Bacteria mediated infections may cause various acute or chronic illnesses and antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has become a serious health problem around the world due to their excessive ...use or misuse. Replacement of existing antibacterial agents with a novel and efficient alternative is the immediate demand to alleviate this problem. Graphene-based materials have been exquisitely studied because of their remarkable bactericidal activity on a wide range of bacteria. Graphene-based materials provide advantages of easy preparation, renewable, unique catalytic properties, and exceptional physical properties such as a large specific surface area and mechanical strength. However, several queries related to the mechanism of action, significance of size and composition toward bacterial activity, toxicity criteria, and other issues are needed to be addressed. This review summarizes the recent efforts that have been made so far toward the development of graphene-based antibacterial materials to face current challenges to combat against the bacterial targets. This review describes the inherent antibacterial activity of graphene-family and recent advances that have been made on graphene-based antibacterial materials covering the functionalization with silver nanoparticles, other metal ions/oxides nanoparticles, polymers, antibiotics, and enzymes along with their multicomponent functionalization. Furthermore, the review describes the biosafety of the graphene-based antibacterial materials. It is hoped that this review will provide valuable current insight and excite new ideas for the further development of safe and efficient graphene-based antibacterial materials.
Creatinine is a metabolic product of creatine phosphate in muscles, which provides energy to muscle tissues. Creatinine has been considered as indicator of renal function specifically after dialysis, ...thyroid malfunction and muscle damage. The normal level of creatinine in the serum and its excretion through urine in apparently healthy individuals is 45–140 μM and 0.8–2.0 gm/day respectively. The level of creatinine reaches >1000 μM in serum during renal, thyroid and kidney dysfunction or muscle disorder. A number of conventional methods such as colorimetric, spectrophotometric and chromatographic are available for determination of creatinine. Besides the advantages of being highly sensitive and selective, these methods have some drawbacks like time-consuming, requirement of sample pre-treatment, high cost instrumental set-up and skilled persons to operate. The sensors/biosensors overcome these drawbacks, as these are fast, easy, cost effective and highly sensitive. This review article describes the classification, operating principles, merits and demerits of various creatinine sensors/biosensors, specifically nanomaterials based biosensors. Creatinine biosensors work optimally within 2–900 s, potential range 0.1–1.0 V, pH range 4.0–10.0, temperature range 25–35 °C and had linear range, 0.004–30000 µM for creatinine with the detection limit between 0.01.01 µM and 520 µM. These biosensors measured creatinine level in sera and urine samples and had storage stability between 4 and 390 days, while being stored dry at 4 °C. The future perspective for further improvement and commercialization of creatinine biosensors are discussed.
•Review illustrates classification of creatinine biosensors with their merits and demerits.•Creatinine biosensors work ideally within 2–900 s, between pH, 4.0–10.0 and temp 25–35 °C and linear range, 0.004–30,000 µM.•Detection limits of creatinine biosensors are between 0.01 μM and 520 µM.•Fabrication of low cost NPs based creatinine biosensors along with their improved sensitivity and stability has been discussed.•The future research could be focused on miniaturization of creatinine biosensors.
Arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS) is a rare genetic syndrome characterized by elongation, tortuosity, stenosis, and aneurysm formation of major arteries. A one year ten months old boy presented with ...a history of repeated chest infections. Cardiovascular examination was normal except for slightly increased heart rate (130 beats per minute). Echocardiography revealed situs solitus, levocardia, D-loop, and atrioventricular and ventricular-arterial concordance.
Both right and left pulmonary arteries appeared mildly narrowed in caliber, measuring 7.1 and 9 mm, respectively. CT angiography was advised for detailed evaluation of branch pulmonary arteries. CT showed early branching of the main pulmonary trunk with narrowed caliber branch pulmonary arteries forming an inverted V sign on axial maximum intensity projection images and an V sign on coronal volume rendering technique images. All the three arch branches showed tortuous courses after their origin. The thoraco-abdominal aorta also appeared tortuous in course that extended beyond the normal expected course into adjacent anatomic areas. There was no evidence of any aortic aneurysm or dissection. In view of these typical imaging findings, the diagnosis of ATS was made. This case report highlights the role of radiological imaging to ascertain the diagnosis and detect the complications of ATS. KCI Citation Count: 0
The folate receptor (FR) is a tumor-associated antigen that can bind with folic acid (FA) and its conjugates with high affinity and ingests the bound molecules inside the cell via the endocytic ...mechanism. A wide variety of payloads can be delivered to FR-overexpressed cells using folate as the ligand, ranging from small drug molecules to large DNA-containing macromolecules. A broad range of folate attached liposomes have been proven to be highly effective as the targeted delivery system. For the rational design of folate-targeted liposomes, an intense conceptual understanding combining chemical and biomedical points of view is necessary because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The fabrication of the folate-conjugated liposomes basically involves the attachment of FA with phospholipids, cholesterol or peptides before liposomal formulation. The present review aims to provide detailed information about the design and fabrication of folate-conjugated liposomes using FA attached uncleavable/cleavable phospholipids, cholesterol or peptides. Advances in the area of folate-targeted liposomes and their biomedical applications have also been discussed.
