Potential Biotechnological Applications of Cyanobacterial Exopolysaccharides

Abstract The cyanobacterial exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are considered as one of the important group of biopolymers having significant ecological, industrial, and biotechnological importance. Cyanobacteria are regarded as a very abundant source of structurally diverse, high molecular weight polysaccharides having variable composition and roles according to the organisms and the environmental conditions in which they are produced. Due to their structural complexity, versatility and valuable biological properties, they are now emerging as high-value compounds. They are possessing exceptional properties and thus are being widely explored for various applications like in food and pharmaceutical industries, in bioremediation for removal of heavy metals, for soil conditioning, as biopolymers, bioadhesives, and bioflocculants. However, poor understanding of their complex structural properties, lack of concrete information regarding the genes encoding the proteins involved in the EPS biosynthetic pathways, their process of production and about the associated factors controlling their structural stability, strongly limits their commercialization and applications in the various fields of biotechnology. Owing to the above context, the present review is aimed to organize the available information on applications of cyanobacterial EPSs in the field of biotechnology and to identify the research gaps for improved industrial utilization and commercialization of these biomaterials.

Management Of Comminuted Tibial Diaphyseal Fractures By Means Of Interlocking Nails

Introduction:This study assesses the outcome of interlocking tibia nail in comminuted fractures of tibial diaphysis. Objectives: To study the functional outcomes of interlocking tibia nail in comminuted tibial diaphyseal fractures, with respect to time to bony union, mobility achieved, complications of the procedure and secondary procedures. Material and Methods: The present prospective study included 25 patients of comminuted fracture shaft of tibia admitted to the Department of Orthopaedics at MMIMSR, Mullana and at Civil Hospital, Rajpura who were managed with interlocking tibia nail. Results:All 25 cases united with interlocking nailing. 1 case needed additional exchange nailing and bone grafting. 3 cases had a malunion but had an acceptable functional outcome. Conclusions: Due to the simple surgical technique, good healing rate and minimum complications, it is recommended that interlocking tibia nail should be used in comminuted fractures of tibial diaphysis

To Analyse the Differentiation and Grading of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma by Immunohistochemical Expression of CD20, CD3 and Ki67 in Lymph Node

Immunophenotyping, although has emerged indispensable in the diagnosis and classification of lymphoid neoplasms, has to be used cautiously with knowledge of the antibodies used. No antigen is totally lineage or lymphoma specific, and for this reason, immunostaining must be performed in the context of a panel. In addition, familiarity with the diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis of each lymphoid tumor and ultimately correlation with morphology, and clinical history are essential to enhance the diagnostic accuracy and reproducibility. AIM: The present retrospective study aimed to analyse the differentiation and grading of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by immunohistochemical expression of CD20, CD3 and Ki-67 in lymph node. Methods: A total of 50 samples of NHL were included in the study. Written informed consent of the patient was taken where ever required in the vernacular. Relevant history of the patient was also taken as per the proforma attached along with. The tissues were stained with H and E staining, CD20, CD 3 and Ki-67 immunostaining. The positive immunostained slides were then evaluated and scored both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: In the present study a total of 50 samples of NHL were included with an age range from 12 to 72 years and a mean age of 46.54 years and male predominance.45 cases showed immunopositivity for CD 20, showing that they belong to B cell phenotype and only 5 cases showed immunopositivity for CD 3, thus showing T cell phenotype. The mean Ki-67 for B cell lymphoma patients was 47.86 ±28.04,with a minimum score of 2 and a max score of 92 and for T cell lymphoma patients was 61.4±18.02, with a minimum score of 40 and a max score of 81, but there was no significant correlation between them (P=0.382). Conclusion: Ki-67 expression in NHL can help in monitoring of patients at risk and can to some extent also aid in detecting the degree of aggressiveness of the disease to give suitable treatment but Ki-67 alone cannot be a risk factor in NHL patients and other factors such as age, sex and type of NHL can be affective, too. The outcome of further analyzing the association between Ki-67 expression and the prognosis of various subtypes of lymphoma should be supported.

