Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation ofAcute Cholecystitis in Emergency Setting.

Background Acute cholecystitis is one of the commonest surgical disease. The rapid diagnosis at its early stage is one of the crucial factor in patient care and management. Objective To evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) in the diagnosis or exclusion of acute cholecystitis, coexisting choledocholithiasis, and acute pancreatitis in emergency setting. Method This study was conducted in the department of radiodiagnosis B and C teaching hospital, Birtamod, Nepal from July 2016 to November 2019. Patients, clinically diagnosed as acute cholecystitis or biliary condition with positive Murphy's sign with or without jaundice and deranged Liver Function Test, raised Leucocyte counts were evaluated by Magnetic Resonance imaging. The sensitivity, specificity, Positive Productive Value (PPV), Negative Productive Value (NPV) were calculated for the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Data was entered and analysed by using SPSS version 20. Result There were 40 patients included in our study. Among them 27 (67.5%) were females and 13 (32.5%) male. The age of the patients ranged from 16 years to 79 years, mean age 49.4 years. Majority of the patients were in the age group of 40-60 years (57.5%). The overall sensitivity, specificity, Positive Productive Value and Negative Productive Value of Magnetic Resonance imaging diagnosis of acute cholecystitis were 100%, 66.6%, 94.4% and 100% respectively. Acute cholecystitis associated with gall stone disease were common and found in 72.5% cases, with sensitivity 96.5%, specificity 27.7%, Positive Productive Value 77.7% and Negative Productive Value 75.0%. Conclusion Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is an excellent tool for the evaluation of biliary pathology and can be used for the preoperative evaluation of acute cholecystitis at the emergency setting.

Arsenic and other heavy metal accumulation in plants and algae growing naturally in contaminated area of West Bengal, India.

The present study was conducted to quantify the arsenic (As) and other heavy metal concentrations in the plants and algae growing naturally in As contaminated blocks of North-24-Pargana and Nandia district, West Bengal, India to assess their bioaccumulation potential. The plant species included five macrophytes and five algae were collected from the nine selected sites for estimation of As and other heavy metals accumulated therein by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP-MS). Results revealed that maximum As concentration (117mgkg(-1)) was recorded in the agricultural soil at the Barasat followed by Beliaghat (111mgkg(-1)) sites of North-24-Pargana. Similarly, concentration of selenium (Si, 249mgkg(-1)), lead (Pb, 79.4mgkg(-1)), chromium (Cr, 138mgkg(-1)) was also found maximum in the soil at Barasat and cadmium (Cd, 163mgkg(-1)) nickel (Ni, 36.5mgkg(-1)) at Vijaynagar site. Among the macrophytes, Eichhornia crassipes found more dominating species in As contaminated area and accumulate As (597mgkg(-1)) in the shoot at kanchrapara site. The Lemna minor found to accumulate maximum As (735mgkg(-1)) in the leaves at Sonadanga and Pistia stratiotes accumulated minimum As (24.5mgkg(-1)) in the fronds from Ranaghat site. In case of diatoms, maximum As (760mgkg(-1)) was accumulated at Kanchrapara site followed by Hydrodictiyon reticulatum (403mgkg(-1)) at the Ranaghat site. High concentration of As and other heavy metal in soil indicates long term effects of irrigation with contaminated ground water, however, high concentration of heavy metals in naturally growing plants and algae revealed their mobilization through leaching and possible food chain contamination. Therefore, efficient heavy metal accumulator macrophytes Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna minor, Spirodela polyrhiza may be exploited in removing metals from contaminated water by developing a plant based treatment system. However, As accumulator algal species may be used as a bioresource for understanding algae mediated As detoxification and bioindication studies.

Amelioration of arsenic toxicity in rice: Comparative effect of inoculation of Chlorella vulgaris and Nannochloropsis sp. on growth, biochemical changes and arsenic uptake.

