Synthesis, antifungal evaluation, 2D-Quantitative structure activity relationship and molecular docking studies of isoxazole derivatives as potential fungicides

BACKGROUND

Sheath blight and bakanae disease, prominent among emerging rice ailments, exert a profound impact on rice productivity, causing severe impediments to crop yield. Excessive use of older fungicides may lead to the development of resistance in the pathogen. Indeed, a pressing and immediate need exists for novel, low-toxicity and highly selective fungicides that can effectively combat resistant fungal strains RESULTS: A series of 20 isoxazole derivatives were synthesized using alkoxy/halo acetophenones and N,N-dimethylformamidedimethylacetal. These compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques viz. 1H NMR, 13C NMR and LC-HRMS and were evaluated for their fungicidal activity against Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium fujikuroi. Compound 5n (5-(2-chlorophenyl) isoxazole) exhibited highest activity (ED50 = 4.43 μg mL-1) against R. solani, while 5p (5-(2,4-dichloro-2-hydroxylphenyl) isoxazole) exhibited highest activity (ED50 = 6.7 μg mL-1) against F. fujikuroi. 2D-Quantitative Structural Activity Relationship (2D-QSAR) analysis, particularly MLR (Model 1), highlighted chi6chain and DistTopo as the key descriptors influencing fungicidal activity. Molecular docking studies revealed the potential of these isoxazole derivatives as novel fungicides targeting sterol 14α-demethylase enzyme, suggesting their importance as crucial intermediates for the development of novel and effective fungicides.

CONCLUSION

All test compounds were effective in inhibiting both fungi, according to the QSAR model, various descriptors such as structural, molecular shape analysis, electronic, and thermodynamic play an important role. Molecular docking studies confirmed that these compounds can potentially replace commercially available fungicides and help control fungal pathogens in rice crops effectively. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Clinical and ultrasonographic assessment of airway indices among non-pregnant, normotensive pregnant and pre-eclamptic patients: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Prediction of a difficult airway is of paramount importance for an anaesthesiologist. Various anatomical and physiological factors contribute to a difficult airway in pregnant females, especially those with pre-eclampsia. The aim of the study was to assess airway indices using both routinely used clinical methods and ultrasound.

METHODS

Fifty-five non-pregnant females, 55 normotensive pregnant females and 55 females with pre-eclampsia were included in this prospective study. Clinical airway assessment was the modified Mallampati score, thyromental distance, hyomental distance, hyomental distance ratio, chest circumference, neck circumference and chest-to-neck circumference ratio. Sonographic assessment included tongue width, tongue volume, anterior neck soft tissue thickness at the level of hyoid, epiglottis and vocal cords, subglottic diameter, ratio of pre-epiglottic space to anterior, posterior and midpoint of anterior and posterior vocal folds.

RESULTS

Several significant differences were observed between pregnant and non-pregnant females, with additional changes in pre-eclamptic females. These included clinical parameters such as the modified Mallampati score and sonographic measurements of tongue width, tongue volume, subglottic diameter, anterior neck soft tissue thickness at the level of hyoid, epiglottis and vocal cords, and the ratio of pre-epiglottic space to anterior, posterior and midpoint of anterior and posterior vocal folds.

CONCLUSION

Routinely used clinical methods of airway assessment lack sensitivity and specificity. Ultrasound can visualise anatomical structures in the supraglottic and subglottic views and is encouraging as an airway assessment tool.

Synthesis of benzothiazole-appended bis-triazole-based structural isomers with promising antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani

In order to explore new antifungal agrochemicals, we reported the synthesis of two series 5a-f, 6 and 7a-f, 8 of benzothiazole-appended bis-triazole derivative-based structural isomers using a molecular hybridization approach. The synthesized compounds were tested for fungal growth inhibition against the plant pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. All the synthesized compounds showed excellent antifungal activity in their minimum concentrations (10-0.62 μM). Among all the synthetics, compounds 5b (ED50: 2.33 μM), 5f (ED50: 0.96 μM), and 7f (ED50: 1.48 μM) exerted a superior inhibitory effect in comparison to the commercially available fungicide, hexaconazole (ED50: 2.44 μM). The binding interactions of the active compounds 5f, 7f, 6, and 8 within the active site of the sterol 14α-demethylase enzyme were studied with the help of molecular docking studies. The studies revealed that these hybrid pharmacophores could be used as an important intermediate to demonstrate new structural isomer-based fungicides.

