Biosurfactants produced by Bacillus subtilis A1 and Pseudomonas stutzeri NA3 reduce longevity and fecundity of Anopheles stephensi and show high toxicity against young instars

Anopheles stephensi acts as vector of Plasmodium parasites, which are responsible for malaria in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Currently, malaria management is a big challenge due to the presence of insecticide-resistant strains as well as to the development of Plasmodium species highly resistant to major antimalarial drugs. Therefore, the present study focused on biosurfactant produced by two bacteria Bacillus subtilis A1 and Pseudomonas stutzeri NA3, evaluating them for insecticidal applications against malaria mosquitoes. The produced biosurfactants were characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), which confirmed that biosurfactants had a lipopeptidic nature. Both biosurfactants were tested against larvae and pupae of A. stephensi. LC50 values were 3.58 (larva I), 4.92 (II), 5.73 (III), 7.10 (IV), and 7.99 (pupae) and 2.61 (I), 3.68 (II), 4.48 (III), 5.55 (IV), and 6.99 (pupa) for biosurfactants produced by B. subtilis A1 and P. stutzeri NA3, respectively. Treatments with bacterial surfactants led to various physiological changes including longer pupal duration, shorter adult oviposition period, and reduced longevity and fecundity. To the best of our knowledge, there are really limited reports on the mosquitocidal and physiological effects due to biosurfactant produced by bacterial strains. Overall, the toxic activity of these biosurfactant on all young instars of A. stephensi, as well as their major impact on adult longevity and fecundity, allows their further consideration for the development of insecticides in the fight against malaria mosquitoes

EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF HEMOLYTIC COMPLICATIONS BY TRADITIONALLY PREPARED KÄ€NTAM FORMULATIONS

Objective: KÄntam based formulations are unique herbo-metallic preparations, used in Siddha system of medicine (Indian traditional medicine) for managing various haematological complications. Their therapeutic doses were also well established in Siddha literature. In this work an attempt was made to understand the comparative effect of three different kÄntam formulations in the management of hemolytic complications.Methods: Hemolysis was induced in Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of acetylphenylhydrazine. Three different kÄntam formulations (KÄntac centÅ«ram1 (K1), KÄntac centÅ«ram2 (K2) and KÄntap paṟpam (K3) were administered with proper controls at their therapeutic doses (20.0 mg/day) for a period of 20 d. Cage side observations, hematological, biochemical and histopathological analysis were performed to understand the effect of the formulations.Results: Cage-side observations revealed that only K1 is effective in curing oral ulcers formed during hemolysis. Haematological analysis revealed the effect of K1 and K3 in regulating reticulocyte maturation and effect of K1, K2 and K3 in the removal of extracellular haemoglobin. Histopathological analysis revealed the effect of K1 in regulating stress erythropoiesis and effect of K1, K2 and K3 in regulating kupffer cells in the liver. Overall, the kÄntam formulations demonstrate an appreciable relevance (in managing hemolytic conditions) within the contemporary pharmacological parlance.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the effective role of KÄntam formulations in the treatment of hemolytic complications by promoting reticulocyte maturation, removing extracellular haemoglobin, regulating stress erythropoiesis in the spleen, regulating kupffer cells in the liver and preventing oral ulcers. However, all the three formulations did not show all the activities and differ in efficacy profile

Assessment of educational environment of midwifery students in Auxillary Nurse and Midwifery Institutes, Tamil Nadu – A descriptive study

Introduction: Tamil Nadu has a well-established public health-care delivery system with the Auxiliary Nurse and Midwifery (ANM) or Village Health Nurses. They learn and qualify for their job from ANM institutes and become the key field level functionary who interacts directly with the community. Their ability to provide quality community care is largely determined by the quality of ANM education they receive during their training. Hence, this study aimed to assess the perception of these students to facilitate a conducive educational environment. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out among 244 ANM students from across 10 randomly selected government ANM schools in Tamil Nadu. A self-administered Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used for assessment. The data was analyzed using EpiData. Results: Among the 244 students enrolled in the study, the mean (standard deviation) global DREEM score was 167.39 (±18.06). Student's academic perception was the highest (91%), followed by student's perception of atmosphere (84.2%), learning (84%), and teachers (83.5%), and the least average score was from student's social self-perception (74%). Conclusion: The study showed the nursing students' view on their academic learning environment as “more positive than negative,” Centers were also considered excellent, and this assessment would provide an useful guide into the areas that students felt “good” about, which should be reinforced and the weaker areas that need to be strengthened for better services