The present study was conducted to assess the responses of rice (Oryza sativa L. var. Triguna) by inoculating alga; Chlorella vulgaris and Nannochlropsis sp. supplemented with As(III) (50µM) under hydroponics condition. Results showed that reduced growth variables and protein content in rice plant caused by As toxicity were restored in the algae inoculated plants after 7d of treatment. The rice plant inoculated with Nannochloropsis sp. exhibited a better response in terms of increased root, shoot length and biomass than C. vulgaris under As(III) treatment. A significant reduction in cellular toxicity (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and antioxidant enzyme (SOD, APX and GR) activities were observed in algae inoculated rice plant under As(III) treatment in comparison to uninoculated rice. In addition, rice treated with As(III), accumulated 35.05mgkg(-1)dw arsenic in the root and 29.96mgkg(-1)dw in the shoot. However, lower accumulation was observed in As(III) treated rice inoculated with C. vulgaris (24.09mg kg(-1)dw) and Nannochloropsis sp. (20.66mgkg(-1)dw) in the roots, while in shoot, it was 20.10mgkg(-1)dw and 11.67mgkg(-1)dw, respectively. Results demonstrated that application of these algal inoculum ameliorates toxicity and improved tolerance in rice through reduced As uptake and modulating antioxidant enzymes. Thus, application of algae could provide a low-cost and eco-friendly mitigation approach to reduce accumulation of arsenic in edible part of rice as well as higher yield in the As contaminated agricultural field.

Studies on sustainability of simulated constructed wetland system for treatment of urban waste: Design and operation.

New system configurations and wide range of treatability make constructed wetland (CW) as an eco-sustainable on-site approach of waste management. Keeping this view into consideration, a novel configured three-stage simulated CW was designed to study its performance efficiency and relative importance of plants and substrate in purification processes. Two species of submerged plant i.e., Potamogeton crispus and Hydrilla verticillata were selected for this study. After 6 months of establishment, operation and maintenance of simulated wetland, enhanced reduction in physicochemical parameters was observed, which was maximum in the planted CW. The percentage removal (%) of the pollutants in three-stage mesocosms was; conductivity (60.42%), TDS (67.27%), TSS (86.10%), BOD (87.81%), NO3-N (81.28%) and PO4-P (83.54%) at 72 h of retention time. Submerged macrophyte used in simulated wetlands showed a significant time dependent accumulation of toxic metals (p ≤ 0.05). P. crispus accumulated the highest Mn (86.36 µg g(-1) dw) in its tissue followed by Cr (54.16 µg g(-1) dw), Pb (31.56 µg g(-1) dw), Zn (28.06 µg g(-1) dw) and Cu (25.76 µg g(-1) dw), respectively. In the case of H. verticillata, it was Zn (45.29), Mn (42.64), Pb (22.62), Cu (18.09) and Cr (16.31 µg g(-1) dw). Thus, results suggest that the application of simulated CW tackles the water pollution problem more efficiently and could be exploited in small community level as alternative and cost effective tools of phytoremediation.

Correlations between some hazardous inorganic pollutants in the Gomti River and their accumulation in selected macrophytes under aquatic ecosystem.

Water quality of the Gomti River and phytoremediation potential of native macrophytes dwelling therein at six different sites were evaluated. River water showed high biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, nitrate, ammonium and phosphate (12.84, 77.94, 36.88, 6.04 and 2.25 mg L(-1), respectively). Gomti water was found to be contaminated with different metals like Fe, Cd, Cu, Cr and Pb (5.54, 1.05, 3.74, 2.57 and 0.73 mg L(-1), respectively). Macrophytes growing in the river accumulated considerable amounts of Fe, Cd, Cu, Cr and Pb in different parts. Among the studied plants, Eichhornia crassipes showed maximum remediation potential for Fe, Cd and Pb; Jussiaea repens for Cr; and Pistia stratiotes for Cd. However, in Typha latifolia, Cu accumulation was maximum. Except for Fe, translocation factor of E. crassipes, P. stratiotes, Hydrilla verticellata and T. latifolia was >1 for the studied metals, showing their potential to accumulate multiple metals in different plant parts.

Chromium phytotoxicity in radish (Raphanus sativus): effects on metabolism and nutrient uptake.