Bioefficacy evaluation of ferrocenyl chalcones against Meloidogyne incognita and Sclerotium rolfsii infestation in tomato

The present study reports, bioefficacy evaluation of effective compounds against Meloidogyne incognita and Sclerotium rolfsii in pot cultured tomato. The identified five most effective compounds, i.e. (2E)-1-(4-Methylphenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6g), (2E)-1-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6h), (2E)-1-(3-Bromophenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6j), (2E)-1-(2,4-Dichlorophenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6k) and (2E)-1-(3,5-Dichloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6p) along with Carbofuran 3G as positive control were tested at 20, 40 and 80 ppm by soil drenching and root dipping methods. The study revealed that all plant growth parameters were positively influenced by these compounds. The presence of an electron releasing group positively influenced the efficacy, and the activity was highest in compounds 6g and 6h at 80 ppm. Based on in vitro results against S. rolfsii, (2E)-1-Ferrocenyl-3-(4-bromophenyl)-prop-2-en-1-one (3b), (2E)-1-Ferrocenyl-3-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)-prop-2-en-1-one (3o) and (2E)-1-(5-Chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (6o) along with Tebuconazole 25.9% EC and Hexaconazole 5% SC as positive control were evaluated. The shoot length was found to be highest (24.50 cm) in plants treated with 3b followed by 3o and 6o at 1000 ppm. The percent disease incidence was significantly decreased as compared to control. The percent disease incidence was found to be minimum in plants treated with 3b at 1000 ppm. However, root dipping was not as effective as soil drenching. Therefore, ferrocenyl chalcone derivatives proved to be of great fungicidal and nematicidal potential opening new opportunities for expanding their effectiveness as new pest control agents.

Genetic similarities and phylogenetic analysis of Muntjac (Muntiacus spp.) by comparing the nucleotide sequence of 16S rRNA and cytochrome B genome

This study aimed to identify the phylogenetic similarities among the muntjac (Muntiacus spp.). The phylogenetic similarities among seven major muntjac species were studied by comparing the nucleotide sequence of 16s rRNA and cytochrome b genome. Nucleotide sequences, retrieved from NCBI databases were aligned by using DNASTAR software. A phylogenetic tree was created for the selected species of muntjac by using the maximum likelihood method on MEGA7 software. The results of nucleotide sequences (16s rRNA) showed phylogenetic similarities between, the M. truongsonensis and M. rooseveltorum had the highest (99.2%) while the lowest similarities (96.8%) found between M. crinifrons and M. putaoensi. While the results of nucleotide sequences (Cty b) showed the highest similarity (100%) between M. muntjak and M. truongsonensis and the lowest s (91.5%) among M. putaoensis and M. crinifrons. The phylogenetic tree of muntjac species (16s rRNA gene) shows the main two clusters, the one including M. putaoensis, M. truongsonensis, M. rooseveltorum, and M. muntjak, and the second one including M. crinifrons and M. vuquangensis. The M. reevesi exists separately in the phylogenetic tree. The phylogenetic tree of muntjac species using cytochrome b genes shows that the M. muntjak and M. truongsonensis are clustered in the same group.

