Particulate matter (PM), broadly defined as coarse (2.5–10 μm), fine (0.1–2.5 μm) and ultrafine particles (≤0.1 μm), is a major constituent of ambient air pollution. Recent studies have linked PM ...exposure (coarse and fine particles) with several human diseases including cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying ultrafine PM exposure induced cellular and sub-cellular repercussions are ill-defined. Since mitochondria are one of the major targets of different environmental pollutants, we herein aimed to understand the molecular repercussion of ultrafine PM exposure on mitochondrial machinery in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Upon comparative analysis, a significantly higher DCF fluorescence was observed in ultrafine PM exposed cells that confirmed the strong pro-oxidant nature of these particles. In addition, the depleted activity of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase suggested the strong association of ultrafine PM with oxidative stress. These results further coincided with mitochondrial membrane depolarization, altered mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme activity and decline in mtDNA copy number. Moreover, the higher accumulation of DNA damage response proteins (γH2AX, pATM, p-p53), suggested that exposure to ultrafine PM induces DNA damage and triggers phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase mediated response pathway. Further, the alterations in mitochondrial machinery and redox balance among ultrafine PM exposed cells were accompanied by a considerably elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine response. Interestingly, the lower apoptosis levels observed in ultrafine particle treated cells suggest the possibility that the marked alterations may lead to the impairment of mitochondrial-nuclear cross talk. Together, our results showed that ultrafine PM, because of their smaller size possesses significant ability to disturb mitochondrial redox homeostasis and activates phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase mediated DNA damage response pathway, an unknown molecular paradigm of ultrafine PM exposure. Our findings also indicate that maneuvering through the mitochondrial function might be a viable, indirect method to modulate lymphocyte homeostasis in air pollution associated immune disorders.
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•Exposure to ultrafine particulate matter induces mitochondrial oxidative stress in lymphocytes.•Derailment of mitochondrial machinery activates a PI3 kinase mediated DNA damage response pathway.•The impairment of mitochondrial-nuclear cross talk might be a foremost cause of various human pathologies.
The sodium superionic conductor (NASICON)‐Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) is an attractive cathode for sodium‐ion batteries, which is still confronted with limited rate performance due to its low electronic ...conductivity. In this paper, a chemical strategy is adopted to partially replace V3+ of the NVP framework by low‐valence Mn2+ and high‐valence Mo6+ substitution. The crystal structure, sodium‐ion diffusion coefficient and electrochemical performance of Mn−Mo‐doped Na3.94V0.98Mo0.02Mn(PO4)3@C cathode were investigated. X‐ray diffraction confirmed the NASICON‐type structure and XPS analysis confirmed the oxidation state of Mn and Mo in doped NVP cathode. The Na ion diffusion processes were inferred from Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurement, which clearly show rapid Na‐ion diffusion in NASICON‐type cathode materials. The Mn−Mo‐substituted NVP shows smoother charge‐discharge profiles, improved rate performance (64.80 mAh/g at 1 C rate), better energy density (308.61 mWh/g) and superior Na‐ion kinetics than that of unsubstituted NVP@C cathode. Their enhanced performance is attributed to large interstitial volume mainly created by high valence Mo6+ and enhanced capacity is attributed to the low valence Mn2+ doping. These results demonstrate that Mn−Mo‐doped NVP cathode is strongly promising cathode material for sodium‐ion batteries.
A chemical strategy is adopted to partially replace V3+ in the sodium superionic conductor (NASICON)‐Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) by low‐valence Mn2+ and high‐valence Mo6+ substitution. The Mn−Mo‐substituted NVP shows smoother charge‐discharge profiles, improved rate performance (64.80 mAh/g at 1 C rate), better energy density (308.61 mWh/g), and superior Na‐ion kinetics compared to unsubstituted NVP@C cathodes.
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•SERS-biosensors offer sensitive detection of circulating cancer biomarkers.•They encompass benefits of specificity, stability, and easy-to-use methods.•Various SERS strategies for BC ...specific ccf-miRNAs detection are discussed.•The key challenges towards effective clinical translation are also highlighted.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has emerged as one of the most promising platforms for various biosensing applications. These sensing systems encompass the advantages of specificity, ultra-high sensitivity, stability, low cost, repeatability, and easy-to-use methods. Moreover, their ability to offer a molecular fingerprint and identify the target analyte at low levels make SERS a promising technique for detecting circulating cancer biomarkers with greater sensitivity and reliability. Among the various circulating biomolecules, oncomiRs are emerging as prominent biomarkers for the early screening of breast cancers (BCs). In this review, we provide a comprehensive understanding of different SERS-based biosensors and their application to identify BC-specific oncomiRs. We also discuss different SERS-based sensing strategies, nano-analytical frameworks, and challenges to be addressed for effective clinical translation.
