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The effects of releasing carbon from the terrestrial pool into the atmosphere have significant long‐term and short‐term implications that affect many parts of our globe. Agricultural fields might help to address these concerns and provide cost‐effective solutions, such as lowering carbon dioxide levels (CO2) in the atmosphere while raising carbon levels in the soil. In order to increase agricultural land's potential to absorb and store carbon, the proper selection of suitable microbial inoculants with the capability to sequester carbon into soils is critical. Soil quality and characteristics would improve as a result, and atmospheric carbon would therefore be reduced. Soil microbes have the potential to influence the level of organic matter, which has an impact on the soil's ecological system and characteristics. Soil microbes play a role in carbon sequestration in soils by regulating multiple and distinct pathways for CO2 inputs and losses, such as biochemical processes that could sequester CO2, the capacity to sediment carbonates, the rigid nature of their components and vegetative tissues, or the composition of complex substances that preserve carbon in the soil. Further research is needed to investigate if particular microbial strains that can sequester carbon will help enhance soil quality and prevent climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are lipid-membrane-bounded nanoparticles that are released from Gram-negative bacteria via vesiculation of the outer membrane. They have vital roles in different biological processes and recently, they have received increasing attention as possible candidates for a broad variety of biomedical applications. In particular, OMVs have several characteristics that enable them to be promising candidates for immune modulation against pathogens, such as their ability to induce the host immune responses given their resemblance to the parental bacterial cell. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common Gram-negative bacterium that infects half of the world's population and causes several gastrointestinal diseases such as peptic ulcer, gastritis, gastric lymphoma, and gastric carcinoma. The current H. pylori treatment/prevention regimens are poorly effective and have limited success. This review explores the current status and future prospects of OMVs in biomedicine with a special focus on their use as a potential candidate in immune modulation against H. pylori and its associated diseases. The emerging strategies that can be used to design OMVs as viable immunogenic candidates are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel-based burn wound dressings with excellent antibacterial, antifungal, and mechanical properties are ideal biomaterials to promote infected large burn wound healing. In this study, the hydrogel synthesized by repetitive freezing-thawing consists of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), silk sericin (SS), and azithromycin (AZM), with genipin (GNP) as crosslinker. The FTIR showed that all hydrogel components were successfully blended. The swelling ratio, porosity, cell attachment, and proliferation improved with SS incorporation, while increased PVA content enhanced the mechanical performance of the hydrogel. The inclusion of AZM improved the antimicrobial property of the hydrogel towards Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. The hydrogel showed sustained SS and AZM releases as well as cytocompatibility on keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Furthermore, the hydrogel displays skin adhesion ability when freeze-dried. In the in vivo study using an infected mouse full-thickness burn model with a 10% total body surface area, it was shown that burn injury led to increased inflammatory cytokine responses and macroscopic and microscopic alterations in the spleen and liver. The kidneys, on the other hand, revealed neither change. Interestingly, the prepared hydrogel had a better burn wound healing effect than the commercial Tegaderm™ film dressing, minimizing systemic burn effects. Hence, this novel hydrogel is projected to be a promising candidate for accelerated healing of infected burn wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique properties and advantages of edible films over conventional food packaging have led the way to their extensive exploration in recent years. Moreover, the incorporation of bioactive components during their production has further enhanced the intrinsic features of packaging materials. This study was aimed to develop edible and bioactive food packaging films comprising yeast incorporated into bacterial cellulose (BC) in conjunction with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and glycerol (Gly) to extend the shelf life of packaged food materials. First, yeast biomass and BC hydrogels were produced by Meyerozyma guilliermondii (MT502203.1) and Gluconacetobacter xylinus (ATCC53582), respectively, and then the films were developed ex situ by mixing 30 wt.% CMC, 30 wt.% Gly, 2 wt.% yeast dry biomass, and 2 wt.% BC slurry. FE-SEM observation showed the successful incorporation of Gly and yeast into the fibrous cellulose matrix. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the development of composite films through chemical interaction between BC, CMC, Gly, and yeast. The developed BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite films showed high water solubility (42.86%). The yeast-incorporated films showed antimicrobial activities against three microbial strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Saccharomyces aureus, by producing clear inhibition zones of 16 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm, respectively, after 24 h. Moreover, the films were non-toxic against NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells. Finally, the coating of oranges and tomatoes with BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composites enhanced the shelf life at different storage temperatures. The BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite film-coated oranges and tomatoes demonstrated acceptable sensory features such as odor and color, not only at 6 °C but also at room temperature and further elevated temperatures at 30 °C and 40 °C for up to two weeks. The findings of this study indicate that the developed BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite films could be used as edible packaging material with high nutritional value and distinctive properties related to the film component, which would provide protection to foods and extend their shelf life, and thus could find applications in the food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]