Nanoparticles incorporated hydrogels for delivery of antimicrobial agents: developments and trends.

The prevention and treatment of microbial infections is an imminent global public health concern due to the poor antimicrobial performance of the existing antimicrobial regime and rapidly emerging antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbes. In order to overcome these problems and effectively control bacterial infections, various new treatment modalities have been identified. To attempt this, various micro- and macro-molecular antimicrobial agents that function by microbial membrane disruption have been developed with improved antimicrobial activity and lesser resistance. Antimicrobial nanoparticle-hydrogels systems comprising antimicrobial agents (antibiotics, biological extracts, and antimicrobial peptides) loaded nanoparticles or antimicrobial nanoparticles (metal or metal oxide) constitute an important class of biomaterials for the prevention and treatment of infections. Hydrogels that incorporate nanoparticles can offer an effective strategy for delivering antimicrobial agents (or nanoparticles) in a controlled, sustained, and targeted manner. In this review, we have described an overview of recent advancements in nanoparticle-hydrogel hybrid systems for antimicrobial agent delivery. Firstly, we have provided an overview of the nanoparticle hydrogel system and discussed various advantages of these systems in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Thereafter, different hybrid hydrogel systems encapsulating antibacterial metal/metal oxide nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, antibiotics, biological extracts, and antimicrobial peptides for controlling infections have been reviewed in detail. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of nanoparticle-hydrogel systems have been discussed.

Green-fabricated silver nanoparticles from Quercus incana leaf extract to control the early blight of tomatoes caused by Alternaria solani.

BACKGROUND: Early blight (EB) of Tomatoes, caused by Alternaria solani, is a serious fungal disease that adversely affects tomato production. Infection is characterized by dark lesions on leaves, stems, and fruits. Several agrochemicals can be used to control infection, these chemicals may disrupt environmental equilibrium. An alternative technology is needed to address this significant fungal threat. This study was designed to control the growth of EB in tomatoes caused by A. solani, using green-fabricated silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs). RESULTS: Ag-NPs were synthesized through an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach using leaf extract of Quercus incana Roxb. (Fagaceae). The physico-chemical characterization of the Ag-NPs was conducted through UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The Ag-NPs produced were round with a mean diameter of 27 nm. The antifungal activity of these Ag-NPs was assessed through in vitro Petri plate and in vitro leaflet assays against A. solani. The green fabricated Ag-NPs exhibited excellent antifungal activity in vitro at a concentration of 100 mg/l against A. solani, inhibiting growth by 98.27 ± 1.58% and 92.79 ± 1.33% during Petri plate and leaflet assays, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study suggests the practical application of green-fabricated Ag-NPs from Q. incana leaf extract against A. solani to effectively control EB disease in tomatoes.

Soret Effect on MHD Casson Fluid over an Accelerated Plate with the Help of Constant Proportional Caputo Fractional Derivative.

Non-Newtonian fluid flow is significant in engineering and biomedical applications such as thermal exchangers, electrical cooling mechanisms, nuclear reactor cooling, drug delivery, blood flow analysis, and tissue engineering. The Caputo operator has emerged as a prevalent tool in fractional calculus, garnering widespread recognition. This research aims to introduce a novel derivative by merging the proportional and Caputo operators, resulting in the fractional operator known as the constant proportional Caputo. In order to demonstrate this newly defined operator's dynamic qualities, it was employed in the analysis of the unsteady Casson flow model. In addition, the current work shows an analytical analysis to determine the Soret effect on the fractionalized MHD Casson fluid over an oscillating vertical plate. Fractional partial differential equations (PDEs) are used to formulate the problem along with IBCs. The introduction of appropriate nondimensional variables converts the PDEs into dimensionless form. The precise solutions to the fractional governing PDEs are then determined by the Laplace transform method. Velocity, concentration, and temperature profiles; the impacts of the Prandtl number; fractional parameter ß and γ; and Soret and Schmidt numbers are graphically depicted. The profiles of temperature, concentration, and velocity rise with rising time and fractional parameters. Interestingly, as the Casson flow parameter is higher, fluid velocity decreases closest to the plate but increases away from the plate. Tables showing the findings for the skin-friction coefficient, Sherwood, and Nusselt numbers for a range of flow-controlling parameter values are provided. Furthermore, an investigation is undertaken to compare fractionalized and ordinary velocity fields. The results suggest that the fractional model employing a constant proportional derivative exhibits a quicker decay than the model incorporating conventional Caputo and Caputo-Fabrizio operators.

