iosr-JPBS   Volume-1 ~ Issue-1

Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the antibacterial effect of crab shell extract on Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. K. pneumoniae and P. mirabilis were isolated from urine and wound specimen and characterized using standard laboratory methods. Antibacterial susceptibility testing using crab shell extract showed that only K. pneumoniae were sensitive while P. mirabilis were resistant. Isolates of K. pneumoniae had varied minimal inhibitory concentration, with isolates Kp1 and Kp3 having 12.5μg/ml while isolates Kp2 had 6.25μg/ml. At a concentration of 200μg/ml of crab shell extract, the highest zone of inhibition of K. pneumoniae was 12mm. This figure is however low when compared with commonly used antibiotics which gave larger zones of inhibition at lower concentration.
Keywords: K. pneumonia, P. mirabilis, chitin, Chitosan, cellulose.

[1] I. Aranaz, M. Mengíbar, R. Harris, I. Paños, B. Miralles, N. Acosta, G. Galed, and A. Heras, Functional characterization of chitin and chitosan, Current Chemical Biology, 3, 2009, 203-230.
[2] M. E. I. Badawy, and E. Rabea., A biopolymer chitosan and its derivatives as promising antimicrobial agents against plant pathogens and their applications in crop protection, International Journal of Carbohydrate Chemistry, 2011, 29pp.
[3] A. W. Bauer, W. M. Kirby, J. C. Sherris, and M. Turck, Antibiotic susceptibility testing by standardized single disk method, American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 45(4) 1966, 493-496.
[4] P. Chhabra, Y. W. Huang, J. F. Frank, R. Chmielewski, and K. Gates, Fate of Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enteric, Serovar typhimurium, and Vibrio vulnificus in raw oysters treated with chitosan. Journal of Food Protection, 69, 2006, 1600-1604.
[5] M. Cheesbrough, District Laboratory Practice in Tropical Countries (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K., 2000)
[6] G. Emori, and P. Gaynes, An overview of nosocomial infections including the role of the microbiology laboratory, Clinical Microbiology Review, 6(4), 1993, 428-442.
[7] M. Ganan, A. V. Carrascosa, and A. J. Martinez-Rodriguez, Antimicrobial activity of chitosan against Campylobacter spp. and other microorganisms and its mechanism of action, Journal of Food Protection, 72, 2009, 1735-1738.
[8] N. F. A. Gossen, Application of Chitin and Chitosan (Technomic Publishing Company Book, Lancaster, 1997)
[9] S. Hirano, Production and application of chitin and chitosan in Japan, in G. Skjak- Braek, T. Anthonsen & P. Sandford (Eds.), Chitin and Chitosan: Sources, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Physical Properties and Application (Elsevier Applied Science: London and New York, 1989) 37-44.
[10] V. I. Ibekwe, N. F. Nanyere, and C. O. Akujobi, Studies on antibacterial activity and phytochemical qualities of extracts of orange peels, International Journal of Environmental Health and Human Development, 2(1) 2001, 41-46.

Abstract- lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases has been observed in areas with hard water. However, numerous debates and controversies prevailed over time. Some scientists had been trying to correlate cardio-protective factor of hard water while others were working on the toxic factor of soft water with this geo-selective predisposition to cardiovascular events. Now the factor unanimously agreed upon can be concluded as Magnesium. The proofs in favour of Magnesium(Mg) come from studies reporting (i) sudden deaths in areas with Mg deficient drinking water, (ii) low myocardial Mg content in sudden death cases, (iii) cardiac arrhythmias & coronary artery vasospasms being precipitated by Mg deficiency and (iv) intravenous Mg reducing the risks of Arrhythmias & deaths immediately after Acute Myocardial Infarction. Magnesium is a structural component of cardiac muscle and is required by as many as 1300 enzymes for different biochemical reactions. It is an important co-factor for ATPase; hence, is needed in every cell. Mg modulates cellular events involved in inflammation and is important for proteolytic enzymes, which counteract inflammation. The modern processed food, softened drinking water and over reliance on ready to eat food thus avoiding fruits & green leafy vegetables is an important cause of Mg deficiency. The deficiency of Mg has been reported to cause increase in inflammatory cytokines, endothelial damage and dyslipidemia; all of which are the centre stage for the development of Atherosclerosis, the thickening & hardening of arterial walls. Magnesium, which seems to be the wonder ion can be used for supplementation & fortification. This can prove to be an efficient, effective, replicable and cost effective model for preventing many diseases particularly cardiovascular diseases through public health interventions.
Keywords: atherogenesis; atherosclerosis;; cytokines; dyslipidemia; total dissolved solids (TDS); vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAMs).

