To report the association of procollagen-lysine 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2) mutations with bilateral primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in monozygotic twins and with nondominant ...juvenile-onset primary open-angle glaucoma (JOAG).
We utilized family-based whole-exome sequencing to detect disease-causing mutations in a pair of monozygotic twins with de-novo PCG and compared its existence in 50 nonfamilial cases of JOAG and 30 healthy controls. To validate the identified mutations, direct Sanger sequencing was performed. For further evaluation of gene expression in the ocular tissues, we performed whole-mount in situ hybridization in zebrafish embryos.
We identified a novel missense mutation (c.1925A>G, p.Tyr642Cys) in the PLOD2 gene in the monozygotic twin pair with PCG and another missense mutation (c.1880G>A, p.Arg627Gln) in one JOAG patient. Both mutations identified were heterozygous. Neither the parents of the twins nor the parents of the JOAG patient harbored the mutation and it was probably a de-novo change. The zebrafish in situ hybridization revealed expression of the PLOD2 gene during embryogenesis of the eye.
We observed an association of PLOD2 mutations with PCG and with nonfamilial JOAG. This new gene needs to be further investigated for its role in pathways associated with glaucoma pathogenesis.
•Agro-wastes could be efficiently utilized by microbial fermentation to produce industrially important enzymes such as α-amylase.•Different microbes such as Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus velezensis, ...Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Nesterenkonia sp., Streptomyces fragilis, etc. could produce α-amylase from different carbon sources.•Exploration of the microbial potential for bioconversion of agro-waste into α-amylase.•The biotechnological interventions that have improved the efficiency of microbial bioconversion and the rate of purified enzyme recovery in particular.•The generation of clean energy and a circular economy apart from contributing towards cleaning up the environment.
Economic utilization of waste in the generation of value-added products is the primary prerequisite of a circular economy. Agro-waste is one waste that is enormous on one hand and is rich in nutrients and bioproducts on the other hand. Microbial fermentation is an easy technology that can work following the nature of the waste substrate. Development of such a process is very much possible however it faces the initial challenge of diversity in substrates, microorganisms, enzymes, and bioproducts. It would be thus ideal to make an axis of one waste to one value-added product and then optimize around this axis. Here we explore the potential of a widely industrially used enzyme α-amylase as one terminal of the axis. The other axis would be starch-rich agro-waste like cereal waste. The connection between these two axis terminals would be an α-amylase producing microorganism. A lot of products e.g. nutraceuticals, biofuels, other enzymes, fertilizers, nanoparticles, etc. are possible around this axis. This review explores the suitability of α-amylase to serve as such an axis. We discuss the agro-waste that has the potential for α-amylase production, the industrial applicability of α-amylase, microorganisms known and bioengineered to produce α-amylase, and the optimization of this production process.
Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) has recently gained considerable attention for use in electrochemical biosensing applications due to its outstanding conducting properties and large surface area. This ...report presents a novel microfluidic chip integrated with an RGO-based electrochemical immunosensor for label-free detection of an influenza virus, H1N1. Three microelectrodes were fabricated on a glass substrate using the photolithographic technique, and the working electrode was functionalized using RGO and monoclonal antibodies specific to the virus. These chips were integrated with polydimethylsiloxane microchannels. Structural and morphological characterizations were performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical studies revealed good selectivity and an enhanced detection limit of 0.5 PFU mL
, where the chronoamperometric current increased linearly with H1N1 virus concentration within the range of 1 to 10
PFU mL
(R
= 0.99). This microfluidic immunosensor can provide a promising platform for effective detection of biomolecules using minute samples.
Linz-Donawitz Slag is regarded as a soil conditioner and can be exploited for its mineral and nutritional value in agriculture, however, it is necessary to check the Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) ...which could impact the soil rapidly and crop production adversely. Environmental hazards associated with mounting piles of Linz-Donawitz slag emanating from the steel producing industry and its sustainable management are a major challenge. A research study was carried out using different chemical chelating agents to achieve reduction in PTEs' concentration in Linz-Donawitz slag and to study the effect of transfer of PTEs’ from the treated and untreated LD Slag applied to the spinach. Optimization was done using response surface methodology, and the highest extraction efficiency for Cadmium (Cd) and Lead (Pb) removal was observed using a concentration of 10 mM, liquid-to-solid ratio of 5:1, and shaking time of 60 min to obtain Low heavy metal Linz-Donawitz slag (Low HM-LD Slag). The highest chelation was observed while using the chelating agent Ethylene diamine-N, N'-Di succinic acid (EDDS) followed by Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) then Diethylene triamine penta acetate (DTPA), and the least extraction was observed using the Citric acid (CA). The Low HM-LD Slag so obtained was assessed for its response on Spinach under the varied level of Recommended Dosage of Fertilizer (RDF) under field soil in pot culture. A significant difference in the growth of spinach was observed between 100% RDF treated Low HM-LD Slag and 50% RDF treated Low HM-LD Slag derived using different chelating agents The PTE analysis of soil and plant showed an undetectable level of Cd, Pb in both the shoot and root samples Under Low HM-LD Slag treatments @ 100% and 50% RDF condition. The present work advocates the use of chemical chelators reducing PTEs' load in Linz-Donawitz slag before using it for application in agriculture as a soil conditioner or as a fertilizer.
