Metagenomic insights into the functional potential of non-sanitary landfill microbiomes in the Indian Himalayan region, highlighting key plastic degrading genes.

Solid waste management in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is a growing challenge, intensified by increasing population and tourism, which strain non-sanitary landfills. This study investigates microbial diversity and functional capabilities within these landfills using a high-throughput shotgun metagenomic approach. Physicochemical analysis revealed that the Manali and Mandi landfill sites were under heavy metal contamination and thermal stress.

Recent Advances in Multifaceted Drug Delivery Using Natural Polysaccharides and Polyacrylamide-Based Nanomaterials in Nanoformulation.

Rapid growth in nanotechnology, also known as 21st-century technology, is occurring in response to the increasing diversity of diseases. The development of safe and effective drug delivery methods to enhance bioavailability is of paramount importance. Researchers have focused on creating safe, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly nanoparticle construction processes.

Harnessing PROTACs to combat H5N1 influenza: A new frontier in viral destruction.

H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, poses an ongoing and significant threat to global public health, primarily due to its potential to cause severe respiratory illness and high mortality rates in humans. Despite extensive efforts in vaccination and antiviral therapy, H5N1 continues to exhibit high mutation rates, resulting in recurrent outbreaks and the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Traditional antiviral therapies, such as neuraminidase inhibitors and M2 ion channel blockers, have demonstrated limited efficacy, necessitating the exploration of innovative therapeutic strategies.

Enhancing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) yield and nutrition quality through hydroponic cultivation with treated wastewater.

Utilizing treated wastewater for crop cultivation is essential in regions with scarce freshwater resources for irrigation. This study evaluated the growth, fruit yield, nutritional and phytochemical quality of tomato fruits cultivated using a treated wastewater-based hydroponics system developed for the Trans Himalaya, India. Tomatoes grown with treated wastewater exhibited better growth, yield, nutritional content, phytochemical properties, and antioxidant activities than those grown in soil.

Stability Indicating Method Development and Validation for the Estimation of Bempedoic Acid by RP-HPLC.

Background: Bempedoic acid (BEM) belongs to a category of drugs known as Adenosine triphosphate-citrate Lyase (ACL) inhibitors. It is a prodrug with intracellular activation that is administered orally. Bempedoic acid is used to treat existing atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, mainly hypercholesterolemia.

Infrared thermogram image guided discontinuous appearances of hyaluronic acid for classification of arthritic knee joints.

The liveliness of a human potentially depends on his/her smooth movability. To accomplish the work of daily life, the joints of the body need to be healthy. However, the occurrence of Rheumatoid arthritis and Osteoarthritis has a significant prevalence towards the immovability of humankind.

Physiological and genomic insights into a psychrotrophic drought-tolerant bacterial consortium for crop improvement in cold, semiarid regions.

The agricultural land in the Indian Himalayan region (IHR) is susceptible to various spells of snowfall, which can cause nutrient leaching, low temperatures, and drought conditions. The current study, therefore, sought an indigenous psychrotrophic plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacterial inoculant with the potential to alleviate crop productivity under cold and drought stress. Psychrotrophic bacteria preisolated from the night-soil compost of the Lahaul Valley of northwestern Himalaya were screened for phosphate (P) and potash (K) solubilization, nitrogen fixation, indole acetic acid (IAA) production, siderophore and HCN production) in addition to their tolerance to drought conditions for consortia development.

Significance of Chalcone Scaffolds in Medicinal Chemistry.

Chalcone is a simple naturally occurring α,β-unsaturated ketone with biological importance, which can also be easily synthesized in laboratories by reaction between two aromatic scaffolds. In plants, chalcones occur as polyphenolic compounds of different frameworks which are bioactive molecules that have been in traditional medicinal practice for many years. Chalcone-based lead molecules have been developed, possessing varied potentials such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-oxidant, antidiabetic, antihyperurecemic, and anti-ulcer effects.

Sensing of Gunshot Residue components from real sample using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer.

The present work represents a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) based sensing method for detecting Gunshot Residue (GSR) components. Two laser dyes Acf and RhB have been used as donor and acceptor respectively in the FRET pair. The real sample was collected after test firing in a forensic science laboratory.

Exosome-mediated PROTAC delivery for treatment of RNA viral infections and zoonosis.

