Global perspective of municipal solid waste and landfill leachate: generation, composition, eco-toxicity, and sustainable management strategies.

Globally, more than 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated each year, with that amount anticipated to reach around 3.5 billion tonnes by 2050. On a worldwide scale, food and green waste contribute the major proportion of MSW, which accounts for 44% of global waste, followed by recycling waste (38%), which includes plastic, glass, cardboard, and paper, and 18% of other materials. Population growth, urbanization, and industrial expansion are the principal drivers of the ever-increasing production of MSW across the world. Among the different practices employed for the management of waste, landfill disposal has been the most popular and easiest method across the world. Waste management practices differ significantly depending on the income level. In high-income nations, only 2% of waste is dumped, whereas in low-income nations, approximately 93% of waste is burned or dumped. However, the unscientific disposal of waste in landfills causes the generation of gases, heat, and leachate and results in a variety of ecotoxicological problems, including global warming, water pollution, fire hazards, and health effects that are hazardous to both the environment and public health. Therefore, sustainable management of MSW and landfill leachate is critical, necessitating the use of more advanced techniques to lessen waste production and maximize recycling to assure environmental sustainability. The present review provides an updated overview of the global perspective of municipal waste generation, composition, landfill heat and leachate formation, and ecotoxicological effects, and also discusses integrated-waste management approaches for the sustainable management of municipal waste and landfill leachate.

Novel immune checkpoint targets: A promising therapy for cancer treatments.

The immune system frequently comprises immunological checkpoints. They serve as a barrier to keep the immune system from overreacting and damaging cells that are robust. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are utilized in immunotherapy to prevent the synergy of partner proteins of checkpoint proteins with auxiliary proteins. Moreover, the T cells may target malignant cells since the "off" signal cannot be conveyed. ICIs, which are mostly composed of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and anti- programmed death-1/programmed ligand 1 (anti-PD-1/PD-L1), might transform the context of cancer therapy. Further, more patients continued to exhibit adaptive resistance, even though several ICIs demonstrated convincing therapeutic benefits in selective tumor types. Immune checkpoint therapy's overall effectiveness is still lacking at this time. A popular area of study involves investigating additional immune checkpoint molecules. Recent research has found a number of fresh immune checkpoint targets, including NKG2A ligands, TIGIT, B7-H6 ligands, Galectin 3, TIM3, and so on. These targets have been focus of the study, and recent investigational approaches have shown encouraging outcomes. In this review article, we covered the development and present level understanding of these recently identified immune checkpoint molecules, its effectiveness and limitations.

VDR downregulation and promoter hypermethylation as one of the causes for triggering type 2 diabetes mellitus: Clinical and molecular studies.

Background: Our present study was to investigate the methylation and Gene expression of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene in the causing T2DM and to determine the inflammatory biomarkers in exaggerating T2DM in Kashmiri population. Methods: In this study, T2DM cases (n = 100) and controls (n = 100) of Kashmiri population were designed. Blood samples were taken from both groups, and serum vitamin D levels, inflammatory biomarkers (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, CRP, Leptin and adiponectin) were estimated by ELISA. By using methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR) and RT-PCR, respectively, the levels of methylation and expression were measured after the extraction of DNA and RNA. Results: Studies using RT-PCR demonstrated that patients with diabetes had a lower degree of VDR expression than control subjects (P > 0.05). The T2DM was shown to be strongly correlated with hypermethylation (p-value < 0.001, OR 2.9; 95%CI 1.6-5.54). When compared to control groups, T2DM patients' levels of vitamin D in their serum were considerably lower (p < 0.01). Pro-inflammatory mediators like TNF-α, CRP, IL-6, and leptin levels were discovered to be higher, and concentrations of anti-inflammatory mediators like IL-10 and adiponectin were observed to be lower in people with T2DM than in people without the condition (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study suggests the hypermethylation and down expression of VDR as one of the basis for causing T2DM in kashmiri individuals, exaggerated by enhanced degree of TNF-α, CRP, IL-6 and leptin and diminished concentration of IL-10 and adiponectin in T2DM. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-023-01266-6.

Understanding the potential immunogenetic role of TNFα-308 polymorphism in the pathogenesis of recurrent miscarriage.

