Up till now, the excessive and unconstrained release of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions in water becomes a foremost concern by way of threatening human health seriously. Therefore, for removal of heavy metal ions ...from waste water, adsorbent with high efficacy and low-cost technologies is most needed to alleviate the situation. In this work, robust, mesoporous ZnO & TiO2@ZnO monoliths with the valuable surface area (120–332 m2/g) were synthesized via nanocasting process and their performance as an adsorbent for removal of heavy metal (Pb2+ and Cd2+) ions from aqueous water was successfully evaluated. The adsorption data shows better fit at pH 6 to Freundlich isotherm model. Applicability of pseudo-second order (PSO) kinetic model specifies the chemisorption process. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed that removal of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions was an endothermic process. The maximum adsorption efficacy of Pb2+ ions based on monolayer adsorption was found to be 790 and 978 mg/L for ZnO and TiO2@ZnO monoliths, respectively whereas the maximum adsorption efficacy of Cd2+ ions based on monolayer adsorption was found to be 643 and 786 mg/L for ZnO and TiO2@ZnO monoliths respectively. Besides, used mesoporous ZnO & TiO2@ZnO monoliths could be efficiently reused for at least three times after treatment with NaOH. The high uptake capacity for Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions with good reusability of ZnO & TiO2@ZnO monoliths made them a potentially attractive adsorbent.
•Mesoporous ZnO & TiO2@ZnO monoliths were synthesized by nanocasting method.•The synthesized monoliths were superior in Pb2+ and Cd2+ adsorption from aqueous solution.•Freundlich model was found to be more fitted for the adsorption process.•Thermodynamic experiments confirmed the spontaneous & endothermic nature of adsorption.
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•V2CTx and E-V2CTx were prepared by chemical etching and exfoliation of V2AlC.•E-V2CTx shows selective adsorption of organic dyes.•V2AlC and V2CTx shows selectivity in degradation of ...organic dyes and pharmaceutical drugs.•Catalysts show remarkable reusability in oxidative degradation of contaminants.
The search of expeditious materials for selective removal of residual contaminants, is an imperative task to the scientific community. In this work, we report the use of vanadium carbide MXenes, for the first time in (i) selective separation of organic dyes, (ii) degradation of pharmaceutical drugs and (iii) degradation of organic dyes. In particular, the exfoliated vanadium carbide (E-V2CTx) MXene shows remarkable selective adsorption of methylene blue dye (within 20 min) in a mixture of different organic dyes. The etched vanadium carbide (V2CTx) MXene shows excellent activity in selective degradation of pharmaceutical drugs (within 2 min) whereas V2AlC MAX phase shows remarkable activity in selective degradation of organic dyes (within 8 min) through advanced oxidation processes. The material shows an adsorption capacity of 16 mg L-1 within 20 min, with an initial concentration of 20 mg L-1. The degradation pathways were analyzed for the degradation of pharmaceutical drugs as well as organic dyes. The materials show remarkable reusability for multiple cycles in oxidative degradation of contaminants. This work provides a path for the design and development of efficient vanadium carbide MXene based materials for wastewater remediation.
