Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 49 in total

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  1. Singh P, Lau CSS, Siah SY, Chua KO, Ting ASY
    Arch Microbiol, 2024 Mar 22;206(4):188.
    PMID: 38519709 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-03895-8
    Biodegradation is an eco-friendly measure to address plastic pollution. This study screened four bacterial isolates that were capable of degrading recalcitrant polymers, i.e., low-density polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene. The unique bacterial isolates were obtained from plastic polluted environment. Dermacoccus sp. MR5 (accession no. OP592184) and Corynebacterium sp. MR10 (accession no. OP536169) from Malaysian mangroves and Bacillus sp. BS5 (accession no. OP536168) and Priestia sp. TL1 (accession no. OP536170) from a sanitary landfill. The four isolates showed a gradual increase in the microbial count and the production of laccase and esterase enzymes after 4 weeks of incubation with the polymers (independent experiment set). Bacillus sp. BS5 produced the highest laccase 15.35 ± 0.19 U/mL and showed the highest weight loss i.e., 4.84 ± 0.6% for PS. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups as a result of oxidation reactions by enzymes. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed the oxidation of the polymers to small molecules (alcohol, ethers, and acids) assimilated by the microbes during the degradation. Field emission scanning electron microscopy showed bacterial colonization, biofilm formation, and surface erosion on the polymer surface. The result provided significant insight into enzyme activities and the potential of isolates to target more than one type of polymer for degradation.
  2. Khan PA, Mohammad A, Bansal SL, Lal B, Singh P, Singh R, et al.
    Mol Biotechnol, 2024 Jan 09.
    PMID: 38195817 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-01022-4
    Solid waste generation is a huge contributor to environmental pollution issues, and food wastes are prominent in this category due to their large generation on a day-to-day basis. Thus, the settlement of daily food waste is one of the major constraints and needs innovative manufacturing sheme to valorize solid waste in sustainable manner. Moreover, these food wastes are rich in organic content, which has promising scope for their value-added products. In the present study, raw mango seed waste has been biotransformed to produce bacterial hydrolytic enzymes as feedstock. On investigating the impact of substrate, the highest bacterial cellulase production was recorded to be 18 IU/gds FP (filter paper) in 24 h of microbial incubation at 5 g of substrate in solid-state fermentation (SSF). Furthermore, at 40 °C and pH 6.0, 23 IU/gds FP enzyme could be produced in 24 h of SSF. Beside this, on comparing the influence of inorganic and organic nitrogen sources, urea has been found to provide better cellulase production, which yielded 28 IU/gds FP in 24 h of incubation, along with 77 IU/gds BG (β-glucosidase) and 89 IU/gds EG (endoglucanase). On the other hand, Tween-40 and Tween-80, two different surfactants, were employed at a 1.0% concentration for 24 h of incubation. It was noticed that Tween-80 showed complete enzyme activity at 24 h, which was found to be relatively superior to that of Tween-40. This study may have potential utility in enzyme production using mango seed as a food waste for various industrial applications.
  3. Meskher H, Mustansar HC, Thakur AK, Sathyamurthy R, Lynch I, Singh P, et al.
    Nanoscale Adv, 2023 Oct 24;5(21):5983.
    PMID: 37881720 DOI: 10.1039/d3na90097e
    [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D2NA00236A.].
  4. GBD 2019 Lip, Oral, and Pharyngeal Cancer Collaborators, Cunha ARD, Compton K, Xu R, Mishra R, Drangsholt MT, et al.
    JAMA Oncol, 2023 Oct 01;9(10):1401-1416.
    PMID: 37676656 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.2960
    IMPORTANCE: Lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancers are important contributors to cancer burden worldwide, and a comprehensive evaluation of their burden globally, regionally, and nationally is crucial for effective policy planning.

    OBJECTIVE: To analyze the total and risk-attributable burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) and other pharyngeal cancer (OPC) for 204 countries and territories and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) using 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study estimates.

    EVIDENCE REVIEW: The incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to LOC and OPC from 1990 to 2019 were estimated using GBD 2019 methods. The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate the proportion of deaths and DALYs for LOC and OPC attributable to smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in 2019.

