The Effect of Two Dietary Protein Sources on Water Quality and the Aquatic Microbial Communities in Marron (Cherax cainii) Culture.

Feeding freshwater crayfish species with different diets not only affects the water quality but also induces the abundance of various microbial communities in their digestive tracts. In this context, very limited research has been undertaken to understand the impacts of various protein incorporated aqua-diets on the characteristics of water and its microbial communities. In this study, we have critically analysed the water quality parameters including pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and phosphorus, as well as bacterial communities under marron (Cherax cainii) aquaculture, fed fishmeal (FM) and poultry by-product meal (PBM)-based diets for 60 days. The results unveiled that over the time, feeding has significant impacts on organic waste accumulation, especially ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and phosphate, while no effects were observed on pH and dissolved oxygen. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequence data of water sample indicated significant (P < 0.05) shift of microbial abundance in post-fed FM and PBM water with the evidence of microbial transmission from the gut of marron. Post-fed marron resulted in a significant correlation of Hafnia, Enterobacter, Candidatus Bacilloplasma and Aquitella with the quality and microbial population of water. The results of this study generated valuable knowledge database of microbes-water relationship for better health management practices and production of marron aquaculture fed with FM and PBM diets in under restricted feeding regime with the feeding ratios provided.

Marker-less deletion of cctA gene of Clostridium chauvoei.

Clostridium chauvoei causes blackleg disease in domestic animals, especially cattle and sheep. The pathogen produces several toxins including CctA - a hemolysin and protective antigen. Molecular pathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood, possibly due to lack of genetic manipulation tools for C. chauvoei. In the present study, we report the marker-less deletion of cctA gene using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The C. chauvoei cctA deletion mutant had negligible hemolytic and significantly reduced cytotoxic activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of genetic manipulation of C. chauvoei. The method we used in this study can be applied for genetic manipulation of C. chauvoei to better understand the pathogenesis and genetics of the pathogen.

Techno-economic estimation of wastewater phycoremediation and environmental benefits using Scenedesmus obliquus microalgae.

This study investigated the dual application of Scenedesmus obliquus for wastewater phycoremediation and biochemical component accumulation in microalgal cells. The microalgae grown in wastewater showed micro-elements uptake and removal efficiencies of 71.2 ±â€¯3.5% COD, 81.9 ±â€¯3.8% NH4+, ∼100.0% NO3-, and 94.1 ±â€¯4.7% PO43-. The growth profile of Scenedesmus obliquus indicated a specific growth rate of 0.42 ±â€¯0.02 1·d-1 and carrying capacity of 0.88 ±â€¯0.04 g L-1. The lipid, protein, and carbohydrate yields (w·w-1 of dry weight) were 26.5 ±â€¯1.5%, 28.5 ±â€¯1.5%, and 27.5 ±â€¯1.6%, respectively. The de-oiled biomass was subjected to biochemical extraction, achieving protein and carbohydrate yields of 25.3 ±â€¯1.4% and 21.4 ±â€¯1.2%, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed several functional groups (e.g., NH, CH3, CH2, CO, CN, PO, and SiO) on the biomass surface, confirming the accumulation of biochemical elements in microalgae. The thermal analysis of microalgal biomass depicted sequential stages of dehydration (60-190 °C), devolatilization (200-490 °C), and solid residue decomposition (490-600 °C). The cost-benefit analysis of microalgae cultivated in wastewater was derived regarding amortization and operating costs and energy and environmental benefits. The net profit of phycoremediation was 16885 US$·y-1, resulting in a payback period of 14.8 years (i.e., shorter than the project lifetime). Accordingly, the proposed phycoremediation process was economically viable.

Fluoride contamination in groundwater and associated health risks in Karbi Anglong District, Assam, Northeast India.

