Chitosan-Based Composites: Development and Perspective in Food Preservation and Biomedical Applications.

Chitin, which may be the second-most common polymer after cellulose, is the raw material of chitosan. Chitosan has been infused with various plant extracts and subsidiary polymers to improve its biological and physiological properties. Chitosan's physicochemical properties are enhanced by blending, making them potential candidates that can be utilized in multifunctional areas, including food processing, nutraceuticals, food quality monitoring, food packaging, and storage. Chitosan-based biomaterials are biocompatible, biodegradable, low toxic, mucoadhesive, and regulate chemical release. Therefore, they are used in the biomedical field. The present manuscript highlights the application of chitosan-based composites in the food and biomedical industries.

Application of KHSO5 for remediation of soils polluted by organochlorides: A comprehensive study on the treatment's efficacy, environmental implications, and phytotoxicity.

Soil pollution caused by complex organochloride mixtures has been increasing in many parts of the world in recent years; as a result, countless numbers of people are exposed to dangerous pollutions; hence, the treatment of organochlorides-polluted soils is gaining considerable attention. In this study, the potential of unactivated peroxymonosulfate (KHSO5) in remediating soil co-contaminated with trichlorophenol, para-dichlorobenzene, and para-chloro-meta-cresol was investigated. In addition, the treatment's collateral effect on critical soil properties was explored. The result revealed that treating 10 g of soil with 20 mL of 5 mM KHSO5 for 60 min could oxidize 70.49% of the total pollutants. The pH of the soil was decreased following the treatment. The significant decrease, (p < 0.05), in the soil organic matter following the remediation has affected cation exchange capacity, and available nitrogen. It was also observed that the treatment reduced the ß-glucosidase, urease, invertase, and cellulase activities significantly, (p < 0.05). The treatment, on the other hand, brought negligible effects on available phosphorus, available potassium, and particle size distribution. The phytotoxicity tests, which included seed germination and root elongation and soil respiration tests revealed that the treatment did not leach toxins into the treated soil. The treatment method was found to be relatively ecofriendly and cost effective.

Profile of Pathogenic Mutations and Evaluation of Germline Genetic Testing Criteria in Consecutive Breast Cancer Patients Treated at a North Indian Tertiary Care Center.

BACKGROUND: The burden of hereditary breast cancer in India is not well defined. Moreover, genetic testing criteria (National Comprehensive Cancer Network [NCCN] and Mainstreaming Cancer Genetics [MCG] Plus) have never been validated in the Indian population. METHODS: All new female breast cancer patients from 1st March 2019 to 28th February 2020 were screened. Those providing informed consent and without previous genetic testing were recruited. Multigene panel testing (107 genes) by next-generation sequencing was performed for all patients. The frequency of pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) mutations between patients qualifying and not qualifying the testing criteria was compared and their sensitivity was computed. RESULTS: Overall, 275 breast cancer patients were screened and 236 patients were included (median age 45 years); 30 patients did not consent and 9 patients previously underwent genetic testing. Thirty-four (14%) women had a positive family history and 35% had triple-negative breast cancer. P/LP mutations were found in 44/236 (18.64%) women; mutations in BRCA1 (22/47, 46.8%) and BRCA2 (9/47, 19.1%) were the most common, with 34% of mutations present in non-BRCA genes. Patients qualifying the testing criteria had a higher risk of having a P/LP mutation (NCCN: 23.6% vs. 7.04%, p = 0.03; MCG plus: 24.8% vs. 7.2%, p = 0.01). The sensitivity of the NCCN criteria was 88.6% (75.4-96.2) and 86.36% (72.65-94.83) for MCG plus. More than 95% sensitivity was achieved if all women up to 60 years of age were tested. Cascade testing was performed in 31 previous (16/44 families), with 23 testing positive. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of P/LP mutations in India is high, with significant contribution of non-BRCA genes. Testing criteria need modification to expand access to testing.

The role of deep eutectic solvents and carrageenan in synthesizing biocompatible anisotropic metal nanoparticles.

Plasmonic metal nanoparticles are widely used for many applications due to their unique optical and chemical properties. Over the past decade, anisotropic metal nanoparticles have been explored for imaging, sensing, and diagnostic applications. The variations and flexibility of tuning the size and shape of the metal nanoparticles at the nanoscale made them promising candidates for biomedical applications such as therapeutics, diagnostics, and drug delivery. However, safety and risk assessment of the nanomaterials for clinical purposes are yet to be made owing to their cytotoxicity. The toxicity concern is primarily due to the conventional synthesis route that involves surfactants as a structure-directing agent and as a capping agent for nanoparticles. Wet chemical methods employ toxic auxiliary chemicals. However, the approach yields monodispersed nanoparticles, an essential criterion for their intended application and a limitation of the green synthesis of nanoparticles using plant extracts. Several biocompatible counterparts such as polymers, lipids, and chitosan-based nanoparticles have been successfully used in the synthesis of safe nanomaterials, but there were issues regarding reproducibility and yield. Enzymatic degradation was one of the factors responsible for limiting the efficacy. Hence, it is necessary to develop a safer and nontoxic route towards synthesizing biocompatible nanomaterials while retaining morphology, high yield, and monodispersity. In this regard, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and carrageenan as capping agent for nanoparticles can ensure the safety. Carrageenan has the potential to act as antibacterial and antiviral agent, and adds enhanced stability to the nanoparticles. This leads to a multidimensional approach for utilizing safe nanomaterials for advanced biomedical and clinical applications.

Sub-inhibitory cefsulodin sensitization of E. coli to ß-lactams is mediated by PBP1b inhibition.

The combination of antibiotics is one of the strategies to combat drug-resistant bacteria, though only a handful of such combinations are in use, such as the ß-lactam combinations. In the present study, the efficacy of a specific sub-inhibitory concentration of cefsulodin with other ß-lactams was evaluated against a range of Gram-negative clinical isolates. This approach increased the sensitivity of the isolates, regardless of the ß-lactamase production. The preferred target and mechanism of action of cefsulodin were identified in laboratory strains of Escherichia coli, by examining the effects of deleting the penicillin-binding protein (PBP) 1a and 1b encoding genes individually. Deletion of PBP1b was involved in sensitizing the bacteria to ß-lactam agents, irrespective of its O-antigen status. Moreover, the use of a sub-inhibitory concentration of cefsulodin in combination with a ß-lactam exerted an effect similar to that one obtained for PBP1b gene deletion. We conclude that the identified ß-lactam/cefsulodin combination works by inhibiting PBP1b (at least partially) despite the involvement of ß-lactamases, and therefore could be extended to a broad range of Gram-negative pathogens.