Background: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) represents the spontaneous termination of two or more successive pregnancies. TNFα is a proinflammatory cytokine that is often considered harmful for embryonic development when expressed beyond normal levels. Aim: The study was conducted to assess the association between TNFα-308 polymorphism and RM pathogenesis. Methods: Samples of blood were obtained from patients and controls through venipuncture. The levels of TNFα in serum were measured by ELISA. TNFα gene promoter-associated single-nucleotide polymorphism was investigated with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques with precise primers and the restriction endonuclease, NcoI. Results: Serum TNFα levels in patients were considerably high (p < 0.05) than controls. The genotype and allele frequencies for TNFα gene polymorphism differs significantly (p = 0.0089; p = 0.0043 respectively) between patients and controls. The TNFα-308 SNP exhibited a link with higher RM risk in heterozygous (GG vs. GA; OR: 3.086, 95% CI: 1.475-6.480; p: 0.0027), dominant (GG vs. GA + AA; OR: 2.919, 95% CI: 1.410-6.056, p: 0.0038), and allelic/codominant (G vs. A; OR: 2.449, 95% CI: 1.313-4.644, p: 0.0064) models. However, this SNP showed an insignificant association with higher and lower RM risk in homozygous (GG vs. AA; OR: 1.915, 95% CI: 0.3804-10.99, p: 0.6560) and recessive (AA vs. GA + GG; OR: 0.6596, 95% CI: 0.1152-3.297, p: >0.9999) models, respectively. Further, the TNFα-308G/A genotype frequencies were in concord with HWE both in the controls (χ2 = 3.235; p = 0.1985) and the patients (χ2 = 0.0117; p = 0.9942). Conclusion: The serum TNFα levels were significantly higher in the patients than the controls. The genotyping analysis also demonstrated that TNFα-308G/A SNP significantly increases the overall risk of RM, suggesting that the SNP modulates the TNFα gene expression and thereby increases serum TNFα levels that adversely affect the pregnancy outcome.

TGF-ß signaling pathway: Therapeutic targeting and potential for anti-cancer immunity.

Transforming growth factor-ß (TGFß) is a pleiotropic secretory cytokine exhibiting both cancer-inhibitory and promoting properties. It transmits its signals via Suppressor of Mother against Decapentaplegic (SMAD) and non-SMAD pathways and regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis. In non-cancer and early-stage cancer cells, TGFß signaling suppresses cancer progression via inducing apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, or anti-proliferation, and promoting cell differentiation. On the other hand, TGFß may also act as an oncogene in advanced stages of tumors, wherein it develops immune-suppressive tumor microenvironments and induces the proliferation of cancer cells, invasion, angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, and metastasis. Higher TGFß expression leads to the instigation and development of cancer. Therefore, suppressing TGFß signals may present a potential treatment option for inhibiting tumorigenesis and metastasis. Different inhibitory molecules, including ligand traps, anti-sense oligo-nucleotides, small molecule receptor-kinase inhibitors, small molecule inhibitors, and vaccines, have been developed and clinically trialed for blocking the TGFß signaling pathway. These molecules are not pro-oncogenic response-specific but block all signaling effects induced by TGFß. Nonetheless, targeting the activation of TGFß signaling with maximized specificity and minimized toxicity can enhance the efficacy of therapeutic approaches against this signaling pathway. The molecules that are used to target TGFß are non-cytotoxic to cancer cells but designed to curtail the over-activation of invasion and metastasis driving TGFß signaling in stromal and cancer cells. Here, we discussed the critical role of TGFß in tumorigenesis, and metastasis, as well as the outcome and the promising achievement of TGFß inhibitory molecules in the treatment of cancer.

Nanogel-based Transdermal Drug Delivery System: A Therapeutic Strategy with Under Discussed Potential.

