Evaluation of Toxicity on Ctenopharyngodon idella Due to Tannery Effluent Remediated by Constructed Wetland Technology

Aquatic pollution caused by industrial effluents is an environmental issue, imposing deleterious impacts on the overall environment, specifically, on humans, by disrupting the balance of the ecosystem. Among all the industries, tanneries are considered some of the most polluting due to heavy use of toxic organic and inorganic compounds during leather processing, most of which find their way into rivers, lakes, and streams, thus exerting adverse effects on aquatic life, particularly on fish. Considering the huge concentrations of pollutants present in tannery effluents, toxicity evaluation is of prime importance. Therefore, bioassays are usually employed to assess the acute toxicity of industrial effluents and efficiency of effluent clean-up technologies as they provide a thorough response of test species to the substances present in the tested media. In the present study, the toxic effects of tannery effluent on common grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were studied for 96 h in laboratory conditions. The effluent was added at different concentrations, before and after treatment by constructed wetlands (CWs). During this period, mortality data was collected to calculate the 96 h-LC50 (lethal concentration inducing 50% mortality) and acute toxicity of C. idella. In addition to this, observations on change in morphological, physiological, and behavioural patterns were also made every 24 h. The present toxicity assay revealed that the raw tannery effluent changed the morphology, physiology, and behavioural response of fish. Moreover, fish exposure to raw/untreated effluent caused high acute toxicity and 100% mortality, due to the presence of high concentrations of salts and chromium (Cr) metal. While treatment of tannery effluent by CWs vegetated with different plants (B. mutica, L. fusca, and T. domingensis) significantly reduced its toxicity and fish mortality as well, and inoculation of salt and Cr-tolerant endophytic bacteria (Enterobacter sp. HU38, Microbacterium arborescens HU33, and Pantoea stewartii ASI11) further reduced (up to 90%) its toxicity level. Hence, the use of CWs for tannery effluent treatment can be recommended to favour public health and promote the overall safety of the environmentThis research was conducted under the grant number, No. 20-3854/R&D/HEC/14., of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), PakistanS

Clinical features and outcome of sporadic colorectal carcinoma in young patients: A cross-sectional analysis from a developing country

Background: Early onset colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is rare and has been hypothesized to be a biologically and clinically distinct entity personifying aggressive disease and worse survival.Methods: Data for 131 patients was collected by retrospective chart review. Cox proportional hazard model was used to compute prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals.Results: Early onset sporadic CRC accounted for 32% of all CRC treated in the specified time period. The mean age was 33.3 ± 7.9 years and the male to female ratio was 2 : 1. Colon and rectal cancers accounted for 55% and 45% of patients, respectively. 96% of rectal carcinoma patients received appropriate therapy as opposed to 65% of colon cancers. On multivariable analysis, appropriate reception of therapy (PR 4.99; 95% CI, 1.21-20.6) and signet ring morphology (PR 2.40; 95% CI, 1.33-4.32) were significantly associated with rectal cancers as opposed to colon cancer. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a trend towards inferior survival for rectal carcinoma 2 years after diagnosis.Conclusion: A high prevalence of early onset CRC was noted in the study. A trend towards inferior survival was seen in patients with rectal cancer. This finding raises the possibility of rectal carcinoma being an aggressive subset of young CRC

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Acidified Cow Dung-Assisted Phytoextraction of Heavy Metals by Ryegrass from Contaminated Soil as an Eco-Efficient Technique

Heavy metal contamination of soil is an alarming environmental dilemma all over the world. With increasing industrialization, timely development of low-cost and eco-friendly remedial techniques for heavy metal-contaminated soil is needed. Phytoremediation is an emerging technique to remove heavy metals from contaminated soil for environmental sustainability. In the present study, ryegrass was used for phytoextraction of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil in a pot experiment. To enhance the bioavailability of heavy metals, cow dung was acidified by amending with elemental sulfur and molasses and also bioaugmented with an SS-16 sulfur-oxidizing strain to boost biological sulfur oxidation and, hence, four chemically different organic products were prepared. The pot experiment was conducted for a period of 60 days under Pb- and Cd-spiked soil for growing ryegrass with the application of a 10% slurry of each acidified organic product. A significant increase in root and shoot fresh mass as well as Pb and Cd accumulation in the root and shoot of the ryegrass was recorded. As compared to the control and the acidified organic product, P4 was the most effective product overall. Bioconcentration and translocation factors of ryegrass for Pb and Cd were also calculated. At the same time, acidified cow dung slurry (10%) also improved the antioxidative defense mechanism of ryegrass. The results suggest that acidified organic products could be effective for phytoextraction of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil, and in the future acidified cow dung slurry can be used to restore heavy metal-polluted soils in an environmentally sustainable way

