022254   Patel M B;Mishra S H (Pharmacy Dep, Herbal Drug Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Technology, The Maharaja Sayajrao University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India-390 001) : Simple spectrofluorometric estimation of wedelolactone in methanol extract of Eclipta alba. J Pharmac Mag 2006, 2(7), 160-4.

A simple, accurate and sensitive spectrofluorophotometric method was developed for estimation of wedelolactone, a furanocoumarin present as a major active constituent in the methanol extract of the plant Eclipta alba. Wedelolactone showed strong bright blue fluorescence having excitation and emission wavelength 384 and 458 nm. respectively. Linear relationship for the fluorescence intensity was obtained in the range 5-30 ng/mL. Limit of detection and limit of quantification was found to be 0.5 mg/mL and 2 mg/mL, respectively. The method was statistically validated and found suitable for estimation of wedelolactone in a methanol extract of plant Edipta alba.

3 tables, 11 ref

022253   Panda N;Kaur H (Dairy Cattle Nutrition National Div, Dairy Research Institute, Karnal-132 001, Email: harjit1955@msn.com) : Feeding synthetic vitamin E or milk from vitamin E supplemented murrah buffaloe on growth, immunity and mineral status of calves. Anim Nutr Feed Technol 2007, 7(1), 1-10.

Twenty four Murrah buffaloes in advanced pregnancy were randomly divided into 4 groups and were supplemented with vitamin E @ 0, 1000, 1500, 2000 IU from 60d pre-partum to 30d of lactation. The dose was reduced in the supplemented groups to 500, 750,1000 IU from 30 to 60d of lactation. Eighteen calves born from above 4 groups of buffaloes were divided equally into 3 groups and were fed for 60d; T₁-milk from unsupplemented buffaloes, T₂-pooled milk from vitamin E supplemented buffaloes, T₃-milk from unsupplemented buffaloes+synthetic vitamin E (α-tocopheryl acetate) equivalent to that supplied to T₂ calves through milk. The blood samples were collected at 0, 3, 5, 7, 15, 30 and 60 d for analysing plasma immunoglobulin (Ig), total antioxidant activity, α-tocopherol and mineral status. Lymphocyte stimulation index (LSI) was measured at day 0, 5, 7, 15, 30 and 60. The vitamin E intake in T₁, T₂ and T₃ varied from 3.5-12.04; 6.2-21.5 and 8.0-25.0 mg/d respectively during the experimental period. The growth rate was higher in T₂ calves. Plasma α-tocopherol concentration was also higher in T₂. No treatment effect was seen on plasma total antioxidant activity. Plasma Ig level of 11.20, 9.68 and 10.48 mg/ml on the day of birth increased to 28.59, 37.87 and 31.79 mg/ml after 5d of colostrum feeding in T₁, T₂ and T₃, respectively showing an increase in the T₂ than in T₁ and T₃. An increase (P <60> 0.05) in LSI in T₂ (2.16-2.34) calves was seen from day 7th upto 30 d of age in comparison to T₁ and T₃ (1.73-2.23). The incidence of faecal scour was high in both T₁ and T₃ than T₂. Blood zinc and copper status of T₂ calves was higher (P <60> 0.05) than T₁ and T₃ calves from 7th to 45 days of age. Vitamin E through milk was better utilised than synthetic source in the new born calves as envisaged by higher growth and increased immunity.

3 tables, 1 illus, 32 ref

022252   Padmaja B;Maruthi Ram G;Murthy K S R K; chandrasekhar N (Zoology Dep, Osmania University, Hyderabad-500 007) : Effect of a new insecticide ethofenprox on the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti z. (Diptera: culicidae). Pestology 2006, 30(12), 10-14.

Study deals with the effects of a new insecticide, Ethofenprox on different stages (i.e., egg, fourth instar larvae, pupae and adults) of Yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti L. which is a potential vector of Dengue, Chikungunya , Yellow Fever etc. Different concentrations of Ethofenprox (1000, 500, 250, 100 and 10 ppm) were prepared in water. Freshly laid eggs, fourth instar larvae and pupae of Aedes aegypti L. were released into vials having different concentrations of the test compound while the adults were topically treated and the results noted. The egg hatchability was affected. the larval mortality and metamorphosis to pupai was hampered. Adult emergence was impaired and there was deformities in the gonads of both the sexes. The oviposition rate was reduced considerably. Thus it can be oncluded that Ethofenprox has profound activity on all the stages of Aedes aegypti L.

4 tables, 17 ref

022251   Naik U G;Naik R K;Nayak V N (Fisherman Guidance Bureau, Karnatak University PG Center, Karwar-581 303) : Primary productivity in the Karwar bay, Karnataka, west coast of India. Envir Ecol 2006, 24(4), 827-31.

Measurement of primary production is of great importance because of its significance to the problems of aquatic ecology and fishery management. The interaction of light intensity, temperature and nutrient levels determines the photosynthetic efficiency of an aquatic ecosystem. Studies on primary productivity was carried out in Karwar bay at three study sites during September 1999 to August 2000. Study area was quite turbid and the euphotic zone never exceeded 2.2 m. The column production ranged from 3.81 to 257.7 mg C/m² per day (with an average of 55.56 mg C/m² per day). Rate of production at all study stations was maximum during August/September. Ch1. a maxima was registered during July/August. Correlation between nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) and production was low indicating an instantaneous concentration of these nutrients salts. An estimated annual primary production potential of the present study area (15.54 km²) was 315 t C.

1 table, 2 illus, 14 ref

022250   Nagata T (Anatomy and Cell Biology Dep, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto-390 8621, Japan, Email: nagatas@po.cnet.ne.jp) : Electron microscopic radioautographic study on macromolecular synthesis in hepatocyte mitochondria of aging mice. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1019-29.

In order to study the aging changes of intramitochondrial macromolecular synthesis in mouse hepatocytes, 10 groups of aging mice during development, each consisting of 3 individuals, total 30, from fetal day 19 to postnatal month 24, were injected with 3H-leucine, a protein precursor, sacrificed 1 hr later and the liver tissues were processed for electron microscopic radio autography. On electron microscopic radioautograms obtained from each animal, the number of mitochondria, the number of labeled mitochondria and the mitochondrial labeling index labeled with silver grains due to 3H-leucine showing protein synthesis in each hepatocyte were counted and the averages in respective aging groups were compared. From the results, it was demonstrated that the numbers of mitochondria, the numbers of labeled mitochondria and the labeling indices of intramitochondrial protein syntheses in mononucleate hepatocytes of mice at various ages from embryonic day 19 to postnatal month 24 increased and decreased due to aging of animals.

