Pattern of vitamin D status in prediabetic individuals: a case control study at tertiary hospital in South India

Background: Role of vitamin D in the regulation of calcium metabolism is well established. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 DM in humans. There is a limited available data on the relationship of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency with glucose homeostasis among prediabetic individuals in South Indian population. Hence we examined serum 25(OH) D3 concentration among prediabetics. The objective of this study is to evaluate prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in prediabetics and to study any correlation between vitamin D and BMI, FBS and PPBS among prediabetics.  Methods: A case control study was carried out among 40 prediabetics & controls, after obtaining consent from subjects and clearance from institutional ethics committee. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in both groups. Statistical analysis was done using “t” test & Pearson correlation co-efficient (r).Results: Vitamin D levels less than 20 ng/ml were found in 72.5% of cases and 35% of controls. 5% of the cases and 12.5% of the controls had vitamin D above 30 ng/ml and this difference was statistically significant. Mean vitamin D levels in cases and controls was 17.09±5.89 ng/ml and 23.67±11.02 ng/ml respectively (P<0.05). A significant inverse correlation was observed between vitamin D levels & body mass index (r=-0.274; p=0.014); random blood sugar (r=-0.35; p=0.001); fasting blood sugar (r=-0.328; p=0.003); post prandial blood sugar (r=-0.276; p=0.013).Conclusions: High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D exists among prediabetics and there is significant inverse correlation between BMI, FBS, PPBS and vitamin D levels. Hence, a prospective study covering large pre-diabetic individuals is essential to confirm the findings.

Attenuation of Hyperlipidemia by Medicinal Formulations of Emblica officinalis Synergized with Nanotechnological Approaches

The ayurvedic herb Emblica officinalis (E. officinalis) is a gift to mankind to acquire a healthy lifestyle. It has great therapeutic and nutritional importance. Emblica officinalis, also known as Indian gooseberry or Amla, is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. Amla is beneficial for treating illnesses in all its forms. The most crucial component is a fruit, which is also the most common. It is used frequently in Indian medicine as a restorative, diuretic, liver tonic, refrigerant, stomachic, laxative, antipyretic, hair tonic, ulcer preventive, and for the common cold and fever. Hyperlipidemia is also known as high cholesterol or an increase in one or more lipid-containing blood proteins. Various phytocompounds, including polyphenols, vitamins, amino acids, fixed oils, and flavonoids, are present in the various parts of E. officinalis. E. officinalis has been linked to a variety of pharmacological effects in earlier studies, including hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, radioprotective, and hyperlipidemic effects. The amla-derived active ingredients and food products nevertheless encounter challenges such as instability and interactions with other food matrices. Considering the issue from this perspective, food component nanoencapsulation is a young and cutting-edge field for controlled and targeted delivery with a range of preventative activities. The nanoformulation of E. officinalis facilitates the release of active components or food ingredients, increased bioaccessibility, enhanced therapeutic activities, and digestion in the human body. Accordingly, the current review provides a summary of the phytoconstituents of E. officinalis, pharmacological actions detailing the plant E. officinalis’s traditional uses, and especially hyperlipidemic activity. Correspondingly, the article describes the uses of nanotechnology in amla therapeutics and functional ingredients.</p

Advances in Nanofabrication Technology for Nutraceuticals:New Insights and Future Trends

Bioactive components such as polyphenolics, flavonoids, bioactive peptides, pigments, and essential fatty acids were known to ward off some deadliest diseases. Nutraceuticals are those beneficial compounds that may be food or part of food that has come up with medical or health benefits. Nanoencapsulation and nanofabricated delivery systems are an imminent approach in the field of food sciences. The sustainable fabrication of nutraceuticals and biocompatible active components indisputably enhances the food grade and promotes good health. Nanofabricated delivery systems include carbohydrates-based, lipids (solid and liquid), and proteins-based delivery systems. Solid nano-delivery systems include lipid nanoparticles. Liquid nano-delivery systems include nanoliposomes and nanoemulsions. Physicochemical properties of nanoparticles such as size, charge, hydrophobicity, and targeting molecules affect the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of nano delivery systems. Advance research in toxicity studies is necessary to ensure the safety of the nanofabricated delivery systems, as the safety of nano delivery systems for use in food applications is unknown. Therefore, improved nanotechnology could play a pivotal role in developing functional foods, a contemporary concept assuring the consumers to provide programmed, high-priced, and high-quality research toward nanofabricated delivery systems

