Utilization of Euryale ferox Salisbury seed shell for removal of basic fuchsin dye from water: equilibrium and kinetics investigation

Euryale ferox Salisbury (E. ferox) is an environmentally and economically important wetland macrophyte.

Energy performance of compressed biomethane gas production from co-digestion of Salix and dairy manure: factoring differences between Salix varieties

Biogas from anaerobic digestion is a versatile energy carrier that can be upgraded to compressed biomethane gas (CBG) as a renewable and sustainable alternative to natural gas. Organic residues and energy crops are predicted to be major sources of bioenergy production in the future. Pre-treatment can reduce the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic energy crops such as Salix to anaerobic digestion, making it a potential biogas feedstock. This lignocellulosic material can be co-digested with animal manure, which has the complementary effect of increasing volumetric biogas yield. Salix varieties exhibit variations in yield, composition and biomethane potential values, which can have a significant effect on the overall biogas production system. This study assessed the impact of Salix varietal differences on the overall mass and energy balance of a co-digestion system using steam pre-treated Salix biomass and dairy manure (DaM) to produce CBG as the final product. Six commercial Salix varieties cultivated under unfertilised and fertilised conditions were compared. Energy and mass flows along this total process chain, comprising Salix cultivation, steam pre-treatment, biogas production and biogas upgrading to CBG, were evaluated. Two scenarios were considered: a base scenario without heat recovery and a scenario with heat recovery. The results showed that Salix variety had a significant effect on energy output-input ratio (R), with R values in the base scenario of 1.57-1.88 and in the heat recovery scenario of 2.36-2.94. In both scenarios, unfertilised var. Tordis was the best energy performer, while the fertilised var. Jorr was the worst. Based on this energy performance, Salix could be a feasible feedstock for co-digestion with DaM, although its R value was at the lower end of the range reported previously for energy crops.

Vitamin D in Patients of Chronic Liver Disease with Hepatic Encephalopathy

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequently encountered complication of chronic liver disease (CLD). The manifestation is thought to be due to alteration in absorption of nutrients with associated altered metabolism with deterioration in synthetic function of liver. Several factors are known to precipitate HE. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) in development of HE. Although uncertain as a causative factor, studies have shown significant lower levels of 25OHD with worsening HE. This study was therefore undertaken with the aim to access the 25OHD levels in patients of CLD and the relationship with the degree of severity of HE.

MATERIAL

A cross-sectional hospital based observational study for a period of one year (1st June 2020 to 31st May 2021) was carried out with a total of 88 subjects of either sex above 12 years of age after application of inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria.

OBSERVATION

The results showed significant difference in serum albumin levels (p= 0.003) in patient groups of with and without overt HE. The mean levels of serum 25OHD was significantly lower in the overt HE group than the covert HE group (24.11 ± 6.46 ng/ml vs 11.72 ± 4.84 ng/ml, p< 0.001). The study showed the mean levels of serum 25OHD among patients with grade 1 HE is 24.11 ± 6.46 ng/ml, in patients with grade 2 HE is 13.61 ± 4.73 ng/ ml, followed by 8.41 ± 2.84 ng/ml and 8.00 ± 2.66 ng/ml in grade 3 and grade 4 HE respectively, p<0.001. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between serum 25OHD levels and HE (person's correlation coefficient r = -0.731, p <0.001).

CONCLUSION

Serum 25OHD levels were significantly lower in patients with overt HE. Serum levels of 25OHD showed a negative correlation with the degree of severity of HE.

Detection of thiazide-based diuretics in equine urine by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

Thiazide-based diuretics are included in the list of banned drugs in the horse-racing industry. One effect of their misuse is increased urine flow, contributing to dilution of other doping agents. Their determination is essential in ensuring compliance to horse-racing regulation. This study evaluates the feasibility of using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) with electrospray and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces to analyze thiazidic diuretics in equine urine samples. Existing LC and gas chromatography/MS methods are limited in their applicability to thiazide analysis. Sample preparation, analyte extraction, chromatographic separation, ion-source collision induced dissociation, solvent composition, ionization mode, and ion polarity are discussed. The practicality of LC/MS for this analysis is demonstrated with actual equine administration samples collected at specified time intervals. Detection limits were 270 ng/mL for chlorothiazide, 131 ng/mL for hydrochlorothiazide, and 384 ng/mL for trichlormethiazide.