ß-cyclodextrin polymer composites for the removal of pharmaceutical substances, endocrine disruptor chemicals, and dyes from aqueous solution- A review of recent trends.

Cyclodextrin (CD) and its derivatives are receiving attention as a new-generation adsorbent for water pollution treatment due to their external hydrophilic and internal hydrophobic properties. Among types of CD, ß-Cyclodextrin (ßCD) has been a material of choice with a proven track record for a range of utilities in distinct domains, owing to its unique cage-like structural conformations and inclusion complex-forming ability, especially to mitigate emerging contaminants (ECs). This article outlines ßCD composites in developing approaches of their melds and composites for purposes such as membranes for removal of the ECs in aqueous setups have been explored with emphasis on recent trends. Electrospinning has bestowed an entirely different viewpoint on polymeric materials, comprising ßCD, in the framework of diverse functions across a multitude of niches. Besides, this article especially discusses ßCD polymer composite membrane-based removal of contaminants such as pharmaceutical substances, endocrine disruptors chemicals, and dyes. Finally, in this article, the challenges and future directions of ßCD-based adsorbents are discussed, which may shed light on pragmatic commercial applications of ßCD polymer composite membranes.

Polymeric biomolecules based nanomaterials: Production strategies and pollutant mitigation as an emerging tool for environmental application.

The ever-exploding global population coupled with its anthropogenic impact has imparted unparalleled detrimental effects on the environment and mitigating them has emerged as the prime challenge and focus of the current century. The niche of nanotechnology empowered by composites of biopolymers in the handling of xenobiotics and environmental clean-up has an unlimited scope. The appositeness of biopolymer-nanoparticles (Bp-NPs) for environmental contaminant mitigation has received unique consideration due to its exclusive combination of physicochemical characteristics and other attributes. The current review furnishes exhaustive scrutiny of the current accomplishments in the development of Bp-NPs and biopolymer nanomaterials (Bp-NMs) from various polymeric biomolecules. Special attention was provided for polymeric biomolecules such as cellulose, lignin, starch, chitin, and chitosan, whereas limited consideration on gelatin, alginate, and gum for the development of Bp-NPs and Bp-NMs; together with coverage of literature. Promising applications of tailored biopolymer hybrids such as Bp-NPs and Bp-NMs on environmentally hazardous xenobiotics handling and pollution management are discussed as to their notable environmental applications.

Traumatic Pseudoaneurysm: A Life-Threatening Complication After Surgical Extraction of Impacted Maxillary Third Molar.

Pseudoaneurysms are rare lesions secondary to blunt or penetrating trauma, temporomandibular joint surgery, or orthognathic surgery. They are usually produced by arterial breach leading to extravasation of blood. The compressed perivascular tissue forms the wall of aneurysmal sac. This sac gradually expands and can be damaged. Nonsurgical interventions are the treatment of choice for pseudoaneurysms. In the case reported here, emergent endovascular injection of acrylic glue was successful in the treatment of a pseudoaneurysm from a branch of the internal maxillary artery secondary to surgical extraction of impacted maxillary third molar.

The Meningioma that Got Cheeky.

Extracranial meningiomas are rare with a reported incidence of 1-2 %. Diagnosis is a challenge due to the unusual site of occurrence. The treatment of choice is surgical excision. A case that presented with primary lesion in the cheek with no detected intracranial extension is being reported.

Isolation, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of bovine rumen submucosa films of collagen or chitosan-treated collagen.

