Novel oceanic cyanobacterium isolated from Bangaram island with profound acid neutralizing ability is proposed as Leptolyngbya iicbica sp. nov. strain LK.

An acid-neutralizing, filamentous, non-heterocytous, marine cyanobacterium named 'LK' has been isolated from the seashore of Bangaram Island, an atoll of Lakshadweep, India, and is described here as a novel species. LK has been characterized using morphological, ecological, and genomic features. Based on 16S rRNA, whole-genome sequencing, and marker gene-based analysis, LK has been identified as a new species. LK clustered with Leptolyngbya-like strains belonging to the LPP group but diverged from Leptolyngbya sensu stricto, indicating the polyphyletic nature of the Leptolyngbya genus. Leptolyngbya sp. SIOISBB and Halomicronema sp. CCY15110 were identified as LK's two closest phylogenetic neighbors in various phylogenetic studies. The analysis of 16S rRNA, ITS secondary structures, and genome relatedness indices such as AAI, ANI, and gANI strongly support LK as a novel species of the Leptolyngbya genus. The mechanism behind acid neutralization in LK has been delineated, attributing it to a surface phenomenon most likely due to the presence of salts of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. We name LK as Leptolyngbya iicbica strain LK which is a novel species with prominent acidic pH-neutralizing properties.

Pattern recognition receptors as potential therapeutic targets for developing immunological engineered plants.

There is an urgent need to combat pathogen infestations in crop plants to ensure food security worldwide. To counter this, plants have developed innate immunity mediated by Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage- associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). PRRs activate Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI), a defence mechanism involving intricate cell-surface and intracellular receptors. The diverse ligand-binding ectodomains of PRRs, including leucine-rich repeats (LRRs) and lectin domains, facilitate the recognition of MAMPs and DAMPs. Pathogen resistance is mediated by a variety of PTI responses, including membrane depolarization, ROS production, and the induction of defence genes. An integral part of intracellular immunity is the Nucleotide-binding Oligomerization Domain, Leucine-rich Repeat proteins (NLRs) which recognize and respond to effectors in a potent manner. Enhanced understanding of PRRs, their ligands, and downstream signalling pathways has contributed to the identification of potential targets for genetically modified plants. By transferring PRRs across plant species, it is possible to create broad-spectrum resistance, potentially offering innovative solutions for plant protection and global food security. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an update on PRRs involved in disease resistance, clarify the mechanisms by which PRRs recognize ligands to form active receptor complexes and present various applications of PRRs and PTI in disease resistance management for plants.

Prevalence, predictors, and prognosis of serious infections in Takayasu arteritis - a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes associated with serious infections in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TAK). METHODS: Serious infections (defined as infections resulting in hospitalization or death or unusual infections like tuberculosis) were identified from a cohort of patients with TAK. Corticosteroids and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) use at the time of serious infection was noted. Demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, angiography, and disease activity at presentation and the use of DMARDs during follow-up were compared between patients with TAK with or without serious infections. Mortality in patients with TAK who developed serious infections was compared with those without was compared using hazard ratios (HR, with 95%CI). RESULTS: Of 238 patients with TAK, 38 (15.97%) had developed serious infections (50 episodes, multiple episodes in 8, three episodes resulted in death). Among the 38 initial episodes, 11/38 occurred in those not on corticosteroids and 14/38 in those not on DMARDs. Pneumonia (n=19) was the most common infection, followed by tuberculosis (n=12). Patients with TAK who developed serious infections vs those without had higher disease activity at presentation (active disease 97.37% vs 69.50%, ITAS2010 12.66±7.29 vs 10.16±7.02, DEI.TAK 11.21± 6.14 vs 8.76±6.07) and more frequently were initiated on corticosteroids or DMARDs. Hazard ratios calculated using exponential parametric regression survival-time model revealed increased mortality rate in patients with TAK who developed serious infections (HR 5.52, 95%CI 1.75-17.39). CONCLUSION: Serious infections, which occurred in the absence of immunosuppressive treatment in about one-fifth, were associated with increased mortality in patients with TAK.

Interplay of Light and ABA signaling to modulate plant development.

