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Mercury contamination in drinking water is a worldwide problem due to its severely harming effects on the human body. A nanostructured natural bioadsorbent, carboxycellulose nanofiber extracted from raw moringa plant using the nitro-oxidation method (termed NOCNF), capable of effectively remediating this problem has been demonstrated. Nitro-oxidation is a simple approach that can extract carboxylated nanocellulose directly from raw biomass. In this study, the produced NOCNF contained a large density of carboxylate groups on the cellulose surface (0.97 mmol/g), capable of removing Hg2+ ions by simultaneous electrostatic-interactions and mineralization processes. Using the Langmuir analysis, the adsorption results indicated that the highest Hg2+ removal capacity of this NOCNF was 257.07 mg/g, which is higher than most of the reported values. The interactions between Hg2+ and NOCNF were further characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with electron diffraction and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) methods, suggesting the existence of two distinct removal mechanisms: predominant adsorption at low Hg2+concentrations (< 250 ppm) and predominant mineralization at high Hg2+ concentrations (> 1000 ppm). The applications of NOCNF were illustrated in both suspension form, as an adsorbent/coagulant, and dry powder form using filtration column. The results indicated that NOCNF in suspension exhibited a higher maximum removal efficiency of 81.6 % as compared to the dry state of 74.3 %. This work demonstrated the feasibility of extracting nanostructured adsorbents from biomass feedstocks to tackle the Hg2+ contamination problem in drinking water.

In this study, granulated activated charcoal (GAC) and bio charcoal (BC) is used as a filler in P3 biosand bag filter to study their filtration performance against a range of fluoride impurities from 1–1400 mg/L. A set of experiments are done to analyze the filtration efficiency of the sandbag filter against fluoride impurities after incorporating different amounts (e.g., 0.2, 2 kg) and a combination of GAC and BC. A combination of filler GAC and BC (1 kg each) have exhibited excellent results with 100% fluoride removal efficiency against 5 mg/L fluoride impurities for an entire experimental time of 165 min. It is because of the synergetic effect of adsorption caused by the high surface area (739 m2/g) of GAC and hydroxyapatite groups in BC. The data from remediation experiments using individual GAC and BC are fitted into the Langmuir and Freundlich Isotherm Models to check their adsorption mechanism and determine GAC and BC’s maximum adsorption capacity (Qm). The remediation data for both GAC and BC have shown the better fitting to the Langmuir Isotherm Model with a high R2 value of 0.994 and 0.970, respectively, showing the excellent conformity with monolayer adsorption. While the GAC and BC have presented negative Kf values of −1.08 and −0.72, respectively, for Freundlich Model, showing the non-conformity to multilayer adsorption. The Qm values obtained from Langmuir Model for GAC is 6.23 mg/g, and for BC, it is 9.13 mg/g. The pH study on adsorption efficiency of individual GAC and BC against 5 mg/L of fluoride impurities indicates the decrease in removal efficiency with an increase in pH from 3 to 9. For example, BC has shown removal efficiency of 99.8% at pH 3 and 99.5% at pH 9, while GAC has exhibited removal efficiency of 96.1% at pH 3 and 95.9% at pH 9. Importantly, this study presents the significance of the synergetic application of GAC and BC in the filters, where GAC and BC are different in their origin, functionalities, and surface characteristics.

Understanding the morphology and flow behavior of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) dispersed in organic solvents can improve the process of fabricating new cellulose-based nanocomposites. In this study,...

Aloe vera, a short-stemmed shrub is described as a “wonder plant”, due to its vast uses in various medical products. Since many decades, extensive research has revealed that the pharmacological active ingredients are distributed in both the gel and rind of the Aloe vera leaves. A. vera is very popular in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries and it is needed in large quantities with higher fractions of important constituents. To satisfy the market demand, intervention of microbial community seems to be a promising approach, which helps to increase the growth and metabolites along with plant fitness. Piriformospora indica is a root colonizing endophytic fungus, having unique plant growth-promoting properties. It helps the plant to acquire more nutrients from soil even under extreme physical and nutrient stress conditions. It interacts with a wide range of hosts. Interaction of P. indica with A. vera resulted in overall increase in plant biomass and greater shoot and root length, as well as number of shoots and roots as compared to control under both in vitro and in vivo environment conditions. Apart from that, the photosynthetic pigments (Chl a, Chl b and total Chl) and aloin content were observed significantly higher in A. vera plantlets colonized with symbiotic endophyte. The antioxidant activities were also tested and found significantly higher as compared to control plants. This imparts the potential of P. indica, to resist the plants against phyto-pathogenic microbes. P. indica has been proved as a potential candidate to enhance the biomass production along with various value additions in the form of active ingredients in A. vera.

