Exploring community dynamics: Cultivable and uncultivable for the microbial-mediated bioremediation of oil-based paints polluted soil from aqueous media by Plackett-Burman statistically designed conditions.

Oil-based paint seriously threatens biodiversity due to its complex composition and biocide toxicity. Therefore, it alters the microbial diversity abundance and in modern approaches like metagenomic, a powerful tool to get insight into pollutants effect on soil microbial community abundance. Thus, present study aimed at "exploring community dynamics: cultivable and uncultivable for the microbial-mediated bioremediation of oil-based paints polluted soil from aqueous media by Plackett-Burman statistical designed conditions". The total DNA from oil-based paints polluted soil was extracted by PowerSoil DNA Isolation Kit. The 16S rDNA genes were amplified using universal primers and PCR amplicons were sequenced for analysis of metagenomes to determine the bacterial microbiome abundance. A total 133,140 sequence reads, 2857 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) of 16S rRNA genes, and 30 bacterial phyla were retrieved from all the oil-based paints polluted samples (C, R498, B698 and G492) with the significant increase in Firmicutes (18.90 %, 52.39 %, 49.75 %, 44.36 %) and Actinobacteria (26.66 %, 28.93 %, 28.17 %, 14.68 %) whereas a decrease in Proteobacteria (19.53 %, 6.32 %, 9.37 %, 16.21 %), Chloroflexi (16.93 %, 8.71 %, 9.78 %, 18.17 %), and Bacteroidetes (8.96 %, 0.36 %, 0.41 %, 0.11 %) was recorded respectively. Additionally, the 100 % removal of oil-based paints (R498, B698 and G492) was achieved by the cultivable microbial consortia in laboratory settings. On the other hand for the R498 single cultivable pure isolates exhibited biodegradation potential as "PDB20, 91 %", "PDB14, 81 %", and "PDB16, 87 %" while for the blue B698, "PDB4, 86 %", "PDB20, 89 %", "PDB5, and PDB2, 80%". Moreover, in case of G492, maximum % removal was achieved with "PDB20, 93 %", "PDB5, 90 %", "PDB6, 90 %", "PDB16, 88 %", "PDB2, and PDB4, 89%". Conclusively, in comparison to R498 and B698, maximum percent removal was displayed by G492 and this might be attributed due to difference in pigment. Cultivable consortia and individual pure isolates demonstrated >80 % contribution in the % removal of oil-based paints.

Fingers on the Wrist and Taming the Funny Current, Rejuvenate the Wounded Heart: Ivabradine-Responsive Atrial Tachycardia.

A 19-year-old male presented with dyspnea on exertion (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class II) and occasional palpitations for six months. He had initially been evaluated at another facility and diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy. Despite treatment, there was no improvement in his symptoms. On evaluation at our centre, his previous electrocardiograms appeared normal. However, palpation of his radial pulse for one minute revealed runs of regular tachycardia, interspersed with a normal pulse rate. A 30-second rhythm strip electrocardiogram (ECG) showed multiple runs of ectopic tachycardia originating from the right atrial appendage, interspersed with ectopic atrial rhythms. Echocardiography showed severe left ventricle (LV) dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 20-25%. Radio-frequency ablation was recommended, but the patient declined. Instead, he was started on Ivabradine. After a month, his symptoms fully resolved. The ECG displayed a normal sinus rhythm with no tachycardia, and his left ventricular ejection function improved.

Development and validation of scale assessing the knowledge about breast feeding benefits and practices among antenatal and postnatal mothers in South India.

