FABRICATION OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES: USING VITEX NEGUNDO L. AGAINST CISPLATIN-INDUCED NEPHROTOXICITY IN ALBINO RAT

Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the fabrication of silver nanoparticles using Vitex negundo L. against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in albino rat.Methods: Synthesized silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L. were characterized by particle size, ultra violet (UV)-visible, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Albino rats were divided randomly into six groups of six animals each. Group I normal rats were treated with an oral dose of distilled water for 15 days. Group II rats were treated with single i.p. dose of cisplatin (16 mg/kg) on day 1. Group III rats were treated only with an oral dose of V. negundo L. (200 mg/kg/d) for 15 days. Group IV rats were treated only with an oral dose of silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L. (200 mg/kg/d) for 15 days. Group V rats were treated with an oral dose of V. negundo L. for 14 days after single i.p. dose of cisplatin on day 1. Group VI rats were treated with an oral dose of silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L. for 14 days after single i.p. dose of cisplatin on day 1. Collected blood samples and kidney tissue samples were used for biochemical, enzymatic antioxidant, and histopathological studies in all groups.Results: The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by particle size, UV-visible, and XRD analysis, and active principles were identified by FTIR analysis. Biochemical results of silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L.-treated groups showed the significant (p˂0.05) decrease in the level of creatinine, urea, and uric acid as compared to cisplatin-induced rats. The enzymatic antioxidants results of silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L.-treated groups showed the significant (p˂0.05) increase in the level of glutathione reductase and significant decrease in malondialdehyde level as compared to cisplatin-induced rats. In addition, histopathological results of silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L.-treated groups showed the ameliorated impact in cisplatin-induced rats.Conclusion: The results of these studies were concluded that silver nanoparticles of V. negundo L. have profound protective effect against the adverse effects caused by cisplatin in rat kidney than V. negundo L. treated along with cisplatin in albino rat

PROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES SYNTHESIZED FROM SILYMARIN ON CISPLATIN INDUCED RENAL OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ALBINO RAT

Objective: This present study was carried out to evaluate the protective efficacy of silver nanoparticles synthesized from silymarin on cisplatin-induced renal oxidative stress in the albino rat.Methods: Silver nanoparticles of silymarin was characterized by particle size, UV-Visible, FTIR and XRD analysis. Albino rats were divided randomly into six groups of six animals each. Group I Normal rats were treated with an oral dose of distilled water for 15 d. Group II rats were treated with single i. p. dose of cisplatin (16 mg/kg) on day 1. Group III rats were treated only with oral dose of silymarin (50 mg/kg/d) for 15 d. Group IV rats were treated only with oral dose of silver nanoparticles of silymarin (50 mg/kg/d) for 15 d. Group V rats were treated with an oral dose of silymarin for 14 d after single i. p. dose of cisplatin on day 1. Group VI rats were treated with oral dose of silver nanoparticles of silymarin for 14 d after single i. p. dose of cisplatin on day 1. Collected blood samples and kidney tissue samples were used for biochemical, enzymatic antioxidant and histopathological studies in all groups.Results: The formation of silver nanoparticles of silymarin were confirmed by particle size, UV-Visible analysis, crystalline nature was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, and active principles were confirmed by FTIR analysis. Biochemical results of silver nanoparticles of silymarin-treated groups showed the significant (p˂0.05) decrease in the level of creatinine, urea, and uric acid as compared to cisplatin-induced rats and The enzymatic antioxidants of silver nanoparticles of silymarin-treated groups showed the significant (p˂0.05) increase in the level of glutathione reductase and significant decrease in MDA level as compared to cisplatin-induced rats. Additionally, histopathological results of silver nanoparticles of silymarin-treated groups also confirmed that the ameliorative effect of silymarin nanoparticle against cisplatin-induced rats.Conclusion: From this research work, we have concluded that silver nanoparticles of silymarin protected the kidney of albino rats from the adverse effects caused by cisplatin

Assessment of Methylprednisolone Purging Efficacy on Daudi Burkitt Lymphoma Cells from Normal Bone Marrow