In the present investigation, chromium (VI) induced toxicity on metabolic activity and translocations of nutrients in radish were evaluated under controlled glass house conditions. Chromium was found to induce toxicity and significantly affect plant growth and metabolic activity. Excess of chromium (0.4 mM) caused a decrease in the concentration of iron in leaves (from 134.3 to 71.9 µg g(-1) dw) and significant translocation of sulphur, phosphorus and zinc. Translocation of manganese, copper and boron were less affected from root to stem. After 15 days of Cr exposure, maximum accumulation of Cr was found in roots (327.6 µg g(-1) dw) followed by stems (186.8 µg g(-1) dw) and leaves (116.7 µg g(-1) dw) at 0.4 mM Cr concentration. Therefore, Cr may affect negatively not only production, but also the nutritive quality of the radish; likewise, higher Cr content may cause health hazards for humans.

Biomonitoring of metals in Ganga water at different ghats of Haridwar: implications of constructed wetland for sewage detoxification.

An assessment of Ganga river water quality at different ghats of Haridwar, showed high TDS (782.15 mg L(-1)) and BOD (21.76 mg L(-1)) levels at the mixing points of sewage discharge channels and the water was found to be contaminated with appreciable amounts of toxic metals; Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr and Mn (0.178, 0.566, 0.199, 0.177 and 0.160 mg L(-1)). The Ganga water supported exuberant growth of algae and aquatic macrophytes in littoral zone of river, which accumulated appreciable amount of metals in their tissues. Results showed possibility of using metal accumulation potential of plants and algae for monitoring low level of metal contamination vis-a-vis their use in renovating sewage by treating into especially designed constructed wetland.

Methyl 2-[(2-methyl-phen-oxy)meth-yl]benzoate.

In the title methyl-benzoate compound, C(16)H(16)O(3), the mol-ecule is essentially planar (r.m.s. of all fitted non-H atoms = 0.0370 Å); the dihedral angle between the phenyl rings is 2.30 (7)°. Apart from a C-H⋯π inter-action, no marked inter-molecular contacts are obvious.

Metal contamination of soil and translocation in vegetables growing under industrial wastewater irrigated agricultural field of Vadodara, Gujarat, India.

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate metals concentration in ten vegetable crops growing in mixed industrial effluent irrigated agricultural field near Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Differential accumulation and translocation of various metals in selected vegetables plant species was observed. A higher concentration of metals were found in order of Fe>Mn>Zn>Cd>Cu>Pb>Cr>As in soil irrigated with industrial effluent than soil irrigated with tube well water; however, the concentration of As, Cr and Pb found below detection limit in tube well water irrigated soil. Metal accumulation in root and top of vegetables varied significantly both in relations to metal concentration in the soil and the plant genotype. Among ten vegetable species studied five vegetable species, i.e. Spinach, Radish, Tomato, Chili and Cabbage growing in mixed industrial effluent irrigated agricultural field showed high accumulation and translocation of toxic metals (As, Cd, Cr, Pb and Ni) in their edible parts, thus, their cultivation are unsafe with respect to possible transfer in food chain and health hazards. However, it is suggested that vegetable crops restricting toxic metal in non-edible port may be recommended for cultivation in such metal contaminated agricultural field.

Release of extracellular vesicle miR-494-3p by ARPE-19 cells with impaired mitochondria.

