Temporal variability of microplastics in shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), feed, water and sediments of coastal and inland culture ponds.

Aquaculture, particularly shrimp farming, is crucial for global food security. However, the increasing presence of microplastics (MPs) in marine environments, shrimp feeds, and atmospheric particles has made MP contamination in shrimp tissues inevitable. This study systematically investigates the abundance, characteristics, and temporal trends (from 15th to the 120th day of culture) of MPs contamination in Litopenaeus vannamei, along with associated feed, water, and sediment across 12 shrimp ponds of two major shrimp-producing regions of India.

Paddy straw biochar amended sediment enhances pond productivity, growth and physiological profile of Penaeus vannamei cultured in inland saline nursery ponds.

The growing interest in commercial Inland saline aquaculture has taken momentum across the globe due to the available technologies for aquaculture and the abundant resources of saline groundwater. However, the critical problems in inland saline ponds are degraded soil and imbalanced or deficient nutrients. To address these issues, a 75-day experiment was conducted to explore the effects of Paddy Straw Biochar (PSB) as a sediment amendment on sediment quality, water characteristics, growth parameters, and the well-being of Penaeus vannamei reared in inland saline environments.

Ecotoxicological effects of triclosan on Lemna minor: bioconcentration, growth inhibition and oxidative stress.

Triclosan (TCS), an emerging pollutant, is a notable contributor to adverse impacts on aquatic organisms due to its widespread use during COVID-19 and hydrophobic properties. There is extensive documented literature on TCS toxicity in commercially important fish species; however, studies on aquatic plants remain limited. In this prelude, the present study aims to evaluate the effect of TCS on Lemna minor, a commercially important aquatic plant species for 7 days.

Ecotoxicological risk assessment of triclosan, an emerging pollutant in a riverine and estuarine ecosystems: A comparative study.

Triclosan (TCS), an antibacterial biocide, pervades water and sediment matrices globally, posing a threat to aquatic life. In densely populated cities like Mumbai, rivers and coastal bodies demand baseline TCS data for ecotoxicological assessment due to the excessive use of personal care products comprising TCS. This pioneering study compares spatiotemporal TCS variations and risks in freshwater and marine ecosystems employing multivariate analysis of physicochemical parameters.

Evaluation of acute toxicity of an emerging contaminant Oxybenzone on an ecologically important aquatic macrophyte Lemna minor.

Oxybenzone is an ultraviolet filter frequently used in Personal Care Products, plastics, furniture, etc. and is listed as an Emerging Contaminant. This report studied the acute toxicity of Oxybenzone to Lemna minor after exposure to graded concentrations of Oxybenzone for 7 days.

Sugarcane bagasse biochar enhances the growth parameters, haematological parameters, and enzyme activities of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) reared in inland saline water.

In the present scenario, waste management, especially agro-waste, is one of the major challenges. India is an agrarian country and the economy depends on agriculture and a huge amount of agro-wastes are generated. In this study, biochar was prepared from paddy straw and sugarcane bagasse and was used in the feed of genetically improved farm tilapia (GIFT) at 0.

Seasonal distribution and abundance of microplastics in the coastal sediments of north eastern Arabian Sea.

The present study reports site-specific data on the seasonal variation in microplastic abundance and characteristics in coastal sediments along the North Eastern Arabian Sea, India. The abundance of MP in coastal sediments ranged from 4400 to 15,300 items/kg dry weight (DW), with the dominance of the size ranging between 100 and 500 μm. In the studied sediment samples, fibers were the most dominant form, followed by fragments.

Anthropogenic risk assessment of riverine habitat using geospatial modelling tools for conservation and restoration planning: a case study from a tropical river Pranhita, India.

The riverine ecosystem provides multiple benefits to human community and contributes to the sustainable development of the ecoregion. The growing dependency on these ecosystems has largely contributed to aggravating the ecological risks, habitat degradation, and loss of ecosystem services. The present study evaluates the ecological risk emanating from nine anthropogenic stressors including river use, hydro-morphology, catchment pollution, and biological stressor on river Pranhita in Godavari Basin of Peninsular India using InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) Habitat Risk Assessment model.

