Green synthesis of iron nanoparticles: Sources and multifarious biotechnological applications.

Green synthesis of iron nanoparticles is a highly fascinating research area and has gained importance due to reliable, sustainable and ecofriendly protocol for synthesizing nanoparticles, along with the easy availability of plant materials and their pharmacological significance. As an alternate to physical and chemical synthesis, the biological materials, like microorganisms and plants are considered to be less costly and environment-friendly. Iron nanoparticles with diverse morphology and size have been synthesized using biological extracts. Microbial (bacteria, fungi, algae etc.) and plant extracts have been employed in green synthesis of iron nanoparticles due to the presence of various metabolites and biomolecules. Physical and biochemical properties of biologically synthesized iron nanoparticles are superior to that are synthesized using physical and chemical agents. Iron nanoparticles have magnetic property with thermal and electrical conductivity. Iron nanoparticles below a certain size (generally 10-20 nm), can exhibit a unique form of magnetism called superparamagnetism. They are non-toxic and highly dispersible with targeted delivery, which are suitable for efficient drug delivery to the target. Green synthesized iron nanoparticles have been explored for multifarious biotechnological applications. These iron nanoparticles exhibited antimicrobial and anticancerous properties. Iron nanoparticles adversely affect the cell viability, division and metabolic activity. Iron nanoparticles have been used in the purification and immobilization of various enzymes/proteins. Iron nanoparticles have shown potential in bioremediation of various organic and inorganic pollutants. This review describes various biological sources used in the green synthesis of iron nanoparticles and their potential applications in biotechnology, diagnostics and mitigation of environmental pollutants.

Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: Safe options for next-generation therapeutics.

Probiotics have been considered as an economical and safe alternative for the treatment of a large number of chronic diseases and improvement of human health. They are known to modulate the host immunity and protect from several infectious and non-infectious diseases. The colonization, killing of pathogens and induction of host cells are few of the important probiotic attributes which affect several functions of the host. In addition, prebiotics and non-digestible food substances selectively promote the growth of probiotics and human health through nutrient enrichment, and modulation of gut microbiota and immune system. This review highlights the role of probiotics and prebiotics alone and in combination (synbiotics) in the modulation of immune system, treatment of infections, management of inflammatory bowel disease and cancer therapy. KEY POINTS: • Probiotics and their derivatives against several human diseases. • Prebiotics feed probiotics and induce several functions in the host. • Discovery of novel and biosafe products needs attention for human health.

Halocins, natural antimicrobials of Archaea: Exotic or special or both?

Haloarchaea are adapted to survive under extreme saline conditions by accumulating osmolytes and salts to counteract the high osmotic pressure in their habitats. As a consequence, their proteins have evolved to remain active, or even most active, at very high ionic strength. Halocins are proteinaceous antimicrobial substances that are ribosomally-synthesized by haloarchaea and they provide the producers an advantage in the competition for nutrients and ecological niches. These antimicrobials are stable at high temperature, elevated salt concentrations, and alkaline pH conditions. These properties have endowed them with great potential in diverse biotechnological applications, which involve extreme processing conditions (such as high salt concentrations, high pressure, or high temperatures). They kill target cells by inhibition of Na+/H+ antiporter in the membrane or modification/disruption of the cell membrane leading to cell lysis. In general, the taxonomy of haloarchaea and their typical phenotypic and genotypic characteristics are well studied; however, information regarding their halocins, especially aspects related to genetics, biosynthetic pathways, mechanism of action, and structure-function relationship is very limited. A few studies have demonstrated the potential applications of halocins in the preservation of salted food products and brine-cured hides in leather industries, protecting the myocardium from ischemia and reperfusion injury, as well as from life-threatening diseases such as cardiac arrest and cancers. In recent years, genome mining has been an essential tool to decipher the genetic basis of halocin biosynthesis. Nevertheless, this is likely the tip of the iceberg as genome analyses have revealed many putative halocins in databases waiting for further investigation. Identification and characterization of this source of halocins may lead to antimicrobials for future therapeutics and/or food preservation. Hence, the present review analyzes different aspects of halocins such as biosynthesis, mechanism of action against target cells, and potential biotechnological applications.

Phytochemical constituents and ethnopharmacological properties of Ageratum conyzoides L.

Ageratum conyzoides L. (Asteraceae) is an invasive aromatic herb with immense therapeutic importance. The herb is distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. A. conyzoides has imparted numerous ethnomedicinal uses because it has been used to cure various ailments that include leprosy, skin disorders, sleeping sickness, rheumatism, headaches, dyspnea, toothache, pneumonia and many more. A number of phytoconstituents have been scrutinized such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, chromenes, and sterols from almost every part of this plant. These phytoconstituents have shown diverse pharmacological properties including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, anticancer, antiprotozoal, antidiabetic, spasmolytic, allelopathy, and many more. The plant A. conyzoides has provided a platform for doing pharmaceutical and toxicological research in order to isolate some promising active compounds and authenticate their safety in clinical uses. A. conyzoides provides principal information for advanced studies in the field of pharmaceutical industries and agriculture. Present review article describes the cytogenetics, ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicological aspects of A. conyzoides.

Phospholipid/Polydiacetylene Vesicle-Based Colorimetric Assay for High-Throughput Screening of Bacteriocins and Halocins.

