Sustainable use of plastic-derived nanocarbons as a promising larvicidal and growth inhibitor agent towards control of mosquitoes.

Nanoscale carbon was obtained from six widely used plastics (PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP and PP) via thermal degradation (600 °C) under inert atmosphere. The thermally degraded products were processed through bath sonication followed by lyophilisation and the same was characterized through proximate analysis, UV-Vis spectroscopy, Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Transmission electron micrograph (TEM), Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A series of aqueous solution of nanoscale carbon (5-30 mg/L) were prepared and same were used as both mosquito growth inhibitor and larvicidal agent against 3rd and 4th instar larvae of Culex pipiens. The significant percent mortality results were recorded for LDPE (p < 0.007) with average particle size of 3.01 nm and 62.95 W% of carbon and PS (p < 0.002) with average particle size of 12.80 nm and 58.73 W% of carbon against 3rd instar larvae, respectively. Similarly, for 4th instar larvae, both significant pupicidal and adulticidal activity were also recorded for PET (F = 24.0, p < 0.0001 and F = 5.73, p < 0.006), and HDPE (F = 26.0, p < 0.0001) and F = 5.30, p < 0.008). However, significant pupicidal activity were observed for PVC (F = 6.90, p < 0.003), and PS (F = 21.30, p < 0.0001). Histological, bio-chemical and microscopic studies were revealed that nanoscale carbon causes mild to severe damage of external and internal cellular integrity of larvae. However, nanoscale carbon does not exhibit any chromosomal abnormality and anatomical irregularities in Allium cepa and Cicer arietinum, respectively. Similarly, non-significant results with respect to blood cell deformation were also recorded from blood smear of Poecilia reticulata. Therefore, it can be concluded that plastic origin nanoscale carbon could be a viable sustainable nano-weapon towards control of insects.

Antibacterial, antibiofilm and larvicidal activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized from spider silk protein.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles has gained attention due to its simple process of synthesis and varied applications. Scientists have tried its synthesis from a wide range of materials, but there is lack of reports that can use the metabolites of insects. Here in this study, we have used the spider silk protein which is considered as complete waste collected from household and field sources and processed to synthesize silver nanoparticles which were subsequently analyzed using different analytical tools like SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. The spider silk protein-mediated synthesized nanoparticle (SP-AgNPs) showed a sharp peak at 420 nm when analyzed spectrophotometrically giving an indication of successful synthesis of AgNP. The synthesized nanoparticle ranges from 10 to 40 nm and were of varied shapes. The synthesized SP-AgNPs showed remarkable antibacterial activity. The MIC values against B. subtilis and E. coli were recorded 45 and 40 µg/mL respectively. Further to know the mechanisms of antibacterial activity protein leakage and conductivity measurement were conducted. The synthesized nanoparticle also showed excellent antibiofilm activity with inhibition percentages of 74 % and 68 % for E. coli and B. subtilis respectively at MIC concentration of the treatment. Finally, the synthesized nanoparticles was applied as mosquito larvicidal agent against Culex sp. and the difference between LC50 and LD90 value was recorded as statistically significant (p < 0.0267) during 24 h of incubation. Therefore, it can be said that spider-web could be an excellent biological reducing and capping agent for heavy metal nanoparticle synthesis that can minimize the ailments caused by mosquitoes and pathogenic microorganisms.

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles alleviate arsenic toxicity, reduce oxidative stress and arsenic accumulation in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) have been attracted by the scientific community for their combating action against heavy metal stress in plants. However, their role towards the mitigation of arsenic (As) induced toxicity is still obscure. In the present study, MgO NPs were synthesized through the green route and assessed their efficacy towards the reduction of As accumulation and phytotoxicity in As-stressed rice cultivar MTU-1010 under laboratory conditions. Initially, rice seedlings were grown under separate and combined applications of As (10 mg/L) and MgO NPs (0, 10, 50, and 100 mg/L) and further analyzed plant growth attributes and As accumulation in rice seedlings. Characterization of biosynthesized MgO NPs by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis showed the cubic in shape, and crystalline nature (73.10%) with average size ranges from 17-23 nm. The growth experiment showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in seed germination, seedling growth, photosynthetic and other pigments content, and biomass accumulation in rice seedlings under the combined application of As (10 mg/L) and MgO NPs (50 mg/L) as compared to only As (10 mg/L) treatment. Additionally, As exposure resulted in declined primary metabolites such as soluble sugars and protein. However, the application of MgO NPs exhibited the alleviation of As toxicity through significant (p < 0.05) reduction of As accumulation by 34 and 53% in roots and 44 and 62% in shoots of rice seedlings under 50 and 100 mg/L MgO NPs supplementations, respectively and restored the accumulation of the primary metabolites. Furthermore, MgO NPs demonstrated the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2•-), through significant (p < 0.05) promotion of non-enzymatic (carotenoid, anthocyanin, flavonoid, and proline) and enzymatic (CAT, POD, and SOD) antioxidant defence under As stress. These findings highlighted the potential of green synthesized MgO NPs towards the mitigation of As contamination in rice plants. However, future study is necessary to unfold the actual mechanisms responsible for the protective effects of MgO NPs and to screen out the optimal dose to be used to formulate a potent nanofertilizer for sustainable rice production in metal-contaminated soils.

Characterization and active component identification of Premna herbacea roxb. root extract reveals anti-inflammatory effect and amelioration of imiquimod induced psoriasis via modulation of macrophage inflammatory response.

BACKGROUND: 1-2.88% of human populations are affected by psoriasis, one type of chronic inflammatory skin disease. Skin thickenings, erythema, scaling in skin are the most important symptoms of psoriasis. There are renewed interests amongst scientists in studying anti-inflammatory property of the plant extracts due to lower side effects and cost effectiveness. There are few reports suggesting anti-inflammatory activity of Premna herbacea roxb. but lacks systematic evaluation of these properties. METHODS: We, initially tested the anti-inflammatory activity of crude root methanolic extract in vitro, where it significantly reduced LPS generated ROS in splenic macrophages. We further tested the TLC and HPLC fraction in order to find active ingredient in Premna herbacea roxb. root extract that ameliorated the chronic inflammation of skin and performed GC-MS and LC-MS studies to identify active component. Upon finding significant anti-inflammatory effect of the crude root extract in vitro, We studied the efficacy of the Premna herbacea roxb. root extract in Imiquimod induced psoriasis like skin inflammation in male BALB/C mice that closely resembles human psoriasis. Immunophenotyping, Cytokine productions were observed by flow cytometry, status of gene expression was done by Real time PCR and nuclear co-localization was studied by confocal microscopy. RESULTS: We observed progressive increase in signs and symptoms of the disease in imiquimod treated diseased animals but the Premna herbacea roxb. Root Methanolic Extract (PHRME) reduced the thickening of the skin, redness and scaling in these animals. In our study, along with progression of the disease, the production of macrophages increases and with the application of PHRME, the percentage of macrophages have reduced. CONCLUSION: As per the previous Indigenous traditional knowledge regarding use of Premna herbacea roxb. against inflammatory disorder and lack of detail mechanistic study of the crude root extract prompted us to elucidate the efficacy of the root extract in vitro and in vivo psoriatic mice model. For the first time we have identified three putative bioactive active components (5­hydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone, 3-Hydroxy-7,8,2',3'-tetramethoxyflavone, 2,4',6'-trimethoxy chalcone) from Premna herbacea root methanolic extract (PHRME) and we suggest PHRME and purified active fractions influence NFκB and COX2 signaling pathway to suppress inflammatory conditions. All of the purified components show strong binding efficiency in our molecular docking analysis. Our study also suggests that Premna herbacea roxb. root extract may be explored as cost effective alternative for established treatment regimen as our study also indicates low side effect of the extract against pre-clinical psoriatic model.

Groundwater vulnerability assessment of elevated arsenic in Gangetic plain of West Bengal, India; Using primary information, lithological transport, state-of-the-art approaches.

