023546   MAHIHISH P K, GRITLAHARE A (Biotechnology Dep, Govt. Digvijay Post Graduate Coll, Chhattisgarh, Email: drpramodkumarmahish@gmail.com) : Pathogenicity of Phoma Chrysanthemicola to Chrysanthemum plants (Asteraceae family) and control of pathogen by chemical and biological approach. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1191-1200.

The Chrysanthemum also known as mums or chrysenths, are useful in ornamental applications, insecticidal, air pollution reducer, perfume production etc. The Phoma causes infection to Chrysanthemum which results in serious lesion. The present study reports protection of Chrysanthemum against fungal infection. The morphology of Phoma chrysanthemicola was studied in PDA, CZA and MEA medium. The pathogenicity of fungus was examined on different variety of chrysanthemum plants. The control of P. chrysanthemicola was contemplated by utilizing some commercial available fungicides and extract of medicinal plants. The organism causes root rot and ray blight to Chrysanthemum plants. Chrysanthemum sp. 2 was found more sensitive to pathogen took after by Chrysanthemum sp. 1 and 3. Relationship between diseases severity and incubation period of pathogen with various chrysanthemum plant was found R2 0.95, 0.97 and 0.87 for Chrysanthemum sp. 1, 2 and 3. Carbendazim was recorded more effective on P. chrysanthemicola followed by mancozeb and zineb with P value of 0.065 at 0.05 level. Azadirachta indica extract and plant extract from methanolic solvent were found more effective against P. chrysanthemicola. Now it is presumed that fungal pathogen has strong ability to infect chrysanthemum but chemical and biological alternate can control the chrysanthemum against pathogen.

11 illus, 2 tables, 35 ref

023545   ABUBACKER M N, SATHYA C (PG & Research Biotechnology Dep, National Coll, Tiruchirapalli- 620 017, Email: abubacker_nct@yahoo.com) : Genotoxic effect of heavy metals Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn using Allium cepa L. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1181-6.

Angiosperms are recognized as appropriate genetic models to detect heavy metal based environmental mutagens and are used in monitoring studies. Allium cepa (onion) has been used to evaluate DNA damages like chromosome aberrations and abnormalities in the mitotic cycle. The aim of the present study is to analyze the cytotoxic effects of chromium, copper, lead and zinc in A. cepa root tip squash mitotic cell divisions. The root tips were treated with three concentrations, viz. 5, 10 and 20 mg/100 ml of chromium, copper, lead and zinc at room temperature for 24 h. Mitotic indices and chromosomal abnormalities were calculated. It was observed that these heavy metals induced different types of chromosomal abnormalities comprising of Chromosome break, Chromosome bridge, C-mitosis, Vagrant, Delayed Anaphase and Vagrant, Chromosome Loss, Polyploidy and Chromosome Bridge, Chromosome Loss and Loculated Nucles, Stickiness, Multipolarity and Polyploid prophase along with the increasing doses. The effect of chromium and lead at 20 mg/100 ml concentration was found to be more toxic rather than copper and zinc to the root meristem of A. cepa. The ranking of cytotoxic potentials was in the descending order: lead > chromium > copper > zinc.

2 illus, 4 tables, 20 ref

023544   PATRA J, BASU A, MISHRA A, DHAL N K (Biotechnology Dep, North Orissa Univ, Baripada, Email: jyoshnamayeepatra30@gmail.com) : Bioconversion of municipal solid wastes for bioethanol production. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1151-7.

The use of dilute acid (H2SO4, 3%) and alkali (NaOH, 3%) pretreatment methods has some potential how ever to date, these methods effectively increase ethanol production of municipal solid waste (MSW). Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out with Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichoderma reesei. Finally, the fermentation was done by sugar three ethanologenic yeasts, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, pichia stipitis, canida shehatae for bioethanol production.The highest ethanol yield (22.32%) v/v. was obtained with a pre-hydrolysis treatment consisting of NaOH at 3% concentration, followed by Pichia stipitis and enzymatic hydrolysis with Aspergillus niger. Pre-hydrolysis treatment consisted Enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out with Alkali pretreated wastes yield more sugar as compared to acid treatment using produced more ethanol than others at each time point. The experimental results observed that 80% of the cellulose converted to glucose from the waste which can be easily fermented to production. of ethanol. The ability focus on related environmental issues, such as sustainable waste management, climate change, land use and biodiversity, are discussed.

6 tables, 21 ref

023543   AMEEN R S, AL-ZUBAIDI M M, NAMAA D S, SHEHAB M J, AL-QUTBI S H, HUSAM R, RASHEED S (Training and development Dep, Al-Nahrain Univ, Baghdad, Email: rashasadik8373@gmail.com) : Studying the prevalence of mitochondrial tRNA^leu gene mutation in Iraqi population. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1143-50.

This study conducted to determine the incidence of point mutation A3243G RNA^Leu(UUR) in diabetes patients within the Iraqi population and campare it with that reported in other populations. Peripheral blood were collected from 100 patients attended university of Al-Mustansiriyah / national centre for the treatment of diabetes and research. The age, gender, family history, hypertension, retinopathy, nephropathy and smoking in addition to the body mass index, are the information collected from The pateints. The DNA was extracted and by PCR-RFLP method and PCR-sequencing methods, the tRNA^Leu (UUR) gene screened for A3243G. Revealed that none of the 100 patients were found to carry the A3243G mutation in the mitochondrial tRNA^Leu (UUR) gene in the homoplasmic or in the heteroplasmic form. Depending on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the A3243G mutation in mitochondrial tRNA^Leu (UUR) is not a frequent cause of diabetes in the Iraqi population contrary to other reported populations. And further screening of an enlarged group is necessary to fully determine the prevalence of this mutation in this population.

3 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

023542   KASTHURI G, REDDY A N, ROOPA P M, ZAMARE D K (Biotechnology Dep, Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology, Telangana- 501 301) : Application of green synthesized iron nanoparticles for enhanced antimicrobial activity of selected traditional and commonly exploited drug Amoxicillin against Streptococcus mutans. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1135-41.

The development of drug resistance in pathogens due to over exploitation of the drugs is urging the need of finding alternative method for controlling the growth of these pathogens. The dental biofilms development leads to the dental caries which when neglected can be serious. The oral biofilm is a complex colonization of different pathogens, whereas Streptococcus mutans paves the path for the formation of these stubborn biofilms by makeing use of dietary sugars and accumulates on tooth surface through exopolysaccharides (EPS). The current life style and eating habits are favoring the plaque development leading in to dental caries. Here we amide to eliminate the dread of development of drug resistance in to the pathogens by mechanical damage and combination of treatment as an alternate option for destruction of Streptococcus mutans. This was accomplished by the application of Iron Nanoparticles (FeNP). It was observed that the antimicrobial activity of natural and synthetic drugs can be enhanced by the synergy of FeNP. The popular natural products like Syzygium aromaticum (Clove) buds, Azadirachta indica (Neem) leaves and Camellia sinensis (Green tea) leaves were tested for their activity against the Streptococcus mutans. The enhanced antimicrobial activity were tested by treating Streptococcus mutans with different combination of treatments like only plant extract, Plant extract with FeNP, plant extract with FeNP and Amoxicillin to obtain a comparative analysis of its effects. The study showed that the activity of antimicrobial agent can be enhanced when added with FeNP. The FeNP were green synthesized from the extracts of Syzygium aromaticum (Clove) buds, Azadirachta indica (Neem) leaves and Camellia sinensis (Green tea) leaves and was characterized by UV, FTIR and SEM studies and zeta potential studies.

4 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

023541   KSHASTRI J, RAO C V, SETTALURI V S (Sneha Biotech, Vijayawada- 522 502, Email: snehabiotech@yahoo.com) : Study of water quality and biochemical characterization of bacterial isolates from water samples of Ponnagi area in Krishna district. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1129-34.

