The Therapeutic Potential of the Medicinal Plant Justicia Adhatoda and its Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities: A Comparative Study.

Context: Screening ethnobotanical plants is a pre-requisite to evaluating their therapeutic potential and can lead to the isolation of new bioactive compounds.

Objective: To determine the antibacterial and antifungal therapeutic potential of Justicia adhatoda.

Design: The research team conducted an antimicrobial activity.

Psychiatric Comorbidities in Adults with DiGeorge Syndrome.

Objective: DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS) is a common multisystem disorder associated with deletions on chromosome 22q11.2. Our objective is to evaluate the psychiatric comorbidities and demographics of patients suffering from DGS in a nationally representative dataset on inpatient hospitalizations.

A systematic review on treatment of tardive dyskinesia with valbenazine and deutetrabenazine.

Recent reports state that the prevalence of tardive dyskinesia (TD) is 32% with typical antipsychotics, and 13% with atypical antipsychotics. Current evidence-based recommendations determine an unmet need for efficacious treatment of TD. This systematic review was planned to update the evidence for TD treatment, comparing two vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitors, deutetrabenazine (DBZ), and valbenazine (VBZ).

Expression patterns of - gene in diverse transgenic L. genotypes.

Glyphosate, a functional analogue of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), blocks the shikimate pathway by inhibiting the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS; EC 2.5.1.

Effect of Endoxylanase and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Performance and Histopathological Features in Broilers.

Endoxylanase enzyme is used as poultry feed additive to degrade anti-nutritional factors like non-starch polysaccharides. Moreover, iron is one of the most important trace elements, and its deficiency can lead to various pathological conditions and stunted growth. In the current study, a combination of xylanase and iron nanoparticles is used to assess the overall effect on poultry growth.

Enhanced degradation of hydrocarbons by gamma ray induced mutant strain of Pseudomonas putida.

Soil contamination due to petroleum hydrocarbons is a ubiquitous environmental problem for which efficient remediation alternatives are required. Application of hydrocarbons degrading bacteria with enhanced degradation potential is such an alternative. The aim of present investigation was to induce mutagenicity in Pseudomonas putida through gamma-ray irradiation for the enhanced degradation of crude oil.

An ultra low-cost smartphone device for in-situ monitoring of acute organophosphorus poisoning for agricultural workers.

In this work, we present an ultra-low-cost smartphone device for in situ quantification of OP poisoning severity. The performance of the lens-less smartphone spectrum apparatus (LeSSA) is evaluated using standard human Interleukin-6 (IL-6) immunoassay kits. Upon dose-response curve fitting, LeSSA demonstrates an accuracy of 99.

Protein-mediated synthesis, pH-induced reversible agglomeration, toxicity and cellular interaction of silver nanoparticles.

Casein, a milk protein, is used to produce biotolerable and highly stable silver nanoparticles with a fair control over their size without using any additional reducing agent. These silver nanoparticles undergo reversible agglomeration to form protein-silver nanoparticle composite agglomerates as pH approaches to the isoelectric point of casein protein (pI=4.6).

Polyhexamethylene biguanide functionalized cationic silver nanoparticles for enhanced antimicrobial activity.

Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), a broad spectrum disinfectant against many pathogens, was used as a stabilizing ligand for the synthesis of fairly uniform silver nanoparticles. The particles formed were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, dynamic light scattering, electrophoretic mobility, and TEM to measure their morphology and surface chemistry. PHMB-functionalized silver nanoparticles were then evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against a gram-negative bacterial strain, Escherichia coli.

Antioxidant and antimicrobial attributes and phenolics of different solvent extracts from leaves, flowers and bark of Gold Mohar [Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf].

This paper describes the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and phenolic components of different solvent (absolute methanol, absolute ethanol, absolute acetone, 80% methanol, 80% ethanol, 80% acetone and deionized water) extracts of leaves, flowers and bark of Gold Mohar [Delonix regia (Bojer ex Hook.) Raf.].

In situ growth of gold nanoparticles on latent fingerprints-from forensic applications to inkjet printed nanoparticle patterns.

