A Study of Clinical Manifestations and their Association with Antinuclear Antibodies in Various Autoimmune Connective Tissue Disorders.

Background: Autoimmune connective tissue diseases (AICTD) present with a myriad of clinical manifestations, including cutaneous. These disorders occur because of immune dysregulation that produces autoantibodies targeting connective tissue and internal organs. Screening these autoantibodies not only aids in the diagnosis but also in predicting specific organ involvement and the risk of complications related to the disease. Aims: This study was conducted (a) to study various cutaneous and systemic manifestations of AICTD, (b) to study the antinuclear antibody (ANA) profile and (c) to determine the association between systemic manifestations and antinuclear antibodies. Methodology: Thirty cases of autoimmune connective tissue disease were recruited for the study. A physical examination, clinical profile and ANA profile were done. Results: Nonscarring alopecia (83.3%) was the commonest cutaneous manifestation noted, followed by photosensitivity (73.3%). The most common system affected was musculoskeletal (67%), followed by renal (40%). Anti-dsDNA antibodies were significantly associated with musculoskeletal involvement (85%) with a P value of 0.038 and anti-Sm antibodies with neurological involvement (87%), followed by renal involvement (75%) with a P value of 0.018 and 0.001, respectively. Anti-SCL 70 antibodies were significantly associated with lung involvement (75%), with a P value of 0.009 and the presence of anti-SS-A antibodies with cardiovascular involvement (40%) with a P value of 0.014. Conclusion: Antinuclear antibodies are diagnostic as well as prognostic biomarkers for AICTD and contribute to precision medicine. These antibodies serve as markers to pursue involvement of organs, which in turn helps the treating physician to choose appropriate preventive measures.

Start-up, performance and optimization of a compost biofilter treating gas-phase mixture of benzene and toluene.

The performance of a compost biofilter inoculated with mixed microbial consortium was optimized for treating a gas-phase mixture of benzene and toluene. The biofilter was acclimated to these VOCs for a period of ∼18d. The effects of concentration and flow rate on the removal efficiency (RE) and elimination capacity (EC) were investigated by varying the inlet concentration of benzene (0.12-0.95g/m(3)), toluene (0.14-1.48g/m(3)) and gas-flow rate (0.024-0.072m(3)/h). At comparable loading rates, benzene removal in the mixture was reduced in the range of 6.6-41% in comparison with the individual benzene degradation. Toluene removal in mixture was even more affected as observed from the reductions in REs, ranging from 18.4% to 76%. The results were statistically interpreted by performing an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to elucidate the main and interaction effects.

Biological decolourisation of pulp mill effluent using white rot fungus Trametes versicolor.

The conventional biological treatment methods employed in the pulp and paper industries are not effective in reducing the colour and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The white-rot fungi are reported to have the ability to biodegrade the lignin and its derivatives. This paper is focused on the biological treatment of pulp mill effluent from a bagasse-based pulp and paper industry using fungal treatment. Experiments were conducted using the white rot fungus, Trametes versicolor in shake flasks operated in batch mode with different carbon sources. The decolourisation efficiencies of 82.5% and 80.3% were obtained in the presence of 15 g/L and 5 g/L of glucose and sucrose concentrations respectively with a considerable COD reduction. The possibility of reusing the grown fungus was examined for repeated treatment studies.

Statistical optimization for decolorization of textile dyes using Trametes versicolor.

The conventional treatment of dark coloured textile wastewater using chemical coagulation generates large volume of sludge, which requires further treatment and disposal. In the present investigation, a systematic optimization study of the important variables influencing the decolorization of Reactive Orange-16 (RO-16) and Reactive Red-35 (RR-35) dyes by the white-rot fungus (Trametes versicolor) was carried out. A full factorial central composite design was employed for experimental design and optimization of results. The effect of concentrations of dye, glucose and ammonium chloride on decolorization was studied and optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Maximum decolorization of 94.5% and 90.7% for RO-16 and RR-35 was obtained at optimum concentrations of dye, glucose and ammonium chloride i.e., 0.66, 17.50 and 2.69 g/L for RO-16 and 0.68, 16.67 and 2.13 g/L for RR-35, respectively.