Kinetics and thermodynamics investigations of efficient and eco-friendly removal of alizarin red S from water via acid-activated Dalbergia sissoo leaf powder and its magnetic iron oxide nanocomposite.

The present work aimed to highlight an efficient, readily accessible, and cost-effective adsorbent derived from Dalbergia sissoo (DS) leaf powder for removing the environmentally hazardous dye "alizarin red S" (ARS) from hydrous medium. A variant of the adsorbent is activated via sulfuric acid and composited with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (DSMNC). Both adsorbents are thoroughly characterized using techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, point of zero charge, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, which show that they have a porous structure rich in active sites. Different adsorption conditions are optimized with the maximum removal efficiency of 76.63% for DS and 97.89% for DSMNC. The study was highlighted via the application of various adsorption isotherms, including Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich, to adsorption data. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intra-particle diffusion models were utilized to investigate the kinetics and mechanism of adsorption. The Freundlich model and pseudo-second-order kinetics exhibited the best fit, suggesting a combination of physical interactions, as confirmed by the D-R and Temkin models. The dominant adsorbate-adsorbent interactive interactions responsible for ARS removal were hydrogen bonding, dispersion forces, and noncovalent aromatic ring adsorbent pi-interactions. Thermodynamic parameters extracted from adsorption data indicated that the removal of the mutagenic dye "ARS" was exothermic and spontaneous on both DS and DSMNC, with DSMNC exhibiting higher removal efficiency.

Cardiac prehabilitation, rehabilitation and education in first-time atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation (CREED AF): Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with significant morbidity/mortality. AF-ablation is an increasingly used treatment. Currently, first-time AF-ablation success is 40-80% at 1-year, depending on individual factors. There is growing evidence for improved outcomes through management of AF risk-factors/comorbidities via patient education/exercise-rehabilitation. There are no studies assessing combined prehabilitation/rehabilitation in this cohort. The aim of this randomised controlled trial is to assess efficacy of comprehensive prehabilitation/rehabilitation and combining supervised exercise-training with AF risk-factor modification/education compared with standard care in people undergoing first-time AF ablation. METHODS: This single-centre pragmatic randomised controlled trial will recruit 106 adults with paroxysmal/persistent AF listed for first-time AF-ablation. Participants will be randomised 1:1 to cardiac prehabilitation/rehabilitation/education (CREED AF) intervention or standard care. Both groups will undergo AF-ablation at 8-weeks post-randomisation as per usual care. The CREED AF intervention will involve 6-weeks of prehabilitation (before AF-ablation) followed by 6-weeks rehabilitation (after AF-ablation) consisting of risk factor education/modification and supervised exercise training. Standard care will include a single 30-minute session of risk-factor education. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, 10-weeks and 12-months post AF-ablation, by researchers blinded to treatment allocation. The primary outcome is cardiorespiratory-fitness (peak oxygen uptake, VO2peak) assessed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) at 10-weeks post-ablation. Secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life, AF recurrence/burden assessed by 7-day Holter-monitor, requirement for repeat AF-ablation, study defined major adverse cardiovascular events, and cost-effectiveness (incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY)). CONCLUSIONS: This study will assess clinical-efficacy/cost-effectiveness of comprehensive prehabilitation/rehabilitation/patient-education for people undergoing first time AF-ablation. Results will inform clinical care and design of future multi-centre clinical trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT06042231.Date registered: September 18, 2023.

Navigating into the Paradigm of Nose-to-brain Delivery of Nanotherapeutics and their Repurposing as Nanotheranostics for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Repurposing drugs for neurodegenerative diseases using the nose-to-brain route of administration is an intriguing concept with potential benefits. The nose-to-brain route involves delivering drugs directly to the brain via the olfactory or trigeminal pathways, bypassing the blood-brain barrier, which can improve drug efficacy and reduce systemic side effects. Treatment of numerous neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple sclerosis, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases has been attempted using this route of administration. These drugs may include neuroprotective agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, antioxidants, or diseasemodifying therapies. Nanotheranostics, which integrates therapeutic and diagnostic functions in a nanosystem, improves treatment precision and efficacy. Repurposing nanotherapeutics as nanotheranostics for neurodegenerative diseases through the nose-to-brain route of administration holds great potential for both diagnosis and treatment. This review highlights the various mechanisms engaged in transporting nanocarriers from nose-to-brain and the proposed fate of these nanocarriers using different live imaging techniques. Additionally, the discussion covers the recent combinatorial therapeutic approaches and theranostic applications of various nanocarriers used for neurodegenerative diseases through the nose-to-brain. Toxicity to the CNS and nasal mucosa and regulatory considerations about these delivery systems are also deliberated. Overall, repurposed nanoparticles designed as nanotheranostic agents offer a versatile platform for precise diagnosis, targeted therapy, and personalized management of neurodegenerative diseases, holding great promise for improving patient care and advancing our understanding of these complex disorders.

