Invasive aspergillosis causing small bowel infarction in a patient of carcinoma breast undergoing chemotherapy

BACKGROUND: To report a 45 year old lady presenting with proximal jejunal gangrene due to invasive Aspergillosis. The patient was undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for advance carcinoma of breast (Stage IV). METHODS: The patient was referred to our surgical emergency for acute abdominal symptoms for 6 hours. Histopathology revealed bowel wall necrosis and vascular invasion by Aspergillus Fumigatus. Postoperative recovery was uneventful and the patient received Amphotericin-B (1 mg/kg/day) for invasive aspergillosis. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was confirmed by isolating Aspergillus Fumigatus from bronchoalveolar lavage and by a positive circulating galactomannan test (ELISA Assay). RESULTS: Detailed history revealed dry cough and two episodes of haemoptesis for 2 weeks. Haemogram and counts revealed anemia and neutropenia. Plain X – ray of the abdomen showed multiple air fluid levels and ultrasound of the abdomen revealed distended bowel loops. On exploration small bowel was found to be gangrenous. The patient was successfully managed by supportive treatment and conventional intravenous Amphotericin-B for 2 weeks. The lady was discharged one week after completion of antifungal therapy and one month later she underwent toilet mastectomy. The lady came to follow up for 1 year and she is currently under hormone therapy. CONCLUSION: With the emergence of new and powerful immunosuppressive, anticancer drugs and potent antibiotics the survival of transplant and critically ill patients has remarkably increased but it has shown a significant rise in the incidence of invasive opportunistic fungal infections. We conclude hat the diagnosis of invasive gastrointestinal aspergillosis may be considered in a neutropenic patient with acute abdominal symptoms

A Modified Non Electrical Filter for Decontamination of Iron Rich Water for Rural Application

A non-electrical filter is designed to cater the need of providing iron free water in forward and rural areas. The features of the unit are equipped with the aeration system and activated sand chemically coated by iron oxide as catalytic and filtering media which can bring down iron concentration from 12 mg/L to desirable limit. It increases the pH of water from acidic to pH above 7. This is in contrast to some indigenous water filter which existed in the North Eastern India that tend to remove iron below 4 mg/L. The modified filter is effective in reducing excess total dissolved solids (TDS) from drinking water. All other physical parameters found to be within the prescribed limit. It can give iron free water with output capacity of 25L/hr. The added advantage of the unit is the provision for back washing of the filter media and collection point of the precipitated iron at the lower bottom of the tank for safe discharge

Antibacterial Performance Evaluation of Silver Coated River Sand for Water Decontamination Application

The presence of microbes in drinking water is a serious health hazard demanding immediate attention. Silver is known for centuries for its highly effective antimicrobial properties against a variety of microorganisms. Sand is a natural filter media that is widely used in water purification systems for the removal of dirt and suspended matter from water. Hence the development of additional antimicrobial features in commonly used filter material i.e. sand by coating with silver is an alternative technology for providing a safe drinking-water free from microbes. The present study was performed to develop a cost-effective material with antimicrobial properties by coating locally available river sand with silver. The coated material was subsequently used for its antimicrobial performance by using standard methods. To perform the tests E.coli was isolated from wastewater by using standard microbiological protocols. Thereafter, a biochemical test and antibiotic sensitivity assay were performed. Synthesised silver-coated sand was tested for its antibacterial activity against E.coli through the agar well diffusion method. The results showed a zone of clearance ≥40 mm with 700 mg of synthesised sample. To further determine the efficacy of developed material against E.coli load in artificially contaminated water, experiments were conducted by passing contaminated water through the material stuffed inside a hollow tube filter. A colony count reduction of 86.67 per cent was observed on passing 1000 ml of 3x103 CFU/ml contaminated water through the filter. The present study suggests that additional functionality of microbial reduction can be introduced in the sand through the silver coating. The developed material can be effectively used for the removal of fecal coliforms (E.coli) present in water bodies at an effective cost in addition to the removal of traditional impurities like dirt and suspended materials

