Kinetics of pyridine degradation along with toluene and methylene chloride with Bacillus sp. in packed bed reactor

Bacillus coagulans strain isolated from contaminated soil was immobilised on activated carbon for degradation of pyridine, toluene and methylene chloride containing synthetic wastewaters. Pyridine was supplied as the only source of nitrogen in the wastewaters. Continuous runs in a packed bed laboratory reactor showed that immobilized B. coagulans can degrade pyridine along with other organics rapidly and the effluent ammonia is also controlled in presence of “organic carbon”. About 644?mg/l of influent TOC was efficiently degraded (82.85%) at 64.05?mg/l/hr loading.     

Purification and characterization of a motility initiating protein from caprine epididymal plasma

Numerous reports have appeared on the occurrence of undefined protein factors in male reproductive fluids that promote motility of mature sperm and initiate forward motility in the immature (immotile) caput‐epididymal sperm. This study reports for the first time purification to apparent homogeneity of a motility initiating protein (MIP) from epididymal plasma and its characterization using the caprine sperm model. It is a 125 kDa (approximately) dimeric protein made up of two subunits: 70 and 54 kDa. MIP is an acidic protein with an isoelectric point of 4.75. The motility protein at 30 µg/ml (240 nM) level showed nearly maximal motility‐promoting activity. MIP is heat stable and it is maximally active at pH 8. It is a glycoprotein that binds with high affinity to concanavalin A and it contains mannose, galactose, and N‐acetyl glucosamine approximately in the ratios of 6:1:6. It is sensitive to the actions of α‐mannosidase and β‐N‐acetylglucoseaminidase thereby demonstrating that the sugar side chain of the glycoprotein is essential for its biological activity. Epididymal plasma is its richest source. It is also capable of enhancing forward motility of mature cauda‐sperm. Its antibody markedly inhibits sperm motility. MIP antibody is highly immunospecific and it recognizes both the subunits. MIP causes significant increase of the intrasperm level of cyclic AMP. MIP: the physiological motility‐activating protein has potential for use as a contraceptive vaccine and for solving some of the problems of human infertility and animal breeding. J. Cell. Physiol. 222:254–263, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Expression of hup Genes in Azorhizobium caulinodans and Their Coregulation With RuBP Carboxylase

In Azorhizobium caulinodans strain IRBG 46, H₂ evolved by nitrogenase Induced uptake hydrogenase ex-planta. The strain expressed an efficient H₂ recycling system under both symbiotic and ex-planta conditions. For the first time, a comparable relative efficiency of electron transfer to N₂ via nitrogenase under symbiotic as well as ex-planta conditions for both Hup? strain B11 as well as Hup⁺ strain IRBG 46, has been reported. The study also suggested a coordinate regulatory relationship between rubisco and hup genes.     

Electronic structure theory based study of proline interacting with gold nano clusters

Interaction between metal nanoparticles and biomolecules is important from the view point of developing and designing biosensors. Studies on proline tagged with gold nanoclusters are reported here using density functional theory (DFT) calculations for its structural, electronic and bonding properties. Geometries of the complexes are optimized using the PBE1PBE functional and mixed basis set, i. e., 6-311++G for the amino acid and SDD for the gold clusters. Equilibrium configurations are analyzed in terms of interaction energies, molecular orbitals and charge density. The complexes associated with cluster composed of an odd number of Au atoms show higher stability. Marked decrease in the HOMO-LUMO gaps is observed on complexation. Major components of interaction between the two moieties are: the anchoring N-Au and O-Au bond; and the non covalent interactions between Au and N-H or O-H bonds. The electron affinities and vertical ionization potentials for all complexes are calculated. They show an increased value of electron affinity and ionization potential on complexation. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis reveals a charge transfer between the donor (proline) and acceptor (gold cluster). The results indicate that the nature of interaction between the two moieties is partially covalent. Our results will be useful for further experimental studies and may be important for future applications.     