Aquaculture also known as fish farming is one of the methods for breeding rearing and harvesting of freshwater and marine species of fish and shellfish, in ponds, rivers, lakes and oceans. In this article an attempt has been put forth to study and apply techniques that could help in improving the water quality in aquaculture ponds and to further understand the role played by enzymes and probiotics by means of bio remedial procedures and protocols. Aquaculture productivity needs to be improved to cater the ever-increasing demand, no doubt, but simultaneously a proactive role for environment protection is required. The gathering of organic wastes worsens the water quality and reduces the level of dissolved oxygen in the fish aquaculture ponds. This further increases the formation of toxic metabolites such as ammonia (NH₃), nitrite (NO₂^-) and hydrogen sulphide (H₂S). Hence, NH₄⁺ or NO₃^- removal processes (nitrification and denitrification) become essential for the pond water quality. This can be carried out by applying different types of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria such as Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter and Alcaligenes. In the present investigation, 2 earthen ponds were selected from Ponnagi near Eluru in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. One pond (Pond A) was treated with probiotics having Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter and Alcaligenes sps. And the other pond (Pond B) was kept as control. During the culture period, the water samples were collected from probiotics treated and control ponds for analysis of water quality parameters. The current study is aimed to focus on the changes in water quality and biochemical characterization of bacterial isolates from water samples of Ponnagi area in probiotic treated ponds and to compare the results with ponds not treated with probiotics.

2 tables, 23 ref

023540   SAHAY S, BRAGANZA V J (Loyola Centre for Research & Development, Xavier Research Foundation,, Ahmedabad- 380 009, Email: sudha.sahay@xrf.res.in) : Low cost multiplication of Curculigo orchioidesin Shake Flask Culture. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1089-93.

Low cost multiplication of Curculigo orchioides on a large scale was done through direct bulbil formation from leaf explants in shake flask cultures. The leaf segments (1 cm long) were cultured in liquid MS medium without any growth hormones supplement. About 95% explants produced bulbils at an average of 5 bulbils per leaf segment in a 6 weeks incubation period. Total yield of bulbils was 250 bulbils per litre of liquid MS medium. During the incubation period, darkening of the media was observed from the 3rd week of inoculation of the leaf segments. This was due to the excretion of phenolic compounds from the cut-ends of the leaf segments. When darkening was highly intense (dark brown to black), it inhibited the further growth of bulbils. Therefore, once in six weeks, the liquid media was changed to ensure continuous growth of bulbils. Germination of bulbils was 100% on MS agar-medium (static medium) when supplemented with BAP:Kn:NAA (1.0:0.1:1.0 mg/l) growth hormones. Tuberous root segments also proliferated into dense roots when inoculated into the liquid MS medium, without any growth hormones.

5 illus, 11 ref

023539   PERMANA A H, WARGANEGARA F M, WAHYUNINGRUM D, WIDHIASTUTY M P, AKHMALOKA (Biochemistry Research Group, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia, Email: oka@chem.itb.ac.id) : Heterologous expression and characterization of thermostable lipases from Geobacillus thermoleovorans PPD2 through Escherichia coli. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1081-8.

Heterologous expression and purification of thermostable lipase from Geobacillus thermoleovorans PPD2 had been carried out through Escherichia coli BL21 as host. Two bands obtained showed lipolytic activity with the size at around 51 (LipA) and 43 (LipB) kDa, respectively. The activities were identified by zymogram analysis, while the control protein from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) do not show any lipolytic activity. Purification of crude extract using chromatography affinity Ni-NTA resulted one dominant band of LipA, meanwhile LipB did not appeared on the gel. Another purification for LipB was carried out by acetone fractionation. Both of LipA and LipB showed high activity toward medium chain length substrates, with optimum activity at 50^oC and pH 8.5. The activities of LipA and LipB showed tolerance toward short chain alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, and isopropanol.

6 illus, 1 table, 23 ref

023538   VAISHNAVI G S, RAO D M (Biotechnology Dep, Sri Krishnadevaraya Univ, Ananthapuramu, Email: Saivaishnavig@gmail.com) : Biological chemistry of extreme thermophile “Caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus”- A future biofuel producer. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1075-80.

The present paper deals with some of those highlighting biochemical capabilities, that lay foundation to exploit the organism ‘caldicellulosiruptor saccharolyticus’ emphasizing for finding substitutes for fossil fuels as the organism bears all hallmarks of being adopted as a ‘future biofuel producer’. Belonging to the genus ‘Caldicellulosiruptor’, it is one of the most well studied thermophilic bacterium that possess unique biological chemistry in fermenting substrates very easily with its efficient metabolism.

3 illus, 2 tables, 28 ref

023537   AMIN T, NAIK H R, HUSSAIN S Z (Post-Harvest Technology Div, Sher-e-Kashmir Univ of Agricultural Sciences & Technology-Kashmir, Srinagar- 190 025, Email: tawheed.amin@gmail.com) : Chemotyping the essential oil in different rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) plants grown in Kashmir valley. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 1025-31.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the yield, chemical constituents and determine the chemotype of the essential oil obtained from different rosemary plants growing in different accessions of rosemary fields. About four plant samples were analyzed for essential oil yield and the essential oil yield varied from 0.88% to 1.2%. The essential oil samples were further analyzed by Gas Chromatography (GC) for the purpose of identification of chemical constituents present in them. It was contended from the results that the selected plants differed from each other in terms of chemical constituents. Camphor content was found in higher amount in all the four samples, thus it could be inferred that the plants are camphor chemotype.

5 illus, 4 tables, 15 ref

023536   RAHAYU S, SUHARTONO M T, SURYAPRATAMA W, BATA M (Jenderal Soedirman Univ, Indonesia, Email: sirahayu27@gmail.com) : Keratinolytic enzymes for cleaning edible bird’s nest. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 989-96.

Edible bird’s nest (EBN) as a kind of functional food has high economic value depending on the quality such as color and hygiene. The purpose of this research was to find optimum condition for application of keratinolytic enzymes Bacillus sp. MTS in cleaning EBN. Activating agents for both enzymes were cationdivalents, EDTA, reducing agents, organic solutions, and antibacterial agents. Additives compound that able to increase keratinase activity were used to make cleaning solution and its tested on EBN and human hair. Alcoholic solutions (25% ethanol, 25% methanol, 25% glycerol), and some divalent metallic ions(Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺) were able to increase keratinase while disulfide reductase was solely activated by 0.05 mM EDTA. The activity of both enzymes was inhibited by NaCl and Na-azide. The activity of keratinase of Bacillus sp. MTS in cleaning solution formulated in this research was 2-3 fold as much as control (crude extract) in human hair substrates. Gliserol and cations divalent increasing 2-3 fold keratinase activity in cleaning solution. The solution was successfully applied to cleaning EBN with weight loss 2.3-2.5% approximately.

6 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

023535   SIVARATHNAKUMAR S, BASKAR G, BHARATHIRAJA B, KUMAR R P, CHOZAVENDHAN S, ARULRAJ J V, VISHNUVARDHAN K M, SURENDAR S (Biotechnology Dep, Sathyabama Univ, Chennai, Email: basg2004@gmail.com) : Prosopis juliflora Bark - An alternate feedstock in the production of bioethanol using thermo tolerant yeast kluyveromyces marxianus. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 945-51.

Prosopis, a widely available perennial plant can be an alternative source to sugar-containing feedstock, which can be considered as a prospective lignocellulosic material for bioethanol production. In the present study, bark of Prosopis juliflora was subjected to hydrothermal coupled with nitric acid pre-treatment (3%(v/v)) followed by sonication. The composition of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, reducing sugars and inhibitors at each stage of pre-treatment were analysed. Further, delignified lignocellulosic biomass was subjected to Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) studies using Kluyveromyces marxianus (MTCC 1389) and commercial cellulase enzyme. The effect of operating parameters such as pH, temperature, substrate concentration and inoculum concentration were investigated and found to be 4.9, 41^oC, 3% v/v and 5% w/v respectively. The maximum bioethanol concentration achieved by fermentation of woody stem Prosopis juliflora using the yeast was found to be 21.45g/l.