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first isolated from Zika forest, Uganda, in 1947. Since its inception, major and minor outbreaks have been documented from several parts of world. ...Aedes spp. mosquitoes are the primary vectors of ZIKV, but the virus can also be transmitted through sexual practices, materno-fetal transmission, and blood transfusion. The clinical presentations of symptomatic ZIKV infections are similar to dengue and chikungunya, including fever, headache, arthralgia, retro-orbital pain, conjunctivitis, and rash. ZIKV often causes mild illness in the majority of cases, but in some instances, it is linked with congenital microcephaly and autoimmune disorders like Guillain–Barré syndrome. The recent Indian ZIKV outbreak suggests that the virus is circulating in the South East Asian region and may cause new outbreaks in future. At present, no specific vaccines or antivirals are available to treat ZIKV, so management and control of ZIKV infections rely mostly on preventive measures.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The recurrent repeats having conserved stretches of amino acids exists across all domains of life. Subsequent repetition of single sequence motif and the number and length of the minimal repeating ...motifs are essential characteristics innate to these proteins. The proteins with tandem peptide repeats are essential for providing surface to mediate protein-protein interactions for fundamental biological functions. Plants are enriched in tandem repeat containing proteins typically distributed into various families. This has been assumed that the occurrence of multigene repeats families in plants enable them to cope up with adverse environmental conditions and allow them to rapidly acclimatize to these conditions. The evolution, structure, and function of repeat proteins have been studied in all kingdoms of life. The presence of repeat proteins is particularly profuse in multicellular organisms in comparison to prokaryotes. The precipitous expansion of repeat proteins in plants is presumed to be through internal tandem duplications. Several repeat protein gene families have been identified in plants. Such as Armadillo (ARM), Ankyrin (ANK), HEAT, Kelch-like repeats, Tetratricopeptide (TPR), Leucine rich repeats (LRR), WD40, and Pentatricopeptide repeats (PPR). The structure and functions of these repeat proteins have been extensively studied in plants suggesting a critical role of these repeating peptides in plant cell physiology, stress and development. In this review, we illustrate the structural, functional, and evolutionary prospects of prolific repeat proteins in plants.
Psoriasis has been considered as a chronic inflammatory skin disease which leads to the dysfunction of immune systems. According to the World Psoriasis Day consortium, psoriasis affects around 125 ...million individuals globally or about 2% to 3% of the overall population. Most of the conventional drug delivery systems primarily attempt to relieve symptoms of psoriasis and are ineffective in providing targeted action and higher bioavailability because of the drug's short half-life and instability, as well as they lack safety and efficacy. The shortcomings of conventional drug delivery systems give rise to the development of novel drug delivery systems which includes liposomes, transferosomes, ethosomes, niosomes, emulsomes, dendrimers, hydrogel, nanoparticles, etc. These novel formulations may enhance the therapeutic effects by changing physiological and pharmacokinetic parameters. Several research reports suggest that these novel drug delivery systems may enhance therapeutic effects which can be used as a promising approach for the treatment of psoriasis. The liposomes based drug delivery system have been considered as most promising vehicles for enhancing therapeutic potentials of drugs into or through the skin upon topical application. Liposomes have small unilamellar vesicles which may enhance the penetration ability through stratum corneum layer of skin. Therefore, present review article highlights on the different aspects of the liposomes as potential drug delivery system for the treatment of psoriasis.
Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) have shown potential as a novel lipid-based drug delivery system for the topical applications of innumerable therapeutic compounds. However, the mechanisms governing ...the absorption and cellular uptake of SLNs through topical route, along with the mechanism of drug release from SLNs are still ambiguous, and require further investigation. In addition, the selection of an appropriate dosage form/formulation base is essential for ease of application of SLNs and to enhance dermal and transdermal delivery. Upscaling and regulatory approvals are other challenges that may impede the clinical translation of SLNs. Therefore, this review focusses on different mechanisms involved in skin penetration and cellular uptake of SLNs. This is followed by a comprehensive discussion on the physicochemical properties of SLNs including various formulation and dosage form factors, which might influence the absorption of SLNs through the skin. Finally, translational status with respect to scale-up and regulatory aspects are also discussed. This review will be useful to researchers with an interest in topical applications of SLNs for the efficient delivery of drugs and cosmetics.
Our environment constantly undergoes changes either natural or manmade affecting growth and development of all the organisms including plants. Plants are sessile in nature and therefore to counter ...environmental changes such as light, temperature, nutrient and water availability, pathogen, and many others; plants have evolved intricate signaling mechanisms, composed of multiple components including several plant hormones. Research conducted in the last decade has placed Strigolactones (SLs) in the growing list of plant hormones involved in coping with environmental changes. SLs are carotenoid derivatives functioning as both endogenous and exogenous signaling molecules in response to various environmental cues. Initially, SLs were discovered as compounds that are harmful to plants due to their role as stimulants in seed germination of parasitic plants, a more beneficial role in plant growth and development was uncovered much later. SLs are required for maintaining plant architecture by regulating shoot and root growth in response to various external stimuli including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, light, nutrients, and temperature. Moreover, a role for SLs has also been recognized during various abiotic and biotic stress conditions making them suitable target for generating genetically engineered crop plants with improved yield. This review discusses the biosynthesis of SLs and their regulatory and physiological roles in various stress conditions. Understanding of detailed signaling mechanisms of SLs will be an important factor for designing genetically modified crops for overcoming the problem of crop loss under stressful conditions.
