Efficiency of CuCr2O4/Titanium dioxide nanoparticles composite for organic dye removal in aqueous solutions.

Semiconductor metal oxide with TiO2 nanoparticles removes hazardous compounds from environmental samples. TiO2 nanoparticles have shown potential as an efficient photocatalyst by being employed as a nano-catalyst for the breakdown of organic contaminants in wastewater samples. To separate substances from contaminated samples, combined UV and visible light irradiation has been used. Sol-gel synthesis was used to produce a copper chromite-titanium nanocomposite, which was then evaluated using analytical methods, such as XRD, BET, DRS-UV, and FT-IR. Using visible light, the photocatalytic activity of a nanocomposite made of CuCr2O4 and TiO2 was investigated for its role in the breakdown of malachite green. The effects of several parameters, including pH change, anions presence, contact time, catalyst amount, concentration variation, and the kinetics of photocatalytic degradation were investigated. The magnitude of transition energy calculated using UV-DRS spectra was found to be 3.1 eV for CuCr2O4-TiO2 nanocomposite. Maximum degradation was observed at pH 7.0. The surface area and pore volume of the co-doped samples of Cr2O4 - TiO2 obtained from BET were found to be 6.1213 m2/g and 0.045063 cm3/g respectively. The average particle size of the catalyst of the nano-catalysts calculated from XRD was found to be 8 nm for TiO2 and 66 nm for TiO2-CuCrO4. The peaks obtained in FTIR between the range of 900-500 cm-1 were due to the presence of an aromatic compound. The binding mechanism of a dye molecule to the surface of CuCr2O4-TiO2 nanocomposite was analysed using quantum chemical calculations with the self-consistent reaction field technique employing integral equation formalism for the polarized continuum method and the UFF atomic radii set.

Cysteamine-Gold Coated Carboxylated Fluorescent Nanoparticle Mediated Point-of-Care Dual-Modality Detection of the H5N1 Pathogenic Virus.

Globally, point-of-care testing (POCT) is the most preferable on-site technique for disease detection and includes a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and fluorescent immunochromatographic strip test (FICT). The testing kits are generally insufficient in terms of signal enhancement, which is a major drawback of this approach. Sensitive and timely on-site POCT methods with high signal enhancement are therefore essential for the accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. Herein, we prepare cysteamine-gold coated carboxylated europium chelated nanoparticle (Cys Au-EuNPs)-mediated POCT for the detection of the H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV). Commercial nanoparticles were used for comparison. The spectral characteristics, surface morphologies, functional groups, surface charge and stability of the Cys AuNPs, EuNPs, and Cys Au-EuNPs were confirmed by UV-visible spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectrometry, transmission electron microscope with Selected area electron diffraction (TEM-SAED), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and zeta potential analysis. The particle size distribution revealed an average size of ~130 ± 0.66 nm for the Cys Au-EuNPs. The Cys Au-EuNP-mediated RDT (colorimetric analysis) and FICT kit revealed a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 HAU/mL and 2.5 HAU/mL, respectively, for H5N1 under different titer conditions. The obtained LOD is eight-fold that of commercial nanoparticle conjugates. The photo luminance (PL) stability of ~3% the Cys Au-EuNPs conjugates that was obtained under UV light irradiation differs considerably from that of the commercial nanoparticle conjugates. Overall, the developed Cys Au-EuNPs-mediated dual-mode POCT kit can be used as an effective nanocomposite for the development of on-site monitoring systems for infectious disease surveillance.

MoS2-ZnO Nanocomposite Mediated Immunosensor for Non-Invasive Electrochemical Detection of IL8 Oral Tumor Biomarker.

In order to support biomolecule attachment, an effective electrochemical transducer matrix for biosensing devices needs to have many specialized properties, including quick electron transfer, stability, high surface area, biocompatibility, and the presence of particular functional groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy are common techniques used to assess biomarkers. Even though these techniques provide precise and trustworthy results, they cannot replace clinical applications because of factors such as detection time, sample amount, sensitivity, equipment expense, and the need for highly skilled individuals. For the very sensitive and targeted electrochemical detection of the salivary oral cancer biomarker IL8, we have created a flower-structured molybdenum disulfide-decorated zinc oxide composite on GCE (interleu-kin-8). This immunosensor shows very fast detection; the limit of detection (LOD) for interleukin-8 (IL8) detection in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was discovered to be 11.6 fM, while the MoS2/ZnO nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) demonstrated a high catalytic current linearly from 500 pg to 4500 pg mL-1 interleukin-8 (IL8). Therefore, the proposed biosensor exhibits excellent stability, high accuracy sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility and shows the acceptable fabrication of the electrochemical biosensors to detect the ACh in real sample analysis.

