Isolation and purification of membrane-bound cytochrome c from Proteus mirabilis

In the present studies, respiratory chain pathogenic bacterium, Proteus mirabilis, was investigated. In the first phase, growth profile study was performed to optimize the P. mirabilis growth. Maximum bacterial growth could be obtained between 10 – 12 h of culturing time. Down-stream processing was performed by using sonication, ultracentrifugation and detergent solubilization techniques. Partially purified respiratory contents were analyzed spectrophotometrically. Pyridine-ferrochrome and redoxspectra showed the presence of heme-c

Effect of lead acetate administered orally at different dosage levels in broiler chicks

The project was conducted to evaluate the effect of lead administered as lead acetate at different dosage levels via drinking water in broiler chicks. Thirty-five healthy chicks were divided into seven groups (five chicks each) and one group was kept as un-medicated control. Groups A, B, C, D, E and F were medicated with lead acetate in a single dose at a rate of 80, 120, 160, 200, 240 and 280 mg/kg of body weight respectively for twenty five days consecutively. Various biochemical parameters, that is, glutamate pyruvate transaminase, creatinine and uric acid were determined by using spectrophotometer. A significant (P<0.05) increase was recorded in GPT, creatinine and uric acid levels in all medicated groups. The GPT, creatinine and uric acid levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher in groups medicated with high doses of 240 and 280 mg/kg b.wt of lead acetate. Analysis of variance showed that the DATA were significant not only from the single factor (dose/days) point of view, but also from their combined effect (dose rate × different days of analysis), which gave significant results with a P value less than 0.05. The mortality rate of 20% was observed for the groups medicated with 120, 160 and 200 mg/kg b.wt, while 60% was observed for the groups medicated with 240 and 280 mg/kg b.wt. Postmortem revealed gross lesions on liver, lungs, kidney and brain at high doses of lead acetate. The lead was also accumulated in different organs, such as, the bone (14.83 ± 0.18 μg/g), brain (2.63 ± 0.16 μg/g) and liver (1.05 ± 0.16 μg/g). These results showed that lead possessed significant capability of bioaccumulation. However, it also revealed that lead toxicity increased as the dose increased and high dose of lead caused both hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in broiler chickens.Keywords: Lead acetate, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, broiler chicken

2-(4-Isopropyl­benzylidene)propanoic acid

The two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C13H16O2, form dimers through O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding, resulting in R 2 2(8) rings. Each carboxyl­ O atom is involved in inter­amolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming five-membered rings. There exist dissimilar dihedral angles within the two mol­ecules, for example the carboxylate and isopropyl groups make dihedral angles of 59.6 (4) and 71.7 (3)° in the two molecules. There are no intermolecular π inter­actions

Development of an ELISA to distinguish between foot-and-mouth disease virus infected and vaccinated animals utilising the viral non-structural protein 3ABC

Introduction. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically devastating viral disease of livestock and is endemic in much of Asia, including Pakistan. Vaccination is used to control disease outbreaks and sensitive diagnostic methods which can differentiate infected animals from vaccinated animals (DIVA) are essential for monitoring the effectiveness of disease control programmes. Tests based on the detection of the non-structural protein (NSP) 3ABC are reliable indicators of virus replication in infected and vaccinated populations. Hypothesis/Gap statement. Diagnosis of FMD is expensive using commercial ELISA kits, yet is essential for controlling this economically-important disease. Aim. The development of a low-cost diagnostic ELISA, using protein made in Escherichia coli . Methodology. In this study, the viral precursor protein 3ABC (r3ABC) was expressed in E. coli , solubilised using detergent and purified using nickel affinity chromatography. The fusion protein contained an attenuating mutation in the protease and a SUMO tag. It was characterised by immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation, which revealed antigenicity against virus-specific polyclonal sera. Using r3ABC, an indirect ELISA was developed and evaluated using field sera from healthy/naïve, vaccinated and infected animals. Results. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the r3ABC in-house ELISA were 95.3 and 96.3% respectively. The ELISA was validated through comparison with the commercially available ID Screen FMD NSP competition kit. Results indicated good concordance rates on tested samples and high agreement between the two tests. Conclusion. The ELISA described here can effectively differentiate between infected and vaccinated animals and represents an important low cost tool for sero-surveillance and control of FMD in endemic settings

