Advances in Diagnostic Tools and Therapeutic Approaches for Gliomas: A Comprehensive Review

Gliomas, a prevalent category of primary malignant brain tumors, pose formidable clinical challenges due to their invasive nature and limited treatment options. The current therapeutic landscape for gliomas is constrained by a “one-size-fits-all” paradigm, significantly restricting treatment efficacy. Despite the implementation of multimodal therapeutic strategies, survival rates remain disheartening. The conventional treatment approach, involving surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy, grapples with substantial limitations, particularly in addressing the invasive nature of gliomas. Conventional diagnostic tools, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET), play pivotal roles in outlining tumor characteristics. However, they face limitations, such as poor biological specificity and challenges in distinguishing active tumor regions. The ongoing development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches represents a multifaceted and promising frontier in the battle against this challenging brain tumor. The aim of this comprehensive review is to address recent advances in diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches for gliomas. These innovations aim to minimize invasiveness while enabling the precise, multimodal targeting of localized gliomas. Researchers are actively developing new diagnostic tools, such as colorimetric techniques, electrochemical biosensors, optical coherence tomography, reflectometric interference spectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and optical biosensors. These tools aim to regulate tumor progression and develop precise treatment methods for gliomas. Recent technological advancements, coupled with bioelectronic sensors, open avenues for new therapeutic modalities, minimizing invasiveness and enabling multimodal targeting with unprecedented precision. The next generation of multimodal therapeutic strategies holds potential for precision medicine, aiding the early detection and effective management of solid brain tumors. These innovations offer promise in adopting precision medicine methodologies, enabling early disease detection, and improving solid brain tumor management. This review comprehensively recognizes the critical role of pioneering therapeutic interventions, holding significant potential to revolutionize brain tumor therapeutics

Construction of an Array of Antibody–Gold Nanoparticle Conjugates for Their Comparative Assessment on Multiplex Lateral Flow Test to Detect Mycotoxins

Bio-functionalized gold nanoparticles with anti-toxin antibody conjugates have unique physical, biochemical, and optical properties that can greatly improve the performance of biochemical assays because they can enhance the signal intensity of analyte, improve signal transduction, have higher sensitivity of analyte detection, and provide simple colorimetric signal readouts. The surface properties of gold nanoparticles, along with various antibody conjugates, play a significant role in terms of functionalizing gold nanoparticles, and the strategy for surface modification is of great significance to the application of gold nanoparticle-mediated biochemical assays. Spherical gold nanoparticles are among the most used reporter molecules in lateral flow assays. However, using identical coloration for test strips and control zones can be misleading for the interpretation of the assay’s results. We propose an immunochromatographic test strip with lines of different colors. For this purpose, gold nanoparticles of different shapes were used, namely blue, red, and purple gold nanospheres, nanoflowers, and nanodiamonds. A detailed synthesis procedure for gold nanoparticle synthesis and their conjugates (anti-toxin antibodies) was considered under the influence of different physicochemical reaction parameters for optimal results. Three different-sized gold nanoparticles were prepared to conjugate with an aflatoxin B1, type B-fumonisin, and zearalenone antibodies for a gold nanoparticle-based immunochromatographic assay. This study focuses on the conjugation efficiency of aflatoxin B1, type B-Fumonisin, and zearalenone antibodies with different-sized gold nanoparticles under different physicochemical reaction conditions. The effect of various physicochemical reaction factors such as pH value, concentration, and the ratio of antibodies, as well as the role of NaCl as an aggregating agent, has been discussed using UV-visible spectra and particle size analysis methods

Do the Culturable Microbial Groups Present in Cutaway Bogs Change According to Temporal Variation? Pilot Study Based on the Midlands in the Republic of Ireland

Cutaway peatlands in the midlands of the Republic of Ireland are rarely the focus of scientific studies. The soil quality and related microenvironment have been severely impacted by peat extraction. Returning them to a ‘near-natural state’ would require greater insights into this ecological niche. The current research took the initiative to study the microbiology of vast cutaway sites in the midlands of Ireland. Peat was collected over two seasons in January, February and April. Homogenised peat was aseptically cultured on a range of specific and non-specific culture media. Microbial enumeration, Gram staining and other microscopic observations of morphologically distinct microorganisms were performed. The total viable bacterial and fungal numbers were highest in February (1.33 × 105 CFU ml−1 and 5.93 × 106 CFU ml−1, respectively) and were lowest in April (1.14 × 103 CFU ml−1 and 5.57 × 106 CFU ml−1). Penicillium spp. and Trichoderma spp. were common in all the sites. The highest values of phosphate solubilisation index were recorded in peat collected in April (SI = 3.167 & 3.000). Overall, there is a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.0001) among the microbial numbers across the three months. This variation could be due to the temperature and pH differences across peat soil

Soil Organic Matter Components and Characteristics of Forest Soil in Spruce and Sycamore Plantations in the Temperate Region

