Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory property of Melanin from marine Bacillus sp BTCZ31

 Objectives: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory property of melanin from marine Bacillus spp. BTCZ31.Methods: Radical scavenging property of melanin was determined by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and metal chelation assays, which was furtherconfirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Anti-inflammatory property of melanin was explored in vitro in RAW264.7cell line using cyclooxygenase (COX), Lipoxygenase (LOX), Myleoperoxidase (MPO), cellular nitrite inhibitory assays. Cytotoxicity of melanin wasdetermined using 3-(4,5 dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay.Results: BTCZ31 melanin showed radical scavenging activity of 67.55% and ferrous ion chelating activity of 97.88%. EPR spectrum showed sharppeaks indicating the presence of unpaired electrons. Melanin inhibited the activity of COX and LOX enzyme with IC50 values of 104.34 μg/mL and10.5 μg/mL, respectively. It also reduced the activity of MPO and cellular nitrite levels. Cytotoxic concentration of melanin was found to be 105.4 μg/mL(IC50).Conclusion: Bacillus spp. BTCZ10 melanin can be a potential anti-inflammatory agent. Further in vivo evaluations are needed for confirming theactivity, leading to therapeutic applications.Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Bacillus spp., Bacteria, Marine, Melanin

Endocrinal assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients as compared to control groups

Background: Hormones also take part in respiratory control via peripheral chemo receptors or by their local effects on the lungs and the airways. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, respiratory muscles are required to work efficiently than normal individuals to establish a sufficient respiration. Changes in serum hormone levels of COPD patients adversely affect functioning of respiratory muscles. Objective of the study was to assess endocrinal profile in COPD patient with comparable control groups.Methods: A Hospital based Case control study conducted at Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Late B.R.K.M Government Medical College, Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, India during July 2016 to January 2017. Study included 75 diagnosed cases of COPD in which moderate, severe, very severe COPD was 25 in each of this group (per GOLD ‘s guideline) and compared to age matched 25 healthy control.Results: In this study serum growth hormone and serum testosterone showed significant difference between COPD cases and control group and fair significant difference in serum FSH between COPD cases and control groups. There was no significant correlation between serum growth hormone, serum testosterone and serum FSH with COPD grading. There was no statistically difference observed in serum LH (p=0.425) level between COPD cases and control groups. Present study showed there was statistically difference in FT3, FT4 and TSH level between COPD cases and control groups. There was significant negative correlation between FT4 levels between COPD grading. But no correlation seen between COPD grading and control with respect to serum FT3 and TSH level.Conclusions: Endocrinal assessment in present study showed significant decrease in serum growth hormone and serum testosterone in COPD patients, which are anabolic hormones. Early detection and correction of such an anabolic hormonal abnormality may prevent skeletal and diaphragmatic muscle weakness, and improve respiratory drive of COPD patients

A clinical study to assess the patterns of muco-cutaneous changes in newborns during the first five days after birth

Background: Skin is the largest organ in the human body accounting for approximately 13% of the neonatal body weight as compared to 3% of the adult weight. It is the most visible and easily accessible organ of the body. Objective: To study the patterns of muco-cutaneous changes in newborns during the first 5 days after birth. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was conducted in postnatal wards of department of Obstetrics and gynaecology and neonatal unit of department of Paediatrics of a tertiary care teaching hospital. All the newborns within first 5 days after birth, irrespective of gender, underlying disease and general condition of the baby were included in the study. All the newborns were examined within 24 h of birth and followed up till 4 days after birth and the findings were noted in the preformed case-study proforma. Results: The present study was conducted on 200 newborns with cutaneous lesions. The muco-cutaneous diseases were divided into physiological, transient and pathological diseases. Among these newborns 114 (57%) were males, and 86 (43%) were females. The most common manifestations observed were Mongolian spots 156 (78%), sebaceous gland hyperplasia 81 (40.5%), Epstein pearls 79 (39.5%), milia 43 (21.5%), physiological jaundice 16 (8%), vernix caseosa 14 (7%), erythema toxicum 13(6.5%), salmon patch 5 (2.5%), hypertrichosis/lanugo 2 (1%), sucking blisters 1 (0.5%) and bacterial infection of Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome 1 (0.5%). Conclusion: Muco-cutaneous manifestations are very common in neonates but as these are the transient conditions, so no intervention is required. Early recognition of these lesions is important to distinguish them from more serious skin disorders

Genome Editing in iPSC-Based Neural Systems: From Disease Models to Future Therapeutic Strategies

