Performance of bacterial strains used for distillery waste treatment on different substrates

Six bacterial strains were isolated and acclimatized on distillery waste. The performance of these bacterial strains in respect to growth, reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) values, carbon dioxide production and volatile acid production were studied on five different substrates. Glucose and xylose exhibited growth patterns similar to that on spentwash. Glucose, xylose, casein hydrolysate and amino acids led to very good reduction in COD values compared with glycerol. Rate of substrate consumption was maximum in the case of glucose followed by amino acids, casein hydrolysate, xylose and glycerol. Production of volatile acids and carbon dioxide from glucose amounted to ≈ 50% of the theoretical yield based on glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Production of carbon dioxide followed the usual microbiological growth pattern while volatile acids did not show any such pattern. Carbon dioxide and volatile acids appear to be the major degradation products in distillery waste treatment by these bacteria.     

Seasonal changes in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-ovarian system in the catfish,Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)*

The annual reproductive cycle of the catfish, H. fossilis (Bloch) is divided into the preparatory period (February-April), the prespawning period (May-June), the spawning period (July-August) and the postspawning period (September-January). During the early postspawning period (September-November), the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-ovarian system shows a gradual regression. In January, the hypothalamic nuclei, the pars magnocellularis (PMC), the pars parvocellularis (PPC) of the nucleus preopticus (NPO), and the nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT) show renewed activity, as shown by a significant increase in their nuclear diameters and an accumulation of neurosecretory material (NSM) in their cell bodies. The hypophysis and the ovary remain quiescent. During the preparatory period, all the hypothalamic neurons studied indicate decreased activity but simultaneously show an accumulation of NSM in their cell bodies. The number of granulated basophils in the proximal pars distalis (PPD) of the hypophysis remains low but ovarian weights increase, presumably due to the multiplication of oogonia. In the prespawning period, there is a marked accumulation of NSM in the cell bodies of the hypothalamic neurons and at the same time the number of granulated basophils in the PPD of the hypophysis dramatically increases with concomitant increase in vitellogenic activity in the ovary. During the spawning period, the hypothalamic neurons continue to store NSM in their cell bodies and simultaneously there is a tremendous increase in the number of granulated basophils in the PPD of the hypophysis and the ovary has a large proportion of yolky primary oocytes. Spawning is associated with a significant degranulation of the granulated basophils in the PPD of the hypophysis. The significance of the results is discussed in relation to the environmental and hormonal regulation of seasonal ovarian activity.     

Impact of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV) infection on physiological efficiency and growth parameters of sugarcane under tropical climatic conditions in India

Yellow leaf (YL) of sugarcane caused by Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV, a Polerovirus of the Luteoviridae family) is a serious disease affecting the crop production and productivity in India. Although impact of the disease on cane growth is observed, no systematic study has been done so far from the tropical Asian region to establish its impact on various physiological parameters, cane yield and juice quality. We have assessed physiological parameters in symptomatic and asymptomatic plants of ten different cultivars and a genotype. In addition, similar comparisons were made between virus-infected and virus-free plants derived through meristem culture. Our studies established that among several physiological parameters, photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (g _s) and SPAD metre values were significantly reduced in cultivars severely infected with ScYLV. Virus-infected cultivars exhibited significant reduction in growth/yield parameters, viz. stalk height, stalk thickness and number of internodes. Plant growth reductions were found to be 42.9, 42.3 and 38.9 % in susceptible cultivars CoPant 84211, Co 86032 and CoC 671, respectively. In addition to reduction in stalk weight, height and girth, YL disease also reduced juice yield in the affected canes up to 34.15 %. Similarly, comparison of diseased (virus-infected) and virus-free plants derived through meristem culture also revealed a drastic reduction in cane growth/physiological parameters and juice yield due to virus infection. The present study is the first comprehensive report demonstrating that YL disease caused by ScYLV seriously affects cane and juice yield in major sugarcane varieties under tropical climatic conditions (India). Consequently, this situation warrants a massive programme to provide healthy seed material and initiate breeding for YL resistance in sugarcane.     

Changes in free and bound amino acids in experimental silicosis.

The amino acid composition of lung, serum and liver in silicotic rats was studied in order to assess the availability of precursors in lung for fibrogenesis. It was observed that the pool of ornithine, arginine, alanine, leucine, valine, glutamic acid, lysine, proline and glycine underwent marked alterations. Free arginine, proline and leucine were only detectable in silicotic lung, while free glycine, glutamic acid and glutamine pools decreased significantly in liver. Changes in amino acid metabolism as a result of silicosis are discussed.     

Beta cell function in long term NIDDM (type 2) patients and its relation to treatment

Pancreatic beta cell function was assessed by estimation of fasting and post prandial plasma C-peptide in 183 non-insulin dependent diabetic patients, who were treated with oral hypoglycaemic drugs, for more than 10 years. One-hundred-and-forty-one patients, continued to respond to oral hypoglycaemic agents (Group I) and in 42 the control was not satisfactory and had to be changed over to insulin (secondary failure, Group II). Significant beta cell reserve (PP CP greater than or equal to 0.6 pmol/ml) was present in 89 out of 183 patients (48%) and 83 (93%) of them responded to oral hypoglycaemic agents. Among the 94 patients with low beta cell reserve, 58 (62%) were on oral hypoglycaemic agents and the other 36 (38%) were on insulin. Of the 42 patients with secondary failure to the oral drugs, 36 (86%) had low C-peptide while 6 (14%) had significant C-peptide values. Secondary failure to oral hypoglycaemic agents can also occur in spite of good beta cell reserve. Beta cell reserve was not correlated either to the duration of diabetes or the age at diagnosis of the patients.