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Biological treatment solutions using bioreactors for environmental contaminants from industrial waste water
Human needs have led to the development of various products which are produced in the industries. These industries in turn have become a source of various environmental concerns. As industries release regulated and unregulated contaminants into the water bodies, it has become a serious concern for all living organisms. Various emerging contaminates from industries like pesticides, pharmaceuticals drugs like hormones, antibiotics, dyes, etc., along with byproducts and new complexes contaminate the water bodies. Numerous traditional approaches have been utilized for the treatment of these pollutants; however, these technologies are not efficient in most cases as the contaminants are mixed with complex structures or as new substances. Advanced technologies such as bioreactor techniques, advanced oxidation processes, and so on have been used for the treatment of industrial wastewater and have served as an alternative way for wastewater treatment. Overall, biological treatment techniques based on bioreactors provide a long-term and ecologically useful solution to industrial wastewater contamination. They play an important role in saving water resources and encouraging a greener sustainable future for mankind. The current review outlines the industrial effluents that are released into water bodies, contaminating them, as well as the numerous traditional and novel treatment procedures used for industrial wastewater treatment. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] 2023, The Author(s). -
Role of Bacillus thuringiensis in development of transgenic plants
One of the most significant advancements in plant biotechnology has been the production of genetically engineered plants. Due to the effects of pests damaging the majority of crops, the development of pest immunity was necessary for crop preservation. Plants that have had their gene makeup altered in-utero, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, which has insecticidal properties and helps protect crops from pests, are referred to as "genetically modified plants." Cry proteins, which are poisonous proteins that exist in the state of crystals, are the major genes responsible for the development of transgenic plants. Based on the effect of different pest species, cry proteins are divided into many categories. Since they are extremely specific by nature and only affect the target proteins, they are considered environmentally beneficial pesticides since they have no impact on the physiologically significant soil bacteria or other bacterial flora. These cry proteins stay as dormant crystals, but when a pest consumes plants, the inactive form of the crystals becomes active in the alkaline stomach pH of the microorganism, aiding in the rupture of the gut epithelium and ultimately causing the microorganism to die. These days, transgenic plants have been created, including BT corn, BT rice, sugarcane, brinjal, potato, tomato, and many more, it was also discovered that using these transgenic plants increased crop productivity. Transgenic plants can prevent several ecological issues associated with traditional pesticides, including the emergence of resistance, their toxicity to non-target living things, and the buildup of toxic waste in the environment. 2023 Horizon e-Publishing Group. All rights reserved. -
In vitro Analytical Techniques as Screening Tools to investigate the Metal chelate-DNA interactions
Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) is found to be the most efficient pharmacological target of many synthetic molecules which are deemed as potential drugs with clinical applications. DNA binding agents are known to regulate several cell functions (gene expression and replication) by adopting various protocols which include the annihilation of the cell membrane, interruption in protein synthesis, and irreversible binding to cell receptors. Recently, several studies have explored fundamental aspects of drug-DNA interactions, providing new insights into the driving forces that render the formation of the drug-DNA complex. In order to study and understand these biologically important reaction mechanisms, several screening tools have been devised and the specificity of drug molecules binding to DNA were studied in detail. This review will discuss the utilization of various analytical tools which include UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, viscosity measurement, Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DNA fragmentation assay used for studying drug binding mode and the mechanism involved. 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
The crux of bioactive metabolites in endophytic and thermophilic fungi and their proximal prospects in biotechnological and industrial domains
Fungi are ubiquitous in distribution and are found in grasses to hot springs. Their mode of nutrition provides sustenance for living and propagation. Ironically, varied fungal species have developed customized strategies for protection and survival by producing diverse secondary metabolites. The review aimed to project the contrasting potential features of the endophytic and thermophilic fungi groups. The metabolites and the enzymes of endophytic and thermophilic fungi served as the backbone to thrive and adapt within-host and in extreme conditions like higher pH, heat, and salinity, respectively. Identification, knowledge of their biochemistry and pathway, exploration, production, and utilization of these bioactive molecules in various commercial, industrial, and pharmaceutical domains were briefly discussed. The uniqueness of endophytes includes stress management and improved biomass production of the host, green fuel production, omnipresence, selected triple-symbiosis with the virus, synthesis of polyketides, and other active metabolites are widely used in biomedical applications and agriculture management. This review attempted to limelight the specific applications of thermophilic fungal metabolites and the roles of thermo-stable enzymes in bioprospecting. Moreover, probing the metabolites of thermophiles rendered novel antibiotic compounds, which were proven effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria and harboured the potential to curtail infectious diseases. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Cadmium toxicity in medicinal plants: An overview of the tolerance strategies, biotechnological and omics approaches to alleviate metal stress
