Geochemical assessment of fluoride enriched groundwater and health implications from a part of Yavtmal District,India

Abstract

A comprehensive study was conducted from a semi-arid part of Yavtmal District, Maharashtra, India through combination approaches of geochemical modeling and its health consequences. The groundwater quality assessment shows that 55% of groundwater samples have the concentration of fluoride above the desirable limit. The high Na⁺/Ca⁺ ratio (>1.0) suggest the occurrence of cation exchange, which is further supported by Scholler’ chloro-alkaline indices. The geochemical modeling reveals that the existence of CaCO₃ precipitation and CaF₂ in groundwater. Simulation analysis indicates the dissolution of calcite, gypsum, and albite and precipitation of dolomite, fluorite, halite, and K-feldspar along with cation exchange as the main water–rock interactions influencing the groundwater chemistry. This is further significantly supported by pollution index of groundwater (PIG). PIG indicates about 18% of total samples fall in very high pollution zone, 3% in high pollution zone, 8% in moderate pollution zone, 24% in low pollution zone, and remaining (47%) express insignificant pollution. The 28% of subject studied have skeletal fluorosis varying from mild to severe type. In different pollution zones, the affected persons by dental fluorosis are varying from 15% to 41%. A proper monitoring and treatment are required for high fluoride water before its use for drinking and cooking.     

Telo aneuploids in pearl millet

Summary Nomenclature and chromosome constitution for twenty different aneuploids with telocentrics in Pennisetum typhoides are presented.     

An in vitro system derived from Friend erythroleukemia cells to study messenger RNA stability

A system consisting of 40-80S messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNP) from stationary Friend erythroleukemia (FEL) cells was used to investigate the stability of mRNA in vitro. The majority of mRNP mRNAs were found to be stable when incubated for periods of up to ninety minutes at 37 degrees. Nonetheless, many mRNAs are greatly reduced in abundance, including ones for eucaryotic elongation factor Tu (eEF-Tu) and the 73-78 kDa polypeptide commonly found in association with the poly(A) tails of mRNA. A divalent cation dependent ribonuclease (probably an endoribonuclease) could be washed off mRNP by treatment of the particles with 0.5M NaCl. The mRNAs contained in the resultant salt washed mRNPs, including eEF-Tu, were stable when incubated in vitro.     

A note on microbial spoilage of sheep meat at ambient temperature

Shelf-life and microbial spoilage of sheep carcass meat at ambient temperature under commercial conditions were studied. The initial bacterial count of carcasses ranged 5.6-5.8 log/cm2. Staphylococcus spp. (48%) predominated in the initial microflora of carcasses followed by Micrococcus spp. (19%) and Escherichia spp. (12%). Microbial spoilage of carcasses occurred around 20 h when the bacterial count reached 8.0-9.0 log/cm2. Thus the shelf life of carcasses at ambient temperature was 19 h. The predominant micro-organisms at the time of spoilage were Escherichia and 'Acinetobacter-like' organisms. It was also observed that Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus spp. could form a major part of the final flora. The presence of Escherichia and Staphylococcus spp. in higher percentages on the surface of carcasses at the time of spoilage presents the scope for health hazards.