Health hazards due to excess intake of fluoride via groundwater contamination are a major concern worldwide. This study provides a comprehensive report on the human health risks associated with the consumption of groundwater contaminated by fluoride. Several groundwater samples were collected across 8 blocks of Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India. The concentration of fluoride was observed in the range of 0.15-17.13 mg/L. In 4 out of 8 studied blocks, the mean fluoride level exceeded the permissible limit (1.5 mg/L) as prescribed by the World Health Organization. Elevated fluoride levels in some parts of the district may be attributed mainly to dissolution from fluoride-containing minerals in the granitic rocks and regional geological settings. The health risk of fluoride was assessed in terms of hazard quotient (HQ). The HQ was observed in the ranges of 0.06-10.7 (adult) and 0.2-35 (children). Mean HQ values exceeded the safe level (HQ > 1) for children in all blocks, except B-6 and B-8. For adult population, the HQ value was above the safe limits in 13-40% of the sampled locations in different blocks and HQ values were within safe limits in B-6 and B-8. These findings suggest that some sites in the district need serious attention in order to ensure the health safety of local residents.

Comprehensive evaluation of water quality status for entire stretch of Yamuna River, India.

This study represented the first comprehensive assessment of the physicochemical water quality status of the entire Yamuna River stretch in India. The upper zone had "excellent-to-good" water quality index (WQI) with mean 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) values of 2.1 and 2.4 mg/L during monsoon and non-monsoon, respectively. The middle region was described by "poor-to-marginal" WQI with average BOD5 values of 13.1 mg/L (monsoon) and 32.3 mg/L (non-monsoon). The low WQI observations at the midstream region were due to the negative impact of two major drains, namely Najafgarh and Shahdara, that carry partially treated effluents from industrial units. Further, BOD5 decreased to 1.9 mg/L (monsoon) and 1.8 mg/L (non-monsoon) in the lower zone, and the WQI values improved to "good" and "excellent". The dilution and depuration effects of the Chambal, Sindh, Betwa, and Ken Rivers recovered the environmental conditions in downstream stations. The oxygen sag curve complied with the water quality status along the river stretch. Based on the principal component analysis, the Yamuna River was strongly influenced by dissolved mineral salts originating from atmospheric deposition, weathering of soils and rocks, and application of deicing chemicals and landfills. Moreover, organic and nutrient substances and biological activities resulting from the discharge of sewage, and the utilization of fertilizers in agriculture, were the second contributors to pollution. The statistical techniques employed in this work could be beneficial for decision-makers (government and stakeholders) to identify the pollution sources/factors and to determine the viability of water bodies for domestic applications.

Immuno-protective role of biologically synthesized dietary selenium nanoparticles against multiple stressors in Pangasinodon hypophthalmus.

An environment friendly and sustainable approach is being emerged in the area of nanotechnology for accelerated growth and development of culturable aquatic animals hence green chemistry is gaining momentum in recent years. The present study has been carried out to delineate the effects of selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs) on growth performance, antioxidative status and immunity of fish reared under lead (Pb) and high temperature (34 °C). Three hundred and fifteen fish were equally distributed in seven treatments in triplicates. Three isocaloric and isonitrogenous experimental diets viz. control (Se-NPs-0 mg/kg), Se-NPs at 1 mg/kg and Se-NPs at 2 mg/kg were formulated. The fish were reared under lead (Pb, 1/21st of LC50 (4 ppm)) and high temperature (34 °C) stress and fed with or without dietary Se-NPs. The effects of dietary Se-NPs were studied in terms of growth performance (Weight gain %, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and specific growth rate), antioxidative status (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase), neurotransmitter enzymes (AChE), stress biomarkers (heat shock protein 70, serum cortisol, blood glucose, vitamin C), immunological status (total protein, A/G ratio and respiratory burst activity) in Pangasinodon hypophthalmus post challenge with Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria. Results of the investigation demonstrated significant improvement of growth performance, antioxidative status, neurotransmitter enzyme activity, stress markers and more importantly enhanced immunity of the fish with dietary incorporation of Se-NPs at 1 mg/kg. In addition, post bacterial infection, the relative % survival increased and cumulative mortality % decreased in the group fed with Se-NPs at 1 mg/kg diet. Pb and high temperature treated and fed with control diet group showed devastating impact on the growth performance, antioxidative status, stress markers and immunity of the fish. Similarly, application of Se-NPs at 2 mg/kg showed poor growth performance and elevated level of oxidative stress and other stress biomarkers including other biochemical attributes. Inclusive results indicated that, Se-NPs at 1 mg/kg has capability to enhance overall performance and alleviate multiple stresses in P. hypophthalmus. Hence, Se-NPs at optimum level have ability to develop green chemistry in feed industry for better growth performance of the fish.

