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Applications for nanotechnology, which is constantly gaining prominence, have been found in a variety of industrial applications. Due to the multiple benefits associated with it, including an eco-friendly, pollution-free, cost-effective, and non-toxic synthesis method, the green way to synthesize nanostructures utilizing waste biomasses has become one of the key focuses of the current researches globally. Additionally, lignocellulasic biomass (LCB), which is a waste of the food crops, can be used as one of the potential substrates for the synthesis of a variety of nanostructures. Among different types of LCB, rice straw is a potential food waste biomass and can be efficiently employed during the synthesis of different types of nanostructures for a range of technological applications. Here, diverse phenolic compounds found in rice straw as well as reducing sugars can be used as natural reducing and capping agents to prepare a range of nanostructures. Based on the aforementioned facts, the objective of this review is to investigate the viability of using rice straw to produce nanostructured materials using rice straw as a renewable biosource following an environmentally friendly method. Additionally, it is noted that various organic compounds present on the surface of nanostructures produced using rice straw extract/hydrolyzate through a green approach may be more successful in terms of antibacterial efficacy, which might be of considerable interest for a variety of biomedical applications. Based on the possibility of enhancing the antimicrobial activity of developed nanostructures, the review also provides overview on the feasibility, characteristics, and availability of using rice straw extract in the synthesis of nanostructures. Additionally, the constraints of the present and potential futures of the green synthesis methods using rice straw wastes have been explored.

The emergence of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has resulted in a major global pandemic posing various challenges to the worldwide health care systems. Clinical course of the infection, known as coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19, ranges from mild subclinical disease to a life-threatening systemic illness. Common symptoms include a flu-like illness with fever and inflammation, and in severe cases pneumonia and systemic inflammation that results in morbidity and mortality. One of the complications of COVID-19 is its disruption of normal hemostasis resulting coagulopathy and thromboembolism. In this following review, we discuss present knowledge; summarize existing published information on the underlying mechanisms of action for COVID-19-associated coagulopathy; and propose algorithms for screening, management, and prevention of COVID-19 patients. Many at-risk COVID-19 patients develop coagulopathies that can broadly be labelled as venous thromboembolism (VTE). These coagulopathies may occur separately or in combination, and include pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and acute large vessel occlusion resulting in stroke, myocardial infarction, ischemic and systemic arterial events. Laboratorybased testing is mandatory in the case of severely infected COVID-19 patients for screening of their coagulation status. Based on recent data, a major elevation in the levels of the D-dimer is used as a predictor of the adverse outcomes of the disease. An imbalance between inflammation and coagulation may lead to a hypercoagulable state resulting in endothelial injury associated with a loss of dysregulation of fibrinolysis, excess thrombin generation, thrombi protective mechanisms, and thrombosis. Other involved mechanisms that may lead to an increased VTE risk, include the following: microvascular thrombosis, endothelial damage, leukocyte recruitment, systemic inflammation – the presence of the virus in endothelial cells, higher vascular permeability, destruction of cell membranes, platelet activation, and occlusion with ACE dysfunction, or even autoimmune mechanism. In all hospitalized COVID-19 patients, prophylaxis against thromboembolism is extremely important, especially in patients with elevated D-dimer levels and other coagulation abnormalities.

At present, development and production of advanced green energy sources are highly demanded, and this may offer a clean and sustainable environment to our modern society. In this reference, biogas is emerging as a promising green energy source and seems to have high potential to replace fossil-fuel based energy sources in the coming future. Further, lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) based biogas production technology has been found to be highly promising owing to several advantages associated therewith. Rich inorganic content, renewable nature, huge availability and low-cost are the key beneficial factors of LCB-based feedstock l to produce biogas. Among the varieties of LCB, paddy straw is one of the most demanding feedstocks and is highly rich in organic compounds that are imperative to producing biogas. Nevertheless, it is noticed that paddy straw as a waste material is usually disposed-off by direct burning, whereas it exhibits low natural digestibility due to the presence of high lignin and silica content which causes severe environmental pollution. On the other hand, paddy straw can be a potential feedstock to produce biogas through anaerobic digestion. Therefore, based on the current ongoing research studies worldwide, this review evaluates the advancements made in the AD process. Meanwhile, existing limitations and future recommendations to improve the yield and productivity of the biogas using paddy straw have been discussed. The emphasis has also been given to various operational parameters developments, related shortcomings, and strategies to improve biogas production at pilot scale.