The application of nanoparticles in medication delivery has revolutionized the field of therapeutic biology. To improve medical efficacy, currently, drug nanocarriers are employed to control the release and stability, expand its circulation time, or protect it from cell clearance or premature breakdown. A crosslinked polymeric framework is used to crosslink the hydrogel nanoparticle dispersions for safer and stable delivery on target sites. Nanogels have developed in the last two decades as potential biomaterials with a wide variety of applications. Later attributes of nanogels are mainly due to large surface areas, retention of molecules, size flexibility, and water-based formulations that have made them popular as drug delivery vehicles, as seen by several in vivo uses. The gel matrix containing the nanoparticle drug demonstrated a considerable increase in drug penetration in transdermal drug and topical delivery methods. This review aims to understand why and how nanogels are considered so innovative as a drug delivery method. It also examines their preparation methods and applications in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields and discusses the benefits of nanogels, including swelling capacity and stimulus stimuli sensitivity. Nanogels, on the other hand, have recently been investigated for applications outside the field of biomedicine. Since there are many possible uses for nanogels, we have comprehensively reviewed the current state of the art for all feasible nanogel applications and manufacturing methods.

Isolation and Characterization of Flavonoid Naringenin and Evaluation of Cytotoxic and Biological Efficacy of Water Lilly (Nymphaea mexicana Zucc.).

Despite its limited exploration, Nymphaea mexicana Zucc. can be beneficial if pharmacology, isolation, and biological evaluation are given attention. It is an aquatic species that belongs to the family Nymphaeaceae. The thrust area of the work was the extraction, isolation, and biological evaluation of different extracts of the N. mexicana Zucc. plant. The primary goal of this research was to assess the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of the extracts and to isolate the target naringenin compound. Comparative FT IR analysis of different extracts of this plant revealed the presence of functional groups of plant secondary metabolites, including polyphenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, esters, amines, glycosides, alkanes, alkaloids, fatty acids, and alcohols. Moderate free radical scavenging potential has been achieved for the various extracts via reducing power and DPPH assays. While cytotoxic activity was evaluated by colorimetric and lactate dehydrogenase cell viability tests on potent cancer cell lines. Lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells (A-549), and breast cells (MC-7) were treated with MeOH extract. The antimicrobial activity against bacterial strains was evaluated using Gram-positive and -negative cultures, where maximum and minimum inhibition zones were recorded for different strains, including 1.6-25.6 µg/mL for Streptococcus aureus, using the agar well diffusion method. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of different extracts of N. mexicana Zucc. was evaluated in a nitrite radical scavenging assay with high concentrations of secondary metabolites, which are important against human pathogens and other diseases.

Immunogenetic Role of IL17A Polymorphism in the Pathogenesis of Recurrent Miscarriage.

Interleukin-17A (IL17A) is a proinflammatory cytokine and is assumed to play an important role in fetal rejection. In order to evaluate the potential role of IL17A polymorphism in the pathogenesis of recurrent miscarriage (RM), serum IL17A levels were estimated by ELISA. Single-nucleotide polymorphism was assessed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using gene-specific primers and the EcoNI restriction enzyme. Serum IL17A levels were nonsignificantly (p > 0.5) low in RM patients compared with the control group. IL17A gene amplification by PCR yielded the undigested product of 815 bp, and its digestion with EcoNI enzyme produced 815, 529, 286, and 270 bp fragments for the GG genotype; 529, 286, and 270 bp fragments for the GA genotype; and 529 and 286 bp fragments for the AA genotype. The genotype frequency between the RM and control groups exhibited a significant difference (p = 0.001), whereas no significant difference was observed between allele frequencies in the two groups (p = 0.0954). These data suggest that the IL17A gene polymorphism exhibits no significant effect on IL17A gene expression. However, it significantly decreases and increases RM risk in the homozygous and recessive models, suggesting its potential pregnancy-protecting and -harming roles in the AA and GA + GG genotypes, respectively.

Impaired renal reserve contributes to preeclampsia via the kynurenine and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 pathway.