The exogenous light cues and the phytohormone Abscisic acid (ABA) regulate several aspects of plant growth and development. In recent years, the role of the crosstalk between the light and ABA signaling pathways in regulating different physiological processes has become increasingly evident. This includes the regulation of germination and early seedling development, control of stomatal development and conductance, growth and development of roots, buds, branches, and regulation of flowering. Light and ABA signaling cascades have various convergence points at both DNA and protein levels. The molecular crosstalk involves several light signaling factors like HY5, COP1, PIFs and BBXs that integrate with ABA signaling components like the PYL receptors and ABI5. Especially, ABI5 and PIF4 promoters serve as key "hotspots" for the integration of these two pathways. Plants acquired both light and ABA signaling pathways before they colonized land almost 500 million years ago. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the interplay of light and ABA signaling regulating plant development and provide an overview of the evolution of these two pathways.

Recent advances in plant translational genomics for crop improvement.

The growing population, climate change, and limited agricultural resources put enormous pressure on agricultural systems. A plateau in crop yields is occurring and extreme weather events and urbanization threaten the livelihood of farmers. It is imperative that immediate attention is paid to addressing the increasing food demand, ensuring resilience against emerging threats, and meeting the demand for more nutritious, safer food. Under uncertain conditions, it is essential to expand genetic diversity and discover novel crop varieties or variations to develop higher and more stable yields. Genomics plays a significant role in developing abundant and nutrient-dense food crops. An alternative to traditional breeding approach, translational genomics is able to improve breeding programs in a more efficient and precise manner by translating genomic concepts into practical tools. Crop breeding based on genomics offers potential solutions to overcome the limitations of conventional breeding methods, including improved crop varieties that provide more nutritional value and are protected from biotic and abiotic stresses. Genetic markers, such as SNPs and ESTs, contribute to the discovery of QTLs controlling agronomic traits and stress tolerance. In order to meet the growing demand for food, there is a need to incorporate QTLs into breeding programs using marker-assisted selection/breeding and transgenic technologies. This chapter primarily focuses on the recent advances that are made in translational genomics for crop improvement and various omics techniques including transcriptomics, metagenomics, pangenomics, single cell omics etc. Numerous genome editing techniques including CRISPR Cas technology and their applications in crop improvement had been discussed.

Comparative genomics of an extensively drug resistant strain Klebsiella pneumoniae IITR008 with international high-risk clonal lineage ST147 isolated from river water.

Carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae causing severe infection resulting in morbidity and mortality have become a global health concern. K. pneumoniae with sequence type ST147 is an international high-risk clonal lineage, genomic studies have been done on K. pneumoniae ST147 isolated from clinical origin but genomic data for environmental K. pneumoniae ST147 is very scarce. Herein, K. pneumoniae IITR008, an extensively drug resistant and potentially hypervirulent bacterium, was isolated from Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three rivers where religious congregations are organized. Phenotypic, genomic and comparative genomic analysis of strain IITR008 was performed. Antibiotic susceptibility profiling revealed resistance to 9 different classes of antibiotics including ß-lactams, ß-lactam combination agents, carbapenem, aminoglycoside, macrolide, quinolones, cephams, phenicol, and folate pathway antagonists and was found to be susceptible to only tetracycline. The strain IITR008 possesses hypervirulence genes namely, iutA and iroN in addition to numerous virulence factors coding for adherence, regulation, iron uptake, secretion system and toxin. Both the IITR008 chromosome and plasmid pIITR008_75 possess a plethora of clinically relevant antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) including blaCTX-M-15, blaTEM-1, and blaSHV-11, corroborating the phenotypic resistance. Comparative genomic analysis with other ST147 K. pneumoniae provided insights on the phylogenetic clustering of IITR008 with a clinical strain isolated from a patient in Czech with recent travel history in India and other clinical strains isolated from India and Pakistan. According to the 'One Health' perspective, surveillance of antibiotic resistance in the environment is crucial to impede its accelerated development in diverse ecological niches.

Advances in regulatory mechanism(s) and biotechnological approaches to modulate nicotine content in tobacco.

More than 8 million deaths are caused by tobacco-related diseases every year. A staggering 1.2 million of those fatalities occur due to second-hand smoke exposure among non-smokers, but more than 7 million are due to direct tobacco use among smokers. Nicotine acts as the key ingredient triggering the addiction. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified more than 90 chemical components of tobacco and related smoke as hazardous or potentially hazardous leading to cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, and reproductive disorders. Hence, reducing nicotine content has been the foremost objective to reduce health and death risks. Therefore, various biotechnological approaches for developing tobacco varieties with low nicotine concentrations are urgently required for the welfare of humankind. In recent years, numerous advancements have been made in nicotine-based tobacco research, suggesting regulatory components involved in nicotine biosynthesis and developing nicotine-less tobacco varieties through biotechnological approaches. This review highlights the various regulatory components and major approaches used to modulate nicotine content in tobacco cultivars.

