Caracterização molecular e bioquímica de micróbios biodegradadores de resíduos sólidos isolados da lixeira municipal da cidade de Karachi

Solid waste dump site-based pollution is one of the colossal health concerns globally due to presence of cellulose, starch, protein, and lipids, which is a perfect nutrient waste for the development of biodegrading potential microbes. The current study aimed to determine the productive microorganisms for waste biodegradation. Ten samples were collected from different areas of Karachi waste dump sites. The identification and characterization of isolates were done by morphological and biochemical tests. The isolated microbes were qualitatively screened for the action of making industrially key bio-enzymes. The potential enzymes producing microbes were subjected to waste degradation test for 90 days. Changes of odor, color and weight loss of decomposing garbage were noted. The highest degradation ability in term of weight loss was shown by Aspergillus (SSI14) and Bacillus (SSI6). Four metals (zinc sulphate, cadmium chloride, copper sulphate and iron sulphate) were chosen for the purpose of metals tolerance test and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the isolated microbial strains. Current study reported that Zn was found to be more lethal in in comparison to  Cu and Fe. Molecular identification of the isolated microbes was done by polymerase chain reaction. The microbial strains were characterized by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by confirmation of product by agarose gel electrophoresis. The findings can be served as baseline data to develop microbial apparatus for biodegradation and management of solid waste.O presente estudo visou determinar os microrganismos produtivos para a biodegradação de resíduos. Foram recolhidas dez amostras de diferentes áreas de depósitos de resíduos de Karachi. A identificação e caracterização dos isolados foram feitas através de testes morfológicos e bioquímicos. Os micróbios isolados foram selecionados qualitativamente para a ação de fazer bio-enzimas industriais chave. Os potenciais micróbios produtores de enzimas foram submetidos a um teste de degradação de resíduos durante 90 dias. Registaram-se alterações no odor, na cor e na perda de peso do lixo em decomposição. A maior capacidade de degradação em termos de perda de peso foi demonstrada por Aspergillus (SSI14) e Bacillus (SSI6). Foram escolhidos quatro metais (sulfato de zinco, cloreto de cádmio, sulfato de cobre e sulfato de ferro) para o ensaio de tolerância dos metais e para a concentração mínima inibitória (MIC) das estirpes microbianas isoladas. O estudo atual relatou que Zn foi considerado mais letal em comparação com e Fe. A identificação molecular dos micróbios isolados foi feita por reação em cadeia de polimerase. As estirpes microbianas foram caracterizadas pela reação em cadeia de polimerase (PCR) seguida de confirmação do produto por eletroforese de gel de agarose. As descobertas podem ser servidas como dados de base para desenvolver aparelhos microbianas para a biodegradação e gestão de resíduos sólidos

Citrus Fruit Peels in Combating Various Foodborne Pathogens

Foodborne diseases are the world's main problem in a society nowadays; many phytochemicals are of great interest to scientists. Herbal medicines can be used to treat many infectious diseases. In our study, we focus on screening of antibacterial activity of the lemon (Citrus limon) and orange (Citrus sinesis) peels against various pathogens. Bioactive compounds have been found in variety of citrus fruits that have favorable impact on human health. The major component; flavonoids have been found in the peels of citrus fruits in large amount. Citrus peel has a rich amount of flavonoid and other poly methylated flavonoids (exceptional to some plants). These antibacterial compounds exhibit antibacterial activity and have wide application in both food and pharmaceuticals industries. The citrus peel extracts show effective antimicrobial activity. The antagonistic activity of selected citrus peel extracts was determined by agar well diffusion; against test organisms i.e. Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtilis isolated from food products. Effectiveness of peel extracts are measured in terms of inhibitory zones in millimeter. The methanol extract of lemon peel displayed zone of inhibition in between 5mm to 8mm and methanol extract of orange peel displayed zone of inhibition about 10mm and 11mm. It was observed that lemon peel extract has maximum antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis (8mm) and minimum antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi (5mm) whereas orange peel extract has maximum antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis (11mm) and minimum antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi (10mm). Both Citrus peels extract showed considerable antibacterial activity against all tested foodborne pathogens. Our main focus was the use of herbal treatments against various infections which overcome the emergence of upcoming superbugs

A Comparative Analysis of Inflammatory Markers and Disease Activity Score between Seropositive and Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that is characterized by persistent inflammation in the joints and other tissues, leading to significant joint damage irrespective of the serogroups i.e. seropositive and seronegative RA. C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are commonly used biomarkers to monitor inflammation in RA and to inform therapeutic decision-making. Methods: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between CRP and ESR levels and the severity of disease among seronegative and seropositive patients. ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria were used to recruit RA patients in the study. Clinical assessments were performed to estimate the RF, ACCP antibodies, ESR and CRP. Swollen and tender joints were also taken into account for the calculation of disease activity score-28. Results: The results indicated that significantly elevated CRP levels were consistently observed in seropositive RA, in conjunction with seronegative RA patients (p=0.036). ESR levels were found elevated between the two groups but were not found to be statistically different (p=0.885). DAS28-CRP and DAS28-ESR results showed high severity of disease (>5.1) in both seronegative and seronegative RA patients. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the diagnostic and prognostic significance of ESR and CRP levels in RA among seronegative and seropositive patients, particularly in differentiating seropositive and seronegative cases and in guiding therapeutic decisions

Decreased muscle strength in adjuvant-induced rheumatoid arthritis animal model: A relationship to behavioural assessments

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder with unknown aetiology. Patients suffering from RA face persistent pain due to joint inflammation, and tissue destruction. Behavioural phenotyping is an approach to target the role of different behavioural traits associated with disease progression. The study aimed to assess behavioural patterns associated with decreased muscle strength in the adjuvant-induced rheumatoid arthritis animal model. The study was conducted on male Albino Wister rats (n = 30) [Control, Vehicle, and Disease groups]. After taking ethical approvals RA was induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) intradermally base of tail. The weight of animals, macroscopic analysis of inflammatory signs, and arthritic scores were measured weekly. Grip strength, ganglia-based movement, cataleptic activity, and motor-coordination-related behaviours were assessed among the groups. Radiographs and spleen index assay were performed followed by data analysis using one-way and two-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance). A significant decrease in weight and an increase in arthritic scores among the diseased group was observed. Behavioural analyses confirmed that diseased animals had significantly decreased grip strength and increased cataleptic activity with less motor coordination. Radiographic images and spleen index assay confirmed the pattern of RA. Therefore, it can be suggested that the development of the disease animal model is an effective approach to identifying the disease progression and associated behavioural changes. Moreover, this prepared laboratory animal model may be utilised for pathway analyses to understand the key role of immune regulators and genetic insight into molecular pathways associated with acute and chronic phases of RA