Biomass and Lipid Content in Potential Green Algal Species for Biodiesel Production

The ever increasing world population and anthropogenic energy requirements, has necessitated the need for the scientific community to look out for novel/alternate sources of energy. Alternate fuels especially biodiesel is now known as a promising option to support our ever growing energy needs. Biodiesel was earlier produced from plant oil seeds such as Jatropha, Pongamia, Madhuca, Sunflower, etc., however, microalgae are presently studied widely as the next generation source of biofuels. Microalgae are miniature plants which photosynthesize and utilize atmospheric carbon dioxide and sunlight for their growth and multiplication. Microalgae produce lipids in substantial amounts which may be extracted and used for biodiesel production. Microalgae may be grown mixotrophically/ heterotrophically i.e., under the effect of carbon sources to accumulate higher amount of lipids. Certain wastes contain valuable carbohydrates which could act as a good carbon-rich source for the growth of algae especially enhancing lipid contents in the same. The wastes after recovery of carbohydrates may be disposed of either in incinerators or landfills.

Different types of waste carbon sources have been used to enhance biomass growth and lipid accumulation in microalgae. Some readily available chemical compounds such as glucose, acetate and glycerol have shown to expedite growth and lipid accumulation inChlorella protothecoides  and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Liu et al. used various carbon sources to study Chlorella zofingiensis as a feedstock for biodiesel production and found glucose as one of the best source. Heterotrophic growth of algae also led to 900% increase in lipid production in case of Chlorella zofingiensis with glucose as organic carbon source. Corn starch hydrolysate has been used for enhancement of lipid content by 20% in C. protothecoides. Molasses has also been used for the enhancement of biomass productivity in a prokaryotic alga, Spirulina platensis. Press mud extract and cane molasses were used to enhance the lipid content in C. minutissima. Liang et al. studied the effect of glycerol and glucose on the growth and lipid content of C. vulgaris which resulted in high increases in biomass production. B. braunii also showed enhancement in the lipid content with different sugars such as glucose, mannose, fructose. Various inexpensive and low cost carbon feed stocks from waste have also been used for algal growth which has been extensively reviewed by Subramanian et al. Some other nutrient sources such as sodiumthiosulphate , swine waste water and iron have been used for the enhancement of growth and lipid content in various green algal species such as Scenedesmus and Chlorella. Sugars have also been converted to oil in C. vulgaris by using a photosynthetic fermentation model which resulted in improvement of growth and lipid content . Further, Taylor et al.used the ethyl acetate extract of two algal species Skeletonema marinoi and Dunaliella salina for enhancement of growth of Nannochloropsis oculata.

Bacteraemia Caused by Kytococcus schroeteri in a Pneumonia Patient

Kytococci are a part of the normal skin microbiota of humans and can cause infections, particularly in patients with prosthetic devices or immunodeficiency. Due to insufficient identification methods and an intrinsic resistance to several β-lactams, infections due to Kytococci are a challenge to clinical microbiologists and clinicians]. Here, we report the first Korean case of bacteraemia due to Kytococcus schroeteri in a patient with pneumonia.

 A 55-year-old man was admitted to a tertiary-care hospital in Seoul, Korea, for evaluation of fever and dyspnea. The patient had no history of hypertension or diabetes mellitus. The patient had been living in a sanatorium because of quadriplegia resulting from a cerebral infarction diagnosed at age 20 years. Laboratory tests showed a leukocyte count of 12.89 × 109/L (neutrophil 83.6%) and a C-reactive protein level of 156.0 mg/L (normal range, 0.1-6.0 mg/L). A chest X-ray showed a large amount of pleural effusion and marked peribronchovascular markings in the left lung. Percutaneous catheter drainage of the pleural effusion was performed, but the pleural fluid culture did not yield any bacterial growth. The predominant organism of sputum cultures was α-Streptococcus species, which is thought to be part of the normal flora. A blood culture performed the day the patient was admitted showed Gram-positive cocci growth (isolate GNKS01) in an anaerobic blood culture vial, one of six total (three aerobic and three anaerobic).

