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Differential metal accumulation in fractionated sediments within highly urbanized land-sea ecosystems is significant, often due to an imbalance between sluggish hydrodynamics and over dumping of contaminants. Here, an initial constraint on differential metal enrichment in fractionated sediments is highlighted along the estuary, creek, and nearshore regions of one of India's highly urbanized regions, Mumbai. Sediments were segregated into four fractions (A: < 25 µm; fine, B: 25 - 63 µm; moderate, C > 63 µm; coarse, and D: bulk) using the wet-sieving technique and were analysed for 23 metals. The results indicated that bulk sediment (D) constituted a moderate enrichment of transition metals Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Hg, and Tl. The Distribution Factor (DF) indicated that metals such as Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn frequently showed DF > 1 in fraction C. The reason for higher concentration of these metals in fraction C is indicative to weak tidal influence, that resist the flow of the higher density fraction and increases its residence time in the anthropogenically stressed region. Grain size showed a notable dominance of silt (> 80 %), mainly transported from the mudflats. Turbulence caused by activities such as periodic deepening, high-frequency vessel movement, and other modernization activities provoked the transport of fine particles. Considering that weak dynamic sediment transportation is mainly conducive to man-made changes, the associationdissociation of metals in size-specific sediment particles will significantly impact their further transport and cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sources of organic matter (OM) in lower Narmada and Tapi river-estuaries were examined using organic carbon to nitrogen ratio (Corg/N), stable carbon isotope ratio (δ13Corg) and lignin phenol biomarkers. The signature of lower Corg (av. 0.50%) and higher δ13Corg (av. –20.3‰) in Narmada and, higher Corg (av. 0.85%) and lower δ13Corg (av. –22.8‰) in Tapi highlight the difference in OM characteristics of both systems, nevertheless they flow adjacent to each other. The OM in Tapi was predominated by fresh plant tissues, as indicated by higher Λ8 = 1.2–3.2 mg/100 mg Corg, lower Ad/Alv = 0.22–0.46 and lower LPVI = 17–23. The plant OM present in the sediments of Narmada was previously degraded and mixed with soil. The OM contribution from algae was restricted to estuarine stations in both the rivers, which was ∼50% in Narmada and ∼35% in Tapi. The contribution of OM from fresh vascular plant was higher (20% to 63%) in Tapi than Narmada (2% to 35%). This study illustrated the benefits of using lignin phenols along with Corg/N and δ13Corg to identify the potential OM sources in two large river–estuary systems of India, which highlighted the complex interaction of natural and anthropogenic processes acted on the terrestrial OM compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to investigate the feasibility of estimating the yield of rice based on combined effects of weather parameters and technological advancement, using past weather records for Kheda district of middle Gujarat state. To this end, Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average with Exogenous variables (ARIMAX) time-series model along with its estimation procedure is studied. In the present investigation, two models at tillering stage of rice growth are developed by including the most important weather variables. As an illustration, ARIMAX models are employed for forecasting of rice yield in kheda district of Gujarat. Comparative study of the fitted models is carried out from the viewpoint of Relative mean absolute prediction error (RMAPE) Mean absolute deviation (MAD) and root mean square error (RMSE) values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrital soil contamination during wood harvesting cannot be avoided without a further cleaning step. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of Piedmont soil on pinewood pyrolysis products. Ash content was varied at 0.56%, 1.16%, 2.77%, 4.40%, 6.87%, 8.35%, and 15.52% by adding soil to woodchips to mimic the highly soilcontaminated biomass that can be found in biorefineries. This study found that bio-oil yield decreased from 47.1% to 26.3% with an increase in ash content from 0.56% to 15.52%. However, the oxygen content of the bio-oil decreased and the carbon content increased, which led to an increase in heating value from 22.5 to 24.9 MJ kg-1. Inorganics in the soil aided in the catalytic cracking and dehydration reactions for bio-oil formation. A slight increase in the total acid number (106 to 117 mg KOH g-1) and water content (20.72% to 24.99%) was observed with more soil inclusion in the pyrolysis. The effect of soil on biochar O/C and H/C ratios was minimal even though the heating value decreased with an increase in soil content. This study showed that soil (4%wt to 7%wt) in the biomass assisted in deoxygenating the bio-oil and lowered the total mass yield while keeping the total energy yield almost constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown measures significantly impacted various sectors, including coastal environments. While restrictions led to temporary improvements in air quality, their effects on coastal waters remained understudy. This research conducted four cruises along the east coast of India during pre- and post-COVID-19 lockdown to assess the water quality changes. Results show a significant increase in Chl-a (31.8%), DO (28.1%), and SDD (7.7%), while reductions in NO 3 (34.7%), PO 4 (51.7%), SiO 4 (16.2%), TSM (25.4%), TC (72.3%), and FC (83.3%) were observed. Multivariate analysis identified land-based pollution as the primary source of pollution in coastal waters. Overall, the findings suggest improved coastal water quality during the lockdown. However, for the sustainability of coastal waters, it is proposed that raw sewage, wastewater, and atmospheric fluxes affecting coastal water quality must be regulated., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed by the authors. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Hedychium coronarium (Hc) (commonly known as Gulbakawali) leaf extract was used for the stable and sustainable green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Hc-AgNPs), which were biodegradable and non-toxic. Hedychium coronarium leaf extract was used as a reducing agent to stabilize the Hc-AgNPs by converting Ag + to Ag 0 without adding any capping agent. It demonstrated stability for up to six months, and no agglomeration was observed. The Hc-AgNPs were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, and fluorescence spectroscopy analysis. The UV-visible spectrum supported the formation of stable Hc-AgNPs by displaying a strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 440 nm. FT-IR spectra showed the functional groups present in the leaf extract of Hedychium coronarium , which was the primary source of secondary metabolites attached to Ag 0 . XRD analysis revealed a distinct 2 θ peak of Hc-AgNPs at 38.15°, indicating a face-centred cubic structure with a crystallite size of 22.6 ± 1 nm at the (111) plane. Moreover, TEM demonstrated the spherical morphology of the Hc-AgNPs with an average particle size of 22.42 ± 1 nm. The photophysical characteristics of the Hc-AgNPs, as highlighted by their UV-vis and fluorescence characteristics, revealed their semiconducting nature with an impressive band gap ( E g ) value of 3.78 eV. Fascinatingly, the fluorescence activity of Hc-AgNPs at 504 nm showed a broad emission band corresponding to the absorption band at 251 nm. We performed the selective colorimetric sensing of Sn 2+ metal ions using Hc-AgNPs, which demonstrated a detection limit of 10 -3 M, suggesting their potential as very good solid biosensors. Interestingly, the Hc-AgNPs showed antifungal activity, which has not been reported before. Specifically, the results showed that the Hc-AgNPs had a higher fungitoxicity effect against Aspergillus flavus (59.58 ± 3.68) than against Fusarium oxysporum (57.93 ± 4.18). The antibacterial activity of the Hc-AgNPs was evaluated against three Gram-negative phytopathogenic bacteria: Xanthomonas oryzae ( X. oryzae ), Ralstonia solanacearum ( R. solanacearum ), and Erwinia carotovora ( E. carotovora ), showing effective inhibition zones of 16.33 ± 0.57, 15.33 ± 0.57, and 14.33 ± 0.57 mm, respectively. These results indicate that the Hc-AgNPs could inhibit these phytopathogenic bacteria with varying degrees of effectiveness in the order of X. oryzae > R. solanacearum > E. carotovora ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Arrow injuries in Bhutan present a unique public health challenge, reflecting the cultural significance of archery in this Himalayan kingdom. Despite being a traditional sport and an integral part of Bhutanese identity, the growing incidence of arrow-related injuries raises concerns about safety and highlights the need for targeted preventive measures. In this case series, we present six cases of arrow injuries in the head and neck region offering insights into our experiences and the challenges encountered in their management. Additionally, cultural and regulatory aspects influencing archery practices and safety protocols are considered. The findings underscore the importance of community education, enhanced safety measures, and regulatory interventions to reduce the prevalence of arrow injuries while preserving the cultural heritage of archery in Bhutan. Addressing this issue necessitates a multidisciplinary approach that combines public health initiatives, cultural sensitivity, and policy interventions., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