Bioefficacy evaluation of chalcone derivatives against Meloidogyne graminicola infecting rice, Oryza sativa L

A series of chalcones (1-14) were synthesized, characterized (using IR and 1H NMR techniques), and evaluated with an objective to manage rice root-knot nematode (RRKN) (Meloidogyne graminicola) both under pluronic gel and field conditions. Out of these fourteen compounds, 1-(4-fluoro-phenyl)-3-phenyl-propenone (13) and 1,3-diphenyl-propenone (14) showed promising and dose dependent activity at 10, 20, and 40 mg L^-1. A significant reduction in penetration of second stage juveniles (J₂s) in rice roots was observed in compounds 13 (9.5-12.0 J₂s/plant) and 14 (10.5-13.4 J₂s/plant) compared to control plants (PB1121) (13.5-23.6 J₂s/plant) in pluronic gel study. The results of field trials indicated that 14, showed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) better plant growth on 28 days after sowing (DAS) compared to 13. Both 13 and 14 reduced gall formation significantly than carbofuran 3 G @1 kg a.i./ha. However, lower concentrations were less effective in field in reducing the gall formation. Also, a significant reduction in the number of galls was observed when soil was drenched with 14 @ 40 mg L^-1. However, root dipping was not as effective as soil drenching. The study revealed that both the chalcones have the potential for effective management of RRKN in fields, and can be a better alternative to carbofuran.

Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and QSAR Studies of 3-Iodochromone Derivatives as Potential Fungicides

Despite the emergence of novel biotechnological and biological solutions, agrochemicals continue to play an important role in crop protection. Fungicide resistance is becoming a major problem; numerous cases of fungicide resistance have occurred worldwide in the last decade, resulting in the loss of several fungicides. The discovery of new molecules has therefore assumed critical importance in crop protection. In our quest for biologically active molecules, we herein report the synthesis of a series of twenty-one 3-Iodochromone derivatives (4a–4u), in a two-step process by condensation of 2-hydroxyacetophenone derivatives (2a–2u) with N,N-dimethylformamidedimethylacetal yielding enaminones (3a–3u), followed by cyclization with iodine to corresponding 3-iodochromones. Characterization of these compounds was done by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, and LC-HRMS techniques. All synthesized compounds were screened for their fungicidal activity against Sclerotium rolfsii. Among these 6,8-Dichloro-3-iodochromone 4r was found to be most active (ED₅₀ = 8.43 mg L⁻¹). 2D-Quantitative Structural Activity Relationship (2D-QSAR) analysis was also performed by generating three different models viz., Multiple Linear Regression (MLR, Model 1), Principal Component Regression (PCR, Model 2), and Partial Least Squares (PLS, Model 3). Predictive power and statistical significance of these models were assessed with external and internal validation and leave one-out cross-validation was used for verification. In QSAR study, MLR (Model 1) was found to be best having correlation coefficient (r²) 0.943, cross-validated correlation coefficient (q²) 0.911 and r²pred 0.837. It was observed that DeltaEpsilonC, T_2_Cl_6, T_2_F_6, T_T_F_3, and ZCompDipole are the major descriptors which influence the fungicidal activity of 3-Iodochromone derivatives. The physicochemical parameters were estimated by the VLifeMDS 4.6 software. The QSAR study results will be helpful for structure optimization to improve the activity.

Microwave assisted synthesis, characterization and biological activities of ferrocenyl chalcones and their QSAR analysis: Part II

A series of ferrocenyl chalcones using acetylferrocene, with ferrocenyl group at the keto carbonyl group, and different aldehydes were synthesized and their bioefficacy evaluation was done against Sclerotium rolfsii, Alternaria solani and Meloidogyne incognita. In continuation of our quest for potent crop protection products, in the present study, a series of 18 substituted ferrocenyl chalcones were synthesized in which ferrocenyl group was attached to the aldehyde moiety, using ferrocenecarboxyaldehyde and different acetophenones by microwave method (MM) and conventional method (CM) [cf: MM 1 to 5 min; CM 12-40 h] and characterized by various techniques viz. IR, LC-HRMS, ¹H-NMR and ¹³C-NMR. In vitro fungicidal activity showed that compound, (2E)-1-(5-Chloro-2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (34) (ED₅₀ = 21.50 mg L^-1) was found to be most active against S. rolfsii and compound, (2E)-1-(4-Bromophenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (21) (ED₅₀ = 31.14 mg L^-1) showed highest activity against A. solani. As regards nematicidal activity, compound (2E)-1-(3-Bromophenyl)-3-ferrocenyl-prop-2-en-1-one (29) was more potent with LC₅₀ values of 11.95, 8.07 and 4.34 mg L^-1 at 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. QSAR study revealed that MLR for S. rolfsii (r ² = 0.9834, q ²= 0.8975) and A. solani (r ² = 0.9807, q ²= 0.8713) and PLS for M. incognita (r ² = 0.9023, q ²= 0.7818) were the best models.