Impact of metabolic comorbidity on the association between body mass index and heatlh-related quality of life: a Scotland-wide cross-sectional study of 5,608 participants

<p/>Background: The prevalence of obesity is rising in Scotland and globally. Overall, obesity is associated with increased morbidity, mortality and reduced health-related quality of life. Studies suggest that "healthy obesity" (obesity without metabolic comorbidity) may not be associated with morbidity or mortality. Its impact on health-related quality of life is unknown. <p/>Methods: We extracted data from the Scottish Health Survey on self-reported health-related quality of life, body mass index (BMI), demographic information and comorbidity. SF-12 responses were converted into an overall health utility score. Linear regression analyses were used to explore the association between BMI and health utility, stratified by the presence or absence of metabolic comorbidity (diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia or cardiovascular disease), and adjusted for potential confounders (age, sex and deprivation quintile). <p/>Results: Of the 5,608 individuals, 3,744 (66.8%) were either overweight or obese and 921 (16.4%) had metabolic comorbidity. There was an inverted U-shaped relationship whereby health utility was highest among overweight individuals and fell with increasing BMI. There was a significant interaction with metabolic comorbidity (p = 0.007). Individuals with metabolic comorbidty had lower utility scores and a steeper decline in utility with increasing BMI (morbidly obese, adjusted coefficient: -0.064, 95% CI -0.115, -0.012, p = 0.015 for metabolic comorbidity versus -0.042, 95% CI -0.067, -0.018, p = 0.001 for no metabolic comorbidity). <p/>Conclusions: The adverse impact of obesity on health-related quality of life is greater among individuals with metabolic comorbidity. However, increased BMI is associated with reduced health-related quality of life even in the absence of metabolic comorbidity, casting doubt on the notion of "healthy obesity"

Advances in small lasers

M.T.H was supported by an Australian Research council Future Fellowship research grant for this work. M.C.G. is grateful to the Scottish Funding Council (via SUPA) for financial support.Small lasers have dimensions or modes sizes close to or smaller than the wavelength of emitted light. In recent years there has been significant progress towards reducing the size and improving the characteristics of these devices. This work has been led primarily by the innovative use of new materials and cavity designs. This Review summarizes some of the latest developments, particularly in metallic and plasmonic lasers, improvements in small dielectric lasers, and the emerging area of small bio-compatible or bio-derived lasers. We examine the different approaches employed to reduce size and how they result in significant differences in the final device, particularly between metal- and dielectric-cavity lasers. We also present potential applications for the various forms of small lasers, and indicate where further developments are required.PostprintPeer reviewe

Influence of aerial seed banks on germination response in three desert plant species

© The Author 2016. Aims To determine if the germination response of desert plant species to a period of aerial storage in field conditions (i.e. mature seeds that remain attached to the parent plant) is comparable to seeds harvested at maturity and stored in ambient laboratory conditions, to better understand the role of aerial seed bank in the germination ecology of desert plants, using one annual and two perennial species. Methods Seeds of three desert plants (Anastatica hierochuntica, Blepharis ciliaris and Scrophularia deserti) that matured in June 2014, were collected from wild plants in June and November 2014, and germinated under two photoperiods (0, 12 hours light) and three thermoperiods (night/day temperatures of 15/25, 20/30 and 25/35°C). Important Findings Seeds of B. ciliaris and S. deserti had significantly higher germination percentages when harvested and stored for five months, compared to being stored in the aerial seed bank. Germination percentages of these two species increased with decreasing temperature and in the presence of light. These results indicate that these species use a combination of aerial and soil seed banks to maintain a percentage of viable seeds through favourable germination periods. Germination percentages of A. hierochuntica were high under all tested circumstances, indicating that this species relies mainly on the aerial seed bank to maintain a percentage of viable seeds through favourable germination periods. This study shows that the population survival strategies of an aerial seed bank are species-specific. These results have practical implications for conservation and habitat restoration for these species, and also for their propagation since early collection of mature fruits and ex situ storage will result in greater germination percentages of some species