Production of pullulan using jaggery as substrate by Aureobasidium pullulans MTCC 2195

Shake-flask fermentation, under batch cultivation, was investigated for the production of fungal exopolysaccharide, pullulan using jaggery (a traditional concentrated sugar cane juice) as a carbon substrate by Aureobasidium pullulans MTCC 2195. Change in the initial pH (from 3.0 to 7.0) of media containing jaggery was varied to study the effect of pH in the fermentation and maximum pullulan yield was obtained at a pH of 5.0. An increase in the initial concentrations (50, 75, 100 g/L) of jaggery in the media produced the maximum pullulan content as 21.6, 19.7 and 18.6 g per 100 g of jaggery, respectively, used. A sucrose based defined media were also used for comparison purposes. Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis was done to confirm the functional groups of synthesized pullulan and compared with that of commercial pullulan.Shake-flask fermentation, under batch cultivation, was investigated for the production of fungal exopolysaccharide, pullulan using jaggery (a traditional concentrated sugar cane juice) as a carbon substrate by Aureobasidium pullulans MTCC 2195. Change in the initial pH (from 3.0 to 7.0) of media containing jaggery was varied to study the effect of pH in the fermentation and maximum pullulan yield was obtained at a pH of 5.0. An increase in the initial concentrations (50, 75, 100 g/L) of jaggery in the media produced the maximum pullulan content as 21.6, 19.7 and 18.6 g per 100 g of jaggery, respectively, used. A sucrose based defined media were also used for comparison purposes. Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis was done to confirm the functional groups of synthesized pullulan and compared with that of commercial pullulan

Sentinel lymph node biopsy using dye alone method is reliable and accurate even after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer - a prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is now considered a standard of care in early breast cancers with N0 axillae; however, its role in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is still being debated. The present study assessed the feasibility, efficacy and accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) using "dye alone" (methylene blue) method in patients with LABC following NACT.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>Thirty, biopsy proven cases of LABC that had received three cycles of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil) were subjected to SLNB (using methylene blue dye) followed by complete axillary lymph node dissection (levels I-III). The sentinel node(s) was/were and the axilla were individually assessed histologically. The SLN accuracy parameters were calculated employing standard definitions. The SLN identification rate in the present study was 100%. The sensitivity of SLNB was 86.6% while the accuracy was 93.3%, which were comparable with other studies done using dual lymphatic mapping method. The SLN was found at level I in all cases and no untoward reaction to methylene blue dye was observed.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study confirms that SLNB using methylene blue dye as a sole mapping agent is reasonably safe and almost as accurate as dual agent mapping method. It is likely that in the near future, SLNB may become the standard of care and provide a less morbid alternative to routine axillary lymph node dissection even in patients with LABC that have received NACT.</p

A Study of Nuclear Transcription Factor-Kappa B in Childhood Autism

BACKGROUND: Several children with autism show regression in language and social development while maintaining normal motor milestones. A clear period of normal development followed by regression and subsequent improvement with treatment, suggests a multifactorial etiology. The role of inflammation in autism is now a major area of study. Viral and bacterial infections, hypoxia, or medication could affect both foetus and infant. These stressors could upregulate transcription factors like nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a master switch for many genes including some implicated in autism like tumor necrosis factor (TNF). On this hypothesis, it was proposed to determine NF-κB in children with autism. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 67 children with autism and 29 control children were evaluated for NF-κB using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). A phosphor imaging technique was used to quantify values. The fold increase over the control sample was calculated and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 15. RESULTS: We have noted significant increase in NF-κB DNA binding activity in peripheral blood samples of children with autism. When the fold increase of NF-κB in cases (n = 67) was compared with that of controls (n = 29), there was a significant difference (3.14 vs. 1.40, respectively; p<0.02). CONCLUSION: This finding has immense value in understanding many of the known biochemical changes reported in autism. As NF-κB is a response to stressors of several kinds and a master switch for many genes, autism may then arise at least in part from an NF-κB pathway gone awry

The Ontario Mother and Infant Study (TOMIS) III: A multi-site cohort study of the impact of delivery method on health, service use, and costs of care in the first postpartum year

