Complete mitochondrial genomes of edible mushrooms: features, evolution, and phylogeny.

Edible mushrooms are an important food source with high nutritional and medicinal value. They are a useful source for studying phylogenetic evolution and species divergence. The exploration of the evolutionary relationships among these species conventionally involves analyzing sequence variations within their complete mitochondrial genomes, which range from 31,854 bp (Cordyceps militaris) to 197,486 bp (Grifolia frondosa). The study of the complete mitochondrial genomes of edible mushrooms has emerged as a critical field of research, providing important insights into fungal genetic makeup, evolution, and phylogenetic relationships. This review explores the mitochondrial genome structures of various edible mushroom species, highlighting their unique features and evolutionary adaptations. By analyzing these genomes, robust phylogenetic frameworks are constructed to elucidate mushrooms lineage relationships. Furthermore, the exploration of different variations of mitochondrial DNA presents novel opportunities for enhancing mushroom cultivation biotechnology and medicinal applications. The mitochondrial genomic features are essential for improving agricultural practices and ensuring food security through improved crop productivity, disease resistance, and nutritional qualities. The current knowledge about the mitochondrial genomes of edible mushrooms is summarized in this review, emphasising their significance in both scientific research and practical applications in bioinformatics and medicine.

Variations in the Behaviour, Survival, Haematology, and Biochemistry of Ctenopharyngodon idella (Grass Carp) After Exposure to Commercial Grade Atrazine.

The current study assessed the harmful effects of Atrazine (ATZ) herbicide on haematology and biochemistry of the freshwater fish Ctenopharyngodon idella, a commercially significant fish in Pakistan. C. idella (13 ± 8.4 cm; 132 ± 5.6 g) was exposed to graded levels of ATZ, and its 96-hour LC50 value at 25°C was calculated to be 150.5 µl/L. After exposure to ATZ, fish displayed rapid movements, a loss of balance in position and equilibrium, anxious swimming patterns, colour changes, and increased mucous production. The MCHC, MCH, RBCs, and Hb in C. idella decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the MCV, Ht, and WBCs were significantly increased (P < 0.05). At different time intervals (24, 48, 72, and 96 h) following ATZ administration (50, 100, 150, and 200 µl/L), biochemical analysis significantly decreased (P < 0.05) triglyceride, total protein, cholesterol, and albumin levels, whereas glucose levels significantly increased (P < 0.05). We concluded that ATZ is toxic to C. idella, altering their haematology and blood biochemistry even after only a brief exposure.

Heavy metals phytofiltration potential of Hydrocotyle umbellata from Nullah Lai wastewater and its environmental risk.

This study aims to examine the heavy metal phytofiltration potential of Hydrocotyle umbellata from Nullah Lai wastewater and its environmental risk. Wastewater was initially analyzed for heavy metals and physicochemical parameters and compared with irrigation water standards. The phytofiltration potential of H. umbellata was determined by periodically monitoring heavy metal concentrations at time points T1 (day 05), T2 (day10), T3 (day 15), and T4 (day 20). This study shows that some water parameters reached the permissible limits after treatment with H. umbellata. Results of the risk analysis reveal a significant discharge (kg d-y) of heavy metals to arable land. Phytofiltration efficiency of H. umbellata for water quality parameters was in order of Ni (98.75%), Cr (98.11%), Cd (95.84%), Pb (94.90%), Cu (94.10%), Zn (85.34%), BOD (53.67%), TDS (29.28%), EC (27.31%), Cl (6.65%), and SAR (6.34%). The growth of H. umbellata in wastewater resulted in heavy metal bioaccumulation in both roots and shoots of the plant. Less than 01 translocation factor (TF) values for cadmium, copper, lead, chromium, and zinc showed the metal tolerance ability of the tested plant. These results demonstrated that treated water could be used in water-deficient peri-urban areas as supplementary irrigation.

This study evaluates the phytofiltration potential of Hydrocotyle umbellata for heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Zn) from Nullah Lai wastewater by greenhouse experiments. The environmental risk associated with using Nullah Lai wastewater for irrigation purposes was estimated.

Food as medicine: A possible preventive measure against coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The recent and ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a huge global challenge. The outbreak, which first occurred in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and then rapidly spread to other provinces and to more than 200 countries abroad, has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Those with compromised immune systems and/or existing respiratory, metabolic or cardiac problems are more susceptible to the infection and are at higher risk of serious illness or even death. The present review was designed to report important functional food plants with immunomodulatory and anti-viral properties. Data on medicinal food plants were retrieved and downloaded from English-language journals using online search engines. The functional food plants herein documented might not only enhance the immune system and cure respiratory tract infections but can also greatly impact the overall health of the general public. As many people in the world are now confined to their homes, inclusion of these easily accessible plants in the daily diet may help to strengthen the immune system and guard against infection by SARS-CoV-2. This might reduce the risk of COVID-19 and initiate a rapid recovery in cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Responses of morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings to atrazine stress.

Atrazine is a synthetic herbicide applied to control broadleaf weeds in different crops. In many parts of the world, atrazine is mainly applied for controlling weeds in maize fields. However, studies on the possible adverse effects of atrazine on maize crop can hardly be found in literature. The present study was therefore conducted to evaluate the effect of atrazine on different characteristics of maize seedlings including germination, growth, chlorophyll contents, soluble sugars, proteins and proline levels, ions accumulation, cell viability, and cell injury. In addition, the effects of atrazine on reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and antioxidant enzymes activities in maize seedlings were estimated. It was found that at high concentration, atrazine slightly but significantly inhibited seed germination and growth of maize seedlings. Light-harvesting pigments (chlorophylls a and b, and total carotenoids) exhibited a higher sensitivity to atrazine and were negatively impacted by atrazine at doses above 50 ppm. Atrazine caused an increase in soluble sugars at all tested doses and decrease in soluble proteins at the highest tested dose. Exposure of maize seedlings to atrazine resulted in an increased cell injury and decreased cell viability. Atrazine did not affect the concentration of Na+, K+, and Ca2+ ions in maize seedlings to any greater extent; however, some minor changes were observed in some cases. An increase in the stress marker, proline, was found upon exposure to atrazine. The observed effects of atrazine in maize seedlings can be attributed to oxidative stress as revealed by an increase in H2O2 content and higher activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzymes in atrazine-treated seedlings. The present investigation concludes that atrazine has the potential to adversely affect germination and growth of maize seedlings by inducing oxidative stress that causes increased cell injury and decreased cell viability as well as impairs the concentration of light-harvesting pigments.

Ethylene mediates dichromate-induced inhibition of primary root growth by altering AUX1 expression and auxin accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The hexavalent form of chromium [Cr(VI)] causes a major reduction in yield and quality of crops worldwide. The root is the first plant organ that interacts with Cr(VI) toxicity, which inhibits primary root elongation, but the underlying mechanisms of this inhibition remain elusive. In this study, we investigate the possibility that Cr(VI) reduces primary root growth of Arabidopsis by modulating the cell cycle-related genes and that ethylene signalling contributes to this process. We show that Cr(VI)-mediated inhibition of primary root elongation was alleviated by the ethylene perception and biosynthesis antagonists silver and cobalt, respectively. Furthermore, the ethylene signalling defective mutants (ein2-1 and etr1-3) were insensitive, whereas the overproducer mutant (eto1-1) was hypersensitive to Cr(VI). We also report that high levels of Cr(VI) significantly induce the distribution and accumulation of auxin in the primary root tips, but this increase was significantly suppressed in seedlings exposed to silver or cobalt. In addition, genetic and physiological investigations show that AUXIN-RESISTANT1 (AUX1) participates in Cr(VI)-induced inhibition of primary root growth. Taken together, our results indicate that ethylene mediates Cr(VI)-induced inhibition of primary root elongation by increasing auxin accumulation and polar transport by stimulating the expression of AUX1.

Pesticide-induced oxidative stress and antioxidant responses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings.

Excessive use of pesticides can adversely affect the growth of non-target host plants in different ways. Pesticide-induced stress can affect non-target plants through elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for detrimental effects on cell metabolism, biochemical and other physiological activities. In response to oxidative stress, plant activates antioxidant defense system consisting of both enzymatic and non-enzymatic components. In the present investigation, three commonly used pesticides, emamectin benzoate, alpha-cypermethrin and imidacloprid, were assessed for causing oxidative stress in tomato. The oxidative damage induced by these pesticides at five different concentrations i.e. 1/4X, 1/2X, recommended application dose (X), 2X and 4X in the root and shoot tissues of tomato plant/seedlings were evaluated. Following pesticide exposure for 35 days, cell viability, cell injury, total soluble sugar (TSS) and total soluble proteins (TSP) were measured. Antioxidant activities were estimated by measuring activity levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and proline. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels were analysed as ROS, lipid peroxidation was measured in term of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) as membrane damage caused by ROS was also assessed. Analysis of the data revealed that pesticides application at higher concentrations significantly elevated ROS levels and caused membrane damage by the formation of TBARS, increased cell injury and reduced cell viability both in root and shoot tissues compared with non-treated plants. Moreover, a gradual decrease in the levels of TSS and TSP was observed in plants subjected to increasing doses of pesticides. To cope with pesticide-induced oxidative stress, a significant increase in levels of antioxidants was observed in the plants exposed to higher doses of pesticides. Shoot tissues responded more drastically by producing higher levels of antioxidants as compared to root tissues indicating the direct exposure of shoots to foliar application of pesticides. Taken together, these results strongly suggested that the application of pesticides above the recommended dose can provoke the state of oxidative stress and can cause oxidative damages in non-target host plants.