BACKGROUND: Developing a scale to address the breastfeeding benefits and practices among antenatal and postnatal mothers is important as it helps in evaluating the change in the behavior, attitude, and practice with appropriate health education. AIM: This study was done to develop and validate a scale to assess the knowledge about the breastfeeding benefits and practices in Tamil language among antenatal and postnatal mothers belonging to rural areas of Chengalpattu, South India. METHODS: We developed a scale to assess the knowledge about the benefits and practices of breastfeeding through literature review and expert opinion. Final version was administered among 377 antenatal and postnatal mothers in selected villages of rural Chengalpattu, South India. Construct validation was evaluated through principal component analysis (PCA). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to check the goodness-of-fit of results. Internal consistency was evaluated through the Cronbach's alpha co-efficient. RESULTS: A total of 11 questions were finalized in the questionnaire following face and content validity. In PCA, three factor models were obtained with the eigen values of 4.18, 1.91 and 1.48, respectively. These three factors were able to explain for about 68.9% of the variance. Goodness-of-fit indices revealed satisfactory comparative fit indices (0.81), Tucker-Lewis Index (0.73), standardized root mean square residual (0.11), and root mean square error of approximation (0.14). The reliability co-efficient for the questionnaire was 0.80. CONCLUSION: We have developed an internally valid and reliable tool for evaluating the knowledge about breastfeeding benefits and practices. The scale should thus facilitate and fast-track the development of a structured breastfeeding educational program for antenatal and postnatal mothers receiving care at the primary health care level. RELEVANCE FOR PATIENTS: This questionnaire allows for the objective monitoring of effectiveness of educational activities and also help in comparing the efficiency of various educational models targeting the antenatal and postnatal mothers.

Enhanced Oil Recovery by Potential Biosurfactant-Producing Halo-thermotolerant Bacteria Using Soil Washing and Sand-Packed Glass Column Techniques.

Biosurfactants offer numerous advantages over the chemical surfactants, especially in energy and environment-related applications. Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is a technique to recover oil from reservoirs by using microbes and their metabolites. In present study, total sixteen morphologically distinct bacterial strains isolated from different salty areas of the district Khairpur Mir's, Pakistan, were investigated for their MEOR potential. Screening assays for thermotolerance and halotolerance declared 7 out of 16 (43.75%) bacterial isolates as thermotolerant (capable of growing in the temperature range 60-70 °C) and halotolerant (tolerating NaCl concentrations up to 17%, w/v). Moreover, five of them were screened as biosurfactant producers. Among, the lowest surface tension reduction was achieved with biosurfactants produced by the strains KJ2MO (27.8 mN/m) and KJ2SK (29.3 mN/m). The biosurfactant activity was found stable at temperature (100-121 °C, 1 h) and pH (4-10). Moreover, maximum oil recovery was obtained with biosurfactant of bacterial strain KJ2MO (54.7%, 51.25%) followed by KJ2SK (44.7%, 40.5%), KJ1WB (37%, 35.5%) and KJ2MD (37.8%, 31.9%) by using either techniques, i.e., soil washing and sand-packed column, respectively. Moreover, the potent species were identified as Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KJ1WB, Bacillus aerius KJ2MD, Bacillus licheniformis KJ2SK, and Bacillus subtilis KJ2MO using 16S rRNA ribo-typing. The investigated species were found to be promising biosurfactants producers having potential for enhanced oil recovery and could be used in other environmental applications like bioremediation.

Exploring Drug-Related Problems in Diabetic Patients during Ramadan Fasting in Saudi Arabia: A Mixed-Methods Study.

This study aimed to identify any drug-related problems (DRPs) in diabetic patients during Ramadan fasting in Saudi Arabia. The study used a mixed-methods approach consisting of two phases and was conducted in Makkah, Saudi Arabia from December 2017 to March 2018. The first phase of the study involved qualitative semi-structured individual interviews with diabetic patients. A 13-item questionnaire was used in the second phase to further identify DRPs in the wider population. The data was mainly presented as frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to compare relevant variables/questions using the chi-square test. Twenty patients (10 male, 10 female) attended face-to-face interviews during the first phase of the study while 95 (40 male, 55 female) completed the questionnaire in the second phase of the study. Two possible risk factors for DRPs were identified from the qualitative data: patient-related factors, including changes in their medicine intake during fasting, and healthcare professionals-related factors, including lack of advice from healthcare professionals regarding fasting. The quantitative results indicated that 52 (54%) of the 95 participants who observed fasting reported to have changed the way they were taking their medicines. Furthermore, 41% of the participants experienced general healthcare problems such as hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, fatigue, excessive sweating, and gastrointestinal disturbances. Healthcare professionals need to educate patients who are at risk of DRPs by providing structured education and counseling.

Correction to: Ecotoxicological assessment of oil-based paint using three-dimensional multi-species bio-testing model: pre- and post-bioremediation analysis.