5 illus, 97 ref

022249   Musaddiq M;Rathi S S (Microbiology P. G. Dep, Shri Shivaji College, Akola (M.S.)-444 001) : Antibacterial and antifungal activity of solvent extracts of Kalongi. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 249-51.

Black seed Kolongi (Nigella sativa) is considered to be one of the greatest healing herbs of all times Nigella sativa is tiny and hairy being no more than 3 mm in length Black seed originates from the common fennel flower plant of the butter cup (Ranunculaceae) family. During these investigations aqueous, methanol and acetone extracts were prepared. Antibacterial and antifungal activities were tested by cup plate method or by disc diffusion method using. Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, E. coli. Proteus vulgaris and Fungi phoma, Alterneria, Mucor, Candida albicans Aspergillus niger, etc. The extract showed a strong antibacterial and antifungal activities.

2 tables, 4 ref

022248   Munjam S;Girisham S;Reddy S M (Microbiology Dep, Kakatiya Univ, Warangal-506 009) : Protease production by some anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria. Bioinfolet 2007, 4(1), 75-7.

Protease production by Rhodopeudomonas palustris, Rhodobacter sphaeroides Rhodocyclus gelatinosus and R. tenuis in two different synthetic media , was investigated. R. tennuis secreted maximum protease in Biebl and Pfening's medium supplemented with egg albumin on 10th day after incubation, while R. sphaeroides could secrete comparatively more amount of protease after 10 days of incubation. R. palustris and R, gelatinosus were poor producers of protease. Comparatively higher production of protease in the presence of egg albumin suggests adaptive nature of enzyme protease secreted by the bacteria under investigation. The pH drift was towards alkaline side. There was no correlation between growth of bacterial and proteas production.

1 table, 15 ref

022247   Mohite S K;Ravetkar A S;Magdum C S;Galsulkar A A (NO, Appasaheb Birnale College of Pharmacy, Sangli, South Shivaji Nagar, Sangli-416 416) : Antimicrobial activity of 4-(arylmethylene amino)-triazolones and its analogs. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 236-58.

1, 2,4-triazole-5-ones was synthesized using alkyl (ethyl) and aryl (phenyl/benzyl) imidocarboxylate hydro-chloride/"absolute ethanol treated with an ethanolic sodium ethoxide solution, and a solution of carbohydrazide in ethanol. Antimicrobial activities of the Corresponding derivatives (III a-f) were assessed against Bacillus substilis, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 3750 and Candida albicans.

1 table, 8 ref

022246   Mohapatra S B;Misra P R (C.P.G.S., Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar-751 003) : Antibacterial activity of Punica granatum leaves extract against intestinal pathogens. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 216-19.

Investigation was carried out to ascertain the bactericidal action and to assess the minimum inhibitory concentration of water, alcohol and acetone extracts of the plant Punica granatum against few Enterobacte-riaceae like Enteropathogenic E. coli, Shigella boydii, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhimurium in vitro. It was observed that the acetone and alcohol extracts of the leaves of the plant were effective in killing all the bacteria utilized in this test by Agar-Cup Plate method. The other extracts were found to be refractory but the water extract was inimical to the growth of S. typhi and the ether extract was only effective against Shigella spp. The MIC value of acetone and ethanol extracts were approximately 1200mg/ml against EPEC as well as against other two micro-organisms Shigella boydii and Salmonella typhimurium.

4 tables, 7 ref

022245   Mishra S;Dash S K;Ray P;Rath C C (Microbiology Dep, College of Basic Science & Humanities, OUAT) : Study of prevalence of pathogenic marine Vibrio spp. in the coastal waters of bay of Bengal, at Puri India. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 155-9.

Marine vibro spp. has been isolated from the coastal waters at Puri in the state of Orissa, India. The strains were tested for their growth in different media, PH, temperature & salt concentrations. The different strains utilized a varied range of sugars oxidatively. The isolates were also screened for production of different enzymes. The antibiogram of the organism were studied.

3 tables, 14 ref

022244   Mastan S A;Goswami S;Kakaria V K;Qureshi T A (Applied Aquaculture Dep, Barkatullah Univ, Bhopal-462 026, Email: shaikmastan2000@yahoo.com) : Development of primary cell culture from heart explants of common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Linn). J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1053-6.

Primary cell cultures of heart cells were initiated from heart tissue explants of common carp, Cyprinus carpio. The hearts were collected aseptically from 8-10 g (2-3 inch) fingerling after killing them by a blow on head. Before seeding, the tissues were minced in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) with antibiotic/antimycolic mixture. The explants were cultured in minimum essential medium (MEM) with 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS) and antibiotic/antimycotic mixture. Approximately 50% of minced heart tissue was subjected to standard trypsinisation method with 0.25% trypsin - EDTA solution. The cell pellets were suspended in MEM with 10 % FBS. They were incubated at room temperature. After 40-48 h of attachment, several types of cells were found to grow. A good and confluent monolayer found in three weeks time. In present experiment, the explant method was found to be better than trypsinisation for initiation of primary culture. The attachment efficiency and growth of cells were better and fast in explant method than trypsinisation.

5 illus, 14 ref

022243   Mantri V A (NO, Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar-364 002, Email: vaibhav@csmcri.org ) : Seawood floristic studies along tsunami affected Indian coasts: a litmus test scenario after 26th December 2004. J Earth Syst Sci 2006, 115(3), 371-8.

On 26th December 2004, the world witnessed the devastating power of tsunami, affecting many countries, bordering the Indian ocean region. This has caused significant changes in the shallow and intertidal regions of the Indian coast, especially the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu. Kerala and Pondicherry. The baseline data on biomass availability and distribution of benthic intertidal seaweed species were collected immediately after this catastrophic event by spot surveying 11 selected localities of the above-mentioned regions. In all, 45 species belonging to 31 genera were recorded during the present survey, the maximum number of seaweed species were recorded at Thirumullavarum, Kerala with the minimum at Car Nicobar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A very different trend was observed in the case of biomass availability at some locations which was due to the influence of habitat suitability over the tsunami damage. The details of this study have been provided in the present communication.

2 tables, 1 illus, 17 ref

022242   Mahmod A A (Chemistry Dep, College of Science, King Khaled Univ, P O Box 9004, Abha-61413, Saudi Arabia) : Correlation between serum cholinesterase activity and age of pregnancy. Geobios 2007, 34(1), 45-8.

