Lead phytoremediation potentials of four aquatic macrophytes under hydroponic cultivation.

Lead (Pb) is a major toxicological concern of the present day that demands immediate attention. The use of aquatic macrophytes with high Pb tolerance and accumulation may be a very convenient and economically viable solution for remediating Pb. We examined the ability of Salvinia cucullata, Alternanthera sessilis, Lemna minor, and Pistia stratiotes to remove 0.12 mM, 0.24 mM, 0.36 mM, and 0.48 mM Pb for 96-h under hydroponic cultivation system. The plants accumulated variable amounts of Pb: S. cucullata > A. sessilis > P. stratiotes > L. minor, with low mobility of Pb from root to shoot. Lead uptake kinetics were monitored up to 96-h. After 96-h, the uptake efficiency for S. cucullata (98-99%), A. sessilis (79-96%), L. minor (45-79%), and P. stratiotes (40-76%) was noted. For S. cucullata and A. sessilis, an extremely high uptake rate was seen within the initial 24-h of trials, followed by slower uptake till 96-h. P. stratiotes and L. minor worked best at 0.12 mM Pb. Pb-Phytotoxicity became prominent at 0.48 mM exposure with biomass loss and morphological changes. The plants had a quick growth rate, extensive root system, high biomass yield, and the ability to tolerate and accumulate Pb that made them suitable for phytoremediation purposes. NOVELTY STATEMENT: Lead phytoremediation potential of four aquatic macrophytes found in Indian waters was evaluated. These macrophytes, often considered as weeds, could be used for phytoremediation purposes that would turn out to be a sustainable means of the utilization of natural resources in developing countries like India. In this study, not only metal accumulation by plants but also the lead uptake kinetics at several time intervals and valuable growth attributes were estimated to establish the suitability of these plants as probable lead phytoremediators. Two of the plant species, Salvinia cucullata, and Alternanthera sessilis, showed excellent Pb accumulation capacities that had not been reported earlier, to the best of our knowledge. The work is all the more significant as there have been needs for identifying Pb-phytoremediators well suited to native climate and growth conditions that could take up large amounts of metal from the substratum.

The changing patterns of uveitis in a tertiary institute of Northeast India.

Uveitis incorporates innumerable conditions, all of which are characterized by inflammation of the uveal tract. Study of etiological factors in uveitis in the population often give important disease-specific indications and changing pattern in subsequent studies are important to know further newer occurrences of various disease prevalence. Awareness of regional variation in disease configuration is essential to develop a region specific list of differential diagnoses and also for comparison with different sub-population of the country and the world. We report the changing pattern of uveitis in a tertiary institute in the Northeast India and found that tubercular uveitis had increased in hospital-based study.

Profile of ocular and adnexal tumours at a tertiary institute of northeast India.

PURPOSE: To present the profile of patients with ocular and adnexal tumours presenting at a tertiary eye care institute in northeast India in ten years between 2003 and 2013. DESIGN: Hospital based retrospective review of medical records. METHOD: The clinical history, site of involvement and pathological diagnoses were retrieved from ocular pathology registers from October 2003-October 2013. This included conjunctival, orbital, adnexal and intraocular tumours. All specimens were fixed, processed and stained. Immunohistochemistry was carried out where ever indicated to come to a final diagnosis. RESULTS: In all 1003 cases were included in our study, with 622 (62.01%) benign tumours and 381 (37.98%) malignant tumours. 54.63% were males and 45.36% were females. Amongst the conjunctival tumours, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (72.5%) and nevus (39.6%) were the most common malignant and benign tumour, respectively. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) (60%) was the most common malignant orbital tumour. Retinoblastoma (RB) (81.5%) was the most common intraocular malignancy, followed by melanoma (18.4%). Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) (35.1%) was the most common malignancy in the lid. CONCLUSION: NHL and SCC were the most frequently seen malignant tumours in adults while RB was the most common intraocular tumour in children.

A new rosette in retinoblastoma.

Retinoblastoma, the most common primary malignant intraocular tumor of childhood is a great success story in pediatric and ocular oncology. Pathology of retinoblastoma is important to guide the treatment modalities. Differentiated retinoblastoma is commonly seen in younger age group. Since a hundred years, we have been observing two typical true rosettes in retinoblastoma in the form of Flexner-Wintersteiner (FW) and Homer Wright (HW) rosettes and in many occasions pseudorosettes have been documented. In the present case report, a third new type of rosette was identified in a differentiated retinoblastoma which had an unusual anterior segment involvement.

Parasitic diseases of zoonotic importance in humans of northeast India, with special reference to ocular involvement.

Parasitic zoonotic diseases are prevalent in India, including the northeastern states. Proper epidemiological data are lacking from this part of the country on zoonotic parasitic diseases, and newer diseases are emerging in the current scenario. Systemic manifestation of such diseases as cysticercosis, paragonimiasis, hydatidosis, and toxoplasmosis are fairly common. The incidence of acquired toxoplasmal infection is showing an increasing trend in association with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Among the ocular parasitic diseases, toxoplasmosis, cysticercosis, toxocariasis, dirofilariasis, gnathostomiasis, hydatidosis, amebiasis, giardiasis, etc, are the real problems that are seen in this subset of the population. Therefore, proper coordination between various medical specialities, including veterinary science and other governing bodies, is needed for better and more effective strategic planning to control zoonoses.