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Polymorphisms in DNA repair and multidrug resistance genes among Sindhis of Central India
No full textPolymorphisms in DNA repair and multidrug resistance genes might contribute to interindividual and
interethnic differences in DNA repair capacity and drug disposition respectively. In the present study, we
determined the allele and genotype frequencies of four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located
in the DNA repair genes, XRCC1, XRCC3, XPD, OGG1, namely XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, XPD
Lys751Gln, and OGG1 Ser326Cys, respectively and two SNPs located in the multidrug resistance gene,
ABCB1, namely ABCB1 C3435T and ABCB1 C1236T, in 33–35 healthy and unrelated Sindhi individuals,
residing in the Vidarbha region of Central India and compared them with the Maharashtrian population
from the same geographical region and some other HapMap populations from the HapMap database. The
study findings reveal that the Indian Sindhis are closely related to the Maharashtrians as well as Utah
residents with Northern and Western European ancestry and Gujarati Indians in Houston, Texas in the
HapMap database
Differential Levels of Alpha-2-Macroglobulin, Haptoglobin and Sero-Transferrin as Adjunct Markers for TB Diagnosis and Disease Progression in the Malnourished Tribal Population of Melghat, India
Get PDFLack of diagnostic capacity has been a crucial barrier preventing an effective response to
the challenges of malnutrition and tuberculosis (TB). Point-of-care diagnostic tests for TB in
immuno-incompetent, malnourished population are thus needed to ensure rapid and accurate
detection. The aim of the study was to identify potential biomarkers specific for TB
infection and progression to overt disease in the malnourished population of Melghat. A prospective
cohort study was conducted in the year 2009 through 2011 in six villages of the
Melghat region. 275 participants consisting of malnourished cases with a) active TB (n =
32), b) latent TB infection (n = 90), c) with no clinical or bacteriological signs of active or
latent TB (n = 130) and healthy control subjects (n = 23) were recruited for the study. The
proteome changes of the host serum in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb)
infection were investigated using one dimensional electrophoresis in combination with
matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF
MS). Three most differentially expressed proteins; alpha-2-macroglobulin (A-2-M), serotransferrin
and haptoglobin were identified by MALDI-TOF MS analysis, which were up-regulated
in the malnourished patients with active TB and down-regulated in the malnourished
patients compared with the healthy controls. Additionally, follow-up studies indicated that
the expression of these proteins increased to nearly two folds in patients who developed
active disease from latent state. Our preliminary results suggest that A-2-M, sero-transferrin
and haptoglobin may be clinically relevant host biomarkers for TB diagnosis and disease
progression in the malnourished population. This study provides preliminary framework for an in-depth analysis of the biomarkers in larger well-characterized cohorts. Evaluation of
these biomarkers in follow-up cases may further aid in improving TB diagnosis
Rapid Diagnosis and Simultaneous Identification of Tuberculous and Bacterial Meningitis by a Newly Developed Duplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
No full textThe present study describes the development
and evaluation of a duplex polymerase chain reaction (DPCR)
for diagnosis and simultaneous identification of
tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and bacterial meningitis
(BM) in a single reaction. A D-PCR with primers amplifying
portions of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis IS6110 and
the eubacteria 16SrDNA sequence in a same reaction mix
was developed and tested on DNA extracted from 150
clinical CSF samples from different categories (TBM = 39,
BM = 26, control infectious and non-infectious category
= 85). The results indicate a clear differentiation
between bands for eubacteria and M. tuberculosis with an
analytical sensitivity of 103 cfu/ml for eubacteria and