Platinum-based targeted chemotherapies and reversal of cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Lung cancer is the one of the most prevalent cancer in the world. It kills more people from cancer than any other cause and is especially common in underdeveloped nations. With 1.2 million instances, it is also the most prevalent cancer in men worldwide, making about 16.7% of the total cancer burden. Surgery is the main form of curative treatment for early-stage lung cancer. However, the majority of patients had incurable advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) recurrence after curative purpose surgery, which is indicative of the aggressiveness of the illness and the dismal outlook. The gold standard of treatment for NSCLC patients includes drug targeting of specific mutated genes drive in development of lung cancer. Furthermore, patients with advanced NSCLC and those with early-stage illness needing adjuvant therapy should use cisplatin as it is the more active platinum drug. So, this review encompasses the non-small cell lung cancer microenvironment, treatment approaches, and use of cisplatin as a first-line regimen for NSCLC, its mechanism of action, cisplatin resistance in NSCLC and also the prevention strategies to revert the drug resistance.

Development, optimization and characterization of cisplatin loaded cubosomes for human lung carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop, optimize and evaluate glyceryl monooleate (GMO) based cubosomes as a drug delivery system containing cisplatin for treatment of human lung carcinoma. SIGNIFICANCE: The significance of this research was to successfully incorporate slightly water soluble and potent anticancer drug (cisplatin) into cubosomes, which provide slow and sustained release of drug for longer period of time. METHODS: The delivery system was developed through top-down approach by melting GMO and poloxamer 407 (P407) at 70 °C and then drop-wise addition of warm deionized water (70 °C) containing cisplatin. The formulation then exposed to probe sonicator for about 2 min. A randomized regular two level full factorial design with help of Design Expert was used for optimization of blank cubosomal formulations. Cisplatin loaded cubosomes were then subjected to physico-chemical characterization. RESULTS: The characterization of the formulation revealed that it had a sufficient surface charge of -9.56 ± 1.33 mV, 168.25 ± 5.73 nm particle size, and 60.64 ± 0.11% encapsulation efficiency. The in vitro release of cisplatin from the cubosomes at pH 7.4 was observed to be sustained, with 94.5% of the drug being released in 30 h. In contrast, 99% of cisplatin was released from the drug solution in just 1.5 h. In vitro cytotoxicity assay was conducted on the human lung carcinoma NCI-H226 cell line, the cytotoxicity of cisplatin-loaded cubosomes was relative to that of pure cisplatin solution, while blank (without cisplatin) cubosomes were nontoxic. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results demonstrated the successful development of cubosomes for sustained delivery of cisplatin.

Cubosomes were prepared, optimized, and evaluated for cisplatin delivery.A randomized regular two level full factorial design was constructed to optimize blank cubosomes.Blank cubosomes consisted of GMO as the lipid and P407 as an emulsifying agent.In vitro release studies demonstrated sustained release of cisplatin from cubosomes at pH 7.4.Cytotoxicity assay on human lung carcinoma cell line NCI-H226 showed similar cytotoxicity between cisplatin-loaded cubosomes and pure cisplatin solution while blank cubosomes exhibited no toxicity.

Thermal and hydraulic performance of ZnO/EG based nanofluids in mini tubes of different diameters: An experimental investigation.