To understand how kidney donation leads to an increased risk of preeclampsia, we studied pregnant outbred mice with prior uninephrectomy and compared them with sham-operated littermates carrying both kidneys. During pregnancy, uninephrectomized (UNx) mice failed to achieve a physiological increase in the glomerular filtration rate and during late gestation developed hypertension, albuminuria, glomerular endothelial damage, and excess placental production of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT1), an antiangiogenic protein implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Maternal hypertension in UNx mice was associated with low plasma volumes, an increased rate of fetal resorption, impaired spiral artery remodeling, and placental ischemia. To evaluate potential mechanisms, we studied plasma metabolite changes using mass spectrometry and noted that l-kynurenine, a metabolite of l-tryptophan, was upregulated approximately 3-fold during pregnancy when compared with prepregnant concentrations in the same animals, consistent with prior reports suggesting a protective role for l-kynurenine in placental health. However, UNx mice failed to show upregulation of l-kynurenine during pregnancy; furthermore, when UNx mice were fed l-kynurenine in drinking water throughout pregnancy, their preeclampsia-like state was rescued, including a reversal of placental ischemia and normalization of sFLT1 levels. In aggregate, we provide a mechanistic basis for how impaired renal reserve and the resulting failure to upregulate l-kynurenine during pregnancy can lead to impaired placentation, placental hypoperfusion, an antiangiogenic state, and subsequent preeclampsia.

Metabolic syndrome and underlying genetic determinants-A systematic review.

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of heritable and related traits which has been associated with a range of pathophysiological factors including dyslipidaemia, abdominal obesity, increased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hypertension. The documented genetic basis of the metabolic syndrome include several chromosomal positions, numerous candidate gene-associated polymorphisms, different genetic variants, which are linked to the syndrome either as a trait or entities mainly linked to metabolic process. Additionally, the latest findings related to the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms, microRNAs, sporadic variants, non-coding RNAs, and assessing the role of genes in molecular systems has enhanced our understanding of the syndrome. Considerable work has been done to understand the underlying disease mechanisms by elucidating its genetic etiology. Nonetheless, a common shared genetic cause has not been established to clarify the coexistence of their components and further investigation is required. While mostly neglected and rarely known, hereditary predisposition needs to be studied, including with the current defective phenotypic condition descriptions. Metabolic syndrome is a multi-faceted characteristic with abundant properties and the condition can arise from interactions between environmental variables such as physical inactivity, caloric obesity and genetic susceptibility. Although there is support for genetic determinants from family and twin research, there is still no recognised genomic DNA marker for genetic association and linkages with quite a long way off potential for clinical application. In the present review efforts have been made to through light on the various genetic determinants with large effects that underlie with the association of these traits to this syndrome. The heterogeneity and multifactorial heritability of MetS, however, has been a challenge towards understanding the factors underlying the association of these traits.

Myricetin (3,3',4',5,5',7-hexahydroxyflavone) prevents ethanol-induced biochemical and inflammatory damage in the liver of Wistar rats.

Purpose: The current investigation was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of myricetin in ethanol-induced liver toxicity in Wistar rats. Research Design: Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into four groups with six animals per group. Group-I animals were administered with vehicle (distilled water), Group II, III, and IV were treated orally with sequential (per week) increase in the dose of ethanol (5, 8, 10, and 12 g/kg b wt per week in each group) for 28 days. Myricetin was treated orally to Group-III and IV animals at the respective doses of 25 mg/kg b wt. and 50 mg/kg b wt. Results: Our results showed that myricetin prevented hepatotoxicity by modulating the production of free radicals, ethanol metabolizing enzymes, and inflammatory markers in vivo. Myricetin also helped maintain lipid membrane integrity, oxidant-antioxidant status, and histoarchitecture. Ethanol administration caused elevation in XO, ADH, and CYP2E1 in hepatic tissue, which significantly normalized with myricetin administration. After ethanol administration, there was a steep increase in the hepatotoxicity biomarkers, including ALT, MDA, and AST. The level of cytotoxicity marker LDH also increased after ethanol administration; myricetin administration decreased the level of all these markers. Moreover, myricetin treatment also reduced ethanol-induced inflammatory markers such as NF-κB and IL-6. Conclusion: Findings from the current study demonstrate that myricetin administration prevents alcohol-induced hepatic injury by influencing the metabolism of ethanol, inhibiting oxidative stress, maintaining lipid profile, and suppressing inflammatory markers.

Current nano-therapeutic approaches ameliorating inflammation in cancer progression.