Out of Box Thinking to Tangible Science: A Benchmark History of 3D Bio-Printing in Regenerative Medicine and Tissues Engineering.

Advancements and developments in the 3D bioprinting have been promising and have met the needs of organ transplantation. Current improvements in tissue engineering constructs have enhanced their applications in regenerative medicines and other medical fields. The synergistic effects of 3D bioprinting have brought technologies such as tissue engineering, microfluidics, integrated tissue organ printing, in vivo bioprinted tissue implants, artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches together. These have greatly impacted interventions in medical fields, such as medical implants, multi-organ-on-chip models, prosthetics, drug testing tissue constructs and much more. This technological leap has offered promising personalized solutions for patients with chronic diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders, and who have been in severe accidents. This review discussed the various standing printing methods, such as inkjet, extrusion, laser-assisted, digital light processing, and stereolithographic 3D bioprinter models, adopted for tissue constructs. Additionally, the properties of natural, synthetic, cell-laden, dECM-based, short peptides, nanocomposite and bioactive bioinks are briefly discussed. Sequels of several tissue-laden constructs such as skin, bone and cartilage, liver, kidney, smooth muscles, cardiac and neural tissues are briefly analyzed. Challenges, future perspectives and the impact of microfluidics in resolving the limitations in the field, along with 3D bioprinting, are discussed. Certainly, a technology gap still exists in the scaling up, industrialization and commercialization of this technology for the benefit of stakeholders.

Biocompatibility of Veratric Acid-Encapsulated Chitosan/Methylcellulose Hydrogel: Biological Characterization, Osteogenic Efficiency with In Silico Molecular Modeling.

The limitations of graft material, and surgical sites for autografts in bone defects treatment have become a significant challenge in bone tissue engineering. Phytocompounds markedly affect bone metabolism by activating the osteogenic signaling pathways. The present study investigated the biocompatibility of the bio-composite thermo-responsive hydrogels consisting of chitosan (CS), and methylcellulose (MC) encapsulated with veratric acid (VA) as a restorative agent for bone defect treatment. The spectroscopy analyses confirmed the formation of CS/MC hydrogels and VA encapsulated CS/MC hydrogels (CS/MC-VA). Molecular analysis of the CS-specific MC decamer unit with VA complex exhibited a stable integration in the system. Further, Runx2 (runt-related transcription factor 2) was found in the docking mechanism with VA, indicating a high binding affinity towards the functional site of the Runx2 protein. The formulated CS/MC-VA hydrogels exhibited biocompatibility with the mouse mesenchymal stem cells, while VA promoted osteogenic differentiation in the stem cells, which was verified by calcium phosphate deposition through the von Kossa staining. The study results suggest that CS/MC-VA could be a potential therapeutic alternative source for bone regeneration.

Biogenic synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles mediated from Borassus flabellifer (Linn): antioxidant, antimicrobial activity against clinical pathogens, and photocatalytic degradation activity with molecular modeling.

Borassus flabellifer leaf extract has been used for rapid biogenic synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) due to rich source of bioactive compounds. The synthesized ZnO-NPs were preliminarily confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy adsorption peak range at 365 nm. The XRD (X-ray diffraction) confirms purity of ZnO-NPs that were crystalline in nature. The analysis of FT-IR (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) confirms the presence of the following functional group such as alcohol, phenols, carboxylic acids, primary amides, secondary amides, and alkyl halide. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) analysis indicated that ZnO-NPs were in spherical shape, followed by EDX analysis which confirmed the presence of Zn-element. Antimicrobial effect of ZnO-NPs was investigated using different clinical pathogens like bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella Pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi Aspergillus flavus, Candida albicans, and Penicillium expansum which confirmed ZnO-NPs efficiency as an antimicrobial agent. ZnO-NP antimicrobial efficiency was observed in higher zone of inhibition at 50 µg/mL concentrations. Antioxidant activity was ascertained to be used for several biomedical applications. The ZnO-NPs efficiently degraded the environmental toxic dyes (methylene blue and crystal violet) under sunlight, and up to 95% higher degradation was achieved in both dyes. In support of photo light degradation, the study was progressed to understand the ZnO-dye interaction stability using molecular mechanism, and it shows efficient bonding features in the NPs environment. Overall, this investigation has great potential for being an effective and eco-friendly material used in environmental applications.

Molecular Characterization and Pathogenesis of H6N6 Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses Isolated from Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in South Korea.

The subtype H6N6 has been identified worldwide following the increasing frequency of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). These AIVs also have the ability to bind to human-like receptors, thereby increasing the risk of animal-human transmission. In September 2019, an H6N6 avian influenza virus-KNU2019-48 (A/Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)/South Korea/KNU 2019-48/2019(H6N6))-was isolated from Anas platyrhynchos in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis results revealed that the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of this strain belongs to the Korean lineage, whereas the neuraminidase (NA) and polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1) genes belong to the Chinese lineage. Outstanding internal proteins such as PB2, polymerase acidic protein, nucleoprotein, matrix protein, and non-structural protein belong to the Vietnamese lineage. Additionally, a monobasic amino acid (PRIETR↓GLF) at the HA cleavage site; non-deletion of the stalk region (residue 59-69) in the NA gene; and E627 in the PB2 gene indicate that the KNU2019-48 isolate is a typical low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus. The nucleotide sequence similarity analysis of HA revealed that the highest homology (97.18%) of this isolate is to that of A/duck/Jiangxi/01.14 NCJD125-P/2015(H6N6), and the amino acid sequence of NA (97.38%) is closely related to that of A/duck/Fujian/10.11_FZHX1045-C/2016 (H6N6). An in vitro analysis of the KNU2019-48 virus shows a virus titer of not more than 2.8 Log10 TCID 50/mL until 72 h post-infection, whereas in the lungs, the virus is detected at 3 dpi (days post-infection). The isolated KNU2019-48 (H6N6) strain is the first reported AIV in Korea, and the H6 subtype virus has co-circulated in China, Vietnam, and Korea for half a decade. Overall, our study demonstrates that Korean H6N6 strain PB1-S375N, PA-A404S, and S409N mutations are infectious in humans and might contribute to the enhanced pathogenicity of this strain. Therefore, we emphasize the importance of continuous and intensive surveillance of the H6N6 virus not only in Korea but also worldwide.

Isolation, Identification, Characterization, and Plasmid Profile of Urinary Tract Infectious Escherichia coli from Clinical Samples.

Objective: In recent times, urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most widely recognized bacterial diseases all over the planet. UTI influences individuals of any age and gender. The target of this study is to concentrate on the recurrence of uropathogens, the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates, and the plasmid profile of people from the government clinics of Karaikudi. Methods: From July 2017 to December 2017, 100 urine tests were gathered and handled for the isolation of pathogenic microbes. In total, 89 isolates were found from the samples collected. Results: Escherichia coli was discovered as the most common bacterial isolate screened from the UTI-infected people, accounting for 28.09 percent of all isolates. E. coli was seen to be the highest prevalent bacterium for UTI in all age groups and demonstrated resistance to routinely used medications, especially cefpodoxime and novobiocin, which have been 100 percent resistant. The E. coli isolates screened were positive for beta-lactamase and film generation, and they have strong antimicrobial resistance. As a result, the E. coli strains with the highest prevalence of virulence determinants have become more resistant to many medications because they support the microorganism in overcoming the host's defense and colonizing or entering the urinary system. The amplified 16S rRNA product was analyzed, and phylogenetic relationships were determined. The presence of TEM (56 percent), CTX-M (64 percent), SHV (40 percent), and OXA (60 percent) was discovered. Among E. coli isolates, CTX-M was the most common extended spectrum-beta lactamase (ESBL). Multiplex PCR was also used to identify the existence of CTX-M subgroups in E. coli isolates. Conclusion: Finally, we urge that antibiotic selection should be predicated on the awareness of the specific prevalence and that novel antimicrobial medicines for urinary infections be developed to combat the overuse of antibiotics.

Anticancer and Cytotoxicity Activity of Native and Modified Black Rice Flour on Colon Cancer Cell Lines.

