Prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety among the Bangladeshi university entrance test-taking students using GIS technology.

This study focuses on Bangladeshi university entrance test-taking students mental health problems and explores the geographical distribution of these problems using GIS technique. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1523 university entrance test-taking students. Data were collected on participants' socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related factors, admission tests, depression, and anxiety. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were performed using SPSS software. GIS mapping was used to visualize the distribution of mental health problems across districts using ArcGIS. The study found that the prevalence rates of depression and anxiety among university entrance examinees were 53.8% and 33.2%, respectively. Males exhibited higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to females, while repeat test-taking students were more susceptible to these mental health issues compared to first-time test-takers. Factors such as urban residence, personal/familial COVID-19 infections, and COVID-19 deaths in close relationships were associated with increased mental health problems. District-based distribution showed no significant variation in depression, but anxiety varied significantly. Post-hoc GIS analysis revealed variations in the distribution of depression and anxiety among males, as well as variations in anxiety distribution based on student status across districts. This study emphasizes the high prevalence of depression and anxiety among university entrance examinees, emphasizing the importance of addressing mental health risks in this population. It also suggests the need for reforms in the university entrance test-taking system to reduce psychological problems and advocates for a more inclusive approach to student admissions to alleviate mental health burdens.

Insights into the evolutionary and ecological adaption strategies of nirS- and nirK-type denitrifying communities.

Denitrification is a crucial process in the global nitrogen cycle, in which two functionally equivalent genes, nirS and nirK, catalyse the critical reaction and are usually used as marker genes. The nirK gene can function independently, whereas nirS requires additional genes to encode nitrite reductase and is more sensitive to environmental factors than nirK. However, the ecological differentiation mechanisms of those denitrifying microbial communities and their adaptation strategies to environmental stresses remain unclear. Here, we conducted metagenomic analysis for sediments and bioreactor samples from Lake Donghu, China. We found that nirS-type denitrifying communities had a significantly lower horizontal gene transfer frequency than that of nirK-type denitrifying communities, and nirS gene phylogeny was more congruent with taxonomy than that of nirK gene. Metabolic reconstruction of metagenome-assembled genomes further revealed that nirS-type denitrifying communities have robust metabolic systems for energy conservation, enabling them to survive under environmental stresses. Nevertheless, nirK-type denitrifying communities seemed to adapt to oxygen-limited environments with the ability to utilize various carbon and nitrogen compounds. Thus, this study provides novel insights into the ecological differentiation mechanism of nirS and nirK-type denitrifying communities, as well as the regulation of the global nitrogen cycle and greenhouse gas emissions.

Legacy of Compassion: The Life and Contributions of Dr. Ronald Joseph Garst in Advancing Orthopaedic Surgery in Bangladesh.

Dr. Ronald Joseph Garst, a distinguished spine surgeon and missionary, significantly impacted the field of orthopaedic surgery in Bangladesh, especially during and after the country's Liberation War, when the nation had no orthopaedic specialists. His experiences during Bangladesh's struggle for independence inspired him to establish rehabilitation centers for injured freedom fighters and to found the Rehabilitation Institute and Hospital for the Disabled (RIHD), which later became the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), Bangladesh's first tertiary-level trauma center. In Bangladesh, Dr. Garst was critical in organizing care for injured freedom fighters, setting up a central limb and brace center, and launching a post-graduate training program for orthopaedics, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists. He successfully raised funds, attracted international support, and provided essential training to Bangladeshi doctors, nurses, and limb-makers.  Dr. Garst's legacy extends beyond his medical achievements; his humanitarian spirit and dedication to helping the underprivileged earned him honorary citizenship in Bangladesh. He remained committed to supporting ongoing efforts at RIHD, frequently visiting Bangladesh and contributing equipment and training materials until his passing. Dr. Garst's contributions, such as initiating morning academic sessions at RIHD, continue to influence the orthopaedic community in Bangladesh. This article explores Dr. Garst's remarkable journey, his influence on orthopaedic surgery in Bangladesh, and the enduring impact of his work.

Ecological and evolutionary processes involved in shaping microbial habitat generalists and specialists in urban park ecosystems.

Microbiomes are integral to ecological health and human well-being; however, their ecological and evolutionary drivers have not been systematically investigated, especially in urban park ecosystems. As microbes have different levels of tolerance to environmental changes and habitat preferences, they can be categorized into habitat generalists and specialists. Here, we explored the ecological and evolutionary characteristics of both prokaryotic and microeukaryotic habitat generalists and specialists from six urban parks across five habitat types, including moss, soil, tree hole, water, and sediment. Our results revealed that different ecological and evolutionary processes maintained and regulated microbial diversity in urban park ecosystems. Under ecological perspective, community assembly of microbial communities was mainly driven by stochastic processes; however, deterministic processes were higher for habitat specialists than generalists. Microbial interactions were highly dynamic among habitats, and habitat specialists played key roles as module hubs in intradomain networks. In aquatic interdomain networks, microeukaryotic habitat specialists and prokaryotic habitat specialists played crucial roles as module hubs and connectors, respectively. Furthermore, analyzing evolutionary characteristics, our results revealed that habitat specialists had a much higher diversification potential than generalists, while generalists showed shorter phylogenetic branch lengths as well as larger genomes than specialists. This study broadens our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary features of microbial habitat generalists and specialists in urban park ecosystems across multi-habitat. IMPORTANCE: Urban parks, as an important urban greenspace, play essential roles in ecosystem services and are important hotspots for microbes. Microbial diversity is driven by different ecological and evolutionary processes, while little is currently known about the distinct roles of ecological and evolutionary features in shaping microbial diversity in urban park ecosystems. We explored the ecological and evolutionary characteristics of prokaryotic and microeukaryotic habitat generalists and specialists in urban park ecosystems based on a representative set of different habitats. We found that different ecological and evolutionary drivers jointly maintained and regulated microbial diversity in urban park microbiomes through analyzing the community assembly process, ecological roles in hierarchical interaction, and species diversification potential. These findings significantly advance our understanding regarding the mechanisms governing microbial diversity in urban park ecosystems.

Human intervention caused massive destruction of the second largest mangrove forest, Chakaria Sundarbans, Bangladesh.

Mangroves provide essential ecosystem services including coastal protection by acting as coastal greenbelts; however, human-driven anthropogenic activities altered their existence and ecosystem functions worldwide. In this study, the successive degradation of the second largest mangrove forest, Chakaria Sundarbans situated at the northern Bay of Bengal part of Bangladesh was assessed using remote sensing approaches. A total of five multi-temporal Landsat satellite imageries were collected and used to observe the land use land cover (LULC) changes over the time periods for the years 1972, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. Further, the supervised classification technique with the help of support vector machine (SVM) algorithm in ArcGIS 10.8 was used to process images. Our results revealed a drastic change of Chakaria Sundarbans mangrove forest, that the images of 1972 were comprised of mudflat, waterbody, and mangroves, while the images of 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 were classified as waterbody, mangrove, saltpan, and shrimp farm. Most importantly, mangrove forest was the largest covering area a total of 64.2% in 1972, but gradually decreased to 12.7%, 6.4%, 1.9%, and 4.6% for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. Interestingly, the rate of mangrove forest area degradation was similar to the net increase of saltpan and shrimp farms. The kappa coefficients of classified images were 0.83, 0.87, 0.80, 0.87, and 0.91 with the overall accuracy of 88.9%, 90%, 85%, 90%, and 93.3% for the years 1972, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020, respectively. By analyzing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and transformed difference vegetation index (TDVI), our results validated that green vegetated area was decreased alarmingly with time in this study area. This destruction was mainly related to active human-driven anthropogenic activities, particularly creating embankments for fish farms or salt productions, and cutting for collection of wood as well. Together all, our results provide clear evidence of active anthropogenic stress on coastal ecosystem health by altering mangrove forest to saltpan and shrimp farm saying goodbye to the second largest mangrove forest in one of the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.

