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Pseudomonas sp. SBMCH11 was newly isolated from maritime soil samples which was identified by morphological, biochemical, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The isolated Pseudomonas sp. SBMCH11 had significant antibacterial activity against clinical bacterial strains including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Subsequently, high concentrations of antibacterial substances were achieved by optimizing the following parameters: pH (7.0), carbon (1 %), nitrogen sources (casein 0.2 %), NaCl (10 %), and incubation time (120 hrs). Furthermore, the extracted component from the Pseudomonas sp. SBMCH11 was shown to have a significant inhibitory effect on tested clinical pathogens. On the other hand, the extracted compound was confirmed as 2,4 di-tertbutylphenol (2,4 DTBP) by GC–MS with a molecular weight of 206.5 Daltons. Based on these findings, the isolated 2,4 DTBP could be recognized as a promising bioactive molecule for further antibacterial medication development. Compounds identified in the maritime environment from microorganisms, especially Pseudomonas sp. SBMCH11 could be regarded as a potential bio-factory for the synthesis of antibacterial compounds to suppress large numbers of pathogenic bacteria in the natural environment.

The eco-friendly synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) in the materials science and engineering research field has a great attraction, especially molybdenum-based nanomaterials. Recently, molybdenum-based nanomaterials have become popular in various industrial sectors due to their versatile properties. The current study deals with the synthesis of molybdenum oxide (MoO3) NPs using Terminalia arjuna bark extract. The prepared sample is annealed at different temperatures such as 100, 300, 500, and 700 °C. These samples are characterized by UV–vis, FTIR, and XRD techniques. The XRD analysis of the MoO3 NPs prepared at 700 °C reveals an orthorhombic structure with better crystallinity. The sample is annealed at 700 °C subjected to SEM, EDX, and TEM analysis. EDX elemental analysis reveals the presence of Mo (84.43 wt.%) and O (15.57 wt.%). TEM image interpretation shows the cubic and spherical-shaped particles ranging from 50 to 600 nm. The different concentrations of (1, 2.5, and 5 mg/ml) MoO3 NPs tested for antibacterial application. Better activity is noted against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 5 mg/ml. The biocompatibility assessment of synthesized MoO3 NPs was evaluated against the model organism Artemia salina nauplii. As a result, none of the tested concentrations revealed the mortality of A. salina nauplii.

This study concerns with the production and partial characterization of alkaline cellulase from alkaliphilic cellulolytic (AC) fungi isolated fromsoil in Perlis, Malaysia. The best fungi strain was selected on the basis of producing the highest cellulase at high pH conditions. Cellulase from the selected fungi strain was further characterized under saccharification but varies in operating parameters. Finally, the kinetic model describing the growth of the AC fungi strain was studied by employing the logistic model. Among the tested fungi strains, Basidiomycetes strain (BK1) showed high potentiality for the production of maximum alkaline cellulase production at pH 9 after 72 h of incubation at 30°C containing 6 g·L−1 carboxyl methyl cellulose. The saccharification process showed that the enzyme favour high alkaline condition and proves thermotolerant properties, while 15% (v/v) enzyme loading and 1% substrate concentration recorded the highest glucose production at about 1.2–1.3 mg·mL−1. The novelty of the study is to identify and optimize a unique indigenous fungi that emit alkaliphilic cellulase as alternative usage in biotechnology industries due to its capacity to adapt to the extreme conditions of specific industrial processes. There are revolutionary options for use in biotechnological businesses that involve high pH and therefore have substantial biotechnological promise.

In the present investigation, a library of 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthene derivatives have been synthesised by the cyclo-condensation reaction of aryl aldehyde with two moles of dimedone under solvent free condition in the presence of Novel Pumice supported perchloric acid (Pumice@HClO4) as a less expensive, recyclable, thermodynamically stable and non-toxic catalyst. The significant advantages of this novel protocol are experimental simplicity, easy work-up procedure, good to excellent yields of product and more sustainable as the efficiency of the readily available catalytic material.

