Purine salvage as metabolite and energy saving mechanism in Camelus dromedarius: the recovery of guanine

The preservation of purine ring as purine bases appears to be a common feature of camel liver. Hepatic guanine appears to be actively converted into GMP in the camel rather than further degraded. The limiting step of guanine degradation appears to be the lack of hepatic guanase activity. Higher purine bases over uric acid ratios were found in camel urine with respect to those of zebu.     

Creating a Fit Between BPR and IT Infrastructure: A Proposed Framework for Effective Implementation

As business imperatives change and new high-capability information technologies (IT) appear, organizations recognize the need to remain at the forefront of change by reengineering their business processes and implementing enabling responsive IT infrastructures. However, experience in this context indicates a lack of comprehension of essential elements and their mutual relationships that can contribute to the success of business-process change-implementation efforts. This article proposes a framework for managing IT for effective business-process redesign (BPR) implementation. After establishing BPR principles, components, and the relationship of BPR to some organizational and technological approaches, it presents the role and benefits of IT in BPR. The article then discusses in detail the core elements of the framework. Its theme is that an IT infrastructure that covers issues of BPR strategy development, IT strategic alignment, IT infrastructure development, IT sourcing, legacy systems reengineering, IS integration, and IS function competence is essential and critical for effective implementation.     

Sex ratios and sex-biased infection behaviour in the entomopathogenic nematode genus Steinernema

In experimentally infected insects, the sex ratio of first generation nematodes of five species of Steinernema was female-biased (male proportion 0.35-0.47). There was a similar female bias when the worms developed in vitro (0.37-0.44), indicating that the bias in these species is not due to a lower rate of infection by male infective juveniles (IJs). Experimental conditions influenced the proportion of males establishing in insects, indicating that male and female IJs differ in their behaviour. However, there was no evidence that males are the colonising sex in any species, contrary to what has previously been proposed. Time of emergence from the host in which the nematodes had developed influenced sex ratios in experimental infections. In three species (Steinernema longicaudum, Steinernema glaseri and Steinernema kraussei), early emerged nematodes had a higher proportion of males than those that emerged later, with the reverse trend for Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema feltiae. In a more detailed in vitro study of S. longicaudum, the proportion of males was similar whether or not the nematodes passed through the developmentally arrested IJ stage, indicating that the female bias is not due to failure of males to exit this stage. The sex ratio in vitro was independent of survival rate from juvenile to adult, and was female-biased even when all juveniles developed, indicating that the bias is not explained by failure of males to develop to adults. The female-biased sex ratio characteristic of Steinernema populations appears to be present from at least the early juvenile stage. We hypothesise that the observed female bias is the population optimal sex ratio, a response to cycles of local mate competition experienced by nematodes reproducing within insect hosts interspersed with periods of outbreeding with less closely related worms following dispersal.     

A Neuro-Comparative Study between Single/Successive Thorium Dose Intoxication and Alginate Treatment

The adult male albino rats were grouped into five groups (control group and four variably treated groups with thorium (Th) in single or successive with or without alginate treatment). The IP administration of thorium nitrate (13.6 mg/kg b.wt.) induced a regional distribution and accumulation ordered as cerebellum > cerebral cortex > brain stem > hippocampus > hypothalamus > striatum. Also, it induces a significant increase in Na⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe³⁺ ion content and malondialdehyde (MDA) level while K⁺ ions and glutathione (GSH) level were significantly decreased. On the other hand, the daily oral administration of 5% alginate showed a significant decreasing in the accumulation of thorium in the different brain areas and mitigated its hazardous effects. By the alginate treatment, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe³⁺, and level of MDA were declined while K⁺ ions and GSH level showed a significant increase. The improvement of the investigated parameters was attributed to the specific chelating, regeneration, and antioxidant properties of the alginate. So, alginate administration could ameliorate the hazardous effects of thorium nitrate.     

The polysaccharides of mango seeds (mangifera indica,var. bullock's heart)

Mangoes (Mangifera indica) are grown in many warm regions of the world; for example, in Australia, Brazil, India, South America, and the United States (California and Florida), and along the shores of the Mediterranean sea (Egypt, Italy, and Spain). In Egypt, many varieties yielding delicious fruits are grown in large quantities (50,000 tons annually). Mango kernels are used for feeding mammals and chickens. Starch has been isolated from mango and its physical properties studied.The aim of the present work was to study the polysaccharides present in mango kernels.     