4 illus, 1 table, 18 ref

023534   CHKILI F, PERSON M D , COLBEAU-JUSTIN C, ABDERRABBA M (Univ of Tunis El Manar, Campus Univ, Tunisia, Email: touma.at@gmail.com) : The olive mill wastewater decontamination with photocatalysis based on Tio₂: Effect of operational parameters. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 933-44.

This work aims to obtain treated olive mill wastewater (OMW) that can be used in other processes such as irrigation in agricultural production. The oxidative degradation and adsorption kinetics of the OMW were investigated by means of photo-catalysis in the presence of TiO₂. The UV irradiation was chosen for this reaction rather than visible light since it eliminated 97% of the color versus 40 % with visible. It was also capable of reducing total organic carbon (TOC) and total phenolic compounds (TPhC) sufficiently after 4h of treatment. The extent of photocatalytic degradation increased with increasing TiO₂ concentration up to 1 g/L, above which degradation rate declined. Furthermore, the OMW treatment didn’t require a pH value adjustment; whereas it was enhanced with the addition of hydrogen peroxide. The catalyst activity on repeated use was evaluated and after four successive cycles, its efficiency was maintained. Various commercial photocatalysts were tested and compared for OMW degradation efficiency.

10 illus, 4 tables, 23 ref

023533   CHRISTY G P, ARIMURNI D A, WAHYUDI M D P, MARTIEN R, TUNJUNG W A S (Biochemistry Lab, Gadjah Mada Univ, Yogyakarta- 552 81, Email: wanindito@ugm.ac.id) : Formulation and characterization of kaffir lime oil nanoemulsion. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(3), 915-22.

Kaffir lime oil has many health benefits. However, an obstacle to its commercial use is oxidation during storage. Nanoemulsions (particulate colloidal systems) have been shown to be suitable carriers for lipophilic essential oil constituents due to amphipathic compounds that facilitate solubility. The objectives of this study were to formulate thermodynamically stable kaffir lime oil nanoemulsions and to investigate their physicochemical properties. Air-dried leaves of kaffir lime were subjected to steam distillation to obtain essential oil. Preparation of nanoemulsions was done using the spontaneous emulsification method. Tween 80 and propylene glycol were selected as surfactant mix components. The oil phase consisted of Miglyol 812 as a carrier oil for kaffir lime oil while double-distilled water was used in the aqueous phase. The best formula with transmittance above 95% and highest essential oil content was selected. It contained 20% of Tween 80, 10% of propylene glycol, 1.25% Miglyol 812, and 3.75% kaffir lime essential oil. This formula was then characterized and its thermodynamic stability determined.The results showed that the average size of kaffir lime oil nano emulsions droplets is 18.23+0.12 nm with poly dispersity index of 0.36+0.01. The system is thermodynamically stable and robustly withstood variations in temperature, centrifugation, and long-term storage. Additionally, the nanoemulsions had low viscosity, which may facilitate its development as a pharmaceutical compound.

1 illus, 6 tables, 36 ref

023532   SWEETY, VATS S, KUMAR M, KUMAR V, GUPTA S, GARG K (Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Nagar Himalayan Univ, Dehradun, Email: vivekbps@gmail.com) : Nitrogen and carbon sources influencing mycoremediation of textile dyes using novel autochthonous fungal isolates. Analyt Chem Lett 2017, 7(5), 632-46.

Four fungal isolates Trichoderma virens, Phlebiopsis cf. ravenelii, Talaromyces stipitatus, Aspergillus niger originally isolated from the textile dye contaminated soil of Meerut, India. They were studies for decolorization purpose of selected textile azo dyes under laboratory conditions. Out of total 74 isolates, four fungal strains were picked up on the basis of primary screening carried out using agar layer decolorization technique. Dye decolorization and degradation activity of the culture was enhanced by optimization of concentration of carbon and nitrogen sources to the synthetic medium. This optimization facilitated decolorization and degradation within 9 d, at pH 5.4 and at a temperature of 30°C. Different concentrations of tested dyes (0.01 %, 0.025 %, 0.05 % and 0.1%) were used and maximum decolorization 99.84 % was achieved at dye concentration of 0.01 %. Rate of decolorization carried out at different concentrations revealed the increase in dye solution concentration suppresses the decolorization. Optimized amount of nutrients were found to be 0.05 %, 0.2 %, 0.5 %, 1 % and 2 % of ammonium sulphate and sodium nitrate as nitrogen source and glucose and lactose as carbon source respectively. Addition of nitrogen source above 0.5 % caused decrease in percentage decolorization and addition of carbon source increase percentage decolorization up to 0.5 %.

4 illus, 29 ref

023531   GAUR P, BHATIA S, ANDOLA H C, GUPTA R K (University school of biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Email: rkg67ap@yahoo.com) : In vitro radical scavenging activity and antimicrobial potential of Berberis asiatica Roxb. ex DC. fruit extracts in four different processed forms. Indian J Tradit Know 2017, 16(4), 706-13.

Berberis asiatica Roxb. ex DC. fruit, sampled in four different states as dried, pulp, juice and pomace, were extracted sequentially with solvents of varying polarity. All different crude extracts were screened for quantification of total phenols (TPC) and total flavonoids (TFC) by Folin-Ciocalteu's phenol method and Aluminium chloride colorimetric method. The high TPC and TFC of juice and pomace extracts followed by dried and pulp extracts correspond to their high radical scavenging activity with efficient microbial inhibitory potential. The range of antioxidant capacity (FRAP assay) of different extracts laid between 55 mM TE/g to 480 mM TE/g extract. Bacillus cereus exhibited high sensitivity to all the extracts with maximum zone of inhibition (27 mm) at extract concentration 50 mg/mL (Juice Ethyl acetate extract) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) from 8 mg/mL to 2 mg/mL. The results provided a mark for the fruit under investigation that it might be a potential source of rich phenolics, antioxidants and antimicrobial agents that can be utilized in food industry.

5 illus, 4 tables, 28 ref

023530   SONI R, KUMAR A, KANWAR S S, PABBI S (Division of Biotechnology, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Himachal pradesh, Email: sskanwar1956@gmail.com ) : Efficacy of liquid formulation of versatile rhizobacteria isolated from soil North-Western Himalayas on Solanum lycopersicum. Indian J Tradit Know 2017, 16(4), 660-8.

In the present study, a total of 53 indigenous diazotrophs and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) were isolated from the rhizosphere soils of five different crops grown in Palampur, (Himachal Pradesh, India). Out of these, isolates WT-A1 and WT-A2 exhibited significantly higher nitrogenase activity as compared to the reference strain Azotobacter chroococum and PT-P2 solubilized more phosphate as compared to the reference strain Pseudomonas striata. WT-A2 and PT-P2 showed multiple plant growth promoting traits including indole acetic acid, ammonia and siderophore production. On the basis of morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, WT-A2 and PT-P2 were identified as Stenotrophomonas sp. and Burkholderia cepacia, respectively. The liquid formulation of efficient diazotroph and PSB was prepared in sterilized liquid manure, matka khaad with the addition of trehalose which maintained their viable counts for one year. Evaluation of growth performance of liquid formulation on Solanum lycopersicum (Avtar 7711) in vivo concluded that seed bacterization (SB) and seed bacterization, seedling dipping, soil application and foliar spray (SB+SD+SA+FS) exhibited better results in terms of seed germination, fruit quality, dehydrogenase activity and available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium of soil as compared to the other treatments.

2 illus, 4 tables, 39 ref

023529   CHATURVEDI A, TIWARI A K, MANI R J (Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Uttar Pradesh, Email: achaturvedi @amity.edu) : Traditional practices of using various medicinal plants during postnatal care in Chitrakoot district. Indian J Tradit Know 2017, 16(4), 605-13.

Chitrakoot district, a remote area located in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh has very strong local health traditions in which plants play a key role. The region has well developed indigenous practices for taking care of mother and child right after the delivery. There are traditional delicacies with medicinal value and herbal formulations meant for oral and external applications that are exclusively used for postnatal care of mother and child. These health practices are on decline. The present study highlights the potential of traditional methods of postnatal care and the need for their documentation. These practices if integrated with modern healthcare system could elevate the health status of thousands of ladies and their newborns.