A nanocomposite based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is developed using silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) prepared by the chemical reduction method. The nanocomposite is analyzed by X-ray diffraction method (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyses. XRD analysis confirms the purity of the synthesized silver nanoparticles with the average crystallite size of 15 nm. It also shows the presence of nanoparticles in the nanocomposite films. The interaction of silver nanoparticles with the polymer matrix is demonstrated by the FTIR spectrum. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDAX) and UV–Visible spectroscopy confirm the formation of silver nanoparticles with spherical morphology and surface Plasmon resonance at 424 nm. Further, nanocomposite as solid polymer electrolyte and antimicrobial properties of the nanocomposite are illustrated. The addition of nanoparticles increases the electrical conductivity (1.7866 × 10-6 Scm−1) of the PVA silver nanocomposite film that is measured from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy through Cole-Cole plots. The PVA/Silver nanoparticles composite films show a high zone of inhibition for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria than pure PVA films. The electrochemical performance shows the ability to use as a solid polymer electrolyte in electrochemical devices. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Silver nanoparticles composite films with high anti-bacterial activity can be used for wound dressings and active food packaging.

Antioxidant activity and antihyperglycemic constituents and of traditional medicinal plants are currently the preferred therapeutic means of treatment and management of diabetes because of the undesired adverse effect of synthetic drugs. Muntingia calabura (Kerukupsiam) leaves and other parts are considered as alternative natural sources of treatment for diabetes. Ultrasonic assisted extraction is a novel approach for extraction of phytoconstituents which gives high extraction yield of bioactive compounds. However, there has been no published information presently on the use of ethanol ultrasonic assisted extraction method for assessment of antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of M. calabura leaves. Hence, the current study aims to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of M. calabura leave extract. IC50 analysis was done to determine theinhibitory concentration and the results obtained from 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay showed IC50 of gallic acid to be 1.0 µg/ml, which is lower than M. calabura leaves extract at 2.54 µg/ml, indicating that only small concentration of gallic acid was required to inhibit the free radicals at 50 %. However, IC50 analysis for amylase inhibition showed that M. calabura extract had 44.39 µg/ml antidiabetic activity compared to acarbose with 57.1 µg/ml activity. This indicates that M. calabura leaves extract has a better inhibition on amylase activity compared to the acarbose which is a synthetic drug. Further still, in silico study was carried out and the molecular docking result of eight ligands against amylase indicates quercetin had the least binding free energy of −9.1 kcal/mol, indicating the strongest interaction. Using Lineweaver-Burk plot, the results showed a competitive inhibition, hence, it was justified that M. calabura has the potential to manage diabetes and other diseases related to free radicals.

This study presented an enhanced sensitivity of sensing protons (H+) by anchoring tungsten to carbon nanoparticles (WCN) to encourage high current density on the surface of gold interdigitated electrode (AuIDE). The morphology of the sensor evidences the intactness of electrode surface and suitable for WCN modification. To elucidate the study, unmodified AuIDE was compared to the WCN modified surface. Current-volt analysis was compared with electrolyte scouting in the variation of pH by using a picoammater, which supplied 0.0 to 2.0 V with a 0.1 V ramp interval. It was shown that modified WCN gave the sensitivity in the acidic medium (protons) at the pH 4 with a current density value of 2.5 × 10-5 ampere and increased further with lowering the pH to more acidic. This is due to the fact that the tungsten carbon nanoparticle that is anchored offering more electron density and alters the behavior of the chip. Meanwhile, the current density displayed insignificant changes of current density amplification from pH 5 to 12 with the range of 5.91 × 10-9 to 7.36 × 10-8 Ampere. The deposition of WCN on the AuIDE surface chip revealed the successfulness of this nanoparticle in chemically linked with the AuIDE surface and how modified nanoparticle altered the behavior of the sensing element.