Values of SChE activity in 60 normal pregnant and 20 non-pregnant women determined by Garry & Routh method showed decline from first to third trimester of pregnancy. The changes may be a result of altered liver function or other interrelated changes occurring during pregnancy.

1 table, 1 illus, 18 ref

022241   Leal P F;Queiroga C L;Rodrigues M V N;J I Montanari;Angela M;Meireles A (College of Food Engineering), UNICAMP (State University of Campinas), Caixa Postal 6121, 13083-862, Campinas, SP, Brazil) : Global yields, chemical compositions, and antioxidant activitiy of extracts from Achyrocline alata and Achyrocline satureioides. J Pharmac Mag 2006, 2(7), 150-6.

Extracts from leaves and thin branches of Achyrocline alata and Achyrocline satureioides were obtained by supercritical fluid extraction, hydrodistillation, and low-pressure ethanol extraction. The supercritical extractions were done at pressures of 100, 200, and 300 bar and temperatures of 30 and 40°. The chemical constituents of the extracts and volatile oil were identified by GC-MS and quantified by GC-FID. The antioxidant activity was determined using the coupled oxidation of linolenic acid and β-carotene. Larger yields were detected at 200 bar and 30°C. Low-pressure ethanol extraction yield was 2.96% (m/m, dry basis) for A. satureioides and 3.98% (m/m, dry basis.) for A. alata. The major compounds of the extracts were trans-caryophyllene and α-humulene; the content of trans-caryophyllene in the A. alata extract obtained at 200 bar and 30° C was 5 times larger than that of the A. satureioides extracts. All extracts exhibited antioxidant activity stronger than β-carotene.

4 tables, 6 illus, 21 ref

022240   Lalfakzuala R;Kayang H;Dkhar M S (Microbial Ecology Lab, Botany Dep, North Eastern Hill University, Umshing Mawkynroch, Shillong-793 022) : Effect of fertilizers treatment on soil microbial population numbers and enzyme activities under leguminous cultivation. J Hill Res 2006, 19(1), 13-23.

Microbial population numbers and their enzyme activities in terms of different enzymes, namely dehydrogenase, urease and phosphatase were estimated in inorganic, organic and organic fertilizers treatment. The population of fungi and bacteria increased from pre-fertilizers treatment (April) to post treatment (May). The highest fungal population was recorded in NPK treatment whereas the maximum bacterial population was recorded in FYM fertilizer treatment. A positive correlation was established between dehydrogenase activity and fungal population (P≤ 0.001) in NPK and FYM treatment in the both soil layer (P≤ 0.001). Maximum Urease activity was observed in NPK treatment in May. However, maximum phosphatase activity was obtained in September where it markedly increased from August to September. The results of the investigation indicates that fertilizers treatment has an impact on microbial population numbers and microbial enzyme activities.

5 illus, 34 ref

022239   Lal J;Vernwal S (Chemistry Dep, Chirst Church P G College, Kanpur) : Toxic effect of tobacco (nicotine) intake on the human body and identification of nicotine in tobacco by NMR spectroscopy. Indian J envir Prot 2007, 27(3), 201-8.

Burning tobacco is the main source of indoor pollution in the developed world. Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals including carcinogens, irritants and toxic gases nicotine, benzene and benzo (a) pyrene. The gas phase includes carbon monoxide, ammonia, dimethylnitro-samine, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide and acrolein. Methyl bromide, and ozone-depleting chemical commonly used to fumigate the soil prior planting tobacco seedlings. Tobacco growers are susceptible to an occupational illness known as green tobacco sickness. This is caused by the absorption of nicotine through the skin from contact with wet tobacco leaves. Nicotine is a risk factor for oral cancer, adult periodontal diseases and congenital defects, such as cleft lip and palate in children. Nicotine, causes heart arteries to harden, tend to shrink, thickening of blood, increases chlorestrol deposition, leading to heart attack. Smoking causes lung cancer. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is used to identify nicotine in tobacco leaf samples.

2 tables, 8 illus, 6 ref

022238   Kumar O;Kulkarni A S;Nashikkar A B; Vijayaraghavan R (Pharmacology and Toxicology Div, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior-474002, Email: omkumar63@rediffmail com) : Protective effect of quercetin on sulphur mustard induced oxidative stress in mice. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1173-9.

Sulphur mustard (SM, 2, 2' dichloro diethyl sulphide) is a potent chemical warfare agent for which there is still no effective antidote. SM is known to cause oxidative stress. The protective effect of quercetin, a bioflavonoid following SM toxicity. 2.0 and 4.0 LD₅₀ of SM (1 LD₅₀=9.67 mg/kg; 14 days observation for mortality) was administered to Swiss albino female mice through percutaneous route. SM exposed mice were treated with quercetin (100 and 200 mg/kg) three times by intraperitoneal injection, one immediately following SM exposure, then once each day for 2 days after SM treatment. The effect of quercetin on survival, body weight, markers of oxidative damage (in blood, liver and kidney), WBC counts and purine metabolite were investigated 7 day post exposure. Survival time increased significantly following quercetin treatment. The decrease in body weight due to SM was prevented to a significant extent by quercetin. Significant decrease in reduced glutathione and increase in the level of malondialdehyde indicated oxidative damage to hepatic and renal tissues. Quercetin protected hepatic and renal tissues from oxidative damage caused by SM. Alterations in WBC counts and end product of purine metabolite were also prevented by quercetin. This study shows that quercetin enhanced the survival time, restored the decrease in body weight and protected hepatic and renal tissues from oxidative damage.

3 tables, 5 illus, 31 ref

022237   Khatavkar R S;Shah N V;Rao K R;Chavan M D (Zoology Dep, Walchand College of Arts and Science, Solapur) : Vermicomposting, from tendu leaves garbage: a microbial approach. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 243-45.

Fertilizers play an important role in the production of agricultural outputs. Different chemical and biological fertilizers are available; among those vermicompost is found to be the best biofertilizer. Chemical fertilizers support plant growth and increase yield. But in long run they affect the soil microflora and make the soil unfertile due to change in pH and reduction in useful soil microflora. To maintain the fertility it is essential to use biofertilizer which increases soil fertility, soil microflora and water holding capacity of soil. In the study, earthworm Eudrilus euginiae was used for vermicomposting. Tendu leaf litter (Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. Family Ebanaceae) was used as a raw material.