This study is intended to evaluate the cytotoxicity of native and dual-modified black rice flour against the colon cancer cell line (HCT116) and mouse embryo cell line (3T3-L1) by using the MTT assay. The modification techniques applied to prepare rice flour samples were enzymatic modification and heat moisture treatment. In this study, the IC50 of native black rice flour and modified black rice flour was 255.78 µg/mL and 340.85 µg/mL, respectively. The result confirms that the native black rice flour has significant cytotoxic and anticancer potential against human colon cancer cells. In addition, the IC50 of native black rice flour and modified black rice flour on the 3T3-L1 cell line was found to be 345.96 µg/mL and 1106.94 µg/mL, respectively. The results showed that the native black rice flour had weak cytotoxicity, and modified black rice flour was nontoxic in both the cell lines. The active component of phytochemicals present in black rice flour has a potential role in preventing colon cancer.

In Silico Identification of Hub Genes as Observing Biomarkers for Gastric Cancer Metastasis.

Perception of hub genes engaged in metastatic gastric cancer (mGC) promotes novel ways to diagnose and treat the illness. The goal of this investigation is to recognize the hub genes and reveal its molecular mechanism. In order to explore the potential facts for gastric cancer, the expression profiles of two different datasets were used (GSE161533 and GSE54129). The genes were confirmed to be part of the PPI network for gastric cancer pathogenesis and prognosis. In Cytoscape, the CytoHubba module was used to discover the hub genes. Responsible hub genes were identified. Data from Kaplan-Meier plotter confirmed the predictive value of these distinct genes in various stages of gastric malignancy. Upregulated and downregulated genes were identified to utilize for further analysis. Positive regulation by a host of viral process, positive regulation of granulocyte differentiation, negative regulation of histone H3-K9 methylation were found in DEGs analysis. In addition, five KEGG pathways were identified as an essential enhancer that include nucleotide excision repair; base excision repair; DNA replication; homologous recombination; and complement and coagulation cascades. POLE, BUB1B, POLD4, C3, BLM, CCT7, PRPF31, APEX1, PSMA7, and CDC45 were chosen as hub genes after combining the PPI results. Our study recommends that BUB1B, CCT7, APEX1, PSMA7, and CDC45 might be potential biomarkers for gastric cancer. These biomarkers are upregulated genes. Therefore, suppression of these genes will increase the survival rate in gastric cancer patients.

Novel strategy for biodegradation of 4-nitrophenol by the immobilized cells of Pseudomonas sp. YPS3 with Acacia gum.

The mass organic compound 4-nitrophenol with low molecular is involved in many chemicals processes and most common organic pollutants. 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) existing in soils and water bodies, thereby causing severe environmental impact and health risk. Even low concentrations are harmful to health and potential mutagenic and carcinogenic. Though the existing methods of biodegradation though effective, their popularity is hindered due to high cost. Hence, in the present study a less expensive method involving the use of Pseudomonas sp. with gum arabic (PAA) was tested. The biodegradation of 4-NP was thoroughly investigated by progressive characterization methods. The promising Pseudomonas sp. YPS 3 was identified with biochemical and molecular identification process. The average particle sizes of stable crystalline PAA was 8-20 nm. The experiments were conducted with optimized parameters viz., pH (7.0), concentration (30 ppm), temperature (37 °C) and time (6 h). The study was tested as adsorbent particle size on 4-NP concurrent adsorption-biodegradation. In addition, these Pseudomonas sp. YPS3 and its PAA are used as an eco-friendly for removal of toxic organic 4-NP pollutant from the ecosystems.

Genetic Characterization and Pathogenesis of Avian Influenza Virus H7N3 Isolated from Spot-Billed Ducks in South Korea, Early 2019.

Low-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (LPAIV) introduced by migratory birds circulate in wild birds and can be transmitted to poultry. These viruses can mutate to become highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses causing severe disease and death in poultry. In March 2019, an H7N3 avian influenza virus-A/Spot-billed duck/South Korea/WKU2019-1/2019 (H7N3)-was isolated from spot-billed ducks in South Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the phylogenetic and mutational analysis of this isolate. Molecular analysis revealed that the genes for HA (hemagglutinin) and NA (neuraminidase) of this strain belonged to the Central Asian lineage, whereas genes for other internal proteins such as polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1), PB2, nucleoprotein, polymerase acidic protein, matrix protein, and non-structural protein belonged to that of the Korean lineage. In addition, a monobasic amino acid (PQIEPR/GLF) at the HA cleavage site, and the non-deletion of the stalk region in the NA gene indicated that this isolate was a typical LPAIV. Nucleotide sequence similarity analysis of HA revealed that the highest homology (99.51%) of this isolate is to that of A/common teal/Shanghai/CM1216/2017 (H7N7), and amino acid sequence of NA (99.48%) was closely related to that of A/teal/Egypt/MB-D-487OP/2016 (H7N3). An in vitro propagation of the A/Spot-billed duck/South Korea/WKU2019-1/2019 (H7N3) virus showed highest (7.38 Log10 TCID50/mL) virus titer at 60 h post-infection, and in experimental mouse lungs, the virus was detected at six days' post-infection. Our study characterizes genetic mutations, as well as pathogenesis in both in vitro and in vivo model of a new Korea H7N3 viruses in 2019, carrying multiple potential mutations to become highly pathogenic and develop an ability to infect humans; thus, emphasizing the need for routine surveillance of avian influenza viruses in wild birds.

