Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) based detection of bacteria: A Review

Various diseases are caused by pathogenic bacteria and their diagnosis depends on accurate detection of pathogen from clinical samples. Several molecular methods have been developed including PCR, Real Time PCR or multiplex PCR which detects the pathogen accurately. However, every method has some limitations like low detection limit, whereas Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a powerful and novel nucleic acid amplification method, which detects the DNA at very low level compared to other methods. This method amplifies very few copies of target DNA with high specificity, efficiency and rapidity under isothermal conditions by using a set of four specially designed primers and a DNA polymerase with strand displacement activity. This review presents detection of various bacteria by LAMP method and covers their detection limit in clinical specimens.Keywords: Bacteria, Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), sensitive, rapid, simple.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(19), 1920-192

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using flower extract of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis and their antifungal activity

Biological reduction agents are being explored worldwide to minimize the effects of toxic chemicals used in nanoparticle fabrication. The present study states a green approach for the synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles employing aqueous flower extract of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. Flower extract was used as the biological reduction agent for synthesizing zinc oxide nanoparticles from zinc acetate dihydrate. Synthesis conditions were optimized for maximal and narrow size range synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The resultant nanopowder was characterized using various analytical techniques, such as UV–Visible spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The nanopowder was stored in dried form and was found to be stable after 4 months. The size range of nanoparticles obtained upon synthesis at optimum conditions was 12–32 nm as reported by TEM. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the crystalline nature of the nanoparticles indicating particle size within the range provided by electron microscopy data. Nanoparticles were tested for their antifungal potential and were found to be active against all five tested phytopathogens with lowest MIC value recorded as 16 μg/mL. Hence, an easy and effective green approach for synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles, with efficient antifungal potential is reported in this study. Keywords: Zinc oxide, Phytosynthesis, Electron microscopy, Optical techniques, Flower extract, Antifungal activit

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of decentralized pyrolysis for crop residue management : Rice and wheat cultivation system in India

The current study evaluates a decentralized biorefinery's economic and environmental performance, which uses two-step pyrolysis for converting rice and wheat straw to bio-oil and biochar. The biorefinery was located in Punjab (India), where open burning of residue is prevalent. The decentralized biorefinery was evaluated regarding the energy required for pyrolysis, product yield and applications, and global warming potential (GWP). Pyrolysis of unwashed, water-washed, and acid-washed straws was performed. The net GWP for pyrolysis of unwashed rice straw was −121 kg CO2eq/ton when biochar was used as a carbon sink. But pyrolysis of water-washed (159 kg CO2eq/ton) and acid-washed rice straw (311 kg CO2eq/ton) was a net contributor to GWP, which was undesirable. Similar trends were observed for wheat straw pyrolysis. The GWP of washed rice and wheat straw pyrolysis was higher than unwashed straw because 37–50% biochar generated was used for drying the washed straw, leaving less biochar for further application. Amongst the biochar applications considered, its use as a carbon sink offered more GWP reduction than its use as a substitute for coal in power and heat generation. The net GWP for direct transfer of residues to a centralized refinery for pyrolysis was −75 kg CO2eq/ton for rice straw and −384 kg CO2eq/ton for wheat straw. Therefore, it was environmentally beneficial to treat biomass locally rather than in a centralized unit. Finally, the minimum selling price for biochar was calculated to be 172–623 USD/ton, which was within the range of commercial biochar price. Therefore, the proposed biorefinery was expected to be environmentally and economically viable with an appropriate selection of pretreatment options and end-uses of the products.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Chronic Kidney Disease among COVID-19 Patients Admitted in the Department of Medicine of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Comorbidities are frequently seen in admitted COVID-19 patients most common being hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease is a slowly progressive chronic illness due to the gradual loss of kidney function or structure. The available data regarding the prevalence of chronic kidney disease and COVID-19 comorbidities is still limited. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of chronic kidney disease among COVID-19 patients admitted to the Department of Medicine of a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Medicine of a tertiary care centre. Data of medical records between 1 August 2020 to 1 December 2022 were reviewed retrospectively. The data was collected from 20 January 2023 to 20 March 2023. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 646/2079/80). Data on chronic kidney disease patients among COVID-19 patients were collected from the hospital records. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 584 COVID-19 patients admitted, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease was 43 (7.36%) (5.24-9.48, 95% Confidence Interval). A total of 30 (69.77%) were male and 13 (30.23%) were female with a mean age of 55±16.22 years. Conclusions: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease among COVID-19 patients admitted in the department of Medicine of a tertiary care centre was found to be slightly higher than other studies done in similar settings