Due to their ubiquity and the rise of drug-resistant forms, Candida albicans infections pose a serious threat to world health. Exploring new molecular possibilities is essential in order to create newer antifungal medicines to address this challenge. Herein, the use of density functional theory at the B3LYP-D3BJ/aug-cc-pVDZ method along with the in silico molecular docking was utilized to examine the effects of polar (DMSO, ethanol, water) solvation on the reactivity, spectral (NMR, UV, FT-IR) investigation, and the antifungal potential of a bis[ethyl2-(4-hydroxy-3-{(E)-[(1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)inimo]methyl} phenyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazole-5-carbo -xylate (BTZ). The study finds that polar solvents exert a notable influence on BTZ's reactivity, with the highest energy gap observed in the gas phase with a value of 3.4939 eV while in the solvents; the values are 3.4477, 3.4477, and 3.4422 eV for DMSO, ethanol, and water, respectively. This observation implies that BTZ may exhibit varying degrees of reactivity under different solvents. To evaluate BTZ's suitability as a potential antifungal agent, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) studies were conducted which reveals that BTZ adheres to Lipinski's rule of five, demonstrating its drug-like potential. Molecular docking simulations against Candida albicans proteins (1ZAP and 6ZDU) show promising binding affinities, with BTZ exhibiting a strong interaction with 1ZAP (-5.4 kcal/mol). The findings of this research contribute valuable insights into the reactivity and potential antifungal activity of BTZ, providing a promising candidate for further exploration in the quest for effective treatments against Candida infections.

Combining conjugated polymers with transition-metal-based metal-organic frameworks offers an opportunity to produce efficient photocatalytic materials. Here, exposed active sites and efficient charge transfer lead to hydrogen evolution rates of up to 2438 µmol g−1 h−1 for composites of anisotropic phenanthroline-based ruthenium polymers grafted on titanium-based MOFs.

Introduction: Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the world. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, it is approximately 11.4% of all malignancies and accounts for one in five cancer deaths worldwide. Several driver gene mutations are known in lung adenocarcinoma including Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog(KRAS), v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1(BRAF), Human epidermal growth factor receptor2 (HER 2), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), Ros Protooncogene 1, Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (ROS1) and rearranged during transfection (RET). Among these, KRAS mutation has been classically defined as bearing a negative prognostic factor. They are described to have unfavourable survival rates as compared with KRAS wild- type tumours. However, its real significance remains controversial due to heterogeneity amongst studies. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the histomorphology, immunophenotype, EGFR and KRAS mutation profile in invasive mucinous and mixed mucinous/non mucinous type lung carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was done at a tertiary cancer centre in the state of Kerala, South India to identify the frequency of EGFR and KRAS mutations in invasive mucinous or mixed mucinous/non mucinous type lung carcinoma diagnosed during the period June 2017 to March 2019. Immunohistochemical assays for CK7, CK20, TTF-1, Napsin-A, CDX-2 and p63 were done on all cases. EGFR mutation analysis for exons 18, 19, 20, 21 were done using ARMS PCR and KRAS mutation analysis for codons 12, 13, 61, 146 by Sanger sequencer. Descriptive statistics was used wherever applicable. Results: Out of a total of 290 patients of pulmonary adenocarcinoma during the two year study period, twelve cases (4.1%) were diagnosed as invasive mucinous or mixed mucinous/non mucinous types based on histomorphology and immunophenotype, on both lung tissue biopsies as well as material from metastatic sites. Of the twelve, nine (75%) were pure mucinous and three (25%) were mixed mucinous and non mucinous. All the twelve cases were subjected to molecular testing for both EGFR and KRAS. Three cases (25%) showed KRAS mutations in codon 12. EGFR mutation (TKI resistant T790M mutation) was found only in a single case which had a histology of mixed mucinous and non mucinous carcinoma and a coexistent mutation in KRAS (c12 G>C) gene. Conclusions: Our study corroborates the described fact that pulmonary mucinous carcinoma differ from the conventional adenocarcinoma in terms of its histology, immunoprofile and molecular profile. KRAS mutation appears to be the main pathogenetic factor in this variant. In the current day practice, there is no demonstrable effective therapy for KRAS mutant lung adenocarcinoma and more trials are needed to identify newer mutations that can modify treatment outcomes.

