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Introduction: In the field of biomedicine, marine algae have gained significant attention due to the abundance of bioactive compounds they contain. However, studies on the chronic toxicity of algae are limited. Aim: To evaluate the in-vitro, in-vivo acute, and subchronic toxicity of Sargassum tenerrimum (S. tenerrimum) in an adult zebrafish model. Materials and Methods: The current preclinical toxicological interventional study was conducted at the Department of Pharmacology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, SRIHER, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, in September 2022. The algae S. tenerrimum was extracted with methanol using Soxhlet extraction. In-vitro toxicity of S. tenerrimum was performed using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay on the SH-SY5Y cell line. Acute toxicity was carried out for 96 hours according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 203 guidelines, and subchronic toxicity was carried out for 14 days on the zebrafish model using the immersion method. Additionally, histopathological changes were observed after the acute toxicity study, and the Lethal Concentration 50 (LC50) value was analysed. Results: The MTT assay of the methanolic extract of S. tenerrimum revealed an LC50 value of 140.014 µg/mL. An acute toxicity study conducted on zebrafish for 96 hours showed an LC50 value of 504.669 mg/L. Subchronic toxicity was done for 14 days, and on the 14th day of exposure, the LC50 value was found to be 404.196 mg/L. Histopathological changes were observed at higher concentrations (800 mg/L) of algal extract. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the methanolic extract of S. tenerrimum showed a toxic effect at higher concentrations on the zebrafish model. However, at lower concentrations, S. tenerrimum was deemed safe for further exploration of pharmacological activities in a zebrafish model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern era, the secure transmission and storage of information are among the utmost priorities. Optical security protocols have demonstrated significant advantages over digital counterparts, i.e., a high speed, a complex degree of freedom, physical parameters as keys (i.e., phase, wavelength, polarization, quantum properties of photons, multiplexing, etc.) and multi-dimension processing capabilities. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of optical cryptosystems developed over the years. We have also analyzed the trend in the growth of optical image encryption methods since their inception in 1995 based on the data collected from various literature libraries such as Google Scholar, IEEE Library and Science Direct Database. The security algorithms developed in the literature are focused on two major aspects, i.e., symmetric and asymmetric cryptosystems. A summary of state-of-the-art works is described based on these two aspects. Current challenges and future perspectives of the field are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since ancient times, spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, garlic, black cumin, clove, ocimum, saffron, and nutmeg constitute an important part of foods and beverages in India. Besides, adding aroma and flavour to the food, they are also known for multiple medicinal benefits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an interesting pattern of disease prevalence and severity was observed especially in the countries where spices are consumed regularly. It has attracted researchers worldwide to explore the therapeutic potential of spices in COVID-19 management. Various in silico studies have reported good binding affinities of spices and derived components towards structural druggable targets of SARS-CoV2. There are several compelling pieces of evidence for the role of spices in the attenuation of inflammatory cytokine storm which is the crux in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Therefore, this review is written to provide deep insights into the role of food spices and their underlying mechanism in targeting SARS-CoV2. Based on experimentally verified data from different in-vitro, in-vivo, in-silico, and clinical studies, the information presented will certainly help in the development of promising drug therapeutics or preventive strategies to deal with SARS-CoV2. Further studies geared towards the development of drugs based on spices and derived compounds are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, pancreatic lipase inhibitor and α-glucosidase inhibitor have been highlighted as potential anti-diabesity principles. In the present study, seeds of Phyllanthus emblica L. (Family: Phyllanthaceae) was studied for anti-diabesity potential in terms of pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and antioxidant activity. At 100µg/mL concentration, pancreatic lipase inhibition of the methanolic extract using synthetic substrate obtained was 73.2±0.1% (IC50 59.1µg/mL), whereas pancreatic lipase inhibition using natural substrate was 87.9 ± 2.62%. α-Glucosidase inhibition of the extract at 50µg/mL was measured as 94.4±0.37% (IC50 34.4μg/mL). The superoxide scavenging activity of the extract was found to be 81.5±0.41%. Interestingly, upon TLC fingerprinting, only one band with Rf 0.70 showed multifunctional activity. The phytochemical found to be present was an alkaloid. The results evidenced the presence of multifunctional smart molecule in methanolic extract of P. emblica L and showed an alkaloid as the component responsible for anti-diabesity potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a multiuser medical image encryption algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm utilizes polar decomposition, which enables multiuser features in the proposed algorithm. A computer-generated hologram (CGH) improves the security of the proposed algorithm in the gyrator domain. The phase-only CGH-based multiuser algorithm offers advantages such as storing a large amount of information in a compact space, resistance to counterfeiting, and enhanced security. The proposed method is validated with various statistical metrics, such as information entropy, mean squared error, correlation coefficient, histogram, and mesh plots. Results confirm that the proposed algorithm is secure and robust against potential attacks, such as plaintext attacks, iterative attacks, and contamination attacks. The proposed method has a large keyspace, which makes it very difficult to be breached in real-time with existing computational power.

Altered cellular mechano-transduction and biochemistry lead to degeneration of articular cartilage in people with knee osteoarthritis. However, the influence of low-moderate exposure to weight-bearing activity such as squatting on cartilage metabolism has not been adequately studied. The current study explored associations between knee adduction moment (KAM) during walking, biochemical markers and daily squat exposure. 3D gait analysis was used to determine external loads acting on the knee as indicators of joint compressive forces whereas biomarkers-Urine type-II-collagen-telopeptide (uCTxII), antioxidant and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity reflected on articular cartilage status. Following ethical approval, 66 participants with varying daily squat exposure (non-squatters [n = 21, exposure = 0 min]; activity of daily living [ADL] squatters [n = 16, exposure = 34 min]; occupational squatters [n = 13, exposure = 102 min]) and people with grade 2-3 knee osteoarthritis (n = 16, exposure = 28 min) were evaluated using 3D gait and biomarker analysis. The PLA2 activity was lowest in ADL squatters while occupational squatters demonstrated highest activity (p < 0.05). KAM and urine biomarker were similar among the groups. Moderate-strong positive association was observed between sweat PLA2 activity and age (r = 0.819, p = 0.004), daily squat exposure and biomarker uCTxII (r = 0.604, p = 0.013), antioxidant activity and Right-KAM (r = -0.917, p = 0.001), and Left-KAM (r = -0.767, p = 0.016), in people with knee OA. Healthy people demonstrated weak positive associations between KAM, uCTxII, and BMI. Associations between non-invasive biomechanical and biochemical markers indicate their potential use to identify early knee osteoarthritis. Studies with larger sample size are necessary to support prescription of body weight joint loading activities such as squatting in moderation, to delay functional decline caused by knee OA.