Analysis of the main bioactive compounds from Ocimum basilicum for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity

The interest in bioactives especially from botanicals to treat vancomycin-resistant enterococcal (VRE) infections is increased. Many species of Ocimum have a long history in folk medicinal and food industries. Nevertheless, their bioactive compounds remain unexplored. This study is aimed to assess the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of basil leaf extract prepared using ethanol, methanol, and water. The ethanol and methanol extract have all the phytochemicals (alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, saponins, quinones, carbohydrates, and proteins) except steroids and terpenoids. In addition to steroids and terpenoids, tannin was also absent in the aqueous extract. Total phenolic and flavonoid content was high in ethanol and followed by methanol and aqueous extract. Similarly, ethanol and methanol extract showed strong antimicrobial activity against VRE and MTCC strains at a concentration of 20 mg/mL than aqueous extract. Among the 10 indicators, Staphylococcus aureus is highly susceptible to ethanol extract at a concentration of 8 mg/mL and followed by other MTCC strains. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci pathogens were inhibited at the minimum inhibitory concentration of 14, 16, and 20 mg/mL of ethanol, methanol, and aqueous extract. Further, on the basis of determining the absorbing material (nucleic acid and protein) at 260 nm and scanning electron microscopic, it was confirmed that the loss of cell membrane integrity and cell membrane damage were the effective mechanisms of plant extract antimicrobial activity. All three solvents have shown remarkable antioxidant activity. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of basil leaves ethanol extract identified 19 compounds with various therapeutic and food applications.

Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns and Virulence-Associated Factors of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Isolates from Tertiary Care Hospitals

This study explored the prevalence of multi-drug resistance and virulence factors of enterococcal isolates obtained from various clinical specimens (n = 1575) including urine, blood, pus, tissue, catheter, vaginal wash, semen, and endotracheal secretions. Out of 862 enterococcal isolates, 388 (45%), 246 (29%), 120 (14%), and 108 (13%) were identified as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus durans, and Enterococcus hirae, respectively, using standard morphological and biochemical methods. The antibiotic resistance profile of all these enterococcal isolates was checked using the disc diffusion technique. High-level resistance was observed for benzylpenicillin (70%) and vancomycin (43%) among E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates, respectively. This study also revealed the prevalence of 'multi-drug resistance (resistant to 3 antibiotic groups)' among the vancomycin-resistant enterococcal strains, and this was about 11% (n = 91). The virulence determinants associated with vancomycin resistance (VR) were determined phenotypically and genotypically. About 70 and 39% of E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates showed to be positive for all four virulence factors (gelatinase, protease, hemolysin, and biofilm). Among the several virulence genes, gelE was the most common virulence gene with a prevalence rate of 76 and 69% among E. faecalis and E. faecium isolates, respectively. More than 50% of VRE isolates harbored other virulence genes, such esp, asa, ace, and cylA. Similarly, the majority of the VR enterococcal isolates (n = 88/91) harbored vanA gene and none of them harbored vanB gene. These results disclose the importance of VR E. faecalis and E. faecium and the associated virulence factors involved in the persistence of infections in clinical settings.

Biogenic Preparation and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles from Seed Kernel of Mangifera indica and Their Antibacterial Potential against Shigella spp

Shigellosis is a serious foodborne diarrheal disease caused by the Shigella species. It is a critical global health issue. In developing countries, shigellosis causes most of the mortality in children below 5 years of age. Globally, around 165 million cases of diarrhea caused by Shigella are reported, which accounts for almost 1 million deaths, in which the majority are recorded in Third World nations. In this study, silver nanoparticles were synthesized using Mangifera indica kernel (MK-AgNPs) seed extracts. The biosynthesized M. indica silver nanoparticles (MK-AgNPs) were characterized using an array of spectroscopic and microscopic tools, such as UV–Vis, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analyzer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometer. The nanoparticles were spherical in shape and the average size was found to be 42.7 nm. The MK-AgNPs exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant clinical Shigella sp. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of the MK-AgNPs was found to be 20 μg/mL against the multi-drug-resistant strain Shigella flexneri. The results clearly demonstrate that MK-AgNPs prepared using M. indica kernel seed extract exhibited significant bactericidal action against pathogenic Shigella species. The biosynthesized nanoparticles from mango kernel could possibly prove therapeutically useful and effective in combating the threat of shigellosis after careful investigation of its toxicity and in vivo efficacy.

L-asparaginase Produced from Cow’s Milk Isolate of Lactobacillus plantarum Shows Potent Anti-cancer Activity on Cervical Cancer Cells

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in women, occurring in more than a quarter of the developing countries of the world, with a slightly higher incidence in India. Many microbes producing L-asparaginase (ASNase) are used for the treatment of various cancers. However, previous studies have documented that long-term use of enzymes produced from these commercial strains triggers hypersensitivity in patients. Therefore, there is a need to find new microorganisms that produce L-asparaginase with anti-cancer properties, which can be used commercially in enzyme production. In the present study, of the 7 isolates, a single isolate of Lactobacillus plantarum had the highest enzyme production capacity. Purified enzyme can be obtained from fermented production medium by dialysis, thus showed a dose-depended cytotoxic effect on HeLa cells, as determined by MTT assay. The IC50 of the enzyme value was 0.75 IU µg/mL. This result indicates that L. plantarum producing L-asparaginase may be used for cancer treatment.

