Phytochemistry of ginsenosides: Recent advancements and emerging roles.

Ginsenosides, a group of tetracyclic saponins, accounts for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical relevance of the ginseng (Panax sp.) herb. Owing to the associated therapeutic potential of ginsenosides, their demand has been increased significantly in the last two decades. However, a slow growth cycle, low seed production, and long generation time of ginseng have created a gap between the demand and supply of ginsenosides. The biosynthesis of ginsenosides involves an intricate network of pathways with multiple oxidation and glycosylation reactions. However, the exact functions of some of the associated genes/proteins are still not completely deciphered. Moreover, ginsenoside estimation and extraction using analytical techniques are not feasible with high efficiency. The present review is a step forward in recapitulating the comprehensive aspects of ginsenosides including their distribution, structural diversity, biotransformation, and functional attributes in both plants and animals including humans. Moreover, ginsenoside biosynthesis in the potential plant sources and their metabolism in the human body along with major regulators and stimulators affecting ginsenoside biosynthesis have also been discussed. Furthermore, this review consolidates biotechnological interventions to enhance the biosynthesis of ginsenosides in their potential sources and advancements in the development of synthetic biosystems for efficient ginsenoside biosynthesis to meet their rising industrial demands.

Lignans from linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) and its allied species: Retrospect, introspect and prospect.

Lignans are complex diphenolic compounds representing phytoestrogens and occur widely across the plant kingdom. Formed by the coupling of two coniferyl alcohol residues, lignans constitute major plant "specialized metabolites" with exceptional biological attributes that aid in plant defence and provide health benefits in humans by reducing the risk of ailments such as cancer, diabetes etc. Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) is one of the richest sources of lignans followed by cereals and legumes. Among the various types of lignans, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is considered as the essential and nutrient rich lignan in linseed. Lignans exhibit established antimitotic, antiviral and anti-tumor properties that contribute to their medicinal value. The present review seeks to provide a holistic view of research in the past and present times revolving around lignans from linseed and its allied species. This review attempts to elucidate sources, structures and functional properties of lignans, along with detailed biosynthetic mechanisms operating in plants. It summarizes various methods for the determination of lignan content in plants. Biotechnological interventions (in planta and in vitro) aimed at enriching lignan content and adoption of integrative approaches that might further enhance lignan content and medicinal and nutraceutical value of Linum spp. have also been discussed.

Improving drought tolerance in rice: Ensuring food security through multi-dimensional approaches.

Drought has been highly prevalent around the world especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asian countries. Consistent climatic instabilities and unpredictable rainfall patterns are further worsening the situation. Rice is a C3 staple cereal and an important food crop for the majority of the world's population and drought stress is one of the major growth retarding threats for rice that slashes down grain quality and yield. Drought deteriorates rice productivity and induces various acclimation responses that aids in stress mitigation. However, the complexity of traits associated with drought tolerance has made the understanding of drought stress-induced responses in rice a challenging process. An integrative understanding based on physiological adaptations, omics, transgenic and molecular breeding approaches successively backed up to developing drought stress-tolerant rice. The review represents a step forward to develop drought-resilient rice plants by exploiting the knowledge that collaborates with omics-based developments with integrative efforts to ensure the compilation of all the possible strategies undertaken to develop drought stress-tolerant rice.

Improvisation and Evaluation of Laterosporulin Coated Titanium Surfaces for dental Applications: An In Vitro Investigation.

Despite recent improvement in implant survival rates, there remains a significant demand for enhancing the long-term clinical efficacy of titanium (Ti) implants, particularly for the prevention of peri-implantitis. Bioactive substances such as antimicrobial peptides are emerging as effective alternatives for contemporary antimicrobial agents used in dental health care. Current research work was focused to use laterosporulins that are non-haemolytic cationic antimicrobial peptides from Brevibacillus spp. for coating commercially available Ti discs. The coated Ti surfaces were evaluated in vitro for biofilm formation by two dental plaque isolates Streptococcus gordonii strain DIGK25 and S. mutans strain DIGK119 as representatives of commensal and pathogenic streptococci respectively. The biofilm inhibition was ascertained with replicated experiments on hydroxyapatite discs and confirmed by florescence microscopy. The laterosporulin coated Ti discs showed significantly reduced biofilm formation by oral streptococci and displayed promising potential to enhance the antibacterial surface properties. Such improvised Ti surfaces may curb the menace of oral streptococcal biofilm formation on dental implants and the associated implant failures.

Mineral nutrients in plants under changing environments: A road to future food and nutrition security.

