Intensified DES mediated ultrasound extraction of tannic acid from onion peel

Ultrasound–assisted extraction using deep eutectic solvent (DES) was performed to extract tannic acid from onion peel. Notably, DES is an excellent extraction agent, which yielded 641.16 ± 0.01 μg/g of tannic acid compared to the extraction using a conventional solvent (368.99 ± 0.02 μg/g). Subsequently, the research was conducted based on several exploited parameters and achieved the highest extraction yield (1705.79 ± 0.01 μg/g) at the DES ratio of 1:1 (mass ratio of choline chloride to urea), solid to solvent ratio of 1:10 and duty cycle of 10%. The onion sample exhibited higher antioxidant capacity than standard ascorbic acid, which was expressed in the lower values of the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) at 7.70 ± 1.12 and 10.14 ± 0.11 mg/ml, respectively. Moreover, the Fick's model successfully forecasted that diffusivity is the controlling factor in the extraction of tannic acid via the DES mediated ultrasound–assisted extraction method

Mixed Climatology, Non-synoptic Phenomena and Downburst Wind Loading of Structures

Modern wind engineering was born in 1961, when Davenport published a paper in which meteorology, micrometeorology, climatology, bluff-body aerodynamics and structural dynamics were embedded within a homogeneous framework of the wind loading of structures called today \u201cDavenport chain\u201d. Idealizing the wind with a synoptic extra-tropical cyclone, this model was so simple and elegant as to become a sort of axiom. Between 1976 and 1977 Gomes and Vickery separated thunderstorm from non-thunderstorm winds, determined their disjoint extreme distributions and derived a mixed model later extended to other Aeolian phenomena; this study, which represents a milestone in mixed climatology, proved the impossibility of labelling a heterogeneous range of events by the generic term \u201cwind\u201d. This paper provides an overview of this matter, with particular regard to the studies conducted at the University of Genova on thunderstorm downbursts

Agricultural Waste-Derived Biopolymers for Sustainable Food Packaging: Challenges and Future Prospects

The widespread use of conventional plastic in food packaging has raised serious environmental issues due to its persistence and poor biodegradability. With growing concerns over plastic pollution and its long-term ecological impact, researchers are increasingly turning to natural, renewable sources for sustainable alternatives. Agricultural waste, often discarded in large quantities, offers a valuable resource for producing biodegradable polymers. This review discusses the environmental burden caused by traditional plastics and explores how agricultural residues such as rice husks, corn cobs, and fruit peels can be converted into eco-friendly packaging materials. Various types of biopolymers sourced from agricultural waste, including cellulose, starch, plant and animal-based proteins, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), and polylactic acid (PLA), are examined for their properties, benefits, and limitations in food packaging applications. Each material presents unique characteristics in terms of biodegradability, mechanical strength, and barrier performance. While significant progress has been made, several challenges remain, including cost-effective production, material performance, and compliance with food safety regulations. Looking ahead, innovations in material processing, waste management integration, and biopolymer formulation could pave the way for widespread adoption. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of current developments and future directions in the use of agricultural waste for sustainable packaging solutions, comparing their biodegradability and performance to conventional plastics

Aptamer-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for the Detection of Salmonella: A Scoping Review

The development of rapid, accurate, and efficient detection methods for Salmonella can significantly control the outbreak of salmonellosis that threatens global public health. Despite the high sensitivity and specificity of the microbiological, nucleic-acid, and immunological-based methods, they are impractical for detecting samples outside of the laboratory due to the requirement for skilled individuals and sophisticated bench-top equipment. Ideally, an electrochemical biosensor could overcome the limitations of these detection methods since it offers simplicity for the detection process, on-site quantitative analysis, rapid detection time, high sensitivity, and portability. The present scoping review aims to assess the current trends in electrochemical aptasensors to detect and quantify Salmonella. This review was conducted according to the latest Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A literature search was performed using aptamer and Salmonella keywords in three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Springer. Studies on electrochemical aptasensors for detecting Salmonella published between January 2014 and January 2022 were retrieved. Of the 787 studies recorded in the search, 29 studies were screened for eligibility, and 15 studies that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved for this review. Information on the Salmonella serovars, targets, samples, sensor specification, platform technologies for fabrication, electrochemical detection methods, limit of detection (LoD), and detection time was discussed to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of the developed electrochemical aptasensor platform for the detection of Salmonella. The reported electrochemical aptasensors were mainly developed to detect Salmonella enterica Typhimurium in chicken meat samples. Most of the developed electrochemical aptasensors were fabricated using conventional electrodes (13 studies) rather than screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) (two studies). The developed aptasensors showed LoD ranges from 550 CFU/mL to as low as 1 CFU/mL within 5 min to 240 min of detection time. The promising detection performance of the electrochemical aptasensor highlights its potential as an excellent alternative to the existing detection methods. Nonetheless, more research is required to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the electrochemical sensing platform for Salmonella detection, particularly in human clinical samples, to enable their future use in clinical practice

