Antimicrobial Activity and Phytochemical Analysis of Coriander sativum Against Infectious Diarrhea

The preliminary phytochemical study and invitro antimicrobial activity of Coriander sativum (Apiaceae) was investigated against some pathogens isolated from patients with infectious diarrhea. The various solvents extract like aqueous, methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether and hexane were screened for antimicrobial activity against Enterotoxigenic E.coli, Enteropathogenic E.coli,, Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella entertidis, Shigella dysentriae, Shigella flexineri, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Candida krusei isolated from diarrhoeal patients. The preliminary phytochemical analysis of the methanol extracts of the plant showed the presence of carbohydrates, flavonoids, aminoacids, steroids, sterols, saponins and tannins. The extracts were subjected for antimicrobial activity against at 200mg/ml concentration by disc diffusion method. The results of antimicrobial activity revealed that methanol extract of the plant exhibit good activity compared to chloroform and aqueous extracts to E.coli, Salmonella sp and Shigella sp. Petroleum ether and hexane extracts did not show any activity. None of extracts exhibits antifungal activity. The antimicrobial activities of extracts were compared with standard antibiotics

Treatment of synthetic textile wastewater containing dye mixtures with microcosms

The aim was to assess the ability of microcosms (laboratory-scale shallow ponds) as a post polishing stage for the remediation of artificial textile wastewater comprising two commercial dyes (basic red 46 (BR46) and reactive blue 198 (RB198)) as a mixture. The objectives were to evaluate the impact of Lemna minor L. (common duckweed) on the water quality outflows; the elimination of dye mixtures, organic matter, and nutrients; and the impact of synthetic textile wastewater comprising dye mixtures on the L. minor plant growth. Three mixtures were prepared providing a total dye concentration of 10 mg/l. Findings showed that the planted simulated ponds possess a significant (p < 0.05) potential for improving the outflow characteristics and eliminate dyes, ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N), and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) in all mixtures compared with the corresponding unplanted ponds. The removal of mixed dyes in planted ponds was mainly due to phyto-transformation and adsorption of BR46 with complete aromatic amine mineralisation. For ponds containing 2 mg/l of RB198 and 8 mg/l of BR46, removals were around 53%, which was significantly higher than those for other mixtures: 5 mg/l of RB198 and 5 mg/l of BR46 and 8 mg/l of RB198 and 2 mg/l of BR46 achieved only 41 and 26% removals, respectively. Dye mixtures stopped the growth of L. minor, and the presence of artificial wastewater reduced their development

Heavy metal contamination in water sources of Thaliparamba municipality, Kerala, India

The present study is an attempt to assess the heavy metal contamination in the water sources of Thaliparamaba Municipality, Kannur district, Kerala. The concentration of heavy metals, namely As, Cr, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Hg, and Pb in water samples was measured using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The physicochemical parameters, namely pH, electrical conductivity, and salinity of the water samples were also measured. The results indicate that the concentration of most of the heavy metals in water samples collected from the study area is much higher than the permissible limits. The anthropogenic activities may influence the enhanced level of heavy metal concentration in the study area. The results of these systematic investigations are presented and discussed in detail in the manuscript

Sleep Deprivation and Interference by Emotional Distracters

Sleep33101305-1313SLEE

APOE4 affects basal and NMDAR mediated protein synthesis in neurons by perturbing calcium homeostasis

Apolipoprotein E (APOE), one of the primary lipoproteins in the brain has three isoforms in humans - APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4. APOE4 is the most well-established risk factor increasing the pre-disposition for Alzheimer's disease. The presence of the APOE4 allele alone is shown to cause synaptic defects in neurons and recent studies have identified multiple pathways directly influenced by APOE4. However, the mechanisms underlying APOE4 induced synaptic dysfunction remain elusive. Here, we report that the acute exposure of primary cortical neurons or synaptoneurosomes to APOE4 leads to a significant decrease in global protein synthesis. Primary cortical neurons were derived from male and female embryos of Sprague-Dawley rats or C57BL/6J mice. Synaptoneurosomes were prepared from P30 male Sprague-Dawley rats. APOE4 treatment also abrogates the NMDA mediated translation response indicating an alteration of synaptic signaling. Importantly, we demonstrate that both APOE3 and APOE4 generate a distinct translation response which is closely linked to their respective calcium signature. Acute exposure of neurons to APOE3 causes a short burst of calcium through NMDARs leading to an initial decrease in protein synthesis which quickly recovers. Contrarily, APOE4 leads to a sustained increase in calcium levels by activating both NMDARs and L-VGCCs, thereby causing sustained translation inhibition through eEF2 phosphorylation, which in turn disrupts the NMDAR response. Thus, we show that APOE4 affects basal and activity mediated protein synthesis responses in neurons by affecting calcium homeostasis.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDefective protein synthesis has been shown as an early defect in familial Alzheimer's disease. However, this has not been studied in the context of sporadic Alzheimer's disease, which constitutes the majority of cases. In our study, we show that APOE4, the predominant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, inhibits global protein synthesis in neurons. APOE4 also affects NMDA activity mediated protein synthesis response, thus inhibiting synaptic translation. We also show that the defective protein synthesis mediated by APOE4 is closely linked to the perturbation of calcium homeostasis caused by APOE4 in neurons. Thus, we propose the dysregulation of protein synthesis as one of the possible molecular mechanisms to explain APOE4 mediated synaptic and cognitive defects. Hence, the study not only suggests an explanation for the APOE4 mediated pre-disposition to Alzheimer's disease, it also bridges the gap in understanding APOE4 mediated pathology