GC-MS analysis and antifungal potential of flower extract of Acacia nilotica subsp. Indica against Macrophomina phaseolina.

Macrophomina phaseolina is a wide host ranged soil-borne fungal plant pathogen. It infects more than 500 host plant species belonging to 100 families. Many important oil-seed and leguminous crops are known to be attacked by this devastating plant pathogen. In the present study, antifungal potential of flowers of a leguminous tree Acacia nilotica subsp. indica, was assessed against this pathogen through bioassays guided fractionation. Initially, methanolic extracts of 1 %-5 % of leaf, flower, root-bark and stem-bark of the plant species under consideration were evaluated for their antifungal potential against the target pathogen. Among these, the best antifungal activity was shown by flower extract. The reduction in growth of the test fungal strain was 27-49 %, 4-40 % and 2-27 % due to flower, root-bark and leaf extracts, respectivey, over control. Flower extract was partitioned using n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and n-butanol as the solvents. Bioassays guided study of these fractions of methanolic extract of flower revealed that high antifungal potential was shown by n-hexane and chloroform fractions against M. phaseolina causing 26-53 % and 28-50 % decline in fungal biomass, respectively, as compared to that of control. GC-MS analysis of chloroform fraction revealed the presence of 27 compounds in this fraction. Among these cyclopentanol,-1-methyl (10.93 %) was the predominant compound followed by methyl, 4,4-dimethyl butanoate (7.04 %), 1-pentanol (6.80 %), 2-propanol, 1-cyclopropyl (6.11 %), 1H,imidazole-4-5-dihydro-2-methyl (5.93 %), trichloroethane (5.91 %), carbonic acid-ethyl hexyl ester (4.59 %), 1,4-butandiol,2,3-bis(methylene)- (4.54 %) and [S]-3,4-dimethyl pentanol (4.48 %).

Impact of COVID -19 on expanded programme on Immunisation in District Dir lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Objectives: To study the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 on Expanded Programme on Immunisation in a rural setting. METHODS: The descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in five union councils of District Dir Lower, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Data was collected from March to August 2020, which was a period of lockdowns in the wake of the coronavirus disease-2019, and then from March to August 2021. The sample comprised children aged <2 years. Data was analysed using SPSS 25. RESULTS: Of the 330 children, 210(63.6%) were boys, and 120(36.4%) were girls, and all 330(100%) were located in rural areas. First-phase data showed that the maximum coverage rate of immunisation was 258(78.2%) noted in OPV1(Oral Polio Vaccine) Penta1(Pentavalent vaccine), PCV10-1 (Pneumococcal pneumonia) and Rota 1(Rota Vaccine), and the least vaccination rate was 68.2% for Measle-1. In the second phase, 23% incline was noted in Measles-2 vaccination, followed by 16.3% in OPV2, Penta 2, PCV10-2 and Rota 2, 16% in Measles-1, 14% in OPV-3, Penta-3, PCV10-3, Rota-3 and IPV, 11.5% in OPV-1, Penta-1, PCV10-1, and Rota-1, and 10.6% in OPV-0 and BCG-0. CONCLUSIONS: Immunisation programme was affected by lockdowns during the active phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic.

Synthesis and Antimicrobial Analysis of High Surface Area Strontium-Substituted Calcium Phosphate Nanostructures for Bone Regeneration.

Continuous microwave-assisted flow synthesis has been used as a simple, more efficient, and low-cost route to fabricate a range of nanosized (<100 nm) strontium-substituted calcium phosphates. In this study, fine nanopowder was synthesized via a continuous flow synthesis with microwave assistance from the solutions of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (with strontium nitrate as Sr2+ ion source) and diammonium hydrogen phosphate at pH 10 with a time duration of 5 min. The morphological characterization of the obtained powder has been carried out by employing techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis. The chemical structural analysis to evaluate the surface properties was made by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Zeta potential analysis was performed to evaluate the colloidal stability of the particles. Antimicrobial studies were performed for all the compositions using four bacterial strains and an opportunistic human fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina. It was found that the nanoproduct with high strontium content (15 wt% of strontium) showed pronounced antibacterial potential against M. luteus while it completely arrested the fungal growth after 48 h by all of its concentrations. Thus the synthesis strategy described herein facilitated the rapid production of nanosized Sr-substituted CaPs with excellent biological performance suitable for a bone replacement application.

