Identification & differentiation of Mycobacterium avium & M. intracellulare by PCR- RFLP assay using the groES gene

Background & objectives: We report a new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) – restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay using mycobacterial groES as a target to identify Mycobacterium avium and M. intracellulare in clinical samples. Methods: The assay was standardized using M. avium and M. intracellulare standard strains obtained from ATCC and was tested with 45 M. avium-M. intracellulare complex (MAC) clinical isolates (Of which 31 were from HIV+ individuals). The standard and clinical strains were typed with HPLC based mycolic acid fingerprinting. Results: Three polymorphisms (BamHI, BstNI and HgaI) were identified for inter-species differentiation among standard strains; of which, only HgaI was found to be useful in clinical isolates. Of the 45 isolates, 25 were M. avium and 20 were M. intracelluare. MAC isolates, which could not be differentiated by HPLC analysis, were also typed by this method. Interpretation & conclusions: The use of mycobacterial groES as a PCR-RFLP target for M. avium and M. intracellulare is a simple and rapid method that can complement HPLC in their differentiation

Effect of Filarial Infection on Serum Inflammatory and Atherogenic Biomarkers in Coronary Artery Disease (CURES-121)

Helminth infections can potentially confer protection against metabolic disorders, possibly through immunomodulation. In this study, the baseline prevalence of lymphatic filariasis (LF) among subjects without (N = 236) and with (N = 217) coronary artery disease (CAD) was examined as part of the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (CURES). The prevalence of LF was not significantly different between CAD− and CAD+ subjects. The LF antigen load and antibody levels indicated comparable levels of infection and exposure between the groups. Within the CAD group, LF+ and LF− subjects had no significant difference in the intimal medial thickness and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein values. However, LF infection was associated with augmented levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 among CAD+ subjects. The LF infection had no effect on serum adipocytokine profile. In conclusion, unlike type-2 diabetes, there is no association between the prevalence of LF and CAD and also no evidence of protective immunomodulation of LF infection on CAD in the Asian Indian population

Biodegradation of Leather Solid Waste and Manipulation of Methanogens and Chromium-resistant Microorganisms

The final solid wastes generated by tanneries are usuallyseparately disposed of in hazardous industrial landfills, whichare characterized as places of waste confinement where theresidues undergo undesired and uncontrolled biologicaltreatment. The storage and corresponding evolution of thesludge has not yet focalized the attention of the scientificcommunity. Apart from developing knowledge of the ecologyand function of the microbial community in anaerobic digestionprocesses, it is necessary to control this biological process. Themanipulation of strict anaerobic microorganisms is the limitingfactor in their isolation due to their high sensitivity to oxygen;therefore, cultivation under anaerobic conditions is essential.This work presents an evaluation of biogas generation andquality. In addition, microbial biodegradation is carried out inbench bioreactors containing two main solid wastes fromtanneries: wet-blue shavings and sludge from a tannerywastewater treatment plant (WWTP). We analyzed two storageconditions of the sludge: storage under ambient conditions andunder refrigeration. Sludge kept at ambient conditions showed asignificantly higher methane production; methane was onlydetected in vials containing high concentrations ofmicroorganisms. The manipulation of microorganisms did notinterrupt biodegradation. The isolation technique with vialsproved to be appropriate for the quantification of methanogenicmicroorganisms in biodegradation tests, although it was notfully elucidated for their isolation

Successful use of Remnant: Attractive Reversible Grain Pattern Leather from Bovine Ear

At the present time, complete utilization of bovine parts will leadto the development of exotic leathers with attractive grainpatterns. In this work an attempt has been made to prepareexotic leathers from the bovine ear, which is a solid waste fromthe slaughterhouse. Ears are the peculiar part of bovine, where aflexible cartilage (Type II collagen) is covered by the skin matrix(Type I collagen). The process for the preparation of the leathersfrom bovine ears has been optimized. The physical andmorphological characteristics of the leathers have been carriedout. The air permeability analysis revealed that the airpermeability decreased with increase in the cartilage thickness.The processed ear possessed high resistance towards stitch tearand abrasion. The attractive reversible grain pattern along withgenuine leather property provides an opportunity to utilize thismaterial as a new source of raw material for leather making

What Google Maps can do for biomedical data dissemination: examples and a design study