Medicinal plants, an important source of herbal medicine, are gaining more demand with the growing human needs in recent times. However, these medicinal plants have been recognized as one of the possible sources of heavy metal toxicity in humans as these medicinal plants are exposed to cadmium-rich soil and water because of extensive industrial and agricultural operations. Cadmium (Cd) is an extremely hazardous metal that has a deleterious impact on plant development and productivity. These plants uptake Cd by symplastic, apoplastic, or via specialized transporters such as HMA, MTPs, NRAMP, ZIP, and ZRT-IRT-like proteins. Cd exerts its effect by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and interfere with a range of metabolic and physiological pathways. Studies have shown that it has detrimental effects on various plant growth stages like germination, vegetative and reproductive stages by analyzing the anatomical, morphological and biochemical changes (changes in photosynthetic machinery and membrane permeability). Also, plants respond to Cd toxicity by using various enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems. Furthermore, the ROS generated due to the heavy metal stress alters the genes that are actively involved in signal transduction. Thus, the biosynthetic pathway of the important secondary metabolite is altered thereby affecting the synthesis of secondary metabolites either by enhancing or suppressing the metabolite production. The present review discusses the abundance of Cd and its incorporation, accumulation and translocation by plants, phytotoxic implications, and morphological, physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of medicinal plants to Cd toxicity. It explains the Cd detoxification mechanisms exhibited by the medicinal plants and further discusses the omics and biotechnological strategies such as genetic engineering and gene editing CRISPR- Cas 9 approach to ameliorate the Cd stress. Copyright 2023 Al-Khayri, Banadka, Rashmi, Nagella, Alessa and Almaghasla. -
Authentication of symmetric cryptosystem using anti-aging controller-based true random number generator
In todays digital world, data protection is extremely important. Every companys data is a valuable asset, so its important to ensure that it's secured from outside threats. Information security is not only an effective but also a necessary element to protect data from unauthorized access. The confidentiality of any communication system is strengthening with the help of random number generators along with some analog circuitry. This type of analog models demands more power and area. So analog circuit-based hardware Random Number Generators (RNG) are least preferred over digital RNGs. To improve the security every industry depends on the one-time password (OTP). Which gives the security but generation of the OTP is very easy. Random number generator is used for the generation of OTP. Similarly, hacking such OTP is easier than creating them. This paper introduces the Anti-Aging controller TRNG, a highly stable high-performance random number generator Anti-Aging Cryptographically Secured True Random Number Generator (AACTRNG). Implementation of this work can be done by using TANNER EDA Tools and ModelSim-Altera 6.4a (Quartus-II 9.0) used for the simulation to retrieve random numbers. 2021, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. -
Design and genome engineering of microbial cell factories for efficient conversion of lignocellulose to fuel
The gradually increasing need for fossil fuels demands renewable biofuel substitutes. This has fascinated an increasing investigation to design innovative energy fuels that have comparable Physico-chemical and combustion characteristics with fossil-derived fuels. The efficient microbes for bioenergy synthesis desire the proficiency to consume a large quantity of carbon substrate, transfer various carbohydrates through efficient metabolic pathways, capability to withstand inhibitory components and other degradation compounds, and improve metabolic fluxes to synthesize target compounds. Metabolically engineered microbes could be an efficient methodology for synthesizing biofuel from cellulosic biomass by cautiously manipulating enzymes and metabolic pathways. This review offers a comprehensive perspective on the trends and advances in metabolic and genetic engineering technologies for advanced biofuel synthesis by applying various heterologous hosts. Probable technologies include enzyme engineering, heterologous expression of multiple genes, CRISPR-Cas technologies for genome editing, and cell surface display. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Cytokine see-saw across pregnancy, its related complexities and consequences
