With a prime motive to confirm the high quality of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) inoculum that is widely used as an important biofertilizer, an effort was taken to standardize the per cent colonized root bits that have to be present in an AM inoculum. Initial analysis on AM colonization for the effectivity of the AM inoculum revealed that 80 per cent to 100 per cent root colonization enhanced the growth performance of the host plant with better mycorrhizal responses which were assessed in terms of per cent root colonization and viable spore count of Glomus intraradices when the substrate vermiculite was amended with 10 per cent soil compared to vermiculite alone at 60 days. Thus, presence of > 80 per cent colonized root bits in AM inoculum was standardized as one of the quality control parameter of AM inoculum which can be adopted to certify a high quality AM product commercially.

Chemical compounds present in fruits and vegetables are involved in combating a number of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, cataract, and cardiovascular and cerebral disorders. Identifying the antimutagenic compounds from plant sources, and evaluating their beneficial properties is an effective step in exalting the human health. Olive oil as a main source of dietary lipids, despite having high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, contains biological compounds such as the phenolic antioxidants with preventative effects against the destructive properties of free radicals and their mutagenic effects on the cellular structures. This study shows the effects of light and temperature on the antioxidant and anticancer properties of purified virgin olive oil using the Ames test. A total of 16 Iranian and Spanish oil samples were used. The antimutagenic activity assay was based on the Ames test and applied the Salmonella typhimurium TA100 mutant line along with the chemical carcinogen sodium azide, while mouse hepatic microsomes were used for the anticarcinogenic assessments. Each assay was performed in triplicates simultaneously, and the percentage of inhibition was determined using the formula (1-T/M) x 100. The highest inhibition percentages with respect to the olive variety were recorded as 63.64%, 60.70% and 46.36% for oils treated with dark, light, and light + temperature conditions, respectively. Our results indicate that both light and temperature decrease the antioxidant and anticarcinogenic activities of olive oil.

Staphylococcus lugdunensis can cause virulent infections in immunosuppressed individuals. Here we describe a retrospective analysis of hemodialysis patients with Staphylococcus lugdunensis bacteremia admitted to a New York City hospital from January 2005 to December 2010. Six cases of S. lugdunensis bacteremia were identified. The majority had received antibiotic therapy for at least several weeks. None of them developed endocarditis or other serious complications. Four had their tunneled permanent dialysis catheters changed or removed. This pathogen is rare, but could often fail medical therapy alone and may require surgical intervention. This can be avoided with surveillance and early intervention in patients with high risk for infection.

Introduction: Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) is fast emerging pathogen causes serious & life threatening hospital borne infections. The limitation in therapeutic options has resulted in the development of new drugs such as Quinupristin/ Dalfopristin, Linezolid & Tigecycline. Objectives: This study signals the emergence of VRE in this hospital and also highlights the importance of screening for VRE in isolated enterococci from various clinical samples. Materials and Methods: From July 2010 to July 2011, a total of 250 enterococcal isolates were identified and speciated by standard biochemical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity was carried out by disc diffusion test as per CLSI guidelines. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of all the isolates were done by Vancomycin Ezy MICTM Strip ranging from 0.016 μg/ml to 256 μg/ml. Results: Out of the 250 Enterococcus species, 4% (10) isolates were resistant to Vancomycin by disc diffusion & Vancomycin MIC test in which 8 were E. faecium and 2 were E. faecalis. Out of 10 VRE, 7 were resistant and 3 were sensitive to Teicoplanin, so they were of VanA and VanB phenotype respectively. The Vancomycin MIC for seven of these isolates is more than 256 μg/ml. 1.2% showed intermediate resistance and 2.8% high level resistance to vancomycin by MIC according to CLSI guidelines. Conclusion: All laboratories should have effective detection methods for Vancomycin resistance, which will be helpful in treatment of VRE, judiciously with drugs will reduce the morbidity and mortality. VRE surveillance of family members of recently discharged patients VREinfected, to limit the spread of infection.