Plasmid-Encoded Multidrug Resistance of Salmonella typhi and some Enteric Bacteria in and around Kolkata, India: A Preliminary Study

The present study investigates the occurrence of R-plasmid in Salmonella typhi isolates from enteric fever cases in and around Kolkata (1991-2001), India following in vitro conjugation experiments, isolation of plasmid DNAs and agarose gel electrophoretic analysis. The multidrug resistant (MDR) S. typhi strains contained a transferable plasmid conferring resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole and tetracycline. The plasmid encoding ACCoT-resistance of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris were conjugative and co-migrated with the plasmid of MDR S. typhi isolates. The antibiotic sensitive S. typhi isolates did not contain any plasmid. Thus the findings of the present study confirmed the instability of the R-plasmid in S. typhi, and that the antibiotic sensitive S. typhi strains acquired the R-plasmid from other enteric bacteria such as E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P.vulgaris to undergo a suitable adaptation for survival in the changing antibiotic environment

DETERMINATION OF NITRITE, NITRATE AND TOTAL NITROGEN IN VEGETABLE SAMPLES

Yellow diazonium cation formed by reaction of nitrite with 6-amino-1-naphthol-3-sulphonic acid is coupled with β-naphthol in strong alkaline medium to yield a pink coloured azo dye. The azo-dyes shows absorption maximum at 510 nm with molar absorptivity of 2.5 ×104 M-1 cm-1. The dye product obeys Beer\'s law (correlation coefficient = 0.997), in terms of nitrite concentration, up to 2.7 μg NO2 mL-1. The above colour reaction system has been applied successfully for the determination of nitrite, nitrate and total nitrogen in vegetable samples. Unreduced samples give direct measure for nitrite whilst reduction of samples by copperized-cadmium column gives total nitrogen content and their difference shows nitrate content in the samples. Variety of vegetables have been tested for their N-content (NO2-/NO3-/total-N) with % RSD ranging between 1.5 to 2.5 % for nitrite determination. The effects of foreign ions in the determination of the nitrite, nitrate, and total nitrogen have been studied. Statistical comparison of the results with those of reported method shows good agreement and indicates no significant difference in precision. KEY WORDS: Yellow diazonium cation, 6-Amino-1-naphthol-3-sulphonic acid, Vegetables, Nitrite in vegetables, Nitrate in vegetables, Total nitrogen in vegetables Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2007, 21(3), 445-450

Enhancing chloramphenicol and trimethoprim in vitro activity by Ocimum sanctum Linn. (Lamiaceae) leaf extract against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the antibacterial activity of Ocimum sanctum (O. sanctum) leaf extract, alone, and in combination with chloramphenicol (C) and trimethoprim (Tm) against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. typhi).MethodsThe antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract of tulsi, O. sanctum, leaf (TLE; 500 μg) for 23 S. typhi isolates was determined following agar diffusion. The C (30 μg) and Tm (5 μg) activity alone and in combination with TLE (250 μg) was determined by disk diffusion. The zone diameter of inhibition (ZDI) for the agents was recorded, and growth inhibitory indices (GIIs) were calculated.ResultsThe S. typhi isolates (n=23), which were resistant to both C (ZDI 6 mm) and Tm (ZDI 6 mm), had TLE (500 μg) ZDIs 16-24 mm. The ZDIs of C and Tm were increased up to 15-21 mm and 17-23 mm, respectively, when TLE (250 μg) was added to the C and Tm discs. The GIIs ranged 0.789-1.235 and 0.894-1.352, due to combined activity against S. typhi isolates, of C and TLE and Tm and TLE, respectively.ConclusionsThe data suggest that TLE, in combination with C and Tm, had synergistic activity for S. typhi isolates, and hence O. sanctum is potential in combating S. typhi drug resistance, as well promising in the development of non-antibiotic drug for S. typhi infection

Plasmid-Mediated Dimethoate Degradation by Bacillus licheniformis Isolated From a Fresh Water Fish Labeo rohita

