Toxic effect of heavy metals on aquatic environment

The indiscriminate discharge of industrial effluents, raw sewage wastes and other waste pollute most of the environments and affect survival and physiological activities of target organisms. Metals in particular have a tendency to accumulate and undergo food chain magnification. Heavy metals affect all groups of organisms and ecosystem processes, including microbial activities. The bioaccumulation of trace elements in living organisms and biomagnification in them describes the processes and pathways of these pollutants from one trophic level to another, exhibiting the higher bioaccumulation ability in the organisms concerned. Some of these organisms, like fishes, are consumed by human beings. They could also cause catastrophic diseases like Minamata and Itai-Itai. Remediation approaches such as excavation and land fill, thermal treatment, electroreclamation and soil capping have been proposed depending on the extension, depth and kind of contamination, but all are expensive and environmentally destructive. Hence, reduction of toxic elements in aquatic environment can be progressively monitored by currently accepted and updated methods.© 2010 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Heavy metals, effluents, Minamata, Itai-itai, Remediation, antacids

Multifactorial Aspects of Adiponectin in Non- Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a significant worldwide health issue strongly associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. It underscores the critical role of adiponectin, a significant adipokine, in the disease's intricate progression. NAFLD's complexity stems from its interplay with factors like obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, with reduced adiponectin levels commonly observed in NAFLD patients, influenced by age, gender, lipid profiles, and insulin resistance. Adiponectin's versatility in mitigating insulin resistance, inflammation, and liver fibrosis makes it a focal point in NAFLD research, while recent studies introduce spexin, a neuropeptide, as a potential correlate, adding to the understanding of metabolic disorders. To tailor treatment approaches, recognizing the factors affecting adiponectin levels, such as genetics, lifestyle, and comorbidities, is crucial. Lifestyle changes and specific medications offer promise in improving NAFLD outcomes by modulating adiponectin. The article underscores adiponectin's central role in the complex NAFLD landscape and the need for further research to fully grasp its mechanisms and therapeutic potential in managing this prevalent liver disease, emphasizing the importance of rebalancing adipokines and enhancing metabolic health

Factors associated with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccination acceptance among university students from India during the post-pandemic phase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There was a low adherence to influenza A (H1N1) vaccination program among university students and health care workers during the pandemic influenza in many parts of the world. Vaccination of high risk individuals is one of the recommendations of World Health Organization during the post-pandemic period. It is not documented about the student's knowledge, attitude and willingness to accept H1N1 vaccination during the post-pandemic period. We aimed to analyze the student's knowledge, attitude and willingness to accept H1N1 vaccination during the post-pandemic period in India.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Vaccine against H1N1 was made available to the students of Vellore Institute of Technology, India from September 2010. The data are based on a cross-sectional study conducted during October 2010 to January 2011 using a self-administered questionnaire with a representative sample of the student population (N = 802).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 802 respondents, only 102/802 (12.7%) had been vaccinated and 105/802 (13%) planned to do so in the future, while 595/802 (74%) would probably or definitely not get vaccinated in the future. The highest coverage was among the female (65/102, 63.7%) and non-compliance was higher among men in the group (384/595; 64.5%) (p < 0.0001). The representation of students from school of Bio-sciences and Bio-technology among vaccinees is significantly higher than that of other schools. Majority of the study population from the three groups perceived vaccine against H1N1 as the effective preventive measure when compared to other preventive measures. 250/595 (42%) of the responders argued of not being in the risk group. The risk perception was significantly higher among female (p < 0.0001). With in the study group, 453/802 (56.4%) said that they got the information, mostly from media.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study shows that the vaccination coverage among university students remains very low in the post-pandemic period and doubts about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine are key elements in their rejection. Our results indicate a need to provide accessible information about the vaccine safety by scientific authorities and fill gaps and confusions in this regard.</p