Cell type specific adhesion to surfaces functionalised by amine plasma polymers

Our previously-obtained impressive results of highly increased C2C12 mouse myoblast adhesion to amine plasma polymers (PPs) motivated current detailed studies of cell resistance to trypsinization, cell proliferation, motility, and the rate of attachment carried out for fibroblasts (LF), keratinocytes (HaCaT), rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), and endothelial cells (HUVEC, HSVEC, and CPAE) on three different amine PPs. We demonstrated the striking difference in the resistance to trypsin treatment between endothelial and non-endothelial cells. The increased resistance observed for the non-endothelial cell types was accompanied by an increased rate of cellular attachment, even though spontaneous migration was comparable to the control, i.e., to the standard cultivation surface. As demonstrated on LF fibroblasts, the resistance to trypsin was similar in serum-supplemented and serum-free media, i.e., medium without cell adhesion-mediating proteins. The increased cell adhesion was also confirmed for LF cells by an independent technique, single-cell force spectroscopy. This method, as well as the cell attachment rate, proved the difference among the plasma polymers with different amounts of amine groups, but other investigated techniques could not reveal the differences in the cell behaviour on different amine PPs. Based on all the results, the increased resistance to trypsinization of C2C12, LF, HaCaT, and VSMC cells on amine PPs can be explained most probably by a non-specific cell adhesion such as electrostatic interaction between the cells and amine groups on the material surface, rather than by the receptor-mediated adhesion through serum-derived proteins adsorbed on the PPs.

Amphiphilic polymer based nanoformulations of mancozeb for management of early blight in tomato

Controlled release (CR) nanoformulations of Mancozeb (Manganese-zinc double salt of N, N-bisdithiocarbamic acid), a protective fungicide, have been developed using poly (ethylene glycols) (PEGs) based functionalized amphiphilic copolymers and evaluated for the management of early blight in tomato. During the field experiment, it was observed that number of infected leaflets/plants were less in developed formulation treated plants as compared to commercial products. Number of infected leaflets per plant was 2.40-4.60 and the number of fruits per plant were 6.40-9.00 at 50 mg L^-1, whereas at 100 mg L^-1, the corresponding numbers were 2.10-4.10 and 6.30-9.10 respectively. These formulations can be used to optimize the release of Mancozeb to achieve disease control for the desired period depending upon the matrix of the polymer used. Importantly, sufficient amount of active ingredient remains available for a reasonable period of time after application leading to reduced number of applications of pesticide.

Microwave Assisted Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Activities of Ferrocenyl Chalcones and Their QSAR Analysis

A new microwave method (MM) has been developed for the synthesis of a series of 16 substituted ferrocenyl chalcones using acetylferrocene (1) with different aldehydes (2a-2p) and comparing it with conventional method (CM). The synthesized compounds were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques viz IR, HR-MS, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR. The time required for completion of reaction in MM varied from 1 to 5 min as compared to CM which required 10–40 h. All the synthesized compounds were screened for antifungal activity against Sclerotium rolfsii and Alternaria solani. In vitro fungicidal activity revealed that compound 3o (ED₅₀ = 23.24 mg L⁻¹) was found to be most active against S. rolfsii. But in case of A. solani, compound 3c (ED₅₀ = 29.9 mg L⁻¹) showed highest activity. The nematicidal activity revealed that the compound 3b was more potent with LC₅₀ values of 10.67, 7.30, and 4.55 ppm at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. 2D-Quantitative Structural Activity Relationship (2D-QSAR) analysis of these ferrocenyl chalcones was carried out by developing three different models namely Partial Least Squares (PLS, Model 1), Multiple Linear Regression (MLR, Model 2) and Principal Component Regression (PCR, Model 3). Statistical significance and predictive ability of these models were assessed by internal and external validation and also verified by leave one-out cross-validation. QSAR study revealed that MLR for S. rolfsii (r² = 0.999, q² = 0.996), PLS for A. solani (r² = 0.934, q² = 0.749) and PCR for M. incognita (r² = 0.878, q² = 0.772) were the best model. The physico-chemical parameters were calculated using VLife MDS 4.6 software. QSAR study could be employed for structure optimization to achieve better activity.