The present experimental study investigates the thermal and hydraulic performance of Ethylene Glycol (EG)-based ZnO nanofluids (NFs) in circular minichannel test sections, each of 330 mm in length and 1.0-2.0 mm inner diameters. The experiments were conducted under steady-state constant heat flux and laminar flow conditions. The stable ZnO/EG-based NFs were synthesized using a standard two-step method in varying nanoparticles (NPs) loadings (0.012-0.048 wt%). The morphological characteristics, crystal structure, and specific surface area (SSA) showed that the NPs were sized in nm, possessing excellent crystal structure and enhanced surface area. Thermal conductivity (TC) and viscosity (VC) of the NFs were examined in the 20-60 °C temperature range. Both TC and VC possessed an increasing trend with the rise in concentration of the NPs. However, with the temperature rise, TC increased while the VC decreased and vice versa. The highest enhancements in TC and VC were 14.38 % and 15.22 %, respectively, at 40 °C and 0.048 wt% of NPs loading. The highest enrichment recorded in the local and average heat transfer coefficient (HTC) were 14.80 % and 13.48% in a minichannel with 1.0 mm inner diameter, respectively. It was directly proportional to the NPs loading and volume flow rate of the NFs. The friction factor was also directly proportional to the test section's inner cross-sectional area, while the pressure gradient showed an inverse behavior. An inverse relationship was recorded for the volume flow rate of the NFs and vice versa. Maximum friction factor and the pressure drop for all three minichannel test sections were recorded as 34.58 % and 32.16 %, respectively. The well-known Shah correlation predicted the local and average HTC within ±15.0 %, while the friction factor and the pressure gradient were well predicted by the Darcy correlation within the ±10.0 % range.

Silicon-nanoparticles loaded biochar for soil arsenic immobilization and alleviation of phytotoxicity in barley: Implications for human health risk.

Arsenic (As)-induced environmental pollution and associated health risks are recognized on a global level. Here the impact of cotton shells derived biochar (BC) and silicon-nanoparticles loaded biochar (nano-Si-BC) was explored on soil As immobilization and its phytotoxicity in barley plants in a greenhouse study. The barley plants were grown in a sandy loam soil with varying concentrations of BC and nano-Si-BC (0, 1, and 2%), along with different levels of As (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg kg-1). The FTIR spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, and XRD were used to characterize BC and nano-Si-BC. Results revealed that As treatment had a negative impact on barley plant development, grain yield, physiology, and anti-oxidative response. However, the addition of nano-Si-BC led to a 71% reduction in shoot As concentration compared to the control with 20 mg kg-1 of As, while BC alone resulted in a 51% decline. Furthermore, the 2% nano-Si-BC increased grain yield by 94% compared to control and 28% compared to BC. The addition of 2% nano-Si-BC to As-contaminated soil reduced oxidative stress (34% H2O2 and 48% MDA content) and enhanced plant As tolerance (92% peroxidase and 46% Ascorbate peroxidase activity). The chlorophyll concentration in barley plants decreased due to oxidative stress. Additionally, the incorporation of 2% nano-Si-BC resulted in a 76% reduction in water soluble and NaHCO3 extractable As. It is concluded that the use of BC or nano-Si-BC in As contaminated soil for barley resulted in a low human health risk (HQ < 1), as it effectively immobilized As and promoted higher activity of antioxidants.

UV-blocking and photocatalytic properties of Ag-coated cotton fabrics with Si binders for photo-degradation of recalcitrant dyes in aqueous solutions under sunlight.

Textile wastewater laden with dyes has emerged as a source of water pollution. This possesses a challenge in its effective treatment using a single functional material. In respond to this technological constraint, this work presents multifunctional cotton fabrics (CFs) within a single, streamlined preparation process. This approach utilizes the adherence of Ag NPs (nanoparticles) using Si binder on the surface of CFs, resulting in Ag-coated CFs through a pad dry method. The prepared samples were characterized using scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray electroscopy (SEM-EDS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transformation infrared (FT-IR). It was found that the FT-IR spectra of Ag NPs-coated CFs had peaks appear at 3400, 2900, and 1200 cm-1, implying the stretching vibrations of O-H, C-H, and C-O, respectively. Based on the EDX analysis, the presence of C, O, and Ag related to the coated CFs were detected. After coating the CFs with varying concentrations of Ag NPs (1%, 2% and 3% (w/w)), they were used to remove dyes. Under the same concentration of 10 mg/L and optimized pH 7.5 and 2 h of reaction time, 3% (w/w) Ag-coated CFs exhibited a substantial MB degradation of 98 %, while removing 95% of methyl orange, 85% of rhodamine B, and 96% of Congo red, respectively, following 2 h of Vis exposure. Ag NPs had a strong absorption at 420 nm with 2.51 eV of energy band gap. Under UV irradiation, electrons excited and produced free radicals that promoted dyes photodegradation. The oxidation by-products included p-dihydroxybenzene and succinic acid. Spent Ag-coated CFs attained 98% of regeneration efficiency. The utilization of Ag-coated CFs as a photocatalyst facilitated treated effluents to meet the required discharge standard of lower than 1 mg/L mandated by national legislation. The integration of multifunctional CFs in the treatment system presents a new option for tackling water pollution due to dyes.