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial function in retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells and extracellular vesicle (EV) formation/release are related through the lysosomal and exocytotic pathways that process and eliminate intracellular material, including mitochondrial fragments. We propose that RPE cells with impaired mitochondria will release EVs containing mitochondrial miRNAs that reflect the diminished capacity of mitochondria within these cells. METHODS: We screened ARPE-19 cells for miRNAs that localize to the mitochondria, exhibit biological activity, and are present in EVs released by both untreated cells and cells treated with rotenone to induce mitochondrial injury. EVs were characterized by vesicle size, size distribution, presence of EV biomarkers: CD81, CD63, and syntenin-1, miRNA cargo, and number concentration of EVs released per cell. RESULTS: We found that miR-494-3p was enriched in ARPE-19 mitochondria. Knockdown of miR-494-3p in ARPE-19 cells decreased ATP production and mitochondrial membrane potential in a dose-dependent manner, and decreased basal oxygen consumption rate and maximal respiratory capacity. Increased number of EVs released per cell and elevated levels of miR-494-3p in EVs released from ARPE-19 cells treated with rotenone were also measured. CONCLUSIONS: ARPE-19 mitochondrial function is regulated by miR-494-3p. Elevated levels of miR-494-3p in EVs released by ARPE-19 cells indicate diminished capacity of the mitochondria within these cells. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: EV miR-494-3p is a potential biomarker for RPE mitochondrial dysfunction, which plays a central role in non-neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and may be a diagnostic biomarker for monitoring the spread of degeneration to neighboring RPE cells in the retina.

Arsenate exposure affects amino acids, mineral nutrient status and antioxidants in rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes.

Simulated pot experiments were conducted on four rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes (Triguna, IR-36, PNR-519, and IET-4786) to examine the effects of As(V) on amino acids and mineral nutrient status in grain along with antioxidant response to arsenic exposure. Rice genotypes responded differentially to As(V) exposure in terms of amino acids and antioxidant profiles. Total amino acid content in grains of all rice genotypes was positively correlated with arsenic accumulation. While, most of the essential amino acids increased in all cultivars except IR-36, glutamic acid and glycine increased in IET-4786 and PNR-519. The level of nonprotein thiols (NPTs) and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD; EC 1.15.1.1), glutathione reductase (GR; EC 1.6.4.2) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX; EC 1.11.1.11) increased in all rice cultivars except IET-4786. A significant genotypic variation was also observed in specific arsenic uptake (SAU; mg kg(-1)dw), which was in the order of Triguna (134) > IR-36 (71) > PNR-519 (53) > IET-4786 (29). Further, application of As(V) at lower doses (4 and 8 mg L(-1) As) enhanced the accumulation of selenium (Se) and other nutrients (Fe, P, Zn, and S), however, higher dose (12 mg L(-1) As) limits the nutrient uptake in rice. In conclusion, low As accumulating genotype, IET-4786, which also had significantly induced level of essential amino acids, seems suitable for cultivation in moderately As contaminated soil and would be safe for human consumption.

Metal accumulation and growth response in Vigna radiata L. inoculated with chromate tolerant rhizobacteria and grown on tannery sludge amended soil.

The effects of inoculation of four chromate tolerant rhizobacterial strains previously isolated from rhizosphere of plants from chromium contaminated area in mung plant Vigna radiata grown on tannery sludge amended soil were evaluated. An increase of 138%, 88%, 256% and 54.14% in root length, shoot length, biomass and total chlorophyll, respectively was observed after 60 days of treatments by consortium. Similarly, a significant enhancement in Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr, Cu and Cd accumulation was observed in consortium inoculated plants as compared to non-inoculated plants. Results showed that rhizobacterial strain helps in ameliorating metal induced phytotoxicity, acquiring higher biomass and metal uptake in the plant may be useful in decontamination of metal from polluted soil.

Impact of rhizobacteria on growth and chromium accumulation in Scirpus lacustris L. grown under chromium supplementation.

Four chromate tolerant rhizobacterial strains viz., RZB-01, RZB-02, RZB-03 and RZB-04 were isolated from rhizosphere of Scirpus lacustris collected from Cr-contaminated area. These strains characterized at morphological and biochemical levels. The most efficient chromate tolerant strain RZB-03 was inoculated to fresh plant of S. lacustris and grown in 2 microg ml(-1) and 5 microg ml(-1) of Cr+6 supplemented nutrient solution under controlled laboratory condition. The effects of rhizobacterial inoculation on growth and chromium accumulation in S. lacustris were evaluated. The inoculation of rhizobacteria increased biomass by 59 and 104%, while total chlorophyll content by 1.76 and 15.3% and protein content increased by 23 and 138% under 2 microg ml(-1) and 5 microg ml(-1) concentrations of Cr+6, respectively after 14 d as compared to non-inoculated plant. Similarly, the Cr accumulation also increased by 97 and 75% in shoot and 114 and 68% in root of inoculated plants as compared to non inoculated plants at 2 microg ml(-1) and 5 microg ml(-1) Cr+6 concentrations, respectively after 14 d. The chromate tolerant rhizobacteria which play an important role in chromium uptake and growth promotion in plant may be useful in development of microbes assisted phytoremediation system for decontamination of chromium polluted sites.

