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Introduction: Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars are the leading global cause of gastroenteritis and have established reservoirs in food animals. Gap statement: Due to a lack of surveillance, there is limited information on the distribution of NTS serovars in India. Aim: Here, we investigated the epidemiology, sequence types, serovar distribution, phylogenetic relatedness, and antimicrobial resistance patterns of NTS in humans and animals across a large geographic area in Northern India. Methodology: We collected stool samples from patients with diarrhea who presented to 14 laboratories in Chandigarh and from five states in India (Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan). We sequenced the genomes and analyzed 117 NTS organisms isolated from humans and animals. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were estimated using a Vitek2 system. Results: The prevalence of NTS in participants presenting to our study with diarrhea was 1.28 %, affecting all age groups. All NTS caused moderate to severe diarrhea. We found a high diversity of serovars with considerable serovar and sequence types (STs) overlap and phylogenetic closeness between isolates from human infections and food animals. We report serovars such as S. Agona, S. Bareilly, S. Kentucky, S. Saintpaul, and S. Virchow, causing human infections from north India for the first time. Among the different food-producing animals, pigs appeared to be a key source of human infections. Twenty-eight percent (28 %) of the NTS isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR), and human isolates showed a higher proportion of resistance. A higher level of contamination of meat samples in our study (8.4 %) potentially suggests a close association of NTS serovars with the food chain and high transmission risk in north India. Conclusions: This study provides information on AMR genes and plasmid replicons associated with different serovars and highlights the role of food animals in AMR dissemination in our region.

The study successfully synthesized nano-SiO2 and Nd2O3 materials applying as fertilizers for growth of the Paramignya trimera (Oliv.) Guill. (Rutaceae), a well-known medicinal plant in Vietnam and Thailand for treatment of numerous cancers. The cultivation results indicated that the individual uses of nano-SiO2 and Nd2O3, respectively, induced stem and root growth of the P. trimera. Therefore, applications of nano-Nd2O3 and SiO2 mixture exhibited synergic effects to greatly enhance stem and root growth of the P. trimera. The plant height, root length, stem and root weight of the mixture Nd2O3 and SiO2 exposed plant were greatly higher than those of the individual nano-material exposed plants. The extraction experiments indicated that ostruthin, a valuable medicinal substance, accumulated in the roots of the P. trimera rather than in its stems. The ostruthin content in the root of the Nd2O3 exposed P. trimera was also greatly higher than those in the control and SiO2-exposed plants. This indicated that the Nd2O3 nano-materials not only induced root growth but also aided the accumulation of ostruthin in the roots of the P. trimera. This open new era on combination application of nano-SiO2 and Nd2O3 for growth of the P. Trimera as well as other medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni was successfully doped into WO3 lattice to enhance its photocatalytic activity. The Ni dopants acted as nuclei during crystallization leading to Ni-WO3 crystal size increase. However, the doped Ni substituted several W6+ of the WO3 leading to lattice distortion preventing agglomeration of these formed crystals resulting in Ni-WO3 particle size decrease. Therefore, Ni-WO3 crystals were larger than WO3 crystals while Ni-WO3 particles were much smaller than WO3 particles. Finally, Ni dopants created a transitional level between conduction and valence bands of the WO3 to narrow its band gap and to increase charge separation to improve photocatalytic Tetracycline degradation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]