3 illus, 3 tables, 38 ref

023528   TAFERE G, DESALEEGN A (Biotechnology Dep, College of Dry Land Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ethiopia, Email: tshay2004.11@gmail.com) : Microbial load and safety of locally prepared fresh fruit juices in Cafeteria and restaurants in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia. Indian J Tradit Know 2017, 16(4), 508-604.

Improperly prepared fresh fruit and vegetable juices are recognized as one of the major causes of food borne illnesses. Therefore, this study was aimed at evaluating the microbiological safety of fresh fruit juices marketed in Mekelle city. Ninety fruit juices samples were collected and analyzed for total microbial count. Most venders obtained fruit from the open market and all juice makers lacked special training in food hygiene and safety. Thirteen questionnaires were distributed for 30 juice makers to obtain preliminary information on hygienic and safety practices of fruit juice makers. A total of 90 locally prepared fresh fruit juice samples were collected. The mean total viable count of avocado and papaya were 3.85 log cfu/mL and 3.58 logcfu/mL, respectively. 12.2 % (11/90) of the total samples were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. These findings strongly indicated the fecal contamination of juice sample. Moreover, all venders obtained fruit from the open market. According to the current study, the results may be attributed to contamination during either harvesting of fruits or processing and handling of fresh fruit juices. Therefore, regular supervision and training about harvesting fruit, safe processing, and handling of fruit juices and hygiene of venders can improve the quality of fresh fruit juices.

3 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

023527   THAKUR A, AGARWAL C, RANA K, SINGH M, PATNI B (Biotechnology Dep, Lovely professional Univ, Punjab, Email: babita28paatni@gmail.com) : In vitro antimicrobial activity and phytochemical analysis of two species of saraca asoca. J Mount Res 2017, 12, 119-27.

Saraca asocais used worldwide to treat various kinds of human disorders and regarded as a universal panacea in the ayurvedic medicines. The present research evaluates the anti-microbial activity of bark (aqueous, methanol and acetone) extracts of two plant species Saraca asoca caesalpiniaceae and Saraca asoca leguminosae by the agar well diffusion assay against E. coli (Gram negative bacteria) and Bacillus Subtilis ( Gram positive bacteria). Different fraction of both S. asoca species was tested. Out of three fraction viz aqueous, acetone and methanolic extract of bark had showed the activity against both tested bacterial species. The phytochemical investigation of different fraction of bark extract shows the presence of tannins, phenols, saponin, flavonoids and glycosides. The Saraca asocacaesalpiniaceae bark extracts shows significant antibacterial activity as compared to saraca asoca leguminosae which might be due to the presence of higher concentration of phenolic compound which was estimated 1.239 ?g/ml and 1.129 ?g/ml respectively.

3 illus, 3 tables, 20 ref

023526   KRISHNAVENI R, RATHOD V, KULKARNI P, RAO H (Biotechnology Dep, Univ of Agricultural sciences, Dharwad, Email: drvandanarathod17@rediffmail.com) : Raid screening of antityrosinase compounds from fungi. J Ecofriendly Agric 2018, 13(2), 95-101.

Tyrosinase inhibitors are involved in controlling the undesired browning in fruits, vegetables and marine foods and also they used as whitening agents. The research in finding tyrosinase inhibitors drawn attention as there is a need in finding new inhibitors because the present tyrosinase inhibitors are having side effects such as carcinogenic properties. The screening of different fungies done through plate assay technique using dual assay technique on enriched PDA and inibitory studies done by using spectrophotometric assay, where partially purifired tyrosinase from Acremonium rutilum was used, revealed that A.niger-1 and A.ornatus showed 98.3 and 98.1 per cent inhibition, which were highest as compared to other screened fungi. Plate assay method appears to be the best and rapid method for tyrosinase inhibitors, as all isolates screened by plate assay has shown inhibition to partially purified enzyme which were used for plate assay. A.ornatus showed a strong positive reaction with Fecl3 test indicating that the compound is kojic acid which was separated by TLC with a standard kojic acid and the separated compound again showed 98.5 per cent tyrosinase inhibition. Kojic acid was identified as a potent fungal tyrosinase inhibitor from A.ornatus. A.niger -1 didn’t show any of the compounds tested and require a detail study. When the percent inhibition of synthetic kojic acid was compared with naturally screened and identified kojic acid, the percent inhibition was 91 per cent with synthetic IC 50 1mM, where as it was 98.5 per cent inhibition which is appreciable with natural kojic acid irrespective of the concentration.

1 illus, 1 table, 50 ref

023525   SUNITA, MUNJAL R (Genetics and Plant Breeding Dep, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural Univ, Hisar-125 004, Email: k.sunitasangwan@gmail.com) : Variability in gas exchange attributes of wheat RILs subjected to high temperature stress. Agric Sci Digest 2017, 37(3), 221-5.

High temperature above the optimum has a drastic effect on the stomatal activity and gaseous exchange which ultimately affect the yield and yield attributing traits. In this study, the Net photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), anspiration rate (E), and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWT) on flag leaves of 100 recombinant inbred lines of bread heat derived from the cross of WH1021 (heat-tolerant) and WH711 (heat-sensitive) were evaluated. Recombinant inbred lines and both parents were assessed for various gas attributes under two sowing dates i.e., normal (17.11.2015) and late sowing (27.12.2015). The temperature persisted normal from December, 2015 to February, 2016 and there was a consistent rise in temperature in the last week of March. Measurements were made at anthesis and 10 days after anthesis. Average An, E, gs and iWT decreased as the temperature increase. A contrasting difference was observed in timely sown and late sown at 10 days after anthesis for photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate. Decrease in stomatal conductance and water use efficiency was found with delayed sowing and high temperature. There results may prove useful in the selection of physiologically efficient heat-tolerant genotypes with higher rate of photosynthesis.

1 illus, 4 tables, 12 ref

023524   GOYAL M, CHAUHAN S, KUMAR P (Biotechnology Dep, Central Univ of Haryana, Mahendergarh-123 031, Email: goyalmeenu333@gmail.com) : In silico analysis, structural modeling and phylogenetic analysis of EPSP synthase of Phaseolus vulgaris. Agric Sci Digest 2017, 37(3), 185-90.

The 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase is one of the essential enzymes of shikimate pathway and is verified as a specific target of broad-spectrum herbicide glyphosate. It is important to get insights into three-dimensional (3D) structure of this enzyme for engineering new herbicides as well as herbicide resistant crops. The information about 3D structure of EPSP synthase enzyme is not yet available in protein database for any of the plant species. Therefore, we revealed the homology model of Phaseolus vulgaris EPSP synthase protein using the structure of EPSP synthase from E. coli as template. The resulting model structure was refined by RAMPAGE server, ERRAT and Verify3D. Ramachandran plot analysis showed that conformations for 95.6% of amino acid residues are within the most favoured region. The phylogenetic tree (constructed using MAFFT) separated EPSP synthases of bacteria, monocot and dicot plants into distinct clusters. Our study generated reliable 3D model structure of EPSP synthase in P. vulgaris, which can be used for future studies.

5 illus, 3 tables, 17 ref

022583   Yadav A K;Rai D C (NO, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Kaushal Kendra, Rajiv Gandhi South Campus, Barkachha, Mirzapur, Banaras Hindu Univ, Uttar Pradesh) : In vitro screening of Ashwagandha root extracts for the maximum functional components. Pharma Innovation 2018, 7(2), 12-16.

In the study, the most effective solvent (among ethanol, water, methanol and acetone) for extracting the major antioxidant compounds especially polyphenolics from Ashwagandha root using various in vitro tests including 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) free radical - 127 - scavenging, metal ion chelating, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, and ferric thiocyanate reducing ability were identified. Ethanolic extract of Withania somnifera had significant (p<60>0.01) (DPPH) free radical scavenging (82%), metal ion chelating (78.88%), hydrogen peroxide scavenging (91.36%), superoxide anion radical scavenging (67.66%) and significant (p<60>0.05) ferric thiocyanate reducing activities. Therefore ethanol extract of Ashwagandha root have been found to have maximum functional components e.g. polyphenols and antioxidants.