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•Four different chelating agents (EDDS, EDTA, DTPA, and CA) were used to chelate Cd and Pb from LD Slag.•The order of extraction efficiency of chelators was found to be EDDS> EDTA> DTPA> CA.•EDDS showed the highest PTEs extraction efficiency 77.3% for Cd and 85.7% for Pb.•Spinach was grown in different chelating agent treated LD Slag as a source of nutrients.•Cd and Pb were found under non detectable range/concentration when tested in spinach leaves.
Aims: (a) To evaluate the types and frequencies of preanalytical errors occurring in a tertiary care hematology diagnostic center and (b) To evaluate differences if any, across groups outpatient data ...(OPD) vs inpatient data (IPD), type of test requested complete blood count (CBC) vs coagulation and laboratory (routine vs emergency). Settings and Design: A prospective study was conducted over a period of nine months (August 2017-April 2018) to address the above objectives. All samples received in the clinical hematology division of our institute were included in the analysis. Materials and Methods: Categories of preanalytical errors were defined. This included insufficient, clotted, diluted, and lipemic samples. Clerical errors such as wrong/absent sample labeling, requisition form-sample mismatch, and wrong vacutainer selection were also documented. IPD and OPD data, as well as data pertaining to samples sent for different tests complete blood count (CBC)/coagulation and in the routine and emergency laboratories, were segregated. Statistical Analysis Used: All errors in each category were recorded as numbers and corresponding percentages (proportions). The two-tailed z-test was applied to assess the significance of the difference in proportions across all groups. Statistical significance was kept at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 189,104 samples were received in the clinical hematology laboratory during the aforementioned period, out of which preanalytical errors were found in 4052 (2.14%) samples. Inadequate sample quantity (ISQ) comprised the bulk of preanalytical errors in our laboratory (1.11% of total samples) followed by sample clots (0.88%). There was no significant difference in the error frequencies in OPD and IPD (P = 0.1031). The proportion of errors was higher in routine vis-à -vis emergency samples and also in samples sent for coagulation analysis vis-à -vis CBC.
To date, the vast majority of cluster analysis applications in OM research have relied on traditional hierarchical (e.g., Ward's algorithm) and nonhierarchical (e.g., K-means algorithms) methods. ...Although these venerable methods should continue to be employed effectively in the OM literature, we also believe there is a significant opportunity to expand the scope of clustering methods to emergent techniques. We provide an overview of some alternative clustering procedures (including advantages and disadvantages), identify software programs for implementing them, and discuss the circumstances where they might be employed gainfully in OM research. The implementation of emergent clustering methods in the OM literature should enable researchers to offer implications for practice that might not have been uncovered with traditional methods.
This study investigates the effect of organic and inorganic supplements on the reduction of ammonia (NH
) volatilization, improvement in nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and wheat yield.
A field ...experiment was conducted following a randomized block design with 10 treatments
., T
-without nitrogen (control), T
-recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN), T
-(N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide) (NBPT @ 0.5% w/w of RDN), T
-hydroquinone (HQ @ 0.3% w/w of RDN), T
-calcium carbide (CaC
@ 1% w/w of RDN), T
-vesicular arbuscular mycorrhiza (VAM @ 10 kg ha
), T
-(azotobacter @ 50 g kg
seeds), T
-(garlic powder @ 0.8% w/w of RDN), T
-(linseed oil @ 0.06% w/w of RDN), T
-(pongamia oil @ 0.06% w/w of RDN).
The highest NH
volatilization losses were observed in T
at about 20.4 kg ha
per season. Significant reduction in NH
volatilization losses were observed in T
by 40%
T
by 27%, and T
by 17% when compared to the control treatment. Soil urease activity was found to be decreased in plots receiving amendments, T
, T
, and T
. The highest grain yield was observed in the T
treated plot with 5.09 t ha
and straw yield of 9.44 t ha
in T
.
The shifting towards organic amendments is a feasible option to reduce NH
volatilization from wheat cultivation and improves NUE.
Rice (
L.) is a crucial crop contributing to global food security; however, its production is susceptible to salinity, a significant abiotic stressor that negatively impacts plant germination, ...vigour, and yield, degrading crop production. Due to the presence of exchangeable sodium ions (Na
), the affected plants sustain two-way damage resulting in initial osmotic stress and subsequent ion toxicity in the plants, which alters the cell's ionic homeostasis and physiological status. To adapt to salt stress, plants sense and transfer osmotic and ionic signals into their respective cells, which results in alterations of their cellular properties. No specific Na
sensor or receptor has been identified in plants for salt stress other than the SOS pathway. Increasing productivity under salt-affected soils necessitates conventional breeding supplemented with biotechnological interventions. However, knowledge of the genetic basis of salinity stress tolerance in the breeding pool is somewhat limited because of the complicated architecture of salinity stress tolerance, which needs to be expanded to create salt-tolerant variants with better adaptability. A comprehensive study that emphasizes the QTLs, genes and governing mechanisms for salt stress tolerance is discussed in the present study for future research in crop improvement.