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The continuously increasing energy requirement on one hand and the incessant depletion of non-renewable fossil fuels on the other urge us to focus on alternative renewable energy sources such as biofuels. Biofuels including biodiesel, bioethanol, biobutanol, biohydrogen, etc., are generated from different biological sources, and their waste which stands as the best alternative in the present scenario. Specifically, the utilization of biological wastes as raw materials for the production of biofuels is considered as best waste management practice. To date, most of the biodiesel production research has been carried out with plant, algal, and microbial samples, or their waste. It is a well-known fact that diesel can also be produced from specific oily fish and their waste using different methods. In addition, fish waste constitutes a major quantity compared to other food waste which is a serious concern. Furthermore, the disposal of fish waste shows an impact on both the environment and the economy. Hence, the development of protocols for the efficient production of biodiesel from fish waste is the ultimate goal. However, insufficient knowledge and less effort in the conversion of fish waste to biodiesel impede the achievement of this goal. Therefore, this review intends to summarize the mechanism of biodiesel production from fish waste. Also, various physico-chemical factors involved in biodiesel production from fish waste were discussed. In addition, research on biodiesel generation from various fish wastes or waste fish oil was also emphasized in detail, which will be helpful for commercial practice. Overall, this information will be useful for improvement in biodiesel production from fish waste.

Overuse of non-renewable fossil fuels due to the population explosion urges us to focus on renewable fuels such as bioethanol. It is a well-known fact that ethanol is useful as a blending product with common fuels such as petrol and diesel. This reduces the cost besides bringing down environmental pollution. Apart from chemical methods, bioethanol is generated from photosynthetic plants including algae, plant-based products, microbial organisms and their waste. Specifically, the production of ethanol from microalgal sources has been an attractive method in recent days. The reason behind using microalgal species is their simple structure with photosynthetic ability. In contrast, certain algal species often go disused in some regions. Hence, the production of ethanol from algal sources is one of the best waste management practices. Moreover, it is easy to improve the biomass in microalgal species by altering the physicochemical conditions such as light, pH, temperature, external supply of nutrients, vitamins, nano-sized particles, gene alterations etc., which will enhance ethanol production. In this review, the methods used for ethanol production are discussed. In addition, the factors involved in algal growth and ethanol production are emphasized. Overall, this review focuses on ethanol production from various algal species. This information will be useful for industrial-level production of ethanol and future renewable energy research.

Abstract Background Host-parasite interaction studies represent the dependency of the parasites on the host through various models. Gill infesting copepods, monogeneans and isopods served as excellent models to study the details of host-parasite interaction. In the present investigation, Wallago attu (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) was extensively studied for histopathological damage caused by ectoparasites like monogeneans (Thaparocleidus indicus, Thaparocleidus wallagonius and Mizelleus indicus), copepod (Ergasilus malnadensis) and an isopod (Alitropus typus) during August 2017 to February 2018. Both the control (least infested) and severely infested gills were examined through light microscope to approximate the intensity of damage caused by above ectoparasites. Results Pathological effects of ectoparasites displayed a fusion of secondary lamella, hyperplasia of the gill filaments and the epithelial cells, propagation of bronchial tips, thinning of the central axis, deshaping, shortening and fusion of secondary gill lamellae epithelium, severe degenerative and necrotic changes in gill filaments and secondary lamellae, curling of secondary lamellae and mucous cells proliferation. Conclusions Ectoparasites cause severe damage to gills of W. attu, thereby diminishing the gill breathing capacity of the fish. Timely pathological studies can reveal the extent of damage caused by the parasites and thus various diagnostic programs and best management practices can be implemented in aquaculture for the better yield.

One of the most hazardous pollutants of natural water resources is lead -Pb (II)- which poses a significant threat to human health and environmental safety. The accumulation of this heavy metal in an organism affects a number of systems and is particularly dangerous for children. At low levels of intake over short periods, it induces diarrhea, abdominal pain, and renal damage, with the potential for fatal outcomes in extreme cases. The principal sources of lead pollution are industries, coal-fired power plants and motor vehicles. In response to the critical demand for effective lead detection, researchers have developed advanced Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) piezoresistive cantilever sensors that make use of the chelating properties of Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA) and the superior electrical properties of reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO). It has been proven that this composite can be effectively immobilized on a MEMS cantilever surface, enabling the selective removal of Pb (II) ions from wastewater. This adsorption process exerts stress on the surface of the cantilever, resulting in variations in resistance that can subsequently be measured. A sensitive and selective MEMS piezoresistive cantilever sensor for Pb (II) has been developed, offering significant potential as a lead monitoring tool in water samples. The sensor demonstrated high sensitivity and selectivity, with a detection limit of 1 ppb and a linear response range of 10-100 ppb. This novel approach has the potential to significantly enhance pollution monitoring and provide substantial benefits for public health by enabling real-time, on-site mapping of lead contamination across aqueous environments. This technological advancement in the environmental surveillance domain offers a new perspective on the safety of water and the reduction of potential health hazards associated with lead consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: There is little consensus on the effects of vitamin D on fracture healing. This review aims to clarify that effect in addition to determining trends in the classification of deficiency and supplementation. Methods: This systematic review searched Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science for manuscripts related to vitamin D status/deficiency and fracture healing. Two independent reviewers screened articles, graded evidence quality, and extracted data. A total of 38 human studies, 11 in vivo studies and 14 systematic reviews were analyzed. Results: The median vitamin D deficiency prevalence reported amongst the human studies was 41.2% which is comparable to subset of patients with deficiency defined as 30 ng/mL for sufficiency. Although there is no radiographic evidence, daily smaller doses of vitamin D supplementation seem to have a stronger impact on clinical fracture healing than large boluses.