Dental age estimation of Malaysian children: a comparison of two-dimensional versus three-dimensional imaging analyses of the developing root apices.

AIM: This study compared the effectiveness of the three-dimensional (3D) cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) method of age estimation developed by Asif et al. with two-dimensional Cameriere's method. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: CBCT images belonging to 129 Malaysian Chinese and Malay ethnic groups aged 7-14 years were investigated and analysed. RESULTS: The results indicated a strong correlation between chronological age and the predictor variables for both Cameriere's (r = 0.984) and Asif's (r = 0.988) methods of age estimation. Fisher Z test analysis indicated no statistically significant difference in the correlation values between the two methods. Mean absolute error (MAE) value of 0.613 was observed for Cameriere's and 0.290 was observed for Asif's method. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the methods of age estimation from both Asif et al. and Cameriere et al. are applicable on Malaysian children. However, Asif et al.'s 3D CBCT method of age estimation resulted in greater accuracy and reliability in estimating chronological age.

Role of tele-rehabilitation in patients following total hip replacement: Systematic review of clinical trials.

OBJECTIVE: Tele-rehabilitation to explore current evidence on the effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation compared to face-to-face rehabilitation for patients after total hip replacement. METHODS: The systematic review of clinical trials comprised search of Cochrane, Medline, Embase and PEDro databases from 2000 to date for English-language, human studies dealing with postoperative rehabilitation of total hip replacement patients. A thorough search was performed to retrieve articles missed through databases as well as unpublished grey literature. Methodological quality assessment was done using the Cochrane risk of bias tool, and the studies were critically appraised using the PEDro scale. RESULTS: Of the 150 studies initially found on the databases, 11(7.3%) were subjected to detailed review; 4(36.4%) randomised trials, 3(27.3%) randomised controlled protocols, 3(27%) randomised pilot studies, and 1(9%) prospective cohort study. Overall, 8(72.7%) studies were of 'high' quality and 3(27.3%) fell under the category of 'fair'. CONCLUSIONS: Tele-rehabilitation group reported similar improvement in terms of activities of daily living and quality of life as did those exposed to traditional rehabilitation.

Pre-schoolers' tooth brushing behaviour and association with their oral health: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Toothbrushing is an important yet neglected behaviour that affects the oral health of preschool children. Little is reported on parental supervision, an essential aspect of routine effective toothbrushing in this age group. The aim of this study was to evaluate pre-schoolers' toothbrushing behaviour including parental involvement and its association with their oral health. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 92 preschool children (4-6 years) were invited to participate with their parents/guardians. Nine parameters of toothbrushing behaviour were assessed from parental responses (questionnaire) and observation of child and parents/guardians (video recording). Oral examination included recording plaque, gingival and dental caries indices. BORIS software was used to assess toothbrushing parameters and Smart PLS was used to perform association with a second-generation multivariate analysis to create models with and without confounding factors. RESULTS: Girls were slightly more (53%) than boys (47%). Children aged 4 years were slightly more in number (38%), followed by 6-year-olds and 5-year-olds. Nearly, 90% parents had tertiary education and 46% had more than 2 children. Differences were recorded in the reported and observed behaviour. Thirty-five percent parents/guardians reported using pea-size toothpaste amount but only 28% were observed. Forty percent reported to brush for 30 s-1 min, however 51% were observed to brush for 1-2 min. Half the children were observed to use fluoridated toothpaste (F < 1000 ppm) under parental supervision (11%). The mean (SD) plaque score reduction after toothbrushing was 10.80 (2.46), mean pre-brushing plaque score was 90.3 (10.2), mean gingival index was 0.89 (0.65) and mean dental caries status (ICDAS(1-6)) was 18.87 (12.39). Toothbrushing behaviour in terms of toothbrushing technique, duration, pattern and frequency, toothbrush type and grip type, toothpaste type and amount, post-brushing mouth rinsing and parental involvement contributed significantly to plaque score change (86%), dental caries status (73%), gingival index (66%) and pre-brushing plaque score (31%). The significant confounding variables had a small influence on oral health of preschool children. CONCLUSIONS: Preschool children's toothbrushing behaviour was inadequate while their oral health was poor, with a significant association between the two parameters.