Deterioration of groundwater quality is a long-term incident which leads unending vulnerability of groundwater. The present work was carried out in Murshidabad District, West Bengal, India to assess groundwater vulnerability due to elevated arsenic (As) and other heavy metal contamination in this area. The geographic distribution of arsenic and other heavy metals including physicochemical parameters of groundwater (in both pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season) and different physical factors were performed. GIS-machine learning model such as support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF) and support vector regression (SVR) were used for this study. Results revealed that, the concentration of groundwater arsenic compasses from 0.093 to 0.448 mg/L in pre-monsoon and 0.078 to 0.539 mg/L in post-monsoon throughout the district; which indicate that all water samples of the Murshidabad District exceed the WHO's permissible limit (0.01 mg/L). The GIS-machine learning model outcomes states the values of area under the curve (AUC) of SVR, RF and SVM are 0.923, 0.901 and 0.897 (training datasets) and 0.910, 0.899 and 0.891 (validation datasets), respectively. Hence, "support vector regression" model is best fitted to predict the arsenic vulnerable zones of Murshidabad District. Then again, groundwater flow paths and arsenic transport was assessed by three dimensions underlying transport model (MODPATH). The particles discharging trends clearly revealed that the Holocene age aquifers are major contributor of As than Pleistocene age aquifers and this may be the main cause of As vulnerability of both northeast and southwest parts of Murshidabad District. Therefore, special attention should be paid on the predicted vulnerable areas for the safeguard of the public health. Moreover, this study can help to make a proper framework towards sustainable groundwater management.

Biomass using tribal women exhibited respiratory symptoms, hypertensive risks and abnormal pulmonary function.

In rural areas of developing countries, solid fuels are still widely used for cooking, heating, and lighting purposes. This study investigates the effects of household air pollutants (HAPs) exposure on the occurrence of respiratory symptoms, blood pressure, and lung function. In this study, we randomly selected 123 (83 biomass and 40 clean fuel user) subjects to assess the impact of smoke generated from solid biomass fuel by assessing their health status along with the ventilation pattern of the kitchens and living rooms. HAPs (PM10, PM2.5, and CO) and different health parameters were measured along with monitoring of self-reported health symptoms for a consecutive period of eight months. Results revealed that the concentration of CO, PM2.5, and PM10 were found highest in biomass using households. Higher odds of the upper respiratory symptoms, runny nose (OR: 4.08, 95% CI: 1.22-22.14, p < 0.03), nasal congestion (OR: 9.07, 95% CI: 1.39-97.89, p < 0.01) and the odds of the lower respiratory symptoms like wheezing (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.23-10.94, p < 0.01), breathlessness (OR: 4.44, 95% CI: 1.3-14.75, p < 0.01), chest tightness (OR: 4.89, 95% CI: 1.23-22.14, p < 0.03) and dry cough (OR: 3.661, 95% CI: 1.05-12.25, p < 0.04) were significantly higher in biomass fuel user. Similarly higher systolic (+11.41 mmHg), higher diastolic pressure (+3.3 mmHg), higher pulse pressure (+8.11 mmHg), and a 6 mmHg higher mean arterial pressure among biomass fuel using tribal women. The risk of hypertension was significantly (p < 0.03) higher (OR: 3.04; 95% CI: 1.18-7.89) among solid biomass fuel users. The lung abnormality was recorded 28.91% (OR: 5.02, 95% CI: 1.50 to 16.56, p < 0.01) among biomass fuel user. Finally, it is suggested that the use of efficient cookstoves, increase in cross ventilation, and cleaner fuel are urgently needed to curb the pollution load.

Synthesis, characterization and optimization of chicken bile-mediated silver nanoparticles: a mechanistic insight into antibacterial and antibiofilm activity.