6 illus, 3 tables, 19 ref

022582   Vijayakumar N;Alagar S (Biotechnology Dep, Karpagam Univ, KAHE, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu-641 021, Email: sangilimuthu.a@kahedu.edu.in) : Consequence of chitinase from Trichoderma viride integrated feed on digestive enzymes in Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) and antimicrobial potential. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 513-19.

In the present study, laboratory trail was carried out to determine the effect of partially purified chitinase from Trichoderma viride on certain digestive enzymes of Corcyra cephalonica and its antimicrobial susceptibility against certain microbes. The most dreadful stored food grain pest Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton) was fed with chitinase from Trichoderma viride impregnated flour disk of different concentrations (62.5, 125, 250, 500 and 1000 ppm). After the treatment of five days, gut region was dissected and the inhibitory activity of chitinase against digestive enzymes (amylase, invertase and lactase) was checked. The incorporation of chitinase to the feed induced the reduced level of enzymes such as amylase, invertase and lactase with increasing concentration of chitinase. The decrease in the digestive enzymes such as amylase (75%), invertase and lactase substantiate that the chitinase can induce changes in the insect physiology to a great extent. Based on the results observed, the chitinase from Trichoderma viride can be promoted as a biocontrol agent against the stored food grain pests. Chitinase showed appreciable antibacterial activity against the gram positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans; gram negative bacteria Klebsiella pneumonia, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans.

5 illus, 19 ref

022581   Vidya Dharshini K;Mangalambigai V;Krishnaveni M;Muthurathinam S;Saravanan R;Meenakumari S (Noi Nadal Dep, Government Siddha Medical College, Palayamkottai, Tamil Nadu) : Pharmacognostical characterization of Aavarai Kudineer - a poly herbal preparation. J med Pl Stud 2017, 5(6), 1-5.

Calibration of drugs and medical preparations are essential parameters in scientific scenario and it helps to improve quality and efficacy of drugs. Aavarai Kudineer is a poly herbal Siddha drug and it has been highly prescribing for the condition of Madhumegam (Diabetes mellitus). There are number of formulations of Aavarai Kudineer documented in literature, whereas scientific studies has not been reported. The current study was design to analyze Aavarai Kudineer scientifically for develop a standardization to the formula. Precursor mixture (coarse powder) of Aavarai Kudineer and aqueous extract of Aavarai Kudineer were tested. Pharmacognostical analysis including preliminary phytochemical study was done. The findings of the study could be useful in diagnostic keys for identification and preparation of aqueous extract of Aavarai Kudineer.

6 tables, 18 ref

022580   Verma N;Yadav A;Bal S;Gupta R;Aggarwal N (Biotechnology Dep, Kurukshetra Univ, Kurukshetra-136 119, Email: nehavermakuk@gmail.com) : Studies on antigenotoxic effects of piperine using sister chromatid exchange assay. Ann Agri Bio Res 2017, 22(2), 127-30.

Various studies have shown the genotoxic effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure on humans and focused on cytogenetic studies as an important tool for early detection of Cd induced mutagenicity. In this study, sister chromatid exchange assay (SCE) was used to assess the DNA damage and results were expressed in terms of SCE frequency. In order to diminish Cd toxic effects, we used one of the commonly used spices i. e. piperine. It is an alkaloid in Piper nigrum and Piper longum reported to have antimutagenic potential against various genotoxicants. Heparinised fresh blood from healthy individuals was treated with different concentrations of piperine in the presence of Cd to evaluate the antigenotoxic potential of piperine. We observed significant (P<60>0.05) decrease in the SCE frequency with an increase in the concentration of piperine (30-60 μM). At 50 μM, piperine showed maximum antigenotoxic effect (P<60>0.01), by lowering the SCE frequency nearby control. Therefore, our study indicated that piperine played an important role in counteracting the Cd genotoxicity. The present study further showed that piperine itself did not possess any genotoxic effects (P<62>0.05).

1 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

022579   Velagapudi N;Sharma N;Bandla R (Pharmacy Dep, N.R.I. College of Pharmacy, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh) : Synthesis, screening and qsar analysis of chalcone derivatives as potential anti bacterial agents. Int J pharm chem biol Sci 2017, 7(3), 211-18.

Chalcones are important starting materials for the synthesis of varies heterocyclic compounds. Most of them are widely used in pharmaceuticals. Keeping this in mind new chalcones are synthesized by conventional method and the structures were confirmed by spectral evidence. Synthesized compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity the molecules were screened for their structural activity relationships by atom based 3D QSAR studies.

6 illus, 8 tables, 21 ref

022578   Thakur A;Agarwal C;Rana K;Singh M;Patni B (Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Dep, High Altitude Plant Physiology Research Centre, H.N.B. Garhwal Univers, Srinagar, Garhwal-246 174, Email: babita28paatni@gmail.com) : In vitro antimicrobial activity and phytochemical analysis of two species of Saraca asoca. J Mount Res 2017, , 119-27.

Sarcica asocu is used worldwide to treat various kinds of human disorders and regarded as a universal panacea in the ayurvedic medicines. The present research evaluates the anti-microbial activity of bark (aqueous, methanol and acetone) extracts of two plant species Saraca asoca caesalpiniaceae and Saraca asoca leguminosae by the agar well diffusion assay against E. coli (Gram negative bacteria) and Bacillus subtilis (Gram positive bacteria). Different fraction of both S. asoca species was tested. Out of three fraction viz. aqueous, acetone and methanolic extract of bark had showed the activity against both tested bacterial species. The phytochemical investigation of different fraction of bark extract shows the presence of tannins, phenols, saponin, flavonoids and glycosides. The Saraca asoca caesalpiniaceae bark extracts shows significant antibacterial activity as compared to Saraca asoca leguminosae which might be due to the presence of higher concentration of phenolic compound which was estimated 1.239 μg/ml and 1.129 μg/ml respectively.

3 illus, 3 tables, 20 ref

022577   Sunita Kumari;Manju;Sharma P;Lal S;Mukesh Kumar;Bishnoi N R (Environmental Science & Engineering Dep, Guru Jambheshwar Univ of Science & Technology, Hisar-125 001, Email: sunitayadav0505@gmail.com) : Evaluation of different screening methods for qualitative analysis of cellulase activity of thermophilic bacteria. Ann Agri Bio Res 2017, 22(2), 154-7.

Screening of potent cellulose degrading and cellulase enzyme producing microorganisms play a vital role in biotechnological research. Isolation and screening were done on carboxy-methyl-cellulose (CMC) media plates. Qualitative estimation of these microbes is a very significant and critical step. Several cellulolytic organisms have been reported, but proficient and inexpensive bioconversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to fermentable sugars is still a challenge. To resolve this problem, the efficient thermophilic cellulolytic bacteria were isolated and screened with different methods. A total of nine cellulose hydrolyzing bacteria were isolated from hot springs of Himachal Pradesh. Isolates were tested to compare staining efficiency of two dyes (Gram's iodine and Congo red dye) on the agar plates containing the media amended with carboxy-methyl cellulose (CMC) as a sole carbon source. Out of nine, three isolates were found to have higher potential for clear halo zone formation. In the present study, maximum hydrolysis zone was found with Gram's iodine staining i. e. 22,23 and 21 mm in comparison to Congo red dye which was 17,19 and 15 mm, respectively. Thus, Gram's iodine staining was more efficient than Congo red staining for plate assay methods.

2 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

022576   Sultanpuram V R;Mothe T (Microbial Ecology Laboratory, Applied Biosciences Dep, Mahatma Gandhi Univ, Anneparthy, Yellareddygudem (PO), Nalgonda-508 254, Email: svr.micro@gmail.com) : Draft genome sequence of Cellulosimicrobium aquatile 3bp, a glucosidase active bacterium and the type strain of a novel species. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 783-4.

