Therapeutic and Nutritional Potential of Spirulina in Combating COVID-19 Infection

Human history has witnessed various pandemics throughout, and these cause disastrous effects on human health and country’s economy. Once again, after SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), the world is observing a very tough time fighting an invisible enemy, the novel COVID-19 coronavirus. Initially observed in the Wuhan province of China, now, it has spread across 210 countries. Number of corona affected confirmed cases have reached > 3 million globally and death toll has reached to 258,481 as on 6th May,2020. Researchers are working round the clock, forming collaborative efforts and sharing their data to come up with a cure for this disease. The new coronavirus genome was quickly sequenced and clinical and epidemiological data are continuously being collected and analyzed. This data is crucial for forming better public health policies and developing antiviral drugs and vaccines. As there is no vaccine available in market against COVID-19, personal health, immunity, social distancing and basic protection measures are extremely important. It is critical to avoid the virus infection and to strengthen the immune system as the coronavirus can be fatal for those with weak immunity.  This article reviews the nutritional and therapeutic potential of Spirulina, which is considered as superfood and a natural supplement to strengthen the immune system. Spirulina is highly nutritious and has hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic and antihypertensive properties. Spirulina contains several bioactive compounds, such as phenols, phycobiliproteins and sulphated polysaccharides and many more with proven antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulant/ immunomodulatory effects

Neumann’s tumor: a case report

Background: The congenital granular cell tumour of the newborn, also known as congenital epulis or Neumann‘s tumor, is rare. It occurs on the gingiva of the anterior alveolar ridge of the jaws. This lesion behaves in a benign manner and no recurrent or metastatic lesions have been reported.Case Report: We are reporting a 2-day-old female neonate, who came to our unit with a well defined, solitary, firm mass arising from the maxillary anterior region measuring about 3.5 cms in diameter and causing difficulty in breast feeding but no hindrance to the airway. The mass was surgically excised under general anesthesia. Postoperative wound healing was uneventful.Conclusion: We have shared our experience in handling this rare type of tumor. We have presented the clinical features and the different modalities of its treatment to spread awareness among clinicians for better management of similar tumors.Keywords: Neumann’s tumor, Congenital Epulis, Congenital Granular Cell Tumor (cgct

Viscoelastic Properties of Dynamically Asymmetric Binary Fluids Under Shear Flow

We study theoretically the viscoelastic properties of sheared binary fluids that have strong dynamical asymmetry between the two components. The dynamical asymmetry arises due to asymmetry between the viscoelastic stresses, particularly the bulk stress. Our calculations are based on the two-fluid model that incorporates the asymmetric stress distribution. We simulate the phase separation process under an externally imposed shear and compare the asymmetric case with the usual phase separation under a shear flow without viscoelastic effects. We also simulate the behavior of phase separated stable morphologies under applied shear and compute the stress relaxation.Comment: 10 pages text, 9 figure

Enzymatic degradation of pyridine raffinate using response surface and artificial neural network simulation

584-592Pyridine is a heterocyclic aromatic compound present in pyridine raffinate, an organic discharge of the pyridine manufacturing industry. Besides pyridine, raffinate also contains formaldehyde, picolines and phenolics. Earlier, we isolated Gamma proteobacterium from timber soil for laccase production and optimized the involved process parameters. Here, we studied the optimization of process parameters for biodegradation of pyridine raffinate with the help of mathematical modeling [central composite design with response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN)]. The results predicted ANN to be a better tool for optimization of pyridine raffinate degradation. CCD was used to develop the best fit second-order polynomial quadratic regression equation. Prediction of degradation percentage for pyridine raffinate was done using the equation which was found to be 71.60% at temperature 36.76°C, pH 7.45 and inoculum concentration 1.96 mL/10mL. The predicted response was experimentally validated in the wet lab to verify the degradation efficiency. The outcome was 65.76±2%, further confirmed by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The result of GC-FID () data showed no trace of pyridine (Area 0%) which was reduced from initial area of 1.38% pyridine in raffinate sample

Enzymatic degradation of pyridine raffinate using response surface and artificial neural network simulation

