Potential antifilarial activity of the fruit, leaf and stem extract of Melia azedarach Linn. on cattle filarial parasite Setaria cervi in vitro

Ahmed, Qamar U.,Zaidi, S.M.K.R.,Kaleem, M.,Khan, N.U.,Singhal, K.C. Kyung Hee Oriental Medicine Research Center 2006 Oriental pharmacy and experimental medicine Vol.6 No.2

The effect of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of the fruit, leaf and stem of Melia azedarach Linn. (Meliaceae) on the spontaneous movements of both the whole worm and the nerve-muscle (n.m.) preparation of Setaria (S.) cervi and on the survival of microfilariae in vitro was studied. Alcoholic extracts of fruit, leaf and stem caused inhibition of the spontaneous movements of the whole worm and the n.m. preparation of S. cervi, while only aqueous extract of fruit caused inhibition of the spontaneous movements of the whole worm and the n.m. preparation of S. cervi. The initial stimulatory effect was not observed by the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of fruit on n.m. preparation. The concentrations required to inhibit the movements of the whole worm and n.m. preparation for alcoholic extracts of fruit, leaf and stem were 250, $40\;{\mu}g/ml$; 280, $40\;{\mu}g/ml$ and 270, $25\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively, whereas an aqueous extract of fruit caused inhibition of whole worm and n.m. preparation at $200\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $40\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. Alcoholic extracts of the fruit, leaf and stem and aqueous extract of the fruit of M. azedarach caused concentration related inhibition on the survival of microfilariae (m.f.) of S. cervi. The $LC_{50}$ and $LC_{90}$ as observed after 6 h were found to be 5, 15, 10, 20 ng/ml and 10, 25, 20 and 35 ng/ml, respectively. This work was conducted in view of the exploration of potential antifilarial herbal drug.

Momordica charantia and Allium sativum : Broad Spectrum Antibacterial Activity

Khan, M.R.,Omoloso, A.D. The Korean Society of Pharmacognosy 1998 생약학회지 Vol.29 No.3

In the Asian sub-continent Momordica charantia and Allium sativum are extensively used as food and are popular in herbal medicine. The two were screened against 15 pathogens and both exhibited broard spectrum antimicrobial activity. As compared to the standard antibiotics, M. charantia demonstrated broader and higher level of activity against most of the organisms. On the other hand A. sativum showed comparable activity to the standard antibiotics. Both M. Charantia and A. sativum are proposed as non toxic, safe, broad spectrum antibacterial agents.

Quorum sensing activity of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Serratia glossinae GS2 isolated from the sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) rhizosphere

Jung, B. K.,Khan, A. R.,Hong, S. J.,Park, G. S.,Park, Y. J.,Kim, H. J.,Jeon, H. J.,Khan, M. A.,Waqas, M.,Lee, I. J. UNIV. OF MILAN DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND MICR 2017 ANNALS OF MICROBIOLOGY Vol.67 No.9

<P>Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) affect plant growth through various mechanisms, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase activity, and biofilm formation. The aim of the study reported here was to isolate and characterize rhizobacteria that produce quorum-sensing signal molecules and other PGPR-related molecules. A biofilm-forming bacterium, GS2, was isolated from the rhizosphere of a sesame plant and subsequently found to produce two quorum-sensing signal molecules that were identified as N-hexanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (m/z 200) and N-octanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (m/z 228) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis. The strain was also found to produce IAA (17.2 mu g mL(-1)), gibberellins (113.7 mu g mL(-1)), and ACC deaminase (9.7 mu M alpha-ketobutyrate mg(-1) protein h(-1)). The strain was identified as Serratia glossinae based on a comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Inoculation of the strain promoted growth of a gibberellin-deficient rice dwarf mutant (Waito-C). Different growth attributes, including shoot and root elongation, chlorophyll content, and plant weight could be attributed to the PGPR characteristics of strain GS2. These results suggest that S. glossinae strain GS2 can serve as a microbial agent that improves plant growth.</P>

<i>N6</i>-methyladenosine modification of hepatitis B virus RNA differentially regulates the viral life cycle

Imam, Hasan,Khan, Mohsin,Gokhale, Nandan S.,McIntyre, Alexa B. R.,Kim, Geon-Woo,Jang, Jae Young,Kim, Seong-Jun,Mason, Christopher E.,Horner, Stacy M.,Siddiqui, Aleem National Academy of Sciences 2018 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Vol.115 No.35

