Influence of the extent of enzymatic hydrolysis on the functional properties of protein hydrolysates from visceral waste of Labeo rohita.

The study aimed to evaluate the extent of hydrolysis on the functional properties of fish protein hydrolysates from fish wastes. Fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) was prepared from the visceral waste of Rohu (Labeo rohita) using Alcalase®. Independent variables of the hydrolysis conditions, namely, time, temperature and enzyme-substrate ratio were optimized through response surface methodology using a completely randomized factorial design. Functional properties of FPH, such as antioxidant activity, metal chelating activity, emulsifying and foaming capacity were studied. Pre-heating of the raw viscera resulted 83% reduction of lipid content in the FPH. The DH was found to be significantly influenced by the hydrolysis conditions studied. The gel electrophoretic study showed that FPH contained peptides in the range of < 10-25 kDa. Optimum degree of hydrolysis (DH) was obtained as 34.7% at 87.5 min, 48.64 °C and enzyme concentration of 0.99%. The results demonstrated that the antioxidant and metal chelating properties of FPH increased with the increase of DH. The surface active properties like emulsifying and foaming capacity were found to be decreased with the increased levels of hydrolysis. These results suggest that hydrolysates from visceral waste of Rohu could find potential use as supplement in animal feed.

Effect of feeding habits of fish on the characteristics of collagenolytic proteases isolated from the visceral waste.

In this study, influence of feeding habits of fish on the activity of collagenolytic proteases (CP) has been investigated. CP from the visceral waste of freshwater fish (Pangas, Rohu and Common carp) of different feeding habits was isolated and partially purified by 2-steps, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and dialysis. Enzymatic activity and purification fold was determined in each step. The molecular mass of the enzymes were close to that of serine collagenases. Enzyme was assayed for temperature and pH optima, effect of sodium chloride and inhibitors. Optimum temperature and pH was 40 °C and 7-8 respectively. Soybean trypsin inhibitor inhibited the enzyme activity, whereas, EDTA exerted no effect, led to confirmation of serine collagenases. CP of carnivore was more active over a wide range of temperature and pH compared to herbivore and omnivore. The study revealed that the feeding habit of fish play decides the optimal physiological conditions for maximum activity of CP.

A rare case report of infant ileal atresia with double appendix.

INTRODUCTION: Small bowel atresia has quite an incidence in infants particularly in males. It is usually seen to be the most common cause of bowel obstruction in neonates since birth. It may be associated with other congenital anomalies. PRESENTATION OF THE CASE: A 4 day old neonate presented with abdominal distension, billous vomiting & non passage of stools since birth. On further examination, it was seen that the abdominal distension was mostly central & there was hyperperistaltic bowel sounds on auscultation. The infant also had scoliosis. There was decreased appetite & features of dehydration. Diagnosed by USG(W/A), infantogram & X-Ray plain picture abdomen. DISCUSSION: The mortality from the atresia of ileum is greater owing to the incidence of early perforation. Infants may present with features discussed above. They usually present during the 1st week of life but majority of the babies presenting late have significant mortality. Early surgical intervention with excision of the dilated bowel segment with anastomosis of the proximal (normal caliber bowel) to the distal part of the bowel has been seen to have been associated with decreased morbidity & mortality. CONCLUSION: It has been observed that one of the many causes for neonatal intestinal obstruction is attributed to small bowel atresia. This has been associated with successful outcome depending on the presentation of the child to the hospital to the timing of surgical intervention along with resuscitation & starting of enteral feeds. Small bowel atresia can be associated with antenatal morbidity in the mother as cited here.

Awareness of medical students in a medical college in Mangalore, Karnataka, India concerning infection prevention practices.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are an important public health problem. It is estimated that approximately 1 out of every 20 hospitalized patients will contract an HCAI. The risk is substantial not only to patients but also to healthcare workers, who may contract deadly blood-borne infectious diseases. Hence, it is essential for healthcare professionals to have adequate knowledge regarding infection prevention practices (IPPs) to reduce the burden of these illnesses among patients seeking care. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 268 medical students at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. Information regarding important IPPs such as hand hygiene (HH), needle-stick injuries (NSIs), and standard precautions (SPs) was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The collected information was analyzed using SPSS v.11. Fisher's exact test was used to test the association between variables of interest. RESULTS: Overall, knowledge levels regarding HH were low in aspects such as healthcare workers' hands as sources of infection (40%) and the minimum time needed to apply hand rubs (45.7%), whereas knowledge levels were high in aspects such as indications for using HH. Regarding NSI prevention, knowledge levels were low in aspects such as activities with the highest NSI risk (56%). However, knowledge levels were high in relation to SPs. CONCLUSION: The knowledge levels regarding infection practices were not adequate among the participants, particularly in the case of hand hygiene methods. Other important aspects, such as needle-stick injuries and use of standard precautions, were better understood, although many aspects still require improvement. These findings suggest the need to consider strengthening the training related to IPPs as a separate entity in the existing curriculum.