Isolation, Identification and Antimicrobial Activity of Marine Actinomycetes Isolated from Parangipettai

Five Actinomycetes strains were isolated from soil collected in two different regions of parangipattai. The physico-chemical characteristics of soil samples are analysed. Morphological studies indicated that the strains belonged to the genera Streptomyces spectabilis, Actinomadura roseale, Streptomyces platensis, Streptomyces kavamyceticus and Streptomyces citricolor. Out of five isolated Actinomycetes species, one was selected for antimicrobial activity against five human pathogens. Streptomyces citricolor showed the best level of antibacterial effect against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi and Vibrio cholerae whereas did not showed any antifungal effect against Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum,Rhizoctonia solani, Candida albicans and Penicillium citrinum

Scientific Evaluation of Brahma Rasayana as a Cognitive Enhancer in D-Galactose Induced Cognitive Impairment in Mice

INTRODUCTION:Cognition refers to thinking skills and the intellectual skills that allow a person to perceive, acquire, understand and respond to information. This includes the abilities to pay attention, remember and process information, solve problems, organize and reorganize information, communicate and act upon information.1 The disorders that affect cognition include neurodegenerative disorders, vascular diseases, trauma, toxin, anoxia and infectious processes. Cognitive impairments are deficits in the processes by which persons perceive, encode, store, retrieve and use information. Many processes can lead to cognitive impairment. Neurodegenerative disorders that can affect cognitive ability include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Pick’s disease, Parkinson’s disease (PD), Lewy body disease, Huntington’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and cerebellar degeneration. Common vascular disorders that affect cognition include stroke, multiple strokes and cerebral embolic disease. Toxic agents that affect cerebral function (cognition) include carbon monoxide poisoning, adverse drug events and interactions and prolonged exposure to specific toxic chemicals or gases. Electrolyte abnormalities, organ failure and anoxia can also cause cognitive impairments.AIM AND OBJECTIVE:Brahma Rasayana is an Ayurvedic formulation, which contains several herbal constituents and is marketed for the treatment of drowsiness, fatigue, mental weakness, progeriasis, aging and disturbed memory.38 Literature review indicates that no specific study has been carried out to evaluate the cognition enhancement property of Brahma Rasayana. Some of the ingredients used in Brahma Rasayana have been tested for their cognition enhancing property.20-23 One of the commonly used models to evaluate cognitive impairment is D-Galactose model. The aim of this study is 1. Evaluation of in vivo cognition enhancing potential of Brahma Rasayana using D-Galactose induced memory impaired mice. 2. To elucidate the effect of Brahma Rasayana on various neurotransmitters associated with cognitive impairment. SUMMARY:Cognitive impairment is a classic sign of various conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Pick’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, Huntington’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and cerebellar degeneration. In market there are a few drugs available for the improvement of cognition. There are several Ayurvedic formulations which are being marketed for this condition. Brahma Rasayana is one such formulation with the memory boosting capacity. This study was undertaken to scientifically validate the claim of BR as a cognitive enhancer. The model used for the study was the D-Galactose which is one of the commonly used models for cognition impairment. Donepezil was used as a standard drug for comparison. The models used to test cognition were Morris water maze and Y-maze test for evaluating spatial memory, Actophotometer and open field tests were used for evaluation of locomotor activity. On all these studies it was seen that BR, especially at the higher dose (i.e 2g/kg p.o), was able to reverse the cognitive impairment induced by D-Galactose. This activity was almost the same as that of Donepezil. In order to establish the mechanism of action, the brain levels of acetylcholinesterase (Ach being one of the important neurotransmitters in cognition) and neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Dopamine, Adrenaline, Nor-adrenaline and Glutamate were estimated. Brahma Rasayana at the higher dose (i.e 2g/kg p.o), showed a good anti-cholinesterase activity. The levels of other neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Dopamine, Adrenaline, Nor-adrenaline were increased markedly as compared to the disease group animals. The level of Glutamate was decreased in Donepezil and BR treated group as compared to disease group of animals, which indicates that the excitotoxicity of glutamate was reduced by the both standard and BR. CONCLUSION:From the study it is concluded that Brahma Rasayana, which is marketed with claims for use in the treatment of drowsiness, fatigue, mental weakness, senility/ progeriasis, aging and disturbed memory, has cognition enhancing property at a higher dose of 2g/kg and this action is mediated mainly by the Anticholinesterase activity. It has also shown an improvement in the levels of neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Dopamine, Adrenaline, Nor-adrenaline and Glutamate, which are altered in cognition impairment induced by D-Galactose. This study validates the Ayurvedic claim of Brahma Rasayana as a memory enhancer. This claim can be further strengthened by carrying out a systematic clinical study using Brahma Rasayana in cognition impaired patients