    FINDINGS: In 2019, 370 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 338 000-401 000) cases and 199 000 (95% UI, 181 000-217 000) deaths for LOC and 167 000 (95% UI, 153 000-180 000) cases and 114 000 (95% UI, 103 000-126 000) deaths for OPC were estimated to occur globally, contributing 5.5 million (95% UI, 5.0-6.0 million) and 3.2 million (95% UI, 2.9-3.6 million) DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, low-middle and low SDI regions consistently showed the highest age-standardized mortality rates due to LOC and OPC, while the high SDI strata exhibited age-standardized incidence rates decreasing for LOC and increasing for OPC. Globally in 2019, smoking had the greatest contribution to risk-attributable OPC deaths for both sexes (55.8% [95% UI, 49.2%-62.0%] of all OPC deaths in male individuals and 17.4% [95% UI, 13.8%-21.2%] of all OPC deaths in female individuals). Smoking and alcohol both contributed to substantial LOC deaths globally among male individuals (42.3% [95% UI, 35.2%-48.6%] and 40.2% [95% UI, 33.3%-46.8%] of all risk-attributable cancer deaths, respectively), while chewing tobacco contributed to the greatest attributable LOC deaths among female individuals (27.6% [95% UI, 21.5%-33.8%]), driven by high risk-attributable burden in South and Southeast Asia.

    CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this systematic analysis, disparities in LOC and OPC burden existed across the SDI spectrum, and a considerable percentage of burden was attributable to tobacco and alcohol use. These estimates can contribute to an understanding of the distribution and disparities in LOC and OPC burden globally and support cancer control planning efforts.

  5. Singh P, Pandey P, Arya DK, Anjum MM, Poonguzhali S, Kumar A, et al.
    Biomed Mater, 2023 Mar 27;18(3).
    PMID: 36921352 DOI: 10.1088/1748-605X/acc4a1
    The morbidity rate following a surgical procedure increasing rapidly in the cases associated with surgical site infections. Traditional sutures lack the ability to deliver drugs as the incorporation of the drug in their structure would hamper their mechanical properties. To prevent such infections, we developed an extracellular matrix mimicking electrospun nanofibrous yarns of poly-(D,L)-lactic acid and polyvinyl alcohol loaded with vancomycin and ferulic acid, prepared by uniaxial electrospinning technique.In-vitrocharacterization such as scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, tensile strength testing, degradation studies, and antimicrobial studies along within-vivoevaluation done with help of incision wound healing rat model and simultaneous testing of microbial load in the incised tissue. Thein-vitrostudies indicated the nanofiber yarns have size range 200-300 nm with a tensile strength of 7.54 ± 0.58 MPa. The dual drug-loaded yarn showed sustained drug release over a period of 48 h.In-vitrowater uptake and biodegradation data indicated optimum results suitable for suturing applications. Antimicrobial study showed excellent antimicrobial activity against bothS. aureus and E. coli.Results obtained fromin-vivostudy suggested excellent wound healing potential of nanofiber yarns as compared with commercial silk sutures. The histopathological studies confirmed restoring ability of nanofiber yarn to the normal skin structure. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) study revealed the downregulation of inflammatory markers i.e. TNF-alpha and IL-6, making nanofibers sutures suitable for surgical wound healing applications. Overall, the present study may conclude that the developed dual drug-loaded nanofiber yarns have excellent potential in surgical wound healing applications.
  6. Christopher SS, Thakur AK, Hazra SK, Sharshir SW, Pandey AK, Rahman S, et al.
    PMID: 36940023 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26399-2
    The aim of this research was to develop a model for a solar refrigeration system (SRS) that utilizes an External Compound Parabolic Collector and a thermal energy storage system (TESS) for solar water heating in Chennai, India. The system parameters were optimized using TRNSYS software by varying factors such as collector area, mass flow rate of heat transfer fluid, and storage system volume and height. The resulting optimized system was found to meet 80% of hot water requirements for the application on an annual basis, with an annual collector energy efficiency of 58% and an annual TESS exergy efficiency of 64% for a discharge period of 6 h per day. In addition, the thermal performance of 3.5 kW SRS was studied by connecting it to an optimized solar water heating system (SWHS). The system was found to generate an average cooling energy of 12.26 MJ/h annually, with a coefficient of performance of 0.59. By demonstrating the ability to efficiently generate both hot water and cooling energy, the results of this study indicate the potential for utilizing a SWHS in combination with STST and SRS. The optimization of system parameters and the use of exergy analysis provide valuable insights into the thermal behavior and performance of the system, which can inform future designs and improve the overall efficiency of similar systems.
  7. Menon V, Sharma S, Gupta S, Ghosal A, Nadda AK, Jose R, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2023 Mar;317:137848.
