Antioxidant activity via DPPH, gram-positive and gram-negative antimicrobial potential in edible mushrooms

Edible mushrooms (EMs) are nutritionally rich source of proteins and essential amino acids. In the present study, the antioxidant activity via 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and antimicrobial potential in EMs ( Pleurotus ostreatus, Morchella esculenta, P. ostreatus (Black), P. ostreatus (Yellow) and Pleurotus sajor-caju) were investigated. The DPPH radical scavenging activity revealed that the significantly higher activity (66.47%) was observed in Morchella esculenta at a maximum concentration. Similarly, the dose-dependent concentrations (200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 µg) were also used for other four EMs. Pleurotus ostreatus exhibited 36.13% activity, P. ostreatus (Black (B)) exhibited 30.64%, P. ostreatus (Yellow (Y)) exhibited 40.75% and Pleurotus sajor-caju exhibited 47.39% activity at higher concentrations. Furthermore, the antimicrobial potential were investigated for its toxicity against gram-negative bacterial strains ( Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumonia, Erwinia carotovora and Agrobacterium tumifaciens), gram-positive bacterial strains ( Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus atrophaeus and Staphylococcus aureus) and a fungal strain ( Candida albicans) in comparison with standard antibiotics. Antimicrobial screening revealed that the ethanol extract of P. ostreatus was active against all microorganism tested except E. coli. Maximum zone of inhibition (13 mm) was observed against fungus and A. tumifaciens. P. sajor-caju showed best activities (12.5 mm) against B. subtilis, B. atrophaeus and K. pneumonia. P. ostreatus (Y) showed best activities against P. aeroginosa (21.83 mm), B. atrophaeus (20 mm) and C. albicans (21 mm). P. ostreatus (B) exhibited best activities against C. albicans (16 mm) and slightly lower activities against all other microbes except S. typhi. M. esculenta possess maximum activities in terms of inhibition zone against all microorganisms tested except S. typhi.

Cancer prevention through sensible nutrition (commentary)

Because of the constant inflow of information and educational efforts by many organizations, public attention is increasingly focused in finding information about strategies for prevention of cancer. Because of the research efforts of the last twenty years it is now increasingly appreciated that changes in dietary habits may result in cancer incidence. In addition, the usefulness of dietary substances in affording prevention against the occurrence of cancer is increasingly recognized as one practical. approach in this direction. The general public through media efforts and through educational efforts by many organizations is becoming aware of the fact that certain dietary substances can increase the risk for cancer development whereas certain others can lower it. This awareness, most likely, will have practical implications in reducing cancer risk because unlike the carcinogenic environmental factors that are difficult to control, individuals can make decisions to modify their choice for the food and beverage they consume. This commentary deals with issues related to cancer prevention through sensible nutrition.

Production of muons from heavy flavor decays at forward rapidity in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has measured the inclusive production of muons from heavy-flavor decays at forward rapidity, 2.5<y<4, in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=2.76  TeV. The p(t)-differential inclusive cross section of muons from heavy-flavor decays in pp collisions is compared to perturbative QCD calculations. The nuclear modification factor is studied as a function of p(t) and collision centrality. A weak suppression is measured in peripheral collisions. In the most central collisions, a suppression of a factor of about 3-4 is observed in 6<p(t)<10  GeV/c. The suppression shows no significant p(t) dependence.

Antibiotic susceptibility profile of Haemophilus influenzae and transfer of co-trimoxazole resistance determinants

Prior to the implementation of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination worldwide, H. influenzae has been one of the main causative agents of community acquired pneumonia and meningitis in children. Due to the lack of information on the characteristics of the H. influenzae isolates that have previously been collected in Malaysia, the H. influenzae were assessed of their microbial susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics. Emphasis was made on strains that were resistance to co-trimoxazole (SXT) and their mode of transfer of the antibiotic resistance determinants were examined. A collection of 34 H. influenzae isolates was serotyped and antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed to 11 antibiotics. To the isolates that were found to be resistant to co-trimoxazole, minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) to SXT was performed using Etest while agar dilution method was used to measure the individual MICs of trimethoprim (TMP) and sulfamethoxazole (SUL). These isolates were also examined for presence of plasmid by PCR and isolation method. Conjugal transfers of SXT-resistant genes to SXT-susceptible hosts were performed to determine their rate of transfer. Result showed that 20.6% of the total number of isolates was serotype B while the remaining was non-typeable. Antimicrobial susceptibility profile of all the isolates revealed that 58.8% was resistant to at least one antibiotic. Majority of these isolates were equally resistant to ampicillin and tetracycline (29.4% each), followed by resistance to SXT (26.5%). From nine isolates that were found to be SXT-resistant, five contained plasmid/s. Conjugal transfer experiment showed that these five isolates with plasmid transferred SXT-resistance determinants at a higher frequency than those without. From these observations, it is postulated that plasmid is not involved in the transfer of SXT-resistance genes but presence of plasmid facilitates their transfer. The information obtained from this study provides some basic knowledge on the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the H. influenzae isolates and their mode of transfer of SXT-resistance genes.

J/ψ suppression at forward rapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV

The ALICE experiment has measured the inclusive J/ψ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN) = 2.76 TeV down to zero transverse momentum in the rapidity range 2.5 < y < 4. A suppression of the inclusive J/ψ yield in Pb-Pb is observed with respect to the one measured in pp collisions scaled by the number of binary nucleon-nucleon collisions. The nuclear modification factor, integrated over the 0%-80% most central collisions, is 0.545 ± 0.032(stat) ± 0.083(syst) and does not exhibit a significant dependence on the collision centrality. These features appear significantly different from measurements at lower collision energies. Models including J/ψ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase can describe our data.

Influence of various host plants on the consumption and utilization of food by Pieris brassicae (Linn.)

Pieris brassicae (Linn.) is a destructive cosmopolitan pest of cruciferous crops. It is present wherever its host plants occur, and it is considered to be one of the most widely distributed of all the Lepidoptera. We investigated the affect of various host plants on the food consumption and utilization by P. brassicae. We quantified consumption of food, larval duration, pupal duration and weight on cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis), radish (Raphanus sativus), broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and mustard (Brassica campestris) under laboratory conditions. Insect-host relationships can be better understood by knowing the rate of food consumption, its digestibility and conversion of food eaten to body tissue. The consumption of food generally increased with the advancement of larval age. In our study we found that consumption of food was highest on radish and lowest on broccoli. The highest consumption of a particular host does not always indicate greater suitability of that host, until and unless other factors like consumption index (CI), relative growth rate (RGR), efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI), approximate digestibility (AD) and efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD) are also considered. In the current investigation, factors like CI, RGR, ECI and ECD were highest on cabbage. Low body weight of pupa is associated with rapid development. On cabbage, the weight of pupa of both sexes was found lowest. Thus, from the present study, it can be concluded that cabbage is a more suitable host for P. brassicae than other host plants evaluated. Hence, on cabbage, the values of Waldbauer indices were highest and P. brassicae developed with a faster rate.

Particle-yield modification in jetlike azimuthal dihadron correlations in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV

The yield of charged particles associated with high-p(t) trigger particles (8<p(t)<15 GeV/c) is measured with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at √s(NN)=2.76 TeV relative to proton-proton collisions at the same energy. The conditional per-trigger yields are extracted from the narrow jetlike correlation peaks in azimuthal dihadron correlations. In the 5% most central collisions, we observe that the yield of associated charged particles with transverse momenta p(t)>3 GeV/c on the away side drops to about 60% of that observed in pp collisions, while on the near side a moderate enhancement of 20%-30% is found.

J/ψ polarization in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

The ALICE Collaboration has studied J/ψ production in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV at the LHC through its muon pair decay. The polar and azimuthal angle distributions of the decay muons were measured, and results on the J/ψ polarization parameters λ(θ) and λ(φ) were obtained. The study was performed in the kinematic region 2.5<y<4, 2<p(t)<8 GeV/c, in the helicity and Collins-Soper reference frames. In both frames, the polarization parameters are compatible with zero, within uncertainties.

Characterization of tannery effluent wastewater by proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis to investigate their role in water pollution

INTRODUCTION

Over the last few decades, the chromium-based tanning industry has shown rapid growth in Pakistan. However, the rules and regulations promulgated by the government are not strictly followed for processing the effluent discharge from the tanneries. Consequently, tannery effluents have become a great source of water pollution in surrounding areas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this case study, characterization of tannery effluent wastewater (TW), shallow groundwater (SW), and deep groundwater (DW) samples was carried out to determine the source of water pollution in the district of Kasur, Pakistan.

RESULTS

The concentrations of calcium (Ca), chlorine (Cl), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), potassium (K), Mg, sulfur (S), silicon (Si), and Sr in TW were significantly higher than SW and DW, which also exceeded the international limits. In addition, increased concentrations of major toxic elements (Cl, Cr, Fe, K, Ni, and Si) were also observed in SW, which were higher in comparison to DW. Strikingly, the concentrations of Cr and Si in various DW samples were also beyond World Health Organization (WHO) safe limit, which reinforced the trend that water pollution in the area is directly linked to the distance from the source (TW). The particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) indices also suggested that TW is a main contributory source of water-based pollution in the area, which is imposing great threat to local inhabitants due to known hazardous and carcinogenic potential of these elements.

CONCLUSION

Protecting the water resources will be a formidable challenge in the study area, which requires modernization of tannery industry, thereby improving the recovery and recycling of TW. Moreover, PIXE analysis presented here as a successful tool, could serve as landmark for the contemporary research in environmental toxicology.

Duplication of the inferior vena cava

We highlight the case of a double Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) encountered in a multi-visceral recovery operation on a deceased donor. In such cases pre-operative abdominal cross sectional imaging is usually not available hence the procurement surgeon needs to rely on vigilance and awareness of other potential anatomical variations that are associated with the condition. We outline our operative approach, summarize the embryological development of IVC and present the case as a reminder of this rare anatomical variation.

Higher harmonic anisotropic flow measurements of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of the triangular v3, quadrangular v4, and pentagonal v5 charged particle flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76  TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show that the triangular flow can be described in terms of the initial spatial anisotropy and its fluctuations, which provides strong constraints on its origin. In the most central events, where the elliptic flow v2 and v3 have similar magnitude, a double peaked structure in the two-particle azimuthal correlations is observed, which is often interpreted as a Mach cone response to fast partons. We show that this structure can be naturally explained from the measured anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients.

Factors Influencing Utilization of ASHA Services under NRHM in Relation to Maternal Health in Rural Lucknow

BACKGROUND

Under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), ASHA (accredited social health activist) has been identified as an effective link to address the poor utilization of maternal and child health (MCH) services by rural pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE

To study the factors influencing utilization of ASHA services in relation to maternal health.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Primary Health Centre (PHC), Sarojininagar, Lucknow and its rural field area.

STUDY PERIOD

September 2007 to August 2008. STUDY UNIT: RDW (recently delivered women) were considered as those who delivered a live newborn at PHC Sarojininagar, within a week of interview and belonged to villages within the confines of the PHC being served by ASHA.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

350 RDW were interviewed at their bedside, by a preformed and pretested schedule and then were followed-up after six weeks.

RESULTS

Utilization of ASHA services for early registration was significantly associated with age and religion of RDW. Young, educated and socio-economic class III RDW utilized ASHA services the maximum for early registration. Utilization of ASHA services for adequate ANC or antenatal care (100 iron and folic acid tablets, 2 tetanus toxoid injection and ≥3 antenatal visits) was also inversely associated with age of RDW. Young, Hindu, scheduled caste, middle school pass, Class III RDW and those with birth order one had high odds for utilization of ASHA services for adequate ANC. With regard to postnatal check-up, again young RDW with birth order one, Hindu RDW in reference to Muslim and RDW in socio-economic class III had higher likelihood for utilization of ASHA services. Caste-wise scheduled caste (SC) and other backward caste (OBC) RDW had higher odds for utilization of ASHA services. Educated RDW and those with educated husband had higher odds for utilization of ASHA services for postnatal check-up.

CONCLUSION

Young, educated RDW with low parity, educated husband and belonging to higher socio-economic class had higher odds of utilization of ASHA services.

The value of (18)F-FDG PET/CT for the detection of distant metastases in high-risk patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The aims of this study were to assess a cohort of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) for: (1) the prevalence of synchronous distant metastases (DM) as detected by the initial staging by using (18)F-FDG PET/CT, (2) the prevalence of metachronous DM, and (3) the validity of published risk factors with special emphasis on the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) for the prediction of DM. Two hundred and ninety nine patients with advanced HNSCC were included. Following risk factors at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up were analyzed: advanced T/N stage, poor histological differentiation, level IV/Vb lymph nodes, primary site in the larynx/hypopharynx, and SUV max. The prevalence of DM at initial staging and during follow-up was 10% and 11%, respectively. At initial staging, primary site in the larynx/hypopharynx and neck nodes in level IV/Vb, and during follow-up only level IV/Vb nodes achieved statistical significance. The sensitivity for (18)F-FDG PET/CT with regard to the detection of DM was 96.8%, the specificity 95.4%, the positive predictive value (PV) 69.8%, and the negative PV 99.6%. Patients without DM showed a significantly better overall survival (OS) than patients developing DM (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in OS with regard to the time of diagnosis of DM. The prevalence for synchronous and metachronous DM in advanced HNSCC is considerable. (18)F-FDG PET/CT is highly accurate for initial staging and follow-up. DM carries a bad prognosis regardless of the time of diagnosis.