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Brilliant green is a synthetic and toxic dye that is currently being utilized for various purposes, such as dying paper, leather, wool, and silk. The present study demonstrates the activated carbon preparation from waste banana peels as well as its usefulness to remove cationic dye brilliant green from aqueous medium. The dye removal was examined under a set of diverse conditions. The obtained results indicate that dye adsorption was maximum after 60 min of contact time. The removal of brilliant green dye enhances due to a rise in adsorbent dosage and becomes quantitative at 15 min of adsorbent dose. At a pH of 2, the uptake of dye by adsorbent was maximum, which decreases with the rise in pH. Langmuir isotherm was slightly better fitted than Freundlich model at varying temperatures. The experimental value of adsorption capacity was > 900 mg/g, which was observed quite close with pseudo-second-order model for brilliant green adsorption on the prepared adsorbent based on banana peel. Thermodynamic studies suggested exothermic, spontaneous, and favorable adsorption process for brilliant green dye. The adsorbent prepared in the present study can be incorporated for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with brilliant green as well as other toxic pollutants.

Heavy metal (HMs) pollution is regarded as one of the major concerns for soil and water, causing varieties of toxic and stress effects on plants and ecosystems. It has become one of the important limiting factors to crop productivity and quality. Due to an ever-increasing population growth and food demands, this situation has further worsened. Rice, a leading staple food crop that feeds more than 50% populations of the world, is constantly affected by abiotic stressors including HMs. In most of the countries, a major source of HM intake by humans is the rice grain produced through the paddy soils contaminated with HMs such as As, Al, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb, Hg, Mn, Se, and Zn. Thus, gradual agglomeration of HMs in rice grains and their subsequent transfer to the food chain is a major menace to agriculture and human health. In recent years, several studies examined the impact of HMs toxicity on rice at multiple levels: molecular, biochemical, physiological, cellular and tissue, and demonstrated a correlation between HMs toxicity and the decreasing trend in rice productivity. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the interaction of HMs with rice crop spanning from the cell to whole plant level and devise appropriate effective means to alleviate these stress responses. This review focuses on tracing the pathways involved in stress responses and stress tolerance mechanisms displayed by different varieties of rice. However, it is essential to uncover the mechanisms related to stress responses in rice for designing improved investigations to develop novel varieties with high attributes. Therefore, this communication summarizes various defense strategies induced against HM stress and includes the function of metabolites (metabolomics), trace elements (ionomics), transcription factors (transcriptomics), and various stress-inducible proteins (proteomics) including the role of plant hormones.

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease, and there is an emerging need for the development of effective drugs to treat it. To identify novel compounds with antileishmanial properties, a novel series of functionalized spiro[indoline-3,2′-pyrrolidin]-2-one/spiro[indoline-3,3′-pyrrolizin]-2-one 23a–f, 24a–f, and 25a–g were prepared from natural-product-inspired pharmaceutically privileged bioactive sub-structures, i.e., isatins 20a–h, various substituted chalcones 21a–f, and 22a–c amino acids, via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions in MeOH at 80 °C using a microwave-assisted approach. Compared to traditional methods, microwave-assisted synthesis produces higher yields and better quality, and it takes less time. We report here the in vitro antileishmanial activity against Leishmania donovani and SAR studies. The analogues 24a, 24e, 24f, and 25d were found to be the most active compounds of the series and showed IC50 values of 2.43 µM, 0.96 µM, 1.62 µM, and 3.55 µM, respectively, compared to the standard reference drug Amphotericin B (IC50 = 0.060 µM). All compounds were assessed for Leishmania DNA topoisomerase type IB inhibition activity using the standard drug Camptothecin, and 24a, 24e, 24f, and 25d showed potential results. In order to further validate the experimental results and gain a deeper understanding of the binding manner of such compounds, molecular docking studies were also performed. The stereochemistry of the novel functionalized spirooxindole derivatives was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography studies.