Bovine rumen is hitherto considered as an inedible waste of meat industry. The rumen tissues can be used as an alternative source of collagen to produce biocompatible materials for clinical application. In an effort to develop a functional biomaterial from the inedible mammalian tissues, this study aims to isolate and characterize bovine rumen submucosa. Initially, the rumen tissue was sequentially processed using chemical and enzymatic treatment to decellularize, neutralize, stabilize, and to produce a native collagen matrix which is referred as collagen film (COL-F). Thus, prepared matrix was treated with 1% (w/v) chitosan solution to produce a hybrid film which is referred as collagen-chitosan film (COL/CS-F). The comparative study includes the evaluation of physical, chemical, and biological properties of the biofilms prepared. The surface topology of COL-F exhibited a continuous collagenous network with fibrous nature, while the chitosan treatment provided smooth plain surface to the parent film. Incorporation of chitosan in COL-F increased the tensile properties, as well as the thermal stability and durability of the films. The Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy results revealed the presence of respective amide peaks, which corresponds to protein (collagen), and the evidence of collagen-chitosan interlinking. The submucosa layer was electrophoretically found to have type I collagen. The X-ray diffraction data showed the presence of amorphous and crystalline peak which attributes to the triple helical structure of collagen in the films. Cytotoxicity studies on the films were performed in vitro using human keratinocytes. The results of cell viability and proliferation demonstrated that COL-F and COL/CS-F exhibit good biocompatibility and therefore can augment cell infiltration and proliferation. However, enhanced cellular activity was observed on the chitosan treated COL-F. These observations demonstrate that the biofilms prepared in this study can be used as an alternative functional biomaterial in tissue engineering.

First report on vertical transmission of a plasmid DNA in freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii.

Outbreak of WSSV disease is one of the major stumbling blocks in shrimp aquaculture. DNA vaccines have shown potential for mass scale vaccination owing to their stability, cost effectiveness and easy maintenance. Development of economically feasible delivery strategies remains to be a major challenge. This study demonstrates vertical transmission of a plasmid DNA in a decapod Macrobrachium rosenbergii for the first time. Females at three different maturation stages (immature, matured and berried) and mature males were injected with a plasmid DNA and allowed to spawn with untreated counterparts. Using specific primers the plasmid DNA could be amplified from the offspring of all groups except that of berried females. For this confirmation genomic DNA was isolated from 3 pools of 10 post larvae in each group. This presents an ideal strategy to protect young ones at zero stress.

Monoclonal antibody based immunodot for specific detection of proteins of the shrimp Penaeus species.

Frozen shrimp continued to be the single largest item of export from India in terms of value accounting for about 44% of the total marine export earnings. Headless, peeled frozen shrimp is a common and dominant item in the market and there is need for differentiating peeled Penaeus sp from Metapenaeus, Parapenopsis and Macrobrachium sp as consumer preference and price vary. Furthermore, there is need to find out original species used in value addition of shrimp products. Hence, it is essential for development of simple and consumer friendly technique for the identification of shrimp and their products in the market. Two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) C-15 (IgG3) and C-52 (IgG2a) reacting with 65 and 47 kD proteins of Penaeus monodon respectively in the Western blot were selected. In epitope analysis by immunodot, the two MAbs reacted and recognized specific proteins of P. monodon, Fenneropenaeus indicus and Littopenaeus vannamei and not that of Metapenaeus, Parapenopsis, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, crabs and fishes. The immunodot required 120 min for completion. The sensitivity of the immunodot to detect proteins of P. monodon was 0.225 mg with MAb C-15 and 0.028 mg with MAb C-52. The MAb based immunodot developed, could be used for identifying and differentiating meat of P. monodon, F. indicus, and L. vannamei from that of Metapenaeus, Parapenopsis, M. rosenbergii, crabs and fishes.

Acid azo dye remediation in anoxic-aerobic-anoxic microenvironment under periodic discontinuous batch operation: bio-electro kinetics and microbial inventory.

