An amalgam of pathogenic and beneficial endophytic fungi colonizing four Dendrobium species from Meghalaya,India

Endophytic fungi are known to play an important role in driving the evolution of plants by conferring adaptational advantages to their host through the production of secondary metabolites and phytohormones. In this study, we evaluated the diversity and phylogenetic relationship of endophytic fungal communities from four Dendrobium species viz., Dendrobium chrysanthum, Dendrobium heterocarpum, Dendrobium hookerianum, and Dendrobium longicornu of Meghalaya, India. A total of 51 culturable endophytic fungi were isolated from the four selected orchid species. The isolates were identified based on nuclear large subunit sequences into 33 species. Approximately 91% of the isolates showed affinity to Ascomycetes, while 9% of the isolates showed BLAST search similarity to Basidiomycetes. The most common genera were Trichoderma and Xylaria. The most prevalent genera were Fusarium, which was detected in all the four Dendrobium species followed by Diaporthe, which was present in three Dendrobium species viz., D. chrysanthum, D. hookerianum, and D. heterocarpum. The Shannon index value of endophytic fungal communities was the highest in D. chrysanthum (2.66), while D. longicornu (1) had the highest Evenness index. The present study revealed that endophytic fungi in these orchids are an amalgam of pathogenic and beneficial fungi, which have, at the least, switched their lifestyle to asymptomatic endophyte in their host. To our knowledge, this is the first such report on the diversity of endophytic fungi in the four selected Dendrobium species from Meghalaya, India.     

Covalent Triazine Frameworks Based on the First Pseudo-Octahedral Hexanitrile Monomer via Nitrile Trimerization: Synthesis,Porosity, and CO2 Gas Sorption Properties

Herein, we report the first synthesis of covalent triazine-based frameworks (CTFs) based on a hexanitrile monomer, namely the novel pseudo-octahedral hexanitrile 1,4-bis(tris(4′-cyano-phenyl)methyl)benzene 1 using both ionothermal reaction conditions with ZnCl₂ at 400 °C and the milder reaction conditions with the strong Brønsted acid trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMS) at room temperature. Additionally, the hexanitrile was combined with different di-, tri-, and tetranitriles as a second linker based on recent work of mixed-linker CTFs, which showed enhanced carbon dioxide captures. The obtained framework structures were characterized via infrared (IR) spectroscopy, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gas sorption measurements. Nitrogen adsorption measurements were performed at 77 K to determine the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas range from 493 m²/g to 1728 m²/g (p/p₀ = 0.01–0.05). As expected, the framework CTF-hex6 synthesized from 1 with ZnCl₂ possesses the highest surface area for nitrogen adsorption. On the other hand, the mixed framework structure CTF-hex4 formed from the hexanitrile 1 and 1,3,5 tricyanobenzene (4) shows the highest uptake of carbon dioxide and methane of 76.4 cm³/g and 26.6 cm³/g, respectively, at 273 K.     

Micronutrient deficiencies in early pregnancy are common, concurrent, and vary by season among rural Nepali pregnant women

Pregnant women in developing countries are vulnerable to multiple micronutrient deficiencies. We investigated their prevalence and seasonal variation as part of a baseline assessment in a population-based, maternal micronutrient supplementation trial conducted in the rural Southeastern plains of Nepal. Serum concentrations of 11 micronutrients were assessed in 1165 pregnant women in the 1st trimester before supplementation. Using defined cutoff values, the prevalence of deficiencies of vitamins A, E, and D were 7, 25, and 14%, respectively. Nearly 33% of the women were deficient in riboflavin, and 40 and 28% had serum vitamin B-6 and B-12 deficiencies, respectively. Only 12% of the women were folate deficient, but 61% were zinc deficient. The prevalence of low serum iron concentration was 40%, and 33% were anemic (hemoglobin < 110 g/L). Multiple micronutrient deficiencies were common among pregnant women. Over 10% of the pregnant women were both anemic and deficient in B-complex vitamins, whereas 22% of women were both anemic and zinc deficient. Only 4% of women had no deficiency, whereas approximately 20% of the women had 2, 3, or 4 deficiencies. Almost 18% of women had >/=5 deficiencies. Micronutrient status varied by season; it was generally best during the winter months, except for serum vitamin D concentration, which peaked during the hot summer and monsoon months. Women in rural South Asia are likely to begin a pregnancy with multiple micronutrient deficiencies that may vary with seasonality in micronutrient-rich food availability.     

Assessment of Total Mercury Level in Fish Collected from East Calcutta Wetlands and Titagarh Sewage Fed Aquaculture in West Bengal, India

Total mercury levels were quantified in Tilapia mossambicus, Cirrhinus mrigela and Labio rohita, captured from East Calcutta Wetlands and Titagarh sewage fed aquaculture ponds. The bioconcentration factor of collected fish was assessed. Total mercury level ranged from 0.073 to 0.94 μg/g in both pre and post monsoon season. T. mossambicus in both season and C. mrigela at pre monsoon, cross the Indian recommended maximum limit (0.50 μg/g wet weight) for food consumption and according to World Health Organization guidelines all fish were not recommended for pregnant women and individuals under 15 years ages. A significant correlation was observed between mercury content of aquaculture pond water and fish muscle tissue. Total mercury concentration in experimental sites were higher than the control area (Wilcoxon Ranked-Sum test p > 0.05), which suggested the connection between mercury bioaccumulation and sewage fed aquaculture.     

Progressive hair loss and myocardial degeneration in rough coat mice: reduced lysyl oxidase-like (LOXL) in the skin and heart

The rough coat (rc) is a spontaneous recessive mutation in mice. To identify the mutated gene, we have characterized the rc phenotype and initiated linkage mapping. The rc mice show growth retardation, cyclic and progressive hair loss, hyperplastic epidermis, abnormal hair follicles, cardiac muscle degeneration, and reduced amount of collagen and elastin in the skin and heart. The rc locus was mapped at 32.0 cM on chromosome 9, close to the loxl gene. Lysyl oxidase-like (LOXL) protein is a novel copper-containing amine oxidase that is required for the cross-linking of elastin and collagen in vitro. LOXL is expressed at high levels in the skin and heart, where the rc mice show strong phenotype. The expression pattern and the genetic proximity to rc suggested loxl as a potential candidate gene. In rc mice, the loxl mRNA was reduced in the skin and the LOXL protein in the heart, dermis, atrophic hair follicles, and sebaceous glands. No mutations, however, were identified within the coding region of loxl, and offspring from rc/rc and loxl null mice crossing were phenotypically normal. Based on these results, loxl appears non-allelic to rc. Heart- and skin-specific downregulation of LOXL in rc mice, however, may contribute to the extracellular matrix alterations and the rc phenotype.