A massive fish mortality of the major species, viz., Mugil cephalus, Chanos chanos, and Oreochromis mossambicus, occurred on November 27, 2017 in the Adyar estuary. This catastrophe followed a spell of heavy rainfall and flash floods. A detailed study of water quality parameters (pH, water temperature, salinity, total suspended matter, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and nutrients) and heavy metals, i.e., chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), in the sediment and fish tissues were analyzed. Pollution indices like the enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), potential ecological risk index (PERI), and biota sediment accumulation factor (BSAF) were used to measure heavy metals. The pollution indices revealed that metals were significantly enriched in the sediments. The Igeo indicates that there was moderate contamination by Cd (2.27-3.25), whereas CF shows high contamination by Cd (7.22-9.72) and moderate contamination by Pb (2.5-3.25). The PLI (1.04-1.13) suggests that heavy metal contamination of sediments has occurred. Results showed that high concentrations of the toxic metals Pb and Cd were found in the sediment as well as in fish tissues. Length and weight of fish are significantly correlated (r2 = 0.98, p < 0.05). The study revealed that the mass fish kill was due to impulsive changes in the water quality and heavy metal pollution from untreated urban sewage discharges in this region., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence in the pediatric population, often involving the gastrointestinal tract. However, the presence of foreign bodies in the oral cavity, particularly within the buccal mucosa, is relatively rare. This case report describes an unusual presentation of a foreign body embedded in the buccal mucosa and discusses the diagnostic and management challenges associated with such cases. A 10-month-old female child with no significant previous medical history presented with recurrent buccal abscess. Following the removal of the foreign body (grass fragments), the child experienced a complete recovery., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Background: The Thai Rural ENT foundation has been conducting ear camps in Bhutan for many years to address the shortage of ENT specialists in the kingdom where patients are examined and treated for various ear illnesses. However, there has been no study conducted to assess the outcomes of such camps. This is the first study of its kind to be carried out in Bhutan., Objective: To study the spectrum of ear cases seen during the mobile ear camp, the intervention done and treatment outcomes., Materials and Methods: The study enrolled patients with ear disorders who presented to the mobile ear camp at Monggar Regional Referral Hospital, Bhutan, from January 6, 2020, to January 8, 2020. The following data were recorded: demographic details, preoperative clinical symptoms and otoscopic findings, preoperative audiogram, treatment or surgery done, postoperative middle ear and mastoid infection, wound infection, graft condition, any complications, and postoperative audiogram of operated cases. Patients who underwent surgery were followed up at 1 day, 6 weeks, and 2 months postoperatively., Results: Two hundred ten patients presented with otologic conditions and 43 underwent surgeries. Otitis media was the commonest disease detected, and tympanoplasty was the commonest surgery performed. The tympanic membrane closure rate was 92.1%, and the rate of hearing improvement was 63.2%., Conclusion: The ear camp had beneficial effect and showed good results., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background Male rigid cystoscopy is one of the most common outpatient procedures in urology because of it lower cost, better optical area and better orientation compared with flexible devices. However, performing rigid cystoscopy is not only painful but equally apprehensive in awake male patients. Objective The study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of lidocaine gel and ketamine solution together compared with lidocaine gel alone during male rigid cystoscopy. Method A total of 76 male patients who visited the hospital for rigid cystoscopy were randomized into two groups before undergoing cystoscopy. The experimental group received 15 ml lidocaine with 2 ml (100 mg) Ketamine solution while the control group received 15 ml lidocaine gel with 2 ml Normal saline. Patient's heart rate and mean arterial pressure were recorded in five minutes interval till twenty minutes after completion of the procedure. The level of pain perception of all the patients was measured with Visual analogue scale (VAS) score, at the beginning, during and after cystoscopy. Independent sample t-test was used to compare outcome measures and p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Result Out of the total 70 patients analyzed at the end of study with 35 patients in each group, the VAS score in each stage were lower in lidocaine plus ketamine group compared to lidocaine gel alone. The difference was significant at the commencement and middle of the procedure (p < 0.05). Conclusion Intraurethral instillation of ketamine and lidocaine is more effective in reducing mean pain score during cystoscopy as compared to lidocaine alone.