Characterization and complete genome analysis of Klebsiella phage Kp109 with lytic activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Klebsiella pneumonia is a serious pathogen involved in a range of infections. The increasing frequency of infection associated with K. pneumoniae and accelerated development of antimicrobial resistance has limited the available options of antibiotics for the treatment of infection. Bacteriophages are an attractive substitute to alleviate the problem of antibiotic resistance. In this study, isolation, microbiological and genomic characterization of bacteriophage Kp109 having the ability to infect K. pneumoniae has been shown. Phage Kp109 showed good killing efficiency and tolerance to a broad range of temperatures (4-60 °C) and pH (3-9). Transmission electron microscopy and genomic analysis indicated that phage Kp109 belongs to the genus Webervirus and family Drexlerviridae. Genomic analysis showed that the Kp109 has a 51,630 bp long double-stranded DNA genome with a GC content of 51.64%. The absence of known lysogenic, virulence, and antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) in its genome makes phage Kp109 safer to be used as a biocontrol agent for different purposes including phage therapy. The computational analysis of the putative endolysin gene revealed a binding energy of - 6.23 kcal/mol between LysKp109 and ligand NAM-NAG showing its potential to be used as an enzybiotic. However, future research is required for experimental validation of the in silico work to further corroborate the results obtained in the present study. Overall, phenotypic, genomic, and computational characterization performed in the present study showed that phages Kp109 and LysKp109 are promising candidates for future in vivo studies and could potentially be used for controlling K. pneumoniae infection.

Mutation in shoot-to-root mobile transcription factor, ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5, leads to low nicotine levels in tobacco.

Tobacco remains one of the most commercially important crops due to the parasympathomimetic alkaloid nicotine used in cigarettes. Most genes involved in nicotine biosynthesis are expressed in root tissues; however, their light-dependent regulation has not been studied. Here, we identified the ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 homolog, NtHY5, from Nicotiana tabacum and demonstrated that NtHY5 could complement the Arabidopsis thaliana hy5 mutant at molecular, morphological and biochemical levels. We report the development of CRISPR/Cas9-based knockout mutant plants of tobacco, NtHY5CR, and show down-regulation of the nicotine and phenylpropanoid pathway genes leading to a significant reduction in nicotine and flavonol content, whereas NtHY5 overexpression (NtHY5OX) plants show the opposite effect. Grafting experiments using wild-type, NtHY5CR, and NtHY5OX indicated that NtHY5 moves from shoot-to-root to regulate nicotine biosynthesis in the root tissue. Shoot HY5, directly or through enhancing expression of the root HY5, promotes nicotine biosynthesis by binding to light-responsive G-boxes present in the NtPMT, NtQPT and NtODC promoters. We conclude that the mobility of HY5 from shoot-to-root regulates light-dependent nicotine biosynthesis. The CRISPR/Cas9-based mutants developed, in this study; with low nicotine accumulation in leaves could help people to overcome their nicotine addiction and the risk of death.

Management of dysmenorrhea through yoga: A narrative review.

Menstrual pain also known as dysmenorrhea is one of the most common and underrated gynecological disorders affecting menstruating women. Although the symptoms and impact might vary greatly, it is defined by cramps in the lower abdomen and pain that radiates to lower back and thighs. In some cases it is also accompanied by nausea, loose stool, dizziness etc. A primary narrative review was conducted on the impact of yoga on dysmenorrhea experienced by women. The English-language literature published until 2022 was searched across databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus. "Yoga" and "menstrual pain" OR "dysmenorrhea" were used as keywords for the search across several databases. A total of 816 title searches were obtained across all the database searches. This review article included 10 studies based on the selection criteria. The studies examined the impact of a varied set of 39 asanas, 5 pranayamas and Yoga nidra on dysmenorrhea. The studies demonstrated a significant relief in dysmenorrhea among those who practiced Yoga (asanas/pranayama/yoga nidra) with improved pain tolerance and reduced stress levels. Regulating the stress pathways through yoga was found to be a key in regulating hormonal balance and reduction in dysmenorrhea.