The Bacillus licheniformis strain isolated from the intestine of Labeo rohita by an enrichment technique showed capability of utilizing dimethoate as the sole source of carbon. The bacterium rapidly utilized dimethoate beyond 0.6 mg/mL and showed prolific growth in a mineral salts medium containing 0.45 mg/mL dimethoate. The isolated B licheniformis exhibited high level of tolerance of dimethoate (3.5 mg/mL) in nutrient broth, while its cured mutant did not tolerate dimethoate beyond 0.45 mg/mL and it was unable to utilize dimethoate. The wild B licheniformis strain transferred dimethoate degradation property to E coli C600 (Na(r), F(−)) strain. The transconjugant harbored a plasmid of the same molecular size (approximately 54 kb) as that of the donor plasmid; the cured strain was plasmid less. Thus a single plasmid of approximately 54 kb was involved in dimethoate degradation. Genes encoding resistance to antibiotic and heavy metal were also located on the plasmid

Understanding patient and family experiences of critical care in Bangladesh and India: What are the priority actions to promote person-centred care?

Patients’ experiences in the intensive care unit (ICU) can enhance or impair their subsequent recovery. Improving patient and family experiences on the ICU is an important part of providing high quality care. There is little evidence to guide how to do this in a South Asian critical care context. This study addresses this gap by exploring the experiences of critically ill patients and their families in ICUs in Bangladesh and India. We elicit suggestions for improvements from patients, families and staff and highlight examples of practices that support person-centred care. This multi-site hospital ethnography was carried out in five ICUs in government hospitals in Bangladesh and India, selected using purposive sampling. Qualitative data were collected using non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. A total of 108 interviews were conducted with patients, families, and ICU staff. Over 1000 hours of observation were carried out across the five study sites. We identified important mediators of patient and family experience that span many different aspects of care. Factors that promote person-centred care include access to ICU for families, support for family involvement in care delivery, clear communication with patients and families, good symptom management for patients, support for rehabilitation, and measures to address the physical, environmental and financial needs of the family. This study has generated a list of recommendations that can be used by policy makers and practitioners who wish to implement person-centred principles in the ICU

Global Policy Barriers and Enablers to Exercise and Physical Activity in Kidney Care

Objective: Impairment in physical function and physical performance leads to decreased independence and health-related quality of life in people living with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease. Physical activity and exercise in kidney care are not priorities in policy development. We aimed to identify global policy-related enablers, barriers, and strategies to increase exercise participation and physical activity behavior for people living with kidney disease. Design and Methods: Guided by the Behavior Change Wheel theoretical framework, 50 global renal exercise experts developed policy barriers and enablers to exercise program implementation and physical activity promotion in kidney care. The consensus process consisted of developing themes from renal experts from North America, South America, Continental Europe, United Kingdom, Asia, and Oceania. Strategies to address enablers and barriers were identified by the group, and consensus was achieved. Results: We found that policies addressing funding, service provision, legislation, regulations, guidelines, the environment, communication, and marketing are required to support people with kidney disease to be physically active, participate in exercise, and improve health-related quality of life. We provide a global perspective and highlight Japanese, Canadian, and other regional examples where policies have been developed to increase renal physical activity and rehabilitation. We present recommendations targeting multiple stakeholders including nephrologists, nurses, allied health clinicians, organizations providing renal care and education, and renal program funders. Conclusions: We strongly recommend the nephrology community and people living with kidney disease take action to change policy now, rather than idly waiting for indisputable clinical trial evidence that increasing physical activity, strength, fitness, and function improves the lives of people living with kidney disease

Transport across a system with three p-wave superconducting wires: effects of Majorana modes and interactions