Insecticidal activity of phenolic acid amides against brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) and their QSAR analysis

A series of 42 phenolic acid amides, synthesized using different phenolic acids (salicylic acid, 3-hydroxy cinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, o-coumaric acid, cinnamic acid and amines (propyl amine, hexyl amine, heptyl amine, undecyl amine, hexadecyl amine, octadecyl amine) were screened for their insecticidal activities against Brown Planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens. These phenolic acid amides showed moderate to good insecticidal activity with the lowest LC₅₀ value of 63.84 ppm from N-propyl-2-hydroxycinnamamide. 2D-Quantitative structural activity relationship (2D-QSAR) analysis of these phenolic acid amides was carried out by developing three different models namely multiple linear regression (MLR), principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). Statistical significance and predictive ability of these models were assessed by internal and external validation and verified by leave one-out cross-validation. PLS (model 3) was found best for QSAR study with correlation coefficient (r²) 0.8388, cross-validated correlation coefficient (q²) 0.7797 and r² pred 0.7347. It was found that + vePotentialSurfaceArea, XAMostHydrophobic, SaasCE-index, T_O_O_3 and T_O_O_6 are the major descriptors which influence the insecticidal activities of these phenolic acid amides. The QSAR study could help in structural optimization of phenolic acid amides in developing potential compounds to get better bioefficacy against N. lugens.

User-adaptive Reminders for Home-based Medical Tasks

Objectives: We present a prototype adaptive reminder system for home-based medical tasks. The system consists of a mobile device for reminder presentation and ambient sensors to determine opportune moments for reminder delivery. Our objective was to study interaction with the prototype under naturalistic living conditions and gain insight into factors affecting the longterm acceptability of context-sensitive reminder systems for the home setting.

Methods: A volunteer participant used the prototype in a residential research facility while adhering to a regimen of simulated medical tasks for ten days. Some reminders were scheduled at fixed times during the day and some were automatically time-shifted based on sensor data. We made a complete video and sensor record of the stay. Finally, the participant commented about his experiences with the system in a debriefing interview.

Results: Based on this case study, including direct observation of individual alert-action sequences, we make four recommendations for designers of context-sensitive adaptive reminder systems. Captured metrics suggest that adaptive reminders led to faster reaction times and were perceived by the participant as being more useful.

Conclusions: The evaluation of context-sensitive systems that overlap into domestic lives is challenging. We believe that the ideal experiment is to deploy such systems in real homes and assess performance longitudinally. This case study in an instrumented live-in facility is a step toward that long-term goal.

Protective effect of Alpinia galanga in STZ induced diabetic nephropathy

The activity of the alcoholic extract of the rhizomes of Alpinia galanga was studied for the treatment of diabetes-induced nephropathy in rats. Wistar rats received a single intraperitoneal streptozotocin injection (60 mg kg(-1) b.wt.) to induce diabetes. Rats were considered diabetic if blood glucose concentration increased up to 200 or more mg dL(-1). The rats were orally administered alcoholic extract of Alpinia galanga (50, 100 and 200 mg kg(-1)), once daily for 40 days. Body weight, blood glucose, urinary albumin, glycosylated haemoglobin, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, lipids profile, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione (GSH) and Catalase (CAT) were then evaluated. After 40 days of treatment, Alpinia galanga significantly (p<0.05) decreased glycaemia, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), urinar albumin and increased body weight in diabetes-nephropathic rats. The extract (200 mg kg(-1)) decreased MDA significantly (p<0.01); GSH (p<0.05), increased SOD (p<0.05) and CAT (p<0.05) in the rats, compared with nephropathic control. The extract (100 and 200 mg kg(-1), respectively) lowered (p<0.05) total cholesterolemia, blood triglycerides (p<0.05), blood LDL cholesterol (p<0.05), but increased blood HDL cholesterol (p<0.01). Overall, atherogenic index was decreased significantly (p<0.05). In the present study, the rhizomes of Alpinia galanga demonstrated significant nephro-protective activities in the tested models. The alcoholic extract of the rhizomes of Alpinia galanga holds promise for the development of a standardized phytomedicine for diabetes mellitus and kidney disease treatment.