BBX30/miP1b and BBX31/miP1a form a positive feedback loop with ABI5 to regulate ABA-mediated postgermination seedling growth arrest.

In plants, the switch to autotrophic growth involves germination followed by postgermination seedling establishment. When environmental conditions are not favorable, the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) signals plants to postpone seedling establishment by inducing the expression of the transcription factor ABI5. The levels of ABI5 determine the efficiency of the ABA-mediated postgermination developmental growth arrest. The molecular mechanisms regulating the stability and activity of ABI5 during the transition to light are less known. Using genetic, molecular, and biochemical approach, we found that two B-box domain containing proteins BBX31 and BBX30 alongwith ABI5 inhibit postgermination seedling establishment in a partially interdependent manner. BBX31 and BBX30 are also characterized as microProteins miP1a and miP1b, respectively, based on their small size, single domain, and ability to interact with multidomain proteins. miP1a/BBX31 and miP1b/BBX30 physically interact with ABI5 to stabilize it and promote its binding to promoters of downstream genes. ABI5 reciprocally induces the expression of BBX30 and BBX31 by directly binding to their promoter. ABI5 and the two microProteins thereby form a positive feedback loop to promote ABA-mediated developmental arrest of seedlings.

Functional genomic analysis of an efficient indole degrading bacteria strain Alcaligenes faecalis IITR89 and its biodegradation characteristics.

Indole is a nitrogenous heterocyclic aromatic pollutant often detected in various environments. An efficient indole degrading bacterium strain IITR89 was isolated from River Cauvery, India, and identified as Alcaligenes faecalis subsp. phenolicus. The bacterium was found to degrade ~ 95% of 2.5 mM (293.75 mg/L) of indole within 18 h utilizing it as a sole carbon and energy source. Based on metabolite identification, the metabolic route of indole degradation is indole → (indoxyl) → isatin → (anthranilate) → salicylic acid → (catechol) → (Acetyl-CoA) → and further entering into TCA cycle. Genome sequencing of IITR89 revealed the presence of gene cluster dmpKLMNOP, encoding multicomponent phenol hydroxylase; andAbcd gene cluster, encoding anthranilate 1,2-dioxygenase ferredoxin subunit (andAb), anthranilate 1,2-dioxygenase large subunit (andAc), and anthranilate 1,2-dioxygenase small subunit (andAd); nahG, salicylate hydroxylase; catA, catechol 1,2-dioxygenase; catB, cis, cis-muconate cycloisomerase; and catC, muconolactone D-isomerase which play an active role in indole degradation. The findings strongly support the degradation potential of strain IITR89 and its possible application for indole biodegradation.

Genetic circuits in microbial biosensors for heavy metal detection in soil and water.

With the rapid population growth, the world is witnessing an ever-increasing demand for energy and natural resources. Consequently, soil, air, and water are polluted with diverse pollutants, including heavy metals (HM). The detection of heavy metals is necessary to remediate them, which is achieved with biosensors. Initially, these HM were detected using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, gas chromatography etc., but these were costly and time consuming which further paved a way for microbe-based biosensors. The development of genetic circuits for microbe-based biosensors has become more popular in recent years for heavy metal detection. In this review, we have especially discussed the various types of genetic circuits such as toggle switches, logic gates, and amplification modules used in these biosensors as they are used to enhance sensitivity and specificity. Genetic circuits also allow for rapid and multiple analyte detection at the same time. The use of microbial biosensors for the detection of HM in the soil as well as the water is also described below. Although with a higher success rate than classical biosensors, these microbial biosensors still have some drawbacks like bioavailability and size of the analyte which are needed to be addressed.

Pre-Pulseless Takayasu Arteritis is Associated with Distinct Clinical and Angiographic Features but Similar Outcomes - A Cohort Study.

