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The seafood industry generates waste, including shells, bones, intestines, and wastewater. The discards are nutrient-rich, containing varying concentrations of carotenoids, proteins, chitin, and other minerals. Thus, it is imperative to subject seafood waste, including shrimp waste (SW), to secondary processing and valorization for demineralization and deproteination to retrieve industrially essential compounds. Although several chemical processes are available for SW processing, most of them are inherently ecotoxic. Bioconversion of SW is cost-effective, ecofriendly, and safe. Microbial fermentation and the action of exogenous enzymes are among the significant SW bioconversion processes that transform seafood waste into valuable products. SW is a potential raw material for agrochemicals, microbial culture media, adsorbents, therapeutics, nutraceuticals, and bio-nanomaterials. This review comprehensively elucidates the valorization approaches of SW, addressing the drawbacks of chemically mediated methods for SW treatments. It is a broad overview of the applications associated with nutrient-rich SW, besides highlighting the role of major shrimp-producing countries in exploring SW to achieve safe, ecofriendly, and efficient bio-products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic pollution poses a potential risk of genotoxicity, as antibiotics released into the environment can induce DNA damage and mutagenesis in various organisms. This pollution, stemming from pharmaceutical manufacturing, agriculture, and improper disposal, can disrupt aquatic ecosystems and potentially impact human health through the consumption of contaminated water and food. The removal of genotoxic antibiotics using algae-mediated approaches has gained considerable attention due to its potential for mitigating the environmental and health risks associated with these compounds. The paper provides an in-depth examination of the molecular aspects concerning algae and bioreactor-driven methodologies utilized for the elimination of deleterious antibiotics. The molecular analysis encompasses diverse facets, encompassing the discernment and profiling of algae species proficient in antibiotic degradation, the explication of enzymatic degradation pathways, and the refinement of bioreactor configurations to augment removal efficacy. Emphasizing the significance of investigating algal approaches for mitigating antibiotic pollution, this paper underscores their potential as a sustainable solution, safeguarding both the environment and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiesel is projected to replace the conventional diesel which is naturally occurring from a non-renewable resource called petroleum. Biodiesel generally prepared from bioresources and improves rural economy. The present research focuses on synthesis of biodiesel from waste cooking oil using catalyst generated from waste material. Waste coralline sand degraded from parent coral reef rock was used to make high purity and low cost CaO, and used in the production of biodiesel as an effective heterogeneous solid base catalyst. The calcination temperature was held at 800 °C for 3.5 h, yielding a high purity CaO catalyst. Well-known tools namely XRD, FT-IR, and TGA were employed to characterize the catalyst that was obtained. Elemental analysis and surface morphology were observed with SEM–EDX, respectively. To produce biodiesel, each batch went through a succession of transesterification reactions. Each experiment examined how the co-solvent changed the yield of biodiesel. Biodiesel of high grade and purity was produced and analysed using 1H NMR and FT-IR spectra. There are some variables which adversely affected biodiesel yield, like reaction time, temperature, molar ratio, and concentration of the catalyst. The density, kinematic viscosity, cloud point, and other properties of synthesised biodiesel were investigated using ASTM guidelines. It was established that the developed CaO catalyst was reused up to 5 times without substantially degrading its catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical resection is the primary treatment for bone and soft tissue tumors. Negative margin status is a key factor in prognosis. Given the three-dimensional (3D) anatomic complexity of musculoskeletal tumor specimens, communication of margin results between surgeons and pathologists is challenging. We sought to perform ex vivo 3D scanning of musculoskeletal oncology specimens to enhance communication between surgeons and pathologists. Methods: Immediately after surgical resection, 3D scanning of the fresh specimen is performed prior to frozen section analysis. During pathologic grossing, whether frozen or permanent, margin sampling sites are annotated on the virtual 3D model using computer-aided design (CAD) software. Results: 3D scanning was performed in seven cases (six soft tissue, one bone), with specimen mapping on six cases. Intraoperative 3D scanning and mapping was performed in one case in which the location of margin sampling was shown virtually in real-time to the operating surgeon to help achieve a negative margin. In six cases, the 3D model was used to communicate final permanent section analysis. Soft tissue, cartilage, and bone (including lytic lesions within bone) showed acceptable resolution. Conclusions: Virtual 3D scanning