An endophytic bacterium, AL2-16, was isolated from Achyranthes aspera L. It was characterized and identified as Serratia sp. AL2-16 and was experimented for the presence of plant growth-promoting properties. AL2-16 produced siderophore in iron-deficient conditions. The quantitative estimation of siderophore production unit of AL2-16 was maximum after 48 hours of incubation (83.488%) in the presence of 1 μM of ferric chloride. The fructose followed by glucose and sucrose were proved to be the best carbon sources resulting in appreciable amount of siderophore production, i.e. 77.223%, 73.584%, and 65.363% respectively. AL2-16 also has the ability to produce indole acetic acid in medium supplemented with l-tryptophan. The highest amount of indole acetic acid, in the presence of 1.0% l-tryptophan, was 123.2 μg/mL after 144 hours. This isolate solubilized inorganic phosphate and also gave positive result for ammonia production. Colonization and pot trial experiments were conducted on A. aspera L. plant. The population of AL2-16 increased from 16.2 × 106 to 11.2 × 108 colony forming unit/g between 3rd and 5th days after inoculation. It significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased shoot length by 95.52%, fresh shoot weight by 602.38%, fresh root weight by 438%, and area of leaves by 127.2% when inoculated with AL2-16, as compared with uninoculated control.

This present study was planned to obtain an up-to-date picture of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and its genotypes distribution in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, as well as of the relationship between HCV genotypes and demographic and clinical parameters, and the risk factors in patients with an HCV subtype. Samples (blood) from 1978 individuals were collected and were tested using a strip-based method called the immunochromatographic test (ICT) for the existence of antibodies against HCV. It was observed that 158 of the 1978 individuals (7.9%) harbored antibodies in their blood against HCV, among which the female percentage (53.2%) was higher than that of the male (46.8%). Among the different age groups, the highest number of incidences of HCV antibodies was found in the age group of 31–40 years (26.6%). ICT positive samples were further screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the existence of active HCV-RNA, and it was found that 6.21% (123) of the total population (1978) tested, was positive, among which the female rate (56.91%) was observed to be higher than that of the male (43.09%). The highest incidence recorded was in the age group of 41–50 years (33.3%). HCV RNA positive individuals were genotyped: genotype 3a (45.5%) was dominant among the other detected genotypes, followed by 1a (11.4%), 3b (4.9%), and 2a (4.1%). It was concluded that the highest prevalence of HCV was found in females, and that the dominant genotype of the screened individuals was 3a genotype.

Tempeh is a type of traditional fermented food in Indonesia. The fermentation can be performed by Rhizopus microsporus as a main microorganism. However, Bacillus spp. is found in abundance in tempeh production. Nevertheless, information regarding the diversity of Bacillus spp. in tempeh production has not been reported yet. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to study the genetic diversity of Bacillus spp. in tempeh production based on the 16S ribosomal RNA sequence. In this study, about 22 of 24 fresh tempeh from Jakarta, Bogor, and Tangerang were used. A total of 52 protease-producing Bacillus spp. isolates were obtained. Based on 16S ribosomal RNA results, all 52 isolates were identified to be similar to B. pumilus, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, B. licheniformis, B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, B. amyloliquefaciens, Brevibacillus brevis, and Bacillus sp. All the identified isolates were divided into two large clusters: 1) a cluster of B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, Bacillus sp., and B. brevis and 2) a cluster of B. pumilus, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, B. licheniformis, and B. amyloliquefaciens. Information about the Bacillus spp. role in determining the quality of tempeh has not been reported and this is a preliminary study of Bacillus spp. from tempeh.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a recently reported virus that is associated with severe, life threatening and rapidly spreading primarily respiratory illness called the Middle East respiratory syndrome. MERS-CoV possesses a unique positive-sense single-stranded RNA and can undergo rapid mutation in the viral genome. This results in antigenic switching and genetic variation, finally leading to the emergence of novel and new MERS-CoV subtypes which are uncontrollable by vaccines. Researchers are also finding difficulties to sort out therapeutic intervention strategies for MERS-CoV. This virus can spread from human to human, but transmission from dromedary camels to humans plays a crucial epidemiological significance. Dromedary camel acts as “gene mixing vessels” for MERS-CoV and these virus particles undergo rapid change in them. Viral receptors called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 are important receptors for attachment and spread of MERS-CoV in humans. The current method of laboratory confirmation is through real-time polymerase chain reaction on bronchoalveolar lavage, sputum and tracheal aspirates. Unfortunately, till today there are no definite anti-viral drugs available for MERS-CoV.

Different plantation forests possibly harbor different bird communities. This study was aimed to reveal responses of bird community to the different plantation (Schima wallichii, Agathis loranthifolia, Pinus merkusii, and mixed plantation), identify species shared in all plantation, and species confined to a particular plantation. The study site was plantation forests, using the point count method for 64 effective hours. There were 40 bird species (maximum prediction 52) in all forest plantations and each type had 26–31 species. Number of individuals, species density, and diversity index in Schima plantation were higher, followed by Agathis, Pinus, and mixed plantations. Mixed plantation could have harbored more species based on the prediction by Chao. Although there were some differences in tree species, tree sizes, and tree heights, the response of bird composition in all plantations was not differed (93–81% similarity) probably because of the short distances among the forests, the abundance of food insects, and the same late-successional stages. There were 15 (37.5%) widely distributed species in all forest types. Eight species were confined only to a specific forest type. Four species were considered true confined species, namely Javan sunbird (Schima forest), Grey-cheeked bulbul (in Pinus), Crescent-chested babbler (Agathis), and Mountain white-eye (Agathis).