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake.

Ecotoxicological assessment of oil-based paint using three-dimensional multi-species bio-testing model: pre- and post-bioremediation analysis.

The present study validates the oil-based paint bioremediation potential of Bacillus subtilis NAP1 for ecotoxicological assessment using a three-dimensional multi-species bio-testing model. The model included bioassays to determine phytotoxic effect, cytotoxic effect, and antimicrobial effect of oil-based paint. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of pre- and post-bioremediation samples was also detected to confirm its detoxification. Although, the pre-bioremediation samples of oil-based paint displayed significant toxicity against all the life forms. However, post-bioremediation, the cytotoxic effect against Artemia salina revealed substantial detoxification of oil-based paint with LD50 of 121 µl ml-1 (without glucose) and > 400 µl ml-1 (with glucose). Similarly, the reduction in toxicity against Raphanus raphanistrum seeds germination (%FG = 98 to 100%) was also evident of successful detoxification under experimental conditions. Moreover, the toxicity against test bacterial strains and fungal strains was completely removed after bioremediation. In addition, the post-bioremediation samples showed reduced antioxidant activities (% scavenging = 23.5 ± 0.35 and 28.9 ± 2.7) without and with glucose, respectively. Convincingly, the present multi-species bio-testing model in addition to antioxidant studies could be suggested as a validation tool for bioremediation experiments, especially for middle and low-income countries. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Role of assessment for retreatment with Transarterial chemoembolization score in decision of Retreatment with trans-arterial chemo-embolization Sessions in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The objective behind this study was to determine that Assessment for Retreatment with Transarterial chemoembolization (ART) score is really applicable in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: A cross sectional observational study was conducted on all patients with hepatocellular carcinoma of intermediate stage and undergone ≥2 Transarterial chemoembolization. ART score was assessed before and after each session of Transarterial chemoembolization. Multi-logistic regression analysis was performed to compare the final outcome of patients with ART score of ≥2.5 into groups with two and more than two Trans-arterial chemo-embolization sessions. RESULTS: A total of 100 HCC patients were recruited for final analysis. Our study participants consisted of total 100 HCC patients. Mean Child Pugh score was 6.1±0.95. In our study, most of the study participants (n=63) had ART score of less than 1.5 as compared to ART score >2.5 (n=37). A significant proportion of patients with ART score of <1.5 prior to second Trans-arterial chemo-embolization had better median survival as compared to patients with ART score of >2.5, p-value<0.001. Patients with ART score of more than 2.5 did not show any survival benefit after having 3rd or 4th Trans-arterial chemo-embolization session, p=0.47. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings suggest that those HCC patients who receive multiple sessions of TACE with a low ART score have more favourable outcomes with increased survival rate.

Measurement-based classical computation.

Measurement-based quantum computation (MBQC) is a model of quantum computation, in which computation proceeds via adaptive single qubit measurements on a multiqubit quantum state. It is computationally equivalent to the circuit model. Unlike the circuit model, however, its classical analog is little studied. Here we present a classical analog of MBQC whose computational complexity presents a rich structure. To do so, we identify uniform families of quantum computations [refining the circuits introduced by Bremner Proc. R. Soc. A 467, 459 (2010)] whose output is likely hard to exactly simulate (sample) classically. We demonstrate that these circuit families can be efficiently implemented in the MBQC model without adaptive measurement and, thus, can be achieved in a classical analog of MBQC whose resource state is a probability distribution which has been created quantum mechanically. Such states (by definition) violate no Bell inequality, but, if widely held beliefs about computational complexity are true, they, nevertheless, exhibit nonclassicality when used as a computational resource­an imprint of their quantum origin.

Quebec platelet disorder.

A case of Quebec platelet disorder is hereby reported. A 33 years old woman presented with history of epistaxis and gum bleeding since childhood and menorrhagia and bleeding per vaginum after puberty, also had history of excessive blood loss after birth of child. Her coagulation profile was normal but platelet function testing by platelet aggregation assay showed abnormal aggregation of platelet with epinephrine. This type of response is seen in "Quebec platelet disorder" which is a rare autosomal dominant disorder of platelet function characterized by increased bleeding after any injury or trauma.