An improved amperometric biosensor for detection of creatinine was developed based on immobilization of nanoparticles (NPs) of creatininase (CA), creatinase (CI), and sarcosine oxidase (SOx) onto ...glassy carbon (GC) electrode. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed for characterization of enzyme nanoparticles (ENPs). The GC electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) at different stages of its amendment. The biosensor showed optimum response within 2s at pH 6.0 in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer and 25 °C, when operated at 1.0 V against Ag/AgCl. Biosensor exhibited wider linear range from 0.01 μM to 12 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01 μM. The analytical recoveries of added creatinine in sera were 97.97 ± 0.1% for 0.1 mM and 98.76 ± 0.2% for 0.15 mM, within and between batch coefficients of variation (CV) were 2.06% and 3.09% respectively. A good correlation (R2 = 0.99) was observed between sera creatinine values obtained by standard enzymic colorimetric method and the present biosensor. This biosensor measured creatinine level in sera of apparently healthy subjects and persons suffering from renal and muscular dysfunction. The ENPs electrode lost 10% of its initial activity within 240 days of its regular uses, when stored at 4 °C.
This review discusses the state of the art on the synthesis, functionalization and emerging applications of mesoporous silica materials. Mesoporous silica materials can be synthesized as membranes or ...powders with controlled pore size and geometry depending on the synthesis conditions. Mesoporous membranes are generally grown on porous supports by solvent evaporation or hydrothermal synthesis techniques. Synthesis of powdered mesoporous silica materials with controlled pore sizes in the range 2–30
nm and various different pore geometries has been an active area of research over last 15
years. Functionalization of the pore channels of ordered mesoporous silica with organic groups provides new opportunities for fine-tuning the chemical, physical, mechanical, and dielectric properties of these intriguing materials. This has led to an interest in application of these materials as separation membranes for the removal of environmental pollutants, e.g. greenhouse CO
2 emissions, and the separation of bioethanol from water; heterogeneous catalysts; adsorbents for removal of environmental pollutants, such as Hg; as well as other advanced nanotechnological applications.
•Presents a methodological approach to assess vulnerability patterns to climate change at the local level based on three key components: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity.•Assesses the ...spatial pattern of the vulnerability of an urban system in a semi-arid inland city in India.•Presents an approach to prioritise adaptation and mitigation response action within the spatial planning process.•91% of the total area of Bangalore metropolitan area is subject to a high degree of climate change vulnerability.
Integrating adaptation and mitigation response actions to climate change in urban-level policies requires comprehensive information on vulnerability patterns, yet a majority of local governments and decision makers in various cities in developing nations lack spatially explicit information on climate change vulnerability and its key drivers. In addition, there is no standardised method for an all-inclusive vulnerability assessment at the local level. Results from higher broad-scale vulnerability assessments are difficult to implement conceptually and technically at the local scale. We present a climate change vulnerability assessment approach at the city scale that considers three main components: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Indicators were assessed within each component and were combined using Spatial Multi-Criteria Evaluation (SMCE). The standardisation of indicators under each component was conducted, along with weighting, at each level of the vulnerability assessment hierarchy. The vulnerability assessment approach was applied to an urban area in India; namely, Bangalore metropolitan area. The application of vulnerability assessment approach was demonstrated and a spatial assessment of climate change vulnerability patterns was presented. The spatial pattern of vulnerability identifies areas urgently requiring attention to adaptation action, while vulnerability assessment enables policy intervention and prioritization at local spatial scales. This study presents a rational to integrate vulnerability assessment approach within the urban planning realm in Bangalore metropolitan area where according to our study approximately 91% of the area is facing high degree of climate vulnerability.
Most human pre-implantation embryos are mosaics of euploid and aneuploid cells. To determine the fate of aneuploid cells and the developmental potential of mosaic embryos, here we generate a mouse ...model of chromosome mosaicism. By treating embryos with a spindle assembly checkpoint inhibitor during the four- to eight-cell division, we efficiently generate aneuploid cells, resulting in embryo death during peri-implantation development. Live-embryo imaging and single-cell tracking in chimeric embryos, containing aneuploid and euploid cells, reveal that the fate of aneuploid cells depends on lineage: aneuploid cells in the fetal lineage are eliminated by apoptosis, whereas those in the placental lineage show severe proliferative defects. Overall, the proportion of aneuploid cells is progressively depleted from the blastocyst stage onwards. Finally, we show that mosaic embryos have full developmental potential, provided they contain sufficient euploid cells, a finding of significance for the assessment of embryo vitality in the clinic.
Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cause of cancer deaths. Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) does not show immunohistochemical expression of oestrogen receptors, progesterone receptors ...or HER2. At present, no suitable treatment option is available for patients with TNBC. This dearth of effective conventional therapies for the treatment of advanced stage breast cancer has provoked the development of novel strategies for the management of patients with TNBC. This review presents recent information associated with different therapeutic options for the treatment of TNBC focusing on promising targets such as the Notch signalling, Wnt/β‐catenin and Hedgehog pathways, in addition to EGFR, PARP1, mTOR, TGF‐β and angiogenesis inhibitors.
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