A Novel Application of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Imaging

Ultrasound is an attractive modality for imaging muscle and tendon motion during dynamic tasks and can provide a complementary methodological approach for biomechanical studies in a clinical or laboratory setting. Towards this goal, methods for quantification of muscle kinematics from ultrasound imagery are being developed based on image processing. The temporal resolution of these methods is typically not sufficient for highly dynamic tasks, such as drop-landing. We propose a new approach that utilizes a Doppler method for quantifying muscle kinematics. We have developed a novel vector tissue Doppler imaging (vTDI) technique that can be used to measure musculoskeletal contraction velocity, strain and strain rate with sub-millisecond temporal resolution during dynamic activities using ultrasound. The goal of this preliminary study was to investigate the repeatability and potential applicability of the vTDI technique in measuring musculoskeletal velocities during a drop-landing task, in healthy subjects. The vTDI measurements can be performed concurrently with other biomechanical techniques, such as 3D motion capture for joint kinematics and kinetics, electromyography for timing of muscle activation and force plates for ground reaction force. Integration of these complementary techniques could lead to a better understanding of dynamic muscle function and dysfunction underlying the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of musculoskeletal disorders.     

Microbial population index and community structure in saline–alkaline soil using gene targeted metagenomics

Population indices of bacteria and archaea were investigated from saline–alkaline soil and a possible microbe–environment pattern was established using gene targeted metagenomics. Clone libraries were constructed using 16S rRNA and functional gene(s) involved in carbon fixation (cbbL), nitrogen fixation (nifH), ammonia oxidation (amoA) and sulfur metabolism (apsA). Molecular phylogeny revealed the dominance of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria along with archaeal members of Halobacteraceae. The library consisted of novel bacterial (20%) and archaeal (38%) genera showing ≤95% similarity to previously retrieved sequences. Phylogenetic analysis indicated ability of inhabitant to survive in stress condition. The 16S rRNA gene libraries contained novel gene sequences and were distantly homologous with cultured bacteria. Functional gene libraries were found unique and most of the clones were distantly related to Proteobacteria, while clones of nifH gene library also showed homology with Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes. Quantitative real-time PCR exhibited that bacterial abundance was two orders of magnitude higher than archaeal. The gene(s) quantification indicated the size of the functional guilds harboring relevant key genes. The study provides insights on microbial ecology and different metabolic interactions occurring in saline–alkaline soil, possessing phylogenetically diverse groups of bacteria and archaea, which may be explored further for gene cataloging and metabolic profiling.     

Chemotherapy of leishmaniasis. Part XII: Design,synthesis and bioevaluation of novel triazole integrated phenyl heteroterpenoids as antileishmanial agents

A novel series of triazole integrated phenyl heteroterpenoids have been synthesized and screened for their in vitro activity against intracellular amastigote form of Leishmania donovani. Among all tested compounds, compound 3a was found to be the most active with IC₅₀ 6.4 μM and better selectivity index (SI) 18 as compared to reference drugs, miltefosine and miconazole. When evaluated in vivo in L. donovani/hamster model, 3a has exhibited 79 ± 11% inhibition of parasite multiplication at 50 mg kg^?1 × 5 days on day 7 post treatment.     

Characterization and Application of a Robust Glucose Dehydrogenase from Paenibacillus pini for Cofactor Regeneration in Biocatalysis

Indian Journal of Microbiology - Glucose dehydrogenases are important auxiliary enzymes in biocatalysis, employed in the regeneration of reduced nicotinamide cofactors for oxidoreductase catalysed...     

Identification of potential tumour-associated carbonic anhydrase isozyme IX inhibitors: atom-based 3D-QSAR modelling,pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking studies

