Degradation of crude oil-associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by marine-derived fungi.

Unlabelled: One of the major environmental concerns today is hydrocarbon contamination resulting from the activities related to the petrochemical industry. Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons like alkanes, naphthene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are known to be highly toxic to humans and animals due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects.

Risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon infested sediments along the coast of Goa, India.

Goa, a small state in India, is a tourist hotspot known for its coastline and beaches. Anthropogenic activities lead to pollution in the environment. Amongst many other pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons represent a major class of contaminants owing to their widespread distribution and protracted environmental persistence.

Folin-Ciocalteu assay as a rapid colourimetric screening method for evaluating PAH degradation abilities of heterotrophic bacteria.

Unlabelled: Bioremediation using microbes is an eco-friendly approach being explored for reclaiming PAH-contaminated areas. However, isolation and screening of potential bacteria to degrade PAHs are very laborious and cumbersome. To alleviate this issue, we describe a rapid method for screening the bacterial cultures for their ability to degrade PAHs using Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) assay.

Distribution of butyltins in the waters and sediments along the coast of India.

Water and surface sediment samples were analyzed for butyltins (TBT, DBT, MBT) from various ports along the east and west coast of India. The total butyltin (TB) in water samples varied between ~1.7 and 342 ng S nl⁻¹, whereas for sediments it varied between below detection limit to 14861 ng S ng⁻¹ dry weight of sediment.

Distribution of butyltins in waters and sediments of the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, west coast of India.

Butyltins (TBT, DBT, MBT) were measured in water and sediment samples collected from various locations in the Mandovi (ten stations) and Zuari (nine stations) estuaries during November 2007. The total butyltin (TB) in water samples varied between approximately 12 and 73 and from 0.5 to 77 ng Sn l(-1), whereas for the sediments, it varied from approximately 15 to 118 and 6 to 119 ng Sn g(-1) dry weight for the Mandovi and the Zuari estuaries, respectively.

Hepatic stellate cells express functional CXCR4: role in stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha-mediated stellate cell activation.

Unlabelled: Chemokine interactions with their receptors have been implicated in hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. The hepatic expression of CXCR4 messenger RNA is increased in hepatitis C cirrhotic livers and plasma levels of its endogenous ligand, stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha), correlate with increased fibrosis in these patients. The expression of CXCR4 by HSCs has not been reported.

The future of HIV microbicides: challenges and opportunities.

HIV microbicides are topical, self-administered products aimed at preventing or reducing HIV infection in women and may represent the most promising strategy for combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the present time. Although a safe and effective microbicide has yet to be identified, all products tested in Phase III trials to date have been vaginal gels containing non-specific compounds with modest potency that had to be applied close to the time of sexual intercourse. Issues regarding these early generation products were further complicated by widely publicized cases of halted efficacy trials.

Seasonal variation in organotins in the waters of the Dona Paula Bay, west coast of India.

Surface seawaters from the Dona Paula Bay, were collected at weekly intervals during March 2007 to March 2008, and analyzed for butyltins (BT) such as tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), monobutyltin (MBT) using a GC-MS system. The mean concentrations of TBT, DBT, MBT and total BT varied from <1-37, 4-19, 6-28 and 21-84 ng Sn L(-1), respectively. Highest levels of BTs were recorded during May followed by April 2007 and March 2007 probably because the shipping and tourism activities are very high during these months.

Butyltins in the sediments of Kochi and Mumbai harbours, west coast of India.

Surface sediment samples were collected from various locations in the Mumbai and Kochi harbours, west coast of India, to assess the presence of butyltin compounds. Tributyltin (TBT) and dibutyltin (DBT) varied from 16 to 16,816 ng/g dry wt. and from undetected to 469 ng/g dry wt.

Dynamics of amino acids in the conditioning film developed on glass panels immersed in the surface seawaters of Dona Paula Bay.

The conditioning film developed on glass panels immersed in surface seawater over a period of 24 h was analysed for total organic carbon (OC), total organic nitrogen (ON), and total hydrolyzable amino acid (THAA) concentrations and composition. The concentrations of C and N and THAA increased, whereas the C/N ratio decreased over the period of immersion. The amino acid-C and N accounted for 3.

Abundance of macroalgal organic matter in biofilms: evidence from n-alkane biomarkers.

Biofilm development on titanium panels immersed in the surface waters of Dona Paula Bay was investigated using molecular biomarkers such as n-alkanes and other chemical and biological parameters. Biofilm biomass measured as organic carbon (OC), organic nitrogen (ON), chlorophyll a, diatoms and bacterial numbers on the titanium panels generally increased over the period of immersion. Total lipids and n-alkane concentration also showed similar trends.

Butyltins in water, biofilm, animals and sediments of the west coast of India.

Biofilm, fish, oyster, mussel, clam, surface seawater, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediment samples were collected from marine and/or estuarine waters of the west coast of India. These samples were analysed for butyltin derivatives such as dibutyltin (DBT) and tributyltin (TBT). The concentrations DBT plus TBT varied between 2.