Green and sustainable cellulose nanocrystals-TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared for environmental applications using a facile method comprised of thermal degradation of aqueous titanium precursors., Nanocellulose, which can be derived from any cellulosic biomass, has emerged as an appealing nanoscale scaffold to develop inorganic–organic nanocomposites for a wide range of applications. In this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocrystals were synthesized in the cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) scaffold using a simple approach, i.e., hydrolysis of a titanium oxysulfate precursor in a CNC suspension at low temperature. The resulting TiO2 nanoparticles exhibited a narrow size range between 3 and 5 nm, uniformly distributed on and strongly adhered to the CNC surface. The structure of the resulting nanocomposite was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The growth mechanism of TiO2 nanocrystals in the CNC scaffold was also investigated by solution small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), where the results suggested the mineralization process could be described by the Lifshitz–Slyozov–Wagner theory for Ostwald ripening. The demonstrated TiO2/CNC nanocomposite system exhibited excellent performance in dye degradation and antibacterial activity, suitable for a wide range of environmental remediation applications.

Raw wood was subjected to sequential oxidation to produce 2,3,6-tricarboxycellulose (TCC) nanofibers with a high surficial charge of 1.14 mmol/g in the form of carboxylate groups. Three oxidation steps, including nitro-oxidation, periodate, and sodium chlorite oxidation, were successfully applied to generate TCC nanofibers from raw wood. The morphology of extracted TCC nanofibers measured using TEM and AFM indicated the average length, width, and thickness were in the range of 750 ± 110, 4.5 ± 1.8, and 1.23 nm, respectively. Due to high negative surficial charges on TCC, it was studied for its absorption capabilities against Pb2+ ions. The remediation results indicated that a low concentration of TCC nanofibers (0.02 wt%) was able to remove a wide range of Pb2+ ion impurities from 5–250 ppm with an efficiency between 709–99%, whereby the maximum adsorption capacity (Qm) was 1569 mg/g with R2 0.69531 calculated from Langmuir fitting. It was observed that the high adsorption capacity of TCC nanofibers was due to the collective effect of adsorption and precipitation confirmed by the FTIR and SEM/EDS analysis. The high carboxylate content and fiber morphology of TCC has enabled it as an excellent substrate to remove Pb2+ ions impurities.

The objective of this paper is to establish the significance of the mycoremediation of contaminants such as Cd2+ to achieve sustainable and eco-friendly remediation methods. Industries such as electroplating, paint, leather tanning, etc. release an enormous amount of Cd2+ in wastewater, which can drastically affect our flora and fauna. Herein, we report on the in vitro bioadsorption of Cd2+ ions using fungal isolates obtained from different contaminated industrial sites. The detailed studies revealed that two fungal species, i.e., Trichoderma fasciculatum and Trichoderma longibrachiatum, were found to be most effective against the removal of Cd2+ when screened for Cd2+ tolerance on potato dextrose agar (PDA) in different concentrations. Detailed adsorption studies were conducted by exploring various experimental factors such as incubation time, temperature, pH, inoculum size, and Cd2+ salt concentrations. Based on optimum experimental conditions, T. fasciculatum exhibited approximately 67.10% removal, while T. longibrachiatum shows 76.25% removal of Cd2+ ions at pH 5.0, 120 h incubation time, at 30&deg, C. The inoculum sizes for T. fasciculatum and T. longibrachiatum were 2.5% and 2.0%, respectively. Finally, the morphological changes due to Cd2+ accumulation were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy reveals the presence of various functional groups (-CH, &ndash, C=O, NH and &ndash, OH), which seem to be responsible for the efficient binding of Cd2+ ions over the fungal surfaces.

