Linking carbon storage with land use dynamics in a coastal Ramsar wetland.

Coastal wetland ecosystems make an important contribution to the global carbon pool, yet their extent is declining due to aquaculture-related land use changes. We conducted an extensive investigation into the carbon stock and area coverage of macrophytes in a tropical coastal Ramsar wetland, Kolleru in Andhra Pradesh, India. A total of 72 quadrats of size 1 × 1 m2 were laid in the wetland, 19 species of macrophytes were collected and analyzed for carbon content using a CNHS analyzer. To assess changes in the wetland macrophytes, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was estimated using Landsat time series data from 1975 to 2023. The importance value index (IVI) of macrophytes scored highest for the Ipomoea aquatica (41.4) and the lowest for Ottelia alismoides (1.9). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) significantly (r = 0.1905, p = 0.0361) revealed a clear separation of macrophytes in ordination space. ANOVA indicated highly significant (p < 0.0001) variations in the carbon content of aboveground and belowground components of macrophytes. Among the different macrophytes, the highest carbon content was found in Phragmites karka (0.6 g. g-1) and the lowest was recorded in Utricularia stellaris (0.2 g. g-1). On an average, emergents in the Kolleru wetland sequester 1525 ± 181 g C m-2 yr-1, rooted floating species sequester 858 ± 101 g C m-2 yr-1, submerged macrophytes sequester 480 ± 60 g C m-2 yr-1, and free-floating macrophytes sequester 221 ± 90 g C m-2 yr-1. Land cover mapping revealed a decrease in spread of aquatic vegetation from 225.2 km2 in 1975 to 100.6 km2 in 2023. Although macrophytes are vital carbon sinks, the wetland conversion into fishponds has resulted in a loss of 55.3 % of carbon storage. Therefore, immediate restoration of macrophyte cover is vital for the proper functioning of carbon sequestration and mitigation of climate change impacts.

Effects of inspiratory muscle training in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common disorder marked by repetitive occurrence of breathing cessation during sleep due to partial or complete upper airway obstruction. An obstructive airway and the successive asphyxia chronically overload the inspiratory muscles resulting in an increased inspiratory effort. The present systematic review aimed to examine the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on inspiratory muscle strength [maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax)], severity of disease [apnea hypopnoea index (AHI)], sleep quality [Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI)], day time sleepiness [Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS)], lung function [forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)] and exercise capacity [cardiopulmonary exercise testing, (CPET), 6 minute walk test, (6MWT)] in mild to severe OSA. Among 953 articles retrieved from various databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Cochrane), 7 articles were found to be eligible for the present review. Randomized controlled trials reporting the effect of IMT in OSA were selected. The quality assessment was conducted using Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. All seven studies were meta-analyzed. The result depicted significant change in PImax, ES 1.73 (95%CI 0.54 to 2.92, p=0.004), PSQI -1.29 (95%CI -1.94 to -0.65, p<0.0001), ESS -1.08 (95% CI -1.79 to - 0.37, p=0.003) and FEV1 0.74 (95%CI 0.20 to 1.28, p=0.007). IMT may be considered as an effective treatment strategy in mild to severe OSA resulting in improved inspiratory muscle strength, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and lung function. However, there is still dearth evidence on repercussion of IMT on lung function and exercise capacity and warrants high quality evidence to reach definitive conclusions.

Ecosystem-level carbon storage and its links to diversity, structural and environmental drivers in tropical forests of Western Ghats, India.