Nutrient dataset development via FAO/INFOODS approach for infant nutritional survey in rural Matiari, Pakistan.

To accurately evaluate dietary intake, multiple resources are necessary, including serving-size modules, pictures, and questionnaires that are used to gather information during surveys. One critical component is the accessibility of food composition data at the national or regional level, which is required to determine dietary intake. Food Agriculture Organization/International Network of Food Data Systems (FAO/INFOODs) tools are useful for developing high-quality food composition data. We used these tools to create a nutrient dataset for a nutritional survey in Matiari, Sindh, and to collect dietary information through a 24-hour food recall questionnaire. The survey results indicated 540 distinct types of foods, including 291 ready-to-eat items, 84 foods used as ingredients in recipes, and 164 various composite and mixed recipes. Most food items corresponded to the national and regional Food Composition Tables (FCTs) and the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) of the USDA, with the exception of recipe food data. We utilized Eurofir-recipe calculation methods to compute the recipe data. The data were homogenized and standardized utilizing EFSA and Langual™. Because of the obsolescence and inadequacy of Pakistan's food composition table in assessing essential nutrients, we had to source data from various other sources. Consequently, to establish the nutrient dataset, we incorporated approximately 25 % of user data from national sources, with recipe data comprising 46 % and less than 20 % extracted from regional, U.S database, and diverse online sources. This study is the first effort in which we gathered data from reliable sources representing local eating patterns, with some exceptions. Future studies will hugely benefit from this database, especially as we face a high prevalence of undernutrition in our part of the world.

Arithmetic optimization based secure intelligent clustering algorithm for Vehicular Adhoc Network.

Vehicular Adhoc Network (VANET) suffers from the loss of perilous data packets and disruption of links due to the fast movement of vehicles and dynamic network topology. Moreover, the reliability of the vehicular network is also threatened by malicious vehicles and messages. The malicious vehicle can promulgate fake messages to the node to misguide it, which may result in the loss of precious lives. In this situation, maintaining efficient, reliable, and secure communication among automobiles is of extreme importance, especially for a densely populated network. One of the remedies is vehicular clustering, which can effectively perform in a high-density network. However, secure cluster formation and cluster optimization are important factors to consider during the clustering process because non-optimal clusters may incur high end-to-end communication delays and produce overhead on the network. In addition, malicious nodes and packets reduce passenger and driver safety, increase road accidents, and waste passenger and driver time. To this end, we employ Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA) to design a secure intelligent clustering named AOACNET. AOA is used to achieve optimality of vehicular clusters. During cluster formation, the algorithm prevents unauthentic nodes from becoming cluster members by taking into consideration the performance value of each automobile. The vehicle's performance value is based on the record of data transmission. If a vehicle transmits a fake message, it will receive a penalty of (-1), and in the case of transmitting a legitimate message, a reward of (+1) will be assigned to the vehicle. Initially, all the vehicles have equal performance value which either increase or decrease based on communication with their peers. The vehicles will become cluster members only if their performance value is greater than the threshold value (0). AOACNET is tested in MATLAB using various evaluation metrics (i.e., number of clusters, load balancing, computational time, network overhead and delay). The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs up to 25% better than the similar contenders in terms of designated optimization objectives.

An optimal estimation approach in stratified random sampling utilizing two auxiliary attributes with application in agricultural, demography, finance, and education sectors.