Plant nutrition is an important aspect that contributes significantly to sustainable agriculture, whereas minerals enrichment in edible source implies global human health; hence, both strategies need to be bridged to ensure "One Health" strategies. Abiotic stress-induced nutritional imbalance impairs plant growth. In this context, we discuss the molecular mechanisms related to the readjustment of nutrient pools for sustained plant growth under harsh conditions, and channeling the minerals to edible source (seeds) to address future nutritional security. This review particularly highlights interventions on (i) the physiological and molecular responses of mineral nutrients in crop plants under stressful environments; (ii) the deployment of breeding and biotechnological strategies for the optimization of nutrient acquisition, their transport, and distribution in plants under changing environments. Furthermore, the present review also infers the recent advancements in breeding and biotechnology-based biofortification approaches for nutrient enhancement in crop plants to optimize yield and grain mineral concentrations under control and stress-prone environments to address food and nutritional security.

Sustaining nitrogen dynamics: A critical aspect for improving salt tolerance in plants.

In the current changing environment, salt stress has become a major concern for plant growth and food production worldwide. Understanding the mechanisms of how plants function in saline environments is critical for initiating efforts to mitigate the detrimental effects of salt stress. Agricultural productivity is linked to nutrient availability, and it is expected that the judicious metabolism of mineral nutrients has a positive impact on alleviating salt-induced losses in crop plants. Nitrogen (N) is a macronutrient that contributes significantly to sustainable agriculture by maintaining productivity and plant growth in both optimal and stressful environments. Significant progress has been made in comprehending the fundamental physiological and molecular mechanisms associated with N-mediated plant responses to salt stress. This review provided an (a) overview of N-sensing, transportation, and assimilation in plants; (b) assess the salt stress-mediated regulation of N dynamics and nitrogen use- efficiency; (c) critically appraise the role of N in plants exposed to salt stress. Furthermore, the existing but less explored crosstalk between N and phytohormones has been discussed that may be utilized to gain a better understanding of plant adaptive responses to salt stress. In addition, the shade of a small beam of light on the manipulation of N dynamics through genetic engineering with an aim of developing salt-tolerant plants is also highlighted.

Investigating the Role of Tourists and Impact of Knowledge, Behaviour, and Attitude Towards Plastic Waste Generation.

Tourism is one of the lifelines in nations for their strong economy. Through the expansion of tourism industry, enormous amounts of plastic materials are disposed that have detrimental effects on environment, animal and human health. The present study demonstrates the role of tourists on generation of plastic waste and further statistical approach was used to investigate the impact of knowledge, behaviour, and attitude of tourists towards generation of plastic waste. Result shows that the tourists play key role in generating plastic waste at outdoor places which is a serious issue that could block drainage ways in city which leads to many waters born disease. The study highlights that the awareness can make certain changes in plastic waste generation and can bridge the knowledge-practice gap. Moreover, the circular economy can offer opportunity to exploit plastic waste into various decorative and useful products that can generate income to local community and help to reduce plastic wastes. It is also important to highlight that the government needs to take care of surveillance in the market on using plastic bags either by sellers or consumers.

Potassium: A track to develop salinity tolerant plants.

Salinity is one of the major constraints to plant growth and development across the globe that leads to the huge crop productivity loss. Salinity stress causes impairment in plant's metabolic and cellular processes including disruption in ionic homeostasis due to excess of sodium (Na+) ion influx and potassium (K+) efflux. This condition subsequently results in a significant reduction of the cytosolic K+ levels, eventually inhibiting plant growth attributes. K+ plays a crucial role in alleviating salinity stress by recasting key processes of plants. In addition, K+ acquisition and retention also serve as the perquisite trait to establish salt tolerant mechanism. In addition, an intricate network of genes and their regulatory elements are involved in coordinating salinity stress responses. Furthermore, plant growth regulators (PGRs) and other signalling molecules influence K+-mediated salinity tolerance in plants. Recently, nanoparticles (NPs) have also been found several implications in plants with respect to their roles in mediating K+ homoeostasis during salinity stress in plants. The present review describes salinity-induced adversities in plants and role of K+ in mitigating salinity-induced damages. The review also highlights the efficacy of PGRs and other signalling molecules in regulating K+ mediated salinity tolerance along with nano-technological perspective for improving K+ mediated salinity tolerance in plants.

Antiviral Essential Oil Components Against SARS-CoV-2 in Pre-procedural Mouth Rinses for Dental Settings During COVID-19: A Computational Study.

COVID-19 mainly spreads through cough or sneeze droplets produced by an infected person. The viral particles are mostly present in the oral cavity. The risk of contracting COVID-19 is high in the dental profession due to the nature of procedures involved that produce aerosols. Along with other measures to limit the risk of infection, pre-procedural mouth rinses are beneficial in reducing the viral particles in the oral cavity. In this study, the antiviral efficacy of essential oil components has been determined specifically against SARS-CoV-2 by molecular docking and conceptual DFT approach. Based on the binding affinities of the components against the receptor binding domain of the S1 glycoprotein, cuminal, carvacrol, myrtanol, and pinocarveol were found to be highly active. The molecular descriptor values obtained through conceptual DFT also indicated the above-mentioned components to be active based on the correlation between the structure and the activity of the compounds. Therefore, pre-procedural mouth rinses with these components included may be specifically suitable for dental procedures during the COVID-19 period.