    PMID: 36642147 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137848
    Synthetic plastics, which are lightweight, durable, elastic, mouldable, cheap, and hydrophobic, were originally invented for human convenience. However, their non-biodegradability and continuous accumulation at an alarming rate as well as subsequent conversion into micro/nano plastic scale structures via mechanical and physio-chemical degradation pose significant threats to living beings, organisms, and the environment. Various minuscule forms of plastics detected in water, soil, and air are making their passage into living cells. High temperature and ambient humidity increase the degradation potential of plastic polymers photo-catalytically under sunlight or UV-B radiations. Microplastics (MPs) of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride have been detected in bottled water. These microplastics are entering into the food chain cycle, causing serious harm to all living organisms. MPs entering into the food chain are usually inert in nature, possessing different sizes and shapes. Once they enter a cell or tissue, it causes mechanical damage, induces inflammation, disturbs metabolism, and even lead to necrosis. Various generation routes, types, impacts, identification, and treatment of microplastics entering the water bodies and getting associated with various pollutants are discussed in this review. It emphasizes potential detection techniques like pyrolysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT IR) spectroscopy for microplastics from water samples.
  8. Meskher H, Mustansar HC, Thakur AK, Sathyamurthy R, Lynch I, Singh P, et al.
    Nanoscale Adv, 2023 Feb 14;5(4):992-1010.
    PMID: 36798507 DOI: 10.1039/d2na00236a
    The current COVID-19 pandemic, with its numerous variants including Omicron which is 50-70% more transmissible than the previously dominant Delta variant, demands a fast, robust, cheap, and easily deployed identification strategy to reduce the chain of transmission, for which biosensors have been shown as a feasible solution at the laboratory scale. The use of nanomaterials has significantly enhanced the performance of biosensors, and the addition of CNTs has increased detection capabilities to an unrivaled level. Among the various CNT-based detection systems, CNT-based field-effect transistors possess ultra-sensitivity and low-noise detection capacity, allowing for immediate analyte determination even in the presence of limited analyte concentrations, which would be typical of early infection stages. Recently, CNT field-effect transistor-type biosensors have been successfully used in the fast diagnosis of COVID-19, which has increased research and commercial interest in exploiting current developments of CNT field-effect transistors. Recent progress in the design and deployment of CNT-based biosensors for viral monitoring are covered in this paper, as are the remaining obstacles and prospects. This work also highlights the enormous potential for synergistic effects of CNTs used in combination with other nanomaterials for viral detection.
  9. Anthonysamy L, Singh P
    Heliyon, 2023 Feb;9(2):e12198.
    PMID: 36755584 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12198
    The purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, this study seeks to better understand students' learning experience, through scholastic achievement and secondly, this study analyses students' use of autonomous learning strategies, namely satisfaction, self-efficacy, social interactive engagement and study engagement in digital learning amidst the Covid-19 lockdown. While Malaysia grapples with a growing number of Covid-19 cases, the underlying toll of the pandemic has hit the youth hard with many mental health concerns and this has affected their learning. The nurturing of autonomous learning strategies especially during the Covid-19 confinement is critically needed to assist this vulnerable group. Although there is a plethora of studies given students' use of autonomous learning strategies towards scholastic achievement during the Covid-19 lockdown internationally, studies in the Asia region are still rudimentary. This study investigated 316 university students from targeted universities in Malaysia. Responses were gathered from an online survey. Data were analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), a second-generation multivariate statistical approach to assess the outer model and inner model that displays the relationships between the constructs. The results of this case study reported that student interactive engagement (β = 0.348, t = 5.45) and study environment (β = 0.314, t = 4.81) have a significant impact on students' scholastic achievement during the lockdown. Remarkably, new insights are uncovered in this paper revealing no relationship between self-efficacy and satisfaction with students' scholastic achievement. Possible explanations surrounding why satisfaction and self-efficacy were suppressed by the lockdown are discussed. The outcomes of this study provide key insights that may assist students to condition their minds to use autonomous learning strategies in digital learning to enhance their scholastic achievement.
  10. Meskher H, Ragdi T, Thakur AK, Ha S, Khelfaoui I, Sathyamurthy R, et al.
    Crit Rev Anal Chem, 2023 Feb 01.