Fate of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) from River Yamuna, India: An ecotoxicological risk assessment approach.

The river Yamuna is a major tributary of river Ganges and is a major source of freshwater in the National Capital Territory (NCT) catering 16.8 million people. This is the first report on occurrence, fate and ecotoxicological risk assessment of various pharmaceuticals active compounds (PhACs) in the Yamuna river. In this study, spatial and temporal distribution of nine PhACs "aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol, caffeine, ranitidine, diclofenac, carbamazepine, codeine, and diazepam", belonging to different therapeutic groups have been reported. Nine PhACs were analyzed in all the samples collected from the NCT stretch of river Yamuna. No specific trend in the distribution of the pharmaceutical residues was observed, however, the results revealed comparably higher PhACs contamination at YMN-2 (downstream Wazirabad, at this point, Najafgarh drain joins river Yamuna). Ecotoxicological risk assessment was carried out using Hazard quotients (HQ) for normal and worst case scenarios. The HQ showed that the levels of PhACs present in the samples were insufficient to cause acute toxicity to the flora and fauna of the river Yamuna. However, such residues could possibly cause chronic toxicity to the aquatic life and human beings as a huge amount of water of the river Yamuna is used for the drinking purposes in the NCT Delhi, the state capital of India.

Multivariate analysis and health risk assessment of heavy metal contents in foodstuffs of Durban, South Africa.

This study presented a comprehensive analysis of heavy metal contents in foodstuffs and the associated health risk for the residential population in Durban, South Africa. The concentrations of elements in fruits and vegetables, respectively, were (in mg kg-1 dry weight) Cu, 0.52-1.47 and 0.27-2.25; Zn, 0.30-3.05 and 0.56-6.24, Fe, 1.70-22.60 and 0.73-44.90; Mn, 0.37-28.50 and 0.67-13.70; Cr, 0.47-1.47 and 0.37-3.06; Ni 0.03-1.14 and 0.11-2.5;, and Pb, 1.52-3.45 and 1.57-4.52. Multivariate analysis revealed that pineapple in fruits and turnip and carrot in vegetables contained remarkable components of trace metals. The target hazard quotient (THQ) values for heavy metals were arranged in the order of Pb > Mn > Cu > Ni > Zn > Cr. No potential health risks were reported for individual elements over a lifetime of exposure, except children's exposure to Mn in pineapple and Pb in banana, orange small, guava, grape green, grape red, yellow-orange, and kiwifruit. The total THQ due to the dietary intake of multiple metals demonstrated unsafe limits in banana, pineapple, orange small, guava, grape green, grape red, yellow-orange, kiwifruit, and spinach leaf for children and pineapple for adults.

An Intervention Study for the Prevention and Control of Health Care-Associated Infection in the Critical Cares Area of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are an infection that patients acquire during receiving treatment and care for the medical or surgical problem. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to find the patterns of HAIs cases in the hospital and to know the impact of the intervention on prevention and control of health care associated infection. METHODOLOGY: This was prospective interventional study. RESULTS: The majority of cases of HAIs was reported from intensive care unit 47%. The most common site involved due to HAIs was catheter-associated urinary tract infection followed by central line-associated bloodstream infection. During the study period, around 28% reduction of cases were reported. During 6 months period (March to August 2016), around 540 cases were admitted in the critical care areas out of that 32 cases were reported as HAIs (5.9%) for the same period from (March to August 2017) was (3.4%), that difference came to be a statistically significant (χ2 = 4.12, P = 0.042, df = 1). CONCLUSION: This small study showed that strict implementation of care bundles with good compliance of hand hygiene, Personal protective equipment and antibiotic stewardship are helpful for prevention and control of hospital acquired infections. This study also demonstrated significant (28%) reduction of hospital acquired infections during the study period.

