ABSTRACT
Industrial waste is released into the environment and leads to various types of heavy metal, which are toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic in nature. Heavy metals are not biodegradable but accumulated by living organisms and cause diseases at even low concentrations. In this study, we selected four anthropogenic sites from Chambal region, isolated bacteria and investigated its heavy metal removal capability. The bacteria was isolated and identified as Escherichia coli (Ag-5), on the basis of biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence. Among the five (cadmium, cobalt, lead, nickel and zinc) heavy metals studied, Ni2+ has been observed to be highly toxic with minimum inhibitory concentration score of 200 ppm. E. coli could tolerate Zn2+ (300 ppm), Cd2+ (400 ppm), Co2+ (400 ppm) and Pb+2 (500 ppm). Heavy metal tolerance capability was also evaluated by UV rays treated E. coli (Ag-5) isolate and compared with wild strain Ag-5. The result indicated that the tolerance capability was enhanced by UV rays treated bacterial isolate as compared to wild strain with respect to all tested heavy metals. Atomic absorption spectroscopy results revealed that wild strain removed 78.2% cadmium nitrate, while UV rays 30 and 60 s. exposed strain removed 85.9 and 83% cadmium nitrate. Wild strain removed 64.4% nickel chloride, while UV rays 30 and 60 s exposed strain removed 66.9 and 74.5% nickel chloride. The results indicate that indigenous E. coli treated with UV rays could serve as heavy metal tolerant bacteria and utilized in bioremediation processes.
ABSTRACT
Background Collective violence attributed to organized crime has shown to be responsible for a considerable burden of physical and mental health morbidity among youth. Objective To compare the emotional and behavioral problems of children exposed to early childhood poverty and/or collective violence in communities at the Mexico-United States border to children exposed to other social and health risks. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out with individuals living in poverty at two sites at the Mexico-United States border. Individuals who responded once to the Pictorial Child Behavior Checklist (P+CBCL) in Spanish were selected randomly from clinics in a metropolitan area of El Paso, Texas, United States (poverty alone group), and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (poverty plus collective violence group). In addition, emotional and behavioral problems present in these groups were compared with available published emotional and behavioral CBCL scales of children exposed to other social and health risks. Results Children exposed to both poverty and collective violence had higher emotional and behavioral problem scores as measured by the P+CBCL than those exposed to poverty alone. In addition, compared with children who were brain-injured, hearing impaired, or whose parents were exposed to drugs or alcohol, the poverty and collective violence group had higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems. Discussion and conclusion Systematic detection and treatment of children as young as 18 months exposed to trauma are necessary to diminish the mental health problems caused by the collective violence attributed to organized crime.
Antecedentes La violencia colectiva atribuida al crimen organizado ha mostrado causar considerables daños en la salud mental de jóvenes. Objetivo Comparar los problemas emocionales y de comportamiento de niños expuestos a la pobreza y/o violencia colectiva en comunidades localizadas en la frontera México-Estados Unidos, así como con niños expuestos a otros riesgos. Método Estudio transversal con participantes viven en la pobreza en ambos lados de la frontera de México y Estados Unidos. Los participantes respondieron a la versión con pictogramas en español del Cuestionario de Comportamientos de Niños (P+CBCL) en clínicas localizadas en El Paso, Texas (grupo expuesto a la pobreza), y en Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México (grupo expuesto a la pobreza + violencia colectiva). De forma adicional se compararon los problemas emocionales y de comportamiento de estos grupos con resultados históricos obtenidos a partir de la evidencia científica. Resultados Los niños expuestos a la pobreza/violencia colectiva registraron resultados más altos en las escalas de problemas emocionales y de comportamiento al medirlos con el P+CBCL cuando se compararon con el grupo expuesto solamente a la pobreza. De forma adicional, al comparar los grupos con niños con problemas cerebrales, de audición, o con padres expuestos a drogas y alcohol, el grupo expuesto a la pobreza y a la violencia registró mayores problemas emocionales y de comportamiento. Discusión y Conclusión La detección sistemática y el tratamiento de niños desde los 18 meses expuestos a trauma son necesarios para disminuir los problemas mentales causados por la violencia colectiva atribuida al crimen organizado.