Ecofriendly Hill Mining by Tunneling Method

Mostly, hills are mined by ‘Strip mining’ i.e. removing the hills from top. This conventional approach destroys the landscape and defaces the beauty of the hill. Besides, a large amount of dust generated at source disturbs the villagers and nearby human settlements during the excavation operation or related activities. To eliminate this, and remove the ‘out yard dumping of material’, except at initial stage i.e. during developmental phase, if tunneling methods of civil construction work is applied, ‘the conventional hill mining’ can be turned into an eco-friendly hill mining with very little planning efforts. This chapter highlights the abovementioned aspects of ‘hill mining’ covering overviews about the ‘hill mining by tunneling method’. In this technique, the extraction of mineral deposits is done by driving tunnels at the bottom (or other accessible higher level of the hills) and combining it with cross-cuts and adits, to protect the green cover and the serene hill environment. A case study of limestone mining in hilly Meghalaya region of India forms a part of the description where its feasibility exists

Gut Microbiota and Cardiovascular Uremic Toxicities

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major cause of high morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Numerous CVD risk factors in CKD patients have been described, but these do not fully explain the high pervasiveness of CVD or increased mortality rates in CKD patients. In CKD the loss of urinary excretory function results in the retention of various substances referred to as “uremic retention solutes”. Many of these molecules have been found to exert toxicity on virtually all organ systems of the human body, leading to the clinical syndrome of uremia. In recent years, an increasing body of evidence has been accumulated that suggests that uremic toxins may contribute to an increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden associated with CKD. This review examined the evidence from several clinical and experimental studies showing an association between uremic toxins and CVD. Special emphasis is addressed on emerging data linking gut microbiota with the production of uremic toxins and the development of CKD and CVD. The biological toxicity of some uremic toxins on the myocardium and the vasculature and their possible contribution to cardiovascular injury in uremia are also discussed. Finally, various therapeutic interventions that have been applied to effectively reduce uremic toxins in patients with CKD, including dietary modifications, use of prebiotics and/or probiotics, an oral intestinal sorbent that adsorbs uremic toxins and precursors, and innovative dialysis therapies targeting the protein-bound uremic toxins are also highlighted. Future studies are needed to determine whether these novel therapies to reduce or remove uremic toxins will reduce CVD and related cardiovascular events in the long-term in patients with chronic renal failure

A Review on the Degradation of Ionic and Non Ionic Surfactants in Water

The ability to respond to changing consumer and industrial wastes is critical for water treatment. Surfactants are of importance because of their increasing prevalence in home and industrial settings, as well as the challenges they provide to standard treatment. Surface active agents (SAAs) are chemical compounds that are discharged into the environment. They may have a deleterious impact on ecosystem biotic components. They also produce an increase in the aqueous phase solubility of organic contaminants. The destiny of SAAs in the environment is currently uncertain. Recognizing this issue will help to safeguard live species and maintain the quality and balance of a diverse ecosystem.This critical evaluation considers studies from several technical disciplines to offer an up-to-date summary of the environmental effects of surfactants. A variety of technologies are discussed, as well as their drawbacks and potential solutions

The Hidden Microplastic A New Insight into Degradation of Plastic in Marine Environment

Plastic is usually used in essential areas like packaging, industries electronic, construction, building, healthcare, transport, etc. gradually pollution is increasing in the world. Plastic makes a high level of pollution that is affecting both the life on earth and the marine organisms. Around the world, many scientists and environmentalists have been developing various technologies to deal with the constant increase of this threat to the environment. Various bio-based solutions are to be kept in the account to mitigate the foreseen problem of micro-plastic pollution. The indigenous microbes (exposed to plastic) form the dense bio-film around the plastic and degrade it with the help of active catalytic enzymes. Therefore, in this review, the authors have discussed the source, the harmful impact of micro-plastic, biodegradation of plastic, and future eco-friendly approaches which might help in the removal of plastic from the marine environment

Mycobacterium tuberculosis NAD(+)-dependent DNA ligase is selectively inhibited by glycosylamines compared with human DNA ligase I

DNA ligases are important enzymes which catalyze the joining of nicks between adjacent bases of double-stranded DNA. NAD(+)-dependent DNA ligases (LigA) are essential in bacteria and are absent in humans. They have therefore been identified as novel, validated and attractive drug targets. Using virtual screening against an in-house database of compounds and our recently determined crystal structure of the NAD(+) binding domain of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis LigA, we have identified N(1), N(n)-bis-(5-deoxy-α-d-xylofuranosylated) diamines as a novel class of inhibitors for this enzyme. Assays involving M.tuberculosis LigA, T4 ligase and human DNA ligase I show that these compounds specifically inhibit LigA from M.tuberculosis. In vitro kinetic and inhibition assays demonstrate that the compounds compete with NAD(+) for binding and inhibit enzyme activity with IC(50) values in the µM range. Docking studies rationalize the observed specificities and show that among several glycofuranosylated diamines, bis xylofuranosylated diamines with aminoalkyl and 1, 3-phenylene carbamoyl spacers mimic the binding modes of NAD(+) with the enzyme. Assays involving LigA-deficient bacterial strains show that in vivo inhibition of ligase by the compounds causes the observed antibacterial activities. They also demonstrate that the compounds exhibit in vivo specificity for LigA over ATP-dependent ligase. This class of inhibitors holds out the promise of rational development of new anti-tubercular agents

Synthesis and Characterization of Edible Films from Garlic(Allium sativum) Husk Components

455-461Garlic husks are waste biomass and unutilized sources of essential compounds like lignin, pectin, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignocellulose and dietary fibre. Pectin was extracted from garlic husk using ammonium oxalate solution. Lignin is a complex biopolymer consisting of p-coumaryl alcohol, sinapyl alcohol, and coniferyl alcohol. Lignin was extracted from garlic husk using alkali pulping method; the sample was subjected to 10% (w/w) NaOH solution in a pressurized condition at high temperature. The extracted lignin was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Transmittance ratios in FTIR Spectra of extracted lignin were similar to those of the commercial lignin. The edible film was prepared by solution casting method where the film was casted from the solution of pectin and lignin. The physical and chemical properties of the film like moisture content, color, solubility of the film, antimicrobial activity, water vapour transmission rate, pectin and lignin were characterized. The lowest water vapour permeability of the film is 17.48 ± 0.12 g/h m2. Whiteness index and 'L' value of film decreased from film 1 to film 4. An inhibition zone was formed against the Bacillus cereus proving the antimicrobial activity of the lignin extracted from garlic husk

Investigation of Physicochemical, Mechanical, Thermal and Rheological Properties of Mrigbahar Nagpur Mandarin (Citrus reticulate Blanco.)

Nagpur mandarin (popularly known as Nagpur Santra) is an indigenous fruit with high nutritional and functional value. It is the only cultivar of mandarin grown in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. As per harvesting time they are ambiabahar (Ocrober-November) and mrigbahar (February-March). Out of these two, mrigbahar is unique to Nagpur and of superior quality, hence taken for the study. The physicochemical, thermal, mechanical, rheological and textural properties of mrigbahar Nagpur mandarin are studied in this work. The sphericity (0.90) of mrigbahar fruit is considered to be spherical. The mean breadth, thickness and length of the fruit are 54.9, 47.3 and 57.9 mm, respectively. The true density, porosity and bulk density are 1.364 g/m3, 65.10% and 0.517 g/m3. The thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat of Nagpur mandarin fruit are 0.588 W/m℃, 11.84 × 10−2 m2/s and 3.909 kJ/kg℃. Under rheological properties of Nagpur mandarin juice, it is observed that as the shear rate increased, viscosity (ƞ) and shear stress (σ) decreased and Herschel Bulkley model is most suitable to characterise flow behaviour. The textural properties reveal that fracturability with 1% load sensitivity is 10.27 N with respective values of stringiness length (4.04 mm). The findings of this investigation would help for the post-harvest handling, processing equipment and value-added products from Nagpur mandarin