<P>N6-methyladenosine (m(6)A) RNA methylation is the most abundant epitranscriptomic modification of eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Previous reports have found m(6)A on both cellular and viral transcripts and defined its role in regulating numerous biological processes, including viral infection. Here, we show that m(6)A and its associated machinery regulate the life cycle of hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is a DNA virus that completes its life cycle via an RNA intermediate, termed pregenomic RNA (pgRNA). Silencing of enzymes that catalyze the addition of m(6)A to RNA resulted in increased HBV protein expression, but overall reduced reverse transcription of the pgRNA. We mapped the m(6)A site in the HBV RNA and found that a conserved m(6)A consensus motif situated within the epsilon stem loop structure, is the site for m(6)A modification. The epsilon stem loop is located in the 3' terminus of all HBV mRNAs and at both the 5' and 3' termini of the pgRNA. Mutational analysis of the identified m(6)A site in the 5' epsilon stem loop of pgRNA revealed that m(6)A at this site is required for efficient reverse transcription of pgRNA, while m(6)A methylation of the 3' epsilon stem loop results in destabilization of all HBV transcripts, suggesting that m(6)A has dual regulatory function for HBV RNA. Overall, this study reveals molecular insights into how m(6)A regulates HBV gene expression and reverse transcription, leading to an increased level of understanding of the HBV life cycle.</P>

Effect of GDC interlayer thickness on durability of solid oxide fuel cell cathode

Khan, M.Z.,Mehran, M.T.,Song, R.H.,Lee, J.W.,Lee, S.B.,Lim, T.H.,Park, S.J. Ceramurgica ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2016 Ceramics international Vol.42 No.6

Long-term performance degradation of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode as a function of gadolinium doped ceria (GDC) interlayer thickness has been studied under accelerated operating conditions. For this purpose, SOFC half-cells with GDC interlayer thicknesses of 2.4, 3.4 and 6.0@?m were fabricated and tested for 1000h at 900<SUP>o</SUP>C under constant current density of 1A/cm<SUP>2</SUP>. The half-cells consisted of lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (LSCF)/GDC composite cathode, GDC interlayer, scandia-ceria stabilized zirconia electrolyte and platinum anode as a counter electrode. Area specific resistance (ASR) of the half-cells was continuously measured over time. Higher increase in ASR was observed for the half-cells with GDC interlayer thickness of 2.4 and 6.0@?m, which is attributed to higher strontium (Sr) diffusion towards electrolyte and to cathode/GDC interface delamination coupled with small Sr diffusion, respectively. However, half-cell with GDC interlayer thickness of 3.4@?m showed smaller degradation rate due to highly dense GDC interlayer which had less interfacial resistance and suppressed Sr diffusion towards electrolyte.

Rheological and mechanical properties of ABS/PC blends

M.M.K. Khan,R.F. Liang,R.K. Gupta,S. Agarwal 한국유변학회 2005 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.17 No.1

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC) and their alloys are an important class of engineering thermoplastics that are widely used for automotive industry, computer and equipment housings. For the process of recycling mixtures of ABS and PC, it is desirable to know how sensitive the blend properties are to changes in compositions. It was for this reason that blends of virgin ABS and virgin PC at five different compositions, namely, 15%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 85% by weight of ABS were prepared and characterised by rheological and mechanical measurements. Rheological properties of these blends in steady, oscillatory and transient step shear and mechanical properties, namely, tensile strength, elongation-at-break and Izod impact strength are reported. The results show that PC behaves in a relatively Newtonian manner, but ABS exhibits significant shear thinning. The ABS-rich blends show a trend that is similar to that of ABS, while PC-rich blends, namely 0% and 15%, exhibit a nearly Newtonian behaviour. However, at a fixed shear rate or frequency, the steady shear or the dynamic viscosity varied respectively in a non-monotonic manner with composition. Except for 15% blend, the viscosities of other blends fall into a narrow band indicating a wide-operation window of varying blend ratio. The blends exhibited a lower viscosity than either of the two pure components. The other noticeable feature was that the blends at 70% and 85% ABS content had a higher G’ than pure ABS, indicating an enhancement of elastic effect. The tensile yield strength of the blends followed the ‘rule of mixtures’ showing a decreasing value with the increase of ABS content in PC. However, the elongation-at-break and the impact strength did not appear to obey this ‘rule of mixtures,’ which suggests that morphology of the blends also plays a significant role in determining the properties. Indeed, scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surfaces of the different blends validate this hypothesis, and the 15% blend is seen to have the most distinct morphology and correspondingly different behaviour and properties.

INFECTIOUS STUNTING SYNDROME OF BROILER CHICKS I. CLINICAL SIGNS AND PATHOLOGICAL LESIONS

Khan, S.A.,Mustafa, G.,Chaudhry, R.A.,Iqbal, M.,Khan, M.I. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 1995 Animal Bioscience Vol.8 No.1

This study represented an endeavor to observe clinical signs and pathological lesions in broiler chicks suffering from experimental Infectious stunting syndrome(ISS). One hundred and twenty day old broiler chicks were divide randomly into two equal groups i.e. control (A) and inoculated (B). At day one of age each chick of the groups (A and B) was dosed with one ml of either tryptose phosphate broth or prepared inoculum respectively. Chicks of both the groups were housed separately under similar standard management. Inoculation induced characteristic clinical changes in birds of treatment group like of brownish diarrhea, lameness, feather developing problems and paleness of combs, wattles and shanks. By day-29 of the experiment all the stunted birds from group-B and an equal number of birds from group-A were slaughtered. These birds were examined thoroughly to record the gross changes in various structures and then the severely affected organs were processed for histopathological examination. The skeletons of affected birds were brittle, keel bones showed quite prominence while the muscles and subcutaneous tissues were almost devoid of fat. Grossly it was observed that pancreas, spleen and bursa of Fabricius were severely atrophied while the intestines were ballooned with undigested feed and gases. Histopathological examination of pancreas and spleen revealed a classical picture necessary for understanding the pathogenesis of the syndrome. The acivar cells of pancreas were atrophied and underwent vacuolation, degeneration and vecrosis. The zymogen granules were almost absent from the acinar cells. A characteristic change was an inflammatory reaction in one or more pancreatic ducts where the epithelium and fibrous tissues occluded the lumen of the ducts and led to the obstruction in pancreatic drainage.

