Voltammetric determination of doxycycline in feedstock using modified carbon screen-printed electrode.

In this work, we describe the development of an electrochemical sensing platform that employs electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ErGO) and gold (Au) deposited on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) to synthesize Au/ErGO/SPCE for the determination of the antibiotic drug doxycycline (DC). A modified Hummer's approach was adopted to initially prepare graphene oxide, which was then characterized by using powder XRD, FTIR, and UV spectroscopy before being utilized for modification on SPCE. Cyclic voltammetry was performed to form ErGO on SPCE to give ErGO/SPCE followed by electrodeposition of gold to get a final modified electrode Au/ErGO/SPCE. The effect of experimental conditions, like scan rate and pH on the electrochemical behavior of DC for Au/ErGO/SPCE, was evaluated. Square wave voltammetry (SWV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were used to assess the electro-oxidation of DC on Au/ErGO/SPCE, and the electrochemical reaction conditions were also optimized. Furthermore, Au/ErGO/SPCE-based electrochemical sensors showed good recovery and high accuracy for DC determination in the complex food matrix and blood serum. The limit of detection (LOD), the limit of quantification (LOQ), and the linear calibration range of DC on Au/ErGO/SPCE under optimum experimental conditions were 0.124 µm, 0.415 µm, and 1-100 µm respectively, with high sensitivity of 0.194 µA µM-1 cm-2. Finally, the proposed electrochemical sensing platform was effectively used to determine low DC concentrations in real samples such as chicken flesh and blood serum, indicating its wide range of applications in quality control.

Antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains isolated from five cities in India during 2013-2016.

PURPOSE: Emergence of multidrug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, an STI of public health significance is the biggest challenge to gonorrhoea control. Monitoring for antimicrobial resistance is essential for the early detection of emergent drug resistance patterns. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and twenty four N. gonorrhoeae strains were isolated between September 2013-August 2016 [82-New Delhi, 3-Pune, 3-Mumbai, 20-Secunderabad and 16-Hyderabad] to determine antimicrobial susceptibility and to compare the CLSI disc diffusion method with Etest for these strains. The results of the two methods were compared by using kappa statistics. RESULTS: Ninety eight percent [CI: 96.2-100] of isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 52 % [CI: 43.2-60.8] to penicillin, 56 % [CI: 47.2-64.7] to tetracycline and 5 % [CI: 1.2-8.8] to azithromycin. All the strains were susceptible to spectinomycin, ceftriaxone and cefixime except for two strains which showed decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime. Kappa scores for penicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone and cefixime showed that the CLSI method had high agreement with Etest while tetracycline had substantial agreement. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the disc diffusion method which is both cost effective and more feasible, can effectively be used routinely for monitoring antibiotic susceptibility in N. gonorrhoeae, in limited resource countries like India. We demonstrate the emergence of decreased susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime and threshold levels of resistance to azithromycin in India. This underscores the importance of maintaining continued surveillance for antibiotic resistance in N. gonorrhoeae and a potential requirement for strategic change in guidelines in the not so distant future.

Drug-sensitive FGFR3 mutations in lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths across the world. In this study, we present therapeutically relevant genetic alterations in lung adenocarcinoma of Indian origin. Materials and methods: Forty-five primary lung adenocarcinoma tumors were sequenced for 676 amplicons using RainDance cancer panel at an average coverage of 1500 × (reads per million mapped reads). To validate the findings, 49 mutations across 23 genes were genotyped in an additional set of 363 primary lung adenocarcinoma tumors using mass spectrometry. NIH/3T3 cells over expressing mutant and wild-type FGFR3 constructs were characterized for anchorage independent growth, constitutive activation, tumor formation and sensitivity to FGFR inhibitors using in vitro and xenograft mouse models. Results: We present the first spectrum of actionable alterations in lung adenocarcinoma tumors of Indian origin, and shows that mutations of FGFR3 are present in 20 of 363 (5.5%) patients. These FGFR3 mutations are constitutively active and oncogenic when ectopically expressed in NIH/3T3 cells and using a xenograft model in NOD/SCID mice. Inhibition of FGFR3 kinase activity inhibits transformation of NIH/3T3 overexpressing FGFR3 constructs and growth of tumors driven by FGFR3 in the xenograft models. The reduction in tumor size in the mouse is paralleled by a reduction in the amounts of phospho-ERK, validating the in vitro findings. Interestingly, the FGFR3 mutations are significantly higher in a proportion of younger patients and show a trend toward better overall survival, compared with patients lacking actionable alterations or those harboring KRAS mutations. Conclusion: We present the first actionable mutation spectrum in Indian lung cancer genome. These findings implicate FGFR3 as a novel therapeutic in lung adenocarcinoma.

