Cold-active Moulds from Jammu and Kashmir, India as Potential Source of Cold-active Enzymes

Cold-active moulds have been isolated from the soil of ten selected sites of Jammu and Kashmir (India) in the winter season. Most of them turned out to be psychrotolerant except BPF-5 and BPF-6 which showed defective growth above 20oC, and thus were identified as psychrophilic moulds. BPF-5 was also found to form sexual structure at 4oC, while BPF-6 formed melanaceous filaments in old culture. The isolate BPF-5 has been identified as Truncatella angustata and BPF-6 as Psudogymnoascus sp. Among psychrotolerant moulds, the species of Cladosporium and Penicillium were found to be dominant taxa in terms of frequency and number of species while Rhizomucor sp., to be the most prolific mould under in vitro culture. Many of them formed adaptive structures and pigment.  All of these isolates were able to utilize starch, cellulose, casein and tween-80 while many of them were able to use pectin and carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) as sole carbon source at 4oC suggesting that they might be important sources of cold-adapted enzymes and other biomolecules. Although α-amylase from all the isolates showed residual cold-activity, that from BPF-6 exhibited the highest one suggesting it to be further explored for biotechnological applications

Formulation and evaluation fast dissolving tablets of lovastatin using solid dispersion method

The research worked based using solid dispersion method though poorly soluble drugs lovastatin formulating it as solid dispersions subsequent preparation of fast dissolving tablets with the prepared solid dispersions using different concentrations of super disintegrates and comparing them with that of the marketed product. Lovastatin is a HMG CoA reductase inhibitor used in the treatment of hyperlipidemias and prevention of ischemic heart disease. It is practically insoluble in water, sparingly soluble in alcohol and soluble in acetone. In the present investigation lovastatin and solid dispersion were prepared by physical mixing, fusion, solvent evaporation and lyophilizafion methods using polyethylene glycol-6000 as an inert amphiphilc carrier. The prepared solid dispersions were evaluated for pre compressional parameters such as angle of repose, Carr’s index, particle size and drug content. Keywords: solid dispersion, poorly soluble drugs, super disintegrates

Safety and efficacy of hydrothermal duodenal mucosal resurfacing in patients with type 2 diabetes: the randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled, multicentre REVITA-2 feasibility trial

Objective: Hydrothermal duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) is a safe, outpatient endoscopic procedure. REVITA-2, a double-blind, superiority RCT, investigates safety and efficacy of DMR using the single catheter Revita system (Revita DMR [catheter and system], on glycaemic control and liver fat content in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).Design: Eligible patients (HbA1c 59–86mmol/mol, BMI ≥24 and ≤40kg/m2, fasting insulin >48.6pmol/L, ≥1 oral antidiabetic medication) enrolled in Europe and Brazil. Primary endpoints were safety, change from baseline in HbA1c at 24 weeks, and liver magnetic resonance imaging proton-density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) at 12 weeks. Results: Overall mITT (DMR N=56; sham N=52), 24-weeks post-DMR, median (IQR) HbA1c change was −10.4 (18.6) mmol/mol in DMR group versus −7.1 (16.4) mmol/mol in sham group (p=0.147). In patients with baseline liver MRI-PDFF >5% (DMR n=48; sham n=43), 12-week post-DMR liver-fat change was −5.4 (5.6)% in DMR group versus −2.9 (6.2)% in sham group (p=0.096). Results from prespecified interaction testing and clinical parameter assessment showed heterogeneity between European (DMR N=39; sham N=37) and Brazilian (DMR N=17; sham N=16) populations (p=0.063), therefore, results were stratified by region. In European mITT, 24-weeks post-DMR, median (IQR) HbA1c change was –6.6 mmol/mol (17.5 mmol/mol) versus –3.3 mmol/mol (10.9 mmol/mol) post-sham (p=0.033); 12-week post-DMR liver-fat change was –5.4% (6.1%) versus –2.2% (4.3%) post-sham (p=0.035). Brazilian mITT results trended towards DMR benefit in HbA1c, but not liver fat, in context of a large sham effect. In overall PP, patients with high baseline fasting plasma glucose ([FPG] ≥10 mmol/L) had significantly greater reductions in HbA1c post-DMR versus sham (p=0.002). Most adverse events were mild and transient. Conclusions: DMR is safe and exerts beneficial disease-modifying metabolic effects in T2D with or without non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD), particularly in patients with high FPG

Biodegradation of pesticide-contaminated wastewaters in denitrifying sequencing batch reactors.

