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Nanocellulose are nano-sized components which are biodegradable, biocompatible and renewable. It offers mechanical strength and chemical stability in plants and bacteria. The environmental contamination is reduced by employing various bioremediation techniques which usesmicroorganisms like algae, bacteria and fungi as bio-adsorbents. The bio adsorbent property of nanocellulose contribute more for the bioremediation methods and the detailed study of its mechanism and application is essential which is discussed here. The mechanism happening between the contaminant and nanocellulose adsorbent should be explored in detail in order to develop effective new bioremediation strategies. Nanocellulose structural functionalization helps to modify the nanocellulose structure based on which it can be utilized for specific functions. Exploring the mechanisms that contribute to the implementation of nanocellulose in tissue engineering helps for further developments and advancement in the biomedical application of nanocellulose. Not much studies are available that elucidate and study the basic steps involved in the biomedical and environmental usage of nanocellulose. This review has focussed on the basic mechanisms involved in the use of nanocellulose in tissue engineering and bioremediation processes.

The ocean is the most biodiverse habitat of various organisms. The organisms surviving in the harsh conditions of the ocean consist of several spectacular properties and produce bioactive compounds of pharmacological importance. These compounds are effective even in small quantities with various immunomodulatory qualities such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Though the vaccines for COVID-19 are developed, and drug development is also in progress, but till now no effective drug is available for this deadly virus. Researchers are mining the huge data of bioactive compounds to develop the specific drug for COVID-19. The use of the repurposed drugs is challenging against the rapidly mutating virus with variable symptoms and mode of transmission. This review is an attempt to compile all the spattered data of marine-derived bioactive compounds with antiviral properties and to explore their therapeutic potential against COVID-19.

Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that develops when the contents of the stomach reflux into the esophagus due to large hiatal hernia or lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction. The common symptoms of the disease include heartburn and regurgitation. It takes place mainly among youngers, females, and obese people. The aims of the study include GERD prevalence among Hail population and the related risk factors. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Between July to December 2020. Methodology: A cross-sectional study conducted with 704 subjects aged more than 15 years, through self-administered questionnaire consisting of 22 questions. The questionnaire included demographic data, GERD clinical symptoms, and individual behaviour. Statistical data analyzed by using SPSS version 22. Results: Out of 704 subjects, nearly half of the participants were males (51.7%). GERD was found in 408 (58%) participants among them 276 (39.2%) had mild symptoms, 9.9%, had moderate symptoms and 62 (8.8%) had severe condition. Most significant predictors of GERD (P

Cellulose, a carbohydrate mainly found in plant cell walls, is most abundant biopolymer on the Earth. Biodegradation of cellulose is carried out by a group of enzymes knows as cellulases. These enzymes play important roles in food processing and used in food industry. In the present era, cold-active enzymes are preferred instead of meso- and thermos-philic counterparts due to less energy requirement for their optimal activity and easy inactivation. The present study includes evaluation of cold-active cellulase from Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis for its industrial applications in comparison to mesophilic and thermophilic cellulases, through molecular docking method. The binding energy of cold-active cellulase with the substrate cellulose was -126.60 KCals/mole. However, the energy for thermo- and mesophilic cellulase found to be -93.29 and -75.54 KCals/mole, respectively. The results concluded that cold-active cellulase has more efficacy compared to its counterparts and may be used in food processing industry at commercial level.

In many aspects of life quality, bio-contaminants and indoor air quality have had catastrophic consequences, including a negative impact on human health with an increased prevalence of allergic respiratory reactions, asthma, and infectious diseases. We aimed to evaluate the quality of indoor air environment and find out the association between human health and indoor air pollution and also to assess the physical health status of a group of Saudi and non-Saudi populations during this pandemic. Also, we aimed to assess the most common health condition or symptoms associated with ventilation. A questionnaire was distributed online to test indoor air quality, ventilation status, common signs and symptoms of any allergy or mental status and their relationship to certain variables. A total of 362 respondents were included. Before living in the current home, flu or Influenza and chapped lips were more prevalent than allergies and chapped lips signs while living in the current home. (12.2% , 10.8% vs. 18.5% , 13.55% before and after respectively) Multiple colds were the second most common symptom (10.2%). Hoarse voice and headaches were the least common symptoms experienced; each constituted 4.4%. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, most respondents wore a facemask, approximately 76.5%; and almost one-third of respondents had bright natural light inside the current home (43.1%). The presence of natural light within the current home was significantly associated with symptoms experienced during living in the current house (p