Effect of position on gross motor function and spasticity in spastic cerebral palsy children.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of positioning on gross motor function and spasticity in spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy children with Gross Motor Function Classification System level IV and V. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted at two Paediatric Physical Therapy Centres from November 2018 to July 2019. The study comprised of seventy four children with quadriplegic cerebral palsy aged between 3 to 8 years. Data was obtained and gross motor functional abilities and spasticity were assessed by GMFM-88 and Modified Ashworth Scale, respectively. Twenty four-hour positioning in specific seats, night positioning and standing frames for six months. The child was being positioned 24 hours according to his challenges for the period of six months. Semi reclined positioning was performed to manage aspiration, oral leak and to develop retention. Prone positioning was done to develop righting reactions, functional sitting position was used in the treatment regime to attain better upright position and neutral pelvic standing using standing frames. SPSS 24 was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Paired t-test reported significant improvement in the test scores in lying position, rolling, sitting position, crawling, kneeling, standing, walking or running. Fifty-nine subjects exhibited improvement in spasticity before and after interventional procedures, while 15 showed no improvement (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-Four-hour proper body positioning and postural techniques improved gross motor functioning in all five dimensions of functioning. The overall spasticity in quadriplegic cerebral palsy children was also reduced due to appropriate positioning techniques.

Effects of dry needling in lower extremity myofascial trigger points.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the current evidences on effects of trigger point dry needling as a treatment strategy on pain and range of motion among subjects with lower extremity myofascial trigger areas. METHODS: The systematic review was conducted at the University Institute of Physical Therapy, Lahore, Pakistan, from February to August 2019, and comprised search of studies on Cochrane Library, PubMed, SPORTDiscus and PEDro databases published in the English language from 2000 to July 2019. The search terms used were 'Dry needling', 'Trigger points', 'Myofascial trigger points', 'Trigger area', 'Acupuncture therapy', 'Lower extremity' and 'Acupuncture'. Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the randomised and non-randomised controlled trials. Methodological assessment was performed using Physiotherapy Evidence Database 10-point scale. Data synthesis was performed through vote counting method. RESULTS: Of the 564 articles initially found, 30(5.3%) were shortlisted for full-text assessment. Of them, 10(33.3%) were selected for final assessment; with 7(70%) scoring high and 3(30%) fair on the PEDro scale. All the 10(100%) studies documented improvement in the pain over time with dry needling strategy. None of the studies targeted any other outcome, like anxiety and sleep disturbances, related with myofascial trigger points. CONCLUSIONS: On basis of the best evidences available, dry needling seemed to be effective in pain reduction related to lower extremity myofascial trigger points. Evidence also suggested that there was not much positive effect of myofascial trigger point dry needling on depression, anxiety, muscular strength and quality of life.

Effect of Positioning on Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex in Cerebral Palsy: A Single-centre Study from Lahore.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of positioning on tonic labyrinthine reflex in children with cerebral palsy. METHODS: The quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Institute of Psychological Services and Physical Rehabilitation, Lahore, from July 2016 to June 2017, and comprised children with spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy aged six months to three years. Gross Motor Functional Classification Scale level V was taken as baseline measure. Data was obtained and functional motor abilities were assessed by Motor Function Measure-20 Scale. Participants received intervention in the form of positioning in hammock for 10 hours, in-between sitting in cerebral palsy chair with harness along with sensory motor integration techniques. The readings were compared before the intervention and after the treatment strategies. SPSS 21 was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Of the 30 subjects, 18(60%) were boys, and 7(23%) had athetoid cerebral palsy. The overall mean age was 18.13±7.33 months. Motor function variables significantly improved post-intervention (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Positioning provided significant improvement and positive effect in tonic labyrinthine reflex of spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy children.