Background: The present study was conducted to find the association between tuberculosis and vitamin D levels and assess severe vitamin D deficiency (VDD) as a risk factor for developing tuberculosis at high-altitude regions., Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital situated at an average altitude of 5,412 feet above sea level. Newly diagnosed active cases of tuberculosis (Group A) and unmatched healthy individuals (Group B) were recruited in the study. Serum samples were analyzed for Vitamin 25(OH) D levels and correlated between the groups., Results: The study included 54 newly diagnosed tuberculosis patients (Group A) (47 pulmonary and 7 extrapulmonary tuberculosis) and 87 healthy controls (Group B). Of the total 141 participants, 69 (49%) had severe VDD and 44 (31%) had VDD. The mean (SD) vitamin D level was significantly lower in patients having tuberculosis (12.6 ± 7 ng/mL) as compared to Group B (15.9 ± 7 ng/mL). The risk of tuberculosis infection was 2.13 times higher among those who had VDD (odds ratio = 2.13) ( P -0.106), whereas those with severe VDD were at 3.2 times higher risk of developing tuberculosis (crude odds ratio = 3.2) ( P = 0.001) and severe VDD independently contributed to being diagnosed with tuberculosis (adjusted odds ratio = 3.1) ( P = 0.002)., Conclusions: Vitamin D levels are significantly low in tuberculosis patients and severe VDD independently contributes to developing tuberculosis infection., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 International Journal of Preventive Medicine.)