Abstract Background The caesarean section rate continues to rise globally. A caesarean section is inarguably the preferred method of delivery when there is good evidence that a vaginal delivery may unduly risk the health of a woman or her infant. Any decisions about delivery method in the absence of clear medical indication should be based on knowledge of outcomes associated with different childbirth methods. However, there is lack of sold evidence of the short-term and long-term risks and benefits of a planned caesarean delivery compared to a planned vaginal delivery. It also is important to consider the economic aspects of caesarean sections, but very little attention has been given to health care system costs that take into account services used by women for themselves and their infants following hospital discharge. Methods and design The Ontario Mother and Infant Study III is a prospective cohort study to examine relationships between method of delivery and maternal and infant health, service utilization, and cost of care at three time points during the year following postpartum hospital discharge. Over 2500 women were recruited from 11 hospitals across the province of Ontario, Canada, with data collection occurring between April 2006 and October 2008. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire in hospital and structured telephone interviews at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after discharge. Data will be analyzed using generalized estimating equation, a special generalized linear models technique. A qualitative descriptive component supplements the survey approach, with the goal of assisting in interpretation of data and providing explanations for trends in the findings. Discussion The findings can be incorporated into patient counselling and discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of different delivery methods, potentially leading to changes in preferences and practices. In addition, the findings will be useful to hospital- and community-based postpartum care providers, managers, and administrators in guiding risk assessment and early intervention strategies. Finally, the research findings can provide the basis for policy modification and implementation strategies to improve outcomes and reduce costs of care

Evaluation of Candidate Stromal Epithelial Cross-Talk Genes Identifies Association between Risk of Serous Ovarian Cancer and TERT, a Cancer Susceptibility “Hot-Spot”

We hypothesized that variants in genes expressed as a consequence of interactions between ovarian cancer cells and the host micro-environment could contribute to cancer susceptibility. We therefore used a two-stage approach to evaluate common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 173 genes involved in stromal epithelial interactions in the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC). In the discovery stage, cases with epithelial ovarian cancer (n = 675) and controls (n = 1,162) were genotyped at 1,536 SNPs using an Illumina GoldenGate assay. Based on Positive Predictive Value estimates, three SNPs—PODXL rs1013368, ITGA6 rs13027811, and MMP3 rs522616—were selected for replication using TaqMan genotyping in up to 3,059 serous invasive cases and 8,905 controls from 16 OCAC case-control studies. An additional 18 SNPs with Pper-allele<0.05 in the discovery stage were selected for replication in a subset of five OCAC studies (n = 1,233 serous invasive cases; n = 3,364 controls). The discovery stage associations in PODXL, ITGA6, and MMP3 were attenuated in the larger replication set (adj. Pper-allele≥0.5). However genotypes at TERT rs7726159 were associated with ovarian cancer risk in the smaller, five-study replication study (Pper-allele = 0.03). Combined analysis of the discovery and replication sets for this TERT SNP showed an increased risk of serous ovarian cancer among non-Hispanic whites [adj. ORper-allele 1.14 (1.04–1.24) p = 0.003]. Our study adds to the growing evidence that, like the 8q24 locus, the telomerase reverse transcriptase locus at 5p15.33, is a general cancer susceptibility locus

Not Available

Not AvailableSafflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) is a multi-purpose oilseed crop grown for vegetable oil, animal feed, natural dyes and medicinal uses globally (Knowles 1989; Li and Mündel 1996). It is a traditional oilseed crop of India, primarily known for its healthy cooking oil containing more than 80% of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), the highest among edible oils (Kostik et al. 2012). Despite economic importance, safflower cultivation is declining in India, from 10 lakh ha. in 1988 to 1.5 lakh ha. in 2013 (FAOSTAT 2013). Seed oil content in the popular cultivars remains low (~28-32%), which is a concern for increasing the profitability of safflower cultivation. Increase of oil content in the cultivar would eventually lead to increase in oil yield, which would make safflower a commercially competitive crop for the farmers and attract the vegetable oil industry to take up safflower promotion in the country. We are exploring various strategies including the introduction of exotic high oil germplasm/varieties, conventional and molecular breeding to enhance oil content coupled with high seed yield in safflower.Not Availabl