Quality of life in patients with rheumatic heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of life in patients with rheumatic heart disease. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted at the Gulab Devi Chest Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from October 2016 to March 2017, and comprised patients with rheumatic heart disease.Convenient sampling technique was used. The 36-item short form health survey was used to collect data. The scores of several dimensions of the questionnaire were calculated and compared using appropriate statistical tests. SPSS 16 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 300 subjects, 150(50%) each were cases and controls. There were 45(30%) males and 105(70%) females among the cases and 63(42%) males and 87(58%) females among the controls. The affected individuals reported significant impairment not only in total score (p<0.001) but also in all its domains (p<0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic heart disease imposed a considerable burden on the quality of life.

Hip fragility fractures: Anaemia, calcium and vitamin D supplementation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the burden of anaemia and osteoporosis in hip fracture patients, to determine the rate of blood transfusion per-operatively, to assess the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements and the use of anti-osteoporotic medications postoperatively. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at Aga Khan University and Hospital (AKUH) between June 2009 and May 2011, and comprised record of patients treated for intertrochanteric and femur neck fractures. Patients with associated pathological, open or long bone fractures were excluded. The main study outcome measures were the use of pre-operative and post-operative calcium, vitamin D, bisphosphonates and management of anaemia pre- and post-operatively. Demographic data was also collected including age, gender, and co-morbids. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19. RESULTS: Of the 129 patients, 65(50.4%) were women. The overall mean age was 67.2±15.5 years. Mean pre-operative haemoglobin level was 12.3±1.5 gm/dl and 39(30%) patients were anaemic, while post-operative haemoglobin was 10.2±1.71 with 90(70%) anaemic patients, but only 14(10.9%) patients received per-operative blood transfusion. Pre-operative and post-operative vitamin D supplementation was advised in 3(2.3%) and 18(14%) patients respectively, whereas pre-operative and post-operative bisphosphonate supplementation was advised in 3(2.3%) and 1(0.8%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong need to pay attention to the management of peri-operative anaemia and calcium, vitamin D and bisphosphonate supplementation in the discharge medications of patients with hip fragility fractures.

Diabetes Driven Oncogenesis and Anticancer Potential of Repurposed Antidiabetic Drug: A Systemic Review.

Diabetes and cancer are two prevalent disorders, pose significant public health challenges and contribute substantially to global mortality rates, with solely 10 million reported cancer-related deaths in 2020. This review explores the pathological association between diabetes and diverse cancer progressions, examining molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic intersections. From altered metabolic landscapes to dysregulated signaling pathways, the intricate links are delineated, offering a comprehensive understanding of diabetes as a modulator of tumorigenesis. Cancer cells develop drug resistance through mechanisms like enhanced drug efflux, genetic mutations, and altered drug metabolism, allowing them to survive despite chemotherapeutic agent. Glucose emerges as a pivotal player in diabetes progression, and serving as a crucial energy source for cancer cells, supporting their biosynthetic needs and adaptation to diverse microenvironments. Glycation, a non-enzymatic process that produces advanced glycation end products (AGEs), has been linked to the etiology of cancer and has been shown in a number of tumor forms, such as leiomyosarcomas, adenocarcinomas, and squamous cell carcinomas. Furthermore, in aggressive and metastatic breast cancer, the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) is increased, which may increase the malignancy of the tumor. Reprogramming glucose metabolism manifests as hallmark cancer features, including accelerated cell proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and evasion of apoptosis. This manuscript encapsulates the dual narrative of diabetes as a driver of cancer progression and the potential of repurposed antidiabetic drugs as formidable countermeasures. The amalgamation of mechanistic understanding and clinical trial outcomes establishes a robust foundation for further translational research and therapeutic advancements in the dynamic intersection of diabetes and cancer.

