Studies on the influence of Microcystis aeruginosa on the ecology and fish production of carp culture ponds

In many fish ponds, blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) constitute the greater part of the phytoplankton. Of the blue-green algae common in fish ponds, Microcystis aeruginosa is said to be a noxious species. Itsometimes forms spectacular water blooms, often with harmful consequences such as depletion of oxygen, poor growth of fish and even mass mortality among the fish. The present study was aimed atinvestigating the influence of different levels of M. aeruginosa on the water quality and fish production of carp culture ponds. For the present study, three carp culture ponds with high, moderate and low levels ofM. aeruginosa were selected. In the three ponds, physico-chemical parameters of water, phyto- and zooplankton and fish production were studied. The results indicated that the fish yield was low withconcomitant fish mortalities in the pond with high levels of M. aeruginosa compared to the other two ponds. The influence of the different levels of M. aeruginosa on other planktonic groups and in turn their effect on fish production were analyzed and discussed in the light of the existing literature

CADMIUM CHLORIDE INDUCED CHANGES IN PROTEIN MOLECULES OF THE FRESHWATER FISH CIRRHINUS MRIGALA (HAMILTON)

Abstract                       The fresh water fish Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton) was exposed to the heavy metal Cadmium chloride for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h, and the consequential LC50 values were calculated using Finney's probit analysis. The LC50 values obtained for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h were 317.5, 316.5, 316.0 and 315.5 respectively. Later the fish were exposed to 96 h acute lethal and sub-lethal concentrations and the changes in protein subunits were analyzed in the tissue of the vital organs such as brain, liver, muscle, gill and kidney using SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. The results revealed that among the protein molecules some became faded when compared to control fish protein molecules, whereas some protein bands disappeared. The analysis was made with the help of standard protein marker. The changes are more pronounced in the tissue of liver and muscle, which may be due to the involvement of liver in the detoxification mechanism. Whereas in case of muscle the changes in the protein banding pattern may be due to the consumption of energy through erratic movement caused due to the toxicant stress. It was also observed that the changes in kidney protein molecules is also more and this may be  due to the accumulation of cadmium chloride in kidney tissue. The results obtained were discussed at length with the available literature. Key words: Cadmium chloride, Cirrhinus mrigala, Protein molecules, Liver, LC50 and        SDS-PAGE

Toxicity studies of butachlor to the freshwater fish, Channa punctatus (Bloch).

Abstract: The toxicity studies were conducted on the fish Channa punctata (Bloch) by employing static and continuous flow through systems, for the toxicant butachlor (technical grade + ) and its commercial formulation + (machete 50% E

Investigation of the effect of Au2O3 dopant on elastic properties of PbO-B2O3-SeO2: Er2O3 glass ceramics by ultrasonic techniques

Various elastic coefficients of Au2O3 doped PbO-B2O3-SeO2:Er2O3 (PBSE) glass ceramics were evaluated as functions of Au2O3 content using ultrasonic velocity measurements. The elastic coefficients and micro-hardness showed a decreasing tendency with the concentration of Au2O3. Such decrease is attributed to the increasing concentration of gold metallic particles and [SeO3]2- groups that acted as modifiers and induced imperfections in these samples. Obtained results were observed to be consistent with the conclusions drawn from spectroscopic studies that include X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared (IR), photoluminescence (PL) and positron annihilation (PAL) spectroscopy studies. Overall, these studies have revealed that even though, the presence of gold metallic particles is preferable for achieving superior luminescence and electrical properties, presence of such particles caused to decrease the elastic coefficients and micro-hardness of these glass ceramics. However, when the concentration of Au2O3 is increased beyond 0.075 mol%, we have observed a slight increase of elastic coefficients and micro-hardness.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

DETERMINATION OF ORGANOCHLORINE PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN THE WATER OF PADDY FIELDS OF PRAKASAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Organochlorine (OC) pesticide residues in pooled water of paddy field samples of Prakasam District have been investigated to find out the extent of pesticide contamination and accumulation. Collected Water samples were processed using a liquid-liquid extraction followed by Gas-Chromatographic technique for pesticide residue quantification with mass selective detector (GC-MS). The conditions were followed for GC, Column: HP-5MS

Serum sex hormone-binding globulin levels are reduced and inversely associated with intrahepatic lipid content and saturated fatty acid fraction in adult patients with glycogen storage disease type 1a