Rheological and mechanical properties of ABS/PC blends

Khan M.M.K.,Liang R.F.,Gupta R.K.,Agarwal S. The Korean Society of Rheology 2005 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.17 No.1

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and their alloys are an important class of engineering thermoplastics that are widely used for automotive industry, computer and equipment housings. For the process of recycling mixtures of ABS and PC, it is desirable to know how sensitive the blend properties are to changes in compositions. It was for this reason that blends of virgin ABS and virgin PC at five different compositions, namely, $15\%,\;30\%,\;50\%,\;70%$ and $85\%$ by weight of ABS were prepared and characterised by rheological and mechanical measurements. Rheological properties of these blends in steady, oscillatory and transient step shear and mechanical properties, namely, tensile strength, elongation-at-break and Izod impact strength are reported. The results show that PC behaves in a relatively Newtonian manner, but ABS exhibits significant shear thinning. The ABS-rich blends show a trend that is similar to that of ABS, while PC-rich blends, namely $0\%$ and $15\%$, exhibit a nearly Newtonian behaviour. However, at a fixed shear rate or frequency, the steady shear or the dynamic viscosity varied respectively in a non-mono-tonic manner with composition. Except for $15\%$ blend, the viscosities of other blends fall into a narrow band indicating a wide-operation window of varying blend ratio. The blends exhibited a lower viscosity than either of the two pure components. The other noticeable feature was that the blends at $70\%$ and $85\%$ ABS content had a higher G' than pure ABS, indicating an enhancement of elastic effect. The tensile yield strength of the blends followed the 'rule of mixtures' showing a decreasing value with the increase of ABS content in PC. However, the elongation-at-break and the impact strength did not appear to obey this 'rule of mixtures,' which suggests that morphology of the blends also plays a significant role in determining the properties. Indeed, scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surfaces of the different blends validate this hypothesis, and the $15\%$ blend is seen to have the most distinct morphology and correspondingly different behaviour and properties.

Polydatin improves the developmental competence of bovine embryos in vitro via induction of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1)

Khan, Imran,Kim, Sung Woo,Lee, Kyung-Lim,Song, Seok-Hwan,Mesalam, Ayman,Chowdhury, M. M. R.,Uddin, Zia,Park, Ki Hun,Kong, Il-Keun CSIRO Publishing 2017 Reproduction, fertility, and development Vol.29 No.10

<P> The aim of the present study was to investigate the beneficial effect of polydatin (PD), the glycoside form of resveratrol, on embryo development in vitro. Oocytes were aspirated from ovaries of Korean Hanwoo cows and cultured until Day 8 in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air at 38.5°C. Protein and gene expression levels were determined through confocal microscopy and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction respectively, whereas the number of total and apoptotic cells in Day 8 blastocysts was determined using Hoechst 33342 staining and terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end-labelling. Of the different concentrations of PD (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 µM) added to the IVM medium, only 1.0 µM PD significantly improved blastocyst development. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed that protein levels of sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) increased significantly (P < 0.05) after PD treatment, whereas levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased, as evidenced by reductions in 8-oxoguanine immunoreactivity. Similarly, protein levels of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the PD-treated group than in the control group. Treatment with 1.0 µM PD reduced gene expression of BCL2-associated X protein, inducible nitric oxide synthase, COX2 and Nfkb, but increased the expression of Sirt1, supporting the immunofluorescence data. PD possesses antioxidant activity and is useful for embryo development in vitro. We conclude that supplementation of IVM medium with PD improves embryo developmental competence via Sirt1. </P>

Genetic Parameters of Milk Yield and Adjustment for Age at Calving in Nili-Ravi Buffaloes

Khan, M.S.,Shook, G.E.,Asghar, A.A.,Chaudhary, M.A.,Mcdowell, R.E. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 1997 Animal Bioscience Vol.10 No.5

Data were from four institutional herds and four field data collection centers involved in a progeny testing program for Nili-Ravi buffaloes in Pakistan. The REML with a single trait animal model, employed on 2,353 lactations, from 901 daughters of 66 sires, gave a heritability estimate of 0.18 for milk yield with repeatability (between lactations) of 0.43. Estimated milk yield was highest at 65 months of age for the first parity and 81 months for later parities. Correction factors for age at calving, standardized to 60 months in the second and later parities, were developed.