Dietary zinc promotes immuno-biochemical plasticity and protects fish against multiple stresses.

The abiotic and biotic stress is an episode that effect on regulatory, neuro-endocrine and immune systems of animals including fish. The stress creates stimulatory and suppressive of immune system resulting in increases the incidence of infection. In view of these points, we have conducted an experiment to mitigate the stress through a nutritional approach through Zinc (Zn) supplementation in Pangasius hypophthalmus (initial weight-3.65 ± 0.75 g). Three isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets with graded levels of zinc 0, 10 and 20 mg/kg were prepared and fed to seven different groups with each in triplicate. The experimental group as follows as normal water with control diet (Ctr/Ctr), lead (Pb) exposed and fed with control diet (Ctr/Pb), control diet and exposed to Pb and temperature (Ctr/Pb-T), Zn 10 mg/kg fed without stressors (Zn- 10 mg/kg), Zn 20 mg/kg fed without stressors (Zn-20 mg/kg), Zn 10 mg/kg fed and Pb and temperature exposed (Pb-T/Zn 10 mg/kg) and Zn 20 mg/kg fed and exposed to Pb and temperature (Pb-T/Zn 20 mg/kg). The Pb in treated water was maintained at the level of 1/20th of LC50 (4 ppm) and temperature at 34 °C in exposure groups. The neutraceuticals role of dietary Zn was studied in terms of antioxidative enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase), stress markers (Heat shock protein 70, cortisol, acetylcholine esterase, blood glucose, Vitamin C), immunological parameters (Total protein, albumin, globulin, A/G ratio and NBT) and subsequent challenge with Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria. The antioxidative enzymes, stress markers, albumin were significantly (p < 0.01) elevated, brain AChE and immuno-hematological parameters were significantly (p < 0.01) decreased due to lead (Pb) and temperature exposure. The relative survival (%) was reduced due to the concurrent effect of Pb, high temperature stress and bacterial challenge. Zinc at the rate of 10 and 20 mg/kg was found to be restore the biochemical and immunological parameters against concurrent exposure to lead (Pb), temperature and pathogenic infection. Results obtained in the present study indicate that supplementation of 10 and 20 mg/kg of Zn in the diet has a definitive role in the mitigation of lead (Pb) and temperature exposure along with pathogenic infection in P. hypophthalmus.

Development of poly(aspartic acid-co-malic acid) composites for calcium carbonate and sulphate scale inhibition.

Polyaspartic acid (PSI) is suitable for the inhibition of inorganic scale deposition. To enhance its scale inhibition efficiency, PSI was modified by reacting aspartic acid with malic acid (MA) using thermal polycondensation polymerization. This reaction resulted in poly(aspartic acid-co-malic acid) (PSI-co-MA) dual polymer. The structural, chemical and thermal properties of the dual polymers were analysed by using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and gel permeation chromatography. The effectiveness of six different molar ratios of PSI-co-MA dual polymer for calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate scale inhibition at laboratory scale batch experiments was evaluated with synthetic brine solution at selected doses of polymer at 65-70°C by the static scale test method. The performance of PSI-co-MA dual polymer for the inhibition of calcium carbonate and calcium sulphate precipitation was compared with that of a PSI single polymer. The PSI-co-MA exhibited excellent ability to control inorganic minerals, with approximately 85.36% calcium carbonate inhibition and 100% calcium sulphate inhibition at a level of 10 mg/L PSI-co-MA, respectively. Therefore, it may be reasonably concluded that PSI-co-MA is a highly effective scale inhibitor for cooling water treatment applications.

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF PLAIN AND HYPERBARIC ROPIVACAINE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING LOWER ABDOMINAL SURGERY UNDER SPINAL ANESTHESIA.