102 cfu/ml for M. tuberculosis. When evaluated in clinical
samples, D-PCR overall diagnosed 100 % confirmed TBM
and 100 % confirmed BM cases with overall specificity of
96.5 %. D-PCR can be an effective tool for diagnosis and
simultaneous identification of TBM or BM in a single PCR
reaction. It saves time, cost, labour and sample amount and
help in administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy
MICROBIAL LEACHING OF CHROMIUM FROM SOLIDIFIED WASTE FORMS – A KINETIC STUDY
Get PDFIn this study, Thiobacillus thiooxidans (T. thiooxidans) was used to study the microbial stability / degradation of cement-based waste forms. The waste forms contained a chromium salt (CrCl3·6H2O), cement and other additives viz., lime and gypsum in two different proportions. The experimental samples of all the simulated waste forms showed evidence of microbial growth as indicated by substantial increase in sulfate. Chromium leached from the waste forms was found to be lowest in cement – lime solidified waste forms (0.061 mg·l-1) and highest in cement gypsum waste forms (0.22 mg·l-1) after 30 days of exposure. These values were lower than the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), regulatory limit (5 mg·l-1). Model equations based on two shrinking core models (acid dissolution and bulk diffusion model), were used to analyze the kinetics of microbial degradation of cement based waste forms. The bulk diffusion model was observed to fit the data better than the acid dissolution model, as indicated by good correlation coefficient
Carbonic anhydrase mediated carbon dioxide sequestration: Promises, challenges and future prospects
No full textAnthropogenic activities have substantially increased the level of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere and are contributing significantly to the global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the major GHGs which plays a key role in the climate change. Various approaches and methodologies are under investigation to address CO2 capture and sequestration worldwide. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) mediated CO2 sequestration is one of the promising options. Therefore, the present review elaborates recent developments in CA, its immobilization and bioreactor methodologies towards CO2 sequestration using the CA enzyme. The promises and challenges associated with the efficient utilization of CA for CO2 sequestration and scale up from flask to lab‐scale bioreactor are critically discussed. Finally, the current review also recommends the possible future needs and directions to utilize CA for CO2 sequestration
An insight into spray pulse reactor through mathematical modelling of dehydrogenation of cyclohexane
No full textA mathematical model has been developed to study the impact of nozzle-catalyst distance and bulk gas temperature on the conversion and hydrogen evolution rate in a spray pulse
reactor. The effects of reactor configuration and operating parameters on conversion and evolution rate were predicted with more than 90% accuracy. Reactor optimization and
sensitivity analysis were carried out and an optimal design of nozzle-catalyst distance 5 cm and bulk gas temperature of 50 �C were proposed. The optimized design was predicted to
increase the conversion from approximately 32e74%. The model could be in general used for designing any endothermic heterogeneous catalytic reaction in a spray pulse reactor
Biodegradation of Methyl Orange by alginate-immobilized Aeromonas sp. in a packed bed reactor: external mass transfer modeling
No full textAzo dyes are recalcitrant and xenobiotic nature
makes these compounds a challenging task for continuous
biodegradation up to satisfactorily levels in large-scale. In
the present report, the biodegradation efficiency of alginate
immobilized indigenous Aeromonas sp. MNK1 on Methyl
Orange (MO) in a packed bed reactor was explored. The
experimental results were used to determine the external
mass transfer model. Complete MO degradation and COD
removal were observed at 0.20 cm bead size and 120 ml/h
flow rate at 300 mg/l of initial dye concentration. The
degradation of MO decreased with increasing bead sizes
and flow rates, which may be attributed to the decrease in
surface of the beads and higher flux of MO, respectively.
