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The ultraviolet (UV) radiation triggers a pigmentation response in human skin, wherein, melanocytes rapidly activate divergent maturation and proliferation programs. Using single-cell sequencing, we demonstrate that these 2 programs are segregated in distinct subpopulations in melanocytes of human and zebrafish skin. The coexistence of these 2 cell states in cultured melanocytes suggests possible cell autonomy. Luria–Delbrück fluctuation test reveals that the initial establishment of these states is stochastic. Tracking of pigmenting cells ascertains that the stochastically acquired state is faithfully propagated in the progeny. A systemic approach combining single-cell multi-omics (RNA+ATAC) coupled to enhancer mapping with H3K27 acetylation successfully identified state-specific transcriptional networks. This comprehensive analysis led to the construction of a gene regulatory network (GRN) that under the influence of noise, establishes a bistable system of pigmentation and proliferation at the population level. This GRN recapitulates melanocyte behaviour in response to external cues that reinforce either of the states. Our work highlights that inherent stochasticity within melanocytes establishes dedicated states, and the mature state is sustained by selective enhancers mark through histone acetylation. While the initial cue triggers a proliferation response, the continued signal activates and maintains the pigmenting subpopulation via epigenetic imprinting. Thereby our study provides the basis of coexistence of distinct populations which ensures effective pigmentation response while preserving the self-renewal capacity. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation triggers a pigmentation response in human skin, wherein melanocytes rapidly activate divergent maturation and proliferation programs. Here, the authors identify distinct melanocyte sub-populations with maturation and proliferation programs initiated by stochastic gene expression in response to external pigmentation cues such as UV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present scenario, growing population demands more food, resulting in the need for sustainable agriculture. Numerous approaches are explored in response to dangers and obstacles to sustainable agriculture. A viable approach is to be exploiting microbial consortium, which generate diverse biostimulants with growth-promoting characteristics for plants. These bioinoculants play an indispensable role in optimizing nutrient uptake efficiency mitigating environmental stress. Plant productivity is mostly determined by the microbial associations that exist at the rhizospheric region of plants. The engineered consortium with multifunctional attributes can be effectively employed to improve crop growth efficacy. A number of approaches have been employed to identify the efficient consortia for plant growth and enhanced crop productivity. Various plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes with host growth-supporting characteristics were investigated to see if they might work cohesively and provide a cumulative effect for improved growth and crop yield. The effective microbial consortia should be assessed using compatibility tests, pot experimentation techniques, generation time, a novel and quick plant bioassay, and sensitivity to external stimuli (temperature, pH). The mixture of two or more microbial strains found in the root microbiome stimulates plant growth and development. The present review deals with mechanism, formulation, inoculation process, commercialization, and applications of microbial consortia as plant bioinoculants for agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new area of biotechnology is nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an emerging field that aims to develope various substances with nano-dimensions that have utilization in the various sectors of pharmaceuticals, bio prospecting, human activities and biomedical applications. An essential stage in the development of nanotechnology is the creation of nanoparticles. To increase their biological uses, eco-friendly material synthesis processes are becoming increasingly important. Recent years have shown a lot of interest in nanostructured materials due to their beneficial and unique characteristics compared to their polycrystalline counterparts. The fascinating performance of nanomaterials in electronics, optics, and photonics has generated a lot of interest. An eco-friendly approach of creating nanoparticles has emerged in order to get around the drawbacks of conventional techniques. Today, a wide range of nanoparticles have been created by employing various microbes, and their potential in numerous cutting-edge technological fields have been investigated. These particles have well-defined chemical compositions, sizes, and morphologies. The green production of nanoparticles mostly uses plants and microbes. Hence, the use of microbial nanotechnology in agriculture and plant science is the main emphasis of this review. The present review highlights the methods of biological synthesis of nanoparticles available with a major focus on microbially synthesized nanoparticles, parameters and biochemistry involved. Further, it takes into account the genetic engineering and synthetic biology involved in microbial nanobiosynthesis to the construction of microbial nanofactories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal pollution is one of the modern environmental problems that contaminate soil, water, and air. Heavy metal pollution not only results in significant crop yield losses, but also poses health risks. When subjected to heavy metal toxicity, which happens when the quantity of particular heavy metals in the soil or water exceeds their tolerance levels, plants can exhibit a variety of reactions. Metal accumulation in the tissues of plants causes oxidative stress. The oxidative stress in turn impacts cellular