The ageing of populations is increasing pressure on health and social care systems. Potentially, assistive technologies are a way to support the independence of older adults in their daily activities. Among existing assistive technologies, ambient sensing technologies have received less attention than wearable systems. Moreover, there has been little research into cheaper technologies capable of using multiple modalities. A systematic review of the acceptability of assisted living or smart homes in the United Kingdom and the simultaneous use of sounds and vibrations in remote monitoring of assisted living or smart homes will inform and encourage the use of digital monitoring technologies. The acceptability of sensing technologies depends on whether there is any social stigma about their use, for example, the extent to which they invade privacy. The United Kingdom studies reviewed suggest a lack of measurements of the perceived efficacy or effectiveness of the monitoring devices. The primary use of vibration or acoustic technologies has been for detecting falls rather than monitoring health. The review findings suggest the need for further exploration of the acceptability and applicability of remote monitoring technologies, as well as a need for more research into the simultaneous use of sounds and vibrations in health monitoring.

Respiratory illness demands pragmatic clinical monitoring and diagnosis to curb numerous fatal diseases in all aged groups. Due to the complicated instrumentation, long amplification periods, and restricted number of simultaneous detections, present clinically available multiplex diagnostic technologies are difficult to deploy the onsite diagnostic platforms. The futuristic assessment of medical diagnosis eases the respiratory monitoring using exhaled breath, due to the simple and comfort non-invasive detecting techniques. Carbon dioxide (CO2) stands as a promising biomarker and has been identified in exhaled breath samples that distinguish different respiratory issues. State-of-the-art CO2 gas sensing strategies are recognized with the growth of modern telecommunication technologies for real-time respiratory illness monitoring and diagnosis using exhaled breath. The presented article reviews the existing CO2 gas sensors and their developments towards medical applications. With that, the advancement of infrared (IR) CO2 gas sensors with distinguished light and sensing properties in detecting respiratory disorders are overviewed. The development of optimal CO2 gas sensing strategy incorporated with Internet of Things (IoT) technology is over-reviewed. The hurdles encountered in the existing research and future preference with real-time CO2 monitoring and diagnosing respiratory disorders with the advancement attained in IR sensing technology and IoT networking are highlighted.

Rare earth metal cerium-doped titania nanoparticles (titanium dioxide [TiO2]) were produced utilizing a low-cost and straightforward sol–gel technique, and its enhanced photodynamic anticancer activity was tested on Y79 retinoblastoma cancer cells. The structural, optical, morphological, anticancer activity, and cytotoxicity of pure and cerium-doped TiO2 (Ce-doped TiO2) were investigated. In X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, apparent doping of cerium in TiO2 was detected, with reported anatase patterns shifting toward a lower angle in the anatase structure. Raman spectra verify the presence of cerium doping in TiO2 by revealing greater wave number shifting. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis showed that the synthesized TiO2 and Ce-doped TiO2 nearly spherical. TiO2 and Ce-doped TiO2 were studied for their photodynamic anticancer activities, and the results suggest that cerium doping in TiO2 improves anticancer activity.

Compatibility of natural fiber with hydrophobic matrix is a herculean task in literature works. Surface treatment is a well-known approach for increasing the strength of interfacial adhesion between fibres and polymer matrices. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of surface treatment with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) in improving hydrophobicity of kenaf fiber (KF) to enhance the compatibility between KF and polymer matrix. In this study, KF reinforced unsaturated polyester composites (KF/UPE) were fabricated by the hand lay-up method with varying fiber loadings (wt %) of 10 20, 30, and 40. KF were treated with five different contents of ZnONPs (1% to 5 wt%) to make UPE/KF-ZnONPs composites. The composites were studied in terms of wetting response (contact angle measure and water absorption), mechanical properties, chemical structure (FTIR), crystalline structure (XRD), and surface morphology (SEM, AFM). The investigational findings indicate that the composite samples incorporating ZnONPs exhibit optimum hydrophobicity and mechanical properties, as they possessed a higher contact angle than the untreated KF composite. The optimum content of ZnONPs was found to be 2 wt%. Regarding water absorption, the untreated UPE/KF composites absorbed more water than the treated UPE/KF-ZnONPs composites. SEM images showed changes in the morphology of the KF, while FTIR analysis proved the presence of ZnONPs functional groups in the UPE/KF composites. AFM images revealed that the ZnONPs could actively produce nanolevel roughness, advantageous to the hydrophobic characteristics.