Development of controlled release formulations of thiram employing amphiphilic polymers and their bioefficacy evaluation in seed quality enhancement studies

Controlled release formulations of Thiram (Dimethylcarbamothioylsulfanyl-N,N-dimethylcarbamodithioate), a contact fungicide, have been prepared using laboratory synthesized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based functionalized amphiphilic copolymers. The kinetics of thiram from developed controlled release (CR) formulations were studied in comparison with that of the commercially available 75 WS. Release from the commercial formulation was faster than with the developed CR formulations. Maximum amount of thiram was released on 35th day for PEG-2000 4d, 28th day for PEG-1500 4c, 21st day for PEG-1000 4b and 15th day for PEG-600 4a in comparison to commercial formulation (7th day). The diffusion exponent (n) of thiram in water ranged from 0.356 to 0.545 in the tested formulations. The half-release (t(1/2)) values ranged between 14.78 to 22.1 days, and the Period of Optimum Availability (POA) of thiram ranged from 7.79 to 25.15 days. An effort has also been made to identify the suitable polymers that could reduce the seed deterioration during storage and also act as an effective carrier of fungicide thiram. The results demonstrate that the seeds coated with the different formulations deteriorated at a slower pace as manifested in high germination percentage over control. Apart from the fungicidal effect of thiram, the polymers acted as barriers to moisture reducing the rate of seed deterioration and checked the degradation of thiram. The CR formulation 4d, with PEG 2000, was found to be most effective as seed coat.

Antiretroviral therapy prescribing in hospitalized HIV clinic patients

OBJECTIVES

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication prescribing errors in hospitalized patients still remain common. This study aimed to examine the initial prescribing of antiretroviral drug regimens for HIV clinic patients admitted to an urban academic teaching hospital.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of all patients with a discharge diagnosis of HIV or AIDS was performed. Only patients actively managed by the hospital out-patient HIV clinic at the time of discharge were included in the final analysis. We compared the ART initially prescribed during hospitalization with the clinic records. Medication errors were separated by type and the prescriber's area of specialty was noted.

RESULTS

From 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009, 90 admissions in 62 patients were included in the final analysis. In 47 of those admissions, the patient had an initial regimen considered to be incorrectly prescribed; in 17 of these 47 admissions, the patient was not prescribed any ART, and in the remainder the errors were related to drug omissions, incorrect frequency/dose, and prescription of the wrong drug. The majority of admissions were by an internal medicine or non-infectious disease (ID) specialist. Average time to ART initiation was comparable among all prescribers. No statistically significant correlation was found between the number of admissions per patient or the prescriber's area of specialty and the percentage of incorrect regimens ordered.

CONCLUSION

Hospital HIV medication management still remains an area of focus because of the complexity of regimens, poor medication reconciliation and limited non-HIV/ID specialist knowledge.

In vitro antibacterial evaluation of Anabaena sp. against several clinically significant microflora and HPTLC analysis of its active crude extracts

The present study was conducted to evaluate the possible antibacterial activity of Anabaena extracts. Anabaena was isolated from a natural source and cultured in vitro. after suitable growth, cyanobacterial culture was harvested using different solvents. Extracts, thus prepared, were evaluated for their antibacterial potential by agar-well diffusion assay against bacterial species of clinical significance. MIC values were determined further to check the concentration ranges for significant inhibition. HPTLC analysis was done to separate the components of active crude extract in an attempt to identify the bio-active chemical entity. Methanol extract exhibited more potent activity than that of hexane and ethyl acetate extracts. No inhibitory effect was found against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Staphylococcus aureus required about 256 µg/ml of the crude methanol extract for effective inhibition. HPTLC evaluation at λ 254 nm was performed for the separation of a complex mixture of the methanol extract. The results provide evidence that Anabaena sp. extracts might indeed be potential sources of new antibacterial agents.

