First report of Protoperidinium steinii (Dinophyceae) bloom from the coastal marine ecosystem - an observation from tropical Indian waters

A dense bloom of Protoperidinium steinii was observed in the backwaters adjoining the western Bay of Bengal, Kalpakkam coast, which might be the first report for the world oceans. The brownish-red bloom appeared on 2 October 2019, and it was monitored on alternate days up to 14 October. Surface water temperature was about 27.5°C and salinity was <17 PSU during the bloom. Dissolved inorganic nutrients like nitrate, ammonia, silicate, and phosphate were extremely high compared to that of the coastal waters. The chlorophyll-a maxima (20.95 mg m−3) coincided with the highest Protoperidinium density (113.9 × 104 cells l −1). The contribution of P. steinii ranged from 17−93% of the total phytoplankton population. Since P. steinii is a heterotroph and voracious grazer, low autotroph density was observed during the bloom. No mass mortality of fish or other organisms was observed, thereby indicating the nontoxic nature of the bloo

Tissue engineered plant extracts as nanofibrous wound dressing

10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.10.026Biomaterials343724-734BIMA

Poly-ε-caprolactone/gelatin hybrid electrospun composite nanofibrous mats containing ultrasound assisted herbal extract: Antimicrobial and cell proliferation study

10.3390/nano9030462Nanomaterials9346

Mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity to the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine

Despite the success of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, the immunological mechanisms that underlie its efficacy are poorly understood. Here we analyzed the innate and adaptive responses to BNT162b2 in mice, and show that immunization stimulated potent antibody and antigen-specific T cell responses, as well as strikingly enhanced innate responses after secondary immunization, which was concurrent with enhanced serum interferon (IFN)-γ levels 1 d following secondary immunization. Notably, we found that natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells in the draining lymph nodes are the major producers of this circulating IFN-γ. Analysis of knockout mice revealed that induction of antibody and T cell responses to BNT162b2 was not dependent on signaling via Toll-like receptors 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 nor inflammasome activation, nor the necroptosis or pyroptosis cell death pathways. Rather, the CD8+ T cell response induced by BNT162b2 was dependent on type I interferon-dependent MDA5 signaling. These results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms by which the BNT162b2 vaccine stimulates immune responses