Absract Archive September 2008 Research article Charecterization of Leptospiral isolates by using PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism analysis Abstract Leptospirosis is a disease of cosmopolitan distribution caused by bacteria under the genus Leptospira. Currently DNA based techniques used for leptospiral identification are Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, DNA – DNA hybridization, pulsed field gel electrophoresis, PCR followed by RFLP analysis and Random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprinting. In the present study eight reference strains were used along with two human and two rat isolates. The strains and isolates were subjected to flaB – PCR and it was found that the isolates and strains amplified a 793 bp fragment expect for the non – pathogenic strain Semaranga patoc. The amplified products were subjected to digestion with HindIII and HaeIII enzymes. Differences between various reference strains were more with HaeIII than with HindIII. The isolates regardless of the sources they were isolated from showed identical RFLP patterns. This can be a indication that the four isolates belong to same genomo – species. This study shows that flaB – RFLP can be used as a tool for classification of leptospires from pathogenic and non – pathogenic.  The molecular characterization of human isolates showed close similarities with isolates from rodents indicating that rodents could be responsible for the transmission of infection in the islands. Key words: PCR, Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, restriction enzymes, zoonosis. Introduction Leptospirosis is considered the most common zoonosis worldwide and is endemic in tropical environments (Katz et al., 2002). It has recently been classified as a re-emerging disease, largely because of increased recognition and recent rediscovery that it can present as a severe hemorrhagic illness, easily confused with some viral hemorrhagic fever (Monsuez et al., 1997). Leptospirosis is emerging as an important public health problem world over and in India particularly outbreaks are frequently being reported from different regions of the country during last few years (John, 1996).... Authors:Radhika Krishna, A.Maripandi, Suresh S.S.Raja, K. Ponmurugan, Sameer Sharma, Nataraja Sreenivasan. Research Article Comparison of Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Structurally Diverse group of Antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa is emerging formidable opportunitistic pathogen most commonly involved in nosocomial infections, which are significant hazard in health care facilities. The worldwide emergence of multidrug resistance in P. aeruginosa associated with high mortality rate because of their limited susceptibility to antimicrobials. So it increased the interest in determining and comparing the susceptibility patterns and to evaluate the risk and emergence of resistance associated with aminoglycosides, b-lactams and fluoroquinolones. In present study lowest resistance was observed with fluoroquinolones 63.28%, b-lactams 84.88% and 95.93% with aminoglycosides. High resistance to all antibiotics were observed but among b-lactams, imipenem (22.46%), with fluoroquinolones, ofloxacin (46.61%), levofloxacin (56.76%), ciprofloxacin (60.62%), norfloxacin (83.13%) and among aminoglycosides, gentamicin (93.23%), showed lower resistant rate when compared with other antibiotics used in this study. Among 414 isolates 14.75% were found to be extended spectrum b-lactamase (ESBL) producers. Isolates tested for extra-cellular enzymatic potential by substrate plate assays showed Protease (79.95%), Lipase (84.00%), Gelatinase (84.00%), and Haemolysin (93.33%) production in various frequencies and 77.77% pyocyanin production was observed. The present study of monitoring of ESBL production, extra-cellular enzyme production and antimicrobial susceptibility testing are necessary to avoid treatment failure in patients with P. aeruginosa infection and comparison of the unrelated group of antibiotics and enzyme profile with respect to each strain act as a sole epidemiological tracer and is useful in epidemiological tracer and is useful in epidemiological evaluation. Key words: Multidrug resistance, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enzyme profile.... Authors:Kelmani Chandrakanth R, Gururaj Rao. Short Communications Utilization of Oil Cakes for Biogenesis of Methane Abstract Biogas production using non-edible oil cakes along with cattle dung was carried out. The experimental data revealed a maximum gas out put of Arachis hypogaea non-edible oil cake of 22815ml, followed by 20025 ml with Pongamia pinnata oil cake incorporated treatment along with cattle dung over a period of six weeks. The methane content ranged from 54.5 to 68 percent and the carbon dioxide content from 30 to 43.5 percent. The biodigested slurry was analyzed for their nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium contents which revealed their usefulness as manure for possible applications in soil fertilization procedures. Key words: Non-edible oil cake, Biogas, Methane, Carbon dioxide, total and volatile solids, manurial values Introduction Energy crisis has augmented research in newer thrust areas (Krishnan Vijayaraghavan et al., 2006). This has resulted in finding out alternative fuels for meeting the energy demands of the developing sectors. Therefore there is a need to explore the possibility