Synthetic rubber produced from nonrenewable fossil fuel requires high energy costs and is dependent on the presumed unstable petroleum price. Natural rubber latex (NRL) is one of the major alternative sustainable rubber sources since it is derived from the plant &lsquo, Hevea brasiliensis&rsquo, Our study focuses on integrating sustainably processed carboxycellulose nanofibers from untreated jute biomass into NRL to enhance the mechanical strength of the material for various applications. The carboxycellulose nanofibers (NOCNF) having carboxyl content of 0.94 mmol/g was prepared and integrated into its nonionic form (&ndash, COONa) for its higher dispersion in water to increase the interfacial interaction between NRL and NOCNF. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses of NOCNF showed the average dimensions of nanofibers were length (L) = 524 &plusmn, 203 nm, diameter (D) 7 &plusmn, 2 nm and thickness 2.9 nm. Furthermore, fourier transform infra-red spectrometry (FTIR) analysis of NOCNF depicted the presence of carboxyl group. However, the dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurement of NRL demonstrated an effective diameter in the range of 643 nm with polydispersity of 0.005. Tensile mechanical strengths were tested to observe the enhancement effects at various concentrations of NOCNF in the NRL. Mechanical properties of NRL/NOCNF films were determined by tensile testing, where the results showed an increasing trend of enhancement. With the increasing NOCNF concentration, the film modulus was found to increase quite substantially, but the elongation-to-break ratio decreased drastically. The presence of NOCNF changed the NRL film from elastic to brittle. However, at the NOCNF overlap concentration (0.2 wt. %), the film modulus seemed to be the highest.

Mechanistic behavior and flow properties of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) in aqueous systems can be described by the crowding factor and the concept of contact points, which are functions of the aspect ratio and concentration of CNF in the suspension. In this study, CNFs with a range of aspect ratio and surface charge density (380–1360 μmol/g) were used to demonstrate this methodology. It was shown that the critical networking point of the CNF suspension, determined by rheological measurements, was consistent with the gel crowding factor, which was 16. Correlated to the crowding factor, both viscosity and modulus of the systems were found to decrease by increasing the charge density of CNF, which also affected the flocculation behavior. Interestingly, an anomalous rheological behavior was observed near the overlap concentration (0.05 wt %) of CNF, at which the crowding factor was below the gel crowding factor, and the storage modulus (G′) decreased dramatically at a given frequency threshold. This behavior ...

One step green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from silver nitrate (AgNO3) using Leucaena leucocephala seeds extract as the reducing agent at room temperature was performed. The bioreduced NPs were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Qualitative information of major components in the seed extract was obtained through its phytochemical screening. The phytochemical data of L. leucocephala revealed the presence of terpenes, flavonoids, coumarins and sterols. The reaction was optimized for AgNO3, extract concentration and time duration for the reaction. The obtained NPs showed a characteristic UV peak of AgNPs at 420 nm. TEM and SEM images showed the spherical shaped NPs over which the extract coating was very prominent. The binding of L. leucocephala seeds extract onto NPs was tested using FTIR and TGA. The antifungal activity of the as-synthesized NPs against two fungal species, namely Phlebiopsis gigantea and Echinodontium taxodii, was studied. The antimicrobial effect of the as-synthesized NPs was ascertained against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The antioxidant potential of the AgNPs was tested with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging. Also, the sensitivity of the NPs towards Fe3+ ions was tested in aqueous media.

Background: In developing and resource-limited countries alternative screening methods like VIA, VILI, and Pap smear are used in detection of premalignant and malignant lesions of cervix. The aim of our study was to compare the efficacies of VIA, VILI, and Pap smear in detection of premalignant and malignant lesions of cervix.Methods: The study was conducted for a period of one year in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Kangra at Tanda, Himachal Pradesh. Women who attended the outdoor patient department of obstetrics and gynecology were subjected to collection of Pap Smear, VIA followed by VILI and a thorough pelvic examination.Results: Among the 350 women studied, 59 women (16.9%) had abnormal VIA, 64 women (18.2%) had abnormal VILI. On pap smear, 10 women were reported as ASCUS, 11 as L-SIL and 1 as H-SIL. Cervical biopsy was done in 98 women, out of which 70 had one or more abnormality on VIA, VILI, or Pap, and 28 women who had normal results. Sixteen women (16.3%) reported as CIN-1 and 2 women (2.07%) as CIN-3. VIA and VILI had a higher sensitivity as compared to pap. However, pap was more specific. The PPV of pap was also much higher as compared to VIA and VILI, whereas there was no difference in NPV of the three.Conclusions: Authors observed that VIA presented the best sensitivity (88.8%), followed by VILI (83.3%), and Pap (72.2%). Pap smear had the highest specificity of 97.2%. The positive predictive value of Pap was higher as compared to VIA and VILI, whereas there was no difference in NPV of the three. VIA and VILI have good sensitivity, with reasonable specificity and because of their cost effectiveness and ease of availability, these can be an alternative screening modality for cervical cancer screening.

Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding(AUB) is a common clinical presentation in gynecology. Alteration in thyroid hormones level has been associated with menstrual disturbances. This study is aimed to know the prevalence of thyroid disorders amongst AUB patients and also the different patterns of menstrual abnormalities associated with thyroid disorders.Methods: 100 Patient of clinically diagnosed AUB were taken from gynecology OPD. All the patients from 19 to 45 age groups presenting with menstrual disturbances were tested for thyroid function by measuring ST3, ST4, and S.TSH.Results: Out of 100 women of AUB, majority were in the age group of 31-40 years (38%), 54% were multiparous and 44% presented with menorrhagia. 65% were euthyroid, 17% had subclinical hypothyroidism, 15% had overt hypothyroidism and 3% were diagnosed as hyperthyroid. Subclinical hypothyroidism, overt hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism were detected mostly in the age group of 31-40 years. The commonest bleeding abnormalities in hypothyroid patient were menorrhagia and polymenorrhoea. While most of the hyperthyroid cases were oligomenorrhoic.Conclusions: The study concludes that biochemical evaluation of thyroid function is an easy, reliable method and should be made mandatory in all cases of AUB.

Background: This study was carried out to find the colposcopic findings in the symptomatic patients with cervical erosion and correlate the findings with cytology and histopathology.Methods: All the patients coming to gynaecological OPD with symptoms of white discharge, pruritus vulvae, menstrual irregularities were examined by per speculum examination and all those who had cervical erosion were included in the study and pap smear and colposcopy both were done in all subjects. The colposcopic guided biopsy was done in women with abnormal findings on colposcopy (50 women) and reports were compared. Abnormal colposcopic findings were graded according to Reid’s colposcopic index (RCI).Results: Majority of patients came with the complaint of white discharge per vaginum (55%).Out of 120 patients, 85 women (70.9%) had inflammatory pap smear and 35 women (29.1%)had abnormal pap smear. All patients underwent colposcopic examination and out of 120 patients, 67(55.8%) showed normal colposcopic findings and 50 women (41.6%) had abnormal colposcopic finding and biopsy was taken. 3 women had unsatisfactory colposcopy. Histopathology confirmed 24 (48%) women with CIN I and 12 (24%) CIN II and 6 (12%) CIN III and 2 (4%) women with carcinoma cervix. The colposcopy findings and histopathology correlated in 88%.Conclusions: Colposcopy should be prescribed to all symptomatic patients with cervical erosion as it is a good diagnostic tool for pre-malignant conditions of cervix and correlates well with histopathological findings.

Background: The objective of the study was to review the impact of thyroid status on the fertility and to study the prevalence of hyperprolactinaemia in infertility.Methods: A total of 150 subjects were divided into 3 groups: 50 primary infertility, 50 secondary infertility and 50 controls. The incidence of hyperprolactinaemia and thyroid disorders was studied in all the three groups.Results: The incidence of hyperprolactinaemia was 41% in all infertile subjects (60% with primary and 22% in secondary infertility) and 6% in controls. The incidence of hypothyroidism was 17% in infertility (18% in primary and 16% in secondary infertility) and 8% in controls.Conclusions: In this study there is a positive correlation between increased prolactin levels and hypothyroidism and such patients’ exhibit ovulatory failure. All patients with infertility should undergo prolactin levels and thyroid profile.

Nutritional value of pulses is a widely accepted but the presence of antinutritional factors in its composition imposes a restriction in its consumption. Different processing treatments (germination, boiling, pressure cooking and roasting) were employed for reduction of various antinutritional factors (Phytic acid, polyphenols, tannins, saponins, oxalates and trypsin inhibitor activity) in chickpea. Among various treatments employed pressure cooking resulted in maximum reduction of all types of antinutritional factors. Maximum reduction was observed in tannins (93.97%) and polyphenols (87.71%). Processing treatments showed significant effect on protein fraction, fatty acid profile and mineral content of chickpea. The albumins were least affected on processing. Germination increased the linolenic acid to 48.42 percent. Fe and K resulted in increase of 56.89 and 28.6 percent respectively.

Salivary gland tumours are rare and the most confusing tumours, which comprise