The value of combining hybridization and mutagenesis in sesame was examined to determine if treating hybrid sesame plant material with mutagens generated greater genetic variability in four key productivity traits than either the separate hybridization or mutation of plant material. In a randomized block design with three replications, six F2M2 varieties, three F2varieties, and three parental varieties were assessed at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. The plant characteristics height, number of seed capsules per plant, and seed yield per plant had greater variability in the F2M2 generation than their respective controls (F2), however, the number of primary branches per plant varied less than in the control population. The chances for trait selection to be operative were high for all the characteristics examined except the number of primary branches per plant, as indicated by heritability estimates. Increases in the mean and variability of the characteristics examined indicted a greater incidence of beneficial mutations and the breakdown of undesirable linkages with increased recombination. At both phenotypic and genotypic levels strong positive correlations between both primary branch number and capsule number with seed yield suggest that these traits are important for indirect improvement in sesame seed yield. As a result of the association analysis, sesame seed yield and its component traits improved significantly, which may be attributed to the independent polygenic mutations and enlarged recombination of the polygenes controlling the examined characteristics. Compared to the corresponding control treatment or to one cycle of mutagenic treatment, two cycles of mutagenic treatment resulted in increased variability, higher transgressive segregates, PTS mean and average transgression for sesame seed yield. These findings highlight the value of implementing two EMS treatment cycles to generate improved sesame lines. Furthermore, the extra variability created through hybridization may have potential in subsequent breeding research and improved seed yield segregants may be further advanced to develop ever-superior sesame varieties., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Kar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Ondansteron is widely used as prophylaxis for postoperative nausea and vomiting and is associated with various side effects. We present a case of hypersensitivity reaction in the form of itching and rashes in a 6-year-old female patient with a single dose of intravenous ondansetron., (© 2022 The Authors. Clinical Case Reports published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Eagle's syndrome is a collection of symptoms due to abnormal and/or elongated styloid process. This can irritate the various neurovascular structures that lie in its close proximity, mainly the glossopharyngeal nerve, leading to odynophagia, dysphagia, foreign body sensation, cervicofacial pain, and headache. It is a diagnosis of exclusion and needs high degree of clinical suspicion. It is a rare condition with no reported incidence in the Bhutanese population so far. In this article, we present a case of elongated styloid process that was causing persistent and troublesome orofacial pain in a patient, which was not relieved by medication. The patient underwent trans-oral styloidectomy, which helped cure his symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

