Methane emission potential and increased efficiency of a phytoremediation system bioaugmented with Bacillus firmus XJSL 1-10

Horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland mesocosms (HSSCW) designed to treat municipal waste water were bioaugmented with Bacillus firmus XJSL 1-10. The efficiencies of the three HSSCW mesocosms (non-vegetated HSSCW, Schoenoplectus validus HSSCW and Bambusa vulgaris HSSCW) were assessed. Bioaugmentation not only enhanced the efficiency of the phytoremediation system but also reduced methane emission from an average of 51.3 mg/m2/d to 21.6 mg/m2/d in Schoenoplectus validus HSSCW and from an average of 1708 mg/m2/d to 1473 mg/m2/d in Bambusa vulgaris HSSCW. Each of the three types of bioaugmented HSSCWs showed higher purification efficiency with respect to the removal of BOD and NH4-N than the non-bioaugmented HSSCWs. The performance enhancement was most significant in bioaugmented Schoenoplectus validus HSSCW mesocosm with 48.8 and 44.8% lower BOD, and NH4-N, respectively than the non-bioaugmented HSSCW.     

Nitric oxide synthase inhibition abrogates hydrogen sulfide-induced cardioprotection in mice

The cardioprotective property of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is recently reported. However, cellular signaling cascades mediated by H(2)S are largely unclear. This study was undertaken to explore the molecular mechanism of H(2)S-induced cardioprotection in mouse heart by utilizing in vivo model of cardiac injury. We report here that intraperitoneal administration of sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS, 50 μmol kg(-1 )day(-1) for 2 days), a H(2)S donor, significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased nitric oxide levels in serum as well as myocardium without any sign of myocardial injury. Typical characteristics of myocardial injury induced by isoproterenol (ISO) administration was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) abrogated by NaHS administration as evidenced from reduction in elevated thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and normalization of glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase activity. Further, decrease in TNF-α expression and improvement in myocardial architecture was also observed. However, co-administration of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, and Celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor along with NaHS and ISO abrogated the beneficial effect of H(2)S differentially. Inhibition of NOS significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased serum creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity and myocardial TBARS, along with significant (P ≤ 0.05) reduction of myocardial GSH, SOD, and catalase. This was followed by increase in TNF-α expression and histopathological changes. Our results revealed that H(2)S provides myocardial protection through interaction with NOS and COX-2 pathway and inhibition of NOS completely abrogates the hydrogen sulfide-induced cardioprotection in mice.     

Cloning, overexpression and characterization of Leishmania donovani triosephosphate isomerase

Triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) is a major enzyme in the glycolytic pathway, which catalyzes the interconversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. Here, we report cloning, expression and purification of a catalytically active recombinant TIM of Leishmania donovani (LdTIM). The recombinant LdTIM had a pH optimum in the range of 7.2-9.0, found stable at 25°C for 30 min and K(m) and V(max) for the substrate glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate was 0.328±0.02mM and 10.05mM/min/mg, respectively. The cysteine-reactive agent methylmethane thiosulphonate (MMTS) was used as probe, in order to test its effect on enzyme activity. The MMTS induced 75% enzyme inactivation within 15 min at 250 μM concentration. The biochemical characterization of LdTIM described in this work is the essential step towards deeper understanding of its role in parasite survival. The purification of LdTIM in bioactive form provides important tools for further functional and structural studies.     

Cryptococcal lymphadenitis: report of a case with fine needle aspiration cytology

BACKGROUND: Cryptococcosis is one of the opportunistic infections in AIDS, and therefore an expeditious diagnosis is of the utmost importance since once a cryptococcal infection disseminates, it becomes life threatening. CASE: A 40-year-old woman presented with epistaxis, fever and cervical lymphadenopathy for 20 days. Fine needle aspiration showed reactive lymphoid hyperplasia with plump, histiocytoid cells resembling metastatic deposits. The second aspirate showed ovoid to spherical, thick-walled structures that stained positive for periodic acid-Schiff stain and mucicarmine. CONCLUSION: Lymph node fine needle aspiration cytology provides an economical and rather quickly accomplished cytodiagnostic result.     

Candidate gene polymorphisms among North Indians and their association with schizophrenia in a case-control study

Knowledge of candidate gene polymorphisms in a population is useful for a variety of gene-disease association studies, particularly for some complex traits. A number of candidate genes, a majority of them from the monoaminergic pathway in the brain, have been very popular in association studies with schizophrenia, a neuropsychiatric disorder. In this study diallelic/multiallelic polymorphisms in some dopaminergic, serotonergic and membrane-phospholipid-related genes have been evaluated in a control population recruited from North India. Association, if any, of these allelic variants with schizopherenia has been tested using a case-control approach. The case data have been taken from our published family-based association studies in schizophrenia. Of the eight genes tested in this study, association with schizophrenia was observed for only two gene polymorphisms, one in the promoter region of the serotonin 2A receptor gene and the other in the tryptophan hydroxylase gene. One new allele for the dopamine transporter gene (with eight repeats, 570-bp size), not reported in any population so far, has been identified in one individual in our sample. The data generated in this study, besides providing a normative background for various disease association studies, are a significant contribution to the population-specific genome database, a currently growing requirement.     

S-allyl cysteine inhibits TNFα-induced skeletal muscle wasting through suppressing proteolysis and expression of inflammatory molecules

Background

Elevated levels of inflammatory molecules are key players in muscle wasting/atrophy leading to human morbidity. TNFα is a well-known pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of muscle wasting under diverse clinical settings. S-allyl cysteine (SAC), an active component of garlic (Allium sativum), has established anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in various cell types. However, the impact of SAC on skeletal muscle pathology remains unexplored. Owing to the known anti-inflammatory properties of SAC, we investigated whether pre-treatment with SAC has a protective role in TNFα-induced atrophy in cultured myotubes.