Design of Phenyl Keto Butanoic Acid Derivatives as Inhibitors against Malate Synthase of M.Tuberculosis based on Docking & MD Simulation Studies

The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) has intensified efforts to discover novel drugs for tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Targeting the persistent state of Mtb, a condition in which Mtb is resistant to conventional drug therapies, is of particular interest. Persistent bacterial population relies on metabolic pathways that become active in low nutrient environment like glyoxylate shunt. Since the glyoxylate shunt enzymes are not present in mammals, they make attractive drug targets. This study is focused on malate synthase (MS), one of the enzymes in the glyoxylate shunt. Computational approach was used to identify potential inhibitors of MS. Crystal structure of MS (PDB ID-1N8I) in complex with inhibitor was used to rationally design better MS inhibitors. PKBA is identified to be potent inhibitor of malate synthase enzyme. 30 molecules were designed based on malate (product of Malate Synthase) and Phenyl keto butanoic acid (PKBA) backbone. All molecules were screened based on the lowest energy with repeated conformation of ligands, and passed through ADME/tox filters to sort out the toxic compounds. Molecular docking of all designed molecules with the receptor protein (malate synthase) was performed. The binding energy and inhibitory concentration was observed. On the basis of this study, the best molecule having the lowest binding energy and inhibitory concentration was identified. The best molecule identified was further evaluated by molecular dynamics simulation of protein-ligand complex in water solvent model. The rmsd close to 2 A◦ shows the stability of the complex. Inhibitors against MS have been identified and characterized for further development into potential novel anti-tubercular drugs

Haemoglobin measurement by point-of-care devices- a need of the hour: study conducted on antenatal females

Background: Haemoglobin measurement in antenatal care can help in timely detection and treatment of anaemia, which is a major contributory factor to maternal mortality in developing countries. The transport of samples for haemoglobin assessment may delay the treatment, resulting in preventable deaths. Haemoglobin measurement by point of care testing (POCT) devices is easy, quick and less invasive. There are very few studies which compare the capillary blood haemoglobin using point of care devices with venous blood samples. This study was conducted to compare capillary blood haemoglobin using POCT device with venous blood haemoglobin using haematology analysers in antenatal Indian females.Methods: One hundred pregnant women were recruited during their first trimester antenatal visits. Hemoglobin by finger prick capillary sample (POCT) was compared with haemoglobin of venous sample analysed by the haematology analyser (Beckman coulter) which was considered as gold standard. Intraclass correlation co-efficient based on Bland Altman analysis was computed using SPSS v21. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.97 was recorded with central laboratory reference standard, with a mean difference of -0.481 gm% and -0.482 gm% by capillary and venous blood samples, respectively (p<0.0001).Conclusions: A good agreement between capillary blood haemoglobin (POCT device) and venous blood (haematology analyser) was achieved

Coexistence of iron deficiency and thalassemia trait: a study in antenatal females

Background: Thalassemia is most common genetic disorder worldwide and about 7% of world population is carrier. The prevalence of Beta thalassemia trait (BTT) is 3.5–10% in India. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) of 2011 reveals the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) as 70–80% in children, 70% in pregnant women, and 24% in adult men. As both of them are close differential diagnosis and both can coexist together, this study aims to detect hemoglobinopathies in pregnant women and quantify the effect of iron deficiency on HbA2 levels in order to improve the detection of β thalassemia trait with and without iron deficiency.Methods: Hb, RBC indices, and peripheral smears of 90 pregnant females with microcytic hypochromic blood picture were studied. Serum ferritin and HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) was performed. The results were analysed statistically by using SPSS version 16.0.Results: 93.3% patients had HbA2 4.0% which characterise BTT and remaining 2.22% had between 3.0%-4.0%. HbA2 <2.0% may be seen in IDA, ATT, HbH disease and Delta thalassemia. 91.11% had reduced serum ferritin and 2.22% had normal ferritin levels.Conclusions: This study reveals that there is frequent occurrence of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with thalassemia traits. This can substantially invalidate the diagnosis of the latter. Hence, iron deficiency should be identified and rectified in patients with suspicion of thalassemia trait

Cytological dilemma of a rare subcutaneous fungal infection: Phaeoacremonium griseorubrum

Human disease caused by Phaeoacremonium species is rare. It was first reported in 1974 to cause subcutaneous tissue infection in the renal transplant recipient. Since then, only a few cases have been reported in the literature; however, underreporting is common in such cases due to incomplete or incorrect identification. Furthermore, some cases of subcutaneous infection in otherwise healthy patients may be asymptomatic and definitive identification of the etiological agent is not pursued. Identification of fungi at the species level is challenging by conventional methods; hence, final identification of fungi is based on culture. Phaeoacremonium has a very wide spectrum of presentation ranging from subcutaneous infections to fungemia and disseminated disease. We report a case of subcutaneous tissue swelling in an immunocompetent 55-year-old male, in whom etiology was traced to Phaeoacremonium griseorubrum. To the best of our knowledge, this report of P. griseorubrum causing human infection is second of its kind and the first from India. The patient did not respond well to oral itraconazole therapy and was advised surgical debridement with amphotericin B therapy

