Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: A circumventable emergency

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is characterized by multiple hamartomatous polyps in the gastrointestinal tract and mucocutaneous pigmentation. Here we present, a case of multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps in a 22-year-old male who had been operated for intestinal obstruction due to ileocolic intussusception. Resection of the affected segment was done with proximal ileostomy and distal mucous fistula formation. Clinicopathological diagnosis of PJS was made. Later, during ileostomy closure, it was found that the patient had a transverse colonic mass which was resected. Histological examination with immunohistochemistry confirmed it to be a Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma (MALToma). Colonic MALToma in the background of PJS is a unique case for which it has been reported

Probiotic potential of fermented foods and their role in non-communicable diseases management: An understanding through recent clinical evidences

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are significant threats faced by the global population. The root cause of NCDs is related to food consumption and diet pattern. Fermented foods are ingrained as part of traditions in many countries and serve as a carrier for probiotics. Recent research has correlated the quality of gut microbiota and the functioning and overall well-being of the body. Thus, the addition of fermented foods as a significant part of the diet can manage and prevent the development of many NCDs. This review aims to cumulate the current research and development carried out on fermented foods, probiotic potential, and their mechanism in managing selected NCDs

De-Novo drug design of novel 1,2,3–triazole-naphthamide as an inhibitor of SARS-Cov-2 main protease: Synthesis, bioinformatics and biophysical studies

1001-1011A novel 1,2,3-triazole-napthamide molecule (SSAM-1) is designed as per De-Novo drug design method and synthesized by using copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction. The interaction studies of SSAM-1 with bovine serum albumin (BSA), human serum albumin (HSA) and bromelain (BMLN) are investigated by steady state fluorescence spectroscopic studies. The experimental results for these interaction studies are validated by molecular docking method. The theoretical prediction of ADMET properties of SSAM-1 are also performed using computational methods. All these studies indicate significant and spontaneous binding of SSAM-1 with serum albumins and BMLN at pH 7 under varying temperature conditions (288K, 298K, 308K). In all the three cases the interaction of the molecule with the proteins and enzymes led to quenching of the fluorescence emission (mainly via static quenching mechanism) of tryptophan (Trp) residue present in the proteins and in the enzyme. The complexation with SSAM-1 changes the microenvironment of the Trp residue(s) of BSA, HSA and BMLN. Strong binding affinity between proteins and SSAM-1 is indicated by the binding constant values, which is in 103-105 orders. Hydrophobic forces are acting as the major interacting forces for SSAM-1-HSA interaction while H-bonding and van der Waals forces are acting as the primary interacting forces for SSAM-1 interacting with BSA and BMLN. ADMET prediction reveals the drug-able nature of SSAM-1 which is justified due to its ability to bind with the serum albumins. In addition binding study of SSAM-1 with BMLN indicates its possibility of oral administration. Conducting such binding studies of the newly synthesized triazole with biomolecules, an effort is made to assess the contribution of a novel compound to the development of medicines for the drug design process at a very early stage of the research

Cis<i>–</i>Trans Conformational Analysis of δ‑Azaproline in Peptides

The cis–trans isomerization and conformer specificity of δ-azaproline and its carbamate-protected form in linear and cyclic peptides were investigated using NMR and α-chymotrypsin assay. Comparisons of the chemical shift value of the α-hydrogen in each case of δ-azaproline-containing peptides with conformer-specific locked diketopiperazines reveal the fact that an upfield chemical shift value corresponds to cis conformer and a downfield value corresponds to a trans conformer. δ-Azaproline adopts cis-conformation in simple amides, dipeptides, and tripeptides whereas its carbamate-protected form adopts trans-conformation. In the case of longer, linear or cyclic peptides, vice versa results are obtained. Interestingly, in all these peptides exclusively one conformer, either cis or trans, is stabilized. This cis–trans isomerization is independent of both temperature and solvents; only the δ-nitrogen protecting group plays key role in the isomerization. δ-Azaproline is conformer-specific in either of its protected or deprotected forms, which is a unique property of this proline. Unlike other covalently modified proline surrogates, this isomerization of δ-azaproline can be tuned easily by a protecting group. The mechanism of cis–trans isomerization of δ-azaproline during deprotection and reprotection is supported by theoretical calculations

Sunlight Assisted Photocatalytic Degradation of Ciprofloxacin in Water Using Fe Doped ZnO Nanoparticles for Potential Public Health Applications

Antibiotic residues in the aquatic environment have the potential to induce resistance in environmental bacteria, which ultimately might get transferred to pathogens making treatment of diseases difficult and poses a serious threat to public health. If antibiotic residues in the environment could be eliminated or reduced, it could contribute to minimizing antibiotic resistance. Towards this objective, water containing ciprofloxacin was treated by sunlight-assisted photocatalysis using Fe- doped ZnO nanoparticles for assessing the degradation potential of this system. Parameters like pH, temperature, catalytic dosage were assessed for the optimum performance of the system. To evaluate degradation of ciprofloxacin, both spectrophotometric as well as microbiological (loss of antibiotic activity) methods were employed. 100 mg/L Fe-doped ZnO nanoparticle catalyst and sunlight intensity of 120,000&#8315;135,000 lux system gave optimum performance at pH 9 at 30 &#176;C and 40 &#176;C. Under these conditions spectrophotometric analysis showed complete degradation of ciprofloxacin (10 mg/L) at 210 min. Microbiological studies showed loss of antibacterial activity of the photocatalytically treated ciprofloxacin-containing water against Staphylococcus aureus (108 CFU) in 60 min and for Escherichia coli (108 CFU) in 75 min. The developed system, thus possess a potential for treatment of antibiotic contaminated waters for eliminating/reducing antibiotic residues from environment

Disinfection of the Water Borne Pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by Solar Photocatalysis Using Sonochemically Synthesized Reusable Ag@ZnO Core-Shell Nanoparticles

Water borne pathogens present a threat to human health and their disinfection from water poses a challenge, prompting the search for newer methods and newer materials. Disinfection of the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and the Gram-positive coccal bacterium Staphylococcus aureus in an aqueous matrix was achieved within 60 and 90 min, respectively, at 35 °C using solar-photocatalysis mediated by sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The efficiency of the process increased with the increase in temperature and at 55 °C the disinfection for the two bacteria could be achieved in 45 and 60 min, respectively. A new ultrasound-assisted chemical precipitation technique was used for the synthesis of Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles. The characteristics of the synthesized material were established using physical techniques. The material remained stable even at 400 °C. Disinfection efficiency of the Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles was confirmed in the case of real world samples of pond, river, municipal tap water and was found to be better than that of pure ZnO and TiO2 (Degussa P25). When the nanoparticle- based catalyst was recycled and reused for subsequent disinfection experiments, its efficiency did not change remarkably, even after three cycles. The sonochemically synthesized Ag@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles thus have a good potential for application in solar photocatalytic disinfection of water borne pathogens