Elevated Uptake and Translocation Patterns of Heavy Metals in Different Food Plants Parts and Their Impacts on Human Health.

Irrigation with contaminated wastewater is a common practice in cultivation of crops and vegetables in many developing countries due to the scarcity of available fresh water. The present study has investigated the transfer and mobilization trends of heavy metals in different crops and vegetables plants grown in contaminated soil and waterbody. The translocation patterns of metals from polluted sources into different organs of plants bodies such as roots and edible parts and associated health risks have been evaluated simultaneously. Total of 180 different environmental samples including food plants, agricultural soil, and irrigation water were collected and analyzed. Heavy metal concentrations (Fe, Ni, Mn, Pb, Cu, Cd, As) in water, soil, and different parts of crops and vegetable plants were compared with the permissible levels reported by FAO/WHO, EU, and USEPA. Different metals contents within the food plants were found to be in the order of Fe > Mn > Ni > Cu > Pb > Cd > As. Pollution load index (PLI) data indicate that soil is highly polluted with Cd as well as moderately contaminated by As and Cu. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) analysis showed excessive accumulation of some heavy metals in crops and vegetables. Target hazard quotient (THQ) and target carcinogenic risk (TCR) analysis data showed higher carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks for both adult and children from the consumption of metal-contaminated food items. The results of metal pollution index (MPI), estimated daily intake (EDI), and hazard index (HI) analyses demonstrated the patterns of metals pollution in different food plants.

Genetic association of novel SNPs in HK-1 (rs201626997) and HK-3 (rs143604141) with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Bangladeshi population.

BACKGROUND: Hexokinase, a key enzyme in glycolysis, has isoforms like HK-1, HK-2, HK-3, and Glucokinase. Unpublished exome sequencing data showed that two novel polymorphisms in HK-1 rs201626997 (G/T) and HK-3 rs143604141 (G/A) exist in the Bangladeshi population. We investigated the possible relationship of these SNPs with T2DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood samples from the study participants were used to isolate their genomic DNA. An allele-specific PCR was standardized that can discriminate between the wild-type and mutant-type alleles of HK-1 (rs201626997) and HK-3 (rs143604141) polymorphisms. The data was analyzed by SPSS for statistics. RESULTS: We performed allele-specific PCR for 249 diabetic patients and 195 control samples. For HK-1 (rs201626997), 24 (5.4%) have a mutant allele, and for HK-3 (rs143604141), 25 (5.6%) are mutant. There is no significant relationship between the individuals' disease condition and the HK-1 polymorphism (P value 0.537). But the GA genotype of the HK-3 rs143604141 pertains to an increased risk of diabetes (P value 0.039). HK-3 rs143604141 polymorphism has a moderate correlation (P value 0.078, OR, 3.11, 95% CI, 0.88-10.94) with a family diabetic history. Both polymorphisms showed no significant correlation with gender or BMI. However, hexokinase-1 polymorphism significantly related with diastolic blood pressure (P value 0.048). CONCLUSION: This study will help us to easily detect the polymorphisms of HK-1 (rs201626997) and HK-3 (rs143604141) in different populations of the world. Further studies with a greater number of participants and more physiological information are required to better understand the underlying genetic causes of T2DM susceptibility in Bangladesh.

Community stability of free-living and particle-attached bacteria in a subtropical reservoir with salinity fluctuations over 3 years.

