APPLICATION OF MULTIFACTORIAL EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOR OPTIMIZATION OF PRODIGIOSIN PRODUCTION USING SERRATIA MARCESCENS MBB01, MBB02 AND MBB05

Objective: The present study was aimed at investigating the prodigiosin production under optimized conditions with different parameters such astemperature, incubation time, substrate concentration, and inoculum size.Methods: Response surface methodology was found to be useful in optimizing and determining interactions among process variables in prodigiosinproduction by applying Box–Behnken and face-centered central composite design.Results: Prodigiosin producing Serratia marcescens (SM) MBB01, MBB02, and MBB05 were isolated from soil (Western Ghats Ecosystem). Thesignificant R value was 0.9666, 0.9459, and 0.9433, and the maximum experimental response for prodigiosin production was 497, 690, and560 mg/mL, whereas the predicted value was 495.3, 706.6, and 574.8 mg/mL for SM MBB01, SM MBB02, and SM MBB05, respectively.2Conclusion: Statistically optimized conditions by Box–Behnken design found to be very significant in improved pigment production by SM MBB01,MBB02, and MBB05. The correlation between the predicted and observed values indicates the adequacy of the model.Keywords: Prodigiosin, Serratia marcescens, RSM

Oxygen delivery system in pre-hospital emergency care in india GVK EMRI 108: a review article

The goal of an effective emergency medical system should be to provide universal emergency care along with assured quality. Oxygen is often used drug in the pre hospital. Oxygen delivery can be monitored by pulse oximetry, typically with a goal of reversing hypoxemia. This paper describes the importance of oxygen in emergency care and its contribution to reducing avoidable death and disability. It also highlights the oxygen delivery systems and training processes /protocols in ambulance based pre-hospital care. In addition, it also shares the usage rates of oxygen and delivery methods in thermal and electrical burns in 108 GVK EMRI, India ambulances. A descriptive study methodology was adopted for explaining the training and pre-hospital care processes of oxygen delivery. Retrospective study method was adopted to measure the oxygen utilization rates in management of burns cases in 108 ambulances in the year 2015. EMTs consistently assessed vitals and provided oxygen to patients’. When EMTs found that patients’ had oxygen saturation less than 95%, they provided supplemental oxygen 95% of the times. EMTs though adhering to the routine use of oxygen in 9 out of 10 cases “where indicated, refresher training should focus on use of oxygen in special circumstances and the benefit to be closely monitored for favourable clinical outcomes”. There is a need to study such common and important essential pre-hospital interventions in all types of emergencies being served

Did human DRD2 haplotypes originate in India? A survey of haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium in the tribes of Eastern Ghats, South India

In recent years, a possible role of the dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) locus has been reported in various fields like the etiology of alcoholism, neuropsychiatric disorders, etc. Therefore, it has been the focus of considerable attention. DNA analysis has made it easier to study haplotypes, arrays of alleles at closely linked loci along the chromosome. These regions are short enough to show little or no recombination, and behave as blocks that might have ancient origins. Scoring these markers as haplotypes, allows analysis both in terms of haplotype frequencies and identity in terms of linkage disequilibrium. The human dopaminergic system is an important focus of study in the fields of neuropsychiatry and pharmacology; it is also a promising nuclear DNA marker in studies of human genome diversity. Haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium for the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) were determined in 197 unrelated individuals from four tribal populations of the Eastern Ghats, an important region of India. The three marker systems in this study are highly polymorphic in all the four tribal populations and the haplotype system showed high levels of heterozygosity than the Nilgiri Hill tribes and those in other parts of the world, except Africa. Out of the possible eight haplotypes, seven are commonly shared by all the populations. The ancestral allele B2D2Al accounts for 0.028 to 0.166, which was present in all the groups consistently. The linkage disequilibrium was statistically significant in all the populations. The results show a chance of Indian origin or back migration of human DRD2 haplotypes. Data obtained in this study on DRD2 represent one of the small, but growing number of datasets examining disequilibrium and haplotype frequencies in human populations and also indicate that the gene flows from the Eastern Ghats to the Western Ghats. These populations might be one of the oldest among other Indian populations

Genetic structure and affinities among tribal populations of southern India: a study of 24 autosomal DNA markers

We describe the genetic structure and affinities of five Dravidian-speaking tribal populations inhabiting the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, in south India, using 24 autosomal DNA markers. Our goals were: (i) to examine what evolutionary forces have most significantly impacted south Indian tribal genetic variation, and (ii) to test whether the phenotypic similarities of some south Indian tribal groups to Africans represent a signature of close relationship to Africans or are due to convergence. All loci were polymorphic and average heterozygosities were substantial (range: 0.347-0.423). Genetic differentiation was high (Gst= 6.7%) and genetic distances were not significantly correlated with geographic distances. Genetic drift therefore probably played a significant role in shaping the patterns of genetic variation observed in southern Indian tribal populations. Otherwise, analyses of population relationships showed that Indian populations are closely related to one another, regardless of phenotypic characteristics, and do not show particular affinities to Africans. We conclude that the phenotypic similarities of some Indian groups to Africans do not reflect a close relationship between these groups, but are better explained by convergence