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[8] Crawford T., Crawford Margaret D. Prevalence and pathological changes of ischemic heart-disease in a hard-water and in a soft-water area. The Lancet (Saturday 4 February 1967)
[9] Bjorck Gunnar, Harry Bostrom and Anders Widstrom. On the Relationship Between Water Hardness and Death Rate in Cardiovascular Diseases. Acta Medica Scandinavica 1965; 178: fasc. 2
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ABSTRACTS: U.V.-induced bactericidal activity of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) in suspension was investigated on Escherichia coli strains obtained from soil and sewage samples. The anti-microbial activity of TiO2 was observed for 2 hours, 4 hours and 6 hours UV irradiation. Different standards of TiO2was prepared and their activity was compared. A significant drop in % viability is observed for both the strains, which were illuminated with UV light. For all respective illuminations, the %viability is lower for E.coli strain from soil sample as compared to sewage sample
Key Words: Photocatalysis; Antimicrobial; E.coli; Titanium Dioxide; UV irradiation

[1] Antibacterial activity of thin-film photocatalysts based on metal-modified TiO2 and TiO2:In2O3 nanocomposite .E.V. Skorb a,*, L.I. Antonouskaya b, N.A. Belyasova b, D.G. Shchukin c, H. Mo¨hwald c, D.V. Sviridov.
[2] Studies on photokilling of bacteria on TiO2 thin film Kayano Sunada a,b, Toshiya Watanabe a,b, Kazuhito Hashimoto.
[3] Photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of TiO2 and Au/TiO2 nanosystems Lidia Armelao1, Davide Barreca1,4, Gregorio Bottaro1, Alberto Gasparotto2, Chiara Maccato2, Cinzia Maragno2, Eugenio Tondello2, Urška Lavrenčič Štangar3, Martina Bergant3 and Dunja Mahne3 [4] Photocatalytic Activity, Antibacterial Effect, and Photoinduced Hydrophilicity of TiO2 Films Coated on a Stainless Steel Substrate Jimmy C. Yu,*† Wingkei Ho,† Jun Lin,† Hoyin Yip,†‡ and Po Keung Wong‡
[5] Carbonaceous nanomaterial for the photocatalysis of TiO2 Rowan Leary, Aidan Westwood
[6] TiO2 photocatalysis and related surface phenomenon Surface Science Reports, Volume 63, Issue 12, 15 December 2008, Pages 515-582 Akira Fujishima, Xintong Zhang, Donald A. Tryk
[7] Photocatalytic oxidation for antimicrobial control in built environment . Building and Environment, Volume 45, Issue 8, August 2010, Pages1747-1754 Fengna Chen, Xudong Yang, Henry K.C. Mak, Daniel W.T.
[8] The advancements in the sol-gel method of doped TiO2 photocatlysts. Applied Catalysis A: General, Volume 375, Issue 1, 26 February2010, Pages1-11U.G. Akpan, B.H. Hameed
[9] Preparation and properties of fumed silica composite photocatalytic materials Original Research Article ProcediaEngineering, Volume27, 2012, Pages448-456Yan Yu, Jian Wang, J.F. Parr
[10] Inactivationofe.coliby photocatalytic oxidationChemosphere, Volume32,Issue, March1996, Pages959-965 MirayBekbölet,laudia V. Araz

ABSTRACT : Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are polyesters of hydroxyalkanoates synthesized by various bacteria as intracellular carbon and energy storage compounds and accumulated as granules in the cytoplasm of cells. In this work, we have screened the best micro organism among Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and also have screened the best cheap carbon sources among Rice bran, Paddy husk, pigeon pea waste, Sugarcane baggasse, and waste frying oil. The study of production of PHA is done in combination of the best screened substrate as well as the micro organism.
Keywords: Polyhydroxyalkanoates, biodegradable polymer, bioplastic.