Subculture of the blood culture fluid yielded small, slightly yellowpigmented, convex, catalase-positive, and non-haemolytic colonies on 5% sheep blood agar after 24 h of incubation in 6% CO2 at 35°C. Routine Gram staining of the smeared preparation showed Gram-variable cocci in pairs or tetrads. However, the isolate appeared to be Grampositive after shortening the destaining time from 3–4 sec to 1–2 sec. Morphologic evaluation using scanning electron microscopy (FE SEM S-800, Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) showed spherical cells (1.0–1.5 μm in diameter) in pairs or tetrads.

Dysphagia Rehabilitation Journal

Swallowing function declines due to anatomical and physiological changes that accompany aging. In addition, dysphagia can be caused by numerous disorders. In patients with acute stroke, deglutition disorders are observed at a frequency of 37-78%, and can be fatal if aspiration pneumonia or suffocation occurs. More than 90% of patients who die of pneumonia are elderly, aged 65 years or older, and the most common cause is aspiration pneumonia due to dysphagia.

Silent aspiration (SA), which has no signs or symptoms, such as coughing, when saliva or food enter the subglottis, oropharyngeal aspiration is an important etiologic factor leading to pneumonia in the elderly. Video-fluorography (VF) or video-endoscopy (VE), which can indicate SA, are useful in diagnosing dysphagia and are performed routinely in facilities specializing in dysphagia rehabilitation. In facilities that do not have the necessary equipment for VF or VE, or under circumstances where the patients cannot be referred to a testing facility, the evaluation of dysphagia is performed using a variety of screening tests that can be performed at the bedside. These screening tests include the water swallowing test and the food test, and many of these tests assess the presence or absence of coughing to diagnose aspiration and swallowing dysfunction. Unfortunately, dysphagia with laryngopharyngeal sensory dysfunction is difficult to detect using these tests. Therefore, an accurate screening test for silent aspiration and dysphagia with laryngopharyngeal sensory dysfunction is needed.

Dietary Nucleotides in Neurodegenerative Diseases

There has been an explosion of scientific interest in the health enhancing role of specific foods or physiologically-active food components, the so-called functional foods. It is believed that diet play an important role against neurodegenerative diseases and some functional foods can help to prevent the onset of the disease or reduce the degree of progression, once established. The nutritional recommendations for most neurodegenerative diseases are an adequate intake of energy and protein, as well as vitamin E, for its antioxidant character, and vitamins of the B group (folic acid, B6, B12, choline), for its ability to prevent the accumulation of homocysteine. Other physiologically-active food components such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and gangliosides have been postulated.

During the last three decades numerous evidences of the benefits of dietary nucleotides have accumulated. Exogenous nucleotides, which are absorbed as nucleosides, are incorporated into the intracellular pool and thereby increase the availability of metabolites involved in the generation of energy (ATP GTP, etc.) and in many biosynthetic processes (CDP-choline, UDP-glucose, etc.). On the other hand, the nucleotide pool is closely related to rRNA and in lesser extent mRNA pools and the lack of dietary nucleotides originates a metabolic deactivation. In addition, nucleotides have an active role as modulators of gene expression, not only of the elements involved in its metabolism (enzymes, transporters, etc.), but a variety of genes not related (for example with the expression of genes of the inflammation and apoptosis), by a mechanism that involves changes in many transcription factors. Of especial importance are the functions as signaling molecules, the so call purinome or nucleotidome, is a complex interplay among ligands, degrading enzymes, receptors and transporters not fully characterized yet . Through the above mechanisms, dietary nucleotides play an important role in the development of the immune system and are also important for proliferation and tissue development, particularly for tissues with a rapid turnover, as the skin, intestinal mucosa, bone marrow cells and lymphocytes. They have been considered as semi-essential nutrients and food supplemented with them considered as functional food. Currently, there are numerous preparations containing nucleotides for infant and parenteral nutrition.

Signs And Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the common and highly fatal with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Even with advanced imaging technologies, detecting a pancreatic tumor measuring less than 10 mm is difficult. In some cases, the tumor in the pancreas is inconspicuous and indicated by extensive peri-pancreatic artery invasion.

