Synthesis, biomedical applications, and toxicity of CuO nanoparticles.

Versatile nature of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) has made them an imperative nanomaterial being employed in nanomedicine. Various physical, chemical, and biological methodologies are in use for the preparation of CuO NPs. The physicochemical and biological properties of CuO NPs are primarily affected by their method of fabrication; therefore, selectivity of a synthetic technique is immensely important that makes these NPs appropriate for a specific biomedical application. The deliberate use of CuO NPs in biomedicine questions their biocompatible nature. For this reason, the present review has been designed to focus on the approaches employed for the synthesis of CuO NPs; their biomedical applications highlighting antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant studies; and most importantly, the in vitro and in vivo toxicity associated with these NPs. This comprehensive overview of CuO NPs is unique and novel as it emphasizes on biomedical applications of CuO NPs along with its toxicological assessments which would be useful in providing core knowledge to researchers working in these domains for planning and conducting futuristic studies. KEY POINTS: • The recent methods for fabrication of CuO nanoparticles have been discussed with emphasis on green synthesis methods for different biomedical approaches. • Antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, and antiviral properties of CuO nanoparticles have been explained. • In vitro and in vivo toxicological studies of CuO nanoparticles exploited along with their respective mechanisms.

Nanomedicine as a potential novel therapeutic approach against the dengue virus.

Dengue is an arbovirus infection which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Its prompt detection and effective treatment is a global health challenge. Various nanoparticle-based vaccines have been formulated to present immunogen (antigens) to instigate an immune response or prevent virus spread, but no specific treatment has been devised. This review explores the role of nanomedicine-based therapeutic agents against dengue virus, taking into consideration the applicable dengue virus assays that are sensitive, specific, have a short turnaround time and are inexpensive. Various kinds of metallic, polymeric and lipid nanoparticles with safe and effective profiles present an alternative strategy that could provide a better remedy for eradicating the dengue virus.

Frequency of Acute Viral Hepatitis A, B, C, and E in Pregnant Women Presenting to Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan.

Objective To determine the frequency of hepatitis A, B, C, and E viruses (HAV, HBV, HCV, HEV) in pregnant women with acute hepatitis presenting to the medical units of HMC, Peshawar. Methods This is a descriptive cross-sectional study in which 442 pregnant women, either multi or primigravida, with yellow discolouration of the sclerae of the eyes and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) > 100 U/L on laboratory tests were chosen by convenience (non-probability) sampling to assess the frequency of HAV, HBV, HCV, HEV. Results The majority, i.e., 58.8%, were in the age range of >30 years and presented in the third trimester. Of the subjects, 81.90% had parity in the range of 1-5, 89.4% were multigravida, 71.3% were illiterate, and 73.1% were in the low-income category. Anti-HEV was detected in 47.3% of pregnant women, Anti-HCV in 30.3%, Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in 11.5%, Hepatitis A-IgM in 5%, and 5.90% of the cases were virus-free. Conclusions HBV, HCV, and HEV exposure, in particular, may have a substantially larger impact on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes than HAV. As a result, at the first prenatal appointment, standard viral hepatitis screening in pregnant women may need to be reviewed.

A Rare Case of Insulinoma in a Thin, Lean Adult Male: A Case Report.

Insulinoma is an insulin-secreting tumor that causes hypoglycemia due to inappropriately high insulin secretion. The Whipple's triad, which comprises indications of hypoglycemia (tremor, sweating, irritability, uneasiness, and weakness), plasma glucose concentration <55 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L), and resolution of symptoms after administration of glucose, is utilized for the determination of insulinoma. In this report, we present the case of a thin, lean, adult male with a BMI of 22, who presented with repetitive episodes of tremor, sweating, weariness, and perplexity that occurred amid fasting and settled with meals, fulfilling Whipple's triad criteria for the determination of insulinoma. The episodes frequently led to seizures. Supervised fasting was carried out, which revealed raised C-peptide levels, low blood glucose, and negative sulfonylurea screen. A computed tomography (CT) scan localized the tumor, and surgical resection was planned.

