Molecular docking, pharmacokinetic studies, and in vivo pharmacological study of indole derivative 2-(5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-indole-3-yl)-N'-[(E)-(3-nitrophenyl) methylidene] acetohydrazide as a promising chemoprotective agent against cisplatin induced organ damage

Cisplatin is an efficient anticancer drug against various types of cancers however, its usage involves side effects. We investigated the mechanisms of action of indole derivative, 2-(5-methoxy-2-methyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-N'-[(E)-(3-nitrophenyl) methylidene] acetohydrazide (MMINA) against anticancer drug (cisplatin) induced organ damage using a rodent model. MMINA treatment reversed Cisplatin-induced NO and malondialdehyde (MDA) augmentation while boosted the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The animals were divided into five groups (n = 7). Group1: Control (Normal) group, Group 2: DMSO group, Group 3: cisplatin group, Group 4: cisplatin + MMINA group, Group 5: MMINA group. MMINA treatment normalized plasma levels of biochemical enzymes. We observed a significant decrease in CD4+COX-2, STAT3, and TNF-α cell population in whole blood after MMINA dosage. MMINA downregulated the expression of various signal transduction pathways regulating the genes involved in inflammation i.e. NF-κB, STAT-3, IL-1, COX-2, iNOS, and TNF-α. The protein expression of these regulatory factors was also downregulated in the liver, kidney, heart, and brain. In silico docking and dynamic simulations data were in agreement with the experimental findings. The physiochemical properties of MMINA predicted it as a good drug-like molecule and its mechanism of action is predictably through inhibition of ROS and inflammation.

Pulsed Laser Deposition of High Tc Superconducting thin Films: Present and Future

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been widely used for deposition of high Tc superconducting thin films, and is recognized as one of the best physical vapor techniques for the preparation of these films. The most important advantage of this technique is stoichiometric deposition; films can be made with the same composition as the target. Utilizing PLD, not only thin films but also multilayers and superlattices of high Tc superconductors have been fabricated. In this paper, the performance of the technique will be reviewed, and speculations regarding the future would be made.

Response of sugarcane to treated wastewater of oil refinery

The crop of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) was grown at the agricultural farm of the Mathura Oil Refinery in a simple randomized block design. The experimental plots were irrigated with ground water (GW) or treated wastewater (TW) as and when required The plants gave better response to the latter than the former. The quantity of the required nutrients was comparatively more in TW than GW. The soil receiving wastewater did not show any significant change in its physico-chemical characteristics. The soil accumulated all the heavy metals but the plant samples receiving TW only exhibited the presence of Ni, Pb and Zn whose values are far below the permissible limits.

Effect of long-term application of oil refinery wastewater on soil health with special reference to microbiological characteristics

The ground water (GW), treated wastewater (TW) and the soil at the agricultural farm in the premises of the Mathura Oil Refinery have been monitored for various physico-chemical characteristics, over the last 12 years (1987-1998). It was noted that the heavy metal content in the soil, repeatedly irrigated with TW, was increasing because the wastewater itself was a better source of these metals than GW. However, the level of these metals, both in the wastewater and the soil, was very much below the permissible limits. The quantitative analysis of various functional groups of microorganism and their interaction with metals revealed that the viable count of aerobic heterotrophs, asymbiotic nitrogen fixers, actinomycetes and fungi were in the ranges of 2.6 x 10(6)-7.2 x 10(7), 5.0 x 10(4)-6.8 x 10(5), 2.0 x 10(4)-2.8 x 10(5) and 2.5 x 10(4)-7.5 x 10(5), respectively. The presence of Rhizobium spp. in the soil was shown by the nodulation in the leguminous crops cultivated in the experimental field. The significant viable counts of above functional groups of bacteria on each heavy metal supplemented plate indicated that these populations could tolerate high levels (> or = 200 microg/ml) of metal. Among them, nitrogen fixers and aerobic heterotrophs (largely, Gram-negative) had a higher degree of resistance to heavy metals than actinomycetes. Similarly, the strains of Rhizobium, isolated from the experimental field, showed a higher degree of resistance under in vitro conditions and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was in the range of 50-800 microg/ml, determined by a plate dilution method. It may, therefore, be deduced that 12 years repeated application of treated wastewater had not significantly changed the microbial dynamics of the soil and possibly the bacteria had adapted to the changed soil environment by developing various levels of metal resistance.

Epitaxial Cuprate Superconductor/Ferroelectric Heterostructures

Thin-film heterostructures of Bi(4)Ti(3)O(12)Bi(2)Sr(2)CuO(6+x), have been grown on single crystals of SrTiO(3), LaAlO(3), and MgAl(2)O(4) by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction studies show the presence of c-axis orientation only; Rutherford backscattering experiments show the composition to be close to the nominal stoichiometry. The films are ferroelectric and exhibit a symmetric hysteresis loop. The remanent polarization was 1.0 microcoulomb per square centimeter, and the coercive field was 2.0 x 10(5) volts per centimeter. Similar results were obtained with YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x) and Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+x), and single-crystal Bi(2)Sr(2)CuO(6+x)as the bottom electrodes. These films look promising for use as novel, lattice-matched, epitaxial ferroelectric film/electrode heterostructures in nonvolatile memory applications.

Direct Observation of Structural Defects in Laser-Deposited Superconducting Y-Ba-Cu-O Thin Films

The defect structure of in situ pulsed, laser-deposited, thin films of the high-transition temperature superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O has been observed directly by atomic resolution electron microscopy. In a thin film with the nominal composition YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7) (123), stacking defects corresponding to the cationic stoichiometry of the 248, 247, and 224 compounds have been observed. Other defects observed include edge dislocations and antiphase boundaries. These defects, which are related to the nonequilibrium processing conditions, are likely to be responsible for the higher critical currents observed in these films as compared to single crystals.