Diagnostic Utility of Cell Block of Bronchial Brush Tip Washing in the Diagnosis of Carcinoma Lung and Application of Cytokeratin 5/6, TTF-1 & CD 56 Expression for Subclassification

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with high mortality. Furthermore being one of the most insidious and aggressive neoplasm in the realm of oncology, it’s timely diagnosis and accurate subclassification becomes pre-requisite for administering appropriate and timely target therapy. In the present study, cell block from brush tip washings were prepared and immunoreactivity assessed for cytokeratin5/6, TTF-1 and CD56 with aim to diagnose and sub-classify carcinoma lung. Methods: The present study was conducted on 25 specimens of brushtip washings from suspected cases of carcinoma lung. Bronchoscopic investigation of pulmonary lesions was performed and routine brush smears were made and these brush tip were processed into cell block. Immunohistochemical staining for marker CK5/6, CD56 & TTF 1 was done and evaluated. Results: Brush smear cytology finding was mostly benign seen in 12 (48%) followed by SCC seen in 4 (16%), ADC in 3 (12%). Cell block microscopy showed SCC in 11 (44%), ADC in 5 (20%), small cell carcinoma in 3 (12%) and carcinoma in 3 (12%). It was inadequate in 3 (12%). The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Sensitivity and specificity of brush smear cytology in diagnosing lesion was 33.3 % and 52.6% respectively.Whereas for cell block microscopy in diagnosing lesion sensitivity was 91.67% and specificity 86.6%. The overall sensitivity of IHC CK 5/6 in diagnosing SCC was 100% and specificity was 52.4%. CD56, TTF1 were negative in these cases. CD56 showed 100% sensitivity in diagnosing small cell carcinoma with specificity being 24.6%, The overall sensitivity of IHC TTF 1 in diagnosing ADC was 100% & for small cell carcinoma was 40%. Conclusion: Cell block preparation is a simple method that increases diagnostic yield of flexible bronchoscopy, is cost effective & hence can be routinely used. IHC panel consisting CK 5/6, CD 56 and TTF 1 has more diagnostic value in precise subtyping of different types of lung carcinoma in adjunction to routine H&E staining.

Role of Adenosine Deaminase in Pleural Effusions and its Cytological Correlation

Diagnosis of pleural diseases creates difficulty due to overlapping features of various benign and malignant conditions. However pleural fluid cytology of closed pleural biopsy specimen is most commonly used procedure to diagnose various pleural diseases in developing country like India. Present study was conducted to establish diagnostic utility of ADA in Pleural Fluids and its correlation with cytological findings. Methods: The present study includes 100 samples of pleural fluid samples taken from patients coming to the Department of Chest and TB, Government Medical College and Hospital, Amritsar with the complaint of pleural effusion. Results: For ADA levels in pleural fluid Sensitivity is 92%, Specificity is 81.33%, Positive predictive value is 62.16% and Negative predictive value is 96.83%. For lymphocyte count in pleural fluid Sensitivity is 100%, Specificity is 16.67%, Positive predictive value is 31.25 % and Negative predictive value is 100%. In Combination of ADA and lymphocyte count to diagnose tubercular pleural effusion Sensitivity is 100%, Specificity is 77.27%, Positive predictive value is 82.14 % and Negative predictive value is 100%. Conclusion: Measurement of ADA level in pleural fluid in combination with the differential count of pleural fluid will give best results to categorize and to rule in the diagnosis of tubercular pleural effusion.

Development and Introduction of Module on Medical Ethics in Patient Care To 2nd Professional MBBS Students