Toxoplasmosis Presenting as Nonhealing Cutaneous Ulcer.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic manifestation of toxoplasmosis is commonly seen in immune-compromised individuals. Skin manifestations are seen commonly in conjunction with systemic features. Isolated cutaneous toxoplasmosis is extraordinarily rare in immunocompetent patients. Case Description. A 64-year-old female presented to the Dermatology Outpatient Department (OPD), with a nonhealing ulcer over dorsum of the left hand for one year. The patient did not have any systemic diseases. Serology tests were negative. An incisional biopsy of the lesion revealed dense inflammatory cell infiltrates comprising predominantly of plasma cells and lymphocytes, multinucleated giant cells, and focal abscess formation in the dermis. Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) stain showed organisms in the dermis with morphological resemblance to tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii. CONCLUSION: Though rare, a possibility of primary cutaneous toxoplasmosis should always be considered and looked for, even in immunocompetent patients presenting with chronic nonhealing ulcers.

Chromium (VI) induced phytotoxicity and oxidative stress in pea (Pisum sativum L.): biochemical changes and translocation of essential nutrients.

Due to widespread industrial use, chromium (Cr) is considered a hazardous environmental pollutant. It is known to inhibit plant growth and development. The present study provides the evidence of the phytotoxicity of this metal on the pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Azad) plants. The plants of pea (Pisum sativum L.) were grown in refined sand under different concentrations i.e. 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 mM of Cr (VI) in order to study the effect on growth and yield, photosynthetic pigments, relative water content, non-reducing sugar and protein with activity of certain enzymes like catalase, peroxidase, starch phosphorylase and ribonuclease. The analysis of the results showed that photosynthetic pigments (68.68%), relative water contents (62.77%), non-reducing sugar (66.66%) and protein (81.57%) were decrease along with reduction in plant height (52.69%) and leaf area (50.81%) of the pea plants. However, in response to various concentration of Cr exposed plants showed significant induction of reducing and total sugars with enzymes like catalase, starch phosphorylase and ribonuclease. The translocation of Cr in various part of pea plant have been found in order of root> stem> leaves>seeds which ranged between 34.8 to 217.3 mg g(-1) d.wt. (dry weight) in roots, 6.5 to 173.13 mg g(-1) d.wt. in shoot, 4.2 to 74.43 mg g(-1) d.wt. in leaves and 0.94 to 8.64 mg g(-1) d.wt. in seeds, that is also reflected by the transfer factor of Cr from refined sand to tested species.

Responses of cyanobacterium Anabaena doliolum during nickel stress.

Growth and biochemical responses of heterocystous nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria Anabaena doliolum were studied upon exposure to various concentrations of nickel (0.1 to 100 microM) for duration of up to 4 days, in view of its tolerance. The growth of the cyanobacterium was increased in terms of cell density (O.D), heterocyst frequency chlorophyll-a, carotenoid and c-phycocynin up to moderate exposure (10 microM for 96 hr of Ni treatment). Protein and total non protein thiol were measured as stress responsive metabolites and frequency of heterocyst and spores were observed in responses to Ni. The present study demonstrated that the tested cyanobacterium exhibited dose specific responses of metal towards studied different morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters.

Amelioration of municipal sludge by Pistia stratiotes L.: role of antioxidant enzymes in detoxification of metals.

