Optimization of saccharification prospective from starch of sweet potato roots through acid-enzyme hydrolysis : structural, chemical and elemental profiling

The sweet potato root, a potent source of starch which is being considered as an effi cient alternative for fuel ethanol production in recent times. The starchy substrate needs to be subsequently dextrinized and saccharifi ed so as to enhance the utilization of its carbohydrates for ethanol production. In the present investigation, acid-enzyme process was conducted for the dextrinization and saccharifi cation of sweet potato root fl our (SPRF). The best optimized condition for dextrinization was achieved with an incubation period of 60 min, temperature 100 ºC and 1M HCl. However, for saccharifi cation, the best result was obtained with an incubation of 18 h, pH 4, temperature 65 ºC and 1000 U concentration of Palkodex®. After the dextrinization process, maximum concentrations of total sugar and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) [380.44 ± 3.17 g/kg and 13.28 ± 0.25 mg/g, respectively] were released. Nevertheless, after saccharifi cation, 658.80 ± 7.83 g/kg of total sugar was obtained which was about 73% more than that of dextrinization. After successful dextrinization and saccharifi cation, the structural, chemical and elemental analysis were investigated using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray fl uorescence spectrophotometer (EDXRF), respectively. Eff ective hydrolysis was demonstrated in thin layer chromatography (TLC) where the HCl was able to generate monomeric sugar such as glucose and maltose. On the other hand, only glucose is synthesized on the mutual eff ect of HCl and Palkodex®. The SEM fi ndings indicate that the rough structure of both dextrinized and saccharifi ed sample was gained due to the vigorous eff ect of both acid and enzyme subsequently. The saccharifi ed SPRF when subjected to fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis separately, it was observed that Z. mobilis produced more stretching vibration of –OH than S. cerevisiae, which evidenced the better production of bioethanol. Additionally, evaluation of the infl uence of S. cerevisiae and Z. mobilis through elemental analysis revealed upsurge in the concentrations of S, Cl, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn and decline in the concentrations of P, K and Cu in the fermented residue of S. cerevisiae and Z. mobilis, however, Z. mobilis showed little more variation than that of S. cerevisiae

Microbe-Based Strategy for Plant Nutrient Management

The rapid industrialization and urbanization of developing countries such as India have encroached on cultivable lands to meet the demands of an ever-increasing population. The altered land use patterns with increased fertilizer use has increased crop yields with leaching of major portion of the applied nutrients from the soil. Nitrates and phosphates are the agricultural pollutants that are discharged into aquifers due to anthropogenic reasons causing severe environmental and health problems. Production of these nutrients requires energy and finite resources (rock phosphate, which has gradually depleting reserves). An alternative management strategy would be to sequester excess nutrients within a biomass that is reused for agriculture. Two discrete enriched microbial consortia with the potential of simultaneous nitrate and phosphate sequestration upon application as biofertilizer restricted them within the plant root zone, ensuring prevention of eutrophication through leaching while making it available for uptake by plants. The nutrient accumulated biomass enhanced the crop yield by 21.88% during mung bean cultivation with maintained elemental content and other nutritional qualities. The major drawback of conventional biofertilizer application (slow release and action) could be overcome using this formulation leading to environmental protection, crop yield enhancement and soil fertility maintenance post-cultivation

Novel Microbial System Developed from Low-Level Radioactive Waste Treatment Plant for Environmental Sustenance