and specimen mapping is feasible and may allow for enhanced documentation and communication. This protocol provides useful information for anatomically complex musculoskeletal tumor specimens. Future studies will evaluate the effect of the protocol on positive margin rates, likelihood that a re-resection contains additional malignancy, and exploration of targeted adjuvant radiation protocols using a patient-specific 3D specimen map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the monitoring of corrosion in the distribution network pipeline in Patna (Bihar), India, using a weight loss method and an image processing technique. The seven coupons were injected into the pipeline of the distribution network and ejected after 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 days. The corrosion rate was calculated by weighing the initial and final weight of coupons. It was found to be 0.035, 0.078, 0.048. 0.035, 0.028, 0.052, and 0.039 mm/year during 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 days, respectively. Scaling rate found at 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 days was 0.006, 0.037, 0.042, 0.049, 0.011, 0.018, and 0.033 mm/year, respectively. Surface analysis was performed using the scanner method and MATLAB software. Coupons were first scanned using a scanner adjusted to 4800 ppi. A scanned image was imported into MATLAB. An algorithm was used based on color analysis. The output of a text file was generated that gave the corrosion pit in terms of pixels. The MATLAB analysis shows that the surface corrosion area sum of both sides of the coupon was 6.24, 6.39, 6.49, and 6.48 cm2 in 45, 90, 135, and 180 days, respectively. This study concludes that scale formation on the pipe surface decreased the corrosion rate. Corrosion and scaling were found in the opposite trend. SEM analysis shows that pitting corrosion was increasing with increasing duration of time. Physicochemical analysis shows that the water was alkaline. The presence of a greater concentration of hardness, alkalinity, and less concentration of chloride, sulfate, and DO water was found to have a scaling tendency. XRD analysis of iron dust represents the presence of salts in water, which is responsible for the scaling behavior of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants persisting almost everywhere in the environment. With the increase in anthropogenic activities, MP accumulation is increasing enormously in aquatic, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. Owing to the slow degradation of plastics, MPs show an increased biomagnification probability of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances thereby creating a threat to environmental biota. Thus, remediation of MP-pollutants requires efficient strategies to circumvent the mobilization of contaminants leaching into the water, soil, and ultimately to human beings. Over the years, several microorganisms have been characterized by the potential to degrade different plastic polymers through enzymatic actions. Metagenomics (MGs) is an effective way to discover novel microbial communities and access their functional genetics for the exploration and characterization of plastic-degrading microbial consortia and enzymes. MGs in combination with metatranscriptomics and metabolomics approaches are a powerful tool to identify and select remediation-efficient microbes in situ. Advancement in bioinformatics and sequencing tools allows rapid screening, mining, and prediction of genes that are capable of polymer degradation. This review comprehensively summarizes the growing threat of microplastics around the world and highlights the role of MGs and computational biology in building effective response strategies for MP remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is focused on the modelling of the composite effect of corrosion factors using Design Expert 13 software on the corrosion rate in the water distribution network of Patna (Bihar), India. A total of nine variables, including pH, temperature, total dissolved solid (TDS), alkalinity, calcium hardness, chloride, sulphate, dissolved oxygen (DO) and time, were considered for modelling. The physicochemical parameters were determined through regular monitoring of water samples. The corrosion rate was determined by the direct monitoring of water distribution pipes using adjustments of seven GI coupons for 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270 and 315 days. Modelling was performed for various corrosion factors using the low-level and high-level experimental ranges. Nine of the corrosion factors, i.e. pH, temperature, TDS, alkalinity, calcium hardness, chloride, sulphate, DO and time, were considered in this study. The data used for low-level and high-level range were 7.28, 23, 430, 115, 24, 18, 10.94, 3.5 and 0 and 7.86, 28, 704, 284, 180, 98, 38.7, 6.8 and 315, respectively. Using the Box-Behnken design (BBD), 160 runs were conducted, including ten replicates at the central point of each block. The results of ANOVA indicate that the values of R2, adjusted R2 and predicted R2 are 0.9714, 0.9507 and 0.8941, respectively. The value of R2 (0.9714) was close to 1, which indicates a good fit. The adequate precision was found to be 30.8442, indicating a good signal. The coefficient of variance discusses reproducibility, and in this case, it was 9.90%. On the basis of the ANOVA