Cancer is one of the biggest causes of mortality in the world. The advances in cancer research have taken us to distance in understanding the disease, which helps develop therapeutic strategies. Surgery and chemotherapy are the two main chosen routes of combat for cancer. These chemotherapeutic agents are good at targeting cancer, but many lack the specificity to make the distinction between healthy cells. Also, the toxicity of these chemotherapeutic agents is very high. This gap makes it quintessential to either look for better and safe agents or makes it possible for existing agents to meet these needs. Nanotechnology has the potential to deal with these unmet needs. Nanotechnology has been a hot topic recently due to its applications, one of these being nanomedicine. Studies have proven that cancer nanomedicine has a scope of being revolutionary. With the help of nanoparticles, we can make drugs specific for the cancer tissue; it can also help in increasing the bioavailability of the drug. A nanoparticle can be modified as such that it can carry the drug load that is required and deliver it to the specific target. In this review article, we have discussed the advances in nanomedicine and the current clinical status of various nanomedicines. We have extensively explored various strategies used to develop cancer nanomedicine while also discussing their mechanism of action.

Toxicological analysis of synthetic dye orange red on expression of NFκB-mediated inflammatory markers in Wistar rats.

Orange red is a food and cosmetic coloring agent made by the amalgamation of two azo dyes carmoisine and sunset yellow. The current study demonstrates the effect of different concentrations of orange red on antioxidant status, inflammatory biomarkers (TNFα, IFNγ, IL1ß, IL6, COX-2, iNOS, and NFκB/p65), biochemical enzymes, and liver histology. In totality, 25 male Wistar rats were procured and arbitrarily alienated into 5 different groups each with 5 animals. Group I was taken as the control. Groups II-V were designated as treatment groups. Groups II and III were administered with (5 and 25 mg/kg b.wt.) and groups IV and V with (150 and 300 mg/kg b.wt.) of orange red via oral gavage for 30 days. It was observed that both low and high concentrations of orange red (25, 150, and 300 mg/kg) remarkably augmented the levels of serum inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IFNγ, IL1ß, and IL6) and the protein and gene expression of COX-2, iNOS, and NFκB/p65. A significant decrease in glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxidase dismutase, and catalase activity was observed with increasing concentration of orange red. Furthermore, an increase in the level of several vital biochemical parameters and damage severity to hepatic tissue was also found dose dependent.

Immunomodulation: An immune regulatory mechanism in carcinoma therapeutics.

Cancer has been generally related to the possession of numerous mutations which interrupt important signaling pathways. Nevertheless, deregulated immunological signaling is considered as one of the key factors associated with the development and progression of cancer. The signaling pathways operate as modular network with different components interacting in a switch-like fashion with two proteins interplaying between each other leading to direct or indirect inhibition or stimulation of down-stream factors. Genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic alterations maintain the pathological conduit of different signaling pathways via affecting diverse mechanisms including cell destiny. At present, immunotherapy is one of the best therapies opted for cancer treatment. The cancer immunotherapy strategy includes harnessing the specificity and killing mechanisms of the immunological system to target and eradicate malignant cells. Targeted therapies utilizing several little molecules including Galunisertib, Astragaloside-IV, Melatonin, and Jervine capable of regulating key signaling pathways can effectively help in the management of different carcinomas.

Dietary Phytochemicals in Cancer Signalling Pathways: Role of miRNA Targeting.

Cancer is a multi-factorial health condition involving uncontrolled cell divisions. The disease has its roots in genetic mutation. This disease affects men, women, and even children. Chemotherapy, photodynamic, photothermal, and hormonal therapies have been used to treat this deadliest disease, but a huge percentage of patients have chances of disease recurrence or resistance. Nowadays, dysregulation in miRNAs is considered one of the key factors for the development and progression of different types of cancers as they control the expression of genes responsible for cell proliferation, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Dietary phytochemicals with anticancer properties have been gaining focus for cancer treatment since they have been found more effective in targeting cancer via regulating miRNAs expression. These phytochemicals have no side effects and are readily available at a low cost. Several dietary phytochemicals with regulatory effects on the expression of miRNAs have been reported, including curcumin, diallyl disulfide, 3, 30-diindolylmethane, ellagic acid, genistein, indole-3-carbinol, quercetin, resveratrol, and sulforaphane. They exert their regulatory effects against different cancers either by upregulating or downregulating different cancer signalling pathways and inhibiting their progression. Curcumin down-regulates SHH pathways, epigallocatechin-3-gallate regulates the Notch pathway and inhibits TGFß1/SMAD signalling, and resveratrol regulates the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and carnosic acid-induced apoptosis in colon cancer cell via JAK2/STAT3 signalling pathway. The miRNAs are used for the treatment of cancer as essential modulators in cellular pathways. Therefore, identifying the miRNAs and their targets and countering them with specific phytochemicals provide a safe and effective mechanism for the treatment of cancer.