The increase in diseases caused by RNA viruses, such as influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and Ebola, presents a growing global health challenge as well as the threat of zoonosis. Traditional antiviral treatments are often undermined by fast-mutating viruses, drug resistance, and newly emerging pathogens. Here, we explore proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs), a novel protein degradation machinery that has the potential to reshape the way in which RNA viral infections can be managed.

Graphene Quantum Dots as Hole Extraction and Transfer Layer Empowering Solar Water Splitting of Catalyst-Coupled Zinc Ferrite Nanorods.

Despite the narrow band gap energy, the performance of zinc ferrite (ZnFeO) as a photoharvester for solar-driven water splitting is significantly hindered due to its sluggish charge transfer and severe charge recombination. This work reports the fabrication of a hybrid nanostructured hydrogenated ZnFeO (ZFO) photoanode with enhanced photoelectrochemical water-oxidation activity through coupling N-doped graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as a hole transfer layer and Co-Pi as a catalyst. The GQDs not only reduce the surface-mediated nonradiative electron-hole pair recombination but also induce a built-in interfacial electric field leading to a favorable band alignment at the ZFO/GQDs interface, helping rapid photogenerated hole separation and serving as a conducting hole transfer highway, improve the hole transportation into the Co-Pi catalyst for enhanced water oxidation reaction kinetics.

Insight into physico-chemical properties and microbial community structure of biogas slurry from household biogas plants of sub-Himalaya for its implications in improved biogas production.

Numerous metagenomics studies, conducted in both full-scale anaerobic digesters and household biogas plants, have shed light on the composition and activity of microbial flora essential for optimizing the performance of biogas reactors, underscoring the significance of microbial community composition in biogas plant efficiency. Although the efficiency of household biogas plants in the sub-Himalayan region has been reported, there is no literature evidence on the microbial community structure of such household biogas plants in the sub-Himalayan region. The current study evaluated the physico-chemical properties and bacterial community structure from the slurry samples of household biogas plants prevalent in the sub-Himalayan region.

Targeted therapies for HPV-associated cervical cancer: Harnessing the potential of exosome-based chipsets in combating leukemia and HPV-mediated cervical cancer.

Exosomes play a crucial role in intercellular communication and have emerged as significant vehicles for transporting disease-specific biomarkers. This feature provides profound insights into the progression of diseases and the responses of patients to treatments. For example, in leukemia, exosomes convey critical information through the carriage of specific proteins and nucleic acids.

Cold-adapted Exiguobacterium sibiricum K1 as a potential bioinoculant in cold regions: Physiological and genomic elucidation of biocontrol and plant growth promotion.

The scarcity of soil nutrient availability under cold conditions of Himalayan regions needs a sustainable approach for better crop yields. The cold-adapted bacteria, Exiguobacterium sibiricum K1, with the potential to produce several plant growth-promoting (PGP) attributes, nitrogen fixation, indole acetic acid production, phosphate and potassium solubilization at 10 °C can provide an opportunity to promote crop yield improvement in an eco-friendly way under cold conditions. The bacterium also exhibited biocontrol activity against two phytopathogens and produced siderophore (53.

Nanovesicular ultraflexible invasomes and invasomal gel for transdermal delivery of phytopharmaceuticals.

Tweetable abstract Invasomes and invasomal gel are ultraflexible, soft vesicular, phospholipid based nanocarriers with deeper skin penetration ability for transdermal applications of drugs and phytopharmaceuticals.

Combating Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation: the inhibitory potential of tormentic acid and 23-hydroxycorosolic acid.

Plant extracts have been used to treat microbiological diseases for centuries. This study examined plant triterpenoids tormentic acid (TA) and 23-hydroxycorosolic acid (HCA) for their antibiofilm effects on Staphylococcus aureus strains (MTCC-96 and MTCC-7405). Biofilms are bacterial colonies bound by a matrix of polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA, primarily impacting healthcare.

Sulfonium-Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid-Based Self-Healing Hydrogel: Stimuli-Responsive Drug Carrier with Inherent Antibacterial Activity to Counteract Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Augmentation of the activity of Food and Drug Administration-approved antibiotics by an adjuvant or antibiotic carrier is considered one of the promising strategies to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study reports the development of sulfonium-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (HA)-based polymer (HA-SS-HA) as an inherent antimicrobial agent and antibiotic carrier. The HA-SS-HA polymer offers the potential for encapsulating various classes of antibiotics and accomplishing a stimuli-responsive release profile in the presence of hyaluronidase produced by bacterial cells within their extracellular environment.