BACKGROUND: Biologists often need to assess whether unfamiliar datasets warrant the time investment required for more detailed exploration. Basing such assessments on brief descriptions provided by data publishers is unwieldy for large datasets that contain insights dependent on specific scientific questions. Alternatively, using complex software systems for a preliminary analysis may be deemed as too time consuming in itself, especially for unfamiliar data types and formats. This may lead to wasted analysis time and discarding of potentially useful data. RESULTS: We present an exploration of design opportunities that the Google Maps interface offers to biomedical data visualization. In particular, we focus on synergies between visualization techniques and Google Maps that facilitate the development of biological visualizations which have both low-overhead and sufficient expressivity to support the exploration of data at multiple scales. The methods we explore rely on displaying pre-rendered visualizations of biological data in browsers, with sparse yet powerful interactions, by using the Google Maps API. We structure our discussion around five visualizations: a gene co-regulation visualization, a heatmap viewer, a genome browser, a protein interaction network, and a planar visualization of white matter in the brain. Feedback from collaborative work with domain experts suggests that our Google Maps visualizations offer multiple, scale-dependent perspectives and can be particularly helpful for unfamiliar datasets due to their accessibility. We also find that users, particularly those less experienced with computer use, are attracted by the familiarity of the Google Maps API. Our five implementations introduce design elements that can benefit visualization developers. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a low-overhead approach that lets biologists access readily analyzed views of unfamiliar scientific datasets. We rely on pre-computed visualizations prepared by data experts, accompanied by sparse and intuitive interactions, and distributed via the familiar Google Maps framework. Our contributions are an evaluation demonstrating the validity and opportunities of this approach, a set of design guidelines benefiting those wanting to create such visualizations, and five concrete example visualizations

Development of Natural Garment Leathers: A Metal-Free Approach

Growing concerns over the toxicity of chromium and its influence on the health of customers using chromium tanned garment leathers has forced the leather industry to search for alternative tanning agents. Semi-metal tanning agents, aldehyde based systems, etc. have been considered but the toxicity issues are lingering. Hence, in the present study an attempt has been made to develop vegetable tanned garment leathers. The indiscriminate use of vegetable tannins and subsequent stripping prior to retanning and fatliquoring has been evaluated. It has been found that an 8% offer of wattle for tanning provides better physical and organoleptic properties. A polyamide based retanning system was found to offer better perspiration and organoleptic properties. Amongst the various fatliquoring compositions, a 50:50 combination of synthetic and natural fatliquors was found to offer higher softness. The optimized tanning – retanning – fatliquoring combination was found to be comparable to chrome tanned garment leathers and superior to semi-chrome garment leathers.RESUMENCrecientes preocupaciones acerca de la toxicidad del cromo así como su influencia sobre la salud de clientes utilizando cueros de vestimenta curtidos al cromo ha obligado a la industria del cuero a buscar agentes curtientes alternativos. Agentes curtientes semi-metálicos, sistemas basados en aldehídos, etc. han sido considerados pero las preocupaciones toxicológicas siguen todavía presentes. Entonces, en el presente estudio se ha tratado de desarrollar cueros de vestimenta al tanino. El uso indiscriminado de taninos de origen vegetal con subsecuente parcial remoción antes de recurtir y engrasar se ha evaluado. Se ha encontrado que una oferta de 8% de extracto de mimosa para el curtido produce las mejores propiedades físicas y organolépticas. Un sistema de recurtido basado en poliamida se encontró ofreciendo mejor solidez al sudor y propiedades organolépticas. Entre las varias composiciones de engrases, se encontró que una composición de 50:50 de engrases sintéticos y engrasantes naturales ofreció gran blandura. La optimizada combinación curtido-recurtido-engrase se encontró comparable a la vestimenta curtida al cromo y superior a la de semicromo

