fabricated gold nanostars on hydrogel beads as photo-oxidase mimics for rapid and sustainable POCT of uric acid.

Synthetic enzyme mimics surpass their natural counterparts in terms of stability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, making them highly valuable for catalytic applications. Gold nanomaterials, particularly gold nanostars, have emerged as promising enzyme mimetic nanocatalysts due to their enhanced light interaction and superior catalytic efficiency. In this study, gold nanostars grown on the surface of core-shell hydrogel beads exhibited specific oxidase-like activity when exposed to light.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in soil: Sources, impacts, and solutions for soil health and environmental sustainability.

The present review discusses the growing concern of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) in soil, together with their sources, concentration, distribution, and impact on soil microorganisms, human health, and ecosystems. MPs and NPs can enter the soil through various pathways, such as agricultural activities, sewage sludge application, and atmospheric deposition. Once in the soil, they can accumulate in the upper layers and affect soil structure, water retention, and nutrient availability.

Time-Encoded Information Encryption with pH Clock Guided Broad-Spectrum Emission by Dynamic Assemblies.

With growing threats from counterfeiting-based security breaches, multi-level and specific stimuli-responsive anti-counterfeiting devices and message encryption methods have attracted immense research interest. Fluorescence-based encryption from aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-based materials solves the problems to a considerable extent. However, the development of smarter patterns with hierarchical security levels alongside dynamic display is still challenging.

Regional Distribution of the Anthropometric Failure among Under-five Children and Its Determinants in India.

Background: Undernutrition in children seems to be one of the major health issues in developing nations including India. Stunting, underweight, and wasting are the three most often used anthropometric indicators to evaluate childhood undernutrition. Children who exhibit one or more indicators of undernutrition are considered as anthropometric failure (AF).

Exploring the potential of sulphur forms in Northeastern Indian coals: Implications in environmental remediation and heavy metal sensing.

The Sampar Coalfield in Northeastern India is a source of plentiful coal reserves, which are burnt for energy production and industrial applications, resulting in the release of pollutants such as sulphur , arsenic, and lead, which are hazardous to the environment and public health. In this work, samples from the Sampar coalfield have been analyzed to understand the origin, distribution, and various forms of sulphur and their ability to detect toxic heavy metals. The total sulphur concentration ranged from 4.

Effect of acetone fraction of Ottelia alismoides on the G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in the human carcinoma cell lines.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The North-eastern parts of India have immense therapeutic floras, Ottelia alismoides is an aquatic plant that has been in use for a long time in traditional medicine for treating diseases like cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, febrifuge, hemorrhoids, and rubefacient. In lung and skin carcinoma cells with a high rate of proliferation and metastasis including drug resistance and non-specific target activity, generates important challenges towards their treatment strategy. Thus, finding novel therapeutic targets to treat lung and skin cancer progression is essential to enhance the patients' survival with treatment.

In Vitro Evaluation of Strain LMG S-31876 Isolated from Fermented Rice for Potential Probiotic Properties, Safety Assessment and Technological Properties.

, which has been taxonomically reclassified as , has been the focus of research due to its wide distribution in fermented foods, probiotic properties, and tolerance to extreme environments. The purpose of this study was to characterise putative probiotic bacteria in a fermented rice sample, followed by an in vitro screening of presumptive probiotic properties and a safety assessment to ensure their safety for human consumption. The predominant isolate was Gram-positive, rod-shaped, catalase-positive, spore-forming, motile, and facultatively anaerobic.

Molecular docking analysis of flupenthixol and desmethylastemizole with the apoptotic regulator proteins CFLAR and TRAF2 linked to lung carcinoma.

It is known that molecular changes in apoptotic genes due to mutation may cause disruption of apoptotic pathway resulting in an abrupt increase in cell proliferation. Therefore, it is of interest to identify compounds that could potentially replenish the changes in the apoptotic pathway, resulted from mutation. The gene network analysis using the Network Analyzer Plugin of Cytoscape (3.

Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant, toxic metal-tolerant and biofilm-forming bacteria in hospital surroundings.

The emergence and rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to unethical and non-scientific disposal of hospital wastes and clinical by-products caused an alarming environmental concern and associated public health risks. The present study aims to assess the co-selection of antibiotic resistance and heavy metal tolerance by bacteria isolated from hospital effluents. These isolates were also tested for hemolytic activity, pH-tolerance, thermal inactivation, auto-aggregation, cell-surface hydrophobicity and interaction with other bacteria.