Pyridine is a heterocyclic aromatic compound present in pyridine raffinate, an organic discharge of the pyridine manufacturing industry. Besides pyridine, raffinate also contains formaldehyde, picolines and phenolics. Earlier, we isolated Gamma proteobacterium from timber soil for laccase production and optimized the involved process parameters. Here, we studied the optimization of process parameters for biodegradation of pyridine raffinate with the help of mathematical modeling [central composite design with response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN)]. The results predicted ANN to be a better tool for optimization of pyridine raffinate degradation. CCD was used to develop the best fit second-order polynomial quadratic regression equation. Prediction of degradation percentage for pyridine raffinate was done using the equation which was found to be 71.60% at temperature 36.76°C, pH 7.45 and inoculum concentration 1.96 mL/10mL. The predicted response was experimentally validated in the wet lab to verify the degradation efficiency. The outcome was 65.76±2%, further confirmed by Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). The result of GC-FID () data showed no trace of pyridine (Area 0%) which was reduced from initial area of 1.38% pyridine in raffinate sample

ChrR Gene Variability in Cr-stressed Leptolyngbya boryana for the Biotransformation of Cr (VI) to Cr (III)

Chromium (VI) is a well-known pollutant that is present in industrially polluted soil and water, and has been reported to be mutagenic and carcinogenic. In the present study, we investigated the effective use of Leptolyngbya boryana (cyanobacterium) as an eco-friendly option to overcome Cr (VI) toxicity in tannery effluents. The main objective of this study was to identify the Cr reductase (ChrR) gene and its variability in the context of Cr (VI) stress. Industrial polluted soil samples were collected and processed according to standard protocols for ChrR variation and 16S rDNA gene analysis. Genomic DNA was isolated from the collected samples and the ChrR and 16S rDNA genes were amplified by PCR. Amplified 16S rDNA was sequenced and aligned with known sequences. In the present study, a strong correlation was established between the nucleotide sequences of the ChrR and 16S rDNA genes. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was determined for Cr (VI), and pure strains of L. boryana were identified and isolated from soil samples. Cr (VI)-stressed conditions and their genetic variability were confirmed by sequencing. In conclusion, the L. boryana strain has been identified an eco-friendly option for overcoming Cr (VI) toxicity in tannery effluents

Development of a Prototype Lattice Boltzmann Code for CFD of Fusion Systems.

Designs of proposed fusion reactors, such as the ITER project, typically involve the use of liquid metals as coolants in components such as heat exchangers, which are generally subjected to strong magnetic fields. These fields induce electric currents in the fluids, resulting in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) forces which have important effects on the flow. The objective of this SBIR project was to develop computational techniques based on recently developed lattice Boltzmann techniques for the simulation of these MHD flows and implement them in a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for the study of fluid flow systems encountered in fusion engineering. The code developed during this project, solves the lattice Boltzmann equation, which is a kinetic equation whose behaviour represents fluid motion. This is in contrast to most CFD codes which are based on finite difference/finite volume based solvers. The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is a relatively new approach which has a number of advantages compared with more conventional methods such as the SIMPLE or projection method algorithms that involve direct solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. These are that the LBM is very well suited to parallel processing, with almost linear scaling even for very large numbers of processors. Unlike other methods, the LBM does not require solution of a Poisson pressure equation leading to a relatively fast execution time. A particularly attractive property of the LBM is that it can handle flows in complex geometries very easily. It can use simple rectangular grids throughout the computational domain -- generation of a body-fitted grid is not required. A recent advance in the LBM is the introduction of the multiple relaxation time (MRT) model; the implementation of this model greatly enhanced the numerical stability when used in lieu of the single relaxation time model, with only a small increase in computer time. Parallel processing was implemented using MPI and demonstrated the ability of the LBM to scale almost linearly. The equation for magnetic induction was also solved using a lattice Boltzmann method. This approach has the advantage that it fits in well to the framework used for the hydrodynamic equations, but more importantly that it preserves the ability of the code to run efficiently on parallel architectures. Since the LBM is a relatively recent model, a number of new developments were needed to solve the magnetic induction equation for practical problems. Existing methods were only suitable for cases where the fluid viscosity and the magnetic resistivity are of the same order, and a preconditioning method was used to allow the simulation of liquid metals, where these properties differ by several orders of magnitude. An extension of this method to the hydrodynamic equations allowed faster convergence to steady state. A new method of imposing boundary conditions using an extrapolation technique was derived, enabling the magnetic field at a boundary to be specified. Also, a technique by which the grid can be stretched was formulated to resolve thin layers at high imposed magnetic fields, allowing flows with Hartmann numbers of several thousand to be quickly and efficiently simulated. In addition, a module has been developed to calculate the temperature field and heat transfer. This uses a total variation diminishing scheme to solve the equations and is again very amenable to parallelisation. Although, the module was developed with thermal modelling in mind, it can also be applied to passive scalar transport. The code is fully three dimensional and has been applied to a wide variety of cases, including both laminar and turbulent flows. Validations against a series of canonical problems involving both MHD effects and turbulence have clearly demonstrated the ability of the LBM to properly model these types of flow. As well as applications to fusion engineering, the resulting code is flexible enough to be applied to a wide range of other flows, in particular those requiring parallel computations with many processors. For example, at present it is being used for studies in aerodynamics and acoustics involving flows at high Reynolds numbers. It is anticipated that it will be used for multiphase flow applications in the near future