Latent fingerprints are made visible in a single step by in situ growth of gold nanoparticles on ridge patterns. The chemicals, among the essential components of human sweat, found responsible for the formation and assembly of gold nanoparticles are screened and used as ink to write invisible patterns, using common ball pen and inkjet printer, which are then developed by selectively growing gold nanoparticles by soaking them in gold salt solution.

Synthesis and use of self-assembled rhamnolipid microtubules as templates for gold nanoparticles assembly to form gold microstructures.

Natural unmodified rhamnolipids are thermally self-assembled into soft microtubules, which can produce gold nanoparticles onto themselves due to the presence of rhamnose sugar moieties at their surface. The loading of gold nanoparticles on composite microtubules can be controlled by varying the concentration of gold salt to rhamnolipid and the reaction temperature. The composite rhamnolipid-gold nanoparticle microtubules are then heat treated to produce porous gold microwire-like structures with fairly controlled nanostructured features, which may have interesting applications in catalysis, biosensing and electronics.

Characterization of rhamnolipids produced by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant strain grown on waste oils.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa EBN-8 mutant rhamnolipids produced on waste oils were investigated using normal-phase thin layer chromatography and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Negative ion mode mass spectra yielded [M - H](-) ions and their fragment ions, which gave some indications on the sequence of rhamnolipid biosynthesis. Five rhamnolipid homologs [viz.

Surface properties and sub-surface aggregate assimilation of rhamnolipid surfactants in different aqueous systems.

Tensioactive properties of rhamnolipids produced by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain were investigated in the presence or absence of Sr(2+) or Pb(2+). Surface and interfacial properties, and aggregate forming properties and morphologies were studied by various techniques including scanning electron microscopy. When the pH of a rhamnolipid aqueous solution (40 mg/l) was increased from 5 to 8, irregular vesicles gradually took the shape of oligo-vesicles, then regular vesicles and finally smaller spherical vesicles.

Biodegradation of chlorpyrifos and its hydrolysis product 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol by Bacillus pumilus strain C2A1.

A bacterial strain C2A1 isolated from soil was found highly effective in degrading chlorpyrifos and its first hydrolysis metabolite 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP). On the basis of morphology, physiological characteristics, biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, strain C2A1 was identified as Bacillus pumilus. Role of strain C2A1 in the degradation of chlorpyrifos was examined under different culture conditions like pH, inoculum density, presence of added carbon/nutrient sources and pesticide concentration.

Effect of chromium on growth attributes in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

Heavy metal soil pollution takes place when the metal concentration of soil exceeds natural background level and causes ecological destruction and deterioration of the environment. In the present study, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chromium-contaminated soil in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) growth attributes.

DNA damage in Pakistani agricultural workers exposed to mixture of pesticides.

A cross-sectional study was designed to determine whether occupational exposure to a complex mixture of pesticides results in a significant increase of DNA damage in farmers chronically exposed to pesticides in open fields. Leukocytes from 47 agriculture workers exposed to pesticides and 50 controls were evaluated with comet assay. Workers recruitment was based on their exposure to pesticides during the spraying season on cotton crop.

Paper and board mill effluent treatment with the combined biological-coagulation-filtration pilot scale reactor.

Pilot scale reactor based on combined biological-coagulation-filtration treatments was designed and evaluated for the treatment of effluent from a paper and board mill. Biological treatment by fed batch reactor (FBR) followed by coagulation and sand filtration (SF) resulted in a total COD and BOD reduction of 93% and 96.5%, respectively.

Kinetics of p-nitrophenol degradation by Pseudomonas pseudomallei wild and mutant strains.

Pseudomonas pseudomallei EBN-10 strain, previously isolated from a local pharmaceutical industry's wastewater, was spontaneously adapted to higher p-nitrophenol (PNP) levels, which then was subjected to gamma ray-induced mutagenesis; the efficient isolates hence obtained were designated as EBN-11 and EBN-12, respectively. EBN-12 mutant strain could completely mineralize PNP (100 mg/L) on the minimal media in 24 h while, the parent strain utilized only 6% of it. Addition of glucose as co-substrate further increased the PNP degradation rate; however, phenol inclusion inhibited the degradation process.