The fast-growing urbanization and slow progress in the field of waste management have led to the accumulation of large quantities of animal wastes. The present work focused on the synthesis of low-cost and eco-friendly chicken bile juice-mediated silver nanoparticles (BJ-AgNP). Results reveal that bile juices have enough potentiality towards the synthesis of almost uniform sizes (average size < 50 nm) of BJ-AgNPs which remains stable for more than 6 months. Response surface methodology (RSM) successfully demonstrated the optimised condition of BJ-AgNP synthesis. Factors like concentration of salt and bile extract and temperature are significantly responsible for nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesis of nanoparticle was further characterized using UV-Vis, TEM, FESEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA, and EDS. The synthesised nanoparticle showed excellent bactericidal activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria with MIC and MBC of 40 and 50 µg/mL for Bacillus subtilis (MTCC-441) and 60 and 60 µg/mL for Eschecheria coli (MTCC-1687) respectively. The synthesised nanoparticle also exhibited as an antibiofilm activity against B. subtilis, with ~89% biofilm inhibition efficacy at 4 X MIC, having optimal bacterial concentration of 106 CFU/mL. Therefore, the present findings clearly demonstrated that an absolute animal waste could be a valuable ingredient in the field of therapeutic nanoscience.

Effects of polyethylene terephthalate microplastic on germination, biochemistry and phytotoxicity of Cicer arietinum L. and cytotoxicity study on Allium cepa L.

Accumulation of plastic materials in terrestrial systems threatens to contaminate food chains. The aim of the current study is to determine the impact of microplastics synthesized from PET plastics (control, 50, 250, 500, 750, 1000 mg/L) with respect to morphological, biochemical impact on Cicer arietinum using standardized 72 h assay and cytotoxicity study on Allium cepa root tips. The synthesized microplastics were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) studies. Germination studies clearly revealed that there is a sharp decrease in germination with increasing the concentration of microplastics. Both pigment and carbohydrate levels increased up to 500 mg/L concentration, although protein levels increased with increase of microplastic dose. Catalase activity also increased with increasing microplastic concentration. Finally, cytotoxicity studies revealed significant chromosomal aberration at higher dose of microplastics. Therefore, it may be concluded that the microplastics have significant biological and structural adverse effects on plant metabolism.

Bio-fabricated silver nanoparticles for controlling dengue and filaria vectors and their characterization, as well as toxicological risk assessment in aquatic mesocosms.

The present study is focused on synthesis of silver nanoparticles from weeds and an assessment of their mosquito larvicidal efficacy. This study also presented the toxicological effects as well as the stability of these nanoparticles in aquatic mesocosms. The weed Digiteria sanguinallis was first time used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by various analytical techniques, such as UV-VIS, TEM, FESEM, EDX, XRD, FTIR, and zeta potential study. The result revealed that the nanoparticles are crystalline, spherical shape with band gap 2.44 eV, and average size 18 nm. The LC50 value of synthesized AgNPs were recorded as 7.47 and 6.31 mg/L at 24 h against Cx. quinquefasciatus and A. albopictus respectively. In contrast, larvicidal activity of weed extract was insignificant against two target species. In aquatic mesocosm study, AgNPs (LC50 dose) does not alter the nature of water parameters within experimental period. However only EC % and ORP were changes because of silver ion oxidation. In biochemical parameters, only stress enzymes for animal and plant species were moderately altered under long term exposure. But glycogen, protein, and AchE of two mosquito species were significantly changed under same mesocosm setup within short exposure. Comparatively, in control mesocosm, synthesized AgNPs are naturally change their nano form within 20 days with the presence of all non-target species and pond sediment. Therefore, it can be concluded that biosynthesized AgNPs could be used as a larvicidal agent in near future with negligible effects on aquatic organisms.

Impact of two commercially available hair dyes on germination, morpho-physiology, and biochemistry of Cicer arietinum L. and cytotoxicity study on Allium cepa L. root tip.

