Life Sciences

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are currently the leading cause of death globally for both men and women accounting for 21.9 per cent of total deaths and is projected to increase to 26.3 per cent by 2030. Statins are the treatment of choice for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and in the management of hypercholesterolemia because of their proven efficacy and safety profile. Evidences showed their effectiveness in reduction of cholesterol synthesis and number of pleiotropic effects, which may be cholesterol dependent and cholesterol independent.

Water is the precious gift of nature to human beings. The drinking groundwater of the Sipri area in Jhansi city is going to be polluted day-by-day with increasing urbanization and small industries development. Although three-fourth part of earth is being surrounded by surface water but a little portion of it can be used for drinking purpose. Virtually almost all the surface water in India is unfit for direct consumption.

The keratin occurs naturally in the form of feathers, hair, nails and wool all over the world. As the physiological and chemical methods of keratin degradation are not easy possible, the biological method has gained importance. It can be biodegraded by some Keratinolytic Streptomyces sp. The present study investigated purified keratinase from Keratinolytic Streptomyces albus. The cell-bound keratinolytic enzyme was purified 28.91 fold by gel filtration chromatography. The enzyme was characterized as a serine protease with a molecular mass of 40-45kD.

In the present study, the effect of nitrogen was investigated on the micro propagation of Stevia rebaudiana to overcome the challenges related to its cultivation. The in vitro shoots were cultured on MS medium fortified with BAP (5.0 mg/l) along with 2,4-D (0.1 mg/l). Four weeks old multiple shoots were transferred on modified MS medium containing inorganic nitrogen sources i.e NH4NO3 (14-56 N mg/l), KNO3 (100-400 N mg/l) with BAP (0.5-5.0 mg/l) were observed.

Rice yields are low during rabi season when compared to kharif due to cold effect at seedling stage. In the present study, 4 lines and 4 testers were crossed with 4 testers in L X T mating design. The resultant 16 F1s were used to determine the heterosis. IR-64, Ujala Depama and MALIDA are identified as good general combiners. IR64 X Ujala Depama, IR64 X Malida and MTU-1010 X Ujala Depama are good specific combinations . IR64 X Ujala Depama, IR64 X Malida and Krishna Hamsa X Parwa Panki are the best heterotic lines for the character under study.

Formulation of a diatom index called Peninsular Diatom Index (PDI) based on nine environmental variables was developed to assess the water quality for Kabini River of Southern Karnataka. The selection of the variables was based on the Principal Component Analysis. Nineteen species of diatoms were identified from 144 samples using standard procedures. Sensitivity(s) and tolerance (v) values were calculated for each of the parameters and each of the species identified.PDI was calculated using the computational metric suggested by Blanco et al.

Urinary tract infection is one of the most commonly occurring infections among the patients with diabetes mellitus. The present study was focused on the antibiotic susceptibility of the UTI pathogens isolated from the diabetic patients. About 936 UTI organisms were isolated from 900 culture positive urine samples collected from the diabetic patients attending the government hospital. The incidence of UTI was recorded to 82% among the diabetic patients for the study period of two years from March, 2011 to February, 2013. Escherichia coli was found to be the major cause of UTI.

The GAD extracted from salt stress sensitive sugarcane variety CoC 671 showed increased activity with increased concentrations of NaCl treatment.  The natural GAD activity was found 141% more in salt tolerant variety Co 86032, compared to sensitive variety.  The GOT activities displayed specific induction at higher salt concentrations in CoC 671 variety.   The GOT activity was 840% more in tolerant variety than in sensitive variety and the same activity was observed at initial concentrations of salt treatment.  The activity staining of GOT and GPT did not show any difference in the banding

GABA occupies a significant component of cytosolic free amino acid pool.  GABA-Transaminase (GABA-T, EC 2.6.1.19), the second enzyme of GABA shunt, converts GABA to Succinic semialdehyde (SSA). GABA pyruvate- (GPT) and 2-oxoglutarate- (GOT) dependent gamma-aminobutyrate transaminase (GABA-T) activities were noted in crude leaf extract of sugarcane var. Co 86032.  The enzyme was partially purified by DEAE-Cellulose and Sephadex G-100 columns. Non-denaturing PAGE analysis of ~90 folds purified GABA-T showed 65, 60 and 55 kD proteins, which were further confirmed by activity staining.

The use of traditional medicines holds a great promise as an easily available source as effective medicinal agents to cure a wide range of ailments among the people particularly in tropical developing countries like India. The present study investigates the phytochemical analysis of the major bioactive constituents of A. marmelos leaf extracts. The extractive values of aqueous, acetone and chloroform extracts were found to be 7.5 %, 5.3 % and 6.4 % respectively.