Abstract

Tumour hypoxia results in dramatic changes in the gene expression, proliferation and survival of tumour cells. The tumour cells shift towards anaerobic glycolysis which results in change of pH in their microenvironment. In response to this stress, over expression of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) genes is observed in many solid tumours. So, selective inhibition of CA IX can be a promising target for anti-cancer drugs. In this work in silico tools like atom-based 3D-QSAR modelling, pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular docking were used to identify potential CA IX inhibitors. Based on the training set used in the QSAR model, twenty pharmacophore models were generated. Out of these, HHHR_1, AHHR_1, DHHHR_1, AHHHR_1 model was used to screen a database of 1,50,000 compounds retrieved from ZINC 15 database. R² and Q² was 0.9864 and 0.8799, respectively, for the developed QSAR model. 163 compounds showed a phase screen score above 2.4 in which ZINC02260669 was the highest ranked (screen score, 2.852058) compound in all the four models. Built QSAR model was used to predict the activity of all these 163 compounds and ZINC72370966 showed the highest predicted activity with pKi value of 7.649. These compounds were docked against CA IX (human) protein (PDB ID 5FL6) and molecular docking results showed favourable binding interactions for the best ten identified hits. This work gives design insights and some potential scaffolds which can be developed as CA IX inhibitors.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma     

Ectopic expression of C 4 photosynthetic pathway genes improves carbon assimilation and alleviate stress tolerance for future climate change

Alteration in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and other environmental factors are the significant cues of global climate change. Environmental factors affect the most fundamental biological process including photosynthesis and different metabolic pathways. The feeding of the rapidly growing world population is another challenge which imposes pressure to improve productivity and quality of the existing crops. C4 plants are considered the most productive, containing lower photorespiration, and higher water-use & N-assimilation efficiencies, compared to C3 plants. Besides, the C4-photosynthetic genes not only play an important role in carbon assimilation but also modulate abiotic stresses. In this review, fundamental three metabolic processes (C4, C3, and CAM) of carbon dioxide assimilation, the evolution of C4-photosynthetic genes, effect of elevated CO2 on photosynthesis, and overexpression of C4-photosynthetic genes for higher photosynthesis were discussed. Kranz-anatomy is considered an essential prerequisite for the terrestrial C4 carbon assimilation, but single-celled C4 plant species changed this well-established paradigm. C4 plants are insensitive to an elevated CO2 stress condition but performed better under stress conditions. Overexpression of essential C4-photosynthetic genes such as PEPC, PPDK, and NADP-ME in C3 plants like Arabidopsis, tobacco, rice, wheat, and potato not only improved photosynthesis but also provided tolerance to various environmental stresses, especially drought. The review provides useful information for sustainable productivity and yield under elevated CO2 environment, which to be explored further for CO2 assimilation and also abiotic stress tolerance. Additionally, it provides a better understanding to explore C4-photosynthetic gene(s) to cope with global warming and prospective adverse climatic changes.     

Recovery of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> spp. from the ‘Fired Plots’ Under Shifting Cultivation in Northeast India

Soil samples, collected after the fire operations at agricultural sites under shifting cultivation in northeast India, were subjected to physico-chemical and microbial analysis. The fire affected various physico-chemical properties of the soil. Significant differences in pH and electrical conductivity were recorded in soil of fired and fallow plots. Significantly higher amounts of total organic carbon and nitrogen were estimated in fallow plots as compared to the fired. Difference in total phosphates was not significant. The fire operations resulted in stimulation of microbial communities. The bacteria were the most affected group followed by actinomycetes and fungi, respectively. The bacterial and actinomycetes counts were significantly higher in fired plots as compared to the fallow plots. The representative bacterial species recovered from the ‘fired plots’ belonged to the genus Bacillus and Pseudomonas. 16S rRNA analysis revealed their maximum similarity with B. clausii, B. licheniformis, B. megaterium, B. subtilis, B. thuringiensis, P. aeruginosa and P. stutzeri. Most of these species were found to be positive for phosphate solubilization and antagonism in plate based assays. In view of the importance of Bacillus and Pseudomonas species in plant growth promotion and biocontrol, recovery of these species after fire operations is indicative of the microbiological merit of shifting cultivation.     

Effects of Nickel Supplementation on Antioxidant Status,Immune Characteristics,and Energy and Lipid Metabolism in Growing Cattle

Biological Trace Element Research - Nickel and chromium existing in stainless-steel crowns (SSCs, used in pediatric dentistry) might be cytotoxic and allergenic. However, no in vivo studies have...     

A review on emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) for the treatment of various industrial effluent streams

Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology - The excessive release of toxic metal ions by the several industrial effluent streams into the environment has imposed a serious threat to the...