BACKGROUND: Preliminary work has shown that ropivacaine provides spinal anesthesia of shorter duration with greater sensory motor dissociation than bupivacaine, and may be of particular use in the day care surgery. Hypothetically, hyperbaric solution of ropivacaine could improve and shorten both sensory and motor block. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective, randomized, double blind study was conducted on 80 patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries. Patients either received 20.25 mg of plain ropivacaine (group A) or 20.25 mg of hyperbaric ropivacaine in 5% dextrose (group B). The extent and duration of sensory and motor block, haemodynamics, time to home readiness, and the time to first rescue analgesia were recorded. RESULTS: All patients in group B achieved sensory block at or above T10 dermatome in comparison to only 87.5% patients of group A. Analgesia at T10 was reached in 4 min (4-6 min) in group B vs. 10 min (6-16 min) in group A (p < 0.001). Patients in group B had a longer duration of analgesia at T10; 126 min (97-146 min) vs. 110 min (90-128 min) (p = 0.047). Median duration of sensory block from injection of the anesthetic to complete recovery (regression to S2 dermatome) was shorter in Group B than Group A, 273.5 min (258 - 289 min) vs. 300 min (290 - 312 min) (p < 0.001), as was the time to 2 segment regression 80 min (63-90 min) vs. 102 min (82-124 min) (p < 0.001). Duration of complete motor block (mean ± SD) was significantly less in group B, 93.06 ± 17.38 min compared to 139.89 ± 25.17 min (p < 0.001) in group A, as was the total duration of motor block (181.83 ± 30.21 min in group B vs. 254.91 ± 25.34 min in Group A; p < 0.001). Patients in Group B attained discharge criteria earlier as indicated by a shorter time to home readiness. Cardiovascular changes were unremarkable throughout, and similar in the two groups. There were no major sequelae. CONCLUSION: Addition of dextrose 5% to ropivacaine increases the speed of onset, block reliability, duration of useful block for surgery and speed of recovery. Plain solutions are less reliable for surgery above a dermatomal level of T10.

Thermus parvatiensis RL(T) sp. nov., Isolated from a Hot Water Spring, Located Atop the Himalayan Ranges at Manikaran, India.

A Gram negative, yellow pigmented, rod shaped bacterium designated as RL(T) was isolated from a hot water spring (90-98 °C) located at Manikaran in Northern India. The isolate grows at 60-80 °C (optimum, 70 °C) and at pH 7.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.2). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences and levels of DNA-DNA relatedness together indicate that the new isolate represents a novel species of the genus Thermus with closest affinity to Thermus thermophilus HB8(T) (99.5 %) followed by Thermus arciformis (96.4 %). A comparative analysis of partial sequences of housekeeping genes (HKG) further revealed that strain RL(T) is a novel species belonging to the genus Thermus. The melting G+C content of strain RL(T) was calculated as 68.7 mol%. The DNA-DNA relatedness value of strain RL(T) with its nearest neighbours (>97 %) was found to be less than 70 % indicating that strain RL(T) represents a novel species of the genus Thermus. MK-8 was the predominant respiratory quinone. The presence of characteristic phospholipid and glycolipid further confirmed that strain RL(T) belongs to the genus Thermus. The predominant fatty acids of strain RL(T) were iso-C17:0 (23.67 %) and iso-C15:0 (24.50 %). The results obtained after DNA-DNA hybridization, biochemical and physiological tests clearly distinguished strain RL(T) from its closely related species. Thus, strain RL(T) represents a novel species of the genus Thermus for which the name Thermus parvatiensis is proposed (=DSM 21745(T)= MTCC 8932(T)).

Evaluation of ecological risk of metal contamination in river Gomti, India: a biomonitoring approach.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of heavy metal pollution in river Gomti and associated ecological risk. River water, sediments and locally abundant mollusk (Viviparus (V.) bengalensis) were sampled from six different sites and analyzed for seven metals: Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn). Mean metal concentrations (mg/l) in river water were 0.024 for Cd, 0.063 for Cr, 0.022 for Cr, 0.029 for Mn, 0.044 for Ni, 0.018 for Pb and 0.067 for Zn. In river sediments, the concentrations (mg/kg dry wt) were 5.0 for Cd, 16.2 for Cr, 23.2 for Cr, 203.2 for Mn, 23.9 for Ni, 46.2 for Pb and 76.3 for Zn, while in V. bengalensis mean metal concentrations (mg/kg, dry wt) were 0.57 for Cd, 12.0 for Cr, 30.7 for Cu, 29.9 for Mn, 8.8 for Ni, 3.6 for Pb and 48.3 for Zn. Results indicated elevated concentrations of Cu, Zn and Mn in V. bengalensis as compared to other non-essential elements. Potential ecological risk (RI) in sediments showed high to very high metal contamination. Cluster analysis indicated that Pb, Zn, Cd and Ni in sediments may have anthropogenic sources. The findings thus suggest heavy metal contamination of river water and sediments have reached alarming levels, which is well corroborated by elevated level of metal accumulation in V. bengalensis.