Changes in salinity have a profound influence on ecological services and functions of inland freshwater ecosystems, as well as on the shaping of microbial communities. Bacterioplankton, generally classified into free-living (FL) and particle-attached (PA) forms, are main components of freshwater ecosystems and play key functional roles for biogeochemical cycling and ecological stability. However, there is limited knowledge about the responses of community stability of both FL and PA bacteria to salinity fluctuations. Here, we systematically explored changes in community stability of both forms of bacteria based on high-frequency sampling in a shallow urban reservoir (Xinglinwan Reservoir) in subtropical China for 3 years. Our results indicated that (1) salinity was the strongest environmental factor determining FL and PA bacterial community compositions - rising salinity increased the compositional stability of both bacterial communities but decreased their α-diversity. (2) The community stability of PA bacteria was significantly higher than that of FL at high salinity level with low salinity variance scenarios, while the opposite was found for FL bacteria, i.e., their stability was higher than PA bacteria at low salinity level with high variance scenarios. (3) Both bacterial traits (e.g., bacterial genome size and interaction strength of rare taxa) and precipitation-induced factors (e.g., changes in salinity and particle) likely contributed collectively to differences in community stability of FL and PA bacteria under different salinity scenarios. Our study provides additional scientific basis for ecological management, protection and restoration of urban reservoirs under changing climatic and environmental conditions.

Working Hours and Personal Protective Equipment Effect on Blood Cholinesterase Levels of Tobacco Plantation Workers

@#Introduction: Tobacco production is increasing in certain regions of Indonesia due to its high economic value. Tobacco and its products can have harmful effects on the health of consumers, producers and processing workers. Analysis of blood samples has shown that tobacco farmers are at risk of developing occupational diseases related to pesticide exposure and nicotine absorption through the epidermis of wet tobacco leaves. The aim of this study was to compare blood cholinesterase levels in tobacco plantation workers in relation to their working hours and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in ten subdistricts in Jember district, Indonesia, and included 50 participants selected using proportional sampling. Spearman’s test was used to analyse the relationship between variables. Results: The significance value of the relationship based on Spearman’s test between working hours and blood cholinesterase levels of tobacco farmers in Jember was 0.058 > α (0.05). Meanwhile, the significance value of the relationship between working hours and complete blood count, specifically mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), was 0.00 < α (0.05), and between PPE use and blood cholinesterase levels was 0.035 < α (0.05). Conclusion: Working hours were not associated with blood cholinesterase levels, but were associated with blood MCHC levels. Meanwhile, the use of PPE was found to be associated with cholinesterase levels in tobacco farmers.

Immunoinformatics-aided rational design of multiepitope-based peptide vaccine (MEBV) targeting human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV-3) stable proteins.

BACKGROUND: Human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) are common RNA viruses responsible for respiratory tract infections. Human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV-3) is particularly pathogenic, causing severe illnesses with no effective vaccine or therapy available. RESULTS: The current study employed a systematic immunoinformatic/reverse vaccinology approach to design a multiple epitope-based peptide vaccine against HPIV-3 by analyzing the virus proteome. On the basis of a number of therapeutic features, all three stable and antigenic proteins with greater immunological relevance, namely matrix protein, hemagglutinin neuraminidase, and RNA-directed RNA polymerase L, were chosen for predicting and screening suitable T-cell and B-cell epitopes. All of our desired epitopes exhibited no homology with human proteins, greater population coverage (99.26%), and high conservancy among reported HPIV-3 isolates worldwide. All of the T- and B-cell epitopes are then joined by putative ligands, yielding a 478-amino acid-long final construct. Upon computational refinement, validation, and thorough screening, several programs rated our peptide vaccine as biophysically stable, antigenic, allergenic, and non-toxic in humans. The vaccine protein demonstrated sufficiently stable interaction as well as binding affinity with innate immune receptors TLR3, TLR4, and TLR8. Furthermore, codon optimization and virtual cloning of the vaccine sequence in a pET32a ( +) vector showed that it can be readily expressed in the bacterial system. CONCLUSION: The in silico designed HPIV-3 vaccine demonstrated potential in evoking an effective immune response. This study paves the way for further preclinical and clinical evaluation of the vaccine, offering hope for a future solution to combat HPIV-3 infections.