1. Caesar Preeti and Tiwari Archana(2010),in "Integration of natural and Biological sources for the Production of Biopolymer: Actual and Potential Utilization of various Wastes", Caesar Preeti et al. / Journal of Pharmacy Research 2011,4(1),53-55
2. Ching-Yee Loo and Kumar Sudesh(2007), in "Polyhydroxyalkanoates: Bio-based microbial plastics and their properties", Malaysian Polymer Journal (MPJ), Vol 2, No. 2, p 31-57, 2007.
3. M.C. Santimano, Nimali N. Prabhu and S. Garg , in "PHA Production Using Low-Cost Agro-Industrial Wastes by Bacillus sp. Strain COL1/A6.
4. Sathesh Prabu, C. and Murugesan, A . G(2009), in "Effective Utilization and Management of Coir Industrial waste for the Production of poly- β- hydroxybutyrate (PHB) using the Bacterium Azotobacter Beijerinickii
5. Catalina VoaideS, Diana Groposila, Matilda Ciuca, Irina Lupescu, Aneta Pop, Calina Petruta Cornea(2010),in "PHAs accumulation in Pseudomonas putida P5 (wild type and mutants) in lipid containing media" , Romanian Biotechnological Letters, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2010.
6. S.Ramalingam,M.Vikaram,M P Vignesh babu and M Sivasankari(2011),in "Flux Balance analysis for maximising polyhydroxy alkanoate production Pseudomonas putida",Indian Journal of Biotechnology Vol 10, Jan 2011,pp 70-74.
7. Ogunjobi, A. A., Ogundele, A.O., and Fagade, O.E(2011),in "Production Of Polyhydroxyalkanoates By Pseudomonas Putrefaciens From Cheap And Renewable Carbon Substrates", EJEAFChe, 10(8), 2011 [2806-2815].
8. Hang Zang, Vincent Obias, Ken Goyer and Douglas Dennis(1994), in "Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates in sucrose-utilising recombinant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella strains", Applied and Environmental Microbiology Vol 60, Apr 1994, p.1198-1205.
9. Rob AJ Verlinden, David J Hill, Melvin A Kenward, Craig D Williams, Zofia Piotrowska-Seget and Iza K Radecka(2011), in "Production of polyhydroxyalkanoates from waste frying oil by Cupriavidus necator", AMB Express 2011, 1:11.
10. Yoshikazu Kawata and Seiichi Aiba (2011). Patent application title: Method for producing PHAs using Halobacterium. Patent app no. 20110104767.

Abstract: Background: Diabetes mellitus is a leading public health problem with increasing incidence and long term complications such as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy etc. These complications are mainly a consequence of macrovascular and microvascular damages of the target organs.The presence of an extensive microvascular circulation and abundant connective tissue in the lungs, raises the possibility that lung tissue may be affected by microangiopathic process and non-enzymatic glycosylation of tissue proteins, induced by chronic hyperglycemia, there by rendering the lung a "target organ" in diabetic patients.
Objectives: To study the effect of type 2 Diabetes and role of gender on pulmonary function.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study, the test group were Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients (n=50), the control group were staff of Narayana medical college (n=50). Written consent was obtained from them. The following pulmonary function parameters were recorded: Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV1) , Forced Expiratory Volume percent (FEV1/FVC %), Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Forced Expiratory Flow 25-75% (FEF25-75%), Maximum Voluntary Ventilation (MVV).
Result: The mean FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC%, PEFR, FEF25-75%, MVV values are low in diabetics (p value <0.001) compared to non-diabetics. Also, female diabetics show greater decrease in PFT values than male diabetics
Conclusion: We conclude that diabetics show a decrease in PFT values compared to non-diabetics. Also, female diabetics are more prone to respiratory dysfunction than male diabetics. The findings of present study suggest that, lung is a target organ for damage in diabetes and the glycemic exposure is a strong determinant of reduced pulmonary function in type 2 diabetics.
Keywords: Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) protein, Pleiotropic disease, Alzheimer disease (AD) and Comparative Genomics

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Abstract: Tuberculosis continues to be a major health problem in the world, particularly in the developing countries. The updated WHO report reveals that about 9.4 million new TB cases occurred in 2008 including 1.4 million cases among people living with HIV. The prevalence of the disease was about 11.1 million. There were about 1.3 million deaths from TB among HIV negative people and an additional 0.52 million TB deaths among HIV positive people. India is the highest TB burden country in the world, accounting for 21% of the global incidence and 2/3rd of the cases in south-east Asia. In the year 2008, the incidence of tuberculosis was reported to be 1.9 million with prevalence of 2.186 million with mortality due to TB being 2, 76,512.

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Abstract: In this article information about effect of cholesterol concentration on vesicle size of liposome. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods have been described in terms of size distribution and encapsulation efficiency. The reduction of the size of the multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) to small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) so as to increase their plasma lifetime and consequently increase the possibility of achieving greater tissue localisation.
Keywords: Liposomes, phospholipid & encapsulation.

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Abstract: From a very ancient time brahmi is used as medicine as raw and in other formulation. With Different herbs the mode of action of the brahmi plant is changed, so there is a lot of studies have been done to show the different dose of the brami with different herbal medicine have different mode of action. Here is a brief review about the herbal drug interaction of the brahmi with other medicinal plants and different drug dosing.
Keywords: Brahmi, Antioxident, Medicinal plants, Herbal drug interaction.

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Abstract: Climate change is one of the most important global environmental challenges of the present century. The IPCC (the intergovernmental panel on climate change) report of 2007 concludes that climate change is projected to increase threat to human health, particularly in lower income countries. It will have implications on food production water supply, air quality, coastal settlements and human health. As two-third of the Indian population depends directly on the climate sensitive sectors like agriculture, fisheries and forests, it is bound to have an adverse......

Keywords: climate change, human health, vector -borne diseases

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