Surgical importance of distance from mandibular condyle to carotid canal and foramen spinosum: an anatomical study

Background: The objective of this study was to compare the distance from mandibular condyle to internal carotid artery and middle meningeal artery.Methods: In this study 20 skulls obtained from the Department of Anatomy were utilized for the study. The following two parameters were measured using Vernier Caliper (digital). 1. Distance from Mandibular condyle to carotid canal 2. Distance from medial margin of Mandibular condyle to Foramen spinosum. All the measurements were taken thrice to minimize errors. Photograph of the skull base showing the measurements done was captured.Results: A total of 40 sides, 20 right and 20 left sides were studied. The mean distance between medial margin of mandibular condyle to carotid canal was 11.2 mm±0.6 on right side and 11.6mm±0.8 on left side. The mean distance from the medial margin of mandibular condyle to Foramen spinosum (middle meningeal artery) was 9.3 mm±1.1 on right side and 9.8mm±0.9 on left side. Conclusions: The distance between mandibular condyle to Middle meningeal artery is less compared to the distance between Mandibular condyle to carotid artery. The current study concludes that MMA is comparatively at high risk for damage compared to internal carotid artery

Structural Insights into the Enzymatic Activity of Cysteine Protease Bromelain of MD2 Pineapple

Background and Objective: The MD2 pineapple contains 14 various sizes of bromelain (MD2-bromelains) ranging from 19-200 kDa which are suspected to be structurally and enzymatically varied. This study aims to compare the enzymatic activity and structural features of small and medium-sizes of MD2-bromelains, designated as MD2-SBro (19 kDa) and MD2-MBro (38 kDa), respectively. Materials and Methods: Purified recombinant MD2-SBro and MD2-MBro obtained were used in this study. The enzymatic activity of both MD2-bromelain was determined using a plate agar system with casein as a substrate. Three-dimensional (3D) structures of both MD2-bromelains were constructed under SWISS-MODEL server-based structural homology modeling and verified stereo-chemically. Results: The MD2-SBro and MD2-MBro were shown to be enzymatically active toward casein with MD2-MBro exhibited higher enzymatic activity than MD2-SBro. The 3D structures revealed that Cys-His active site position of MD2-SBro was found to be located in the inappropriate location for catalysis. Besides, the substrate-binding pocket of MD2-SBro was found to be less hydrophobic than that of MD2-MBro. Conclusion: Unique structural features around the active site of MD2-SBro and MD2-MBro might account for the discrepancy in their enzymatic activities

Designing primers for loop-mediated isothermal amplifi cation (LAMP) for detection of Ganoderma boninense

Basal Stem Rot (BSR) caused by Ganoderma boninense is one of the most serious diseases of South East Asia’s oil palm industry. The losses due to this disease were reported up to RM 1.5 billion a year in Malaysia. Typical methodologies currently used for detection of BSR infection, usually involved visual observation followed by detection of the pathogen using invasive and/or time consuming and expensive instruments. This includes the use of molecular DNA based technique, Ganoderma Selective Media (GSM), molecular techniques. However, most of these methods cannot be performed in situ. Samples need to be sent to the laboratory for testing. In this paper, a diagnostic tool using loop-mediated isothermal reaction (LAMP) is presented for detection of G. boninense. LAMP reaction which consist of a set of four primers, two outer and two inner, was designed specifi cally to recognize the manganese superoxide gene (MnSOD) obtained from NCBI Genbank (Accession no: U56128) of G. boninense, the causal pathogen of BSR. The assay was conducted in the thermal block with temperature 65°C for 50 min and the LAMP products were viewed on agarose gel electrophoresis. This technique removes the need to perform the reaction in thermal cycler as it can be done in a heat block. Results show the ladder-like pattern of bands sizes from 683 bp specifi cally to the gene MnSOD was amplifi ed. Thus, the chosen set of primers can be used for detection of G. boninense in oil palm estates subjected to sensitivity and specifi city

Comparison of membrane immobilized zero-valent iron nanoparticles for RED ME4BL azodye degradation

Textile industries are hailed as one of the major environmental polluters in the world, owing to their release of undesirable dye effluents. Synthetic dyes do not adhere to fabric firmly and are released into the aquatic ecosystem as effluent. Consequently, the consistent release of wastewater from numerous textile industries without previous treatment has detrimental effects on the ecosystem and human health.   Treatment methods currently being used fail to degrade the dye effluents and have their own shortcomings. Immobilized nanoparticles have been extensively studied for dye remediation because of their many advantages over conventional methods. The present study aimed to compare the efficiency of two different carrier matrices [namely Poly(vinylidene fluoride) and Polyurethane] for iron nanoparticle and their decolorization activity on an azo dye (RED ME4BL). Scanning Electron Microscopy was carried out to show the deposition of iron nanoparticles on the membrane. The reaction kinetics of the bare nanoparticles were compared with that of the immobilized nanoparticles, and all were found to follow pseudo-second-order kinetics. Polyurethane immobilized iron nanoparticles showed a significant degradation of RED ME4bl than the Poly(vinylidene fluoride) immobilized iron and bare nanoparticles. This paper also demonstrates a relatively newer method for nanoparticle immobilisation using the synthetic polyurethane form.

