On Water Quality Aspects of Manchanabele Reservoir Catchment and Command Area (karnataka)

Reservoirs and lakes occupy a prominent place in the history of irrigation in South India. Tanks are considered to be useful life saving mechanism in the water scarcity areas which are categorized as Arid and Semi-arid zones. The lakes and reservoirs, all over the country without exception, are in varying degrees of environmental degradation. The degradation is due to encroachments, eutrophication (due to the inflow of domestic and industrial effluents) and siltation. There has been a quantum jump in population during the last century without corresponding expansion of civic facilities resulting in deterioration of lakes and reservoirs, especially in urban and semi urban areas becoming sinks for the contaminants. The degradation of reservoir and lake catchments due to deforestation, stone quarrying, sand mining, extensive agricultural use, consequent erosion and increased silt flows have vitiated the quality of water stored in reservoirs and lakes. Infrastructure development, housing projects, and inflow of untreated wastewater into the water bodies have resulted in deterioration of urban and rural lakes and reservoirs. The paper discusses the physico-chemical and bacteriological studies carried out on surface and ground water in the reservoir catchment and the command areas .The results of analyses of water samples reveal that water is polluted at certain locations. The presence of total –Coliform and Faecal-Coliform in ground water and reservoir and lake water at certain locations indicates that water is polluted with waste water. The nitrate level varies between 0.6ppm to 135.8ppm, and exceeds the drinking water standards at 10 locations in the catchment and command area. The suitability of water for irrigation is evaluated based on SAR, %Na, RSC and Salinity hazards. Most of the samples fall in the suitable range for irrigation purpose. The inflow of urban runoff into the surface water bodies has resulted in pollution of reservoir and ground water at certain locations. The paper also discusses the measures proposed to reduce pollution levels in the reservoir, its catchment and command area

Correlation of Interleukin-17 and 23 Inflammatory Markers with Genetically Transmitted Spondyloarthritis Patients at a Tertiary Care Facility, South India

Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are genetically derived proteins in the major histocompatibility complex. They help distinguish “self” and “non-self” antigens and are essential in interacting with the immune cells inside the body. The present research work examines the prevalence of HLA-B27 among patients suspected of Spondyloarthritis (SpA), which has also been correlated with Interleukin-17/23 Inflammatory Markers and other clinical manifestations and was carried out between August 2017 to January 2021. The patient’s blood samples were collected and tested for HLA-B27 and Interleukin-17/23 inflammatory markers. Among 289 SpA patients, 60% (172) were males, and 40% (117) were females, with a ratio of 1.5:1. Ankylosing Spondylitis (65.1%) was found to be the most prevalent subgroup of SpA among the patients, closely followed by reactive arthritis (21%), psoriatic arthritis (10.7%), undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (2.1%), and inflammatory bowel disease with associated arthritis (1%). HLA-B27 was found to be positive in 54% (156) out of 289 patients. Normal IL-17 ranges were seen in 42% of HLA-B27- positive patients, while increased IL-17 was seen in 58% of the population with positive HLA-B27 cases. IL-23 was found within normal ranges in 40% of positive HLA-B27 cases, while it was found to be increased in 60% of the positive HLA-B27 positive subjects. We concluded that HLA-B27 was found to be positive among more than half of the patient population with SpA. The early detection of HLA-B27 may aid in changing lifestyle to prevent Spondyloarthritides