of deriving energy from various alternative sources. Cattle dung has been used so far in biogas plants for obtaining the much needed energy. The biogas production potential of non- edible oil cakes along with cow dung was investigated. The usefulness of non-edible oil cakes which are otherwise used in soap making industries was evaluated by conducting experiments in this laboratory to assess their potential for methane generation. The research revealed the maximum gas output of 22815 ml of gas output with Arachis hypogaea non-edible oil cake incorporated treatment, thus recording 131.5% increase over control, during a period of 6 weeks. The gas obtained burnt well indicating the presence of methane. The CO2 content range from 30 to 43.5 %. The nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium contents of the biodigested slurry was also carried out, the results of which are discussed. The data revealed a favorable trend regarding the use of non- edible nitrogen rich oil cakes in biogas generation. Dairy manure has also been tried out as an alternative feedstock by Converse et al., (1977). .. Author : P. Rajasekaran.           Short Communications Effect of the ethanolic extract of Indigofera barberi (L) in acute Acetaminophen - Induced Nephrotoxic Rats Abstract The entire plants including the flowers of Indigofera barberi has been well-known in treating jaundice and renal diseases. The present study designed to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of ethanol extract of whole plant of I. barberi (Linn) in paracetamol induced nephrotoxicity of albino rats. The ethanol extract of I.barberi (250 mg and 500 mg/ kg body weight )was administered orally ones for 14 days. Nephrotoxicity was induced in rat byadministering single dose of paracetamol (750 mg/kg). The degree of nephroprotective activity was measured by renal functional parameters such as serum urea (UR), uric acid (UA) and creatinine (CR).and hematological profile was concluded that the ethanol extract of I-barberi is an effective nephroprotective agent. Keywords: Indigofera barberi, nephroprotective, ethanolic extract, paracetamol. Introduction Extensive use of plants belonging to the Bryophyllum species in complementary and alternative therapy has been widely reported. These plants are also used in the treatment of certain diseases like urolithiasis, hypertension and diabetes involving altered kidney function.(Sastri et al., 2001 and Ojewole et al., 2005). However, systematic and scientific reports on the investigation of I-barberi for its effects on renal function are scarce. In the present study, an effort has been made to evaluate the effects of the ethanolic extract of this plant on acetaminophen-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Acetaminophen is one of the most effective, over-the-counter chemotherapeutic analgesic-antipyretic agents belonging to the Para-aminophenol class of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (Jackson-Robert II and Morrow, 2001). Its acute or chronic high doses are reported to produce hepatotoxicity, but impairment of renal function by acetaminophen as the main untoward effect is becoming increasingly reported (Perneger et al., 1994; McLaughlin et al., 1998; Fored et al., 2001). Acetaminophen nephropathy is characterized by alterations in urine volume, in glutathione status, creatinine clearance and increase products of lipid peroxidation. Acetaminophen induced nephrotoxicity is a model of acute renal failure. Therefore, the current study was designed to investigate the protective effects of 250 - 500 mg/kg/day/oral route of the ethanolic extract of /-barberi in acute dose (750mg/kg/oral route) acetaminophen nephrotoxic adult male Wistar rats for 24 hours and 7 days, respectively. Doses of acetaminophen and I-barberi ethanolic extract used for the acute dose models were determined from results of preliminary studies earlier conducted. Authors: S.Palani R. Praveen Kumar ,D.Venkatesan, E.Raja Sathendra, B.Senthilkumar K.Devi. Short Communication Flash-heated and Pretoria Pasteurized destroys HIV in breast milk & Preserves Nutrients! Abstract ..... our findings suggest that these 2 simple heating methods, which do not require technical equipment, may be capable of HIV denaturation while retaining many of the protective elements of breast milk. FH may be more reliable than PP (Pretoria pasteurization) for complete viral destruction and may have less impact on nutritional and antimicrobial properties… Introduction Over one-third of prenatal HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa occur postpartum through breastfeeding alone. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that HIV positive women should avoid breastfeeding when other feeding options are acceptable, feasible, affordable, safe, and sustainable1, yet practical feeding alternatives that meet these criteria are desperately needed. Formula feeding has been associated with a 14-fold increase in diarrhea-associated mortality for all infants and a 25-fold increased risk in infants less than 2 months old2. In contrast to the estimated 200,000-350,000 infants who contracted HIV through breastfeeding last year3, WHO estimates that 1.5 million infants died because they were not breastfeed4. In addition, recent analysis documents that locally available alternatives to infant formula recommended by WHO/UNICEF are nutritionally inadequate5. Use of manually expressed, heat-treated breast milk is