Contamination of agricultural land and surface water by personal care products and pharmaceutical constituents is a potential environmental threat. The active ingredients of personal care products are life-threatening for users. Present work highlighted the efficacy of the different components of two commercially available hair dyes (synthetic and herbal) on germination, morpho-physiological, biochemical parameters of Cicer arietinum, and cytotoxicity study by Allium cepa root tip. Different treatments such as T1 (control), T2 (cream colour rich), T3 (developer) (The ingredients T2 and T3 are from the same hair dye), T4 (an equal mixture of T2 and T3), and T5 (herbal dye) were considered to run this experiment. The results revealed that all the treatments improve germination with respect to control. Moreover, GSI data suggests that T2 showed the highest germination speed and T3 showed the lowest with respect to other treatments. But root lengths are severely affected by the treatments T3 (100% developer of synthetic hair dye), T4 (an equal mixture of T2 (100% cream colour rich) and T3), and T5 (100% herbal hair dye) with respect to control.T2 also showed the highest root tolerance of all treatments other than control. Similarly, one-way ANOVA results revealed that both fresh weight of roots (p ≤ 0.03) and shoots (p ≤ 0.03) are statistically significant among the different treatments. Moreover, both proline and root ion leakage are higher in the treatment T4 and T5 with respect to control, respectively. On the other hand, the cytotoxicity study highlighted that treatments T3 and T4 showed a higher level of aberration and significantly lower mitotic index compared to treatment T5. Therefore, finally, it may be concluded that both individual and combined forms of ingredients of hair dyes are toxic with respect to cell division and overall plant growth and development.

Assessment of household air pollution exposure of tribal women.

There is a growing evidence that the burning of unprocessed biomass fuels is associated with adverse health impacts. This study estimated the gaseous pollutants (CO, CO2, O3, SO2, and NO2) and particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) during the burning of biomass and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuels and their impacts on the health of tribal women. The results revealed that the tribal women mainly used six types of unprocessed biomass fuels (dry leaves, cow dung cake, dry woods, twigs, rice straw, and agricultural residues) along with five types of traditional earthen stoves. The concentration of gaseous and PM was recorded as in the order of CO2 > SO2 > CO > O3 and total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) > PM10 > PM2.5, respectively. The pollutant concentration inside the kitchen room for biomass users was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than LPG users. The biomass using tribal women might be suffering from higher cardiovascular risk than LPG users. The lung function study results also indicated that the mean values of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC were lower among biomass users than LPG users. The correlation study shows that tribal women who were exposed to biomass smoke were in a more vulnerable position than those who used LPG. Moreover, the toxicological risk among tribal biomass users was observed high (3.52) compared to LPG users (0.39). On the other hand, the Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation model for uncertainty analysis revealed that the mean value of Hazard Quotient (HQ) for PM2.5 in kitchen room was observed as 4.31E-00 and 9.40E-01 for biomass and LPG users, respectively. Modelling study also revealed that exposure of duration and cooking time are extremely important for toxicological risk assessment. However, further long-term comprehensive studies are extremely important.

Fabrication of biochar-based hybrid Ag nanocomposite from algal biomass waste for toxic dye-laden wastewater treatment.

Dual functional innovative approaches were developed to tackle the algal scum problem in water by utilizing the algal (Spirogyra sp.) biomass waste for organic dye-laden industrial wastewater treatment, a global problem, and challenge. Therefore, an algal biochar-based nanocomposite (nAgBC) was synthesized and employed as a low-cost adsorbent for Congo red (CR) removal. Surface morphology, physicochemical characteristics, elemental composition, phase, and stability of the nanocomposite was analyzed using BET, FESEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, XPS, and TGA. The nanocomposite was found to be thermostable, mesoporous with large and heterogeneous surface area, containing nAg as doped material, where -OH, NH, CO, CC, SO, and CH are the surface binding active functional groups. Maximum adsorption efficiency of 95.92% (18 mg L-1 CR) was achieved (qe = 34.53 mg g-1) with 0.5 g L-1 of nanocomposite after 60 min, at room temperature (300 K) at pH 6. Isotherm and kinetic model suggested multilayer chemisorption, where adsorption thermodynamics indicated spontaneous reaction. Fluorescens spectral analysis of CR confirmed the formation of CR supramolecule, supporting enhanced adsorption. Furthermore, the result suggested a 5th cycle reusability and considerable efficacy towards real textile industrial effluents. Synergistic effects of the active surface functional groups of the biochar and nAg, along with the overall surface charge of the composite lead to chemisorption, electrostatic attraction, H-bonding, and surface complexation with CR molecules. Thus, synthesized nAgBC can be applicable to mitigate the wastewater for cleaner production and environment.

