The Prevalence and Control of Bacillus and Related Spore-Forming Bacteria in the Dairy Industry

peer-reviewedMilk produced in udder cells is sterile but due to its high nutrient content, it can be a good growth substrate for contaminating bacteria. The quality of milk is monitored via somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts, with prescribed regulatory limits to ensure quality and safety. Bacterial contaminants can cause disease, or spoilage of milk and its secondary products. Aerobic spore-forming bacteria, such as those from the genera Sporosarcina, Paenisporosarcina, Brevibacillus, Paenibacillus, Geobacillus and Bacillus, are a particular concern in this regard as they are able to survive industrial pasteurization and form biofilms within pipes and stainless steel equipment. These single or multiple-species biofilms become a reservoir of spoilage microorganisms and a cycle of contamination can be initiated. Indeed, previous studies have highlighted that these microorganisms are highly prevalent in dead ends, corners, cracks, crevices, gaskets, valves and the joints of stainless steel equipment used in the dairy manufacturing plants. Hence, adequate monitoring and control measures are essential to prevent spoilage and ensure consumer safety. Common controlling approaches include specific cleaning-in-place processes, chemical and biological biocides and other novel methods. In this review, we highlight the problems caused by these microorganisms, and discuss issues relating to their prevalence, monitoring thereof and control with respect to the dairy industry.NG is funded by the Teagasc Walsh Fellowship Scheme and through the Irish Dairy Levy funded project ‘Thermodur-Out.

Advancement in biomarker based effective diagnosis of neonatal sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is considered as alarming medical emergency and becomes the common global reason of neonatal mortality. Non-specific symptoms and limitations of conventional diagnostic methods for neonatal sepsis mandate fast and reliable method to diagnose disease for point of care application. Recently, disease specific biomarkers have gained interest for rapid diagnosis that led to the development of electrochemical biosensor with enhanced specificity, sensitivity, cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness. Other than conventional biomarker C-reactive protein to diagnose neonatal sepsis, several potential biomarkers including Procalcitonin (PCT), Serum amyloid A (SAA) and other candidates are extensively investigated. The present review provides insights on advancements and diagnostic abilities of protein and nucleotide based biomarkers with their incorporation in developing electrochemical biosensors by employing novel fabrication strategies. This review provides an overview of most promising biomarker and its capability for neonatal sepsis diagnosis to fulfil future demand to develop electrochemical biosensor for point-of-care applications.</p

Collaborative Governance: Analysing Social Audits in MGNREGA in India

In the history of social protection programmes in India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is the most expansive and ambitious programme ever. In 2009/10 alone, over 380 billion rupees (US$8 billion) were spent to employ over 50 million households under this scheme. To oversee such expansive coverage, an elaborate monitoring and evaluation system has been enshrined in the law. It was also realised that non?state actors need to be included in the monitoring process for collective accountability and ensuring transparency. Social audits are unique collaborative governance mechanisms which are not only participatory programme evaluation exercises but also lead to empowerment of the poor. They are a platform for the vulnerable to raise their ‘voice’ and assert their ‘rights’; to hold the administration accountable and assume collective responsibility, thereby potentially transforming social protection to social justice. This article analyses the social audit framework from a policy design perspective, in light of field reports and recent changes in the rules and aims, to unravel why, despite the merits, it is not yet the ‘magic silver bullet’ for poverty alleviation

Lacunae in noncommunicable disease control program: Need to focus on adherence issues!

Introduction: Chronic non communicable diseases in India have increased in magnitude with earlier onset and more likelihood of complications. Much emphasis is given to early diagnosis and timely treatment. Additionally, tertiary prevention through medication adherence is needed to limit disability and prevent early onset of complications. This study was aimed to assess the magnitude of medication and lifestyle adherence among elderly patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension in rural areas of Punjab. Methodology: This was a clinic based study in district Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. Patients were subjected to regular blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring. Thereafter they were offered free medications through weekly clinic held at Community Health Center, Bassi Pathana. Along with treatment, Public Health Nurse conducted counselling on diet and lifestyle. Frequency and process of taking medications was explained in local language and records duly maintained during visits. Results: Nearly 70% of study subjects were more than 50 years old. Males constituted 26% of the sample and 60% of subjects were illiterate. Large majority of study subjects did not consumed tobacco (98.08%) or alcohol (89.42%) in past thirty days. In-sufficient physical activity and poor compliance to diet was reported by 10.5% (Males: 7.4%, Females: 11.7%) and 23.5% (Males: 31.5%, Females: 20.8%) subjects. Nearly 46.15% of study subjects reported missing prescribed medications. Nearly 61.54% of study subjects were very sure that they will be able to take medicines as directed by physician. Conclusion: National Program for Control of Diabetes, Cardio-vascular Disease and Stroke relies on early diagnosis and treatment non- communicable diseases. However, with reported levels of adherence to medication and lifestyle interventions, there is an urgent need of exploring innovative ways to ensure compliance and improve treatment outcomes

