Struktura proteina i profil plazmida bakterija mliječne kiseline izoliranih iz tradicionalnog pakistanskog fermentiranog mliječnog proizvoda

A total of 116 isolates were identified from randomly collected market dahi samples from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microbial population of dahi and were identified according to their morphological and physiological characteristics. Among these lactobacilli were frequently occurring organisms. The phenotypic and biochemical analyses gave a diversity of species (8 presumptive species). The most abundant species were Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (28 isolates) and Streptococcus thermophilus (25 isolates). Some contaminants such as Staphylococcus, Micrococcus and Saccharomyces spp. were also observed. The whole cell protein profiles of selected strains of lactic acid bacteria were examined by SDS-PAGE. It was observed that each species yielded a different electrophoretic pattern. It was further observed that among the strains investigated for the analysis of plasmid DNA 22 strains were found positive, 8 strains of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus followed by 5 of L. acidophilus, 4 of L. casei, 3 of L. helveticus and one of each L. delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii and L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis, whereas no plasmid was observed in S. thermophilus and L. lactis strains investigated during the study. All the plasmids isolated were mostly large size plasmids and ranged from 20 to 25 kb in size.U nasumce sakupljenim uzorcima mliječnog proizvoda dahi u Rawalpindiju, Pakistan, identificirano je 116 izolata. Prema njihovim morfološkim i fiziološkim svojstvima utvrđeno je da su bakterije mliječne kiseline dominantna populacija mikroorganizama, od kojih je najviše laktobacila. Fenotipskom i biokemijskom analizom prikazana je raznolikost vrsta (8 vjerojatnih vrsta), a najbrojnije su bile Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (28 izolata) i Streptococcus thermophilus (25 izolata). Primijećeni su i neki drugi uzročnici kvarenja kao što su Staphylococcus, Micrococcus i Saccharomyces spp. Profili proteina stanica odabranih sojeva bakterija mliječne kiseline ispitani su postupkom SDS-PAGE, pri čemu je svaka vrsta dala drukčiju elektroforetsku sliku. U 22 ispitana soja (8 sojeva L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, 5 sojeva L. acidophilus, 4 soja L. casei, 3 soja L. helveticus i po jedan soj L. delbureckii subsp. delbrueckii i L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis) utvrđena je prisutnost plazmida, a u sojevima S. thermophilus i L. lactis nisu primijećeni. Gotovo svi izolirani plazmidi bili su veličine od 20 do 25 kb

Struktura proteina i profil plazmida bakterija mliječne kiseline izoliranih iz tradicionalnog pakistanskog fermentiranog mliječnog proizvoda

A total of 116 isolates were identified from randomly collected market dahi samples from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microbial population of dahi and were identified according to their morphological and physiological characteristics. Among these lactobacilli were frequently occurring organisms. The phenotypic and biochemical analyses gave a diversity of species (8 presumptive species). The most abundant species were Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (28 isolates) and Streptococcus thermophilus (25 isolates). Some contaminants such as Staphylococcus, Micrococcus and Saccharomyces spp. were also observed. The whole cell protein profiles of selected strains of lactic acid bacteria were examined by SDS-PAGE. It was observed that each species yielded a different electrophoretic pattern. It was further observed that among the strains investigated for the analysis of plasmid DNA 22 strains were found positive, 8 strains of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus followed by 5 of L. acidophilus, 4 of L. casei, 3 of L. helveticus and one of each L. delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii and L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis, whereas no plasmid was observed in S. thermophilus and L. lactis strains investigated during the study. All the plasmids isolated were mostly large size plasmids and ranged from 20 to 25 kb in size.U nasumce sakupljenim uzorcima mliječnog proizvoda dahi u Rawalpindiju, Pakistan, identificirano je 116 izolata. Prema njihovim morfološkim i fiziološkim svojstvima utvrđeno je da su bakterije mliječne kiseline dominantna populacija mikroorganizama, od kojih je najviše laktobacila. Fenotipskom i biokemijskom analizom prikazana je raznolikost vrsta (8 vjerojatnih vrsta), a najbrojnije su bile Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (28 izolata) i Streptococcus thermophilus (25 izolata). Primijećeni su i neki drugi uzročnici kvarenja kao što su Staphylococcus, Micrococcus i Saccharomyces spp. Profili proteina stanica odabranih sojeva bakterija mliječne kiseline ispitani su postupkom SDS-PAGE, pri čemu je svaka vrsta dala drukčiju elektroforetsku sliku. U 22 ispitana soja (8 sojeva L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, 5 sojeva L. acidophilus, 4 soja L. casei, 3 soja L. helveticus i po jedan soj L. delbureckii subsp. delbrueckii i L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis) utvrđena je prisutnost plazmida, a u sojevima S. thermophilus i L. lactis nisu primijećeni. Gotovo svi izolirani plazmidi bili su veličine od 20 do 25 kb

The SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic a Global Emergency: The Journey from Bats to Humans

Bats are considered as the reservoirs of coronaviruses (CoVs) which resulted in severe disease outbreaks in humans. Zoonotic coronaviruses responsible for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), were originated from bats and remain highly pathogenic to humans during the last two decades. Recently, an acute respiratory disease outbreak which spread in Wuhan, China was caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) also known as 2019-nCoV, received worldwide attention. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 epidemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 as a public health emergency. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has been considered as the third highly pathogenic epidemic of the 21st century. The SARS-CoV-2 belongs to β-coronavirus group with highly identical genome to bat coronavirus RaTG13, assuming bat as the natural host. According to WHO as of December 21, 2020, approximately 75,479,471 persons were infected with 16,86,267 deaths in 222 countries. Whereas the in Pakistan according to WHO as of December 21, 2020, around 4 57,288 persons were infected with 9, 330 death reported in the country. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; 2019-nCoV; Bats; Human; Epidemic; Pandemic DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/105-07 Publication date: February 28th 202

Application of Pretreatments on Banana Slices for Improving Drying Characteristics

The banana slices were subjected to pretreatment solutions for improving drying, physico-chemical and sensory characteristics.  The pretreatments were applied with four different solutions including ascorbic acid, lemon juice, sodium chloride and honey. The banana slices were cut into 5 mm and 7 mm in size, about 120 g banana slice samples were dip in each pretreatment solution for ten min. The banana slice samples were dehydrated in dehydration chamber and dried at temperatures of 60 °C for 12 to 16 hrs. Each sample was observed for physico chemical characteristics such as pH, TSS, vitamin C, total sugar and ash % and sensory analysis of their color, aroma, taste, texture and overall acceptability were observed. The results obtained showed that the banana slices treated with ascorbic acid and honey solution has the highest value of vitamin C. The results obtained for sensory analysis showed the significant difference in aroma, taste, texture and overall acceptability scores recorded for the samples pretreated with honey solutions for ten min. It is concluded from the present study that pretreatment solutions have important role in determining the final quality characteristics of dried banana slices and it has great potential application in food industries. Keywords: Banana; slices; pretreatment; ascorbic acid, honey, drying characteristics; sensory evaluation. DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/103-06 Publication date: December 31st 202

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial

Probiotic Characteristics of Lactobacillus spp. Isolated from Fermented Milk Product Dahi

n/

Protein Pattern and Plasmid Profile of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Dahi, A Traditional Fermented Milk Product of Pakistan

A total of 116 isolates were identified from randomly collected market dahi samples from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microbial population of dahi and were identified according to their morphological and physiological characteristics. Among these lactobacilli were frequently occurring organisms. The phenotypic and biochemical analyses gave a diversity of species (8 presumptive species). The most abundant species were Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (28 isolates) and Streptococcus thermophilus (25 isolates). Some contaminants such as Staphylococcus, Micrococcus and Saccharomyces spp. were also observed. The whole cell protein profiles of selected strains of lactic acid bacteria were examined by SDS-PAGE. It was observed that each species yielded a different electrophoretic pattern. It was further observed that among the strains investigated for the analysis of plasmid DNA 22 strains were found positive, 8 strains of L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus followed by 5 of L. acidophilus, 4 of L. casei, 3 of L. helveticus and one of each L. delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii and L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis, whereas no plasmid was observed in S. thermophilus and L. lactis strains investigated during the study. All the plasmids isolated were mostly large size plasmids and ranged from 20 to 25 kb in size

Sustainable Agricultural Practices as Perceived by Farmers in Sindh Province of Pakistan

