There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

Nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used to target bacteria as an alternative to antibiotics. Nanotechnology may be particularly advantageous in treating bacterial infections. Examples include the utilization of NPs in antibacterial coatings for implantable devices and medicinal materials to prevent infection and promote wound healing, in antibiotic delivery systems to treat disease, in bacterial detection systems to generate microbial diagnostics, and in antibacterial vaccines to control bacterial infections. The antibacterial mechanisms of NPs are poorly understood, but the currently accepted mechanisms include oxidative stress induction, metal ion release, and non-oxidative mechanisms. The multiple simultaneous mechanisms of action against microbes would require multiple simultaneous gene mutations in the same bacterial cell for antibacterial resistance to develop; therefore, it is difficult for bacterial cells to become resistant to NPs. In this review, we discuss the antibacterial mechanisms of NPs against bacteria and the factors that are involved. The limitations of current research are also discussed.

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The antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles: present situation and prospects for the future

The use of herbal medicinal products and supplements has increased tremendously over the past three decades with not less than 80% of people worldwide relying on them for some part of primary health care. Although therapies involving these agents have shown promising potential with the efficacy of a good number of herbal products clearly established, many of them remain untested and their use are either poorly monitored or not even monitored at all. The consequence of this is an inadequate knowledge of their mode of action, potential adverse reactions, contraindications and interactions with existing orthodox pharmaceuticals and functional foods to promote both safe and rational use of these agents. Since safety continues to be a major issue with the use of herbal remedies, it becomes imperative, therefore, that relevant regulatory authorities put in place appropriate measures to protect public health by ensuring that all herbal medicines are safe and of suitable quality. This review discusses toxicity related-issues and major safety concerns arising from the use of herbal medicinal products and also highlights some important challenges associated with effective monitoring of their safety.

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The growing use of herbal medicines: issues relating to adverse reactions and challenges in monitoring safety

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are the rhizosphere bacteria that can enhance plant growth by a wide variety of mechanisms like phosphate solubilization, siderophore production, biological nitrogen fixation, rhizosphere engineering, production of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACC), quorum sensing (QS) signal interference and inhibition of biofilm formation, phytohormone production, exhibiting antifungal activity, production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), induction of systemic resistance, promoting beneficial plant-microbe symbioses, interference with pathogen toxin production etc. The potentiality of PGPR in agriculture is steadily increased as it offers an attractive way to replace the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other supplements. Growth promoting substances are likely to be produced in large quantities by these rhizosphere microorganisms that influence indirectly on the overall morphology of the plants. Recent progress in our understanding on the diversity of PGPR in the rhizosphere along with their colonization ability and mechanism of action should facilitate their application as a reliable component in the management of sustainable agricultural system. The progress to date in using the rhizosphere bacteria in a variety of applications related to agricultural improvement along with their mechanism of action with special reference to plant growth-promoting traits are summarized and discussed in this review.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR): emergence in agriculture

Elements Of X Ray Diffraction

The crop of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) was grown at the agricultural farm of the Mathura Oil Refinery in a simple randomized block design. The experimental plots were irrigated with ground water (GW) or treated wastewater (TW) as and when required The plants gave better response to the latter than the former. The quantity of the required nutrients was comparatively more in TW than GW. The soil receiving wastewater did not show any significant change in its physico-chemical characteristics. The soil accumulated all the heavy metals but the plant samples receiving TW only exhibited the presence of Ni, Pb and Zn whose values are far below the permissible limits.

Response of sugarcane to treated wastewater of oil refinery.

A Qualitative Inquiry of University Student’s Experiences of Exam Stress and Its Effect on Their Academic Performance

Spices and herbs are recognized as sources of natural antioxidants and thus play an important role in the chemoprevention of diseases and aging. Piper cubeba is one among them and known for its medicinal properties for decades. Various biological activities are associated with its extract and phytocompounds. However, the anti-mutagenic activity of antioxidant rich extract is less explored. In this study, we performed the fraction-based antioxidant activity of P. cubeba using four different assays and evaluated the anti-mutagenic activity of most potent antioxidant fraction using Salmonella typhimurium tester strains against four mutagens (methyl methanesulfonate [MMS], sodium azide [SA], benzo(a)pyrene, and 2-aminoflourene) respectively. Among all tested fractions at 25-200 µg/ml, ethanolic extract revealed highest antioxidant activity and significant anti-mutagenicity against both direct and indirect acting mutagens at least one tester strain. Phytochemical analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) revealed the presence of various phytocompounds including copaene, isocaryophyllene, α-cubebene, etc. Molecular docking studies on DNA binding interactions of GC/MS detected phytocompounds highlight the possible mode of binding. In summary, these in vitro studies have provided the scientific basis for validation of using this plant in the traditional system of medicine and highlighted the need for exploring the role of various compounds for therapeutic efficacy. On the other hand, synergistic interaction among phytocompounds is to be explored to optimize or standardize the extracts for the exploitation in modern phytomedicine.

Antioxidant properties and anti-mutagenic potential of Piper Cubeba fruit extract and molecular docking of certain bioactive compounds.

\n\nThe aim of this review is to survey the recent progress made in developing the\nnanoparticles as antifungal agents especially the nano-based formulations being exploited for the\nmanagement of Candida infections.\n\n\n\nIn the last few decades, there has been many-fold increase in fungal infections including\ncandidiasis due to the increased number of immunocompromised patients worldwide. The efficacy of\navailable antifungal drugs is limited due to its associated toxicity and drug resistance in clinical\nstrains. The recent advancements in nanobiotechnology have opened a new hope for the development\nof novel formulations with enhanced therapeutic efficacy, improved drug delivery and low toxicity.\n\n\n\nMetal nanoparticles have shown to possess promising in vitro antifungal activities and\ncould be effectively used for enhanced and targeted delivery of conventionally used drugs. The synergistic\ninteraction between nanoparticles and various antifungal agents have also been reported with\nenhanced antifungal activity.\n

Potential of Nanoparticles in Combating Candida Infections

Plant derived natural products and phytocompounds are known for their broad spectrum biological activities and are of great therapeutic value in traditional system of medicine. The role of medicinal plants and phytocompounds in the treatment of various diseases including bacterial infection are widely documented. Anti-infective compounds from medicinal plants may provide new drug leads. Bacterial cell to cell communication has been become attractive target for the development of novel anti-infective measures that do not rely on the use of antibiotics. Targeting Quorum sensing has been emerge as promising strategy to combat bacterial infections as it is unlikely to develop multidrug resistance pathogens since it does not impose any selection pressure. In this review, we have surveyed the recent literature available on plant extracts, essential oils and phytocompounds exhibiting anti-quorum sensing properties. Further, significance of phytocompounds to combat bacterial infections caused by MDR bacteria has been discussed.

Iqbal Ahmad

Papers

Response of sugarcane to treated wastewater of oil refinery.

A Qualitative Inquiry of University Student’s Experiences of Exam Stress and Its Effect on Their Academic Performance

Antioxidant properties and anti-mutagenic potential of Piper Cubeba fruit extract and molecular docking of certain bioactive compounds.

Potential of Nanoparticles in Combating Candida Infections

Quorum Sensing Interference by Natural Products from Medicinal Plants: Significance in Combating Bacterial Infection