Antibacterial potential of silver nanoparticle-based chitosan nanocomposites.

Nanoscale iron oxide-based nanostructures are among the most apparent metallic nanostructures, having great potential and attracting substantial interest due to their unique superparamagnetic properties. The green production of nanostructures has received abundant attention and been actively explored recently because of their various beneficial applications and properties across different fields. The biosynthesis of the nanostructure using green technology by the manipulation of a wide variety of plant materials has been the focus because it is biocompatible, non-toxic, and does not include any harmful substances. Biological methods using agro-wastes under green synthesis have been found to be simple, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective in generating iron oxide-based nanostructures instead of physical and chemical methods. Polysaccharides and biomolecules in agro-wastes could be utilized as stabilizers and reducing agents for the green production of nanostructured iron oxide towards a wide range of benefits. This review discusses the green production of iron oxide-based nanostructures through a simple and eco-friendly method and its potential applications in medical and sustainable agro-environments. This overview provides different ways to expand the usage of iron oxide nanomaterials in different sectors. Further, provided the options to select an appropriate plant towards the specific applications in agriculture and other sectors with the recommended future directions.

A more effective vaccine against tuberculosis than Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is urgently needed. BCG derived recombinant VPM1002 has been found to be more efficacious and safer than the parental strain in mice models. Newer candidates, such as VPM1002 Δpdx1 (PDX) and VPM1002 ΔnuoG (NUOG), were generated to further improve the safety profile or efficacy of the vaccine. Herein, we assessed the safety and immunogenicity of VPM1002 and its derivatives, PDX and NUOG, in juvenile goats. Vaccination did not affect the goats’ health in regards to clinical/hematological features. However, all three tested vaccine candidates and BCG induced granulomas at the site of injection, with some of the nodules developing ulcerations approximately one month post-vaccination. Viable vaccine strains were cultured from the injection site wounds in a few NUOG- and PDX- vaccinated animals. At necropsy (127 days post-vaccination), BCG, VPM1002, and NUOG, but not PDX, still persisted at the injection granulomas. All strains, apart from NUOG, induced granuloma formation only in the lymph nodes draining the injection site. In one animal, the administered BCG strain was recovered from the mediastinal lymph nodes. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assay showed that VPM1002 and NUOG induced a strong antigen-specific response comparable to that elicited by BCG, while the response to PDX was delayed. Flow cytometry analysis of IFN-γ production by CD4+, CD8+, and γδ T cells showed that CD4+ T cells of VPM1002- and NUOG-vaccinated goats produced more IFN-γ compared to BCG-vaccinated and mock-treated animals. In summary, the subcutaneous application of VPM1002 and NUOG induced anti-tuberculous immunity, while exhibiting a comparable safety profile to BCG in goats.

The radical proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and their infections causes significant issues for human health and the environment. Today, biopolymers are used to produce different nanoparticles. In the present investigation, the fabricated chitosan/agar-silver nanoparticles (Cht/Ar-AgNPs)-coated papers were tested for antibacterial applications. Agar was used as a reducing agent for the synthesis of AgNPs. Synthesized Ar-AgNPs were examined through optical, phase crystallinity and topological analysis. Cht and Ar-AgNPs solution was mixed with various ratios of 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, and 5:5 by weight. In addition to that, the conformity of Cht/Ar-AgNPs-coated papers was characterized by structural, spectral, and morphological analysis. However, Cht/Ar-AgNPs-coated papers were subjected to antibacterial properties. The ratio of (6:4) Cht/Ar-AgNPs-coated paper showed excellent antibacterial agent, and it can be used as extending the food product shelf life.