Novel preparation of fungal conidiophores biomass as adsorbent for removal of phosphorus from aqueous solution.

The present study focused on phosphorus adsorption by novel fungal conidiophores biomass in aqueous solution. Fungal Conidiophores biomass was prepared from the fungal strains Aspergillus oryzae (YFK) and Fusarium oxysporum (YVS2). The functional groups and morphology of Conidiophores Biomass (CB) from these strains were characterized by FTIR and SEM. FTIR confirms the presence of alcohol, carboxylic acid, carbon dioxide, cyclic alkene, amine, alkene, fluoro compound, and halo compound groups. Batch mode study was carried out with two CB's such as Aspergillus oryzae CB (ACB) and Fusarium oxysporum CB (FCB) with initial concentration of phosphorus ranging from 20 to 100 mg L-1. Based on the batch experiments, the adsorption kinetics (pseudo first order and pseudo second order), isotherms (Freundlich and Langmuir models), and thermodynamic (standard entropy, energy, and enthalpy) parameters were calculated. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies showed that the adsorption data well fitted with PSO kinetic model. From the isotherm results, it was found that ACB and FCB exhibited highest adsorption capacity 25.64 mg g-1 and 26.32 mg g-1 of phosphorus respectively at the optimal condition of pH (7), time (90 min), dose (250 mg), and room temperature (35 °C). Thermodynamics values were found to be endothermic and spontaneous in nature for phosphorus adsorption. Finally, the results suggested that the ACB and FCB are economically feasible cost-effective adsorbent for removal of phosphorus in wastewater treatment. Graphical abstract.

Characterization and assessment of two biocontrol bacteria against Pseudomonas syringae wilt in Solanum lycopersicum and its genetic responses.

Pseudomonas and Bacillus species are attractive due to their potential bio-control application against plant bacterial pathogens. Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain D4 and Bacillus stratosphericus strain FW3 were isolated from mine tailings in South Korea. In these potent bacterial strains, we observed improved antagonistic activity against Pseudomonas syringae DC3000. These strains produced biocatalysts for plant growth promotion, and in vivo examination of Solanum lycopersicum included analysis of disease severity, ion leakage, chlorophyll content, and H2O2 detection. In addition, regulation of the defense genes pathogen-related protein 1a (PR1a) and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) was compared with treated plants and untreated control plants. The results suggest that these two bacterial strains provide protection against plant pathogens via direct and indirect modes of action and could be used as a bio-control agent.

Potential for plant biocontrol activity of isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus stratosphericus strains against bacterial pathogens acting through both induced plant resistance and direct antagonism.

Phytopathogenic bacteria have caused significant damage to agricultural crops in both controlled and open cultivation practices, imposing heavy losses to farmers. Thereby, the goal of this study was to evaluate Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus stratosphericus isolated from soil has antagonistic activity against bacterial phytopathogens with the potential to control plant diseases. Isolated novel strains of P. aeruginosa and B. stratosphericus showed broad spectrum of antagonistic activity against five bacterial phytopathogens. Antagonistic activity was examined under optimized pH (8 and 7), carbon sources (lactose and starch), nitrogen sources (ammonium chloride, peptone and ammonium nitrate) for P. aeruginosa and B. stratosphericus, respectively, and biocatalyst production (chitinase, protease and amylase) was studied. Additionally, up-regulation of defense-related genes (PR-1a and PAL) was studied in tomato plants treated with P. aeruginosa and B. stratosphericus. The induction of defense-related genes in tomato plant was triggered after 12 h treatment with a cell concentration of 0.20 O.D. for P. aeruginosa and 0.21 O.D. for B. stratosphericus during treatment period. Broad spectrum antagonistic activity was observed due to antibiotic and siderophore production by P. aeruginosa and B. stratosphericus.