Development of anti-scale poly(aspartic acid-citric acid) dual polymer systems for water treatment.

The formation of calcium sulphate and calcium carbonate scale poses major problems in heat exchangers and water cooling systems, thereby affecting the performance of these types of equipment. In order to inhibit these scale formations, new types of biodegradable water soluble single polymer and dual poly(aspartic acid-citric acid) polymers were developed and tested. The effectiveness of single polymer and four different compositions of poly aspartic acid and citric acid dual polymer systems as scale inhibitors were evaluated. Details of the synthesis, thermal stability, scale inhibition and the morphological characterization of single and dual polymers are presented in this scientific paper. It was found that the calcium sulphate scale inhibition rate was in the range 76.06-91.45%, while the calcium carbonate scale inhibition rate observed was in the range 23.37-30.0% at 65-70 °C. The finding suggests that the water soluble dual polymers are very effective in sulphate scale inhibition in comparison of calcium carbonate scale inhibition.

Effects of carbon source addition in rearing water on sediment characteristics, growth and health of cultured marron (Cherax cainii).

Carbon sources are considered as critical input for the health and immunity of aquatic animals. The present study investigated the impact of different carbon sources on water quality parameters, carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio and microbial community in sediments, and health responses of marron (Cherax cainii) under laboratory conditions. Following one week of acclimation, 120 marron were randomly assigned to 12 experimental tanks. There were four treatments including one untreated control and three groups with carbon addition to maintain a C/N ratio of 12 maintained in culture water. Carbon supplementation groups included corn flour (CBC12), molasses (MBC12) and wheat flour (WBC12). At the end of the 60-day trial, MBC12 resulted in the highest sediment C/N ratio, followed by CBC12. Weight gain and specific growth rate were higher in MBC12, compared to control. The protease activity in marron hepatopancreas, total haemocyte count and lysozyme activity in haemolymph were highest in MBC12. Analysis of 16S rRNA sequence data of tank sediments revealed increased bacterial alpha diversity in MBC12 and WBC12. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in MBC12 (88.6%), followed by control (82.4%) and CBC12 (72.8%). Sphingobium and Novosphingobium were the most abundant genera in control and MBC12 groups, respectively. Higher Aeromonas abundance in CBC12 and Flavobacterium in WBC12 were observed. Overall results indicated that MBC12 led to improved water quality, retaining high C/N ratio and enriched the bacterial populations in sediments resulting in improved growth and immune performance of marron.

Prevalence of opportunistic pathogens and anti-microbial resistance in urban aquaculture ponds.

Bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a significant concern worldwide. The microbial community profile and potential AMR level in aquaculture ponds are often undervalued and attract less attention than other aquatic environments. We used amplicon and metagenomic shotgun sequencing to study microbial communities and AMR in six freshwater polyculture ponds in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. Amplicon sequencing revealed different community structures between rural and urban ponds, with urban ponds having a higher bacterial diversity and opportunistic pathogens including Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Corynebacterium. Despite proteobacterial dominance, Firmicutes was the most interactive in the community network, especially in the urban ponds. Metagenomes showed that drug resistance was the most common type of AMR found, while metal resistance was only observed in urban ponds. AMR and metal resistance genes were found mainly in beta and gamma-proteobacteria in urban ponds, while AMR was found primarily in alpha-proteobacteria in rural ponds. We identified potential pathogens with a high profile of AMR and metal resistance in urban aquaculture ponds. As these ponds provide a significant source of protein for humans, our results raise significant concerns for the environmental sustainability of this food source and the dissemination of AMR into the food chain.

