Preliminary observations on the interstitial fauna of the south-west coast of India

Summary This paper presents the preliminary observations on the interstitial fauna of the south-west coast of India, made during the course of 1963–1964. Observations were made at four stations representing different ecological habitats. The influence of some factors, such as wave action, grain size, temperature and salinity on the fauna was studied. The occurrence, seasonal abundance and the nature of distribution of the different groups on the intertidal zone, were also studied at the four stations.     

Exocyclic DNA adducts as oxidative stress markers in colon carcinogenesis: potential role of lipid peroxidation,dietary fat and antioxidants

Molecular pathways to colorectal cancer involve multiple genetic changes, whereby extensive oxyradical damage causes mutations in cancer-related genes and leads to a cycle of cell death and regeneration. Besides direct oxidative DNA-damage, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species can induce etheno (epsilon)-DNA adducts mainly via trans-4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, generated as the major aldehyde by lipid peroxidation (LPO) of omega-6 PUFAs. Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) develop multiple colorectal adenomas. In affected tissues increased LPO could be triggered due to increased arachidonic acid metabolism as a result of elevated cyclooxygenases. Our studies demonstrated an increased epsilon-DNA adduct level in affected colon epithelia of FAP patients. Epsilon-DNA adducts are promutagenic and can cause genomic instability that drives colorectal adenoma to malignancy. We have further investigated the potential chemopreventive properties of olive oil and its polyphenolic components. 'Mediterranean diet', of which olive oil is a major fatty acid source, has protective effects against human breast and colorectal cancers. Olive oil extracts and the newly identified lignan fractions showed high antioxidant capacity in vitro. As epsilon-DNA adducts are biomarkers for oxidative stress and LPO induced DNA damage, they can verify the efficacy of newly identified antioxidants, e.g. from olive oil, as chemopreventive agents against colon carcinogenesis.     

Ultrastructure and Development of Sclerotia of Botrytis cinerea Pers. in vitro

The development of sclerotia of Botrytis cinerea was examined at four stages during their maturation. The surface structure developed a network of profusely branched hyphae through their coalescence to a compact sclerotial body which was maturated by the deposition of melanin pigment. A characteristic feature of the hyphal cells of B. cinerea during the later stages of development was the presence of paramural bodies (plasmalemmasomes and lomasomes). Electrondense bodies with a limiting double-membrane congregated against the transverse septa of hyphal cells as sclerotia matured and may migrate from cell to cell through septal pores. We suggest that these and the lipid bodies found in hyphal cells may have a storage function in the resting sclerotia.     

Safety and Immunogenicity of a Live Oral Recombinant Cholera Vaccine VA1.4: A Randomized,Placebo Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults in a Cholera Endemic Area in Kolkata,India

Background

A live oral cholera vaccine VA 1.4 developed from a non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strain using ctxB gene insertion was further developed into a clinical product following cGMP and was evaluated in a double-blind randomized placebo controlled parallel group two arm trial with allocation ratio of 1∶1 for safety and immunogenicity in men and women aged 18–60 years from Kolkata, India.

Method

A lyophilized dose of 1.9×10⁹ CFU (n = 44) or a placebo (n = 43) reconstituted with a diluent was administered within 5 minutes of drinking 100 ml of a buffer solution made of sodium bicarbonate and ascorbic acid and a second dose on day 14.

Result

The vaccine did not elicit any diarrhea related adverse events. Other adverse events were rare, mild and similar in two groups. One subject in the vaccine group excreted the vaccine strain on the second day after first dose. The proportion of participants who seroconverted (i.e. had 4-folds or higher rise in reciprocal titre) in the vaccine group were 65.9% (95% CI: 50.1%–79.5%) at both 7 days (i.e. after 1^st dose) and 21 days (i.e. after 2^nd dose). None of the placebo recipients seroconverted. Anti-cholera toxin antibody was detected in very few recipients of the vaccine.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates that VA 1.4 at a single dose of 1.9×10⁹ is safe and immunogenic in adults from a cholera endemic region. No additional benefit after two doses was seen.

Trial Registration

Clinical Trials Registry-India, National Institute of Medical Statistics (Indian Council of Medical Research) CTRI/2012/04/002582     

Fluorescence resonance energy transfer from tryptophan to a chromium(III) complex accompanied by non-specific cleavage of albumin: a step forward towards the development of a novel photoprotease

A chromium(III) complex, transdiaqua [N, N'-propylenebis(salicylideneimino)chromium(III)]perchlorate ([Cr(salprn)(H2O)(2)]ClO(4)) in the presence of sodium azide and upon photoexcitation was found to bring about non-selective cleavage of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) evidence has been obtained for the formation of a Cr(V) species upon photolysis of a solution containing the chromium(III) complex and sodium azide. This Cr(V) species non-selectively cleaves BSA. The fluorescence excitation spectrum of BSA-[Cr(salprn)(H2O)(2)]+ adduct showed a band at lambda(max)(ex) nm due to charge transfer transition of the chromium(III) complex as well as a prominent band at 290 nm attributable to tryptophan absorption. This indicated an efficient Forster type fluorescence energy transfer (FRET) from the tryptophan residues to the chromium(III) complex indicating that the Cr(III) complex binds in the vicinity of the tryptophan residue.     

