Potential bactericidal activity of S. nux-vomica-ZnO nanocomposite against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens and wound-healing properties

Multidrug resistance in bacterial strains has become the greatest challenge for healthcare professionals for treating non-healing ulcers such as diabetic foot infections (DFI). Plant-mediated synthesis of S. nux-vomica-ZnO nanocomposite appears as a potential new alternative therapeutic agent that might be capable of tackling antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens and for treating a non-healing ulcer. The aim of the study was to investigate the antibacterial potential of S. nux-vomica-ZnO nanocomposite biosynthesised from Strychnos nux-vomica against multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) from DFU, wound-healing properties, and cytotoxic effects. The antibacterial potential was assessed by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)/ minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays, time-kill kinetics, protein-leakage, and flow cytometric analysis. The wound-healing properties were assessed by scratch assay on mouse L929 fibroblastic cell line to quantify cell migration towards the injured area. Cytotoxicity was assessed using 3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazol-yl]-2,5-diphenyl- 2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) cellular viability assay on the L929 cell line and human embryonic kidney epithelial (HEK-293) cell line. Strychnos nux-vomica-ZnO nanocomposite at a size range of 10-12 nm exhibited significant bactericidal potency at a concentration of 100-200 μg/ml against MDR-Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MDR-Escherichia coli, MDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MDR-Acinetobacter baumannii, and also against standard bacterial strains S. aureus ATCC 29213, E. coli ATCC 25922, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, E. faecalis ATCC 29212. S. nux-vomica-ZnO nanocomposite also exhibited wound-healing and reduced cytotoxic properties at the antimicrobially active concentrations. Our findings thus suggested remarkable bactericidal properties of S. nux-vomica-ZnO nanocomposite and can be further exploited towards for the development of an antibacterial agent against the threatening superbugs.

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO phytonanocomposite using Strychnos nux-vomica L. (Loganiaceae) and antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacterial strains from diabetic foot ulcer

Nanobiotechnology has been emerged as an efficient technology for the development of antimicrobial nanoparticles through an eco-friendly approach. In this study, green synthesized phytonanocomposite of ZnO from Strychnos nux-vomica leaf aqueous extract was characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), UV–visible-spectroscopy, Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), High-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Antibacterial activity was investigated against multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR) isolated from diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), such as MDR–methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), MDR–Escherichia coli, MDR–Pseudomonas aeruginosa, MDR–Acinetobacter baumannii, as well as against standard bacterial strains, S. aureus ATCC 29213, E. coli ATCC 25922, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and E. faecalis ATCC 29212 through disc diffusion assays on Muller Hinton Agar. The characterization studies revealed a size-controlled synthesis of quasi-spherical hexagonal wurtzite structured ZnO phytonanocomposite with an average size of 15.52 nm. Additionally, remarkable bactericidal activities against MDR clinical as well as ATCC bacterial strains were exhibited, with a maximum zone of inhibition of 22.33 ± 1.53 mm (against S. aureus ATCC 29213) and 22.33 ± 1.16 mm (MDR–MRSA) at a concentration of 400 µg/mL. This study thus established the possibility of developing antimicrobial ZnO nanocomposite of Strychnos nux-vomica leaf extract to combat developing drug resistance currently being experienced in health care facilities.

A baseline record of trace elements concentration along the beach placer mining areas of Kanyakumari coast, South India

Trace element concentration in the beach placer mining areas of Kanyakumari coast, South India was assessed. Sewage and contaminated sediments from mining sites has contaminated the surface sediments. Enrichment factor indicates moderately severe enrichment for Pb, minor enrichment for Mn, Zn, Ni, Fe and no enrichment for Cr and Cu. The Igeo values show higher concentration of Pb ranging in the scale of 3-4, which shows strong contamination due to high anthropogenic activity such as mining and terrestrial influences into the coastal regions. Correlation coefficient shows that most of the elements are associated with each other except Ni and Pb. Factor analysis reveals that Mn, Zn, Fe, Cr, Pb and Cu are having a significant loading and it indicates that these elements are mainly derived from similar origin. The cluster analysis clearly indicated that the mining areas are grouped under cluster 2 and non-mining areas are clustered under group 1.

In Vitro Cytotoxicity Analysis of Chloroform Extract of Novel Poly Herbal Formulation

Objective: It is of interest to investigate the in vitro cyto toxicity effects of chloroformic extract of Novel polyherbal formulation were studied. Materials and Methods: Cytotoxicity of the crude extract of polyherbal formulation was evaluated on LLCMK2 monkey kidney epithelial cells and Cell viability was determined by using MTT assay. Results and Discussion: Our results indicate that the non toxic nature of a poly herbal formulation of Novel polyherbal formulation on control and experimental cell lines. Conclusion: The current mode of treatment for various diseases including cancer is based on synthetic drugs. These drugs are effective but they show serious adverse effects and also alter the genetic and metabolic activity of the patient. Furthermore, in vivo activity of the active compounds of a poly herbal formulation Novel polyherbal formulation needs to be determined in animal models and human subjects, so as to determine their efficacy in a metabolic environment.

Evolution of a Hybrid Model for an Effective Perimeter Security Device

Clustering and classification models, or hybrid models are the most widely used models that can handle the diverse nature of NIDS dataset. Dirichlet process clustering technique is a non-parametric Bayesian mixture model that considers the data distribution of the dataset for the formation of distinct clusters. The number of clusters is not known a priori and it differs across different datasets. Determining the number of clusters based on the distribution of data instances can increase the performance of the model. Naive Bayes model, a supervised learning classification technique, maintains a better computational efficiency, by reducing the training time. In this paper, we propose a hybrid model to exploit the positive aspect of proper clustering of data instances and the computational efficiency in building a NIDS. RIPPER algorithm is used to extract rules from the traffic description for updation of the rule database. Experiments were conducted in the KDD CUP’99 and SSENet-2011 datasets to study the performance of the proposed model. Also, a comparison of three hybrid methods with the proposed hybrid model was carried out. The results showed that the proposed hybrid model is superior in building a robust perimeter security device.

Antiproliferative efficacy of Tabernaemontana divaricata against HEP2 cell line and Vero cell line

Background:

Laryngeal cancer may also be called cancer of the larynx or laryngeal carcinoma. Conventional plants are a precious source of novel anticancer agents and are still in performance better role in health concern. The study was intended to estimation of the anticancer activity of the chloroformic extract of Tabernaemontana divaricata on the human epidermoid larynx carcinoma cell line (Hep 2).

Materials and Method:

The aerial parts (leaves, stem, and flowers) of T. divaricata were tested for its inhibitory effect in 96 microplate formats against Hep 2 cell line. The anticancer activity of samples on Hep 2 and Vero was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and various enzymatic parameters like catalase, reduced glutathione (GSH), GSH peroxidase, and superoxide anion scavenging activity. Viable cells were determined by the absorbance at 540 nm. Measurements were performed, and the concentration required for a 50% inhibition of viability (IC50) was determined graphically. The effect of the samples on the proliferation of Hep 2 and Vero cells was expressed as the % cell viability.

Results:

The extract on Hep 2 cell line up to 7.8 μg/ml and that IC50 value on Hep 2 cell line was 112 μg whereas 94 μg for Vero cell line. Hence, T. divaricata has lesser significant action on Vero cell line.

Conclusion:

Medicinal plant drug discovery continues to provide new and important leads against various pharmacological targets including cancer. Our results clearly indicate the anticancer property of the medicinal plant T. divaricata against the human laryngeal carcinoma cell lines (Hep 2 cell line).

Mapping of coastal aquifer vulnerable zone in the south west coast of Kanyakumari, South India, using GIS-based DRASTIC model

The south west coast of Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, India, is significantly affected by seawater intrusion and diffusion of pollutants into the aquifers due to unregulated beach placer mining and other anthropogenic activities. The present study investigates the vulnerability of the coastal aquifers using Geographic Information System (GIS)-based DRASTIC model. The seven DRASTIC parameters have been analyzed using the statistical equation of this model to demarcate the vulnerable zones for aquifer contamination. The vulnerability index map is prepared from the weighted spatial parameters, and an accounting of total index value ranged from 85 to 213. Based on the categorization of vulnerability classes, the high vulnerable zones are found near the beach placer mining areas between Manavalakurichi and Kodimanal coastal stretches. The aquifers associated with settlements and agricultural lands in the middle-eastern part have experienced high vulnerability due to contaminated water bodies. Similarly, the coastal areas of Thengapattinam and Manakudi estuary and around the South Tamaraikulam have also been falling under high vulnerability condition due to backwater and saltpan. In general, the nearshore region except the placer mining zone and the backwater has a moderately vulnerable condition, and the vulnerability index values range from 149 to180. Significantly, the northern and northeastern uplands and some parts of deposition zones in the middle-south coast have been identified as low to no vulnerable conditions. They are structurally controlled by various geological features such as charnockite, garnet biotite gneiss and granites, and sand dunes, respectively. The aquifer vulnerability assessment has been cross-verified by geochemical indicators such as total dissolved solids (TDS), Cl(-), HCO₃(-), and Cl(-)/HCO₃(-) ratio. The high ranges of TDS (1,842--3,736 mg/l) and Cl(-) (1,412--2,112 mg/l) values are well correlated with the observed high vulnerable zones in the study area. The Cl(-)/HCO₃(-) ratio (7.13 to 12.18) of the high vulnerable zone obviously indicates deterioration of the aquifer contamination. Sensitivity analysis has also been performed to evaluate sensitivity of the individual DRASTIC parameters to aquifer vulnerability. This reveals the net recharge rate and groundwater table depth are becoming more sensitive to aquifer contamination. It is realized that the GIS is an effective platform for aquifer vulnerability mapping with reliable accuracy, and hence, the study is more useful for sustainable water resource management and the aquifer conservation.

Near-infrared light-responsive nanomaterials in cancer therapeutics

Near-infrared light sensitive nanomaterials provide ideal nanoplatforms in site specific noninvasive cancer therapy.

Morpholin-4-ium hydrogen l-tartrate monohydrate

In the title compound, C₄H₁₀NO⁺·C₄H₅O₆⁻·H₂O, the morpholine ring adopts a chair conformation. In the crystal, the tartrate anions are linked via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains propagating along [101]. These chains are linked via N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, involving the morpholinium cation and the water molecule, forming a three-dimensional network.

Reprinted article "Factors associated with early failure of arteriovenous fistulae for haemodialysis access"

The radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula remains the method of choice for haemodialysis access. In order to assess their suitability for fistula formation, the radial arteries and cephalic veins were examined preoperatively by ultrasound colour flow scanner in conjunction with a pulse-generated run-off system. Intraoperative blood flow was measured after construction of the fistulae. Post-operative follow-up was performed at various intervals to monitor the development of the fistulae. Radial artery and cephalic vein diameter less than 1.6 mm was associated with early fistula failure. The intraoperative fistula blood flow did not correlate with the outcome of the operation probably due to vessel spasm from manipulation. However, blood flow velocities measured non-invasively 1 day after the operation were significantly lower in fistulae that failed early compared with those that were adequate for haemodialysis. Most of the increase in fistula diameter and blood flow occur within the first 2 weeks of surgery.

Vice to virtue: intracellular biogenic nanoparticles for the generation of carbon supported catalysts

Intracellular biogenic nanoparticles are considered disadvantageous as the separation of the nanoparticles from the biomass becomes intricate. However realizing the importance of carbon supported catalyst for many important organic reactions we envisaged these nanoparticles as a source for carbon supported catalyst. Herein we demonstrate the heat treatment of intracellular biogenic nanoparticles under inert atmosphere as an efficient method for the preparation of carbon supported metal oxide catalysts. Aspergillus ochraceus, a fungus isolated from foundries, on incubation with K2TiF6 led to the synthesis of intracellular titanium oxide nanoparticles. The nanoparticles embedded biomass upon heat treatment at 600 degrees C in a nitrogen environment gave titanium oxide nanoparticles implanted in a carbonaceous matrix. The material thus formed was characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, HRTEM and X-ray diffraction. Appreciable benzaldehyde selectivity was observed when styrene oxidation was carried out over such immobilized catalysts. The conversion rate was determined to be 76% and the benzaldehyde selectivity was greater than 80%.

Accuracy of 64-slice coronary CT angiography in predicting percentage diameter stenosis

OBJECTIVE

Aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of 64-slice CT coronary angiogram in measuring the percentage diameter stenosis compared to invasive angiography.

METHODS AND RESULTS

100 consecutive patients with more than 50% stenosis in at least one major coronary artery measured by 64-slice CT angiogram were included in the study. Patients with atrial fibrillation, history of allergy to contrast agent, acute coronary syndrome, renal insufficiency, history of previous coronary bypass surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary stent, heart rate more than 70 per minute at the time of scan in spite of beta-blocker therapy, and calcium score >2000 Agaston units were not included in the study. 15-segment American Heart Association classification was used, and segments were compared using qualitative angiography. 192 segments (12.80%) could not be assessed due to poor image quality. The major cause for poor image quality was dense calcification precluding the luminal assessment (60.42%). Comparing the maximal percentage diameter stenosis by 64-slice CT versus invasive angiogram, the Spearman correlation coefficient between the two modalities was 0.788 and p value was <0.001. Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference in percentage stenosis of 2.1 +/- 16.22%. A total of 91.97% (401 of 436) of segments were within 1.96 standard deviations.

CONCLUSION

This study shows that 64-slice CT coronary angiogram is accurate in detecting percentage diameter stenosis compared to coronary angiogram if the image quality is good. Calcifications and motion artifacts are the main culprits of poor image quality.