Approaches in biotechnological applications of natural polymers

Natural polymers, such as gums and mucilage, are biocompatible, cheap, easily available and non-toxic materials of native origin. These polymers are increasingly preferred over synthetic materials for industrial applications due to their intrinsic properties, as well as they are considered alternative sources of raw materials since they present characteristics of sustainability, biodegradability and biosafety. As definition, gums and mucilages are polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates consisting of one or more monosaccharides or their derivatives linked in bewildering variety of linkages and structures. Natural gums are considered polysaccharides naturally occurring in varieties of plant seeds and exudates, tree or shrub exudates, seaweed extracts, fungi, bacteria, and animal sources. Water-soluble gums, also known as hydrocolloids, are considered exudates and are pathological products; therefore, they do not form a part of cell wall. On the other hand, mucilages are part of cell and physiological products. It is important to highlight that gums represent the largest amounts of polymer materials derived from plants. Gums have enormously large and broad applications in both food and non-food industries, being commonly used as thickening, binding, emulsifying, suspending, stabilizing agents and matrices for drug release in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the food industry, their gelling properties and the ability to mold edible films and coatings are extensively studied. The use of gums depends on the intrinsic properties that they provide, often at costs below those of synthetic polymers. For upgrading the value of gums, they are being processed into various forms, including the most recent nanomaterials, for various biotechnological applications. Thus, the main natural polymers including galactomannans, cellulose, chitin, agar, carrageenan, alginate, cashew gum, pectin and starch, in addition to the current researches about them are reviewed in this article.. }To the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfíico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for fellowships (LCBBC and MGCC) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nvíel Superior (CAPES) (PBSA). This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the Project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462) and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) (JAT)

Family-led rehabilitation after stroke in India (ATTEND): a randomised controlled trial

Background Most people with stroke in India have no access to organised rehabilitation services. The effectiveness of training family members to provide stroke rehabilitation is uncertain. Our primary objective was to determine whether family-led stroke rehabilitation, initiated in hospital and continued at home, would be superior to usual care in a low-resource setting. Methods The Family-led Rehabilitation after Stroke in India (ATTEND) trial was a prospectively randomised open trial with blinded endpoint done across 14 hospitals in India. Patients aged 18 years or older who had had a stroke within the past month, had residual disability and reasonable expectation of survival, and who had an informal family-nominated caregiver were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care by site coordinators using a secure web-based system with minimisation by site and stroke severity. The family members of participants in the intervention group received additional structured rehabilitation training—including information provision, joint goal setting, carer training, and task-specific training—that was started in hospital and continued at home for up to 2 months. The primary outcome was death or dependency at 6 months, defined by scores 3–6 on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) as assessed by masked observers. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2013/04/003557), Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12613000078752), and Universal Trial Number (U1111-1138-6707). Findings Between Jan 13, 2014, and Feb 12, 2016, 1250 patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n=623) or control (n=627) groups. 33 patients were lost to follow-up (14 intervention, 19 control) and five patients withdrew (two intervention, three control). At 6 months, 285 (47%) of 607 patients in the intervention group and 287 (47%) of 605 controls were dead or dependent (odds ratio 0·98, 95% CI 0·78–1·23, p=0·87). 72 (12%) patients in the intervention group and 86 (14%) in the control group died (p=0·27), and we observed no difference in rehospitalisation (89 [14%]patients in the intervention group vs 82 [13%] in the control group; p=0·56). We also found no difference in total non-fatal events (112 events in 82 [13%] intervention patients vs 110 events in 79 [13%] control patients; p=0·80). Interpretation Although task shifting is an attractive solution for health-care sustainability, our results do not support investment in new stroke rehabilitation services that shift tasks to family caregivers, unless new evidence emerges. A future avenue of research should be to investigate the effects of task shifting to health-care assistants or team-based community care

Side-chain conformation angles of amino acids: effect of temperature factor cut-off

The paper presents the analysis of the side-chain conformation angles of amino acids in 90% non-identical protein structures. The analysis has been carried out using 113,699 residues, which is higher compared to the previous studies. In the present study, one more quality check, namely, temperature factor cut-off, has been introduced in addition to resolution and R-factor cut-offs. Due to this, the present calculation reveals the approximate values for the minimum and the maximum of the three-rotameric states of $\chi_1$. In addition, the conformation angles $\chi_2$ and $\chi_3$ have been addressed with the improved data set. The results reported here could be of use in protein modeling

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Not AvailableFor natural ecosystems as well as human development, freshwater bodies like reservoirs are critically important. Krishnagiri reservoir, a moderately impacted tropical reservoir of India, is an important source of freshwater. However, eutrophication status due to anthropogenic activities is a major threat to this reservoir. This endeavour aimed to determine the spatio-temporal differences for selected (21) limnological parameters along with trophic status of Krishnagiri reservoir for its sustainable management. Samples (water and plankton) were collected from 11 sites covering entire reservoir during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon season. Limnological parameters showed some spatio-temporal variations, the season has more impacts on water quality than sites as evidenced by cluster analysis. Principal component analysis distinguished the seasons based on major influencing water quality parameters. The reservoir trophic status fluctuated from eutrophic to hyper-eutrophic. Water quality index showed that the reservoir falls under unsuitable category. Additionally, cyanobacterial bloom formation was observed in all the seasons, with dominance of Microcystis sp. This investigation can be used as a baseline for studies pertaining to nutrient and sediment loading, and immediate action is required for employment of integrated management plan to restore this aquatic ecosystem. The study also recommends strategies for sustainable management of the aquatic bioresources.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableThe pattern of a fish assemblage of a large reservoir, Stanley (also called as Mettur) in Peninsular India was studied to derive various management protocols, specifically fish enhancement. The investigation was carried out in the spatial and temporal scale of the reservoir during 2017–2019. A total of 52 species belonging to 35 genera were recorded indicating high species richness. Simpson (0.17), Shannon (0.17), dominance (0.104), and evenness (0.52) indices did not show significant differences among zones whereas there was a significant difference during different seasons. On a temporal scale, maximum species were recorded in monsoon (47) followed by post-monsoon (43) and pre-monsoon season (33). On a spatial scale, it represented that riverine (47) and transitional zone (37) showed more species richness compared to lacustrine zone (30). Based on the catch structure of this reservoir, it is evident that exotic fishes play a major role in the recent past. One species under critically endangered and endangered, three species under near threatened, and two under vulnerable species were observed in the catch during this study period. The trophic guild of fishes showed the dominancy of planktivores. Abiotic factors such as temperature, pH, and chlorophyll were found directly influencing the species abundance. The study suggested management measures, including observation of closed fishing season, protection of breeding grounds, use of fish aggregating devices, mesh size regulation, and fish seed stocking in the reservoir.Not Availabl