Digitalization of agriculture for sustainable crop production: a use-case review

The digitalization of agriculture is rapidly changing the way farmers do business. With the integration of advanced technology, farmers are now able to increase efficiency, productivity, and precision in their operations. Digitalization allows for real-time monitoring and management of crops, leading to improved yields and reduced waste. This paper presents a review of some of the use cases that digitalization has made an impact in the automation of open-field and closed-field cultivations by means of collecting data about soils, crop growth, and microclimate, or by contributing to more accurate decisions about water usage and fertilizer application. The objective was to address some of the most recent technological advances that are leading to increased efficiency and sustainability of crop production, reduction in the use of inputs and environmental impacts, and releasing manual workforces from repetitive field tasks. The short discussions included at the end of each case study attempt to highlight the limitations and technological challenges toward successful implementations, as well as to introduce alternative solutions and methods that are rapidly evolving to offer a vast array of benefits for farmers by influencing cost-saving measures. This review concludes that despite the many benefits of digitalization, there are still a number of challenges that need to be overcome, including high costs, reliability, and scalability. Most of the available setups that are currently used for this purpose have been custom designed for specific tasks and are still too expensive to be implemented on commercial scales, while others are still in their early stages of development, making them not reliable or scalable for widespread acceptance and adoption by farmers. By providing a comprehensive understanding of the current state of digitalization in agriculture and its impact on sustainable crop production and food security, this review provides insights for policy-makers, industry stakeholders, and researchers working in this field.Peer Reviewe

Rice Blast Disease in India: Present Status and Future Challenges

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food of the majority of Indians, and India is both the major producer and consumer of rice. Rice cultivation in India is confronted with diverse agro-climatic conditions, varying soil types, and several biotic and abiotic constraints. Among major fungal diseases of Rice in India, the blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae is the most devastating disease, with the neck blast being the most destructive form. Most of the blast epidemic areas in India have been identified with a mixture of races blast fungus resulting in the resistance breakdown in a short period. At present, a more significant number of the rice varieties cultivated in India were bred by conventional breeding methods with blast resistance conferred by a single resistance gene. Therefore, the blast disease in India is predominantly addressed by the use of ecologically toxic fungicides. In line with the rest of the world, the Indian scientific community has proven its role by identifying several blast resistance genes and successfully pyramiding multiple blast resistance genes. Despite the wealth of information on resistance genes and the availability of biotechnology tools, not a great number of rice varieties in India harbor multiple resistance genes. In the recent past, a shift in the management of blast disease in India has been witnessed with a greater focus on basic research and modern breeding tools such as marker-assisted selection, marker-assisted backcross breeding, and gene pyramiding

Digitalization of agriculture for sustainable crop production: a use-case review

The digitalization of agriculture is rapidly changing the way farmers do business. With the integration of advanced technology, farmers are now able to increase efficiency, productivity, and precision in their operations. Digitalization allows for real-time monitoring and management of crops, leading to improved yields and reduced waste. This paper presents a review of some of the use cases that digitalization has made an impact in the automation of open-field and closed-field cultivations by means of collecting data about soils, crop growth, and microclimate, or by contributing to more accurate decisions about water usage and fertilizer application. The objective was to address some of the most recent technological advances that are leading to increased efficiency and sustainability of crop production, reduction in the use of inputs and environmental impacts, and releasing manual workforces from repetitive field tasks. The short discussions included at the end of each case study attempt to highlight the limitations and technological challenges toward successful implementations, as well as to introduce alternative solutions and methods that are rapidly evolving to offer a vast array of benefits for farmers by influencing cost-saving measures. This review concludes that despite the many benefits of digitalization, there are still a number of challenges that need to be overcome, including high costs, reliability, and scalability. Most of the available setups that are currently used for this purpose have been custom designed for specific tasks and are still too expensive to be implemented on commercial scales, while others are still in their early stages of development, making them not reliable or scalable for widespread acceptance and adoption by farmers. By providing a comprehensive understanding of the current state of digitalization in agriculture and its impact on sustainable crop production and food security, this review provides insights for policy-makers, industry stakeholders, and researchers working in this field

Multimetallic Nanoparticles as Alternative Antimicrobial Agents: Challenges and Perspectives