Not Available

Not AvailableCumin wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cumini is one of the most destructive diseases responsible for causing even up to 60 per cent yield losses in cumin belt of India. Due to the soil inhabiting and seed borne nature with aggressive sporulation ability of the pathogen, sustainable and effective management of this disease using cultural practices and chemical methods is tedious. However, the uses of resistant varieties as well as novel biocontrol agents offer more economic and environmental friendly method of management which can be integrated with regulated chemical methods to achieve maximum disease suppression. Therefore, in the present study Trichoderma spp. isolated from banana rhizosphere of wilt suppressive and salt affected soils of Uttar Pradesh were characterized using morphological and molecular methods. The isolates were evaluated for their antagonistic potential against the pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. cumini through dual culture assay. Out of 21 Trichoderma isolates screened, three isolates viz., CSR-T-2, CSR-T-3 and CSR-T-4 showed significant inhibition of F. oxysporum f. sp. cumini with 62.65, 79.85 and 84.31 per cent inhibition, respectively. The three promising isolates were characterized morphologically on the basis of their colony characters on different culture media as well as microconidia size, setae, colour, hyphae, chlamydospores etc. The molecular identification for confirmation of. sp.cies status of these isolates were done by sequencing ribosomal RNA using ITS1 and ITS4 universal primers. The 3 isolates viz., CSR-T-2, CSR-T-3 and CSR-T-4 were identified as T. koningiopsis (KJ812401), T. reesei (MH997668) and T. asperellum (MN227242), respectively. In the present study the isolate CSR-T-4 identified as T. asperellum was found to be best in inhibiting the mycelia growth of cumin wilt pathogen under in-vitro conditions and thus can be further exploited for the biological management of cumin wilt under field conditions in form of bioformulation.Not Availabl

Influence of dengue endemicity on malaria identification by automated hematology analyzer – Beckman Coulter LH750: A hospital-based cross-sectional study

Aim: Automated hematology analyzers have been used to develop indices and algorithms for diagnosing malaria. We believe that the practical utility of such indices depends on the infection profile in the community since the type of infection determines the hematological parameters and consequently their power to discriminate malaria. Our region is endemic for malaria and dengue. Our aim was to verify the utility of the published malaria factor (MF) in our setting. Materials and Methods: Anticoagulated blood from clinically suspected cases of malaria and dengue were analyzed. The standard deviation and mean (M) values of all the leukocytes were obtained and the MF was calculated. Results: The MF showed a sensitivity and specificity of 75% and 55.1% in identifying malaria at a cutoff of 4.2 when the control group (CG) included dengue-positive (DP) patients and a sensitivity and specificity of 93.4% and 65.2% when the CG did not include DP cases. Using another set of parameters, we developed a Malaria Discriminant Index which showed a sensitivity and specificity of 94.4% and 73.9% in identifying malaria in the absence of dengue at a cutoff of 1.19 and a sensitivity and specificity of 85.5% and 61.7% at a cut off of 1.26 when dengue patients were included in the CG. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the need to verify the utility of indices/factors developed in regions not having similar endemic profiles before utilizing them in the clinical setting as other infections can influence the discriminant capacity

Health-care utilization and expenditure patterns in the rural areas of Punjab, India

Objective: To determine pattern of health care utilization and extent of out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure in rural areas of Punjab in India. Methods: Using multi stage sampling procedure, 660 participants were selected from 110 villages, out of all 22 districts; 440 participants had utilized outpatient care in past 15 days, and 220 had been hospitalized in past one year. Pretested semistructured questionnaires were used to enquire about household and healthcare expenditures. Out-of-pocket (OoP) expenditure included only direct costs of healthcare. Sevety seven 77 (12%) participants could not provide expenditures, hence were excluded from analysis. More than 10% of total household expenditure on healthcare was considered catastrophic. Results: Majority of the participants had used public sector health facilities for outpatient (57%) and inpatient (51.5%) care. Public sector facilities were utilized more often for communicable diseases and gynaecological problems whereas private sector services were used more commonly for accidents and non-communicable diseases. Mean healthcare expenditure on outpatient and inpatient healthcare services was Indian Rupees (INR) 8501 and INR 53889 respectively. Expenditure in private sector was significantly higher compared to the public sector facilities. Catastrophic expenditure was incurred by 7% of the households while seeking outpatient care and by 53% while seeking inpatient care. To pay for outpatient and inpatient care, 23.3% and 61.5% of the participants respectively had to borrow money or sell their assets. Conclusions: Healthcare expenditure places households under considerable financial strain in rural areas of Punjab in India. Improvements of public hospitals may increase their utilization and decrease financial burden

Assessment of quality of life of cancer patients in a tertiary care hospital of South India

