Maharshi Dayanand University

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the major endocrinopathy among reproductive-aged women, is not yet perceived as an important health problem in the world. It affects 4%-20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. The prevalence, diagnosis, etiology, management, clinical practices, psychological issues, and prevention are some of the most confusing aspects associated with PCOS. AIM: The exact prevalence figures regarding PCOS are limited and unclear. The aim of this review is to summarize comprehensively the current knowledge on the prevalence of PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature search was performed through PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar (up to December 2019). All relevant articles published in English language were identified following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS: Our analysis yielded 27 surveys with a pooled mean prevalence of 21.27% using different diagnostic criteria. The proportion of women with PCOS also increased in the last decade. CONCLUSION: The current review summarizes and interprets the results of all published prevalence studies and highlights the burden of the syndrome, thereby supporting early identification and prevention of PCOS in order to reverse the persistent upward trend of prevalence.

Recent remarkable advances in the field of nanotechnology has been achieved in the last few years especially in the fabrication of sensors that have wide number of applications. Nanomaterials are the foundation of nanotechnology that are measured on nanoscale. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are tube-like materials that are made up of carbon with a diameter calculating on a nanometer scale. They are originated from graphite sheet and these graphite layers seems similar to a rolled up non-stop unbreakable hexagonal like mesh structure and the carbon molecules appears at the apexes of the hexagonal structures. Depending upon the number of carbon layers, carbon nanotubes can be single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be fabricated by three main methods i.e., chemical vapor deposition, electric arc method and laser deposition method. Carbon nanotubes exhibit various characteristic properties such as high elasticity, high thermal conductivity, low density and they are chemically more inert etc. Due to these interesting properties, carbon nanotubes have played a significant role in the field of nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science. Carbon nanotubes are being positively applied in drug delivery, sensing, water treatment etc. Functionalization of their surface can result in highly soluble materials, which can be further derivatized with active molecules, making them compatible with biological systems. Surface functionalization enables adsorption or attachment of various molecules or antigens, which subsequently can be targeted to the desired cell population for immune recognition or a therapeutic effect. In this review, properties of carbon nanotubes and their clinical applications such as medical diagnostics and drug delivery are being discussed. Here, antibacterial as well as antifungal activity of carbon nanotubes are also being reviewed.

With the public's mature demand in recent times pressurized the textile industry for use of natural colorants, without any harmful effects on environment and aquatic ecosystem, and with more developed functionalities simultaneously. Advanced developments for the natural bio-resources and their sustainable use for multifunctional clothing are gaining pace now. Present review highlights historical overview of natural colorants, classification and predominantly processing of colorants from sources, application on textiles surfaces with the functionalities provided by them. Chemistry of natural colorants on textiles also discussed with relevance to adsorption isotherms and kinetic models for dyeing of textiles.

Antibiotic is one of the most significant discoveries and have brought a revolution in the field of medicine for human therapy. In addition to the medical uses, antibiotics have broad applications in agriculture and animal husbandry. In developing nations, antibiotics use have helped to increase the life expectancy by lowering the deaths due to bacterial infections, but the risks associated with antibiotics pollution is largely affecting people. Since antibiotics are released partially degraded and undegraded into environment creating antibiotic pollution, and its bioremediation is a challenging task. In the present review, we have discussed the primary antibiotic sources like hospitals, dairy, and agriculture causing antibiotic pollution and their innovative detection methods. The strong commitment towards the resistance prevention and participation, nations through strict policies and their implementations now come to fight against the antibiotic resistance under WHO. The review also deciphers the bacterial evolution based strategies to overcome the effects of antibiotics, so the antibiotic degradation and elimination from the environment and its health benefits. The present review focuses on the environmental sources of antibiotics, it's possible degradation mechanisms, health effects, and bacterial antibiotics resistance mechanisms.

The development of high-performance shielding materials against electromagnetic pollution requires mobile charge carriers and magnetic dipoles. Herein, we meet the challenge by building a three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure consisting of chemically modified graphene/Fe3O4(GF) incorporated polyaniline. Intercalated GF was synthesized by the in situ generation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in a graphene oxide suspension followed by hydrazine reduction, and further in situ polymerization with aniline to form a polyaniline composite. Spectroscopic analysis demonstrates that the presence of GF hybrid structures facilitates strong polarization due to the formation of a solid-state charge-transfer complex between graphene and polyaniline. This provides proper impedance matching and higher dipole interaction, which leads to the high microwave absorption properties. The higher dielectric loss (ε'' = 30) and magnetic loss (μ'' = 0.2) contribute to the microwave absorption value of 26 dB (>99.7% attenuation), which was found to depend on the concentration of GF in the polyaniline matrix. Moreover, the interactions between Fe3O4, graphene and polyaniline are responsible for superior material characteristics, such as excellent environmental (chemical and thermal) degradation stability and good electric conductivity (as high as 260 S m(-1)).

Abstract This paper proposes new ratio and product type estimators for estimating the mean of the finite population using information on single auxiliary variable. The bias and mean square error of these estimators have been obtained. These estimators are compared for their precision with usual mean per unit, ratio and product estimators and are found to be more efficient in many practical situations. Further, it is shown that these estimators reduce to regression estimator.

A novel, distance-cum-adjacency topological descriptor, termed as eccentric connectivity index, has been conceptualized, and its discriminating power has been investigated with regard to physical/biological properties of molecules. Correlation coefficients ranging from 95% to 99% were obtained using eccentric connectivity index in various datasets with regard to physical properties of diverse nature. These correlations were far superior to those correspondingly derived from the Wiener index. For structure−activity studies, a dataset, comprised of 94 substituted piperidinyl methyl ester and methylene methyl ester analogs as analgesic agents, was selected. Values of the eccentric connectivity index, the Wiener index, and Randić's molecular connectivity index were calculated, and active ranges were identified. Good correlations between topological descriptors and analgesic activity of these analogs were obtained. Eccentric connectivity index exhibited highest predictibility of the order of 86%. High discriminating power as revealed by excellent correlations obtained from structure−property and structure−activity studies offers an eccentric connectivity index of vast potential in QSPR/QSAR.

The removal of heavy metal from the environment, especially wastewater, is now shifting from the use of conventional methods to the use of biosorption, which may be defined as the binding and concentration of selected heavy metal ions or other molecules on to certain biological material. Although most biosorption research concerns metal and related pollutants, including radionuclides, the term is now applied for particulates and all manner of organic pollutants as well. Such pollutants can be in gaseous, soluble and insoluble forms. Biosorption is a physical process carried out through mechanisms such as ion exchange, surface complexation and precipitation. It is a property of both living and dead organisms (and their components) and has been heralded as a promising biotechnology for pollutant removal from solution. Various biomasses such as plant products (tree bark, peanut skin, sawdust, plant weeds etc.) have been tested for metal biosorption with very encouraging results. In this comprehensive review, biosorptive ability of fungal biomass toward heavy metals is emphasized. A detailed description of adsorption properties and mode of action of fungal biosorbents is offered in order to explain the heavy metal selectivity displayed by these biosorbents. The cell structure and cell wall of the fungal cell is evaluated in terms of metal sequestration. The parameters influencing the passive uptake of pollutants are analysed. The binding mechanism is discussed, including the key functional groups involved in the process. Quantification of metal-biomass interactions is fundamental to evaluation of potential implementation strategies; hence sorption isotherms and sorption kinetics, as well as models used to characterize fungal biosorbent sorption, are reviewed. Despite the continuing dramatic increase in published research on biosorption, there has been little or no exploitation in an industrial context. Thus, the current status and future directions regarding biosorption at an industrial level are discussed. A systematic comparative review of the literature, based on the metal-binding capacity of fungal biomass under different conditions, is also provided. The problems associated with fungal biosorption are analysed and suitable remedies are discussed. Thus, this article reviews the achievements and current status of fungal biosorption technology and hopes to provide insights into future research.

Owing to its exceptional ability to efficiently promote plant growth, protection and stress tolerance, a mycorrhiza like endophytic Agaricomycetes fungus Piriformospora indica has received a great attention over the last few decades. P. indica is an axenically cultiviable fungus which exhibits its versatility for colonizing/hosting a broad range of plant species through directly manipulating plant hormone-signaling pathway during the course of mutualism. P. indica-root colonization leads to a better plant performance in all respect, including enhanced root proliferation by indole-3-acetic acid production which in turn results into better nutrient-acquisition and subsequently to improved crop growth and productivity. Additionally, P. indica can induce both local and systemic resistance to fungal and viral plant diseases through signal transduction. P. indica-mediated stimulation in antioxidant defense system components and expressing stress-related genes can confer crop/plant stress tolerance. Therefore, P. indica can biotize micropropagated plantlets and also help these plants to overcome transplantation shock. Nevertheless, it can also be involved in a more complex symbiotic relationship, such as tripartite symbiosis and can enhance population dynamic of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria. In brief, P. indica can be utilized as a plant promoter, bio-fertilizer, bioprotector, bioregulator, and biotization agent. The outcome of the recent literature appraised herein will help us to understand the physiological and molecular bases of mechanisms underlying P. indica-crop plant mutual relationship. Together, the discussion will be functional to comprehend the usefulness of crop plant-P. indica association in both achieving new insights into crop protection/improvement as well as in sustainable agriculture production.

The core focus of this review is to show how immediate and valid feedback, qualitative assessment influence enhances students learning in a higher education environment. With the rising trend of online education especially in this COVID-19 pandemic, the role of assessment and feedback also changes. Earlier the assessment part is not considered the main focus in learning and teaching in HEIs, but now with the increase in online education, it is observed that the paradigm is shifted toward assessing those activities of students that enhance their learning outcomes. A lot of research work has been done on developing assessment strategies and techniques that can support learning and teaching effectively. Yet, there is limited research that looks at how methods applied in learning analytics can be used and possibly constitutes the assessment process. The objective of this work is to provide an exploratory and comparative study of how assessment and feedback practices can enhance students learning outcomes using AI. The key contribution of this study attempts to capture an outline of the most used artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for student success. The results showed that I-FCN performed better than other techniques (ANN, XG Boost, SVM, Random Forest, and Decision Trees) in all measured performance metrics. Also, the result of the comparative analysis study will help the educators, instructors, and administrators on how they could take the advantage of a data-driven approach, design less pressurized, more valid, reliable, constructive assessment findings, and connect the power of assessment and feedback to enhance the learning outcomes.

Lactate detection plays a significant role in healthcare, food industries and is specially necessitated in conditions like hemorrhage, respiratory failure, hepatic disease, sepsis and tissue hypoxia. Conventional methods for lactate determination are not accurate and fast so this accelerated the need of sensitive biosensors for high-throughput screening of lactate in different samples. This review focuses on applications and developments of various electrochemical biosensors based on lactate detection as lactate being essential metabolite in anaerobic metabolic pathway. A comparative study to summarize the L-lactate biosensors on the basis of different analytical properties in terms of fabrication, sensitivity, detection limit, linearity, response time and storage stability has been done. It also addresses the merits and demerits of current enzyme based lactate biosensors. Lactate biosensors are of two main types - lactate oxidase (LOD) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) based. Different supports tried for manufacturing lactate biosensors include membranes, polymeric matrices-conducting or non-conducting, transparent gel matrix, hydrogel supports, screen printed electrodes and nanoparticles. All the examples in these support categories have been aptly discussed. Finally this review encompasses the conclusion and future emerging prospects of lactate sensors.

The contamination of soils with heavy metals and its associated hazardous effects are a thrust area of today’s research. Rapid industrialization, emissions from automobiles, agricultural inputs, improper disposal of waste, etc., are the major causes of soil contamination with heavy metals. These contaminants not only contaminate soil but also groundwater, reducing agricultural land and hence food quality. These contaminants enter the food chain and have a severe effect on human health. It is important to remove these contaminants from the soil. Various economic and ecological strategies are required to restore the soils contaminated with heavy metals. Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that is non-invasive, cost-effective, and aesthetically pleasing. Many metal-binding proteins (MBPs) of the plants are significantly involved in the phytoremediation of heavy metals; the MBPs include metallothioneins; phytochelatins; metalloenzymes; metal-activated enzymes; and many metal storage proteins, carrier proteins, and channel proteins. Plants are genetically modified to enhance their phytoremediation capacity. In Arabidopsis , the expression of the mercuric ion-binding protein in Bacillus megaterium improves the metal accumulation capacity. The phytoremediation efficiency of plants is also enhanced when assisted with microorganisms, biochar, and/or chemicals. Removing heavy metals from agricultural land without challenging food security is almost impossible. As a result, crop selections with the ability to sequester heavy metals and provide food security are in high demand. This paper summarizes the role of plant proteins and plant–microbe interaction in remediating soils contaminated with heavy metals. Biotechnological approaches or genetic engineering can also be used to tackle the problem of heavy metal contamination.

In the present world scenario, obesity has almost attained the level of a pandemic and is progressing at a rapid rate. This disease is the mother of all other metabolic disorders, which apart from placing an added financial burden on the concerned patient also has a negative impact on his/her well-being and health in the society. Among the various plausible factors for the development of obesity, the role of gut microbiota is very crucial. In general, the gut of an individual is inhabited by trillions of microbes that play a significant role in host energy homeostasis by their symbiotic interactions. Dysbiosis in gut microbiota causes disequilibrium in energy homeostasis that ultimately leads to obesity. Numerous mechanisms have been reported by which gut microbiota induces obesity in experimental models. However, which microbial community is directly linked to obesity is still unknown due to the complex nature of gut microbiota. Prebiotics and probiotics are the safer and effective dietary substances available, which can therapeutically alter the gut microbiota of the host. In this review, an effort was made to discuss the current mechanisms through which gut microbiota interacts with host energy metabolism in the context of obesity. Further, the therapeutic approaches (prebiotics/probiotics) that helped in positively altering the gut microbiota were discussed by taking experimental evidence from animal and human studies. In the closing statement, the challenges and future tasks within the field were discussed.

Human gut microbiota (GM) includes a complex and dynamic population of microorganisms that are crucial for well-being and survival of the organism. It has been reported as diverse and relatively stable with shared core microbiota, including Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes as the major dominants. They are the key regulators of body homeostasis, involving both intestinal and extra-intestinal effects by influencing many physiological functions such as metabolism, maintenance of barrier homeostasis, inflammation and hematopoiesis. Any alteration in GM community structures not only trigger gut disorders but also influence other organs and cause associated diseases. In recent past, the GM has been defined as a 'vital organ' with its involvement with other organs; thus, establishing a link or a bi- or multidirectional communication axis between the organs via neural, endocrine, immune, humoral and metabolic pathways. Alterations in GM have been linked to several diseases known to humans; although the exact interaction mechanism between the gut and the organs is yet to be defined. In this review, the bidirectional relationship between the gut and the vital human organs was envisaged and discussed under several headings. Furthermore, several disease symptoms were also revisited to redefine the communication network between the gut microbes and the associated organs.

Introduction From a biopharmaceutical standpoint, the skin is recognized as an interesting route for drug delivery. In general, small molecules are able to penetrate the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin. In contrast, the delivery of larger molecules, such as peptides and proteins, remains a challenge. Nanoparticles have been exploited not only to enhance skin penetration of drugs but also to expand the range of molecules to be clinically used.Areas covered This review focus on Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for skin administration. We discuss the selection criteria for lipids, surfactants, and surface modifiers commonly in use in SLN/NLC, their production techniques, and the range of drugs loaded in these lipid nanoparticles for the treatment of skin disorders.Expert opinion Depending on the lipid and surfactant composition, different nanoparticle morphologies can be generated. Both SLN and NLC are composed of lipids that resemble those of the skin and sebum, which contribute to their enhanced biocompatibility, with limited toxicological risk. SLN and NLC can be loaded with very chemically different drugs, may provide a tunable release profile, can be produced in a sterilized environment, and be scaled-up without the need for organic solvents.

There has been considerable interest in the development of novel compounds with anticonvulsant, antioxidant, hormone antagonist, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, antimalarial, antimicrobial, antimycobacterial, antitumoral, vasodilator, antiviral and anti-trypanosomal activities. Hydrazones possessing an azometine -NHN=CH- proton constitute an important class of compounds for new drug development. Therefore, many researchers have synthesized these compounds as target structures and evaluated their biological activities. These observations have been guiding for the development of new hydrazide derivatives that possess varied biological activities. Keywords: Biological activities, Antimicrobial, Antiviral, Antimycobacterial, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, Antioxidant, Anticancer, Antimalarial, Antiarthritis, Anti-trypnosomal, Diuretic, Hydrazide, Hydrazone, Synthesis

Today, environmental pollution is a serious problem, and bioremediation can play an important role in cleaning contaminated sites. Remediation strategies, such as chemical and physical approaches, are not enough to mitigate pollution problems because of the continuous generation of novel recalcitrant pollutants due to anthropogenic activities. Bioremediation using microbes is an eco-friendly and socially acceptable alternative to conventional remediation approaches. Many microbes with a bioremediation potential have been isolated and characterized but, in many cases, cannot completely degrade the targeted pollutant or are ineffective in situations with mixed wastes. This review envisages advances in systems biology (SB), which enables the analysis of microbial behavior at a community level under different environmental stresses. By applying a SB approach, crucial preliminary information can be obtained for metabolic engineering (ME) of microbes for their enhanced bioremediation capabilities. This review also highlights the integrated SB and ME tools and techniques for bioremediation purposes.