Acidified Cow Dung-Assisted Phytoextraction of Heavy Metals by Ryegrass from Contaminated Soil as an Eco-Efficient Technique

Heavy metal contamination of soil is an alarming environmental dilemma all over the world. With increasing industrialization, timely development of low-cost and eco-friendly remedial techniques for heavy metal-contaminated soil is needed. Phytoremediation is an emerging technique to remove heavy metals from contaminated soil for environmental sustainability. In the present study, ryegrass was used for phytoextraction of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil in a pot experiment. To enhance the bioavailability of heavy metals, cow dung was acidified by amending with elemental sulfur and molasses and also bioaugmented with an SS-16 sulfur-oxidizing strain to boost biological sulfur oxidation and, hence, four chemically different organic products were prepared. The pot experiment was conducted for a period of 60 days under Pb- and Cd-spiked soil for growing ryegrass with the application of a 10% slurry of each acidified organic product. A significant increase in root and shoot fresh mass as well as Pb and Cd accumulation in the root and shoot of the ryegrass was recorded. As compared to the control and the acidified organic product, P4 was the most effective product overall. Bioconcentration and translocation factors of ryegrass for Pb and Cd were also calculated. At the same time, acidified cow dung slurry (10%) also improved the antioxidative defense mechanism of ryegrass. The results suggest that acidified organic products could be effective for phytoextraction of lead and cadmium from contaminated soil, and in the future acidified cow dung slurry can be used to restore heavy metal-polluted soils in an environmentally sustainable way

Unveiling the Potential of Novel Macrophytes for the Treatment of Tannery Effluent in Vertical Flow Pilot Constructed Wetlands

The phytoremediation potential of macrophytic species has made them an inevitable component of constructed wetlands (CWs) for the treatment of industrial effluents. The macrophytes must have tolerance for the harsh conditions imposed by effluents for an effective establishment of the CW system. In this context, the basic purpose of this work was to investigate the efficacy of five indigenous emergent macrophytes (Brachiaria mutica, Canna indica, Cyperus laevigatus, Leptochloa fusca, and Typha domingensis) for the remediation of tannery effluent in vertical subsurface flow CWs. The ability of each macrophytic species to tolerate pollution load and to remove pollutants from the effluent was assessed. The effect of tannery effluent on the survival and growth of macrophytes was also studied. The treated tannery effluent samples were analyzed for electrical conductivity (EC), pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), chlorides (Cl−), sulphates (SO42−), oil and grease, and Cr levels. All of the studied macrophytes significantly decreased the pollution load of tannery effluent, and the higher nutrient content of effluent stimulated their growth without any signs of negative health effects. Leptochloa fusca and T. domingensis performed better in removing pollutants and showed higher growth rates and biomass than other tested macrophytes and can be considered preferred species for use in CWs treating tannery effluent. Brachiaria mutica showed morphologically better results than C. indica and C. laevigatus

Optimization and bio-fabrication of phyto-mediated silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) for antibacterial potential

This report examines the bio-fabrication of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) utilizing AgNO3 and leaf extract of Crataegus monogyna as the precursor material. In order to maximize the antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the reaction conditions for the green fabrication of Ag-NPs were optimized. A one factor at a time approach (volume concentration of extract, volume concentration of AgNO3, pH and temperature) was used to optimize the best condition, and results were assessed through UV-visible spectroscopy and particle size distribution. The results showed that 20 mL of plant extract, 80 mL of AgNO3, pH 08, 100 °C temperature were the optimum reaction conditions under which we obtained the smallest Ag-NPs (7 nm). The scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the spherical and crystalline nature of Ag-NPs. The antibacterial activity assay demonstrated a high antibacterial effect of Ag-NPs against S. aureus, P. mirabilis, K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa, and that impact was greater with smaller-sized nanoparticles (7 nm). This study shows that leaf extract of C. monogyna is a possible medium for the green fabrication of Ag-NPs, and control over reaction factors can establish the characteristics and antibacterial effectiveness of Ag-NPs.This research was funded by Caja Canarias, Project 2019SP43.Peer reviewe