Prevalence of Arsenic in chicken feed and its contamination pattern in different parts of chicken flesh: a market basket study.

Organoarsenic compounds are widely used in chicken feed for control of coccidial parasite, quick weight gain, and for imparting attractive color to the chicken flesh. A study was conducted to assess the level of arsenic in both chicken feed and flesh. Chicken feed was collected from 10 farm houses and total arsenic was estimated. The quantitative estimation suggests that the four levels of chicken feed contain different quantities of arsenic load. The results demonstrated that feed at stages III and IV levels contain 0.01 mg/g and 0.018 mg/g of arsenic respectively. However, at stages I and II levels, the feed contains 0.005 mg/g and 0.0052 mg/g of arsenic respectively. Proceeding similarly, chicken flesh was collected from ten vendors in the local markets of Burdwan. The experimental results revealed that deposition of arsenic in different parts of chicken body is not same. The highest accumulation was recorded in the flesh of chest followed by stomach, whereas flesh of the legs and heart showed lower levels of arsenic accumulation. A comprehensive calculation was thereafter done to assess the total amount of arsenic ingestion through consumption of chicken. If a person takes 60.0 g of chicken flesh (leg, breast, muscles, and stomach) everyday, then the person may consume 0.186-0.372 µg of arsenic per day. This study therefore clearly suggests that excessive consumption of poultry chicken may prove to be fatal. However, further research is necessary to confirm the present findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is probably the first report on the likelihood of arsenic contamination in the flesh of different body parts of poultry chicken from Eastern India.

Genotoxicity study of nano Al2O3, TiO2 and ZnO along with UV-B exposure: An Allium cepa root tip assay.

The present effort aims to investigate the cytotoxic and genotoxic impact of three widely used nanoparticles (ZnO, TiO2 and Al2O3) on root cells of Allium cepa as a test organism. The root tip of Allium cepa were treated with three different concentrations (0.1 10 and 100 mg/L) of the above-mentioned NPs and the observations were recorded after proper growth of root under both nanoparticle solutions and UV-B exposure in combined conditions and separately. The parameters such as mitotic index, various forms of chromosomal aberrations, various reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation such as superoxide radical (O-2·), hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical (·OH), lipid peroxidation and bio-uptake of nanoparticles were assessed. The results revealed that for all the three nanoparticles, mitotic index (MI) was highly reduced in comparison to control. Among the three nanoparticles, the MI value of TiO2 was 59.5% at 0.1 mg/L. Chromosomal aberration data suggest that nano Al2O3 exhibited disturbed metaphase at 0.1 mg/L, and abnormal anaphase and sticky metaphase at 10 and 100 mg/L, respectively. Similarly, lagged metaphase and anaphase with multiple chromatin bridges were recorded for both nano ZnO and nano TiO2 at 0.1 mg/L. But, nonsignificant (p > 0.05) results were recorded between only nano metal oxide and UV-B along with nano metal oxide. ROS generation data revealed that ZnO is more active under UV-B than TiO2 and Al2O3. The cellular deformation and the existence of metal in A. cepa under nano ZnO, TiO2 and Al2O3 treatment were evaluated by Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) study, respectively. It may safely be concluded that with respect to chromosomal aberration and mitotic index, out of the three nanoparticles, Al2O3 is the most severe at higher concentrations and nano ZnO shows lowest mitotic index under UV-B exposure.

Hypertensive and toxicological health risk among women exposed to biomass smoke: A rural Indian scenario.