Performance of Immunodiagnostic Tests for Typhoid Fever: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a life-threatening bacterial infection that remains a global health concern. The infection is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality rate, resulting in an urgent need for specific and rapid detection tests to aid prevention and management of the disease. The present review aims to assess the specificity and sensitivity of the available literature on the immunodiagnostics of typhoid fever. A literature search was conducted using three databases (PubMed, ProQuest and Scopus) and manual searches through the references of identified full texts to retrieve relevant literature published between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020. Of the 577 studies identified in our search, 12 were included in further analysis. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and hemolysin E (HlyE) were the most frequently studied antigens. The specimens examined in these studies included serum and saliva. Using blood culture as the gold standard, anti-LPS IgA gave the highest sensitivity of 96% (95% CI: 93–99) and specificity of 96% (95% CI: 93–99) for distinguishing between typhoid cases and healthy controls, whereas the combination of anti-LPS and anti-flagellin total IgGAM gave the highest sensitivity of 93% (95% CI: 86–99) and specificity of 95% (95% CI: 89–100) for distinguishing typhoid cases and other febrile infections. A comparably high sensitivity of 92% (95% CI: 86–98) and specificity of 89% (95% CI: 78–100) were shown in testing based on detection of the combination of anti-LPS (IgA and IgM) and anti-HlyE IgG as well as a slightly lower sensitivity of 91% (95% CI: 74–100) in the case of anti-50kDa IgA. Anti-50kDa IgM had the lowest sensitivity of 36% (95% CI: 6–65) against both healthy and febrile controls. The development of a rapid diagnostic test targeting antibodies against lipopolysaccharides combined with flagellin appeared to be a suitable approach for the rapid detection test of typhoid fever. Saliva is added benefit for rapid typhoid diagnosis since it is less invasive. As a result, further studies could be done to develop additional approaches for adopting such samples

Performance of Immunodiagnostic Tests for Typhoid Fever: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a life-threatening bacterial infection that remains a global health concern. The infection is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality rate, resulting in an urgent need for specific and rapid detection tests to aid prevention and management of the disease. The present review aims to assess the specificity and sensitivity of the available literature on the immunodiagnostics of typhoid fever. A literature search was conducted using three databases (PubMed, ProQuest and Scopus) and manual searches through the references of identified full texts to retrieve relevant literature published between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2020. Of the 577 studies identified in our search, 12 were included in further analysis. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and hemolysin E (HlyE) were the most frequently studied antigens. The specimens examined in these studies included serum and saliva. Using blood culture as the gold standard, anti-LPS IgA gave the highest sensitivity of 96% (95% CI: 93–99) and specificity of 96% (95% CI: 93–99) for distinguishing between typhoid cases and healthy controls, whereas the combination of anti-LPS and anti-flagellin total IgGAM gave the highest sensitivity of 93% (95% CI: 86–99) and specificity of 95% (95% CI: 89–100) for distinguishing typhoid cases and other febrile infections. A comparably high sensitivity of 92% (95% CI: 86–98) and specificity of 89% (95% CI: 78–100) were shown in testing based on detection of the combination of anti-LPS (IgA and IgM) and anti-HlyE IgG as well as a slightly lower sensitivity of 91% (95% CI: 74–100) in the case of anti-50kDa IgA. Anti-50kDa IgM had the lowest sensitivity of 36% (95% CI: 6–65) against both healthy and febrile controls. The development of a rapid diagnostic test targeting antibodies against lipopolysaccharides combined with flagellin appeared to be a suitable approach for the rapid detection test of typhoid fever. Saliva is added benefit for rapid typhoid diagnosis since it is less invasive. As a result, further studies could be done to develop additional approaches for adopting such samples.</jats:p

Isolation and characterization of DNA aptamers against the HlyE antigen of Salmonella Typhi

Aptamers have emerged as prominent ligands in clinical diagnostics because they provide various advantages over antibodies, such as quicker generation time, reduced manufacturing costs, minimal batch-to-batch variability, greater modifiability, and improved thermal stability. In the present study, we isolated and characterized DNA aptamers that can specifically bind to the hemolysin E (HlyE) antigen of Salmonella Typhi for future development of typhoid diagnostic tests. The DNA aptamers against Salmonella Typhi HlyE were isolated using systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), and their binding affinity and specificity were assessed utilizing enzyme-linked oligonucleotide assay (ELONA). A total of 11 distinct aptamers were identified, and the binding affinities and species selectivities of the three most probable aptamers were determined. Kd values were obtained in the nanomolar range, with the highest affinity of 83.6 nM determined for AptHlyE97. In addition, AptHlyE11, AptHlyE45 and AptHlyE97 clearly distinguished S. Typhi HlyE from other tested bacteria, such as Salmonella Paratyphi A, Salmonella Paratyphi B, Shigella flexneri, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli, therefore displaying desirable specificity. These novel aptamers could be used as diagnostic ligands for the future development of inexpensive and effective point-of-care tests for typhoid surveillance, especially in developing countries of the tropics and subtropics