In the contemporary era of information technology, copious amounts of data are ubiquitous, generated across various sectors on a daily basis. Analyzing every unit of data is impractical due to constraints such as limited resources in terms of time, labor, and cost. In such scenarios, survey sampling becomes a recommended approach for extracting information about population parameters. The primary goal of this study is to devise an estimation method for acquiring information about population parameters. We propose an optimal estimator for an improved estimation of the population mean in stratified random sampling by leveraging the information from two auxiliary attributes. The proposed estimator's bias, mean squared error (MSE), and minimum mean squared error are determined up to the first-order approximation. It is demonstrated that, under the derived conditions, the proposed estimator theoretically outperforms existing estimators. Four population are utilized to evaluate both the performance and applicability of the proposed estimator. The percentage relative efficiency (PRE) of proposed estimator for all the populations is 178.389, 142.881, 181.383, and 152.679 respectively. The suggested estimator superior to existing estimators, as demonstrated by the numerical examples.

An overview of phospholipid enriched-edge activator-based vesicle nanocarriers: New paradigms to treat skin cancer.

Skin cancer poses a significant global health concern necessitating innovative treatment approaches. This review explores the potential of vesicle nanoformulation incorporating EA (edge activators) to overcome barriers in skin cancer management. The skin's inherent protective mechanisms, specifically the outermost layer called the stratum corneum and the network of blood arteries, impede the permeation of drugs. Phospholipid-enriched EA based nanoformulation offer a promising solution by enhancing drug penetration through skin barriers. EAs like Span 80, Span 20, Tween 20, and sodium cholate etc., enhance vesicles deformability, influencing drug permeation. This review discusses topical application of drugs treat skin cancer, highlighting challenges connected with the conventional liposome and the significance of using EA-based nanoformulation in overcoming these challenges. Furthermore, it provides insights into various EA characteristics, critical insights, clinical trials, and patents. The review also offers a concise overview of composition, preparation techniques, and the application of EA-based nanoformulation such as transfersomes, transliposomes, transethosomes, and transniosomes for delivering drugs to treat skin cancer. Overall, this review intends to accelerate the development of formulations that incorporate EA, which would further improve topical drug delivery and enhance therapeutic outcomes in skin cancer treatment.

Excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory efficacy of amoxicillin by AgNPs and their conjugates synthesized using Micromeria biflora crude flavonoid extracts.

Antibacterial resistance is considered to be one of the major causes for mortality in coming years. In recent years green nanotechnology played a key role in addressing this problem. Biocompatible metal nanoparticles have gained popularity owing to their excellent therapeutic effects and minimal side effects. Method: We report the synthesis of AgNPs and their amoxicillin conjugates (Ag-amoxi) using Micromeria biflora crude flavonoid extracts. The physicochemical properties of the synthesized NPs and Ag-amoxi conjugates were systematically evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopic techniques. Results: The average sizes of AgNPs and Ag-amoxi conjugates were 45 and 62 nm, respectively. We have also explored the antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties of the AgNPs and Ag-amoxi conjugates through in vivo and in vitro analysis. The Ag-amoxi conjugates showed better antibacterial potential against Streptococcus Pneumoniae (S.P), Staphylococcus aureus (S.A), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.A), and Methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain both the drug and AgNPs. Similarly, in vivo anti-inflammatory studies revealed that both Ag-amoxi (68 %) and AgNPs (64 %) had strong anti-inflammatory effects, with (***p < 0.001) significance at a dose of 10 mg kg-1 body weight as compared to standard, amoxicillin (45 %), and flavonoids extract (48 %) at a dose of 100 mg kg-1. The findings of the antinociceptive activities (writhing and hot plate tests) demonstrated that the Ag-amoxi conjugates produced fewer writhing (15 in 20 s) and a shorter latency time of 22 s as compared to vehicle-treated (tramadol) animals, amoxicillin, and P.E at much lower doses. In vitro antioxidant studies revealed that the Ag-amoxi conjugate has the potential to be used as an antioxidant with an IC50 value of 43.58, compared with AgNPs (46.34), amoxicillin (58.17), compared to the standard of ascorbic acid (34.14). Conclusion: These results reveals that these biologically inspired AgNPs and Ag-amoxi conjugate could be used to improve antibiotic efficiency and could play a critical role in addressing the multidrug resistance problem in coming years.

Medicinal potential of embelin and its nanoformulations: An update on the molecular mechanism and various applications.