Nosocomial resistance in staphylococci and enterococci is challenging. The aim of this work was to conduct a multipoint study using molecular detections, antimicrobial resistances profiles, patient demographics and disease patterns for objective assessments of Staphilococcus aureus and other Gram-positive pathogens recovered from clinical infections in the Ha’il region. We have surveyed 188 non-duplicate Gram-positives against 22 antimicrobials for molecular-differentiation, resistance, patient demographics, and disease patterns from January–April 2021. According to definitions for acquired resistance, Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent with multidrug resistant (65.4%), where MRSA was 60% (n = 72 out of 121). In age-identified patients, 43% were seniors ≥50 years, 38% 21–49 years, and 19% 0–20 years. In gender-identified patients, 63% were males, and 37% were females. While 25% of specimens were from the ICU, the majority (60%) of specimens were from surgical infection in other wards. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the second (15.4%) species of infection identified with 81% from bloodstream infections at the ICU and other wards. The majority of S. epidermidis patients (69%) were seniors ≥50 years, while other age groups 0–20 and 21–49 each had 14% isolates. Although S. epidermidis was multidrug-resistant, it was susceptible to many drugs. Enterococcus faecalis (13%) ranked third with two major infections; bloodstream (64%) and urinary-tract infections (36%) in mainly seniors (86%). Its isolates were fully resistant to oxacillin, penicillin, cefoxitin, and cefotaxime but nearly 100% susceptible to seven others. Other Gram-positive bacteria (6%) were susceptible to many antibiotics. The use of combinations of objective criteria is a well thought out approach in infection control. While the low-frequency of Gram-positives is an impressive achievement, future large-scale investigations should include all private hospitals, clinics and other cities over a longer sampling time to gain more insights. Although geriatric susceptibility can be justified by age and comorbidities, the staphylococcal infections in young adults and children is a global concern and warrants more vertical studies.

Entamoeba histolytica is one of the major pathogenic intestinal parasites and is amongst the leading causes of diarrheal illness in children. Around 500 million people are infected worldwide, while 75,000 die of the disease annually. E. histolytica is associated with moderate to severe diarrhoea and increased mortality among children in African countries and negatively affects child growth and development. Malnutrition is also an important contributor to the prevalence of E. histolytica in Ethiopia. It is mostly associated with poor hygiene, poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to potable water, and a hot, humid tropical climate. Thus, the present investigation was aimed to assess the prevalence rate and associated factors of E. histolytica among schoolchildren in Arsi Town, West Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 1st to May 1st, 2020. A total of 334 students were selected from three governmental elementary schools in the west zone using a systematic sampling method. A structured questionnaire was adopted to identify environmental, socio-demographic, and behavioral factors. Microscopically positive samples for E. histolytica cysts were further characterised using an E. histolytica II antigen detection kit. The statistical analysis of the data was done using SPSS software. A univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The overall prevalence of E. histolytica was 19.8%. Hand washing habits before eating [AOR = 0.32; 95% CI (0.12, 0.84)], hand washing habits after defecation [AOR = 0.396; 95% CI (0.165, 0.946)], and ameba awareness [AOR = 0.35; 95% CI (0.142, 0.889)] were factors associated with parasite prevalence.

Extremophiles are to a great extent unexplored group of organisms with the capacity to flourish in extreme conditions. Extremozymes are the enzymes produced by extremophiles that are impervious to outrageous conditions, and due to their extraordinarily strength, they are better at functional level over their mesophilic partners for applications at extraordinary conditions. They generally catalyze compounds responses in dialectal conditions. Such conditions include collection, precipitation and denaturation, thereby diminishing the movement of various nonextremophilic proteins, most of the time because of the absence of adequate hydration. These compounds are equipped for catalyzing their individual responses in dehydrated situations in water/dissolvable blends at incredibly high weights, at corrosive and soluble base pH, at temperatures up to 140°C or close to the point of solidification of water. They can grow and live in extreme conditions such as temperature (− 2–15°C, for cold situations; 60–120°C in hot conditions), ionic quality (2–5 M NaCl) or pH ( 9.0). The diverse category of extremozymes includes transaminases, carbonic anhydrases, and explicit esterases in the evacuation of cleansers, drugs, and harmful squanders and likewise utilized in the pharmaceutical, food, and biotechnological industries. This chapter summarizes up-to-date information about extremozymes and their potential applications in biotechnology along with extraordinary consideration to the screening of extremophiles from different environments.