Water pollution of Sabarmati River--a harbinger to potential disaster.

River Sabarmati is one of the biggest and major river of Gujarat that runs through two major cities of Gujarat, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad and finally meets the Gulf of Khambhat (GoK) in the Arabian Sea. A study was conducted to evaluate the water quality of this river, as it could possibly be one of the major sources for filling up Kalpasar, the proposed man-made freshwater reservoir supposed to be the biggest one in the world. A total of nine sampling stations were established covering 163 km stretch of the river from upstream of Gandhinagar city to Vataman near Sabarmati estuary. Physicochemical (temprature, pH, salinity, chloride, total dissolved solids, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, phenol, and petroleum hydrocarbons), biological (phytoplankton), and microbiological (total and selective bacterial count) analyses indicated that the river stretch from Ahmedabad-Vasana barriage to Vataman was highly polluted due to perennial waste discharges mainly from municipal drainage and industries. An implementation of sustainable management plan with proper treatment of both municipal and industrial effluents is essential to prevent further deterioration of the water quality of this river.

Occurrence and distribution of selected heavy metals and boron in groundwater of the Gulf of Khambhat region, Gujarat, India.

The concentration of selected heavy metals, like As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn as well as B, was measured by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in groundwater samples from various locations in the Gulf of Khambhat (GoK), an inlet of the Arabian Sea in the state of Gujarat, India, during post-monsoon, winter, and pre-monsoon seasons in a year. Most heavy elements are characterized by low mobility under slightly alkaline and reducing conditions; concentrations in confined aquifers are smaller than the maximum permissible values for drinking water. The temporal changes indicate that a majority of metals is entering the aquifer during monsoon. Principle component analysis of the heavy metal data suggests that Co, Cu, Cd, and Zn are interrelated with each other and derived significantly from anthropogenic route, while input of Pb and Cr may be due to atmospheric deposition in the study area. Both weathering of rocks and anthropogenic input were found to be main sources of elements in the groundwater. The heavy metal levels in groundwaters of the GoK region in comparison with some of the European and Asian sites were higher; however, these metal levels were found to be comparable with few urban sites in the world.

Cancer survival in Barshi, India, 1993-2000.

The rural cancer registry of Barshi, Paranda and Bhum, was the first of its kind in India and was established in 1987. Registration of cases is carried out entirely by active methods. Data on survival from 15 cancer sites or types registered during 1993-2000 are reported in this study. Follow-up has been carried out predominantly by active methods, with median follow-up time ranging between 2-49 months for different cancers. The proportion of histologically verified diagnosis for various cancers ranged between 73-98%; death certificates only (DCOs) comprised 0-2%; 98-100% of total registered cases were included for survival analysis. Complete follow-up at five years ranged between 96-100% for different cancers. The 5-year age-standardized relative survival rates for selected cancers were non-melanoma skin (86%), penis (63%), breast (61%), cervix (32%), mouth (23%), hypopharynx (11%) and oesophagus (4%). The 5-year relative survival by age group did not display any particular pattern. Five-year relative survival trend between 1988-1992 and 1993-2000 showed a marked decrease for cancers of the tongue, hypopharynx, stomach, rectum, larynx, lung and penis; but a notable increase for breast and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.