Acetylcholinesterase from desert Cobra (Walterinnesia aegyptia) venom: Optimization and kinetics study

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was investigated inWalterinnesia aegyptia venom and characterized with respect to its kinetic properties. It was found that 4.0 ug of crude venom protein and an incubation time of 4.0 min were suitable conditions for linearity of AChE activity at 25°C. The optimum strength of the sodium phosphate buffer was 0.05 M, and the optimum pH was 7.75. The optimum temperature was 30°C. The activation energy and the heat of activation were observed to be 6510 and 5922 cal/mole. The AChE was specific for acetylthiocholine but it did not hydrolyse butyrylthiocholine. The optimum substrate concentration was 3.0 mM but at higher substrate concentrations, the AChE activity declined. The ASCh concentration ranges for different orders of the reactions were determined and kinetic parameters (K_m, V_max, k_cat, and k_sp) were established at each order of the reaction.Abbreviations AChE acetylcholinesterase - ASCh acetylthiocholine - K_m Michaelis-Menten constant - V_max the limiting maximal velocity - AChE_a acylated enzyme - k_cat turnover number - k_sp specificity constant     

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in Saudis

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) genotypes were determined in 165 Saudis. The prevalence of genotype, E3/E3, E3/E4 and E4/E4 was found to be 71, 27 and 2% respectively. The E3/E3 was the most prevalent genotype among the Saudis followed by E3/E4. However, other genotypes E2/E2, E2/E3 and E2/E4 were absent showing the absence of E2 allele in the test population. The high frequencies of the E3 allele (0.845) and E3/E3 genotype (0.71) and absence of E2 allele in Saudis under study are similar to those reported earlier for Native Americans, Mexican-Americans, Mayans, Cayapa, Mazatecan Indians and Mexican Mestizos populations.     

Synthesis,density functional theory calculations and luminescence of lanthanide complexes with 2,6‐bis[(3‐methoxybenzylidene)hydrazinocarbonyl] pyridine Schiff base ligand

A pyridine‐diacylhydrazone Schiff base ligand, L = 2,6‐bis[(3‐methoxy benzylidene)hydrazinocarbonyl]pyridine was prepared and characterized by single crystal X‐ray diffraction. Lanthanide complexes, Ln–L, {[LnL(NO₃)₂]NO₃.xH₂O (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy and Er)} were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, thermal analysis (TGA/DTGA), mass spectrometry (MS), Fourier transform infra‐red (FT‐IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Ln–L complexes are isostructural with four binding sites provided by two nitro groups along with four coordination sites for L. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on L and its cationic [LnL(NO₃)₂]⁺ complexes were carried out at the B3LYP/6–31G(d) level of theory. The FT‐IR vibrational wavenumbers were computed and compared with the experimentally values. The luminescence investigations of L and Ln–L indicated that Tb–L and Eu–L complexes showed the characteristic luminescence of Tb(III) and Eu(III) ions. Ln–L complexes show higher antioxidant activity than the parent L ligand.     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi regulate the oxidative system,hormones and ionic equilibrium to trigger salt stress tolerance in Cucumis sativus L.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) association increases plant stress tolerance. This study aimed to determine the mitigation effect of AMF on the growth and metabolic changes of cucumbers under adverse impact of salt stress. Salinity reduced the water content and synthesis of pigments. However, AMF inoculation ameliorated negative effects by enhancing the biomass, synthesis of pigments, activity of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione reductase, and the content of ascorbic acid, which might be the result of lower level lipid peroxidation and electrolyte leakage. An accumulation of phenols and proline in AMF-inoculated plants also mediated the elimination of superoxide radicals. In addition, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and several important mineral elements (K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu) were enhanced with significant reductions in the uptake of deleterious ions like Na+. These results suggested that AMF can protect cucumber growth from salt stress.     

Terminalia pallida fruit ethanolic extract ameliorates lipids,lipoproteins, lipid metabolism marker enzymes and paraoxonase in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarcted rats

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Terminalia pallida fruit ethanolic extract (TpFE) on lipids, lipoproteins, lipid metabolism marker enzymes and paraoxonase (PON) in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarcted rats. PON is an excellent serum antioxidant enzyme which involves in the protection of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from the process of oxidation for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. ISO caused a significant increase in the concentration of total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipid peroxidation whereas significant decrease in the concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. ISO administration also significantly decreased the activities of lecithin cholesterol acyl transferase, PON and lipoprotein lipase whereas significantly increased the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase. Oral pretreatment of TpFE at doses 100, 300 and 500?mg/kg body weight (bw) and gallic acid (15?mg/kg bw) for 30?days challenged with concurrent injection of ISO (85?mg/kg bw) on 29th and 30th day significantly attenuated these alterations and restored the levels of lipids, lipoproteins and the activities of lipid metabolizing enzymes. Also TpFE significantly elevated the serum antioxidant enzyme PON. This is the first report revealed that pretreatment with TPFE ameliorated lipid metabolic marker enzymes and increased the antioxidant PON in ISO treated male albino Wistar rats.     

