Isolation, identification and PCR amplification of merA gene from highly mercury polluted Yamuna river

Mercury resistant Escherichia coli strains have been isolated from different mercury polluted sites of India and their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) levels were determined. The zone of inhibition was measured to find the antibiotic sensitivity level. The location of mer operon was determined bytransforming the isolated plasmids into mercury sensitive host DH5a cells. Plasmid isolated from transformed DH5a cells were also analyzed and compared with the plasmid profile of the wild-type strains. Oligonucleotides primer were designed by comparing the known reported sequences of merAfrom gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli R100) and 1695 bp of merA gene was amplified by PCR

Effect of a tumour-produced lipid-mobilizing factor on protein synthesis and degradation

Treatment of murine myoblasts, myotubes and tumour cells with a tumour-produced lipid mobilizing factor (LMF), caused a concentration-dependent stimulation of protein synthesis, within a 24 h period. There was no effect on cell number or [3H] thymidine incorporation, but a similar concentration-dependent stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake. LMF produced an increase in intracellular cyclic AMP levels, which was linearly (r2= 0.973) related to the increase in protein synthesis. The effect of LMF was attenuated by the adenylate cyclase inhibitor MDL 12330A, and was additive with the stimulation produced by forskolin. Both propranolol (10 μM) and the specific β3-adrenergic receptor antagonist SR 59230A (10–5M), significantly reduced the stimulation of protein synthesis induced by LMF. Protein synthesis was also increased by 69% (P = 0.006) in soleus muscles of mice administered LMF, while there was a 26% decrease in protein degradation (P = 0.03). While LMF had no effect on the lysosomal enzymes, cathepsins B and L, there was a decrease in proteasome activity, as determined both by the ‘chymotrypsin-like’ enzyme activity, as well as expression of proteasome α-type subunits, determined by Western blotting. These results show that in addition to its lipid-mobilizing activity LMF also increases protein accumulation in skeletal muscle both by an increase in protein synthesis and a decrease in protein catabolism. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Presubiculum principal cells are preserved from degeneration in knock-in APP/TAU mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease

The presubiculum (PRS) is an integral component of the perforant pathway that has recently been recognised as a relatively unscathed region in clinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD), despite neighbouring components of the perforant pathway, CA1 and the entorhinal cortex, responsible for formation of episodic memory and storage, showing severe hallmarks of AD including, amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques, tau tangles and marked gliosis. However, the question remains whether this anatomical resilience translates into functional resilience of the PRS neurons. Using neuroanatomy combined with whole-cell electrophysiological recordings, we investigated whether the unique spatial profile of the PRS was replicable in two knock-in mouse models of AD, APPNL-F/NL-F, and APPNL-F/MAPTHTAU and whether the intrinsic properties and morphological integrity of the PRS principal neurons was maintained compared to the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) and hippocampal CA1 principal cells. Our data revealed an age-dependent Aβ and tau pathology with neuroinflammation in the LEC and CA1, but a presence of fleece-like Aβ deposits with an absence of tau tangles and cellular markers of gliosis in the PRS of the mouse models at 11–16 and 18–22 months. These observations were consistent in human post-mortem AD tissue. This spatial profile also correlated with functional resilience of strong burst firing PRS pyramidal cells that showed unaltered sub- and suprathreshold intrinsic biophysical membrane properties and gross morphology in the AD models that were similar to the properties of pyramidal cells recorded in age-matched wild-type mice (11–14 months). This was in contrast to the LEC and CA1 principal cells which showed altered subthreshold intrinsic properties such as a higher input resistance, longer membrane time constants and hyperexcitability in response to suprathreshold stimulation that correlated with atrophied dendrites in both AD models. In conclusion, our data show for the first time that the unique anatomical profile of the PRS constitutes a diffuse AD pathology that is correlated with the preservation of principal pyramidal cell intrinsic biophysical and morphological properties despite alteration of LEC and CA1 pyramidal cells in two distinct genetic models of AD. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of this resilience could be beneficial in preventing the spread of disease pathology before cognitive deficits are precipitated in AD