A peptoid interleukin-15 receptor antagonist suppresses inflammation and arthritis in mice.

Objective: To discover a novel peptoid antagonist that targets the interleukin-15 (IL-15) receptor and to evaluate its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of inflammation and arthritis.

Methods: A new compound (IFRA3, interleukin-15 receptor antagonist 3) was discovered using a unique on-bead two-colour combinatorial cell screening of a peptoid library. The interaction of IFRA3 with IL-15 receptor was assessed by pull-down and thermal shift assays.

Microplastics in the foreshore coastal waters, sediment, and coastal fauna of a highly populated megacity - A study on the effect of anthropogenic discharge on clams.

In this study, the microplastics (MPs) abundance, characteristics and their variations across three popular beaches of highly populated and largest megacity of India were documented using clams as an indicator species. The abundance of MPs in clams was 77.39 MPs items/g in soft tissue parts and 198.

Eco-toxicological effect of a commercial dye Rhodamine B on freshwater microalgae Chlorella vulgaris.

In this study, the acute toxicity effects of a fluorescent xanthene dye, Rhodamine B (RhB), widely used in textile, paper, and leather industries was investigated on a freshwater microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. The acute toxicity of RhB on C. vulgaris was determined by examining the growth, cell morphology, pigment production, protein content, and the activities of oxidative stress enzymes.

Application of Microalgal Physiological Response as Biomarker for Evaluating the Toxicity of the Textile Dye Alizarin Red S.

Textile dyes are becoming a growing threat to the environment. This report presents the findings of the study on the toxicity of the textile dye Alizarin Red S on two freshwater microalgae. The acute toxicity assay revealed that 96-h EC values of Chlorella vulgaris and Spirulina platensis were 29.

Unbiased peptoid cell screen identifies a peptoid targeting newly appeared cell surface vimentin on tumor transformed early lung cancer cells.

To identify potential new reagents and biomarkers for early lung cancer detection we combined the use of a novel preclinical isogenic model of human lung epithelial cells comparing non-malignant cells with those transformed to full malignancy using defined oncogenic changes and our on-bead two color (red and green stained cells) (OBTC) peptoid combinatorial screening methodology. The preclinical model used normal parent lung epithelial cells (HBEC3-KT, labeled with green dye) and isogenic fully malignant transformed derivatives (labeled with a red dye) via the sequential introduction of key genetic alterations of p53 knockdown, oncogenic KRAS and overexpression of cMYC (HBEC3). Using the unbiased OBTC screening approach, we tested 100,000 different peptoids and identified only one (named JM3A) that bound to the surface of the HBEC3 cells (red cells) but not HBEC3-KT cells (green cells).

Microplastic pollution in coastal ecosystem off Mumbai coast, India.

Microplastics (MPs) are anthropogenic pollutants which can adsorb toxic substances from surrounding water and absorb into the fish body. During the present study, MPs were observed in water, sediment, and gastrointestinal tracts of marine biota samples collected from the coastal waters of Mumbai, India. The mean abundances of MPs recorded in water samples 372 ± 143 items/liter and 9630 ± 2947 items/kg dry weight (DW) in sediment samples.

A novel peptidomimetic therapeutic for selective suppression of lung cancer stem cells over non-stem cancer cells.

Cancers are highly heterogeneous and typically contain a small subset of drug-resisting cells called tumor initiating cells or cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs can self-renew, divide asymmetrically, and often cause tumor invasion and metastasis. Therefore, treatments specifically targeting CSCs are critical to improve patient survival.

"Molecular Masks" for ACE2 to Effectively and Safely Block SARS-CoV-2 Virus Entry.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global health crisis, despite the development and success of vaccines in certain countries. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, uses its spike protein to bind to the human cell surface receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which allows the virus to enter the human body. Using our unique cell screening technology, we identified two ACE2-binding peptoid compounds and developed dimeric derivatives (ACE2P1D1 and ACE2P2D1) that effectively blocked spike protein-ACE2 interaction, resulting in the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry into human cells.