During pregnancy, a woman's immune system adapts to the changing hormonal concentrations, causing immunologic transition. These immunologic changes are required for a full-term pregnancy, preserving the fetus' innate and adaptive immunity. Preterm labor, miscarriage, gestational diabetes mellitus, and pre-eclampsia are all caused by abnormal cytokine expression during pregnancy and childbirth. A disruption in the cytokine balance can lead to autoimmune diseases or microbiologic infections, or to autoimmune illness remission during pregnancy with postpartum recurrence. The cytokine treatments are essential and damaging to the developing fetus. The current review summarizes the known research on cytokine changes during pregnancy and their possible consequences for pregnant women. Studies suggest that customizing medication for each woman and her progesterone levels should be based on the cytokine profile of each pregnant woman. Immune cells and chemicals play an important function in development of the placenta and embryo. During pregnancy, T cells divide and move, and a careful balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines is necessary. The present review focuses on the mother's endurance in generating fetal cells and the immunologic mechanism involved. 2022 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. -
Exploring the anti-inflammatory activities, mechanism of action and prospective drug delivery systems of tocotrienol to target neurodegenerative diseases
A major cause of death in the elderly worldwide is attributed to neurodegenerative diseases, such as AD (Alzheimers disease), PD (Parkinsons disease), ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), FRDA (Friedreichs ataxia), VaD (Vascular dementia) etc. These can be caused due to multiple factors such as genetic, physiological problems like stroke or tumor, or even external causes like viruses, toxins, or chemicals. T3s (tocotrienols) exhibit various bioactive properties where it acts as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumorigenic, and cholesterol lowering agent. Since T3 interferes with and influences several anti-inflammatory mechanisms, it aids in combating inflammatory responses that lead to disease progression. T3s are found to have a profound neuroprotective ability, however, due to their poor oral bioavailability, their full potential could not be exploited. Hence there is a need to explore other drug delivery techniques, especially focusing on aspects of nanotechnology. In this review paper we explore the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of T3 to apply it in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and also discusses the possibilities of nano methods of administering tocotrienols to target neurodegenerative diseases. Copyright: 2023 Mathew AM et al. -
Exopolysaccharides Derived from Probiotic Bacteria and their Health Benefits
Probiotic bacteria are producers of secretory products such as bacteriocins and polysaccharides. Both homopolymeric and heteropolymeric exopolysaccharides (EPS) present on the surface of microorganisms have shown beneficial properties. While the fact that they play a role in bacterial homeostasis is well established, studies exploring their health promoting effects have also gained traction. Some exopolysaccharides function by inducing immune tolerance, others act by evading immune responses such as those by B and T cells. The interaction between the EPS and the immune system helps protect the bacteria against an attack by the host immune system. Several exopolysaccharides also show tolerogenic properties by reducing the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing IL-10 production. They are also associated with anti-bacterial activity, anti-biofilm activity and anti-tumour properties. This review highlights the different types of exopolysaccharides and their health benefiting potentials. Better understanding of these mechanisms will pave the way for harnessing their potential to improve our health. The Author(s) 2023. -
Photoresponsive Carbon-Azobenzene Hybrids: A Promising Material for Energy Devices
Advancements in renewable energy technology have been a hot topic in the field of photoresponsive materials for a sustainable community. Organic compounds that function as photoswitches is being researched and developed for use in a variety of energy storage systems. Azobenzene photoswitches can be used to store and release solar energy in solar thermal fuels. This review draws out the significance of azobenzene as photoswitches and its recent advances in solar thermal fuels. The recent developments of nano carbon templated azobenzene, their interactions and the effect of substituents are highlighted. The review also introduces their applications in solar thermal fuels and concludes with the challenges and future scope of the material. The advancements of solar thermal fuels with cost effective and desired optimal properties can be explored by scientists and engineers from different technological backgrounds. 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
Green Synthesis of Bioinspired Nanoparticles Mediated from Plant Extracts of Asteraceae Family for Potential Biological Applications
The Asteraceae family is one of the largest families in the plant kingdom with many of them extensively used for significant traditional and medicinal values. Being a rich source of various phytochemicals, they have found numerous applications in various biological fields and have been extensively used for therapeutic purposes. Owing to its potential phytochemicals present and biological activity, these plants have found their way into pharmaceutical industry as well as in various aspects of nanotechnology such as green synthesis of metal oxide nanoparticles. The nanoparticles developed from the plants of Asteraceae family are highly stable, less expensive, non-toxic, and eco-friendly. Synthesized Asteraceae-mediated nanoparticles have extensive applications in antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, and photocatalytic degradation activities. This current review provides an opportunity to understand the recent trend to design and develop strategies for advanced nanoparticles through green synthesis. Here, the review discussed about the plant parts, extraction methods, synthesis, solvents utilized, phytochemicals involved optimization conditions, characterization techniques, and toxicity of nanoparticles using species of Asteraceae and their potential applications for human welfare. Constraints and future prospects for green synthesis of nanoparticles from members of the Asteraceae family are summarized. 2023 by the authors. -
New Horizons in the Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of MXene Quantum Dots
The progress of MXenes, a 2D layered structural material since its discovery in 2011 recently arouses a great deal of attention due to their plethora of applications in a diverse range of fields. Their excellent properties in terms of surface chemistry, optical activity, electrical conductivity, presence of abundant active catalytic sites, tunable band gap structure, ease of surface functionalization, and good biocompatibility make them an ideal candidate. The authors aim to guide the readers through various aspects such as their unique properties, synthesis techniques, and the recent advancements associated with MXene quantum dots (QDs). Herein, this review serves as a one-stop point for prospective researchers to gain a better understanding of the application of MXene QDs in various fields including electrochemical detection, biomedical applications, and energy conversion and storage applications. 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials Interfaces published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Three Focused Interventions
Autism is a neurological developmental disorder that impacts a persons physical, social, and emotional behavior. This disorder develops over time and is characterized by social deficits and repetitive behavior. Although there is no cure for this disorder, an early diagnosis and intervention can do significant wonders and can help the subject to become active functioning members of the family and society. The aim of this study is to minimize the diagnostic period by finding an optimal diagnosis procedure from the existing diagnosis tools. The diagnosis of autism can be done in three ways: 1. clinical evaluation; 2. screening tools; 3. brain images. In this review paper, we have thoroughly gone through all three types of diagnostic procedures and found that there was no single diagnostic tool to confirm the disorder. We also found that the diagnosis period was too long. As the result of this review, we found an ASD diagnosis triad which helps to choose the right diagnosis procedure based on the subjects age which reduces the diagnostic period and helps to aid early diagnosis by eliminating the chaos in choosing the diagnostic tools. 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. -
Occurrence, identification, and decontamination of potential mycotoxins in fruits and fruit by-products
The incidence of aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and patulin in fruits and processed fruit products has been ever more challenging and gained additional focus on ecofriendly mitigation strategies. The onset of these toxins is due to several factors involving insect attacks, agricultural practices, and climate change. Acute and chronic health hazards are clinically proven after consuming contaminated foodstuffs, even at lower concentrations of mycotoxins. Synergistic, masked, and substantial occurrence in fruit matrices increase their complexity in detection and detoxification; apparently, this article reviewed the available information on the occurrence of mycotoxins in several fruits and their products, focused on the conventional and advanced methods of identification, quantification, and decontamination techniques. Strengthening and implementing stringent international and national guidelines are required for impactful, tangible measures in the future. Nevertheless, controlling the mycotoxins in fruits will certainly be challenging for scientists. Therefore, more impactful technologies are still needed to eliminate the toxins at the threshold level of the food chain and ensure sustainable global food safety. 2023 The Authors. Food Frontiers published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd and Nanchang University, Northwest University, Jiangsu University, Zhejiang University, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. -
Refugees in host countries: A comparative study between Uyghurs in Turkey and Tibetans in India
The status of refugees in host nations may depend upon several factors, including the economic situation of the receiving state, political alignments, international commitments, ethnic affinities, the domestic refugee regime, security considerations and bilateral ties with the home country. The study aims to discern the role that bilateral ties and domestic considerations play in the refugee experience. Is there a pattern that can be drawn out from these two factors? The article uses neoclassical realist and critical theories to better understand the phenomena, while employing the case study method to make a comparative study. The study analyses how India and Turkey have dealt with refugees belonging to two ethnic minorities of the Republic of China: the Tibetans and the Uyghurs. The results show that the way the receiving states handle refugees depends greatly on domestic considerations. It becomes clear that even though bilateral ties between the host and the home nation are important, no simple deduction can be made on how this affects the treatment of refugees. Both cases provide varied response patterns; it is only through a blend of realpolitik and critical theory that the phenomena can be understood. Mapping refugees and their movements, as well as their status in the host countries, determines many of the policies created for their welfare. The article therefore attempts to provide a framework for a better understanding of the phenomena by considering bilateral ties and domestic considerations. The Author(s) 2022. -
A Bird's-Eye View on Deep Eutectic Solvent-Mediated Multicomponent Synthesis of N-Heterocycles
