Production of Diamino propionic acid ammonia lyase by a new strain of Salmonella typhimurium PU011

BACKGROUND: Seeds of the legume plant Lathyrus sativus, which is grown in arid and semi arid tropical regions, contain Diamino Propionic acid (DAP). DAP is a neurotoxin, which, when consumed, causes a disease called Lathyrism. Lathryrism may manifest as Neurolathyrism or Osteolathyrism, in which the nervous system, and bone formation respectively, are affected. DAP ammonia lyase is produced by a few microorganisms such as Salmonella typhi, Salmonella typhimurium and Pseudomonas, and is capable of detoxifying DAP. RESULTS: S. typhimurium PU011, a non-virulent bacterial strain isolated in our lab, was found to produce DAP ammonia lyase enzyme when grown in minimal medium containing DAP. There was a direct correlation between biomass yield and enzyme activity, until 16 h post inoculation in minimal medium containing DAP. Following ammonium sulphate precipitation and passing through Sephadex G100, CM-Sephadex and DEAE-Sephacel for crude enzyme extract preparation, about 68-fold enzyme purity was obtained. The purified enzyme gave maximum activity at pH 8.0 and was stable up to 45 degrees C. The Km value for the substrate was found to be 0.685mM, calculated from a Line Weaver Burk plot. CONCLUSION: A new bacterial strain, S.typhimurium PU 011, which is capable of producing DAP ammonia lyase, was isolated

POTENTIAL OF URAI MATHIRAI (PEDIATRIC SIDDHA FORMULATION) FOR THE PROPHYLAXIS AND MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19 IN CHILDREN

The World Health Organization (WHO) data proposes that 8.5% of reported COVID-19 cases belong to pediatric population who are aged less than 18 years. Supportive care alone is recommended in asymptomatic, mild, or moderate pediatric COVID-19 patients by the panel of pediatric infectious diseases physicians and pharmacists from 20 geographically diverse North American institutions. This review article focuses on the prophylactic and therapeutic potential of Urai mathirai in the management of pediatric COVID-19 patients. The literature was looked, in databases such as Medline/PubMed Central/PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Web of science, Directory of open access journals (DOAJ), and reference lists to distinguish published manuscripts relevant to the use of Urai mathirai to prevent or treat COVID-19 in children. The herbs found in Urai Mathirai and their bioactive phytoconstituents possess antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, bronchodilatory and other pharmacological effects relevant to the management of signs and manifestations of COVID-19. The viability of Urai Mathirai in the prophylaxis and management of pediatric COVID-19 patients could further be established by future clinical studies

On a Ramanujan Quantity

Abstract: In this paper, We study the several modular equations of Ramanujan Quantities R(1, 2, 4; q) (established by Nikos Bagis) and R(1, 2, 4; q n ) for n = 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 23 and 25

Streptomyces sp. as plant growth-promoters and host-plant resistance inducers against Botrytis cinerea in chickpea

Two hundred and fifty seven actinobacteria, isolated from five different rhizosphere soils of chickpea, were evaluated for their antagonistic potential against Botrytis cinerea, causal agent of Botrytis grey mold (BGM) disease in chickpea, by dual culture assay. Of them, three most promising isolates (ATIRS43, ATIRS65 and ARRS10) with highest inhibitory activity (67–77%) were identified as Streptomyces sp. These selected isolates induced growth of chickpea genotype JG11 as a consortium rather than an individual inoculum. Co-inoculation of the selected Streptomyces sp. with Mesorhizobium ciceri UPM-Ca7T enhanced nodulation and nitrogenase activity in five chickpea genotypes (ICCV2, ICCV10, ICC4958, Annigeri and JG11). The selected Streptomyces sp. significantly reduced the disease incidence caused by B. cinerea by 28–47% over the un-inoculated control across the chickpea genotypes ICC4954 (susceptible), ICCV05530 (moderately resistant) and JG11 (unknown resistance). The Streptomyces sp. were also able to induce host-plant resistance, irrespective of the genotype, through the induction of various antioxidant enzymes and phenolics. Phenolic profiling of B. cinerea-affected and Streptomyces treated plants of ICCV05530 further confirmed host-plant resistance traits. This study indicated that the selected Streptomyces sp. have the potential for biological control of BGM disease in chickpea

Design and synthesis of novel quercetin metal complexes as IL-6 inhibitors for anti-inflammatory effect in SARS-CoV-2

One of the most common causes of mortality in COVID-19 patients is cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Though several cytokines are involved in CRS, the role of Interleukin 6 is significant. Considering the importance of IL-6 inhibition and the drawbacks of the existing monoclonal antibodies, the present study develops new flavonoid metal complexes as immune boosters targeting IL-6 for SARS-CoV-2 treatment. To identify the potential flavonoids from 152 secondary plant metabolites, PyRx 0.9 tool has been used. The top scorer quercetin was converted into quercetin-oxime. Seven metal complexes (QM-1 to QM-7) were made from quercetin-oxime by utilizing divalent metals such as zinc, copper, magnesium, cobalt, barium, and cadmium. It was assumed that all compounds were moderately soluble and would not penetrate the BBB through in silico ADME studies. However, the in vitro heamolytic research revealed a modest heamolytic effect in all seven complexes. To know the IL-6 inhibitory potential preliminary level, the complexes were screened for cytotoxicity in cell lines MCF-7 which predominantly expresses the IL-6 level. The cytotoxic effects of all complexes were considerable relative to the marketable Nutridac formulation. The complexes quercetin-Zinc (QM1) and quercetin-Zinc-Ascorbic acid (QM7) showed significant cytotoxicity on MCF-7 compared to Nutridac and no cytotoxic toward the normal cell lines

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Adaptation of radiation field analyser (RFA) as optical CT scanner for gel dosimetry

Optical scanning is one of the emerging evaluation tools used for obtaining dose distributions in gel dosimetry. A radiation field analyzer adapted into an optical CT scanner to evaluate an irradiated Fricke gel has been already reported by others. This prototype optical CT scanner functions like a first generation x-ray CT scanner in the translate-rotate fashion. A similar scanner was constructed in our department for optical scanning of irradiated FX gel. At first, an aquarium was constructed and fitted into the water phantom of the RFA with provision to place the gel phantom to be scanned along with a light source and detector. The movements of the RFA were utilized to scan the gel phantom. A scan of a cuvette filled with colored solution was carried out and the resulting images were reconstructed and profiles obtained to evaluate the working of the optical scanner. A scan of the gel phantom was then obtained to evaluate the performance of the scanner. Thus a radiation field analyzer (DYNASCAN) was successfully adapted to an optical scanner to evaluate Fricke gels in our department

First report of tuber-rot of safed musli (chlorophytum borivilianum) caused by fusarium solani in India

Fusarium solani was identified for the first time as causing a tuber-rot of Safed musli, a medicinal herb, in India