Publications by authors named "Asma Rehman"
Anemia is a potentially life-threatening blood disorder caused by an insufficient erythroblast volume in the circulatory system. Self-renewal failure of erythroblast progenitors is one of the key pathological factors leading to erythroblast deficiency. However, there are currently no effective drugs that selectively target this process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrent COVID-19 vaccines are largely limited in their ability to induce broad, durable immunity against emerging viral variants. Design and development of improved vaccines utilizing existing platforms requires an in-depth understanding of the antigenic and immunogenic properties of available vaccines. Here we examined the antigenicity of two of the original COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA-1273 and NVX-CoV2373, by electron microscopy-based polyclonal epitope mapping (EMPEM) of serum from immunized non-human primates (NHPs) and clinical trial donors.
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- - The study emphasizes the need for new treatment targets in prostate cancer to create innovative therapies.
- - Researchers discovered that gambogic acid (GBA) can induce pyroptosis in prostate cancer cells by targeting a previously hard-to-drug protein called CNPY3.
- - GBA's mechanism involves recruiting the enzyme SIRT1, which alters CNPY3 and leads to lysosomal rupture, promoting cell death; this suggests CNPY3 could be a valuable target for future treatments.
Article Synopsis
- Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are a growing public health risk, prompting the exploration of new antibacterial solutions like silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).
- This study synthesized AgNPs using different antibiotics (Ceftazidime, Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone, Cefepime) along with Mentha longifolia extract and analyzed their structural properties and antibacterial effectiveness.
- Results showed that antibiotic-based AgNPs had unique structural characteristics and significantly enhanced antibacterial activity compared to the control AgNPs made only with the plant extract.
Surfactin-Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles as an Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Agent against .
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces
September 2023
Article Synopsis
- Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health issue, prompting research into new materials to fight multi-drug-resistant bacteria.
- This study introduces surfactin-coated silver nanoparticles, demonstrating their effectiveness as an antibacterial and antibiofilm agent with safe dermal applications.
- Results indicate that these nanoparticles do not cause significant skin irritation or pathological changes, supporting their potential for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections and improving wound care.
SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged with elevated transmission and a higher risk of infection for vaccinated individuals. We demonstrate that a recombinant prefusion-stabilized spike (rS) protein vaccine based on Beta/B.1.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of cleanliness, particularly through effective hand hygiene, to prevent the spread of infections, including SARS-CoV-2.
- Experts often recommend using harsh chemicals for disinfection, but these can be unsafe and lead to negative health effects.
- Biosurfactants have emerged as a safer, sustainable alternative for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, demonstrating effectiveness against microbial pathogens due to their unique properties.
Biofunctionalized Nano-antimicrobials - Progress, Prospects and Challenges.
Curr Top Med Chem
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- The rise of multidrug-resistant bacteria emphasizes the urgent need for new antimicrobial compounds to tackle healthcare issues and reduce the negative impacts of traditional antibiotics on human health.
- This review focuses on the recent advancements in developing natural product-based nano-antibiotics, specifically using flavonoids, peptides, and cationic biopolymers with metal/metal oxide nanoparticles to combat resistant strains.
- It highlights the effectiveness of these functionalized nanoparticles against various pathogenic bacteria, detailing their minimal inhibitory concentrations and mechanisms of action, while also suggesting future directions for in vivo applications.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to global healthcare, prompting a search for better treatment options alongside existing FDA-approved therapies.
- The clinical management of COVID-19 involves infection prevention and supportive care, such as oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation, while emergency protocols have been established to expedite patient access to potential treatments.
- This manuscript explores the potential of using short-interfering RNA (siRNA) for targeting and degrading the SARS-CoV-2 genome, highlighting delivery methods using FDA-approved nanoparticulate systems that could be formulated as inhalable aerosols.
Purpose: This explanatory research aims to describe the factors that impact YouTube ad intrusiveness, value, and avoidance in light of psychological reactance theory.
Research Design: The research has a causal-predictive design. It describes the relationship between the construct with an underpinning theory.
Article Synopsis
- * There are few effective vaccines available; recent attention is on the need for broader-spectrum vaccines against rising threats like Zika and new variants of existing viruses.
- * The review discusses the structural and biochemical differences of flavivirus proteins, exploring how these differences can guide vaccine development by identifying key targets for therapeutic antibodies.
Background: Raman spectroscopy is a promising technique to analyze the body fluids for the purpose of non-invasive disease diagnosis.
Objectives: To develop a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of HCV from blood samples.
Methods: SERS was employed to characterize the Hepatitis C viral RNA extracted from different blood samples of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients with predetermined viral loads in comparison with total RNA of healthy individuals.
Article Synopsis
- * Gene mutations in CLCN7 can lead to severe conditions like osteopetrosis, neurodegeneration, and lysosomal storage diseases, which have been studied in recent patients.
- * Researchers evaluated 13 CLCN7 mutations using various techniques, establishing links between lysosomal dysfunction of ClC-7 and severe neurodegeneration in patients.