Integrating Web - based Services with Distributed Computing over a Network

Past few decades has been years of revolution especially in Information Technology. Because of its omnipresent nature, evolution has taken place from standalone applications to web based applications to distributed computing. Combining interrelated features of IT gave rise to services using Distributed Computing over a network also known as Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is basically internet computing, where the data is stored, accessed and processed on remote servers via internet. This electronic document focuses on integration of web service with cloud, which gives an essence of SaaS aspect of Cloud computing. This also describes the case study to attempt an implementation of the same. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.150518

Face Recognition by Artificial Neural Network using MATLAB Toolbox

Technology has always aimed at making human life easier and Artificial Neural Network has played an integral part in achieving this. Neural networks include simple elements operating in parallel which are inspired by biological nervous systems. These networks can be trained to perform specific task which is remedy for the problems faced by conventional computers or human beings. This electronic document mainly focuses on implementation of face recognition software which uses Neural Network tool box of MATLAB with back propagation algorithm. This software recognizes faces from standard set of images and also calculates error probability. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.150615

Lamellar body count as a predictor of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in preterm premature rupture of membranes

Background: Lamellar bodies are present in amniotic fluid and their quantity increases with increased gestational age. Preterm premature rupture of the membranes (P-PROM) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and is a major cause of preterm deliveries and thus the important cause of RDS. Fetal pulmonary maturity can be assessed by direct or indirect measurement of surfactant phospholipids secreted by the fetal lungs into amniotic fluid. Lamellar body count (LBC) has been introduced as an alternative to other methods.Methods: The study’s prime aim is to establish LBC as a predictor of RDS in P-PROM. We included pregnant women with P-PROM and gestational age between 28 weeks and 37 weeks and singleton live pregnancy. The lamellar body counting from amniotic fluid was done with the use of a standard hematology cell counter, sysmex KX-21. There was statistically significant co-relation between lamellar body count and period of gestation (by applying ANOVA).Results: Lamellar body counts were significantly less in cases of RDS as compared to non RDS cases.Conclusions: LBC count was selected among all other tests because the test can be performed with equipment found in most clinical analysis laboratories and is reliable in predicting fetal lung maturity

An assessment of demographic variables affecting employees’ organizational commitment in India’s thermal power sector

This study aims to analyze the impact of three demographic variables (gender, age, and work experience) on the commitment levels of employees in the Indian thermal power sector. 379 responses were collected through convenience sampling from the executives of NTPC Ltd, a major power utility in India. The facets of organizational commitment (affective commitment, normative commitment, and continuance commitment) were assessed using a standard scale. The quantitative research was done using statistical instruments of one-way ANOVA and independent sample t-test. The findings revealed a positive correlation between the three components of organizational commitment: affective, continuance, and normative. Further, the results highlighted that age plays an essential role in organizational commitment levels; it is found that commitment increases with the age of employees (F = 5.781, p &lt; 0.01). However, gender is not making any variation in organizational commitment (F = –0.502, p &lt; 0.01). Therefore, male and female employees enjoy equal commitment levels toward their work. The study further indicated that work experience significantly influences organizational commitment (F = 4.800, p &lt; 0.01), and it is found to be greater for more experienced employees

Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria having extended-spectrum β-lactamase phenotypes in polluted irrigation-purpose wastewaters from Indian agro-ecosystems

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria has emerged as a serious public health threat worldwide. Aquatic environments including irrigation-purpose wastewaters facilitate the emergence and transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes leading to detrimental effects on human health and environment sustainability. Considering the paramount threat of ever-increasing antibiotic resistance to human health, there is an urgent need for continuous environmental monitoring of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater being used for irrigation in Indian agro-ecosystems. In this study, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria isolated from irrigation-purpose wastewater samples from Sirmaur and Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh was determined. Bacterial isolates of genera Escherichia, Enterobacter, Hafnia, Shigella, Citrobacter, and Klebsiella obtained from 11 different geographical locations were found to exhibit resistance against ampicillin, amoxyclav, cefotaxime, co-trimoxazole, tobramycin, cefpodoxime and ceftazidime. However, all the isolates were sensitive to aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin. Enterobacter spp. and Escherichia coli showed predominance among all the isolates. Multidrug-resistance phenotype was observed with isolate AUK-06 (Enterobacter sp.) which exhibited resistant to five antibiotics. Isolate AUK-02 and AUK-09, both E. coli strains showed resistant phenotypes to four antibiotics each. Phenotypic detection revealed that six isolates were positive for extended-spectrum β-lactamases which includes two isolates from Enterobacter spp. and E. coli each and one each from Shigella sp. and Citrobacter sp. Overall, the findings revealed the occurrence of antibiotic resistant and ESBL-positive bacterial isolates in wastewaters utilized for irrigation purpose in the study area and necessitate continuous monitoring and precautionary interventions. The outcomes of the study would be of significant clinical, epidemiological, and agro-environmental importance in designing effective wastewater management and environmental pollution control strategies

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations