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.

/pdf/the-antimicrobial-activity-of-nanoparticles-present-455xafgyws.pdf

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.

/pdf/the-growing-use-of-herbal-medicines-issues-relating-to-1ckeueyb3l.pdf

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

Ayurvedic system of medicine is one of the oldest systems of Indian traditional medicine. In this system, various medicines are based on metal–mineral formulation popularly known as Bhasma. There are different types of Bhasma which are fabricated using traditional methods of Ayurveda, called Bhasmikaran. In the herbo-metallic preparations, the particles used have a diameter of about 10–15 nm. Bhasma is now been considered Ayurvedic nanomedicine and provides opportunity for drug designing employing modern concept of nanomedicine. In this chapter, we aimed to provide an updated review on scientific literature on the types of Bhasma and their potential therapeutic efficacy along with metal nanoparticle detected in various types of Bhasma. A brief account on effect of herbal constituent on overall characteristic of Bhasma has been also discussed in the light of recent scientific evidences.

Nanoparticles in Ayurvedic Medicine: Potential and Prospects

Novel Approaches to Combat Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Psilotic acid, a c6c4-acid from Psilotum nudum

Heavy metal contamination of soil , Heavy metal contamination of soil , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز

Heavy metal contamination of soil

Conventional methods of pathogen identification have often depended on the identification of disease symptoms, isolation, and culturing of the organisms, and identification by morphology and biochemical tests. The major limitations of these culture-based morphological approaches, however, are the reliance on the ability of the organism to be cultured, the time-consuming nature, and requirement of extensive taxonomic expertise. The use of molecular methods can circumvent many of these shortcomings. Accordingly, there have been significant developments in the area of molecular detection of bacterial pathogens in the last 3 decades. We report here a brief overview of the molecular detection methods applicable to microbes from food.

Iqbal Ahmad

Papers

Nanoparticles in Ayurvedic Medicine: Potential and Prospects

Novel Approaches to Combat Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Psilotic acid, a c6c4-acid from Psilotum nudum

Heavy metal contamination of soil

Molecular Strategies: Detection of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens