Exploring the recent developments of alginate silk fibroin material for hydrogel wound dressing: A review.

Hydrogels, a type of polymeric material capable of retaining water within a three-dimensional network, have demonstrated their potential in wound healing, surpassing traditional wound dressings. These hydrogels possess remarkable mechanical, chemical, and biological properties, making them suitable scaffolds for tissue regeneration. This article aims to emphasize the advantages of alginate, silk fibroin, and hydrogel-based wound dressings, specifically highlighting their crucial functions that accelerate the healing process of skin wounds. Noteworthy functions include self-healing ability, water solubility, anti-inflammatory properties, adhesion, antimicrobial properties, drug delivery, conductivity, and responsiveness to stimuli. Moreover, recent advancements in hydrogel technology have resulted in the development of wound dressings with enhanced features for monitoring wound progression, further augmenting their effectiveness. This review emphasizes the utilization of hydrogel membranes for treating excisional and incisional wounds, while exploring recent breakthroughs in hydrogel wound dressings, including nanoparticle composite hydrogels, stem cell hydrogel composites, and curcumin-hydrogel composites. Additionally, the review focuses on diverse synthesis procedures, designs, and potential applications of hydrogels in wound healing dressings.

Integrating Pharmacological and Computational Approaches for the Phytochemical Analysis of Syzygium cumini and Its Anti-Diabetic Potential.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease caused by improper insulin secretion leading to hyperglycemia. Syzygium cumini has excellent therapeutic properties due to its high levels of phytochemicals. The current research aimed to evaluate the anti-diabetic potential of S. cumini plant's seeds and the top two phytochemicals (kaempferol and gallic acid) were selected for further analysis. These phytochemicals were selected via computational tools and evaluated for α-Glucosidase inhibitory activity via enzymatic assay. Gallic acid (IC50 0.37 µM) and kaempferol (IC50 0.87 µM) have shown a stronger α-glucosidase inhibitory capacity than acarbose (5.26 µM). In addition, these phytochemicals demonstrated the highest binding energy, hydrogen bonding, protein-ligand interaction and the best MD simulation results at 100 ns compared to acarbose. Furthermore, the ADMET properties of gallic acid and kaempferol also fulfilled the safety criteria. Thus, it was concluded that S. cumini could potentially be used to treat DM. The potential bioactive molecules identified in this study (kaempferol and gallic acid) may be used as lead drugs against diabetes.

Sensing and Artificial Intelligent Maternal-Infant Health Care Systems: A Review.

Currently, information and communication technology (ICT) allows health institutions to reach disadvantaged groups in rural areas using sensing and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Applications of these technologies are even more essential for maternal and infant health, since maternal and infant health is vital for a healthy society. Over the last few years, researchers have delved into sensing and artificially intelligent healthcare systems for maternal and infant health. Sensors are exploited to gauge health parameters, and machine learning techniques are investigated to predict the health conditions of patients to assist medical practitioners. Since these healthcare systems deal with large amounts of data, significant development is also noted in the computing platforms. The relevant literature reports the potential impact of ICT-enabled systems for improving maternal and infant health. This article reviews wearable sensors and AI algorithms based on existing systems designed to predict the risk factors during and after pregnancy for both mothers and infants. This review covers sensors and AI algorithms used in these systems and analyzes each approach with its features, outcomes, and novel aspects in chronological order. It also includes discussion on datasets used and extends challenges as well as future work directions for researchers.

Regulation of micro-RNA, epigenetic factor by natural products for the treatment of cancers: Mechanistic insight and translational association.

From onset to progression, cancer is a ailment that might take years to grow. All common epithelial malignancies, have a long latency period, frequently 20 years or more, different gene may contain uncountable mutations if they are clinically detectable. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are around 22nt non-coding RNAs that control gene expression sequence-specifically through translational inhibition or messenger degradation of RNA (mRNA). Epigenetic processes of miRNA control genetic variants through genomic DNA methylation, post-translation histone modification, rework of the chromatin, and microRNAs. The field of miRNAs has opened a new era in understanding small non-coding RNAs since discovering their fundamental mechanisms of action. MiRNAs have been found in viruses, plants, and animals through molecular cloning and bioinformatics approaches. Phytochemicals can invert the epigenetic aberrations, a leading cause of the cancers of various organs, and act as an inhibitor of these changes. The advantage of phytochemicals is that they only function on cells that cause cancer without affecting normal cells. Phytochemicals appear to play a significant character in modulating miRNA expression, which is linked to variations in oncogenes, tumor suppressors, and cancer-derived protein production, according to several studies. In addition to standard anti-oxidant or anti-inflammatory properties, the initial epigenetic changes associated with cancer prevention may be modulated by many polyphenols. In correlation with miRNA and epigenetic factors to treat cancer some of the phytochemicals, including polyphenols, curcumin, resveratrol, indole-3-carbinol are studied in this article.

The impact of electric power consumption on economic growth: a case study of Portugal, France, and Finland.

Energy plays a vital role in promoting sustainable economic development in complex societies. This study has analyzed the impact of electricity consumption on three European Union member countries' economic growth, i.e., Portugal, France, and Finland, caring structural breaks in cointegration analyses. The empirical results indicate a positive impact of electric power consumption on economic growth in the long and short run in Finland and Portugal and in the long run in France. The findings also highlight the positive and significant role of the labor force in boosting economic growth in the long and short run in France and Finland. However, it shrinks economic growth in the long run in Portugal. The study discloses the positive role of capital in the long run in the case of Portugal. Similar results are found in all three countries in the short run. Moreover, the study diagnoses a bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and electric power consumption in Finland in the long and short run and in France in the long run. A growth-promoting or electricity-led growth hypothesis is found in Portugal. By simulating the mean values of electric power consumption, economic growth follows an increasing trend in all the countries. Hence, electric power consumption has appeared an essential factor in elevating economic growth in all three selected countries. Based on these results, this study suggests that the provision of electricity supply ventures may be expanded in the selected EU member countries in order to enhance economic growth. The study also suggests that emphasis should be shifted from non-renewable energy sources to renewable energy sources to ensure the provision of clean energy to all the public under the umbrella of sustainable development goals of 2030. Hence, the present study contributes to achieving sustainable economic growth in the selected EU member countries.

Implementation of Vaccinomics and In-Silico Approaches to Construct Multimeric Based Vaccine Against Ovarian Cancer.

One of the most common gynecologic cancers is ovarian cancer and ranked third after the other two most common cancers: cervical and uterine. The highest mortality rate has been observed in the case of ovarian cancer. To treat ovarian cancer, an immune-informatics approach was used to design a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) structure. Epitopes prediction of the cancer testis antigens (NY-ESO-1), A-Kinase anchor protein (AKAP4), Acrosin binding protein (ACRBP), Piwi-like protein (PIWIL3), and cancer testis antigen 2 (LAGE-1) was done. Non-toxic, highly antigenic, non-allergenic, and overlapping epitopes were shortlisted for vaccine construction. Chosen T-cell epitopes displayed a robust binding attraction with their corresponding Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) alleles demonstrated 97.59% of population coverage. The vaccine peptide was established by uniting three key constituents, comprising the 14 epitopes of CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), 5 helper epitopes, and the adjuvant. For the generation of the effective response of CD4 + cells towards the T-helper cells, granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was applied. With the addition of adjuvants and linkers, the construct size was 547 amino acids. The developed MEV structure was predicted to be antigenic, non-toxic, non-allergenic, and firm in nature. I-tasser anticipated the 3D construction of MEV. Moreover, disulfide engineering further enhanced the stability of the final vaccine protein. In-silico cloning and vaccine codon optimization were done to analyze the up-regulation of its expression. The outcomes established the vaccine's immunogenicity and safety profile, besides its aptitude to encourage both humoral and cellular immune responses. The offered vaccine, grounded on our in-silico investigation, may be considered for ovarian cancer immunotherapy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10989-021-10294-w.

Role of Heavy Metals in Diabetes: Mechanisms and Treatment Strategies.

Toxic metals affecting metabolic pathways have a broad range in the ecosystem from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Because of constant contamination from waste and untreated chemical effluents, their emissions have risen significantly over the last few decades, quickly gaining attention due to their crucial role in the development of several metabolic disorders, notably diabetes mellitus. Cadmium and arsenic not only spread widely in our atmosphere but are also linked to a wide range of health hazards. These are primarily accumulated in the liver, kidney, and pancreas once they reach the human body, where they have deleterious effects on the metabolism of glucose and its association with other metabolic pathways, particularly glycolysis, glycogenesis, and gluconeogenesis, by altering and impairing the specific activity of major enzymes. Impairment of hepatic glucose homeostasis plays a crucial role in diabetes mellitus pathogenesis. Impaired liver and kidney functions, as well as decreased pancreatic and muscle function, also contribute significantly to elevated levels of blood glucose. Heavy metals have the potential to cause changes in the conformation in these enzymes. They also impair hormonal balance by destroying the pancreas and adrenal glands. Such metals often facilitate the development of reactive oxygen species and inhibit antioxidant defense mechanisms, with multiple organs subsequently damaged. This review briefly discusses the involvement of heavy metals in metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, the enzymes involved in this pathway, and glucose homeostasis.

Synthesis and Therapeutic Potential of Nanoceria against Cancer: An Update.

Applications of nanoceria in the biomedical field are quite promising, as previous data has shown potential use of nanoceria as therapeutics via radical scavenging and oxidative stress mitigating properties. But, still, there are contradicting reports regarding nanoceria activity, mode of action, and in vitro toxicity in the cell. There are different nanoceria synthesis methods and Ligands for functionalization and loading of nanoceria into drugs for targeted drug delivery. Redox chemistry of nanoceria exerts their anticancer properties through apoptosis and oxidative stress as it can switch between Ce3+ and Ce4+ and act as free radical scavengers. For breast cancer treatment, cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeONPs) can act as protectant for healthy cells against on-going radiotherapy. Similarly, CeONPs were used to make pancreatic cancer cells more sensitive to radiation damage setting them on the apoptotic pathway. Herein, the study reflects the use of nanoceria as a drug delivery system in chemotherapy due to its efficiency in acidic pH and oxidase activity in the microenvironment. A controlled drug delivery system was adapted using a nano-complexes of AMD-GCCNP-DOX, which were then employed against the retinoblastoma cells from the human eye to target the overexpressing chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). In radiotherapy, nanoceria acts as radioprotectants due to their free radical scavenging property and inhibit the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer. This paper summarizes the synthesis methods and application of nanoceria in cancer.

Rational design of multimeric based subunit vaccine against Mycoplasma pneumonia: Subtractive proteomics with immunoinformatics framework.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is the prevalent cause of acquired respiratory infections around the globe. A multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) must be developed to combat infections of M. pneumoniae because there is no specific disease-modifying treatment or vaccination is present. The objective of this research is to design a vaccine that targets M. pneumoniae top five highly antigenic proteins using a combination of immunological techniques and molecular docking. T-cell (HTL & CTL), B-cell, and IFN-γ of target proteins were forecasted and highly conservative epitopes were chosen for further study. For designing of final vaccine, 4LBL, 7CTL, and 5HTL epitopes were joined by linkers of KK, AAY, and GPGPG. The N-end of the vaccine was linked to an adjuvant (Cholera enterotoxin subunit B) with a linker named EAAAK to enhance immunogenicity. After the addition of adjuvants and linkers, the size of the construct was 395 amino acids. The epitopes of IFN-γ and B-cells illustrate that the model construct is optimized for cell-mediated immune or humoral responses. To ensure that the final design is safer and immunogenic, properties like non-allergens, antigenicity, and various physicochemical properties were evaluated. Molecular docking of the vaccine with the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was conducted to check the compatibility of the vaccine with the receptor. Besides, in-silico cloning was utilized for validation of the credibility and proper expression of the vaccine. Furthermore, to confirm that the multi-epitope vaccine created is protective and immunogenic, this research requires experimental validation.

Recent Updates on the Role of Nanoparticles in the Treatment of Viral Diseases.

Viral infections such as AIDS, hepatitis, herpes keratitis, and herpes labialis became resistant to drugs and it is difficult to design vaccine. In current era drug-resistant viruses are now treated by nanoparticles (NPs) and this field is known as nanobiotechnology that relates nanoscience with the biological system. NPs due to their antiviral activity are used in the treatment of viral diseases. The advantages of using the NP is its specific target action and increase the efficiency of treatment with minimum side effects. Liposomes, quantum dots, polymeric NPs, solid lipid NPs, silver NPs, gold NPs, and magnetic NPs are used to treat viral infections. NP-based therapeutics have completely replaced the usage of drugs and vaccines for viral diseases treatment. Nano vaccines have been investigated for the delivery of drugs; biomaterials-based NPs are in development to be formulated into nano vaccines. But there are limitations in the manufacturing and stabilization of NPs in the body. This review focuses on the antiviral activity of several NPs, its uptake by different viruses for viral disease treatment, nano vaccines, and the limitation of the NPs as nanotherapeutics.