The effect of 2% pilocarpine on depth of field in different time intervals among presbyopic subjects.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of 2% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution on the depth of field and the pupil size of human eye in the presbyopic population. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Prospective experimental study. METHODS: The prospective study included 120 presbyopic people aged between 40 and 55. All willing subjects underwent a comprehensive eye examination that included measuring the visual acuity for distance and near, retinoscopy, refraction, anterior and posterior segment examination, depth of field, and pupil size in room illumination. Following a preliminary examination, 2% pilocarpine ophthalmic solution was instilled in both eyes, and after various intervals of 15, 30, and 45 min, the depth of field and the pupil size were measured. RESULTS: Before instillation of 2% pilocarpine solution, the mean pupil size was 0.34 mm with a standard deviation (SD) of ±0.37. After instillation, the mean pupil size changed to 2.20, 1.91, and 1.57 mm with SD of ±0.43, ±0.27, and ±0.34 mm, respectively, in 15, 30, and 45 min time intervals. Initial mean depth of field also changed from 1.76 D (SD ± 0.20) to 1.72, 1.65, and 1.59 D with SD of ±0.20, ±0.16, and ±0.22 D, respectively, in 15, 30, and 45 min time intervals. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that pupillary miotics create a pinhole effect after the instillation of 2% pilocarpine ophthalmic drop, extending the depth of field. The effect was highly clinically significant at 45 min with a P value <0.001.

Trends in mortality related to kidney failure and diabetes mellitus in the United States: a 1999-2020 analysis.

BACKGROUND: Kidney failure ranks as the tenth leading cause of mortality in the United States (US), frequently arising as a complication associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Trends in DM and kidney failure mortality were assessed using a cross-sectional analysis of death certificates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 100,000 people and annual percent change (APC) in age-adjusted mortality rate with 95% CI were obtained and measured across different demographic and geographic subgroups. RESULTS: Between 1999 and 2020, a total of 325,515 deaths occurred related to kidney failure and DM. The overall age-adjusted mortality rate showed no significant change between 1999 and 2012, after which it declined until 2015 - 64.8 (95% CI - 75.6 to - 44.8) and has been steadily increasing since. Men had consistently higher age-adjusted mortality rates than women throughout the study duration (overall age-adjusted mortality rate men: 8.1 vs. women: 5.9). Non-Hispanic (NH) Black or African American individuals had the highest overall age-adjusted mortality rate (13.9), followed by non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaskan Native (13.7), Hispanic or Latino (10.3), non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander (6.1), and non-Hispanic White (6.0). Age-adjusted mortality rate also varied by region (overall age-adjusted mortality rate: West:7.5; Midwest: 7.1; South: 6.8; Northeast: 5.8), and non metropolitan areas had higher overall age-adjusted mortality rate (7.5) than small/medium (7.2) and large metropolitan areas (6.4). CONCLUSION: After an initial decline, mortality rose across all the demographic groups from 2015 to 2020, revealing notable disparities in gender, race, and region.

Comparative Efficacy of Anti-vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Anti-VEGF) Agents and Corticosteroids in Managing Diabetic Retinopathy-Associated Diabetic Macular Edema: A Meta-Analysis and Comprehensive Systematic Review.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a significant condition linked to diabetes that can result in visual loss. In recent times, there has been a notable change in the desire for treatment, with a shift toward anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy and intravitreal steroids while moving away from conventional laser therapies. This comprehensive meta-analysis explicitly compares the efficacy of two therapies for DME: anti-VEGF therapy and corticosteroid. We conducted a thorough search using PubMed and Google Scholar to identify publications that compare the effects of anti-VEGF therapy and corticosteroid implants on DME. Using Review Manager 5.0 (RevMan), we incorporated data from nine research studies, which involved a total of 877 people. The group was split into two factions: 453 patients were administered corticosteroids, while 466 patients underwent treatment with anti-VEGF therapy. Our investigation demonstrated that both corticosteroid and anti-VEGF therapy positively improved the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and reduced the central macular thickness (CMT). Nevertheless, comparing the mean BCVA on the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) scale revealed no statistically significant changes between the two treatments. This indicates considerable inconsistency, as evidenced by the weighted mean difference (WMD) of -0.13 (-0.41, 0.16) with a P-value of 0.39 and an I2 value of 99%. In addition, both treatments improved BCVA compared to the initial measurement. However, there was no statistically significant benefit for corticosteroid over anti-VEGF therapy, as indicated by the WMD of 0.03 (-0.07, 0.13) with a P-value of 0.55 and an I2 value of 80%. The examination of the average CMT also yielded findings that lacked statistical significance, displaying a significant amount of variation (WMD -36.37, 95% confidence interval [-127.52, 54.78], P = 0.43, I2 = 98%). Remarkably, there were no significant alterations among the anti-VEGF therapy group despite a rise in CMT from the initial measurement. The main conclusion drawn from our research is that corticosteroid demonstrates encouraging immediate enhancements in BCVA and CMT. However, anti-VEGF therapy seems to provide more significant long-term advantages. Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge that the corticosteroid group had a greater susceptibility to acquiring elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and the possibility of glaucoma.

