Antibacterial susceptibility of some urinary tract pathogens to commonly used antibiotics

Urinary tract infection represents one of the most common diseases encountered in medical practice today and occurring from the neonate to the geriatric age group. Despite the widespread availability of antibiotics, it remains the most common bacterial infection in the human being. A total of 174 urine samples were analyzed for isolation and identification, 68 found to be significant bacteriuria with Escherichia coli (59%), followed by  Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10%), Proteus mirabilis (9%), Staphylococcus aureus (6%) and Citrobacter freundii (1%). The urinary tract infections were found to most frequently in female (63%) than male (37%). The isolated uropathogens showed resistant to ampicillin (87%), co-trimoxazole (91%), nalidixic acid (88%) and sensitive to nitrofurantoin (52%), cephotaxime (54%) and norfloxacin (71%)

BWIBots: A platform for bridging the gap between AI and human–robot interaction research

Recent progress in both AI and robotics have enabled the development of general purpose robot platforms that are capable of executing a wide variety of complex, temporally extended service tasks in open environments. This article introduces a novel, custom-designed multi-robot platform for research on AI, robotics, and especially human–robot interaction for service robots. Called BWIBots, the robots were designed as a part of the Building-Wide Intelligence (BWI) project at the University of Texas at Austin. The article begins with a description of, and justification for, the hardware and software design decisions underlying the BWIBots, with the aim of informing the design of such platforms in the future. It then proceeds to present an overview of various research contributions that have enabled the BWIBots to better (a) execute action sequences to complete user requests, (b) efficiently ask questions to resolve user requests, (c) understand human commands given in natural language, and (d) understand human intention from afar. The article concludes with a look forward towards future research opportunities and applications enabled by the BWIBot platform

Efaproxiral red blood cell concentration predicts efficacy in patients with brain metastases

Efaproxiral (Efaproxyn™, RSR13), a synthetic allosteric modifier of haemoglobin (Hb), decreases Hb-oxygen (O2) binding affinity and enhances oxygenation of hypoxic tumours during radiation therapy. This analysis evaluated the Phase 3, Radiation Enhancing Allosteric Compound for Hypoxic Brain Metastases; RT-009 (REACH) study efficacy results in relation to efaproxiral exposure (efaproxiral red blood cell concentration (E-RBC) and number of doses). Recursive partitioning analysis Class I or II patients with brain metastases from solid tumours received standard whole-brain radiation therapy (3 Gy/fraction × 10 days), plus supplemental O2 (4 l/min), either with efaproxiral (75 or 100 mg/kg daily) or without (control). Efaproxiral red blood cell concentrations were linearly extrapolated to all efaproxiral doses received. Three patient populations were analysed: (1) all eligible, (2) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as primary cancer, and (3) breast cancer primary. Efficacy endpoints were survival and response rate. Brain metastases patients achieving sufficient E-RBC (⩾483 μg/ml) and receiving at least seven of 10 efaproxiral doses were most likely to experience survival and response benefits. Patients with breast cancer primary tumours generally achieved the target efaproxiral exposure and therefore gained greater benefit from efaproxiral treatment than NSCLC patients. This analysis defined the efaproxiral concentration-dependence in survival and response rate improvement, and provided a clearer understanding of efaproxiral dosing requirements

Technical and Comparative Aspects of Brain Glycogen Metabolism.

It has been known for over 50 years that brain has significant glycogen stores, but the physiological function of this energy reserve remains uncertain. This uncertainty stems in part from several technical challenges inherent in the study of brain glycogen metabolism, and may also stem from some conceptual limitations. Factors presenting technical challenges include low glycogen content in brain, non-homogenous labeling of glycogen by radiotracers, rapid glycogenolysis during postmortem tissue handling, and effects of the stress response on brain glycogen turnover. Here, we briefly review aspects of glycogen structure and metabolism that bear on these technical challenges, and discuss ways these can be overcome. We also highlight physiological aspects of glycogen metabolism that limit the conditions under which glycogen metabolism can be useful or advantageous over glucose metabolism. Comparisons with glycogen metabolism in skeletal muscle provide an additional perspective on potential functions of glycogen in brain

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules involved in the improvement of plant growth, health and nutrition