A packed bed bioreactor efficiently treated low-level radioactive waste for years with a retention time of 24 h using acetate as the sole carbon source. However, there was generation of dead biomass. This bioreactor biomass was used to develop a bacterial consortium, which could perform the function within 4 h while simultaneously accumulating nitrate and phosphate. The dead mass was negligible. Serial dilution technique was used to isolate the world’s first pure culture of a nitrate accumulating strain from this consortium. This isolate could simultaneously accumulate nitrate and phosphate from solution. Its ability to form biofilm helped develop a packed bed bioreactor system for waste water treatment, which could optimally remove 94.46% nitrate within 11 h in batch mode while 8 h in continuous mode from waste water starting from 275 ppm of nitrate. The conventional approach revealed the strain to be a member of genus Bacillus but showed distinct differences with the type strains. Further insilico analysis of the draft genome and the putative protein sequences using the bioinformatics tools revealed the strain to be a novel variant of genus Bacillus. The sequestered nitrate and phosphate within the cell were visualized through electron microscopy and explained the reason behind the ability of the isolate to accumulate 1.12 mg of phosphate and 1.3 gm of nitrate per gram of wet weight. Transcriptome analysis proposed the mechanism behind the accumulation of nitrate and phosphate in case of this novel bacterial isolate (MCC 0008). The strain with the sequestered nutrients work as biofertilizer for yield enhancement in case of mung bean while maintaining soil fertility post-cultivation

Particle induced X-ray emission study of blood samples of Indian Kala-azar patients

Ivermectina é antiparasitário que pertence ao grupo das avermectinas, muito utilizado mundialmente e de elevada eficácia, porém, rotineiramente usado de forma inadequada na clínica de pequenos animais. Os felinos podem sofrer intoxicação pela via oral, parenteral e também pela aplicação tópica. O prognóstico depende da dose utilizada, idade do gato e sensibilidade individual. Este trabalho buscou realizar revisão bibliográfica sobre a ivermectina focando em suas propriedades e nas implicações clinicas da intoxicação por ivermectina. Adicionou-se a esta revisão, relato de caso clínico de gato intoxicado por via cutânea. Um felino de um ano e dois meses de idade recebeu uma aplicação tópica de ivermectina de uso injetável diretamente no coxim palmar. Os principais sinais clínicos observados foram alterações neurológicas, como ataxia, midríase e tremores. O paciente recebeu tratamento sintomático e de suporte, recuperando-se completamente e não ocorrendo sequelas identificáveis. É de fundamental importância reconhecer os sinais clínicos deste tipo de intoxicação e seus possíveis diagnósticos diferenciais para correta conduta terapêutica. Não existe antídoto, mas adequado tratamento sintomático, de suporte, e cuidados de enfermagem iniciados precocemente, possibilitam aumento das chances de sucesso terapêutico e a plena recuperação do paciente.Ivermectin is an antiparasitic agent belonging to the group of avermectins widely used with high efficacy, but routinely used inappropriately in small animals clinic. The cats are susceptible to poisoning by oral, parenteral and topical application. Prognosis depends on the dose, age and individual sensitivity. This study attempts to make a review on ivermectin focusing on its properties and clinical implications of ivermectin poisoning. A case report of an intoxicated cat by topical administration was added to this review. A 1.2 years old cat, received a topical application of ivermectin injectable use directly on the palm cushion. The main clinical signs were neurological disorders such as ataxia, mydriasis and tremors. The patient had symptomatic and supportive treatment, fully recovered with no identifiable sequels. It is vital to recognize the main clinical signs and possible differential diagnosis of this type of poisoning for a correct therapeutic approach. There is no antidote, but appropriate symptomatic and support treatment, with early nursing care allow increased chances of successful treatment and patient full recovery

Particle induced X-ray emission study of blood samples of Indian Kala-azar patients

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar (KA) is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasite, Leishmania sp. and is fatal, if left untreated. In this study, we measured trace elements (K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Cl, S, Ca, Mn, Cr, Ni, As, Se, Rb and Sr) in the blood of Indian VL patients (32) by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) study. Blood was collected from 36 subjects including healthy controls from Rambagh Kala-azar Hospital, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. PIXE experiment was carried out at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India and data were analyzed by GUPIXWIN software. We observed first time the association of bromine with the disease. The results showed 48.47 % decrease in Br, 35.16 % decrease in Zn and 29.05 % decrease in Fe in untreated state of the KA patients. In the same group, Cu has been increased by 16.73 %. Cu/Zn ratio has been altered in diseased state. The association of bromine with the disease is reported for the first time and altered levels of trace elements (Br, Cu, Fe and Zn) may come back to normal after completion of the treatment regimen with Amphotericin B