Phytotoxic effects of two commonly used laundry detergents on germination, growth, and biochemical characteristics of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings.

Laundry detergents, a mixture of different compounds, are used as washing agents in houses and cleaning agents in institutions and industries. As a result, industrial and domestic wastewater usually contains detergent contamination in variable amount. In many developing countries, untreated municipal and industrial wastewater is used for irrigation of crops. There is a possibility that laundry detergents and their ingredients present in irrigation water may affect plant growth as reported in several plant species. However, studies on the effects of laundry detergents on important cereal crops like maize can rarely be found in literature. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of two commonly used commercial laundry detergents on germination, root-shoot length, fresh biomass, leaf number, leaf width, cell viability, cell injury, light-harvesting pigments, protein contents, and ion concentration in maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings. The obtained results revealed that both the detergents in the tested concentration range (1-500 mg L-1) did not significantly affect seed germination in maize. Similarly, shoot growth, leaf number, and leaf width were not significantly affected by detergents, while in the case of root, one detergent promoted root growth while the other one inhibited it. Both the detergents caused a slight increase in total soluble proteins, and this effect was significant at the highest tested one or two concentrations of detergents (100 and 500 mg L-1). Chlorophylls a and b and total carotenoids were very sensitive to detergent stress and significantly reduced at detergent concentration above 1 or 10 mg L-1. Both the detergents caused an increased cell leakage and reduced cell viability, and in most cases, this effect was statistically significant at detergent doses above 10 mg L-1. Exposure to detergents caused an increased accumulation of Na+, K+, and Ca2+ in maize seedlings. It can be concluded that detergents present in irrigation water at higher concentrations can adversely affect maize by impairing light-harvesting pigments and cell viability.

Ecotoxicological evaluation of two anti-dandruff hair shampoos using Lemna minor.

Hair shampoos, a mixture of various organic and organic compounds, are commonly used personnel care products. Since shampoos are used in almost every household and beauty shop, their ingredients are common components of domestic and municipal wastewater. However, studies on the effect of shampoos to aquatic plants can hardly be found in literature. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the phytotoxic effects of two commonly used anti-dandruff shampoos (named here AD 1 and AD 2) using Lemna minor as a biotest organism. For toxicity assessment, frond number, fresh and dry biomass, and light-harvesting pigments (chlorophyll a, b and total carotenoids) of Lemna were used as end points. Five different concentrations (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 5%) of each shampoo were tested in comparison to the control. At lower concentrations of shampoos, some minor and non-significant stimulatory effects were observed in some parameters, but at concentrations above 0.01% both the shampoos significantly inhibited almost all parameters in Lemna. The EC50 values obtained for frond number were 0.034 and 0.11% for AD 1 and AD 2, respectively. The fresh biomass gave EC50 values of 0.07 and 0.066% for AD 1 and AD 2, respectively. Based on the preset study, it can be speculated that shampoo contamination at higher concentrations in water bodies can be a threat to aquatic organisms. This study can be used as a baseline to further investigate shampoo toxicity using other species and to explore the mechanism of shampoo toxicity in aquatic plants.

Toxic Metal Pollution in Pakistan and Its Possible Risks to Public Health.