Objectives: To compare the presentation, angiographic features, evolution, and prognosis of prepulseless Takayasu arteritis (TAK) with TAK with pulse loss. Methods: Pre-pulseless TAK (defined as without pulse loss in the upper limbs, lower limb, carotid, or subclavian arteries) were identified from a cohort of TAK. Demographic characteristics, clinical features, angiographic involvement, baseline and longitudinal patterns of disease activity, medication use, and mortality rates were compared between pre-pulseless TAK and TAK with pulse loss. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR, with 95%CI) for categorical variables between pre-pulseless TAK and TAK with pulse loss were computed using multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models. Time-to-event data was compared using hazard ratios (HR) with 95%CI. Results: Compared with TAK with pulse loss, pre-pulseless TAK (91/238, 38.24%) more frequently had deranged renal function (aOR 4.43, 95%CI 1.58-12.37) and Hata's type IV disease (aOR 8.02, 95%CI 2.61-24.65), and less often had pulse or blood pressure asymmetry (aOR 0.34, 95%CI 0.18-0.63), limb claudication (aOR for upper limb 0.38, 95%CI 0.18-0.82, for lower limb 0.28, 95%CI 0.12-0.68), right subclavian (aOR 0.45, 95%CI 0.23-0.90) or left carotid artery involvement (aOR 0.42, 95%CI 0.21-0.84). Only two patients with pre-pulseless TAK developed pulse loss on follow-up. Despite fewer pre-pulseless TAK having active disease at presentation, similar proportions of patients in both groups had active disease on follow-up. Survival was similar in both groups (HR for mortality 0.41, 95%CI 0.09-1.90). Conclusion: Pulse loss on follow-up is uncommon in those with prepulseless TAK. Pre-pulseless TAK is associated with similar long-term outcomes to TAK with pulse loss.

High order approximation on non-uniform meshes for generalized time-fractional telegraph equation.

This paper presents a high order approximation scheme to solve the generalized fractional telegraph equation (GFTE) involving the generalized fractional derivative (GFD). The GFD is characterized by a scale function σ ( t ) and a weight function ω ( t ) . Thus, we study the solution behavior of the GFTE for different σ ( t ) and ω ( t ) . The scale function either stretches or contracts the solution while the weight function dramatically shifts the numerical solution of the GFTE. The time fractional GFTE is approximated using quadratic scheme in the temporal direction and the compact finite difference scheme in the spatial direction. To improve the numerical scheme's accuracy, we use the non-uniform mesh. The convergence order of the whole discretized scheme is, O ( τ 2 α - 3 , h 4 ) , where τ and h are the temporal and spatial step sizes respectively. The outcomes of the work are as follows: •The error estimate for approximation of the GFD on non-uniform meshes is established.•The numerical scheme's stability and convergence are examined.•Numerical results for four examples are compared with those obtained using other method. The study shows that the developed scheme achieves higher accuracy than the scheme discussed in literature.

Combining Clearing and Fluorescence Microscopy for Visualising Changes in Gene Expression and Physiological Responses to Plasmodiophora brassicae.

Infection of Brassica crops by the soilborne protist Plasmodiophora brassicae leads to gall formation on the underground organs. The formation of galls requires cellular reprogramming and changes in the metabolism of the infected plant. This is necessary to establish a pathogen-oriented physiological sink toward which the host nutrients are redirected. For a complete understanding of this particular plant-pathogen interaction and the mechanisms by which host growth and development are subverted and repatterned, it is essential to track and observe the internal changes accompanying gall formation with cellular resolution. Methods combining fluorescent stains and fluorescent proteins are often employed to study anatomical and physiological responses in plants. Unfortunately, the large size of galls and their low transparency act as major hurdles in performing whole-mount observations under the microscope. Moreover, low transparency limits the employment of fluorescence microscopy to study clubroot disease progression and gall formation. This article presents an optimized method for fixing and clearing galls to facilitate epifluorescence and confocal microscopy for inspecting P. brassicae-infected galls. A tissue-clearing protocol for rapid optical clearing was used followed by vibratome sectioning to detect anatomical changes and localize gene expression with promoter fusions and reporter lines tagged with fluorescent proteins. This method will prove useful for studying cellular and physiological responses in other pathogen-triggered structures in plants, such as nematode-induced syncytia and root knots, as well as leaf galls and deformations caused by insects.

Diagnosis of Genital Tuberculosis in Infertile Women by Using the Composite Reference Standard.

