1,847 results match your criteria: "University of Kerala.[Affiliation]"

Environmental drivers of mesozooplankton dynamics in the Munroe Island, adjacent to Ashtamudi Estuary, India.

Environ Monit Assess

September 2024

Zoology Research Centre, St. Stephen's College, Pathanapuram, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India.

The response of mesozooplankton is critical in assessing the health of an estuarine ecosystem. Reports on the spatial and temporal dynamics of mesozooplankton community in estuarine and backwaters of the Southern parts of India are scanty. In this scenario, we appraised the community structure of mesozooplankton and their spatio-temporal dynamics based on various multivariate statistical assessments.

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Brown algae biomass for fucoxanthin, fucoidan and alginate; update review on structure, biosynthesis, biological activities and extraction valorisation.

Int J Biol Macromol

November 2024

Phycoscience Lab, Department of Plant Science, Central University of Kerala, Periye 671 320, Kasaragod, Kerala, India. Electronic address:

Natural compounds promoting human health are the main focus of research nowadays. Fucoxanthin, fucoidan and alginate are such bioactive compounds that are extracted from marine brown algae. Extracting these 3 compounds through successive extraction enhances the commercial value of the brown algae biomass.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the role of β-hCG in breast cancer, particularly in Breast Invasive Carcinoma (BRCA), assessing its gene expression and implications for clinical outcomes.
  • Data from various gene expression databases and laboratory techniques were used to analyze β-hCG levels, particularly focusing on its connection to BRCA1 mutations and immune cell presence in tumors.
  • Results indicate that β-hCG is upregulated in breast cancers with BRCA1 mutations, suggesting it could serve as a potential target for treatment in BRCA1-deficient patients.
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Surface coatings with enhanced mechanical stability, improved tribological performance, and superior anticorrosion performance find immense application in various industrial sectors. Herein, we report the development of multifunctional composite zinc phosphate coatings by the effective integration of a structurally and morphologically tuned P-doped MoS nanoparticle additive (3P-MoS) into the zinc phosphate matrix to offer attractive characteristics suitable for industrial applications. The integration of spherical nanoparticles as additive leads to the formation of homogeneous and compact coatings with a densely packed crystalline microstructure having enhanced microhardness, distinctive leaf-like morphology, and comparatively smooth topographical features.

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The emergence of zoonotic monkeypox (MPX) disease, caused by the double-stranded DNA monkeypox virus (MPXV), has become a global threat. Due to unavailability of a specific small molecule drug for MPX, this study investigated phytochemicals to find potent and safe inhibitors of DNA Polymerase (DNA Pol), a poxvirus drug target due to its role in the viral life cycle. For that, 146 phytochemicals were screened through drug-likeness and molecular docking analyses.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fluorescence anisotropy (FA) is identified as an underutilized method for biosensor development, focusing on molecular rotation rates.
  • Researchers created a FA probe using gold nanoclusters conjugated with antibodies to effectively detect cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a key biomarker for heart attacks.
  • The method achieved a low detection limit of 0.91 ng/mL, successfully correlating an increase in FA to cTnI concentration, enabling precise quantitative measurement.
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Solvent effect, DFT and NLO studies of A-π-D-π-A and A-π-D-π-D push-pull chromophore of 1,2-diazepin-4-ol based derivatives with optical limiting application.

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc

January 2025

Department of Physics, St. John's College of Arts and Science, M.S. University, Kanyakumari 629204, Tamil Nadu, India.

The nonlinear optical properties of push-pull chromophores, namely (E)-7-(4-bromophenyl)-2,5-bis(4-nitrophenyl)-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-1,2-diazepin-4-ol (A-π-D-π-A) and (E)-7-(4-bromophenyl)-5-(4-nitrophenyl)-2-phenyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-1,2-diazepin-4-ol (A-π-D-π-D), have been investigated using the z-scan technique. NMR, FT-IR, and UV-visible spectral analysis have been performed. The results were compared with density functional theory calculations employing the B3LYP/6-311++G (d, p) basis set.