Drug repurposing and relabeling for cancer therapy: Emerging benzimidazole antihelminthics with potent anticancer effects.

Origin of drug and radio-refractory clones, cancer stem-like cells, and rapid angiogenesis and metastasis are among the primary concerns that limit the efficacy of anticancer treatments, emphasizing the urgency of developing new therapeutics. Factors like high attrition rates, huge investments, patients' heterogeneity, and diverse molecular subtypes have challenged the rapid development of anticancer drugs. Treatment with repurposing pleiotropic benzimidazole antihelminthics, like mebendazole, albendazole, and flubendazole has recently opened a new window, owing to their easy access, low cost as a generic drug, and long track record of safe use in the human population.

Removal of cadmium(II) from aqueous solution by hydroxyapatite-encapsulated zinc ferrite (HAP/ZnFeO) nanocomposite: kinetics and isotherm study.

In this study, HAP/ZnFeO nanocomposite has been synthesized in two simple steps. The different characterization techniques confirm the fabrication of HAP/ZnFeO magnetic binary nanocomposite. The composite was successfully applied as nanoadsorbent for the elimination of Cd(II) ions from its aqueous solution.

Prevalence of with other co-infecting parasites in Barak Valley, Assam, India: a molecular approach.

was included in the World Health Organization's Neglected Disease Initiative in 2004 as it may range from asymptomatic to chronic or severe diarrhoea and chronic disorders post-infection. The present study aimed to find out the rate of sole infection of and co-infection of this with other protozoan parasites among the inhabitants of Barak Valley region of Southern Assam by conventional and molecular detection. A total of 1168 samples were collected from different groups of individuals, all the collected samples were subjected to microscopy after specific staining by Lugol's iodine solution, Trichrome staining and modified ZN staining procedures.

Isolation of toxic metal-tolerant bacteria from soil and examination of their bioaugmentation potentiality by pot studies in cadmium- and lead-contaminated soil.

Heavy metals, also regarded as toxic metals, are the important environmental pollutants that affect all forms of life. Accumulation of toxic metals in plants results in various biochemical, physiological and structural disturbances, leading to inhibited growth and sometimes plant death. Toxic metal contamination disturbs the soil ecology as well as the agricultural productivity.

Incidence of Cryptosporidium andersoni in diarrheal patients from southern Assam, India: a molecular approach.

The distribution and public health significance of Cryptosporidium species and genotypes in humans and bovine differ across geographical areas. Cryptosporidium species causes a disease known as cryptosporidiosis in humans and animals. To characterize the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in humans in southern Assam, India, stool samples (n = 1119) of diarrhea patients were collected from different hospitals and from the community during the period January 2014 to July 2016.

Molecular Epidemiology of Amoebiasis: A Cross-Sectional Study among North East Indian Population.

Background: Epidemiological studies carried out using culture or microscopy in most of the amoebiasis endemic developing countries, yielded confusing results since none of these could differentiate the pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica from the non-pathogenic Entamoeba dispar and Entamoeba moshkovskii. The Northeastern part of India is a hot spot of infection since the climatic conditions are most conducive for the infection and so far no systemic study has been carried out in this region.

Methodology/principal Findings: Following a cross-sectional study designed during the period 2011-2014, a total of 1260 fecal samples collected from the Northeast Indian population were subjected to microscopy, fecal culture and a sensitive and specific DNA dot blot screening assay developed in our laboratory targeting the Entamoeba spp.

Socio-economic and demographic determinants of childhood anemia.

Objective: To evaluate socio-economic and demographic determinants of anemia among Indian children aged 6-59 months.

Methods: Statistical analysis was performed on the cross-sectional weighted sample of 40,885 children from 2005 to 2006 National Family Health Survey by using multinomial logistic regression to assess the significance of some risk factors in different degrees of child anemia. Anemia was diagnosed by World Health Organization (WHO) cut-off points on hemoglobin level.

Systematic detection and association of Entamoeba species in stool samples from selected sites in India.

This study developed a fast and high throughput dot-blot technique to evaluate the presence of Entamoeba in stool samples (n = 643) followed by a PCR-based method to validate and differentiate the two species E. histolytica and E. dispar.

Analysis of vegetation in an Imperata grassland of Barak valley, Assam.

Imperata grassland at Dorgakona, Barak valley, North Eastern India was analyzed for species composition and diversity pattern in relation to traditional management practices. 19 families were in the burnt and unburnt plots of the study site with Poaceae as the most dominant one. 29 species occurred in the burnt plot and 28 in the unburnt plot.