Preliminary study of pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. spent mushroom compost as nutrient supplement on the shoot induction of fig tissue culture

Spent mushroom compost is identified as waste substrate. As the mushroom agriculture industry is growing rapidly, the production also increases and contributes to large amounts of spent mushroom compost annually. The conversion of spent mushroom compost as waste to wealth is a great concept that can give value to agricultural industry and solid waste management of mushroom cultivation. The use of SMC as nurient supplement may reduce the production cost for in vitro culture of fig plant. This research is to study the use of Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq.) P. Kumm. spent mushroom compost (SMC) as a nutrient supplement of the media in shoot induction of fig plant. Nodal segment of fig’s stem was cultured in MS media supplemented with different concentrations of SMC. With presence of SMC, 10% SMC have the highest shoot proliferation (2.167 ± 1.169) and length of shoot (0.154 ± 0.060 cm). The study revealed that in presence of 10% of SMC could produce new shoots at a frequency which was comparable to the control (p<0.05; n=3; Tukey’s multiple range test). Among the different media combinations of plant growth regulators with SMC, 15 μM Kinetin with 10% SMC is the most effective treatment which gave maximum number of shoot proliferation (3.00 ± 1.27). 30 μM IAA with 10% SMC media have the highest leaves regenerated which were 1.33 ± 0.84. In conclusion, the SMC added in media for plant tissue culture had positive effect on shoot induction thus highlighted the potential of waste substrate of SMC to act as nutrient supplement for plant tissue culture

Putative Nanobacteria Represent Physiological Remnants and Culture By-Products of Normal Calcium Homeostasis

Putative living entities called nanobacteria (NB) are unusual for their small sizes (50–500 nm), pleomorphic nature, and accumulation of hydroxyapatite (HAP), and have been implicated in numerous diseases involving extraskeletal calcification. By adding precipitating ions to cell culture medium containing serum, mineral nanoparticles are generated that are morphologically and chemically identical to the so-called NB. These nanoparticles are shown here to be formed of amorphous mineral complexes containing calcium as well as other ions like carbonate, which then rapidly acquire phosphate, forming HAP. The main constituent proteins of serum-derived NB are albumin, fetuin-A, and apolipoprotein A1, but their involvement appears circumstantial since so-called NB from different body fluids harbor other proteins. Accordingly, by passage through various culture media, the protein composition of these particles can be modulated. Immunoblotting experiments reveal that antibodies deemed specific for NB react in fact with either albumin, fetuin-A, or both, indicating that previous studies using these reagents may have detected these serum proteins from the same as well as different species, with human tissue nanoparticles presumably absorbing bovine serum antigens from the culture medium. Both fetal bovine serum and human serum, used earlier by other investigators as sources of NB, paradoxically inhibit the formation of these entities, and this inhibition is trypsin-sensitive, indicating a role for proteins in this inhibitory process. Fetuin-A, and to a lesser degree albumin, inhibit nanoparticle formation, an inhibition that is overcome with time, ending with formation of the so-called NB. Together, these data demonstrate that NB are most likely formed by calcium or apatite crystallization inhibitors that are somehow overwhelmed by excess calcium or calcium phosphate found in culture medium or in body fluids, thereby becoming seeds for calcification. The structures described earlier as NB may thus represent remnants and by-products of physiological mechanisms used for calcium homeostasis, a concept which explains the vast body of NB literature as well as explains the true origin of NB as lifeless protein-mineralo entities with questionable role in pathogenesis

Antiphospholipid syndrome; its implication in cardiovascular diseases: a review

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS) is a rare syndrome mainly characterized by several hyper-coagulable complications and therefore, implicated in the operated cardiac surgery patient. APLS comprises clinical features such as arterial or venous thromboses, valve disease, coronary artery disease, intracardiac thrombus formation, pulmonary hypertension and dilated cardiomyopathy. The most commonly affected valve is the mitral, followed by the aortic and tricuspid valve. For APLS diagnosis essential is the detection of so-called antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) as anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) or lupus anticoagulant (LA). Minor alterations in the anticoagulation, infection, and surgical stress may trigger widespread thrombosis. The incidence of thrombosis is highest during the following perioperative periods: preoperatively during the withdrawal of warfarin, postoperatively during the period of hypercoagulability despite warfarin or heparin therapy, or postoperatively before adequate anticoagulation achievement. Cardiac valvular pathology includes irregular thickening of the valve leaflets due to deposition of immune complexes that may lead to vegetations and valve dysfunction; a significant risk factor for stroke. Patients with APLS are at increased risk for thrombosis and adequate anticoagulation is of vital importance during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). A successful outcome requires multidisciplinary management in order to prevent thrombotic or bleeding complications and to manage perioperative anticoagulation. More work and reporting on anticoagulation management and adjuvant therapy in patients with APLS during extracorporeal circulation are necessary

Characterization of Granulations of Calcium and Apatite in Serum as Pleomorphic Mineralo-Protein Complexes and as Precursors of Putative Nanobacteria