    PMID: 36724894 DOI: 10.1080/10408347.2023.2171277
    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are safe, biocompatible, bioactive, and biodegradable materials, and have sparked a lot of attention due to their unique characteristics in a variety of applications, including medical and dye industries, paper manufacturing and water purification. CNTs also have a strong film-forming potential, permitting them to be widely employed in constructing sensors and biosensors. This review concentrates on the application of CNT-based nanocomposites in the production of electrochemical sensors and biosensors. It emphasizes the synthesis and optimization of CNT-based sensors for a range of applications and outlines the benefits of using CNTs for biomolecule immobilization. In addition, the use of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-CNTs in the production of electrochemical sensors is also discussed. The challenges faced by the current CNTs-based sensors, along with some the future perspectives and their future opportunities, are also briefly explained in this paper.
  11. Maurya R, Bhattacharjee G, Khambhati K, Gohil N, Singh P, Mani I, et al.
    Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci, 2023;196:261-270.
    PMID: 36813361 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2022.09.006
    Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a membrane protein expressed in several tissues. The occurrence of APP is predominant in synapses of nerve cells. It acts as a cell surface receptor and plays a vital role as a regulator of synapse formation, iron export and neural plasticity. It is encoded by the APP gene that is regulated by substrate presentation. APP is a precursor protein activated by proteolytic cleavage and thereby generating amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides which eventually form amyloid plaques that accumulate in Alzheimer's disease patients' brains. In this chapter, we highlight basic mechanism, structure, expression patterns and cleavage of amyloid plaques, and its diagnosis and potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
  12. Khan FB, Singh P, Jamous YF, Ali SA, Abdullah, Uddin S, et al.
    Cancers (Basel), 2022 Dec 30;15(1).
    PMID: 36612248 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010249
    Phytochemicals possess various intriguing pharmacological properties against diverse pathological conditions. Extensive studies are on-going to understand the structural/functional properties of phytochemicals as well as the molecular mechanisms of their therapeutic function against various disease conditions. Phytochemicals such as curcumin (Cur), genistein (Gen), and tanshinone-IIA (Tan IIA) have multifaceted therapeutic potentials and various efforts are in progress to understand the molecular dynamics of their function with different tools and technologies. Cur is an active lipophilic polyphenol with pleiotropic function, and it has been shown to possess various intriguing properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anticancer, and anti-genotoxic properties besides others beneficial properties. Similarly, Gen (an isoflavone) exhibits a wide range of vital functions including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic, anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic activities etc. In addition, Tan IIA, a lipophilic compound, possesses antioxidant, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer activities, and so on. Over the last few decades, the field of proteomics has garnered great momentum mainly attributed to the recent advancement in mass spectrometry (MS) techniques. It is envisaged that the proteomics technology has considerably contributed to the biomedical research endeavors lately. Interestingly, they have also been explored as a reliable approach to understand the molecular intricacies related to phytochemical-based therapeutic interventions. The present review provides an overview of the proteomics studies performed to unravel the underlying molecular intricacies of various phytochemicals such as Cur, Gen, and Tan IIA. This in-depth study will help the researchers in better understanding of the pharmacological potential of the phytochemicals at the proteomics level. Certainly, this review will be highly instrumental in catalyzing the translational shift from phytochemical-based biomedical research to clinical practice in the near future.
  13. Rahman I, Singh P, Dev N, Arif M, Yusufi FNK, Azam A, et al.
    Materials (Basel), 2022 Nov 15;15(22).
    PMID: 36431551 DOI: 10.3390/ma15228066
    The findings of an extensive experimental research study on the usage of nano-sized cement powder and other additives combined to form cement-fine-aggregate matrices are discussed in this work. In the laboratory, dry and wet methods were used to create nano-sized cements. The influence of these nano-sized cements, nano-silica fumes, and nano-fly ash in different proportions was studied to the evaluate the engineering properties of the cement-fine-aggregate matrices concerning normal-sized, commercially available cement. The composites produced with modified cement-fine-aggregate matrices were subjected to microscopic-scale analyses using a petrographic microscope, a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). These studies unravelled the placement and behaviour of additives in controlling the engineering properties of the mix. The test results indicated that nano-cement and nano-sized particles improved the engineering properties of the hardened cement matrix. The wet-ground nano-cement showed the best result, 40 MPa 28th-day compressive strength, without mixing any additive compared with ordinary and dry-ground cements. The mix containing 50:50 normal and wet-ground cement exhibited 37.20 MPa 28th-day compressive strength. All other mixes with nano-sized dry cement, silica fume, and fly ash with different permutations and combinations gave better results than the normal-cement-fine-aggregate mix. The petrographic studies and the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) analyses further validated the above findings. Statistical analyses and techniques such as correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis were conducted to compose a predictive equation to calculate the 28th-day compressive strength. In addition to these methods, a repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also implemented to analyse the statistically significant differences among three differently timed strength readings.
