Bioavailable dissolved organic matter and its spatio-temporal variation in a river dominated tropical brackish water Lagoon, India.

Bioavailable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), nitrogen (BDON) and their degradation rate constants were measured for the Chilika Lagoon, India. Long-term laboratory incubation experiments (90 days) were conducted at a constant temperature (25 °C) to quantify the bioavailable dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the possible degradation rate coefficients. The results showed that 41 ±â€¯12% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and 47 ±â€¯17% of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) were BDOC and BDON respectively, with their stoichiometry found to be higher than the Redfield ratio. A first order exponential non-linear fitting routine was used to estimate pool sizes. The degradation rate constant (k) for the BDOC varied from 0.127-0.329 d-1 and BDON from 0.043-0.306 d-1 during the study period. Half-lives of the BDOC and BDON ranged from 2.1-5.4 and 2.2-15.9 days, respectively. Overall, the results showed that a fraction of the labile DON was transported from the lagoon to the adjacent coastal sea.

Pharmaco-Phylogenetic Investigation of Methyl Gallate Isolated from Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile and Its Cytotoxic Effect on NIH3T3 Mouse Fibroblast.

Present exploration deals with the therapeutic perspective of methyl gallate isolated from the leaf extract of Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile in contrast to food-borne bacterial pathogen's viz., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus with their evolutionary succession. The extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis and isolated compound was identified as methyl gallate using UV-vis, IR and NMR spectra. It was found most potent against K. pneumoniae with its minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 0.32 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) at 0.62 mg/ml. The correlation of MIC values with an evolutionary succession assists the relationship between their genetic and toxic properties. The cytotoxic pursuit of methyl gallate was additionally assessed over NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast by Neutral red (NR) uptake, MTT cell proliferation assay and did not disclose any relevant influence on cell viability as well as cell proliferation. As such, the methyl gallate extracted from the leaf of A. nilotica holds massive antibacterial aptitude and hands out towards a new paradigm for food and pharmaceutical industries.

Azo doped polymer thin films for active and passive optical power limiting applications.

Two novel optical power limiters, 2-[ethyl-(4-phenylazo-phenyl)-amino]-ethanol (E4PA) and 2-[ethyl-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenylazo-phenyl)-amino]-ethanol (E4TPA) were synthesized using a diazotization reaction. The purified azo material was made into thin films in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix using a gravity settling technique. The electronic nonlinearities of these films were investigated using an open aperture Z-scan technique in the fs excitation regime, resulting in nonlinear absorption due to a two-photon absorption (2PA) process. The 2PA coefficient for these films is of the order 10(-12) m W(-1) and the limiting threshold values are 1.1 J cm(-2) each. A non-degenerate pump probe set-up was employed with CW lasers to study the nonlinear behaviour arising from photo-induced anisotropy and excited-state absorption. The present study shows that these azo thin films are potential candidates for active and passive optical power limiting applications.

The clinical and biochemical parameters in relation to the serum neopterin levels in Indian children and adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: An adverse pattern of blood lipids and cardiovascular abnormalities starts in obese children during childhood and neopterin serves as a marker for cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the data for children and adolescents, particularly, in the Indian population, are scarce. The present study aimed at evaluating the levels of serum neopterin in obese and overweight children and adolescents of the Indian population. METHODS: The study groups included 296 school going children and adolescents. (96 obese and 97 overweight subjects were compared with 103 normal controls who were aged between 10-17 years). The anthropometric variables, the lipid profile, the fasting serum glucose which was analyzed by using an autoanalyzer and the serum neopterin levels were assayed by HPLC (Shimazdu) by using the method of Palfrey et al., 1993. The serum insulin levels were measured by using ELISA kits. RESULTS: The serum neopterin levels (nmol/l) were elevated significantly in the obese (7.4±1.4) and overweight (6.4±0.8) (p<0.001) children and adolescents than in the controls (4.9±0.9). The serum neopterin levels showed a positive correlation with the BMI (r=0.79), WHR (r=0.5), systolic (r=0.44) and diastolic blood pressures (r= 0.25), insulin (r=0.57), HOMAIR (r=0.55), total cholesterol (r=0.35), triglycerides (r=0.20) and LDL-C (r=0.27) and they showed a negative correlation with HDL-C (r=-0.15) and fasting glucose (r= -0.3). CONCLUSION: This study revealed a good relationship between serum neopterin and the anthropometric and biochemical parameters. We, therefore, aim to conduct regular camps at schools to counsel and advise the identified overweight and obese children to go for physical exercise and a balanced diet. The implementation of preventive measures from early childhood will have far reaching benefits, as even the prevalence of other obesity related disorders could decline.