Carbon demand,utilization, and metabolic diversity of bacterioplankton in the frontal regimes of the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean

Bacterial production, respiration and metabolic diversity were measured up to 120 m depth in the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF) and Polar Fronts I and II (PFI and PFII) of the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean during 2010 Austral Summer. Prokaryotic cell count was maximum at PFI and PFII (~109 cells L−1) and minimum at SAF (~107 cells L−1). Furthermore, integrated bacterial production was higher at PFI (1.07 mg C m−2 h−1) and PFII (0.72 mg C m−2 h−1) compared to SAF (0.61 mg C m−2 h−1). At PFII, integrated bacterial growth efficiency was higher (8.96) compared to PFI (7.42) and SAF (7.17), signifying that the net contribution of PFII to the microbial loop could be relatively pronounced. Enhanced cell numbers and production at polar fronts indicate that the dissolved organic matter could be converted to secondary biomass through the microbial loop. However, integrated bacterial respiration rate at PFII (0.83 mg C m−2 h−1) was lower than that at PFI (1.84 mg C m−2 h−1) resulting in higher growth efficiency at PFII. Metabolic flexibility at SAF was clearly brought about by utilization of carboxylic acids like D-malic acid and itaconic acid, and carbohydrates like N-acetyl D-glucosamine, D-cellobiose and D-lactose. Utilization of amino acids like glycyl L-glutamic acid and L-threonine, and an amine, phenylethylamine, was critical in determining the metabolic variability at PFI. PFII hosted microbes that utilized phenolic compounds (2-hydroxy benzoic acid and 4-hydroxy benzoic acid) and polymers (like Tween 80). Utilization of polyols over carbohydrates in polar waters indicates a niche with lesser influence of the Antarctic melt waters on the bacterioplankton metabolism.     

Critical factors influencing the occurrence of Vibrio cholerae in the environment of Bangladesh

The occurrence of outbreaks of cholera in Africa in 1970 and in Latin America in 1991, mainly in coastal communities, and the appearance of the new serotype Vibrio cholerae O139 in India and subsequently in Bangladesh have stimulated efforts to understand environmental factors influencing the growth and geographic distribution of epidemic Vibrio cholerae serotypes. Because of the severity of recent epidemics, cholera is now being considered by some infectious disease investigators as a "reemerging" disease, prompting new work on the ecology of vibrios. Epidemiological and ecological surveillance for cholera has been under way in four rural, geographically separated locations in Bangladesh for the past 4 years, during which both clinical and environmental samples were collected at biweekly intervals. The clinical epidemiology portion of the research has been published (Sack et al., J. Infect. Dis. 187:96-101, 2003). The results of environmental sampling and analysis of the environmental and clinical data have revealed significant correlations of water temperature, water depth, rainfall, conductivity, and copepod counts with the occurrence of cholera toxin-producing bacteria (presumably V. cholerae). The lag periods between increases or decreases in units of factors, such as temperature and salinity, and occurrence of cholera correlate with biological parameters, e.g., plankton population blooms. The new information on the ecology of V. cholerae is proving useful in developing environmental models for the prediction of cholera epidemics.     

Effects of GH on urea,glucose and lipid metabolism,and insulin sensitivity during fasting in GH-deficient patients

Fasting-related states of distress pose major health problems, and growth hormone (GH) plays a key role in this context. The present study was designed to assess the effects of GH on substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity during short-term fasting. Six GH-deficient adults underwent 42.5 h of fasting on two occasions, with and without concomitant GH replacement. Palmitate and urea fluxes were measured with the steady-state isotope dilution technique after infusion of [9,10-3H]palmitate and [13C]urea. During fasting with GH replacement, palmitate concentrations and fluxes increased by 50% [palmitate: 378 +/- 42 (GH) vs. 244 +/- 12 micromol/l, P < 0.05; palmitate: 412 +/- 58 (GH) vs. 276 +/- 42 microM, P = 0.05], and urea turnover and excretion decreased by 30-35% [urea rate of appearance: 336 +/- 22 (GH) vs. 439 +/- 43 micromol. kg-1. h-1, P < 0.01; urea excretion: 445 +/- 43 (GH) vs. 602 +/- 74 mmol/24 h, P < 0.05]. Insulin sensitivity (determined by a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp) was significantly decreased [M value: 1.26 +/- 0.06 (GH) vs. 2.07 +/- 0.22 mg. kg-1. min-1, P < 0.01] during fasting with GH replacement. In conclusion, continued GH replacement during fasting in GH-deficient adults decreases insulin sensitivity, increases lipid utilization, and conserves protein.