Natural herbs have garnered significant research recently as their components target multiple disease signaling pathways, making them highly potential for various disease prevention and treatment. Embelin, a naturally occurring benzoquinone isolated from Embelia ribes, has shown promising biological activities such as antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-oxidant, and antimicrobial. Various mechanisms have been reported, including monitoring genes that synchronize the cell cycle, up-regulating multiple anti-oxidant enzymes, suppressing genes that prevent cell death, influencing transcription factors, and preventing inflammatory biomarkers. However, the hydrophobic nature of embelin leads to poor absorption and limits its therapeutic potential. This review highlights a wide range of nanocarriers used as delivery systems for embelin, including polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, nanostructured lipid carriers, micelles, nanoemulsion, and metallic nanoparticles. These embelin nanomedicine formulations have been developed in preclinical studies as a possible treatment for many disorders and characterized using various in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models.

Investigating the thermodynamic optimization of naturally convective flow in a corrugated enclosure: The influence of gap spacing and orientation of split baffles.

The natural convection in cavities is frequently used in fluid mechanics and heat transfer engineering, such as heat exchangers, electronics, solar collectors, and growing crystals. However, the physics of natural convection flow and heat transfer in cavities with split baffles is least understood. The fundamental aim of this research is to investigate the impact of heated split baffles positioned at various locations on steady-state free convection within a sinusoidal corrugated star cavity. In this model configuration, the outer wavy enclosure is maintained at a constant temperature of T c , while the inner split baffles are heated at a constant temperature of T h . The finite element method is employed to discretize and solve the governing equations describing the fluid flow and heat transfer within the enclosure. This numerical approach aimed to analyze the effects of baffle inclination angles, baffle spacing, Rayleigh number on the fluid dynamics and convective thermal transport characteristics. The variation in velocity and temperature profile is illustrated through the streamlines and isotherm contours. Moreover, the numerical result is displayed in term N u a v g of the heat transfer, which are analyzed for inside space of baffles and angles of the baffle ( θ = 0 0 , 45 0 , 90 0 ) . The key finding demonstrates that increasing the Rayleigh numbers and the different positions (up, central, down) of inner vertical split baffles enhances the magnitude of the velocity by 88.1 % , 85.9 and 89.6 % respectively. Furthermore, for the inner rectangular split baffle angles of 0 ° , 45 ° , and 90 ° , and within the Rayleigh number range of 10 4 to 10 6 , the N u a v g exhibits significant variations, with maximum increases of 71.9 % , 46.7 % and a subsequent decrease of 45.9 % .

Aggregation operators based on Einstein averaging under q-spherical fuzzy rough sets and their applications in navigation systems for automatic cars.

This study introduces innovative operational laws, Einstein operations, and novel aggregation algorithms tailored for handling q-spherical fuzzy rough data. The research article presents three newly designed arithmetic averaging operators: q-spherical fuzzy rough Einstein weighted averaging, q-spherical fuzzy rough Einstein ordered weighted averaging, and q-spherical fuzzy rough Einstein hybrid weighted averaging. These operators are meticulously crafted to enhance precision and accuracy in arithmetic averaging. By thoroughly examining their characteristics and interrelations with existing aggregate operators, the article uncovers their distinct advantages and innovative contributions to the field. Furthermore, the study illustrates the actual implementation of these newly constructed operators in a variety of attribute decision-making scenarios employing q-SFR data, yielding useful insights. Our suite of decision-making tools, including these operators, is specifically designed to address complex and uncertain data. To validate our approach, this study offers a numerical example showcasing the real-world applicability of the proposed operators. The results not only corroborate the efficacy of the proposed method but also underscore its potential significance in practical decision-making processes dealing with intricate and ambiguous data. Additionally, comparative and sensitivity analyses are presented to assess the effectiveness and robustness of our proposed work relative to other approaches. The acquired knowledge enriches the current understanding and opens new avenues for future research.

Utilizing aggregation operators based on q-rung orthopair neutrosophic soft sets and their applications in multi-attributes decision making problems.