Agro-industrial residues and by-products are a crescent environmental problem since they are often discarded without proper treatment, and still have growing production. These residues are rich from a nutritional point of view and contain various industrial relevant compounds, such as phenolic compounds, fibers, vitamins, sugars and others. The crescent worrying about environmental issues has led researchers and industries to focus on "eco-friendly" solutions for everyday problems. In this sense, the use of enzymes for the valorization of agro-industrial residues is a safe and green alternative technology. Hence, this review aims to show the enzyme potential for the use and valorization of several agro-industrial residues, focusing on the most produced residues worldwide, such as fruits, grains and lignocellulosic residues, as well as a brief explanation of microbial enzymes, its production and optimization, altogether with tools to identify producing microorganisms.

Current experimental evidence has revealed that pomegranate peel is a significant source of essential bio compounds, and many of them can be transformed into valorized products. Pomegranate peel can also be used as feedstock to produce fuels and biochemicals. We herein review this pomegranate peel conversion technology and the prospective valorized product that can be synthesized from this frequently disposed fruit waste. The review also discusses its usage as a carbon substrate to synthesize bioactive compounds like phenolics, flavonoids and its use in enzyme biosynthesis. Based on reported experimental evidence, it is apparent that pomegranate peel has a large number of applications, and therefore, the development of an integrated biorefinery concept to use pomegranate peel will aid in effectively utilizing its significant advantages. The biorefinery method displays a promising approach for efficiently using pomegranate peel; nevertheless, further studies should be needed in this area.

Background Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) is the most important and versatile class of biodegradable polymers used successfully in the medical, agricultural and industrial field. Idea is to find the novel isolate for degradation of biodegradable plastics that can enhance the bioremediation. Materials and methods Thirty-one PHB and PHB depolymerase enzyme producing isolates out of 80 mesophilic bacteria from Lucknow region were further screened for PHB degradation capability by secreting extracellular PHB depolymerase enzyme in minimal salt media supplemented with PHB (0.15%). Various biodegradable plastic films were tested by soil burial method for weight loss determination. Result 37.3% weight loss has been observed in PHB films when buried under the soil for 45 days in the presence of a novel PHB degrader identified as Paenibacillus alvei PHB28 by 16S rRNA sequencing (GenBank accession number KX886342). These Gram-negative, spore-forming, thermotolerant bacteria produce maximum PHB depolymerase (5.03 U/mL) at 45°C, pH 8.0, with 0.15% substrate concentration when incubated for 96 h with starch (0.1%) and yeast extract (0.01%) as an additional nutrient supplements. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of PHB depolymerase production by P. alvei PHB28 which may contribute successfully to combat plastic pollution and to sustain the green environment.

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) with changed physical and chemical properties find numerous applications affecting the quality of human life. They have entered almost all industrial sectors, namely cosmetics, pharmaceutical, medical, food, agrochemicals, fuel, and textiles, with commercial value. They are also used in paints, chemical and biological sensors, optics, and as effective UV-absorbers and free-radical scavengers. Engineered nanoparticles are prepared using top-down or bottom-up approaches and are characterized on the basis of dispersion, homogeneity, and shape. Several types of NPs with altered surface properties are used in the cosmetic industry including silica, fullerene, carbon nanotubes, gold, silver, cerium and iron oxide, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide. The cosmetic industry is one of the most relevant industries with respect to monetary income and profit and in the present scenario in which consciousness about physical appearance and personal care is considered important, advancements in technology are of utmost concern. Nanotechnology has become an integrated part of the cosmetic development process because of its favorable qualities such as small particle size, antimicrobial properties, UV protection, increased stability and shelf-life, free radical scavenger qualities, and long lasting. However, these engineered nanoparticles, which are ingredients of many cosmetics at the present time, pose a danger to the environment and hazards to human health. More rigorous research and application guidelines are required in the area of nanocosmeceuticals to avoid their toxic effects on human life and environmental hazards. In this chapter, future prospects of engineered nanoparticles in the cosmetic industry are discussed along with their limitations.

