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With the per capita growth of energy demand, there is a significant need for alternative and sustainable energy resources. Efficient electrochemical catalysis will play an important role in sustaining that need, and nanomaterials will play a crucial role, owing to their high surface area to volume ratio. Electrospun nanofiber is one of the most promising alternatives for producing such nanostructures. A section of key nano-electrocatalysts comprise of transition metals (TMs) and their derivatives, like oxides, sulfides, phosphides and carbides, etc., as well as their 1D composites with carbonaceous elements, like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofiber (CNF), to utilize the fruits of TMs’ electronic structure, their inherent catalytic capability and the carbon counterparts’ stability, and electrical conductivity. In this work, we will discuss about such TM derivatives, mostly TM-based ceramics, grown on the CNF substrates via electrospinning. We will discuss about manufacturing methods, and their electrochemical catalysis performances in regards to energy conversion processes, dealing mostly with water splitting, the metal–air battery fuel cell, etc. This review will help to understand the recent evolution, challenges and future scopes related to electrospun transition metal derivative-based CNFs as electrocatalysts.

The development of an efficient catalyst system for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into energy-rich products is a major research topic. Here we report the catalytic ability of polyacrylonitrile-based heteroatomic carbon nanofibres for carbon dioxide reduction into carbon monoxide, via a metal-free, renewable and cost-effective route. The carbon nanofibre catalyst exhibits negligible overpotential (0.17 V) for carbon dioxide reduction and more than an order of magnitude higher current density compared with the silver catalyst under similar experimental conditions. The carbon dioxide reduction ability of carbon nanofibres is attributed to the reduced carbons rather than to electronegative nitrogen atoms. The superior performance is credited to the nanofibrillar structure and high binding energy of key intermediates to the carbon nanofibre surfaces. The finding may lead to a new generation of metal-free and non-precious catalysts with much greater efficiency than the existing noble metal catalysts. The efficient catalysis of the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is an important industrial process, usually performed by noble metal catalysts. Here the authors report a metal-free carbon nanofibre-based catalyst operating with a negligible overpotential, high current density and long-term stability.

Beta-hemoglobinopathies exhibit a heterogeneous clinical picture with varying degrees of clinical severity. Pertaining to the limited treatment options available, where blood transfusion still remains the commonest mode of treatment, pharmacological induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) has been a lucrative therapeutic intervention. Till now more than 70 different HbF inducers have been identified. The practical usage of many pharmacological drugs has been limited due to safety concerns. Natural compounds, like Resveratrol, Ripamycin and Bergaptene, with limited cytotoxicity and high efficacy have started capturing the attention of researchers. In this review, we have summarized pharmacological drugs and bioactive compounds isolated from natural sources that have been shown to increase HbF significantly. It primarily discusses recently identified synthetic and natural compounds, their mechanism of action, and their suitable screening platforms, including high throughput drug screening technology and biosensors. It also delves into the topic of combinatorial therapy and drug repurposing for HbF induction. Overall, we aim to provide insights into where we stand in HbF induction strategies for treating β-hemoglobinopathies.

The progression of metastasis, a complex systemic disease, is facilitated by interactions between tumor cells and their isolated microenvironments. Over the past few decades, researchers have investigated the metastatic spread of cancer extensively, identifying multiple stages in the process, such as intravasation, extravasation, tumor latency, and the development of micrometastasis and macrometastasis. The premetastatic niche is established in target organs by the accumulation of aberrant immune cells and extracellular matrix proteins. The \"seed and soil\" idea, which has become widely known and accepted, is being used to this day to guide cancer studies. Changes in the local and systemic immune systems have a major impact on whether an infection spreads or not. The belief that the immune response may play a role in slowing tumor growth and may be beneficial against the metastatic disease underpins the responsiveness shown in the immunological landscape of metastasis. Various hypotheses on the phylogenesis of metastases have been proposed in the past. The primary tumor's secreting factors shape the intratumoral microenvironment and the immune landscape, allowing this progress to be made. Therefore, it is evident that among disseminated tumor cells, there are distinct phenotypes that either carry budding for metastasis or have the ability to obtain this potential or in systemic priming through contact with substantial metastatic niches that have implications for medicinal chemistry. Concurrent immunity signals that the main tumor induces an immune response that may not be strong enough to eradicate the tumor. Immunotherapy's success with some cancer patients shows that it is possible to effectively destroy even advanced-stage tumors by modifying the microenvironment and tumor-immune cell interactions. This review focuses on the metastasome in colorectal carcinoma and the therapeutic implications of site-specific metastasis, systemic priming, tumor spread, and the relationship between the immune system and metastasis.