result, the quadratic model is well-fitted and can be accepted as a suitable model. A total of seven parameters, such as chloride, sulphate, hardness, alkalinity, pH, calcium and hardness, were used for the design of the experimental corrosion rate (CR). Corrosion rate as observed by direct monitoring of the water distribution system was 1.37, 3.08, 1.90, 1.38, 1.09, 2.05 and 1.45 MPY for 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270 and 315 days, respectively. These individual CR versus synthetic aqueous solutions were used to validate the interaction of the response surface. It was observed that the trend of individual corrosion rates in synthetic aqueous solutions and the interaction of composite variables with corrosion rates in a quadratic model of response surfaces were clearly correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock is an essential life commodity in modern agriculture involving breeding and maintenance. The farming practices have evolved mainly over the last century for commercial outputs, animal welfare, environment friendliness, and public health. Modifying genetic makeup of livestock has been proposed as an effective tool to create farmed animals with characteristics meeting modern farming system goals. The first technique used to produce transgenic farmed animals resulted in random transgene insertion and a low gene transfection rate. Therefore, genome manipulation technologies have been developed to enable efficient gene targeting with a higher accuracy and gene stability. Genome editing (GE) with engineered nucleases-Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) regulates the targeted genetic alterations to facilitate multiple genomic modifications through protein-DNA binding. The application of genome editors indicates usefulness in reproduction, animal models, transgenic animals, and cell lines. Recently, CRISPR/Cas system, an RNA-dependent genome editing tool (GET), is considered one of the most advanced and precise GE techniques for on-target modifications in the mammalian genome by mediating knock-in (KI) and knock-out (KO) of several genes. Lately, CRISPR/Cas9 tool has become the method of choice for genome alterations in livestock species due to its efficiency and specificity. The aim of this review is to discuss the evolution of engineered nucleases and GETs as a powerful tool for genome manipulation with special emphasis on its applications in improving economic traits and conferring resistance to infectious diseases of animals used for food production, by highlighting the recent trends for maintaining sustainable livestock production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxonomic and functional characterization of a total of 90 bacterial isolates representing bulk and rhizosphere soils of diverse niches of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India were carried out. Twelve bacterial isolates were found promising for the biological suppression of agriculturally important fungal and bacterial plant pathogens such as Ralstonia solanacearum, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis revealed their identity as belonging to Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Lysinibacillus sphaericus. The isolates were positive for plant growth promotion (PGP) traits including siderophore production, and nutrient solubilization especially phosphorous, zinc, and potassium. Interestingly, the PCR test confirmed the presence of 62 antimicrobial peptides (AMP) biosynthesis genes specific to the genus Bacillus. Whilst all tested species of Bacillus harboured the bacD biosynthesis gene, the B. subtilis (Ba_Abi), and B. amyloliquefaciens (Ba_Abi) harboured the maximum AMP biosynthesis genes analysed in the study. Upon in planta evaluation, the biocontrol potential of the bacterial isolates against leaf spot disease of chilli was observed. The study culminated in the isolation and identification of diverse Bacillus species for exploitation as bioinoculants for plant health management programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms dwell in diverse plant niches as non-axenic biotic components that are beneficial as well pathogenic for the host. They improve nutrients-uptake, stress tolerance, phytohormone synthesis, and strengthening the defense system through phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and endosphere. The negative consequences of the microbial communities are largely in the form of diseases characterized by certain symptoms such as gall, cankers, rots etc. Uncultivable and unspecified nature of different phytomicrobiomes communities is a challenge in the management of plant disease, a leading cause for the loss of the plant products. Metagenomics has opened a new gateway for the exploration of microorganisms that are hitherto unknown, enables investigation of the functional aspect of microbial gene products through metatranscriptomics and metabolomics. Metagenomics offers advantages of characterizing previously unknown microorganisms from extreme environments like hot springs, glaciers, deep seas, animal gut etc. besides bioprospecting gene products such as Taq polymerase, bor encoded indolotryptoline, hydrolases, and polyketides. This review provides a detailed account of the phytomicrobiome networks and highlights the importance and limitations of metagenomics and other meta-omics approaches for the understanding of plant microbial diversity with special focus on the disease control and its management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of indole-3-butanoyl-polyethylenimine (IBP) nanostructures formed via self-assembly in aqueous system. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis confirmed the formation of the nanostructures in the size range of ~ 194–331 nm. These nanostructures showed commendable antimicrobial activity against wide range of microbes including multi-drug resistant bacteria. Besides, appreciable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were also observed. Results of cytotoxicity studies, performed on normal transformed human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) cells and human red blood cells (hRBCs), revealed almost non-toxic behavior of these nanostructures, however, remarkable toxicity on human breast cancer cells (MCF-7), human osteosarcoma cells (Mg63) and human liver cancer cells (HepG2) was observed. The pre-apoptotic and anti-proliferative activity of IBP nanostructures were confirmed by acridine orange/propidium iodide dual staining assay followed by confocal microscopy and scratch assay on Mg63 cells. Taken together, these results advocate the promising potential of the synthesized IBP nanostructures in the therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is a progressive, unalterable physiological degradation process of living organisms, which leads to deterioration of biological function and eventually to senescence. The most prevalent factor responsible for aging is the accumulation of damages resulting from oxidative stress and dysbiosis. D-galactose-induced aging has become a hot topic, and extensive research is being conducted in this area. Published literature has reported that the continuous administration of D-galactose leads to the deterioration of motor and cognitive skills, resembling symptoms of aging. Hence, this procedure is employed as a model for accelerated aging. This review aims to emphasize the effect of D-galactose on various bodily organs and underline the role of the Lactobacillus sp. in the aging process, along with its anti-oxidative potential. A critical consideration to the literature describing animal models that have used the Lactobacillus sp. in amending D-galactose-induced aging is also given. Key points: • D-Galactose induces the aging process via decreasing the respiratory chain enzyme activity as well as ATP synthesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased ROS production. • D-Galactose induced aging primarily affects the brain, heart, lung, liver, kidney, and skin. • The anti-oxidative potential of Lactobacillus sp. in improving D-galactose-induced aging in animal models via direct feeding and feeding of Lactobacillus-fermented food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gemmata obscuriglobus, distinctive member of phylum planctomycetes possesses uncommon features which make it unique from other bacteria and has gained significant attention in the field of microbial evolution and ecology. Presence of cellular characteristics like intracellular compartmentalization, condensed-membrane bound nucleoid, endocytosis-like mechanism and sterol biosynthesis has made it the intermediate member of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These features which were previously thought to be restricted for eukaryotes has raised the question about its taxonomical classification and made it the target organism for studying the evolution of eukaryotes. G. obscuriglobus shows resistance to heavy metals and can also produce antimicrobial peptides, which reveal potential applications of this organism. This review intends to highlight the cellular morphology and molecular characteristics. Additionally, the article also outlines the unique features which question its classification in detail for better understanding about this bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirulina is a potential feedstock for biofuel production and rich source of other valuable products such as lipid, reduced sugar and protein content. The aim of this study is to achieve the maximum lipid yield and other value added products from lipid extracted Spirulina by using different techniques. The parameters, pre-treatment of ultra sonication, drying techniques and methods of cell disruption techniques were studied with respect to the biochemical properties. The cell disruption techniques involving temperature and pressure for disruption opted were autoclave, microwave and conventional heating processes. The techniques were analysed for considerable amount of lipid yield. The interaction between drying techniques and pre-treatment with cell disruption techniques were also investigated by two way ANOVA. The effect on morphology of disrupted cell was observed by scanning electron microscopy characterization. The study revealed that the oven dried biomass resulted in better yield of protein and lipid as compared to sun dried biomass. In case of reduced sugar, the fresh algal cell and microwave assisted cell biomass were found to give better yield for sun dried biomass. The experimental data revealed that among used methods for lipid extraction, the microwave and conventional heating methods were found to be the best out of the techniques used for lipid extraction and reduced sugar yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pharyngeal arch arteries (PAAs) are transient embryonic blood vessels that make indispensable contributions to the carotid arteries and great vessels of the heart, including the aorta and pulmonary arteries. During embryogenesis, the PAAs appear in a craniocaudal sequence to connect pre-existing segments of the primitive circulation after de novo vasculogenic assembly from angioblast precursors. Despite the unique spatiotemporal characteristics of PAA development, the embryonic origins of PAA angioblasts and the genetic factors regulating their emergence remain unknown. Here, we identify the embryonic source of PAA endothelium as nkx2.5+ progenitors in lateral plate mesoderm long considered to adopt cell fates within the heart exclusively. Further, we report that PAA endothelial differentiation relies on Nkx2.5, a canonical cardiac transcription factor not previously implicated in blood vessel formation. Together, these studies reveal the heart field origin of PAA endothelium and attribute a new vasculogenic function to the cardiac transcription factor Nkx2.5 during great vessel precursor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to increase the solubility of an anti-allergic drug loratadine by making its inclusion complex with β-cyclodextrin and to develop it's thermally triggered mucoadhesive in situ nasal gel so as to overcome first-pass effect and consequently enhance its bioavailability. A total of eight formulations were prepared by cold method and optimized by 2 full factorial design. Independent variables (concentration of poloxamer 407, concentration of carbopol 934 P, and pure drug or its inclusion complex) were optimized in order to achieve desired gelling temperature with sufficient mucoadhesive strength and maximum permeation across experimental nasal membrane. The design was validated by extra design checkpoint formulation (F9) and Pareto charts were used to help eliminate terms that did not have a statistically significant effect. The response surface plots and possible interactions between independent variables were analyzed using Design Expert Software 8.0.2 (Stat Ease, Inc., USA). Faster drug permeation with zero-order kinetics and target flux was achieved with formulation containing drug: β-cyclodextrin complex rather than those made with free drug. The optimized formulation (F8) with a gelling temperature of 28.6 ± 0.47°C and highest mucoadhesive strength of 7,676.0 ± 0.97 dyn/cm displayed 97.74 ± 0.87% cumulative drug permeation at 6 h. It was stable for over 3 months and histological examination revealed no remarkable damage to the nasal tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key step in heart development is the coordinated development of the atrioventricular canal (AVC), the constriction between the atria and ventricles that electrically and physically separates the chambers, and the development of the atrioventricular valves that ensure unidirectional blood flow. Using knock-out and inducible overexpression mouse models, we provide evidence that the developmentally important T-box factors Tbx2 and Tbx3, in a functionally redundant manner, maintain the AVC myocardium phenotype during the process of chamber differentiation. Expression profiling and ChIP-sequencing analysis of Tbx3 revealed that it directly interacts with and represses chamber myocardial genes, and induces the atrioventricular pacemaker-like phenotype by activating relevant genes. Moreover, mutant mice lacking 3 or 4 functional alleles of Tbx2 and Tbx3 failed to form atrioventricular cushions, precursors of the valves and septa. Tbx2 and Tbx3 trigger development of the cushions through a regulatory feed-forward loop with Bmp2, thus providing a mechanism for the co-localization and coordination of these important processes in heart development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate incorporation of hydrophobic (ie, waxy) material into pellets using a thermal sintering technique and to evaluate the pellets in vitro for controlled release. Pellets prepared by extrusion-spheronization technology were formulated with a water-soluble drug, microcrystalline cellulose, and carnauba wax. Powdered carnauba wax (4%–20%) prepared by grinding or by emulsification was studied with an attempt to retard the drug release. The inclusion of ground or emulsified carnauba wax did not sustain the release of theophylline for more than 3 hours. Matrix pellets of theophylline prepared with various concentrations of carnauba wax were sintered thermally at various times and temperatures. In vitro drug release profiles indicated an increase in drug release retardation with increasing carnauba wax concentration. Pellets prepared with ground wax showed a higher standard deviation than did those prepared with emulsified wax. There was incomplete release at the end of 12 hours for pellets prepared with 20% ground or emulsified wax. The sintering temperature and duration were optimized to allow for a sustained release lasting at least 12 hours. The optimized temperature and duration were found to be 100° and 140 seconds, respectively. The sintered pellets had a higher hydrophobicity than did the unsintered pellets. Scanning electron micrographs indicated that the carnauba wax moved internally, thereby increasing the surface area of wax within the pellets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]