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Not only is poor nutritional status common amongst the elderly, but its incidence is also high amongst orthopedic trauma patients as injuries, and fractures more specifically, cause hypermetabolic states. The purpose of this review was to perform the most comprehensive analysis of literature published within the last decade to determine the effect of nutritional status on fracture healing, as well as outlining the effects of specific herbal supplements, vitamins and minerals. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched using variations of the terms nutrition and malnutrition along with vitamins, minerals and proteins as well as fractures and fracture healing. Two independent reviewers screened articles, graded evidence quality, and extracted data. A total of 31 studies were related to nutritional status - 22 human studies and 9 animal studies - and 45 studies were related to specific herbs or food products - 2 human studies, 36 animal studies, and 7 review articles. Results: There is substantial variability in the definitions of nutritional status, with some quantitative measures including serum albumin and lymphocyte count being the most popular, and questionnaires like the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Published human studies predominately studied the effects of nutrition on traumatic fractures in the elderly or bone healing after spinal surgery. Consistently, hypoalbuminemia was found to be an independent risk factor of post-operative complications and longer hospital stays. Few studies reported on nutritional supplementation, but those that did found supplementation to be associated with lower rates of postoperative complications and wound infection, as well as shorter hospital stays. Although there is much evidence published on herbal supplements and food products in animals, there is a dearth of evidence of their benefits to humans with only two RCTs included in this analysis (demonstrating the benefits of Momiai and lactobacillus casei Shirota). Conclusion: Nutrition remains an easily targetable factor that can significantly improve fracture healing, especially amongst elderly populations. Although proper adherence to supplementation is rare, when attained its benefits are profound. To demonstrate that the beneficial effects of herbal supplements and food products on fracture healing seen in animal models persist in humans, future placebo-controlled trials are needed.

Delivery of therapeutic transgenes with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for treatment of myopathies has yielded encouraging results in animal models and early clinical studies. Although certain AAV serotypes efficiently target muscle fibers, transduction of the muscle stem cells, also known as satellite cells, is less studied. Here, we used a Pax7nGFP;Ai9 dual reporter mouse to quantify AAV transduction events in satellite cells. We assessed a panel of AAV serotypes for satellite cell tropism in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and observed the highest satellite cell labeling with AAV9 following local or systemic administration. Subsequently, we used AAV9 to interrogate CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of satellite cells in the Pax7nGFP;mdx mouse. We quantified the level of gene editing using a Tn5 transposon-based method for unbiased sequencing of editing outcomes at the Dmd locus. We also found that muscle-specific promoters can drive transgene expression and gene editing in satellite cells. Lastly, to demonstrate the functionality of satellite cells edited at the Dmd locus by CRISPR in vivo, we performed a transplantation experiment and observed increased dystrophin-positive fibers in the recipient mouse. Collectively, our results confirm that satellite cells are transduced by AAV and can undergo gene editing to restore the dystrophin reading frame in the mdx mouse.

Recently, microelectromechanical system (MEMS) cantilevers have received significant interest in the domain of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). An analysis of MEMS cantilevers in VOCs is presented in this Review. It examines the different forms of sensors used to detect VOCs. It goes into the conditions that influence MEMS and the strategies used for VOC sensing. It examines research on MEMS cantilevers and other VOC sensing and detection techniques. It shows how MEMS can be used to detect VOCs. Moreover, it presents a comparative study based on the objectives, types of sensors employed, merits, and shortcomings of existing works. This Review intends to explore MEMS cantilevers in VOCs for supporting further research and applications.