Effect of heparin on wound healing

Heparin with its ability to dissolve the fibrin clot exerts its major effect in the early stages of wound healing by depriving the fibroblasts of their scaffold. Heparin inhibits cross linking of collagen and accelerates its degradation. There is faulty orientation of the collagen fibrils in the heparinized wound. It may be concluded that heparin interferes with wound healing.     

Neuroregenerative strategies in the brain: emerging significance of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7)

Every year thousands of people suffer from brain injuries and stroke, and develop motor, sensory, and cognitive problems as a result of neuronal loss in the brain. Unfortunately, the damaged brain has a limited ability to enact repair and current modes of treatment are not sufficient to offset the damage. An extensive list of growth factors, neurotrophic factors, cytokines, and drugs has been explored as potential therapies. However, only a limited number of them may actually have the potential to effectively offset the brain injury or stroke-related problems. One of the treatments considered for future brain repair is bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7), a factor currently used in patients to treat non-neurological diseases. The clinical application of BMP7 is based on its neuroprotective role in stroke animal models. This paper reviews the current approaches considered for brain repair and discusses the novel convergent strategies by which BMP7 potentially can induce neuroregeneration.     

A combination of cross-neutralizing antibodies synergizes to prevent SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV pseudovirus infection

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An Assessment of Nutrition Education in Endocrinology Fellowship Programs in the United States

ObjectiveCounseling patients about nutrition significantly improves chronic disease outcomes. Endocrinologists are uniquely positioned to educate patients regarding nutrition. The purpose of this study was to define the current state of nutrition education in endocrinology fellowship programs in the United States and assess the needs for future nutrition training.MethodsEndocrinology program directors were surveyed via an online questionnaire between February and April 2021.ResultsThirty-eight program directors responded (25% response rate) to the survey. Twenty-two (58%) programs offered nutrition education. Existing nutrition education offerings were 1 to 5 total hours (13, 34%), primarily didactic (20, 53%), and often led by registered dietitian nutritionists (15, 39%). Only 3 (8%) programs rated their current nutrition education as extremely effective; 95% of respondents believed that further nutrition education was needed. According to respondents, the ideal nutrition education for endocrine trainees should be 1 to 5 total hours (19, 50%) over multiple sessions (25, 66%), be interactive (24, 63%), and be led by registered dietitian nutritionists (26, 68%). The most important topics for independent practice included diet-related behavior modification (21, 55%), components of a healthful diet (19, 50%), and energy expenditure/intake (18, 47%).ConclusionAlthough the majority of the program directors believe that further nutrition education is needed, almost half of the surveyed programs do not offer such training. Programs that offer nutrition education primarily rely on a didactic format. There is an unmet need for interactive, multidisciplinary nutrition education in these programs.     

The Drosophila melanogaster Phospholipid Flippase dATP8B Is Required for Odorant Receptor Function

The olfactory systems of insects are fundamental to all aspects of their behaviour, and insect olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) exhibit exquisite specificity and sensitivity to a wide range of environmental cues. In Drosophila melanogaster, ORN responses are determined by three different receptor families, the odorant (Or), ionotropic-like (IR) and gustatory (Gr) receptors. However, the precise mechanisms of signalling by these different receptor families are not fully understood. Here we report the unexpected finding that the type 4 P-type ATPase phospholipid transporter dATP8B, the homologue of a protein associated with intrahepatic cholestasis and hearing loss in humans, is crucial for Drosophila olfactory responses. Mutations in dATP8B severely attenuate sensitivity of odorant detection specifically in Or-expressing ORNs, but do not affect responses mediated by IR or Gr receptors. Accordingly, we find dATP8B to be expressed in ORNs and localised to the dendritic membrane of the olfactory neurons where signal transduction occurs. Localisation of Or proteins to the dendrites is unaffected in dATP8B mutants, as is dendrite morphology, suggesting instead that dATP8B is critical for Or signalling. As dATP8B is a member of the phospholipid flippase family of ATPases, which function to determine asymmetry in phospholipid composition between the outer and inner leaflets of plasma membranes, our findings suggest a requirement for phospholipid asymmetry in the signalling of a specific family of chemoreceptor proteins.