QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF MAGNESIUM CARBONATE IN PAN MASALA AND GUTKA

Objective: The objective of present study is to detect and quantitatively estimate Magnesium Carbonate, a potential carcinogen used for its anti-caking property in various brands of Pan Masala and Gutka by the simple, economic and effective method.Methods: The water-soluble extract of various brands of Pan Masala and Gutka was prepared by a wrist action rotary shaker for 60 min. The extract was filtered, and the filtrate was titrated against 0.1N EDTA using Eriochrome Black T indicator at pH 10 and using Murexide indicator at pH 12.Results: The presence of Magnesium Carbonate was found to be less than 2% in all brands of Pan Masala and less than 3% in all brands of Gutka samples used in the analysis.Conclusion: There is Magnesium Carbonate used in all brands of Pan Masala and Gutka used in the present study

Organic metabolites produced by Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain An3 isolated from Goan mullet inhibit bacterial fish pathogens

Identification and action of several antibacterial metabolites produced by a fish pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain An3 from marine ecosystem of Goa has been demonstrated. Antibacterial activity of the crude cell extract of the test bacterium has been evaluated against indicator pathogenic bacterial strains such as Acinetobacter sp. An2, Aeromonas hydrophila strain An4, Staphylococcus arlettae strain An1 and Alteromonas aurentia strain SE3 by agar well diffusion method which clearly demonstrated comparatively more significant inhibitory effect on indicator bacteria as compared to several commonly used antibiotics. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of crude cell extract of the test organism interestingly revealed presence of indole, phenyl acetic acid, n-(3- methyl-1, 2, 4-oxadiazol-5-yl) - 1- pyrrolidine carboximidamide, pyrrolopyrazines, tetramethyl pyrazine and other important phenolic compounds which may be responsible for antibacterial activity against indicator microorganisms tested. It has been clearly demonstrated that V. parahaemolyticus strain An3 produced several medically important organic metabolites during cultivation suggesting it as a potential candidate for production of several antibacterial metabolites to control pathogenic bacterial strains causing serious fish and human diseases.Key words: Antibacterial, gas chromatography mass spectrometry, metabolites, pathogenic bacteria, welldiffusion

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Aflatoxins in Dry Fruits and Nuts from Central India

In central part of India, dry fruits and nuts are mostly sold in loose conditions and hence may get fungal infections, and may have aflatoxins to the levels beyond the safe limits. The present study is an attempt to showcase the present scenario of aflatoxins in dry fruits and nuts from Central India, both qualitatively and quantatively. Out of 84 samples, 15 were found to have the presence of at least one aflatoxin. HPLC detection showed that AFB1 is the major aflatoxin. The total aflatoxins were found in the range of 25.4 - 393.51 μg kg-1, which is beyond the safe limit set by regulatory authorities. Further, dry figs were the most contaminated among tested dry fruits, and 5 out 12 samples (41.6%) were contaminated, followed by cashew nuts (33.3%). Samples sold in loose packing were found more contaminated with aflatoxins. The study advocates that selling of such dry fruits in loose form should be banned by the regulatory authorities

Antibacterial Properties of Citric Acid/β-Alanine Carbon Dots against Gram-Negative Bacteria

While multi-drug resistance in bacteria is an emerging concern in public health, using carbon dots (CDs) as a new source of antimicrobial activity is gaining popularity due to their antimicrobial and non-toxic properties. Here we prepared carbon dots from citric acid and β-alanine and demonstrated their ability to inhibit the growth of diverse groups of Gram-negative bacteria, including E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas, Agrobacterium, and Pectobacterium species. Carbon dots were prepared using a one-pot, three-minute synthesis process in a commercial microwave oven (700 W). The antibacterial activity of these CDs was studied using the well-diffusion method, and their minimal inhibitory concentration was determined by exposing bacterial cells for 20 h to different concentrations of CDs ranging from 0.5 to 10 mg/mL. Our finding indicates that these CDs can be an effective alternative to commercially available antibiotics. We also demonstrated the minimum incubation time required for complete inhibition of bacterial growth, which varied depending on bacterial species. With 15-min incubation time, A. tumefaciens and P. aeruginosa were the most sensitive strains, whereas E. coli and S. enterica were the most resistant bacterial strains requiring over 20 h incubation with CDs

EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF A NOVEL FORMULATION FOR WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IN OBESE SUBJECTS: A RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE BLIND, PLACEBO CONTROLLED, CLINICAL STUDY

Obesity is a complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors, is also associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) in the management of weight in obese or overweight individuals. A randomized, mono-centric, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study was conducted by administering Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) capsules (25 mg, one capsule twice a day) and indistinguishable placebo capsules as daily supplements to 40 overweight and obese subjects for 90 days. The study participants were divided in 1:1 ratio to receive either Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) (n = 20) or placebo (n = 20).Efficacy was assessed by measuring body weight, body mass index, leptin, adiponectin levels, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and Hs-CRP. Safety was assessed by evaluating safety parameters (vital signs and laboratory investigations) and monitoring adverse events.After 90 days, significant reduction in body weight (P< 0.0001) and body mass index (P < 0.0001) were observed in the Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) group compared with placebo. Additionally, significant change in serum biomarkers was observed between Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) and placebo groups from baseline to final visits. Adverse events were mild and were unrelated to the investigational products. Supplementation with Calebin A (standardized extract of Curcuma caesia) resulted in significant decrease in weight loss than placebo over 90 days. It was safe and well tolerated by all subjects