Integrating marker-assisted background analysis with foreground selection for pyramiding bacterial blight resistance genes into Basmati rice

Bacterial leaf blight (BB), caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo), is the major constraint amongst rice diseases in India. CSR-30 is a very popular high-yielding, salt-tolerant Basmati variety widely grown in Haryana, India, but highly susceptible to BB. In the present study, we have successfully introgressed three BB resistance genes (Xa21, xa13 and xa5) from BB-resistant donor variety IRBB-60 into the BB-susceptible Basmati variety CSR-30 through marker-assisted selection (MAS) exercised with stringent phenotypic selection without compromising the Basmati traits. Background analysis using 131 polymorphic SSR markers revealed that recurrent parent genome (RPG) recovery ranged up to 97.1% among 15 BC₃F₁ three-gene-pyramided genotypes. Based on agronomic evaluation, BB reaction, aroma, percentage recovery of RPG, and grain quality evaluation, four genotypes, viz., IC-R28, IC-R68, IC-R32, and IC-R42, were found promising and advanced to BC₃F₂ generation.     

Endophytic bacterium Bacillus subtilis (BERA 71) improves salt tolerance in chickpea plants by regulating the plant defense mechanisms

Plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria can stimulate the growth, nutrient acquisition, symbiotic performance and stress tolerance of chickpea plants under saline soil conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the stress-adaptive mechanisms of chickpea plants mediated by Bacillus subtilis (BERA 71) under saline conditions. Inoculation with BERA 71 enhanced plant biomass and the synthesis of photosynthetic pigments and reduced the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation in plants under conditions of stress. Furthermore, the activities of ROS-scavenging antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and glutathione reductase), the levels of non-enzymatic antioxidants (ascorbic acid and glutathione) and the total phenol content were increased in stressed plants during bacterial association. The bacteria decreased sodium accumulation and enhanced the nitrogen, potassium, calcium and magnesium content in the plants. The suppression of ROS generation and of lipid peroxidation and the accumulation of proline in BERA-71-inoculated plants enhanced the membrane stability under salinity stress and non-stress conditions.     

Lean mass mediates the relation between temporal summation of pain and sex in young healthy adults

Background

Previous studies have shown that women experience greater temporal summation (TS) of pain than men using a repetitive thermal stimulus. These studies, however, did not individualize the thermal stimulus to each subject’s thermal pain sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate sex differences in TS using an individualized protocol and potential mediators that have been shown to influence TS including physical activity and body composition.

Methods

Fifty young healthy men and women (21 men) participated in the study. Subjects completed TS testing on the right forearm using a repetitive thermal stimulus at a temperature that the subject reported 6/10 pain. Other testing included body composition (lunar iDXA), activity monitoring (Actigraph), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS).

Results

Women reported greater TS than men (p?=?0.019), and TS was correlated with right arm lean mass (r?=???0.36, p?=?0.01) and magnification subscale of PCS (r?=???0.32, p?=?0.03). Mediation analysis showed a complete mediation for the relation between sex and TS by right arm lean mass (indirect effect = 2.33, 95% BCa CI [0.42, 4.58]) after controlling for the temperature, the magnification subscale of PCS, and the average time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that lean mass is a contributing factor to the sex differences in TS. Future studies should investigate whether interventions that increase lean mass have a positive effect on TS.

     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cutaneotrichosporon (Trichosporon) debeurmannianum</Emphasis>: A Rare Yeast Isolated from Blood and Urine Samples

Cutaneotrichosporon (Trichosporon) debeurmannianum is a rarely isolated yeast from clinical samples. Nine isolates of this yeast were identified from clinical samples within a period of 3 years from June 2012 to May 2015. These isolates were from blood and urine samples sent to a clinical mycology laboratory of a tertiary care hospital in Assam, North East India. Clinically, the patients were diagnosed as septicemia and urinary tract infection. The age of the patients ranged from 2 to 50 years. Identification was made by sequencing the ITS region of ribosomal RNA gene. Antifungal susceptibility test by disk diffusion method (CLSI, M44-A) showed all the isolates to be sensitive to fluconazole and voriconazole. Vitek 2 compact commercial yeast identification system misidentified this yeast as Cryptococcus laurentii and low discrimination Cryptococcus laurentii/Trichosporon mucoides. This species was originally named as Trichosporon debeurmannianum. In 2015, this yeast has been included into new genera Cutaneotrichosporon based on an integrated phylogenetic classification of the Tremellomycetes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of identification of this species from blood and urine samples of clinically suspected cases. We are reporting these isolates because of their rarity in clinical samples. The pathogenic potential and epidemiological relevance of this yeast remains to be seen.     

Photoactivated disinfection (PAD) of dental root canal system – An ex-vivo study

AimTo investigate the efficacy of photo activated disinfection (PAD) in reducing colony-forming unit (CFU) counts of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) in infected dental root canals. The study compared the efficacy of PAD with conventional endodontic treatment (CET) and also a combination of CET along with PAD.Material and Methods53 maxillary incisors were taken for the study. Teeth were divided into 3 groups, CET (Group I) (n = 11), PAD (Group II) (n = 21), and a combination of CET and PAD (Group III) which consisted of (n = 21) samples, Group II and Group III were further divided into 2 subgroups, Group IIa, IIb and Group IIIa, IIIb. Strains of E. faecalis were inoculated in all the root canals. CET group samples were treated by chemo-mechanical preparation (CMP) alone, PAD samples were treated with laser alone at 2 different exposure time (4 min and 2 min). In the combination treatment, samples were treated initially by CET and then by PAD for a time period of 4 min and 2 min. Contents of the root canal were aspirated, diluted and plated in Tryptone Soya Broth (TSB) and plates were incubated for 24 h to observe the bacterial regrowth.ResultsShowed PAD used along with CMP reduced the bacterial load of E. faecalis by 99.5% at 4 min and 98.89% at 2 min.ConclusionPAD may be an adjunctive procedure to kill residual bacteria in the dental root canal systems after standard endodontic root canal preparation.