A novel series of nitrostyrene-based spirooxindoles were synthesized via the reaction of substituted isatins 1a–b, a number of α-amino acids 2a–e and (E)-2-aryl-1-nitroethenes 3a–e in a chemo/regio-selective manner using [3+2] cycloaddition (Huisgen) reaction under microwave irradiation conditions. The structure elucidation of all the synthesized spirooxindoles were done using 1H and 13C NMR and HRMS spectral analysis. The single crystal X-ray crystallographic study of compound 4l was used to assign the stereochemical arrangements of the groups around the pyrrolidine ring in spiro[pyrrolidine-2,3′-oxindoles] skeleton. The in vitro anticancer activity of spiro[pyrrolidine-2,3′-oxindoles] analogs 4a–w against human lung (A549) and liver (HepG2) cancer cell lines along with immortalized normal lung (BEAS-2B) and liver (LO2) cell lines shows promising results. Out of the 23 synthesized spiro[pyrrolidine-2,3′-oxindoles], while five compounds (4c, 4f, 4m, 4q, 4t) (IC50 = 34.99–47.92 µM; SI = 0.96–2.43) displayed significant in vitro anticancer activity against human lung (A549) cancer cell lines, six compounds (4c, 4f, 4k, 4m, 4q, 4t) (IC50 = 41.56–86.53 µM; SI = 0.49–0.99) displayed promising in vitro anticancer activity against human liver (HepG2) cancer cell lines. In the case of lung (A549) cancer cell lines, these compounds were recognized to be more efficient and selective than standard reference artemisinin (IC50 = 100 µM) and chloroquine (IC50 = 100 µM; SI: 0.03). However, none of them were found to be active as compared to artesunic acid [IC50 = 9.85 µM; SI = 0.76 against lung (A549) cancer cell line and IC50 = 4.09 µM; SI = 2.01 against liver (HepG2) cancer cell line].

Preservation of foods, along with health and safety issues, is a growing concern in the current generation. Essential oils have emerged as a natural means for the long-term protection of foods along with the maintenance of their qualities. Direct applications of essential oils have posed various constraints to the food system and also have limitations in application; hence, encapsulation of essential oils into biopolymers has been recognized as a cutting-edge technology to overcome these challenges. This article presents and evaluates the strategies for the development of encapsulated essential oils on the basis of fascination with the modeling and shuffling of various biopolymers, surfactants, and co-surfactants, along with the utilization of different fabrication processes. Artificial intelligence and machine learning have enabled the preparation of different nanoemulsion formulations, synthesis strategies, stability, and release kinetics of essential oils or their bioactive components from nanoemulsions with improved efficacy in food systems. Different mathematical models for the stability and delivery kinetics of essential oils in food systems have also been discussed. The article also explains the advanced application of modeling-based encapsulation strategies on the preservation of a variety of food commodities with their intended implication in food and agricultural industries.

Electrical resistivity (Geoelectrical) methods are well-known and common techniques for investigating the groundwater potential zone. These methods are economically viable and have the highest resolving power compared with other geophysical methods. A total of fifteen Vertical electrical soundings were conducted in the village of Banauli, located in Singrauli district in Madhya Pradesh, India. Vertical electrical sounding was carried out using Schlumberger electrode configuration with the maximum current electrode (AB) spacing of 200 m and potential electrode (MN) spacing of 10 m. For interpretation of measured resistivity, the Partial curve matching technique was used to calculate the layer parameters (resistivity and thickness) and further depict the depth section of the profile. In this study, the maximum five-layer model is obtained, and most curves are of HAK types. The first layer has a mean resistivity value of 12.41 Ωm and a mean thickness of 0.94 m. The second layer has mean resistivity of 7.93 Ωm and a mean thickness of 4.79 m. The third layer has a mean thickness value of 10.55 m and a mean resistivity value of 16.54 Ωm. The fourth layer has a mean resistivity value of 20.17 Ωm and a mean thickness of 9.20 m, and finally, the fifth layer, the bedrock, has a higher mean resistivity value of 59.92 Ωm. Thus, the obtained results may be used for identifying the drilling site for the groundwater potential zone.

The goal of this study was to examine the water quality for drinking and domestic purposes in the Korba coalfield region of Chhattisgarh, India. The Korba Coalfield region has seen the collection of fifteen groundwater samples from different places. The content of eight metals was determined using ICP-MS instruments: aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn). Spatial distribution maps were produced using GIS software to make it simple to understand the groundwater’s quality. The groundwater samples were collected during the pre-monsoon season and the amount of Al, Ba, Cd, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ni, and Zn exceeded the ideal drinking water standards in a few sites. The elevated metal concentrations in the study region’s groundwater could be hazardous to the quality of water. The HPI value based on mean concentration was calculated to be 21.64, which is significantly lower than the reference pollutant index score of 100. The HPI calculation revealed that 73.33% of groundwater samples had low HPI values, 6.67% had medium HPI values, and the remaining 20% had high HPI values. The correlation between heavy metals and HPI was calculated; HPI is positively correlated with Fe (r > 0.9471), Pb (r > 0.9666), and Zn (r > 0.9634), indicating that these elements contribute significantly more to heavy metal concentration in the various samples examined than the other selected elements. The box plot seems to be a graphical representation of the outcomes of the different parameter concentrations which show the mean, maximum, and minimum metal values. The cluster analysis was performed and it was classified into two clusters. Cluster-1 comprises 14 members (93.33%) of the water samples examined and is distinguished by relatively low Ba (<700 μg.L-1), pH, TDS, Al, Fe, Cd, Mn, Pb, and Zn concentrations. Cluster-II is made up of 1 member (6.67%), which is primarily made up of groundwater samples (GW-10) taken in the KCF region, India. High values of HPI are found in the eastern portion of Chhattisgarh’s KCF region, reflecting the spatial distribution of metals. Heavy metal leaching from open-pit mining and transit routes was observed to have contaminated groundwater in the eastern section of the research region.

Cereal grains are frequently attacked by microorganisms and insects during storage and processing, which negatively affects their quality, safety, and market value. Therefore, protecting stored grains from microbial contamination is crucial for food industries, farmers, public health associations, and environmental agencies. Due to the negative impact of synthetic gray chemicals, antimicrobial plant-based essential oils (EOs) can serve as alternative, safer, environmentally friendly preservatives that can prolong the shelf life of cereals. However, high volatility, low solubility, hydrophobicity, and quick oxidation limit their practical applicability. Using nanotechnology for the nanoencapsulation of EOs into polymeric matrices allows sustained release and ensures targeted delivery without significantly altering the organoleptic attributes of cereals, making EOs a new-generation green preservative. This ultimately overcomes the challenges of practical applications. The application of nanoencapsulated EOs in grain storage provides an effective and novel defense against microbes, insects, and other contaminants. Hence, the current review thoroughly examines the preservative potential of nanoencapsulated EOs in terms of antimicrobial and insecticidal efficacy for protecting stored cereal grains. It also highlights the challenges encountered during application and the safety concerns of using nanoencapsulated EOs in protecting cereal grains during post-harvest storage.

Schwannomas are benign nerve sheath tumors that are seen either sporadically or in patients of neurofibromatosis. This tumor is common in head, neck, and extremities. Penis is a rare site for this tumor. To the very best of our knowledge, <34 cases of penile schwannoma have been reported in literature till now, but none had presented as scrotal mass. Here, we report a case of penile schwannoma in a 16-year-old male boy who presented in our outpatient department with a slowly growing scrotal mass. Our patient did not have any other feature of neurofibromatosis. The patient after investigation underwent surgical excision and had no recurrence on follow-up of 5 years.

Selaginella odishana (subg. Stachygynandrum) is described as a new terrestrial species (probably a local endemic) from the Sal tree (Shorea robusta) forest on hill slopes of Daringbadi, Daringbadi Udayagiri forest range, Kandhamal district, Odisha state, Eastern Ghats region of India, and compared to morphologically close taxa (S. reticulata and its allied taxa). The new species is characterised by sub-erect stems, membranous leaf, lateral and axillary leaf, ciliate at the base and serrate distally (towards stem tips) and only serrate (outside face) or serrate margin, lanceolate median leaf with entire-serrate margins, dorsal sporophyll with serrate margins and laminar flap up to ¾ as long as lamina length with ciliate margins, ventral sporophyll ciliate along basal ½ and serrate along distal ½, creamy white megaspores with foveolate surface ornamentation and microspores with smooth surface ornamentation. The conservation status of S. odishana is assessed as Critically Endangered.