Nanomaterials are very small-sized particles that have nanoscale dimension approximately from 1 to 100 nm. The green nanomaterials or nanoparticles are synthesized by biological methods. During the synthesis of green nanoparticles, natural materials such as plants, microorganisms and organic polymers like carbohydrates, proteins and fats are actively involved. Due to the very small size, nanomaterials are playing a significant role in wastewater treatment system and give up possibilities for targeting very specific points. Different types of biosynthesized nanomaterials are used in the controlling of water pollution, such as zinc oxide nanoparticles, phytogenic magnetic nanoparticles, biopolymer-coated metal nanoparticles, silver-impregnated cyclodextrin nanocomposites, silver nanoparticles in Aloe vera plant extract and Photocatalytic titania nanoparticles. Green nanoparticles are providing an alternative way for elimination of pollutants from the water bodies. The application of green nanoparticles provides an economical, convenient and eco-friendly way of wastewater treatment.

Background Nanostructured material is a solid substance with at least one face is in the range of 1-100 nm. Manipulations in the characteristics and effects of nanostructures can invent new procedures and technologies, as the physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials are noticeably dissimilar from those of a single atom or its bulk phase. This difference in the properties is due to different spatial arrangements and shapes, changes in phase, energetics, electronic structure, chemical reactivity, and catalytic properties of huge, finite systems, and their assemblages. Theranostic involves the study of compounds which associates the modalities of curative and investigative purposes. Objective The aim of this review was to highlight the possible uses of nanoparticles as therapeutic and diagnostic agents. As is evident by the latest applications of nanoparticles in the development of sensitive biosensors as well as in MRI and drug delivery systems. The most important theranostic application of nanoparticles involves the treatment of cancer. In most of the cases, the late diagnosis of the disease is responsible for increasing the mortality rate. Moreover, the toxic effect of the chemotherapeutic drugs on the normal cells of the body seems to be another major drawback of the treatment. Therefore, theranostics appears to be very helpful and realistic area in the diagnosis and targeted drug delivery of this particular disease. Methods We systematically searched for research literature using well-framed review questions and presented data in both the text as well as tabular forms for readers' convenience. The present review collected the data from the published reviews as well as original research papers. The manuscripts considered in this article were taken from the databases and search engines comprising NCBI, PubMed, Google scholar, directory of open access journals, ScienceDirect and local library searches. The properties of the selected articles were analyzed, and a rational quantitative and qualitative content were used for the outcome and inference of the study applying a conceptual foundation. Results Two hundred seventeen papers were included in the review. Most of the papers were from developed countries (163) and the rest from developing countries (54). Seventy four articles dealt with both the diagnostic as well as therapeutic study of nanomaterials, fifty seven manuscripts included only therapeutic approach and twenty seven papers included only diagnostic approach. The rest of the articles included the data on the synthesis and characterization of surface modified nanomaterials which could be applied in this area. Forty five papers dealt with both in vitro and in vitro studies, sixteen manuscripts involved studies on clinical trials, fifty nine articles gave data on the basis of in vitro experiments and twenty seven articles on the basis of in vivo studies only while 2 papers included in situ data. In the manuscripts considered for the review, the data on both the solid tumors as well as cancers were taken. Almost all types of cancers are being studied using nanomaterials but the most studied cancer for therapeutic and diagnostic approach on the basis of literature is breast cancer. Conclusion By the help of surface modification of the nanomaterials specific targeting properties towards specific molecules and receptors in various types of cells could be achieved. It has been suggested that the delivered drugs require low amount to achieve the synergy between both the drugs delivered to cancer cells and tissues. Moreover, the toxic effect of the chemotherapeutic drugs on the normal cells of the body is another major drawback of the treatment. Upon further improvement and optimization of these nanoparticle-based strategies, it will ultimately lead to the prediction of patient's response towards a specific molecular therapy and it will be helpful to observe their responses to personalized therapy. Therefore, theranostics appears to be very helpful and realistic area in the diagnosis and targeted drug delivery of this particular disease.