Background: Quality of Life (QOL) measures have now become a vital part of health outcome appraisal and an effective way of capturing the personal and social context of patients. Aim: To assess the QOL of cancer patients by using a validated questionnaire. Settings and Design: A prospective study in the medical oncology clinic of a tertiary care hospital of South India. Materials and Methods: Patients receiving chemotherapy for different types of cancer were subjected to a validated questionnaire and their responses to the factors of the questionnaire were scored and analyzed. A Chi-square test was performed to assess the effect of age and type of cancer on the QOL of patients. Pearson′s correlation was done to assess the factors that had greater influence on the QOL. Results: A total of 32 (15 males; 17 females) patients were included and majority were in the age range of 61-80 years. Eleven types of cancer were identified. About 56% of the patients were assessed to have average QOL and 28% had below average QOL, 9% had above average, and 2 (6.25%) had significantly high QOL. The overall mean QOL score of the study population was 122.38 ± 13.86. Factors 1 (psychological well-being), 2 (self-adequacy), 3 (physical wellbeing), 4 (confidence in self-ability), 6 (pain), 7 (mobility), and 8 (optimism and belief) had significant influence on the QOL, while factors 5 (external support), 9 (interpersonal relationship), and 10 (self-sufficiency and independence) did not have a significant effect on QOL. Age (P=0.396) and type of cancer (P=0.371) did not have a significant effect on the QOL. Conclusion: The study showed that 80% of the total study population reported to have average and below average QOL, suggesting that an increasing importance is given to the incorporation of Quality of Life as an outcome, in addition to other clinical endpoints

Phosphorylation of Sox2 at Threonine 116 is a Potential Marker to Identify a Subset of Breast Cancer Cells with High Tumorigenecity and Stem-Like Features

We have previously identified a novel phenotypic dichotomy in breast cancer (BC) based on the response to a SRR2 (Sox2 regulatory region 2) reporter, with reporter responsive (RR) cells being more tumorigenic/stem-like than reporter unresponsive (RU) cells. Since the expression level of Sox2 is comparable between the two cell subsets, we hypothesized that post-translational modifications of Sox2 contribute to their differential reporter response and phenotypic differences. By liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we found Sox2 to be phosphorylated in RR but not RU cells. Threonine 116 is an important phosphorylation site, since transfection of the T116A mutant into RR cells significantly decreased the SRR2 reporter luciferase activity and the RR-associated phenotype. Oxidative stress-induced conversion of RU into RR cells was accompanied by Sox2 phosphorylation at T116 and increased Sox2-DNA binding. In a cohort of BC, we found significant correlations between the proportion of tumor cells immuno-reactive with anti-phosphorylated Sox2T116 and a high tumor grade (p = 0.006), vascular invasion (p = 0.001) and estrogen receptor expression (p = 0.032). In conclusion, our data suggests that phosphorylation of Sox2T116 contributes to the tumorigenic/stem-like features in RR cells. Detection of phospho-Sox2T116 may be useful in identifying a small subset of tumor cells carrying stem-like/tumorigenic features in BC

Not Available

Not AvailableFusarium wilt in bananas is one of the most devastating diseases that poses a serious threat to the banana industry globally. With no effective control measures available to date, biological control has been explored to restrict the spread and manage the outbreak. We studied the effective biological control potential of different Trichoderma spp. in the management of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 (Foc TR4). Expression of the defense related genes and metabolites in banana plants inoculated with Foc TR4 and treated with effective Trichoderma sp interactions were also studied. The in vitro growth inhibition of Foc TR4 by Trichoderma reesei isolate CSR-T-3 was 85.19% indicating a higher antagonistic potential than other Trichoderma isolates used in the study. Further, in in vivo assays, the banana plants treated with the isolate CSR-T-3 T. reesei had a significant reduction in the disease severity index (0.75) and also had increased phenological indices with respect to Foc TR4 treated plants. Enhanced activity of defense enzymes, such as β-1, 3-glucanase, peroxidase, chitinase, polyphenol oxidase, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase with higher phenol contents were found in the Trichoderma isolate CSR-T-3 treated banana plants challenge-inoculated with Foc TR4. Fusarium toxins, such as fusaristatin A, fusarin C, chlamydosporal, and beauveric acid were identified by LC-MS in Foc TR4-infected banana plants while high intensity production of antifungal compounds, such as ß-caryophyllene, catechin-o-gallate, soyasapogenol rhamnosyl glucoronide, peptaibols, fenigycin, iturin C19, anthocyanin, and gallocatechin-o-gallate were detected in T. reesei isolate CSR-T-3 treated plant previously inoculated with Foc TR4. Gene expression analysis indicated the upregulation of TrCBH1/TrCBH2, TrXYL1, TrEGL1, TrTMK1, TrTGA1, and TrVEL1 genes in CSR-T-3 treatment. LC-MS and gene expression analysis could ascertain the upregulation of genes involved in mycoparasitism and the signal transduction pathway leading to secondary metabolite production under CSR-T-3 treatment. The plants in the field study showed a reduced disease severity index (1.14) with high phenological growth and yield indices when treated with T. reesei isolate CSR-T-3 formulation. We report here an effective biocontrol-based management technological transformation from lab to thefield for successful control of Fusarium wilt disease caused by Foc TR4 in bananas.Not Availabl