Lead biosorption by a bacterium isolated from industrial effluents

An attempt was made to isolate microorganisms from the industrial effluents and to study their role in bioremediation of lead in selected industrial effluents. Sixty bacterial strains from the industrial effluent were isolated, purified, preliminarily identified and examd. for their ability to uptake lead. Based on the min. inhibition concns. (MICs) of lead for the selected isolates, six strains were found to be most resistant isolates and amongst them one isolate showed max. resistance to lead which was identified as Bacillus cereus. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) photographs and Energy dispersive X-​ray spectroscopy (EDS) signature of Bacillus cereus revealed that lead was adsorbed to the cell surface, confirming biosorption capacity of the bacteria

Lead biosorption by resting cells of Bacillus cereus

A study on the lead biosorption by resting cells of lead resistant bacteria, isolated from industrial effluents, was carried out to ascertain their biosorption capacities. The strain showing highest MIC (min. inhibition concn.) for lead was selected for the study and identified as Bacillus cereus. Lead biosorption studies on Bacillus cereus pretreated with phys. (heat and oven dried) and chem. (sodium azide) methods showed improved lead biosorption with the exception of heat treatment in comparison to live biomass. Among the pretreatment methods, azide treatment showed max. lead biosorption.

Biosorption of lead by Bacillus cereus isolated from industrial effluents

Aims: To study the biosorption of lead ions from soln. using Bacillus cereus isolated from industrial effluents collected from Peenya industrial area, Bangalore, India and to det. the optimum conditions for biosorption. Study Design: Exptl. study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiol. and Biotechnol., Bangalore University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, between Oct. 2008 and Dec. 2009. Methodol.: Sixty bacterial strains were isolated from industrial effluents collected from Peenya industrial area. Among the sixty isolates only six were selected for further investigation due to their high min. inhibition concn. for lead. Lead biosorption studies were carried out for all the six isolates using at. absorption spectrometry. The optimum conditions (temp., pH and culture age) for biosorption were detd. for the isolate showing highest lead biosorption. Results: The lead biosorption capability of all six isolates was studied at different concns. of lead (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mg​/l)​. The isolate 6 showed highest lead biosorption capability and was identified as Bacillus cereus. Studies on the control of environmental factors revealed that an optimum temp. of 30°C and pH 5, facilitates max. biosorption of lead by 24h old culture of Bacillus cereus. Conclusion: Biosorption is an alternative to traditional physicochem. methods for removing toxic metals from wastewaters. The results of this study are discussed in the light of the biosorption capacity of Bacillus cereus that could be exploited in the bioremediation of lead

Effect of Lead on Growth, Protein and Biosorption Capacity of Bacillus Cereus Isolated from Industrial Effluen

A bacterial strain (Bacillus cereus) with the ability to grow under conditions of high concentrations of lead was isolated from the industrial effluent collected from Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore. The effect of lead on growth, protein content and lead biosorption capacity of Bacillus cereus was investigated. The results revealed that with increase in lead concentration (100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 mg l-1) there was a decrease in growth, protein content (10.6, 8.2, 6.7, 3.8 and 1.9 mg g-1 d. wt.) and lead biosorption ( 90.3, 57.8, 48.94, 31.3 and 22.24 %) Bacillus cereus, signifying toxic effect of lead on the bacterial strain. Plasmid DNA was isolated from Bacillus cereus to study its resistance mechanism. The size of the plasmid was approximately 33kb. Transformation results suggest that lead resistance gene may be present on the chromosomal DNA rather than the plasmid DNA as the transformants did not show lead resistanc