Neutrosophic sets provide greater versatility in dealing with a variety of uncertainties, including independent, partially independent, and entirely dependent scenarios, which q-ROF soft sets cannot handle. Indeterminacy, on the other hand, is ignored completely or partially by q-ROF soft sets. To address this issue, this study offers a unique novel concept as known as q-RONSS, which combines neutrosophic set with q-ROF soft set. This technique addresses vagueness using a set of truth, indeterminacy, and false membership degrees associated with the parametrization tool, with the condition that the sum of the qth power of the truth, indeterminacy, and false membership degrees be less than or equal to one. In addition, this study outlines operational laws for the suggested structure. The main purpose this article is to define some averaging and geometric operators based on the q-rung orthopair neutrosophic soft set. Furthermore, this article provides a step-by-step method and a mathematical model for the suggested techniques. To solve a MADM issue, this research article proposes a numerical example of people selection for a specific position in a real estate business based on a variety of criteria. Finally, to demonstrate the proposed model's superiority and authenticity, this article performs several analyses, including sensitivity analysis, to address the reliability and influence of various parameter "q" values on the alternatives and the ultimate ranking outcomes using the averaging and geometric operators. A comparison of the proposed operators to current operators demonstrates the validity of the proposed structure. Furthermore, a comparison of the proposed structure to current theories demonstrates its superiority by overcoming their limits and offering a more flexible and adaptable framework. Finally, this study reviews the findings and consequences of our research.

Correction: The hidden costs of inflation: A critical analysis of industrial development and environmental consequences.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297413.].

Identification and mapping of groundwater recharge zones using multi influencing factor and analytical hierarchy process.

The management of groundwater systems is essential for nations that rely on groundwater as the principal source of communal water supply (e.g., Mohmand District of Pakistan). The work employed Remote Sensing and GIS datasets to ascertain the groundwater recharge zones (GWRZ) in the Mohmand District of Pakistan. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the impact of geology and hydrologic factors on the variability of the GWRZ. The GWRZ was determined by employing weighted overlay analysis on thematic maps derived from datasets about drainage density, slope, geology, rainfall, lineament density, land use/land cover, and soil types. The use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) involves the utilization of the multi-influencing factor (MIF) and analytical hierarchy procedure (AHP) to allocate weights to the selected influencing factors. The MIF data found that very high groundwater recharge spanned 1.20%, high zones covered 40.44%, moderate zones covered 50.81%, and low zones covered 7.54%. In comparison, the AHP technique results suggest that 1.81% of the whole area is very high, 33.26 is high, 55.01% is moderate, and 9.92% has low groundwater potential. The geospatial-assisted multi-influencing factor approach helps increase conceptual knowledge of groundwater resources and evaluate possible groundwater zones.

FOUND Trial: randomised controlled trial study protocol for case finding of obstructive sleep apnoea in primary care using a novel device.

INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common, but underdiagnosed, sleep disorder. If untreated, it leads to poor health outcomes, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Our aim is to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of moving the testing for OSA into general practice and how general practitioner (GP)-based screening affects overall detection rates. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Randomised controlled trial of case finding of OSA in general practice using a novel Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-registered device (AcuPebble SA100) compared with usual care with internal feasibility phase. A diverse sample of general practices (approximately 40) from across the West Midlands Clinical Research Network will identify participants from their records. Eligible participants will be aged 50-70 years with body mass index >30 kg/m2 and diabetes (type 1 or 2) and/or hypertension (office blood pressure >145/90 mm Hg or on treatment). They will exclude individuals with known OSA or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or those they deem unable to take part. After eligibility screening, consent and baseline assessment, participants will be randomised to either the intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention arm will receive by post the AcuPebble sleep test kit. Those in the control arm will continue with usual care. Follow-up questionnaires will be completed at 6 months. The study is powered (90%) to detect a 5% difference and will require 606 patients in each arm (713 will be recruited to each arm to allow for attrition). Due to the nature of the intervention, participants and GPs will not be blinded to the allocation. OUTCOMES: Primary: Detection rate of moderate-to-severe OSA in the intervention group versus control group. Secondary: Time to diagnosis and time to treatment for intervention versus control group for mild, moderate and severe OSA; cost-effectiveness analysis comparing the different testing pathways. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The trial started on 1 November 2022. Ethical approval was granted from the South Central Oxford A Research Ethics Committee on 9 June 2023 (23/SC/0188) (protocol amendment version 1.3; update with amendment and approval to renumber to V2.0 on 29 August 2023). Patient recruitment began on 7 January 2024; initial planned end date will be on 31 April 2025.Results will be uploaded to the ISRCTN register within 12 months of the end of the trial date, presented at conferences, submitted to peer-reviewed journals and distributed via our patient and public involvement networks.The University of Warwick will act as the trial sponsor. The trial will be conducted in accordance with the Sponsor and Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit standard operating procedures. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN 16982033.

