Removal of iron,arsenic and coliform bacteria from water by novel constructed soil filter system

The present paper presents results of the study in removal of iron, arsenic and total coliform from drinking water using single-pass constructed soil filter (CSF). Results indicated that arsenic levels ranged from 0.5 to less than 10 μg l^?1 levels; iron from 5 to less than 0.3 mg l^?1 and coliform from 10^?5 to less than 5 CFU/100 ml. The results revealed very high removal efficiency, i.e., over 99% and water quality as per WHO standard.     

A combined vaccine against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brucella abortus</Emphasis> and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis

The present study was undertaken to study the immune response in calves vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) vaccines in monovalent form and combined vaccine containing both antigen. The seroconversion of monovalent and combined vaccines was tested in seronegative cattle calves. IBR vaccine alone and combination with live Brucella abortus S19 vaccine elicited an anamnestic response on day 60 post booster but started declining from day 90 onwards against IBR. B. abortus S19 alone and in combination with IBR vaccine gave more than 2 log protection in mice two weeks post challenge. Fluorescence polarization assay analysis with sera samples of calves vaccinated with B. abortus S19 monovalent vaccine alone and in combination with IBR vaccine revealed the presence of B. abortus antibodies. The components of the combined vaccine did not show any evidence of interference in the development of immunity. This combined vaccine may provide economical and affordable biological for the control of brucellosis and IBR.     

Design,synthesis, biological evaluation and molecular modelling studies of novel quinoline derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

We herein describe the synthesis and antimycobacterial activity of a series of 27 different derivatives of 3-benzyl-6-bromo-2-methoxy-quinolines and amides of 2-[(6-bromo-2-methoxy-quinolin-3-yl)-phenyl-methyl]-malonic acid monomethyl ester. The antimycobacterial activity of these compounds was evaluated in vitro against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv for nine consecutive days upon a fixed concentration (6.25 μg/mL) at day one in Bactec assay and compared to untreated TB cell culture as well as one with isoniazide treated counterpart, under identical experimental conditions. The compounds 3, 8, 17 and 18 have shown 92–100% growth inhibition of mycobacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 μg/mL. Based on our molecular modelling and docking studies on well-known diarylquinoline antitubercular drug R207910, the presence of phenyl, naphthyl and halogen moieties seem critical. Comparison of docking studies on different stereoisomers of R207910 as well as compounds from our data set, suggests importance of electrostatic interactions. Further structural analysis of docking studies on our compounds suggests attractive starting point to find new lead compounds with potential improvements.     

Role of the support surface on the loading and the activity of Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase used for biodiesel synthesis

The present work investigates the influence of the support surface on the loading and the enzymatic activity of the immobilized Pseudomonas fluorescens lipase. Different porous materials, polypropylene (Accurel), polymethacrylate (Sepabeads EC-EP), silica (SBA-15 and surface modified SBA-15), and an organosilicate (MSE), were used as supports. The immobilized biocatalysts were compared towards sunflower oil ethanolysis for the sustainable production of biodiesel. Since the supports have very different structural (ordered hexagonal and disordered) and textural features (surface area, pore size, and total pore volume), in order to consider only the effect of the support surface, experiments were performed at low surface coverage. The different functional groups occurring on the support surface allowed either physical (Accurel, MSE, and SBA-15) or chemical adsorption (Sepabeads EC-EP and SBA-15–R-CHO). The surface-modified SBA-15 (SBA-15–R-CHO) allowed the highest loading. The lipase immobilized on the MSE was the most active biocatalyst. However, in terms of catalytic efficiency (activity/loading) the lipase immobilized on the SBA-15, the support that allowed the lowest loading, was the most efficient.     

An In-solution Ultrasonication-assisted Digestion Method for Improved Extracellular Matrix Proteome Coverage

