Air-water exchange and risk assessment of phthalic acid esters during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic in tropical riverine catchments of India.

Given the increased load of waste plastic in the solid waste stream after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the fate of selected plastic additives along open burning dumps, industrial and residential transects in tropical riverine catchments of India. Polyurethane foam disk passive air samples, surface water and community stored water (CSW) samples were collected along the Adyar River (AR), Cooum River (CR) and canals in Chennai and Daman Ganga River (DG) in Vapi. Among the quantified phthalic acid esters (PAEs), a widely used plastic additive, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), was ubiquitous across all the transects. More open drains and leaching of littered single-use plastic items can be the reason for significantly higher (p < 0.05) levels of PAEs in CR over other rivers with a dominance of di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP). Prevalence of open burning of dumped plastic waste was the possible primary emission source of PAEs in these riverine catchments. Excluding highly soluble dimethyl phthalate (DMP), air-water exchange processes reflected the secondary emission of all the PAEs from the surface water along the open burning sites. Despite the cleansing effect of the oceanic air mass from the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, the average atmospheric PAE level was two-fold higher in Chennai than Vapi. Even though Vapi is a coastal city along the Arabian Sea, it was impacted by inland air masses during the sampling event. Open burning dumpsites showed a five-fold increase in atmospheric priority PAEs in Chennai city after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. DnBP was the major contributor to estrogenicity in CSW and DG, and also posed maximum risk for fishes in the open burning transect of these tropical rivers.

Superiority of MRI for Evaluation of Sacral Insufficiency Fracture.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. BACKGROUND: Sacral insufficiency fractures (SIF) are relatively rare fractures and difficult to diagnose on plain radiographs. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the role of lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of SIF. The secondary objective was to identify the classification of SIF by computed tomography (CT). METHODS: A total of 77 (Male 11, female 66, mean 80.3 years) people were included in this study. Inclusion criteria for this study were: age ≥ 60 years and no history of high energy trauma. Exclusion criteria were high energy trauma and a current history of malignancy. Differences in the fracture detection and description in the various radiologic procedures were evaluated. Fracture patterns were evaluated with CT. The detection rates of additional pathologies in the MRI of the pelvis and lumbar spine were also recorded. RESULTS: The sensitivities for SIF were 28.5% in radiographs and 94.2% in CT, and all fractures were detected in MRI. MRI showed a more complex fracture pattern compared with CT in 65% of the cases. We observed 71.4% of single SIFs, 9.1% with other spinal fractures, 13.0% with other pelvic fractures, and 7.8% with other fractures. According to the SIF fracture pattern, the H/U type was 40.2%, transverse type was 33.7%, λ/T type was 24.7%, unilateral vertical type was 1.3%, and bilateral vertical type was 0%. CONCLUSIONS: an MRI of the lumbar spine including the sacrum with a coronal fat-suppressed T2-weighted image is useful for elderly patients with suddenly increasing low back pain at an early stage. This procedure improves an early SIF detection, recognition of concomitant pathologies, and adequate treatment for the patients.

Interlinkage Between Persistent Organic Pollutants and Plastic in the Waste Management System of India: An Overview.

