In vitro assessment of antioxidant, phytochemical and nutritional properties of extracts from the leaves of Ocimum Gratissimum (linn).

The antioxidant, phytochemical and nutritional properties of acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves of Ocimum gratissimum (Linn) were investigated to evaluate the therapeutic and nutritional potential of the leaves of this plant. The antioxidant of the plant extracts were assessed against 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis-(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) and ferric reducing agent. Total phenolics, flavonoids, flavonols and proanthocyanidins were determined to assess their corresponding effect on the antioxidant activity of this plant. The extracts exhibited DPPH and ABTS.+ radical scavenging activities, which was comparable to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponin, steroids, cardiacglycoside, flavonoid, terpenoids and phenol. The proximate analysis confirms that the leaves contain appreciable amount of ash, crude protein, lipids, fibre and carbohydrates. The macro and micro elements and constituents revealed that the leaves contain significant amount of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, nitrogen, and manganese. This study shows that the leaf can be used as a therapeutic agent and justifies its application in folkloric medicine.Keywords: Ocimum gratissimum, oxidative stress, polyphenolic, proximate composition, therapeutic activit

Efficacy of household cleaning agents against some selected pathogenic bacteria

The emergence and spread of microorganisms with reduced susceptibility to antimicrobial agents is a major public health problem. This study evaluated the antibacterial effect of household cleaning agents on selected bacterial isolates. Standard culture-based procedure was used to determine the efficacy of disinfectants on selected bacteria isolates. The activity assessed was against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ariel was found to have more bactericidal effect on Streptococcus pyogenes being sensitive and Staphylococcus aureus. Dettol exhibited antibacterial effect against all tested isolates with zones of inhibition for Streptococcus pyogenes (24±0.12mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (9±0.01mm). Harpic revealed antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other tested isolates with average zones of inhibition of 20±0.20mm. Jik was active against Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli while Omo showed good inhibitory effect against all tested isolates except Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Based on the present study, the levels of decreased susceptibility to household cleaning agents seem to be increasing, regardless of whether these products used in the home or not. The eventual clinical implications of this decreased susceptibility need continue surveillance.Key words: Antibacteria, Commensal flora, Disease, Disinfectant, Hygiene, Public healthFrench AbstractL'émergence et la propagation des micro-organismes d'une sensibilité réduite aux agents antimicrobiens est un problème majeur a la santé publique. Cette recherche a évalué l'effet antibactérien des agents d'entretien ménager sur isolats bactériens sélectionnés. Procédure fondée de culture Standard a été employé pour déterminer l'efficacité des désinfectants sur des isolats bactériens sélectionnés. L'activité évaluée était contre Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli et Pseudomonas aeruginosa. L’Ariel a été trouvé d'avoir plus effet bactéricide sur Streptococcus pyogenes étant sensible et Staphylococcus aureus. Le dettol a exposé l'effet antibactérien contre tous les isolats testés avec des zones d'inhibition pour Streptococcus pyogenes (24±0,12mm) et Staphylococcus aureus(9±0,01mm). Harpic a révélé l'activité antibactérienne contre Pseudomonas aeruginosa et les autres isolats testés avec des zones moyennes d'inhibition de 20±0,20mm. Jik a été actif contre Klebsiella pneumonia et Escherichia coli tandis que l’Omo a montré un bon effet inhibiteur contre tous les isolats testés sauf Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Fondée sur la recherche de ce moment, les niveaux de la diminution de la sensibilité aux agents d'entretien ménager paraissent être de plus en plus indépendamment du fait que ces produits sont utilisés à la maison. Finalement, les implications cliniques finales de cette diminution de la sensibilité ont besoin d'une surveillance continuelle.Mots - clés: Antibactérien, Flore commensal, Maladie, Désinfectants Hygiène, Santé publique

Wastewater treatment plants as a source of microbial pathogens in receiving watersheds

