Effects of of habitats and pesticides on aerobic capacity and survival of soil fauna

Faunal health is largely dependent on their soil environment and available litter quality. So the effects of different soil habitats and pesticides on citrate synthase (CS) activity of soil fauna and its population were studied. Methods The soil animals were collected from different pedoecosystems for habitat study. Whereas Vigna radiata based system was selected for pesticidal observations. The field was divided into five equal plots for control and treatment of γ-BHC, quinalphos, carbaryl and cypermethrin. Soil fauna was collected by quadrat method and extracted by Tullgren funnel. Individuals of a species having similar sizes were collected for the estimation of CS activity. They were homogenized and fractions were obtained by differential centrifugation. The activity of CS was assayed spectrophotometrically. Results Citrate synthase (CS) activity of beetle (Rasphytus fregi), woodlouse (PorceUio laevis) and centipede (Scolopendra morsitans) varied significantly with respect to changes in different soil habitats. Though the CS activity of R. fregi, P. laevis, and S. morsitans differed among themselves but the highest activity of CS in these animals was in V. radiata and lowest in A. nilotica based pedoecosystem. The aerobic capacity of centipede was maximum followed by woodlouse and beetle. The treatment of γ-BHC, quinalphos, carbaryl and cypermethrin significantly reduced the CS activity of these animals. γ-BHC showed maximum reduction in CS activity indicating highly toxic effect of organochlorine on aerobic metabolism of soil fauna. However, minimum reduction was obseryed in response to carbaryl (in beetle) or cypermethrin (in woodlouse/centipede) leading to impairment of aerobic capacity. The differences in pesticide effects might be assigned to the differences in chemical nature of pesticides and their interactions with below-ground fauna. Treatment ofγ-BHC and quinalphos reduced the population of Acari, Coleoptera, Collembola, other arthropods as well as total soil fauna. Acari was least affected by γ-BHC and maximally affected (72%) in response to quinalphos. The effect of γ-BHC was fairly similar on Coleoptera, Collembola, other arthropod and total soil fauna suggesting almost similar sensitivity to this pesticide. Likewise, quinalphos was similarly effective on Collemobola and other soil arthropods. Application of carbaryl decreased Acari and Coleoptera population but increased Collembola, other arthropods and total faunal populations. However, application of cypermethrin significantly reduced the population of Acari, Coleoptera, Collembola and total soil fauna and increased the population of other soil arthropods. In both the cases, acarine population was least affected. Conclusion The observations show the habitat-specific variation in aerobic capacity of soil fauna. However, pesticide-dependent loss in population might be due to impairment of aerobic capacity of soil inhabiting animals in desert.     

Moral dilemmas of community pharmacists: a narrative study

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy - Background Pharmacists are increasingly involved in patient care. This new role in a complex healthcare system with demanding patients may lead to moral...     

Content of First Prenatal Visits

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the content of the first prenatal visit within an academic medical center clinic and to compare the topics discussed to 2014 American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists guidelines for the initial prenatal visit. Methods Clinical interactions were audio recorded and transcribed (n?=?30). A content analysis was used to identify topics discussed during the initial prenatal visit. Topics discussed were then compared to the 2014 ACOG guidelines for adherence. Coded data was queried though the qualitative software and reviewed for accuracy and content. Results First prenatal visits included a physician, nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, medical assistant, medical students, or a combination of these providers. In general, topics that were covered in most visits and closely adhered to ACOG guidelines included vitamin supplementation, laboratory testing, flu vaccinations, and cervical cancer screening. Topics discussed less often included many components of the physical examination, education about pregnancy, and screening for an identification of psychosocial risk. Least number of topics covered included prenatal screening. Conclusions for Practice While the ACOG guidelines may include many components that are traditional in addition to those based on evidence, the guidelines were not closely followed in this study. Identifying new ways to disseminate information during the time constrained initial prenatal visit are needed to ensure improved patient outcomes.     

Assessing Lung Cancer Screening Programs under Uncertainty in a Heterogeneous Population

Background

Lung cancer screening can reduce cancer mortality. Most implementation studies focus only on low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) and clinical attributes of screening and do not include preferences of potential participants. In this study we evaluated the perceived value of screening programs based on LDCT, breath analysis (BA), or blood biomarkers (BB) according to the perspective of the target population.

Commonality of Risk Factors for Mothers’ Poor Oral Health and General Health: Baseline Analysis of a Population-Based Birth Cohort Study

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Objective The association between and commonality of risk factors for poor self-rated oral health (SROH) and general health (SRGH) among new mothers has not been...     

The risk of neurodevelopmental disorders following Thimerosal-containing Hib vaccine in comparison to Thimerosal-free Hib vaccine administered from 1995 to 1999 in the United States

Investigators postulated that early-life exposure to organic mercury (Hg) significantly increases the risk of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs). The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database was utilized to conduct a hypothesis testing case-control study by evaluating 3486 total adverse event reports reported following Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) vaccination. Exposed subjects received a Thimerosal-containing formulation (HIBTITER?, Wyeth-Lederle), while unexposed subjects received a Thimerosal-free formulation (PEDVAXHIB?, Merck). Subjects were included if they received either of these two Hib vaccine formulations between 1995 and 1999. Cases were defined as adverse event reports with a reported outcome of autism, developmental delay, psychomotor delay, or NDs in general. Cases with reported outcomes of febrile convulsions, pyrexia, or injection site pain, all of which have no biologically plausible relation to Hg exposure, were also examined. Controls were defined as adverse event reports without any mention of the specific case outcome examined. Cases of reported autism (odds ratio (OR)?=?2.75, p?<?0.02), developmental delay (OR?=?5.39, p?<?0.01), psychomotor disorder (OR?=?2.38, p?<?0.03), and neurodevelopmental disorder in general (OR?=?2.70, p?<?0.001) were each significantly more likely than their respective controls to receive Thimerosal-containing Hib vaccine than Thimerosal-free Hib vaccine. Significant effects for neurodevelopmental disorder in general were observed for males (OR?=?2.52, p?<?0.005), but not females when separated by gender. For the outcomes that had no biologically plausible relation to Hg exposure, the cases were no more likely than their respective controls to receive Thimerosal-containing Hib vaccine than Thimerosal-free Hib vaccine. This study provides suggestive evidence of an association between Thimerosal and neurodevelopmental outcomes and provides support for carrying out additional well-designed studies examining the association between Thimerosal-containing vaccines and a wide range of neurodevelopmental outcomes.