Linear and nonlinear regression modelling of industrial dye adsorption using nanocellulose@chitosan nanocomposite beads.

Nanocellulose@chitosan (nc@ch) composite beads were prepared via coagulation technique for the elimination of malachite green dye from aqueous solution. As malachite green dye is highly used in textile industries for dyeing purpose which after usage shows fatal effects to the ecosystems and human beings also. In this study the formulated nanocellulose@chitosan composite beads were characterized by Particle size analysis (PSA), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were done to evaluate nanoparticles size distribution, morphological behaviour, functional group entities and degree of crystallinity of prepared beads. The nanocomposite beads adsorption performance was investigated for malachite green (MG) dye and BET analysis were also recorded to know about porous behaviour of the nanocomposite beads. Maximum removal of malachite green (MG) dye was found to be 72.0 mg/g for 100 ppm initial dye concentration. For accurate observations linear and non-linear modelling was done to know about the best-fitted adsorption model during the removal mechanism of dye molecules, on evaluating it has been observed that Langmuir isotherm and Freundlich isotherm show best-fitted observation in the case of linear and non-linear isotherm respectively (R2 = 0.96 & R2 = 0.957). In the case of kinetic linear models, the data was well fitted with pseudo-second-order showing chemosorption mechanism (R2 = 0.999), and in the case of non-linear kinetic model pseudo first order showed good fit showing physisorption mechanism during adsorption (R2 = 0.999). The thermodynamic study showed positive values for ΔH° and ΔS° throughout the adsorption process respectively, implying an endothermic behaviour. In view of cost effectiveness, desorption or regeneration study was done and it was showed that after the 5th cycle, the removal tendency had decreased from 48 to 38 % for 20-100 ppm dye solution accordingly. Thus, nanocomposite beads prepared by the coagulation method seem to be a suitable candidate for dye removal from synthetic wastewater and may have potential to be used in small scale textile industries for real wastewater treatment.

Role and Status of Biomarkers in Technostress Research: A Systematic Review.

The revolution in technology has impacted the work and personal lives of human beings greatly. While it has introduced the mankind to a more comfortable life, it has brought in the stress too in the form of technostress, the situation where a person fails to cope up with the ever-advancing technology and experiences stress symptoms. The increasing intensity of technostress calls for more research on technostress diving deeper into the causes and coping mechanisms. However, technostress research requires successful and reliable assessment of stress. It has been observed in recent years that biomarkers such as cortisol and salivary alpha amylase are reliable indicators of stress. There are several reports where the researchers have used questionnaires and surveys to assess the technostress, but the number of studies using biomarkers for technostress assessment is limited. It has been established that biomarker assessment is an important complement to the surveys to study the technostress. Here, we summarize the important studies done on technostress using the biomarkers along with the rationale of using these biomarkers.

Ordering kinetics and steady states of XY-model with ferromagnetic and nematic interaction.

Previous studies on the generalized XY model have concentrated on the equilibrium phase diagram and the equilibrium nature of distinct phases under varying parameter conditions. We direct our attention towards examining the system's evolution towards equilibrium states across different parameter values, specifically by varying the relative strengths of ferromagnetic and nematic interactions. We study the kinetics of the system, using the temporal annihilation of defects at varying temperatures and its impact on the coarsening behavior of the system. For both pure polar and pure nematic systems, we observe temperature-dependent decay of the exponent, leading to a decelerated growth of domains within the system. At parameter values where both ferromagnetic and nematic interactions are simultaneously present, we show a phase diagram highlighting three low-temperature phases-polar, nematic, and coexistence-along- side a high-temperature disordered phase. Our study provides valuable insights into the complex interplay of interactions, offering a comprehensive understanding of the system's behavior during its evolution towards equilibrium.

A novel approach using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometric analysis to distinguish male and female human hair samples.

This article presents an attempt to discriminate between human male and female hair samples using a single strand of scalp hair. The methodology involves the non-destructive application of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometric analysis. A total of 96 hair samples, evenly distributed between 48 male and 48 female volunteers from India, were collected. Spectral analysis revealed subtle differences between the two groups, and reliance on visual interpretation might introduce biasness. To avoid subjective biases, chemometric techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were employed for enhanced data visualization and separation. PCA results revealed that the first 10 principal components accounted for 93% of the total variance, with three significant PCs. The PLS-DA model demonstrated a remarkable sensitivity and specificity in sex discrimination from hair samples, establishing its efficacy as a robust classification tool. Furthermore, the proposed model exhibited 100% accuracy in predicting unknown samples, underscoring its potential applicability in real-world scenarios. These outcomes affirm the viability of our approach for non-invasive classification of human male and female hair based on single-strand scalp hair analysis.

Nanocellulose: A comprehensive review investigating its potential as an innovative material for water remediation.

Rapid growth in industrialization sectors, the wastewater treatment plants become exhausted and potentially not able to give desirable discharge standards. Many industries discharge the untreated effluent into the water bodies which affects the aquatic diversity and human health. The effective disposal of industrial effluents thus has been an imperative requirement. For decades nanocellulose based materials gained immense attraction towards application in wastewater remediation and emerged out as a new biobased nanomaterial. It is light weighted, cost effective, mechanically strong and easily available. Large surface area, versatile surface functionality, biodegradability, high aspect ratio etc., make them suitable candidate in this field. Majorly cellulose based nanomaterials are used in the form of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), or bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). This review specifically describes about a variety of extraction methods to produced nanocellulose and also discusses the modification of nanocellulose by adding functionalities in its surface chemistry. We majorly focus on the utilization of nanocellulose based materials in water remediation for the removal of different contaminants such as dyes, heavy metals, oil, microbial colony etc. This review mainly emphasizes in ray of hope towards nanocellulose materials to achieve more advancement in the water remediation fields.

A Large Facial Nerve Schwannoma Presenting as a Swelling in Parotid Region-A Rare Case Report.

Extratemporal facial nerve schwannomas are rare entity. Pre-operative assessment is mostly inconclusive with differential diagnosis of parotid tumors. We hereby report a case of 28 years female who presented with painless swelling in right parotid region with normal facial nerve function. Ultrasonography was suggestive well circumscribed and homogenous mass arising from the deep lobe of parotid gland. The Fine-needle aspiration cytology came out to be inconclusive. For further characterization of the tumor contrast enhanced MR imaging was performed. The MR imaging revealed well-defined cystic, heterogeneous, pear-shaped mass lesion situated near the stylomastoid foramen. Post operatively the mass came out to be schwannoma on histopathological examination.

A Review on Polyacrylonitrile as an Effective and Economic Constituent of Adsorbents for Wastewater Treatment.

Water gets polluted due to the dumping of untreated industrial waste into bodies of water, particularly those containing heavy metals and dyes. Industrial water contains both inorganic and organic wastes. Numerous adsorbents that are inexpensive and easily available can be used to address the issue of water deterioration. This review report is focused on polyacrylonitrile as an efficient constituent of adsorbents to extract toxic ions and dyes. It discusses the various formulations of polyacrylonitrile, such as ion exchange resins, chelating resins, fibers, membranes, and hydrogels, synthesized through different polymerization methods, such as suspension polymerization, electrospinning, grafting, redox, and emulsion polymerization. Moreover, regeneration of adsorbent and heavy metal ions makes the adsorption process more cost-effective and efficient. The literature reporting successful regeneration of the adsorbent is included. The factors affecting the performance and outcomes of the adsorption process are also discussed.

Recent Advancements in Lignin Valorization and Biomedical Applications: A Patent Review.

BACKGROUND: Synthetic polymers present disadvantages such as high cost, limited availability, safety concerns, environmental hazards and accumulation in body. Lignin, an aromatic biopolymer, is highly abundant and offers various advantages including cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility and biodegradability. It also possesses various pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer and UV protection, thus lignin has become a popular biopolymer in recent years and is no more considered as bio-waste rather extensive research is been carried out on developing it as drug carrier. Lignin also has non-biomedical applications including dispersing agents, surfactants, detergent/ cleaning agents, energy storage, etc. Methods: This review compiles patents granted on production of technical lignin, different lignin therapeutic carriers and its biomedical and non-biomedical applications. The literature is collected from recent years including both articles as well as patents and is carefully analyzed and compiled in an easy to comprehend pattern for guiding future research. RESULTS: The reviewed patents and articles highlighted the advancement made in lignin isolation and valorization. Numerous lignin nanoformulations as drug delivery agents or as standalone entities with various pharmacological actions like antibacterial, antioxidant or UV protectant have been reported. As well as industrial applications of lignin as adhesives, insulators or supercapacitors have also made lignin a biopolymer of choice. CONCLUSION: Lignin being a bio-inspired polymer has huge potential in commercial applications. New methods of lignin isolation from lignocellulosic biomass including physical pretreatments, solvent fraction, and chemical and biological pretreatment have been widely patented. Several micro/nano lignin formulations with improved and controllable reactivity like nanocontainers, nanocapsules, nanoparticles have also been reported recently. Also, various pharmacological properties of lignin have also been explored, thus valorization of lignin is a hot topic of hour.

Properties of Biocomposites Produced with Thermoplastic Starch and Digestate: Physicochemical and Mechanical Characteristics.

This paper presents the results of a study on the influence of the addition of digestate (DG) sludge from an agricultural biogas plant on the mechanical properties of the coating obtained from thermoplastic starch (TPS). The dried, fragmented digestate, some of which had previously undergone ultrasound treatment, is used in the study. Biocomposites are produced by the pouring method using Teflon moulds as matrices. The physicomechanical study included the determination of the basic parameters of the materials obtained. Strength parameters, the contact angle, thermogravimetric properties (TGA), colour and colour difference and moisture absorption are determined. Photographs of the surface of the samples are taken with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) as well. It is found that the addition of the digestate has an advantageous effect on improving the physical and mechanical parameters. In general, samples with digestate also have a higher strength compared to the pure TPS material. The highest tensile strength and Young's modulus are found in samples with the 14 wt% addition of ultrasound-treated digestate. On the basis of this study, it can be concluded that the addition of digestate is a promising approach for the production of TPS biocomposites with superior mechanical properties.

A Review of Adsorbents for Heavy Metal Decontamination: Growing Approach to Wastewater Treatment.

Heavy metal is released from many industries into water. Before the industrial wastewater is discharged, the contamination level should be reduced to meet the recommended level as prescribed by the local laws of a country. They may be poisonous or cancerous in origin. Their presence does not only damage people, but also animals and vegetation because of their mobility, toxicity, and non-biodegradability into aquatic ecosystems. The review comprehensively discusses the progress made by various adsorbents such as natural materials, synthetic, agricultural, biopolymers, and commercial for extraction of the metal ions such as Ni2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, As2+ and Zn2+ along with their adsorption mechanisms. The adsorption isotherm indicates the relation between the amount adsorbed by the adsorbent and the concentration. The Freundlich isotherm explains the effective physical adsorption of the solute particle from the solution on the adsorbent and Langmuir isotherm gives an idea about the effect of various factors on the adsorption process. The adsorption kinetics data provide valuable insights into the reaction pathways, the mechanism of the sorption reaction, and solute uptake. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were applied to describe the sorption kinetics. The presented information can be used for the development of bio-based water treatment strategies.

Methylene Blue Dye Adsorption from Wastewater Using Hydroxyapatite/Gold Nanocomposite: Kinetic and Thermodynamics Studies.

The present work demonstrates the development of hydroxyapatite (HA)/gold (Au) nanocomposites to increase the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) dye from the wastewater. HA nanopowder was prepared via a wet chemical precipitation method by means of Ca(OH)2 and H3PO4 as starting materials. The biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has been reported for the first time by using the plant extract of Acrocarpus fraxinifolius. Finally, the as-prepared HA nanopowder was mixed with an optimized AuNPs solution to produce HA/Au nanocomposite. The prepared HA/Au nanocomposite was studied by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) analysis. Adsorption studies were executed by batch experiments on the synthesized composite. The effect of the amount of adsorbent, pH, dye concentration and temperature was studied. Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models were used to fit the kinetic data and the kinetic modeling results reflected that the experimental data is perfectly matched with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The dye adsorbed waste materials have also been investigated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria by the agar well diffusion method. The inhibition zones of dye adsorbed samples are more or less the same as compared to as-prepared samples. The results so obtained indicates the suitability of the synthesized sample to be exploited as an adsorbent for effective treatment of MB dye from wastewater and dye adsorbed waste as an effective antibacterial agent from an economic point of view.

Nanocellulose-Based Biomedical Scaffolds in Future Bioeconomy: A Techno-Legal Assessment of the State-of-the-Art.

Nanocellulose is a broader term used for nano-scaled cellulosic crystal and/or fibrils of plant or animal origin. Where bacterial nanocellulose was immediately accepted in biomedicine due to its "cleaner" nature, the plant-based nanocellulose has seen several roadblocks. This manuscript assesses the technological aspects (chemistry of cellulose, nanocellulose producing methods, its purity, and biological properties including toxicity and suggested applications in final drug formulation) along with legal aspects in REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) regulation by the European Union, EMA (European Medicine Agency). The botanical biomass processing methods leading to the nanoscale impurity (lignin and others) on nanocellulose surface, along with surface modification with harsh acid treatments are found to be two major sources of "impurity" in botanical biomass derived nanocellulose. The status of nanocellulose under the light of REACH regulation along with EMA has been covered. The provided information can be directly used by material and biomedical scientists while developing new nanocellulose production strategies as well as formulation design for European markets.

Lignin for Bioeconomy: The Present and Future Role of Technical Lignin.

Lignin, the term commonly used in literature, represents a group of heterogeneous aromatic compounds of plant origin. Protolignin or lignin in the cell wall is entirely different from the commercially available technical lignin due to changes during the delignification process. In this paper, we assess the status of lignin valorization in terms of commercial products. We start with existing knowledge of the lignin/protolignin structure in its native form and move to the technical lignin from various sources. Special attention is given to the patents and lignin-based commercial products. We observed that the technical lignin-based commercial products utilize coarse properties of the technical lignin in marketed formulations. Additionally, the general principles of polymers chemistry and self-assembly are difficult to apply in lignin-based nanotechnology, and lignin-centric investigations must be carried out. The alternate upcoming approach is to develop lignin-centric or lignin first bio-refineries for high-value applications; however, that brings its own technological challenges. The assessment of the gap between lab-scale applications and lignin-based commercial products delineates the challenges lignin nanoparticles-based technologies must meet to be a commercially viable alternative.

Synthesis of novel homoazanucleosides and their peptidyl analogs.

Synthesis of novel homoazanucleosides and their peptidyl analogs as hybrid molecules comprised of amino acids, an iminosugar and natural nucleobases is reported for the first time. A pluripotent amino-substituted chiral polyhydroxypyrrolidine, possessing orthogonally different functional groups on either arm of the pyrrolidine ring, served as an ideal substrate for the synthesis of the proposed peptidyl homoazanucleosides. The acid sensitive primary benzyloxy group, on one arm of the pyrrolidine ring, after selective deprotection, was utilized for the introduction of nucleobases to obtain the homoazanucleosides. The amino group on the other side offered the opportunity to be coupled with amino acids to deliver the desired peptidyl homoazanucleosides. Glycosidase inhibition studies revealed that the acetamido derivatives of homoazanucleosides were found to be sub-millimolar inhibitors of ß-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase.

Wood-Based Cellulose Nanofibrils: Haemocompatibility and Impact on the Development and Behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster.

Wood-based cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) offer an excellent scaffold for drug-delivery formulation development. However, toxicity and haemocompatibility of the drug carrier is always an important issue. In this study, toxicity-related issues of CNF were addressed. Different doses of CNF were orally administered to Drosophila and different tests like the developmental cycle, trypan blue exclusion assay, larva crawling assay, thermal sensitivity assay, cold sensitivity assay, larval light preference test, climbing behaviour, nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction assay, adult phenotype, and adult weight were conducted to observe the impact on its development and behaviour. A haemocompatibility assay was done on the blood taken from healthy Wistar rats. In Drosophila, the abnormalities in larval development and behaviour were observed in the behavioural assays. However, the cytotoxic effect could not be confirmed by the gut staining and level of reactive oxygen species. The larvae developed into an adult without any abnormality in the phenotype. The CNF did cause loss of weight in the adult flies and did not cause much toxicity within the body since there was no phenotypic defect. Hemolysis data also suggested that CNF was safe at lower doses, as the data was well within acceptable limits. All these results suggest that cellulose nanofibres have no significant cytotoxic effects on Drosophila. However, the developmental and behavioural abnormalities suggest that CNF may act as a behavioural teratogen.

Nanoparticle-drug conjugates treating bacterial infections.

The ever increasing scenario of bacterial resistance against commonly available antibiotics is becoming a global threat of major concern, which necessitates the development of new strategies to overcome this hurdle. Conjugation of nanoparticles (NPs) with antimicrobial moieties, such as antibiotics, peptides or different biomolecules, has been one of the successful techniques in targeting antibiotic resistance. This review mainly focusses on the possible nanoparticle-drug conjugates with their activity against pathogenic bacterial infections. Nanoparticles play an array of roles, e.g. as a carrier, synergistically acting agent and as theranostic agent, henceforth facilitates the efficacy of therapy. Moreover, this review elaborates the studies with reported nanoparticles-drug conjugates that include their possible synthesis methodologies and applications. In most of the cases, the nanoparticles were found to increase the permeability of bacterial cell membrane, which enables higher uptake of antibiotics inside the bacterial cells which in return showed better effects. Even the conjugates were found to efficiently kill the antibiotic-resistant strains. Since several limitations are exerted by the biological systems, there is an urge for the advancement of nanoparticle-drug conjugates for better proficiency.

Co-Delivery of Eugenol and Dacarbazine by Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Liposomes for Targeted Inhibition of Survivin in Treatment of Resistant Metastatic Melanoma.

While melanoma remains a challenge for oncologists, possibilities are being continuously explored to fight resistant metastatic melanoma more effectively. Eugenol is reported to inhibit survivin protein in breast cancer cells. Survivin is also overexpressed by melanoma cells, and is known to impart resistance to them against chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. To be able to fight resistant melanoma, we formulated hyaluronic acid (HA)-coated liposomes loaded with an effective combination of anti-melanoma agents (Dacarbazine and Eugenol), using a solvent injection method. Quality-by-Design (QbD) was applied to optimize and obtain a final formulation with the desired quality attributes, and within an acceptable size range. The optimized formulation was then subjected to performance analysis in cell lines. Coated-Dacarbazine Eugenol Liposomes were found to possess 95.08% cytotoxicity at a dacarbazine concentration of 0.5 µg/mL, while Dacarbazine Solution showed only 10.20% cytotoxicity at the same concentration. The number of late apoptotic cells was also found to be much higher (45.16% vs. 8.43%). Furthermore, migration assay and proliferation study also revealed significantly higher inhibition of cell migration and proliferation by Coated-Dacarbazine Eugenol Liposomes, signifying its potential against metastasis. Thus, surface-functionalized dacarbazine- and eugenol-loaded liposomes hold great promise against resistant and aggressive metastatic melanoma, with much less unwanted cytotoxicity and reduced doses of the chemotherapeutic agent.

The Self-Assembly of Lignin and Its Application in Nanoparticle Synthesis: A Short Review.

Lignin serves as a significant contributor to the natural stock of non-fossilized carbon, second only to cellulose in the biosphere. In this review article, we focus on the self-assembly properties of lignin and their contribution to its effective utilization and valorization. Traditionally, investigations on self-assembly properties of lignin have aimed at understanding the lignification process of the cell wall and using it for efficient delignification for commercial purposes. In recent years (mainly the last three years), an increased number of attempts and reports of technical-lignin nanostructure synthesis with controlled particle size and morphology have been published. This has renewed the interests in the self-assembly properties of technical lignins and their possible applications. Based on the sources and processing methods of lignin, there are significant differences between its structure and properties, which is the primary obstacle in the generalized understanding of the lignin structure and the lignification process occurring within cell walls. The reported studies are also specific to source and processing methods. This work has been divided into two parts. In the first part, the aggregation propensity of lignin based on type, source and extraction method, temperature, and pH of solution is discussed. This is followed by a critical overview of non-covalent interactions and their contribution to the self-associative properties of lignin. The role of self-assembly towards the understanding of xylogenesis and nanoparticle synthesis is also discussed. A particular emphasis is placed on the interaction and forces involved that are used to explain the self-association of lignin.

Novel 4-in-1 strategy to combat colon cancer, drug resistance and cancer relapse utilizing functionalized bioinspiring lignin nanoparticle.

Colon cancer is one of the fatal forms of cancer all round the world with a equal frequency of occurrence in both male and female population. Mutational changes and defects in APC (Adenomatous Polyposis Coli) and DNA mismatch repair genes accompanied by genetic chaos in oncogenic pathways leads to colon cancer. Intensive study on pathogenesis of colon cancer has been made to decipher the mechanisms underlying the development and progress of the disease so as to develop effective treatment. However, a complete therapeutic regimen is still not available for combating this deadly disease. Hurdles faced by chemotherapy include drug resistance due to P-glycoprotein transporters, untoward effects on normal cells, high cost, bio-burden of the therapy, and the most dreadful drawback is cancer relapse. The concept of cancer relapse is related to development of oxidative stress that causes cell apoptosis. If the level of oxidative stress is inadequate to cause apoptosis then it leads to cell dormancy which may revive post chemotherapy. This hypothesis aims to put forward a combinatorial approach that includes utilizing a cost effective, biocompatible and environmentally benign nanoparticulate carrier made up of lignin, loaded with anti-cancer agent and P-gp modulator, and functionalized with ligand for CD44 receptors that are over expressed on cancer cells. Antioxidant effect of lignin will overcome dormancy of cancer cells making it possible for cell cycle specific drugs to kill them and prevent relapse and active targeting will prevent untoward effects on normal cells. Thus a robust and wholesome formulation can be developed to combat colon cancer.

Functionalized nanoliposomes loaded with anti survivin and anti angiogenic agents to enhance the activity of chemotherapy against melanoma by 4-pronged action.

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive cancers which has very low response rate and survival rate. Melanoma cells are known to be inherently resistant to the chemotherapy which results in poor outcomes and even failure of the therapy. For this reason, a better understanding of underlying mechanism of melanoma pathogenesis and resistance is required, so that more efficient and novel therapeutic strategies can be developed. Survivin is a protein which is overexpressed in melanoma cells and is known to impart resistance to them against apoptosis. Also, melanoma cells overexpress Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) angiogenic growth factors which lead to aggressive angiogenesis in melanoma cells thereby making the treatment more challenging. This hypothesis presents a combinatorial approach against melanoma where an anti-survivin agent and an anti-angiogenic agent are combined with a chemotherapeutic drug and loaded in surface functionalized liposomes in order to target specific mechanisms of melanoma, thus overcoming its resistance. Thus, the study aims to overcome the resistance of melanoma cells by developing a wise combination of drugs and achieve a higher response rate in resistant melanoma model, which is usually not achieved with the existing treatment modalities.