Nanoactivator mediated modifications in thermostable amylase from Bacillus licheniformis.

Gram-positive rod-shaped thermophilic bacteria were isolated using samples collected from terrestrial natural thermal spring located at Unkeshwar (Longitude 78.22 degree East to 78.34 degree East, Latitude 19 degree 34' North to 19 degree 40' North), District Nanded, Maharashtra State, India. The isolates were then cultivated using selective media and identified using culture-dependent techniques. One prominent isolate (UN1) exhibited high temperature stability and remarkable amylase production and was identified as Bacillus licheniformis. Amylase production was carried out in starch media and the enzyme was partially purified and characterized for optimization of pH and temperature. Amylolytic activity of the enzyme was determined. Nanoactivator-mediated modifications were carried out to enhance amylolytic activity of the partially purified amylase. Three-fold increase in catalytic efficiency of amylase was obtained after modification.

Alkaline protease production, extraction and characterization from alkaliphilic Bacillus licheniformis KBDL4: A Lonar soda lake isolate.

A bacterium producing an alkaline protease was isolated from the Lonar soda lake, Buldhana district (19°58' N; 76°31' E), Maharashtra, India. The most appropriate medium for the growth and protease production was composed of (g/L): casein 10; yeast extract 4; KH2PO4 0.5, K2HPO4 0.5 and CaCl2 0.5. The enzyme showed maximum activity with and without 5 mM Ca2+ at 70 and 60 oC, respectively. The enzyme retained 40 and 82% of its initial activity after heating for 60 min at 60 oC, in absence and presence of 5 mM CaCl2 respectively. The enzyme remained active and stable at pH 8-12, with an optimum at pH 10. The enzyme showed stability towards non-ionic and anionic surfactants, and oxidizing agents. It also showed excellent stability and compatibility with commonly used laundry detergents. Wash performance analysis revealed that enzyme could effectively remove blood stains. It also showed decomposition of gelatinous coating on X- ray film.

External pixe – A novel approach for determining trace elements in fermentation process.

External Particle Induced X-ray Emission technique was employed in the study of submerged fermentation of ethanol from Jaggery using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the organism. Effect of KNO3 as a nitrogen source was studied and the uptake of the supplement was monitored. A Proton beam of 3MeV from the 3MV Tandom type pelletron accelerator was used for the multi-elemental analysis. Apart from K, other elements like Cr, Fe, Cu and Zn were identified. The sensitivity of the technique was also determined by varying the sample size between 2mm and 10mm.

Trace elemental analysis of dental caries in human teeth by external pixe.

The elemental profiles of the dental caries in human teeth were analyzed by the external proton induced X-ray emission (External PIXE) studies. A total of ten elements including trace namely P, Ca, V, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Sr and Pb were estimated in the present study. P and Ca were found to be the major elements whereas all other elements were in trace level. It was observed that the concentration of elements Phosphorus and Calcium varied between the range 7.98% and 19.26% and 19.83% and 35.2% respectively in dental caries.

Optimization of fermentation medium for the production of ethanol from jaggery using box-behnken design.

The production of ethyl alcohol using Saccharomyces cerevisiae NCIM 3288 was found significant when jaggery is used as the carbon source. From the various physical parameters studied, the effect substrate concentration was found to play a key role, and the other two important chemical supplements tested, i.e., Nitrogen and phosphorus sources were also found to be significantly contributing to product concentration. A response surface analysis predicted a substrate concentration of 23.56 % (w/v), (NH4)2SO4- 2.612 g/l and KH2PO4- 3.407g/l as the optimal conditions keeping the rest of the rest of the physical parameters at their optimal conditions as obtained from the preliminary studies. A maximum ethanol concentration of 6.15%(w/v) was obtained at the end of third day of fermentation.

Hemophagocytic syndrome: a cause for fatal outcome in tuberculosis.

Hemophagocytic syndrome is rare syndrome characterized by unregulated proliferation and activation of macrophages and phagocytosis of the platelet, erythrocytes, lymphocytes and their hematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow, resulting in cytopenias. It is associated with stimuli-like infections, malignancies and immunocompromised states. We present here a case of generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and progressive cytopenias in a 17-year-old male.

Infective endocarditis, the conundrum of antibiotic prophylaxis.

Infective endocarditis (I.E.) is a common bacterial infection of the endocardium, which before the advent of antibiotics, had a high mortality rate. Endocarditis has been described as a serious and a potentially fatal condition in which the heart beats in a muffled march towards the grave, in quick time in the acute form and with a slower, but as deadly rhythm, in the subacute form. I.E. can occur at any period of life, but presently, there has been a shift towards younger individuals due to intravenous drug abuse. Thus the overall incidence since the pre-antibiotic era has remained constant. This has been the situation in spite of the periodic revisions made by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis. In India there are no guidelines issued by any professional organisations and hence the decision to use antibiotic prophylaxis depends on the dentist's awareness of the patient's predisposition, the standard regime learnt from a textbook, the patient's economic status and belief to comply with the advice and the choice of antibiotic, route of administration and dose. In this paper, an attempt is made to collect data on the incidence of I.E. from two large teaching hospitals and use it to decide whether antibiotic prophylaxis of patients predisposed to I.E. should be followed or not.