Studies on normal bone marrow and Daudi Burkitt lymphoma cells were performed to determine the efficacy of selective, in vitro chemopurging with methylprednisolone (MP). We found that MP reduces the numher of lymphoma cells without significant damage to bone marrow cells. This information is important because we need to improve the existing in vitro purging regimens used to cleanse autologous marrows of metastatic disease before transplantation into cancer patients who have received high-dose chemotherapy. Normal human bone marrow (NBM) and Daudi lymphoma cells were trealed in parallel with various purging regimens. NBM death was evaluated using soft-agar culture, while Daudi cell death was evaluated using one-week liquid culture. A protocol of 2.0 mg/mL of MP for four hours demonstrated optimal selectivity. When treatment was followed by cryopreservation, a 1.7 log purge of Daudi cells was increased to 2.3 logs while preserving 36% of committed NBM precursors. We repeated these experiments on a simulated contaminated marrow to model closely the mixture of normal and malignant cells found in advanced, metastatic disease. We evaluated this mixed system by flow cytometric immunoanalysis using the two-color CD10/CD20 markers to detect residual, viable Daudi cells. Our initial results were reproducible in this mixed-cell system, further supporting the evidence for effective in vitro purging of bone marrow using MP

Growth inhibitory and proapoptotic effects of l-asparaginase from Fusarium culmorum ASP-87 on human leukemia cells (Jurkat)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the anticancer properties of l-asparaginase purified from fungal isolate Fusarium culmorum ASP-87 against human T-cell leukemia cell line (Jurkat). The growth inhibitory and proapoptotic effects of purified l-asparaginase on Jurkat cell lines were investigated by determining its influence on cell viability, colony formation, DNA fragmentation, and cell cycle progression. The results revealed that purified l-asparaginase showed significant decrease in cell survival with IC50 value of 90 μg/mL (9 IU/mL). The enzyme inhibited colony formation and showed characteristic laddering pattern on agarose gel thereby confirming the induction of apoptosis. Further, cell cycle analysis revealed that the enzyme induced apoptotic cell death by arresting the growth of cells at G2-M phase. However, the enzyme did not elicit any toxic effects on human erythrocytes. l-asparaginase purified from F. culmorum ASP-87 showed significant and selective cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on human T-cell leukemic cells in dose-dependent manner. Results of the study give leads for the anticancer effects of fungal l-asparaginase and its potential usefulness in the chemotherapy of leukemia. © 2016 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutiqu

Isozyme Analysis on Different Varieties of Sugarcane

Isozymic and protein diversity among five sugarcane varieties viz., Co 6304, Co 85019, Co 8371, Co 89003 and Co 91010 were studied to understand the varietal interrelationship and to identify the biochemical marker for the disease resistance and stress tolerance. The standard technique of vertical gel electrophoresis PAGE was employed for size separation of isozymes. The gel was stained with different staining solutions for different isozyme systems viz. peroxidase, esterase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and proteins. Rf values of the banding profiles, similarity index and variation between the varieties were analysed. Among the four enzyme systems, peroxidase profile reveals the difference between the disease resistant / susceptible and abiotic stress tolerant / non tolerant varieties. The two isoperoxidase bands with Rf values 0.62 and 0.66 showed their presence in disease resistant and abiotic tolerant varieties. The presence of two marker bands (0.62, 0.66) of resistant and stress tolerant varieties suggest that the variety Co 6304 may also be resistant to smut, wilt and moderately resistant to red rot and tolerant to drought

In vitro propagation of Aristolochia bracteata Retz. - A medicinally important plant

A direct and indirect propagation system has been established for the medicinally important plant Aristolochia bracteata Retz. using inter-nodal segments as explants. The surface sterilization of A. bracteata inter-nodal segments was carried with different concentration of mercuric chloride such as 0.05%. 0.1% and 0.15% for different time duration. Among them, 0.1% mercuric chloride for 2 min showed low percentage contamination  and highest (96%) percentage of microbes free explants. The explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog’s medium augmented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators for direct and indirect regeneration. Highest percentage of callus induction (82.3 ± 0.57) from inter-nodal segments was observed on Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L of 2,4-D. Three types of calli viz.,  friable, semi-friable and compact calli were observed from the inter-nodal segments. Highest frequency of shoot proliferation (61.5 ± 0.43) was observed in Murashige and Skoog’s medium augmented with 1.0 mg/L of 6 - Benzyl Amino Purine in combination with 1.0 mg/L α - Naphthalene  Acetic Acid. Maximum number of shootlets regeneration (2.6 ± 0.15) was also observed from the same medium. The in vitro derived calli were sub-cultured for shoot regeneration. The Murashige and Skoog’s medium fortified with 1.0 mg/L of 6 - Benzyl Amino Purine in combination with 0.5 mg/L of α - Naphthalene Acetic Acid showed the highest percentage (73.2 ± 0.43) shoot proliferation from the inter- nodal segments derived calli.  The in vitro raised shootlets were sub-cultured on ½ strength Murashige and Skoog’s medium augmented with various concentrations of IAA and IBA for root formation. Highest percentage, maximum number of rootlets/shootlet and mean length of rootlets were observed in ½ Murashige and Skoog’s medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/L of IBA. Sixty eight percentages of plantlets were established in the earthen pots.ÂÂ