The design and development of biosensors, analytical devices used to detect various analytes in different matrices, has emerged. Biosensors indicate a biorecognition element with a physicochemical ...analyzer or detector, i.e., a transducer. In the present scenario, various types of biosensors have been deployed in healthcare and clinical research, for instance, biosensors for blood glucose monitoring. Pathogenic microbes are contributing mediators of numerous infectious diseases that are becoming extremely serious worldwide. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 is one of the most recent examples of such communal and deadly diseases. In efforts to work towards the efficacious treatment of pathogenic viral contagions, a fast and precise detection method is of the utmost importance in biomedical and healthcare sectors for early diagnostics and timely countermeasures. Among various available sensor systems, optical biosensors offer easy-to-use, fast, portable, handy, multiplexed, direct, real-time, and inexpensive diagnosis with the added advantages of specificity and sensitivity. Many progressive concepts and extremely multidisciplinary approaches, including microelectronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs), nanotechnologies, molecular biology, and biotechnology with chemistry, are used to operate optical biosensors. A portable and handheld optical biosensing device would provide fast and reliable results for the identification and quantitation of pathogenic virus particles in each sample. In the modern day, the integration of intelligent nanomaterials in the developed devices provides much more sensitive and highly advanced sensors that may produce the results in no time and eventually help clinicians and doctors enormously. This review accentuates the existing challenges engaged in converting laboratory research to real-world device applications and optical diagnostics methods for virus infections. The review's background and progress are expected to be insightful to the researchers in the sensor field and facilitate the design and fabrication of optical sensors for life-threatening viruses with broader applicability to any desired pathogens.
Under new “make in India policy” India has started to become global manufacturing hub and many Indian organizations are looking to implement lean philosophy to gain sustainable strategic benefits ...over others. Therefore, a need was felt to develop comprehensive lean evaluation system for Indian automotive small & medium sized enterprises in order to measure its present lean status and potential improvements to gain significant strategic advantages. Research started with the identification of various lean factors and associated sub factors through literature survey. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was applied to assign weight to various extracted lean factors and sub factors because of its evident merits. Fuzzy comprehensive analysis was applied to assess present status of Indian automotive small and medium sized enterprises, where lean does not practice. Lean performance of Indian automotive small & medium sized enterprises was ascertained as poor. The proposed model could be useful to guiding the Indian automotive small and medium sized enterprises in judicial selection of lean practices to gain significant sustainable strategic advantage over its competitors. Novelty of this research is to emerge from the development of comprehensive lean measurement model for Indian small and medium sized enterprises in automotive sector.
Recently, sodium super-ionic conducting (NASICON) type solid electrolytes have gained attention for next generation batteries because of their high ionic conductivity, low cost, excellent chemical ...and electrochemical stability. Therefore, in the present study, NASICON-type solid electrolyte Na3Zr2Si2PO12 is synthesized by solution assisted-solid state reaction (SA-SSR) route. The electrolytes are sintered at three different temperatures, 1200 °C, 1250 °C and 1300 °C. The sintered electrolytes are characterized by various experimental techniques. The Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction pattern of prepared electrolytes revealed the monoclinic crystal structure. The 3-dimension hopping channel for sodium ion migration through triangular bottleneck area is identified. From complex impedance spectroscopy measurement, the highest bulk and grain boundary conductivity are found, ∼4.05mScm−1 and ∼0.31mScm−1, respectively, for the sample sintered at 1250 °C. The optimized electrolyte shows wide electrochemical stability (∼6.5 V) which is suitable for high voltage battery application. Using optimized electrolyte, sodium half-cell is fabricated with sodium metal as anode, and Na3V2P3O12 (NVP) as cathode. The assembled cell delivers maximum discharge capacity ∼101.6 and ∼84.5mAhg−1 at the current density 10 and 40mAg−1, respectively with good capacity retention (∼95.02%) upto 50 cycles.
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•The Na3Zr2Si2PO12 electrolyte is synthesized by sintering at varying temperatures.•Optimized electrolyte shows ionic conductivity ∼4.05mScm−1 at room temperature.•The ion transport behaviour and triangular hopping bottlenecks are also studied.•The optimized electrolyte shows wide electrochemical stability window of ∼6.5 V.•Na/NZSP/NVP cell renders initial discharge capacity of 101.6mAhg−1 at 10mAg−1.
The present study aimed at optimizing the parameters for increasing vitamin D2 content along with other nutraceutical properties (β-glucans, antioxidants, total phenols, flavonoids, and amino acid ...contents) in dried mushroom Lentinula edodes (L. edodes) powder using ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. The dried mushroom powder was irradiated for different time durations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 h). HPLC studies indicated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in vitamin D2 (24.94–49.31 μg/g) content in 2 h irradiated sample. An elevated level of total phenols (6.57–8.84 mg GAE/g), total flavonoids (1.55–2.89 mgQE/g), and β-glucan content (41.20–47.74%) along with improved antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP) in the 2 h UVB treated sample was also observed. GCMS profiling revealed the presence of bioactives reported to have medicinal potential. Additionally, the study also targets the alterations made by irradiation in amino acid and color profile. The present study provides a sustainable strategy to improve the nutraceutical potential of dried edible mushroom powder, in terms of antioxidant activities, bioactive constituents, etc., particularly vitamin D2, which holds a significant place in the diet.