The need for everyday-real-time EEG sensing has resulted in the development of minimalistic and discreet wearable EEG measuring devices. A front runner in this race is in-ear worn device. However, the position of the ear as well as its restricted accessibility poses certain challenges in the design of such devices - from the type of materials used to the placement of electrodes. These choices are important as they will determine the quality of the EEG signal available and in turn the accuracy of the application. We therefore create a simulation model of the human ear, allowing us to understand the impact of these choices on our design of an In-Ear EEG wearable. We first study the signal acquisition characteristics of a proposed gold-plated electrode against two other state-of-the-art electrode materials for in-ear EEG data collection. We further validate this electrode choice by fabricating a personalized silicone-based earpiece and collecting in-situ EEG data. This work explores the properties of using gold plated electrodes in capturing in-ear EEG signals enabling unobtrusive collection of the brain physiology data in real world setting.

Introduction: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) breast is generally considered a reliable diagnostic tool to distinguish non-proliferative from proliferative breast lesions. Nevertheless, differentiating these breast lesions on FNAC poses a diagnostic challenge. Modified Masood Scoring System (MMSS) based on cytomorphological examination has been used to help in differentiating these lesions., Material and Methods: A total of 67 patients were included in this prospective study done from November 2012 to May 2014 and the breast lesions were cytologically categorized by conventional and as per MMSS criteria, followed by comparison to a histopathological examination, which was taken as a gold standard. Relevant frequencies and proportions were calculated along with the sensitivity and specificity of the MMSS., Results: The age of the patients ranged from 15 to 85 years with a mean age of 44.3 ± 14.8 years. Females predominated in the study and right-sided breast lesions were more common compared to the left side. Overall diagnostic specificity (100%) and accuracy (97%) were higher using MMSS as compared to conventional cytology in which case specificity was 83.6% and accuracy was 82.1%., Conclusions: Cytological grading system based on MMSS allowed accurate and reproducible diagnosis compared to the standard histopathological diagnosis. It is essential to differentiate non-proliferative lesions from proliferative lesions as the line of treatment and prognosis varies., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, William et al.)

Objective: We aimed to determine the risk factors of perioperative drug hypersensitivity reaction (DHR) and develop a predictive score for use in clinical practice., Methods: A case-control study was conducted in patients who underwent anesthesia at a tertiary hospital in Thailand, between 2015-2018. DHR cases were graded clinically from 1 to 4 according to the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists by two anesthesiologists. Controls were randomly matched with cases (ratio 2:1) by age group and month and type of surgery. Patient and anesthesia-related factors and agents given intraoperatively were recorded. A risk score was derived from the coefficients of the significant predictors of the final multivariate logistic regression model. Risk scores, adjusted odds ratios (OR) for perioperative DHR and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were determined., Results: Overall, 325 cases and 650 controls were recruited. The severity of DHR was grade 1 (72.9%), grade 2 (24%), and grade 3 (3.1%). Our risk predictive tools for perioperative DHR provided a sensitivity of 62% and specificity of 65%. Predictive scores of subgroups of moderate to severe DHR showed high specificity (80%) but low sensitivity (47%). Common predictors of overall DHR and moderate to severe DHR were history of drug allergy to 2 or more drug categories (score 2.5-3.5), being allergic to analgesics (score 2.5-4.0), and intraoperative morphine use (score of 1). The sole predictor of high-risk perioperative DHR (score ≥3.5) was airway management with an endotracheal tube intubation (OR 5.6, 95% CI 2.2-14.4) whereas history of allergic rhinitis (OR 11.7, 95% CI 1.3-105.1) was a predictor of high-risk moderate to severe DHR (score ≥2.5)., Conclusions: Our predictive tool for perioperative DHR provided a modest predictive ability. History of drug allergies, rhinitis, morphine use and endotracheal intubation were significant risk factors of DHR after adjusting for age and type of surgery., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the gold standard procedure for symptomatic cholelithiasis. During the procedure the cystic duct is ligated with titanium clips. Migration of these clips after cholecystectomy is a rare complication and may result in stone formation in common bile duct (CBD). We are here discussing a case of a 29 years female who presented with choledocholithiasis 10 years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The clip was incidentally discovered during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and stone extraction. The patient was managed successfully at our center.

Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis (GIM) is a rare life-threatening angio-invasive infection. The classic risk factors include immunosuppression and metabolic derangement. Usually, there are classical risk factors in patients affected by Ileocecal mucormycosis. Few case reports have shown the absence of salient clinical presentation of mucormycosis in prolonged hospitalisation. The presence of association of mucormycosis in patients of typhoid infection is rare. Here, we present a case of invasive ileal mucormycosis occurring as a sequel to typhoid infection which lacked the typical risk factors for mucormycosis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Kaur et al.)

We present the case of an enterovesical fistula (EVF) caused by ischemic enteritis. Ischemic enteritis is caused either by mesenteric macrovasculature occlusion or any pathophysiologic vasospasm of the microvasculature. In other words, ischemic enteritis (IE) occurs when the inflow of blood to the small intestines is reduced. The frequency of ischemic enteritis is less as compared to ischemic colitis because of the vast blood supply to the small intestine. It is the first case to be reported in the medical literature to date. EVF is a rare entity. It is a pathological connection between the bowel loops and the urinary bladder. EVF is a result of an underlying disease or injury. EVF is mostly caused by diverticular diseases, carcinoma colon, Crohn's, and inflammatory bowel disease, iatrogenic, appendicitis, carcinoma cervix, etc. Due to the formation of this abnormal connection, contents of the intestines, including the air, food content, etc., are usually found in the urine. Patients usually present with the complaint of irritative urinary tract symptoms and recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). Surgical management is the mainstay of treatment although medical management is tried for those who cannot bear to undergo surgery., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Pradhan et al.)

Coastal water quality assessment is important to maintain a healthy environment for various uses including fisheries and recreation. Microbial populations are used as biological indicators of contamination to monitor water quality and are considered by the government to be one of the critical features for issuing safety guidelines. Different bacterial groups (pathogenic, vibrio and faecal) from five major recreational beaches of Chennai, India, were monitored for the assessment of coastal water quality. Faecal coliforms (FC) were high at all the beaches, with up to 4.2 × 10 5  CFU/mL and exceeding the normal standard limits of 100 CFU/100 mL set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India. Rainfall was found to have a role in the variability and distribution of indicator and pathogenic bacteria. The seasonal dry period witnessed elevated FC, while dilution in the wet period reduced Escherichia coli-like organisms (ECLO). High microbial counts were detected near the beach situated close to the river mouth, mainly due to discharges of untreated domestic sewage and industrial wastes. Similarly, the biological oxygen demand (BOD) was also high, 0.32 to 10.32 mg/L. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) ranged from 2.21 to 134.53 μmol/L and inorganic phosphate (IP) ranged from 0 to 57.53 μmol/L. These values indicated the presence of significant untreated sewage in the coastal water. This study revealed that Chennai coastal waters carry high levels of faecal and pathogenic bacteria, detrimental for recreational and other contact activities. The quantitative and qualitative analyses will be useful for modelling and prediction of coastal water quality and management of other recreational beaches in India.