Proflavine, an acridine dye, is a known DNA intercalating agent. In the present study, we show that proflavine alone on photoillumination can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). These proflavine-derived ROS cause damage to proteins, and this effect is enhanced when the divalent metal ion Cu (II) is included in the reaction. Bathocuproine, a specific Cu (I) sequestering agent, when present in the reaction mixture containing Cu (II), was found to inhibit the protein degradation, showing that Cu (I) is an essential intermediate in the reaction. The effect of several scavengers of ROS such as superoxide dismutase, sodium azide, potassium iodide, and thiourea were examined on the protein damaging reaction. Potassium iodide was found to be the most effective in inhibiting protein damage followed by sodium azide and thiourea. Our results indicate the involvement of superoxide, singlet oxygen, triplet oxygen, and hydroxyl radicals in proflavine-induced damage to proteins.

The mammary gland contains adult stem cells that are capable of self-renewal and are likely target for neoplastic transformation leading to breast cancer. In this study, we developed a cell culture derived from the mammary glands of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)(MfMC) and furthermore identified the expression of markers for stemness and estrogenreceptor-associated activities. We found that the primary culture can be successfully subcultured to at least 3 passages, primarily epithelial-like in morphology, the cultured cells remained heterogenous in phenotype as they expressed epithelial cell markers CD24, CK18, and marker for fibroblast S1004A. Importantly, the cell population also consistently expressed the markers of mammary stem cells (ITGB1 or CD29 and ITGA6 or CD49f), mesenchymal stem cells (CD73 and CD105) and pluripotency (NANOG, OCT4, SOX2). In addition to this, the cells were also positive for Estrogen Receptor (ER), and ER-activated marker Trefoil Factor 1, suggesting an estrogen responsiveness of the culture model. These results indicate that our cell culture model is a reliable model for acquiring a population of cells with mammary stem cell properties and that these cultures may also serve as a reservoir from which more purified populations of stem cell populations can be isolated in the future.

Snakebite envenomation in Indonesia is a health burden that receives no attention from stakeholders. The high mortality and morbidity rate caused by snakebite in Indonesia is estimated from regional reports. The true burden of this issue in Indonesia needs to be revealed even starting from a small part of the country. Medical records from a Hospital in Bondowoso Regency were the data source of the snakebite cases. Three spatial statistical summaries were applied to analyze the spatial pattern of snakebite incidents. The comparison between statistical functions and the theoretical model of random distributions shows a significant clustering pattern of the events. The pattern indicates that five subdistricts in Bondowoso have a substantial number of snakebite cases more than other regions. This finding shows the potential application of spatial statistics for the snakebite combating strategy in this area by identifying the priority locations of the snakebite cases.

Black cumin cultivated in many subtropical regions in the world, including Asia, Middle East, and North Africa. The most active constituent of black cumin is thymoquinone representing 18.4%–24% of the volatile oil and thymol. Data about thymoquinone and thymol came from the country of origin, but no data from tropical region. This study aimed to analyze the production of chlorophyll, thymoquinone, thymol, and malondialdehyde from black cumin cultivated at three altitudes of Indonesian tropical region. The result showed that Kuwait accession cultivated at middle altitude contains the highest levels of thymoquinone (2940.43 mg/kg), and the highest levels of thymol were found in India accession cultivated at high altitude (141.46 mg/kg). Data showed that the level of malondialdehyde at low (220 meter above sea level [masl]) and middle (560 masl) altitudes is higher than high (1.280 masl) altitude.

Zygosaccharomyces bisporus is a moderately halotolerant yeast isolated from highly sugary and salty foods. We performed various evident biochemical and in vivo experiments as first of its kind to sketch out the possible overlay of salt tolerance mechanism in this model organism. The growth and survival curve analysis revealed that 1.0 M NaCl concentration (sublethal) enacts growth inhibitory effects with prompting immediate delay in cell division cycle; however, yeast cells adopted modified stress physiologically with further stretched stress spans which was accompanied by an upsurge in the level of cellular metabolites such as trehalose (reserve carbohydrate) and chiefly glycerol (polyols) as major compatible osmolytes, suggesting their role in defense mechanism against osmotic stress. To further elucidate the relation of osmotic stress cell physiology to salinity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, protein carbonyl, and reduced glutathione content were measured in salt-stressed cells demonstrating positive correlation of reactive oxygen species generation in Z. bisporus with an elevated concentration of lipid and protein oxidation, thereby damaging cell membrane and eventually causing cell death. We assessed NaCl exposure sourcing increased intracellular reactive oxygen species concentration, by an electron transfer-based colorimetric cupric-reducing antioxidantcapacity assay justifying that cellular total antioxidant capacity which uses all the combined antioxidant activities present within vitamins, proteins, lipids, and glutathione reverses these deleterious stress effects. Henceforth, performance of Z. bisporus MTCC 4801 mounted because of stress regime seems to be multifactorial.