60 years of fertilization and liming impacts on soil organic carbon stabilization in a sub-tropical Alfisol.

Limited information is available on the C stabilization mechanism of tropical soils under different management practices including long-term organic manuring, mineral fertilization alone, or in combination with lime. Hence, to understand the effect of continuous application (for 60 years) of organic manure, fertilizer, and lime alone or in combination on an acidic Alfisol, stabilization of soil organic carbon (SOC) was evaluated under maize (Zea mays L.) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping. There were eight treatments that included farmyard manure (FYM) and nitrogen (N) applied in terms of FYM, additional dose of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) applied in terms of inorganic fertilizer (FYM + P'K'), FYM + P'K' with liming (FYM + P'K' + L) and NPK alone. These treatments were laid in a randomized block design with three replications. Results indicated that FYM + P'K' plots had maximum amount of SOC inside large macroaggregates. The value was 33 and 92% greater than only minerally fertilized (NPK) and unfertilized control plots, respectively, whereas microaggregate-associated C was highest in plots with FYM + P'K' and lime (FYM + P'K' + L), which was 48 and 183% more than unfertilized control and NPK plots, respectively. Inside soil microaggregates, plots under FYM + P'K' had highest labile C, while NPK + L plots had highest recalcitrant C. Plots with organic amendments contained higher glomalin in large macroaggregates. Plots treated with FYM + P'K' had maximum intra-aggregate particulate organic matter within microaggregates inside macroaggregates (iPOM_mM), which was 28 and 74% higher than NPK and unfertilized control plots, respectively. Total C stock inside the protected microaggregates within macroaggregates was maximum for FYM + P'K' plots. It had 38, 67, and 171% higher C stock than NPK, FYM, and unfertilized control plots, respectively. Interestingly, despite estimated C input in FYM-treated plots was much higher than NPK plots, FYM-treated plots had less C stabilization within microaggregates and within microaggregates inside macroaggregates. Microaggregates within macroaggregates accounted for ~54% of the recalcitrant C content. Thus, macroaggregates stabilization through occlusion of microaggregates was accountable for sequestration of SOC and only FYM application did not promote that mechanism compared to NPK. Carbon stabilization within macroaggregates under FYM plots was mainly governed by amorphous iron oxide.

Production of cellulase from Aspergillus terreus MS105 on crude and commercially purified substrates.

Aspergillus terreus MS105 was originally isolated from soil and screened for cellulase production in the presence of various carbon sources including carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), avicel, sigmacell, filter-paper and salicin. CMC induced the production of endoglucanase (EG) and filter-paperase while the levels of ß-glucosidase (BGL) were increased when salicin was present in the medium. Nature of production medium influenced the duration of lag- and log-phase of the growth, rate of fungal dry-mass and enzyme production. The volumetric and specific productivity of cellulase under submerged fermentation of grass were 1.7-20-folds higher than sugarcane-bagasse, corncob and commercially available purified substrates. Nonetheless, solid state fermentation (SSF) of crude substrates also yielded high volumetric productivity of EG and BGL. The studies on characterization of enzymes showed that EG was more thermostable than BGL with an optimum activity at 70 °C and a melting temperature of 76 °C. A 1.2-1.5-folds increase in EG activity was observed in the presence of K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, whereas, the EG and BGL activities remained unaffected in the presence of EDTA. Both the enzyme activities performed optimally under acidic range of pH.

Production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes by monoculture and co-culture of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus under SSF of banana peels

Filamentous fungi are considered to be the most important group of microorganisms for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE), in solid state fermentations. In this study, two fungal strains Aspergillus niger MS23 and Aspergillus terreus MS105 were screened for plant CWDE such as amylase, pectinase, xylanase and cellulases (β-glucosidase, endoglucanase and filterpaperase) using a novel substrate, Banana Peels (BP) for SSF process. This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to use BP as SSF substrate for plant CWDE production by co-culture of fungal strains. The titers of pectinase were significantly improved in co-culture compared to mono-culture. Furthermore, the enzyme preparations obtained from monoculture and co-culture were used to study the hydrolysis of BP along with some crude and purified substrates. It was observed that the enzymatic hydrolysis of different crude and purified substrates accomplished after 26 h of incubation, where pectin was maximally hydrolyzed by the enzyme preparations of mono and co-culture. Along with purified substrates, crude materials were also proved to be efficiently degraded by the cocktail of the CWDE. These results demonstrated that banana peels may be a potential substrate in solid-state fermentation for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes to be used for improving various biotechnological and industrial processes.

Production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes by monoculture and co-culture of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus terreus under SSF of banana peels.

Filamentous fungi are considered to be the most important group of microorganisms for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE), in solid state fermentations. In this study, two fungal strains Aspergillus niger MS23 and Aspergillus terreus MS105 were screened for plant CWDE such as amylase, pectinase, xylanase and cellulases (ß-glucosidase, endoglucanase and filterpaperase) using a novel substrate, Banana Peels (BP) for SSF process. This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to use BP as SSF substrate for plant CWDE production by co-culture of fungal strains. The titers of pectinase were significantly improved in co-culture compared to mono-culture. Furthermore, the enzyme preparations obtained from monoculture and co-culture were used to study the hydrolysis of BP along with some crude and purified substrates. It was observed that the enzymatic hydrolysis of different crude and purified substrates accomplished after 26 h of incubation, where pectin was maximally hydrolyzed by the enzyme preparations of mono and co-culture. Along with purified substrates, crude materials were also proved to be efficiently degraded by the cocktail of the CWDE. These results demonstrated that banana peels may be a potential substrate in solid-state fermentation for the production of plant cell wall degrading enzymes to be used for improving various biotechnological and industrial processes.