Heavy metals contamination, receptor model-based sources identification, sources-specific ecological and health risks in road dust of a highly developed city.

The present study quantified Ni, Cu, Cr, Pb, Cd, As, Zn, and Fe levels in road dust collected from a variety of sites in Tangail, Bangladesh. The goal of this study was to use a matrix factorization model to identify the specific origin of these components and to evaluate the ecological and health hazards associated with each potential origin. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentrations of Cu, Ni, Cr, Pb, As, Zn, Cd, and Fe. The average concentrations of these elements were found to be 30.77 ± 8.80, 25.17 ± 6.78, 39.49 ± 12.53, 28.74 ± 7.84, 1.90 ± 0.79, 158.30 ± 28.25, 2.42 ± 0.69, and 18,185.53 ± 4215.61 mg/kg, respectively. Compared to the top continental crust, the mean values of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were 1.09, 1.69, 2.36, and 26.88 times higher, respectively. According to the Nemerow integrated pollution index (NIPI), pollution load index (PLI), Nemerow integrated risk index (NIRI), and potential ecological risk (PER), 84%, 42%, 30%, and 16% of sampling areas, respectively, which possessed severe contamination. PMF model revealed that Cu (43%), Fe (69.3%), and Cd (69.2%) were mainly released from mixed sources, natural sources, and traffic emission, respectively. Traffic emission posed high and moderate risks for modified NIRI and potential ecological risks. The calculated PMF model-based health hazards indicated that the cancer risk value for traffic emission, natural, and mixed sources had been greater than (1.0E-04), indicating probable cancer risks and that traffic emission posed 38% risk to adult males where 37% for both adult females and children.

Growth mechanisms of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on metal surfaces: theoretical perspectives.

Two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has appeared as a promising material in diverse areas of applications, including as an excellent substrate for graphene devices, deep-ultraviolet emitters, and tunneling barriers, thanks to its outstanding stability, flat surface, and wide-bandgap. However, for achieving such exciting applications, controllable mass synthesis of high-quality and large-scale h-BN is a precondition. The synthesis of h-BN on metal surfaces using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has been extensively studied, aiming to obtain large-scale and high-quality materials. The atomic-scale growth process, which is a prerequisite for rationally optimizing growth circumstances, is a key topic in these investigations. Although theoretical investigations on h-BN growth mechanisms are expected to reveal numerous new insights and understandings, different growth methods have completely dissimilar mechanisms, making theoretical research extremely challenging. In this article, we have summarized the recent cutting-edge theoretical research on the growth mechanisms of h-BN on different metal substrates. On the frequently utilized Cu substrate, h-BN development was shown to be more challenging than a simple adsorption-dehydrogenation-growth scenario. Controlling the number of surface layers is also an important challenge. Growth on the Ni surface is controlled by precipitation. An unusual reaction-limited aggregation growth behavior has been seen on interfaces having a significant lattice mismatch to h-BN. With intensive theoretical investigations employing advanced simulation approaches, further progress in understanding h-BN growth processes is predicted, paving the way for guided growth protocol design.

Relic DNA obscures DNA-based profiling of multiple microbial taxonomic groups in a river-reservoir ecosystem.