An efficient energy management scheme using rule-based swarm intelligence approach to support pulsed load via solar-powered battery-ultracapacitor hybrid energy system.

This work presents an energy management scheme (EMS) based on a rule-based grasshopper optimization algorithm (RB-GOA) for a solar-powered battery-ultracapacitor hybrid system. The main objective is to efficiently meet pulsed load (PL) demands and extract maximum energy from the photovoltaic (PV) array. The proposed approach establishes a simple IF-THEN set of rules to define the search space, including PV, battery bank (BB), and ultracapacitor (UC) constraints. GOA then dynamically allocates power shares among PV, BB, and UC to meet PL demand based on these rules and search space. A comprehensive study is conducted to evaluate and compare the performance of the proposed technique with other well-known swarm intelligence techniques (SITs) such as the cuckoo search algorithm (CSA), gray wolf optimization (GWO), and salp swarm algorithm (SSA). Evaluation is carried out for various cases, including PV alone without any energy storage device, variable PV with a constant load, variable PV with PL cases, and PV with maximum power point tracking (MPPT). Comparative analysis shows that the proposed technique outperforms the other SITs in terms of reducing power surges caused by PV power or load transition, oscillation mitigation, and MPP tracking. Specifically, for the variable PV with constant load case, it reduces the power surge by 26%, 22%, and 8% compared to CSA, GWO, and SSA, respectively. It also mitigates oscillations twice as fast as CSA and GWO and more than three times as fast as SSA. Moreover, it reduces the power surge by 9 times compared to CSA and GWO and by 6 times compared to SSA in variable PV with the PL case. Furthermore, its MPP tracking speed is approximately 29% to 61% faster than its counterparts, regardless of weather conditions. The results demonstrate that the proposed EMS is superior to other SITs in keeping a stable output across PL demand, reducing power surges, and minimizing oscillations while maximizing the usage of PV energy.

Fibrin-targeted phase shift microbubbles for the treatment of microvascular obstruction.

Rationale: Microvascular obstruction (MVO) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a common problem associated with adverse clinical outcomes. We are developing a novel treatment, termed sonoreperfusion (SRP), to restore microvascular patency. This entails using ultrasound-targeted microbubble cavitation (UTMC) of intravenously administered gas-filled lipid microbubbles (MBs) to dissolve obstructive microthrombi in the microvasculature. In our prior work, we used standard-sized lipid MBs. In the present study, to improve upon the efficiency and efficacy of SRP, we sought to determine the therapeutic efficacy of fibrin-targeted phase shift microbubbles (FTPSMBs) in achieving successful reperfusion of MVO. We hypothesized that owing to their much smaller size and affinity for thrombus, FTPSMBs would provide more effective dissolution of microthrombi when compared to that of the corresponding standard-sized lipid MBs. Methods: MVO in the rat hindlimb was created by direct injection of microthrombi into the left femoral artery. Definity MBs (Lantheus Medical Imaging) were infused through the jugular vein for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging (CEUS). A transducer was positioned vertically above the hindlimb for therapeutic US delivery during the concomitant administration of various therapeutic formulations, including (1) un-targeted MBs; (2) un-targeted phase shift microbubbles (PSMBs); (3) fibrin-targeted MB (FTMBs); and (4) fibrin-targeted PSMBs (FTPSMBs). CEUS cine loops with burst replenishment were obtained at baseline (BL), 10 min post-MVO, and after each of two successive 10-minute SRP treatment sessions (TX1, TX2) and analyzed (MATLAB). Results: In-vitro binding affinity assay showed increased fibrin binding peptide (FBP) affinity for the fibrin clots compared with the untargeted peptide (DK12). Similarly, in our in-vitro model of MVO, we observed a higher binding affinity of fluorescently labeled FTPSMBs with the porcine microthrombi compared to FTMBs, PSMBs, and MBs. Finally, in our hindlimb model, we found that UTMC with FTPSMBs yielded the greatest recovery of blood volume (dB) and flow rate (dB/sec) following MVO, compared to all other treatment groups. Conclusions: SRP with FTPSMBs achieves more rapid and complete reperfusion of MVO compared to FTMBs, PSMBs, and MBs. Studies to explore the underlying physical and molecular mechanisms are underway.