Organic matter (OM) composition changed due to land use ─ land cover (LULC) and hydrology modification, has distinctive linkage towards sustainable environment management in tropical river systems. It is crucial in small river systems, which experience delay of freshwater flow to the estuaries due to headwater damming, also LULC alteration along the entire basin. In order to understand this fundamental linkage in tropical Zuari river-estuary (ZRE), we analyzed multi-proxy data of organic carbon to total nitrogen ratio (C org /N), stable organic carbon isotope (δ 13 C org ) and lignin phenols measured in seasonally collected suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sediment samples. Results highlighted about moderate seasonality of OM tracers, with a significant effect of LULC alteration, which nevertheless a striking feature in monsoon-fed river-estuaries of peninsular India. Particulate C org export from ZRE estimated to be 20 × 10 3  kg yr -1 , was much lower as compared to tropical river-estuary systems elsewhere. OM fraction from vascular plant (mangroves) contributed to SPM and sediment was 15% and 40%, respectively, calculated using a Bayesian mixing calculation through Stable isotope analysis in R (SIAR). Presence of mudflat LULC in the estuarine region notably caused 20% decrease in C org and 60% increase in lignin phenol (Λ8) as compared to their limits in upstream. This is although mudflat accounts only 3% of ZRE catchment. The degree of shifts in OM tracers highlights towards efficient entrapment, transformation and/or utilization of riverine OM in the mudflats of ZRE. Accelerated human induced LULC dampens the seasonality of OM characteristics and flow is highlighted through this study, which is essential towards sustainable environmental management practice in small rivers of India and World., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Globally 3.5 billion people have access to internet and most of them are young adults and adolescents. In South Asia, Bhutan has the highest proportion of population with internet access at 37% in 2016. Many studies in Asia have reported significantly high level of internet addiction among college going students. In this light, this study was designed to estimate the prevalence of internet addiction and other co-morbidities., Methods: This cross sectional study included 823 first year and final year students aged 18-24 from six colleges in Bhutan. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of three parts was utilized for data collection. The data was entered and validated in Epidata and analyzed using STATA/IC 14., Results: The prevalence of moderate and severe internet addiction was 282 (34.3%) and 10 (1%) respectively. Positive correlations between internet addiction and psychological well-being (r= 0.331 95% CI: 0.269, 0.390), between Internet Addiction score and years of internet usage (r=0.104 95% CI: 0.036, 0.171), age and years of using internet (r= 0.8 95% CI: 0.012, 0.148) were observed. The commonest mode of internet use was martphone 714 (86.8%). The use of computer laboratory (aPR 0.80, 95%CI: 0.66, 0.96) and internet use for news and educational purposes (aPR 0.76, 95%CI: 0.64, 0.9) showed protective effects., Conclusions: The prevalence of internet addiction is high among the college going students in Bhutan. This warrants timely interventions to address the problems of internet addiction.

Sporotrichosis caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenckii has been widely reported from the northern Himalayan belt and the north eastern region of India. Three autochthonous cases of lymphocutaneous sporotrichosis from east and south districts of Sikkim are reported. Fluid aspirate from the nodulo-ulcerative lesions were sent for cytology and fungal culture. S. schenckii was isolated on culture and cytological examination in all three cases showed granulomatous reaction. Thermal dimorphism was demonstrated and animal pathogenicity testing was performed. Saturated solution of potassium iodide was used for treatment and the last case was treated with itraconazole and potassium iodide. Awareness of this disease and an extensive environmental study is required to understand the actual burden of this disease.

A 30 year old woman presented with symptoms of bladder stone. At operation, in addition to a big bladder stone, a fistula from the bladder to an ovarian dermoid tumor, was found. The cause of the fistula formation remains obscure.

In Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, 4600 single live births were analysed concerning birth weight in relation to gestational age. At term, the median birth weight of females was 2900 g and of males 3010 g. Compared with Norwegian newborns, the birthweights of Nepali babies were lower for all corresponding gestational lengths. The differences increased with gestational age. Fundal height was lower in Nepali than in Norwegian pregnant women for all periods of pregnancy. An increase in the differences between Norwegian and Nepali women was also noted. Hematocrit values of Nepali women who did not take supplementary iron, correspond well to findings in Norwegian women without iron supplementation. Only a slight degree of hemoconcentration was noted towards term. For Norwegian women with iron supplementation the hematocrit values were much higher, with a tendency towards hemoconcentration near term. In Nepal the average woman probably has small iron stores, and without iron supplementation the hematocrit values will remain low throughout the pregnancy. The high altitude does not seem to cause hemoconcentration in pregnancy to a greater extent than at lower altitude. Hemoconcentration is therefore not a major causative factor of the lower birth weights.