CHEMICAL CHARACTERISATION OF ALPINIA GALANGA (L.) WILLD BY GC–MS, XRD, FTIR AND UV-VIS SPECTROSCOPIC METHODS

Objective: Present study was aimed to produce the chemical profile of Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd by various analytical methods.Methods: The sample extracted with methanol were screened for their volatile organic constituents using a Shimadzu QP-2010 PLUS gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS) instrument (Shimadzu Corporation, Japan). Then the sample was analyzed for the identification of unknown crystalline materials and determination of crystal structure using a PANalytical X'PERT PRO X-ray diffractometer. Finally the extracts were examined under visible and UV light for the proximate analysis. FTIR method performed on IR AFFINITY-1 Spectrophotometer and UV-1700 Spectrophotometer detects characteristic peaks in the visible range.Results: Forty significant compounds were identified in A. galanga by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. XRD pattern gave three prominent diffraction peaks at 25 position (15.39 o, 17.42o and 31.32o) results in d-spacing value 5.75, 5.08 and 2.85 Ã…; confirms the presence of Cu, Si and Pb elements. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of alkanes, amides, carboxylic acids, epoxides, alcohols, aliphatic amines, aromatics and phenol compounds. UV Vis spectrum profile showed the peaks at 358, 268 and 224 nm with the absorption of 0.590, 1.199 and 2.752.Conclusion: The information regarding the characterization and quantification may be useful in assessing the genotoxicity of the plant material and can be recommended for implementation in the official pharmacopeias.Â

ANTIOXIDANT AND CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF METHANOL EXTRACTS OF AMORPHOPHALLUS PAEONIIFOLIUS Ni

ABSTRACTObjectives: To identify the bioactive compounds present in Amorphophallus paeoniifolius and to evaluate the antioxidant and cytotoxic property of the plant extract.Methods: Preliminary phytochemical analysis was carried out by the standard method of Yadav and Agarwala [1]. Bioactive compounds were identified by GC – MS analysis.  Antioxidant activity of the methanol extract were determined by two different methods viz., DPPH radical scavenging assay and reducing power assay. Also the extracts were tested for their ability to kill the proliferative cells (MCF-7) by MTT assay.Results: Ten pharmacology important compounds were identified by GC-MS analysis. Higher antioxidant potential of the extracts was observed in both assays. The appreciable free radical scavenging activity of the extracts might be attributed to the secondary metabolites like alkaloids, flavanoids, tannins, phenols and sterols present in the extract. The results of MTT assay indicated a significant growth inhibition at a low concentration of IC50 values (51.07µg/ml).Conclusion: Present study is an evidence to support the usage of the plant which possesses several antioxidant principles for medicinal uses.Keywords:  Amorphophallus paeoniifolius, DPPH, reducing power, MCF-7 cells

Pentatrichomonas hominis in an immunosuppressed patient with enteric manifestations

Pentatrichomonas hominis is a flagellated protozoa considered to be a commensal that inhabits caecum and large intestine in man. It is regarded to be non-pathogenic, however, it has been postulated that these trichomonads undergo multiplication under favorable conditions for growth and exhibit a form of opportunism eventually causing diarrhea. We report, for the first time in India, a case of diarrhea due to P. hominis in an elderly male with myeloid malignancy that resolved on treatment with metronidazole

Privacy, Security, and Usability Tradeoffs of Telehealth from Practitioners' Perspectives

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the healthcare sector, with telehealth services being among the most prominent changes. The adoption of telehealth services, however, has raised new challenges, particularly in the areas of security and privacy. To better comprehend the telehealth needs and concerns of medical professionals, particularly those in private practice, we conducted a study comprised of 20 semi-structured interviews with telehealth practitioners in audiology and speech therapy. Our findings indicate that private telehealth practitioners encounter difficult choices when it comes to balancing security, privacy, usability, and accessibility, particularly while caring for vulnerable populations. Additionally, the study revealed that practitioners face challenges in ensuring HIPAA compliance due to inadequate resources and a lack of technological comprehension. Policymakers and healthcare providers should take proactive measures to address these challenges, including offering resources and training to ensure HIPAA compliance and enhancing technology infrastructure to support secure and accessible telehealth

Characterization of a new commercial single crystal diamond detector for photon- and proton-beam dosimetry

A synthetic single crystal diamond detector (SCDD) is commercially available and is characterized for radiation dosimetry in various radiation beams in this study. The characteristics of the commercial SCDD model 60019 (PTW) with 6- and 15-MV photon beams, and 208-MeV proton beams, were investigated and compared with the pre-characterized detectors: Semiflex (model 31010) and PinPoint (model 31006) ionization chambers (PTW), the EDGE diode detector (Sun Nuclear Corp) and the SFD Stereotactic Dosimetry Diode Detector (IBA). To evaluate the effects of the pre-irradiation, the diamond detector, which had not been irradiated on the day, was set up in the water tank, and the response to 100 MU was measured every 20 s. The depth–dose and profiles data were collected for various field sizes and depths. For all radiation types and field sizes, the depth–dose data of the diamond chamber showed identical curves to those of the ionization chambers. The profile of the diamond detector was very similar to those of the EDGE and SFD detectors, although the Semiflex and PinPoint chambers showed volume-averaging effects in the penumbrae region. The temperature dependency was within 0.7% in the range of 4–41°C. A dose of 900 cGy and 1200 cGy was needed to stabilize the chamber to the level within 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively. The PTW type 60019 SCDD detector showed suitable characteristics for radiation dosimetry, for relative dose, depth–dose and profile measurements for a wide range of field sizes. However, at least 1000 cGy of pre-irradiation will be needed for accurate measurements

