Characterization of ribonucleases and ribonuclease inhibitor in subcellular fractions from rat adrenals

1. The presence of two RNA-degrading enzymes, one with optimum activity at pH 5·6 (acid ribonuclease) and the other with optimum activity at pH 7·8 (alkaline ribonuclease), in rat adrenals has been demonstrated. The acid ribonuclease was localized in the mitochondrial fraction whereas the alkaline ribonuclease was present in mitochondria as well as in the supernatant fraction. Freezing and thawing of mitochondria and treatment with Triton X-100 gave a three- to four-fold increase in acid-ribonuclease activity, whereas the mitochondrial alkaline-ribonuclease activity was practically unaffected. 2. The amount of free ribonuclease in the adrenal supernatant was small. Treatment of the supernatant fraction with N-ethylmaleimide resulted in release of large amounts of ribonuclease activity, indicating the presence of a ribonuclease inhibitor having reactive thiol groups. 3. Considerable amounts of free ribonuclease inhibitor in excess over the bound alkaline ribonuclease are present in the rat-adrenal supernatant fraction. The inhibitor is heat-labile and non-diffusible. A 400-500-fold purification of the ribonuclease inhibitor was achieved by ammonium sulphate fractionation, treatment with calcium phosphate gel and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. It is concluded that the adrenal inhibitor is protein in nature, similar to the inhibitor present in rat liver

Knowledge, attitude and perception on the adoption of evidence-based practice among practitioners of general dentistry

Evidence based dentistry (EBD) is the “conscientious, explicit and judicious use of the best evidence in making decisions about care of individual patients”, as defined by the American Dental Association. Bridging clinical expertise and patient values, it involves the systematic assessment of scientific evidence, linking it to a patient’s medical condition and with a scientifically backed framework, the dentist begins to treat the patient. Its basis lies in choosing the right type of evidence which could be highly patient subjective. The present study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and perception prevalent among currently practicing dentists regarding EBD and their willingness to incorporate it into their practice. The study was a survey conducted using an online questionnaire on Google forms, with specifically framed, about 16 questions, that would elicit the current status of EBD among Dental UG students, interns and practising dentists. The responses obtained were statistically analysed using SPSS v26 (IBM.inc.,USA). From the responses, it can be observed that there is only a vague awareness on EBD and a satisfactory level of willingness to incorporate it into one’s practice, given that constraints in doing so are addressed. The study was handy in inferring the current status of EBD among today’s practitioners and would be useful in devising ways of overcoming any limitations in incorporating the same into routine clinical practice

ANGIOTENSIN CONVERTING ENZYME INHIBITION POTENTIAL OF ANNAPAVALA CHENDHURAM FOR THE TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION - AN IN–VITRO ASSAY

Hypertension is that the most noteworthy risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Dietary and lifestyle changes play the foremost part to decrease the hazard of hypertension and other related wellbeing complications. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors play a major role in treating hypertension. Annapavala chendhuram is a herbo – mineral Siddha formulation comes under the type of 32 internal medicines of Siddha. Hypolipidemic activity of Annapavala chendhuram has been proven by some research studies. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ACE inhibition activity on Annapavala chendhuram by using an in-vitro assay. The ACE inhibition assay was evaluated by UV Spectrophotometry technique based on the hydrolysis of histidyl-hippuryl-leucine (HHL) by ACE. About 50µL test sample with varying concentration (100- 500 µg/ml) along with standard captopril (100µg/ml) added with 50µL of ACE and some process had continued. The present study indicates that the test drug Annapavala chendhuram was effective in inhibiting the enzyme ACE dose-dependently. Maximum percentage inhibition of about 53.24±8.403% was observed at 500μg/ml when compared to that of the Captopril, a standard ACE enzyme inhibitor agent with the maximum inhibition 86.98 ± 6.375 at the concentration of 100μg/ml. It was concluded that the test drug Annapavala chendhuram possess significant anti-hypertensive property in protein denaturation assay. So, further in-vitro evaluation of ACE inhibitory activity on Siddha herbal preparations and clinical trials will be the need of the hour