A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital for evaluation of an elevated serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) level (130.9 U/mL, normal: <37 U/mL). His physical examination showed normal condition, with all other laboratory tests within normal range. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed no abnormalities in the pancreas, but soft-tissue density in the region surrounding the celiac axis and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) was present. On subsequent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) examination, the softtissue density surrounding the peri-pancreatic arteries was not clearly visualized except for that of the celiac trunks. CT scans performed at 2 months and 5 months revealed no abnormalities in the pancreas and no changes in the soft tissue surrounding the celiac axis and SMA. In addition, the serum CA19-9 level remained stable. Abdominal CT performed at 8 months revealed no marked changes in the soft-tissue density; however, mild dilation of the main pancreatic duct in the tail of the pancreas and a low-density area measuring 10 mm in the body of the pancreas were visualized. EUS also revealed a low-echoic mass measuring 10 mm in the pancreatic body. Subsequent EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) was performed for the pancreatic mass, and the histopathological diagnosis was ductal adenocarcinoma. There were no metastasis diseases, however we thought the tumor had directly invaded the celiac axis and SMA. According to the above, we diagnosed it as an unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer (T4aN0M0). Then chemotherapy was prescribed, resulting in reduction of the tumor size and shrinkage of the soft-tissue density. In addition, serum CA19-9 levels were followed and have remained relatively stable with time. The patient has survived more than two years.

Chronotherapeutics: A Novel Approach in the Pharmacotherapy of Various Diseases

Most of the physiological functions of human body vary daily and this variation leads to changes in diseased state and in plasma drug concentration also. Due to the peak level of hormones in the body leads to disturbed sleep and increased pain. Human sleep activity cycle or solar/lunar adaptations depends on circadian rhythm and influenced by individual’s genetic makeup is responsible to affect the physiological functions.

The human circadian rhythm is also responsible for variation of physiological functions in certain diseased states such as depression, rheumatoid arthritis, myocardial infarction, peptic ulcer etc. Many body functions such as metabolism, sleep pattern, hormone production and physiology are regulated by changed environmental factors due to biological rhythms.

These physiological variations are predictable resonating dynamic systems, which require varied amount of drug at predictably different times within the circadian cycle in order to achieve maximum desired and minimum undesired therapeutic drug effect. To meet the therapeutics need of the treatment based on pathological diseases, chronotherapeutic drug delivery systems is the best alternative way to deliver the drug.

Some of the hormones such as estrogen and progesterone are released by the brain during the morning time, while melatonin and cortisol are released during sleep. The physiological abnormalities such as blood pressure and heart rate are highest during the morning hours and hence, most diseased symptoms occur during this period.

Cellular Senescence by the Epigenetic Regulators Inhibitor of Growth

Epigenetic and genetic factors are suggested to be involved in the aging process. Indeed, aging research on various model organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans or Drosophila melanogaster improved our understanding of genomic, epigenetic and proteomic aspects regarding the lifespan of these organisms. Specific set of genes or genetic loci that are related to longevity and aging are being analyzed in these model systems. Genetic and epigenetic factors appear to have significant influence also on human longevity, since the heritability of human lifespan was estimated in a range of 20-30% in many studies. Unlike genetics, epigenetics refers to “functional changes of the genome without changing the DNA sequence”. This includes chromatin changes and remodeling, which in general is triggered by factors that promote or remove histone modifications and regulate exchange of histone variants. However, the underlying mechanisms linking epigenetics to aging are poorly understood. One reason is the fact that aging is associated with a variety of human disorders, which includes cancer.

Interestingly, the gene encoding the epigenetic regulator tumor suppressor, inhibitor of growth 1 (ING1) has been suggested to be one of the aging-related candidate genes among 47 healthy individuals at the age of 85 years or older. Within this cohort, no aging-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer disease have been diagnosed.

The ING tumor suppressors are localized in the nucleus and directly associated with chromatin regulation and control of gene expression. ING factors control various cellular pathways which include cell cycle control, DNA repair and two tumor protective pathways: apoptosis and cellular senescence that both seems to be important pathways for tumor suppression.