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"Shukla, V."
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Antibacterial and antifungal activities from leaf extracts of Cassia fistula l.: An ethnomedicinal plant
This study was carried out with an objective to investigate the antibacterial and antifungal potentials of leaves of Cassia fistula Linn. The aim of the study is to assess the antimicrobial activity and to determine the zone of inhibition of extracts on some bacterial and fungal strains. In the present study, the microbial activity of hydroalcohol extracts of leaves of Cassia fistula Linn. (an ethnomedicinal plant) was evaluated for potential antimicrobial activity against medically important bacterial and fungal strains. The antimicrobial activity was determined in the extracts using agar disc diffusion method. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of extracts (5, 25, 50, 100, 250 μg/ml) of Cassia fistula were tested against two Gram-positive-Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes; two Gram-negative-Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa human pathogenic bacteria; and three fungal strains-Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus clavatus, Candida albicans. Zone of inhibition of extracts were compared with that of different standards like ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and chloramphenicol for antibacterial activity and nystatin and griseofulvin for antifungal activity. The results showed that the remarkable inhibition of the bacterial growth was shown against the tested organisms. The phytochemical analyses of the plants were carried out. The microbial activity of the Cassia fistula was due to the presence of various secondary metabolites. Hence, these plants can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of new pharmaceuticals research activities.
Journal Article
A Satellite-Based High-Resolution (1-km) Ambient PM2.5 Database for India over Two Decades (2000–2019): Applications for Air Quality Management
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major criteria pollutant affecting the environment, health and climate. In India where ground-based measurements of PM2.5 is scarce, it is important to have a long-term database at a high spatial resolution for an efficient air quality management plan. Here we develop and present a high-resolution (1-km) ambient PM2.5 database spanning two decades (2000–2019) for India. We convert aerosol optical depth from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) retrieved by Multiangle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm to surface PM2.5 using a dynamic scaling factor from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications Version 2 (MERRA-2) data. The satellite-derived daily (24-h average) and annual PM2.5 show a R2 of 0.8 and 0.97 and root mean square error of 25.7 and 7.2 μg/m3, respectively against surface measurements from the Central Pollution Control Board India network. Population-weighted 20-year averaged PM2.5 over India is 57.3 μg/m3 (5–95 percentile ranges: 16.8–86.9) with a larger increase observed in the present decade (2010–2019) than in the previous decade (2000 to 2009). Poor air quality across the urban–rural transact suggests that this is a regional scale problem, a fact that is often neglected. The database is freely disseminated through a web portal ‘satellite-based application for air quality monitoring and management at a national scale’ (SAANS) for air quality management, epidemiological research and mass awareness.
Journal Article
Early and exclusive enteral nutrition in infants born very preterm
ObjectiveTo characterise the effects of early and exclusive enteral nutrition with either maternal or donor milk in infants born very preterm (280/7–326/7 weeks of gestation).DesignParallel-group, unmasked randomised controlled trial.SettingRegional, tertiary neonatal intensive care unit.Participants102 infants born very preterm between 2021 and 2022 (51 in each group).InterventionInfants randomised to the intervention group received 60–80 mL/kg/day within the first 36 hours after birth. Infants randomised to the control group received 20–30 mL/kg/day (standard trophic feeding volumes).Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the number of full enteral feeding days (>150 mL/kg/day) in the first 28 days after birth. Secondary outcomes included growth and body composition at the end of the first two postnatal weeks, and length of hospitalisation.ResultsThe mean birth weight was 1477 g (SD: 334). Half of the infants were male, and 44% were black. Early and exclusive enteral nutrition increased the number of full enteral feeding days (+2; 0–2 days; p=0.004), the fat-free mass-for-age z-scores at postnatal day 14 (+0.5; 0.1–1.0; p=0.02) and the length-for-age z-scores at the time of hospital discharge (+0.6; 0.2–1.0; p=0.002). Hospitalisation costs differed between groups (mean difference favouring the intervention group: −$28 754; −$647 to −$56 861; p=0.04).ConclusionsIn infants born very preterm, early and exclusive enteral nutrition increases the number of full enteral feeding days. This feeding practice may also improve fat-free mass accretion, increase length and reduce hospitalisation costs.Trial registration number NCT04337710.