Cytokine imbalance at materno-embryonic interface as a potential immune mechanism for recurrent pregnancy loss.

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is a prominent reproductive disease that distresses about 2%-5% of couples. RPL is the loss of two or more successive spontaneous pregnancies prior to the 20th week of embryo development. The commencement of pregnancy necessitates implantation of the embryo into responsive maternal decidua synchronized with the process of placentation, decidual and myometrial trophoblast incursion as well as refashioning of spiral blood arteries of uterus. The collapse of any of the processes fundamental for pregnancy success may result into an array of pregnancy problems including spontaneous pregnancy loss. Endometrium of human female manufactures an extensive range of cytokines during the proliferative and secretory stage of the menstrual cycle. These endometrial cytokines are thought as major players for making the uterus ready for embryo implantation and placental development during pregnancy. Decidual cytokines regulate the invasion of trophoblast and remodeling of spiral arteries as well as take part in immune suppression to accomplish the pregnancy. Deterrence of maternal rejection of embryo needs a regulated milieu, which takes place essentially at the embryo-maternal interface and the tissues of the uterus. The reasons of RPL remain anonymous in a large number of cases that lead to difficulties in management and severe trauma in couples. Cytokine modulatory therapies have been shown promising for preventing RPL. Further study of novel factors is wanted to establish more effective RPL treatment protocols. The present study aims to review the outcome of cytokine breach at materno-embryonic interface and the efficacy of cytokine modulatory therapies in RPL.

Anti-bacterial, anti-scavenging and cytotoxic activity of garden cress polysaccharides.

Plants polysaccharides are an infinite stock of drug composites with varying pharmacological and biological activities. The present investigation aimed to examine the antibacterial, anti-scavenging and cytotoxic potential of garden cress (GC) polysaccharides. The antibacterial effects vs Escherichia coli and as well as Staphylococcus aureus of GC polysaccharides were examined by means of agar diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), outer and inner cell membrane permeability. Antioxidant potential of the GC polysaccharides were performed by free radical DPPH scavenging, superoxide anion scavenging, hydroxyl radical scavenging, reducing power potential assay, and hydrogen peroxide method. Cytotoxicity potential of GC polysaccharides were evaluated by MTT assay in human cervical (HeLa) and liver carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. The findings showed that GC polysaccharides MIC were 1.06 and 0.56 mg mL-1 against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Compared to the standard inhibitor, the GC polysaccharides showed essential inhibitor assays in a very dose dependent approach, and notable actions to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) are also due to the large quantities of hydrophilic polyphenols. The IC50 values of all tested parameters were measured against standard ascorbic acid antioxidant agent. The GC polysaccharides diminish the cell viability percentage of HeLa and HepG2 in a concentration dependent manner. GC polysaccharides at a dose of 500 µg ml-1 exhibited higher anti-tumor activity in both HeLa (65.33 ± 3.75%) and HepG2 (60.33 ± 3.48%). The findings obtained in this study indicate that GC polysaccharides has antibacterial and has a possible source of natural antioxidant and also has cytotoxic effect on different carcinoma cell lines.

