Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals and its Application: A comprehensive study

Year after year, heavy metal concentrations in the environment are increasing. As a result, heavy metal-contaminated soils must be decontaminated to safeguard the environment and restore the ecosystem. Phytoremediation is a technique for cleaning up toxins in the environment that relies on natural processes. Plants aid in the removal of pollutants through several mechanisms, including absorption and concentration, pollutant transformation, stabilization, and rhizosphere degradation, in which plants promote the growth of bacteria that break down toxins underground in the root zone. While the use of phytoremediation is on the rise, little. There has been focus on the ecological features of the plants used. This research investigated the possibility of using native plants to clean up soil while simultaneously providing benefits above ground, such as wildlife habitat. A relatively new technology is phytoremediation. With several advantages over traditional site clean-up methods. Some of the applications have only been tested in the lab or a greenhouse, while others have been field-tested to the point that they may be employed on a large scale. Phytoremediation was recently produced by engineers and scientists as a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable method of treating polluted areas using biomass/microorganisms or live plants. Only a few of the applications include Phytofiltration, phytostabilization, phytoextraction, and phytodegradation

Oscillation of spontaneously generated optical activity in (\pm)-1-(p-nitrobenzoyloxy)indane solutions: 'serial SN2S_N2 reactions' in aggregates supported by the crystal structure. Frozen SN2S_N2 transition states and enantioselective distortions

(\pm)-Indan-1-yl 4-nitrobenzoate upon dissolution in $CH_2Cl_2$, surprisingly displays optical activity-usually levorotation which swings to dextrorotation over several hours, and gradually vanishes. Its crystal structure (redetermined for this study) reveals an unusually close contact (1.471\AA) between the $C_1$ chiral centre in one molecule, and the oxygen atom at $C_1$ in a neighbouring molecule of the same 'R' configuration. Corresponding changes in bond lengths and torsion angles indicate a set of frozen $S_N2$ transition states. These interactions apparently persist in the aggregated solution, enabling a ’serial $S_N2$‘ process which can invert the $C_1$ configurations in the (presumed) chiral aggregates. The selective distortion of the 'R' enantiomer in the crystal, and the spontaneous generation of optical activity upon dissolution, indicate processes that are akin to a second order asymmetric transformation

Cell rigidity and shape override CD47's "sell"-signaling in phagocytosis by hyperactivating myosin-II

A macrophage engulfs another cell or foreign particle in an adhesive process that often activates myosin-II, unless the macrophage also engages “marker of self” CD47 that inhibits myosin. For many cell types, adhesion-induced activation of myosin-II is maximized by adhesion to a rigid rather than a flexible substrate. Here we demonstrate that rigidity of a phagocytosed cell also hyperactivates myosin-II, which locally overwhelms self-signaling at a phagocytic synapse. Cell stiffness is one among many factors including shape that changes in erythropoiesis, in senescence and in diseases ranging from inherited anemias and malaria to cancer. Controlled stiffening of normal human red blood cells (RBCs) in different shapes does not compromise CD47’s interaction with the macrophage self-recognition receptor signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA). Uptake of antibody-opsonized RBCs is always fastest with rigid RBC discocytes, which also show that maximal active myosin-II at the synapse can dominate self-signaling by CD47. Rigid but rounded RBC stomatocytes signal self better than rigid RBC discocytes, highlighting the effects of shape on CD47 inhibition. Physical properties of phagocytic targets thus regulate self signaling, as is relevant to erythropoiesis, to clearance of rigid RBCs after blood storage, clearance of rigid pathological cells such as thalassemic or sickle cells, and even to interactions of soft/stiff cancer cells with macrophages

Crystal structure of an intermolecular 2:1 complex between adenine and thymine.Evidence for both Hoogsteen and `quasi-Watson-Crick' interactions

The titled complex, obtained by co-crystallization (EtOH/25 degrees C),is apparently the only known complex of the free bases. Its crystal structure, as determined by X-ray diffraction at both 90 K and 313 K, showed that one A-T pair involves a Hoogsteen interaction, and the other a Watson-Crick interaction but only with respect to the adenine unit. The absence of a clear-cut Watson-Crick base pair raises intriguing questions about the basis of the DNA double helix. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

A complex of Ph3PO with a chiral hydrogen-bond donor: X-ray crystal structures of the complexes with (RS)-(±)- and (S)-(−)-1,1'-bi-2,2'-naphthol: homochiral Ph3POPh_3PO

The first complex of triphenylphosphine oxide $(Ph_3PO)$ with a chiral substrate, formed by crystallising Ph3PO in the presence of the synthetically important chiral auxiliary S-(-)-1,1'-bi-2,2'-naphthol (BINOL) is reported. The corresponding racemate form has also been prepared and the single-crystal X-ray diffraction structures of both reveal 1(BINOL):2(TPPO) stoichiometry. In the homochiral complex the TPPO molecules apparently exist in one enantiomeric form only. Crystal packing in both is dominated by intermolecular hydrogen bonding between a BINOL hydroxyl group and a TPPO oxygen atom (around $2_1$ and $3_1$ axes in the racemate and the chiral forms respectively). The crystalline racemate—a racemic compound rather than a conglomerate—is more densely packed than the homochiral form, thus apparently conforming to Wallach’s rule

Effect of a collaborative care model on depressive symptoms and glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol among patients with depression and diabetes in India. The INDEPENDENT randomized clinical trial.