Multicomponent reactions are crucial for operating organic synthesis. In today's world, chemists concentrate on greener methodologies that cater to rising environmental concerns. Most conventional organic solvents are harsh on the environment, which can be addressed by environmentally and pocket-friendly Deep eutectic solvents (DES). Organic synthesis via MCR in the presence of DES has resulted in the blend of green methodology and green solvent for organic transformations. Forasmuch as addressing the environmental concerns and developing higher heterocycles, our review focuses on the literature published on the DES-mediated Multicomponent synthesis of N-Heterocyclic compounds. 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
Stilbenes, a Versatile Class of Natural Metabolites for InflammationAn Overview
Stilbenes are polyphenolic allelochemicals synthesized by plants, especially grapes, peanuts, rhubarb, berries, etc., to defend themselves under stressful conditions. They are now exploited in medicine for their antioxidant, anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is the immune systems response to invading bacteria, toxic chemicals or even nutrient-deprived conditions. It is characterized by the release of cytokines which can wreak havoc on healthy tissues, worsening the disease condition. Stilbenes modulate NF-?B, MAPK and JAK/STAT pathways, and reduce the transcription of inflammatory factors which result in maintenance of homeostatic conditions. Resveratrol, the most studied stilbene, lowers the Michaelis constant of SIRT1, and occupies the substrate binding pocket. Gigantol interferes with the complement system. Besides these, oxyresveratrol, pterostilbene, polydatin, viniferins, etc., are front runners as drug candidates due to their diverse effects from different functional groups that affect bioavailability and molecular interactions. However, they each have different thresholds for toxicity to various cells of the human body, and thus a careful review of their properties must be conducted. In animal models of autoinflammatory diseases, the mode of application of stilbenes is important to their absorption and curative effects, as seen with topical and microemulsion gel methods. This review covers the diversity seen among stilbenes in the plant kingdom and their mechanism of action on the different inflammatory pathways. In detail, macrophages contribution to inflamed conditions in the liver, the cardiac, connective and neural tissues, in the nephrons, intestine, lungs and in myriad other body cells is explored, along with detailed explanation on how stilbenes alleviate the symptoms specific to body site. A section on the bioavailability of stilbenes is included for understanding the limitations of the natural compounds as directly used drugs due to their rapid metabolism. Current delivery mechanisms include sulphonamides, or using specially designed synthetic drugs. It is hoped that further research may be fueled by this comprehensive work that makes a compelling argument for the exploitation of these compounds in medicine. 2023 by the authors. -
Commercialization potential of agro-based polyhydroxyalkanoates biorefinery: A technical perspective on advances and critical barriers
The exponential increase in the use and careless discard of synthetic plastics has created an alarming concern over the environmental health due to the detrimental effects of petroleum based synthetic polymeric compounds. Piling up of these plastic commodities on various ecological niches and entry of their fragmented parts into soil and water has clearly affected the quality of these ecosystems in the past few decades. Among the many constructive strategies developed to tackle this global issue, use of biopolymers like polyhydroxyalkanoates as sustainable alternatives for synthetic plastics has gained momentum. Despite their excellent material properties and significant biodegradability, polyhydroxyalkanoates still fails to compete with their synthetic counterparts majorly due to the high cost associated with their production and purification thereby limiting their commercialization. Usage of renewable feedstocks as substrates for polyhydroxyalkanoates production has been the thrust area of research to attain the sustainability tag. This review work attempts to provide insights about the recent developments in the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates using renewable feedstock along with various pretreatment methods used for substrate preparation for polyhydroxyalkanoates production. Further, the application of blends based on polyhydroxyalkanoates, and the challenges associated with the waste valorization based polyhydroxyalkanoates production strategy is elaborated in this review work. 2023 Elsevier B.V. -
Influence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on human biological timekeeping
To stay in sync with environmental cues, the body's metabolic activities must be rhythmic, and these rhythmic functions are known as circadian rhythms, which repeat every 24 h. People's sleep-wake and eating patterns were interrupted as a result of house confinement, making them more vulnerable to noncommunicable chronic diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) period. During the epidemic, there was a greater degree of misalignment with this synchronization. The effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19) on the human circadian clock are studied in depth. The literature review was conducted fully online, with the website utilized to collect all of the papers from PubMed, and duplicates were handled only in the first phase. Researchers found that individuals of all ages who are pushed to adjust their daily routines shift to the later chronotype, resulting in lifestyle modifications and an altered biological timing system that contributes to noncommunicable chronic illnesses. Chronic illnesses have bidirectional conductance, which means they can be caused by both environmental and self-modification in daily activity, as was the case during the COVID-19 outbreak, which forced people to stay at home. This review comes to the conclusion that fighting the pandemic may be best done by changing medications and focusing on immune health. 2023 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.