Tropical forests are rich in biodiversity with great potential for carbon (C) storage. We estimated ecosystem-level C stock using data from 70 forest plots in three major forest types: tropical dry deciduous (TDD I and TDD II), tropical semi-evergreen (TSE I and TSE II) and tropical evergreen forests (TEF I, TEF II and TEF III) of Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India. The average C stock in these forests was 336.8 Mg C/ha, of which 231.3, 3.0, 2.4, 15.2 and 84.9 Mg C/ha were stored in woody vegetation, understorey, litter, deadwood and soil respectively. The live vegetation, detritus and soil contributed 65.5%, 5.5% and 29% respectively to the total ecosystem-level C stock and distributed in forest types in the order: TEF III > TEF II > TEF I > TSE I > TDD II > TSE II > TDD I. The plant diversity, structural attributes and environmental factors showed significant positive correlations with C stocks and accounted for 6.7, 77.2 and 16% of variance. These findings indicate that the tropical forests in the Western Ghats store large amount of C, and resulting data are invaluable for planning and monitoring forest conservation and management programs to enhance C storage in tropical forests.

Tree diversity, biomass and carbon storage in sacred groves of Central India.

Sacred groves are small or large patches of forest and are rich in biodiversity, store carbon (C) in biomass and soil, besides providing important ecosystem services. However, the information on tree species diversity, biomass, and C storage in sacred groves of Central India, Madhya Pradesh is elusive and fragmented. In the present study, 41 sacred groves were inventoried for tree species diversity, biomass, and C storage in vegetation and soil. A total of 103 tree species from 81 genera belonging to 37 families were recorded. Shannon's diversity, Dominance, Fisher's alpha, and species evenness indices for trees varied: 0.77-2.53, 0.07-0.64, 1.58-20.37, and 0.28-0.90 respectively. Tree density ranged 75-675 no. of stems ha-1 with a mean of 271 no. of stems ha-1, while basal area ranged 6.8-47 m2 ha-1 with a mean value of 27 m2 ha-1. Tree biomass ranged 34.9-409.8 Mg ha-1 with a mean value of 194.01 Mg ha-1, while, tree C ranged between 17.5 and 204.9 Mg C ha-1 with a mean value of 97.0 Mg C ha-1. The total soil organic carbon stock (0-30 cm) ranged from 22.4 to 112.5 Mg C ha-1 with the mean value of 62 Mg C ha-1. Biomass C and SOC contributed 61% and 39% of the total C stocks, respectively. Tree C stock showed a significant positive relationship with tree basal area (R2 = 0.968). A total of five tree species belonging to four families were found to be vulnerable in Central India. The present study reveals that the sacred groves of Central India are species rich, have higher C stocks and sequestration potential in both vegetation and soil, and calls for an immediate attention for conservation and planning for long-term C sequestration.

Screening and computational analysis of colorectal associated non-synonymous polymorphism in CTNNB1 gene in Pakistani population.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is categorized by alteration of vital pathways such as ß-catenin (CTNNB1) mutations, WNT signaling activation, tumor protein 53 (TP53) inactivation, BRAF, Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) inactivation, KRAS, dysregulation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) genes, MYC amplification, etc. In the present study an attempt was made to screen CTNNB1 gene in colorectal cancer samples from Pakistani population and investigated the association of CTNNB1 gene mutations in the development of colorectal cancer. METHODS: 200 colorectal tumors approximately of male and female patients with sporadic or familial colorectal tumors and normal tissues were included. DNA was extracted and amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and subjected to exome sequence analysis. Immunohistochemistry was done to study protein expression. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations of CTNNB1WT and mutant S33F and T41A were performed to evaluate the stability, folding, conformational changes and dynamic behaviors of CTNNB1 protein. RESULTS: Sequence analysis revealed two activating mutations (S33F and T41A) in exon 3 of CTNNB1 gene involving the transition of C.T and A.G at amino acid position 33 and 41 respectively (p.C33T and p.A41G). Immuno-histochemical staining showed the accumulation of ß-catenin protein both in cytoplasm as well as in the nuclei of cancer cells when compared with normal tissue. Further molecular modeling, docking and simulation approaches revealed significant conformational changes in the N-terminus region of normal to mutant CTNNB1 gene critical for binding with Glycogen synthase kinase 3-B (GSK3) and transducin containing protein1 (TrCp1). CONCLUSION: Present study on Pakistani population revealed an association of two non-synonymous polymorphisms in the CTNNB1 gene with colorectal cancer. These genetic variants led to the accumulation of the CTNNB1, a hallmark of tumor development. Also, analysis of structure to function alterations in CTNNB1 gene is crucial in understanding downstream biological events.