Investigation on the trace elemental profile of sewage workers in Kolkata, an Indian megacity

<em>Background</em>. Environmental pollution has become a global health risk. Exposure to pollutants at the work place,<em> i.e</em>. occupational exposure, is one of the areas that need immediate attention. The civic drainage workers are exposed to pollutants present in the wastewater they handle and most of them are toxic heavy metals. Exposure to such pollutants may be a health hazard, since it can lead to the imbalance in nutrient elements status.§<br /><em>Design and Methods</em>. In the present study, profiling of trace elements in the blood of drainage worker population from an Indian megacity, Kolkata, was carried out by energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and compared with the control group population of the same area. <br /><em>Results. </em>The elements detected by EDXRF spectrometry include P, S, Cl, K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Br, and Rb. By using ANOVA with 5% significance level, we observed significant alterations in the trace elements status, iron over loading, selenium deficiency, and in Cu-Zn ratio. Gender specific variations within the same population were also observed. <br /><em>Conclusions.</em> The results indicate that the drainage workers have altered elemental profile in comparison to that of control population

Synthesis of a novel glucose capped gold nanoparticle as a better theranostic candidate.

Gold nanoparticles are predominantly used in diagnostics, therapeutics and biomedical applications. The present study has been designed to synthesize differently capped gold nanoparticles (AuNps) by a simple, one-step, room temperature procedure and to evaluate the potential of these AuNps for biomedical applications. The AuNps are capped with glucose, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) and citrate using different reducing agents. This is the first report of synthesis of 2DG-AuNp by the simple room temperature method. The synthesized gold nanoparticles are characterized with UV-Visible Spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) study of the synthesized AuNps shows increase in Raman signals up to 50 times using 2DG. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiozol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay has been performed using all the three differently capped AuNps in different cell lines to assess cytotoxcity if any, of the nanoparticles. The study shows that 2DG-AuNps is a better candidate for theranostic application

Cell viability plot and dendrogram plot.

<p><b>A</b> Viability of HeLa cells, HepG2 cells and HCT 116 cells treated with 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose-gold nanoparticles; <b>B</b> Viability of HeLa cell line; HepG2 cell line and HCT116 cells treated with glucose capped gold nanoparticles; <b>C</b> Viability of HeLa cells, HepG2 cells and HCT 116 cells treated with citrate-gold nanoparticles. Standard deviation shown as error bar, p<0.05. <b>D</b>: Dendrogram shows cell lines are aligned separately and grouped based on similarities in their cytotoxicity expression using a hierarchical clustering analysis technique. 1 represents 2DG-AuNp-Hela,2: 2DG-AuNp-HepG2, 3:2DG-AuNp-HCT116, 4:Glu-AuNp-Hela,5:Glu-AuNp-HepG2,6: Glu-AuNp-HCT116,7: Citr-AuNp-Hela,8: Citr-AuNp-HepG2, 9: Citr-AuNp-HCT116.</p

TEM analysis of AuNPs.

<p><b>5A, 5C</b> High magnification TEM image of glucose capped gold nanoparticles showing FFT measurement using Image-J software; <b>5B</b> SAED pattern of glucose capped gold nanoparticles; <b>5D, 5F</b> High magnification TEM image of citrate -gold nanoparticles showing FFT measurement using Image J-software; <b>5E</b> SAED pattern of citrate—gold nanoparticles; <b>5 G, 5I</b> Shows the high magnification TEM image of 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose capped gold nanoparticles;5 <b>H</b> SAED pattern of 2DG-Capped gold nanoparticles.</p

UV-visible absorption spectrum of AuNPs.

<p><b>A</b> UV-visible absorption spectrum of glucose-AuNps showing SPR peak at 540 nm; <b>B</b> Citrate-AuNps showing SPR peak at 520 nm; <b>C</b> 2DG-AuNps showing SPR peak at 525 nm.</p