Andaman mangrove sediments: source of nutrients and sink of heavy metals

156-166Andaman Islands (AI) of India is a biodiversity hotspot of mangroves but biogeochemical dynamics of AI is less understood. We collected sediment samples from four AI mangrove sites and one site without mangroves for nutrients and trace metal analysis. Samples were collected from each site at the inlet of seawater (Zone A) and the other 500 m into the mangrove creek (Zone B). Nutrients (sulphate, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate) level, organic matter (OM) and carbon content were higher at Zone B of mangrove ecosystem due to the higher OM content from mangrove leaf litter decomposition and microbial degradation. Metal (Pb & Cd) content of zones with and without mangroves were similar and Igeo values indicated moderate contamination of mangrove zones of AI due to lack of anthropogenic pollution. Our results suggest mangrove ecosystems of AI are uncontaminated from heavy metals and are source of nutrients to the oligotrophic coastal ecosystems of Andaman Sea

Andaman mangrove sediments: source of nutrients and sink of heavy metals

Andaman Islands (AI) of India is a biodiversity hotspot of mangroves but biogeochemical dynamics of AI is less understood. We collected sediment samples from four AI mangrove sites and one site without mangroves for nutrients and trace metal analysis. Samples were collected from each site at the inlet of seawater (Zone A) and the other 500 m into the mangrove creek (Zone B). Nutrients (sulphate, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate) level, organic matter (OM) and carbon content were higher at Zone B of mangrove ecosystem due to the higher OM content from mangrove leaf litter decomposition and microbial degradation. Metal (Pb & Cd) content of zones with and without mangroves were similar and Igeo values indicated moderate contamination of mangrove zones of AI due to lack of anthropogenic pollution. Our results suggest mangrove ecosystems of AI are uncontaminated from heavy metals and are source of nutrients to the oligotrophic coastal ecosystems of Andaman Sea

How do healthcare professionals working in accountable care organisations understand patient activation and engagement? Qualitative interviews across two time points.

ObjectiveIf patient engagement is the new 'blockbuster drug' why are we not seeing spectacular effects? Studies have shown that activated patients have improved health outcomes, and patient engagement has become an integral component of value-based payment and delivery models, including accountable care organisations (ACO). Yet the extent to which clinicians and managers at ACOs understand and reliably execute patient engagement in clinical encounters remains unknown. We assessed the use and understanding of patient engagement approaches among frontline clinicians and managers at ACO-affiliated practices.DesignQualitative study; 103 in-depth, semi-structured interviews.ParticipantsSixty clinicians and eight managers were interviewed at two established ACOs.ApproachWe interviewed healthcare professionals about their awareness, attitudes, understanding and experiences of implementing three key approaches to patient engagement and activation: 1) goal-setting, 2) motivational interviewing and 3) shared decision making. Of the 60 clinicians, 33 were interviewed twice leading to 93 clinician interviews. Of the 8 managers, 2 were interviewed twice leading to 10 manager interviews. We used a thematic analysis approach to the data.Key resultsInterviewees recognised the term 'patient activation and engagement' and had favourable attitudes about the utility of the associated skills. However, in-depth probing revealed that although interviewees reported that they used these patient activation and engagement approaches, they have limited understanding of these approaches.ConclusionsWithout understanding the concept of patient activation and the associated approaches of shared decision making and motivational interviewing, effective implementation in routine care seems like a distant goal. Clinical teams in the ACO model would benefit from specificity defining key terms pertaining to the principles of patient activation and engagement. Measuring the degree of understanding with reward that are better-aligned for behaviour change will minimise the notion that these techniques are already being used and help fulfil the potential of patient-centred care

Evaluation of Antioxidant Capacities and Total Polyphenols in Various Edible Parts of Capparis spinosa L. Collected from Trans-Himalayas

The phytochemical screening, antioxidant capacity, and total polyphenols in the methanolic extract of leaves, flower buds, roots and fruits of Capparis spinosa collected from trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh were assessed in an effort to corroborate its medicinal and culinary potential. Highest DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity were observed in the leaves and least in dried fruit samples, even FRAP assay also illustrated the same trend. IC50 values of DPPH assay was highly correlated with that of ABTS (R2=0.9084) and FRAP assay (R2=0.9771). However, IC50 value of ABTS was reasonably correlated with FRAP assay (R2=0.5838). The highest phenolic and flavonoid content was recorded in the leaf samples (24.78 and 5.69 mg GAE/g DW respectively), whereas it was lowest in the dried fruit samples (4.07 mg quercetin equivalent/g DW and nil, respectively). The total phenolic contents were highly correlated with IC50 value of ABTS (R2=0.9084), DPPH (R2=0.9388) and FRAP value (R2=0.9618). But, total flavonoid contents were highly correlated with ABTS (R2=0.7449), DPPH (R2=0.8791) and FRAP values (R2=0.9588). Thus, this study has validated the medicinal potential of all the edible parts of the C. spinosa

