Microbial forensics: An upcoming investigative discipline.

Microorganisms make good weapons and bioterorism has been known to exist since centuries. This has most recently been highlighted by the terrorist attack using anthrax in the fall of 2001 in U.S. Although such attacks of bioterrorism are few, forensic evidence to criminally prosecute the perpetrator is necessary. To strengthen defence against bio crimes, a comprehensive technological network involving various fields needs to be developed. Microbial forensics is one such new discipline combining microbiology and forensic science. It uses advanced molecular techniques like microarray analysis and DNA fingerprinting etc. to associate the source of the causative agent with a specific individual or group by measuring variations between related strains. High quality assurance and quality control standards for microbial forensics will ensure highly reliable results that will stand up in the court of law. The more precise and refined a microbial system becomes, the more proper guidelines for investigations will be defined. An integrated approach towards developing this field of microbial forensics needs to be followed, to meet the challenges of bioterrorism more effectively.

Cariogenic potential of most commonly prescribed liquid oral medicines for children.

Consumption of liquid oral medicine by frequently ill children, significantly increases the risk of tooth demineralization. In this study a survey was conducted wherein the pediatricians, pharmacist and medical representatives of Bhopal city were enquired about the most commonly prescribed liquid oral medicines for children. The four categories of medicines reported were: antipyretics/analgesics, antibiotics, antihistaminics/antitussives and multivitamins. Three samples from each category were taken. Sugar concentration was evaluated by Lane-Eynon general volumetric method and pH was measured by using digital pH meter (EU-TECH). High concentration of sugar was found in 50% of samples and 90% samples showed low pH. Sugar concentration was in a range of 20.6 to 68.2% and pH in a range of 3.8 to 8.5. As sugar in medication is a potential threat to teeth, therefore, alternatives including sugar substitute should be considered.

Evaluation of antibacterial activity of different ganoderma lucidum extracts.

Bioproducts of Mushroom have multi beneficial effects for human welfare. Medicinal mushrooms are widely used as traditional medicinal ingredients for the treatment of various diseases and related health problems. Most of the medicinal extracts from mushroom are different forms of polysaccharides which strengthens the immune system with little or no side effect. Medicinal mushroom research has focused on discovery of compounds that can modulate positively or negatively the biological response of immune cells. The antimicrobial activity of various solvent extracts (40μg/ml) of Ganoderma lucidum was tested against six species of bacteria: Escherichia coli (MTCC-443), Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC-737), Klebsiella pneumoniae (MTCC-2405), Bacillus subtilis (MTCC-1789) Salmonella typhi (MTCC-531) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC-779). Acetone extract exhibited maximum antibacterial activity (31.60±0.10), while the most susceptible bacterium observed was Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Trends of poisoning in Faridkot region of Punjab- A retrospective study of one year.

Since immemorial times, poisonous substances have been reported to be adversely affecting human life, both in terms of morbidity and mortality. Evolution in fields like agriculture, industry etc has made wide and easy availability of various poisonous substances. The present study is a retrospective study of one year which is related to poisoning cases that were admitted in the emergency department of G.G. S. Medical College, Faridkot from 1st January 1996 to 31st December 1996. The analysis of the data revealed that out of 78 patients admitted in the hospital, 31 patients died. The maxi-mum incidence was seen in the age group of 21-30 years with males outnumbering the females. The commonest poison used was organophosphorus group of compounds.

Quorum sensing (QS) as etiological phenomenon: the bacterial paradigm.

Signaling mechanisms that govern physiological and morphological responses to change the cell density are common in bacteria. Quorum sensing is signal transduction processes which involves the production and release of and response to hormone-like molecules (auto-inducers) that accumulate in the external environment as the cell population grows. Quorum sensing is found in a wide variety of bacteria, both Gram-positive and Gram-negative and the spectrum of physiological functions that can be regulated is impressive. Variation in the nature of the extra-cellular signal in the signal detection machinery and in the mechanisms of signal transmission demonstrates the evolutionary adaptability of quorum sensing systems for multiple uses.

Stem cells: potential implications for tooth regeneration and tissue engineering in dental science.

Stem Cell has become a booming field for research and therapeutic applications with vast areas yet to be discovered. The pluripotent nature of the stem cells has been studied and used in various scientific fields for curing the disease and regeneration of a body part. Periodontitis, dental caries, craniofacial bone and teeth regeneration are the different areas in dental science which are yet to be studied. Various studies all over the world are going on using stem cells to cure or minimize the pain which a patient goes through diagnosis. This article provides an overview of the different types of stem cells and the different applications of stem cell in dental science.

DNA tagging of blast resistant gene(s) in three Brazilian rice cultivars

Rice blast is the most important fungal disease of rice and is caused by Pyricularia oryzae Sacc. (Telomorph Magnoporthe grisea Barr.). Seven randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers OPA5, OPG17, OPG18, OPG19, OPF9, OPF17 and OPF19 showed very clear polymorphism in resistant cultivar lines which differed from susceptible lines. By comparing different susceptible lines, nine DNA amplifications of seven primers (OPA5(1000), OPA5(1200,) OPG17(700), OPG18(850), OPG19(500), OPG19(600), OPF9(600), OPF17(1200) and OPF19(600)) were identified as dominant markers for the blast resistant gene in resistant cultivar lines. These loci facilitate the indirect scoring of blast resistant and blast susceptible genotypes. The codomine RAPDs markers will facilitate marker-assisted selection of the blast resistant gene in two blast resistant genotypes of rice (Labelle and Line 11) and will be useful in rice breeding programs.

RAPD analysis of herbicide-resistant Brasilian rice lines produced via mutagenesis

Over the last two decades, mutational techniques have become one of the most important tools available to progressive rice- breeding programs. In a mutation-breeding program initiated in 1999 at the Instituto Agronômico of Campinas, SP, Brazil, a rice line, IAC103, was selected for mutational studies with gamma radiation and ethyl methyl sulfonate mutagenesis, with the aim of developing a herbicide-resistant crop. After mutagenesis, surviving plants were exposed to glufosinate to check for herbicide resistance, which was examined up to the second generation. A detailed RAPD analysis was made of the resistant plants. Eighty Operon technology primers were tested and 10 were selected for a detailed study of RAPD markers that could tag herbicide resistance genes. Resistant and susceptible lines produced variation in the RAPD patterns and certain bands were found only in certain lines. These results suggest genetic ligation that will be confirmed through a genetic segregation study

Transformation system of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae using nitrate reductase gene of Aspergillus nidulans.

An heterologous transformation system for entomopathogenic fungi B. bassiana and M. anisopliae was developed based on the use of A. nidulans nitrate reductase gene (niaD). B. bassiana and M. anisopliae niaD stable mutants were selected by treatment of protoplast with ethane methane sulphonate (EMS) and regenerated on chlorate medium. The cloned gene was capable of transforming B. bassiana and M. anisopliae at a frequency of 5.8 to 20 transformants per microg of DNA. Most of them were mitotically stable.