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This study reports, successful synthesis of Oxygen(O) and Nitrogen(N) co-doped Ocimum Sanctum plant-based or tulsi carbon dots-silver nanoparticle nanocomposites (TCD-AgNP) for the development of an efficient, highly active, low-cost fingerprint antibacterial agent against gram-negative organisms and a highly efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Green synthesized, high quantum yield (47 %), intensely blue fluorescent, highly stable N and O co-doped TCDs from carbonization technique of tulsi leaves is achieved without any chemical treatment or surface fascination which could act as an efficient green reducing agent for the development green TCD-AgNP nanocomposites. The novelty and advantage of this study is the development of highly stable, blue fluorescent, high quantum yield (40 %) environmental -friendly TCD-AgNP nanocomposite through reduction method by using green TCDs.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and classified into various subtypes, among which transcriptional alterations result in CRC progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Forkhead-box M1 (FOXM1) is a proliferation-associated transcription factor which is overexpressed in CRC and the mechanisms of regulation have been under investigation. Previously, we showed that FOXM1 binds to promoters of certain microRNAs.

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Chronic wound management using biomaterial-based dressings has significantly impacted the standard and efficiency of wound healing. However, various available wound healing aids are ineffective in treating deep open injuries and chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds. Herein, we developed a 3D bilayered multifunctional sponge, which addresses the structural and functional issues faced by biomaterial dressings in treating deep and chronic wounds.

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  • The burden of stroke varies by region due to differences in comorbid conditions and ethnicity, as influenced by genomewide variations acting as proxies for these factors.
  • An integrated analysis of stroke prevalence and mortality rates across 204 countries from 2009 to 2019 reveals distinct ethnogeographic trends, showing that metabolic risk is higher in America and Europe while systolic blood pressure is a major risk in Asia and Africa.
  • Identifying unique genetic risk variants specific to populations can lead to targeted prevention strategies for stroke based on regional and ethnic risk factors.
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A Self-Skin Permeable Doxorubicin Loaded Nanogel Composite as a Transdermal Device for Breast Cancer Therapy.

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces

September 2024

Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Research Centre, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Trivandrum 695 581, India.

Modern drug delivery research focuses on developing biodegradable nanopolymer systems. The present study proposed a polymer-based composite nanogel as a transdermal drug delivery system for the pH-responsive targeted and controlled delivery of anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). Nanogels have properties of both hydrogels and nanomaterials.

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Anopheles jamesii, considered to be a non-malaria vector, is an abundant mosquito species found in coastal India and several countries in Asia. In Goa, western India, An. jamesii is the dominant anopheline species by numbers, and in recent epidemiological surveys, they have tested positive for Plasmodium carriage.

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Chrysin downregulates the expression of ADAMTS-4 in foam cells.

Mol Biol Rep

September 2024

Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695581, India.

Background: Chrysin, a polyphenolic compound, possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated the effect of chrysin on the expression of A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-4 (ADAMTS-4), a protease enzyme involved in degrading extracellular matrix associated with atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: We have studied the cell viability by MTT assay and foam cell formation by oil red O staining.

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Background: Collection and compilation of spatial, meteorological, entomological, and virological data are critical in mitigating climate-sensitive emerging infections like dengue. This study was a holistic attempt to understand the dengue situation in the Kasaragod district of Kerala, India.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 health institutions from June to July 2021.

