Anti-microbial mechanism of Lonicera japonica and Andrographis paniculata extract in inhibiting Pseudomonas sp.

Antibiotic resistance reported in Pseudomonas sp. is associated with various opportunistic infections and is a concern in the public health system. The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of ethanol extracts of Lonicera japonica and Andrographis paniculata on Pseudomonas sp. The total phenolic compound (TPC) calculated in gallic acid equivalent (GAE) was 508.6±117.96 mg GAE/100 g dried weight (DW) in L. japonica while A. paniculata contained 129.0 ± 21.00 mg GAE/100 g DW. Both herbs significantly reduced the swarming zone diameters of Pseudomonas sp., even at a concentration as low as 5 mg/mL when compared to the controls. The anti-swarming effect of L. japonica and A. paniculata may be one of the mutual mechanisms underlying their anti-microbial properties. However, only the extract of L. japonica showed cell anti-adhesion activity, which can prevent biofilm formation. Andrographis paniculata extract on the other hand shows the highest activity in disrupting the cell membrane of Pseudomonas sp

Fungal and bacterial species in degrading carbamazepine: a metabolite perspective: Mini-review

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a ubiquitous pharmaceutical pollutant found in various water environments. This is due to the ineffective CBZ removal, despite employing advanced physiochemical treatment technologies in the current conventional wastewater treatment plants. Thus, bioremediation that utilizes enzymes in microorganisms' systems to bio-mineralize CBZ is suggested as an alternative or complementary technique to remove CBZ more effectively. However, information from published research on the biodegradation of CBZ, the toxicity of metabolites, or toxicity testing was rarely evaluated or assessed cohesively. This aspect is important because if bioremediation of CBZ produces toxic metabolites, it will defeat the main purpose of bioremediation. Thus, the focus of this review is to assess the effectiveness of fungi and bacteria in the biodegradation of CBZ, particularly by looking at the type of enzymes expressed, and the metabolites produced. In this review, information related to the fungal and bacterial species that were reported to degrade CBZ was collated from the published literature and analyzed. Results of the analysis showed that cytochrome P450, laccase, and manganese peroxidase were the common enzymes responsible to degrade CBZ. However, such enzymatic activities can sometimes produce epoxy-CBZ, which is a more toxic compound than the parent compound. Only the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus was able to oxidize epoxy-CBZ via the acridine pathway into acridone, the latter a metabolite that is susceptible to further biodegradation into nontoxic metabolites. However, the identity of the end metabolites is not reported nor characterized. Further, Pseudomonas spp. is the most promising bioremediating agent since it can metabolize CBZ into catechol, the latter can enter the carbon central pathways to generate energy for the bacterial cells

Comparative Assessment of Three Fungal Genus in Mycoremediation of Spent Engine Oil: A Brief Review

Spent engine oil is composed of various aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, lubricative additives, and traces of heavy metal. Improper disposal of spent engine oil can lead to deleterious effects on humans due to spent engine oil properties, which can exert toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity on cells and organs. The conventional method to remove hydrocarbon in the spent engine oil is not only expensive but unable to degrade the hydrocarbon completely. In comparison, the mycoremediation approach has been reported to be environmentally friendly, efficient, and cost-effective. The main objective of this review article is to identify the fungal isolate which is most efficient to degrade spent engine oil by assessing the biomass production and the percentage of spent engine oil degraded. Based on the comparative information obtained, Mucor sp. showed the highest biomass production in the presence of spent engine oil. Trichoderma sp. and Aspergillus niger were found to have average biomass production and it depending on the strain and incubation period. Both A. flavus and A. nidulans were found to have the lowest biomass production. In terms of spent engine oil degradation, Mucor sp, Trichoderma sp. and A. niger showed >55% degradation as compared to A. flavus and A. nidulans which have less than 50% degradation. Therefore, from the results of the study, it can be concluded that Mucor sp. has the best potential to degrade spent engine oil within a short period based on the high biomass production and percentage of degradation. The comparative data also suggest that by selecting the right strain and right incubation period, the percentage of spent engine oil degradation by using Trichoderma sp. and A. niger could also increase