ALKAPTONURIA SYNDROME-A REVIEW

Alkaptonuria, also called endogenous ochronosis, and also called as Black Urine Disease, is a rare metabolic autosomal recessive disorder. It occurs by complete inhibition of homogentisic acid oxidase enzyme having its deposition in various tissues. Alkaptonuria is caused due to deficiency of homogentisic acid oxidase involved in the metabolism of tyrosine. Dark discolouration of urine, ochronosis at cartilage and connective tissues, arthritis at the third of fourth decade of life, renal stone disease, spontaneous tendon rupture etc. May be seen in alkaptonuria. Disease severity varies among individual patients, even between siblings, and increase with age because of homogentisic acid accumulation. Usually, life span is not shortened in AKU, but the quality of life is severely effected. Several studies have suggested that Nitisinone may be effective in the treatment of alkaptonuria. Characteristically, the excess HGA means sufferers pass dark urine, which upon standing turns black. This is a feature present from birth. Over time patients develop other manifestations of AKU, due to the deposition of HGA in collagenous tissues, namely ochronosis and ochronotic osteoarthropathy. Although this condition does not reduce life expectancy, it significantly affects the quality of life. The natural history of this condition is becoming better understood, despite gaps in knowledge. Clinical assessment of the condition has also improved along with the development of potentially disease-modifying therapy. Furthermore, recent developments in AKU research have to lead to new understanding of the disease, and further study of the AKU arthropathy has the potential to influence therapy in the management of osteoarthritis

Predictors for Gingival Index in Middle-Aged Asian Indians with Type 2 Diabetes from South India: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Asian Indians develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) much earlier as compared to White Caucasians, due to unique phenotypic and genetic architecture. Periodontitis in T2DM patients is often a neglected clinical feature. This study was conducted to derive predictor variables for gingival index in middle-aged Asian Indians with T2DM in a semiurban population of Dravidian ethnicity from Tamil Nadu, India. T2DM patients (n=232, mean age: 50.6±10.4 years) with periodontitis (n=123, mean age: 54.3±2.4 years) and without periodontitis (n=109, mean age: 55.2±3.1 years) were recruited between 2014 and 2016 by purposive sampling method. Dental examinations for pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) were performed and gingival index was calculated. Fasting venous blood samples were analysed for measures of glycaemia and cholesterol. Significant positive correlation (p<0.01) was observed for gingival index with glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), pocket depth, presence of T2DM, and clinical attachment level. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis derived increased pocket depth (p<0.01), elevated HbA1c (p<0.01), clinical attachment level (p<0.01), and presence of diabetes (p<0.01) as significant predictors (r2 value = 0.67) for increased gingival index in middle aged patients with T2DM. These variables significantly (p<0.01) predispose middle-aged T2DM patients to increased gingival index, thus warranting appropriate intervention

Fundamental genomic unity of ethnic India is revealed by analysis of mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) profiles of 23 ethnic populations of India drawn from diverse cultural, linguistic and geographical backgrounds are presented. There is extensive sharing of a small number of mtDNA haplotypes, reconstructed on the basis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms, among the populations. This indicates that Indian populations were founded by a small number of females, possibly arriving on one of the early waves of out-of-Africa migration of modern humans; ethnic differentiation occurred subsequently through demographic expansions and geographic dispersal. The Asian-specific haplogroup M is in high frequency in most populations, especially tribal populations and Dravidian populations of southern India. Populations in which the frequencies of haplogroup M are relatively lower show higher frequencies of haplogroup U; such populations are primarily caste populations of northern India. This finding is indicative of a higher Caucasoid admixture in northern Indian populations. By examining the sharing of haplotypes between Indian and south-east Asian populations, we have provided evidence that south-east Asia was peopled by two waves of migration, one originating in India and the other originating in southern China. These findings have been examined and interpreted in the light of inferences derived from previous genomic and historical studies

DNA sequence variation and haplotype structure of the ICAM1 and TNF genes in 12 ethnic groups of India reveal patterns of importance in designing association studies

We have examined the patterns of DNA sequence variation in and around the genes coding for ICAM1 and TNF, which play functional and correlated roles in inflammatory processes and immune cell responses, in 12 diverse ethnic groups of India. We aimed to (a) quantify the nature and extent of the variation, and (b) analyse the observed patterns of variation in relation to population history and ethnic background. At the ICAM1 and TNF loci, respectively, the total numbers of SNPs that were detected were 28 and 12. Many of these SNPs are not shared across ethnic groups and are unreported in the dbSNP or TSC databases, including two fairly common non-synonymous SNPs at positions 13487 and 13542 in the ICAM1 gene. Conversely, the TNF-376A SNP that is reported to be associated with susceptibility to malaria was not found in our study populations, even though some of the populations inhabit malaria endemic areas. Wide between-population variation in the frequencies of shared SNPs and coefficients of linkage disequilibrium have been observed. These findings have profound implications in case-control association studies

Histopathological alterations in Senegal sole, Solea Senegalensis, from a polluted Huelva estuary (SW, Spain)

As a component of a large research project to evaluate the effects of contaminants on fish health in the field, histopathological studies have been conducted to help establish causal relationship between pollutants (heavy metals and aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons—PAHs) and histopathological responses in Senegal sole, Solea senegalensis, from an estuary of SW Spain. Heavy metals (As, Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu and Fe) and 16 PAHs (proprietary USEPA) concentrations in water, sediment and tissues (liver and gills) and histopathological alterations in S. senegalensis from three sampling sites of Ria de Huelva estuary during 2004–2006 years have been analysed. The histopathological studies revealed seasonal and spatial differences in the lesion grade of alterations observing the highest lesion grades in fish from Odiel River and autumn season. No significant differences were observed in the alterations prevalence between sampling sites, but significant differences were observed between seasons observing the highest prevalence in autumn season. However, calculated IPAT demonstrated a low–moderate impact of pollutants on health fish. Correlations between histopathological alterations and pollutants analysed were observed being heavy metals the group that presented a major number of correlations with alterations in several organs of S. senegalensis. In evaluating the general health of fish, the use of histopathological studies in recommended for making more reliable assessment of biochemical responses in fish exposed to a variety of environmental stressors. Statistical analysis using semiquantitative data on pathological lesions can help to establish correlation between cause (stressor) and effect (biomarker)