This review outlines a literature‐based approach with illustrative examples of drug repurposing (one molecule, multiple targets), which will be useful in tackling the problem of antimicrobial ...resistance (AMR). Globally, the demands for new drugs have increased due to multidrug‐resistant pathogens and emerging viruses. Keeping these facts in view, drug repurposing started for utilization of a drug in a different way from a preexisting drug, which reduces the time and cost of development of a new drug. Repurposing increases the potency of a drug and reduces its toxicity level, as it is required in lower amounts, supporting the utilization of the drug as a new therapeutic option. This will be further explored to highlight the application in AMR.
This review provides illustrative examples of drug repurposing (one molecule, multiple targets), which will be useful in tackling the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) problem. Repurposing increases the potency of a drug and reduces its toxicity level. This will be further explored to highlight the application in AMR.
Background: Headache is one of the commonly reported symptoms of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) illness. A number of studies have been done so far focusing on headache associated with COVID-19 ...with variable incidence and characteristics. Material and Methods: This study is a prospective study conducted on 120 patients with confirmed COVID-19 illness. Critically ill and ventilated patients were excluded. Demographic data, COVID illness symptom profile, headache characteristics were documented. Patients were followed up at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. For the statistical analysis, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 24.0 was used. Results: 120 COVID-19 positive cases were included in the study with a mean age of 54.59 ± 14.89 years (range 21-84 years) with male-to-female ratio of 3:2. 78.33% (94) of patients had various comorbidities. 43.33% (52) cases were diabetic. The presenting symptoms were fever (65%), cough (53.33%), shortness of breath (35%) and myalgia (31.66%). 26 (21.66%) patients reported headache during the COVID illness. 18 (15%) cases had headache attributed as secondary to COVID-19 illness. Out of them, 12 cases were new onset with no past history of headache and 6 cases had a significant change in previous headache episodes. COVID-19 illness precipitated headache episodes similar to past headache type in 8 cases. Headache was the presenting symptom in 8 (6.66%) patients with COVID-19 being detected in the regular hospital screening protocol. Conclusion: Headache was a common symptom in COVID-19 patients. New onset headaches or change in past headache type in patients in the setting of ongoing pandemic should be screened for COVID-19.
In this study microwave assisted technique has been adopted for the synthesis of different weight ratios of TiO
2
dispersed on Santa barbara amorphous-15 (SBA-15) support. Morphological study ...revealed TiO
2
particles (4–10 nm) uniformly distributed on SBA-15 while increases in SBA-15 content results in higher specific surface area (524–237 m
2
/g). The diffraction intensity of 101 plane of anatase polymorph was seen increasing with increase in TiO
2
ratio. All the photocatalysts were having a mesoporous nature and follow the Langmuir IV isotherm, SBA-15 posses the highest pore volume (0.93 cm
3
g
−1
) which consistently decreased with TiO
2
content and was lowest (0.50 cm
3
g
−1
) in case of 5 wt% of TiO
2
followed by P25 (0.45 cm
3
g
−1
) while pore diameter increased after TiO
2
incorporation due to pore strain. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites were analysed for the photodegradation of alizarin dye and pentachlorophenol under UV light irradiation. The reaction kinetics suggested the highest efficiency (98 % for alizarin and 94 % for PCP) of 5 wt% TiO
2
compared to other photocatalysts, these nanocomposites were reused for several cycles, which is most important for heterogeneous photocatalytic degradation reaction.
Graphical abstract
This study demonstrates the synthesis of silica embedded TiO
2
nanocomposites by microwave assisted technique and their catalytic influence on degradation of organic dyes and pollutants. Higher loading of titania (SBA-15/TiO
2
, 1:5) results better catalytic performance than commercial nano TiO
2
(P25).
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