The experimental rate constants (kps) for various beads
sizes and flow rates were calculated and compared with
theoretically obtained rate constants using external film
diffusion models. From the experimental data, the externaL mass transfer effect was correlated with a model JD =
K Re-(1 - n)
. The model was tested with K value (5.7) and
the Colburn factor correlation model for 0.20, 0.40 and
0.60 bead sizes were JD = 5.7 Re-0.15, JD = 5.7 Re-0.36
and JD = 5.7 Re-0.48, respectively. Based on the results,
the Colburn factor correlation models were found to predict
the experimental data accurately. The proposed model was
constructive to design and direct industrial applications in
packed bed reactors within acceptable limits
Land Capability Classification for Agro-economic Evaluation of Mahadayi Dam, Karnataka, India
No full textThis paper examines the socio-economic impact of proposed dam on cropland productivity of Mahadayi project, Karnataka,
India. Systematic appraisal of dam and their designing by categories of classes on the basis of physical and chemical characteristics of soil has been done in favour of development of agronomic conditions for the study of proposed dam sites in Karnataka. The study is aimed at the effective utilization of land according to their classes. Documentation on the land capability classification is a versatile component in formulation effective land use planning before the construction of dam. Thus an attempt was made to evaluate dominantly occurring soils on four class’s viz. soil depth, soil texture, soil drainage and soil erosion. The study was focused on the evaluation of economics of crop production based on agro climatic condition of the study area and existing cropping pattern. This study is important as it explores how an input of water and nutrient would respond under variable climatic conditions. In addition,interactions of water supplies with fertilizer rates at optimizing these resources need have been investigated. This paper identifies key challenges and solutions for carrying out project-level economic analysis of adaptation to climate change, both stand-alone and
integrated into broader development projects. Very few projects addressing adaptation thus far have been subject to in-depth and rigorous economic analysis for a variety of reasons, including a lack of guidance on how to deal with assessments of the impacts of climate change, as well as with estimating costs and benefits of adaptation under uncertainty. Our focus is on the agricultural sector,
where the impacts of climate change have the potential to disrupt the livelihoods of rural populations in many regions and where adaptation must be given urgent consideration. Nevertheless, some of the approaches discussed are suitable to projects in other sectors
A simple and novel modification of comet assay for determination of bacteriophage mediated bacterial cell lysis
No full textThe comet assay is the widely used method for in vitro toxicity testing which is also an alternative to the
use of animal models for in vivo testing. Since, its inception in 1984 by Ostling and Johansson, it is being
modified frequently for a wide range of application. In spite of its wide applicability, unfortunately there
is no report of its application in bacteriophages research. In this study, a novel application of comet assay
for the detection of bacteriophage mediated bacterial cell lysis was described. The conventional methods
in bacteriophage research for studying bacterial lysis by bacteriophages are plaque assay method. It is
time consuming, laborious and costly. The lytic activity of bacteriophage devours the bacterial cell which
results in the release of bacterial genomic material that gets detected by ethidium bromide staining
method by the comet assay protocol. The objective of this study was to compare efficacy of comet assay
with different assay used to study phage mediated bacterial lysis. The assay was performed on culture
isolates (N = 80 studies), modified comet assay appear to have relatively higher sensitivity and specificity
than other assay. The results of the study showed that the application of comet assay can be an economical,
time saving and less laborious alternative to conventional plaque assay for the detection of bacteriophage
mediated bacterial cell lysis
Nitric oxide absorption by hydrogen peroxide in airlift reactor: a study using response surface methodology
No full textAbsorption of nitric oxide from nitric oxide /air
mixture in hydrogen peroxide solution has been studied on
bench scale internal loop airlift reactor. The objective of
this investigation was to study the performance of nitric
oxide absorption in hydrogen peroxide solution in the airlift
reactor and to explore/determine the optimum conditions
using response surface methodology. A Box–
Behnken model has been employed as an experimental
design. The effect of three independent variables—namely
nitric oxide gas velocity, 0.02–0.11 m/s; nitric oxide gas
concentration, 300–3,000 ppm and hydrogen peroxide
concentration, 0.25–2.5 %—has been studied on the
absorption of nitric oxide in aqueous hydrogen peroxide in
the semi-batch mode of experiments. The optimal conditions
for parameters were found to be nitric oxide gas
velocity, 0.02 m/s; nitric oxide gas concentration,
2,246 ppm and hydrogen peroxide concentration, 2.1 %.
Under these conditions, the experimental nitric oxide
absorption efficiency was observed to be *65 %. The
proposed model equation using response surface methodology
has shown good agreement with the experimental
data, with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.983. The
results showed that optimised conditions could be used for
the efficient absorption of nitric oxide in the flue gas
emanating from industries