Isolation and Characterization of Alkaline Pectinase Productive Bacillus tropicus from Fruit and Vegetable Waste Dump Soil

Abstract Alkaline pectinase is the utmost significant industrial enzyme of the bioscouring process. By considering bio scouring of cotton, 30 microbial isolates from fruit and vegetable waste rich dump soil of Solang Valley and Vasishta (Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India) were isolated and screened for the alkaline pectinase production in the current research work. Only four isolates P3, P16, P21, and P27 were capable to produce extracellular alkaline pectinase at pH 9. Further by applying submerged fermentation, the alkaline pectinase production was quantitatively screened. The most efficient isolate was P3 identified as Bacillus tropicus, based on morphological, biochemical, and molecular characterization. Molecular characteristics confirmed by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The nucleotide sequence of the isolate was novel with a 97% similarity index and submitted to the GenBank with accession number MK332379. The Bacillus strain selected was active at broad pH range from 8-10.5 and a temperature range from 25-50 oC. Optimum pH and temperature observed were 9 and 37 oC respectively and can be suitably used for the bio scouring process for the pretreatment of the fabrics.

Comparison Of Upper Lip Bite Test And Modified Mallampati Classification In Predicting Difficult Intubation

Introduction : Airway management is of prime importance to the Anaesthesiologist for securing the airway, tracheal intubation using direct laryngoscopy remains the method of choice in many cases. Difficult laryngoscopic endotracheal intubation still remains an important concern of anaesthesiologists. The incidence of difficult endotracheal intubation were reported to be between 1.5% to 13% among patients undergoing surgery. The present study was conducted with the primary aim to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of Upper Lip Bite Test and Modified Mallampati Classification to predict difficult intubation in patients undergoing any elective surgery under general anesthesia. Material & Methods : A single-blind, Prospective Observational (Analytical) study was conducted in Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Hospital and Research Centre, Karad, Maharashtra after the approval from the institutional ethical committee. Asample size of 181 patients of both gender, between 20 and 50 years of age, belonging to ASAphysical Status I-II scheduled to undergo elective surgery under general anaesthesia with endotracheal intubation were evaluated for both test before surgery after fulfilling the inclusion criteria. A senior Anaesthesiologists having minimum five years of experience in clinical anaesthesia who unaware of preoperative airway assessment, performed laryngoscopy and grading as per Cormack and Lehane's classification. Senstivity, specificity,accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of Upper lip bite test and Modified Mallampati Classification were calculated. Results:We compared various accuracy parameters of both the methods (MMTand ULBT), we observed that MMT(88.23% Vs. 76.47%) has got higher sensitivity, higher specificity of (89.02% Vs. 87.19%), higher positive predictive value (45.45% Vs. 38.23%) and higher negative predictive value (98.64% Vs. 97.27%) as compared to ULBT. Conclusion : In comparison with ULBT, MMT has got better predictive ability for difficult endotracheal intubation. MMT and ULBT appear to be better predictors for easy intubations rather than difficult intubations (high negative predictive value). Combination of MMT and ULBT has got better diagnostic accuracy as compared to MMTor ULBTalone.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection & cervical abnormalities in HIV-positive women in eastern India.

Background & objectives: India has the third highest burden of HIV and highest number of cervical cancer in the world. A cross-sectional study was performed to determine the prevalence and types of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and the factors associated with HPV infection and abnormal cervical cytology in HIV-positive women attending the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre in a tertiary care hospital in eastern India. Methods: We screened 216 HIV- positive women with Papanicolau smear cytology and HPV testing. HPV DNA was detected by using consensus primers followed by sequencing. Results: Of the 216 HIV-positive women screened, 58 (26.85%) were HPV-positive; 56 (25.9%) were of high-risk (HR) HPV type. The most prevalent HPV type was HPV-16 (7.9%); non 16 and 18 HPV types were present in 17.6 per cent patients. Age ≤ 35 yr [(OR), 2.56 (1.26-5.19)], illiteracy [OR, 2.30 (1.19-4.46)], rural residence [OR, 3.99 (1.27-12.56)] and CD4 ≤350/μl [OR, 2.46 (1.26-4.83)] were associated with increased risk of acquisition of HPV. One hundred thirty nine (74.33%) patients had normal/ negative for intraepithelial lesions (NILM) cytology, three (1.60%) had atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), 32 (17.11%) had low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), 10 (5.35%) had high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and three (1.60%) had carcinoma cervix. WHO clinical Stage III and IV [OR, 2.83 (1.07-7.49)] and CD4 ≤350/μl [OR, 2.84 (1.30-6.20)] were risk factors for abnormal cytology. Interpretation &conclusions: Our study showed 26.85 per cent HPV positivity in HIV infected women in this region, with HPV-16 as the commonest genotype. Abnormal cervical cytology was seen in about 25 per cent women. Regular Pap smear screening as recommended by the National AIDS Control Organization will help in early detection of cervical abnormalities in HIV- positive women.