Effect of Passive Stretching of Respiratory Muscles on Chest Expansion and 6-Minute Walk Distance in COPD Patients.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
September 2020
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Hyperinflation of the lungs leads to a remodeling of the inspiratory muscles that causes postural deformities and more labored breathing. Postural changes include elevated, protracted, or abducted scapulae with medially rotated humerus, and kyphosis that leads to further tightening of respiratory muscles.
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- The rise of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has created a pressing need for new treatments, and nanotechnology is playing a key role in developing effective antibiotics.
- Researchers have successfully created manganese oxide nanostructures (MnO NS) using a simple microwave method, and these were rigorously tested using various techniques to confirm their stability and structure.
- The study demonstrated that MnO NS effectively combats both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, with variations in antibacterial effectiveness based on the size of the nanoparticles and the type of bacteria, particularly showing a stronger impact on Bacillus subtilis compared to Escherichia coli.
The use of water splitting modules is highly desired for the sustainable production of H as a future energy carrier. However, the sluggish kinetics and demand of high anodic potential are the bottlenecks for half-the cell oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which severely hamper the overall conversion efficiency. Although transition metal oxides based electrocatalysts have been envisioned as cost-effective and potential contenders for this quest, nevertheless, their low conductivity, instability, and limited number of active sites are among the common impediments that need to be addressed to eventually enhance their inherent catalytic potential for enhanced OER activity.
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- * The researchers synthesized a carbon nanotubes-iron oxide nanocomposite using lecithin-stabilized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles through a simple hydrothermal method.
- * Electrochemical tests, particularly cyclic voltammetry, demonstrated that the SPIONs-CNT nanocomposite has high sensitivity and selectivity for the anti-TB drug Rifampicin, with a limit of detection of 1.178 M.
Article Synopsis
- * A microwave-assisted method was developed to synthesize SeNPs, allowing for control over their size and other physical properties.
- * The antimicrobial effectiveness of SeNPs was tested using electrochemical techniques, showing that these nanoparticles can be used to monitor the health of bacterial cell membranes after treatment.
Article Synopsis
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are dangerous bacteria that create biofilms, posing a significant health risk due to their antibiotic resistance and prevalence in industrial and clinical settings.
- Researchers have developed a simple method to create rhamnolipid-coated silver and iron oxide nanoparticles that can effectively combat these biofilms.
- These nanoparticles work by generating reactive oxygen species and altering their surface properties to prevent bacterial adhesion, offering promising applications for reducing infections and improving medical treatments like wound dressings.
This work is the first report describing the solution grown 3D manganese oxide nanofibrous (MnO NFs) mesh and its potential for the simultaneous detection of biomolecules such as ascorbic acid and uric acid. The mesh is synthesized by a facile, one-pot, and cost-effective hydrothermal approach without using any template or structure directing compound. The morphology consists of randomly placed nanofibres possessing a diameter in the range of 10-25 nm, and length of several micron; constituting a highly porous and flexible material.
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- * Munc18 proteins were previously thought to have distinct specificities, with Munc18a for Syntaxin1 and Munc18c for Syntaxin4; however, new findings show Munc18c can interact with both Syntaxins, while Munc18a binds more tightly to its cognate Syntaxin1.
- * The study reveals that Munc18a and Munc18c have different binding mechanisms, indicating that their interactions with Syntaxins are more intricate than just specificity, as Munc18c relies on an N-peptide for binding
Vesicular transport of cellular cargo requires targeted membrane fusion and formation of a SNARE protein complex that draws the two apposing fusing membranes together. Insulin-regulated delivery and fusion of glucose transporter-4 storage vesicles at the cell surface is dependent on two key proteins: the SNARE integral membrane protein Syntaxin4 (Sx4) and the soluble regulatory protein Munc18c. Many reported in vitro studies of Munc18c:Sx4 interactions and of SNARE complex formation have used soluble Sx4 constructs lacking the native transmembrane domain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater, the driver of nature, has always been polluted by the blind hurling of highly toxic contaminants, but human-friendly science has continuously been presenting better avenues to help solve these challenging issues. In this connection, the present study introduces novel nanocomposites composed of emulsion-templated hierarchically porous poly(1-vinylimidazole) beads loaded with the silver nanoparticles generated via an in situ approach. These nanocomposites have been thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, and field emission scanning electron microscopy.
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- * A novel synthesis method was introduced for PGNPs (35 nm) and SGNPs (28 nm), revealing PGNPs as a better contrast agent in computed tomography (CT) scans, showing brighter contrast (45 HU) compared to SGNPs (26 HU).
- * After intravenous injection into male rabbits, PGNPs had a more pronounced impact on liver and kidney biochemistry than SGNPs, suggesting potential implications for their use in medical imaging and therapy.
Article Synopsis
- This study introduces a new three-dimensional composite of carbon nanotubes and manganese nanoparticles (CNTs-Mn NPs) designed to detect ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in pharmaceuticals.
- Manganese nanoparticles, created using a hydrothermal method, are anchored to carbon nanotubes, facilitating enhanced electrochemical activity as shown through various microscopy and spectroscopy techniques.
- The developed nanosensor demonstrates high sensitivity and detection capability for vitamin C, with a linear detection range and exceptional detection limit, suggesting potential for further applications in detecting other biomolecules.