Variation in soil organic carbon stock with forest type in tropical forests of Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India.

Sequestration of atmospheric carbon-dioxide in biospheric carbon (C) pools is a key strategy towards climate change mitigation. Soil is a huge C reservoir and its storage potential varies greatly with forest types. Therefore, in the present study, the soil organic carbon (SOC) storage pattern was assessed from 70 plots laid at three selected forest types comprising seven study sites at Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India: tropical dry deciduous (TDD I and TDD II), tropical semi-evergreen (TSE I and TSE II) and tropical evergreen forest (TEF I, TEF II and TEF III) at three depths (0-10, 10.1-20 and 20.1-30 cm). Statistical analyses were performed to understand the relationships between SOC stocks with other predictor variables. The SOC stock varied markedly with forest type and site-wise. The SOC ranged from 58 (TEF III) to 123.6 (TDD I) Mg C/ha with a mean of 84.9 ± 4.4 Mg C/ha at 0-30 cm depth. SOC stock decreased, while soil bulk density increased with increase in soil depth. The TDD forest type (115.6 Mg C/ha) stocked the highest SOC compared to TEF (75.1 Mg C/ha) and TSE (68.9 Mg C/ha) forest types. Of the total SOC stock (0-30 cm), 44.2, 32.0 and 23.8% were stored in 0-10, 10.1-20 and 20.1-30 cm respectively in all the forest types. In contrast, litter C stock were high in TEF and TSE forest types and low in TDD forest type. SOC showed significant (P < 0.01) negative relationships with bulk density, litter C, and vegetation attributes. The SOC stock stored in the study sites amount to 212.9 (TEF III) to 453.6 (TDD I) Mg of CO2 equivalents. The present study reveals that forest type and site characteristics have a profound impact on SOC stock, which would, in turn, exert a great bearing on the ecosystem C cycling. These results would also enhance our ability to evaluate the role of these forest types in soil C sequestration and for developing and validating SOC models for tropical forest ecosystems.

Soil CO2 efflux among four coniferous forest types of Kashmir Himalaya, India.

Soil CO2 efflux was measured in four different coniferous forest types (Cedrus deodara (CD), Pinus wallichiana (PW), mixed coniferous (MC), and Abies pindrow (AP)) for a period of 2 years (April 2012 to December 2013). The monthly soil CO2 efflux ranged from 0.8 to 4.1 µmoles CO2 m(-2) s(-1) in 2012 and 1.01 to 5.48 µmoles CO2 m(-2) s(-1) in 2013. The soil CO2 efflux rate was highest in PW forest type in both the years, while it was lowest in MC and CD forest types during 2012 and 2013, respectively. Soil temperature (TS) at a depth of 10 cm ranged from 3.8 to 19.4 °C in 2012 and 3.5 to 19.1 °C in 2013 in all the four forest types. Soil moisture (MS) ranged from 19.8 to 58.6% in 2012 and 18.5 to 58.6% in 2013. Soil CO2 efflux rate was found to be significantly higher in summer than the other seasons and least during winter. Soil CO2 efflux showed a significant positive relationship with TS (R2=0.52 to 0.74), SOC% (R2=0.67), pH (R2=0.68), and shrub biomass (R2=0.51), whereas, only a weak positive relationship was found with soil moisture (R2=0.16 to 0.41), tree density (R2=0.25), tree basal area (R2=0.01), tree biomass (R2=0.07), herb biomass (R2=0.01), and forest floor litter (R2=0.02). Thus, the study indicates that soil CO2 efflux in high mountainous areas is greatly influenced by seasons, soil temperature, and other environmental factors.

Variation of biomass and carbon pools with forest type in temperate forests of Kashmir Himalaya, India.