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Article Synopsis
  • Magnetic nanoparticles, specifically Au shell-iron core nanoparticles (FeO@Au), were engineered to enhance targeted drug delivery for treating liver cancer by encapsulating curcumin using a dextran coating and functionalizing with folic acid.
  • Various analytical techniques confirmed the successful synthesis and characterized the nanoparticles, revealing an average size of 63.3 nm and a negative zeta potential, which suggests good stability.
  • In both in vitro and in vivo studies, the nanoparticles demonstrated effective cancer cell death, improved therapeutic outcomes compared to traditional methods, and limited toxicity to healthy cells, indicating their potential as a promising cancer treatment strategy.
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Amine functionalized bentonites were used as adsorbents for the bioremoval of Fe(III) ions, which led to the inclusion of functional groups such as -OH, -NH2, -OCH3, etc. FTIR, XRD, SEM, AFM, TG, BET, XRF, and CHNS analyzer were used to analyze the surface and textural characteristics. The influence of adsorption factors, such as pH, contact time, temperature, and initial concentration, have been investigated and tailored in batch adsorption experiments of Fe (III) metal ions.

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Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs with a covalently closed loop structure. They have many biological functions, mainly regulatory ones. They have been proven to modulate protein-coding genes in the human genome.

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An automated speaker verification system uses the process of speech recognition to verify the identity of a user and block illicit access. Logical access attacks are efforts to obtain access to a system by tampering with its algorithms or data, or by circumventing security mechanisms. DeepFake attacks are a form of logical access threats that employs artificial intelligence to produce highly realistic audio clips of human voice, that may be used to circumvent vocal authentication systems.

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This study analysed ten widely used commercial fishfeeds in aquaculture from six countries spanning three continents to assess microplastic (MP) contamination. MPs with an average abundance of 1130 ± 259.07 particles/kg and an average length of 2.

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Purpose: The identification of the external attaching fish parasitic cymothoid, Nerocila phaiopleura Bleeker 1857, is still based on the brief description of Australian specimens provided by Bruce (1987). The present study aimed to provide a redescription and molecular characterisation of Indian specimens of N. phaiopleura.

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Hepatoprotective potential of coconut inflorescence sap against paracetamol induced toxicity in hep G2 cell lines.

Food Chem Toxicol

November 2024

Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Electronic address:

Coconut Inflorescence Sap (CIS) is the sweet, oyster-white colored, non-fermented juice obtained from the immature inflorescence of the Coconut tree. Acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, or paracetamol) is one of the most frequently used drugs worldwide as an antipyretic or analgesic. HepG2 cell lines were used as an experimental model for studying in vitro hepatotoxicity induced by Paracetamol.

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Hydrogel-based wound management systems represent a promising avenue in tissue engineering for restoring and preserving the normal functionality of damaged tissues. Incorporating active components into hydrogel matrices enhances their suitability for biomedical applications. In this study, we investigated the integration of l-proline, a nonessential imino acid with largely unexplored roles in living systems, into alginate dialdehyde-gelatin hydrogel for wound healing purposes.

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Hematite nanomaterial from a tropical freshwater ecosystem: Geological, environmental, and industrial implications.

Sci Total Environ

November 2024

Department of Geology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India; Translational Research and Innovation Centre, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695581, India. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Synthetic hematite nanoparticles are widely researched for various applications, but natural iron nanoparticles in freshwater ecosystems have been under-studied.
  • A study in southern India identified natural iron nanoparticles in tropical freshwater, characterized by advanced techniques showing they exist as mesoporous, amorphous hematite microspheres.
  • The presence of Bacillus cereus indicates a biogeochemical origin, enhancing understanding of these nanoparticles' ecological roles and suggesting their potential for industrial uses.
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Non-Enzymatic Detection of Cardiac Troponin-I with Graphene Oxide Quenched Fluorescent Iron Nanoclusters (FeNCs).

Chemistry

November 2024

Department of Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Kerala, Kariavattom campus, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695581, India Mob: +91-9446462933.

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is the most resorted biomarker for the detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The means of rapid quantification of cTnI levels in the blood can substantially minimize the risk of acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. A sensor for the non-enzymatic evaluation of cardiac troponin-I has been developed using fluorescent iron nanoclusters via a one-pot synthesis employing (BSA) as the template and reducing agent, and hydrogen peroxide as the additive.

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