Survey regarding AIDS awareness among indigenous population at Karachi [Pakistan]

A health survey about AIDS awareness in Pakistan was conducted during 1998-99 as a joint venture of International Collaboration Medical Team of Japanese National Institute of Public Health, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan and Awan Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. It is important to be aware of the attitude and behavior related to AIDS infection, because the number of people infected by it has been increasing rapidly in many countries of Asia. The information collected in this survey can serve as a guide for health policy in Pakistan. A randomized survey comprising 5110 [2400 male and 2710 female] Pakistani nationals of different age groups were tested in this study. The marital status and educational background were also recorded. A questionnaire was distributed to the subject individuals, which was based upon the information about the modes of AIDS spread. The mass survey for its awareness in general public has successfully been conducted for the first time in Pakistan. The survey revealed several striking facts and figures that will help build up our future strategy to combat the challenge of this deadly disease. With reference to this survey, about 12% of the total population was completely in dark about AIDS [including 9.7% illiterate]. It is recommended that the people at large should be fully made aware of AIDS. The most effective medium for such an education oriented programme [as revealed by this survey] is television. The authorities should allocate sufficient time on television for programmes like drama, group discussions, interviews by the AIDS victims and open question-answer sessions

Bacteriocins of indigenous clinical staphylococci: screening and charcterization

Staphylococcin [a class of bacteriocin] production was studied in 250 clinical isolates of staphylococci. 7% of the isolates exhibited intra - isolate and broad - range antagonistic activity. Crude bacteriocin preparations were not inactivated after prolonged thermal exposure [80°C] and were stable in the pH range of 5.4 - 10. The preparations also resisted the action of trypsin [a proteolytic enzyme], lysozyme [a glycolytic enzyme] and lipase [a lipolytic enzyme]. However, one of the extracts [Staphylococcin AB201] was sensitive to heat and trypsin. All the preparations retained their bioactivity after prolonged [16 weeks] refrigeration and freezing. Attempts to induce bacteriocin production [with UV, 0.5% mannitol and 2% yeast extract] and to elute cell bound bacteriocin [with 0.1M, 1M and 5M NaCl and 0.05M EDTA] were unsuccessful. The bacteriocinogenic determinants in the staphylococcal isolates were cured by heating [44°C] and ethidium bromide [300 micro g/mL], suggestive of their plasmid- borne location

Isolation and characterization of NGS mutant of Saccharomyces cerevisiae that is deficient in adaptive repair

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an ideal eukaryotic unicell system for the study of the 'damage and repair'. In order to understand the genetics and mechanism of adaptive repair to alkylation stress the isolation and characterization of ada mutants [like ngs] bear important implications. We report for an ethyl methane sulfonate [EMS] - induced ngs MR0192 mutant of S. cerevisiae. The mutant cells showed a decreased survival after nitrosoguanidine [MNNG] treatment [doses >1.5 micro g mL -1 proved lethal] compared to is its parent strain [that survived upto 5 micro g mL -1] and failed to manifest adaptive repair. This ada mutant suffered from a cumulative effect of MNNG dose and cyclohexamide protein synthesis inhibitor]. The results have helped to elucidate the role of ada gene in alkylation mediated repair in S. cerevisiae

Tools for genetic engineering

Genetic Engineering refers to the alteration of cellular DNA by means and methods other than normal sexual or mutational phenomena. Thus, this technology involves techniques in which DNA may be cut, rejoined, its sequence determined, or a segment altered in sequence to suit an intended use. For example, a DNA fragment may be isolated from one organism, spliced into other DNA fragment [the vector], and put into a bacterium or other organism. Many identical copies can thus, be made of the original DNA fragment. There are atleast two basic objectives of genetic engineering technology viz. to learn about the ways, the nature works and to make use of this knowledge for practical purposes. The two basic tools that are used in genetic engineering technology i. e. the "Vectors" or "Vehicles" [e. g. plasmids, cosmids, shuttle vectors and transposons] and "Restriction Enzymes" [e. g. restriction endonucleases] are being discussed at length

nitrosoguanidines mediated adaptive repair in pseudomonas syringae

Adaptive repair activity has been demonstrated in wild type cells of Ps. syringae. MNNG mediated [adapted] cells resisted more than the nonadapted cells. Treatment of the cells with protein synthesis inhibiting antibiotic chloramphenicol at a concentration of 100 micro gml -1 during adaptation prevented the enhanced resistance to killing effects of MNNG. However, such an effect was not demonstrated when the cells were treated with chloramphenicol during the MNNG challenge treatment of the adaptive cells. It is, therefore, evident that adaptive repair in Ps. syringae is mediated as a result of the induced synthesis of enzymes