5 illus, 7 ref

022236   Khade R G;Vaidya V K;Jain D B (Microbiology Dep, Institute of Science, Mumbai 400 032) : Effectiveness of commonely used fluoride and herbal based toothpastes against oral microflora. Bioinfolet 2007, 4(2), 130-4.

Incidence of dental problems amongst the children is increasing due to wrong food habits and lack of hygiene. Attempts to prevent dental caries and periodontal diseases involve removal and control of plaques by regular brushing of teeth with antimicrobial toothpastes. The purpose of the investigation was to study the effectiveness of fluoride and herbal based toothpastes against oral microflora by agar cup diffusion method. Bacillus sp. Staphylococcus sp. Dorynebacterium sp. Lactobacillus sp. and Streptococcus sp. were isolated form the teeth surfaces of 25 children of age group between 5-15 years. Fluoride based toothpaste was found to be the most effective toothpaste and the herbal based was found to be the least effective toothpaste against all the isolates tested. Entirely herbal dentifrice was found to be superior and compared favorably with the fluoride base toothpastes. The data on the antimicrobial activity of various herbal components used in toothpastes is lacking. This led to study of antibacterial activity of 25 different herbal components of toothpastes. The results of study revealed that very few components were effective against oral microflora at concentrations prescribed by the manufacturers.

2 tables, 16 ref

022235   Karadi R V;Kavatagimath S A;Gaviraj E N; Sastry D N;Chandrashekhara S;Rajarajeshwari N (Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Dep, KLES College of Pharmacy, Belgaum-590 010, Email: rvkaradi@yahoo com) : Evaluation of Plumbago indica callus for its plumbagin content and antimicrobial activity. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1131-6.

Plumbagin is commercially important because of its broad range of pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antifertile and insecticidal. Production of this metabolite by plant cell culture is required as the native Plumbago species produce only small amount of this compound after 2-6 years of growth. In order to study the biosynthetic potential of in vitro cultures, efforts were made to establish callus cultures from leaves and shoot tips of Plumbago indica on Murashige and Skoog (MS) and Gamborg's (B₅) media containing varying amounts of auxins and cytokinins. Callus initiation was seen in both media but a greater frequency was obtained in MS. Growth was highest in MS media supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2 mg/l) and Kinetin (0.5 mg/l) but maximal production of plumbagin was seen in the presence of 1-naphthalein acetic acid (2 mg/l) and kinetin (0.5 mg/l). Calli exhibited an initial lag phase before entering an active growth phase around day 12 and reached stationary phase 24 days after inoculation. The synthesis of plumbagin was found to be non-growth-associated with minimum in early exponential phase (0.31 mg/g dry weight on day 12) and maximum in early stationary phase (2.45 mg/g dry weight on day 24) of culture. Calli were elicited with copper sulphate and silver nitrate but the amount of plumbagin was enhanced by about 2-fold to 7.61 mg/g dry weight by the former at 10 μM. Antimicrobial studies showed a close correlation of activity with the production of plumbagin indicating in vitro cultures are capable of producing bioactive secondary substances.

1 table, 4 illus, 18 ref

022234   Kadam P S;Kalepatil R K;Sadawarte S K;Surve V D (Food Microbiology and Fermentation Technology Dep, College of Food Technology, M.A.U. Parbhani-431 402) : Studies on effective microorganism as probiotic feed in quality evaluation on poultry meat. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 220-4.

Feeding three probiotic cultures (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Bifidobacterium bifidum) on the performance of broiler chicks and quality of dressed meat has been examined. Each of the three cultures were subcultured on MRS and MGYP media separately and grown by using nutrient broth. These grown cultures were given through the feed (@ 0.025, 0.050, 0.075%) to groups of chicks fed ad lib. diet containing 20.0 or 22.5% crude protein from day old to 42 days of age. A set of bird with no added probiotics served as the control. The chicks were housed in battery cages with sufficient cushioning. The result evaluated significant treatment effects on growth and feed conversion efficiency. The birds offered probiotic cultures appeared to gain numerically higher weight than those fed the control diets irrespective of the protein level. The live body weight gain was highest in treatment T1 (0.025% probiotics) followed by T3 (0.075% probiotics), treatment T2 ( 0.050% probiotics) and lowest in contrail group. No significant treatment effects on the feed consumption were observed. The superior carcass characteristics were observed in broilers fed probiot.

6 tables, 4 ref

022233   Joshi Pranita S;Shete H G (Microbiology PG Dep, N.S.B. college, Nanded-431 601) : Effect of plant extracts on Candida albican isolated from urine samples of HIV positive cases. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 196-202.

Candidiasis is a "yeast infection" that occurs when there is overgrowth of the globular fungus Candida albicans. Candida albicans lives for most of the time as self contained cells in or on human body which reproduce asexually. In this form they cause little or no harm. They can be found in the mouth, large intestine, vagina, and on moist area of skin when hormonal balance changes, or when there is physiological or anatomical change with the reduction of immunity, Candida multiply to overgrow and produce ill effects, commonly categorized as thrush.AIDS is a complex condition in which normal immune system is affected. This makes the patient susceptible to otherwise minor infections. Candidiasis is thus become a common condition observed with HIV +ve cases. Now a days, lot of antibiotics are used to cure common infection have made the organism resistant towards the antibiotics. Occasionally side effects are also recorded. Additionally HIV patients do not respond efficiently to the treatment. Deals with isolation of Candida albicans from the urine sample of HIV +ve cases and screening of various plant extracts for their anticandidal activity. Azardirachta indica, Aloevera barbadeness, Curcuma longa, Oscimum sanctum, Allium cepa, Allium sativum plant extracts were tested.

2 tables, 2 illus, 10 ref

022232   Jarald E E;Edwin S;Dubey S;Gupta S;Gupta V B (Pharmacognosy Dep, B R Nahata College of Pharmacy & Research Center, Mhow Neemuch Road, Mandsaur-458 001) : Hepatoprotective activity of Euphorbia hirta Linn. Geobios 2007, 34(1), 81-3.

1 table, 15 ref

022231   Jain M D;Ali Y A (Microbiology Dep, Research student, R.L.T. College of Science, Akola-444 001 (M.S.)) : Effect of antibiotics and biocides on Agrobacterium tumefaciens causing foliar deformation in Pongamia pinnata (linn.). J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 239-42.

Pongamia pinnata, an ornamental and shade tree possesses various chemotherapeutic values and then ob-served as an important medicinal plant. The presence of visible galls on ornamentals due to Agrobacterium tumefaciens in nurseries is considered sufficient for plant destruction. In general, bacterial diseases of plants are very difficult to control owing to the lack of effective chemicals. In the studies, antibiotic sensitivity and effect of biocides on Agrobacterium tumefaciens were tested in vitro. Agrobacterium tumefaciens was found to be sensitive to many antibiotics but their large scale use could not appear feasible due to the considerations of high costs and low availability of the products. In the experiment with biocides, some of the 50 plant extract were found to be effective against the Agrobacterium tumefaciens. When the activity of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain K 84 was tested, it was found to be effective against Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

1 table, 5 ref

022230   Hossain S M;Das M;Anantharaman N (Chemical Engineering Dep, Mohamed Sathak Engineering College, Kilakarai-623 806) : Bacterial growth and lead biosorption using Escherichia coli. J Instn Engrs-Pt CH 2006, 87(Sept), 9-15.

Acidophilic bacteria Escherichia coli accumulates lead (IV) ion from its aqucous solution. The maximum biosorption of lead is 96.65% (w/w) within 60-h of inoculation time with optimum p11.55 and optimum temperature 40° for 600 ppm initial loading of lead in a shake flask (rpm 60). Seven days old and 30% (v/v) inoculum culture is used in the present study. The maximum bacterial growth is noticed as 3.90 x 10⁸ cells/ml at optimum bioprocess conditions. The bacteria can tolerate up to 700 ppm of initial lead (IV) ion loading. The Langumic and Frendlich isotherm fit the biocorption data reasonable and well and play a major role in giving a better understanding of bioprocess modeling and simulation. The Mopad model for the bacterial growth showes that the specific growth rate (micro) in the 600 ppm laid (IV) solution is found to be 0.01 b-1.

11 illus, 23 ref

022229   Dutta S;Mukherjee A K;Singh A K (Meteorological Office, , Pune) : Effect of Palghat gap on the rainfall pattern to the north & south of its axis. Mausam 2006, 57(4), 675-9.

1 table, 4 illus, 8 ref

022228   Dhake A B;Patil M B (Biochemistry University Dep, L.I.T. Premises, Nagpur Univ, Nagpur-440 033) : Induced mutagenesis of Penicillium purpurogenum for enhance fructosyl transferase production. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 210-15.

P. purpurogenum was found to produce both intracellular and extracellular fructosyltransferases. Optimum intracellular and extracellular fructosyltransferase production was observed after 3 and 4 days of incubation, respec-tively. The fungal conidia were induced mutated by physical mutagenesis using U.V light and chemical mutagenesis using NTG (3-nitro, 5 methyl guanidine). The mutant strains of P. purpurogenum were found to he stable and produce more fructosyltransferase as compared to the parental strain.

3 tables, 2 illus, 22 ref

022227   Deshmukh A A;Gajare K A;Bele M S;Solanke M R; Deshmukh V P (Zoology Dep, Government Vidarbha Institute of Science and Humanities, Amravati-444 604, Email: ashish_cellbio@rediffmail com) : Evaluation of antibacterial property of fresh leaf juice of Tridax procumbens: an In vitro study. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1123-9.

Tridax procumbens a commonly occurring weed in several parts of the world is routinely used for several ailments such as cuts and wounds, blister boils, in diarrhoea and dysentery. The  fresh leaf juice is directly applied on the wounds. In the present investigation the antibacterial activity of this plant was studied in two species of Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and one species of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). The antibacterial activity was studied by Agar well diffusion method, Disk diffusion method and Turbidometric assay. In Agar well diffusion method S. aureus and B. subtilis exhibited zone of inhibition immediately followed by zone of stimulation around the well containing fresh leaf juice of Tridax procumbens. In disk diffusion method there was zone of enhanced growth of S. aureus and B. subtilis. The S. aureus and B. subtilis from the zone of inhibition, inoculated on the nutrient agar plate exhibited prominent growth after twelve hours of incubation suggesting the bacteriostatic action of Tridax procumbens. There was neither inhibitory nor stimulatory effect of leaf juice on E. coli. In turbidometic assay there was highly significant (p<60>0.001) decrease in the optical densities in leaf juice treated group than the control group of S. aureus and B. subtilis, while in E. coli there was insignificant difference in the optical densities of the control group and leaf juice treated group. From all these results it seems that leaf juice of Tridax procumbens is bacteriostatic on Gram-positive bacteria and ineffective on Gram-negative bacteria.

2 tables, 12 illus, 26 ref

022226   Chopade A R;Nalawade A Y;Pol R P;Naikwade N S (Pharmacology Dep, Appasaheb Birnale College of Pharmacy, Sangli-416416) : Comparative study of arylpropionic acid derivatives ketoprofen and naproxen on acute and chronic inflammatory muscle hyperalgesia. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1155-60.

Pain is a common problem, often associated with inflammatory conditions. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly used as analgesic agents. These drugs inhibit both cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) and are effective in treatment of pain/inflammatory disorders. The aim of the present study is to compare the profile of anti-inflammatory/analgesic action of two propionic acid derivatives on inflammatory muscle hyperalgesia. Carrageenan, a plant-based polysaccharide, was injected into the gastrocnemius muscle of rats. Three percent carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia was used as an animal model of acute and chronic inflammatory hyperalgesia in rats. The behavioral data then can be compared to the histological data which provided us with a very good opportunity to correlate behavioral effects (hyperalgesia) with physiological effects (sensitization). Current study revealed that nonselective cyclooxygenase inhibitors moderately reversed the acute and chronic inflammatory hyperalgesia. The behavioral and histological differences emphasize the ability of analgesics on chronic hyperalgesia and sensitization. The present studies suggest that selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition is essential to exert maximum antihyperalgesic effect in chronic inflammatory muscle hyperalgesia.

3 tables, 6 illus, 27 ref

022225   Chatterjee M (NO, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore-560 012, Email: mayukh@nias.iisc.ernet.in) : On the move: what causes animals to disperse?. Resonance 2006, 11(9), 55-71.

The phenomenon of dispersal has been defined in many different ways, of which one of the oldest definitions was the one given by Lidicker in 1975. He defined dispersal as"...any movement of individual organisms or their propagules in which they leave their home area, sometimes establishing a new home area. This does not include short -term exploratory movements, or changes in the boundaries of a home range, such that the new range includes at least part of the former. Dispersal thus produces homeless travelers (vagrants) who are in search of a new home." Dispersal has been at the forefront of research involving animal behaviour and ecology for a very long time.

4 illus, 12 ref

022224   Chandrakala S;Soosairaj S;Vanitha N (Microbiology Dep, Cauvery College for Women, Tiruchirapalli) : Efficacy of a commercial tooth pastes and mouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 192-5.

Bacteria Streptococcus mutans is considered to be the chief etiologic agent in human dental caries, although more than 500 species of microflora known to flourish in mouth. The study aims in determining the effectiveness of commercial toothpastes and mouthwashes against Streptococcus mutans. The result indicate that the tooth pastes Colgate and Himalaya and mouthwashes Nitra-hex and Sensoquel F were effective against Streptococcus mutans. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of these tooth pastes and mouthwashes were also determined.

2 tables, 23 ref

022223   Chandel D;Multani A S (Division of Human Genetics, Zoolozy Dep, Gujarat Univ, Ahmedabad-380 009, Email: divya_chandel@yahoo com) : Unique case of down syndrome with inherited maternal robertsonian translocation (21;21) and paternal inversion 9qh. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(1), 1009-11.

Contribution presents a family having a history of 9 spontaneous abortions, 1 neonatal death, a child with Down Syndrome (Proband) and 3 phenotypically as well as genotypically normal sisters. Karyotyping of the Down Syndrome child was first done for cytogenetic confirmation of trisomy 21. The child was found to have Robertsonian translocation of chromosome 21 with maternal inheritance and pericentric inversion of chromosome 9qh with paternal inheritance. The implications of 9 spontaneous abortions in mother are discussed even though she has translocation only in 2% of her peripheral lymphocytes.

1 illus, 16 ref

022222   Chakrabarti B K (NO, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhan Nagar, Kolkata-700 064, Email: bikask.chakrabarti@saha.ac.in) : Logic and pattern recognition: mathematics and physical sciences done by network models of brain. Sci Cult 2007, 73(3-4), 82-7.

Describe briefly the recent advances in understanding the distributed nature of computations in the (neural) network structure of the brain. Also discuss if such artificial networks will be able to solve problems of mathematics and natural sciences. The problem of consciousness in such machines is addressed. Ancient Indian ideas regarding mind-body relations and J. C. Base's experimental observations regarding the highly distributed computations in the plant body is discussed.

3 illus, 15 ref

022221   Bose A;Mondal S;Gupta J K;Dash G K;Ghosh T;Si S (NO, Insttute of Pharmacy and Technology, Salipur, Cuttack-754 202, Orissa) : Studies on diuretic and laxative activity of ethanolic extract and its fractions of Cleome rutdosperma aerial parts. J Pharmac Mag 2006, 2(7), 175-9.

Crude ethanolic extract and fractions of Cleome rutidosperma (family: Capparidaceae) was investigated for diuretic and laxative activity in albino rats that was compared with standard drugs Furosemide (10mg/kg, p.o.) and Agar agar (300mg/kg, P.O.), respectively. The extract was found to produce significant diuretic as well as laxative activity in dose dependant manner. Fractions of the extract potentiated the observed activities. The activities may be contributed to the phytoconstituents present.

3 tables, 23 ref

022220   Bhatnagar K;Verma A (NO, Amity Institute of Herbal and Microbial Studies, Amity University, Block A, Sector-125, Noida-201 303) : Healthy marriage between terrestrial orchids and symbiotic fungi - a consent. J Hill Res 2006, 19(1), 1-12.

4 tables, 45 ref

022219   Belekar V P;Ali Y A;Bhalekar U K;Pensionwar K D (Microbiology P. G. Dep, Shri Shivaji College, Akola-444 001 (M.S.)) : Prevalence of Streptomyces coelicolor in soil of Akola. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 203-5.

"Earthy odor" of soil is due to the production of Geosmin by various bacteria in soil. Geosmin is a compound with pleasant smell, which form in soil when disturbed or on which it has just rained. The soil sample was collected and the organism was isolated on Actinomycetes isolation agar. Actinomycetes are known for varied function in soil from production of antibiotics to degradation of toxic chemical. The species of Actinomycetes, which is responsible for earthy odor, is found to be Streptomyces coelicolor. The organism was confirmed by its morphological, biochemical and cultural characteristics.

1 table, 2 illus, 6 ref

022218   Bavarva J H;Shah N G (B.R.D. School of Biosciences, Sardar Patel Univ, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388120, Email: jasmin.spu@gmail.com) : Expression and correlation of cytokeratin 19 mRNA with the progression of colorectal cancer: a preliminary study. J Cell Tissue Res 2007, 7(2), 1079-82.

Cytokeratin 19 is epithelial cell specific intermediate filament protein, which may help to provide the stability to the cell unlike other Cytokeratin family members. There is no report correlating the expression of CK19 with progression of colorectal cancer. In order to explore such correlation of CK19 mRNA with disease progression we designed this pilot study. Twenty-five tumor samples along with six normal mucosal samples were collected. The total RNA was prepared and subjected to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and the product was quantified on gel documentation system. Amongst twenty five, fifty six per cent (14/25) showed a raised expression of CK19 mKNA than the average value of normal mucosa (cut-off) in the initial stages of colorectal cancer progression, revealing a significant inverse correlation with lymph node status (r=-0.457, p=<60>0.05). Rests of the parameters were non-significant. Thus, it was concluded that the CK19 expression is up-regulated in the initial stages of the disease and then down regulated with the progression of the disease increasing the invasive potential of the tumor. In particular, results revealed the association of CK19 expression with progression of colorectal cancer.

3 tables, 22 ref

022217   Balakrishnan N;Bhaskar V H;Jayakar B; Sangameswaran B (Faculty of Pharmacy, Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation Deemed Univ, Salem-636 008, Tamilnadu, Email: pharmacobala@yahoo.co.in) : Antibacterial activity of Mimosa pudica, Aegle marmelos and Sida cordifolia. J Pharmac Mag 2006, 2(7), 195-6.

The flora of Indian medicinal plants are potent source of bioactive principles. Anti-bacterial activity of Mimosa pudica, Aegle marmelos and Sida cordifolia were studied against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. The maximum inhibitory zone of inhibition Sida cordifolia was against Bacillus subtilis (35mm) and Salmonella typhi (26 mm). Mimosa pudica and Aegle marmelos were found to be active against all the microorganisms tested and the maximum activity was noted against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi respectively.

