January 2011

In vitro biodegradation of keratin by dermatophytes and some soil keratinophiles

The present investigation was aimed to evaluate the in vitro biodegradation of keratin by clinical isolates of dermatophytes and soil fungi. Ten fungal species, out of which, six (Chrysosporiumindicum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Scopulariopsis sp., Aspergillus terreus, Microsporumgypseum and Fusarium oxysporum) were isolated from soil and four clinical...

Author(s): Mukesh Sharma, Meenakshi Sharma and Vijay Mohan Rao

January 2010

Cytoplasmic, peroxisomal and mitochondrial membrane phospholipid alteration in 31-diamino-azo-benzene (31-DAB)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma

Alteration in the cytoplasmic, mitochondrial and peroxisomal membrane phospholipid has been investigated in 31- diamino-azo-benzene (DAB) -induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats. The cytoplasmic membrane of tumour group shows 27.5, 19.7, 38.7 and 34.7% increase in phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and sphingomyelin respectively compared with the control group, mitochondrial membrane...

Author(s): Omotuyi I. O., Ologundudu A., Okugbo T. O., Oluyemi K. A. and Omitade, O. E.

January 2010

Investigation of antimicrobial and plasma coagulation property of some molluscan ink extracts: Gastropods and cephalopods

The ink secretion of molluscan species was identified as one of the novel sources of bioactive compounds. Aqueous ink extracts of Dollabella auricularia inhibited the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition to D. auricularia, Octopus vulgaris and Sepia aculeate ink samples showed antifungal activity. The antimicrobial activities of the samples were not due to the...

Author(s): R. Vennila, R. K. Rajesh kumar, S. Kanchana, M. Arumugam and T. Balasubramanian

January 2011

ACTN3 and TNF gene polymorphism association with C-reactive protein, uric acid, lactate and physical characteristics in young African cricket players

The genotyping of α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) genes of 31 Zulu South African males aged 20 to 27 years (14 cricketers and 17 controls) was performed by PCR amplification followed by restriction digestion. After ANOVA the associations with C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid (UA), lactate (LA) and physical characteristics were examined using Chi2maximum likelihood test and...

Author(s): T. Djarova, G. Watson, A. Basson, J. Grace, J. Cloete and A. Ramakoaba

January 2011

Comparative effects of the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina and Telfairia occidentalis incorporated diets on the lipid profile of rats

The study compared the effects of the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) and Telfairia occidentalis(TO) incorporated diet on the lipid profiles of rats. The rats were fed for 28 days on diets specially formulated to contain 5, 15 and 30% by weight respectively of the leaves of each plant while the control group was fed standard rat diet. The serum total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), high-density...

Author(s): C. E. Ugwu, J. E. Olajide, E. O. Alumana and L. U. S. Ezeanyika

January 2011

Antioxidative activity and catechin content of four kinds of Uncaria gambir extracts from West Sumatra, Indonesia

Gambir cubadak (GC), gambir udang (GU), gambir riau mancik (GRm) and gambir riau gadang (GRg) are popular cultivars of Uncaria gambir in Siguntur, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The aqueous extract of gambir has been used as traditional medicine to treat diarrhea, sore throat and some studies have attributed it to the presence of antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to characterize the...

Author(s): Tuty Anggraini,, Akihiro Tai,　Tomoyuki Yoshino and Tomio Itani