Pesticide effects on microbial population and soil enzyme activities during vermicomposting of agricultural waste.

The effects of different pesticides (propiconazole, profenofos, pretilachlor) on vermicomposting were evaluated for the adverse effects on soil enzyme activities (dehydrogenase, phosphatase, urease) and total microbial counts (TMC). There were remarkable increase in enzyme activities and TMC in presence of earthworm compared to control (earthworm absent). In comparison to control, the activities of phosphatase, dehydrogenase and urease in presence of vermicompost increased upto 30, 128 and 31.3% respectively; whereas increase of TMC was 71.9%. But, in presence of each of the pesticide, said activities decreased. Maximum inhibition of soil phosphatase activity (46.6%) was observed in presence of propiconazole (100 mg kg(-1)) after 120 days. Profenofos affected the soil dehydrogenase activity in the tune of 47% at 1000 mg kg(-1) concentration after 80 days and thereafter, the extent of toxicity decreased little. Soil urease activity was affected markedly in presence of profenofos and was 62% at 1000 mg kg(-1) level after 80 days. TMC also declined in presence of profenofos and pretilachlor. Increase in TMC was about 71.9% compared to control and the inhibition was more or less 60% when profenofos (1000 mg kg(-1)) was present even after 120 days of treatment.

Painless piezogenic pedal papules in a patient with rheumatic heart disease.

A 14-year-old female with rheumatic heart disease presented with multiple painless, non-itchy papules on her heel. Painless papules consisted of normal fat tissues.

Immunopathology of skin lesions.

A study was conducted on 130 patients suffering from skin lesions which included psoriasis, lichen planus, DLE, pemphigus, vitiligo and alopecia areata. Forty age-and-sex-matched healthy individuals served as control. Serum IgG, IgM, and circulating immune complexes (CIC) were estimated. Significant increase in serum IgG (1937.2 +/- 1030.43 mg%) and IgM (232.12 +/- 136.98 mg%) was observed in all the skin lesions when compared with controls except in lichen planus where they were significantly lowered, values being 580.61+/- 77.35 mg% and 66.88 +/- 6.59 mg% respectively. CIC levels were significantly raised (P< 0.00 1) in various skin lesions (40.49+/-23.29) when compared with controls (17.68+/- 3.21), but no significance was observed in lichen planus( 17.72 +/- 4.28). Serum IgG, IgM and CIC were statistically significantly altered depending on the extent of the lesion and lowered significantly to almost normal values following treatment, thereby confirming the role of immunity in the pathogenesis of these skin disorders.

Influence of hexaconazole, carbofuran and ethion on soil microflora and dehydrogenase activities in soil and intact cell.

Total microbial count was highly affected (up to 61% at 1000 micrograms level) in presence of hexaconazole and persisted up to 21 days. Bacteria were more susceptible than actinomycetes. Carbofuran and ethion were moderately toxic to soil microflora. Inhibitory effects of all the three pesticides gradually decreased after 21 days as was evident by increase in total microbial count except in carbofuran. GDH activity in soil was also affected initially (up to 14 days) by all the three pesticides (60.3% in hexaconazole at 1000 micrograms level) and inhibition gradually decreased to zero except in carbofuran (15-20% toxicity persisted up to 35 days). GDH and LDH activity in presence of hexaconazole was strongly affected in intact cells of some standard culture of bacteria like Rhizobium sp. (host Dolichos sp., 32.1 and 72.5%), Bacillus subtilis Cohn (86.75 and 76.5%), Azotobacter sp. (36.9 and 55.4%) and B. sphaericus (67.6% GDH) respectively. Carbofuran inhibited the enzyme activity in B. subtilis (55.55 and 35.3%) and to some extent in B. sphaericus. Ethion moderately inhibited LDH activity in Rhodococcus sp. AK1 (17.1 and 33.3%), Rhizobium (27.6% LDH), E. coli HB 101 (34.2% LDH) as evidenced by formazan formation. From the result, it might be concluded that among the above three pesticides tested hexaconazole strongly inhibited the dehydrogenase system in bacteria including nitrogen fixing bacteria of soil and thus may affect soil fertility. It was concluded that hexaconazole was more toxic than ethion to dehydrogenase enzymes.

Prognostic evaluation of cell mediated immunity in leprosy and correlation with clinicopathological status of leprosy patients.

Cell mediated immunity was studied in 50 patients of leprosy and 15 control volunteers, by estimation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), total rosette forming cells (TRFC) and active rosette forming cell (ARFC) counts in vitro. PBL, TRFC and ARFC counts were slightly but not significantly increased in patients of tuberculoid leprosy (TT) and muculoanaesthetic variant of tuberculoid leprosy as compared to control group. However, gradual decrease in T-cell subsets, occurred in borderline tuberculoid leprosy (BT) as compared to tuberculoid type (TT)-(p < 0.05). Significant decrease in lymphocytes and T-cell subsets was observed in midborderline leprosy (BB), (p < 0.01):borderline lepromatous leprosy (BL), (p < 0.001) and lepromatous subpolar and polar types (LL); (p < 0.001) as compared to control group. Mycobacterium leprae (M.leprae) were positive in BT-(20%); BB-(72.7%); BL-(83.2%) and LL-(100%). Delayed hypersensitivity reactions (DHR) revealed significantly increased lepromin positivity in TT (83.3%) and BT (80%) which decreased in BB (63.6%) and BL (50%). Lepromin test showed anergic state in LL group (28.5% positivity). Dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) skin test showed 100% positivity in TT group and controls while gradual significant decrease was observed from BT (p < 0.05) to LL scale (p < 0.001). Leprosy spectrum of Ridley and Jopling scale is directly co-related with inherent cell mediated immune status of the patients which has a significant prognostic role in treatment and long term management.

Dinitrochlorobenzene therapy in alopecia areata.

With topical therapy using dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), 36 (72%) out of 50 patients having alopecia areata showed regrowth of hair in 3 to 6 months time. Five (10%) patients experienced marked vesiculation and severe contact dermatitis requiring cessation of therapy. In 7 (14%) patients there was no response at all and 4 (8%) presented with other side-effects.

The value of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography in the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice.

Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) using Chiba needle was employed to diagnose obstructive jaundice in 31 subjects. It was successful in all 27 (87%) subjects who had dilatation of the biliary tree. Out of them, 15 had features suggestive of carcinoma, 9 had features of stone and 3 had features of stricture of the common bile duct (CBD). Surgery was done in 11 cases and PTC diagnosis of carcinoma of CBD in 4 and stricture of the same in one subject were confirmed. While in the remaining 6 subjects with a PTC diagnosis of CBD stone, 4 were found to be so and 2 had stricture of the duct. Three subjects had complications such as bile peritonitis, cholangitis and shock. In majority of the cases, the biochemical parameters were inconclusive. These results suggest that PTC may be useful in the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and this procedure should be employed more widely.