This research investigated the potential for industrial-strength 2-methyl-4- chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) degradation by activated sludge microorganisms in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) under nitrate-reducing conditions. The research was divided into four phases consisting of Phase I (a “proof-of-concept” phase); Phase II (an initial “tolerance” exploration phase); Phase III (an “effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT)” phase) and Phase IV (a “limits” phase). Prior to addition of the MCPA, baseline data was collected to ensure a stable operation of the SBR in terms of COD and nitrate removal. The SBR successfully and simultaneously removed the nitrates completely and around 98 % of the MCPA up to an initial concentration of 50 mg/L MCPA in the dimethylamine salt form (DMCPA) (Phases I, II and III); however, it took approximately 28 days to observe a steady, high-level removal of MCPA. When the concentration of DMCPA was increased to 75 mg/L (Phase IV) the MCPA removal efficiency dropped to 85 % but removal was observed only for a relatively short period of time, since the biomass appeared to eventually become saturated with the herbicide, stopping conversion of DMCPA to its acid form and halting biodegradation. The bio-kinetic parameters for nitrate and acetate (COD) were quantified when the concentration of herbicide increased from 20 to 50 to 75 mg/L. The biodegradation kinetic model of COD changed from a first-order (baseline data) to a second-order kinetic model by the addition of increasing concentrations of the herbicide. The rate constant values (k₂) decreased from 1.51 ± 0.82 to 0.57 ± 0.14 to 0.25 ± 0.11 h⁻¹ from 20 mg/L to 75 mg/L respectively. In regards to nitrate, the order of reaction remained the same as the baseline data (i.e. a first-order kinetic model) but the rate constant values (k1) decreased from 2.58 ± 0.76 to 2.14 ± 0.40 to 1.24 ± 0.16 h⁻¹ from 20 mg/L to 75 mg/L. Similarly, specific COD and nitrate uptake rates also decreased from 0.60 ± 0.12 to 0.39 ± 0.04 to 0.26 ± 0.07 mg/mg VSS d and 0.14 ± 0.01 to 0.12 ± 0.02 to 0.11± 0.01 mg/mg VSS d from 20 mg/L to 75 mg/L respectively. Further to this, the bio-kinetic rate constants of DMCPA and MCPA were estimated by solving first-order modified differential equations (MDEs) using the function ode45 in MATLAB. This function implements a Runge-Kutta method with a variable time step for efficient computation after the initial conditions at time to, are specified. Thus, the “apparent” reaction rate constants for DMCPA and MCPA for 20 mg/L of herbicides were found to be kD= 0.27 h⁻¹ and kM = 0.97 h⁻¹ respectively; whereas, a three-fold decrease (kD = 0.09 h⁻¹) in the apparent rate of DMCPA degradation and a two-fold decrease (kM = 0.47 h⁻¹) in the rate of MCPA degradation was observed when the concentration increased from 20 to 50 mg/L. The results of this study produced additional information on the biodegradability potential, limits and kinetics of MCPA under anoxic conditions; thereby providing supplementary information to an overall integrated pesticide-nitrate removal strategy

Fermented foods: are they tasty medicines for Helicobacter pylori associated peptic ulcer and gastric cancer?

