Endophytic Microbes from Diverse Wheat Genotypes and Their Potential Biotechnological Applications in Plant Growth Promotion and Nutrient Uptake

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Endophytic microbes residing inside the tissues of plants play a significant role to enhance the growth and...     

Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Some Indian Lablab purpureus,L. Bean Genotypes Based on RAPD Marker

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - In the present study, ten genotypes of Lablab purpureus L. Sweet bean were screened for genetic divergence by...     

m-s-m cationic gemini and zwitterionic surfactants – a thermodynamic analysis of their mixed micelle formation

Micelle formation enthalpies (Δ_micH values) have been calorimetrically determined at 298 K for three sets of mixed zwitterionic/cationic gemini systems consisting of N-dodecyl-N,N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate (ZW3-12) and a series of structurally related gemini surfactants, the N,N''-bis(dimethyldodecyl)-α,ω-alkanediammonium dibromide (12-s-12) systems. From the experimental and the estimated ideal micelle formation enthalpies, the excess enthalpies were obtained. The degrees of nonideality of the interaction in the mixed micelle (β^m) from our previous work was used along with the excess enthalpy values to determine excess thermodynamic quantities of the surfactants in the mixed system according to Regular Solution Theory (RST) and Motomura''s theory. The excess enthalpies for the ZW3-12/12-4-12 were positive in magnitude and rose sharply when small amounts of the zwittergent were distributed into the gemini micelles. The excess enthalpies for the ZW3-12/12-5-12 and the ZW3-12/12-6-12 systems were also >0 kJ mol⁻¹, and as a function of zwittergent composition, were quite different to those of the ZW3-12/12-4-12 mixed micelles. These results indicate that the heat of mixed micelle formation is strongly dependent on electrostatic interactions and the structure of the surfactants involved, specifically, the length of the tether group for the 12-s-12 gemini surfactants. From the calorimetric data and the application of RST and Motomura''s theory, we have obtained estimates of the excess Gibbs energy and entropy of mixing. An analysis of the three thermodynamic properties suggests that the relative contributions of enthalpic and entropic effects to nonideal behavior for mixed micelles involving gemini surfactants are strongly dependent on the gemini structure.

Excess enthalpies of micelle formation for the ZW3-12/12-s-12 system as a function of the mole fraction of zwittergent (α_ZW3-12).     

Pre-clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modelling study of 4-hydroxyisoleucine using validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A reliable and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based method has been developed for the estimation of 4-hydroxyisoleucine (4-HI), a potent insulinotropic and hypolipidemic agent. The extraction of 4-HI from plasma was accomplished by the protein precipitation technique using l-isoleucine as an internal standard. The separation of analytes was achieved with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in an isocratic flow system on a BEH Shield RP-18 column (150 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). 4-HI and l-isoleucine were detected using an electrospray ionization (ESI) ion source, using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive ion mode. The precursor to product ion transitions of 4-HI and l-isoleucine were found at m/z values of 148.19 > 74.02 and 132.17 > 69.04, respectively. As per the guidelines for bioanalytical methods, all validation parameter results were within the acceptable range. The method exhibited a robust and reproducible linearity range of 1–5000 ng mL⁻¹ with a coefficient of regression of 0.9999. The method was successfully applied for the estimation of pharmacokinetic parameters after oral administration of 4-HI (10 mg kg⁻¹) in Wistar rats, by using Thoth Pro (version: 4.3) software. Herein, the two-compartment model was statistically fitted based on AIC and SBC values for evaluation of the pharmacokinetic parameters of 4-HI. Pharmacodynamic studies were also performed by measuring the levels of triglyceride and total cholesterol, and showed that the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data of 4-HI correlated with each other.

A reliable and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS based method has been developed for the estimation of 4-hydroxyisoleucine, a potent insulinotropic and hypolipidemic agent.     

Embolization of a Wiktor stent within a stent: Successful nonsurgical management

A case of embolization of an unexpanded Wiktor stent while attempting to traverse an expanded Wiktor stent is reported. The embolized stent was subjected to longitudinal axial traction, using a balloon catheter to cause stretching and partial unraveling. This partially unraveled stent was deployed across the dissection to scaffold it. The patient had no postprocedure complications. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Hypolipidaemic Effect of Fenugreek Seeds: a Chronic Study in Non-insulin Dependent Diabetic Patients

The lipid lowering activity of fenugreek seeds ( Trigonella foenum graecum L.) was studied in 60 non-insulin dependent diabetic subjects. Isocaloric diets without and with fenugreek were given for 7 days and 24 weeks respectively. Ingestion of an experimental diet containing 25 g fenugreek seed powder resulted in a significant reduction of total cholesterol, LDL and VLDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These results indicate the beneficial effect of fenugreek seeds in diabetic subjects.     

Enzyme Inhibition by Allicin,the Molluscicidal Agent of Allium sativum L. (Garlic)

Allicin, a molluscicidal component of garlic inhibited the activity of acetylcholinesterase, lactic dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase in in vivo and in vitro exposure against Lymnaea acuminata . It was observed that succinic dehydrogenase activity in the nervous tissue of Lymnaea acuminata was increased in in vivo treatment whereas with in vitro exposure, allicin caused no significant change in succinic dehydrogenase activity. The inhibition kinetics of these enzymes indicates that allicin caused an uncompetitive inhibition of AChE and a competitive inhibition of LDH and alkaline phosphatase.