Female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) can be asymptomatic or even masquerade as other gynecological conditions. Conventional methods of FGTB diagnosis include various imaging, bacteriological, molecular, and pathological techniques that are only positive in a small percentage of patients, leaving many cases with undiagnosed condition. In the absence of a perfect diagnostic method, composite reference standards (CRSs) have been advocated in this diagnostic study. This study assesses the agreement between traditional diagnostic modalities using CRS and prevalent TB groups among different fallopian tube infertility manifestations. A total of 86 women with primary and secondary infertility were included in the study and subjected to bacteriological, pathological, and radiological examination for the diagnosis of FGTB. Results were evaluated statistically for concordance of the diagnostic tests to the CRS by sensitivity and specificity, while PPV and NPV were calculated for the performance of diagnostic tests of FGTB. We observed that 11.2% of women were found to be true positives by means of CRS. The positive findings by CRS were as follows: ultrasonography (13.9%), laparoscopy (14%), hysteroscopy (12%), GeneXpert (4.8%), culture (4.8%), polymerase chain reaction (4.8%), and histopathology (6.4%). GeneXpert and culture were found to have a perfect agreement with CRS. Hysterosalpingography, laparoscopy, and hysteroscopy have a fair agreement with CRS. Out of 43 women with tubal factor infertility, 6 women were found in the definitive TB group with mixed conditions of tubal manifestations. This study evaluates and demonstrates the reliability of the collective assessment of various diagnostic methods with CRS findings that help in identifying different TB groups of genital tuberculosis patients from all infertile patients by applying the criteria of CRS.

Upcoming progress of transcriptomics studies on plants: An overview.

Transcriptome sequencing or RNA-Sequencing is a high-resolution, sensitive and high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach used to study non-model plants and other organisms. In other words, it is an assembly of RNA transcripts from individual or whole samples of functional and developmental stages. RNA-Seq is a significant technique for identifying gene predictions and mining functional analysis that improves gene ontology understanding mechanisms of biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components, but there is limited information available on this topic. Transcriptomics research on different types of plants can assist researchers to understand functional genes in better ways and regulatory processes to improve breeding selection and cultivation practices. In recent years, several advancements in RNA-Seq technology have been made for the characterization of the transcriptomes of distinct cell types in biological tissues in an efficient manner. RNA-Seq technologies are briefly introduced and examined in terms of their scientific applications. In a nutshell, it introduces all transcriptome sequencing and analysis techniques, as well as their applications in plant biology research. This review will focus on numerous existing and forthcoming strategies for improving transcriptome sequencing technologies for functional gene mining in various plants using RNA- Seq technology, based on the principles, development, and applications.

Reconstructing Draft Genomes Using Genome Resolved Metagenomics Reveal Arsenic Metabolizing Genes and Secondary Metabolites in Fresh Water Lake in Eastern India.

Rabindra Sarovar lake is an artificial freshwater lake in the arsenic infested eastern region of India. In this study, using the genome resolved metagenomics approach; we have deciphered the taxonomic diversity as well as the functional insights of the gene pools specific to this region. Initially, a total of 113 Metagenome Assembled Genomes (MAGs) were recovered from the two predominant seasons, that is, rainy (n = 50) and winter (n = 63). After bin refinement and de-replication, 27 MAGs (18 from Winter season and 9 from Rainy season) were reconstructed. These MAGs were either of high-quality (n = 10) or of medium quality (n = 17) that was determined based on genome completeness and contamination. These 27 MAGs spanning across 6 bacterial phyla and the most predominant ones were Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria regardless of the season. Functional annotation across the MAGs suggested the existence of all known types of arsenic resistance and metabolism genes. Besides, important secondary metabolites such as zoocin_A, prochlorosin, and microcin were also abundantly present in these genomes. The metagenomic study of this lake provides the first insights into the microbiome composition and functional classification of the gene pools in two predominant seasons. The presence of arsenic metabolism and resistance genes in the recovered genomes is a sign of adaptation of the microbes to the arsenic contamination in this region. The presence of secondary metabolite genes in the lake microbiome has several implications including the potential use of these for the pharmaceutical industry.

Curcumin nanoformulations for antimicrobial and wound healing purposes.

The development and spread of resistance to antimicrobial drugs is hampering the management of microbial infectious and wound healing processes. Curcumin is the most active and effective constituent of Curcuma longa L., also known as turmeric, and has a very long and strong history of medicinal value for human health and skincare. Curcumin has been proposed as strong antimicrobial potentialities and many attempts have been made to determine its ability to conjointly control bacterial growth and promote wound healing. However, low aqueous solubility, poor tissue absorption and short plasma half-life due its rapid metabolism needs to be solved for made curcumin formulations as suitable treatment for wound healing. New curcumin nanoformulations have been designed to solve the low bioavailability problem of curcumin. Thus, in the present review, the therapeutic applications of curcumin nanoformulations for antimicrobial and wound healing purposes is described.