homeostasis and adversely affects growth and development. Plants exhibit different mechanisms to fight stressful conditions and lessen the negative consequences of heavy metal toxicity. In this regard, the first line of defence in response to heavy metal toxicity provided by the plant is restricting the uptake of the metals. The second line of defence includes various detoxification mechanisms. Microbes especially associated with the rhizospheric region of the crops have role in remediation of the soils from metal contaminants. The present review highlights the impact of heavy metal on plants and role of the microbes in lessening of heavy metal stress in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytic microbes are plant-associated microorganisms that reside in the interior tissue of plants without causing damage to the host plant. Endophytic microbes can boost the availability of nutrient for plant by using a variety of mechanisms such as fixing nitrogen, solubilizing phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, and producing siderophores, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and phytohormones that help plant for growth and protection against various abiotic and biotic stresses. The microbial endophytes have attained the mechanism of producing various hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulase, pectinase, xylanase, amylase, gelatinase, and bioactive compounds for plant growth promotion and protection. The efficient plant growth promoting endophytic microbes could be used as an alternative of chemical fertilizers for agro-environmental sustainability. Endophytic microbes belong to different phyla including Euryarchaeota, Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Mucoromycota, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. The most pre-dominant group of bacteria belongs to Proteobacteria including α-, β-, γ-, and δ-Proteobacteria. The least diversity of the endophytic microbes have been revealed from Bacteroidetes, Deinococcus-Thermus, and Acidobacteria. Among reported genera, Achromobacter, Burkholderia, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Herbaspirillum, Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Rhizobium, and Streptomyces were dominant in most host plants. The present review deals with plant endophytic diversity, mechanisms of plant growth promotion, protection, and their role for agro-environmental sustainability. In the future, application of endophytic microbes have potential role in enhancement of crop productivity and maintaining the soil health in sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) are highly comorbid but under-treated and associated with poorer outcomes. This paper reports a double-blind, parallel-group randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy of single-session, clinician-delivered screening and brief intervention (SBI) for reducing cannabis risk. The primary outcome was the cannabis-specific Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) scores, measured at three-month post-intervention. The secondary objectives were to determine the efficacy of SBI in reducing the frequency of cannabis use, in risk transition from moderate to low risk, and in prescription and non-prescription opioid use. One hundred forty-three participants were randomly allocated to receive either SBI (n = 72) or control (n = 71) interventions. We performed Per-protocol (PP) (n = 125) and Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (n = 143). We adjusted our analysis for age, sex, and baseline ASSIST score. The ITT showed that the SBI group had a significant reduction (F = 39.46, p <.001, Effect size 0.22) in the mean ASSIST at follow-up. PP analyses too revealed a similar positive effect of SBI (F = 53.1; p <.001, Effect size 0.31). At follow-up, the SBI group had a higher number of days of cannabis abstinence. Care providers and policymakers may consider SBI for cannabis use in individuals on medications for OUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is the backbone of developing countries, which plays an essential role in primary drivers of economy. The increasing use of chemical fertilizers and toxic insecticides endangers the health of human, plant soils, and the environment. Microbial insecticides have been implemented in current scenario for crop protection. Biological agents for pest control have gained more attention in recent year as substitutes for management of pests and pathogens. It provides a sustainable approach to plant health management and assists to minimize the excessive applications of toxic substances. The antagonistic microbes belong to six different phyla including Bacillota, Actinomycetota, Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota and Mucoromycota. Microbial pesticides have been developed through a number of processes, including extraction of pure culture and screening using effectiveness bioassays under controlled and natural conditions. Biological control agents (BCAs) are recognized to be the most sophisticated technology for environmentally friendly agriculture. The various beneficial BCAs have been reported for the management of plant health, but they required effective acceptance together with the standardization of bioformulation. The present review deals with the recent development of microbial control agents, mechanisms of actions, development of microbial pesticides and their potential applications for agricultural productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a 2024 Indian study which identified a Fibulin 7 peptide and its possible therapy for inflammation in sepsis. Topics covered include the procedures of the study on the peptide's mechanism of action, and trials with mice which showed that peptide-treated mice had lower immune cell count in blood, and more viable innate cell populations in their bone marrow. Also noted is the need to further study the peptide's application as therapy for sepsis in humans.