1 table, 15 ref

022216   Bajanghate K M;Tumane P M;Wadher B J (Microbiology Post Graduate Dep. LIT premises, Nagpur Univ, Nagpur-440 033) : Antibacterial sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus against floxacin antibiotics. J microbial Wld 2006, 8(2), 152-4.

10 pus samples collected from surgical wound were found to contain coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus. Antibiotic sensitivity testing of these isolates was studied by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. All the isolates were found to be resistant to the floxacin antibiotics used viz. Ciprofloxacin, Lomefloxacin, Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, and Sparfloxacin. Result indicates that there appears to be a cross resistance amongst the floxacin antibiotics used.

1 table, 13 ref

022215   Bachhawat A K (NO, , ) : Comparative genomics - a powerful new tool in biology. Resonance 2007, 11(8), 22-40.

An important hallmark of biological research is the aspect of 'comparisons'. As the complete genome sequences of numerous organisms have become available, the emphasis in biology has shifted to comparisons at the genome level. The last few years have witnessed an exponential rise in the number of organisms whose complete genome has been sequenced, and we are still climbing up the graph. Explains how one can extract a great deal of information from such analyses that is of great value in our research. The subject of comparative genomics impinges on evolutionary biology and phylogenetic reconstructions of the tree of life, drug discovery programs, function predictions of hypothetical proteins and genes, regulatory motifs and other non-coding DNA motifs, and genome flux and dynamics. Finally describes how the information one can extract from a comparative analysis of genomes depends to a large extent, on the specific aspect of the genomes that is being compared and the phylogenetic distances of the organisms involved.

6 illus, 9 ref

022214   Anbarasu A;Ramalingam K (Zoology P. G. and Research Dep, Government Arts College (Men) (Autonomous), Nandanam, Chennai-35, Email: drkrimmunotoxicol@yahoo.co.in) : Studies on the sublethal dosage of mercuric chloride (Hgcl₂) on tissue GOT and GPT of Scylla tranquebarica (fabricius). Aquacult 2007, 8(1), 33-44.

Sublethal dosages of mercuric chloride on the tissue transaminase activity in mud crab Scylla tranquebarica revealed that there was an enhancement of GPT activity following exposure to mercuric chloride. GPT enhancement was very much marked in the case of hepatopancreas at all the intervals in all the concentrations. Similarly in muscles also, the GPT increased after 7 and 30 days. The GPT activity in hemolymph in contrast to the other two tissues showed no marked changes. GOT showed an enhancement in the hepatopancreas at all the intervals when compared to initial zero hour. In muscle, GOT showed an enhancement after 7 days and 15 days in 0.001 ppm. In 0.0001 ppm concentration it showed the enhancement only after 15 days. In 0.01 ppm it showed enhancement after 7 days and 30 days. The GOT activity in the hemolymph was enhanced at all the intervals, in 0.001 and 0.0001 ppm concentration, whereas in 0.01 ppm a consistent decrease was noticed. The enhancement of GOT and GPT in the tissues and consequent formation of glutamate may be required in stressed conditions for the conversion of toxic ammonia to its non-toxic storage form viz., glutamine. Transaminase activities suggest that nitrogen metabolism in the mercury exposed crabs turned towards the better utilization of nitrogen source.

2 tables, 64 ref

022213   Agrahari R K;Varshney P K;Saxena A (Central nstitute of Fisheries Education (ICAR, Deemed University), Rohtak Centre Lahli, Via Anwal, Rohtak-124 411) : Phytoplankton pigments in polluted environment of river Gomti in Lucknow. Aquacult 2007, 8(1), 27-32.

Phytoplankton pigments in relation to the prevailing environmental conditions of river Gomti in Lucknow studied at four stations viz Maa Chandrika Devi, Daliganj, Ambedkar Park and Aquaduct from June, 2004 to April, 2005. The water quality of river indicate the deteriorated environmental conditions with low DO and high CO₂, COD, PO₄ and N0₃. At upstream station Maa Chandrika Devi the conditions were comparatively better. The mean chlorophyll 'a' the major pigment was 6.031, 24.413, 6.964 and 19.951 mg m^-3 at Maa Chandrika Devi, Daliganj, Ambedkar Park and Aquaduct respectively. In general the chlorophyll 'a' 'b' and 'c' values were on higher side at Daliganj and Aquaduct where as at Maa Chandrika Devi and Ambedkar Park chlorophyll values were comparable and moderate like environmental parameters. Seasonal trend of chlorophyll exhibit uni-modal trend at all the stations with higher values either during monsoon or post-monsoon.

4 tables, 1 illus, 12 ref

022212   Aburjai T;Hudaib M (Pharmaceutical Sciences Dep, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan Univ, Amman, Jordan, Email: aburjai@ju.edu.jo) : Antiplatelet, antibacterial and antifungal activities of Achillea falcata extracts and evaluation of volatile oil composition. J Pharmac Mag 2006, 2(7), 188-95.

The antiplatelet, antibacterial and antifungal effects of various extracts obtained from Jordanian Achillea falcata L. were studied. Chemical composition of the volatile oil hydrodistilled from the plant aerial parts was also evaluated by GC and GC/MS. Among the 41 constituents identified in the oil, camphor (17.0%), 1,8-cineole (15.9%), p-cymene (11.3%) and β-thujone (9.8%) were the major components. The volatile oil exhibited potent antibacterial activity against standard and resistant strains of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The oil showed also significant inhibition against Candida albicans and Trichosporon cutaneum. Alcoholic extract revealed good activity against Escherichia coli, resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeurogenosa and C. albicans. It also showed significant inhibitory effect against platelet aggregation induced by collagen and ADP (IC₅₀: 48.1, 112.1 μg/ml respectively). The aqueous extract revealed moderate activity against fungal species, in particular C. albicans, while it showed no inhibition against blood aggregation induced either by collagen or ADP.

3 tables, 36 ref

021365   Wahegaonkar N;Sahasrabudhe M (Botany Research Centre, Vasantrao Naik Mahavidyalaya, Aurangabad-431 003) : Antagonistic activity of some soil microorganisms on four fungal plant pathogens. J basic appl Mycol 2006, 5(1-2), 87-90.

Study on antagonistic activity of some microorganisms indicates that every microorganism present in soil is not a producer of antibiotic and every organism that produces an antibiotic is not antagonistic to every other organism. Out of the 29 fungal and 17 actinomycetous species isolated only few were distinct antibiotic producers. The studies on effect of incubation period on antibiotic production indicate that antibiotic production increases with the increase in incubation period. A. niger (F1) and F. oxysporum (F3) of the fungal group and isolate (Ac5) of the actinomycetes group were found to effective against all the fungal pathogens under study.

