Reviews

Obra ressenyada: Ayo BAMGBOSE, (ed.). New Englishes: A West African Perspective. Ibadan: Mosuro, 1995

Phialophora Melinii (NFCCI 3617): A Newly Isolated Psychrotolerant Fungus That Produces Enhanced Laccase Under the Influence of Organic Solvents

A psychrotolerant fungus, isolated from decomposing pine needle debris, is investigated for laccase production under the influence of 5 organic solvents. The fungus was identified as Phialophora melinii and was able to grow between 4 to 35 °C (opt. 25 °C) and 2-14 pH (opt. 5-7). In quantitative estimations that were carried out at optimum growth temperature and pH, the fungal laccase was estimated to be 21.0 ± 4.0 U/L. Native PAGE study revealed 35 kDa molecular mass of the fungal laccase. Supplementation of organic solvents namely, methanol, ethanol, acetone, n-propanol and iso-propanol in varying concentrations (0.5%-2.0%, separately), significantly affected the production of fungal laccase. Out of 5 solvents used, n-propanol was found to be the most efficient enhancer of laccase production. n-Propanol (0.5%) resulted in maximum enhancement (7 folds) in laccase production at 18th day of incubation. Methanol, iso-propanol and ethanol were able to enhance laccase production up to 5-6 folds in comparison to control with respect to the varying concentration and incubation length. Age of the fungal culture (incubation days) was observed as an important factor for laccase production. Use of low molecular compounds in enhancing the fungal laccase production may be considered as an eco-friendly approach

Scope of ornamental fisheries in snow fed rivers of Uttarakhand - Overview

Upland rivers of hills of Uttarakhand are unique in its ecosystem and biodiversity. These waters possess various varieties of ornamental fishes. The present study focuses on Scope of ornamental fisheries in snow fed rivers of Uttarakhand, along with challenges and opportunities. Besides the availability of resources peoples are not that much aware of ornamental fisheries of this region and these resources are yet not developed. The use of destructive fishing methods, habitat destruction leads to diversity destruction of hills stream fishes. As theseresources does not comprise fisheries of commercial importance due to sparse biota and low thermal scale, slow growth and very low natural food availability So, Directorate of Cold Water Fisheries is actively working in the field of survey and brood stock management of ornamental fish resources of cold water. Four hundred live cold water fishes including exotic gold and koi carp are being maintained at DCFR main complex for study and breeding trials. The recreational activities by fisheries department like ranching, sport fisheries development and development of ornamental fisheries of this region can lead to socioeconomic upliftment of hilly people and development of cold water ornamental fisheries in the state

Early education and clinical exposure on hand hygiene: a key for better compliance

Background: India is underperforming when it comes to compliance to hand hygiene. Early education on followed by regular hand hygiene audits can bring positive changes in infection control practices.Methods: Group I included the 3rd Semester MBBS students who had early education and training on hand hygiene and Group II included the post graduate residents who were exposed to Hand Hygiene later in their carrier were followed up for compliance of WHO Hand Hygiene moments for four months. Compliance among students and residents were observed and compared.Results: Compliance rate was more (40.4%) among medical students as compared to residents (17%). The After moments had a better compliance than Before moments among both students and residents. The difference in the compliance rate was statistically significant.Conclusions: Early clinical exposure of the students to any problem, is the key for better compliance thus explaining the better compliance rate among medical students. Better HH practice can bring down prevalence of Healthcare associated infection by multidrug resistant organism which is a major concern today.

Water quality surrounding to MSW dumps of Raipur city-A case study

In India, urbanization and rapid population growth have led to degradation of environment, by increased rate of exploitation of natural resources and generation of municipal solid wastes (MSW). Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal is a big problem for most of the towns in developing countries. In India dumping of MSW on low laying area is the common practice in most of the towns. The dumping of waste in uncontrolled manner creates many kinds of problems for the surrounding environment. Ground water pollution is one of the serious effects of the MSW dumping. The assessment of impacts on ground water sources near to MSW dumps is of considerable importance in management and disposal of solid waste. The leachate may greatly affect the ground water sources near to the dumpsites. In the present study an attempt has been made to investigate the extent of impact on ground water sources namely open wells, shallow tube wells (depth less than 30 m) and deep tube wells (depth more than 50 m).  The pollution status is also monitored at varying distances from the solid waste dumping sites to investigate the trend of leachate movement in the subsoil. Water samples from different sources at different locations are assessed for physical, chemical and biological properties.&nbsp

Seasonal variation in composition and characteristics of indian municipal solid waste –A case study