In the present work, kinetic study has been conducted in order to effectively eliminate the p-cresol from wastewater employing isolated bacterial strain Serratia marcescens ABHI001 under batch shake flasks in the concentration varying from 50 to 500 mg/L. Further, effects of various parameters including p-cresol concentration, inoculum dosage, temperature, pH and agitation have been investigated. It was found that 10% v/v inoculum of 24 h age, was effective in degrading p-cresol. Beside this, it was noticed that the concentration of P-cresol above 100 mg/L exhibited an inhibitory effect. The maximum specific growth rate (μ

Background: Based on the WHO, multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is a priority pathogen that causes opportunistic infections and is widely spread in the environment. Phage therapy is considered a natural, safe, and very efficient alternative to treat difficult-to-treat infections. Objectives: This study aimed to isolate highly virulent, lytic bacteriophages and evaluate their efficacy for lysing multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae. Methods: Municipal wastewater samples were collected and filtered using 0.22 µm syringe filters and cultivated with log-phase cultures of K. pneumoniae using enrichment media. After 48 h of incubation, the cultures were centrifuged, and the resultant supernatant was filtered (0.22 µm). The detection of the phage was done using the spot assay with K. pneumoniae as the host. One-step growth kinetics and bacterial reduction tests were conducted to assess the growth kinetics of the isolated phage. The stability of the isolated phage was characterized by subjecting it to various temperature and pH conditions. The chemical stability of the K. pneumoniae phage was determined by exposing it to various organic compounds. A panel of 20 bacterial strains was tested using the spot assay, as well as double agar overlying assay, to determine the host range of the isolated phage. Results: Out of 40 wastewater samples tested, only one sample was tested positive for the K. pneumoniae phage (2.5%) that was lytic against the host strain. The K. pneumoniae phage had a latent period of 15 min and a burst size of 100 virions per infected cell. It was most stable at 37°C and pH range of 6.0 to 10.0. Chemically, the K. pneumoniae phage was resistant to 10% chloroform treatment. Transmission electron micrograph indicated that the K. pneumoniae phage belonged to the order Caudovirales, family Siphoviridae, morphotype B1. Conclusions: Most of the characteristic features of the K. pneumoniae phage indicated the potential of this phage to be used in phage therapy. Hence, a comprehensive study is highly recommended to characterize the K. pneumoniae phage genome, detect its molecular interactions with the host cell, and determine its lytic activity in combination with other phages, which may lead to the efficient utilization of this phage in phage therapy against K. pneumoniae infections.

The ongoing crisis due to the global pandemic caused by a highly contagious coronavirus (Coronavirus disease – 2019; COVID-19) and the lack of either proven effective therapy or a vaccine has made diagnostic a valuable tool in disease tracking and prevention. The complex nature of this newly emerging virus calls for scientists’ attention to find the most reliable, highly sensitive, and selective detection techniques for better control or spread of the disease. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serology-based tests are currently being used. However, the speed and accuracy of these tests may not meet the current demand; thus, alternative technology platforms are being developed. Nano biosensor technology platforms have been established as a promising diagnostic tool for rapid and accurate detection of viruses as well as other life-threatening diseases even in resource-limited settings. This review aims to provide a short overview of recent advancements in molecular and biosensor-based diagnosis of viruses, including the human coronaviruses, and highlight the challenges and future perspectives of these detection technologies., Highlights • Human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19 pandemic. • RT-PCR and serology tests have been used for diagnosis of COVID-19. • Biosensor-based methods are under development for SARS-CoV-2. • Many challenges still exist in diagnostic methods, including the accuracy.

A cross-sectional study on bovine cysticercosis was conducted from December 2014 to April 2015 on 384 zebu cattle slaughtered at Batu municipal abattoir to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors. Moreover 100 residents in Batu town were randomly sampled for questionnaire survey to assess the community knowledge and public health significance of the disease. Similarly, inventory of pharmaceutical shops and collection of retrospective laboratory data of human taeniosis was made in Batu town. Out of the total 384 inspected animals, 10 animals had variable number of Cysticercus bovis giving an overall prevalence of 2.6%. Anatomical distribution of the cyst showed that the highest proportions of Cysticercus bovis cyst were observed in tongue 10 (41.66%) followed by heart 7 (29.17%), masseter 5 (20.83%) and triceps muscle 2 (8.33%). A total of 24 Cysticercus bovis were collected during the inspection; out of these, 7 (29.2%) were found to be viable cysts while 17 (70.8%) were non-viable cysts. There was no significant association between the prevalence of Cycticercus bovis and sex, origin and body condition of the cattle (p>0.05). Of the total 100 interviewed respondents, 59 (59%) had contracted T. saginata infection at least once in their life time. Human taeniosis prevalence showed significant difference with sex and occupation (p