Regulatory hubs and strategies for improving heavy metal tolerance in plants: Chemical messengers, omics and genetic engineering.

Heavy metal (HM) accumulation in the agricultural soil and its toxicity is a major threat for plant growth and development. HMs disrupt functional integrity of the plants, induces altered phenological and physiological responses and slashes down qualitative crop yield. Chemical messengers such as phytohormones, plant growth regulators and gasotransmitters play a crucial role in regulating plant growth and development under metal toxicity in plants. Understanding the intricate network of these chemical messengers as well as interactions of genes/metabolites/proteins associated with HM toxicity in plants is necessary for deciphering insights into the regulatory circuit involved in HM tolerance. The present review describes (a) the role of chemical messengers in HM-induced toxicity mitigation, (b) possible crosstalk between phytohormones and other signaling cascades involved in plants HM tolerance and (c) the recent advancements in biotechnological interventions including genetic engineering, genome editing and omics approaches to provide a step ahead in making of improved plant against HM toxicities.

Association between obesity and its determinants with chronic periodontitis: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Various systemic disorders such as cardiovascular, diabetes, and osteoporosis are linked to periodontitis. Obesity is one such epidemic, and although many studies have addressed its relationship with periodontitis, the mechanism still remains unclear. AIM: This study aims to assess the association between obesity and its determinants with clinical periodontal parameters in adult patients visiting a dental college in Haryana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in 317 patients visiting a dental college in Gurugram. Obesity parameters such as body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were assessed using body fat analyzer (Omron HBF 701). Depending on their BMI, individuals were stratified as overweight (OW), Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 obese. Periodontal status was assessed by plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment level. These periodontal parameters were correlated with BMI, BF%, WC, and WHR. Statistical analysis was done, and P ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of periodontitis in OW, Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 obese was 16.4%, 79.2%, 2.8%, and 1.6%, respectively. PPD was significantly associated with obesity determinants, especially among Class 2 and Class 3 obese individuals. Similarly, BF% was associated with all the periodontal parameters. CONCLUSION: Within the restrictions of the study, it can be concluded that obesity and chronic periodontitis are interlinked.

Comparative evaluation of clinical efficacy of coronally advanced flap alone and in combination with placental membrane and demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft in the treatment of gingival recession.

BACKGROUND: Guided tissue regeneration is a very commonly employed technique for treating recession defects. However, achieving the required space beneath the membrane is often difficult. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to compare and evaluate the clinical efficacy of coronally advanced flap (CAF) alone or in combination with amnion membrane (AM) or chorion membrane (CM) and demineralized freeze-dried bone allografts (DFDBAs) in the management of gingival recession (GR) defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample size (Miller's Class I and Class II GR-type defects) consisted of thirty patients which were stratified into three groups randomly (ten for each group). Group A patients were treated with only CAF and Group B patients were treated by CAF in combination with CM and DFDBA. Similarly, Group C patients were treated by CAF in combination with AM and DFDBA. Clinical parameters such as gingival index, GR depth, GR width, relative attachment level, and width of keratinized tissue were assessed at baseline and 3 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Inter- and intragroup data were analyzed by paired t-test. The percentage of root coverage obtained in the study groups was 60%, 78%, and 63%, respectively, for Groups A, B, and C. Statistically significant difference was obtained in the clinical parameters of Group B which was treated with CM and DFDBA. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of DFDBA and placental membrane (chorion/amnion) in CAF procedure provided an additional benefit over CAF alone in the treatment of Class I and II GR defects.

Correlation of glucose level among venous, gingival and finger-prick blood samples in diabetic patients.

It is essential for a dental surgeon or a periodontist to detect blood glucose level for patients whose signs and symptoms are suggestive of diabetes. Seventy patients in the age group of 40 to 80 years of either sex were selected for the study. The study population included patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Venous blood was used as a control group, whereas gingival blood and finger-prick blood constituted the study groups I and II, respectively. The percentage deviations of gingival blood glucose level measurements and finger-prick blood glucose level measurements from the standard venous blood glucose level measurements were recorded, which showed that 72.86% of gingival and 68.57% of finger-prick blood glucose level measurements were found to be within ±15% of the standard venous blood glucose level measurements. All values exhibited significant correlations among each other, but correlations between glucose values obtained using venous and gingival blood samples were higher than the correlations between glucose values obtained using venous and finger-prick blood samples.