Ni-doped Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized by a simple one-pot microwave combustion procedure utilizing urea as a fuel. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Photoluminescence spectra, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The particle size and the crystalline size measured from the HR-TEM monographs and XRD study suggest the similarity of the data collected from these two measurements. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra demonstrated increased luminescence amplitude with increased Ni concentration. Thus, the present study determines the time required for 4-nitrophenol yellow to colorless by Ni-doped Mn3O4 and Mn3O4 samples.

Design of Experiments (DoE) is a powerful guiding tool that can help researchers to identify the main variables that affect the performance characteristics. The present paper elaborates on the optimization and prediction of reaction parameters like type of plastic, catalyst, and temperature using Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array method with three levels and three parameters to obtain the highest yield of plastic oil. To determine the effect of each parameter, the Signal to Noise (S/N) ratio was calculated based on the experiments conducted. In this investigation, contributions of reaction parameters were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) using statistical software Minitab-16. Based on the investigation, the reaction parameters like type of plastic: Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), catalyst: Silica alumina (SA), and temperature: 500°C are optimized to get the better yield of oil. Based on the confirmatory trial, the oil yield of about 95.4%, the gas yield of about 3.4%, and solid residue as 1.2% were obtained, which is better than the normal trails.

Abstract A simple, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantification of lenalidomide in human plasma. The separation was carried out on a symmetry, C18, 5-μm (50 × 4.6 mm) column as stationary phase and with an isocratic mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in water-methanol in the ratio of (15:85, v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Protonated ions formed by electrospray ionization in the positive mode were used to detect analyte and fluconazole (internal standard). The mass detection was made by monitoring the fragmentation of m/z 260.1/148.8 for lenalidomide and m/z 307.1/238.0 for internal standard on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The developed method was validated over the concentration range of 10–1000 ng/mL for lenalidomide in human plasma with a correlation coefficient (r 2) was 0.9930. The accuracy and precision values obtained from six different sets of quality control samples analyzed on separate occasions ranged from 99.41 to 106.97% and 2.88 to 4.22%, respectively. Mean extraction recoveries were 98.06% and 88.78% for the analyte and IS, respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for analyzing lenalidomide in human plasma samples.

This paper presents a novel method for generation of synthetic images of obstacles on and near rail tracks over long-range distances. The main goal is to augment the dataset for autonomous obstacle detection (OD) in railways, by inclusion of synthetic images that reflect the specific need for long-range OD in rail transport. The presented method includes a novel deep learning (DL)-based rail track detection that enables context- and scale-aware obstacle-level data augmentation. The augmented dataset is used for retraining of a state-of-the-art CNN for object detection. The evaluation results demonstrate significant improvement of detection of distant objects by augmentation of training dataset with synthetic images.

Tuberculous granulomas are highly dynamic structures reflecting the complex host–mycobacterium interactions. The objective of this study was to compare granuloma development at the site of vaccination with BCG and its recombinant derivatives in goats. To characterize the host response, epithelioid cells, multinucleated giant cells (MNGC), T cell subsets, B cells, plasma cells, dendritic cells and mycobacterial antigen were labelled by immunohistochemistry, and lipids and acid-fast bacteria (AFB) were labelled by specific staining. Granulomas with central caseous necrosis developed at the injection site of most goats though lesion size and extent of necrosis differed between vaccine strains. CD4+ T and B cells were more scarce and CD8+ cells were more numerous in granulomas induced by recombinant derivatives compared to their parental BCG strain. Further, the numbers of MNGCs and cells with lipid bodies were markedly lower in groups administered with recombinant BCG strains. Microscopic detection of AFB and mycobacterial antigen was rather frequent in the area of central necrosis, however, the isolation of bacteria in culture was rarely successful. In summary, BCG and its recombinant derivatives induced reproducibly subcutaneous caseous granulomas in goats that can be easily monitored and surgically removed for further studies. The granulomas reflected the genetic modifications of the recombinant BCG-derivatives and are therefore suitable models to compare reactions to different mycobacteria or TB vaccines.