The article discusses a 2024 Indian study on the consumption of edible and nutritious snail meat with findings that one bivalve and three gastropod species of snails had high amounts of polyunsaturated acids with possible low cholesterol meat.

The article discusses the expansion of aquaculture in India as of 2024. Topics covered include the profile of aquaculture production and the cultivation of exotic and native tiger shrimps, and the factors of high profitability and freedom from climatic vagaries and irrigation water scarcity in the shift from agriculture to aquaculture. Also noted are the environmental concern of irreversible conversion of agricultural land and the promotion of rainwater harvesting to rejuvenate agriculture.

Background and Aims: Multiple substance use is a common but underrecognized problem in patients on opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Co-occurring substance misuse is associated with poor clinical and psychosocial outcomes. We aimed (a) to determine the effect of screening and brief intervention (SBI) for substance misuse in people on OAT and (b) to qualitatively summarize the implementation of SBI. Methods: We performed a systematic review of clinical trials on the efficacy of SBI for alcohol and drug misuse in participants on OAT. We searched 5 electronic databases and included published studies and unpublished trials. We measured the standardized mean difference in substance risk scores before and after intervention. We also estimated the standardized mean difference in alcohol consumption per day before and after intervention. Results: We included a total of 8 studies; 5 of these were included in the meta-analysis, and all were reviewed for narrative synthesis. We observed a significant change in the pre-post brief intervention substance risk scores with a medium effect size (Hedges g = 0.752, 95% confidence interval, 0.405–1.099). Sensitivity analyses with different pretest-posttest correlations did not change our result. Modest effects of SBI were found in reducing both alcohol and illicit drug risk scores, and among the population on methadone and buprenorphine treatment. We also observed a significant decrease in alcohol consumption per day 3 months after SBI. Studies showed a limited and incomplete screening for substance misuse and delivery of brief intervention in OAT settings. Conclusions: Screening and brief intervention may be a potential treatment for co-occurring substance misuse among patients on OAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance thin-layer chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPTLC-MS) is one of the most modern hyphenated analytical methods available today. HPTLC-MS has recently been used to perform extensive analytical work using advanced features and still more analyses are in progress using these advanced features. Herbal medicines contain a wide range of bioactives that require proper identification for the activity and quality control. Recently, herbal medicine identification and quality control have become increasingly popular using high-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of recent method developments in analysis, 15 most significant herbal drug applications with their chromatographic conditions, pharmacological actions, and solvents used in the present paper. An extensive literature search was performed incorporating several databases, notably, Web of Knowledge, PubMed and Google Scholar, and other relevant published materials. In previous research, HPTLC and its hyphenation with MS allowed for quantification of analytes in complex matrixes at nanogram and picogram concentrations. Quantifying a wide variety of analytes using these techniques has been extremely accurate, selective, and sensitive. Throughout this review, the HPTLC-MS technique is discussed in relation to the quality control of herbal drugs. Hence, 15 herbal drugs were identified based on their RF values and m/z ratio by mass spectrometry by HPTLC-MS for the first time. In this compilation, researchers can gain insights into HPTLC-MS techniques for resolving quality control issues with herbal drugs using their fingerprint spectra. Besides, the application of HPTLC-MS methods could to be sufficiently precise and reproducible for established conditions and after validation may be used for routine quality control of herbal drugs/formulations in herbal industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the possible use of a nano copper oxide, titanium oxide, and carbon dots combination for the control of biofouling that reduces water flow through cage nets and harm fish health in aquatic environments in India as of 2024.

The article discusses a 2024 Indian study which showed that four drug molecules have potential to inhibit the dual leucine zipper kinase and its downstream signalling pathways which then can help overcome neurodegeneration.

The article discusses the Indian sugarcane planthopper pest that sucks the sap of sugarcane plants and weakens them as of 2024. Topics covered include the possible use of certain fungi to check the pest, their incorporation into crop management, and the varying year to year number of fungus-killed planthoppers. Also noted is the projected development of effective fungi use in sugarcane fields.

The article discusses a 2024 Indian study on how students and faculty are adapting artificial intelligence (AI) in education and how the AI generative tool ChatGPT could boost students' critical thinking with ethical considerations. Topics covered include the occasional use of ChatGPT by more than half of students and faculty for academic tasks, and the close relation of critical thinking, creativity, and learning improvement. Also noted is the need to balance AI with human instruction.