Epithelial cell behavior is coordinated by the composition of the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM); thus ECM protein identification is critical for understanding normal biology and disease states. Proteomic analyses of ECM proteins have been hindered by the insoluble and digestion-resistant nature of ECM. Here we explore the utility of combining rapid ultrasonication- and surfactant-assisted digestion for the detailed proteomics analysis of ECM samples. When compared with traditional overnight digestion, this optimized method dramatically improved the sequence coverage for collagen I, revealed the presence of hundreds of previously unidentified proteins in Matrigel, and identified a protein profile for ECM isolated from rat mammary glands that was substantially different from that found in Matrigel. In a three-dimensional culture assay to investigate epithelial cell-ECM interactions, mammary epithelial cells were found to undergo extensive branching morphogenesis when plated with mammary gland-derived matrix in comparison with Matrigel. Cumulatively these data highlight the tissue-specific nature of ECM composition and function and underscore the need for optimized techniques, such as those described here, for the proteomics characterization of ECM samples.Extracellular matrix (ECM)¹ is a critical component of the tissue microenvironment. ECM plays a pivotal role in embryonic stem cell development and differentiation (1, 2) as well as many physiological (3) and pathological processes, including cancer progression (4, 5). Cell regulation by ECM has been studied with high frequency in recent years (7, 8). However, our ability to globally characterize ECM composition both in vitro and in vivo has been severely limited because of several unique attributes of ECM proteins such as high molecular weight glycans and the presence of covalent protein cross-links (6, 9, 10). Traditional proteomics approaches have proven to be ineffective for the identification of ECM proteins as demonstrated by the fact that collagens, despite being the most abundant protein in mammals, are significantly underrepresented in tissue-based proteomics data sets.Ultrasonication has long been used for the digestion of bioorganic materials to allow for maximal and reproducible extraction and hence the accurate identification of small molecule and inorganic analytes (11). More recently, Capelo et al. (12) have used ultrasonic energy to catalyze tryptic digestion of proteins for subsequent mass spectrometry-based identification. Here we sought to determine whether this method could be optimized to prepare ECM samples for mass spectrometry-based analysis. For method development, we used rat tail collagen as a representative ECM protein for which current proteomics approaches have proven relatively unsuccessful. Type I collagen is defined as a right-handed triple helix heterotrimer comprising two identical α1 chains and one α2 chain that form a fibrillar network (6). The physical properties of the triple helical structure render the protein resistant to proteasch as trypsin (9). In this work, we focused our efforts on developing a digestion approach that improves our ability to perform proteomics analysis on a type I collagen preparation and then used this method to identify the protein composition of EHS murine chondrosarcoma matrix (10), herein referred to as Matrigel, and a matrix preparation from rat mammary tissue.In this study, we developed a digestion approach suitable for a two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based analysis of ECM proteins. Our digestion approach involves three cycles of ultrasonication for rapid initial trypsin digestion followed by overnight digestion using an acid-labile surfactant. This approach resulted in significant improvement in collagen peptide identification and the identification of numerous ECM proteins previously uncharacterized in Matrigel and in mammary tissue. The application of our ECM-optimized ultrasonic assisted trypsin digestion method is anticipated to significantly advance the identification of tissue- and disease state-specific ECM proteins.     

Could adrenal insufficiency serve as a predictor of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in HIV disease?

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is an inflammatory manifestation that occurs subsequent to initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy in terminal (HAART) HIV infection, mainly due to the restoration of robust immune responses directed against latent microbial antigens. IRIS is believed to be multifactorial and less studied. Herein, we postulate that hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) dysregulation, a well-documented manifestation in HIV/AIDS, could possibly disturb the balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines leading to clinical IRIS. Drugs, opportunistic infections, stress and numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors have been described to be the possible causes of IRIS in HIV illness.     

Can iron depletion inside macrophages serve to prolong HIV disease progression?

Studies have shown that the more iron in a given population, the more that population is vulnerable to intracellular opportunistic infections (OIs) in AIDS, mainly because these microbes make use of the intracellular iron to proliferate, and could render infections deadly. In contrast, macrophages that lack iron are effective in preventing an establishment of infection. We propose that reduction in total body iron could be a valuable treatment option for some intracellular infections, including OIs. We suggest two options to deprive pathogens of using intracellular iron (i) to practice regular blood-letting, an ancient treatment option, and (ii) to down-regulate hepcidin, the key hormone involved in the regulation of iron balance and recycling. This could also deprive transformed cells of metabolizing iron for survival. Whether or these methods serve to curb the onset of OIs/cancers to prolong HIV disease progression remains to be investigated.     

Measuring bacterial growth by tapered fiber and changes in evanescent field

Single mode continuous tapered fibers were fabricated with waist diameters of 6-8 microm and of 11 mm waist lengths. The tapered surface was coated with poly-l-lysine and Escherichia coli (E. coli) (JM 101) expressing green fluorescent protein was immobilized. Growth of this culture at 22 and 32 degrees C was monitored by 480 nm light transmission through the tapered fiber. Change in transmission is a measure of change in absorption of the evanescent field. The transmission decreased exponentially with cell growth on the tapered surface. Growth rate was determined and compared favorably with cells grown on the same medium in multiwell plates. Significance of the results is that a tapered fiber sensor can be used effectively for rapid assessment to determine the presence of bacteria by growth.