Importance Mental health comorbidities are increasing worldwide and worsen outcomes for people with diabetes, especially when care is fragmented. Objective To assess whether collaborative care vs usual care lowers depressive symptoms and improves cardiometabolic indices among adults with diabetes and depression. Design, Setting, and Participants Parallel, open-label, pragmatic randomized clinical trial conducted at 4 socioeconomically diverse clinics in India that recruited patients with type 2 diabetes; a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score of at least 10 (range, 0-27); and hemoglobin A(1c)(HbA(1c)) of at least 8%, systolic blood pressure (SBP) of at least 140 mm Hg, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of at least 130 mg/dL. The first patient was enrolled on March 9, 2015, and the last was enrolled on May 31, 2016; the final follow-up visit was July 14, 2018. Interventions Patients randomized to the intervention group (n = 196) received 12 months of self-management support from nonphysician care coordinators, decision support electronic health records facilitating physician treatment adjustments, and specialist case reviews; they were followed up for an additional 12 months without intervention. Patients in the control group (n = 208) received usual care over 24 months. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the percentage of patients at 24 months who had at least a 50% reduction in Symptom Checklist Depression Scale (SCL-20) scores (range, 0-4; higher scores indicate worse symptoms) and a reduction of at least 0.5 percentage points in HbA(1c), 5 mm Hg in SBP, or 10 mg/dL in LDL cholesterol. Prespecified secondary outcomes were percentage of patients at 12 and 24 months who met treatment targets (HbA(1c)<7.0%, SBP <130 mm Hg, LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dL [<70 mg/dL if prior cardiovascular disease]) or had improvements in individual outcomes (>= 50% reduction in SCL-20 score, >= 0.5-percentage point reduction in HbA(1c), >= 5-mm Hg reduction in SBP, >= 10-mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol); percentage of patients who met all HbA(1c), SBP, and LDL cholesterol targets; and mean reductions in SCL-20 score, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score, HbA(1c), SBP, and LDL cholesterol. Results Among 404 patients randomized (mean [SD] age, 53 [8.6] years; 165 [40.8%] men), 378 (93.5%) completed the trial. A significantly greater percentage of patients in the intervention group vs the usual care group met the primary outcome (71.6% vs 57.4%; risk difference, 16.9% [95% CI, 8.5%-25.2%]). Of 16 prespecified secondary outcomes, there were no statistically significant between-group differences in improvements in 10 outcomes at 12 months and in 13 outcomes at 24 months. Serious adverse events in the intervention and usual care groups included cardiovascular events or hospitalizations (4 [2.0%] vs 7 [3.4%]), stroke (0 vs 3 [1.4%]), death (2 [1.0%] vs 7 [3.4%]), and severe hypoglycemia (8 [4.1%] vs 0). Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with diabetes and depression in India, a 12-month collaborative care intervention, compared with usual care, resulted in statistically significant improvements in a composite measure of depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic indices at 24 months. Further research is needed to understand the generalizability of the findings to other low- and middle-income health care settings.This randomized clinical trial compares the effect of a collaborative care model that integrates management of depression and enhanced diabetes care on depressive symptoms and HbA(1c), SBP, and LDL cholesterol measures among individuals with depression and diabetes in India.Question Among patients with diabetes and depression in India, does a 12-month collaborative care intervention that includes nonphysician care coordinators, decision support functions in electronic health records, and specialist case reviews improve depressive symptoms and measures of cardiometabolic health more than usual care at 24 months? Findings In this randomized clinical trial that included 404 patients at urban clinics in India with poorly controlled diabetes and depression, patients in the collaborative care intervention group, compared with the usual care group, were significantly more likely to achieve the composite outcome of at least a 50% reduction in the 20-item Symptom Checklist Depression Scale score and at least 1 of the following: reduction of at least 0.5 percentage points in hemoglobin A(1c), reduction of at least 5 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure, or reduction of at least 10 mg/dL in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol at 24 months (71.6% vs 54.7%). Meaning Among patients with diabetes and depressive symptoms in urban India, a multicomponent collaborative care intervention resulted in statistically significantly greater improvements in a composite measure of depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic indices compared with usual care

Time-in-range and frequency of continuous glucose monitoring: Recommendations for South Asia

Background and aim: The prevalence of diabetes is on its rise and South Asia bears a huge burden. Several factors such as heterogeneity in genetics, socio-economic factors, diet, and sedentary behavior contribute to the heightened risk of developing diabetes, its rapid progression, and the development of complications in this region. Even though there have been considerable advances in glucose monitoring technologies, diabetes treatments and therapeutics, glycemic control in South Asia remains suboptimal. The successful implementation of treatment interventions and metrics for the attainment of glycemic goals depends on appropriate guidelines that accord with the characteristics of the diabetes population. Method: The data were collected from studies published for more than the last ten years in the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar on the various challenges in the assessment and achievement of recommended TIR targets in the SA population using the keywords: Blood glucose, TIR, TAR, TBR, HbA1c, hypoglycemia, CGM, Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and diabetes. Results: The objective of this recommendation is to discuss the limitations in considering the IC-TIR Expert panel recommendations targets and to propose some modifications in the lower limit of TIR in older/high-risk population, upper limit of TAR, and flexibility in the percentage of time spent in TAR for pregnant women (GDM, T2DM) for the South Asian population. Conclusion: The review sheds insights into some of the major concerns in implementing the IC-TIR recommendations in South Asian population where the prevalence of diabetes and its complications are significantly higher and modifications to the existing guidelines for use in routine clinical practice