•Enhancement in Vitamin D2 in dried Lentinula edodes powder by UVB treatment.•UVB irradiation enhanced the bioactive content in L. edodes powder.•GCMS profiling revealed presence of bioactives reported to have medicinal potential.•Improvements in nutraceutical attributes of mushroom powder would benefit consumers.
The association of airborne particulate matter exposure with the deteriorating function of the cardiovascular system is fundamentally driven by the impairment of mitochondrial-nuclear crosstalk ...orchestrated by aberrant redox signaling. The loss of delicate balance in retrograde communication from mitochondria to the nucleus often culminates in the methylation of the newly synthesized strand of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) through DNA methyl transferases. In highly metabolic active tissues such as the heart, mtDNA's methylation state alteration impacts mitochondrial bioenergetics. It affects transcriptional regulatory processes involved in biogenesis, fission, and fusion, often accompanied by the integrated stress response. Previous studies have demonstrated a paradoxical role of mtDNA methylation in cardiovascular pathologies linked to air pollution. A pronounced alteration in mtDNA methylation contributes to systemic inflammation, an etiological determinant for several co-morbidities, including vascular endothelial dysfunction and myocardial injury. In the current article, we evaluate the state of evidence and examine the considerable promise of using cell-free circulating methylated mtDNA as a predictive biomarker to reduce the more significant burden of ambient air pollution on cardiovascular diseases.
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•Exposure to airborne particulate matter induces mitochondrial oxidative stress.•This significantly disturbs the NF-κß mediated inflammatory cascade.•The escape of mtDNA to extracellular space is associated with inflammatory reactions.•Impaired mitochondrial redox machinery causes cardiovascular pathologies.•The use of cell-free, circulating methylated mtDNA as a biomarker is reviewed.
A hitherto unknown series of air stable, π‐conjugated, remarkably bent tetra‐cation tetra‐radical intermolecular Fe(III) μ‐oxo tetranuclear complex, isolated from the dication diradical diiron(III) ...porphyrin dimers, has been synthesised and spectroscopically characterised along with single crystal X‐ray structure determination of two such molecules. These species facilitate long‐range charge/radical delocalisation through the bridge across the entire tetranuclear unit manifesting an unusually intense NIR band. Assorted spin states of Fe(III) centres are stabilised within these unique tetranuclear frameworks: terminal six‐coordinate iron centres stabilise the admixed intermediate spin states while the central five‐coordinate iron centres stabilise the high‐spin states. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicated strong antiferromagnetic coupling for the Fe(III)−O−Fe(III) unit while the exchange interactions between the Fe centres and the porphyrin π‐cation radicals are weaker as supported both by magnetic data and DFT calculations. The nature of orbital overlap between the SOMOs of Fe(III) and π* orbital of the porphyrin was found to rationalise the observed exchange coupling, establishing such a complex magnetic exchange in this tetranuclear model with a significant bioinorganic relevance.
A hitherto unknown series of air stable, π‐conjugated, remarkably bent tetra‐cation tetra‐radical intermolecular μ‐oxo tetranuclear complexes has been reported and structurally characterised. These species facilitate long‐range charge/radical delocalisation through the bridge across the entire tetranuclear unit, manifesting unusually intense NIR bands. Assorted spin states of Fe(III) centres are stabilised: terminal six‐coordinate iron centres stabilise the admixed‐intermediate spin states, while the central five‐coordinate iron centres stabilise the high‐spin states. A strong exchange coupling among the centres, coupled with the bent nature of the Fe−O−Fe moiety, promotes intense NIR bands.
A promising cathode material RGO/SiO2/S composite for an advanced room-temperature sodium‑sulfur (RT NaS) batteries is synthesized via incorporating nanosulfur into amorphous fumed silica wrapped ...with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) through the hydrothermal method. Fumed silica (SiO2) offers a high surface area beneficial for sulfur loading. In the presence of ethylenediamine (EDA), nanosulfur is incorporated into SiO2. Additionally, hydrothermal treatment of the prepared solution that contained EDA facilitates the optimal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) into nitrogen–doped interlinked, conducting, and porous RGO. EDA played a multifunctional role as nanosulfur precursor, a nitrogen source, as well as a reducing agent. The synthesized RGO/SiO2/S composite delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 923 mAh/g at 0.1 C-rate with excellent coulombic efficiency (∼99 %). During cycling, fumed silica in the composite buffers volume expansion that happens throughout the cycling process, while RGO in the composite enhances the conductivity of the sulfur. Additionally, the presence of nitrogen also improves the conductivity of the cathode material.
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•RGO/SiO2/S composite as cathode material for RT Na-S batteries is synthesized by hydrothermal method.•The porous structure of SiO2 is beneficial for sulfur loading and accommodating volume expansion of sulfur during cycling.•The electronic conductivity of the RGO/SiO2/S composite is ∼ 9.73 × 10-2 S/cm due to the high conductivity of RGO.•The synthesized RGO/SiO2/S composite cathode delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 923 mAh/g at 0.1 C-rate.
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