SURVEY ON EFFECT OF MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS AMONG FEMALES OF BENGALURU POPULATION: AN APPROACH FOR WELL-BEING OF FEMALES

Menstrual problems are the major gynaecological problems which occur frequently in majority of female. Menstrual problems affect the physiology, psychology and well-being of a female. By knowing what type of symptoms and when to expect symptoms, help female to schedule her activities. The problems may be due to heredity or hormonal imbalance. A study was conducted with 125 females of in and around Bengaluru, within the age group of 12-35 years, to understand better about the common menstrual problems faced by female during their menstrual period. The survey identified about menstruation, and limited options for alleviating their menstrual discomfort. The survey revealed that choice of products used to manage menstruation (either cloth or disposable pad) is mostly influenced by cost factors, comfort and habit as well as cultural restrictions. Females are largely not aware of the environmental impact. Keywords: Gynaecological problems, Menstrual problem, Heredity, Hormonal imbalance, Environmental impact

Characterization of biofilm producing methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococci from India

Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CoNS) cause infectious diseases due to their potential to form biofilm and further colonization in hospital materials. This study evaluated the antibiotic susceptible phenotypes, biofilm-producing ability, and biofilm-associated genes (mecA, icaAD, bap, cna, and fnbA). Biofilm formation was detected through Congo red agar (CRA) method and MTP method. The presence of biofilm and associated genes in MR-CoNS were detected by PCR. A total of 310 (55.95%) isolates produced the biofilm. Among these isolates, Staphylococcus haemolyticus (34.83%), Staphylococcus epidermis (31.93%), Staphylococcus capitis (16.77%), Staphylococcus cohnii (10.96%), and Staphylococcus hominis (5.48%) were identified. The antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of CoNS isolates indicated resistance to cefoxitin (100%), erythromycin (94.8%), ciprofloxacin (66.7%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (66.7%), gentamicin (66.12%), and clindamycin (62.9%). Resistance rate to mupirocin was 48.5% in S. epidermidis and 38.9% in S. haemolyticus isolates. All isolates were sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid. The prevalence rates of icaAD, bap, fnbA, and cna were 18.06%, 12.5%, 47.4%, and 27.4%, respectively. icaAD and bap genes were detected in 18.06% and 12.5% of MR-CoNS isolates. fnbA and cna genes were detected in 47.41% and 27.41% of MRCoNS isolates. icaAD positive strains exhibited a significant increase in the biofilm formation compared with those that lacked icaAD (0.86 (0.42, 1.39) versus 0.36 (0.14, 0.75), respectively; P < 0.001). In conclusion, the majority of MR-CoNS isolates were biofilm producers, and S. capitis, which possessed icaAD genes, ranked as the great biofilm producer than other Staphylococcus. The study's findings are important to form a strategy to control biofilm formation as an alternative strategy to counter the spread of MR-CoNS in healthcare settings

Protective and susceptibility effects of hSKCa3 allelic variants on juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

This article does not have an abstract

Fabrication of Nd3+ and Yb3+ doped NIR emitting nano fluorescent probe: A candidate for bioimaging applications

The intentional design of rare earth doped luminescent architecture exhibits unique optical properties and it can be considered as a promising and potential probe for optical imaging applications. Calcium fluoride (CaF2) nanoparticles doped with optimum concentration of Nd3+ and Yb3+ as sensitizer and activator, respectively, were synthesized by wet precipitation method and characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence. In spite of the fact that the energy transfer takes place from Nd3+ to Yb3+, the luminescence intensity was found to be weak due to the lattice defects generated from the doping of trivalent cations (Nd3+ and Yb3+) for divalent host cations (Ca2+). These defect centres were tailored via charge compensation approach by co-doping Na+ ion and by optimizing its concentration and heat treatment duration. CaF2 doped with 5 mol% Nd3+, 3 mol% Yb3+ and 4 mol% Na+ after heat treatment for 2 h exhibited significantly enhanced emission intensity and life time. The ex vivo fluorescence imaging experiment was done at various thickness of chicken breast tissue. The maximum theoretical depth penetration of the NIR light was calculated and the value is 14 mm. The fabricated phosphor can serve as contrast agent for deep tissue near infrared (NIR) light imaging