Numerous studies have investigated the spatiotemporal variability in water microbial communities, yet the effects of relic DNA on microbial community profiles, especially microeukaryotes, remain far from fully understood. Here, total and active bacterial and microeukaryotic community compositions were characterized using propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment coupled with high-throughput sequencing in a river-reservoir ecosystem. Beta diversity analysis showed a significant difference in community composition between both the PMA untreated and treated bacteria and microeukaryotes; however, the differentiating effect was much stronger for microeukaryotes. Relic DNA only resulted in underestimation of the relative abundances of Bacteroidota and Nitrospirota, while other bacterial taxa exhibited no significant changes. As for microeukaryotes, the relative abundances of some phytoplankton (e.g. Chlorophyta, Dinoflagellata and Ochrophyta) and fungi were greater after relic DNA removal, whereas Cercozoa and Ciliophora showed the opposite trend. Moreover, relic DNA removal weakened the size and complexity of cross-trophic microbial networks and significantly changed the relationships between environmental factors and microeukaryotic community composition. However, there was no significant difference in the rates of temporal community turnover between the PMA untreated and treated samples for either bacteria or microeukaryotes. Overall, our results imply that the presence of relic DNA in waters can give misleading information of the active microbial community composition, co-occurrence networks and their relationships with environmental conditions. More studies of the abundance, decay rate and functioning of nonviable DNA in freshwater ecosystems are highly recommended in the future.

Efficacy, Safety, and Reliability of the Single Anterior Approach for Subaxial Cervical Spine Dislocation.

Background Though there is ongoing controversy regarding the best treatment option for cervical spine dislocation (CSD), anterior cervical surgery with direct decompression is becoming widely accepted. However, managing all cases of subaxial CSD entirely by a single anterior approach is rarely seen in the published literature. Methods The study comprised patients with subaxial CSD who underwent surgical stabilization utilizing a single anterior approach. Most of the CSD was reduced and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) were performed. Anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) were done in unreduced dislocations. The patient's neurological condition, radiological findings, and functional outcomes were assessed. SPSS version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used for statistical analysis. Results The total number of operated cases was 64, with an average of 42 months of follow-up. The mean age was 34.50±11.92 years. The most prevalent level of injury was C5/C6 (57.7%). Reduction was achieved in 92.2% of cases; only 7.8% of patients needed corpectomy. The typical operative time was 84.25±9.55 minutes, with an average blood loss of 112.12±25.27 ml. All cases except complete spinal cord injury (CSI) were improved neurologically (87.63%). The mean Neck Disability Index (NDI) was 11.14±11.43, and the pre-operative mean visual analog score (VAS) was finally improved to 2.05±0.98 (P<0.05). In all cases, fusion was achieved. The most common complication was transient dysphagia (23.4%). After surgery, no patient developed or aggravated a neurological impairment. Implant failure was not observed at the final follow-up except for two cases where screws were pulled out partially. Conclusion Based on the results of this study, a single anterior approach is a safe and effective procedure for subaxial CSD treatment with favorable radiological, neurological, and functional outcomes.

Dietary Administration of Engineered Nano-selenium and Vitamin C Ameliorates Immune Response, Nutritional Physiology, Oxidative Stress, and Resistance Against Aeromonas hydrophila in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

Functional trace elements and vitamins can boost immunity and anti-oxidative response in aquatic animals with effects on nutritional physiology. Nano-selenium (nano-Se) and vitamin C (VC) have been used as immunomodulators and antioxidants in fish feed. The present work was performed to determine the protective effects of diets supplemented with different combinations of nano-Se and VC on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Triplicate groups of 20 fish/tank (13.87 ± 0.10 g) were reared and fed with basal diet (control-T1) (without supplementation of nano-Se and VC) and three experimental diets as T2, T3, and T4 (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg VC respectively) with a pre-determined dose of nano-Se (1.0 mg/kg) for 90 days. Different immune indices, haemato-biochemical, and antioxidant activities were measured at the end of the first, second, and third months of feeding. The findings depicted that significantly (p < 0.05) higher growth was observed in T4. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and haemoglobin were found significantly (p < 0.05) higher in T4 for the third month. Serum biochemical-immunological indices (alkaline phosphatase, glucose, cholesterol, lysozyme, myeloperoxidase, total protein, albumin and globulin) followed the same trend. Furthermore, antioxidant assays such as catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and malondialdehyde were significantly (p < 0.05) improved in T4 for the third month. Significantly (p < 0.05) least cumulative mortality against Aeromonas hydrophila was obtained in the fish-fed diets incorporated with nano-Se and VC. Therefore, dietary supplementation with nano-Se and VC is noteworthy for improving growth, serum biochemical status, immune response, antioxidant status, and disease resistance.