Identification and metabolite profiling of Sitophilus oryzae L. by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy

The polyphagous insect Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera:Curculionidae) has a tremendous adaptability in feeding behaviour, making it a serious invasive pest of stored cereals. The present study identifies the metabolite composition of Sitophilus oryzae (S. oryzae) using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Assignment of 1D-proton by NMR, 1H-1H COSY, 2D-TOCSY 1H-1H, had been done. Amongst the various biochemically important metabolites isoleucine, valine, leucine, beta-hydroxybutyrate, lysine, glutamate, glutamine, proline, lactate, alanine, di-methylamine, alpha-glucose, beta-glucose, choline, glycerophosphorylcholine and tyrosine are present in S. oryzae. In wheat-fed S. oryzae, the presence of threonine and the absence of lactate is observed. In rice-fed S. oryzae, however, the presence of lactate and the absence of threonine were observed. Barley-fed S. oryzae shows presence of both tyrosine and lactate. It is concluded that the pest S. oryzae has adaptability on different stored cereals and grains, depicting the presence of earlier reported metabolites. The present study aims to identify the key metabolic components and associated enzymes in Sitophilus oryzae fed on different cereals.

In vitro antibacterial activity of laboratory grown culture of Spirulina platensis

The hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, methanol extracts and spent media (extracellular substances) were tested in vitro for their antibacterial activity for which one Gram-positive bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus) and four Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and Klebsiella pneumoniae) were used as test organisms. The methanol extract showed more potent activity than other organic extracts, spent medium of the culture exhibited little activity against E. coli only. No inhibitory effect was found against Klebsiella pneumoniae.The broth microdilution assay gave minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) values ranging from 1 to 512 μg/ml. The MIC of methanol extract against S. aureus and E. coli were 128 μg/ml and 256 μg/ml, respectively.

User-adaptive reminders for home-based medical tasks. A case study

OBJECTIVES

We present a prototype adaptive reminder system for home-based medical tasks. The system consists of a mobile device for reminder presentation and ambient sensors to determine opportune moments for reminder delivery. Our objective was to study interaction with the prototype under naturalistic living conditions and gain insight into factors affecting the long-term acceptability of context-sensitive reminder systems for the home setting.

METHODS

A volunteer participant used the prototype in a residential research facility while adhering to a regimen of simulated medical tasks for ten days. Some reminders were scheduled at fixed times during the day and some were automatically time-shifted based on sensor data. We made a complete video and sensor record of the stay. Finally, the participant commented about his experiences with the system in a debriefing interview.

RESULTS

Based on this case study, including direct observation of individual alert-action sequences, we make four recommendations for designers of context-sensitive adaptive reminder systems. Captured metrics suggest that adaptive reminders led to faster reaction times and were perceived by the participant as being more useful.

CONCLUSIONS

The evaluation of context-sensitive systems that overlap into domestic lives is challenging. We believe that the ideal experiment is to deploy such systems in real homes and assess performance longitudinally. This case study in an instrumented live-in facility is a step toward that long-term goal.

Development of rabies DNA vaccine using a recombinant plasmid

A recombinant plasmid pTargeT.rabgp containing the glycoprotein (G) gene of Rabies virus (RV) was constructed and produced for immunogenicity studies on mice and dogs. The mice immunized twice with 50 microg or 100 microg of pTargeT.rabgp intramuscularly (i.m.), showed a serum antibody titer of 256 or 64, respectively 14 days post immunization (p.i.). When the vaccinated mice were challenged at 14 days p.i. with RV i.c., they were protected in 81.25% or 87.5%, respectively. A positive cell mediated immune response was observed by lymphocyte proliferation assay and macrophage migration inhibition test. These results indicate that the pTargeT.rabgp plasmid can be used as a rabies DNA vaccine.