recommended by WHO, UNICEF, and UNAIDS6. Methods listed include 1) Holder Pasteurization (heating to 62.5°C for 30 minutes), which may not be feasible due to the need for temperature gauges and timing devices, and 2) Direct boiling (placing the milk in a pan with no water and boiling the milk directly), which most likely causes significant nutritional damage and has not been fully studied7. Here, we present data on the safety of Flash-heat8 and Pretoria Pasteurization9, simple and practical heating methods that could be used by mothers in developing countries. Previously we have reported data from focus groups suggesting that mothers in Zimbabwe might be willing to attempt manual expression and heat treatment of breast milk10. We have also shown that RT, rather than PCR, is the suitable method for detecting inactivated HIV post heat treatment11.... Authors:K. Israel-Ballard, B. Abrams, A. Coutsoudis, C. J. Chantry, A.W. Sturm, F. Karim, L. Sibeko, T.H.Sukirtha. Mini Review RNA Interference (RNA i): A novel strategy in health care and crop Improvement Abstract RNA interference (RNAi) is a RNA dependent gene silencing mechanism which includes endogenously induced gene silencing effects of miRNA as well as silencing triggered by foreign dsRNA. The dsRNA binds with a protein complex DICER which cleaves it into short fragments with a few unpaired overhung bases at both ends. The short dsRNA fragments (SiRNA) or miRNA integrate with another active protein complex RISC. Consequently, one of the RNA strands (anti-guide strand) is degraded while the other is selected as a guide strand which remains bound to RISC complex. When a complementary mRNA is located by an RISC bound guide strand, it binds to it and is cleaved and degraded. The RNAi offers a new technology in healthcare and crop improvement. Key Words: RNAi, gene silencing, applications, medicine, agriculture. Introduction RNA interference is a natural cellular mechanism involved in regulation of gene expression. It involves double stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) that can specifically silence the expression of 2 genes with sequences, which are complementary to the dsRNA. The components of double stranded RNA initiate the process of RNAi when an antisense RNA strand is activated which targets a complementary gene transcript such as a messenger RNA for cleavage by a ribonuclease. RNAi has been shown to be an important regulator of gene expression in many eukaryotes including plants, animals and humans. In 2006, the Nobel prize1 was awarded to Andrew Z. Fire of Stanford University and Craig C. Mello of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, for unraveling the mechanism of gene silencing by double stranded RNA, based on their studies in nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Their initial observations related to this phenomenon were published in Nature (1998)2. Before this mechanism of RNA interference is discovered and fully understood at the molecular level, it was known by other names like 'post transcriptional gene silencing', 'transgene silencing' and 'quelling'3. Around 1990, Scientists working on petunia plants (Napoli et. Al 1990)4 reported some unexpected genetic expression. The goal of their experiments was to breed petunia plants to increase the colour intensity of the flowers. For the target to be achieved, they introduced cloned gene encoding a key enzyme for red pigmentation of flowers. Surprisingly, many of the petunia plants with additional copies of this gene showed petals which appeared fully white or partially white instead of the expected colour. The scientists, based on their evidences, explained the phenomenon as post transcriptional gene inhibition or “co-suppression of gene expression”. Similar observations were recorded in few years later in viruses but the molecular mechanism remained unknown until the recent land mark discovery by Fire and Mello.... Author:Aniruddha Chatterjee. Mini Review                                            Biodiesel:The New Energy Lifeline Introduction The world's energy demand continues to increase as we use more and more machines in our day-to-day lives. Short supplies of fossil fuel energy are already being strained to capacity to meet the burgeoning demand of energy posed by developing countries such as India and China. How we supply our energy needs and with what fuels is becoming more and more of an issue, both economically and environmentally. Digging into the past annals we found that, during the twentieth century, energy consumption increased dramatically and an unbalanced energy management came into being. As a result of this inequilibrium and rapid declining of fossil fuels, a considerable interest was focused on the further development and expansion of an alternative source of energy. The most early attention was trapped by using nonfossilized organism or byproducts of these organisms. These were categorized as biofuels, a sustainable energy source with continuous growth/burn cycle.They have emerged as a new alternative source of energy, satisfying both economic and environmental requirements. Earlier, the focus of commercial sector was on ethanol,but interest is now growing in the area of biodiesel production. Reasons for this growing interest include its potential for reducing noxious emissions, contribution to rural economy, as a demand center for agricultural commodities and a way to reduce reliance on foreign oil.... Author: Aruna. J.