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In developing countries, poverty alleviation and development are key policy drivers, and ideally these strategies should align with climate change adaptation and resilience as well. This study explores those challenges through an inductive investigation into the East Kolkata Wetland (EKW), the ‘wise-use’ of wastewater, alignment with climate change adaptation, resilience and poverty alleviation. EKW is a 12,500 ha Ramsar site, close to Kolkata Metropolitan Area in eastern India and connected to Sunderban and the Bay of Bengal. While there are illegal demand-driven developments within EKW, the study explores how planning might provide for development while preserving the critical functions of a wetland. The study addresses three topics: (1) the socio-ecological model; (2) planning approaches to the wetland; and (3) how those might contribute to poverty alleviation. This study of EKW centers on the past and present ecological history of the city and includes analysis of future physical and institutional relations between the city and the wetland. The study benefits from participatory mapping exercises involving indigenous fishing and farming communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hooghly River (HR) estuary is the first deltaic off-shoot of the perennial and transboundary river, Ganga, India. HR receives industrial and domestic waste along with storm-water run-off from Kolkata city and the adjoining districts. Organic micropollutants (OMPs) have been collectively termed for plasticizers, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, which are extensively consumed and disposed in the waste streams. Hence emerging OMPs were investigated to obtain the first baseline data from the Hooghly riverine sediment (HRS) along urban and suburban transects using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The concentration range of OMPs in the HRS varied between 3 and 519 ng/g for carbamazepine, 5–407 ng/g for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 2–26 ng/g for musk ketone, 2–84 ng/g for triclosan, 2–199 ng/g for bisphenol A (BPA), 2–422 ng/g for plasticizers (phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and bis (2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA)) and 87–593 ng/g for parabens. Carbamazepine concentration in sediment was an useful marker for untreated wastewater in urban waterways. High concentrations of BPA and PAEs in the suburban industrial corridor together with significant correlation between these two type of OMPs (r2 = 0.5; p < 0.01) likely reflect a common source, possibly associated with the plastic and electronic scrap recycling industries. Among all the categories of OMPs, plasticizers seems to exhibit maximum screening level ecological risk through out the study area. Image 1 • Carbamazepine can act as a possible marker for untreated wastewater. • Industrial sludge and burning of dumped plastic waste are potential sources of plasticizers. • Direct domestic discharge outlets might be a possible source for preservatives. Surveillance of microorganic pollutants in the Hooghly riverine sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The objective of the paper is to study the role of partogram in the outcome of spontaneous labour in primigravidae at term with singleton pregnancy and vertex as the presenting part. Methods: This prospective observational study was carried out in the labour room of the department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, over a period of one year i.e. from June 2011 to May 2012 after obtaining approval from the institutional ethical committee. Analysis of the progress of labour was done in five hundred women with the help of modified WHO partograph. The study population was divided into three groups. Group I had a total observed duration of active stage six hours or less and their cervicograph remained on or to the left of the alert line. Group II had total observed duration of active phase between more than six hours and less than ten hours and their cervicograph remained between the alert and action line. Group III, who had the duration of observed active phase more than 10 hours, had their cervicograph crossing the action line. The different types of abnormal labor were studied. The maternal and fetal outcomes were assessed. Results: 80.8% of the women belonged to group I, 15.2% to group II and 4% to group III. Surgical interference increased as the labour curve moved to the right of the alert line. Use of partogram helped in overall reduction in the duration of labour. Timely intervention reduced the incidence of prolonged labour and its sequelae. 