Molecular characterization of Pakistani field isolates of infectious bursal disease virus.

The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RT-PCR/RFLP) technique was used to identify and characterize Pakistani field isolates of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). These isolates have caused heavy losses to the poultry industry (mortality up to 60%) during the period between 1999 and 2005. Ten samples (five local isolates and five commercial vaccines) were examined for IBDV. Nine samples were positive for IBDV as evidenced by the amplification of the 743-bp region of the VP2 gene by RT-PCR. The RT-PCR products were subjected to restriction enzyme digestion with BstNI, MboI, and SspI. The RFLP profiles of all samples on digestion with the MboI enzyme yielded a fragment size of 229 and 362 bp except for vaccine strain Bursine Plus, which yielded a profile of 229 and 480 bp. However, digestion with BstNI yielded two distinct RFLP patterns. The first profile was detected in field isolates ML-1/SPVC/2001 and NP2/SPVC/2002 with four fragments of 119, 154, 172, and 209 bp, resembling RFLP profiles of molecular group 4 isolates. NL-3/SPVC/2003, NK-4/SPVC/2004, and NPK-5/SPVC/2005 generated a different RFLP profile with fragments of 119, 172, and 424 bp, resembling the profiles of molecular group 6 isolates. However, all the field and vaccine strains showed the absence of SspI restriction sites in their genome. It can be concluded that the Pakistani isolates can be grouped in molecular groups 4 and 6 of IBDV.

Cellulase production from Aspergillus niger MS82: effect of temperature and pH.

Fungal cellulases are well-studied enzymes and are used in various industrial processes. Much of the knowledge of enzymatic depolymerization of cellulosic material has come from Trichoderma cellulase system. Species of Trichoderma can produce substantial amounts of endoglucanase and exoglucanase but very low levels of b-glucosidase. This deficiency necessitates screening of fungi for cellulytic potential. A number of indigenously isolated fungi were screened for cellulytic potential. In the present study, the kinetics of cellulase production from an indigenous strain of Aspergillus niger MS82 is reported. Product formation parameters of endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase (Qp + Y(p/s)) indicate that A.niger MS82 is capable of producing moderate to high levels of both endoglucanase and beta-glucosidase when grown on different carbon containing natural substrates, for example, grass, corncob, bagasse along side purified celluloses. Furthermore, it was observed that the production of endoglucanase reaches its maximum during exponential phase of growth, while b-glucosidase during the Stationary phase. Enzyme production by solid-state fermentation was also investigated and found to be promising.Highest production of cellulase was noted at pH 4.0 at 35 degrees C under submerged conditions. Growth and enzyme production was affected by variations in temperature and pH.

Changes in metabolic syndrome parameters in patients with schizoaffective disorder who participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of topiramate.

This study evaluated changes in the metabolic syndrome (MetS) parameters among patients with schizoaffective disorder-bipolar type who had previously participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled study of topiramate (Chengappa et al., 2007). Topiramate (or placebo) was added to pre-existing mood-stabilizer and/or antipsychotic treatment. Nearly 41% of the 46 participants with fully available data met criteria for MetS at the pre-study baseline, and six (13%) additional subjects met criteria for MetS during the 16-week study. Several subjects (mostly topiramate treated) showed the hypothesized and expected loss in body weight and this correlated with improved glycosylated hemoglobin or systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements or improvements in lipid levels, whereas a few patients had inconsistent results. Limitations of the study include the lack of targeted treatments for specific components of the metabolic syndrome, and no controls for exercise, diet or concomitant medications. Nevertheless, screening, monitoring and targeted treatment for the metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients is increasingly becoming the standard of practice. Moreover and especially pertinent to the readership of this journal is that as the prevalence of overweight and MetS have increased worldwide, the World Health Organization has proposed lower cut-off thresholds for obesity in Asia. Furthermore, lower thresholds for waist circumference have also been recommended for Asians.

Effect of cream containing Melia azedarach flowers on skin diseases in children.

A herbal cream containing a methanolic HPLC-standardized extract of Melia azedarach flowers has been prepared and found potent against bacterial skin diseases like cellulitis, pustules, pyogenic infections, etc. in children. The results obtained are comparable to those with neomycin.

Evaluation of the antimicrobial property of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula: isolation of a lactone as the active antibacterial agent from the ethanol extract of the stem.

Bioassay guided fractionation of the ethanolic extract of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula stem, which showed promising antibacterial activity against thirteen Gram-positive and nine Gram-negative organisms, furnished (3S,4R)-3,4,5-trihydroxypentanoic acid-1,4-lactone (1) as the active principle. The structure of (1) was established by UV, IR, mass, 1H and 13C NMR as well as 2D NMR spectral studies and the formation of its acetate (1a). On acetylation activity of (1) was markedly reduced. It is synthetically well known and only recently isolated from two plants, however, its antimicrobial activity was not reported earlier. The extract, fractions and pure compounds did not show any remarkable activity against fungi and Mycobacterium fortuitum, and M. smegmatis.

New antimicrobial alkaloids from the roots of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula.

Bioassay-guided isolation studies on the root extract of Polyalthia longifolia var. pendula possessing significant antibacterial activity led to the isolation of three new alkaloids pendulamine A (1), pendulamine B (2) and penduline (3) along with stigmasterol 3-O-beta-D-glucoside, allantoin, the known diterpenoid kolavenic acid, and the azafluorene alkaloid isoursuline. The structures of these compounds have been elucidated with the help of spectroscopic studies including 2D NMR experiments. Compounds 1 and 2, which are the only protoberberine alkaloids having a monosubstituted A ring with a hydroxy group at C-3, were found to be the active antibacterial principles of the roots. Their MIC values ranged between 0.02-20 microg against the tested bacteria.