Exploring the Mechanism of Anionic Chemosensing by Imidazoles: A Review.

Chemosensing of ions has gained considerable attention by chemists. Insight into the mechanism involved between sensors and ions always fascinates researchers to develop economical, sensitive, selective, and robust sensors. This review comprehensively explores the mechanism of interaction between Imidazole sensors and anions. With most of the research concentrating only on fluoride and cyanide, this review has highlighted a large gap in various anions detection including SCN-, Cr2O72-, CrO42-, H2PO4-, NO2-, and HSO4-.This study also includes a critical analysis of different mechanisms and their respective limits of detection, with a discussion of the reported results.

Screening of ionic liquids as green entrainers for ethanol water separation by extractive distillation: COSMO-RS prediction and aspen plus simulation.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been demonstrated as promising alternatives to conventional entrainers in separation of azeotropic mixtures mostly investigating phase equilibrium and process design scenarios. However, proper selection of ILs for a specific task always remains challenging. Hence a simulation tool, i.e. conductor like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS) was applied to address this challenge. Furthermore, screened ILs were simulated as entrainers for ethanol water separation by extractive distillation. The current study also aims to demonstrate a systematic approach to retrofit existing processes, by employing ILs as green entrainers. Screening of twenty-five (25) ILs was carried out using COSMO-RS to select suitable ILs as green entrainers based on activity coefficient, capacity and selectivity. Results illustrated that tetramethylammonium chloride ([TMAm][Cl]) due to its strong hydrogen bonding ability was found to be the best ILs entrainer. Moreover, in order to reduce the operating costs without compromising desired product purity (ethanol purity ≥99.5% in top product), the selected ILs (8 kg/h) in a mixture with ethylene glycol (72 kg/h) were simulated using Aspen plus v.11. The simulation results revealed that by combining tetramethylammonium chloride (2 kg/h) with ethylene glycol (78 kg/h) reduced 7.26 tons of CO2 emissions/year through heat integration by saving 1.49*108 kJ/year energy besides minimizing operating costs. In conclusion, the systematic selection of ILs as green entrainers in combination with ethylene glycol and then the appropriate simulation of the whole system will ultimately reduce the cost of the separation process and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases as well utilization of toxic conventional entrainers.

Recent developments and challenges in uranium extraction from seawater through amidoxime-functionalized adsorbents.

As per statistical estimations, we have only around 100 years of uranium life in terrestrial ores. In contrast, seawater has viable uranium resources that can secure the future of energy. However, to achieve this, environmental challenges need to be overcome, such as low uranium concentration (3.3 ppb), fouling of adsorbents, uranium speciation, oceanic temperature, and competition between elements for the active site of adsorbent (such as vanadium which has a significant influence on uranium adsorption). Furthermore, the deployability of adsorbent under seawater conditions is a gigantic challenge; hence, leaching-resistant stable adsorbents with good reusability and high elution rates are extremely needed. Powdered (nanostructured) adsorbents available today have limitations in fulfilling these requirements. An increase in the grafting density of functional ligands keeping in view economic sustainability is also a major obstacle but a necessity for high uranium uptake. To cope with these challenges, researchers reported hundreds of adsorbents of different kinds, but amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbents have shown some remarkable advantages and are considered the benchmark in uranium extraction history; they have a high affinity for uranium because of electron donors in their structure, and their amphoteric nature is responsible for effective uranium chelation under a wide range of pH. In this review, we have mainly focused on recent developments in uranium extraction from seawater through amidoxime-based adsorbents, their comparative analysis, and problematic factors that are needed to be considered for future research.

