Industrial applications of Ananas comosus wastes as valuable and utilizable products- A review

Ananas comosus, tropical fruit from Bromeliaceae family, is known for its flavour with major application in a number of industries viz juice, canned pulp, fruit candy, jam, jelly, wine, vinegar, bromelain extraction and many more. Large amounts of by-products are generated from these industries in which peel alone accounts for 34-38%. These by-products are discarded as waste and causes serious environmental pollution. Researchers have investigated that these by-products, mainly peels are potential sources of many nutritional and bioactive compounds which exhibits numerous health benefits. The present application of the waste is to convert it into value added products and currently, it is utilized in many industries such as chemical industry, health sectors, food sector, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals. This article summarizes the major applications of A. comosus peel at industrial level. ‘Industrial applications’ is an umbrella term in which biofuel generation; enzyme production; bromelain extraction; cellulose, bacterial cellulose, nanocellulose and nanocrystalline cellulose; nanoparticles synthesis; biorefinery production; superabsorbent hydrogel formation; oil extraction; wine and vinegar production; supplementation; fortification; enrichment etc. terms are embedded

Ananas comosus peel waste, a novel substrate of therapeutic potential: Evidences and prospects

Ananas comosus (Pineapple) is one of the most important edible fruit in the world. Around 75-80% of the pineapple gets discarded as by products, which are produced from crown; core and peel. Whereas 30-35% alone accounts to peel. This agricultural waste is thrown causing environmental damage. However, the A. comosus peel constitutes a number of natural bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenols, terpenoids, saponin, carotenoids, lignin, coumarins, ascorbic acid, gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, myricetin, salicylic acid, ferulic acid etc. That is responsible for possessing enormous medicinal and therapeutic values like antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, hypocholestrolemic, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, along with excellent pre-biotic potential. Its major applications is noted at the industrial level for the formulation of nutritionally enriched wine, vinegar, biscuits, gummy candies, nanoparticles, and many other products

Gold nanoparticle-based strategies against SARS-CoV-2: A review

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been an immense threat to global public health and has also had a negative socioeconomic impact worldwide. However, although the pandemic is now under control, it has demonstrated that society is unprepared to use analysis methods that are applicable to various types of viruses nor apply new therapies to prevent infections, considering the extensive time needed for vaccine development. The use of nanomaterial-based diagnostics and therapeutics can provide essential strategies for both virus detection and treatment. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are the nanomaterials most commonly used to enhance virus detection because of their bioconjugation, high plasmon resonance, and excellent electrical, optical, and catalytic properties. The present review outlines the recent advances reported in the literature regarding using AuNPs for their antiviral activities with respiratory viruses, analysis techniques such as AuNP-assisted polymerase chain reaction, biosensors (electrochemical, piezoelectric, and optical), lateral flow analysis, nucleic acid assays, and gene and vaccine therapy. Finally, as a potential antiviral treatment, this review provides in vitro and in vivo toxicity results of AuNPs for respiratory viruses, as well as those related to their toxicity in humans, to evaluate their use as a future antiviral treatment

Antioxidant and anti-diabetic potential of rebaudioside A and a mixture of steviol glycosides in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

391-399Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder rapidly spreading worldwide affects multiple organs and body functions. Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), belonging to the Asteraceae family is a herb with medicinal and commercial importance to cure chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus. The present study was aimed to explore the antidiabetic effect of two reference standards like Steviol Glycosides System Suitability (SGSS, a mixture of nine steviol glycosides) and Rebaudioside A in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In this regard, diabetes was induced in rats by administration of a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg body weight). After exposure to alloxan monohydrate, the overall intracellular antioxidant functions get disturbed which significantly increase the blood glucose levels, plasma malondialdehyde and sialic acid content. The oral administration of SGSS and Reb A at a dose of (20 and 30 mg/kg b.wt.) for a period of 21 days to diabetic rats significantly (P ˂0.05) reduced the blood glucose levels when compared with alloxan-induced diabetic control (DC) rats of group II and restore the antioxidant potential by decreasing the oxidative damage and also normalizes hyperlipidemic indices. The study demonstrated that bioactive components (steviol glycosides) of S. rebaudiana have potential therapeutic prospects to attenuate diabetes and its related complications

Antioxidant and anti-diabetic potential of rebaudioside A and a mixture of steviol glycosides in alloxan-induced diabetic rats

Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder rapidly spreading worldwide affects multiple organs and body functions. Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni), belonging to the Asteraceae family is a herb with medicinal and commercial importance to cure chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus. The present study was aimed to explore the antidiabetic effect of two reference standards like Steviol Glycosides System Suitability (SGSS, a mixture of nine steviol glycosides) and Rebaudioside A in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In this regard,  diabetes was induced in rats by administration of a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg body weight). After exposure to alloxan monohydrate, the overall intracellular antioxidant functions get disturbed which significantly increase the blood glucose levels, plasma malondialdehyde and sialic acid content. The oral administration of SGSS and Reb A at a dose of (20 and 30 mg/kg b.wt.) for a period of 21 days to diabetic rats significantly (P ˂0.05) reduced the blood glucose levels when compared with alloxan-induced diabetic control (DC) rats of group II and restore the antioxidant potential by decreasing the oxidative damage and also normalizes hyperlipidemic indices. The study demonstrated that bioactive components (steviol glycosides) of S. rebaudiana have potential therapeutic prospects to attenuate diabetes and its related complications

Longitudinal Study of Recurrent Metastatic Melanoma Cell Lines Underscores the Individuality of Cancer Biology.

Recurrent metastatic melanoma provides a unique opportunity to analyze disease evolution in metastatic cancer. Here, we followed up eight patients with an unusually prolonged history of metastatic melanoma, who developed a total of 26 recurrences over several years. Cell lines derived from each metastasis were analyzed by comparative genomic hybridization and global transcript analysis. We observed that conserved, patient-specific characteristics remain stable in recurrent metastatic melanoma even after years and several recurrences. Differences among individual patients exceeded within-patient lesion variability, both at the DNA copy number (P<0.001) and RNA gene expression level (P<0.001). Conserved patient-specific traits included expression of several cancer/testis antigens and the c-kit proto-oncogene throughout multiple recurrences. Interestingly, subsequent recurrences of different patients did not display consistent or convergent changes toward a more aggressive disease phenotype. Finally, sequential recurrences of the same patient did not descend progressively from each other, as irreversible mutations such as homozygous deletions were frequently not inherited from previous metastases. This study suggests that the late evolution of metastatic melanoma, which markedly turns an indolent disease into a lethal phase, is prone to preserve case-specific traits over multiple recurrences and occurs through a series of random events that do not follow a consistent stepwise process.Journal of Investigative Dermatology advance online publication, 2 January 2014; doi:10.1038/jid.2013.495

Reduced cortical thickness in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure due to non-alcoholic etiology

Background: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a form of liver disease with high short-term mortality. ACLF offers considerable potential to affect the cortical areas by significant tissue injury due to loss of neurons and other supporting cells. We measured changes in cortical thickness and metabolites profile in ACLF patients following treatment, and compared it with those of age matched healthy volunteers. Methods: For the cortical thickness analysis we performed whole brain high resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 15 ACLF and 10 healthy volunteers at 3T clinical MR scanner. Proton MR Spectroscopy (1H MRS) was also performed to measure level of altered metabolites. Out of 15 ACLF patients 10 survived and underwent follow-up study after clinical recovery at 3 weeks. FreeSurfer program was used to quantify cortical thickness and LC- Model software was used to quantify absolute metabolites concentrations. Neuropsychological (NP) test was performed to assess the cognitive performance in follow-up ACLF patients compared to controls. Results: Significantly reduced cortical thicknesses in multiple brain sites, and significantly decreased N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), myo-inositol (mI) and significantly increased glutamate/glutamine (glx) metabolites were observed in ACLF compared to those of controls at baseline study. Follow-up patients showed significant recovery in cortical thickness and Glx level, while NAA and mI were partially recovered compared to baseline study. When compared to controls, follow-up patients still showed reduced cortical thickness and altered metabolites level. Follow-up patients had abnormal neuropsychological (NP) scores compared to controls. Conclusions: Neuronal loss as suggested by the reduced NAA, decreased cellular density due to increased cerebral hyperammonemia as supported by the increased glx level, and increased proinflammatory cytokines and free radicals may account for the reduced cortical thickness in ACLF patients. Presence of reduced cortical thickness, altered metabolites and abnormal NP test scores in post recovery subjects as compared to those of controls is associated with incomplete clinical recovery. The current imaging protocol can be easily implemented in clinical settings to evaluate and monitor brain tissue changes in patients with ACLF during the course of treatment

Guidelines for the Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis Infection: Recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC, 2020.