A novel strain of bacterium designated as 3bp, a Gram-stain positive, non-spore forming, non-motile, yellow-pigmented, rod shaped and coccoid aerobic strain was isolated from Panagal reservoir, Nalgonda, Telangana, India, represents a novel species from the phylum Actinobacteria. Here we report the draft genome of the strain 3bp. It comprises <126> 4.31771 Mb with the G + C content of 74.73 %, and a total of 3796 protein-coding genes.

9 ref

022575   Solovyeva D O;Oleinikov V A;Zaitsev S Y (Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, RF, Email: szaitsev@mail.ru) : Cells cultivation system and preparation of the purple membrances for bionanotechnology. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 679-84.

The purple membranes (PM) of the Halobacterium salinarum cells and bacteriorhodopsin (major retinal-containing trans-membrane protein of these bacteria are the most promising photosensitive biopolymers in terms of bionanotechnology, developing photosensitive devices, etc. The article is devoted to the improvement of the cultivation system for Halobacterium salinarum cells and the PM production; the study of the properties and functional characterization of bacteriorhodopsin - the biological components of the bionanomaterials. The optimal conditions for the - 124 - production of the biomass are the following: the volume of incubation media must be 10% of the working volume (the volume of the cuvette); the cell "age" must be close to the end of the exponential phase of growth; the lighting must be maximum (4 light bulbs LD-20); the temperature must be 37°C; the time must be 8 days; the aeration must be 0.45 (L air)/(L of environment)/min. The yield of the product is about 5 g of biomass containing 45 mg of bacteriorhodopsin. The purple membranes and their major protein - bacteriorhodopsin were obtained with the required parameters.

4 illus, 18 ref

022574   Singh P K;Sharma G;Pandey P K (Biomedical Engineering Dep, BBDNITM, Lucknow, Email: waytopunit@yahoo.com) : Watershed algorithm and adaptive threshold canny edge detection based atomatic segmentation of tibio femoral cartilage from MRI images. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 843-52.

Restorative Analysis of the femoral ligament by thickness estimation utilizing the strategies of picture division has demonstrated very viable device for joint ailment determination. There is a lot of work has been done in different procedures of division of MRI pictures of ligament. In this review we have created Watershed calculation for programmed division of knee ligament pictures along with application of versatile shrewd edge discovery which has made it more compelling. The space amongst tibia and femur in knee joint is portioned by Watershed Algorithm. Extra separating through morphological operations-picture widening and disintegration with double picture opening capacities is then connected to expel uproarious locales to precisely segmentthe required area from the generally portioned district. Edges in the harsh district were removed out by the versatile limit watchful edge identifier. At last the precise division was accomplished by extricating the picture information in the highlighted area.

15 illus, 18 ref

022573   Siddiqui N A;Abid A;Ahmad G (Biotechnology Dep, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110 2025) : Evaluation of diuretic activity of hydro-alcoholic extract of Bisehri Booti plant (Aerva lanata Linn.). Hippocratic J Unani med 2016, 11(4), 91-8.

The diuretic activity of hydro alcoholic extract of Bisehri Booti (Aerva lanata Linn) plant was studied on healthy albino rats of Winstar strain. The animals were kept on fasting for 18 hours; thereafter they were administered normal saline (25 ml/kg) orally and divided into four groups of six animals each. Animals in group I-IV were treated with distilled water (5 ml/kg), furosemide (20 mg/kg) and 150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg of hydro alcoholic extract of Bisehri Booti, respectively once daily. After respective treatment all the animals were kept separately in metabolic cages and urine passed during 6 hours was collected in a measuring tube. In standard control and two test groups the urine volume and the urinary sodium and potassium, chloride concentration was found increased significantly when compared with plain control group. The study demonstrated that hydro alcoholic extract of Bisehri Booti (Aerva lanata Linn) in a dose of 300 mg/kg has significant diuretic activity.

2 illus, 19 ref

022572   Shah V;Pandey S (NO, EIEs, EPCO, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh) : Phytomedicine: an emerging opportunity of research and development in Vindhyan Eco-region, India. J med Pl Stud 2017, 5(6), 11-4.

A detailed and systematic study for identification, cataloguing and documentation of plants, which may provide a meaningful way for the promotion of the traditional knowledge of the herbal medicinal plants. In addition to the proper utilization of technological advances, a logical interpretation of the modified language of traditional medicine also becomes a necessity in order to further promote research in this field. There is a paucity of information on medicinal plants and their pharmacological molecules of Vidhyan region. The pharmaceutical industry can extract the active ingredients before being used in the manufacturing of drugs hence; there is possibility of discovering new functional molecule through pre-identified medicinal plants of Vindhyan region for the evolution of novel drugs.

17 ref

022571   Sachan S;Singh A (Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity Univ, Uttar Pradesh, Email: asingh3@lko.amity.edu) : Production of lipase by Pseudomonas aeruginosa JCM5962(T) under semi-solid state fermentation: Potential use of Azadirachta indica (neem) oil cake. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 767-73.

A widely employed strategy for increased production is to use crop residues as nutrient source in bioprocess. The plan of present work is to modify growth conditions by using by-products of Azadirachta indica (neem) oil seed cake and optimize environmental conditions for maximum production of extracellular lipases by P. aeruginosa JCM5962(T), identified for production of extracellular lipases previously. Semi solid state fermentation medium comprising of different concentrations of Azadirachta indica oil cake (AIOC) as substrate was studied, in which 4% of AIOC supported maximum lipase production after 96 hours of incubation at 37°C. Optimization of growth condition was done using nitrogen supplements, carbon additives and various oils. 1% Ammonium nitrate as additional nitrogen supplement was found to be ideal parameter for improved production, whereas carbon supplements and oil additives did not have any effect. Mixed substrates of AIOC with six other oil cake residues (1:1) were also studied. Additive effect of mustard and coconut oil cake caused an increase of 29.95% and 38.26% respectively as opposed to AIOC alone. It is the first report demonstrating use of Azadirachta indica oil seed cake as fermentation medium for improved production of extracellular lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa JCM5962(T).

6 illus, 1 table, 23 ref

022570   Saadabi A M A;Alhussaini M S;Al-Ghanayem A A; Joseph B;Shuriam M S A (College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra Univ, Shaqra, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) : Isolation and identification of pathogenic bacteria and fungi from some Saudi bank note currency. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 715-20.

Saudi Bank notes in different values were critically evaluated to show the level of contamination with pathogenic bacteria and fungi using standard techniques. The fungal genera Trichophyton sp., Microsporum sp., Epidermophyton sp., Aspergillus sp., Alternaria sp., Penicillium sp., Candida sp., Phycomyces sp., Saccharomyces sp. and Cladosporium sp. were isolated and identified. The genera of bacteria that isolated were Escherichia - 122 - coli, Citrobacter sp., Klebsiella sp., Proteus sp., Streptococcus sp., Bacillus sp., Corynebacterium sp. and Staphylococcus sp. The potential of Saudi currency notes to act as environmental vehicles for transmission of pathogenic fungi & bacteria was assessed. The lower values of bank notes were highly contaminated and there is a negative correlation between bank notes value and microbial contamination. The results suggest that currency notes may be contaminated, especially with bacteria and enteric microbes and may serve as a source of contamination or infection. Personal hygiene and electronic or credit banking to reduce the risk of infection were recommended.

2 illus, 4 tables, 22 ref

022569   Rehman S;Latif A (Ilmul Advia Dep, A.K. Tibbiya College, Aligarh Muslim Univ, Aligarh-202 002) : Antibacterial and phytochemical screening of Piper cubeba Linn. f. (Kababchini). Hippocratic J Unani med 2016, 11(3), 21-30.