Diverse biotechnological applications of multifunctional titanium dioxide nanoparticles: An up-to-date review.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) nanoparticles (NPs) are one of the topmost widely used metallic oxide nanoparticles. Whether present in naked form or doped with metals or polymers, TiO2 NPs perform immensely important functions. However, the alteration in size and shape by doping results in improving the physical, chemical, and biological behaviour of TiO2 NPs. Hence, the differential effects of various TiO2 nanostructures including nanoflakes, nanoflowers, and nanotubes in various domains of biotechnology have been elucidated by researchers. Recently, the exponential growth of research activities regarding TiO2 NPs has been observed owing to their chemical stability, low toxicity, and multifaceted properties. Because of their enormous abundance, plants, humans, and environment are inevitably exposed to TiO2 NPs. These NPs play a significant role in improving agricultural attributes, removing environmental pollution, and upgrading the domain of nanomedicine. Therefore, the currently ongoing studies about the employment of TiO2 NPs in enhancement of different aspects of agriculture, environment, and medicine have been extensively discussed in this review.

Physico-chemical characteristics of nanocellulose at the variation of catalytic hydrolysis process.

In this work, the influence of various sulfuric acid (H2SO4) concentration is studied towards the crystallinity, particle size distribution, thermal stability, and morphology of the synthesized nanocellulose (NCC) during the esterification process. Different concentrations of H2SO4 (40%, 58%, 64% and 78%) was utilized to achieve the optimal properties of NCC. The as-produced NCC was characterized by Fourier Transmission Infra-Red (FTIR) analysis that confirmed the attachment of sulphate ions ( SO 4 - 3 ) to C-6 of the glucose ring. Moreover, the hydrogen ions (H+) weakened the C-6 of cellulose chains by attacking the glycosidic linkages resulting in the formation of NCC. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed an increase in the crystallinity index with increasing H2SO4 concentration till 78%. NCC represented a needle shaped like structure having a particle size of 10-18 nm in diameter as observed under Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Fourier Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). Furthermore, Dynamic Light Scattering (DSL) analysis recorded the particle size of the NCC as less than 20 nm in diameter. Thus, owing to various H2SO4 concentration the particle size, crystallinity, and features of NCC are substantially affected.

Toxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles: a review study.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) use has exponentially increased in various applications (such as industrial catalyst, gas sensors, electronic materials, biomedicines, environmental remediation) due to their flexible properties, i.e. large surface area to volume ratio. These broad applications, however, have increased human exposure and thus the potential risk related to their short- and long-term toxicity. Their release in environment has drawn considerable attention which has become an eminent area of research and development. To understand the toxicological impact of CuO NPs, this review summarises the in-vitro and in-vivo toxicity of CuO NPs subjected to species (bacterial, algae, fish, rats, human cell lines) used for toxicological hazard assessment. The key factors that influence the toxicity of CuO NPs such as particle shape, size, surface functionalisation, time-dose interaction and animal and cell models are elaborated. The literature evidences that the CuO NPs exposure to the living systems results in reactive oxygen species generation, oxidative stress, inflammation, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and immunotoxicity. However, the physio-chemical characteristics of CuO NPs, concentration, mode of exposure, animal model and assessment characteristics are the main perspectives that define toxicology of CuO NPs.

Efficient metal adsorption and microbial reduction from Rawal Lake wastewater using metal nanoparticle coated cotton.