Prevalence of Tobacco Consumption and Its Contributing Factors among Students of a Private Medical College in Belgaum: A Cross Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Tobacco consumption epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats that the world is facing and attracts the attention of researchers to identify the cause for the same in specific groups. Medical students act as mentors to fight against tobacco use, but several reports suggest that a good number of medical undergraduates are themselves addicted to tobacco use. Thus, the objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of tobacco consumption and its association with various factors among undergraduate medical students.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 372 undergraduate medical students from first to fourth year during November 2013 to January 2015. A pre-designed, pre-tested, structured and self-administered questionnaire was used. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 16. Data was analyzed for percentage, Chi-square test and regression analysis to find association between tobacco use and various independent variables.RESULT: The mean age of the participants was 21.2 (SD=2.28) years with a male-female ratio of 1.92:1. The prevalence of tobacco use was 27.1% (n=101). The overall prevalence of smoking and smokeless tobacco use was 22.6% (n=84) and 7.8% (n=29) respectively. The prevalence of current tobacco use was 24.2% (n=90). Among the ever tobacco users, about 3% (n=11) had quit using tobacco. Tobacco consumption was observed to be significantly associated with male gender (p<.001), increasing age (p<0.01), residing in hostels (p<.001) and with a parental history of using tobacco (p<.001).CONCLUSION: The prevalence of tobacco use in smoking and smokeless form among undergraduate medical students was high.This has important implications in the strict implementation and monitoring of smoking-related rules in hostels of medical colleges, especially those related to peer-support.KEYWORDS: Tobacco, Smoking, Medical student

Stressors and support system among parents of neonates hospitalised with systemic infections:Qualitative study in South India

OBJECTIVE: To explore stressors and support system for families with a neonate admitted with a systemic infection. DESIGN: Qualitative study using in-depth interviews (IDIs), based on principles of grounded theory. SETTING: A busy level III neonatal unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital in coastal Karnataka, India, between May 2018 and January 2019. PARTICIPANTS: Parents and accompanying attendants of neonates admitted to the neonatal unit with one or more systemic infections. METHODS: Using purposive sampling, semi-structured IDIs were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and a thematic analysis was performed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight participants were interviewed, lasting between 30 and 59 min. Babies' hospitalisation with sepsis was an unprecedented, sudden and overwhelming event. Stressors related to uncertainties due to the information gap inherent to the nature of illness, cultural rituals, financial constraints, barriers to bonding and others. Parents reported experiencing insomnia, gastric disturbances and fatigue. Support (emotional and/or financial) was sought from families and friends, peers, staff and religion. Availability and preference of emotional support system differed for mothers and fathers. In our context, families, peers and religion were of particular importance for reinforcing the available support system. Participant responses were shaped by clinical, cultural, financial, religious and health service contexts. CONCLUSION: Designing a family-centred care in our context needs consideration of stressors that extend beyond the immediate neonatal intensive care unit environment and interactions. Understanding the influence of the nature of illness, financial, familial and cultural contexts helps identify the families who are particularly vulnerable to stress

Measuring the burden of infodemics : summary of the methods and results of the fifth WHO infodemic management conference

Background: An infodemic is excess information, including false or misleading information, that spreads in digital and physical environments during a public health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an unprecedented global infodemic that has led to confusion about the benefits of medical and public health interventions, with substantial impact on risk-taking and health-seeking behaviors, eroding trust in health authorities and compromising the effectiveness of public health responses and policies. Standardized measures are needed to quantify the harmful impacts of the infodemic in a systematic and methodologically robust manner, as well as harmonizing highly divergent approaches currently explored for this purpose. This can serve as a foundation for a systematic, evidence-based approach to monitoring, identifying, and mitigating future infodemic harms in emergency preparedness and prevention. Objective: In this paper, we summarize the Fifth World Health Organization (WHO) Infodemic Management Conference structure, proceedings, outcomes, and proposed actions seeking to identify the interdisciplinary approaches and frameworks needed to enable the measurement of the burden of infodemics. Methods: An iterative human-centered design (HCD) approach and concept mapping were used to facilitate focused discussions and allow for the generation of actionable outcomes and recommendations. The discussions included 86 participants representing diverse scientific disciplines and health authorities from 28 countries across all WHO regions, along with observers from civil society and global public health–implementing partners. A thematic map capturing the concepts matching the key contributing factors to the public health burden of infodemics was used throughout the conference to frame and contextualize discussions. Five key areas for immediate action were identified. Results: The 5 key areas for the development of metrics to assess the burden of infodemics and associated interventions included (1) developing standardized definitions and ensuring the adoption thereof; (2) improving the map of concepts influencing the burden of infodemics; (3) conducting a review of evidence, tools, and data sources; (4) setting up a technical working group; and (5) addressing immediate priorities for postpandemic recovery and resilience building. The summary report consolidated group input toward a common vocabulary with standardized terms, concepts, study designs, measures, and tools to estimate the burden of infodemics and the effectiveness of infodemic management interventions. Conclusions: Standardizing measurement is the basis for documenting the burden of infodemics on health systems and population health during emergencies. Investment is needed into the development of practical, affordable, evidence-based, and systematic methods that are legally and ethically balanced for monitoring infodemics; generating diagnostics, infodemic insights, and recommendations; and developing interventions, action-oriented guidance, policies, support options, mechanisms, and tools for infodemic managers and emergency program managers.peer-reviewe