Recently, infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally due to their resistance to multiple antibiotics. This has triggered initiatives to develop novel, alternative antimicrobial materials, which solve the issue of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nanotechnology using nanoscale materials, especially multimetallic nanoparticles (NPs), has attracted interest because of the favorable physicochemical properties of these materials, including antibacterial properties and excellent biocompatibility. Multimetallic NPs, particularly those formed by more than two metals, exhibit rich electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. Multimetallic NP properties, including size and shape, zeta potential, and large surface area, facilitate their efficient interaction with bacterial cell membranes, thereby inducing disruption, reactive oxygen species production, protein dysfunction, DNA damage, and killing potentiated by the host’s immune system. In this review, we summarize research progress on the synergistic effect of multimetallic NPs as alternative antimicrobial agents for treating severe bacterial infections. We highlight recent promising innovations of multimetallic NPs that help overcome antimicrobial resistance. These include insights into their properties, mode of action, the development of synthetic methods, and combinatorial therapies using bi- and trimetallic NPs with other existing antimicrobial agents

Temperature dependence of torsional frequencies in some dichloro-anilines using nuclear quadrupole resonance data

The temperature variation of the nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies in 3,4-dichloro-aniline and 2,6-dichloro-aniline were fitted to three different models available in literature, namely the Kushida model, the Brown model, and a fourth order polynomial. Brown's model with T0 = 205 K gave the best fit in the case of both compounds indicating that the temperature dependence of the torsional frequencies cannot be neglected in these compounds. The internal torsional frequencies were evaluated from the nuclear quadrupole resonance data by using a two-mode approximation in a temperature range of 77-300 K for the above two compounds. The torsional frequencies lie in a range of 30-60 cm -1 in both compounds and agree closely with the Raman lines obtained in 2,6-dichloro-aniline. The lower frequency mode around 37 cm-1 may be associated with the motion around an axis perpendicular to the benzene ring which is present in both compounds

Multimetallic Nanoparticles as Alternative Antimicrobial Agents: Challenges and Perspectives

Recently, infectious diseases caused by bacterial pathogens have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally due to their resistance to multiple antibiotics. This has triggered initiatives to develop novel, alternative antimicrobial materials, which solve the issue of infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nanotechnology using nanoscale materials, especially multimetallic nanoparticles (NPs), has attracted interest because of the favorable physicochemical properties of these materials, including antibacterial properties and excellent biocompatibility. Multimetallic NPs, particularly those formed by more than two metals, exhibit rich electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. Multimetallic NP properties, including size and shape, zeta potential, and large surface area, facilitate their efficient interaction with bacterial cell membranes, thereby inducing disruption, reactive oxygen species production, protein dysfunction, DNA damage, and killing potentiated by the host’s immune system. In this review, we summarize research progress on the synergistic effect of multimetallic NPs as alternative antimicrobial agents for treating severe bacterial infections. We highlight recent promising innovations of multimetallic NPs that help overcome antimicrobial resistance. These include insights into their properties, mode of action, the development of synthetic methods, and combinatorial therapies using bi- and trimetallic NPs with other existing antimicrobial agents.</jats:p

Green Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles from Vitex negundo Leaf Extract to Inhibit Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation Through In Vitro and In Vivo

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have wide applications in the field of diagnosis and treatment of diseases which are attributed to their compatibility and high efficiency of drug delivery, because of their eco-friendly nature and easy handling. In the current study, we have used an extract of Vitex negundo, a traditional anti-inflammatory folk medicine in India and synthesized gold nanoparticles (VnAuNPs), to know the effects of anti-bacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties both in vivo and in vitro. V. negundo leaf extracts (VnLE) per se yielded high flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, terpenoids. The synthesized VnAuNPs in leaf extracts was confirmed by UV-vis spectra at 543 nm and further by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and through Dynamic light scattering (DLS). The FTIR showed the peaks at 3345, 1638, 692, 683, 662 cm(-1) which are responsible for the reduction and capping of gold nanoparticles. The size and shape of the AuNPs were determined by SEM. DLS study analysed the particle size distribution of AuNPs. The VnAuNPs showed significant antibacterial activity on both gram positive and negative bacteria. VnAuNPs also showed strong antioxidant (DPPH, H2O2 scavenging, Nitric oxide scavenging power and reducing power) activities when compared to VnLE extract. The VnAuNPs exhibited strong anti-inflammatory activities (COX-2, lipoxygenase and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity) in in vitro (HeLa cell model) and in vivo study of carrageenan induced paw edema model in Swiss albino mice (paw edema and acetic acid-induced writhing test). Results suggested that the synthesized VnAuNPs are potential candidates for treating inflammatory diseases and may find application in clinical studies