LNA-i-miR-221 activity in colorectal cancer: A reverse translational investigation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies and a relevant cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression has been associated with the development and progression of various cancers, including CRC. Among them, miR-221 emerged as an oncogenic driver, whose high expression is associated with poor patient prognosis. The present study was conceived to investigate the anti-CRC activity of miR-221 silencing based on early clinical data achieved from a first-in-human study by our group. Going back from bedside to bench, we demonstrated that LNA-i-miR-221 reduces cell viability, induces apoptosis in vitro, and impairs tumor growth in preclinical in vivo models of CRC. Importantly, we disclosed that miR-221 directly targets TP53BP2, which, together with TP53INP1, is known as a positive regulator of the TP53 apoptotic pathway. We found that (1) both these genes are overexpressed following miR-221 inhibition, (2) the strong anti-tumor activity of LNA-i-miR-221 was selectively observed on TP53 wild-type cells, and (3) this activity was reduced in the presence of the TP53-inhibitor Pifitrin-α. Our data pave the way to further investigations on TP53 functionality as a marker predictive of response to miR-221 silencing, which might be relevant for clinical applications.

Draft genome sequence of extracellular enzyme-producing Bacillus paralicheniformis strain NBG-07.

The genome of Bacillus paralicheniformis strain NBG-07 was sequenced using Illumina sequencing due to its ability to produce thermostable enzymes of industrial importance. The strain was isolated from the soil. Annotation of the draft genome revealed genes involved in the production of different enzymes, including alpha-amylase, protease, cellulase, and laccase.

One stone two birds: Recycling of an agri-waste to synthesize laccase-immobilized hierarchically porous magnetic biochar for efficient degradation of aflatoxin B1 in aqueous solutions and corn oil.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination of oils is a serious concern for the safety of edible oil consumers. Enzyme-assisted detoxification of AFB1 is an efficient and safe method for decontaminating oils, but pristine enzymes are unstable in oils and require modifications before use. Therefore, we designed a novel and magnetically separable laccase-carrying biocatalyst containing spent-mushroom-substrate (SMS)-derived biochar (BF). Laccase was immobilized on NH2-activated magnetic biochar (BF-NH2) through covalent crosslinking, which provided physicochemical stability to the immobilized enzyme. After 30 days of storage at 4 °C, the immobilized laccase (product named "BF-NH2-Lac") retained ~95 % of its initial activity, while after five repeated cycles of ABTS oxidation, ~85 % activity retention was observed. BF-NH2-Lac was investigated for the oxidative degradation of AFB1, which exhibited superior performance compared to free laccase. Among many tested natural compounds as mediators, p-coumaric acid proved the most efficient in activating laccase for AFB1 degradation. BF-NH2-Lac demonstrated >90 % removal of AFB1 within 5.0 h, while the observed degradation efficiency in corn oil and buffer was comparable. An insight into the adsorptive and degradative removal of AFB1 revealed that AFB1 removal was governed mainly by degradation. The coexistence of multi-mycotoxins did not significantly affect the AFB1 degradation capability of BF-NH2-Lac. Investigation of the degradation products revealed the transformation of AFB1 into non-toxic AFQ1, while corn oil quality remained unaffected after BF-NH2-Lac treatment. Hence, this study holds practical importance for the research, knowledge-base and industrial application of newly proposed immobilized enzyme products.

New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamases among extensively drug-resistant clinical isolates from Lahore, Pakistan.

Aim: The study determines rates of carbapenem resistance (CR) and frequency of blaNDM in multidrug-resistance (MDR) or extensive drug resistance (XDR), and evaluates the potential of phenotypic tests for detecting NDM production. Materials & methods: Singleplex PCR was used to detect blaNDM. Phenotypic tests, including combination disc test (CDST) and modified Hodge test (MHT), were evaluated for NDM production. Results: Among 338 CR isolates, 47.63% were MDR, whereas 52.36% were XDR with 53.25% carrying blaNDM. MHT was found to be discriminative for detecting NDM production, whereas no significant association was observed for CDST. Conclusion: The high incidence of CR and MDR and XDR isolates possessing blaNDM presents an impending threat in therapeutics. Limitations of phenotypic tests suggest better testing, including molecular detection of the enzyme.

[Box: see text].