Contamination of Selected Toxic Elements in Integrated Chicken-Fish Farm Settings of Bangladesh and Associated Human Health Risk Assessments.

The presence of trace elements in the environment can contaminate a food chain of an agro farm in various ways. Integrated chicken-fish farms (i.e., where poultry chicken and fish are cultivated in same places) are getting popular nowadays to meet the demands of a balanced diet. The present study conducted a health risk assessment on the basis of selected heavy metal (i.e., Cr and Pb) and metalloid (i.e., As) contamination in this type of farm in Bangladesh. Samples of various types were collected from different farms between September 2019 and March 2020. The concentrations of the elements were checked by Flame-AAS and HG-AAS. Our findings demonstrated that the elements' concentrations in fishes were simultaneously induced by the habitation and bioaccumulation through the food chain of the farm. The concentrations of As and Pb in the chicken parts and Cr and As in some fishes were greater than the highest limits set by different permissible standards. Overall, the metal concentration obtained in different samples was in descending order: sediment > droppings > different fish parts > various species of chicken > pond water. Among the pollutants, As gave target hazard quotient (THQ) values higher than 1 for all the species, suggesting health risks from the intake of fishes and chicken. However, there was non-target cancer risk present while considering all the elements together. Notably, the study found carcinogenic risks of As, Pb, and Cr for humans due to poultry and/or fish consumption; the identified health risks associated with the integrated farming setting will be crucial in further tackling strategies. Investigation of the possible sources of heavy metals in commercial chicken feeds and regular monitoring of groundwater used for agro-farming are highly recommended to reduce the burden.

Planktonic ciliate community driven by environmental variables and cyanobacterial blooms: A 9-year study in two subtropical reservoirs.

It is well-established that environmental variability and cyanobacterial blooms have major effects on the assembly and functioning of bacterial communities in both marine and freshwater habitats. It remains unclear, however, how the ciliate community responds to such changes over the long-term, particularly in subtropical lake and reservoir ecosystems. We analysed 9-year planktonic ciliate data series from the surface water of two subtropical reservoirs to elucidate the role of cyanobacterial bloom and environmental variabilities on the ciliate temporal dynamics. We identified five distinct periods of cyanobacterial succession in both reservoirs. Using multiple time-scale analyses, we found that the interannual variability of ciliate communities was more strongly related to cyanobacterial blooms than to other environmental variables or to seasonality. Moreover, the percentage of species turnover across cyanobacterial bloom and non-bloom periods increased significantly with time over the 9-year period. Phylogenetic analyses further indicated that 84 %-86 % of ciliate community turnover was governed by stochastic dispersal limitation or undominated processes, suggesting that the ciliate communities in subtropical reservoirs were mainly controlled by neutral processes. However, short-term blooms increased the selection pressure and drove 30 %-53 % of the ciliate community turnover. We found that the ciliate community composition was influenced by environmental conditions with nutrients, cyanobacterial biomass and microzooplankton having direct and/or indirect significant effects on the ciliate taxonomic or functional community dynamics. Our results provide new insights into the long-term temporal dynamics of planktonic ciliate communities under cyanobacterial bloom disturbance.

Scaling up the production of myco-coagulant using solid-state fermentation for water treatment

Aims@#Providing safe drinking water is an ongoing global concern. Coagulation is an essential process in water treatment. However, most of the coagulants are chemical in nature and have negative impacts on human health and the environment. This study investigated the production of myco-coagulant in solid-state fermentation using a fungal strain. @*Methodology and results@#A scale-up was performed using the tray method to investigate the influence of substrate thickness (from 2-30 mm) on myco-coagulant production. The results revealed that the turbidity removal efficiency of myco-coagulant in kaolin suspension was found to be increasing with the increase in thickness of the coco peat substrate. However, the myco-coagulant extracted from the media with a thickness of 30 mm was able to remove the highest turbidity by 96%. Three different subculturing methods for mycelium inoculation were evaluated. The surface inoculation approach produced better results than other inoculation processes. The effect of initial turbidity values (50-300 NTU) on turbidity removal was studied too. The myco-coagulant was found to be the most suitable for high-turbidity water (300 NTU) with turbidity removal of 52%. Subculturing of fungus from solid-state to solid-state was also studied, which showed that the strategy was just as effective as an inoculum-based subculture. @*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#Excellent bio-coagulation activity has been shown for the myco-coagulant that was isolated from the fungus strain. Subculturing using existing substrates will be more economical than subculturing using fresh inoculum. This strategy saves time, labour and cost of the coagulant production.

Role of Acetic Acid and Nitric Oxide against Salinity and Lithium Stress in Canola (Brassica napus L.).

In this study, canola (Brassica napus L.) seedlings were treated with individual and combined salinity and lithium (Li) stress, with and without acetic acid (AA) or nitric acid (NO), to investigate their possible roles against these stresses. Salinity intensified Li-induced damage, and the principal component analysis revealed that this was primarily driven by increased oxidative stress, deregulation of sodium and potassium accumulation, and an imbalance in tissue water content. However, pretreatment with AA and NO prompted growth, re-established sodium and potassium homeostasis, and enhanced the defense system against oxidative and nitrosative damage by triggering the antioxidant capacity. Combined stress negatively impacted phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, affecting flavonoids, carotenoids, and anthocyanin levels, which were then restored in canola plants primed with AA and NO. Additionally, AA and NO helped to maintain osmotic balance by increasing trehalose and proline levels and upregulating signaling molecules such as hydrogen sulfide, γ-aminobutyric acid, and salicylic acid. Both AA and NO improved Li detoxification by increasing phytochelatins and metallothioneins, and reducing glutathione contents. Comparatively, AA exerted more effective protection against the detrimental effects of combined stress than NO. Our findings offer novel perspectives on the impacts of combining salt and Li stress.

Exogenous nitric oxide promotes salinity tolerance in plants: A meta-analysis.

Nitric oxide (NO) has received much attention since it can boost plant defense mechanisms, and plenty of studies have shown that exogenous NO improves salinity tolerance in plants. However, because of the wide range of experimental settings, it is difficult to assess the administration of optimal dosages, frequency, timing, and method of application and the overall favorable effects of NO on growth and yield improvements. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to reveal the exact physiological and biochemical mechanisms and to understand the influence of plant-related or method-related factors on NO-mediated salt tolerance. Exogenous application of NO significantly influenced biomass accumulation, growth, and yield irrespective of salinity stress. According to this analysis, seed priming and foliar pre-treatment were the most effective methods of NO application to plants. Moreover, one-time and regular intervals of NO treatment were more beneficial for plant growth. The optimum concentration of NO ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 mM, and it alleviates salinity stress up to 150 mM NaCl. Furthermore, the beneficial effect of NO treatment was more pronounced as salinity stress was prolonged (>21 days). This meta-analysis showed that NO supplementation was significantly applicable at germination and seedling stages. Interestingly, exogenous NO treatment boosted plant growth most efficiently in dicots. This meta-analysis showed that exogenous NO alleviates salt-induced oxidative damage and improves plant growth and yield potential by regulating osmotic balance, mineral homeostasis, photosynthetic machinery, the metabolism of reactive oxygen species, and the antioxidant defense mechanism. Our analysis pointed out several research gaps, such as lipid metabolism regulation, reproductive stage performance, C4 plant responses, field-level yield impact, and economic profitability of farmers in response to exogenous NO, which need to be evaluated in the subsequent investigation.