Nickel ferrite nanoparticles induced improved fungal cellulase production using residual algal biomass and subsequent hydrogen production following dark fermentation

The present study reports nickel ferrite nanoparticles (NiFe2O4 NPs) induced enhanced production of crude cellulase enzyme using residual algal biomass of cyanobacteria Lyngbya limnetica as substrate. It is noticed that the residual algal substrate and NiFe2O4 NPs mediated crude cellulase exhibits nearly 2.5 fold enhanced filter paper activity after 72 h along with better efficiency in terms of pH and thermal stability as compared to the control system. Further, NiFe2O4 NPs mediated crude cellulase enzyme was employed for the enzymatic hydrolysis of rice straw to produce sugar hydrolyzate. Subsequently, using bacterial strains Bacillus subtilisPF_1 the cumulative hydrogen ~ 1820 mL/L has been produced under the dark fermentation.</p

Effect of hydroxychloroquine in viral clearance in nCOV-19 infected patient admitted in tertiary care centre, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Background: In view of recent publications of conflicting evidence on the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis and as a treatment for COVID-19 patients, we need to assess the effect of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 patients of authors own local population.Methods: In this retrospective chart review study, categorization of confirmed COVID-19 cases nasopharyngeal swab of RT-PCR was done into a group of patients who received hydroxychloroquine standard dose and another control group who did not receive hydroxychloroquine. The main comparing parameter was to see virus clearance days across both groups.Results: A total of 112 patients were included for the study, and grouped of 72 patient who received HCQS and remaining 40 patients as control. The virus clearance time in days was found to be 9.01±3.08 for HCQS group and for control group it was 8.64±2.34 days (Man Whitney U test value = 2.13, p=0.756).Conclusions: There is no significant difference found in attaining virus negative status with use of HCQS administration in this study

Understanding future water challenges in a highly regulated Indian river basin — modelling the impact of climate change on the hydrology of the upper Narmada

The Narmada river basin is a highly regulated catchment in central India, supporting a population of over 16 million people. In such extensively modified hydrological systems, the influence of anthropogenic alterations is often underrepresented or excluded entirely by large-scale hydrological models. The Global Water Availability Assessment (GWAVA) model is applied to the Upper Narmada, with all major dams, water abstractions and irrigation command areas included, which allows for the development of a holistic methodology for the assessment of water resources in the basin. The model is driven with 17 Global Circulation Models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) ensemble to assess the impact of climate change on water resources in the basin for the period 2031–2060. The study finds that the hydrological regime within the basin is likely to intensify over the next half-century as a result of future climate change, causing long-term increases in monsoon season flow across the Upper Narmada. Climate is expected to have little impact on dry season flows, in comparison to water demand intensification over the same period, which may lead to increased water stress in parts of the basin

Sustainable green approach to synthesize Fe 3 O 4 /α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocomposite using waste pulp of Syzygium cumini and its application in functional stability of microbial cellulases

Synthesis of nanomaterials following green routes have drawn much attention in recent years due to the low cost, easy and eco-friendly approaches involved therein. Therefore, the current study is focused towards the synthesis of Fe(3)O(4)/α-Fe(2)O(3) nanocomposite using waste pulp of Jamun (Syzygium cumini) and iron nitrate as the precursor of iron in an eco-friendly way. The synthesized Fe(3)O(4)/α-Fe(2)O(3) nanocomposite has been extensively characterized through numerous techniques to explore the physicochemical properties, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-Vis spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope, high resolution transmission electron microscope and vibrating sample magnetometer. Further, efficiency of the Fe(3)O(4)/α-Fe(2)O(3) nanocomposite has been evaluated to improve the incubation temperature, thermal/pH stability of the crude cellulase enzymes obtained from the lab isolate fungal strain Cladosporium cladosporioides NS2 via solid state fermentation. It is found that the presence of 0.5% Fe(3)O(4)/α-Fe(2)O(3) nanocomposite showed optimum incubation temperature and thermal stability in the long temperature range of 50–60 °C for 15 h along with improved pH stability in the range of pH 3.5–6.0. The presented study may have potential application in bioconversion of waste biomass at high temperature and broad pH range