Co-amplification of microbial DNA: A novel observation of a misconstrued second peak at locus D7S820.

DNA fingerprinting, a gold standard, is one of the most powerful tool in applied sciences especially helpful in criminal investigation. Entering in advanced era of forensic DNA, profile reading is much trickier than ever. An unusual DNA profile was observed from a nail swab of female brutally murdered in a domestic violence case. At first, DNA profile was misconstrued as heterozygote at locus D7S820 but later, it was confirmed as homozygous from other evidence items submitted in the same case. Subsequent reprocessing of the same sample, from the extraction stage through to DNA profiling and DNA profile form victim's blood, conclusively established that the unusual peak is from a non-specific microbial presence at that locus.

Antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer potential of green fabricated silver nanoparticles made from Viburnum grandiflorum leaf extract.

BACKGROUND: Recently, researchers are focusing on creating new tools to combat the antibiotic resistant bacteria and malignancy issues, which pose significant threats to humanity. Biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are thought to be a potential solution to these issues. The biosynthesis method, known for its environmentally friendly and cost-effective characteristics, can produce small-sized AgNPs with antimicrobial and anticancer properties. In this study, AgNPs were bio-fabricated from the distilled water and methanolic extracts of Viburnum grandiflorum leaves. Physio-chemical characterization of the bio-fabricated AgNPs was conducted using UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and X-ray diffraction analysis. RESULTS: AgNPs produced from the methanol extract were smaller in size (12.28 nm) compared to those from the aqueous extract (17.77 nm). The bioengineered AgNPs exhibited a circular shape with a crystalline nature. These biosynthesized AgNPs demonstrated excellent bactericidal activity against both gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Highest antibacterial activity was observed with the methanol extract against P. aeruginosa (14.66 ± 0.74 mm). AgNPs from the methanol extract also displayed the highest antioxidant activity, with an IC50 value of 188.00 ± 2.67 µg/mL against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). Furthermore, AgNPs exhibited notable cytotoxic activity against Rhabdomyosarcoma cell line (RD cell) of human muscle cancer cell. The IC50 values calculated from the MTT assay were 26.28 ± 1.58 and 21.49 ± 1.44 µg/mL for AgNPs synthesized from aqueous and methanol extracts, respectively. CONCLUSION: The methanol extract of V. grandiflorum leaves demonstrates significant potential for synthesizing AgNPs with effective antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer actions, making them applicable in various biomedical applications.

Magnetic nanocomposite of maize offal biomass for effective sequestration of Congo red and methyl orange dyes from contaminated water: modeling, kinetics and reusability.

The current study aims to use a facile and novel method to remove Congo red (CR) and Methyl Orange (MO) dyes from contaminated water with Maize offal biomass (MOB) and its nanocomposite with magnetic nanoparticles (MOB/MNPs). The MOB and MOB/MNPs were characterized with Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET, XRD and point of zero charge (pHPZC). The influence of initial CR and MO levels (20-320 mg/L), adsorbent dosage (1-3 g/L), pH (3-9), co-exiting ions, temperature (25-45 °C) and time (15-180 min) was estimated. The findings demonstrated that MOB/MNPs exhibited excellent adsorption of 114.75 and 29.0 mg/g for CR and MO dyes, respectively while MOB exhibited 81.35 and 23.02 mg/g adsorption for CR and MO dyes, respectively at optimum pH-5, and dose 2 g/L. Initially, there was rapid dye removal which slowed down until equilibrium was reached. The interfering/competing ions in contaminated water and elevated temperature favored the dyes sequestration. The MOB/MNPs exhibited tremendous reusability and stability. The dyes adsorption was spontaneous, and exothermic with enhanced randomness. The adsorption effects were well explained with Freundlich model, pseudo second order and Elovich models. It is concluded that MOB/MNPs showed excellent, eco-friendly, and cost-effective potential to decontaminate the water.

Nanocomposite of Maize offal biomass demonstrated higher dyes removal.FTIR, SEM, BET, XRD and pH_PZC provided vital evidence for dyes adsorption.MOB/MNPs displayed excellent stability and reusability for dyes adsorption.Groundwater samples exposed a higher dyes removal.Results were validated with equilibrium and kinetic adsorption models.