Calcium and apatite granulations are demonstrated here to form in both human and fetal bovine serum in response to the simple addition of either calcium or phosphate, or a combination of both. These granulations are shown to represent precipitating complexes of protein and hydroxyapatite (HAP) that display marked pleomorphism, appearing as round, laminated particles, spindles, and films. These same complexes can be found in normal untreated serum, albeit at much lower amounts, and appear to result from the progressive binding of serum proteins with apatite until reaching saturation, upon which the mineralo-protein complexes precipitate. Chemically and morphologically, these complexes are virtually identical to the so-called nanobacteria (NB) implicated in numerous diseases and considered unusual for their small size, pleomorphism, and the presence of HAP. Like NB, serum granulations can seed particles upon transfer to serum-free medium, and their main protein constituents include albumin, complement components 3 and 4A, fetuin-A, and apolipoproteins A1 and B100, as well as other calcium and apatite binding proteins found in the serum. However, these serum mineralo-protein complexes are formed from the direct chemical binding of inorganic and organic phases, bypassing the need for any biological processes, including the long cultivation in cell culture conditions deemed necessary for the demonstration of NB. Thus, these serum granulations may result from physiologically inherent processes that become amplified with calcium phosphate loading or when subjected to culturing in medium. They may be viewed as simple mineralo-protein complexes formed from the deployment of calcification-inhibitory pathways used by the body to cope with excess calcium phosphate so as to prevent unwarranted calcification. Rather than representing novel pathophysiological mechanisms or exotic lifeforms, these results indicate that the entities described earlier as NB most likely originate from calcium and apatite binding factors in the serum, presumably calcification inhibitors, that upon saturation, form seeds for HAP deposition and growth. These calcium granulations are similar to those found in organisms throughout nature and may represent the products of more general calcium regulation pathways involved in the control of calcium storage, retrieval, tissue deposition, and disposal

Preliminary study on micropropagation of hylocereus polyrhizus with waste coconut water and sucrose

Mature coconut water is always been thrown away as a waste. However, it contain a lots of nutritional elements such as amino acids, pytohormones and minerals. Plant needs some essential nutrients besides pytohormones for their growth and development. In this study, the effect of waste mature coconut water and sucrose was observed on the micropropagation of dragon fruit tree (Hylocereus polyrhizus). The stem was inoculated on MS medium containing Benzyleaminopurine (BAP) 0.03mg/L BAP and 0.01mg/L Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) supplemented with waste mature coconut water in various concentrations (0%, 2%, 4% and 6% v/v) and with various concentrations : 0%, 1%, 2% and 3% of sucrose respectively. As the concentration of the waste mature coconut water and sucrose increased up to 4 % and 3%, increase in the elongation of the stem and the number of root regenerated per explant was observed repectively. In conclusion, waste mature coconut water has enhanced the elongation of the shoots but has not promoted on the root induction with the suitable amount of sucrose

Does circumcision alter the periurethral uropathogenic bacterial flora

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of periurethral bacterial flora in uncircumcised boys and to evaluate the effect of circumcision on alteration of periurethral uropathogenic bacterial flora. Materials and Methods: Pattern of periurethral bacterial flora before and after circumcision was studied prospectively in 124 boys. The results were analysed to compare change in bacterial colonisation before and after circumcision. Results: The age range was 6 weeks to 96 months. Most (94.3%) of the boys had religious indication and 5.7% had medical indication for circumcision. E. coli, Proteus and Klebsiella were most common periurethral bacterial flora in uncircumcised subjects. Coagulase-negative staphylococcus and Staphylococcus aureus was most common periurethral bacterial flora in circumcised subjects. In 66.1% of circumcised subjects, no bacteria were grown from periurethral region. Conclusion: We conclude that presence of prepuce is associated with great quantity of periurethral bacteria, greater likelihood of the presence of high concentration of uropathogens and high incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI). This study provides circumstantial evidence supporting the idea that early circumcision may be beneficial for prevention of UTI.Key words: Circumcision, periurethral bacterial flora, uropathoge

Adoption and correlates of Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) in the evaluation of learning environments – A systematic review^*

<p><b>Background:</b> The Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) is a highly reliable and valid instrument to measure the educational environment during post graduate medical training. This review extends earlier reports by evaluating the extant adoption of PHEEM in various international clinical training sites, and its significant correlations in order to expand our understanding on the use of PHEEM and facilitate future applications and research.</p> <p><b>Method:</b> A systematic literature review was conducted on all articles between 2005 and October 2015 that adopted and reported data using the PHEEM.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Overall 30 studies were included, encompassing data from 14 countries internationally. Notable differences in the PHEEM scores were found between different levels of training, disciplines, and clinical training sites. Common strengths and weaknesses in learning environments were observed and there were significant correlations between PHEEM scores and In-Training Exam (ITE) performance (positive correlation) and level of burnout (negative correlation), respectively.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> PHEEM is widely adopted in different learning settings, and is a useful tool to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an educational environment. Future research can examine other correlates of PHEEM and longitudinal changes in interventional studies.</p