Congenital microcephaly: Case definition & guidelines for data collection, analysis, and presentation of safety data after maternal immunisation.

Need for developing case definitions and guidelines for data collection, analysis, and presentation for congenital microcephaly as an adverse event following maternal immunisation Congenital microcephaly, also referred to as primary microcephaly due to its presence in utero or at birth, is a descriptive term for a structural defect in which a fetus or infant’s head (cranium) circumference is smaller than expected when compared to other fetuses or infants of the same gestational age, sex and ethnic background

Key Diagnostic Finding in a Condition with Variable Clinical Presentations

This is an interesting case series on a very common genetic condition which are often diagnosed late as clinical signs are inconspicuous. We would like to highlight the principal clinical examination finding which led to diagnosis

Esterase Active in Polar Organic Solvents from the Yeast Pseudozyma sp. NII 08165

Esterases/lipases active in water miscible solvents are highly desired in biocatalysis where substrate solubility is limited and also when the solvent is desired as an acyl acceptor in transesterification reactions, as with the case of biodiesel production. We have isolated an esterase from the glycolipid producing yeast-Pseudozyma sp. NII 08165 which in its crude form was alkali active, thermo stable, halo tolerant and also capable of acting in presence of high methanol concentration. The crude enzyme which maintained 90% of its original activity after being treated at 70°C was purified and the properties were characterized. The partially purified esterase preparation had temperature and pH optima of 60°C and 8.0 respectively. The enzyme retained almost complete activity in presence of 25% methanol and 80% activity in the same strength of ethanol. Conditions of enzyme production were optimized, which lead to 9 fold increase in the esterase yield. One of the isoforms of the enzyme LIP1 was purified to homogeneity and characterized. Purified LIP1 had a Km and Vmax of 0.01 and 1.12, respectively. The purified esterase lost its thermo and halo tolerance but interestingly, retained 97% activity in methanol

Evaluation of the efficacy of different intracanal medicaments against Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis - An In-Vitro study

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of certain intracanal medicaments against Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis. Methods: Freshly extracted 120 single rooted mandibular premolars were selected for the study. Teeth were decoronated and cleaning and shaping was done up to F3 universal protaper system and were divided mainly into two groups: Candida albicans (C. albicans) (n = 60) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) (n = 60). The medicaments include: G1: chlorhexidine + calcium hydroxide, G2: sodium hypochlorite + calcium hydroxide, G3: 2% chlorhexidine gel, G4: octenisept, G5: 0.1% octenisept solution + calcium hydroxide, and G6: physiologic saline (n = 5). Teeth were contaminated with Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans which were cultured, respectively, in brain heart infusion and Sabouraud's dextrose agar for 21 days followed by intracanal medication and colony forming units were counted on the second and seventh day. Statistical analysis was done using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's post hoc test. Results: Against C. albicans, CHX + CH, 2% CHX gel, 0.1% octenidine (OCT) gel and OCT + CH showed statistically significant differences on the 2nd and 7th day. But against Enterococcus faecalis, only 0.1% OCT gel and 2% CHX gel showed statistically significant differences on the 2nd and 7th day. Among all the groups, 0.1% OCT gel and 2% CHX gel showed predominant antimicrobial efficacy. Conclusion: From the limitations of the current study, all the medicaments showed antimicrobial effect against Candida albicans and Enterococcus faecalis on the 2nd and 7th day with higher microbial inhibition on the 7th day

Assessment of symptoms and quality of life among postmenopausal women in a tertiary care hospital in Kochi, South India: A hospital-based descriptive study

Background: Menopause is a physiological event in the women's life that can strongly affect the quality of life (QOL). More than 80% of women state that physical and physiological symptoms commonly accompany menopause and affect women's health and well-being. Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the menopause-related symptoms and their impact on the women's life. Materials and Methods: We have done a hospital-based descriptive study at the Outpatient and Inpatient Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, Kerala, with 150 postmenopausal women. The data were collected using the structured Menopause-specific QOL (MENQOL) questionnaire. The data were collected for 4 weeks from the Outpatient and Inpatient of Department of OBG with inclusion criteria of women who were coming as bystanders' age in between 50 and 65 years. Statistical Analysis: Mean, standard deviation, frequency, and proportions were calculated. The association between the MENQOL scores and selected demographic variables was found using one-way ANOVA test. Results: Among 150 postmenopausal women, 51 (34%) were in the age group of 55–59 years and more than half of the study population (n = 116, 77.3%) were married. The management of menopausal symptoms was followed by 28 (18.7%) women. The prevalence levels of the classical menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness in women aged 50–65 years were 75.3%, 58%, and 30.7%, respectively. The overall MENQOL mean total score was found as 112.47 ± 28.80. The majority of them experienced the mean physical symptom, which was found to be 62.05 ± 17.82. The associations between QOL scores with educational status and socioeconomic status were statistically highly significant with P < 0.01 and with marital status statistically significant with P < 0.05. Conclusion: From the present study, we have concluded that the postmenopause-related physical symptoms are frequently reported by the middle age group classifications. The association between QOL scores with educational status, socioeconomic status, and marital status was statistically highly significant. By nursing education, creating appropriate awareness and health education on the management of postmenopausal symptoms to that age group and it could be reducing the burden of the women population

In Situ Synthesis of Silver Nanospheres, Nanocubes, and Nanowires over Boron-Doped Graphene Sheets for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Application and Enzyme-Free Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide

International audienc

Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering Approaches and Its Impact on Non-Conventional Yeast and Biofuel Production

The increasing fossil fuel scarcity has led to an urgent need to develop alternative fuels. Currently microorganisms have been extensively used for the production of first-generation biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass. Yeast is the efficient producer of bioethanol among all existing biofuels option. Tools of synthetic biology have revolutionized the field of microbial cell factories especially in the case of ethanol and fatty acid production. Most of the synthetic biology tools have been developed for the industrial workhorse Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The non-conventional yeast systems have several beneficial traits like ethanol tolerance, thermotolerance, inhibitor tolerance, genetic diversity, etc., and synthetic biology have the power to expand these traits. Currently, synthetic biology is slowly widening to the non-conventional yeasts like Hansenula polymorpha, Kluyveromyces lactis, Pichia pastoris, and Yarrowia lipolytica. Herein, we review the basic synthetic biology tools that can apply to non-conventional yeasts. Furthermore, we discuss the recent advances employed to develop efficient biofuel-producing non-conventional yeast strains by metabolic engineering and synthetic biology with recent examples. Looking forward, future synthetic engineering tools’ development and application should focus on unexplored non-conventional yeast species