Ethnobotanical Insights into Medicinal and Culinary Plant Use: The Dwindling Traditional Heritage of the Dard Ethnic Group in the Gurez Region of the Kashmir Valley, India.

This ethnobiological study addresses the complicated relationship between the Dard ethnic group and their natural environment in the Gurez region of the Kashmir Valley. The study documents their traditional knowledge of the use of plant species for medicinal and culinary purposes. A total of 87 plant species from 41 different families were cataloged, with the Asteraceae family (15 species) and the Lamiaceae family (12 species) being the most commonly used. These plants were found to be used to treat 20 different ailments, with menstrual cramps being the most common (12 species). The fidelity values for these plants ranged from 11.10 to 71.42, demonstrating their importance in traditional medicine. In addition, 17 plant species were found to be useful for gastronomic purposes, with Juglans regia being the most valuable (use value of 0.73). The study also evaluated the conservation status of these plants and found that seven of them are considered critically endangered, ten endangered, and four endangered according to the IUCN classification. This study offers insights into the Dard people's deep connection to their natural environment and has significant implications for policy formulation, cultural conservation, and sustainable use of endemic species, as well as potential applications in pharmaceutical research for therapeutic compounds.

Fabrication, characterization, and application of light weight thermal insulation material from combined buffing dust and plaster of paris for construction industry.

Buffing dust, generated from tannery industries, is a source of air pollution in Pakistan. Valorization of the waste into another useful material is important to deal with the environmental pollution, while reducing waste disposal costs in landfills. To demonstrate its technological strength, this work fabricates a thermal insulation material made of plaster of Paris and the buffing dust (from tanning waste) in the form of a composite with superior mechanical properties and low thermal conductivity. Buffing dust with concentrations ranging from 5 to 20% (w/w) were loaded in the composite. The samples synthesized were made slurry of plaster of Paris, buffing dust, and water at ambient temperature. The physico-mechanical properties of composite were analyzed. It was found that the composite had better thermal insulation properties than the panels of the plaster of Paris. Its thermal conductivity was reduced to 15% after adding buffing dust (20% w/w). All the materials had physico-chemical properties like tensile strength (0.02 MPa and 0.06 MPa), density (700-400 kg/m3), water absorption (5.2-8.6%) and thermal conductivity (0.17000-0.09218 W/m-K). Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the material was thermally stable at temperatures ranging from 145 to 177 °C, while FT-IR results revealed that the composite contained O-H, N-H, and CO functional groups. SEM analysis displayed that the composite's homogeneity was reduced with low voids due to buffing dust addition, while EDX analysis showed that the composite contained 23.62% of S, 26.76% of Ca, 49.2% of O and 0.42% of C. This implies that buffing dust could be recycled to manufacture heat insulation materials for construction sector to reduce air pollution, while minimizing energy consumption. By integrating the buffing dust from tanning waste and the plaster of Paris as a composite for construction sector, this work promotes the recycling of unused waste, while saving public funds. Instead of paying landfill fees and polluting soil, the waste may be recycled at lower cost, while reducing environmental damage.

Thiolated Polymeric Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications: A Review.

Hydrogels are a three-dimensional (3D) network of hydrophilic polymers. The physical and chemical crosslinking of polymeric chains maintains the structure of the hydrogels even when they are swollen in water. They can be modified with thiol by thiol epoxy, thiol-ene, thiol-disulfide, or thiol-one reactions. Their application as a matrix for protein and drug delivery, cellular immobilization, regenerative medicine, and scaffolds for tissue engineering was initiated in the early 21st century. This review focuses on the ingredients, classification techniques, and applications of hydrogels, types of thiolation by different thiol-reducing agents, along with their mechanisms. In this study, different applications for polymers used in thiolated hydrogels, including dextran, gelatin, polyethylene glycol (PEG), cyclodextrins, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, alginate, poloxamer, polygalacturonic acid, pectin, carrageenan gum, arabinoxylan, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), gellan gum, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are reviewed.

An improved grasshopper-based MPPT approach to reduce tracking time and startup oscillations in photovoltaic system under partial shading conditions.