Environmental pollution has increased many folds in recent years and in some places has reached levels that are toxic to living things. Among pollutant types, toxic heavy metals and metalloids are among the chemicals that pose the highest threat to biological systems (Jjemba 2004). Unlike organic pollutants, which are biodegradable, heavy metals are not degraded into less hazardous end products (Gupta et al. 2001). Low concentrations of some heavy metals are essential for life, but some of them like Hg, As, Pb and Cd are biologically non-essential and very toxic to living organisms. Even the essential metals may become toxic if they are present at a concentration above the permissible level (Puttaiah and Kiran 2008). For example, exposure to Zn and Fe oxides produce gastric disorder and vomiting, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes. Intake of Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd and Cu causes heart problems, leukemia and cancer, while Co and Mg can cause anemia and hypertension (Drasch et al. 2006). Similarly, various studies indicated that overexposure to heavy metals in air can cause cardiovascular disorders (Miller et al. 2007; Schwartz 2001), asthma (Wiwatanadate and Liwsrisakun 2011), bronchitis/emphysema (Pope 2000), and other respiratory diseases (Dominici et al. 2006).

Biochemical responses and ultrastructural changes in ethylene insensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thialiana subjected to bisphenol A exposure.

Bisphenol A (BPA), an important raw material in plastic industry, has become a serious environmental contaminant due to its wide spread use in different products and increasing release into the environment. BPA is known to cause adverse effects in living organisms including plants. Several studies reported that BPA affects growth and development in plants, mainly through oxidative stress. Plants are known to generally cope with stress mainly through hormonal regulation and adaptation, but little is known about the role of plant hormones in plants under BPA stress. The present study was conducted to investigate the role of ethylene in BPA induced oxidative stress in plants using Arabidopsis thaliana as a test plant. The response of ethylene insensitive mutants of Arabidopsis (ein2-1 and etr1-3) to BPA exposure was studied in comparison to the wild type Arabidopsis (WT). In all three genotypes, exposure to BPA adversely affected cellular structures, stomata and light-harvesting pigments. An increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) lipid peroxidation and other oxidative stress markers indicated that BPA induced toxicity through oxidative stress. However, the overall results revealed that WT Arabidopsis had more pronounced BPA induced damages while ein2-1 and etr1-3 mutants withstood the BPA induced stress more efficiently. The activity of antioxidant enzymes and expression of antioxidants related genes revealed that the antioxidant defense system in both mutants was more efficiently activated than in WT against BPA induced oxidative stress, which further evidenced the involvement of ethylene in regulating BPA induced oxidative stress. It is concluded that ethylene perception and signaling may be involved in BPA induced oxidative stress responses in plants.

Punica granatum peel extracts: HPLC fractionation and LC MS analysis to quest compounds having activity against multidrug resistant bacteria.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants are rich source of traditional herbal medicine around the globe. Most of the plant's therapeutic properties are due to the presence of secondary bioactive compounds. METHODS: The present study analyzed the High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fractions of Puncia granatum (peel) extracts (aqueous, chloroform, ethanol and hexane) against multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens (Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus). All the fractions having antibacterial activity was processed for bioactive compounds identification using LC MS/MS analysis. RESULTS: Among total HPLC fractions (n = 30), 4 HPLC fractions of P. granatum (peel) showed potential activity against MDR pathogens. Fraction 1 (F1) and fraction 4 (F4) collected from aqueous extract showed maximum activity against P. aeruginosa. Fraction 2 (F2) of hexane showed antibacterial activity against three pathogens, while ethanol F4 exhibited antibacterial activity against A. baumannii. The active fractions were processed for LC MS/MS analysis to identify bioactive compounds. Valoneic acid dilactone (aqueous F1 and F4), Hexoside (ethanol F4) and Coumaric acid (hexane F2) were identified as bioactive compounds in HPLC fractions. CONCLUSION: Puncia granatum peel extracts HPLC fractions exhibited potential inhibitory activity against MDR bacterial human pathogens. Several bioactive compounds were identified from the HPLC fractions. Further characterization of these compounds may be helpful to conclude it as therapeutic lead molecules against MDR pathogens.

Chlorpyrifos and lambda cyhalothrin-induced oxidative stress in human erythrocytes.

Pesticides are one of the most potentially harmful chemicals introduced into the environment, and their adverse impacts on non-target organisms can be significant. The present study was conducted to shed light on effects of locally used insecticides chlorpyrifos (CPF) and lambda cyhalothrin (LCT) on oxidative stress biomarkers in human erythrocytes. The activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and protein contents as well as the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and osmotic fragility (OF) were measured in human erythrocytes exposed to CPF at concentrations of 0, 100, 500, 1000, and 2000 ppm and LCT at concentrations of 0, 100, 300, 600, and 800 ppm for 1 h and 3 h at 37°C. MDA levels and OF of erythrocytes were significantly higher in erythrocytes incubated with CPF and LCT at increasing concentrations of both insecticides and increased incubation time. However, erythrocyte CAT and SOD activities were decreased at all concentrations of CPF and LCT tested. Protein oxidation products were decreased at lower doses of CPF (100 and 500 ppm); at higher doses (1000 and 2000 ppm), total protein content was increased compared with control. In contrast LCT was associated with decreased in protein contents at all the concentrations. These results clearly demonstrated that CPF and LCT can induce oxidative stress in human erythrocytes ( in vitro).