Thermodynamic analysis of the Quantum Critical behavior of Ce-lattice compounds

A systematic analysis of low temperature magnetic phase diagrams of Ce compounds is performed in order to recognize the thermodynamic conditions to be fulfilled by those systems to reach a quantum critical regime and, alternatively, to identify other kinds of low temperature behaviors. Based on specific heat ($C_m$) and entropy ($S_m$) results, three different types of phase diagrams are recognized: i) with the entropy involved into the ordered phase ($S_{MO}$) decreasing proportionally to the ordering temperature ($T_{MO}$), ii) those showing a transference of degrees of freedom from the ordered phase to a non-magnetic component, with their $C_m(T_{MO})$ jump ($\Delta C_m$) vanishing at finite temperature, and iii) those ending in a critical point at finite temperature because their $\Delta C_m$ do not decrease with $T_{MO}$ producing an entropy accumulation at low temperature. Only those systems belonging to the first case, i.e. with $S_{MO}\to 0$ as $T_{MO}\to 0$, can be regarded as candidates for quantum critical behavior. Their magnetic phase boundaries deviate from the classical negative curvature below $T\approx 2.5$\,K, denouncing frequent misleading extrapolations down to T=0. Different characteristic concentrations are recognized and analyzed for Ce-ligand alloyed systems. Particularly, a pre-critical region is identified, where the nature of the magnetic transition undergoes significant modifications, with its $\partial C_m/\partial T$ discontinuity strongly affected by magnetic field and showing an increasing remnant entropy at $T\to 0$. Physical constraints arising from the third law at $T\to 0$ are discussed and recognized from experimental results

Impact of hiatal hernia on histological pattern of non-erosive reflux disease

BACKGROUND: Hiatus hernia (HH) has major pathophysiological effects favoring gastroesophageal reflux and hence contributing to esophageal mucosa injury, especially in patients with severe gastroesophageal disease. However, prospective studies investigating the impact of HH on the esophageal mucosa in non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) are lacking. This study evaluated the association between the presence of (HH) and the histological findings in symptomatic patients with NERD. METHODS: Fifty consecutive patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were enrolled. After conventional endoscopy, Lugol solution was applied and biopsy specimens were obtained. Histological parameters including basal zone hyperplasia, papillary length and cellular infiltration were evaluated. The chi-square test with Yates' correlation was used for comparing discrete parameters between groups. However, Fisher's exact probability test was used where the expected frequencies were lower than 5. Wilcoxon's test for unpaired samples was preferred in cases of semi-quantitative parameters. RESULTS: The presence of HH along with more severe findings (0.01 <P < 0.05) was confirmed in 18 patients. NERD was observed in 29 (58%) patients. Basal zone hyperplasia and loss of glycogen accompanied HH in all cases, and the correlation was significant in NERD (P < 0.001). The remaining histological patterns were similar between erosive reflux disease and NERD in the presence of HH. CONCLUSION: The presence of HH is correlated with more severe endoscopy findings, and predisposes for severe histological abnormality in cases of NERD

A note on the IR limit of the NLIEs of boundary supersymmetric sine-Gordon model

We consider the infrared (IR) limit of the nonlinear integral equations (NLIEs) for the boundary supersymmetric sine-Gordon (BSSG) model, previously obtained from the NLIEs for the inhomogeneous open spin-1 XXZ quantum spin chain with general integrable boundary terms, for values of the boundary parameters which satisfy a certain constraint. In particular, we compute the boundary S matrix and determine the "lattice - IR" relation for the BSSG parameters.Comment: 18 page

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Inactivation of VCP/ter94 Suppresses Retinal Pathology Caused by Misfolded Rhodopsin in Drosophila

The most common Rhodopsin (Rh) mutation associated with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (ADRP) in North America is the substitution of proline 23 by histidine (RhP23H). Unlike the wild-type Rh, mutant RhP23H exhibits folding defects and forms intracellular aggregates. The mechanisms responsible for the recognition and clearance of misfolded RhP23H and their relevance to photoreceptor neuron (PN) degeneration are poorly understood. Folding-deficient membrane proteins are subjected to Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) quality control, and we have recently shown that RhP23H is a substrate of the ER–associated degradation (ERAD) effector VCP/ter94, a chaperone that extracts misfolded proteins from the ER (a process called retrotranslocation) and facilitates their proteasomal degradation. Here, we used Drosophila, in which Rh1P37H (the equivalent of mammalian RhP23H) is expressed in PNs, and found that the endogenous Rh1 is required for Rh1P37H toxicity. Genetic inactivation of VCP increased the levels of misfolded Rh1P37H and further activated the Ire1/Xbp1 ER stress pathway in the Rh1P37H retina. Despite this, Rh1P37H flies with decreased VCP function displayed a potent suppression of retinal degeneration and blindness, indicating that VCP activity promotes neurodegeneration in the Rh1P37H retina. Pharmacological treatment of Rh1P37H flies with the VCP/ERAD inhibitor Eeyarestatin I or with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 also led to a strong suppression of retinal degeneration. Collectively, our findings raise the possibility that excessive retrotranslocation and/or degradation of visual pigment is a primary cause of PN degeneration