Improper handling of plastic waste and related chemical pollution has garnered much attention in recent years owing to the associated detrimental impacts on human health and the environment. This article reports an overview of the main interlinkages between persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and plastic in the waste management system of India. Both plastics and POPs share certain common traits such as persistence, resistance to biological degradation, and the ability to get transported over long distances. Throughout the processes of production, consumption, and disposal, plastics interact with and accumulate POPs through several mechanisms and end up co-existing in the environment. Plastic waste can undergo long-range transport through rivers and the oceans, break down into microplastics and get transported through the air, or remain locked in waste dump yards and landfills. Over time, environmental processes lead to the leaching and release of accumulated POPs from these plastic wastes. Plastic recycling in the Indian informal sector including smelting, scrubbing, and shredding of plastic waste, is also a potential major POPs source that demands further investigation. The presence of POPs in plastic waste and their fate in the plastic recycling process have not yet been elucidated. By enhancing our understanding of these processes, this paper may aid policy decisions to combat the release of POPs from different waste types and processes in India.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals used as common plastic additives: Levels, profiles, and human dietary exposure from the Indian food basket.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA) are the most widely used plastic additives in polymeric materials. These EDCs are ubiquitously distributed in the environment. Hence selected PAEs and BPA were investigated in twenty-five food types and drinking water (supply and packaged) from the metropolitan city, Delhi, and the peri-urban areas of a non-metropolitan city, Dehradun. Except cabbage and orange, the sum of thirteen PAEs (∑13PAEs) and BPA in all the other food types were significantly higher in Delhi over Dehradun (p < 0.01). Highest mean ∑13PAEs (665 ng/g) and BPA (73 ng/g) were observed in cottage cheese and potatoes, respectively followed by fish (PAEs - 477 ng/g, BPA - 16 ng/g). Supply water from the west zone of Delhi was found to contain the highest concentration of BPA (309 ng/L) and ∑13PAEs (5765 ng/L) with the dominance of diethyl phthalate (DEP). Based on the compositional profile and compound-wise principal component analysis, environmental contamination and food processing were attributed as significant sources of most priority PAEs in food samples. Di-ethyl hexyl phthalate (DEHP) was over 100-fold higher in the bottled water from local brands than composite bottled water samples. Packaging material was identified as a source for di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) in packaged food. This study observed the highest estimated daily dietary intake (EDI) in the high-fat-containing food products viz., cottage cheese, and fish from north Delhi. High bioaccumulation of BPA can be a possible reason for elevated EDI in vegetables and local fish of Delhi. Unlike Dehradun, EDI for ∑13PAEs and BPA was slightly higher for the non-vegetarian adult when compared to the vegetarian adult. DEHP and DnBP exhibited the highest estimated estrogenic potential for bottled water from local brands. Dietary exposure due to six priority PAEs contamination in food stuffs was two to four-fold higher in Delhi than Dehradun for adult man and woman.

Evaluation of chemokines in gingival crevicular fluid in children with dental caries and stainless steel crowns: A clinico-biochemical study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The study was conducted to detect the presence of macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α) and MIP-1ß and estimate their levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in children with dental caries and stainless steel crowns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 80 children with primary dentition were selected and categorized into four groups with twenty in each group; Group 1 - healthy subjects, Group 2 - dental caries, Group 3 - dental caries involving the pulp, and Group 4 - stainless steel crowns. GCF samples were collected by an extra-crevicular method with microcapillary pipettes. The GCF samples were quantified by ELISA and the levels of MIP-1α and MIP-1ß were determined. RESULTS: MIP-1α and MIP-1ß were detected in all the samples. Highest mean concentration in GCF was obtained for Group 3 followed by Groups 2 and 4 while the lowest concentration was seen in Group 1. This suggests that MIP-1α and MIP-1ß levels in GCF increased proportionately with the inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: GCF serves as a noninvasive diagnostic fluid to measure biomarkers released during dental caries initiation and progression. MIP-1α and MIP-1ß chemokines can be considered as novel biomarkers, in biological mechanism underlying the pathogenesis and inflammation in children with dental caries and stainless steel crowns.

A unique ca(u)se of quadriparesis.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is an uncommon cause of neuromuscular weakness which is often ignored due to non-specific nature of complaints. The authors present a case of PHPT with severe 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency which presented with quadriparesis. Normocalcaemic hyperparathyroidism with hypophosphatemia was documented initially and correction of 25(OH)D deficiency unmasked hypercalcaemia. A parathyroid adenoma causing PHPT was localised with radiology and scintigraphy of neck. An ectopic supernumerary parathyroid adenoma was identified and removed from the right tracheoesophageal groove during bilateral exploration of neck and the patient was completely cured after surgery.

Local excision inadequate in the treatment of anal canal leiomyosarcoma.

Leiomyosarcoma of the anal canal is an uncommon neoplasm of the gastrointestinal tract. We report a 45-year-old lady with anal canal leiomyosarcoma. In view of its rarity, we report its presentation and management. In the setting of a recurrent tumor with high-grade histological appearance, local excision would be deemed unsafe.