Pistia stratiotes when exposed to mixture of municipal sludge and effluent accumulated substantial amount of metals in the fronds and roots. With the increase in the metal accumulation by the plants, a reduction in the concentration of metals was found in leachates. The treated plants showed reduced level in chlorophylls but enhanced level of carotenoids and protein. The plant showed a concomitant increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase, guiacol peroxidase and also an enhanced level of lipid peroxidation. The activities were more in the root tissues as compared to frond. Initially a reduced level of cysteine content in roots of sludge treated plant as compared to control was found, but with time duration it increased progressively. The level of non-protein thiols also increased gradually at all the durations in both fronds and roots. Thus, beside the reduction of metals from municipal sludge, the ability of P. stratiotes to combat metal generated damages by induced synthesis of antioxidant enzymes and other metal binding ligands shows its suitability for the phytoremediation of the waste.

Role of blue green algae biofertilizer in ameliorating the nitrogen demand and fly-ash stress to the growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) plants.

Rice is a major food crop throughout the world; however, accumulation of toxic metals and metalloids in grains in contaminated environments is a matter of growing concern. Field experiments were conducted to analyze the growth performance, elemental composition (Fe, Si, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, Cd and As) and yield of the rice plants (Oryza sativa L. cv. Saryu-52) grown under different doses of fly-ash (FA; applied @ 10 and 100 tha(-1) denoted as FA(10) and FA(100), respectively) mixed with garden soil (GS) in combination with nitrogen fertilizer (NF; applied @ 90 and 120 kg ha(-1) denoted as NF(90) and NF(120), respectively) and blue green algae biofertilizer (BGA; applied @ 12.5 kg ha(-1) denoted as BGA(12.5)). Significant enhancement of growth was observed in the plants growing on amended soils as compared to GS and best response was obtained in amendment of FA(10)+NF(90)+BGA(12.5). Accumulation of Si, Fe, Zn and Mn was higher than Cu, Cd, Ni and As. Arsenic accumulation was detected only in FA(100) and its amendments. Inoculation of BGA(12.5) caused slight reduction in Cd, Ni and As content of plants as compared to NF(120) amendment. The high levels of stress inducible non-protein thiols (NP-SH) and cysteine in FA(100) were decreased by application of NF and BGA indicating stress amelioration. Study suggests integrated use of FA, BGA and NF for improved growth, yield and mineral composition of the rice plants besides reducing the high demand of nitrogen fertilizers.

Arsenic accumulation in root and shoot vis-a-vis its effects on growth and level of phytochelatins in seedlings of Cicer arietinum L.

Arsenic (As) contamination of water and soil has become a subject of prime interest due to its direct effect on human health through drinking water and food. In present study two varieties (CSG-8962 and C-235) of chickpea, Cicer arietinum L., which is a major supplementary food in many parts of India and a valuable source of protein, has been selected to estimate the level of arsenate in root and shoot of five day old seedlings vis-à-vis effect of arsenate on seedling growth and induction of thiols including glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs) and their homologues. Both varieties accumulated arsenate to similar levels and most of the metalloid was confined to roots, only about 2.5% was translocated to shoot. Plant growth was also not affected significantly in both the varieties. Arsenate exposure significantly induced the levels of thiols including PCs and homophytochelatins (hPCs). The induction of thiols was much higher in roots than shoots and was greater in var C-235 between the two tested ones. Thus, both varieties tolerated and detoxified arsenic through chelation with GSH, PCs and hPCs, primarily in roots, however var C-235 performed better

Metal accumulation and growth performance of Phaseolus vulgaris grown in fly ash amended soil.

Phytoextraction of heavy metals from fly ash (FA) contaminated soil was evaluated using Phaseolus vulgaris var. T55. The results showed that electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic carbon (OC) and organic matter (OM) of different amendments decreased with the addition of FA in the soil. The level of diethylene triaminepenta acetic acid (DTPA) extractable metals increased with increase in FA amendments up to 25%. However, Cr was found below detection limit in both the amendments. The metal accumulation in the plant tissues was found in the order of Fe>Zn>Mn>Co>Ni>Pb>Cu>Cd at 25% FA. Accumulation of Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu and Co was found more in the roots while Zn, Pb and Cd were more in the aerial parts.