This study shows that exposure to air pollutants from indoor cooking fuel combustion may be associated with elevated Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Heart rate and Body mass index (BMI) in rural women of India. 60 premenopausal women (using solely agriculture residues, wood, dung, straw, leaf) and 30 women (solely using clean fuel, LPG) were recruited for this study. An ethically approved questionnaire was used in the study and health parameters were measured by standard instruments. Eight pollutants were measured by calibrated instruments, applied both in the living room as well as kitchens of test-subjects. The Test-subjects were divided into two groups, LPG users, and biomass users, and the toxicological risk was assessed by measurement of PM2.5 levels in the given indoor environments. The concentrations of all the pollutants were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in biomass users than in LPG using households, except in the case of O3 (p < 0.403) at the time of cooking. Results highlighted that DBP (p < 0.070), SBP (p < 0.143), Heart rate (p < 0.002) and BMI (p < 0.052) were varied in the two fuel user groups. In the case of biomass fuel user toxicological risk was higher (5.21) than LPG users (0.69). Moreover, Symptoms like asthma (25%), cough (76.67%), dizziness (36.67%), eye irritation (88.33%), and shortness of breath (43.33%) were highly prevalent among biomass users than in LPG users. The study highlighted that Biomass using women are more prone to cardiovascular disease and policies should be formulated for their sustainable health.

Cytogenetic effects of silver and gold nanoparticles on Allium cepa roots.

The present study evaluates the cytogenetic effects of both silver and gold nanoparticles on the root cells of Allium cepa. In this study, the root cells of Allium cepa were treated with both gold and silver nanoparticles of different concentrations (1 mg/L, 5 mg/L and 10 mg/L) along with control for 72 h. Experimental results revealed that after 72 h of exposure, a significant decrease in mitotic index (MI) from 68% (control) to 52.4% (1 mg/L), 47.3% (5 mg/L) and 41.4% (10 mg/L) for gold nanoparticles and 57.1% (1 mg/L), 53% (5 mg/l), 55.8% (10 mg/L) for silver nanoparticles. Through minute observation of the photograph, it was recorded that some specific chromosomal abnormalities such as stickiness of chromosome, chromosome breaks, nuclear notch, and clumped chromosome at different exposure conditions. Therefore, present results clearly suggest that Allium cepa root tip assay could be a viable path through which negative impact of both gold and silver nanoparticles can be demonstrated over a wide range of concentrations.

Effect of fluoride on photosynthesis, growth and accumulation of four widely cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties in India.

Long-term use of fluoride contaminated groundwater to irrigate crops; especially paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) has resulted in elevated soil fluoride levels in Eastern India. There is, therefore, growing concern regarding accumulation of fluoride in rice grown on these soils. A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of F on germination and phytotoxicity of four varieties of rice (Orzya sativa L.) (MTU-1010; IET-4094; IET-4786 and GB-1) grown in petri dish in a green house with inorganic sodium fluoride (NaF). Three different levels (0, 5, 10 and 20mg/L) of NaF solution were applied. At the end of the experiment (28 days), biochemical analysis (pigment, sugar, protein, amino acid and phenol), lipid peroxidation, root ion leakage and catalase activity along with fluoride accumulation and fresh and dry weight of roots and shoots of four cultivars were measured. The results revealed that all the four studied varieties exhibited gradual decrease of germination pattern with increasing concentration of F. Pigment and growth morphological study clearly demonstrated that the variety IET-4094 was the least influenced by F compare to the other three varieties of rice. The translocation factor (TF) was recorded to be the highest for variety IET-4786 (0.215 ± 0.03) at 5mg/L F concentration. All the four varieties showed higher level of fluoride accumulation in root than in shoot. Variable results were recorded for biochemical parameters and lipid peroxidation. Catalase activity and relative conductivity (root ion leakage) gradually increased with increasing F concentration for all the four varieties. It is speculated that fluoride accumulation in rice straw at very high levels will affect the feeding cattle and such contaminated straw could be a direct threat to their health and also, indirectly, to human health via presumably contaminated meat and milk.

Optimization of Cr(VI) biosorption onto Aspergillus niger using 3-level Box-Behnken design: Equilibrium, kinetic, thermodynamic and regeneration studies.