We study the effects of Majorana modes and interactions between electrons on transport in a one-dimensional system with a junction of three p-wave superconductors (SCs) which are connected to normal metal leads. For sufficiently long SCs, there are zero energy Majorana modes at the junctions between the SCs and the leads, and, depending on the signs of the p-wave pairings in the three SCs, there can also be one or three Majorana modes at the junction of the three SCs. We show that the various sub-gap conductances have peaks occurring at the energies of all these modes; we therefore get a rich pattern of conductance peaks. Next, we use a renormalization group approach to study the scattering matrix of the system at energies far from the SC gap. The fixed points of the renormalization group flows and their stabilities are studied; we find that the scattering matrix at the stable fixed point is highly symmetric even when the microscopic scattering matrix and the interaction strengths are not symmetric. We discuss the implications of this for the conductances. Finally we propose an experimental realization of this system which can produce different signs of the p-wave pairings in the different SCs

Extraction of chloroplatinate(II)– 2-[(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)]-5-diethylaminophenol-(TX-100)-<i style="">N</i>-hydroxy-<i style="">N,N’</i>- diphenylbenzamidine complex

138-143A sensitive and selective spectrophotometric method, developed for the determination of trace amounts of platinum, is based on the formation of platinum as a mixed complex with 2-[(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)]-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) and TX-100 or triton X-100 (Polyethylene-di-isobutyl-glycol-ether) from 0.1M SnCl2 in to HCl and extraction with N-hydroxy-N,N’-diphenylbenzamidine (HDPBA) in dichloromethane. The violet coloured Pt(II)- 5-Br-PADAP-(TX-100)–HDPBA complex in dichloromethane shows maximum absorbance at 575 nm with molar absorptivity value of 6.0x104 dm3/mol/cm. The repeatability of the method was checked by finding relative standard deviation (RSD, n=10) value for solutions each containing 1.5 g/cm2 Pt(II) and the RSD value of the method was found to be 1.5%. The system obeyed Beer’s law up to 2.1 mg/cm2 of platinum and the detection limit of the method is 20 ng/cm2 on a three times the standard deviation of the blank absorbance basis. High concentration of foreign ions, with the exception of palladium, does not interfere with the determination of platinum. The proposed method has been applied for determination of platinum in automobile exhaust sample, soil and vegetation samples

Majorana modes and transport across junctions of superconductors and normal metals

We study Majorana modes and transport in one-dimensional systems with a p-wave superconductor (SC) and normal metal leads. For a system with an SC lying between two leads, it is known that there is a Majorana mode at the junction between the SC and each lead. If the p-wave pairing Delta changes sign or if a strong impurity is present at some point inside the SC, two additional Majorana modes appear near that point. We study the effect of all these modes on the sub-gap conductance between the leads and the SC. We derive an analytical expression as a function of Delta and the length L of the SC for the energy shifts of the Majorana modes at the junctions due to hybridization between them; the shifts oscillate and decay exponentially as L is increased. The energy shifts exactly match the location of the peaks in the conductance. Using bosonization and the renormalization group method, we study the effect of interactions between the electrons on Delta and the strengths of an impurity inside the SC or the barriers between the SC and the leads; this in turn affects the Majorana modes and the conductance. Finally, we propose a novel experimental realization of these systems, in particular of a system where Delta changes sign at one point inside the SC

Plasmid-Encoded Multidrug Resistance of Salmonella typhi and some Enteric Bacteria in and around Kolkata, India: A Preliminary Study

The present study investigates the occurrence of R-plasmid in Salmonella typhi isolates from enteric fever cases in and around Kolkata (1991-2001), India following in vitro conjugation experiments, isolation of plasmid DNAs and agarose gel electrophoretic analysis. The multidrug resistant (MDR) S. typhi strains contained a transferable plasmid conferring resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole and tetracycline. The plasmid encoding ACCoT-resistance of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris were conjugative and co-migrated with the plasmid of MDR S. typhi isolates. The antibiotic sensitive S. typhi isolates did not contain any plasmid. Thus the findings of the present study confirmed the instability of the R-plasmid in S. typhi, and that the antibiotic sensitive S. typhi strains acquired the R-plasmid from other enteric bacteria such as E. coli, K. pneumoniae and P.vulgaris to undergo a suitable adaptation for survival in the changing antibiotic environment