Studies on Preparation of Quarg Type Cheese From Cow Milk and Goat Milk

The current upward trend in nutritional and health awareness is the consumer’s demands for high nutritive valuable product in the market with acceptable sensory characteristics. The present study was carried out to explore the possibilities of using goat milk alone and in combination with cow milk for preparation of quarg type cheese. The levels of cow milk and goat milk treatments were T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 as 100:00, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 00:100 per cent  respectively. The product was served to the semi-trained panel of judges to know its acceptability. The treatment T3 having 50% cow milk and 50% goat milk was rated superior amongst experimental treatments. In respect of chemical composition protein, moisture and acidity were increased with increased in level of goat milk while fat, carbohydrate, total solid ash and pH were decreased with increased in level of goat milk

STUDY OF NIRUDDHA PRAKASH WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PHIMOSIS: A REVIEW

In Ayurvedic Samhita Niruddha Prakash (phimosis) vyadhi (disease) is described to be formed because of vitiated Vata Dosha where constricted Shishnacharma (prepuce) covers Mani (glans penis). This creates obstructed, slow urine flow and the prepuce could not be retracted. Treatment described in Ayurvedic epics is dilatation of preputial meatus by Niruddhaprakash Nadiyantra and Vatadosh Shamak medicated tail (oil) Parishek (fomentation). Surgery is advised if this measure fails. Niruddha prakash has similar features to that of phimosis described in modern medical science. Recent researches shows that glans penis and prepuce has common epithelium and its complete separation essential for complete prepitual retraction exposing whole of glans may normally occur up to the age of 17 years. This may lead to wrong diagnosis of phimosis. Circumcision is considered as treatment of choice for phimosis. In this review article efforts have made to analyze description of Niruddha prakash in Ayurved Epics, and recent researches regarding development and separation of prepuce, non surgical treatment of phimosis for bypass of surgical and anaesthetic complications, and surgical procedure with less complications compared to circumcision that will preserve prepuce as it is important structure protecting glans and urethral meatus and also for coital pleasure.

Impact of heavy metal contamination in different soil towards microbial characteristics and nutrient availability

An intensive investigation for detecting source of the heavy metals contamination in different areas (within industry, at roadside, adjacent agriculture lands) of various industries located at two sites A & B were made. Co-relationshipswere determined for specificmetal contamination in leacheates at sites with total contents of heavy metal at source.At siteA, it was observed that the leached fractions were highly correlated with the total contents of all tested heavy metals showing same source of contamination, whereas at site B relation was obtained only in case of Mn i.e 0.99, Zn i.e 0.82 and 0.70 for Cu, while, rest had sparse relationship, showing that the variability in heavy metal contents was caused by the different sources of contamination. The soil samples showed different microbial groups (cfu), in the order Bacteria > Fungi > Actinomycetes > RhizobiumandAzotobacters. The results indicated that the lowavailability of nutrients (NPK) in soil could be due to the heavy metal contamination which reduced the beneficial microbes such as Rhizobia and Azotobacters in contaminated soil

Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Central India

Abstract The groundwater is widely used for irrigation of rice crops. The overuse of groundwater causes depletion of the water quality (i.e. enormous increase in conductivity, hardness and ion and metal contents, etc.) in several regions of the country and world. In this work, the quality of the groundwater in the densestrice cropping area, Saraipali, Chhattisgarh, Central India is discussed. The water is sodic in nature with extremely high electrical conductivity. The mean concentration (n = 15, 56 ± 9, 19 ± 4, 206 ± 25, 9.2 ± 2.3, 39 ± 6, 114 ± 19 and 1.7 ± 0.6 mg/L, respectively. The sources of the contaminants are apportioned by using the factor analysis model. The suitability of the groundwater for the drinking and irrigation purposes is assessed

Fish Community Structure and Trophic Status - A Measure of Ecological Degradation: A Case Study From Powai Lake Mumbai