1 illus, 4 tables, 3 ref

021364   Vyas T K;Dave B P (Life Sciences Dep, Bhavnagar Univ, Bhavnagar-364 002, Email: bharti_dave@hotmail.com) : Effect of crude oil concentrations, temperature and pH on growth and degradation of crude oil by marine bacteria. Indian J Mar Sci 2007, 36(1), 76-85.

Accidental spillage of petroleum in marine environment provokes serious damage to marine ecosystem. Microbial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons is one of the major practice in the natural decontamination process. Out of 130 crude oil degrading bacteria isolated from Bhavnagar (Alang) coast, NW India, 12 isolates designated as TV 1-TV 12 that formed maximum clearing zone on mineral medium were examined for their hydrocarbon degradation potential in temporal sequence of events. Among these, isolate TV 11 showed maximum growth (0.70 mg/ml) and degradation (22.8%) on 34th day, followed by TV 4 that showed maximum growth (0.60 mg/ml) and degradation (17.0%) and TV 3 that showed maximum growth (0.59 mg/ml) and degradation (16.2%) on 28th day of incubation. Isolate TV 11 was identified as Marinococcus albus, TV 3 as Methylobacterium mesophilicum and TV 4 as Nocardia otitidiscaviarum. Effect of various crude oil concentrations (2-6 g/1), temperature (20-37°C) and pH (6-9) on growth and degradation revealed that 5 g/1 of crude oil concentration, 30°C temperature for M. albus and 25°C for M. mesophilicum and N. otitidiscaviarum and pH 7 were optimum for both growth and degradation. Enhanced bacterial growth and degradation achieved with optimized concentrations of crude oil, temperature and pH can make their use suitable in devising an appropriate bioremediation strategy for oil contaminated sites.

4 tables, 31 ref

021363   Vashishtha A;Upadhyay R (Botany Dep, Delhi Univ, Delhi-110 007, Email: rkupad@yahoo.com) : Polyploidy:genetic improvement of plants and animals. J appl Biosci 2006, 32(2), 126-34.

In nature, both plants and animals have shown long evolutionary association and have inherited similarities and dissimilarities both at structural and chromosomal level. Numerical differences in chromosomes have played more important role in evolution of genetic variabilities, environmental adaptations and ecological stability. Genetic variabilities that occurred in both groups were produced by the process of recombination, transversion and translocation. In plants, polyploidy controls cell size, fruit morphology and fruit ripening, tuber formation, seed germination and helps in restoration of fertility. Polyploidy is also helpful in production of disease resistant and stress tolerant new cultivars of high economic value. In animals, polyploidy enhance milk production, hormone secretion, stock culture improvement and also helps in disease alleviation. In the field of agriculture, there are enormous possibilities to develop desirable traits in cereal crops for improvement of grain yield and fruit production. In future, these genetically improved or modified animals and plants may become helpful in the eradication of poverty and in the field of medical sciences polyploid cells and heterokaryons of diverse nature may help in the treatment of diseases.

3 illus, 2 table, 38 ref

021362   Tiwari S;Jaiswal S;Silawat N;Bose A;Gautam S P (Biological Sciences Dep, R.D. University, Jabalpur-482 001) : Production of chitinase from Torulospora delbrueckii on different substrates. J basic appl Mycol 2006, 5(1-2), 68-72.

Torulospora delbrueckii isolated from Jabalpur, India produced chitinase enzyme when grown in the yeast extract medium containing different carbohydrates separately (0.05% w/v), fungal cell walls and chitinous animal tissues (both 1%, w/v). Maximum chitinase production was observed in case of 0.5% chitosan, Aspergillus flavus cell wall and prawn exoskeleton.

3 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

021361   Supe U J;Chikhale N J;Roymon M G (NO, St. Thomas College, Bhilai, Madhya Pradesh) : Antimicrobial activity of extract from Aloe vera leaf. J basic appl Mycol 2006, 5(1-2), 98-9.

Aloe vera is a perennial, drought resistance succulent plant belonging to Liliaceae. The plant contains many vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars, quinones and sterols. The effect of Aloe vera leaf extract at various concentrations was tested against four bacteria. The Aloe vera was found to be at 3% against Staphylococcus aureus, at 2% against Klebsiella, at 1% Pseudomonas aeruuginosa and 1% against Escherichia coli.

021360   Sheeba S;Ramanujan N (Zool Dep, C.M.S. College, Kottayam-686 001) : Longitudinal distribution of benthic flora and fauna of ithikkara river, Kerala. Ecol Envir Conserv 2006, 12(2), 381-4.

Distribution of benthic flora and fauna was studied for the Ithikkara river at six sites. The benthic algal community was dominated by diatoms. Benthic algal flora composed of 2 species of Cyanophyceae (blue green algae), 9 species of Chlorophyceae (green algae), 17 species of Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) and 2 species of Euglenophyceae. Benthic fauna composed of 16 species of Protozoa, 9 species of Annelida, 14 species of Crustaceae (Arthropoda), 8 species of nymph/larvae of insects (Arthropoda), 5 species in Mollusca and one species of nematode worm (Achelminthes). Protozoans were mainly found in upstream region and crustaceans in down stream region.

1 illus, 2 tables, 10 ref

021359   Sharma A;Susheel Kumar Singh;Patra S (Bacteriology Lab, P.G. Studies and Research in Biological Science Dep, R.D. University, Jabalpur-482 001) : Intra and interspecies variations among environmental Klebsiella isoaltes. Asian J expl Sci 2007, 21(2), 433-6.

Majority of the study of Klebsiella is restricted to clinical isolates and its occurrence in fresh water environment is sporadically reported. Biochemical and molecular diversity of 40 Klebsiella isolates, isolated from 180 water samples of river Narmada from eleven stations (Amarkantak to Dahej) during 2005-2006 was assessed by employing Biotyping, SDS-PAGE profiling, Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, and Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA). The Antibiogram analysis suggested that most of the isolates were resistant against Ampicillin, Amoxycillin, Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol and Trimethoprim and all isolates were found to be sensitive against Norflaxcin, Cefotaxime and Gentamycin. RAPD and ARDRA prevailed over Biotyping and Protein profiling for identification, and Intra and interspecies variations among environmental isolates of Klebsiella spp.