ALLIUM SATIVUM LINN. CONTAINS LINEAR ALKYLBENZENE SULFONATES THAT ALTER MEMBRANE FLUIDITY FOR THE INHIBITION OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS H37RA

  Objectives: The purpose of the study is to characterize antimycobacterial phytoconstituent from ethyl acetate extract of dried bulbs of Allium sativum Linn. (Alliaceae) and elucidating the probable mode of action of the bioactive molecule.Methods: Serial extraction, Mycobacterium tuberculosis assay by agar well diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentration by microplate alamar blue assay, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, liquid chromatography (LC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS, cell leakage assay, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inhibition property of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) in the presence of rifampicin on M. tuberculosis were performed.Results: Ethyl acetate extract displayed significant inhibition properties against M. tuberculosis H37Ra (MTCC 300). Subsequently, the bioactivity-guided fractionation was employed to purify the phytochemical. Analysis of FT-IR, LC-MS (ESI), 1H, and13C-NMR spectrum revealed that the bioactive phytochemicals are the variants of LAS, with C12-alkyl being predominant, and the minimum inhibitory concentration was found to be 5.56 μg/ml. Morphological examination by SEM and cell leakage assay indicated that these molecules change the membrane fluidity.Conclusion: The results thus suggest the possibility of using low concentrations of LAS to effect changes in membrane fluidity, thereby enhancing the efficacy of antibiotic treatment

Allium sativum linn. contains linear alkylbenzene sulfonates that alter membrane fluidity for the inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37RA

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to characterize antimycobacterial phytoconstituent from ethyl acetate extract of dried bulbs of Allium sativum Linn. (Alliaceae) and elucidating the probable mode of action of the bioactive molecule. Methods: Serial extraction, Mycobacterium tuberculosis assay by agar well diffusion method, minimal inhibitory concentration by microplate alamar blue assay, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Liquid Chromatography (LC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS, cell leakage assay, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), inhibition property of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS) in the presence of rifampicin on M. tuberculosis were performed. Results: Ethyl acetate extract displayed significant inhibition properties against M. tuberculosis H37Ra (MTCC 300). Subsequently, the bioactivity-guided fractionation was employed to purify the phytochemical. Analysis of FT-IR, LC-MS (ESI), 1H and 13C-NMR spectrum revealed that the bioactive phytochemicals are the variants of LAS, with C12-alkyl being predominant, and the minimum inhibitory concentration was found to be 5.56 μg/ml. Morphological examination by SEM and cell leakage assay indicated that these molecules change the membrane fluidity. Conclusion: The results thus suggest the possibility of using low concentrations of LAS to effect changes in membrane fluidity, thereby enhancing the efficacy of antibiotic treatment

From cheek swabs to consensus sequences : an A to Z protocol for high-throughput DNA sequencing of complete human mitochondrial genomes

Background: Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technologies have made huge impacts in many fields of biological research, but especially in evolutionary biology. One area where NGS has shown potential is for high-throughput sequencing of complete mtDNA genomes (of humans and other animals). Despite the increasing use of NGS technologies and a better appreciation of their importance in answering biological questions, there remain significant obstacles to the successful implementation of NGS-based projects, especially for new users. Results: Here we present an ‘A to Z’ protocol for obtaining complete human mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes – from DNA extraction to consensus sequence. Although designed for use on humans, this protocol could also be used to sequence small, organellar genomes from other species, and also nuclear loci. This protocol includes DNA extraction, PCR amplification, fragmentation of PCR products, barcoding of fragments, sequencing using the 454 GS FLX platform, and a complete bioinformatics pipeline (primer removal, reference-based mapping, output of coverage plots and SNP calling). Conclusions: All steps in this protocol are designed to be straightforward to implement, especially for researchers who are undertaking next-generation sequencing for the first time. The molecular steps are scalable to large numbers (hundreds) of individuals and all steps post-DNA extraction can be carried out in 96-well plate format. Also, the protocol has been assembled so that individual ‘modules’ can be swapped out to suit available resources

Raltegravir Cerebrospinal Fluid Concentrations in HIV-1 Infection

Raltegravir is an HIV-1 integrase inhibitor currently used in treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected patients resistant to other drug classes. In order to assess its central nervous system penetration, we measured raltegravir concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma in subjects receiving antiretroviral treatment regimens containing this drug.Raltegravir concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in 25 paired CSF and plasma samples from 16 HIV-1-infected individuals. The lower limit of quantitation was 2.0 ng/ml for CSF and 10 ng/ml for plasma.Twenty-four of the 25 CSF samples had detectable raltegravir concentrations with a median raltegravir concentration of 18.4 ng/ml (range, <2.0-126.0). The median plasma raltegravir concentration was 448 ng/ml (range, 37-5180). CSF raltegravir concentrations correlated with CSF:plasma albumin ratios and CSF albumin concentrations.Approximately 50% of the CSF specimens exceeded the IC(95) levels reported to inhibit HIV-1 strains without resistance to integrase inhibitors. In addition to contributing to control of systemic HIV-1 infection, raltegravir achieves local inhibitory concentrations in CSF in most, but not all, patients. Blood-brain and blood-CSF barriers likely restrict drug entry, while enhanced permeability of these barriers enhances drug entry

Artificial Intelligence for the Advancement of Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration

AI-driven methods have potential to minimise manual labour during planetary data processing and aid ongoing missions with real-time data analysis. This white paper focuses on key areas of AI-driven research, the need for open source training data, and the importance of collaboration between academia and industries to advance AI-driven research

Science Opportunities offered by Mercury's Ice-Bearing Polar Deposits

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Internet of Things for Sustainable Community Development: Introduction and Overview

The two-third of the city-dwelling world population by 2050 poses numerous global challenges in the infrastructure and natural resource management domains (e.g., water and food scarcity, increasing global temperatures, and energy issues). The IoT with integrated sensing and communication capabilities has the strong potential for the robust, sustainable, and informed resource management in the urban and rural communities. In this chapter, the vital concepts of sustainable community development are discussed. The IoT and sustainability interactions are explained with emphasis on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and communication technologies. Moreover, IoT opportunities and challenges are discussed in the context of sustainable community development

Sensor-based precision nutrient and irrigation management enhances the physiological performance, water productivity, and yield of soybean under system of crop intensification

Sensor-based decision tools provide a quick assessment of nutritional and physiological health status of crop, thereby enhancing the crop productivity. Therefore, a 2-year field study was undertaken with precision nutrient and irrigation management under system of crop intensification (SCI) to understand the applicability of sensor-based decision tools in improving the physiological performance, water productivity, and seed yield of soybean crop. The experiment consisted of three irrigation regimes [I1: standard flood irrigation at 50% depletion of available soil moisture (DASM) (FI), I2: sprinkler irrigation at 80% ETC (crop evapo-transpiration) (Spr 80% ETC), and I3: sprinkler irrigation at 60% ETC (Spr 60% ETC)] assigned in main plots, with five precision nutrient management (PNM) practices{PNM1-[SCI protocol], PNM2-[RDF, recommended dose of fertilizer: basal dose incorporated (50% N, full dose of P and K)], PNM3-[RDF: basal dose point placement (BDP) (50% N, full dose of P and K)], PNM4-[75% RDF: BDP (50% N, full dose of P and K)] and PNM5-[50% RDF: BDP (50% N, full P and K)]} assigned in sub-plots using a split-plot design with three replications. The remaining 50% N was top-dressed through SPAD assistance for all the PNM practices. Results showed that the adoption of Spr 80% ETC resulted in an increment of 25.6%, 17.6%, 35.4%, and 17.5% in net-photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), respectively, over FI. Among PNM plots, adoption of PNM3 resulted in a significant (p=0.05) improvement in photosynthetic characters like Pn (15.69 µ mol CO2 m−2 s−1), Tr (7.03 m mol H2O m−2 s−1), Gs (0.175 µmol CO2 mol−1 year−1), and Ci (271.7 mol H2O m2 s−1). Enhancement in SPAD (27% and 30%) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (42% and 52%) values were observed with nitrogen (N) top dressing through SPAD-guided nutrient management, helped enhance crop growth indices, coupled with better dry matter partitioning and interception of sunlight. Canopy temperature depression (CTD) in soybean reduced by 3.09–4.66°C due to adoption of sprinkler irrigation. Likewise, Spr 60% ETc recorded highest irrigation water productivity (1.08 kg ha−1 m−3). However, economic water productivity (27.5 INR ha−1 m−3) and water-use efficiency (7.6 kg ha−1 mm−1 day−1) of soybean got enhanced under Spr 80% ETc over conventional cultivation. Multiple correlation and PCA showed a positive correlation between physiological, growth, and yield parameters of soybean. Concurrently, the adoption of Spr 80% ETC with PNM3 recorded significantly higher grain yield (2.63 t ha−1) and biological yield (8.37 t ha−1) over other combinations. Thus, the performance of SCI protocols under sprinkler irrigation was found to be superior over conventional practices. Hence, integrating SCI with sensor-based precision nutrient and irrigation management could be a viable option for enhancing the crop productivity and enhance the resource-use efficiency in soybean under similar agro-ecological regions

Leveraging human capital to reduce maternal mortality in India: enhanced public health system or public-private partnership?

Developing countries are currently struggling to achieve the Millennium Development Goal Five of reducing maternal mortality by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Many health systems are facing acute shortages of health workers needed to provide improved prenatal care, skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric services – interventions crucial to reducing maternal death. The World Health Organization estimates a current deficit of almost 2.4 million doctors, nurses and midwives. Complicating matters further, health workforces are typically concentrated in large cities, while maternal mortality is generally higher in rural areas. Additionally, health care systems are faced with shortages of specialists such as anaesthesiologists, surgeons and obstetricians; a maldistribution of health care infrastructure; and imbalances between the public and private health care sectors. Increasingly, policy-makers have been turning to human resource strategies to cope with staff shortages. These include enhancement of existing work roles; substitution of one type of worker for another; delegation of functions up or down the traditional role ladder; innovation in designing new jobs;transfer or relocation of particular roles or services from one health care sector to another. Innovations have been funded through state investment, public-private partnerships and collaborations with nongovernmental organizations and quasi-governmental organizations such as the World Bank. This paper focuses on how two large health systems in India – Gujarat and Tamil Nadu – have successfully applied human resources strategies in uniquely different contexts to the challenges of achieving Millennium Development Goal Five