Tryptamine is an alkaloid compound with demonstrated bioactivities and is also a precursor molecule to many important hormones and neurotransmitters. The high efficiency biosynthesis of tryptamine from inexpensive and renewable carbon substrates is of great research and application significance. In the present study, a tryptamine biosynthesis pathway was established in a metabolically engineered E. coli-E. coli co-culture. The upstream and downstream strains of the co-culture were dedicated to tryptophan provision and conversion to tryptamine, respectively. The constructed co-culture was cultivated using either glucose or glycerol as carbon source for de novo production of tryptamine. The manipulation of the co-culture strains’ inoculation ratio was adapted to balance the biosynthetic strengths of the pathway modules for bioproduction optimization. Moreover, a biosensor-assisted cell selection strategy was adapted to improve the pathway intermediate tryptophan provision by the upstream strain, which further enhanced the tryptamine biosynthesis. The resulting biosensor-assisted modular co-culture produced 194 ​mg/L tryptamine with a yield of 0.02 ​g/g glucose using shake flask cultivation. The findings of this work demonstrate that the biosensor-assisted modular co-culture engineering offers a new perspective for conducting microbial biosynthesis.

Background: Incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing worldwide. GDM provides a window of opportunity for the primary prevention of the type 2 diabetes by preventing transgeneration transmission to fetus. Insulin in management of GDM has many drawbacks, so use of OHAs has been increased worldwide.Methods: Randomized control trial was performed in patients with GDM who required medical management. Subjects were randomized into two groups and treated with Metformin and Glyburide, results were compared.Results: While comparing efficacy of metformin and glyburide in this study for maternal variables; the failure rate of metformin was found to be 9.39 times higher compared to glyburide. Glyburide was associated with 9.5 times more risk to develop hypoglycemia in mother compared to metformin. While comparing neonatal variables nursery admission was found to be more and statistically significant in neonates whose mother has received glyburide compared to metformin (p=0.03, RR=2.26). Though statistically insignificant, LGA fetuses and neonatal hypoglycemia were 2.1 times more in glyburide group compared to metformin.Conclusions: Though glyburide can be effective alternative to metformin and insulin for GDM, it is associated with higher risk of maternal hypoglycemia, neonatal hypoglycemia, LGA fetuses and higher rate of nursery admissions compared to metformin. Higher adverse neonatal outcomes with glyburide use question the widespread use of glyburide as first line management modality in GDM and also as an alternative to insulin as advised by many groups.

by 2035. About 80% of people with diabetes live in low-and middle-income countries. [2] India leads the world with largest number of diabetic subjects earning the dubious distinction of being termed the "diabetes capital of the world." According to the Diabetes Atlas 2006 published by the International Diabetes Federation, the number of people with diabetes in India currently around 40.9 million is expected to rise to 69.9 million by 2025 unless urgent preventive steps are taken. The so-called "Asian Indian Phenotype" refers to certain unique clinical and biochemical abnormalities in Indians, which include inc reased insulin resistance, greater abdominal adiposity, i.e. higher waist circumference despite lower body mass index. This phenotype makes Asian Indians more prone to diabetes.Studies carried out in past two decades employing standardized methodologies indicate that prevalence of diabetes is increasing in both urban and rural India varying from 5 to 15% among urban populations, 4 to 6% in semi-urban populations, and 2 to 5% in rural population. [3,4] Projection indicates Abstract Background: World health Organization (WHO) reports refer India as the potential diabetic capital of the world, with number of patients in the disease expected to increase from three to six crores by 2025. Gujarat is second after Tamil Nadu on the fast track in acquiring diabetic patients. About lakhs of people being diabetic in the city of Ahmedabad alone. The control of diabetes will require modification of its risk factors and hence necessitates identifying the various risk factors of diabetes. Objectives:To study the prevalence of diabetes and association with its risk factors. Materials and Methods:It is a cross-sectional study conducted among 600 staff members of B.J. Medical College of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire, and physical measurements were taken. Data analysis was done on Microsoft Excel and Epi-Info.Results: In this study, prevalence of diabetes was 9% males and 10% females. 28.07% males and 24.61 % females were 55 years and above who reported history of diabetes. Individuals with waist circumference >90 cm in males and >80 cm in females had a risk of diabetes in comparison with individuals with normal waist circumference. Conclusion:The high prevalence of risk factors diabetes in employees of government institute in urban area calls for a workplace-based health approach. Efforts should be made to establish surveillance mechanism at the individual level to monitor, evaluate, and guide policies and programs.

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