Evaluation of etiology and pregnancy outcome in recurrent miscarriage patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate etiology and pregnancy outcome of recurrent miscarriage women. The enrolled patients (280) were evaluated for Triiodothyronine, Thyroxine, Thyroid stimulating hormone, prolactin, chromosomal analysis, Haemoglobin A1C, blood sugar, Magnetic resonance imaging, 3D-ultrasound, auto-antibodies profile (antiphospholipid antibodies, anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant, antinuclear antibodies, anti-thyroid antibodies and ß2 glycoprotein1), torch profile (Toxoplasmo gondii, rubella, cytomegalo virus and herpes simplex virus), blood vitamin D3 levels, psychological factors, Body mass index and thrombotic factors (protein S and C deficiency, Prothrombin G20210A mutation, anti-thrombin III, Factor V Leiden and Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase mutation), uterosalpingography (hysteronsalpingography) and hysteroscopy. The therapeutic regimens either singly or combined were employed for the treatment of recurrent miscarriage patients on the basis of etiology (single or multiple) and include intravenous immunoglobulin, low molecular weight heparin, low dose aspirin, levothyroxine, progesterone, folic acid, human chorionic gonadotrophin, vitamin D3, psychotherapy, genetic counselling. However, patients with idiopathic recurrent miscarriage were treated with progesterone supplementation, anticoagulation and/or immune modulatory agents. The incidence of primary recurrent miscarriage was highest and most of the women experienced recurrent miscarriage during first trimester. Endocrinological disorders (39%) were found as the major pathological factor for recurrent miscarriage. Other factors include uterine abnormalities (5.7%), vitamin D3 deficiency (3.5%), psychological factors (3.2%) infection (3.6%), autoimmune abnormalities (1.8%) and protein S deficiency (1.8%). However, 40% cases were idiopathic. The overall live birth rate achieved after the management of recurrent miscarriage patients was 75.7%. Enocrinopathy was the major cause of recurrent miscarriage. The overall live birth rate achieved was 75.7% with highest pregnancy outcome in secondary recurrent miscarriage patients after the management.

S1 Subunit and Host Proteases as Potential Therapeutic Avenues for the Treatment of COVID-19.

The novel corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, now called COVID-19 initially originated in Wuhan city of China and later spread across borders and infected more than five million people and killed over 3.4 lakh people all over the globe. This disease has been announced as pandemic by WHO. So far, there has been not much progress in terms of drug development for fighting against this deadliest virus, also no existing drugs has been reported completely effective for COVID-19 treatment owing to lack of effective therapeutic targets and a broad understanding of the viral behavior in target cell. Some reports have found and confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 like others SARS-CoVs utilizes angiotensin converting enzyme-2 receptor for making entry into target cell by binding to the receptor with its S1 subunit and employing host cell proteases for cleaving S2 subunit at S2' in order to fuse with cell membrane. Thus, simultaneous blocking of S1 subunit and inactivation of proteases seem to be promising therapeutic targets for the development of effective novel drugs. In current write up we hypothesize that S1 subunit and host proteases as potential therapeutic avenues for the treatment of COVID-19.

Evaluation of T cell cytokines and their role in recurrent miscarriage.

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is defined as two or more consecutive pregnancy losses that affect approximately 5% of conceived women worldwide. RM is a multi-factorial reproductive problem and has been associated with parental chromosomal abnormalities, embryonic chromosomal rearrangements, uterine anomalies, autoimmune disorders, endocrine dysfunction, thrombophilia, life style factors, and maternal infections. However, the exact cause is still undecided in remaining 50% of cases. Immunological rejection of the embryo due to exacerbated maternal immune reaction against paternal embryonic antigens has been set forth as one of the significant reason for RM. The accurate means that shield the embryo during normal pregnancy from the attack of maternal immune network and dismissal are inadequately implicit. However, it is suggested that the genetically irreconcilable embryo escapes maternal immune rejection due to communication among many vital cytokines exuded at maternal-embryonic interface both by maternal and embryonic cells. Previous investigations suggested the Th1/Th2 dominance in altered immunity of RM patients, according to which the allogenic embryo flees maternal T cell reaction by inclining the Th0 differentiation toward Th2 pathway resulting into diminished pro-inflammatory Th1 immunity. However, recently pro-inflammatory Th17 cells and immunoregulatory Treg cells have been discovered as essential immune players in RM besides Th1/Th2 components. Cytokines are believed to develop a complicated regulatory network so as to establish a state of homeostasis between the semi-allogenic embryo and the maternal immune system. However, an adverse imbalance among cytokines at maternal-embryonic interface perhaps due to their gene polymorphisms may render immunoregulatory means not enough to re-establish homeostasis and thus may collapse pregnancy.