Henna-Aluminum Combination Tannage: A Greener Alternative Tanning System

Development of cleaner technologies for leather manufacture is imperative for the sustenance of the tanning industry. In the present study, a combination tanning system based on a henna-aluminum tannage for the production of upper leathers as a cleaner alternative is presented. Extract from the leaves of widely distributed Lawsonia inerims (Henna) from Sudan has been evaluated for its tanning characteristics in a combination tanning system based on henna and aluminum sulfate. Aluminum-henna (Al-henna) leathers tanned using 2% Al2O3; followed by 20% henna resulted in shrinkage temperature above 95oC. The uptake of henna in henna-Al tanning system with henna (20%) followed by aluminum (2% Al2O3) has been found to be better than the tanning system of Al-henna. These leathers showed compact fiber structure, indicating that the tanning process did not bring about any major change or destruction on the fiber structure of the leathers. Surface color values of henna-Al leathers resulted in darker shades with less red and more yellow components in the crust leathers. The combination tanning system provides significant reduction in the discharge of total dissolved solids in the wastewater. Henna-Al combination tanning system resulted in leathers with good organoleptic and strength properties. The work presented in this paper established the use of henna and aluminum combination tanning system as an effective alternative cleaner tanning methodology. ResumenEl desarrollo de tecnologías más limpias para la fabricación de cuero es imprescindible para la sustentabilidad de la industria del curtido. En el presente estudio, un sistema combinado de curtido henna-aluminio para la producción de cueros de capellada como alternativa más limpia se presenta. Extracto de las hojas de Lawsonia inerims (Henna), ampliamente difundida en El Sudán, ha sido evaluado por sus características de curtido basado en Henna y Sulfato de Aluminio. Los cueros curtidos Aluminio-henna (Al-henna) empleando 2% Al2O3, seguido de 20% de henna resultan en temperaturas de contracción por encima de 95oC. La admisión de henna en el sistema de curtido henna-Al con henna (20%), seguido por el aluminio (2% Al2O3) se ha encontrado mejor que el sistema de curtido de Al-henna. Estos cueros mostraron una estructura compacta de fibra, lo que indica que el proceso de curtido no produjo ningún cambio importante o destrucción de la estructura de la fibra del cuero. Los valores del color de la superficie de cueros Al-henna resultaron en tonos más oscuros con menos componente rojo y más componente amarillo en los cueros semiterminados . El sistema de curtido combinado proporciona una reducción significativa en la descarga de sólidos totales disueltos en las aguas residuales. El sistema combinado de curtido de henna-Al resultó en cueros con buenas propiedades organolépticas y físicas. El trabajo presentado en este documento estableció el uso del sistema de combinación de curtido de henna y aluminio como una metodología alternativa efectiva de curtido más limpia

An Organic Approach for Wet White Garment Leathers

To meet the growing demand for white garments and pastel shade leathers, a new combination tanning system based on acetaldehyde, glutaraldehyde and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium sulphate (THPS) has been developed. The advantages of this tanning system include not only producing white leathers but also completely doing away with chrome. Three separate combinations viz. acetaldehyde-THPS, glutaraldehyde-THPS and acetaldehyde-glutaraldehyde-THPS have been studied. The shrinkage temperature of the leathers obtained using acetaldehyde-glutaraldehyde-THPS combination is 86ºC. The organoleptic and the strength properties of the leathers made using this combination system have been found to be on par with that of conventional chrome tanned leather. Aldehyde tanning is known to yellow on ageing and exhibit poor light fastness. However, this new tanning system exhibits good light fastness owing to the presence of THPS. RESUMENPara cumplir con la creciente demanda de cueros blancos y tonos pasteles en vestimenta, un novedoso sistema de curtición combinada basado en acetaldehído, glutaraldehído, y sulfato de tetraquis (hidroximetil) fosfonio (THPS) han sido desarrollados. La ventaja de este sistema de curtido no es solo para poder producir cueros blancos, pero para también completamente eliminar el cromo. Tres combinaciones separadas v. y g. acetaldehído-THPS, glutaraldehído-THPS, y acetaldehído-glutaraldehído-THPS han sido estudiados. La temperatura de contracción de los cueros obtenidos en la combinación de acetaldehído-glutaraldehído-THPS es de 86°C. Las propiedades de tacto y resistencias físicas de los cueros así producidos se han encontrado ser equivalentes a las del cuero convencionalmente curtido al cromo. Curtido al aldehído se conoce amarillear por envejecimiento y exhibir poca solidez a la luz. Sin embargo, este nuevo sistema de curtición demuestra buena solidez a la luz debido a la presencia de THPS

(Z)-4-{1-[(2-Hy­droxy­ethyl)­amino]­ethyl­idene}-3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5(4H)-one

In the title compound C14H17N3O2, the dihedral angle between the rings is 16.68 (13)°. Although the compound crystallizes in the keto form, the possibility of keto-enamine–enol-imine tautomerism is explained by a strong intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond