A review on extraction of polysaccharides from crustacean wastes and their environmental applications

Disposal of biodegradable waste of seashells leads to an environmental imbalance. A tremendous amount of wastes produced from flourishing shell fish industries while preparing crustaceans for human consumption can be directed towards proper utilization. The review of the present study focuses on these polysaccharides from crustaceans and a few important industrial applications. This review aimed to emphasize the current research on structural analyses and extraction of polysaccharides. The article summarises the properties of chitin, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharides and their derivatives that make them non-toxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible. Different extraction methods of chitin, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharides have been discussed in detail. Additionally, this information outlines possible uses for derivatives of chitin, chitosan, and chitooligosaccharides in the environmental, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and food industries. Additionally, it is essential to the textile, cosmetic, and enzyme-immobilization industries. This review focuses on new, insightful suggestions for raising the value of crustacean shell waste by repurposing a highly valuable material.

Lipid bioproduction from delignified native grass (Cyperus distans) hydrolysate by Yarrowia lipolytica

In the present study, native grass (Cyperus distans) was utilized for the production of lipid using Yarrowia lipolytica MTCC 9519. Initially, pretreatment methods using hydrothermal and alkaline delignification were performed to obtain cellulose rich liquid fractions. Delignified native grass biomass was enzymatically hydrolyzed to convert non fermentable sugars in to fermentable sugars. The growth of Y. lipolytica MTCC 9519 by utilizing pretreated native grass hydrolysate was evaluated. The yield and concentration of total reducing sugars after enzyme hydrolysis were found to be 378 ± 35 mg/g of pretreated biomass and 28.64 g/L ± 1.25 g/L, respectively. When pretreated, delignified native grass hydrolysate was used with (NH₄)₂SO₄ (30C/N ratio) and sodium n-octanoate (0.4% w/w), the dry cell weight and lipid accumulation of Y. lipolytica MTCC 9519 reached about 19.88 ± 1.54 g/L and 53.62% (w/w) respectively after 96 h. Thus, native grass could become a promising substrate for biolipid production.

Barriers and facilitators to adherence to walking group exercise in older people living with dementia in the community: a systematic review

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Evidence suggests that targeted exercise is important for people living with dementia. The aim of this review was to collect and synthesize evidence on the known barriers and facilitators to adherence to walking group exercise of older people living with dementia in the community.

METHODS

We have searched appropriate electronic databases between January 1990 until September 2019, in any language. Additionally, we searched trial registries (clinicaltrial.gov and WHO ICTRP) for ongoing studies. We included all study designs. Studies were excluded when participants were either healthy older people or people suffering from dementia but living in residential care. Narrative synthesis was used.

FINDINGS

10 papers met the inclusion criteria. The narrative analysis focused on barriers, facilitators, and adherence. All studies reported on barriers and facilitators. Barriers included: bio-medical reasons (including mental wellbeing and physical ability); relationship dynamics; and socio-economic reasons and environmental issues. Facilitators included: bio-medical benefits & benefits related to physical ability; staff, group relationship dynamics and social aspect of walking group; environmental issues and individual tailoring; and participants perceptions about the walks & the program. Most studies did not provide data about adherence or attendance; where reported, adherence ranged from 47 to 89%.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review of literature has highlighted known barriers and facilitators to adherence to walking groups type of exercise for people living with dementia in community. Carers' willingness to engage, their circumstances, perspectives and previous experiences of exercise seem to play a key role in facilitating adherence but there is little research that explores these. Also, the design, location and organisation of walking groups facilitate adherence. This reflects the need for such activities to be part of a wider 'program of care', tailored to the needs of the individual, flexible and convenient. Knowledgeable and well-trained instructors or healthcare professionals are recommended as group exercise leaders.

Enhanced malic acid production using Aspergillus niger coupled with in situ product recovery

In the present investigation, recovery of malic acid from the fermentation broth was performed by using in situ reactive extraction method employing different combination of amine and solvent systems. Totally six solvent mixtures were tested for toxicity on Aspergillus niger PJR1. Further, effect of solvent mixture concentration on separation of malic acid was investigated. Solvent system consisting of 2 M of trioctylamine in 1-octanol was found to be non-toxic to A. niger PJR1 and resulted in the maximum partition coefficient of 0.75 when the solvent mixture to liquid ratio of 1:2 used. A. niger PJR1 from crude glycerol using in situ reactive batch fermentation resulted in the maximum malic acid titer of 115.67 ± 3.5 g/L with the productivity of 0.53 g/L.h after 216 h. Further, fed batch extractive fermentation with crude glycerol resulted in malic acid titer of 131.48 ± 3.4 g/L with the productivity of 0.45 g/L.h after 288 h. Thus reactive extraction combined with in situ fermentation could become effective method for enhanced malic acid production.

Out-of-Field Dose Calculation by a Commercial Treatment Planning System and Comparison by Monte Carlo Simulation for Varian TrueBeam®

PURPOSE

The calculation accuracy of treatment planning systems (TPSs) drops drastically when the points outside the field edges are considered. The real accuracy of a TPS and linear accelerator (linac) combination for regions outside the field edge is a subject which demands more study. In this study, the accuracy of out-of-field dose calculated by a TPS, used with a TrueBeam® (TB) linac, is quantified.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

For dose calculation, Eclipse™ version 13.7 commissioned for TB machine was used. For comparison, Monte Carlo (MC) methods, as well as the measurements, were used. The VirtuaLinac, a Geant 4-based MC program which is offered as a cloud solution, is used for the generation of input phase-space (PS) files. This PS file was imported into PRIMO (PENELOPE based MC program) for the simulation of out-of-field dose.

RESULTS

In this study, the accuracy of the out-of-field dose calculated by a TPS for a TB linac was estimated. As per the results in comparison with MC simulations, the TPS underestimated the dose by around 45% on an average for the off-axis-distance range considered in this study. As the off-axis distance increased, the underestimation of the dose also increased.

CONCLUSION

In this work, it was observed that the TPS underestimates doses beyond the edges of treatment fields for a clinical treatment executed on a TB machine. This indicates that the out-of-field dose from TPSs should only be used with a clear understanding of the inaccuracy of dose calculations beyond the edge of the field.

Microbial abatement of toluene using Aspergillus niger in upflow bioreactor

Microbial abatement of toluene using Aspergillus niger in coir packed upflow bioreactor was investigated in this study. Toluene degrading microbes were isolated from municipal sewage effluent and identified by 16s rRNA sequencing method. The microbes were cultured in 2% (v/v) toluene input per day, which exhibited 95% removal efficiency with the kinetic correction value (R²) of 0.9024 at the optimum flow rate of about 0.4m³h^-1. Various parameters such as effect of flow rate, column height, elimination capacity and EBRT with removal efficiency for 50 day cycle were also optimized. The plug flow model for toluene degradation was properly expressed and the Monod kinetics constant K_m and r_max values were determined as 2.25gm^-3 and 67.773gm^-3h^-1 respectively for microbial growth rate.

Biodegradation of toluene vapor in coir based upflow packed bed reactor by Trichoderma asperellum isolate

In the present study, a new biofiltration system involving a selective microbial strain isolated from aerated municipal sewage water attached with coir as packing material was developed for toluene degradation. The selected fungal isolate was identified as Trichoderma asperellum by 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) sequencing method, and pylogenetic tree was constructed using BLASTn search. Effect of various factors on growth and toluene degradation by newly isolated T. asperellum was studied in batch studies, and the optimum conditions were found to be pH 7.0, temperature 30 °C, and initial toluene concentration 1.5 (v/v)%. Continuous removal of gaseous toluene was monitored in upflow packed bed reactor (UFPBR) using T. asperellum. Effect of various parameters like column height, flow rate, and the inlet toluene concentration were studied to evaluate the performance of the biofilter. The maximum elimination capacity (257 g m(-3) h(-1)) was obtained with the packing height of 100 cm with the empty bed residence time of 5 min. Under these optimum conditions, the T. asperellum showed better toluene removal efficiency. Kinetic models have been developed for toluene degradation by T. asperellum using macrokinetic approach of the plug flow model incorporated with Monod model.

Phytochemical composition, GC-MS analysis, in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial potential of clove flower bud (Eugenia caryophyllus) methanolic extract

Plant derived pharmacologically active compounds have gained importance in food and pharmaceutical industries. The aim of the present study is to identify and study the antioxidant, antimicrobial properties of the phytochemicals present in the crude extract of Eugenia caryophyllus flower buds. The antioxidant activity of the methanol, acetone and chloroform extract was evaluated by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The methanol extract showed better radical scavenging activity than other selected solvents. Preliminary screening of phytochemicals was carried out in methanol extract and total phenol content was found high. Antibacterial activity was determined by well diffusion assay and methanol extract was found effective against Klebsiella pneumonia. FTIR and GC-MS results indicate the presence of aromatic compounds and major constituents were found to be eugenol and eugenyl acetate. Results of this study implied that Eugenia caryophyllus flower bud extract could be considered as health nutriments in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Benign tumours of nasopharynx-revisited

Benign tumours of nasopharynx are extremely rare; seen predominantly in children and young adults. Patients usually present with seemingly innocuous symptoms and an error in judgement can be catastrophic. This is a retrospective analysis of patients diagnosed to have benign tumours of nasopharynx by histopathological examination in our tertiary care referral centre. The period of study is from September 2009 to August 2010. Eight patients with complete clinical data were identified and included in the study. All the patients were males with a mean age of 21.37 years (range 10-43). Following surgical excision patients were followed up for a mean period of 6.5 months (range 3-14). The Clinical profile, investigation modalities, treatment options are being analysed here.

Laparoscopic management in a rare case of bilateral perirenal lymphangiomatosis

Lymphangiomas are lymphatic malformations commonly seen around the neck, axillary region and the mediastinum. Perirenal lymphangiomatosis is very rare with only a few cases being reported in literature. We present a case of symptomatic perirenal lymphangiomatosis in a female of childbearing age, managed laparoscopically by deroofing and marsupialization.

Comparative study of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy and conventional tracheostomy in the intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE

Tracheostomy is a one of the earliest described surgical procedure dating back to 2000 B.C. Percutaneous tracheostomy is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative method for conventional tracheostomy in the intensive care unit. In this study we compare the results of the use of these 2 techniques in 32 patients who underwent elective tracheostomy in the intensive care unit.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective randomized comparative study.

SETTING

Tertiary care hospital.

PATIENTS

Adult intubated patients selected randomly in the intensive care unit with normal cervical soft tissue, laryngeal framework, palpable cricoid cartilage and normal coagulation parameters.

RESULTS

17 patients underwent conventional tracheostomy and 15 patients underwent percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. Demographic data and duration of intubation comparable between two groups. The mean operative time, blood loss and complications were lower in percutaneous than in conventional tracheostomy.

CONCLUSIONS

PDT is quicker to perform and has lower blood loss and complication rates compared to conventional tracheostomy. However percutaneous tracheostomy is not indicated in emergencies and in children. The cost of the percutaneous kit and use of bronchoscopy adds to the cost. It is a good alternative to conventional tracheostomy in properly selected patients.

Sino nasal teratocarcinosarcoma-an interesting clinical entity

Sinonasal teratocarcinoma is a rare tumour of the paranasal sinuses. It was earlier termed as teratoid carcinosarcoma or teratocarcinoma. It is a highly aggressive tumour with a 5 year survival rate of 45 %. Here we report a case of sinonasal teratocarcinoma who was managed excision of tumour by lateral rhinotomy approach followed by radiotheraphy.

Endoscopic medial maxillectomy breaking new frontiers

Endoscopy has changed the perspective of rhinologist towards the nose. It has revolutionised the surgical management of sinonasal disorders. Sinus surgeries were the first to get the benefit of endoscope. Gradually the domain of endoscopic surgery extended to the management of sino nasal tumours. Traditionally medial maxillectomy was performed through lateral rhinotomy or mid facial degloving approach. Endoscopic medial maxillectomy has been advocated by a number of authors in the management of benign sino-nasal tumours. We present our experience of endoscopic medial maxillectomy in the management of sinonasal pathologies.

Relevance of Pure Tone Average (PTA) as a Predictor for Incus Erosion

Between 40 and 90% of tympanoplasty require middle ear ossicular chain reconstruction. Ossicular discontinuity usually cannot be determined unless an operation is performed. The main objective was to determine the predictive value of pre-operative audiological factors in diagnosing incudal necrosis in patients with tubotympanic chronic suppurative otitis media. A retrospective clinical study of 20 patients who underwent ossicular reconstruction with autologous incus over a period of two years was performed. The mean pre-operative pure tone average was 49.18 dB HL.The minimum value being 45 dB HL and the maximum value being 64 dB HL.

Study of sympathovagal imbalance by spectral analysis of heart rate variability in young prehypertensives

Though prehypertension has recently been considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular accidents, the pathophysiological mechanism that causes the development of prehypertension in normotensive subjects has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the sympathovagal imbalance in prehypertensives and normotensives by spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) to understand the nature of change in autonomic balance in this dysfunction. Body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), basal heart rate (BHR), blood pressure (BP), rate-pressure product (RPP) and spectral indices of HRV such as total power (TP), normalized low frequency power (LFnu), normalized high frequency power (HFnu), ratio of low frequency power to high frequency power (LF-HF ratio), mean heart rate (mean RR), square root of the mean squared differences of successive normal to normal intervals; (RMSSD), the number of interval differences of successive NN intervals greater than 50 ms (NN50) and the proportion derived by dividing NN50 by the total number of NN intervals (pNN50) were assessed in two groups of young subjects: normotensives (n=68) and prehypertensives (n=66). Sympathovagal balance (SVB) was analyzed and correlated with BMI, WHR, BHR, BP and RPP in both the groups. It was observed that autonomic imbalance in prehypertensives was due to increase in both sympathetic activity and vagal inhibition. LF-HF ratio, the sensitive indicator of SVB was significantly correlated with BMI, WHR, BHR, BP and RPP in prehypertensive subjects. It was concluded that vagal inhibition might be important in the critical alteration of sympathovagal balance in the development of prehypertension in young normotensive subjects.