By the year 2050, the world’s population is predicted to have grown to around 9–10 billion people. The food demand in many countries continues to increase with population growth. Various abiotic stresses such as temperature, soil salinity and moisture all have an impact on plant growth and development at all levels of plant growth, including the overall plant, tissue cell, and even sub-cellular level. These abiotic stresses directly harm plants by causing protein denaturation and aggregation as well as increased fluidity of membrane lipids. In addition to direct effects, indirect damage also includes protein synthesis inhibition, protein breakdown, and membranous loss in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Abiotic stress during the reproductive stage results in flower drop, pollen sterility, pollen tube deformation, ovule abortion, and reduced yield. Plant nutrition is one of the most effective ways of reducing abiotic stress in agricultural crops. In this paper, we have discussed the effectiveness of different nutrients for alleviating abiotic stress. The roles of primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), secondary nutrients (calcium, magnesium and sulphur), micronutrients (zinc, boron, iron and copper), and beneficial nutrients (cobalt, selenium and silicon) in alleviating abiotic stress in crop plants are discussed.

Adhesives plays an important role in industries and our daily life, mostly they are chemically processed like cyanoacrylates which are proved to be harmful for the environment thus there were many trials with various natural source. Amongst all the marine organism had the ability to adhere to surface naturally, they proved to have an adhesive part which forms a plaque or cement that allows the attachment of organisms to the sea bed. Further analysis led to the preparation of temporary, instantaneous, permanent and transitory adhesives wherein mussels and tubeworms were involved in permanent adhesion, limpets for transitory adhesion, sea stars for temporary adhesion, and sea cucumbers for instantaneous adhesion. The bonding and tensile strength of the adhesives was verified by conducting various tests to check if the adhesive improves performance. In this review we have focused on different isolation, extraction and characterization processes involved in the preparation of adhesives from marine organisms including their application in the field of medicine, engineering, biotechnology and environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a severe global health crisis now. SARS-CoV-2 utilizes its Spike protein receptor-binding domain (S-protein) to invade human cell through binding to Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2). S-protein is the key target for many therapeutics and vaccines. Potential S-protein–ACE2 fusion inhibitor is expected to block the virus entry into the host cell. In many countries, traditional practices, based on natural products (NPs) have been in use to slow down COVID-19 infection. In this study, a protocol was applied that combines mixed solvent molecular dynamics simulations (MixMD) with high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) to search NPs to block SARS-CoV-2 entry into the human cell. MixMD simulations were employed to discover the most promising stable binding conformations of drug-like probes in the S-protein–ACE2 interface. Detected stable sites were used for HTVs of 612093 NPs to identify molecules that could interfere with the S-protein–ACE2 interaction. In total, 19 NPs were selected with rescoring model. These top-ranked NP–S-protein complexes were subjected to classical MD simulations for 300 ns (3 replicates of 100 ns) to estimate the stability and affinity of binding. Three compounds, ZINC000002128789, ZINC000002159944 and SN00059335, showed better stability in all MD runs, of which ZINC000002128789 was predicted to have the highest binding affinity, suggesting that it could be effective modulator in RBD-ACE2 interface to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results support that NPs may provide tools to fight COVID-19.

The advanced research and development of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is vast due to their incredible applications today. In this work, AgNPs were synthesized using soil derived Pseudomonas putida MVP2. The AgNPs formation on the P. putida cell membrane and its cell free supernatant was studied. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum analysis. The mode of action of AgNPs on the bacteria was studied against clinically isolated bacterial pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Helicobacter pylori by membrane integrity, and protein leakage using confocal and electron microscopy. Interestingly, AgNPs had no cytotoxicity under 25 μg/mL and it was toxic at above 50 μg/mL on human epidermoid larynx carcinoma (HEp-2) cells. This study evidenced that biogenic nanoparticles could affect the bacterial replication, protein leakage and eventually cell death. This might be used for active antimicrobial agents for the chronic infections.