PURPOSE: De novo lipogenesis has been inversely associated with serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels. However, the directionality of this association has remained uncertain. We, therefore, studied individuals with glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a), who are characterized by a genetic defect in glucose-6-phosphatase resulting in increased rates of de novo lipogenesis, to assess the downstream effect on serum SHBG levels. METHODS: A case-control study comparing serum SHBG levels in patients with GSD1a (n = 10) and controls matched for age, sex, and BMI (n = 10). Intrahepatic lipid content and saturated fatty acid fraction were quantified by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. RESULTS: Serum SHBG levels were statistically significantly lower in patients with GSD1a compared to the controls (p = 0.041), while intrahepatic lipid content and intrahepatic saturated fatty acid fraction-a marker of de novo lipogenesis-were significantly higher in patients with GSD1a (p = 0.001 and p = 0.019, respectively). In addition, there was a statistically significant, inverse association of intrahepatic lipid content and saturated fatty acid fraction with serum SHBG levels in patients and controls combined (β: - 0.28, 95% CI: - 0.47;- 0.09 and β: - 0.02, 95% CI: - 0.04;- 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients with GSD1a, who are characterized by genetically determined higher rates of de novo lipogenesis, have lower serum SHBG levels than controls

Hepatic saturated fatty acid fraction is associated with de novo lipogenesis and hepatic insulin resistance

Hepatic steatosis is associated with poor cardiometabolic health, with de novo lipogenesis (DNL) contributing to hepatic steatosis and subsequent insulin resistance. Hepatic saturated fatty acids (SFA) may be a marker of DNL and are suggested to be most detrimental in contributing to insulin resistance. Here, we show in a cross-sectional study design (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03211299) that we are able to distinguish the fractions of hepatic SFA, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids in healthy and metabolically compromised volunteers using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-1-MRS). DNL is positively associated with SFA fraction and is elevated in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver and type 2 diabetes. Intriguingly, SFA fraction shows a strong, negative correlation with hepatic insulin sensitivity. Our results show that the hepatic lipid composition, as determined by our H-1-MRS methodology, is a measure of DNL and suggest that specifically the SFA fraction may hamper hepatic insulin sensitivity. Hepatic steatosis is associated with poor cardiometabolic health, with de novo lipogenesis (DNL) contributing to hepatic steatosis and subsequent insulin resistance. Here, the authors use H-1-MRS methodology to show hepatic SFA fraction is a measure of DNL and specifically may hamper hepatic insulin sensitivity.Peer reviewe

Relationship between de novo lipogenesis and serum sex hormone binding globulin in humans

Objective Obesity and liver fat are associated with decreased levels of serum sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Laboratory studies suggest that hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is involved in the downregulation of SHBG synthesis. The aim of the present study was to address the role of DNL on serum SHBG in humans. Design A cross-sectional study examining the association between DNL, measured by stable isotopes, and serum SHBG, stratified by sex. Participants Healthy men (n = 34) and women (n = 21) were combined from two cross-sectional studies. Forty-two per cent of participants had hepatic steatosis, and the majority were overweight (62%) or obese (27%). Results DNL was inversely associated with SHBG in women (beta: -0.015, 95% CI: -0.030; 0.000), but not in men (beta: 0.007, 95% CI: -0.005; 0.019) (p for interaction = .068). Adjustment for study population, age and body mass index did not materially change these results, although statistical significance was lost after adjustment for serum insulin. Conclusions An inverse association between DNL and SHBG may explain the decreased SHBG levels that are observed in obesity, at least in women.Peer reviewe

Influence of WO₃ on dielectric properties of zinc phosphate glasses

275-284Dielectric constant ɛ', loss tan δ and a.c conductivity σa.c of 40 ZnO-xWO3-(60-x) P2O5 (with 0 ≤ x ≤ 15) glasses are studied as a function of frequency (in the range 102-105 Hz) and temperature (range 30-300°C). The dielectric breakdown strengths of these glasses are also measured in the air medium. All the dielectric parameters (viz., ɛ', tan δ and σa.c) are found to decrease with the increase in the concentration of WO3. Dielectric loss variation with the temperature for the glasses containing WO3 up to 5 mol % exhibited dipolar relaxation effects. These effects are analysed by a pseudo Cole-Cole plot method. The dielectric breakdown strength, the activation energy for a.c conduction are found to decrease with increase in concentration of WO3. These results have been used to throw some light on the structural change in ZnO-WO3-P2O5 glass system with the aid of data on IR spectra and differential thermal analysis of these glasses