Microbial community and functions involved in smokeless tobacco product: a metagenomic approach.

Smokeless tobacco products (STPs) are attributed to oral cancer and oral pathologies in their users. STP-associated cancer induction is driven by carcinogenic compounds including tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). The TSNAs synthesis could enhanced due to the metabolic activity (nitrate metabolism) of the microbial populations residing in STPs, but identifying microbial functions linked to the TSNAs synthesis remains unexplored. Here, we rendered the first report of shotgun metagenomic sequencing to comprehensively determine the genes of all microorganisms residing in the Indian STPs belonging to two commercial (Moist-snuff and Qiwam) and three loose (Mainpuri Kapoori, Dohra, and Gudakhu) STPs, specifically consumed in India. Further, the level of nicotine, TSNAs, mycotoxins, and toxic metals were determined to relate their presence with microbial activity. The microbial population majorly belongs to bacteria with three dominant phyla including Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Firmicutes. Furthermore, the STP-linked microbiome displayed several functional genes associated with nitrogen metabolism and antibiotic resistance. The chemical analysis revealed that the Mainpuri Kapoori product contained a high concentration of ochratoxins-A whereas TSNAs and Zink (Zn) quantities were high in the Moist-snuff, Mainpuri Kapoori, and Gudakhu products. Hence, our observations will help in attributing the functional potential of STP-associated microbiome and in the implementation of cessation strategies against STPs. KEY POINTS: •Smokeless tobacco contains microbes that can assist TSNA synthesis. •Antibiotic resistance genes present in smokeless tobacco-associated bacteria. •Pathogens in STPs can cause infections in smokeless tobacco users.

An atomic scale study of defects in Co2FeAl.

Changes in the local structure and magnetic properties at Fe sites due to defects were addressed in a detailed manner in Co2FeAl by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Based on the systematic correlation of these results a comprehensive understanding of the defects and hence of the different types of disordering that occur in Co2FeAl subjected to different non-equilibrium treatments have been obtained in this study. As high as 35% of the Fe atoms were deduced to be associated with the A2 type of disordering in Co2FeAl, which provides a basic understanding of the observed much lower value of spin polarization as observed in this system against the high value predicted theoretically. Also this study revealed a striking linear correlation between the valence electron concentration and the effective magnetic hyperfine fields as deduced at different sites of occupation of 57Fe atoms.

New insights into defects and magnetic interactions inducing lattice disordering in Co2Fe0.5Cr0.5Al.

Atomic scale understanding of defect induced magnetic interactions resulting in lattice disordering has been deduced in a detailed manner for the first time in Co2Fe0.5Cr0.5Al based on Mössbauer spectroscopic studies and compared with the results obtained in Co2Fe0.8Cr0.2Al and Co2FeAl. An interesting linear correlation between valence electron concentration and the mean hyperfine fields at Fe sites in Co2FeAl based compounds has been deduced which is observed to exhibit different slopes with the substitution of Cr. This study elucidates an important role of the manifestation of the magnetic interactions especially between Fe, Co and Cr atoms leading to significant changes in the concentration and specific types of defects selectively produced in Co2Fe0.5Cr0.5Al as compared with that of Co2Fe0.8Cr0.2Al subjected to similar non-equilibrium treatments in this study. Further, for the first time this study elucidates the striking correlation of the effective value of the hyperfine field with the degree of ordering/disordering of the lattice with the Fe atoms associated with ordered sites experiencing a much higher value of the hyperfine field as compared to that of the disordered sites. This study also proposes optimal annealing treatment for the recovery of defects in Co2Fe0.5Cr0.5Al, which would be of significant importance in these spintronic materials.

Phytochemicals mitigation of Brassica napus by IAA grown under Cd and Pb toxicity and its impact on growth responses of Anagallis arvensis.

Beginning of industrialization accelerates the heavy metal pollution in the biosphere. Plant being the immovable entity utilizes different mechanisms to flee from unfavourable conditions. To alleviate toxic impact of metals like cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), phytohormones such as indole acetic acid (IAA) has been applied exogenously. This manuscript aims to evaluate the significant change occurring in biochemical parameters of Indian mustard (Brassica napus) grown under individual and combined treatments of IAA with Cd and Pb. Herbicidal potential of treated Brassica extracts were evaluated on growth and development of Anagallis arvensis. Quantum yield parameters were more sensitive to Cd than Pb stress resulted in reduced photosynthetic pigments. However, exogenously applied IAA together with Cd and Pb considerably improved the level of photosynthetic attributes along with reduced accumulation of Cd and Pb in Brassica plant. Cd and Pb enhanced the activities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant machinery. However, addition of IAA with Cd and Pb mitigated the effect of heavy metals on antioxidant system. Moreover, activity of the phenylalanine ammonia lyase enzyme and the defensive metabolites (phenolic, flavonoid and anthocyanin compounds) were boosted under individual treatments of Cd and Pb responsible for increasing herbicidal potential of Brassica plant. Our results exhibited essentiality of IAA in mitigating Cd and Pb stress in Brassica through up-regulated mechanisms of the antioxidant system for balancing ROS related injuries. Increased metabolites enhancing herbicidal potential of Brassica napus against Anagallis weed were also observed.

Composition and Ecological Functionality of Fungal Communities Associated with Smokeless Tobacco Products Mainly Consumed in India.

The microbial communities present in smokeless tobacco products (STPs) perform critical steps in the synthesis of carcinogens, mainly tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Most studies emphasize the bacterial component, and the mycobiome of STPs has not been well characterized. In this study, we investigated the fungal communities in the different categories of STPs by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA region of the fungal genome. The ecological character of the fungal community associated with STPs was determined by using FUNGuild. Our results indicated that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the most abundant fungal phyla across all STPs. The predominant fungal genera in STPs were Pichia, Sterigmatomyces, and Mortierella. The α-diversity varied significantly across the STPs based on observed, Fisher, and Shannon indices. Using SparCC cooccurrence network analysis, significant positive correlations of 58.5% and negative connections of 41.5% were obtained among fungal genera identified in STPs. Furthermore, the functional predictions by FUNGuild determined that STPs possessed high abundances of saprotroph and pathotroph-saprotroph-symbiotroph fungal trophic groups. At the functional guild level, the qiwam samples contained high abundances of soil saprotrophs, while plant pathogens were prevalent in pan-masala samples. These results suggest that various fungal populations reside in STPs and interrelate with each other and can contribute to the synthesis of TSNAs. This study has established the basis for future large-scale investigations of STP-associated mycobiota and the impact of such mycobiota in oral carcinogenesis in STP users via inflammation and carcinogens (TSNAs and mycotoxins). IMPORTANCE Smokeless tobacco products (STPs) contain complex microbial communities that influence the synthesis of carcinogens, such as tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Research on STP-associated bacterial populations revealed connections between bacterial metabolism and TSNA synthesis. The abundance of the fungal population may also have an impact on the production of TSNAs. This study examined STPs popularly used in India, and diverse fungal communities were identified in these STPs. Pichia, Sterigmatomyces, and Mortierella were the predominant fungal genera in the STPs. High abundances of saprotroph and pathotroph-saprotroph-symbiotroph trophic groups in STPs could affect the degradation of tobacco products and the synthesis of TSNAs.

Role of Bio-Based Synthesized Nanozinc Oxide in Ameliorating the Deleterious Effects Caused by Lead in Vigna radiata L.

The present work describes the bio-based green synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) using leaf extract of Tridax procumbens; the synthesized nanoparticles were used to study their beneficial effect on the growth and metabolism of Vigna radiata. ZnO NPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectra). Growth of V. radiata seedlings was measured in terms of shoot length and root length that were treated 20 and 40 mg/L concentrations of green synthesized ZnO NPs and constant concentration (50 mg/L) of PbCl2. These studies have shown the effect of ZnO NPs in the stimulation of growth as well as physiological and biochemical parameters. Vigna seedlings showed positive effects depending upon the increasing concentrations of ZnO NPs. This study suggests that ZnO NPs can be effectively used to ameliorate the toxicity of Pb in Vigna plants.

Prevalence and association of co-morbidities in diabetic patients along with prescription patterns in Delhi-NCT, India.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is rising at an alarming rate in India and the national capital forms a significant part of the nation's diabetic population. The metabolic disorder is no more a disease specific to the rich countries but has also markedly spread its roots in middle-income countries. OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the prevalence of associated co-morbidities in the diabetic population of Delhi, a metropolitan city in India. Moreover, this study was conducted to help with adding information to the limited shreds of evidence of diabetes prevalence in Delhi along with the usually preferred therapies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, observational, survey-based study was conducted on people (n = 798) of different age groups (18 years and above) belonging to different regions of Delhi. All subjects were enrolled after obtaining oral consent. Detailed information about clinical, demographic and metabolic profiles was obtained with the help of a pre-structured, open-ended questionnaire. The data were analyzed, and the correlation between diabetes and several other fields was drawn. RESULTS: Out of the 798 diabetic patients 458 (57.39%) were males and 340 (42.60%) were females. The presence of diabetes was higher in the age group of 50-60 years irrespective of the gender. CO-MORBIDITIES: 54.13% of patients suffered with additional co-morbidities which is significantly high. The associated co-morbidities found in the survey included Hypertension, Hypothyroidism, Dyslipidemia, Obesity, Coronary Artery Diseases etc. About 30.57% of patients suffered from hypertension making it the most commonly associated co-morbidity. The other diseases included hypothyroidism (11.52%), Dyslipidemia (10.27%), Obesity (9.27%) etc. MEDICATION: Majority of patients i.e about 60.65% received oral hypoglycemic agents (including patients receiving both insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents). About 19.92% of patients were prescribed with insulin. 14.16% of patients were found to be following diet control and yoga with about 3.13% more females the males. A small percentage of patients (5.25%) were also following alternative systems (Ayurvedic/Unani/Homeopathic) of treatment. Overall, amongst oral hypoglycemic agents, the combination of metformin and DPP4 inhibitors (Vildagliptin, Sitagliptin) was being prescribed majorly i.e 16.41%. CONCLUSION: The number of diabetic population is high in Delhi. It was evident that a significant percentage of diabetic patients suffered from additional diseases that may lead to worsening of the health conditions. Thus, there is an urgent need to educate and spread awareness amongst the masses about the potential benefits of lifestyle modifications like the incorporation of a healthy diet and physical activities. Additionally, continuous and regular tests should be taken to avoid further complications.