Toxicological effects of bisphenol A on growth and antioxidant defense system in Oryza sativa as revealed by ultrastructure analysis.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of bisphenol A (BPA) on rice seedlings grown in a hydroponic system. The obtained results demonstrated that at lower concentration (up to 10µM) BPA had some stimulatory effects on the growth of rice seedlings but at higher doses it significantly inhibited seedlings growth. The photosynthetic pigments were significantly decreased by high doses of BPA. Exposure to BPA caused increased membrane permeability in root cells and resulted in increased concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased lipid peroxidation as revealed by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. In leaves, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity exhibited an increase at lower concentrations of BPA but was inhibited at the highest dose (200µM) of BPA. At 100µM of BPA, a significant increase in antioxidant activities in leaves was observed but at 200µM this activity was inhibited. In roots, a significant decrease in enzymes activity was recorded at the highest concentration of BPA (200µM); however, ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and catalase (CAT) activities were significantly increased at the concentrations of 10 and 50µM in comparison to the control. Moreover, the present results revealed that BPA severely affected cell organelles in rice seedlings. It can be concluded that the observed adverse effects in rice seedlings by BPA in the present study could be attributed to the oxidative stress caused by BPA.

Effect of some commonly used pesticides on seed germination, biomass production and photosynthetic pigments in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum).

Pesticides are highly toxic substances. Their toxicity may not be absolutely specific to the target organisms but can adversely affect different processes in the non-target host plants. In the present study, the effect of over application of four commonly used pesticides (emamectin benzoate, alpha-cypermethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and imidacloprid) was evaluated on the germination, seedling vigor and photosynthetic pigments in tomato. The obtained results revealed that seed germination was decreased by the pesticides and this effect was more prominent at early stages of exposure. All the tested pesticides reduced the growth of tomato when applied in higher concentration than the recommended dose, but at lower doses the pesticides had some stimulatory effects on growth as compared to the control. A similar effect of pesticides was observed on the photosynthetic pigments, i.e. a decrease in pigments concentrations was caused at higher doses but an increase was observed at lower doses of pesticides. The calculation of EC50 values for different parameters revealed the lowest EC50 values for emamectin (ranged as 51-181 mg/L) followed by alpha-cypermethrin (191.74-374.39), lambda-cyhalothrin (102.43-354.28) and imidacloprid (430.29-1979.66 mg/L). A comparison of the obtained EC50 values for different parameters of tomato with the recommended doses revealed that over application of these pesticides can be harmful to tomato crop. In a few cases these pesticides were found toxic even at the recommended doses. However, a field based study in this regard should be conducted to further verify these results.

Decreased fish diversity found near marble industry effluents in River Barandu, Pakistan.

In a recently published study we observed that effluents from marble industry affected physicochemical characteristics of River Barandu in District Buner, Pakistan. These changes in water quality due to marble effluents may affect fish community. The present study was therefore conducted to evaluate the impacts of marble industry effluents on fish communities in River Barandu using abundance, richness, diversity and evenness of fish species as end point criteria. The fish samples were collected by local fishermen on monthly basis from three selected sites (upstream, effluents/industrial, and downstream sites). During the study period, a total of 18 fish species were found belonging to 4 orders, 5 families and 11 genera. The Cyprinidae was observed to be the dominant family at all the three selected sites. Lower abundance and species diversity was observed at the industrial (22%) and downstream sites (33%) as compared to the upstream site (45%). Effluents of marble industry were associated with lower abundance of species in River Barandu. It is recommended that industries should be shifted away from the vicinity of river and their effluents must be treated before discharging to prevent further loss of fish abundance and diversity in the River.

Effects of industrial wastewater on growth and biomass production in commonly grown vegetables.

In developing countries like Pakistan, irrigation of crops with industrial and municipal wastewater is a common practice. However, the impact of wastewater irrigation on vegetables growth has rarely been studied. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of industrial wastewater on the germination and seedling growth of some commonly grown vegetables in Pakistan. Wastewater samples were collected from two different industries (marble industry and match alam factory) at Hayatabad Industrial Estate (HIE) in Peshawar, Pakistan, and their effect on different growth parameters of four vegetables including Hibiscus esculentus, Lactuca sativa, Cucumis sativus, and Cucumis melo was investigated. The obtained results revealed that wastewater from marble industry did not affect seed germination except a minor inhibition in H. esculentus. Effluents from match alam factory stimulated seed germination in C. melo and C. sativus but had no effect on seed germination in the other two vegetables. Wastewater increased root and shoot length in H. esculentus, L. sativa and C. melo, but decreased it in C. sativus. Similarly, differential effects of wastewater were observed on fresh and dry biomass of seedlings in all vegetables. It can be concluded that wastewater may have different effects on different crops, depending upon the nature of wastewater and sensitivity of a plant species to wastewater.

Impact of marble industry effluents on water and sediment quality of Barandu River in Buner District, Pakistan.

Industries play an important role in improving the living standard but at the same time cause several environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of industries on the quality of environment. In the present study, the impact of marble industry effluents on water and sediment quality of Barandu River in Buner District, Pakistan was evaluated. Water and sediment samples were collected at three different sampling sites (upstream, industrial, and downstream sites) from Barandu River and their physicochemical properties were inter-compared. In addition, different marble stones and mix water (wastewater) from marble industry were analyzed. The measured physicochemical parameters of river water including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), alkalinity, total hardness, Ca and Mg hardness, total dissolved solid (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), sulfates (SO4 (2-)), sodium (Na(+)), potassium (K(+)), nitrites (NO2 (-)), nitrate (NO3 (-)), chloride (Cl(-)), calcium (Ca(2+)), and magnesium (Mg(2+)) were found to be significantly altered by effluent discharges of marble industries. Similarly, heavy metal concentrations in both water and sediments of the river were significantly increased by marble industry wastewater. It is concluded that large quantities of different pollutants are added to Barandu River due to direct disposal of marble industry effluents which degrades its quality. Therefore, it is recommended that direct disposal of marble industry wastewater should be banned and all effluents must be properly treated before discharging in the river water.

Chlorophyll derivatives can be an efficient weapon in the fight against dengue.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral infection, is one of the major public health concerns in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Approximately, 2.5 billion people across the world are at risk from dengue and 50 to 100 million new infections of dengue occur annually. There is yet no vaccine or medicine available against dengue, and treatment remains only supportive. Targeting its vector by a combination of biological and chemical approaches and management of breeding sites are currently the only existing approaches to control or eliminate dengue. Chlorophyll derivatives like chlorophyllin and pheophorbide have been reported as effective natural photosensitizers against larvae of several insects including flies. Chlorophyll derivatives were also reported effective against larval stages of freshwater snails as well as against certain parasites of fish. This article briefly discusses the possible application of chlorophyll derivatives in controlling dengue vectors and hence the disease itself. Chlorophyll derivatives can prove to be a good contributor in an integrated approach against dengue.

Determination of heavy metal contents in water, sediments, and fish tissues of Shizothorax plagiostomus in river Panjkora at Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The present study was conducted to investigate the contamination of water, sediments, and fish tissues with heavy metals in river Panjkora at Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Water, sediments, and fish (Shizothorax plagiostomus) samples were collected from September 2012 to January 2013 at three different sites (upstream site at Sharigut, sewage site at Timergara, and downstream site at Sadoo) of river Panjkora. The concentrations of heavy metals in water were in the order Zn > Cu ≈ Pb > Ni ≈ Cd with mean values of 0.30, 0.01, 0.01, 0.0 and 0.0 mg/l, respectively, which were below the maximum permissible limits of WHO for drinking water. In sediments, heavy metals were found in the order Cu > Zn > Ni > Pb > Cd with mean concentrations of 50.6, 38.7, 9.3, 8, and 0.4 mg/kg, respectively. Ni and Cd were not found in any fish tissues, but Zn, Cu, and Pb were detected with the mean concentration ranges of 0.04-1.19, 0.03-0.12, and 0.01-0.09 µg/g, respectively. The present study demonstrates that disposal of waste effluents causes a slight increase in the concentration of heavy metals in river Panjkora as revealed by variation in metal concentrations from upstream to downstream site. Sewage disposal was also found to change physicochemical characteristics of Panjkora water. At present, water and fish of river Panjkora are safe for human consumption, but the continuous sewage disposal may create problems in the future.