An accurate characterization of tree, understory, deadwood, floor litter, and soil organic carbon (SOC) pools in temperate forest ecosystems is important to estimate their contribution to global carbon (C) stocks. However, this information on temperate forests of the Himalayas is lacking and fragmented. In this study, we measured C stocks of tree (aboveground and belowground biomass), understory (shrubs and herbaceous), deadwood (standing and fallen trees and stumps), floor litter, and soil from 111 plots of 50 m × 50 m each, in seven forest types: Populus deltoides (PD), Juglans regia (JR), Cedrus deodara (CD), Pinus wallichiana (PW), mixed coniferous (MC), Abies pindrow (AP), and Betula utilis (BU) in temperate forests of Kashmir Himalaya, India. The main objective of the present study is to quantify the ecosystem C pool in these seven forest types. The results showed that the tree biomass ranged from 100.8 Mg ha(-1) in BU forest to 294.8 Mg ha(-1) for the AP forest. The understory biomass ranged from 0.16 Mg ha(-1) in PD forest to 2.36 Mg ha(-1) in PW forest. Deadwood biomass ranged from 1.5 Mg ha(-1) in PD forest to 14.9 Mg ha(-1) for the AP forest, whereas forest floor litter ranged from 2.5 Mg ha(-1) in BU and JR forests to 3.1 Mg ha(-1) in MC forest. The total ecosystem carbon stocks varied from 112.5 to 205.7 Mg C ha(-1) across all the forest types. The C stocks of tree, understory, deadwood, litter, and soil ranged from 45.4 to 135.6, 0.08 to 1.18, 0.7 to 6.8, 1.1 to 1.4, and 39.1-91.4 Mg ha(-1), respectively, which accounted for 61.3, 0.2, 1.4, 0.8, and 36.3 % of the total carbon stock. BU forest accounted 65 % from soil C and 35 % from biomass, whereas PD forest contributed only 26 % from soil C and 74 % from biomass. Of the total C stock in the 0-30-cm soil, about 55 % was stored in the upper 0-10 cm. Soil C stocks in BU forest were significantly higher than those in other forests. The variability of C pools of different ecosystem components is influenced by vegetation type, stand structure, management history, and altitude. Our results reveal that a higher percentage (63 %) of C is stored in biomass and less in soil in these temperate forests except at the higher elevation broad-leaved BU forest. Results from this study will enhance our ability to evaluate the role of these forests in regional and global C cycles and have great implications for planning strategies for conservation. The study provides important data for developing and validating C cycling models for temperate forests.

The Association of Beta-catenin Gene Mutations and Human Papillomavirus in Carcinoma of Esophagus in a High-Risk Population of India.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is the sixth leading cause of death from cancer. In high-risk regions, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type of EC, and its etiology remains poorly understood. It shows uneven geographical distribution in its occurrence, reflecting the influence of local environmental conditions, lifestyle and genetic predisposition in the development of the cancer. Kashmir, in the north of India, has been described as a high-risk area for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In the present investigation an attempt was made to study the role of ß-catenin mutations and human papillomavirus in 62 ESCC patients from Kashmir. METHODS: The hot spot mutation region of ß-catenin exon 3 was evaluated in matched tumor and normal tissues using a combination of PCR-SSCP and direct sequencing. We used two different sets of consensus primers viz., GP5+ and GP6+; PGMY09 and PGMY11 in conjunction with reverse line blot assay to screen for human papillomavirus(HPV). RESULTS: None of the tumors showed the presence of commonly reported mutations in ß-catenin. In view of the fact that HPV has been linked to pathogenesis of EC, we screened all the tumor and control specimens for the presence of HPV and we didn't detect HPV in any of the matched tumor and control specimens in contrast to the positive controls we used. CONCLUSION: In conclusion our results suggest that squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus in Kashmir may arise independent of oncogenic ß-catenin mutations and HPV is unlikely to be an etiologic factor for ESCC in this region.