Background: There is complete absence of teaching of ethicsas a part of medical curriculum. There is now an urgent need toteach ethics to medical graduates in India because ofincreasing incidence of disconnect between doctors andpatients leading to allegations like unethical treatment practicesby doctors and use of force by patients and relatives againstdoctors. Medical Council of India (MCI) has also realized theurgency to impart the training of ethics to medical graduates inIndia as described in its Vision-2015 document.Aim and Objectives: To develop a module on “Medical Ethicsin patient care” and to assess its feasibility.Methodology: The study was conducted in the Department ofPharmacology, Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital,Punjab from the period of March 2017 to December, 2017 afterIEC approval. The topics to be covered in the module forteaching “Medical ethics in patient care” were finalized throughFocus Group Discussions (FGDs) with the core faculty and themembers of Medical Education Unit (MEU). A module forteaching Medical ethics in patient care was developed. Modulewas of 10 hours’ duration and involved interactive lectures,PowerPoint presentations, case-based learning as the mostcommon teaching-learning methods. Along with the module,pre-post-test questionnaire to assess the improvement in theknowledge of students was developed and validated.Feedback questionnaires, based on 5-point-Likert scale, weredeveloped and validated to know the students’ perceptionregarding the teaching of medical ethics and faculty’sperception on the effectiveness of the module. A pilot run of themodule was conducted on 15 students of 2nd Prof MBBS todetermine the feasibility of the module. Pre-post-testquestionnaires were administered to the students and thefeedback taken from the students and the participating faculty.Findings: A module on medical ethics on patient care wasdeveloped and validated. There was significant improvement inknowledge of the students as evident from their pre and posttest scores (10.47 to 25.47). The improvement in knowledge ofvarious aspects of medical ethics was also calculated. Therewas a statistically significant improvement in knowledge in allsessions. The observations of the qualitative data analyzedfrom the feedback given by the students revealed that theyfound it useful and relevant and would implement theknowledge gained.Conclusions: The feedback of the students and the facultywas very positive and encouraging. The development of thismodule would help in teaching the 2nd Prof students in medicalethics, which would be helpful to them in clinics and life-long.The seed of medical ethics would help grow a tree of gooddoctor-patient relationship which would ultimately help to growhealth of the society.

Effect of thyroid dysfunction on disease activity of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune systemic inflammatory multisystem disease of unknown cause that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints, primarily affecting the peripheral joints in a symmetrical pattern. The pathology of the disease process often leads to destruction of articular cartilage. It is the commonest inflammatory arthropathy worldwide with a gender predilection towards women. Prevalence of RA in the adult general population is approximately 1%. An association between RA and thyroid dysfunction with or without autoimmune origin has been reported in 6% to 34% of patients with RA. On the contrary, when presence of thyroid antibodies is considered, despite normal thyroid function, the prevalence can rise up to about 38%. These rates are significantly greater when compared with the general population.Methods: RA patients who were diagnosed according to the new 2010 EULAR/ACR criteria and thyroid function tests were done and patients with thyroid dysfunction were identified and then patients were divided into two groups based on presence of thyroid dysfunction with rheumatoid arthritis and disease activity was illustrated in both groups based on different scales.Results: In all, 250 patients 215 (86.8%) were females and 33 (13.2%) were males. ESR was elevated in 85 (34%) patients while as it was normal in 165(66%) patients. CRP was positive in 127 (52.7%) negative in 123 (47.3%) patients. Although subclinical hypothyroidism was the most frequent abnormality observed in 38.3% patients, only 30% had concomitant anti-TPO raised and 71.4% patients of overt hypothyroidism had raised anti-TPO antibody. Disease activity parameters were significantly higher in patients of RA with hypothyroidism as compared to other group. Although most of parameters of disease activity showed a higher frequency in the group having patients with thyroid disorder but the swollen joint count was comparable in both the groups and was not statistically significant.Conclusions: Presence of thyroid disorders in RA patients is suggestive of a more aggressive disease. To diagnose concurrent thyroid disorders at an earlier stage, routine measurement of serum thyroid- stimulating hormone is recommended in all RA patients at the time of diagnosis and with yearly interval thereafter.

Evaluation Of The Anterior Chamber Parameters After Laser Iridotomy In Primary Angle Closure Suspect: Pentacam And Gonioscopy Study

Laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) is a standard prophylactic procedure for primary angle closure suspect (PACS) This prospective interventional study was done on 60 randomly selected PACS to evaluate the effect of LPI on anterior chamber parameters (ACP) using pentacam and gonioscopy. Anterior chamber(AC) angle (ACA), AC depth(ACD), AC volume (ACV), central corneal thickness (CCT) and pupil diameter (PD) were estimated using pentacam whereas ACA grading was done by gonioscopy before and one month after LPI. The paired samples t-test was used to compare the difference in ACP while Wilcoxson signed- rank test was used to assess the ACA grading before and after LPI. ACA and ACV increased significantly (p=0.00) while the changes in ACD, CCT and PD were insignificant (p>0.05). Gonioscopy showed significant widening of the angle in four quandrants (p<0.001). Conclusion : Noninvasive pentacam can provide valuable information in assessing the efficacy of LPI.

