Phytoremediation of metals from fly ash through bacterial augmentation

Different combinations of four bacterial strains isolated from fly ash were used by us to study their impact on phytoextraction of metals from fly ash by Brassica juncea grown in fly ash amended with farm yard manure (50:50 w/w). Out of 11 bacterial consortia, a combination of two strains i.e. Paenibacillus macerans NBRFT5 + Bacillus pumilus NBRFT9 (C7) inoculated in the rhizosphere was found to enhance Pb accumulation maximally by 278%, Mn by 75%, Zn by 163%, Cr by 226% and Ni by 414% compared to control. It is possible that these bacteria, known for N₂ fixation, solubilization of phosphorus and uptake of micronutrient, could promote the plant growth resulting in higher accumulation of metals. However, a combination of four bacteria, namely Micrococcus roseus NBRFT2 + Bacillus endophyticus NBRFT4 + Paenibacillus macerans NBRFT5 + Bacillus pumilus NBRFT9 (C4) was able to increase Cd uptake maximally by 237%. Further, the translocation of metal was invariably more from root to stem than from stem to leaf which was regulated by plant transport mechanism and metal mobility. Bacteria are known to excrete protons, organic acids, enzymes and siderophores to enhance the mobilization of metals which boosted the phytoextraction of metals from fly ash.     

Laparoscopic excision of Mullerian structures in a neonate with mixed gonadal dysgenesis: a case report

Excision of Mullerian structures in children with disorders of sexual differentiation is an operative challenge. We report our experience with laparoscopic excision of Mullerian structures in a neonate with mixed gonadal dysgenesis. The salient features of the procedure were excellent visualisation and ease of dissection.     

Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care Services for People with Serious Mental Illness: A Qualitative Systems Analysis of Integration in New York

People with co-occurring behavioral and physical conditions receive poorer care through traditional health care services. One solution has been to integrate behavioral and physical care services. This study assesses efforts to integrate behavioral health and primary care services in New York. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 52 professionals in either group or individual settings. We aimed to identify factors which facilitate or hinder integration for people with serious mental illness and how these factors inter-relate. Content analysis identified structural, process, organizational (“internal”) and contextual (“external”) themes that were relevant to integration of care. Network analysis delineated the interactions between these. We show that effective integration does not advance along a single continuum from minimally to fully integrated care but along several, parallel pathways reliant upon consequential factors that aid or hinder one another.     

A cohort study of health care workers to assess nosocomial transmissibility of Nipah virus, Malaysia, 1999

During 1998-1999, an outbreak of Nipah virus encephalitis occurred in Malaysia. To assess the possibility of nosocomial transmission, 338 health care workers (HCWs) exposed and 288 HCWs unexposed to outbreak-related patients were surveyed, and their serum samples were tested for anti-Nipah virus antibody. Needlestick injuries were reported by 12 (3%) HCWs, mucosal surface exposure to body fluids by 39 (11%), and skin exposure to body fluids by 89 (25%). No encephalitis occurred in either group. Three exposed and no unexposed HCWs tested positive by EIA for IgG antibodies. It is likely that these 3 were false positives; no IgM response occurred, and the serum samples were negative for anti-Nipah virus neutralizing antibodies. The risk of nosocomial transmission of Nipah virus appears to be low; however, given the high case-fatality rate and the presence of virus in respiratory secretions and urine of some patients, standard and droplet infection-control practices should be maintained with these patients.     

Depression and CHD risk: How should we intervene?

Opinion statement Depression is common in the community and is a risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). In patients with CHD, the prevalence of major depression is nearly 20% and the prevalence of minor depressive disorder is approximately 27%. When present in patients with existing CHD, depression is independently associated with worse outcome, including higher morbidity and mortality, and worse health status. Observational studies suggest that use of antidepressant medications in patients with CHD is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular events. However, only one randomized controlled trial, the ENRICHD (Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease) study, was designed to evaluate whether treatment of depression in patients with CHD can improve cardiac prognosis. Although the study showed that cognitive behavior therapy was better than usual care in improving depression, there was no improvement in all-cause mortality or recurrent cardiac events. There have been no clinical trials specifically designed to evaluate whether pharmacologic treatment of depression improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CHD. Thus, there is a clear need for additional trials testing interventions to improve cardiac prognosis based on treatment of depression. In the meantime, depression remains an important illness in its own right and deserves treatment. Safe and effective treatments of depression in patients with CHD include cognitive behavior therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.     

Assessment of Nipah virus transmission among pork sellers in Seremban, Malaysia

Between September 1998 and May 1999, 265 cases of encephalitis were reported from among those involved in pig rearing. A few cases were also reported among abattoir workers. This raised questions of the risk of transmission among those who handled raw pork. A serosurvey was conducted among pork sellers in Seremban town, which is about 20 km from one of the pig rearing areas which had reported cases of encephalitis. It was found that out of the 28 pork sellers tested, only one tested positive for Nipah virus antibodies and that this pork seller also worked in an abattoir in the same district, removing the urinary bladders from slaughtered pigs. Based on these findings, it was concluded that the risk of transmission of the virus from handling raw pork appeared to be low.     

KDM2A promotes lung tumorigenesis by epigenetically enhancing ERK1/2 signaling

Epigenetic dysregulation has emerged as a major contributor to tumorigenesis. Histone methylation is a well-established mechanism of epigenetic regulation that is dynamically modulated by histone methyltransferases and demethylases. The pathogenic role of histone methylation modifiers in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, remains largely unknown. Here, we found that the histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) demethylase KDM2A (also called FBXL11 and JHDM1A) is frequently overexpressed in NSCLC tumors and cell lines. KDM2A and its catalytic activity were required for in vitro proliferation and invasion of KDM2A-overexpressing NSCLC cells. KDM2A overexpression in NSCLC cells with low KDM2A levels increased cell proliferation and invasiveness. KDM2A knockdown abrogated tumor growth and invasive abilities of NSCLC cells in mouse xenograft models. We identified dual-specificity phosphatase 3 (DUSP3) as a key KDM2A target gene and found that DUSP3 dephosphorylates ERK1/2 in NSCLC cells. KDM2A activated ERK1/2 through epigenetic repression of DUSP3 expression via demethylation of dimethylated H3K36 at the DUSP3 locus. High KDM2A levels correlated with poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. These findings uncover an unexpected role for a histone methylation modifier in activating ERK1/2 in lung tumorigenesis and metastasis, suggesting that KDM2A may be a promising therapeutic target in NSCLC.