Wastewater treatment facilities have become sin quo non in ensuring the discharges of high quality wastewater effluents into receiving water bodies and consequence, a healthier environment. Due to massive worldwide increases in human population, water has been predicted to become one of the scarcest resources in the 21st century, and despite large advances in water and wastewater treatments, waterborne diseases still pose a major threat to public health worldwide. Several questions have been raised on the capacity of current wastewater treatment regimes to remove pathogens from wastewaterwith many waterborne diseases linked to supposedly treated water supplies. One of the major gaps in the knowledge of pathogenic microorganisms in wastewater is the lack of a thorough understanding ofthe survival and persistence of the different microbial types in different conditions and environments. This therefore brings to the fore the need for a thorough research into the movement and behavior of these microorganisms in wastewaters. In this review paper we give an overview of wastewater treatment practices with particular emphasis on the removal of microbial pathogens

Assessment of physicochemical qualities, heavy metal concentrations and bacterial pathogens in Shanomi Creek in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

The physicochemical and microbial qualities of Shanomi creeks in the Niger Delta of Nigeria were assessed between January and October 2011. The temperature across sampling stations ranged between 26 and 27.7‹C, while pH varied from 7.49 to 8.74. Turbidity ranged from 176.62-189.96 NTU and conductivity varied between 360.45 and 454.88 ƒÊS/cm. The concentrations of other physicochemical parameters were as follows: BOD (6.39-7.64 mg/L) COD (84.25-97.27 mg/L); ammonia (26.83-33.98 mg/L); nitrate (37.25-43.89 mg/L); nitrite (37.35-41.75 mg/L); and phosphate (28.83-37.85 mg/L). The relative dominance of metals in the water followed the sequence: Al > Zn > Cu > Fe > Mn > Cd > Pb > Hg > As. Feacal and total coliform densities ranged from 1.05 ~ 102 to 4.25 ~ 103 (cfu/mL) and 1.56 ~ 102 to 6.40 ~ 104 (cfu/mL) respectively. The study reveals that the water under study was heavily polluted and of serious threat to the aquatic biota and public health.Key words: Aquatic biota, contamination, pollution, public health, microbial indicators, toxic effects

Insights into the innate immunity of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sessile bivalves of the genus <it>Mytilus </it>are suspension feeders relatively tolerant to a wide range of environmental changes, used as sentinels in ecotoxicological investigations and marketed worldwide as seafood. Mortality events caused by infective agents and parasites apparently occur less in mussels than in other bivalves but the molecular basis of such evidence is unknown. The arrangement of Mytibase, interactive catalogue of 7,112 transcripts of <it>M. galloprovincialis</it>, offered us the opportunity to look for gene sequences relevant to the host defences, in particular the innate immunity related genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have explored and described the Mytibase sequence clusters and singletons having a putative role in recognition, intracellular signalling, and neutralization of potential pathogens in <it>M. galloprovincialis</it>. Automatically assisted searches of protein signatures and manually cured sequence analysis confirmed the molecular diversity of recognition/effector molecules such as the antimicrobial peptides and many carbohydrate binding proteins. Molecular motifs identifying complement C1q, C-type lectins and fibrinogen-like transcripts emerged as the most abundant in the Mytibase collection whereas, conversely, sequence motifs denoting the regulatory cytokine MIF and cytokine-related transcripts represent singular and unexpected findings. Using a cross-search strategy, 1,820 putatively immune-related sequences were selected to design oligonucleotide probes and define a species-specific Immunochip (DNA microarray). The Immunochip performance was tested with hemolymph RNAs from mussels injected with <it>Vibrio splendidus </it>at 3 and 48 hours post-treatment. A total of 143 and 262 differentially expressed genes exemplify the early and late hemocyte response of the <it>Vibrio</it>-challenged mussels, respectively, with AMP trends confirmed by qPCR and clear modulation of interrelated signalling pathways.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The Mytibase collection is rich in gene transcripts modulated in response to antigenic stimuli and represents an interesting window for looking at the mussel immunome (transcriptomes mediating the mussel response to non-self or abnormal antigens). On this basis, we have defined a new microarray platform, a mussel Immunochip, as a flexible tool for the experimental validation of immune-candidate sequences, and tested its performance on <it>Vibrio</it>-activated mussel hemocytes. The microarray platform and related expression data can be regarded as a step forward in the study of the adaptive response of the <it>Mytilus </it>species to an evolving microbial world.</p