Molecular evolution steered structural adaptations in the DNA polymerase III α subunit of halophilic bacterium Salinibacter ruber.

A significant portion of the earth has a salty environment, and the literature on bacterial survival mechanisms in salty environments is limited. During molecular evolution, halophiles increase acidic amino acid residues on their protein surfaces which leads to a negatively charged surface potential that helps them to maintain the protein integrity and protect them from denaturation by competing with salt ions. Through protein family analysis, we have investigated the molecular-level adaptive features of DNA polymerase III's catalytic subunit (alpha) and its structure-function relationship.

Quinoline Thiourea-Based Zinc Ionophores with Antibacterial Activity.

The increasing resistance of bacteria to commercially available antibiotics threatens patient safety in healthcare settings. Perturbation of ion homeostasis has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy to fight against antibacterial resistance and other channelopathies. This study reports the development of 8-aminoquinoline (QN) derivatives and their transmembrane Zn transport activities.

Predictors of quality of life of cancer patients: A psycho-oncological study conducted at Tripura, North-East India.

Background: Cancer is, no doubt, a life-threatening illness, and it has a long-term effect on the physical and mental health of the patients, particularly on their quality of life (QOL). The present article is an attempt to examine the role of socioeconomic factors, illness duration and spirituality on the QOL of cancer patients.

Methods: The sample consisted of 200 cancer patients (100 men and 100 women patients) belonging to the state of Tripura, a Northeastern state of India.

Synthesis, characterization, and radiosynthesis of fluorine-18-AVT-011 as a Pgp chemoresistance imaging marker.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is the most studied ATP-binding cassette (ABC) efflux transporter and contributes to chemoresistance. A few tracers have been developed to detect the in-vivo status of chemoresistance using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In our study, we have synthesized labeled AVT-011 with fluorine-18 (F) followed by in-vitro and in-vivo analysis.

Realization of Lodging Tolerance in the Aromatic Grass, Through Ploidy Intervention.

Artificial polyploidy that brings about increase in cell size confers changes in histo-morphology leading to altered phenotype, causing changes in physiological attributes and enhanced concentration of secondary metabolites. The altered phenotype is generally a manifestation of tissue hardiness reflected as robust plant type. Based on a case study undertaken on an industrially important grass, (2 = 60) valued for its citral rich essential oil, here we report that the artificial polyploidy not only brings about enhancement in concentration of essential oil but also facilitates lodging tolerance.

The chimera of S1 and N proteins of SARS-CoV-2: can it be a potential vaccine candidate for COVID-19?

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has emerged as one of the biggest global health issues. Spike protein (S) and nucleoprotein (N), the major immunogenic components of SARS-CoV-2, have been shown to be involved in the attachment and replication of the virus inside the host cell.

Areas Covered: Several investigations have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein can elicit a cell-mediated immune response capable of regulating viral replication and lowering viral burden.

Medical Tourism in Tripura: Issues & Opportunities.

Medical tourism in India has an immense scope, primarily due to the unavailability or inaccessibility of medical treatment in border areas of native countries, such as Bangladesh and Myanmar. Also, the significantly low cost of complex surgery and highly skilled doctors are the most significant factors for driving tourism in India. Thus, there is a vast scope for entrepreneurship in this area.

Effect of defect-rich Co-CeO OER cocatalyst on the photocarrier dynamics and electronic structure of Sb-doped TiO nanorods photoanode.

This work demonstrates the in-depth mechanism of enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation of Sb-doped rutile TiO nanorods (NRs) photoanode coupled with oxygen vacancy defect-rich Co-doped CeO (Co-CeO) oxygen evolution reaction (OER) cocatalyst. The defect-rich Co-CeO cocatalyst modification improves the conductivity, light absorption, charge transfer efficiency, and surface photovoltage generation of the Co-CeO/Sb-TiO hybrid NRs photoanode. The Co-CeO cocatalyst also serves as the surface passivating overlayer for the Sb-TiO photoanode, which suppresses the surface states mediated recombination of electron-hole pairs in the NRs.