A Review on Carbon Dioxide Minimization in Biogas Upgradation Technology by Chemical Absorption Processes.

With an ever-increasing population and unpredictable climate changes, meeting energy demands and maintaining a sustainable environment on Earth are two of the greatest challenges of the future. Biogas can be a very significant renewable source of energy that can be used worldwide. However, to make it usable, upgrading the gas by removing the unwanted components is a very crucial step. CO2 being one of the major unwanted components and also being a major greenhouse gas must be removed efficiently. Different methods such as physical adsorption, cryogenic separation, membrane separation, and chemical absorption have been discussed in detail in this review because of their availability, economic value, and lower environmental footprint. Three chemical absorption methods, including alkanolamines, alkali solvents, and amino acid salt solutions, are discussed. Their primary works with simple chemicals along with the latest works with more complex chemicals and different mechanical processes, such as the DECAB process, are discussed and compared. These discussions provide valuable insights into how different processes vary and how one is more advantageous or disadvantageous than the others. However, the best method is yet to be found with further research. Overall, this review emphasizes the need for biogas upgrading, and it discusses different methods of carbon capture while doing that. Methods discussed here can be a basic foundation for future research in carbon capture and green chemistry. This review will enlighten the readers about scientific and technological challenges regarding carbon dioxide minimization in biogas technology.

Zika Virus Targeting by Screening Inhibitors against NS2B/NS3 Protease.

Zika flavivirus is suspected to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults and microcephaly, along with other congenital abnormalities in infants. Presently, no vaccines or therapeutics are available. Here, we report novel compounds identified by high-throughput virtual screening of Maybridge chemical database and molecular docking studies. We selected viral enzyme NS2B/NS3 serine protease as the therapeutic target because of its important role in viral replication. We selected seven potential compounds as antiviral drug candidates because of their high GOLD fitness score, high AutoDock Vina score, or X-Score binding energy and analyzed the strength of molecular interactions between the active site amino acids and selected compounds. Our study also provides a foundation for similar studies for the search of novel therapeutics against Zika virus.

Prospects of IL-2 in Cancer Immunotherapy.

IL-2 is a powerful immune growth factor and it plays important role in sustaining T cell response. The potential of IL-2 in expanding T cells without loss of functionality has led to its early use in cancer immunotherapy. IL-2 has been reported to induce complete and durable regressions in cancer patients but immune related adverse effects have been reported (irAE). The present review discusses the prospects of IL-2 in immunotherapy for cancer.

Effect of iron overload on renal functions and oxidative stress in beta thalassemia patients.

OBJECTIVES: To check the amount of cellular damage caused by serial transfusions of blood in thalassemia patients.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan between August 2012 and December 2012. A total of 43 thalassemia patients underwent at least 10 blood transfusions. Comprehensive biochemical analysis of blood was performed to record the levels of creatinine, urea, uric acid, albumin, liver function tests, malondialdehyde (MDA), and ferritin.  Results: Serum creatinine (0.732±0.23mg/dl) and uric acid (6.7±0.94mg/dl, p less than 0.05) were significantly higher in patient groups as compared with the control. Ferritin levels were significantly higher in patients as compared with the control (3103.9±1747.4, p less than 0.05). Hemoglobin levels were observed in controls 14±1.3g/dl and in patients 7.1±1.03g/dl. No clear relationship exists between age and hematological parameters of thalassemic patients. Serum ferritin level is positively related with serum alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase and MDA (p less than 0.05).  Conclusion: Serum MDA and serum ferritin of patients (r=0.593, p less than 0.05) reflects that both are crucial parameters estimating the cellular damage in patients suffering from thalassemia.

Spontaneous preterm birth and single nucleotide gene polymorphisms: a recent update.

BACKGROUND: Preterm birth (PTB), birth at <37 weeks of gestation, is a significant global public health problem. World-wide, about 15 million babies are born preterm each year resulting in more than a million deaths of children. Preterm neonates are more prone to problems and need intensive care hospitalization. Health issues may persist through early adulthood and even be carried on to the next generation. Majority (70 %) of PTBs are spontaneous with about a half without any apparent cause and the other half associated with a number of risk factors. Genetic factors are one of the significant risks for PTB. The focus of this review is on single nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) that are reported to be associated with PTB. RESULTS: A comprehensive evaluation of studies on SNPs known to confer potential risk of PTB was done by performing a targeted PubMed search for the years 2007-2015 and systematically reviewing all relevant studies. Evaluation of 92 studies identified 119 candidate genes with SNPs that had potential association with PTB. The genes were associated with functions of a wide spectrum of tissue and cell types such as endocrine, tissue remodeling, vascular, metabolic, and immune and inflammatory systems. CONCLUSIONS: A number of potential functional candidate gene variants have been reported that predispose women for PTB. Understanding the complex genomic landscape of PTB needs high-throughput genome sequencing methods such as whole-exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing approaches that will significantly enhance the understanding of PTB. Identification of high risk women, avoidance of possible risk factors, and provision of personalized health care are important to manage PTB.

Current Management Strategies in Breast Cancer by Targeting Key Altered Molecular Players.

Breast cancer is the second largest disease affecting women worldwide. It remains the most frequently reported and leading cause of death among women in both developed and developing countries. Tamoxifen and raloxifene are commonly used selective estrogen receptor modulators for treatment of breast cancer in women with high risk, although resistance occurs by tamoxifen after 5 years of therapy and both drugs cause uterine cancer and thromboembolic events. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are one of the optional modes used for breast cancer treatment. The combination of AIs along with tamoxifen can also be beneficial. Various therapeutic agents from different sources are being studied, which further need to be improved for potential outcome. For this, clinical trials based on large number of patients with optimal dose and lesser side effects have to be more in practice. Despite the clinical trials going on, there is need of better molecular models, which can identify high risk population, new agents with better benefit having less side effects, and improved biomarkers for treating breast cancer.

Anticancer compound plumbagin and its molecular targets: a structural insight into the inhibitory mechanisms using computational approaches.

Plumbagin (5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone) is a naphthoquinone derivative from the roots of plant Plumbago zeylanica and belongs to one of the largest and diverse groups of plant metabolites. The anticancer and antiproliferative activities of plumbagin have been observed in animal models as well as in cell cultures. Plumbagin exerts inhibitory effects on multiple cancer-signaling proteins, however, the binding mode and the molecular interactions have not yet been elucidated for most of these protein targets. The present study is the first attempt to provide structural insights into the binding mode of plumbagin to five cancer signaling proteins viz. PI3Kγ, AKT1/PKBα, Bcl-2, NF-κB, and Stat3 using molecular docking and (un)binding simulation analysis. We validated plumbagin docking to these targets with previously known important residues. The study also identified and characterized various novel interacting residues of these targets which mediate the binding of plumbagin. Moreover, the exact modes of inhibition when multiple mode of inhibition existed was also shown. Results indicated that the engaging of these important interacting residues in plumbagin binding leads to inhibition of these cancer-signaling proteins which are key players in the pathogenesis of cancer and thereby ceases the progression of the disease.