A. K. Singh

Isolation and screening of soil Actinomycetes as source of antibiotics active against bacteria

A total of 117 actinomycetes strains were isolated from the wasteland alkaline and garden soil samples of the Ghaziabad and screened for their anti-bacterial activity. They were evaluated for their inhibitory activities on four test microorganisms. Fifteen actinomycetes isolate which exhibited antimicrobial activity against at least two of the test organisms and were characterized by conventional methods. The cultural characteristics of isolates were also studies in different culture media. The results indicated that six isolates were highly active against Staphylococcus aureus strains. Seven isolates were highly active with an inhibition zone more than 20 mm in diameter. Most of the isolates inhibited growth of the Gram negative bacteria tested. All the antibiotic producing actinomycetes were isolated at different temperatures from non agricultural wasteland alkaline soil and compost rich garden soil. Fifteen isolates showed activity against bacteria in which most of them from wasteland alkaline soil where the less interference by human for agriculture or other purpose. These microorganisms may have capability to produce some of the most important medicines ever developed.

Peri‐operative outcomes for pancreatoduodenectomy in India: a multi‐centric study

BACKGROUND There have been an increasing number of reports world-wide relating improved outcomes after pancreatic resections to high volumes thereby supporting the idea of centralization of pancreatic resectional surgery. To date there has been no collective attempt from India at addressing this issue. This cohort study analysed peri-operative outcomes after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) at seven major Indian centres. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between January 2005 and December 2007, retrospective data on PDs, including intra-operative and post-operative factors, were obtained from seven major centres for pancreatic surgery in India. RESULTS Between January 2005 and December 2007, a total of 718 PDs were performed in India at the seven centres. The median number of PDs performed per year was 34 (range 9-54). The median number of PDs per surgeon per year was 16 (range 7-38). Ninety-four per cent of surgeries were performed for suspected malignancy in the pancreatic head and periampullary region. The median mortality rate per centre was four (range 2-5%). Wound infections were the commonest complication with a median incidence per centre of 18% (range 9.3-32.2%), and the median post-operative duration of hospital stay was 16 days (range 4-100 days). CONCLUSIONS This is the first multi-centric report of peri-operative outcomes of PD from India. The results from these specialist centers are very acceptable, and appear to support the thrust towards centralization.

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of metabasic rocks from the Lesser Himalayan Crystallines, Western Arunachal Himalaya, Northeast India

In the Lesser Himalayan Crystallines of the western Arunachal Himalaya, numerous metabasic rocks occur as disrupted dykes / sills and boudins mostly within gneiss and rarely interbedded with quartzite and phyllite. These metabasic rocks are tholeiitic in composition, resemble ortho-amphibolites, enriched in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements, and depleted in high field strength elements (Nb, P, Ti). Amphiboles present in these rocks are typically calcic in nature and range from tschermakite to magnesiohornblende-actinolite, whereas plagioclase varies from oligoclase to labradorite (An29 to An52). Their mineral chemistry suggests that these rocks were metamorphosed at temperatures between 566 °C and 633 °C at a pressure >5 kb. Geochemical characteristics and petrogenetic modelling imply that the protolith of these metabasic rocks was probably derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source by partial melting (5% to 20%) leaving a residue with 35% olivine, 50% orthopyroxene, 15% clinopyroxene; subsequently, the melt was modified by fractional crystallization of clinopyroxene and plagioclase. It is also suggested that the protoliths of these rocks were emplaced in a continental rift environment and were metamorphosed into amphibolites during the Himalayan orogeny.

Effect of Node Number and Auxin Concentration on Propagation of Ivy gourd (Coccinia cordifolia Cogn) through Stem Cuttings

Field experiment was conducted during 2010-2011 to study the effect of number of nodes per cutting and concentrations of plant growth regulators (IBA and NAA) on regeneration of ivy gourd at Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi. Cuttings with four nodes sprouted earliest (8.8 DAP) and enhanced the sprouting per cent, length and diameter of vine, number of branches per shoot, number of leaves per cutting, length and diameter of root and regeneration per cent than one, two and three nodes per cutting. Ivy gourd cuttings treated with 75 ppm IBA took minimum days to sprout and improved sprouting per cent, increased length and diameter of vine, number of branches per shoot, number of leaves per cutting, length and diameter of root and regeneration per cent than 75 ppm NAA and 25, 50, 100, 125 and 150 ppm IBA and NAA.