A heterogeneous and magnetically recyclable Ni–chitosan nanocatalyst was synthesized and thoroughly characterized by powder Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, etc. It was effectively utilized in the eco-friendly synthesis of new C5–C6-unsubstituted 1,4-DHPs under ultrasonic irradiation. The important focus of the methodology was to develop an environmentally friendly protocol with a short reaction time and a simple reaction procedure. The other advantages of this protocol are a wide substrate scope, a very good product yield, the use of an eco-friendly solvent and a recyclable nanocatalyst, as well as reaction at room temperature.

Herbs contribute to more than 60-70% in development of modern medicines in the world market either directly or indirectly. The herbal treatments for congestive heart failure, systolic hypertension, angina, atherosclerosis, cerebral insufficiency and venous insufficiency etc. has been known since ancient times. Unlike allopathic medicines, Ayurveda medicines are considered safe, however, the adverse reactions of herbal drugs is also reported. In this paper, we have compiled 128 herbs and their parts that have medicinal value to prevent, alleviate or cure heart disease related disorders. Jaccard Neighbour-joining cluster analysis using Free Tree software was used to assess the relative importance of plants in context with its healing potential for heart related disease. Based on the medicinal value in context with the heart, five major clusters of the selected 128 herbs were made. Correlation of the distance between herbs revealed that most of these herbs were found to have more than one medicinal property. The distance in dendogram depicted closeness of properties curing heart disease; as less the distance between two medicinal plants or two groups they will more close to cure particular heart disease. During drug development, a medicinal plant can be replaced by another plant of same group or by another plant of its neighbour group but from same pedigree. Thus, in case of non-availability of herbs or if it belongs to the category of rare, threatened, and endangered species, such method may add to new ways of drug development.

Background: India, with a total population of 1,309,053,980, has 0.29 psychiatrists, 0.00 child psychiatrists, and 0.80 mental health nurses per 100,000 population. The mental health expenditure per person is just 4 INR as per Mental Health ATLAS 2017 (World Health Organization). The treatment gap for mental disorders still remains very high. These raise issues to our mental health status post coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Higher levels of anxiety, stress, and depression after the stay-at-home order post COVID-19 could lead to further psychological trauma besides mental health. A younger age, the female gender, and the caregiver status have a greater degree of stressfulness because of the pandemic. Objective: To assess the mental health status of the general population post COVID-19 in India. Material and Methods: An online survey was conducted using Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) 21 in the month of July, 2020. Results: The results of the online survey using DASS 21 conducted in the month of July, 2020, in India support the mental distress in the general population too. Conclusions: Systematic and regular surveys need to be conducted to allow for monitoring of the mental health impact of COVID-19 from time to time and prepare ourselves so as to prevent the second wave of mental health crises post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Breast cancer is among the most heterogeneous and aggressive malignancies. Hypoxia-driven activation of Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) in breast cancers triggers the transcription of a battery of genes that facilitate tumor progression and result in poor prognosis. Based on the reported anti-cancer properties of Moringa oleifera (Mo) , this study explores the therapeutic effects of isolated bioactive compounds from Mo , namely Aurantiamide Acetate (AA) and Benzyl Isothiocyanate (BITC), on HIF-1α-regulated key genes- vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), targeting the HIF-1α/VEGF/GLUT1 axis, which is central to angiogenesis and metabolic adaptation in tumors using a comprehensive in silico approach. The X-ray crystallographic structures of HIF-1α, VEGF, and GLUT1 were retrieved from PDB and employed as receptor targets for molecular docking studies against 3D conformers of AA and BITC using AutoDock Vina to evaluate their binding affinity and interaction profiles. Post-docking conformational analyses were conducted utilizing Discovery Studio. The pharmacological relevance of the compounds was assessed using SwissADME, ADMETSaR, and ADMETlab3.0 web servers for drug-likeness, oral bioavailability, and ADMET profiles. Subsequently, robust molecular dynamics simulations were executed for 500 nanoseconds using the Desmond module (Schrödinger v2019) to evaluate the structural stability of the ligand–receptor complexes under physiologically mimetic conditions. Additionally, Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were performed using Gaussian 09 software to probe the electronic properties, reactivity descriptors, and frontier molecular orbitals of the ligands. Docking outcomes revealed strong binding affinities of protein-ligand complexes, mediated by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, further corroborated by consistent pharmacokinetic profiles and low toxicity. MDS trajectories revealed structural convergence and stability across all complexes, as indicated by RMSD, RMSF, SASA, and radius of gyration (rGyr) analyses. Overall, the integrated in silico approach highlights the promising therapeutic potential of these phytocompounds as natural, bioavailable, and mechanistically rational inhibitors of hypoxia-associated targets in breast cancer.