Global investments in pandemic preparedness and COVID-19: development assistance and domestic spending on health between 1990 and 2026

Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in health surveillance systems, disease prevention, and treatment globally. Among the many factors that might have led to these gaps is the issue of the financing of national health systems, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), as well as a robust global system for pandemic preparedness. We aimed to provide a comparative assessment of global health spending at the onset of the pandemic; characterise the amount of development assistance for pandemic preparedness and response disbursed in the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic; and examine expectations for future health spending and put into context the expected need for investment in pandemic preparedness. Methods In this analysis of global health spending between 1990 and 2021, and prediction from 2021 to 2026, we estimated four sources of health spending: development assistance for health (DAH), government spending, out-of-pocket spending, and prepaid private spending across 204 countries and territories. We used the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s Creditor Reporting System (CRS) and the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) to estimate spending. We estimated development assistance for general health, COVID-19 response, and pandemic preparedness and response using a keyword search. Health spending estimates were combined with estimates of resources needed for pandemic prevention and preparedness to analyse future health spending patterns, relative to need. Findings In 2019, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, US$9·2 trillion (95$7·3 trillion (95% UI 7·2–7·4) in 2019; 293·7 times the $24·8 billion (95$43·1 billion in development assistance was provided to maintain or improve health. The pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in development assistance targeted towards health; in 2020 and 2021, $1·8 billion in DAH contributions was provided towards pandemic preparedness in LMICs, and$37·8 billion was provided for the health-related COVID-19 response. Although the support for pandemic preparedness is 12·2% of the recommended target by the High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP), the support provided for the health-related COVID-19 response is 252·2% of the recommended target. Additionally, projected spending estimates suggest that between 2022 and 2026, governments in 17 (95% UI 11–21) of the 137 LMICs will observe an increase in national government health spending equivalent to an addition of 1% of GDP, as recommended by the HLIP. Interpretation There was an unprecedented scale-up in DAH in 2020 and 2021. We have a unique opportunity at this time to sustain funding for crucial global health functions, including pandemic preparedness. However, historical patterns of underfunding of pandemic preparedness suggest that deliberate effort must be made to ensure funding is maintained

A comparative study to associate the presence of neonatal line in deciduous teeth of infants with the occurrence of live birth

Context: The prominent striae of retzius corresponding to the occurrence of live birth is known as the neonatal line (NNL). The very presence of this line indicates the exposure of the infant to the stressful event of birth. Aims: The study was aimed at locating the NNL in the developing primary teeth of the neonate and associating the presence of NNL to the occurrence of live birth. Materials and Methods: The donated bodies of the neonates were taken, and a surgical incision was made along the crest of the alveolar ridge in the maxillary anterior region, enabling the careful removal of the tooth germs from within the jaw segment. The maxillary central incisor tooth germs were embedded in acrylic and viewed under the stereomicroscope, polarized microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Statistical Analysis: This being a pilot observational study, no statistical analysis methods were employed. Results: The NNL was best visualized under polarized microscopy and was clearly appreciated in the control samples and faintly seen in the 10-day-old neonate. No evidence of the line was present in the tooth germ of the stillborn child. Conclusion: The very presence of the NNL indicates that the infant was alive during the stressful process of birth. This can be used as substantial evidence in infanticide cases brought before the law