Hemolysin, Protease, and EPS Producing Pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila

A pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila strain An4 was isolated from marine catfish and characterized with reference to its proteolytic and hemolytic activity along with SDS-PAGE profile (sodium dodecyl sulphate-Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) of ECPs (extracellular proteins) showing hemolysin (approximately 50 kDa). Agar well diffusion assay using crude cell extract of the bacterial isolate clearly demonstrated antibacterial activity against indicator pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus arlettae strain An1, Acinetobacter sp. strain An2, Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain An3, and Alteromonas aurentia SE3 showing inhibitory zone >10 mm well comparable to common antibiotics. Further GC-MS analysis of crude cell extract revealed several metabolites, namely, phenolics, pyrrolo-pyrazines, pyrrolo-pyridine, and butylated hydroxytoluene (well-known antimicrobials). Characterization of EPS using FTIR indicated presence of several protein-related amine and amide groups along with peaks corresponding to carboxylic and phenyl rings which may be attributed to its virulent and antibacterial properties, respectively. Besides hemolysin, EPS, and protease, Aeromonas hydrophila strain An4 also produced several antibacterial metabolites

Citric acid/β-alanine carbon dots as a novel tool for delivery of plasmid DNA into E. coli cells

Successful delivery of plasmid DNA into the microbial cells is fundamental in recombinant DNA technology. Natural bacterial transformation is limited to only certain species due in part to the repulsive forces between negatively charged DNA and bacterial membranes. Most common method of DNA delivery into bacteria is artificial transformation through heat shock and electroporation. These methods require sophisticated instruments and tedious steps in preparation of competent cells. Transformation by conjugation is also not applicable to all plasmids. Nanoparticles have been used successfully in therapeutics for drug delivery into animal cells. They are starting to gain popularity in plant sciences as novel DNA nano carriers. Despite their promise as tool for DNA delivery, their use in microbial cell transformation has not been reported yet. Here we report the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) from citric acid and β-alanine and their use in DNA delivery into E. coli cells. CDs were fabricated using microwave assisted synthesis. Plasmids carrying RFP reporter and ampicillin resistance genes were transferred to bacterial cells and further confirmed using polymerase chain reaction. Our findings indicate that CDs can be used successfully for delivery of foreign DNA of up to 10 kb into E. coli. We have demonstrated the use of β-alanine/citric acid carbon dots as nanocarriers of DNA into E. coli cells and identified their limitation in terms of the size of plasmid DNA they could carry. Use of these carbon dots is a novel method in foreign DNA delivery into bacterial cells and have a potential for the transformation of resistant organism for which there is still no reliable DNA delivery systems

Field blue straggler stars: Discovery of white dwarf companions to blue metal-poor stars using UVIT/AstroSat

Blue metal-poor (BMP) stars are the main-sequence stars that appear bluer and more luminous than normal turn-off stars of metal-poor globular clusters. They are believed to be either field blue straggler stars (FBSS) formed via post-mass transfer mechanism or accreted from dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. A significant fraction of BMP stars are discovered to be potential binaries. We observed 27 BMP stars using UVIT/\textit{AstroSat} in two FUV filters, F148W and F169M. We report the discovery of white dwarf (WD) companions of 12 BMP stars for the first time. The WD companions have estimated temperatures T$_{eff}$ $\sim$10500 $-$ 18250 K, and masses 0.17 M$_{\odot}$ $-$ 0.8 M$_{\odot}$. Based on [Fe/H] and space velocity, we group the 12 BMP/FBSS stars as the thick disk (5) and halo (5), whereas two stars appear to be in-between. All the 5 thick disk BMP/FBSS have extremely low-mass (M $<$ 0.2 M$_{\odot}$) WDs as companions, whereas the 5 halo BMP/FBSS have low (0.2 M$_{\odot}$ $<$ M $<$ 0.4 M$_{\odot}$), normal (0.4 M$_{\odot}$ $<$ M $<$ 0.6M$_{\odot}$), and high mass (M $>$ 0.6 M$_{\odot}$) WD companions. Our analysis suggests that at least $\sim$44 $\%$ of BMP stars are FBSS, and these stars hold the key to understand the details of mass transfer, binary properties, and chemical enrichment among the FBSS

Morpho-physiological and biochemical response of rice (Oryza sativa L.) to drought stress: A review

Global food shortages are caused mainly by drought, the primary driver of yield loss in agriculture worldwide. Drought stress negatively impacts the physiological and morphological characteristics of rice (Oryza sativa L.), limiting the plant productivity and hence the economy of global rice production. Physiological changes due to drought stress in rice include constrained cell division and elongation, stomatal closure, loss of turgor adjustment, reduced photosynthesis, and lower yields. Morphological changes include inhibition of seed germination, reduced tillers, early maturity, and reduced biomass. In addition, drought stress leads to a metabolic alteration by increasing the buildup of reactive oxygen species, reactive stress metabolites, antioxidative enzymes, and abscisic acid. Rice tends to combat drought through three major phenomena; tolerance, avoidance, and escape. Several mitigation techniques are introduced and adapted to combat drought stress which includes choosing drought-tolerant cultivars, planting early types, maintaining adequate moisture levels, conventional breeding, molecular maintenance, and creating variants with high-yielding characteristics. This review attempts to evaluate the various morpho-physiological responses of the rice plant to drought, along with drought stress reduction techniques