19.2% of the women showed abnormal labour. Severe complications were successfully averted. There were no cases of maternal death, puerperal sepsis, ruptured uterus or fresh still births. Overall neonatal mortality rate was also reduced. Conclusions: The use of modified WHO partograph significantly improves the outcome of labour in both maternal & neonatal perspective. The WHO partograph should be used in all maternity units with incorporated management guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metals are one of the major chemical toxicants that can perturb environmental homogeneity by their prolonged persistence and complex interactions. Bioaccumulation of any metal above its threshold level invariably results in stress often leading to irreversible physiological conditions. The present investigation was carried out to study the potential stress that fish species are facing in wastewater-fed (contaminated) fishponds in East Calcutta Wetlands (ECWs), manifested in total protein and metallothionein (MT) concentrations. Indian major carps (IMCs) - rohu (Labeo rohita), katla (Catla catla) and mrigel (Cirrhinus mrigala) were used as suitable fish models. Total protein concentration of different fish tissues were found to be always lower in wastewater-fed fishponds when compared to fish tissues from freshwater-fed (uncontaminated) fishponds, while an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) revealed a higher expression of MT in all the fish tissues collected from wastewater-fed fishponds. Major significances drawn from the present study were that fish species cultivated in east Calcutta wetland, with its ecosystem being under a potential threat of contamination and stress induced by composite effluents, could lead to adverse physiological conditions. Moreover, these findings could be important in terms of designing biomarkers for an early environmental warning system and also for monitoring fish health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Several genes including the cagA in the cag pathogenicity island (cag PAI) of Helicobacter pylori are thought to be associated with the gastroduodenal diseases and hence variation in the genetic structure of the cag PAI might be responsible for different clinical outcomes. Our study was undertaken to characterize the cag PAI of H. pylori strains from duodenal ulcer (DU) patients and asymptomatic or non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD/AV) subjects from Kolkata, India. Strains isolated from 52 individuals (30DU and 22NUD/AV) were analyzed by PCR using 83 different primers for the entire cag PAI and also by dot-blot hybridization. Unlike H. pylori strains isolated from other parts of India, 82.6% of the strains used in this study had intact cag PAI, 9.6% had partially deleted cag PAI, and 7.7% of the strains lacked the entire cag PAI. Dot-blot hybridization yielded positive signals in 100% and 93.8% of PCR-negative strains for HP0522–523 and HP0532–HP0534 genes, respectively. An intact cagA promoter region was also detected in all cagA-positive strains. Furthermore, the expression of cagA mRNA was confirmed by RT-PCR for the representative strains from both DU and NUD/AV subjects indicating the active cagA promoter regions of these strains. A total of 66.7% of Kolkata strains produced a ∼390-bp shorter amplicon than the standard strain 26695 for the HP0527 gene, homologue of virB10. However, sequence analyses confirmed that the deletion did not alter the reading frame of the gene, and mRNA transcripts were detected by RT-PCR analysis. The strains isolated from DU and NUD/AV express CagA protein and possess a functional type IV secretion system, as revealed by Western blot analyses. Interestingly, no significant differences in cag PAI genetic structure were found between DU and NUD/AV individuals suggesting that other bacterial virulence factors, host susceptibility, and environmental determinants also influence the disease outcome at least in certain geographical locations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Analysis of 75 Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated from hospitalized patients in Kolkata from 1989 to 1994 revealed the existence of true El Tor along with El Tor variants that possessed the classical allele of ctxB (ctxB cl) in strains having an El Tor backbone. Based on the existence of different combinations of ctxB and rstR alleles and their localization sites in the genome, these strains were classified into multiple genetic groups. Of 75 clinical strains, 11 were identified as non-toxigenic. These 8 strains were also devoid of pTLC, which is uncommon among the O1 strains. However, Mozambique variants isolated in 2004 were typically negative for pTLC, but these strains possessed tandemly arranged CTX prophages with ctxB cl in the small chromosome. Genetic manipulation studies with laboratory-generated kanamycin-tagged pCTX-Kan (derived from tandemly arranged small chromosome-localized ctxB cl bearing CTX prophages of 1992 VC53, a progenitor strain of the Mozambique variant) demonstrated that integration specificity of the pCTX-Kan was somewhat towards small chromosome. Such integration could be the prime step towards generation of the Mozambique variant. Based on the existence of multiple alleles of CTXϕ and their infections with non-toxigenic strains, we propose that the El Tor variant strains could have emerged following these genetic events. This study demonstrated existence of different ‘intermediate strains’ in a time frame that overlapped with a period of V. cholerae O139 emergence. Identification of these intermediate strains gave impetus to believe stepwise generation of the El Tor variants, and all these events profoundly influenced V. cholerae epidemiology in the following years. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The weather systems that predominantly affect the eastern and northeastern parts of India during the pre-monsoon summer months (March, April and May) are severe thunderstorms, known as Nor'westers. The storms derive their names from the fact that they frequently strike cities and towns in the southern part of West Bengal in the afternoon from the north-west direction while traveling far from its place of genesis over the Bihar plateau. The storms are devastating in nature particularly due to strong (gusty) winds, heavy rains and hails associated with it. Although these storms are well known for its power of causing damages, studies on them are relatively few due to their small size and sparse network of observations. To address this important issue, the evolution of two Nor'westers of 12 March and 22 May 2003 over Kolkata is studied in detail in this paper using hourly Doppler weather radar (DWR) observations and high resolution Meteosat-5 imageries. In addition, supporting meteorological reports are used to find the large scale conditions that influence the moisture convergence and vertical wind shear. The genesis of both the storms is found to be over Bihar-Jharkhand region and beyond the range of the DWR. The satellite observations are found to be useful in identifying the location and initiation of the storms. The movements of the storms are captured by the DWR estimated vertical cross-section of reflectivities. The Doppler estimate shows that the 12 March storm had a vertical extent of about 10-12 km at the time of maturity and that of 22 May reaching up to 18 km signifying deep convection associated with these events. The genesis, maturity and dissipation are well brought out by the hourly DWR and satellite imageries. The DWR observations suggest that the systems move at a speed of 20-25m/s. The DWR estimated precipitation shows a detailed spatial distribution around Kolkata with several localized zones of heavy rain and this is found to be well supported by the nearby station observations. This study establishes that DWR observations along with hourly satellite imageries are able to capture the evolution of Nor'westers. The study also shows that the composite DWR-satellite information is a reliable tool for nowcasting the location, time and path of movement of Nor'westers. Based on these observations, a conceptual model of the Nor'wester is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the global environmental pollution caused by so many anthropogenic activities. In particular, emphasis is laid on the recent experience of the increasing numbers of automobiles on insufficient and damaged roads, particularly in Indian cities, causing severe pollution effects. As far as the numbers are concerned, a standard mathematical model was developed, similar to Malthus' model on human population in an exponential form, and later changed to the logistic level of Verhults. Because Kolkata experiences a heavy load of traffic with insufficient infrastructure, this study has focused on this city, taking it as a reference city for the mathematical model. A detailed discussion is also given of automobiles and environmental pollution with reference to this city, and some comparative published data, along with some calculated measures, are presented for the four mega-cities of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses multivariate statistical analyses to identify building and behavioral factors associated with indoor heat stress in dwellings located in Kolkata slums and a rural village in West Bengal, India – residential areas whose summertime heat experiences have been sporadically studied and inconsistently quantified. During the summer of 2019, indoor temperature, humidity and heat stress index were monitored every 10 min over a 24-h period in 123 slum dwellings in Kolkata and in 101 rural village houses located about 75 km south of Kolkata; and compared to outdoor measurements. Most dwellings exhibited indoor conditions that were above those considered safe for occupants at some point during the day. However, under similar outdoor conditions, indoor heat stress was greater and more prolonged in Kolkata slum dwellings than in rural village houses. The coolest dwellings were constructed of mud walls and thatch roofs in the village, and the hottest dwellings were constructed of cement walls and clay tile or corrugated tin roofs in Kolkata. In the Kolkata slums, the duration of dangerous heat stress during the day was inversely related to the number of rooms in a dwelling, and positively related to the number of occupants. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that crowding and construction materials in Kolkata slums contribute to dangerous indoor HSI levels even at relatively low outdoor maximum temperatures. Further studies using this relatively simple and easily applied protocol can effectively increase the limited data on indoor conditions in understudied urban slum and rural village conditions in India. • A simple and inexpensive technique to study indoor heat stress in India. • Quantification of indoor heat stress in understudied slum and village dwellings. • Village houses with mud walls and thatch roofs show the coolest indoor conditions. • Quantification of the crowding effect in Kolkata slum dwellings. • Most slum and rural dwellings experience dangerous indoor heat stress during the day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]