2-Bromo-3-hy-droxy-6-methyl-pyridine.

In the title compound, C6H6BrNO, the Br atom is displaced from the pyridine ring mean plane by 0.0948 (3) Å, while the hydroxyl O atom and the methyl C atom are displaced by 0.0173 (19) and 0.015 (3) Å, respectively. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along the a-axis direction. These chains are linked by C-H⋯Br hydrogen bonds, forming corrugated two-dimensional networks lying parallel to the ac plane.

Plasma total nitric oxide and endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) gene polymorphism: a study in a South Indian population.

In an analysis of the possible association of endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) gene polymorphism and plasma nitric oxide levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome, we investigated 106 patients with the syndrome and 100 healthy controls. Genotype was determined using the polymerase chain reaction; plasma nitric oxide levels were found using ELISA. The genotype frequencies for the a/b polymorphism in the control group were 77% for bb, 19% for ab, and 4% for aa. In the patients, genotype frequencies were 55% bb, 34% ab, and 11% aa. The allele frequencies were 28% a and 72% b among the patients and 13% a and 87% b among control subjects. Our findings showed a significant association of the ecNOS gene polymorphism with acute coronary syndrome in the South Indian population.

Comparison between serum insulin levels and its resistance with biochemical, clinical and anthropometric parameters in South Indian children and adolescents.

There is a rising trend in the prevalence of insulin resistance among obese, overweight children and adolescents. The serum insulin and its correlation with biochemical, clinical and anthropometric parameters were evaluated in 185 children and adolescents (59 control, 52 obese, 49 overweight, 25 congenital heart disease) of age group 10-17 years. The levels of serum insulin were measured by ELISA. Serum insulin levels were found to be significantly increased in children who were obese, overweight and had congenital heart disease, than controls. Serum insulin levels positively correlated with BMI, WHR, and serum C-peptide, serum leptin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Fasting glucose levels were found to be negatively correlated with serum insulin levels. HDL-cholesterol levels were non-significant among the study groups. We identified nine obese children (five girls and four boys) with the features of metabolic syndrome and 69% of obese and overweight children were identified with insulin resistance. Insulin resistance was strongly associated with metabolic syndrome and its components, especially with central obesity and hypertriglyceridemia.

Study of groundwater quality in Greater Visakhapatnam City, Andhra Pradesh (India).

A systematic study has been carried out to explore the physico-chemical characteristics of groundwater in Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) area. Water samples from 32 bore wells, 16 open wells and two reservoirs at various locations in GVMC area were collected and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, total hardness, calcium, magnesium, total alkalinity, chloride and nitrate. The water samples near the sea have more chloride concentrations, than the samples far away from the sea. From this, we concluded the intrusion of salt water in to groundwater due to the over pumping of the groundwater along the sea coast.

Heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) as a diagnostic biomarker in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Diagnosis of myocardial ischaemia at an early stage in the emergency department is often difficult. A recently proposed biomarker, heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) has been found to appear in the circulation superior to that of cardiac troponins in the early hours of acute coronary syndrome. We proposed to evaluate the levels of H-FABP and ascertain its utility as an early biomarker for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study was carried out in 485 subjects, of whom 297 were diagnosed as patients with ACS, 89 were diagnosed as non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) and 99 people served as healthy controls. H-FABP levels were measured in comparison with standard markers such as troponin I and CK-MB in all subjects enrolled in the study. The levels of H-FABP were significantly raised in patients when compared to controls and NCCP (P<0.001). Receiver Operator Characteristic Curve (ROC) analysis showed H-FABP to be a good discriminator between patients with ischaemic heart disease and patients without ischaemic heart disease. The area under the curve was found to be 0.965 with 95% CI (0.945-0.979). The cut-off value above which H-FABP can be considered positive was found to be 17.7ng/ml. CONCLUSION: H-FABP is a promising biomarker for the early detection of patients with acute coronary syndrome.