Curcumin nanoparticles: physicochemical fabrication, characterization, antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, molecular docking and simulation studies.

Curcumin is an extensively studied natural compound due to its extensive biological applications. However, there are some drawbacks linked to this compound such as poor absorption, low water-solubility, quick systemic elimination, fast metabolism, poor pharmacokinetics, low bioavailability, low penetration targeting efficacy and low stability. To overcome these drawbacks, curcumin is encapsulated in nano-carriers. In the current studies, we synthesized nanoparticles of curcumin without using nanocarriers by different methods such as nano-suspension (Cur-NSM), sonication (Cur-SM) and anti-solvent precipitation (Cur-ASP) to enhance the solubility of curcumin in water. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by FTIR, SEM and XRD analysis. These curcumin nanoparticles were screened for their solubilities in water, DPPH scavenging, amylase, α-glucosidase and ß-glucosidase enzymatic activities. The particle size of nano-curcumin was found to be in the 47.4-98.7 nm range. The reduction in particle size of curcumin dramatically increases its solubility in water to 79.2 µg mL-1, whereas the solubility of curcumin is just 0.98 µg mL-1. Cur-ASP showed the highest free radical scavenging potential (48.84 ± 0.98%) which was comparable with standard BHT (50.48 ± 1.11%) at 75.0 µg mL-1. As well, Cur-ASP showed the highest inhibition of α-amylase (68.67 ± 1.02%), α-glucosidase (58.30 ± 0.52%), and ß-glucosidase (64.80 ± 0.43%) at 100 µg mL-1 which is comparable with standard drug acarbose. The greater surface area of nanoparticles exposes the various groups of curcumin for blocking the binding sites of enzymes. This strategy may be helpful in designing curcumin as a potent therapeutic agent against diabetes mellitus. Further, the molecular interactions of curcumin with α-amylase, α-glucosidase, ß-glucosidase, and polyphenol oxidase were assessed by analyzing the plausible binding modes of curcumin in the binding pocket of each receptor. The best binding mode of curcumin was used to make complexes with the target proteins and their stability was confirmed by 50 ns MD simulation.

Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders by Mitochondrial-targeted Drug: Future of Neurological Diseases Therapeutics.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex etiology that might involve environmental and genetic variables. Recently, some epidemiological studies conducted in various parts of the world have estimated a significant increase in the prevalence of autism, with 1 in every 59 children having some degree of autism. Since autism has been associated with other clinical abnormalities, there is every possibility that a sub-cellular component may be involved in the progression of autism. The organelle remains a focus based on mitochondria's functionality and metabolic role in cells. Furthermore, the mitochondrial genome is inherited maternally and has its DNA and organelle that remain actively involved during embryonic development; these characteristics have linked mitochondrial dysfunction to autism. Although rapid stride has been made in autism research, there are limited studies that have made particular emphasis on mitochondrial dysfunction and autism. Accumulating evidence from studies conducted at cellular and sub-cellular levels has indicated that mitochondrial dysfunction's role in autism is more than expected. The present review has attempted to describe the risk factors of autism, the role of mitochondria in the progression of the disease, oxidative damage as a trigger point to initiate mitochondrial damage, genetic determinants of the disease, possible pathogenic pathways and therapeutic regimen in vogue and the developmental stage. Furthermore, in the present review, an attempt has been made to include the novel therapeutic regimens under investigation at different clinical trial stages and their potential possibility to emerge as promising drugs against ASD.