Background. Leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are malignancies with smooth muscle differentiation. Metastasis to the bone is not uncommon. The literature on the clinical course and management of such metastases is limited. Our study describes the clinical course of LMS to the bone, including survival rates, prognostic factors, and surgical management. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 396 LMS patients presenting at an academic center between 1995 and 2020. We included LMS patients diagnosed with bone metastases and excluded patients with primary LMS of bone. We evaluated survival time with the Kaplan–Meier survival method and used Cox’s proportional hazards regression analysis to determine factors associated with survival. Results. Forty-five patients with LMS (11%) had bone metastases. The most common LMS subtypes with bone metastases were uterine (N = 18, 40%) and retroperitoneal (N = 15, 33%). Bone metastasis was not an independent predictor of mortality by Cox regression analysis (HR 1.0, 95% CI: 0.67–1.5). Patients more frequently metastasized to the axial (N = 29, 64%) than to the appendicular (N = 5, 11%) skeleton. Bone was the first site of metastasis in 13 patients (29%). Patients presented with bone metastases at a median of 32.7 months (IQR: 5.2, 62.6) after initial LMS diagnosis. Twelve patients (27%) sustained a pathologic fracture. Twenty (44%) required surgical management, with 30 surgeries total. Three (15%) had a failure of reconstructive constructs. The median overall survival time was 69.7 months (IQR: 43.2, 124.5). There were no associations between the LMS subtype and survival. Pathologic fracture was an independent predictor of mortality by Cox regression analysis (HR 5.4, 95% CI: 1.8–16). Conclusion. The majority of patients with metastatic LMS to bone survive greater than 5 years and frequently require surgical intervention. Extended survival in this patient population should inform fixation and implant choice. No anatomic subtype was associated with risk for bone metastases. Pathologic fracture was associated with worse survival.

Background: Boxing exposes fighters to head impacts and potential traumatic brain injury (TBI). Though research has explored the neuropsychiatric consequences of contact sports, there is limited research into Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) and its relationship to other outcomes, such as impulsiveness and depression. Therefore, this study aimed to describe EDS in retired boxers using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and to examine how boxing and sleepiness relate to impulsiveness and depression symptomatology. Methods: 86 male retired professional boxers from the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study (PFBHS) met the inclusion criteria. Adjusted multivariable models analyzed relationships between professional boxing bouts, EDS (ESS), impulsiveness (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11)), and/or depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)). A causal mediation analysis was performed to assess whether boxing bouts and ESS scores predicted BIS-11 and PHQ-9 scores. Results: Mean age was ∼51 years, fighters averaged ∼36 professional bouts, and ESS mean(SD) was 7.5(5.3). ESS scores were significantly associated with raw BIS-11 (Beta = 1.26, 95%CI = 0.77–1.75, p < 0.001) and ordinal PHQ-9 (OR = 1.20, 95%CI = 1.11–1.31, p < 0.001) scores in adjusted models, and the significant relationship between boxing bouts and BIS-11/PHQ-9 was mediated by ESS. Conclusions: EDS in retired male professional boxers may be strongly associated with other neuropsychiatric sequelae of TBI (impulsiveness and depression). Sleepiness; sleep; boxing; contact sports; impulsiveness; impulsivity; depression; Epworth sleepiness scale box [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing oligotrophic conditions in the southwest tropical Indian Ocean (SWTIO) is believed to be one of the causes for low phytoplankton productivity (PP) observed in this area. Though many remote sensing based studies on PP have been carried out in SWTIO, studies on in situ estimation of PP and its cause(s) of variability are scarce. Thus, to understand the controlling environmental forcings on the variability in phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a; Chl-a), community structure and productivity, time series (TS; @6 h intervals for 10 days; 1 station), plus point measurements (RT; 3 stations) were carried out in the SWTIO during the southwest monsoon (June) of 2014. Strong thermohaline stratification resulted in shallow (35–40 m) mixed layer (ML). Subsurface Chl-a maximum (SCM) was observed to oscillate within 40–60 m with majority of peaks at ∼50 m, and existed just beneath the ML depth. Light availability during sampling period was highly conducive for algal growth; nutrient ratios indicated N- and Si-limitation (N:P < 10; N:Si < 1 and SiO4 < 5 μM) suggesting unfavorable conditions for diatoms and/or silicoflagellates growth within the ML. Furthermore, HPLC-based pigments analysis confirmed dominance of nano-sized plankton (53%) followed by pico-plankton (25%) and micro-plankton (22%). Column integrated production (IPP) varied from 176 to 268 (241 ± 43 mgC m–2 d–1) and was relatively stable during the observation period, except a low value (19.4 E m–2 d–1) on 11 June, which was ascribed to the drastic dropdown in the daily incident PAR due to overcast sky. Vertical profiles of PP and Chl-a resembled each other and maximum PP usually corresponded with SCM depths. The Chl-a-specific PP (PB) was mostly higher within the ML and showed no surface photoinhibition, due to the dominance of smaller phytoplankton (less prone to pigment packaging effect) in the surface layer. Comparatively, higher PB within the ML is indicative of phytoplankton healthiness during the sampling time, whereas low PB below the SCM was due to light limitation. Highest integrated Chl-a (39 mg m–2) and IPP (328 mgC m–2 d–1) observed at RT-2 was clearly linked to low sea surface height anomaly (SSHA), cyclonic disturbance, and associated positive Ekman suction. Conversely, high SSHA and strong stratification conditions prevailed at TS, RT-4, and RT-6 stations leading to comparatively lower IPP (176-268, 252, and 243 mgC m–2 d–1), respectively.