Anthropogenic pressure on mangrove ecosystems: Quantification and source identification of surficial and trapped debris.

The mangroves are well known for their ecological services and livelihood support to humankind. The mangrove forest is experiencing extreme pressure due to anthropogenic activities, mainly the debris pollution posing great harm to the mangrove ecosystems. The abundance, sources, and composition of surficial and trapped debris items in the six contiguous mangrove regions of Mumbai were studied by the belt-transect and quadrats method.

Adsorption-biodegradation coupled remediation process for the efficient removal of a textile dye through chemically functionalized sugarcane bagasse.

Textile dye effluents have many deleterious effects; therefore, it is essential to remove before releasing into waterbodies. This study developed a two-step process for decolorization of textile dye using sugarcane bagasse (SCB). The first step of the process involved functionalization of SCB with alginic acid and applying as packing material in column and assessing its performance for adsorptive removal of Drimarene red.

Incidence of microplastics in gastrointestinal tract of golden anchovy (Coilia dussumieri) from north east coast of Arabian Sea: The ecological perspective.

Anthropogenic marine litters or microplastics (MPs) accumulation in marine organisms is an emerging environmental threat. In this background, the gastrointestinal tract of Coilia dussumieri (n = 150) was studied in the samples collected from the fishing grounds of the north east coast of Arabian Sea through experimental fishing. Out of the total 150 specimens collected, all showed the incidence of microplastic particulates in the guts.

Microplastics in shrimps: a study from the trawling grounds of north eastern part of Arabian Sea.

Accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in marine organisms poses an imminent environmental threat and health risk due to the possibility of trophic transfer of accumulated MPs in ecologically important food chains. In this context, a field-level study was conducted on the fishing grounds of the north eastern part of the Arabian Sea through experimental fishing, and the gastrointestinal tracts (GT) of three different species of shrimps (n=180) were examined for the incidence of microplastics. The results showed that all shrimp caught from the fishing grounds had significant levels of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts.

Toxicity Evaluation of Six Textile Dyes on Growth, Metabolism and Elemental Composition (C, H, N, S) of Microalgae Spirulina platensis: The Environmental Consequences.

A concentration-dependent decrease in growth rate and pigment concentration of the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis was recorded after the exposure to graded (5-40 ppm) concentration of six textile dyes. The profile of vital elements (C, H, N, S) also showed a significant variation due to dye toxicity. The algal population showed up to 50% decrease in protein content after exposure to the dyes.

Acute toxicity of textile dye Methylene blue on growth and metabolism of selected freshwater microalgae.

Microalgae are ecologically important species in aquatic ecosystems due to their role as primary producers. The inhibition of growth of microalgae due to dye pollution results in an upheaval in the trophic transfer of nutrients and energy in aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, this investigation aimed to evaluate the toxicity of a textile dye Methylene blue (MB) on two microalgae viz.

Chemical Modification and Performance Evaluation of an Agro-Waste for Column Mode Removal of Textile Dyes.

The performance of a newly designed column bed device packed with chemically modified agro-waste (sugarcane bagasse) is evaluated for efficient removal of two textile dyes, Optilan yellow and Lanasyn brown and textile industry dye effluent. The parameters used for performance evaluation are removal efficiency (%), adsorption capacity (), and breakthrough ( / ). The column exhibits >90% removal of both the dyes and >80% removal of textile industry dye effluent.

A mini-library system to investigate non-essential residues of lipid-phosphatidylserine (PS) binding peptide-peptoid hybrid PPS1.

We recently identified a peptide-peptoid hybrid, PPS1, which specifically recognized lipid-phosphatidylserine (PS). PPS1 consists of distinct positively charged and hydrophobic residue-containing regions. PPS1 monomer was inactive, but the dimeric form, PPS1D1, displayed strong cytotoxicity for lung cancer cells compared to normal cells in vitro, and reduced the tumor growth in vivo.