The stability of soil organic matter (SOM) that governs soil organic carbon (SOC) storage depends on its characteristics and components, but little is known about how tree species in forest ecosystems affect SOM components and characteristics. In this study, we used FTIR spectroscopy to investigate plantations of two ecologically and economically significant tree species—namely, spruce (Picea spp.) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)—in order to determine how the different litter inputs and root-microbe interactions of these two plantations affect the functional groups, components, and characteristics of their SOM. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (10–20 cm). In the 0–10 cm soil depth, the SOM’s hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and aromatic components differ between the spruce and sycamore plantations. The hydrophobic components constitute the primary constituents of the SOM of the two forest plantations, in contrast to the expected predominance of the hydrophilic component of the SOM. Also, the high hydrophobicity (hydrophilic/hydrophobic) in the subsoil of the spruce plantations was attributed to a decrease in hydrophilic components and a subsequent increase in hydrophobic components of the SOM. The sycamore plantations exhibited a higher SOM aromaticity and a greater degree of decomposition than the spruce plantations. The aforementioned distinctions emphasise the contrasting mechanisms involved in transforming and turnover of the two-tree species’ soil organic matter (SOM)

Review of Detection Limits for Various Techniques for Bacterial Detection in Food Samples

Foodborne illnesses can be infectious and dangerous, and most of them are caused by bacteria. Some common food-related bacteria species exist widely in nature and pose a serious threat to both humans and animals; they can cause poisoning, diseases, disabilities and even death. Rapid, reliable and cost-effective methods for bacterial detection are of paramount importance in food safety and environmental monitoring. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) and electrochemical methods have been widely used in food safety and environmental monitoring. In this paper, the recent developments (2013–2023) covering PCR, LFIA and electrochemical methods for various bacterial species (Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli)), considering different food sample types, analytical performances and the reported limit of detection (LOD), are discussed. It was found that the bacteria species and food sample type contributed significantly to the analytical performance and LOD. Detection via LFIA has a higher average LOD (24 CFU/mL) than detection via electrochemical methods (12 CFU/mL) and PCR (6 CFU/mL). Salmonella and E. coli in the Pseudomonadota domain usually have low LODs. LODs are usually lower for detection in fish and eggs. Gold and iron nanoparticles were the most studied in the reported articles for LFIA, and average LODs were 26 CFU/mL and 12 CFU/mL, respectively. The electrochemical method revealed that the average LOD was highest for cyclic voltammetry (CV) at 18 CFU/mL, followed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 12 CFU/mL and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at 8 CFU/mL. LOD usually decreases when the sample number increases until it remains unchanged. Exponential relations (R2 \u3e 0.95) between LODs of Listeria in milk via LFIA and via the electrochemical method with sample numbers have been obtained. Finally, the review discusses challenges and future perspectives (including the role of nanomaterials/advanced materials) to improve analytical performance for bacterial detection

Arsenic Contamination Needs Serious Attention: An Opinion and Global Scenario

Arsenic (As) contamination is a serious global concern, polluting our natural resources, including water and soil, and posing a danger to the environment and public health. Arsenic is present in the groundwater of several countries and this contaminated water is used for irrigation, drinking, and food preparation, which poses the greatest threat to public health. Nearly 106 countries are affected by groundwater arsenic contamination and an estimated 230 million individuals worldwide are exposed to its adverse health effects, including increased cancer risks, associated cardiovascular disease and diabetes, skin lesions, neurological effects, kidney damage, and foetal or cognitive development-related complications. Arsenic is highly toxic and ranked first in the priority list of ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2022) and among the 10 chemicals of major public health concern on the World Health Organization (WHO) list. The maximum permissible level of arsenic in drinking water has been established at 10 µg/L by WHO, as well as by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and European Union (EU). These regulatory standards underscore the gravity of the problem, and actions to prioritise the development of effective detection, mitigation strategies, and collaborative initiatives are necessary. This opinion article covers (i) arsenic footprints—global scenario and impact, (ii) awareness and education and (iii) mitigation approaches (detection and removal strategies) and future perspectives, which collectively will help in controlling and preventing As contamination of our global water resources. Regulatory and legislative bodies and development agencies are crucial for raising awareness and countering this alarming concern by implementing collaborative actions to protect our environment and public health and to provide safe drinking water for all

Biogenic Synthesis of Selenium and Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Inhibitory Effect against Multi-Drug Resistant Biofilm-Forming Bacterial Pathogens

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), caused by microbial infections, has become a major contributor to morbid rates of mortality worldwide and a serious threat to public health. The exponential increase in resistant pathogen strains including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) poses significant hurdles in the health sector due to their greater resistance to traditional treatments and medicines. Efforts to tackle infectious diseases caused by resistant microbes have prompted the development of novel antibacterial agents. Herein, we present selenium and copper oxide monometallic nanoparticles (Se-MMNPs and CuO-MMNPs), characterized using various techniques and evaluated for their antibacterial potential via disc diffusion, determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), antibiofilm, and killing kinetic action. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques confirmed the size-distribution, spherical-shape, stability, elemental composition, and structural aspects of the synthesized nanoparticles. The MIC values of Se-MMNPs and CuO-MMNPs against S. aureus and E. coli were determined to be 125 µg/mL and 100 µg/mL, respectively. Time–kill kinetics studies revealed that CuO-MMNPs efficiently mitigate the growth of S. aureus and E. coli within 3 and 3.5 h while Se-MMNPs took 4 and 5 h, respectively. Moreover, CuO-MMNPs demonstrated better inhibition compared to Se-MMNPs. Overall, the proposed materials exhibited promising antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli pathogens