The colorimetric assay is phospholipid/polydiacetylene vesicle-based assay used for the detection of membrane-acting peptides. Bacteriocins and halocins are antimicrobial peptides known to kill target cells by membrane disruption. Therefore, the assay was applied for high-throughput (HTP) screening of bacteriocins and halocins produced by lactic acid bacteria and haloarchaea, respectively. The assay consisted of vesicles which were synthesized using four different phospholipids: dipalmitoylphosphatydilcholine (DPPC), dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), dimyristoylphosphoethanolamine (DMPE) and dimyristoylphosphatidylglycerol (DMPG) in combination with diacetylene monomer 10,12-tricosadiy noic acid (TRCDA). These vesicles demonstrated blue colour at 640 nm and turned pink/red after interaction with nisin. DMPE/TRCDA vesicles showed pink colour with the highest colorimetric response (CR %) after treatment with nisin and, therefore, selected for the screening of bacteriocins and halocins. The colour of the vesicles was changed within 5 min in the presence of 5 µM nisin suggesting the sensitivity of assay. The assay was applied on 54 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and 53 haloarchaea for screening of bacteriocins and halocins, respectively. Out of these strains, three strains of LAB and five strains of haloarchaea were found to be bacteriocin and halocin non-producer, respectively. The other strains demonstrated the presence of bacteriocins and halocins. The colorimetric assay was found to be rapid, specific and reliable for HTP screening of antimicrobial peptides such as bacteriocins and halocins from producer strains isolated from various natural resources.

Awareness of basic life support among dental practitioners.

BACKGROUND: It is important that every member of our community should be trained in effective BLS technique to save lives. At least doctors including dental practitioners, and medical and paramedical staff should be trained in high quality CPR, as it is a basic medical skill which can save many lives if implemented timely. AIM: Our aim was to study the awareness of Basic Life Support (BLS) among dental students and practitioners in New Delhi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross sectional study was conducted by assessing responses to 20 selected questions pertaining to BLS among dental students, resident doctors/tutors, faculty members and private practitioners in New Delhi. All participants were given a printed questionnaire where they had to mention their qualifications and clinical experience, apart from answering 20 questions. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data was collected and evaluated using commercially available statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 12). RESULTS: One hundred and four responders were included. Sadly, none of our responders had complete knowledge about BLS. The maximum mean score (9.19 ± 1.23) was obtained by dentists with clinical experience between 1-5 years. CONCLUSION: To ensure better and safer healthcare, it is essential for all dental practitioners to be well versed with BLS.

Broken umbilical vein catheter as an embolus in a neonate- an unusual preventable complication.

Umbilical vein catheter (UVC) is used in managing critically sick neonates all over the world. It is generally considered to be safe although various complications can arise and are well known. Herein we describe a successful retrieval of a broken and migrated UVC across the heart in a neonate. Pertinent literature regarding rarity of its occurrence and mechanism of occurrence has been touched upon to prevent such untoward complications.

The requirement for potent adjuvants to enhance the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of protein vaccines can be overcome by prior immunization with a recombinant adenovirus.

A central goal in vaccinology is the induction of high and sustained Ab responses. Protein-in-adjuvant formulations are commonly used to achieve such responses. However, their clinical development can be limited by the reactogenicity of some of the most potent preclinical adjuvants and the cost and complexity of licensing new adjuvants for human use. Also, few adjuvants induce strong cellular immunity, which is important for protection against many diseases, such as malaria. We compared classical adjuvants such as aluminum hydroxide to new preclinical adjuvants and adjuvants in clinical development, such as Abisco 100, CoVaccine HT, Montanide ISA720, and stable emulsion-glucopyranosyl lipid A, for their ability to induce high and sustained Ab responses and T cell responses. These adjuvants induced a broad range of Ab responses when used in a three-shot protein-in-adjuvant regimen using the model Ag OVA and leading blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate Ags. Surprisingly, this range of Ab immunogenicity was greatly reduced when a protein-in-adjuvant vaccine was used to boost Ab responses primed by a human adenovirus serotype 5 vaccine recombinant for the same Ag. This human adenovirus serotype 5-protein regimen also induced a more cytophilic Ab response and demonstrated improved efficacy of merozoite surface protein-1 protein vaccines against a Plasmodium yoelii blood-stage challenge. This indicates that the differential immunogenicity of protein vaccine adjuvants may be largely overcome by prior immunization with recombinant adenovirus, especially for adjuvants that are traditionally considered poorly immunogenic in the context of subunit vaccination and may circumvent the need for more potent chemical adjuvants.

Omental cyst presenting as tubercular ascites.

Cystic lymphangiomas are uncommon congenital benign tumours of vascular origin with a lymphatic differentiation originating across various anatomical locations. Large intrabdominal cysts may mimic ascites. We report the case of a one-and-a-half-year-old male child with a giant cystic lymphangioma originating in the greater omentum presenting as tubercular ascites. This report aims to highlight the limitations of biochemical investigations such as ascitic adenosine deaminase (ADA) in differentiating the epidemiologically prevalent tubercular ascites from an intrabdominal cyst, especially in a resource-poor nation as ours, where invasive diagnostic procedures pose an economic burden.

Phytase production by thermophilic mold Sporotrichum thermophile in solid-state fermentation and its application in dephytinization of sesame oil cake.

The phytase production by Sporotrichum thermophile TLR50 was recorded on all the commonly used animal feed ingredients tested to varying degrees in solid-state fermentation. Enzyme production increased to 180 U/g of dry moldy residue (DMR) in sesame oil cake at 120 h and 45 degrees C at the initial substrate-to-moisture ratio of 1:2.5 and aw of 0.95. Supplementation of sesame oil cake with glucose and ammonium sulfate further enhanced phytase titer (282 U/g of DMR). An overall 76% enhancement in phytase production was achieved owing to optimization. The mold secreted acid phosphatase, amylase, xylanase, and lipase along with phytase. By the action of phytase, inorganic phosphate was liberated efficiently, leading to dephytinization of sesame oil cake.