Study of Cranial Capacity & Its Sexual Dimorphism in Adult Human Skulls

Background: Like other body dimensions, Cranial capacity of skull are affected by geographical, racial, gender and age factor. Intention of this study is to know the gender variations of cranial capacities in available human skulls of north Indian region. Aims and objectives: To measure the cranial capacities and its sexual dimorphism in the available skulls which may be helpful to establish the sex of a person from remains of skeletal?. Methods: 200 dry human skulls (110 male & 90 female) were obtained from the anthropology museum of the Dept. of Anatomy, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur (U.P) & SGRR institute of medical &Health Sciences, Dehradun (U.K). Cranial capacity was measured by filling and packing method in which mustard seeds were used to avoid the error as their smaller size clay was used as a packing material to avoid the spillage of seeds from any aperture or foramina. Intact & undamaged Adult skulls were included while those which were having ambiguity of sex, broken or damaged were excluded. Results: The mean cranial capacity of male skulls was observed to be 1280.28 ± 68.20 cc (range 1200-1410 cc) and those of female skulls were observed to be 1167.32± 42.18 cc (range 1150-1380cc). Conclusion: The mean cranial capacity of males is higher than that of the females. Filling and packing method is one of the most reliable Cranio-metric methods to be used for measuring the cranial capacity of skull and determination of sex.

Drying Kinetics of Gum Karaya (Sterculia urens) Using Convective Air Dryer.

The present study was aimed to investigate the drying kinetics of gum karaya (S. urens). Three grades of gum (I, II, III) were dried using a cabinet-type convective dryer. Particle size equivalent to US Sieve size-6 and air temperatures of 50, 60 and 70°C were used for the drying experiments. The experimental drying data was fitted to Page’s model to predict the drying kinetics. Investigations with constant air velocity revealed that for grade- I gum, drying rate constant (k) varied between 0.2744-0.3742 (h-1), for grade-II gum between 0.3208-0.4439 (h-1) and for grade-III gum between 0.4098-0.4639 (h-1). The dimensionless number (n) was always more than 1 and minimum value of the Coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.967. Increase in air temperature enhanced drying process and drying rate. For each particular temperature, the values of drying rate constant were minimum for grade-I, maximum for grade-III and intermediate for grade-II gum.

Dependence syndrome and intoxication delirium associated with zolpidem.

The use of zolpidem by general practitioners and specialists alike has increased. Earlier, it was considered safe by physicians, i.e. devoid of dependence potential and the risk of serious adverse events. We report 5 patients seen over a 36-month period at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, which highlight the need for caution in the use of this drug.

Ethanol mediated enhancement in bacterial transformation

In molecular biology, transformation using E. coli as a host plays a key role in synthesizing gene libraries. The present study demonstrated a new ethanol-based method for transformation of plasmid DNA to E. coli. Ethanol at 10 percent concentration (v/v) showed best results. Further, as compared with traditional CaCl2 method, the transformation rate, using protocol outlined in this study, was very high, suggesting amenable for further applications.

Drug and alcohol abuse: general physician's perspective.

Epidemiology, definitions, concepts and various other relevant aspects including management of drug and alcohol abuse are reviewed. The role of general/primary care physicians has been highlited in the persepctive of substance-abuse disorders.

Inhalant abuse by adolescents: a new challenge for Indian physicians.

Inhalant abuse has been commonly reported especially in the young during the last decades globally. The reason for the relative paucity of literature from India may be attributed to a lack of knowledge about this growing problem among health professionals. A series of five cases of inhalant abuse is described in order to understand this growing public health concern. Most of the cases started inhalant abuse during adolescence. All patients except one abused typewriter erasing fluid and thinner which contains toluene. All the patients reported using inhalants as addictive substance because of their easy accessibility, cheap price, their faster onset of action and the regular 'high' that it provided. Whereas several features of inhalant dependence were fulfilled, no physical withdrawal signs were observed. The diagnosis of inhalant abuse can be difficult and relies almost entirely on clinical judgment. Treatment is generally supportive.