Host factor Ebp1 inhibits rinderpest virus transcription in vivo

ErbB3 binding protein Ebp1 has been shown to downregulate ErbB3 receptor-mediated signaling to inhibit cell proliferation. Rinderpest virus belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae and is characterized by the presence of a non-segmented negative-sense RNA genome. In this work, we show that rinderpest virus infection of Vero cells leads to the down-regulation of the host factor Ebp1, at both the mRNA and protein levels. Ebp1 protein has been shown to co-localize with viral inclusion bodies in infected cells, and it is packaged into virions, presumably through its interaction with the N protein or the N-RNA itself. Overexpression of Ebp1 inhibits viral transcription and multiplication in infected cells, suggesting that a mutual antagonism operates between host factor Ebp1 and the virus.

Significance of styloidectomy in Eagle's syndrome: an analysis

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

Reported here is a randomized retrospective analysis of 28 cases of elongated styloid process causing nagging cervicofacial pain, both unilateral and bilateral, and the effect of styloidectomy in these cases in relieving the symptom complex of the patient, in situations where conservative management failed in alleviating the symptoms.

STUDY DESIGN

Randomized retrospective analysis over a period of 25 months.

CONCLUSION

Elongated styloid process causing glossopharyn-geal neuralgia is beginning to be a frequently encountered clinical entity nowadays. Of the 28 cases of elongated styloid process who underwent unilateral/bilateral styloidectomy, 27 patients had total relief of symptoms. Hence, we advocate styloidectomy, following careful diagnosis of the entity with clinical and radiological correlation, if the patient does not respond to medical therapy. The psychological status of the patient would provide clue to the authenticity of the symptoms in unrelieved cases.

RNA triphosphatase and guanylyl transferase activities are associated with the RNA polymerase protein L of rinderpest virus

Rinderpest virus (RPV) large (L) protein is an integral part of the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex of the virus that is responsible for transcription and replication of the genome. Previously, we have shown that recombinant L protein coexpressed along with P protein (as the L-P complex) catalyses the synthesis of all viral mRNAs in vitro and the abundance of mRNAs follows a gradient of polarity, similar to the occurrence in vivo. In the present work, we demonstrate that the viral mRNAs synthesized in vitro by the recombinant L or purified RNP are capped and methylated at the N7 guanine position. RNP from the purified virions, as well as recombinant L protein, shows RNA triphosphatase (RTPase) and guanylyl transferase (GT) activities. L protein present in the RNP complex catalyses the removal of gamma-phosphate from triphosphate-ended 25 nt RNA generated in vitro representing the viral N-terminal mRNA 5' sequence. The L protein forms a covalent enzyme-guanylate intermediate with the GMP moiety of GTP, whose formation is inhibited by the addition of pyrophosphate; thus, it exhibits characteristics of cellular GTs. The covalent bond between the enzyme and nucleotide is acid labile and alkali stable, indicating the presence of phosphoamide linkage. The C-terminal region (aa 1717-2183) of RPV L protein alone exhibits the first step of GT activity needed to form a covalent complex with GMP, though it lacks the ability to transfer GMP to substrate RNA. Here, we describe the biochemical characterization of the newly found RTPase/GT activity of L protein.

Recombinant L and P protein complex of Rinderpest virus catalyses mRNA synthesis in vitro

Rinderpest virus belongs to the family of Paramyxoviridae, consisting of non-segmented negative sense RNA viruses. Viral transcription and replication are carried out by the RNA dependent RNA polymerase L protein which functions together with P protein as L-P complex. The exact events triggering the polymerase complex from transcription to replication function is poorly understood. In the present work, an in vitro transcription system has been described with partially purified L-P complex expressed in insect cells and viral genomic RNA. The relative abundance of each species of mRNA synthesized in vitro decreased from the 3' end of the genome to the 5' end similar to their abundance in virus infected cells. Recombinant L-P complex was unable to synthesize leader RNA suggesting the initiation of transcription from gene start site and not at the 3' end of the genome.

Correlation of clinical profile of myotonic dystrophy with CTG repeats in the myotonin protein kinase gene

The molecular genetic analyses (PCR and Southern hybridization) of Indian patients with myotonic dystrophy (DM) were carried out to determine the degree of repeat expansion and an attempt was made to correlate the repeat number with disease severity. A scoring system based on the salient clinical features was devised to objectively assess the disease severity. The repeat expansion was seen in 11 of 12 patients examined and showed an inverse correlation with the age of onset confirming the phenomenon of anticipation. This was further established in the two pedigrees studied, clearly demonstrating both clinical and genetic anticipation. The clinical severity score, however, did not correlate well with the repeat number. Nonetheless, such molecular genetic analyses may have immense value as a screening procedure to identify premutations as well as in prenatal diagnoses.