Antioxidant and hepatoprotective potentials of novel endophytic fungus Achaetomium sp., from Euphorbia hirta.

OBJECTIVE: To isolate, identify and evaluate the antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective potentials, total phenolic content, flavonoid content, tannin content of ethyl acetate extract of endophytic fungus Achaetomium sp., isolated from Euphorbia hirta. METHODS: Hepatoprotectivity of ethyl acetate extract of Achaetomium sp., was evaluated by CCl4 induced toxicity in HepG2 cells and subsequently analysed for cell viability using MTT assay. It also demonstrates antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials by DPPH radical scavenging assay and well diffusion assay respectively. Quantification of total phenolic content, tannin content and flavonoid content were assessed by spectroscopic methods. RESULTS: Phenols, flavonoids and tannins were the phytochemicals present in ethyl acetate extract of Achaetomium sp., with rich phenolic content exhibited potent hepatoprotective, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The hepatoprotective activity was recorded as of 72.13% ± 2.948% of cell viability at a concentration of 150 µg/mL, whereas the standard silymarin showed 93.260% ± 0.784%. It was observed to be dose dependent, when CCl4 exposed HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of ethyl acetate extract. Antibacterial activity showed significant inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The antioxidant activity ranged from 66.890% ± 1.385% to 87.340% ± 0.289% with (44.02 ± 1.57) µg of total phenolics, (54.54 ± 1.82) µg of flavonoid content and (18.790 ± 1.018) µg of tannin content. Ascorbic acid, BHT (butylated hydroxyl toluene) Gallic acid and Pyrogallol were used as standards which showed 98.370% ± 0.763%; 97.080% ± 0.636%; 94.890% ± 1.103% and 96.980% ± 0.098% reducing potential respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal that the metabolites produced by endophytic fungi isolated from Euphorbia hirta could be novel natural products that could lead to new drug discovery.

Perceptions of Medical Teachers on the Faculty Development Programme.

Background: Medical Council of India (MCI) insists on the training of Medical Teachers in Medical Education Technologies (MET). The need for such a training is debated by many teachers. Hence this study is taken up to analyse its benefits. Subjects and Methods: Seven batches of medical teachers from a private Medical College Hospital underwent a three day training in the basics of MET, as per the guidelines of MCI. Pretest and post test for evaluation and feedback on usefullness were obtained from the participants. Results & Discussion: The results analysed with the statistical Graphpad Prism6 software showed a significantly high post test marks 7.09/10±1.395 (mean±SD) compared to the pretest marks 2.184/10±1.019. (P value < 0.0001). Feedback in the Likertscale format from more than 95% of the participants also pronounced the usefulness of the programme. Conclusion: The statistically significant post test marks and the Feedback (Likertscale) from the participants vouch for the necessity of the training.

Genetic Engineering In BioButanol Production And Tolerance

ABSTRACT The growing need to address current energy and environmental problems has sparked an interest in developing improved biological methods to produce liquid fuels from renewable sources. Higher-chain alcohols possess chemical properties that are more similar to gasoline. Ethanol and butanol are two products which are used as biofuel. Butanol production was more concerned than ethanol because of its high octane number. Unfortunately, these alcohols are not produced efficiently in natural microorganisms, and thus economical production in industrial volumes remains a challenge. The synthetic biology, however, offers additional tools to engineer synthetic pathways in user-friendly hosts to help increase titers and productivity of bio-butanol. Knock out and over-expression of genes is the major approaches towards genetic manipulation and metabolic engineering of microbes. Yet there are TargeTron Technology, Antisense RNA and CRISPR technology has a vital role in genome manipulation of C.acetobutylicum. This review concentrates on the recent developments for efficient production of butanol and butanol tolerance by various genetically engineered microbes.