Journal Article
Investigations of rare earth and radioactive elements in black sands of Kerala Beach using spectroscopic techniques
The present manuscript deals with the identification of the spectral lines of the rare earth elements (REEs) in the LIBS spectra of the black sands collected from the Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) beach using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). LIBS spectra of the sand sample show the presence of spectral lines of Na, Mg, Mn, Al, and Cr. Along with these elements, the spectral lines of REEs such as Ce, Nd, Sm, Dy, Ho, Tm, etc., and the radioactive element Thorium (Th) are also present in the LIBS spectra of the black sand sample. The presence of REEs and radioactive elements makes the sand suitable for profitable extraction using various methods for different applications. The results of LIBS (presence of all REEs in sand) are also verified by photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS). The Plasma temperature has been calculated using the Boltzmann plot to explain the distribution of the atoms in various higher energy states/levels. An attempt is made to explain the various transitions involved in the spectral lines of the rare earth ions in the LIBS spectra of the black sand sample using a possible energy level diagram. The concentration of some REEs (Dy, Sm, and Nd) and LOD has been calculated by using the calibration curve method. To the best of our knowledge, the investigation of rare earth and radioactive elements in the black sand of the Kerala beach using LIBS is reported for the first time.
Journal Article
A breath of life, and heartbeats for life: the science and soul of neonatal resuscitation
Birth asphyxia, defined by the World Health Organization as the failure to initiate and sustain breathing at birth, is the second cause of neonatal mortality and leads to about 25% of neonatal deaths or about 600,000 deaths per year.\" Death from prematurity, the most common cause of neonatal mortality overall and during the rest of the first week, accounts for another 900,000 deaths per year. [...]effective resuscitation at birth can be one of the most effective interventions to reduce neonatal mortality as it targets 1.5 million neonatal deaths per year due to birth asphyxia and/or prematurity. The National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development Global Network for Maternal and Child Health Research simplified versions of the World Health Organization Essential Newborn Care (ENC) program, which included basic resuscitation, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). [...]training in a simplified NRP resulted in an additional one-third reduction in early neonatal mortality. Because most neonatal deaths occur in the lowest resource settings, a second trial was conducted in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America with most births occurring at home and attended by traditional birth attendants or nurses.
Journal Article
Nanoparticles of chitosan and oregano essential oil: application as edible coatings on chicken patties
The dense nutritional structure of meat predisposes it to microbial spoilage and oxidative changes. Thus, the present study evaluated the antimicrobial and antioxidant effect of the edible coating of nanoparticles of chitosan and oregano essential oil on the quality and shelf-life of chicken patties. Total four types of edible coatings were prepared, viz. T1:0.3% chitosan; T2:0.3% chitosan incorporated with 0.3% v/v oregano essential oil; T3:0.3% chitosan nanoparticles and T4: nanoparticles of 0.3% chitosan incorporated with 0.3% v/v oregano essential oil which were characterized by UV–visible spectrophotometry, particle size analysis and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM). The chicken patties were dipped in developed edible coatings and evaluated for quality parameters at five days interval during refrigeration storage (4 ± 1 °C). The results indicated significantly (P < 0.05) improved physicochemical, microbiological, Hunter colour and sensory parameters in treatments than in control. Among the treatments, quality parameters were significantly enhanced in T4 than in other treatments. The results revealed that T3 and T4 had an improved shelf life of about 25 days while T1 and T2 had a shelf life of 15 and 20 days, respectively, but control spoiled on the 10th day of refrigeration storage.Edible coating of nanoparticles of chitosan alone (T3) as well as chitosan incorporated with incorporated with oregano essential (T4) oil were prepared and characterized by HR-TEM and UV–Vis Spectrophotometry. UV–Vis Spectrophotometry revealed that T3 and T4 had the absorption maximum of 209 nm and 276 nm, respectively. HR-TEM revealed that (T4) had a spherical shape, with average size ranging from 100 to 200 nm while (T3) had a smaller size ranging from 80 to 100 nm, with a rough surface having a dense structure. Upon coating of chicken patties with edible coatings, a significant improvement was observed in the quality and shelf-life of chicken patties than control during refrigeration storage (4±1 °C).