More than a million people die every year due to gastric cancer and peptic ulcer. Helicobacter pylori infection in stomach is the most important reason for these diseases. Interestingly, only 10-20% of the H. pylori infected individuals suffer from these gastric diseases and rest of the infected individuals remain asymptomatic. The genotypes of H. pylori, host genetic background, lifestyle including smoking and diet may determine clinical outcomes. People from different geographical regions have different food habits, which also include several unique fermented products of plant and animal origins. When consumed raw, the fermented foods bring in fresh inocula of microbes to gastrointestinal tract and several strains of these microbes, like Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces are known probiotics. In vitro and in vivo experiments as well as clinical trials suggest that several probiotics have anti-H. pylori effects. Here we discuss the possibility of using natural probiotics present in traditional fermented food and beverages to obtain protection against H. pylori induced gastric diseases

Transperitoneal laparoscopic left versus right live donor nephrectomy: Comparison of outcomes

Introduction: Although laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (LDN) is being performed at many centers, there are reservations on the routine use of laparoscopy for harvesting the right kidney due to a perception of technical complexity and increased incidence of allograft failure, renal vein thrombosis and the need for more back-table reconstruction along with increased operative time. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective non-randomized comparison of transperitoneal laparoscopic left donor nephrectomy (LLDN) with laparoscopic right donor nephrectomy (RLDN) from August 2008 to May 2013. The operative time, warm ischemia time, intraoperative events, blood loss and post-operative parameters were recorded. The renal recipient parameters, including post-operative creatinine, episodes of acute tubular necrosis (ATN)  and delayed graft function were also recorded. Results: A total of 188 LDN were performed between August 2008 and May 2013, including 164 LLDN and 24 RLDN. The demographic characteristics between the two groups were comparable. The operative duration was in favor of the right donor group, while warm ischemia time, estimated blood loss and mean length of hospital stay were similar between the two groups. Overall renal functional outcomes were comparable between the two donor groups, while the recipient outcomes including creatinine at discharge were also comparable. Conclusions: RLDN has a safety profile comparable with LLDN, even in those with complex vascular anatomy, and can be successfully performed by the transperitoneal route with no added morbidity. RLDN requires lesser operative time with comparable morbidity

Digital Agriculture: The Future of Indian Agriculture

Agriculture continues to be the dominant economic sector in India in terms of providing a living. Of the population, 58.2% are employed by it. The success of the agriculture sector determines the nation's social change and economic expansion. Although the amount produced by agriculture per person has been steadily increasing recently, the sector's GDP contribution has been declining. The main issue facing the so-called agrarian Indian economy is the slowdown in agricultural growth. Numerous factors contribute to the slowdown, including inadequate public funding for R&D and irrigation, ineffective input delivery, fragmented land, antiquated tenancy laws, a lack of contemporary market and rural infrastructure, unsuitable input pricing policies, and so on. Agriculture has embraced technology as a solution to all of these issues. Information and communication technology (ICT) and agriculture are coming together to create a new growth engine that makes all production, distribution, and consuming processes more efficient. The evolution of Indian agriculture and the concept of digital technology are the main topics of this paper

A Comprehensive Review of Application of RS, GIS and GPS in Agriculture India

Food and fibre, two of humanity's most fundamental requirements, are met by agriculture. In the last century, new farming methods have been introduced, such as the Green Revolution, which has enabled agriculture to keep up with the increasing demand for food and other agricultural goods. But population growth, rising income levels, and increased food demand will probably put more stress on the planet's natural resources. As the detrimental effects of agriculture on the environment become more widely acknowledged, new methods and strategies need to be able to meet future food needs while preserving or lessening the environmental footprint of agriculture. Informed management decisions aiming at increasing crop production could be made with the help of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), big data analysis, and geospatial technology. Many scientists, engineers, agronomists, and researchers use a variety of technologies each year to boost agricultural output while minimising pollution, yet these efforts have a negative environmental impact. Precision agriculture examines how technology might be applied to enhance agricultural practises relative to traditional methods while minimising negative environmental effects. Precision agriculture greatly benefits from the deployment of remote sensing technologies, which also presents new chances to enhance agricultural practises. Geographically, latitude and longitude data can be recorded for field data (slope, aspect, nutrients, and yield) using the global positioning system (GPS). Because of its ability to continuously determine and record the right position, it can build a larger database for the user. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which can handle and store these data, are needed for the additional analysis. This review will offer you an overview of Remote Sensing technology, GPS, and GIS, and how it might be used for precision agriculture