Edaphobacillus lindanitolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., isolated from hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contaminated soil.

A Gram-staining-positive, aerobic, cocco-bacilli-shaped, non-motile, non-spore forming, cream colored strain bacterium (strain MNA4(T) ) was isolated from hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) contaminated soil. Strain MNA4(T) showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.47% with type species of the newly defined genus Bhargavaea cecembensis. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain MNA4(T) belonged to a clade represented by Bhargavaea cecembensis, Bacillus beijingensis and Bacillus ginsengi. DNA-DNA hybridization values of the strain MNA4(T) with close relatives were well below the 70% threshold value recommended for delineation of species. The major fatty acids were anteiso C15:0 , anteiso C17:0 , iso C16:0 and iso C15:0 . The strain was found to contain respiratory quinones MK-8, MK-9 and MK-7 in an approximate molar ratio of 85:7:5. Polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and two unknown phospholipids. The DNA G + C content was 55.6 mol%. Peptidoglycan type was A4α (L-Lys - L-Ala - D-Asp). Phylogenetic analysis, fatty acids profile, phenotypic properties and chemotaxonomic data of strain MNA4(T) indicated that it represents a novel species of a novel genus for which the name Edaphobacillus lindanitolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is MNA4(T) (=CCM 7584(T) = DSM 22424(T) ).

Trends in biohydrogen production: major challenges and state-of-the-art developments.

Hydrogen has shown enormous potential to be an alternative fuel of the future. Hydrogen production technology has gained much attention in the last few decades due to advantages such as its high conversion efficiency, recyclability and non-polluting nature. Over the last few decades, biological hydrogen production has shown great promise for generating large scale sustainable energy to meet ever increasing global energy demands. Various microorganisms, namely bacteria, cyanobacteria, and algae which are capable of producing hydrogen from water, solar energy, and a variety of organic substrates, are explored and studied in detail. Current biohydrogen production technologies, however, face two major challenges such as low-yield and high production cost. Advances have been made in recent years in biohydrogen research to improve the hydrogen yield through process modifications, physiological manipulations, through metabolic and genetic engineering. Recently, cell immobilization such as microbes trapping with nanoparticles within the bioreactor has shown an increase in hydrogen production. This review critically evaluated various biological hydrogen production technologies, key challenges, and recent advancements in biohydrogen research and development.

The Legal Void Outside Brain Death in India: The Legislative Need of 'DNR' in Brain Death.

Objective: The legal definitions of brain death are tantamount for legal dogmas and sometimes criminal intimidation of the treating doctors. The tests for brain death are only applicable to patients planned for organ transplantation. We intend to discuss the necessity of the "Do Not Resuscitate (DNR)" legislature in cases of brain death patients and applicability of tests for brain death irrespective of the intention for organ donation. Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was performed till May 31, 2020 from the MEDLINE (1966 to July 2019) and Web of Science (1900 to July 2019). Search criteria included all publications with the MESH terms: "Brain Death/legislation and jurisprudence"[Mesh] OR "Brain Death/organization and administration"[Mesh] AND "India" [Mesh]. We also discuss the different opinions and implications of brain death versus brain stem death in India with the senior author (KG) who was responsible for South Asia's first multi-organ transplant after certifying brain death. Additionally, a hypothetical scenario of a DNR case is discussed in the current legal paradigm of India. Results: The systematic search yielded only five articles reporting a series of brain stem death cases with an acceptance rate of organ transplant among brain stem deaths being 34.8%. The most common solid organs transplanted were the kidney (73%) and liver (21%). A hypothetical scenario of a DNR and possible legal implications of the same under the current 'Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA)' of India remains unclear. A comparison of brain death laws in most Asian countries shows a similar pattern regarding the declaration of brain death and the lack of knowledge or legislature regarding DNR cases. Conclusion: After the determination of brain death, discontinuation of organ support requires the consent of the family. The lack of education and the lack of awareness have been major impediments in this medico-legal battle. There is also an urgent need to make laws for cases that do not qualify for brain death. This would help in not only realistic realization but also better triage of the health care resources while legally safeguarding the medical fraternity.