Conversion of Cellulose into Cellulose Acetate and Evaluation of Biomedical and Wastewater Cleaner Application of Electrospun Cellulose Acetate Nanofibers

Conversion of biomass into useful organic chemicals has great demand in the twenty-first century. Cellulose is the most natural abundant biopolymer. Production of cellulose acetate (CA) from cellulose has garnered tremendous global attention because of their myriad application. CA is produced in huge amounts globally. Annual production of the derivative crossed 1.5 billion pounds. CA has remarkable biomedical applications due to their capability of drug delivery and anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial properties. This chapter highlighted the synthesis and chemical and physical properties of CA polymer and electrospun CA nanofibers (CA NF) and their tremendous applications in biomedical and wastewater treatment

Primitive Sca-1 Positive Bone Marrow HSC in Mouse Model of Aplastic Anemia: A Comparative Study through Flowcytometric Analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy

Self-renewing Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) are responsible for reconstitution of all blood cell lineages. Sca-1 is the “stem cell antigen” marker used to identify the primitive murine HSC population, the expression of which decreases upon differentiation to other mature cell types. Sca-1+ HSCs maintain the bone marrow stem cell pool throughout the life. Aplastic anemia is a disease considered to involve primary stem cell deficiency and is characterized by severe pancytopenia and a decline in healthy blood cell generation system. Studies conducted in our laboratory revealed that the primitive Sca-1+ BM-HSCs (bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell) are significantly affected in experimental Aplastic animals pretreated with chemotherapeutic drugs (Busulfan and Cyclophosphamide) and there is increased Caspase-3 activity with consecutive high Annexin-V positivity leading to premature apoptosis in the bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell population in Aplastic condition. The Sca-1bright, that is, “more primitive” BM-HSC population was more affected than the “less primitive” BM-HSC Sca-1dim  population. The decreased cell population and the receptor expression were directly associated with an empty and deranged marrow microenvironment, which is evident from scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The above experimental evidences hint toward the manipulation of receptor expression for the benefit of cytotherapy by primitive stem cell population in Aplastic anemia cases

Alteration in Marrow Stromal Microenvironment and Apoptosis Mechanisms Involved in Aplastic Anemia: An Animal Model to Study the Possible Disease Pathology

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a heterogeneous disorder of bone marrow failure syndrome. Suggested mechanisms include a primary stem cell deficiency or defect, a secondary stem cell defect due to abnormal regulation between cell death and differentiation, or a deficient microenvironment. In this study, we have tried to investigate the alterations in hematopoietic microenvironment and underlying mechanisms involved in such alterations in an animal model of drug induced AA. We presented the results of studying long term marrow culture, marrow ultra-structure, marrow adherent and hematopoietic progenitor cell colony formation, flowcytometric analysis of marrow stem and stromal progenitor populations and apoptosis mechanism involved in aplastic anemia. The AA marrow showed impairment in cellular proliferation and maturation and failed to generate a functional stromal microenvironment even after 19 days of culture. Ultra-structural analysis showed a degenerated and deformed marrow cellular association in AA. Colony forming units (CFUs) were also severely reduced in AA. Significantly decreased marrow stem and stromal progenitor population with subsequently increased expression levels of both the extracellular and intracellular apoptosis inducer markers in the AA marrow cells essentially pointed towards the defective hematopoiesis; moreover, a deficient and apoptotic microenvironment and the microenvironmental components might have played the important role in the possible pathogenesis of AA

Host microbiome in tuberculosis: disease, treatment, and immunity perspectives

Tuberculosis (TB), an airborne pulmonary disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb), poses an unprecedented health and economic burden to most of the developing countries. Treatment of TB requires prolonged use of a cocktail of antibiotics, which often manifest several side effects, including stomach upset, nausea, and loss of appetite spurring on treatment non-compliance and the emergence of antibiotic resistant M. tb. The anti-TB treatment regimen causes imbalances in the composition of autochthonous microbiota associated with the human body, which also contributes to major side effects. The microbiota residing in the gastrointestinal tract play an important role in various physiological processes, including resistance against colonization by pathogens, boosting host immunity, and providing key metabolic functions. In TB patients, due to prolonged exposure to anti-tuberculosis drugs, the gut microbiota significantly loses its diversity and several keystone bacterial taxa. This loss may result in a significant reduction in the functional potency of the microbiota, which is a probable reason for poor treatment outcomes. In this review, we discuss the structural and functional changes of the gut microbiota during TB and its treatment. A major focus of the review is oriented to the gut microbial association with micronutrient profiles and immune cell dynamics during TB infection. Furthermore, we summarize the acquisition of anti-microbial resistance in M. tb along with the microbiome-based therapeutics to cure the infections. Understanding the relationship between these components and host susceptibility to TB disease is important to finding potential targets that may be used in TB prevention, progression, and cure