This study was designed to investigate removal of toxic metals and reduction of bacterial count from Rawal Lake wastewater with novel nanocomposite sorbents. Iron, zinc and silver oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were attached on cotton. The nanocomposites (iron NPs on cotton (FeCt), zinc NPs on cotton (ZnCt) and silver NPs on cotton (AgCt)) were characterized by FTIR, XRD and SEM, which showed successful adsorption of 10-30 nm size nanoparticles. Batch experiments were performed to determine the adsorption capacity of nanocomposite for metal removal. All the three adsorbents demonstrated 100% adsorption efficiency for Ag+, Co2+, Fe3+, Zn2+ and Cu2+ whereas less adsorption for Cd2+ and Cr3+. The maximum adsorbance (qe) was exhibited by Co2+ on ZnCt, FeCt and AgCt as 125.0, 111.1 and 100.0 mg g-1, respectively. The efficiency of adsorbents for metal ions sorption was found as AgCt > ZnCt > FeCt while the order of adsorption for metals was observed as Fe3+ > Co2+ > Zn2+ > Cu2+ > Ag+ > Cr3+ > Cd2+. The adsorption mechanism mostly follow Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetic model. The maximum microbial reduction was exhibited by AgCt followed by ZnCt and FeCt. The microbes were further processed for staining and biochemical characteristics to evaluate resistance and sensitive microbes. The study concludes that the NPs doped on cotton can be effectively used for adsorption of heavy metals and reduction of microbial count from natural wastewater making it valuable for human consumption. In addition, the nanoparticles impregnated cotton can be efficiently used in water filtration plants.

Distribution Modeling of three screwworm species in the ecologically diverse landscape of North West Pakistan.

North West Pakistan (NWP) is characterized by four eco-zones: Northern Montane Region, North Western Hills, Submontane Region and Indus Plains. Present study identified 1037 cases of traumatic myiasis in the region during 2012-2015. Screw worm larvae were classified as 12 species: Chrysomya bezziana (Villeneuve), Chryomya megacephala (Fabricius), Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Lucilia illustris (Meigen), Lucilia porphyrina (Walker), Hemipyrellia ligguriens (Wiedemann), Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy), Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner), Sarcophaga crassipalpalis (Macquart), Sarchophaga species. Among these C. bezziana, L. cuprina and W. magnifica with approximately 882 case reports were the principal agents of traumatic myiasis. The species W. magnifica is a first report from Pakistan. In order to investigate spatial distribution of these dominant species we used MaxEnt niche model. Our results revealed a well-established occurrence of C. bezziana and L. cuprina in the four eco-regions while W. magnifica is currently contained in the Submontane Region. Several hot spot areas of infestation were detected all characterized by high human population density showing synanthropic nature of these species. Wohlfahrtia magnifica was excluded from Northern Montane Region with severe winters and Southern Indus Plains with harsh summers revealing that invasive species are initially sensitive to extreme of temperatures. Presence of L. cuprina in the wet areas of North Humid Belt (Maximum annual precipitation: 1641mm) depicted a moisture preference of the species. In perspective of changing climate and future predictions of severe events such as droughts and flooding in NWP, W. magnifica can potentially alter the species composition. Considering these findings in an eco-geographically dynamic region of Pakistan we predict that two factors (1) Growing human population (2) Climatic conditions, equally contribute to range shift of synanthropic species.

Dataset of traumatic myiasis observed for three dominant screw worm species in North West Pakistan with first report of Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner).

Regional surveys were carried out in different parts of North West Pakistan among domestic animals (N=57,921) including pets and livestock identifying cases of traumatic myiasis (n=1037). A total of four surveys focused general livestock population during Eid ul Adha (Eid surveys; incidence=1.21%) while another four surveys (Miscellaneous surveys; incidence=7.34%) targeted animal population brought to veterinary hospitals and dispensaries. Timeframe spanned four years from 2012 to 2015. Maggots were sampled and location of the wound was recorded for each host. Taxonomic identification used light and electron microscopic techniques. Our dataset shows three species as principle agents of myiasis (n=882) including Chrysomya bezziana Villeneuve (n=394), Wohlfahrtia magnifica (n=244) and Lucilia cuprina Wiedemann (n=244). Others (n=155) including Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius), Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Lucilia illustris (Meigen), Lucilia porphyrina (Walker), Hemipyrellia ligguriens (Wiedemann), Calliphora vicina (Robineau-Desvoidy), Sarcophaga crassipalpalis (Macquart) and Sarcophaga species were identified as species of minor importance. The obligatory screwworm species W. magnifica is a first report from Pakistan. The results based on this dataset are presented in a recent publication "Distribution Modeling of three screwworm species in the ecologically diverse landscape of North West Pakistan" (Zaidi et al., 2016) [1].