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules are known as rhizobia and belong to the class Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. They promote the growth and nutrition of their respective legume hosts through atmospheric nitrogen fixation which takes place in the nodules induced in their roots or stems. In addition, rhizobia have other plant growth-promoting mechanisms, mainly solubilization of phosphate and production of indoleacetic acid, ACC deaminase and siderophores. Some of these mechanisms have been reported for strains of rhizobia which are also able to promote the growth of several nonlegumes, such as cereals, oilseeds and vegetables. Less studied are the mechanisms that have the rhizobia to promote the plant health; however, these bacteria are able to exert biocontrol of some phytopathogens and to induce the plant resistance. In this chapter, we revised the available data about the ability of the legume nodule-inducing bacteria for improving the plant growth, health and nutrition of both legumes and nonlegumes. These data showed that rhizobia meet all the requirements of sustainable agriculture to be used as bio-inoculants allowing the total or partial replacement of chemicals used for fertilization or protection of crops

SnRK2 protein kinases represent an ancient system in plants for adaptation to a terrestrial environment

The SNF1-related protein kinase 2 (SnRK2) family includes key regulators of osmostress and abscisic acid (ABA) responses in angiosperms and can be classified into three subclasses. Subclass III SnRK2s act in the ABA response while ABA-nonresponsive subclass I SnRK2s are regulated through osmostress. Here we report that an ancient subclass III SnRK2-based signalling module including ABA and an upstream Raf-like kinase (ARK) exclusively protects the moss Physcomitrella patens from drought. Subclass III SnRK2s from both Arabidopsis and from the semiterrestrial alga Klebsormidium nitens, which contains all the components of ABA signalling except ABA receptors, complement Physcomitrella snrk2− mutants, whereas Arabidopsis subclass I SnRK2 cannot. We propose that the earliest land plants developed the ABA/ARK/subclass III SnRK2 signalling module by recruiting ABA to regulate a pre-existing dehydration response and that subsequently a novel subclass I SnRK2 system evolved in vascular plants conferring osmostress protection independently from the ancient system

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

<smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"> Use of medicinal plants among tribes in Satpuda region of Dhule and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra—An ethnobotanical survey </smarttagtype>

152-157 An ethnobotanical survey was carried out on the use of medicinal plants in Satpuda region of Dhule and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra. The information was gathered from Pawara, Bhil and Pardhi tribes using an integrated approach of botanical collections, group discussions and interviews with questionnaire during 2004-2005. Among 50 informants interviewed, 8 were tribal practitioners. A total of 67 medicinal plant species distributed in 37 families are documented. In most of the cases, fresh part of the plant was used for the preparation of medicine. These tribal people still depend on the medicinal plants to cure their diseases and disorders in Satpuda forest region. The documented ethnomedicinal plants were mostly used to cure wound infections, skin infections, stomachache, fever, cough, diabetes, diuretics, diarrhoea, eye infections and general weakness. </smarttagtype

Diuretic activity of coconut husk <i style="">Mashi</i>—an Ayurvedic formulation

471-473Coconut husk Mashi is an Ayurvedic formulation prepared by Anterdhum Padhati (APM) and Bahirdhum Padhati (BPM). Though, Ayurvedic practitioners use coconut husk Mashi for diuretic activity, no systematic studies are reported with regard to the verification of the traditional medicinal claims of Mashi. The present study was undertaken to investigate and rationalize the diuretic activity of APM and BPM in experimental rats. The diuretic properties of APM and BPM were evaluated by determination of urine volume, electrolyte concentration and diuretic potency in male albino rats. Different concentrations of Mashi (250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg) were orally administered to hydrated rats and their urine output was immediately measured after 5hrs of treatment. Frusemide (10 mg/kg) was used as reference drug while normal saline (0.9%) solution was used as control. BPM exhibited dose dependent diuretic property and APM failed to show activity. The onset of diuretic action was extremely prompt (within 1hr) and lasted throughout the study period (up to 5 hrs). BPM at 500 mg/kg displayed highest activity with potency value of 0.92 and same dose of APM gave a value of 0.24. BPM caused mark increased in Na+, K+ and Cl- level. The results suggest that BPM possess significant diuretic activity