Gene silencing by microrna in pineapple: discovery, involvement in the control of fruit development and its application as artificial gene regulators

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small RNAs, usually 19-24 nt in length, which are found endogenously within the cell and do not code for any protein. However, they participate in regulating the level of mRNA transcripts through cleavage or translational inhibition, creating an effect called gene silencing. MicroRNAs have been shown to be essential for major biological and physiological development in plants, including pineapple. A hundred and fifty-three miRNAs, regulating many aspects of plant growth, have been described in pineapple to date. Reports of the existence of this natural gene silencing system have led to the development of a similar system at a synthetic level. Artificial microRNA (amiRNA) is a unique custom-designed molecule of RNA, approximately 21 nt in length, with the sole function of silencing the expression of its target gene by mimicking the action of miRNA in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. In pineapple, target genes have not only been silenced using this technique but the silencing has occurred in a specific manner, i.e., the target genes were silenced without affecting the expression of other, unrelated genes. This technique has addressed the limitations of conventional breeding techniques, as amiRNA silencing can be performed rapidly and is time-consuming and occurs in a specific manner

Cellular reparative mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells for retinal diseases

The use of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been reported as promising for the treatment of numerous degenerative disorders including the eye. In retinal degenerative diseases, MSCs exhibit the potential to regenerate into retinal neurons and retinal pigmented epithelial cells in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Delivery of MSCs was found to improve retinal morphology and function and delay retinal degeneration. In this review, we revisit the therapeutic role of MSCs in the diseased eye. Furthermore, we reveal the possible cellular mechanisms and identify the associated signaling pathways of MSCs in reversing the pathological conditions of various ocular disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Current stem cell treatment can be dispensed as an independent cell treatment format or with the combination of other approaches. Hence, the improvement of the treatment strategy is largely subjected by our understanding of MSCs mechanism of action

Production, optimization and characterisation of chitosanase of Bacillus sp. and its applications in nanotechnology

Chitosanases is a class of enzymes which hydrolyse chitosan, a natural biopolymer consisting of d-glucosamine in various degrees. In this study, chitosanase producing Bacillus sp. was isolated from soil sample. Chitosanase production was optimized using response surface methodology and the produced chitosanase was characterized. The crude enzyme was found to possess antibacterial and antifungal activity. Chitosanase enzyme was used for trimming chitosan based polymeric nanoparticles produced using sodium trimetaphosphate chelator. Chitosanase enzyme was also utilized for synthesis of silver nanoparticles which were then characterized by UV–Vis, FTIR, SEM, TEM and AFM. The produced nanoparticles were checked for antibacterial and antifungal activity

Benefits and Challenges of Firm's Expansion to the European Market

Předkládaná práce se zaměřuje na poskytnutí návodu pro vstup indické společnosti na evropský trh. Diplomová práce je rozdělena do tří kapitol: První kapitola vysvětluje různé teorie, které je možné využít pro podnikání v jiné zemi, a také uvádí výhody, úskalí a problémy při expanzi podniku do zahraničí. Druhá kapitola popisuje jednotlivé metody a data, která byla použita ve třetí, praktické části práce. V případové studii společnosti Lodestar 3D, představené ve třetí kapitole, byly provedeny analýzy SWOT a PEST, jejichž cílem bylo identifikovat výhody a nevýhody, které by pro společnost znamenalo založení dceřiné společnosti v České republice. Výsledky těchto analytických nástrojů jsou doplněny informacemi získanými prostřednictvím polostrukturovaného rozhovoru s ředitelem společnosti Lodestar 3D. Hlavní závěr práce navrhuje společnosti Lodestar 3D jasněformulovanou obchodní strategii odkoupení české společnosti a vytvoření nové dceřiné společnosti mateřské společnosti, která sídlí mimo Indii (převodem licencí a povolení), a řešení všech klíčových problémů pro zahájení podnikání ve střední Evropě. Dodržování uvedených pokynů může společnosti pomoci zahájit podnikání a lépe sloužit evropským zákazníkům.The presented thesis focuses to provide a tutorial for the Indian company to enter the European economy. The diploma thesis is divided into three chapters: Chapter one explains the different theories which are available to use for doing business in another country and also lists the benefits, challenges, and problems for the company during its expansion abroad. Chapter two describes the various methods and data which were used in the third, practical part of the thesis. In the case study of Lodestar 3D company, presented in the chapter three, the SWOT and PEST analyses were carried out to identify the advantages and disadvantages for the company to set up a subsidiary in the Czech Republic. The findings of these analytical tools are supplemented with the information gathered through the semi-structured interview with the director of Lodestar 3D. The main conclusion of the thesis proposes Lodestar 3D a clear-cut business strategy of buying out a Czech company and making it a new subsidiary of the parent company which is based out in India (by transferring licenses and permits) and addressing all the key challenges for starting the business in Central Europe. Following the specified guidelines can help the company to start the business and serve the European customers in a better way

Laparoscopic-assisted resection of jejunal GIST with Acute Gastrointestinal Bleed

Small intestinal bleeding accounts for about 5-10% of gastrointestinal bleed. Jejunal GIST’s though can be a cause but rarely present with acute bleed. The diagnosis of such cases can be quite challenging and requires a multidisciplinary approach. We present a case of acute bleed from jejunal GIST that was managed by laparoscopic-assisted resection. The postoperative period was uneventful and the patient was discharged on day four. Histopathological examination of the specimen was suggestive of GIST that was confirmed further with immunohistochemical staining