A fluorescent fluoride ion probe based on a self-organized ensemble of 5-hydroxyflavone-Al(III) complex.

In the presence of Al(III) ions, 5-hydroxyflavone (5HF) through a complexation reaction in MeOH, shows dual fluorescence, characterized by a newly developed peak at 554nm upon excitation at 363nm. In this communication, the subsequent ligand exchange reaction of the complex with fluoride ion causing a fluorescence enhancement followed by a decrease in fluorescence intensity involving an intermediate mechanistic pathway, delivering a quantitative estimation route for fluoride ion in the concentration range from 5x10(-5) to 7x10(-4)M, has been reported. The ligand exchange reaction, without interference from other common anions, has been investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies combined with the AM1 semi-empirical self-consistent field quantum chemical calculations within UHF formalism in their ground state.

A water-soluble fluorescent fluoride ion probe based on Alizarin Red S-Al(III) complex.

A new water-soluble fluorescent fluoride ion signaling system has been developed based on the ligand exchange mechanism in aqueous medium. This procedure is based on the exchange of two Alizarin Red S (ARS) molecules coordinated to Al(III) by fluoride ion without interference from other common anions. The binary complex of ARS with Al(III) provides a sensitive signaling system for fluoride ion in the concentration range from 5x10(-6) to 3x10(-4) M. The ligand exchange reaction of ARS-Al(III) complex with fluoride ion has been investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies combined with the AM1 semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations. The pale orange fluorescence (lambdamax=575 nm) exhibited by the complex upon excitation at 435 nm decreases in intensity with fluoride addition with a detection limit of 0.1 mg L-1.

Noise pollution levels in Visakhapatnam City (India).

Visakhapatnam is an industrial and sea port city located on the east coast of India. A hospital (RCD hospital), residential area (Lawson's Bay Colony), traffic zone (Jagadamba junction, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation Complex junction and Seethammadhara junction) and industrial zone (Sea port) were chosen to monitor the noise levels. The observed noise level at RCD hospital was more than 10 dBA in any time. The background noise at Santhi Ashram was approximately 3dBA less at night time and 2dBA less at day time compared to ambient air quality noise standards (AAQNS) for silent zone. The ambient air quality noise levels (AAQNL) at traffic junctions were 5 dBA or more than those prescribed by AAQNS for commercial zone and most of the values were found in the range of 80 +/- 10 dBA, among which 75% values were found in the range of 110 +/- 10 dBA. AAQNL near port were found in the range of 5 to 10 dBA positive shifts on AAQNS due to conveyor operation. The AAQNL were alarming even in the absence of conveyor system, indicating the impact of vehicular traffic. Remedial measures were suggested separately for each situation.

Constituents of Cassia auriculata.

The isolation and spectral data of di-(2-ethyl) hexyl phthalate (1) from Cassia auriculata leaves are reported.

A software for the estimation of binding parameters of biochemical equilibria based on statistical probability model.

An algorithm is proposed for the estimation of binding parameters for the interaction of biologically important macromolecules with smaller ones from electrometric titration data. The mathematical model is based on the representation of equilibria in terms of probability concepts of statistical molecular thermodynamics. The refinement of equilibrium concentrations of the components and estimation of binding parameters (log site constant and cooperativity factor) is performed using singular value decomposition, a chemometric technique which overcomes the general obstacles due to near singularity. The present software is validated with a number of biochemical systems of varying number of sites and cooperativity factors. The effect of random errors of realistic magnitude in experimental data is studied using the simulated primary data for some typical systems. The safe area within which approximate binding parameters ensure convergence has been reported for the non-self starting optimization algorithms.

Data-, knowledge- and method-bases in chemical sciences I. BAQOR-database for equilibrium constants in aquo-organic media.

BAQOR is a computer readable database for equilibrium constants in presence of different percentages of water miscible cosolvents. The present version with user friendly software in dBase III+ contains 740 records and runs on any IBM compatible PC. The physico-chemical properties of binary and ternary water-cosolvent mixtures, the equilibrium constants of proton- and metal-ligand complexes are retrievable through pop-up menus. Specific searches by metal-, ligand-, solvent-, and stoichiometry-wise and their combinations is possible. Several display modes-monitor, file and hard copy-are available for the numerical fields as well as for literature citation.