Antibacterial Potentiality of Ethanol and Ethyl Acetate Extract of Acalypha indica against Human Pathogenic Bacteria

AbstractMedicinal plants have been used as a source of medicine and in widespread use of herbal remedies and healthcare preparations. Nowadays, several plants have been identified for their antimicrobial properties. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial potentiality of ethanol and ethyl acetate solvent extracts of mature leaves of Acalypha indica against nine pathogenic bacterial isolates viz., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Vibrio cholerae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The turbidity of the bacterial inoculums was compared with 0.5 Mc Farland standards and the antibacterial potential of Acalypha indica ethanol extract was tested by using Agar well diffusion method. The ethanol extract of Acalypha indica (100 mg/ml) showed maximum zone of inhibition (30 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Staphylococcus aureus showed less zone of inhibition (12 mm). The ethyl acetate extract of Acalypha indica (100 mg/ml) showed maximum zone of inhibition (23 mm) against Escherichia coli. There was no zone of inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Phytochemical tests were performed and showed that the antibacterial activity of Acalypha indica plant leaves was due to the presence of phytochemical compounds like alkaloids and tannins

Study of starch degrading bacteria from kitchen waste soil in the production of amylase by using paddy straw

The starch degrading amylolytic enzymes are of crucial importance in biotechnology industries with huge application in food, fermentation, textile and paper production. They are universally distribution in bacteria and fungus. Present study aimed at production of pure form of α-amylase from kitchen waste soil with optimization of raw material such as carbon and nitrogen source of the culture media for it. Objective: To evaluate the kitchen waste soil for production of α-amylase with optimization of carbon and nitrogen source required for culture media. Method: The starch degrading bacteria was isolated from the kitchen waste soil environment and was used for production of α-amylase through submerged. The paddy straw extract was shown the best source of carbon and potassium nitrate as the best source of nitrogen with optimum pH 7.0 and temperature of 30ºC. The fermentor parameters were set with the agitator at speed 200rpm with 100% dissolved O2 at fixed temperature and pH. After completion of the fermentation process, the activity of the enzyme was checked by the DNS method. Results: Enzyme produced and purified by this method, was found to have an enzymatic activity of 0.51 mg/ml after column chromatography by nanodrop spectrophotometer and coincide with standard in SDS-PAGE. Here, we have shown the cheap method of commercial production of economically valuable amylase by utilizing paddy straw

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Cytosine-type nucleosides from marine-derived Streptomyces rochei 06CM016

WOS: 000370676800007PubMed ID: 26126744Rocheicoside A (3), a nucleoside analog possessing a novel 5-(hydroxymethyl)-5-methylimidazolidin-4-one substructure, was isolated from marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces rochei 06CM016, together with a new (4) and three known compounds. Structures of the new metabolites were elucidated by one-dimensional (H-1 and C-13) and 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC and HMBC) and HR-TOF-MS analyses. All the metabolites exhibited significant antimicrobial activity. A plausible mechanism was proposed for compound 3's formation from amicetin.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [109S361]; Scientific Research Foundation of Ege UniversityEge University [10-FEN-012]This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK, Project No: 109S361) and the Scientific Research Foundation of Ege University (10-FEN-012)