Physiologic pineal region, choroid plexus, and dural calcifications in the first decade of life

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Calcifications of the pineal, habenula, choroid plexus, and dura are often physiologic. In the modern CT era with thin-section images and multiplanar reformats, intracranial calcifications have become more conspicuous. We aimed to discover the CT prevalence of pineal region, choroid plexus, and dural calcifications in the first decade of life.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Five hundred head CTs from different patients (age range, 0-9 years) encountered during a consecutive 6-month period at a single academic children's hospital were reviewed retrospectively after excluding examinations with artifacts and pineal region masses/hemorrhage. All studies were performed on a 320-detector CT, with 0.5-mm collimation and a 512 × 512 matrix. Five-millimeter reformatted axial, sagittal, and coronal images were analyzed for location and extent of intracranial calcifications.

RESULTS

The mean age was 3.5 ± 5.7 years (range, 0-9 years). There were 285 males (57%) and 215 females (43%). Pineal calcifications were present in 5% (n = 25; age range, 3.2-8.9 years; median, 7 years). Habenular calcifications were found in 10% (n = 50; age range, 2.8-8.8 years; median, 7 years). Twelve percent (n = 58) had choroid plexus calcifications, (age range, 0.1-8.8 years). Dural calcifications were rare, present in 1% (n = 6; age range, 2.9-8.7 years).

CONCLUSIONS

Physiologic intracranial calcifications may be found in the first decade, principally in children older than 5 years. Most epithalamic calcifications are habenular. Pineal and habenular calcifications were never present in children younger than 3 and 2 years, respectively. Choroid plexus calcifications may be present in the very young. Dural calcifications are rare.

Chronic pain after caesarean delivery: an Australian cohort

We investigated the incidence of and risk factors for persistent pain after caesarean delivery. Over a 12-month period, women having caesarean delivery were recruited prospectively at an Australian tertiary referral centre. Demographic, anaesthetic and surgical data were collected and at 24 hour follow-up, women were assessed for immediate postoperative pain and preoperative expectations of pain. Long-term telephone follow-up was conducted at two and 12 months postoperatively. Complete data were obtained from 426 of 469 women initially recruited (90.6%). The incidence of persistent pain at the abdominal wound at two months was 14.6% (n=62) but subsequently reduced to 4.2% (n=18) at 12 months. At two months, 33 patients (7.8%) experienced constant or daily pain. At 12 months, five patients (1.1%) continued to have constant or daily pain which was mild. There was no apparent increase in incidence of persistent pain associated with general versus regional anaesthesia (relative risk [RR] 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49 to 1.6); emergency vs elective procedure (RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.07); higher acute pain scores (RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.75); or history of previous caesarean delivery (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.33). Persistent pain, usually of a mild nature, is reported by some women two months after their caesarean delivery, but by 12 months less than 1% of women had pain requiring analgesia or affecting mood or sleep. All declined a pain clinic review. Clinicians and patients can be reassured that caesarean delivery is unlikely to lead to severe persistent pain in the long-term.

Identification, purification, and characterization of a thermally stable lipase from rice bran. A new member of the (phospho) lipase family

A thermally stable lipase (EC 3.1.1.3.) was first identified in rice (Oryza sativa) bran, and the enzyme was purified to homogeneity using octyl-Sepharose chromatography. The enzyme was purified to 7.6-fold with the final specific activity of 0.38 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) at 80 degrees C using [9,10-(3)H]triolein as a substrate. The purified enzyme was found to be a glycoprotein of 9.4 kD. Enzyme showed a maximum activity at 80 degrees C and at pH 11.0. The protein was biologically active and retained most of its secondary structure even at 90 degrees C as judged by the enzymatic assays and far-ultraviolet circular dichroism spectroscopy, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetric studies indicated that the transition temperature was 76 degrees C and enthalpy 1.3 x 10(5) Calorie mol(-1) at this temperature. The purified lipase also exhibited phospholipase A(2) activity. Colocalization of both the hydrolytic activities in reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and isoelectric focusing showed that the dual activity was associated with a single protein. Further, a direct interaction between both the substrates and the purified protein was demonstrated by photoaffinity labeling, using chemically synthesized analogs of triolein and phosphatidylcholine (PC). Apparent K(m) for triolein (6.71 mM) was higher than that for PC (1.02 mM). The enzyme preferentially hydrolyzed the sn-2 position of PC, whereas it apparently exhibited no positional specificity toward triacylglycerol. Diisopropyl fluorophosphate inhibited both lipase and phospholipase activities of the purified enzyme. This enzyme is a new member from plants in the family of lipases capable of hydrolyzing phospholipids.

Occupational noise exposure and hearing levels

A study was made at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center to measure the hearing levels of persons working in a noisy environment. Two different workplaces, central air-conditioning plant and glass flowing shops, where a number of persons were exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 dB(A) were chosen. The occupational exposure to noise was determined using a sound level meter, an octave band filter and a personal noise dose meter. The hearing levels of persons exposed to these high levels of noise and a control group not exposed to occupational noise were measured by means of a pure-tone audiometer in a specially-build booth. These persons, aged between 20 to 60 years, were divided into four age groups for the study. The low ambient noise levels in the booth were measured using correlation technique since such low signals cannot be detected by an ordinary sound level meter. The audiometric findings and the results of the noise level survey are discussed in this paper.