Composting is a natural process that stems through microbial succession, marking the degradation and stabilization of organic matter present in waste. The use of microbial additives during composting is considered highly efficient, likely to enhance the production of different enzymes resulting in better rate of waste degradation. In lesser developed countries, composting has emerged as a vital technology to recycle the biodegradable waste while generating a useful product. Depending on the composition of the waste material, it can either directly undergo composting or homogenized prior to secondary waste treatment methods such as landfilling. However, a relatively expensive downstream handling all along is a main hurdle towards economics of the process. Although basic methodology and recent approaches are known in crucial aspects of the process through various reviews, exploring the behavior of effective microbial additives will be resourceful. In this review, to fill in the gap, studies related to microbial composting of municipal solid and food waste were acknowledged. Here in, factors that could slow down the composting process and affect the compost quality were addressed. Lastly, the review pictured a positive simulation and stated how excellent results, can be achieved by microbial additives during composting.

Abstract Imidazole is a five-membered heterocyclic moiety that possesses three carbon, two nitrogen, four hydrogen atoms, and two double bonds. It is also known as 1, 3-diazole. It contains two nitrogen atoms, in which one nitrogen bear a hydrogen atom, and the other is called pyrrole type nitrogen. The imidazole name was reported by Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch (1857–1935) in 1887. 1, 3-diazole is an amphoteric in nature i.e. it shows both acidic and basic properties. It is a white or colorless solid that is highly soluble in water and other polar solvents. Due to the presence of a positive charge on either of two nitrogen atom, it shows two equivalent tautomeric forms. Imidazole was first named glyoxaline because the first synthesis has been made by glyoxal and ammonia. It is the basic core of some natural products such as histidine, purine, histamine and DNA based structures, etc. Among the different heterocyclic compounds, imidazole is better known due to its broad range of chemical and biological properties. Imidazole has become an important synthon in the development of new drugs. The derivatives of 1, 3-diazole show different biological activities such as antibacterial, antimycobacterial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antidiabetic, anti-allergic, antipyretic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-amoebic, antihelmintic, antifungal and ulcerogenic activities, etc. as reported in the literature. There are different examples of commercially available drugs in the market which contains 1, 3-diazole ring such as clemizole (antihistaminic agent), etonitazene (analgesic), enviroxime (antiviral), astemizole (antihistaminic agent), omeprazole, pantoprazole (antiulcer), thiabendazole (antihelmintic), nocodazole (antinematodal), metronidazole, nitroso-imidazole (bactericidal), megazol (trypanocidal), azathioprine (anti rheumatoid arthritis), dacarbazine (Hodgkin's disease), tinidazole, ornidazole (antiprotozoal and antibacterial), etc. This present review summarized some pharmacological activities and various kinds of synthetic routes for imidazole and their derived products.

In the wake of the uprising global energy crisis, microalgae have emerged as an alternate feedstock for biofuel production. In addition, microalgae bear immense potential as bio-cell factories in terms of producing key chemicals, recombinant proteins, enzymes, lipid, hydrogen and alcohol. Abstraction of such high-value products (algal biorefinery approach) facilitates to make microalgae-based renewable energy an economically viable option. Synthetic biology is an emerging field that harmoniously blends science and engineering to help design and construct novel biological systems, with an aim to achieve rationally formulated objectives. However, resources and tools used for such nuclear manipulation, construction of synthetic gene network and genome-scale reconstruction of microalgae are limited. Herein, we present recent developments in the upcoming field of microalgae employed as a model system for synthetic biology applications and highlight the importance of genome-scale reconstruction models and kinetic models, to maximize the metabolic output by understanding the intricacies of algal growth. This review also examines the role played by microalgae as biorefineries, microalgal culture conditions and various operating parameters that need to be optimized to yield biofuel that can be economically competitive with fossil fuels.