Effect of Multiple Rounds of Mass Drug Administration under Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Program on Prevalence of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis in One of the Co-endemic Districts of India

Both soil-transmitted helminthiasis and lymphatic filariasis are co-endemic in some districts of India. The study was aimed at comparing the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) infection before and after mass drug administration (MDA) given for lymphatic filariasis at Alappuzha.We examined stool samples of 219 children aged between 9 and 10 years from nine schools at Alappuzha, Kerala, in June 2015. The current STH situation was compared with that in the year 1999 (before the institution of MDA) in the same age group in the same district. WHO-recommended Kato-Katz technique was used for STH prevalence estimation. Information regarding socio-demographic variables, sanitation, personal hygiene practices was also recorded. Chi-square test was used to study association of risk factors with STH infection.A total of 79 (36.07%) children were found to be positive for STH infection. Out of all samples positive for Ascaris lumbricoides, 4 (5%) were found co-infected with Trichuris trichiura and none with hookworm. Factors like absence of household latrine, lack of hand washing before meals and practice of consumingunwashed fruits were found to be significantly associated with occurrence of STH infection.Over the years, consecutive rounds of MDA for LF have led to a decline in intestinal worm burden but with little effect on the overall prevalence of STH. Thus, STH control activities working synergistically with the Filarial Elimination Strategy can yield better results in the co-endemic areas with optimum resourceutilization

Hippophae rhamnoides L. (sea buckthorn) mediated green synthesis of copper nanoparticles and their application in anticancer activity

Green synthesis of nanoparticles has drawn huge attention in the last decade due to their eco-friendly, biocompatible nature. Phyto-assisted synthesis of metallic nanoparticles is widespread in the field of nanomedicine, especially for antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Here in the present research work, investigators have used the stem extract of the Himalayan plant Hippophae rhamnoides L, for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). The synthesized of CuNPs were analyzed by using sophisticated instruments, i.e., Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The size of the synthesized CuNPs was varying from 38 nm to 94 nm which were mainly spherical in shape. Further, the potential of the synthesized CuNPs was evaluated as an anticancer agent on the Hela cell lines, by performing an MTT assay. In the MTT assay, a concentration-dependent activity of CuNPs demonstrated the lower cell viability at 100 μg/mL and IC50 value at 48 μg/mL of HeLa cancer cell lines. In addition to this, apoptosis activity was evaluated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining, Annexin V, and Propidium iodide (PI) staining, wherein the maximum ROS production was at a dose of 100 µg per mL of CuNPs with a higher intensity of green fluorescence. In both DAPI and PI staining, maximum nuclear condensation was observed with 100 μg/mL of CuNPs against HeLa cell lines

Partitioning Apomixis Components to Understand and Utilize Gametophytic Apomixis

Apomixis is a method of reproduction to generate clonal seeds and offers tremendous potential to fix heterozygosity and hybrid vigor. The process of apomictic seed development is complex and comprises three distinct components, viz., apomeiosis (leading to formation of unreduced egg cell), parthenogenesis (development of embryo without fertilization) and functional endosperm development. Recently, in many crops, these three components are reported to be uncoupled leading to their partitioning. This review provides insight into the recent status of our understanding surrounding partitioning apomixis components in gametophytic apomictic plants and research avenues that it offers to help understand the biology of apomixis. Possible consequences leading to diversity in seed developmental pathways, resources to understand apomixis, inheritance and identification of candidate gene(s) for partitioned components, as well as contribution towards creation of variability are all discussed. The potential of Panicum maximum, an aposporous crop, is also discussed as a model crop to study partitioning principle and effects. Modifications in cytogenetic status, as well as endosperm imprinting effects arising due to partitioning effects, opens up new opportunities to understand and utilize apomixis components, especially towards synthesizing apomixis in crops