Study on paraoxonase 1 in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T 2 D M) occurring as a result of reduced insulin action, is seen in a larger section of population. It is also a condition of Oxidative Stress utilizing the antioxidant resources of the body. One such antioxidant is the Paraoxonasel (PON1) enzyme associated with High Density Lipoprotein. So, the activity of PON1 may be reduced in T 2 D M. Hence, this study was taken up to analyze the status of PON I activity in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, attending the Diabetic OP of Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital (SBMCH). The study included 93 Type 2 Diabetic patients and 89 age and sex matched healthy controls. Paraoxonase 1 activity was assayed by Fluorimetry using the Invitrogen Molecular probes kit. There was a significant reduction in PON1 activity (p value > 0.001) along with a decrease in HDL cholesterol among the Type 2 D M patients compared to healthy controls. The progression of Diabetes Mellitus through the years reflected in a much more reduction in PON1 activity as shown by the Pearsons' correlation analysis. The results were analyzed using SPSS statistical package. It is concluded that Type 2 D M being a condition of Oxidative stress has resulted in the reduction of the antioxidant activity of enzyme PON1.

Study on total antioxidant status in relation to oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes Mellitus is a condition of increased oxidative stress and requiries antioxidants. The sum of endogenous and food derived antioxidants represents the total antioxidant activity of the system. The cooperation among different antioxidants provides greater protection against damage caused by reactive oxygen species or reactive nitrogen species, than any single compound alone. Thus the overall antioxidant capacity may provide more relevant biological information compared to that obtained by the measurement of individual components, as it considers the cumulative effect of all antioxidants present in plasma and body fluids and hence the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included healthy volunteers from staff of Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital (SBMC&H) and Type 2 Diabetic patients attending SBMC&H, Chennai, India. Malondialdehyde levels and total antioxidant status of the case and controls was assessed. RESULTS: A significant decrease in the total antioxidant status among Diabetic patients and significant increase in their malondialdehyde levels in comparison to healthy controls was observed. CONCLUSION: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a condition in which there is increased oxidative stress as evident by increased Malondialdehyde levels and the condition calls for utilization of antioxidants to combat the oxidants thereby resulting in decreased total antioxidants status.

Hepcidin-minireview.

Iron related disorders are encountered in daily clinical settings. Maintenance of stable extracellular iron concentrations requires the coordinate regulation of iron transport into plasma from dietary sources in the duodenum, from recycled senescent red cells in macrophages and from storage in hepatocytes. Hepcidin acts as a systemic iron-regulatory hormone. Many human diseases are associated with alterations in hepcidin concentrations. This review has focused on hepcidin structure, kinetics and function, its correlation with iron metabolism disorders, the therapeutic potential for modulating hepcidin expression and the diagnostic potential of hepcidin measurements in clinical practice.

Measurement of the two-halo neutron transfer reaction (1)H((11)Li, (9)Li)(3)H at 3A MeV.

The p((11)Li, (9)Li)t reaction has been studied for the first time at an incident energy of 3A MeV at the new ISAC-2 facility at TRIUMF. An active target detector MAYA, built at GANIL, was used for the measurement. The differential cross sections have been determined for transitions to the (9)Li ground and first excited states in a wide range of scattering angles. Multistep transfer calculations using different (11)Li model wave functions show that wave functions with strong correlations between the halo neutrons are the most successful in reproducing the observation.

Internal gamma decay and the superallowed branching ratio for the beta(+) emitter (38)K(m).

The branching ratio for the superallowed beta(+) decay of (38)K(m) was measured at TRIUMF's ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. The M3 internal transition between the isomer and the ground state of (38)K(m) was observed with a branching ratio of 330(43) ppm. A search for the nonanalogue beta-decay branch to the first excited 0(+) state in (38)Ar was also performed and yielded an upper limit of < or =12 ppm at 90% C.L. These measurements lead to a revised superallowed branching ratio for (38)K(m) of 99.967(4)%, and increase the (38)K(m) ft value by its entire quoted uncertainty to ft=3052.1(10) s. Implications for tests of the nuclear-structure dependent corrections in superallowed beta decays and the extraction of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element V(ud) are discussed.

Typhoid spine - a case report.

A case of Salmonella typhi isolated from L4-L5 spine is reported here. The causative organism was not suspected preoperatively. The patient responded favourably to surgical drainage and appropriate antibiotic therapy.