In developing countries like India, rapid urbanization and uncontrolled population growth have lead to the socio-environmental problem of ill-managed municipal solid waste. Evaluating the characteristics of municipal solid waste is an important aspect of MSWM because the selection of effective management strategies depends on the types and variation in the characteristics of the waste to be managed. The focus of the present paper is to determine the variation in composition as well as characteristics of municipal solid waste for Indian conditions. A case study is presented for Raipur city to determine the seasonal variation in waste characteristics. The seasonal variation in characteristics of MSW was found to be in a wide range of 4-125 %, so for comprehensive management of this MSW, a proper combination of recycling and recovery, composting, energy generation and dumping on land should be adopted.&nbsp

Selection of solvent and extraction method for determination of antimicrobial potential of Taxus wallichiana Zucc.

Antimicrobial potential of different plant parts (needle, stem and bark) of Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana Zucc.) has been investigated with particular reference to selection of solvents and extraction methods. Two extraction methods (maceration and soxhlet), seven solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform, ethyl  acetate, di chloro methane and Petroleum ether), and 3 groups of microorganisms (bacteria, actinobacteria and fungi) were considered for detection of antimicrobial activity. While qualitative estimations were done using agar well diffusion method, quantitative analysis was based on dilution method. All the plant part showed significant activity against all 3 groups of microorganisms in qualitative bioassays; maximum being in case of needles. Among solvents, ethanolic extract of needles (maceration) showed highest antibacterial activity (15.33 ± 0.25 mm). Growth of actinobacteria was inhibited maximum (22.0±0.26 mm) by the methanolic extracts of needles (maceration). Ethyl acetate extract of needles (soxhlet) showed higher antifungal activity (7.84±0.21 mm). Antibacterial and antifungal activities were higher in maceration and soxhlet methods, respectively. The most affected group among the test microorganisms was bacteria which may be due to their prokaryotic organization. This was also supported by the low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. Di chloro methane and petroleum ether did not show any antifungal activity. The antimicrobial activity of various plant parts of T. wallichiana varied with respect to the solvent as well as the extraction method. The study will have implications in selection of the use of solvent and the extraction procedure in obtaining the antimicrobial metabolites from various plant parts of T. wallichiana

Carbapenem Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Enterobacteriaceae : A Global Health Concern

Introduction: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has gradually emerged and is one of the serious public health concerns worldwide. Aim: To detect Carbapenem Resistance in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and Carbapenamase production by performing Modified Hodge Test (MHT) and Combined Disc Test (CDT). Material & Methods: Identification of Isolates was done by standard bacteriological techniques. The isolates were screened for carbapenem resistance by Kirby-bauer disc diffusion method using Ertapenem as per CLSI recommendation. Detection of carbapenemase production was done by Modified Hodge test and Combined Disc test. Result: A total of 931 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceace were obtained from various clinical samples. Out of which isolates of Escherichia coli were 295 (31.68%). All these isolates were screened for Carbapenem resistance..Out of 931 isolates, 710 (76.26%) isolates were carbapenem screen positive. Maximum carbapenem resistance was seen in Klebsiella pneumoniae, 307 (43.23 %). Out of 710 carbapenem resistant isolates, 567 (79.85%) were carbapenemase producers.  Conclusion: Early detection, isolation and contact precaution for CRE patient will to prevent rapid dissemination of CRE infection. Keywords: Carbapenem resistance, Enterobacteriacae, Modified Hodge Test

Study of the frequency of female genital tract infection using cartridge based nucleic acid amplification test

Background: The aim of the study was to study the frequency of female genital tract infection using cartridge based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT), to study the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of CBNAAT.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted among 100 patients as per inclusion criteria with genital tract infection in Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut over a period of two years. Investigations including ZN staining for acid fast bacillus (AFB), endometrial sampling for histopathology, CBNAAT and BACTEC culture were sent.Results: In a study of 100 patients’ histopathological examination detected tuberculosis in 2% patients while CBNAAT detected tuberculosis in 5% patients. Tubercle bacilli was found in 3% women on AFB stain while in only 1%-woman genital tuberculosis was diagnosed by BACTEC culture.Conclusions: Female genital tuberculosis is detected most frequently when a woman presents with unexplained infertility. Newer technologies allow genital tuberculosis to be identified at an earlier stage and enable us to provide treatment. CBNAAT being a sensitive test picked up more cases than histopathology, culture, AFB stain. Hence CBNAAT should be widely used for early detection of female genital tuberculosis