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Azolla pinnata, an aquatic fern has been utilized as an effective biofiltering and adsorbent agent to complement many conventional treatment methods for the removal of environmental pollutants. This study is designed to develop an effective regime to treat metal pollutants of industrial and urban waste discharge using a novel strategy involving Azolla pinnata. In the present study, cell surface modification by physical treatments that include heating (muffle furnace), and mechanical waves (ultrasonication) and chemical treatments as sulphuric acid and ethanol were employed to enhance the adsorption of metal pollutants. Factors such as biosorbent dose, contact time, initial metal ion concentration, temperature, and solution pH were optimised in batch mode. The point of zero charge of the adsorbent was determined to be at 5.85 pH. The results of surface morphology, elemental analysis, crystallinity, recorded through SEM, FTIR and XRD confirmed the adsorptive properties in both modified and unmodified biomass. The intensity peaks linked to O-H, C-H, C-N, N-H and C=O stretching bands was intense in the treated A. pinnata groups indicating the induction of the active groups. Out of the two chemical pre-treatments, the batch adsorption experiment with ethanol found to chelate Cd+2 metal ions to a higher extent (94.36%) in contrast to the results obtained from H2 SO4 treated biomass. Whereas, the physical treatments exhibited the strong adsorption (83.28 and 96.92±0.55%) for ultrasonicated and muffle furnace pre-treated biomass respectively for the dosage of 0.25g. The adsorption efficiency of physically modified sorbent revealed the cent percent removal of Cd+2 ions from the aqueous phase with the dosage of 1.0g in 15min of contact time which is due to the incorporation of new binding sites. Moreover, these results proved that the highest rate of cadmium adsorption onto A. pinnata is in result of the modifications caused onto surface structure, porosity and the addition of functional groups on the surface of the treated biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates bird population dynamics in Bengaluru, India, post-lockdown, focusing on occurrence, seasonal abundance, species diversity, richness, dominance, and evenness. It covers 55 bird species across 52 genera, grouped into 32 families within 13 orders, with a notable peak in winter. Various indices, including Shannon Wiener, Margalef's, Pielou's, and Simpson's, reveal significant seasonal differences in bird population characteristics. The Rock Pigeon Columba livia dominates, while the Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus is less prevalent. The study identifies Near Threatened species like Black-headed Ibis and Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, along with Least Concern species per the IUCN Red List. Common species include Rock Pigeon, Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos, House Crow Corvus splendens, Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus, Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus, Common Myna Acridotheres tristis, Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus, Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus, and Streak-throated Swallow Petrochelidon fluvicola. The study aims to inform improved management and conservation strategies for Bengaluru's diverse bird species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential element with sub-lethal effects even at low concentrations. The persistent nature of Cd and its tendency to bioaccumulate eventually create harmful effects on water biota, including fish. Cd affects various aspects of hormonal action in fish since it bioaccumulates in the endocrine system and hinders the synthesis, secretion, and metabolic activity of hormones, causing severe damage along the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis. Linking reproductive and developmental impairments in fish with ecologically relevant concentrations of individual metals can be challenging due to the complexity of aquatic ecosystems. This review deliberated the significant and novel trends of toxicological difficulties and approaches, including elucidating environmental sources' bioavailability and Cd-induced toxic effects in freshwater fish. Both acute and chronic exposure to Cd can cause a range of adverse effects, such as growth inhibition, impaired reproductive capacity, endocrine disruption, and developmental abnormalities in freshwater fish, as evidenced by the present review. These investigations support the concept of Cd as a naturally available pollutant that causes irreversible damage in fish. These findings will help to understand the etiology of environmental circumstances that pose substantial dangers to fish health and are also crucial for preventing and treating exposure-related reproductive disturbances in freshwater fish due to environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To stay in sync with environmental cues, the body's metabolic activities must be rhythmic, and these rhythmic functions are known as circadian rhythms, which repeat every 24 h. People's sleep-wake and eating patterns were interrupted as a result of house confinement, making them more vulnerable to noncommunicable chronic diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period. During the epidemic, there was a greater degree of misalignment with this synchronization. The effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) on the human circadian clock are studied in depth. The literature review was conducted fully online, with the website utilized to collect all of the papers from PubMed, and duplicates were handled only in the first phase. Researchers found that individuals of all ages who are pushed to adjust their daily routines shift to the later chronotype, resulting in lifestyle modifications and an altered biological timing system that contributes to noncommunicable chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses have bidirectional conductance, which means they can be caused by both environmental and self-modification in daily activity, as was the case during the COVID-19 outbreak, which forced people to stay at home. This review comes to the conclusion that fighting the pandemic may be best done by changing medications and focusing on immune health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Consumption of fermented foods are known to provide various health benefits. The present study was aimed to isolate novel potent probiotic strains from the homemade fermented Indian recipe Moor Kuzhambu and Pickle and its characterization to elucidate the efficacy of isolate in cholesterol and heavy metal reduction. Methodology and results: Cultures isolated from Pickle (CK2) and Moor Kuzhambu (CK3) were identified as different strains of Pediococcus pentosaceus using the 16S rDNA sequence-based bacterial identification method. The study analysed the survival of probiotic strains under the influence of various chemical and natural stimulants. The isolated strains exhibited tolerance to gastric juice and were able to exhibit a broad range of tolerance to varying temperatures, pH, NaCl, solvent, phenol, trypsin and artificial gastric juice. Microencapsulation studies were conducted using alginate and chitosan to increase the shelf life of the isolated probiotic. Preliminary analysis regarding cell surface studies such as autoaggregation, co-aggregations and cell surface hydrophobicity determined the ability of the strains to aggregate on to intestinal cell surface and manifest competitive pathogen displacement. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Remarkable biofilm reduction of 48% to 80% was observed in the probiotic-supplemented samples. Similarly, a reduction of 80% to 85% free cholesterol was noted in cholesterol assimilation assays and heavy metal (Cu+, Pb+, Zn+ and Fe+) assimilation ability was observed. Further studies are required to characterize the nature of the secretory products and their mode of action in the survival and immune enhancement in animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on isolation and characterisation of potential probiotic bacteria from a non-aquatic source (Gallus gallus domesticus). Enterococcus sp. was isolated from the midgut of G. gallus domesticus and was characterised for its ability to survive in artificial gastric juice, trypsin, varying pH and temperature, different concentrations of organic solvents, and was evaluated for its ammonia reduction potential. Notable inhibition of biofilm against Vibrio harveyi (41.0±3.2 %), Escherichia coli (33.0±4.0 %), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (37.8±4.0 %) and Staphylococcus aureus (41.7±2.0 %) was observed. The study showed that the isolate improved the survival rate of Danio rerio against V. harveyi and E. coli in challenge studies using survival analysis. The weight and length gains observed were 4.9±0.1 % and 0.3±0.2 % (p>0.05), respectively. The use of probiotics from non-aquatic sources can increase the diversity of available probiotics for aquaculture practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms that degrade oil contribute significantly to the bioremediation of polluted lakes. Many microorganisms synthesize lipases, which are commercially significant. In the present study microorganisms producing extracellular lipase were isolated from various polluted lakes in Bangalore by using tributyrin agar. A lipase assay was done to determine the most efficient lipase-producing organism, which was then named Bacillus mojavensis CUIE1819 based on 16srRNA sequencing. After UV irradiation, the selected immobilized organisms were used to treat the lake water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]