Comprehensive guidelines for treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among persons living in the United States were last published in 2000 (American Thoracic Society. CDC targeted tuberculin testing and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000;161:S221-47). Since then, several new regimens have been evaluated in clinical trials. To update previous guidelines, the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) and CDC convened a committee to conduct a systematic literature review and make new recommendations for the most effective and least toxic regimens for treatment of LTBI among persons who live in the United States.The systematic literature review included clinical trials of regimens to treat LTBI. Quality of evidence (high, moderate, low, or very low) from clinical trial comparisons was appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. In addition, a network meta-analysis evaluated regimens that had not been compared directly in clinical trials. The effectiveness outcome was tuberculosis disease; the toxicity outcome was hepatotoxicity. Strong GRADE recommendations required at least moderate evidence of effectiveness and that the desirable consequences outweighed the undesirable consequences in the majority of patients. Conditional GRADE recommendations were made when determination of whether desirable consequences outweighed undesirable consequences was uncertain (e.g., with low-quality evidence).These updated 2020 LTBI treatment guidelines include the NTCA- and CDC-recommended treatment regimens that comprise three preferred rifamycin-based regimens and two alternative monotherapy regimens with daily isoniazid. All recommended treatment regimens are intended for persons infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is presumed to be susceptible to isoniazid or rifampin. These updated guidelines do not apply when evidence is available that the infecting M. tuberculosis strain is resistant to both isoniazid and rifampin; recommendations for treating contacts exposed to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis were published in 2019 (Nahid P, Mase SR Migliori GB, et al. Treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. An official ATS/CDC/ERS/IDSA clinical practice guideline. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2019;200:e93-e142). The three rifamycin-based preferred regimens are 3 months of once-weekly isoniazid plus rifapentine, 4 months of daily rifampin, or 3 months of daily isoniazid plus rifampin. Prescribing providers or pharmacists who are unfamiliar with rifampin and rifapentine might confuse the two drugs. They are not interchangeable, and caution should be taken to ensure that patients receive the correct medication for the intended regimen. Preference for these rifamycin-based regimens was made on the basis of effectiveness, safety, and high treatment completion rates. The two alternative treatment regimens are daily isoniazid for 6 or 9 months; isoniazid monotherapy is efficacious but has higher toxicity risk and lower treatment completion rates than shorter rifamycin-based regimens.In summary, short-course (3- to 4-month) rifamycin-based treatment regimens are preferred over longer-course (6-9 month) isoniazid monotherapy for treatment of LTBI. These updated guidelines can be used by clinicians, public health officials, policymakers, health care organizations, and other state and local stakeholders who might need to adapt them to fit individual clinical circumstances

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories:A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Importance Lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancers are important contributors to cancer burden worldwide, and a comprehensive evaluation of their burden globally, regionally, and nationally is crucial for effective policy planning.Objective To analyze the total and risk-attributable burden of lip and oral cavity cancer (LOC) and other pharyngeal cancer (OPC) for 204 countries and territories and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) using 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study estimates.Evidence Review The incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to LOC and OPC from 1990 to 2019 were estimated using GBD 2019 methods. The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate the proportion of deaths and DALYs for LOC and OPC attributable to smoking, tobacco, and alcohol consumption in 2019.Findings In 2019, 370 000 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 338 000-401 000) cases and 199 000 (95% UI, 181 000-217 000) deaths for LOC and 167 000 (95% UI, 153 000-180 000) cases and 114 000 (95% UI, 103 000-126 000) deaths for OPC were estimated to occur globally, contributing 5.5 million (95% UI, 5.0-6.0 million) and 3.2 million (95% UI, 2.9-3.6 million) DALYs, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, low-middle and low SDI regions consistently showed the highest age-standardized mortality rates due to LOC and OPC, while the high SDI strata exhibited age-standardized incidence rates decreasing for LOC and increasing for OPC. Globally in 2019, smoking had the greatest contribution to risk-attributable OPC deaths for both sexes (55.8% [95% UI, 49.2%-62.0%] of all OPC deaths in male individuals and 17.4% [95% UI, 13.8%-21.2%] of all OPC deaths in female individuals). Smoking and alcohol both contributed to substantial LOC deaths globally among male individuals (42.3% [95% UI, 35.2%-48.6%] and 40.2% [95% UI, 33.3%-46.8%] of all risk-attributable cancer deaths, respectively), while chewing tobacco contributed to the greatest attributable LOC deaths among female individuals (27.6% [95% UI, 21.5%-33.8%]), driven by high risk-attributable burden in South and Southeast Asia.Conclusions and Relevance In this systematic analysis, disparities in LOC and OPC burden existed across the SDI spectrum, and a considerable percentage of burden was attributable to tobacco and alcohol use. These estimates can contribute to an understanding of the distribution and disparities in LOC and OPC burden globally and support cancer control planning efforts