Global maximum power point (GMPP) tracking under shading conditions with low tracking time and reduced startup oscillations is one of the challenging tasks in photovoltaic (PV) systems. To cope with this challenge, an improved grasshopper optimization algorithm (IGOA) is proposed in this work to track the GMPP under partial shading conditions (PSC). The performance of the proposed approach is compared with well-known swarm intelligence techniques (SITs) such as gray wolf optimization (GWO), cuckoo search algorithm (CSA), salp swarm algorithm (SSA), improved SSA based on PSO (ISSAPSO), and GOA in terms of tracking time, settling time, failure rate, and startup oscillations. For a fair comparison, the PV system is analysed under uniform irradiance and three PSCs having four to six peaks in the power-voltage characteristic curves and using three to six search agents for each SIT. For this purpose, a PV system containing six solar panels has been built using MATLAB/SIMULINK software, and statistical analysis is performed in detail. The results show that the IGOA tracks the GMPP in 0.07 s and settles the output in 0.12 s which is 25% to 96% faster than its counterparts. Moreover, IGOA proves its consistency with a minimal tracking failure rate of 0% for four to six search agents with negligible startup oscillations. This work is expected to be helpful to PV system installers in obtaining maximum benefits from the installed system.

Role of Prophylactic Oral Antibiotics in the Prevention of Post-cataract Surgery Acute Infective Endophthalmitis.

Purpose To evaluate the role of perioperative oral antibiotics in the prevention of acute infective endophthalmitis (IE) after cataract surgery. Methods A prospective cohort study of patients older than 18 years of age undergoing uncomplicated phacoemulsification was conducted. Group A was given post-op oral ciprofloxacin for three days, whereas Group B was not. Both groups received 5% povidone-iodine (PVI) preparation for five minutes in the conjunctival cul-de-sac, and intracameral (IC) 0.5% moxifloxacin was administered at the end of the procedure as prophylaxis. The minimum post-op follow-up period was six weeks. Results Out of 2161 patients, 859 (39.8%) were included in Group A, and 1302 (60.2%) were included in Group B. No significant difference in anterior chamber (AC) reaction was found on day 1 (p = 0.67), day 14 (p = 0.03), or day 45 (p = 0.1). One patient developed acute post-op IE (0.04%) and two patients developed toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) from Group A. The non-oral antibiotic group had no serious complications. Conclusion Perioperative oral antibiotic use in routine clinical practice is not recommended for the prevention of acute post-op IE. Pre-op conjunctival PVI 5% for five minutes and IC moxifloxacin at the end of surgery were proven to be effective prophylactic measures in our study.

Numerical investigation of MHD flow of hyperbolic tangent nanofluid over a non-linear stretching sheet.

This research investigates two-dimensional MHD incompressible boundary layer Hyperbolic Tangent nanofluid flow across a non-linear stretching plate. Similarity transformations are employed to convert the governing non-linear partial differential equations (PDEs) into coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The MATLAB built-in routine bvp4c has been used for finding the numerical solutions of the dimensionless velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles. The current findings are validated with already published results. The influence of some important parameters on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are displayed through graphs and tables. It is observed that for increasing values of magnetic parameter M and hyperbolic Tangent parameter We, the boundary layer thickness of the velocity profile decreases while it increases for the temperature profile.

Prevalence of chronic pain in Pakistan - a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of chronic pain, its physical and psychosocial impact on daily life, and the various therapies adopted to alleviate pain. METHODS: The cross-sectional population-based telephonic survey was conducted from May to July 2021 at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised patients of either gender aged at least 18 years suffering from chronic pain who visited the institutional laboratory collection centres. In the first phase, people who were suffering from chronic pain were screened, while in the second phase, data was collected using a detailed questionnaire exploring pain history, treatment and its effects. The data was compiled and analysed using Antlere's AI based software. RESULTS: Of the 4,801 patients contacted, 757(15.75%) were suffering from chronic pain. A total of 201(20%) subjects reported that their pain score was 5/10 on the numerical rating scale. Back pain was the major complaint (183, 18%) among the subjects. Of the total, 335(44.25%) were having active treatment, and 226 (67%) of them said the medication was effective. Overall, 706 (93%) patients had never visited a pain management specialist. Furthermore, 252 (33%) participants were diagnosed with depression, and 106 (14%) patients said that they were suicidal at some point in life. CONCLUSIONS: .The survey observed that a high percentage of unawareness existed on pain management among the Pakistani citizens.