Phytochemical Analysis and Antidiabetic Potential of Armoracia Rusticana: Pharmacological and Computational Approach.

Aims & Objective: Armoracia rusticana has high medicinal values and is an excellent source of phytochemicals. This study was aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of bioactive compounds from Armoracia rusticana. METHODS: The antidiabetic analysis revealed that Armoracia rusticana was highly active against α- glucosidase with IC50 values of 5.6 µg/ml. Furthermore, molecular docking was used to identify the active constituents against α-glucosidase, while using acarbose as a controlled drug. RESULTS: Upon phytochemical screening, it was found that six out of ten phytochemicals were successfully docked in the respective binding sites. The lead phytochemical was Quercetin 3-Obeta- D-xylopyranoside, which displayed a more binding score as compared to acarbose. They were subjected to analyze for drug-like properties, which further strengthen its validation. CONCLUSION: It was, therefore, concluded that Armoracia rusticana might potentially be used in the amelioration of type 2 diabetes. Potential molecules identified from this study could be considered as a lead drug to cure diabetes mellitus.

Immunoinformatics guided rational design of a next generation multi epitope based peptide (MEBP) vaccine by exploring Zika virus proteome.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an RNA virus that has spread through mosquito sting. Currently, no vaccine and antiviral medication available so far against ZIKV. Therefore, it has fostered a study to design MEBP vaccine enabling effective prevention against the ZIKV infection. In this study combination of immuno-informatics and molecular docking approach was used to constitute a MEBP vaccine. The ZIKV proteome was used for prediction of B-cell, T-cell (HTL & CTL) and IFN-γ epitopes. After prediction, highly antigenic and overlapping epitopes have been shortlisted which includes 14 CTL and 11 HTL epitopes that have been linked to the final peptide through AAY and GPGPG linkers respectively. An adjuvant at the N-end of the vaccine was added to improve the immunogenicity of the vaccine through the EAAAK linker. The final construct constitutes 435 amino acids after the addition of linkers and adjuvant. The existence of B-cell and IFN-γ epitopes affirms the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses acquired by the construct. Allergenicity, antigenicity and different physiochemical attributes of the vaccine were evaluated to assure its safety and immunogenicity profile. In fact, the construct was antigenic and non-allergenic. Docking was performed among vaccine and TLR-3 to evaluate the binding affinity and the molecular interaction. Finally, the construct was subjected to In silico cloning to confers the authenticity of its expression efficiency. However, the proposed construct need to be validate experimentally to ensure its safety and immunogenic profile.

Screening of phytochemicals against Keap1- NRF2 interaction to reactivate NRF2 Functioning: Pharmacoinformatics based approach.

The transcription factor NF- E2 p45-related factor 2 (NRF2; encoded by NFE2L2) and its principal negative regulator, the E3 ligase adaptor Kelch- like ECH- associated protein 1 (KEAP1), significantly contribute to regulation of redox, metabolic and protein homeostasis, as well as inflammation. Therefore, activation of NRF2 imparts cytoprotective effect in numerous pathophysiological conditions including chronic diseases of the lung and liver; autoimmune, neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders and cancer initiation. The objective of this study was to screen library of phytochemicals to identify phytochemicals for direct inhibition of the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction using molecular docking approach. As a result, natural compounds such as 3-(Dimethylamino)-3-imino-N-(4-methylphenyl) propanamide, Phlorizin, Diffutin, Liquiritin and Dihydrogenistin were identified as direct inhibitors of the Keap1-Nrf2 interaction, as evident from its high binding affinity and occupancy of specific binding sites of Klech domain. Thus these phytochemical could be proposed to improve cell resistance to oxidative stress, suggesting their potential as antioxidants. Moreover, the selected compounds fulfilled the Lipinksi rule and appropriate ADMET properties potentiating its efficacy. However, these need to be validated through experimental approaches to ensure its safety profile and efficacy.