Functional behavior of anoxic-aerobic-anoxic microenvironment on azo dye (C.I. Acid black 10B) degradation was evaluated in a periodic discontinuous batch mode operation for 26 cycles. Dye removal efficiency and azo-reductase activity (30.50 ± 1 U) increased with each feeding event until 13th cycle and further stabilized. Dehydrogenase activity also increased gradually and stabilized (2.0 ± 0.2 µg/ml) indicating the stable proton shuttling between metabolic intermediates providing higher number of reducing equivalents towards dye degradation. Voltammetric profiles showed drop in redox catalytic currents during stabilized phase also supports the consumption of reducing equivalents towards dye removal. Change in Tafel slopes, polarization resistance and other bioprocess parameters correlated well with the observed dye removal and biocatalyst behavior. Microbial community analysis documented the involvement of specific organism pertaining to aerobic and facultative functions with heterotrophic and autotrophic metabolism. Integrating anoxic microenvironment with aerobic operation might have facilitated effective dye mineralization due to the possibility of combining redox functions.

Effect of polyol gums on salivary S mutans levels.

UNLABELLED: The predominant sugar substitutes used in chewing gum are polyols which are low-caloric substances. The polyols most frequently used in chewing gums are sorbitol and xylitol. AIM: The present study assessed the effectiveness of xylitol and sorbitol chewing-gums on levels of S mutans in saliva. METHOD: The study group consisted of 30 normal and healthy males aged between 13-17 years. A pellet of gum (sorbitol or xylitol) was given to each participant after breakfast (8am), lunch (2pm) and dinner (8pm) for the study period of 3 months. On the first day of the study, baseline salivary samples were collected after breakfast from all participants and assessed for S mutans levels. At the end of 3 months, salivary samples were collected and processed in a similar manner CONCLUSION: Salivary S mutans levels showed a significant reduction after the use of xylitol based chewing gum than with sorbitol based chewing gum.

Isolation and characterization of immunoglobulin of the Indian major carp, rohu [Labeo rohita (Ham.)].

Information on the structure and character of immunoglobulin of fishes is essential in health management. A study was carried out to characterize the serum immunoglobulin (IgM) of the Indian major carp, rohu Labeo rohita (Ham.). Rohu (500g) were immunised with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the anti-BSA antibody was purified employing BSA-CL agarose affinity column chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the purified Ig in a 3% gel under non-reduced conditions revealed a single protein having a molecular weight of 850kDa. Analysis of the purified serum in 10% SDS-PAGE under reduced conditions revealed that the immunoglobulin contained heavy and light chains with molecular weights of 85 and 23kDa, respectively. A polyclonal mouse anti-rohu IgM was prepared and used in an immunodot test which showed a specific reaction of the crude rohu anti-BSA antiserum and the purified anti-BSA IgM with BSA. Results indicate that the immunoglobulin of L. rohita is tetrameric IgM, similar to that of other fishes.

Congenital toxoplasmosis presenting as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

A 17-yr-old boy presented with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism due to sequelae of intrauterine infection with Toxoplasma Gondii. Neuroendocrine manifestations of congenital toxoplasmosis are especially uncommon. It is our attempt to stress the importance of endocrine monitoring for early recognition of treatable sequelae. This may help to improve the quality of life in these patients.

Amelioration of renal lesions associated with diabetes by dietary curcumin in streptozotocin diabetic rats.

Curcumin, the coloring principle of the commonly used spice turmeric (Curcuma longa) was fed at 0.5% in the diet to streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats for 8 weeks. Renal damage was assessed by the amount of proteins excreted in the urine and the extent of leaching of renal tubular enzymes: NAG, LDH, AsAT, AlAT, alkaline and acid phosphatases. The integrity of kidney was assessed by measuring the activities of several key enzymes of the renal tissue: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and LDH (Carbohydrate metabolism), aldose reductase and sorbitol dehydrogenase (polyol pathway), transaminases, ATPases and membrane PUFA/SFA ratio (membrane integrity). Data on enzymuria, albuminuria, activity of kidney ATPases and fatty acid composition of renal membranes in diabetic condition suggested that dietary curcumin brought about significant beneficial modulation of the progression of renal lesions in diabetes. These findings were also corroborated by histological examination of kidney sections. It is inferred that this beneficial ameliorating influence of dietary curcumin on diabetic nephropathy is possibly mediated through its ability to lower blood cholesterol levels.