Fermentation, Isolation, Structure, and antidiabetic activity of NFAT-133 produced by Streptomyces strain PM0324667

Type-2 diabetes is mediated by defects in either insulin secretion or insulin action. In an effort to identify extracts that may stimulate glucose uptake, similar to insulin, a high throughput-screening assay for measuring glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells was established. During the screening studies to discover novel antidiabetic compounds from microbial resources a Streptomyces strain PM0324667 (MTCC 5543, the Strain accession number at Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India), an isolate from arid soil was identified which expressed a secondary metabolite that induced glucose uptake in L6 skeletal muscle cells. By employing bioactivity guided fractionation techniques, a tri-substituted simple aromatic compound with anti-diabetic potential was isolated. It was characterized based on MS and 2D NMR spectral data and identified as NFAT-133 which is a known immunosuppressive agent that inhibits NFAT-dependent transcription in vitro. Our investigations revealed the antidiabetic potential of NFAT-133. The compound induced glucose uptake in differentiated L6 myotubes with an EC50 of 6.3 ± 1.8 μM without activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. Further, NFAT-133 was also efficacious in vivo in diabetic animals and reduced systemic glucose levels. Thus it is a potential lead compound which can be considered for development as a therapeutic for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. We have reported herewith the isolation of the producer microbe, fermentation, purification, in vitro, and in vivo antidiabetic activity of the compound

Establishment and maintenance of decentralized sweet sorghum crushing-cumsyrup making unit.

In the light of environmental concerns associated with fossil fuel use and the increased demand for energy in different counties, bio-fuels research and development has come to center stage. Sweet sorghum is a SMART crop with triple product benefit - food, feed and fuel. It is a good candidate for commercial ethanol production with potential opportunities for benefiting the dryland farmers from the emerging bio-fuel markets. The commercial ethanol production from sweet sorghum requires feedstock supplies for longer periods in a year. ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Crops) and DSR (Directorate of Sorghum Research, Rajendranagar, AP, India) and other partners are working on supply chain management and addressing other issues in the sweet sorghum ethanol value chain. Principally, sweet sorghum supply chain involves centralized and decentralized models. Under centralized model farmers supply the sweet sorghum stalks directly to the distillery where as in decentralized model farmers supply stalks to Decentralized Crushing-Syrup Making Unit (DCU) located in the village it self. These stalks are crushed at the DCU and the sweet juice is boiled to produce concentrated syrup that can be stored for more than 9 months and used for ethanol production, particularly in the off-season augmenting the feedstock supply to the distillery. Use of DCU for crushing and syrup production at village is a new idea and there is no publication available on the requirements for establishment of a DCU and its maintenance. In this bulletin, attempts have been made to briefly describe the experiences of ICRISAT and partners in establishment and maintenance of DCU covering all the aspects of DCU, from selection of site for its establishment, logistical requirements, plant and machinery, operation and maintenance of DCU and its role in sweet sorghum supply chain management

2016 International Land Model Benchmarking (ILAMB) Workshop Report

As earth system models (ESMs) become increasingly complex, there is a growing need for comprehensive and multi-faceted evaluation of model projections. To advance understanding of terrestrial biogeochemical processes and their interactions with hydrology and climate under conditions of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, new analysis methods are required that use observations to constrain model predictions, inform model development, and identify needed measurements and field experiments. Better representations of biogeochemistryclimate feedbacks and ecosystem processes in these models are essential for reducing the acknowledged substantial uncertainties in 21st century climate change projections

Opportunistic screening for hypertension and selected cardiovascular risk factors among adults attending a primary health center in Puducherry, India

Background: India is currently suffering from an epidemic of noncommunicable diseases; it is thus imperative to screen for cardiovascular risk factors in people visiting Primary Health Centers (PHCs). The objective of the study was to measure the amount of undiagnosed hypertension and selected cardiovascular risk factors present among the adult population through opportunistic screening at the PHC. Methods: A facility-based opportunistic screening program was carried out in a PHC in rural Puducherry. Patients and accompanying persons aged 30 years and above, who attended the daily outpatient department (OPD) were included. The OPD provides outpatient services and medical procedures or tests without requirement of an overnight stay, and functions for 4 h a day. Known hypertensive patients and pregnant women were excluded. Information on age, gender, diabetes status, and personal history of tobacco and alcohol use were collected using an interview schedule. Height, weight and waist circumference were measured, along with blood pressure and blood sugar using standard protocols. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mm Hg was taken as hypertension. SBP of 120-139 mm Hg and/or DBP of 80-89 mm Hg were taken as prehypertension. Results: A total of 324 participants were screened; 56.8% were females. The mean standard deviation (SD) age of the participants was 47.7 (SD 12.6) years. Hypertension and prehypertension were present in 17.9% and 37.7% of the participants respectively. 17.3% participants had diabetes. 22.2% and 21.3% of all participants were current users of tobacco and alcohol respectively. Generalized obesity was present in 31.8% of the participants; 19.1% were overweight. 45.1% participants had central obesity. Conclusions: A relatively large proportion of adults were found to have prehypertension and obesity, thus showing the need for early intervention

Preferentially oriented m-tuned WO3 thin-films photocatalysts for the multitargeted degradation of organic molecules

In this work, morphology-tuned tungsten oxide (m-tuned WO3) thin films are deposited on a glass substrate by a simple and cost-effective chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The deposition pH is varied to tune the physicochemical properties of m-tuned WO3 thin films. The m-tuned WO3 thin films show an orthorhombic crystal structure with a preferred orientation along the (020) plane. The morphological study demonstrated the conversion of ‘rice hull’ to ‘interlocked nanosheets’ to ‘reticulated nanosheets composed of nanorods’ upon changing pH, highlighting the significant role of pH in m-tuned WO3 thin film synthesis. The m-tuned WO3 thin films show good absorption in the visible-light region (390–780 nm) of the solar spectrum. The m-tuned WO3 thin films are used for the visible light active photocatalytic degradation of organic molecules such as methylene blue (MB), rhodamine B (Rh B), and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC). The optimized m-tuned WO3 thin film shows maximum photocatalytic performance of 95, 94, and 86 % in 180 min for MB, Rh B, and TC, respectively. The present study demonstrates the usefulness of the CBD method for the deposition of m-tuned WO3 and improved photocatalytic performance