Study provides an in-vitro efficacy of Piper cubeba Linn. f. (Kababchini) in terms of its antibacterial activity against various gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains using Agar well and Kirby Bauer's Disk Diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines. The efficacy was compared with the standard drugs used as positive control viz. Ciprofloxacin for gram positive strains and Gentamicin as gram negative strains and the solvent used to dissolve the test drug-Dimethyl Sulphoxide (DMSO) as Negative Control. Phytochemical analysis was also done to confirm the presence of various phytoactive constituents present in the test drug and it was revealed that Kababchini contains alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, proteins, tannins, resins and terpenes. It was found to be sensitive towards Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans, Escherichia coli, Klebseilla pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The study demonstrates the in-vitro efficacy of Kababchini to be considered as effective drug target for further screening and its wider use in Unani medicine to combat many infectious diseases effectively.

4 illus, 3 tables, 33 ref

022568   Rani J;Kapoor M;Rupinder Kaur (Botany Dep, Punjabi Univ, Patiala-147 001, Email: jdmanishkapoor@pbi.ac.in) : In-vitro anti-bacterial activity and phytochemical screening of crude extracts of Catharanthus roseus L. (G.) Don.. Agric Sci Dig 2017, 37(2), 106-11.

Present study aims to investigate phytochemical analysis as well as in vitro antimicrobial activity of crude aqueous, methanol, ethanol, chloroform and petroleum ether extracts from leaves of C. roseus. Antimicrobial activity of extract was studied against various bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Mycobacterium smegmatis). Qualitative preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed that alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, amino acid and cardiac glycosides are present in the extracts. The result for total phenol and flavonoids content was the highest in methanol and the lowest in petroleum ether crude extract. The study revealed that inhibition significantly depend upon the solvent used for extraction and bacterial strain tested for susceptibility. Aqueous extracts were found less efficient as compared to organic solvent. Methanolic extract were found more effective against tested microbes.

2 illus, 4 tables, 30 ref

022567   Rai N;Meena R;Sharma R K;Mageswari S;Arfin S; Aminuddin (NO, Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy, PLIM Campus, Ghaziabad-201 002) : Pharmacog-nostical standardization of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (seeds). Hippocratic J Unani med 2016, 11(3), 175-82.

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. is equated to botanical source of 'Kamala'. This plant species is attributed for various medicinal properties and its different morphological parts viz. rhizome and seeds are edible. The present study is carried out on the pharmacognostical standardization of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (seeds) along with Thin- Layer chromatographic profile which is aimed to develop quality standards for the drug.

4 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

022566   Rahman A u;Malik T R;Tajuddin (Saidla Dep, Aligarh Muslim Univ, Aligarh-202 002, Email: rahman.mdi@gmail.com) : Antimicrobial activity of darchini (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and sheesham (Dalbergia sissoo) on some common human pathogens. Hippocratic J Unani med 2016, 11(3), 69-82.

The alcoholic and aqueous extracts of cinnamon bark and sissoo wood were evaluated for antibacterial and antifungal activity by disc-agar diffusion technique* at three concentration levels (50, 25 and 12.5μg/disc). For evaluation of antibacterial activity different gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains were used viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes E. coli, Klebsiella sp. Pseudomonas aerugenosa, Proteus sp. Bacillus sp., Shigella sp. and Salmonella typhimurium and to assess antifungal activity the species used are namely Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigates, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Candida keyfr, Candida kruisei, Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis. The reference drugs used for comparison are Ciprofloxacin (5 μg/disc) for antibacterial potential and Fluconazole (10 μg/disc), Nystatin (100 μg/disc), Amphotericin (100 μg/disc) and Clotrimazole (10 μg/disc) for antifungal activity. Zone of Inhibition was taken as the parameter for the assessment of antimicrobial activity. The alcoholic extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum showed significant antibacterial effect against Streptococcus pyogenes E. coli and Pseudomonas aerugenosa while the alcoholic and aqueous extracts of Dalbergia sissoo exhibited significant effect against all the tested bacterial strains at the different doses. The extract of both the test drugs also gives significant effect against different fungal strains used. Furthermore, to confirm the originality and quality of the test drugs the samples were also screened on the basis of certain physico-chemical parameters.

10 tables, 28 ref

022565   Normohamadi S;Solouki M;Heidari F (Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Zabol Univ, Zabol, Graduated MSc student of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Iran, Email: sobhannormohamadi@yahoo.com) : Diversity in cucumber genotypes based on morphological traits and SSR molecular markers. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 775-82.

Biodiversity is one of the most important factors in the survival and improvement of any species. Therefore, germplasm collection is the first step for plant improvement. To investigate their genetic and morphological relationships, 10 morphological traits of 20 genotypes of local cucumbers were evaluated using 9 SSR primers. A high genetic variability was observed for the number of flowers per plant. The values of the Jaccard similarity coefficient ranged between 0.51 and 0.92, indicating a high diversity of the genotypes. To evaluate the genetic similarity among genotypes, a cluster analysis using the UPGMA method was performed based on the Jaccard similarity coefficient. The average genetic distance between genotypes (using the Jaccard similarity coefficient) was 0.74 and the mean polymorphic - 120 - information content (PIC) was 0.69. The primer SSR13251 had the highest PIC (0.8). The clustering pattern of the SSR markers did not coincide with the groupings based on quantitative traits. A dendrogram of the cluster analysis of molecular data showed a high diversity among the studied genotypes. The highest genetic similarity was between genotypes 2 and 3 (0.94), and the lowest genetic similarity was between genotypes 6 and 12 (0.51). The results suggest that SSR markers are a suitable tool to study the genetic diversity and relationships among different genotypes in cucumber.

6 illus, 4 tables, 17 ref

022564   Nazarian H;Harchegani M B;Otroshy M;Motamedi A (Agricultural Biotechnology Dep, Payame Noor Univ, Karaj, I. R. Iran, Email: alimotamedi1987@gmail.com) : In vitro regeneration of alstroemeria cv. 'balance' by indirect organogenesis. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 607-14.

This study was designed in order to optimize the indirect organogenesis (during callus induction and regeneration) of Alstroemeria cv. 'Balance' through tissue culture technique in two phases; the first stage: callus induction by rhizome segments, leaf and nodal stem which in the start, callus formation media were examined using two types of auxins; 2,4-D and NAA and a cytokinin; BAP in four different experimentations. In the second stage, calli derived from rhizome segments and nodal stem explants were transferred to regeneration media. The results revealed that 2,4-D in combination with BAP in the rhizome segments and nodal stem explants were efficient as compared to NAA. The highest yield of callus formation was also obtained in the rhizome segments explants. According to the results, it can be suggested that NAA as auxin, does not have direct positive effect on cell division in Alstroemeria. The 2,4-D is toxic at high concentrations and may bring about cell death. Eventually, the composition of 0.5 mg/l NAA with 3 mg/l BAP and callus derived from nodal stem explants may be introduced as the best combination for regeneration. These results indicate the necessity of the BAP cytokinin presence for regeneration. In addition, the maximum length of the shoot was obtained from combination of BAP with nodal stem explants, without the presence of NAA.

2 illus, 4 tables, 18 ref

022563   Nazarian H;Ghadimi A H (Agricultural Biotechnology Dep, Payame Noor Univ, Karaj, Iran, Email: ahghadimi67@gmail.com) : Innovative optimal approach to implement fast propagation tissue culture. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 615-20.

In this study bulbetets of royal lily have been used as explants. The innovative approach is based on optimal placement and adventitious sprout induction and the - 119 - adventitious sprout proliferation in special conditions. Then effects of different parts of scales and placement method, types and concentrations of cytokinin, different parts of bulbetet scales and placement method on adventitious sprout induction have been discussed. At the end the effects of plant growth regulators on induction and multiplication of bulbetet scales of royal lily have been studied. The results represents that the regeneration ability of outer layer scales of royal lily is better than the middle ones, which was better than the inner ones. The adaxial side of royal lily bulbetets in contact with medium upward can produce more and stronger adventitious sprouts than the adaxial side downward.

5 tables, 21 ref

022562   naik V V;Sundari G B R T;Lalitha K;Lakshmi K N S V (Pharmaceutics Dep, Hindu College of Pharmacy, Guntur-522 002) : An overview of biosensors. Int J pharm chem biol Sci 2017, 7(3), 293-302.

Biological and biochemical process have a very important role on medicine, biology and biotechnology. However, it is very difficult to convert directly biological data to electrical signal, the detection of toxins, and advanced diagnostics recent advances in biofabrication may allow sensors to achieve the high spatial sensitivity required, and bring us closer to achieving devices with these capabilities. Biosensors and devices that are designed to detect a specific biological analyte by essentially converting a biological entity (i.e, protein, DNA, RNA) into an electrical signal that can be detected and analyzed. The use of biosensors in cancer detection and monitoring holds vast potential. Biosensors can be designed to detect emerging cancer biomarkers and to determine drug effectiveness at various target sites. Biosensor technology has the potential to provide fast and accurate detection, reliable imaging of cancer cells, and monitoring of angiogenesis and cancer metastasis, and the ability to determine the effectiveness of anticancer chemotherapy agents. This review will briefly summarize the biosensing devices which as well as some future applications of biosensor technology identifying methods and the biosensor technology available today.

15 ref

022561   Moudgil V;Sehrawat S K;Devender Kumar;Singh J;Aneja A (Biochemistry Dep, Kurukshetra Univ, Kurukshetra-136 119, Email: jasbirdhanda@gmail.com) : Rapid and accurate genotyping strategy of hepatitis B virus using a fragment of DNA polymerase gene in isolates from northern-west region of India. Ann Agri Bio Res 2017, 22(2), 121-6.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been classified into eight genotypes (A-H) based on the intergenotypic divergence of at least 8% in the complete nucleotide sequence or more than 4% in the S gene. To facilitate the investigation of the relationship between the efficacy of drug treatment and the mutation with specific genotype of HBV, a new genotyping strategy based on a fragment of HBV DNA polymerase gene has been established. Homology or pair-wise sequence analyses were done using CLUSTAL W2 and phylogenetic analyses were performed using Mega5 on the eight (A-H) standard full-length nucleotide sequences of HBV DNA from GenBank (NCBI) and the corresponding nested PCR products from the HBV DNA polymerase gene. The differences in the nested PCR fragments of the polymerase gene among genotypes A through F were greater than 4%, which is consistent with the inter-genotypic divergence of at least 4% in HBV DNA S gene sequences. Genotyping of the 53 samples using nested PCR products of polymerase gene from Northern-west Indian population revealed that only genotypes D and A were present with a distribution of 50 cases (94%) and three cases (6%), respectively. These results indicated that our genotyping strategy using a fragment of DNA polymerase gene was valid and different from earlier methods therefore it could be employed as a general genotyping strategy. It also helped in investigation of the efficacy of drug treatment and mutations in specific genotypes of HBV. In our study, genotypes D and A were identified with this new genotyping method, and genotype D was demonstrated to be the most prevalent genotype.

4 illus, 2 tables, 29 ref

022560   Meena;Tara N;Saharan B S (Microbial Resource Technology Lab, Microbiology Dep, Kurukshetra Univ, Kurukshetra-136 119, Email: nayansheoran29@gmail.com) : Characterization of plant growth promoting attributes of thermo telerant Bacillus thuringiensis SMA5 isolated from Aloe vera rhizosphere. Ann Agri Bio Res 2017, 22(2), 131-5.

In the study, the morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics of bacterium SMA5 isolated from Aloe vera rhizosphere exhibiting various plant growth promoting activities has been described. The isolate was found to be gram positive, rod shape and endospore former. On the basis of biochemical test and 16S rDNA analysis, the isolate showed maximum similarity with Bacillus thuringiensis. It has been submitted to NCBI under accession number KC986860. The effect of pH, temperature and carbon sources on the growth and plant growth promoting activities of isolate SMA5 has been elucidated. In addition to phosphate solubilization, SMA5 was also found to be positive for IAA production, ammonia production and HCN production. The present study, therefore, suggested that the use of PGPR isolate SMA5 as bioinoculant/biofertilizer might be beneficial for the cultivation of plants as it enhanced the growth of seedlings of Triticum aestivum seed variety HD 2894 in vitro.

4 illus, 19 ref

022559   Meena R;Arfin S;Mageswari S;Sri P M D;Sagar P K;Aminuddin (NO, Drug Standardization Research Institute, PLIM Campus, Ghaziabad-201 002, Email: drpratapmeena@gmail.com) : Standardization of polyherbal unani formulation - habb-e-bawaseer badi. Hippocratic J Unani med 2016, 11(3), 161-73.

Standardization is used to describe all measures, which are taken during the manufacturing process and quality control leading to a reproducible quality. Most of the traditional medicines are effective but still they are lacking in standardization. There is a need to develop a standard technique to standardize the herbal formulation so as to assess the quality, purity, safety and efficacy of the herbal formulation. The drug Habb-e-Bawaseer Badi is therapeutically useful in the treatment of Bawaseer Badi (Non-bleeding piles). The drug Habb-e-Bawaseer Badi was prepared in three different batches as per the guidelines of National Formulary of Unani Medicine (Part-VI). Present study was aimed to evaluate the pharmacopoeial standards using physico-chemical parameters; TLC/HPTLC fingerprints and quality control parameters using WHO guideline to ascertain the quality of drug. The physico-chemical data showed that the drug contains moisture (2.37%), total ash (11.08%), acid in-soluble ash (5.17%) solubility in alcohol (12.99%) and water (28.13%). TLC/HPTLC finger prints showed various spots at 254nm, 366nm and visible light (V-S reagent). The quality control study revealed the absence of microbial load, aflatoxins, heavy metal and pesticide residues. The evaluated standards will be much useful for laying down the pharmacopoeial standards of Habb-e-Bawaseer Badi and also in providing the quality medicine to the needy masses.

7 illus, 8 tables, 19 ref

022558   Laddha N B;Chitanand M P (Research Centre in Microbiology, Netaji Subhashchandra Bose College, Nanded-431 602) : Screening of levan producing bacteria from soil collected from jaggery field. Int J pharm chem biol Sci 2017, 7(3), 202-10.

Levan is an extracellular polysaccharide composed predominantly of D-fructose residues joined by glycosidic bonds. At present, there are many polysaccharides in the market primarily of plant origin. But microbial levans are more preferred as dietary polysaccharide due to its multidimensional application as anti-lipidemic, anti-cholesterimic, anti-cancerous and as prebiotic. In this context, in present study twelve levan producing isolates were screened out from jaggery field. Iosolate SJ8 was the highest levan producer which was studied for cultural, morphological and biochemical characterization. It was identified as Bacillus subtilis (KC243314). The optimized fermentation conditions for levan production were pH 7, temperature 300° C,100rpm and 48hrs fermentation period. At these optimized conditions the maximum levan production was 30.6mg/ml. Sugar composition of the polymer was - 117 - confirmed by analytical methods and TLC. Result proved the presence of fructose as the main sugar in the polymer.

7 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

022557   Kristia Y Y;Sayihab S F;Akhmaloka (Biochemistry Research Group, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandun, Jl. Ganesha no. 10 Bandung 40132, Indonesia, Email: loka@chem.itb.ac.id) : Cloning and characterization of lipase gene from a local isolate of Pseudoxanthomonas sp.. Biosci Biotechnol Res Asia 2017, 14(2), 503-7.

Lipase gene from Pseudoxanthomonas sp. was cloned through in vitro amplification from total chromosomal DNA. The gene was sequenced and characterized, coding for 312 amino acid residues. Homological analysis showed that the gene has 98% similarity to lipolytic gene from Uncultured Pseudomonas sp (GenBank No. AKA58891.1). Further analysis appeared that the sequences showed similar unique motifs of lipase sub-family I.1, such as pentapeptide (GHSHG) motif, tetrapeptide (GMLG) motif, and catalytic triad. In additional, 3D structure analysis based on crystal structure of Pseudomonas aeruginose (PDB ID 1ex9) showed that both structure of lipases are similar except on the conformation of catalytic residue of His²⁷⁷ showing to shift more far away compared to that the control.

3 illus, 1 table, 17 ref