Therapeutic advances for neurological disorders are challenging due to limited accessibility of the human central nervous system and incomplete understanding of disease mechanisms. Many neurological diseases lack precision treatments, leading to significant disease burden and poor outcome for affected patients. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provides human neuronal cells that facilitate disease modeling and development of therapies. The use of genome editing, in particular CRISPR-Cas9 technology, has extended the potential of iPSCs, generating new models for a number of disorders, including Alzheimers and Parkinson Disease. Editing of iPSCs, in particular with CRISPR-Cas9, allows generation of isogenic pairs, which differ only in the disease-causing mutation and share the same genetic background, for assessment of phenotypic differences and downstream effects. Moreover, genome-wide CRISPR screens allow high-throughput interrogation for genetic modifiers in neuronal phenotypes, leading to discovery of novel pathways, and identification of new therapeutic targets. CRISPR-Cas9 has now evolved beyond altering gene expression. Indeed, fusion of a defective Cas9 (dCas9) nuclease with transcriptional repressors or activation domains allows down-regulation or activation of gene expression (CRISPR interference, CRISPRi; CRISPR activation, CRISPRa). These new tools will improve disease modeling and facilitate CRISPR and cell-based therapies, as seen for epilepsy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Genome engineering holds huge promise for the future understanding and treatment of neurological disorders, but there are numerous barriers to overcome. The synergy of iPSC-based model systems and gene editing will play a vital role in the route to precision medicine and the clinical translation of genome editing-based therapies

Kinetics of Decomposition of Nitramine Propellant by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

The paper describes an experimental procedure for the determination of overall kinetic parameters for the exothermic decomposition reaction of nitramine propellant. The kinetic parameters can be obtained through the use of differential thermal analysis (DTA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) or thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) methods. The procedure is applicable to reactions whose behaviour can be described by the Arrhenius equation and the general rate law. In the present work, DSC technique has been used for the evaluation of Arrehenius activation parameters and specific rate constants for thermal decomposition of a typical nitramine propellant. The kinetic parameters were computed by Ozawa and Kissinger methods for comparison. The activation energy value obtained from the Ozawa method is refined by an iteration procedure using Doyle approximation for the Arrhenius temperature integral p(x)

Marine bacterial prodigiosin as dye for rubber latex, polymethyl methacrylate sheets and paper

Prodigiosin is known for its immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antimycotic, antimalarial, algicidal and anticancer activities. Here, we reported the evaluation of prodigiosin pigment as a dyeing agent in rubber latex, paper and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) so that it can be considered as an alternative to synthetic pigments. Maximum color shade was obtained in rubber sheet prepared with 0.5 parts per hundred gram of rubber (phr) pigment and PMMA sheet incorporated with 0.08 μg pigment. Results indicate scope for utilization of prodigiosin as dye for PMMA and rubber and also prodigiosin dyed paper as a pH indicator. Further, being a natural and water insoluble pigment, it is ecofriendly.Keywords: Prodigiosin, Serratia sp., dye, rubber, polymethyl methacrylateAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(17), pp. 2266-226

ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOSOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF COVID-19 IN DIABETES PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the psychosocial health, to identify coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) specific concerns in people with diabetes and to analyze the changes in the management of diabetes during the corona crisis. Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted for a period of 6 months among the South Indian diabetes population. A validated questionnaire containing socio-demographics, general health status, the diabetes distress scale 17, and the 3-itemUCLA loneliness scale was sent to 600 people, out of which 226 participants were included in the study based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Responses were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results: Among the participants, females had moderate to high diabetes distress (54.4%). The subjects in the age group of 40–59 years felt lonely and had more diabetes distress. The two major worries among the participants were that “they are labeled as a risk group” and that “they might be overly affected.” Participants with gestational diabetes mellitus (DM), DM duration of 7 months to 1 year, taking both medications (oral antidiabetic medication and insulin), HbA1c level of more than 8%, infected with coronavirus or having someone close to them infected with coronavirus, were more concerned about taking medication daily, and those who changed their meal plan during the corona period had the greatest concerns. Conclusion: People who participated in the survey were more worried about the COVID-19 situation and were very disturbed. Psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 were more prevalent in diabetes patients, including diabetes distress, loneliness, and changes in daily diabetes management

Human Cognition and Emotion using Physio Psychological Approach : A Survey

A soldier’s responsibility in the military includes his physical and mental attitudes which makes him to support the army in a full-fledged manner. This type of human dimension recognizes Soldier readiness from training proficiency to motivation for the Army’s future success. It introduces the concept of holistic fitness, a comprehensive combination of the whole person, including all components of the human dimension as a triad of moral, cognitive and physical components. The human dimension concept is directly related to the human mind and memory system. In this research, a system which will be capable of recognizing human emotions based on physiological parameters of a human body is discussed. The data from the system is fed to a computer where it is stored. Stored information regarding human parameters is retrieved and classified using support vector machine to generate a data set about the various emotions the human poses at a specific situation. The emotion, thus calculated is grouped to generate a grade for his present status. This grade is used to recommend the suitable working environment for the person