Powai lake, a monomictic shallow lake, presenting some characteristics typical of a progressive trophic state specifically the permanent turbid water, the recurrent occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms which occasionally leads to large fish kills and the reduction in biodiversity. The study was carried out to understand the ecological degradation of Powai lake by using the abiotic and biotic factors. Twenty-four fish species were recorded and the fish yield was found to be 98 kg ha yr where -1 -1 here the actual potential lies about 363 kg ha-1 yr-1. The diet composition of 10 of the most abundant fishes in the lake revealed that, there were about 13 major food items from the gut contents, includes phytoplankton green algae, phytoplankton blue-green algae, diatoms, cladocerans, copepods, benthic algae, benthic weeds, macrophytes, detritus, fish eggs and larvae, shrimps, fish scales and insects parts. The Food Richness index (N) varied from 12 (Heteropneustes fossilis) to 29 (Oreochromis mossambicus), Diet Breadth (D) from 0.12 (Heteropneustes fossilis) to 0.77 (Oreochromis mossambicus) and the Gut repletion index (GRI) as 100% for all the species. Most of the fish species in the lake were either planktivores or detritivores with high feeding avidity and trophic adaptability, hence are capable of altering diet according to availability. The estimated trophic level indicates that almost all the fishes in the lake depend on primary producers or consumers as their diet. The dominance of omnivores and planktivores and the submissive occurrence of carnivores in the lake indicates the rampant ecological degradation of the lake

Polymorphisms of TNF-enhancer and gene for FcγRIIa correlate with the severity of falciparum malaria in the ethnically diverse Indian population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Susceptibility/resistance to <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>malaria has been correlated with polymorphisms in more than 30 human genes with most association analyses having been carried out on patients from Africa and south-east Asia. The aim of this study was to examine the possible contribution of genetic variants in the <it>TNF </it>and <it>FCGR2A </it>genes in determining severity/resistance to <it>P. falciparum </it>malaria in Indian subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Allelic frequency distribution in populations across India was first determined by typing genetic variants of the <it>TNF </it>enhancer and the <it>FCGR2A </it>G/A SNP in 1871 individuals from 55 populations. Genotyping was carried out by DNA sequencing, single base extension (SNaPshot), and DNA mass array (Sequenom). Plasma TNF was determined by ELISA. Comparison of datasets was carried out by Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Haplotypes and LD plots were generated by PHASE and Haploview, respectively. Odds ratio (OR) for risk assessment was calculated using EpiInfo™ version 3.4.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position -76 was identified in the <it>TNF </it>enhancer along with other reported variants. Five <it>TNF </it>enhancer SNPs and the <it>FCGR2A </it>R131H (G/A) SNP were analyzed for association with severity of <it>P. falciparum </it>malaria in a malaria-endemic and a non-endemic region of India in a case-control study with ethnically-matched controls enrolled from both regions. <it>TNF </it>-1031C and -863A alleles as well as homozygotes for the TNF enhancer haplotype CACGG (-1031T>C, -863C>A, -857C>T, -308G>A, -238G>A) correlated with enhanced plasma TNF levels in both patients and controls. Significantly higher TNF levels were observed in patients with severe malaria. Minor alleles of -1031 and -863 SNPs were associated with increased susceptibility to severe malaria. The high-affinity IgG2 binding FcγRIIa AA (131H) genotype was significantly associated with protection from disease manifestation, with stronger association observed in the malaria non-endemic region. These results represent the first genetic analysis of the two immune regulatory molecules in the context of <it>P. falciparum </it>severity/resistance in the Indian population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Association of specific <it>TNF </it>and <it>FCGR2A </it>SNPs with cytokine levels and disease severity/resistance was indicated in patients from areas with differential disease endemicity. The data emphasizes the need for addressing the contribution of human genetic factors in malaria in the context of disease epidemiology and population genetic substructure within India.</p

Recent Innovations & Daily Problems. A new prosthesis in inguinal hernia repair:preliminary results of a pilot study.

Introduction: Elective surgery for inguinal hernia is affected by very low mortality « 1 per 10000 operation); in contrast, when surgery is carried out for complicated inguinal hernia, risks of postoperative complication are higher. TAPP is a world-wide accepted surgical practice in the treatment of elective bilateral or recurrent inguinal hernia, above all in young patients. Few exploratory studies were published on laparoscopic approach in the treatment of urgent complicated inguinal hernia. Aim of this study was to analyze feasibility (operative time, conversion rate), safety (postoperative morbidity, length of hospital stay) and quality of life (acute and chronic pain, return to work) of trans-abdominal pre-peritoneal laparoscopic hernia repair in acute incarcerated inguinal hernia. Rationale of laparoscopic trans-abdominal approach is the easier hernia reduction under vision and a better exploration of the abdominal cavity. Methods: from September 2012 to September 2013, 15 consecutive patients admitted in emergency at the Division of General Surgery of University "Sapienza", Polo Pontino, for acute incarcerated inguinal hernia were submitted to TAPP using 3 trocars (1 of 10 mm and 2 of 5mm) and polyester prosthesis fixed by fibrin glue. Exclusion criteria for laparoscopic approach were age III, previous abdominal surgery, signs of strangulated hernia. All of them were evaluated for operative time, conversion rate, postoperative morbidity, organ resection or other surgery required. All patients were scored for pain by Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) during postoperative in hospital stay at 7 days, 1,6 and 12 months after surgery. Results: median follow-up was 16 months and 12 as minimum. In all cases reduction of hernia was always possible and none conversion to open surgery was recorded, median operative time was 89 minutes (55-137 as range), omental resection was carried out in one patient (6,6%), no other organ resections needed, whereas contralateral hernia was diagnosed and repaired at the same time in 4 patients (26,6%). No major complications were observed, median blood loss was 100 ml, minor morbidity was contained to 18% represented by fever and wound infection of surgical umbilical scar. Median in hospital stay was 1,5 days with 1-5 days as range. Postoperative median acute pain, measured by visual analogic scale (VAS), was 2 (range:0-4), none patient referred any pain during follow-up. Median time of return to work was 6,5 days, ranged between 3 to 15 days. Patients' compliance to treatment and to follow-up was complete as well their satisfaction. Conclusions: In centres skilled for laparoscopy in emergency, TAPP could be considered a feasible and safe technique. In well-selected patients (especially if emolled in controlled clinical trial) TAPP could represent an alternative surgical approach for complicated incarcerated inguinal hernia to conventional open surgery even in urgency. The main advantages of laparoscopic approach are the ability to perform surgical hernia reduction under vision, a better exploration and evaluation of abdominal cavity and diagnosis and treatment of eventual contralateral defect of wall, otherwise often missed. Finally, the good control of acute and chronic pain, faster return to normal activity and work, better aesthetic results contributed to total satisfaction and compliance of the patients

Nanotechnology intervention of the microbiome for cancer therapy

The microbiome is emerging as a key player and driver of cancer. Traditional modalities to manipulate the microbiome (for example, antibiotics, probiotics and microbiota transplants) have been shown to improve efficacy of cancer therapies in some cases, but issues such as collateral damage to the commensal microbiota and consistency of these approaches motivates efforts towards developing new technologies specifically designed for the microbiome–cancer interface. Considering the success of nanotechnology in transforming cancer diagnostics and treatment, nanotechnologies capable of manipulating interactions that occur across microscopic and molecular length scales in the microbiome and the tumour microenvironment have the potential to provide innovative strategies for cancer treatment. As such, opportunities at the intersection of nanotechnology, the microbiome and cancer are massive. In this Review, we highlight key opportunistic areas for applying nanotechnologies towards manipulating the microbiome for the treatment of cancer, give an overview of seminal work and discuss future challenges and our perspective on this emerging area