Genetic diversity analysis of stress tolerant rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Fourteen rice genotypes, composed of six salt tolerant, three submergence tolerant, two drought tolerant genotypes along with three high yielding genotypes, released from Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) were used for genetic diversity analysis using 40 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. All of the used SSR markers were found polymorphic among the 14 rice genotypes. The amplicon size ranged from 75 bp (RM436) to 330 bp (RM26360). A total of 168 alleles were detected, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 (RM252, S03120) to 6 (RM570, S12055, S11033) with an average of 4.2 alleles per locus. Polymorphic information content (PIC) value varied from 0.21 (RM252) to 0.76 (S07024) with an average of 0.57. From genetic distance co-efficient, the highest and lowest genetic distant varieties were found for BRRI dhan28 vs. BRRI dhan43 (0.82%) and BRRI dhan40 vs. BRRI dhan44 (0.37%) respectively. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA)-cluster analysis divided the rice genotypes into four distinct clusters. The information obtained from this study would be useful for planning the breeding program to develop stress tolerant rice variety with high yielding ability and fine grain quality.Key words: Genetic diversity, simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers, stress tolerant, rice

Alzheimer’s Disease Enhanced Tonic Inhibition is Correlated With Upregulated Astrocyte GABA Transporter-3/4 in a Knock-In APP Mouse Model

Cognitive decline is a major symptom in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is strongly associated with synaptic excitatory-inhibitory imbalance. Here, we investigated whether astrocyte-specific GABA transporter 3/4 (GAT3/4) is altered in APP knock-in mouse model of AD and whether this is correlated with changes in principal cell excitability. Using the APPNL-F/NL-F knock-in mouse model of AD, aged-matched to wild-type mice, we performed in vitro electrophysiological whole-cell recordings combined with immunohistochemistry in the CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus. We observed a higher expression of GAD67, an enzyme that catalyses GABA production, and GAT3/4 in reactive astrocytes labelled with GFAP, which correlated with an enhanced tonic inhibition in the CA1 and DG of 12–16 month-old APPNL-F/NL-F mice compared to the age-matched wild-type animals. Comparative neuroanatomy experiments performed using post-mortem brain tissue from human AD patients, age-matched to healthy controls, mirrored the results obtained using mice tissue. Blocking GAT3/4 associated tonic inhibition recorded in CA1 and DG principal cells resulted in an increased membrane input resistance, enhanced firing frequency and synaptic excitation in both wild-type and APPNL-F/NL-F mice. These effects exacerbated synaptic hyperactivity reported previously in the APPNL-F/NL-F mice model. Our data suggest that an alteration in astrocyte GABA homeostasis is correlated with increased tonic inhibition in the hippocampus, which probably plays an important compensatory role in restoring AD-associated synaptic hyperactivity. Therefore, reducing tonic inhibition through GAT3/4 may not be a good therapeutic strategy for A

Heuristic edge server placement in Industrial Internet of Things and cellular networks

Rapid developments in industry 4.0, machine learning, and digital twins have introduced new latency, reliability, and processing restrictions in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and mobile devices. However, using current Information and Communications Technology (ICT), it is difficult to optimally provide services that require high computing power and low latency. To meet these requirements, mobile edge computing is emerging as a ubiquitous computing paradigm that enables the use of network infrastructure components such as cluster heads/sink nodes in IIoT and cellular network base stations to provide local data storage and computation servers at the edge of the network. However, optimal location selection for edge servers within a network out of a very large number of possibilities, such as to balance workload and minimize access delay is a challenging problem. In this paper, the edge server placement problem is addressed within an existing network infrastructure obtained from Shanghai Telecom’s base station the dataset that includes a significant amount of call data records and locations of actual base stations. The problem of edge server placement is formulated as a multi-objective constraint optimization problem that places edge servers strategically to the balance between the workloads of edge servers and reduce access delay between the industrial control center/cellular base-stations and edge servers. To search randomly through a large number of possible solutions and selecting those that are most descriptive of optimal solution can be a very time-consuming process, therefore, we apply the genetic algorithm and local search algorithms (hillclimbing and simulated annealing) to find the best solution in the least number of solution space explorations. Experimental results are obtained to compare the performance of the genetic algorithm against the above-mentioned local search algorithms. The results show that the genetic algorithm can quickly search through the large solution space as compared to local search optimization algorithms to find an edge placement strategy that minimizes the cost functio

General practitioner\u27s knowledge regarding the diagnosis and drug therapy for acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: To assess the general practitioners (GP) knowledge regarding the diagnosis and initial drug therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in randomly selected GPs of Karachi. Doctors working in community as GPs who were registered medical practitioners having a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery degree were included in the study. Doctors working at tertiary care facilities or having a post graduate degree or post graduate training in a specialty other than family medicine were excluded from the study. RESULTS: A total of 186 GPs participated in our study. GPs who studied research journals were 2.33 times more likely to investigate serum cardiac troponins levels for the diagnosis of AMI compared to those who did not study research journals (P = 0.02). Twenty six percent of the GPs said that they would refer a patient with suspected AMI without treatment, while 76% said that they would consider some treatment prior to referral. Fifty eight percent of the GPs identified ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) of \u3c 12 hours duration as an indication of thrombolysis while 28% identified posterior wall AMI as a thrombolytic indication. CONCLUSION: GPs, although adequately aware of the presenting features of AMI, were lacking in knowledge regarding the means for confirmation of diagnosis, initial drug therapy and were less likely to carry management steps in their practice

Balancing carrots and sticks: incentives for sustainable hilsa fishery management in Bangladesh

Mihir Kanti Majumder, Md Mokammel Hossain, Atiq Rahman, Belayet Hussei

Differential livelihood adaptation to social-ecological change in coastal Bangladesh

Social-ecological changes, brought about by the rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and the increased occurrence of climatic stressors, have significantly affected the livelihoods of coastal communities in Asian mega-deltas. This paper explores the livelihood adaptation responses of households of different wealth classes, the heterogeneous adaptation opportunities, barriers and limits (OBLs) faced by these households and the dynamic ways in which these factors interact to enhance or impede adaptive capacities. A mixed methods approach was used to collect empirical evidence from two villages in coastal Bangladesh. Findings reveal that households’ adaptive capacities largely depend on their wealth status, which not only determine their availability of productive resources, but also empower them to navigate social-ecological change in desirable ways. Households operate within a shared response space, which is shaped by the broader socio-economic and political landscape, as well as their previous decisions that can lock them in to particular pathways. While an adaptive response may be effective for one social group, it may cause negative externalities that can undermine the adaptation options and outcomes of another group. Adaptation OBLs interact in complex ways; the extent to which these OBLs affect different households depend on the specific livelihood activities being considered and the differential values and interests they hold. To ensure more equitable and environmentally sustainable livelihoods in future, policies and programs should aim to expand households’ adaptation space by accounting for the heterogeneous needs and complex interdependencies between response processes of different groups

A False Start in the Race Against Doping in Sport: Concerns With Cycling’s Biological Passport

Professional cycling has suffered from a number of doping scandals. The sport’s governing bodies have responded by implementing an aggressive new antidoping program known as the biological passport. Cycling’s biological passport marks a departure from traditional antidoping efforts, which have focused on directly detecting prohibited substances in a cyclist’s system. Instead, the biological passport tracks biological variables in a cyclist’s blood and urine over time, monitoring for fluctuations that are thought to indirectly reveal the effects of doping. Although this method of indirect detection is promising, it also raises serious legal and scientific concerns. Since its introduction, the cycling community has debated the reliability of indirect biological-passport evidence and the clarity, consistency, and transparency of its use in proving doping violations. Such uncertainty undermines the legitimacy of finding cyclists guilty of doping based on this indirect evidence alone. Antidoping authorities should address these important concerns before continuing to pursue doping sanctions against cyclists solely on the basis of their biological passports