Heavy metal biosorption is an efficient technology for the decontamination of metal from industrial waste water. The present study focused on exploration of Aspergillus niger towards removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The influence of different experimental parameters-initial pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration, contact time, shaking speed, temperature, and their combined effect during Cr(VI) adsorption-was investigated by means of response surface methodology based on four factorial Box-Behnken experimental design. Optimized values of initial Cr(VI) concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, and contact time were found as 33.33 mg/L, 4.6, 1.0 g/L, and 48.45 min, respectively. A. niger showed the highest adsorption capacity 11.792 mg/g at initial pH 2.0. Equilibrium data fitted well to the Temkin and Freundlich isotherms. Cr(VI) biosorption showed Pseudo-second order rate kinetics. The activation energy of the adsorption was estimated as 2.9 × 10-3 kJ/mol. Thermodynamics properties of the Cr(VI) biosorption was spontaneous in nature. Desorption study showed that nearly 94% of the Cr(VI) adsorbed on A. niger could be desorbed using 0.5 M EDTA.

Mosquito larvicidal activity of cadmium nanoparticles synthesized from petal extracts of marigold (Tagetes sp.) and rose (Rosa sp.) flower.

Mosquitoes are blood-thirsty insects and serve as the most important vectors for spreading most notorious diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and filariasis. The extensive use of synthetic mosquito repellent has resulted in resistance in mosquitoes. Therefore, the development of a reliable, eco-friendly processes for the synthesis of nano dimensional materials is an utmost important aspect of nanotechnology. In the present study, authors report absolute green synthesis of cadmium nanoparticles using marigold and rose flower petal extract. The characterization of nanomaterials was done by using UV-Vis, SEM, FTIR and fluorescent spectrophotometer analysis. Finally cadmium nanoparticles were also evaluated for their larvicidal activity of mosquito. Marigold flower petal extract shows 100 % mortality after 72 h of incubation with 10 ppm of Cd-nanoparticles. No mortality was observed in the control. Therefore, out of two flower petal mediated nanoparticles, only marigold showed better performance towards mosquito larvicidal activity than rose petal extracts. This is the first report on mosquito larvicidal activity of flower-petal mediated cadmium nanoparticles. Thus, the use of marigold petal extract to synthesize cadmium nanoparticles is a rapid, ecofriendly, and a single-step approach and the CdNps formed can be potential mosquito larvicidal agents.

Dental fluorosis and urinary fluoride concentration as a reflection of fluoride exposure and its impact on IQ level and BMI of children of Laxmisagar, Simlapal Block of Bankura District, W.B., India.

There has been growing public concern about intellectual performance of children at high levels of fluoride exposure. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Simlapal Block of Bankura District, West Bengal, to find out the relationship between fluoride (F) exposure as exposure dose (ED) with dental fluorosis (DF), urinary fluoride concentration (UF), intelligence quotient (IQ) and body mass index (BMI). Fifty groundwater samples were collected from the target area. One hundred forty-nine children belonging to age group 6 to 18 years were considered for this study. Experimental results reveal that mean F(-) concentration of that area is 2.11 mg/L (±SD 1.64). On the basis of F concentration in groundwater and water consumption pattern, ED was calculated to explore the impact of F(-) on DF, UF, IQ, and BMI. Paired t test results suggest that exposure rate of F does not show any significant differences (<0.05) among the children of 12 different places. As a result of F exposure, DF cases are mostly found in the order of moderate > severe > mild > very mild > questionable > normal conditions. The highest UF concentration was recorded as 17 mg/L, but the status of DF in the affected children was recorded as moderate. The results also reveal that ED has a positive correlation with DF (r = 0.299, P < 0.01) and UF (r = 0.513, P < 0.01) and a negative correlation with IQ (r = -0.343, P < 0.01) along with BMI (r = 0.083, non-significant). Therefore, from this study, it may be concluded that UF and DF concentration could act as a biomarker of fluoride toxicity.