing the negative environmental effects of fertilizers. Applying high dose of chemical fertilizers in most of rice fields in the coastal areas could reduce the quality of the soil in the long time. There are few studies addressed to verify the species and functional diversity of cultivable rhizobacteria associated with rice plant in the coastal soils. The objective of the study was to verify the species and functional diversity of rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal soils of two rice production areas of Subang and Indramayu, West Java. Special focus was given to verify phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, IAA and cellulase production of the selected 78 strains of rice rhizobacteria isolated from the coastal paddy field, as well as taxonomical analyses based on 16S rRNA. The results showed that among 78 bacterial isolates from the coastal paddy field, mostly were belonging to the Firmicutes, most of them affiliated with genera Bacillus, 75 strains produced IAA, 32 strains fixed nitrogen, 37 strains solubilized phosphate and 33 strains produced cellulase. Several strains of the rhizobacteria were capable of producing plant growth promoting substances (PGPR), alone or in combination, such as IAA, fixing nitrogen, solubilizing phosphate, and producing cellulase. Taking all of these diverse PGPR characteristics into account, it is clear that the 78 identified isolates have great potential for improving saline soils of the coastal paddy fields in Indonesia

Malignant infantile osteopetrosis presenting as failure to thrive

Osteopetrosis or marble bone disease is a heterogeneous group of hereditary disorders in which deficient oraltered function of osteoclasts results into defective resorption of bone with resultant sclerosis. We report a caseof infantile osteopetrosis who presented to us as failure to thrive, severe anemia and developmental delay. Thiscase report highlights the importance of this rare disease as a differential diagnosis in infants with failure tothrive, to avoid the potentially treatable entity

Endoscopic Evaluation of Peptic Ulcer Disease During Ramadan Fasting

The effects of fasting on peptic ulcer disease were evaluated in a prospective study, involving 23 fasting patients who underwent endoscopy before and after Ramadan. Eighteen patients took an H2-blocker (ranitidine, 150 mg twice daily) regularly at “Suhur” and “Iftar” as prescribed, while 5 were drug defaulters. On the first endoscopy the diagnosis in 4 patients was active acute duodenal ulcer (AADU), in 8 patients was active chronic duodenal ulcer (ACDU) in 8 patients was healed duodenal ulcer (HDU), in 2 patients was erosive duodenitis (ED), and in 1 patient was chronic gastric ulcer (CGU). All of the patients with AADU showed signs of healing on repeat endoscopy. None of the ACDU patients showed signs of healing on repeat endoscopy. Instead, 7 patients in this group bled during fasting. All of the 5 drug defaulters belonged to the ACDU group. One patient in the HDU group had developed an active ulcer near the previous scar, as which was seen on repeat endoscopy. The 2 patients with ED showed signs of healing, while the only patient with CGU had bled from the same ulcer as seen on repeat endoscopy. The results were compared with those of 15 nonfasting control subjects (6 patients with ACDU, 3 with HDU, and 6 with ED as diagnosed on the first endoscopy), who took an H2-blocker regularly. The repeat endoscopy did not show any change in these patients. In conclusion, we inferred that Ramadan fasting may prove hazardous in patients with peptic ulcer disease in general and with active chronic ulcers in particular, although the fact that only 23 patients volunteered for this study, of whom 5 were drug defaulters, is a limitation

Karakterisasi α-Amilase dari Aspergillus versicolor 3a1 yang Diproduksi pada Media Limbah Cair Tapioka

The aim of this experiment was to characterize A. versicolor 3a1 α-amylase produced on cassava liquid waste media. Two types of media, base and combination media, were used as a comparison. Cassava liquid waste media contains 1% cassava starch, 1% yeast extract, 0.13% KH2PO4, and 0.05% MgSO4 diluted in cassava liquid waste. Base media contains same composition but using aquadest as a solvent, and combination media using mixture of aquadest and cassava liquid waste. A. versicolor 3a1 α-amylase showed its maximum specific activity in cassava liquid waste, base, and combination media after 3, 7, and 4 days incubation, respectively. Crude extract of α-amylase fromA. versicolor 3a1 was precipitated in 20-80% (w/v) ammonium sulphate. Precipitation of A. versicolor 3a1 α-amylase with 70% (w/v) ammonium sulphate on cassava liquidwaste, 60% on base media, and 60% on combination media will increase its specific activity 16.6, 4.28, and 5.65 times, respectively, compared to the specific activities ofcrude before precipitation. α-Amylase crude extract from A. versicolor 3a1 from all media showed its highest specific activity at 70oC and pH 5.0, and addition of FeSO4 increased the specific activity. Precipitated A. versicolor 3a1 α-amylase from all media showed its highest specific activity at 70oC and pH 6.0. Addition of FeSO4 precipitated 3a1 α-amylase from base and combination media will increase its specific activity, while MgSO4 will increase its specific activity in cassava liquid waste media. Thermostability assay revealed that the crude and the precipitated 3a1 α-amylase were relatively stable at 70oC up to 180 minutes incubation, except for precipitated3a1 -amylase on cassava waste media. Crude α-amylase 3a1 was relatively stable at pH 5-9 up to 1 hour incubation with wide pH ranges, while the precipitated with narrow pH ranges