The study was conducted in Sindh Province of Pakistan. 180 respondents were selected from six district namely Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar Khairpur, Larkana and Jacobabad. From each district 30 respondents were selected by using simple random sampling techniques. This study used a descriptive research design and the target population was farmers. A representative sample of 180 farmers was proposed from six districts of Sindh, namely, 1. Larkana 2. Naushehro Feroze 3. Shaheed Benazirabad 4. Sanghar 5. Mirpurkhas 6. Badin representing the agro-ecological zones of Sindh province producing Cotton, Wheat, Rice, Vegetables, Orchards and Sugar Cane crops. Multistage plan was used to collect the data. A survey questionnaire was designed to collect data for this study. A likert type scale ranging from (1) not familiar (2) to somewhat (3) for very much. This scale was used to asses the level of perceptions of the respondents. The respondents were interviewed personally by well structured and pre-tested direct interview schedule. Questionnaire items were coded and entered into the SPSS computer program. Suitable statistical techniques such as percentage analysis, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze and interpreted the data. The results revealed that out of total growers, majority (54.44%) had medium socio-economic status, whereas 28.89 percent and 16.67 percent had low and high socio-economic status respectively. Extent of knowledge of farmers: Majority of the respondents (52%) were observed in medium category of knowledge followed by high (26.67%) and low (20.56%) levels of knowledge, respectively. It was observed that the farmers were familiar to some what, familiar with sustainable agriculture practices selection of pure seed variety, maintenance and Integrated Soil Fertility, Integrated Weed Management and efficient Use of irrigation water. However the majority of farmers were not familiar with the use of genetically modified Crop, Fish farming, Mulch Technology, EM Technology and IPNMS. However, none of the farmers were found in high category of adoption levels. The respondents suggested adoption of sustainable agriculture practices should be promoted through extension services

Sustainable Agricultural Practices as Perceived by Farmers in Sindh Province of Pakistan

The study was conducted in Sindh Province of Pakistan. 180 respondents were selected from six district namely Badin, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar Khairpur, Larkana and Jacobabad. From each district 30 respondents were selected by using simple random sampling techniques. This study used a descriptive research design and the target population was farmers. A representative sample of 180 farmers was proposed from six districts of Sindh, namely, 1. Larkana 2. Naushehro Feroze 3. Shaheed Benazirabad 4. Sanghar 5. Mirpurkhas 6. Badin representing the agro-ecological zones of Sindh province producing Cotton, Wheat, Rice, Vegetables, Orchards and Sugar Cane crops. Multistage plan was used to collect the data. A survey questionnaire was designed to collect data for this study. A likert type scale ranging from (1) not familiar (2) to somewhat (3) for very much. This scale was used to asses the level of perceptions of the respondents. The respondents were interviewed personally by well structured and pre-tested direct interview schedule. Questionnaire items were coded and entered into the SPSS computer program. Suitable statistical techniques such as percentage analysis, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze and interpreted the data. The results revealed that out of total growers, majority (54.44%) had medium socio-economic status, whereas 28.89 percent and 16.67 percent had low and high socio-economic status respectively. Extent of knowledge of farmers: Majority of the respondents (52%) were observed in medium category of knowledge followed by high (26.67%) and low (20.56%) levels of knowledge, respectively. It was observed that the farmers were familiar to some what, familiar with sustainable agriculture practices selection of pure seed variety, maintenance and Integrated Soil Fertility, Integrated Weed Management and efficient Use of irrigation water. However the majority of farmers were not familiar with the use of genetically modified Crop, Fish farming, Mulch Technology, EM Technology and IPNMS. However, none of the farmers were found in high category of adoption levels. The respondents suggested adoption of sustainable agriculture practices should be promoted through extension services

Impact of Cooking Methods on Physicochemical and Sensory Attributes of Apple Gourd

An investigation was carried out to examine the influence of some cooking methods on physicochemical and sensory characteristics of apple gourd during 2016-17. For this purpose, vegetable was procured, washed, peeled, sliced and distributed in five equal lots. Four of these lots were used for individual cooking treatments (i.e. T2=boiling, T3=steaming, T4=frying and T5=microwaving), however, last lot was treated as control (i.e. T1=raw/without treatment). After cooking, all samples were used for analysis. It was found that all organic acids (%) i.e. acetic acid, citric acid, oxalic acid and tartaric acid remained significantly higher (