Preliminary assessment of Polytrichum commune extract as an antimicrobial soap ingredient

Mosses have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine due to the presence of secondary metabolites which have shown high biological activities. In particular, these secondary metabolites have demonstrated effective antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the influence of different extraction solvents on the antibacterial activities of the Polytrichum commune was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Results showed that both 12.5 mg/mL of methanol moss extract and 6.25 mg/mL of ethanol moss extract were the most effective concentrations against Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, the P. commune extracts were included as an added ingredient in soap bases to produce antibacterial soap prototypes where the effectiveness of the soaps containing the extracts in removing microorganisms from actual test individuals was carried out. Results of the thumb impression test of test individuals showed that the growth of microbial reduced after washing hands with the usage of both liquid and solid soap with the addition of P. commune extracts. Moreover, the antibacterial soaps performed better in eliminating microorganisms in comparison to control soaps without P. commune extracts. Taken together, P. commune extract could be a good candidate as a value-added ingredient utilized to produce antibacterial soaps due to its antibacterial properties

Crowd simulation based on machine intelligent and biological behaviors

Behavioral animation provides computer-generated creatures with instructions on how to react to external or internal stimulus, there by giving them autonomy. It has applications in entertainment and is also used as a tool in research. More recently, it has made its way into television and movie productions. However, its use in productions has its pros and cons. It can relieve animators from traditionally tedious tasks of animating creatures. But, with more autonomy, correct control of the creatures becomes unwieldy as high-level commands do not necessarily translate to the actual movements needed. The problem is compounded when crowds of autonomous creatures are to be generated. This project proposes and implements an animation system to generate and manage autonomous creatures. While applicable to different types of creatures, the emphasis is on a humanoid creature type. This creature is given an extensible action set with pre-defined actions, and an implemented behavioral module. This module is capable of computing mental attributes, handle miscellaneous and user-defined rules, and interpret terrain information. Finally, this module uses a condition-triggered method of defining behaviors, which addresses issues such as reusability, concurrency, and addition of states

Maritime Interdiction Operations in Logistically Barren Environments

Includes supplementary materialThis report contains analysis that shows that existing technology exists to improve Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) by approximately 30%. Furthermore, analysis contained herein will aid MIO planning for future operations. Since MIOs are an inherently dangerous, but necessary activity with far reaching implications to theater political and economic dynamics, this improvement is of great interest. MIO is a Naval solution to the problems of smuggling weapons, explosives, people and narcotics. MIO, when employed correctly has the potential to save lives and limit economic/political damage.N

Gender differences in the trend of colorectal cancer incidence in Singapore, 1968-2002.

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Over the past decades, incidence trends of colorectal cancer are sharply increased in Singapore. In this population-based study we describe changes in colorectal cancer incidence in Singapore and explore the reasons behind these changes through age-period cohort (APC) modeling. METHODS: We included all 22,609 colorectal cancer cases reported to the Singapore Cancer Registry between 1968 and 2002. Poisson regression, using age-period (AP) and age-cohort (AC) models was used to determine the effects of age at diagnosis, calendar period, and birth cohort. RESULTS: Male colorectal cancer rates between 1968 and 2002 from 20 to 40 per 100,000 person years. The increase was sharpest among older men, for whom there was a significant AC effect. Female colorectal cancer rates increased until 1992 (from 16 to 29 per 100,000 person years) and stabilized afterward. For women under 65 years, we observed a significant AP effect, corresponding to a sudden rise in colorectal cancer incidence around 1978. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates important gender differences in colorectal cancer incidence in Singapore, with increasing rates among men, and stabilized rates in women. The increase in men is mainly attributable to an incidence increase in the oldest age groups, probably due to increased exposure to dietary and lifestyle risk factors earlier in life. The stabilization in female colorectal cancer risk could be due to lower exposure to lifestyle risk factors and prophylactic removal of precancerous lesions