ADEPOS: Anomaly Detection based Power Saving for Predictive Maintenance using Edge Computing

In industry 4.0, predictive maintenance(PM) is one of the most important applications pertaining to the Internet of Things(IoT). Machine learning is used to predict the possible failure of a machine before the actual event occurs. However, the main challenges in PM are (a) lack of enough data from failing machines, and (b) paucity of power and bandwidth to transmit sensor data to cloud throughout the lifetime of the machine. Alternatively, edge computing approaches reduce data transmission and consume low energy. In this paper, we propose Anomaly Detection based Power Saving(ADEPOS) scheme using approximate computing through the lifetime of the machine. In the beginning of the machines life, low accuracy computations are used when the machine is healthy. However, on the detection of anomalies, as time progresses, the system is switched to higher accuracy modes. We show using the NASA bearing dataset that using ADEPOS, we need 8.8X less neurons on average and based on post-layout results, the resultant energy savings are 6.4 to 6.65XComment: Submitted to ASP-DAC 2019, Japa

High-salt diet suppresses autoimmune demyelination by regulating the blood-brain barrier permeability

Sodium chloride, "salt," is an essential component of daily food and vitally contributes to the body's homeostasis. However, excessive salt intake has often been held responsible for numerous health risks associated with the cardiovascular system and kidney. Recent reports linked a high-salt diet (HSD) to the exacerbation of artificially induced central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune pathology through changes in microbiota and enhanced T(H)17 cell differentiation [M. Kleinewietfeld et al., Nature 496, 518-522 (2013); C. Wu et al., Nature 496, 513-517 (2013); N. Wilck et al., Nature 551, 585-589 (2017)]. However, there is no evidence that dietary salt promotes or worsens a spontaneous autoimmune disease. Here we show that HSD suppresses autoimmune disease development in a mouse model of spontaneous CNS autoimmunity. We found that HSD consumption increased the circulating serum levels of the glucocorticoid hormone corticosterone. Corticosterone enhanced the expression of tight junction molecules on the brain endothelial cells and promoted the tightening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) thereby controlling the entry of inflammatory T cells into the CNS. Our results demonstrate the multifaceted and potentially beneficial effects of moderately increased salt consumption in CNS autoimmunity.We thank the Mass Spectrometry and NGS Core Facilities at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry for performing sample analysis for proteomics and mRNA-seq experiments

Results of Universal Prenatal Screening for Hepatitis C Infection in a Remote American Indian Primary Care Population

BACKGROUND: Although chronic liver disease remains a major area of health disparity for American Indian (AI) people, the epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among AI people is poorly documented. Because of suspected high local prevalence, two remote AI clinics in the Northern Plains implemented universal prenatal HCV screening in 2005. When this screening program reported an unexpectedly high prenatal anti-HCV (anti-HCV antibody) positivity rate, we conducted a case-control study to determine risks for infection and opportunities for community intervention. MAIN FINDINGS: The clinics screened a total of 205 pregnant women (median age, 22 years). Of these 205 women, a total of 13 (6.3%; 95% confidence interval, 3.4–10.6) had anti-HCV confirmed. Of the anti-HCV-positive women, 10 (76.9%) were aged 15–24 years. We included 10 cases and 40 anti-HCV-negative prenatal controls in a case-control study. On multivariate analysis, only injection-drug use (IDU) remained associated with HCV seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: Universal prenatal screening revealed a high prevalence of anti-HCV at these remote AI clinics. This population has not been previously described at being at elevated risk for HCV infection. In order to reduce health disparities, young, rural AI populations seeking prenatal care need to be included in interventions to reduce HCV transmission

Floristic Diversity and Medicinal importance of South Vagaikulam Region Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, South India

The present study was aimed to explore the plant diversity wealth of South Vagaikulam village, which is yet to be botanised to make the flora of Tirunelveli complete. The result of plant diversity of South Vagaikulam shrub jungles includes 133 species of flowering plants, 115 genera belonging to 49 families. Among the 133 species, 126 species belongs to dicotyledons and 7 species belongs to monocotyledons. The most dominant family in the present study area is Asteraceae with 12 species (21%). Next to that, Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae comprises 10 species (19%), Amaranthaceae includes 9 species (17%), Lamiaceae contains 8 species (15%) and Verbenaceae embraces 5 species (9%). In addition to the floristic study, the present study enumerated the medicinally important plants in the shrub jungles which are used to cure various diseases