Hypergammaglobulinemic purpura of Waldenström: report of 3 cases with a short review

Benign hypergammaglobulinemic purpura of Waldenström (HGPW) is an uncommon cause of non-thrombocytopaenic purpura that may create diagnostic difficulties. The presence of constitutional symptoms associated with prominent immunological abnormalities may raise alarm, leading to extensive and often unnecessary investigations. This report describes 3 young women with HGPW. Clinical features were characterised by recurrent episodes of bilateral asymmetrical palpable purpuric lesions on the lower extremities that were precipitated by a prolonged increase in hydrostatic pressure (e.g. prolonged standing, tight stockings etc.) associated with constitutional features. In one patient the condition was secondary to Sjögren's syndrome with type IV renal tubular acidosis. Laboratory abnormalities included a persistently elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, marked polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia, and high titers of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibody of the anti-SSA (anti-Ro)/anti-SSB(anti-La) subsets. This topic is reviewed briefly with the emphasis that in its 'primary' form this condition could be considered a 'benign' systemic immunoinflammatory disease that requires neither extensive investigations nor any aggressive form of therapy. Greater awareness of HGPW may increase the frequency of its diagnosis, especially in the patient group with non-thrombocytopenic purpura or the so-called cutaneous vasculitic syndromes with 'palpable purpura'.

Musculoskeletal manifestations with panniculitis--a hospital based study on 62 patients in Kuwait

The study describes 62 patients seen over a period of 4 years mainly presenting with an acute inflammatory ankle arthritis/periarthritis associated with panniculitis. Based upon the clinical characteristics of panniculitis two distinct categories could be defined. These included patients with characteristic lesions of erythema nodosum, seen in 51 (82%), the idiopathic form in 29 (57%), and secondary EN in 22 (43%). Associated conditions included Behçet's disease, oral contraceptive pills, pregnancy and penicillin treatment. Patients clinically not having typical EN was seen in 11 (18%). In this group the histopathology showed erythema induratum in 4, cutaneous-polyarteritis nodosa with minimal panniculitis in 3, Weber-Christian disease, cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis, and 'mixed' lobular and septal variety of panniculitis in 1 each. (In 1 patient the disease was not panniculitis but cutaneous variant of granuloma annulare). It is concluded that in a hospital setting EN associated with acute musculoskeletal symptoms, mainly ankle arthritis/periarthritis or an acute peripheral polyarthritis, was a common rheumatological problem in Kuwait. However, other forms of panniculitides also presented with musculoskeletal manifestations requiring accurate histopathological diagnosis for appropriate treatment.

Infective arthritis in adults--experience at a teaching hospital in Kuwait

Infective arthritis (InfectA) has a variable geographical pattern. A 'Medline' search did not yield any earlier series on epidemiological pattern of InfectA from Kuwait or the Gulf region. Therefore, an observational prospective study of sequential cases seen over a period of 4 years was carried out. Of a total of 2021 patients seen during this period, 36 (1.8%) were diagnosed to have InfectA. There were 6 (16.7%) cases of neisserial and 30 (83.3%) of non-neisserial InfectA. Predisposing factors were seen in 17 (47.2%), all with non-neisserial InfectA. Microbiological diagnosis was proven in 15 (41.7%) cases, and included Neisseria gonorrhoeae in 5, Brucella spp. in 4, Staphylococcus aureus in 3, and Neisseria meningitidis, Salmonella spp. and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 1 each. In the remaining 21 (58.3%) cases the diagnosis was made on clinical grounds and confirmed on therapeutic response. The most common presentation of neisserial InfectA was acute polyarthritis while that of non-neisserial InfectA was acute monoarthritis. All patients recovered with little disability and no mortality.

Typhoid fever with severe pancytopenia

A patient suffering from typhoid fever with severe pancytopenia is presented. Bone marrow examination revealed extensive haemophagocytosis which possibly contributed to the pancytopenia.

Studies on the determination and degradation of pyrimethamine in mammals

Treatment of pyrimethamine with blood plasma in vitro yields a metabolite which is also produced when the drug is administered through intravenous injection in the rat. A thin layer liquid chromatographic method for quantitative and qualitative determination of pyrimethamine and its metabolite in plasma and biological tissues is described.