  14. Meskher H, Belhaouari SB, Thakur AK, Sathyamurthy R, Singh P, Khelfaoui I, et al.
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2022 Nov;29(55):82709-82728.
    PMID: 36223015 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23392-z
    Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has delayed global economic growth, which has affected the economic life globally. On the one hand, numerous elements in the environment impact the transmission of this new coronavirus. Every country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) area has a different population density, air quality and contaminants, and water- and land-related conditions, all of which influence coronavirus transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated fast evaluations to guide policymakers with timely evidence to respond to the situation. This review makes four unique contributions. One, many data about the transmission of the new coronavirus in various sorts of settings to provide clear answers to the current dispute over the virus's transmission were reviewed. Two, highlight the most significant application of machine learning to forecast and diagnose severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Three, our insights provide timely and accurate information along with compelling suggestions and methodical directions for investigators. Four, the present study provides decision-makers and community leaders with information on the effectiveness of environmental controls for COVID-19 dissemination.
  15. Akula S, Singh P, Murad M, Hameed W
    PMID: 36539132
    Patients in pain have different levels of satisfaction. The experience of patients regarding medication is based on their past treatment. The mental satisfaction of the patients for laboratory medication is necessary for their health recovery. The satisfaction of patients is a challenge for healthcare institutes to provide better facilities to patients. The goal of this research is to investigate the impact of taking patch pain medication, taking oral pain medication, and taking intravenous medication on patients' satisfaction with laboratory pain medication. The model of this research is based on the gap in the literature. 645 responses were considered for data analysis with Smart PLS 3.0 for study findings. The findings disclosed the impact of taking patch pain medication, taking an oral medication, and taking intravenous medication is significant on patients' satisfaction with laboratory pain medication. The study has theoretically enriched the literature with a unique contribution to the study model. Practically, the study has discovered the ways the healthcare sector can improve the satisfaction of patients for their better health and satisfaction. The future directions highlighted by this study are useful for future studies to contribute to patients' satisfaction with laboratory medication.
  16. Sharma T, Xia C, Sharma A, Raizada P, Singh P, Sharma S, et al.
    Bioengineered, 2022 Apr;13(4):10518-10539.
    PMID: 35443858 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2022.2062526
    Enzymes of commercial importance, such as lipase, amylase, laccase, phytase, carbonic anhydrase, pectinase, maltase, glucose oxidase etc., show multifunctional features and have been extensively used in several fields including fine chemicals, environmental, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, energy, food industry, agriculture and nutraceutical etc. The deployment of biocatalyst in harsh industrial conditions has some limitations, such as poor stability. These drawbacks can be overcome by immobilizing the enzyme in order to boost the operational stability, catalytic activity along with facilitating the reuse of biocatalyst. Nowadays, functionalized polymers and composites have gained increasing attention as an innovative material for immobilizing the industrially important enzyme. The different types of polymeric materials and composites are pectin, agarose, cellulose, nanofibers, gelatin, and chitosan. The functionalization of these materials enhances the loading capacity of the enzyme by providing more functional groups to the polymeric material and hence enhancing the enzyme immobilization efficiency. However, appropriate coordination among the functionalized polymeric materials and enzymes of interest plays an important role in producing emerging biocatalysts with improved properties. The optimal coordination at a biological, physical, and chemical level is requisite to develop an industrial biocatalyst. Bio-catalysis has become vital aspect in pharmaceutical and chemical industries for synthesis of value-added chemicals. The present review describes the current advances in enzyme immobilization on functionalized polymers and composites. Furthermore, the applications of immobilized enzymes in various sectors including bioremediation, biosensor and biodiesel are also discussed.