Journal Article
High-Resolution Mapping of Air Pollution in Delhi Using Detrended Kriging Model
Air quality information is not captured adequately due to limited numbers of air quality monitoring stations across many cities worldwide. Limited studies apply advanced spatial mapping techniques to predict pollutant concentrations in highly polluted regions with high spatial variability. This paper demonstrates an advanced detrending spatial mapping technique to assess the variations of particulate matter concentrations across different land use categories in a highly polluted city—Delhi—and estimate population-weighted average concentrations in the city. The “Detrended Kriging” method uses the city’s monitored datasets and land use information to predict pollutant concentrations. Concentrations are detrended based on high-resolution local land use characteristics and then interpolated using ordinary kriging before retrending again. The model estimates population-weighted concentrations (more important for health exposures) of PM2.5 (113 µg/m3) and PM10 (248 µg/m3) for Delhi and finds them to be 21–36% higher than the monitored values in the crucial winter season of 2018. The model demonstrates satisfactory performance on both spatial and temporal scales in Delhi and shows high index of agreement (d = 0.86 for PM10 and 0.81 for PM2.5), low RMSE (27.3 µg/m3 for PM10 and 11.8 µg/m3 for PM2.5), and low bias (− 1.6 µg/m3 for PM10 and − 0.5 µg/m3 for PM2.5) for the detrended kriging model, in comparison to ordinary kriging (PM2.5 (d = 0.54, RMSE = 13.81, bias = − 0.86) and PM10 (d = 0.33, RMSE = 41.73, bias = − 4.7)) and inverse distance weighting method (PM2.5 (d = 0.65, RMSE = 16.08, bias = 2.93) and PM10 (d = 0.55, RMSE = 46.10, bias = 7.8)). Statistical measure “d” varies between 0 (no agreement) and 1 (perfect match).
Journal Article
Determination of heavy elements collected from the tropical river water by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique: probable experimental approaches and challenges
The current manuscript focuses on the experimental setup to determine/identify the presence of heavy elements in water samples collected from a tropical River in Prayagraj (UP), India. This report explores the potential of the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique to analyze liquid samples from various rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, and Sangam) in Prayagraj. We presented a detailed description of the equipment used to record the LIBS spectra of the liquid samples. To get the best signal-to-noise ratio and the signal-to-background ratio of LIBS spectra of the liquid samples, several parameters, such as laser energy, the repetition rate of the laser, pumping velocity (revolutions per minute) of the liquid jet, the focal length of the focusing lens, and the average number of laser shots, are optimized. We draw a calibration curve (a graph between the spectral intensity of the elements in the LIBS spectra and their concentration in the liquid) for a specified concentration of solutions. This calibration curve is used to determine the limit of detection (LOD) of an element in the liquid solution. Finally, the water from the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sangam basins is collected, and the LIBS spectra in the liquid phase are recorded using the optimized parameters to determine the presence of heavy metals. The experimental results revealed the presence of heavy elements such as chromium (Cr), barium (Ba), and mercury (Hg) in these samples. The LOD of Ba in water has been determined using the calibration curve method and does not exceed the safe limit of around 12 ppm. This is the first report on river water for toxicity assessment using the LIBS technique. For the classification/identification of the waters from various rivers based on their toxicity, we employed multivariate techniques such as principal component analysis and hierarchy component analysis.
Journal Article
Dim artificial light at night alters gene expression rhythms and growth in a key seagrass species (Posidonia oceanica)
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a globally spreading anthropogenic stressor, affecting more than 20% of coastal habitats. The alteration of the natural light/darkness cycle is expected to impact the physiology of organisms by acting on the complex circuits termed as circadian rhythms. Our understanding of the impact of ALAN on marine organisms is lagging behind that of terrestrial ones, and effects on marine primary producers are almost unexplored. Here, we investigated the molecular and physiological response of the Mediterranean seagrass,
Posidonia oceanica
(L.) Delile, as model to evaluate the effect of ALAN on seagrass populations established in shallow waters, by taking advantage of a decreasing gradient of dim nocturnal light intensity (from < 0.01 to 4 lx) along the NW Mediterranean coastline. We first monitored the fluctuations of putative circadian-clock genes over a period of 24 h along the ALAN gradient. We then investigated whether key physiological processes, known to be synchronized with day length by the circadian rhythm, were also affected by ALAN. ALAN influenced the light signalling at dusk/night in
P. oceanica
, including that of shorter blue wavelengths, through the
ELF3
–
LUX1
–
ZTL
regulatory network
,
and suggested that the daily perturbation of internal clock orthologs in seagrass might have caused the recruitment of
PoSEND33
and
PoPSBS
genes to mitigate the repercussions of a nocturnal stress on photosynthesis during the day. A long-lasting impairment of gene fluctuations in sites characterised by ALAN could explain the reduced growth of the seagrass leaves when these were transferred into controlled conditions and without lighting during the night. Our results highlight the potential contribution of ALAN to the global loss of seagrass meadows, posing questions about key interactions with a variety of other human-related stressors in urban areas, in order to develop more efficient strategies to globally preserve these coastal foundation species.
Journal Article