Risk assessment of heavy metal and metalloid toxicity through a contaminated vegetable (Cucurbita maxima) from wastewater irrigated area: A case study for a site-specific risk assessment in Jhang,Pakistan

The present research was conducted in district Jhang, Pakistan, to evaluate the concentration of metals/metalloids in soil and pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) irrigated with domestic wastewater. Data revealed that the levels of metals and metalloids in soil samples from two different sites were below the safe limits except Cd, whereas, in the vegetable, the concentrations of As, Se, Ni, Mo, Pb, Mn, and Cu were above the safe limits. The levels of 12 metals and metalloids in the soil were ranged between 0.14 to 22.76 mg/kg at site-I and 0.16 to 22.13 mg/kg at site-II. The levels of these metals in the vegetable were found 0.35 to 61.13 mg/kg at site-I and 0.31 to 53.63 mg/kg at site-II. The transfer factor at both sites was highest for As and Co. The pollution load index recorded for Se, Cu, Cd, Mo, Pb, and Co was greater than 1. The daily intake of As, Mn, and Mo was above the oral reference dose, which reflects that the intake of pumpkin is not safe for the inhabitants of the selected sites. The control measures should be taken to phytoextract heavy metals and metalloids from polluted sites so as to reduce the health risks.     

Beneficial effects of n-hexane bark extract of Onosma echioides L. on diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Onosma echioides Linn (Boraginaceae) is the most frequently used curative herb widely used for kidney obstruction, sciatic pain, and gout. The present study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effects of n-hexane bark extract of O. echioides (OE) L. root in vivo against Streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy in SD rats. For in vivo activity, the experiment was categorized into five different groups (n = 5). Group-I was considered as nondiabetic/normal control (NC) treated with 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Group II as diabetic control, Group-III, IV, and V served as diabetic treated with OE 50, OE 100, and pregabalin at a dose of 50, 100, and 10 mg/kg body weight, orally, respectively. Body weight, blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test, behavioral studies (motor coordination test, thermal hyperalgesia, cold allodynia, locomotor activity, oxidative biomarkers (thio barbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione [GSH], and catalase), and histopathology of the sciatic nerve were performed. Treatment with OE showed a dose-dependent increase in neuroprotective activity by improving the myelination and decreasing the axonal swelling of nerve fibers. The verdicts of behavioral activities showed a remarkable effect on animals after the treatment of extract and standard drug pregabalin. In conclusion, our findings supported the traditional application of OE and explored its importance in the management of diabetic neuropathy. Additional clinical experiments may provide novel therapeutic drugs for diabetes and its complications.     

Compatability of Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae with chemical pesticides

The effects of various insecticides on the mycelial growth, sporulation and conidial germination of Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae isolate E₉ were studied in the laboratory. Chlorpyrifos was the most toxic organophosphate to mycelial growth and sporulation at all concentrations. Temephos, malathion and leptophos were highly toxic to sporulation while malathion was the most inhibitory to germination. The carbamates, carbofuran, methomyl and oxamyl were moderately toxic to mycelial growth and sporulation while oxamyl had an adverse effect on germination. The pyrethroids (pyrethrin, permethrin and resmethrin) and the insect growth regulators (diflubenzuron and methoprene) were not inhibitory to the various developmental stages of isolate E₉. The chlorinated hydrocarbons (chlordane, lindane and toxaphene) were more deleterious than all other insecticide groups tested. Among the fungicides, benomyl and maneb produced the greatest inhibition.     

Purification and characterization of a NAD+-dependent secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from propane-grown Rhodococcus rhodochrous PNKb1

NAD⁺-linked primary and secondary alcohol dehydrogenase activity was detected in cell-free extracts of propane-grown Rhodococcus rhodochrous PNKb1. One enzyme was purified to homogeneity using a two-step procedure involving DEAE-cellulose and NAD-agarose chromatography and this exhibited both primary and secondary NAD⁺-linked alcohol dehydrogenase activity. The Mr of the enzyme was approximately 86,000 with subunits of Mr 42,000. The enzyme exhibited broad substrate specificity, oxidizing a range of short-chain primary and secondary alcohols (C₂–C₈) and representative cyclic and aromatic alcohols. The pH optimum was 10. At pH 6.5, in the presence of NADH, the enzyme catalysed the reduction of ketones to alcohols. The K _m values for propan-1-ol, propan-2-ol and NAD were 12 mM, 18 mM and 0.057 mM respectively. The enzyme was inhibited by metal-complexing agents and iodoacetate. The properties of this enzyme were compared with similar enzymes in the current literature, and were found to be significantly different from those thus far described. It is likely that this enzyme plays a major role in the assimilation of propane by R. rhodochrous PNKb1.Abbreviations HPLC high performance liquid chromatography - DEAE diethyl amino ethyl - IEF isoelectrofocusing - NTG nitrosoguanidine - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - pI isoelectric point