  17. Makharia GK, Singh P, Catassi C, Sanders DS, Leffler D, Ali RAR, et al.
    PMID: 34980921 DOI: 10.1038/s41575-021-00552-z
    Coeliac disease is a systemic disorder characterized by immune-mediated enteropathy, which is caused by gluten ingestion in genetically susceptible individuals. The clinical presentation of coeliac disease is highly variable and ranges from malabsorption through solely extra-intestinal manifestations to asymptomatic. As a result, the majority of patients with coeliac disease remain undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or experience a substantial delay in diagnosis. Coeliac disease is diagnosed by a combination of serological findings of disease-related antibodies and histological evidence of villous abnormalities in duodenal biopsy samples. However, variability in histological grading and in the diagnostic performance of some commercially available serological tests remains unacceptably high and confirmatory assays are not readily available in many parts of the world. Currently, the only effective treatment for coeliac disease is a lifelong, strict, gluten-free diet. However, many barriers impede patients' adherence to this diet, including lack of widespread availability, high cost, cross-contamination and its overall restrictive nature. Routine follow-up is necessary to ensure adherence to a gluten-free diet but considerable variation is evident in follow-up protocols and the optimal disease management strategy is not clear. However, these challenges in the diagnosis and management of coeliac disease suggest opportunities for future research.
  18. G Singh P, S Jain A, B Sridhara Setty P, Bv S, S Patil S, P A, et al.
    Bioinformation, 2022;18(8):683-691.
    PMID: 37323557 DOI: 10.6026/97320630018683
    There is a shred of evidence to suggest that Emblica officinalis Gaertn, the botanical name for amla seeds, has greater medicinal potential than amla fruit. We conducted this work to assess the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant capacities of E. officinalis seed extracts. The bioactive components from the seeds were fractionated using chloroform, hexane, methanol, and diethyl ether, according to the polarity of the solvents. The total amount of phenolic and flavonoid was estimated. Both the reducing power and antioxidant capacities of the extracts were evaluated using the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl) technique. 15-lipoxygenase (LOX) was inhibited by seed extracts at doses ranging from 5 to 25 micrograms. In silico docking was employed to assess the results. Some human pathogenic microorganisms were tested for their antibacterial activity using the agar disc diffusion method. Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, and Klebsiella pneumonia were inhibited by a methanolic extract with an IC50 value of 58g, making it the most common organic solvent extract. Methanolic extracts also showed good antioxidant and antibacterial activity. Our investigation led us to discover that amla seeds have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial effects.
  19. Okely T, Reilly JJ, Tremblay MS, Kariippanon KE, Draper CE, El Hamdouchi A, et al.
    BMJ Open, 2021 10 25;11(10):e049267.
    PMID: 34697112 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049267
    INTRODUCTION: 24-hour movement behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep) during the early years are associated with health and developmental outcomes, prompting the WHO to develop Global guidelines for physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. Prevalence data on 24-hour movement behaviours is lacking, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper describes the development of the SUNRISE International Study of Movement Behaviours in the Early Years protocol, designed to address this gap.

    METHODS AND ANALYSIS: SUNRISE is the first international cross-sectional study that aims to determine the proportion of 3- and 4-year-old children who meet the WHO Global guidelines. The study will assess if proportions differ by gender, urban/rural location and/or socioeconomic status. Executive function, motor skills and adiposity will be assessed and potential correlates of 24-hour movement behaviours examined. Pilot research from 24 countries (14 LMICs) informed the study design and protocol. Data are collected locally by research staff from partnering institutions who are trained throughout the research process. Piloting of all measures to determine protocol acceptability and feasibility was interrupted by COVID-19 but is nearing completion. At the time of publication 41 countries are participating in the SUNRISE study.

    ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The SUNRISE protocol has received ethics approved from the University of Wollongong, Australia, and in each country by the applicable ethics committees. Approval is also sought from any relevant government departments or organisations. The results will inform global efforts to prevent childhood obesity and ensure young children reach their health and developmental potential. Findings on the correlates of movement behaviours can guide future interventions to improve the movement behaviours in culturally specific ways. Study findings will be disseminated via publications, conference presentations and may contribute to the development of local guidelines and public health interventions.

  20. Zeng H, Zhang J, Preising GA, Rubel T, Singh P, Ritz A
    Nucleic Acids Res, 2021 07 02;49(W1):W257-W262.
    PMID: 34037782 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab420
    Networks have been an excellent framework for modeling complex biological information, but the methodological details of network-based tools are often described for a technical audience. We have developed Graphery, an interactive tutorial webserver that illustrates foundational graph concepts frequently used in network-based methods. Each tutorial describes a graph concept along with executable Python code that can be interactively run on a graph. Users navigate each tutorial using their choice of real-world biological networks that highlight the diverse applications of network algorithms. Graphery also allows users to modify the code within each tutorial or write new programs, which all can be executed without requiring an account. Graphery accepts ideas for new tutorials and datasets that will be shaped by both computational and biological researchers, growing into a community-contributed learning platform. Graphery is available at https://graphery.reedcompbio.org/.
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