The International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce (INPST) and the power of Twitter networking exemplified through #INPST hashtag analysis

Background: The development of digital technologies and the evolution of open innovation approaches have enabled the creation of diverse virtual organizations and enterprises coordinating their activities primarily online. The open innovation platform titled "International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce" (INPST) was established in 2018, to bring together in collaborative environment individuals and organizations interested in natural product scientific research, and to empower their interactions by using digital communication tools. Methods: In this work, we present a general overview of INPST activities and showcase the specific use of Twitter as a powerful networking tool that was used to host a one-week "2021 INPST Twitter Networking Event" (spanning from 31st May 2021 to 6th June 2021) based on the application of the Twitter hashtag #INPST. Results and Conclusion: The use of this hashtag during the networking event period was analyzed with Symplur Signals (https://www.symplur.com/), revealing a total of 6,036 tweets, shared by 686 users, which generated a total of 65,004,773 impressions (views of the respective tweets). This networking event's achieved high visibility and participation rate showcases a convincing example of how this social media platform can be used as a highly effective tool to host virtual Twitter-based international biomedical research events

Arsenic, Oxidative Stress and Reproductive System

Infertility is a severe medical problem and is considered a serious global public health issue affecting a large proportion of humanity. Oxidative stress is one of the most crucial factors involved in infertility. Recent studies indicate that the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or reactive nitrogen species (RNS) may cause damage to the male and female reproductive systems leading to infertility. Low amounts of ROS and RNS are essential for the normal functioning of the male and female reproductive systems, such as sperm motility, acrosome reaction, interactions with oocytes, ovulation, and the maturation of follicles. Environmental factors such as heavy metals can cause reproductive dysfunction in men and women through the overproduction of ROS and RNS. It is suggested that oxidative stress caused by arsenic is associated with male and female reproductive disorders such as through the alteration in sperm counts and motility, decreased sex hormones, dysfunction of the testis and ovary, as well as damage to the processes of spermatogenesis and oogenesis. This review paper highlights the relationship between arsenic-induced oxidative stress and the prevalence of infertility, with detailed explanations of potential underlying mechanisms

Lead Polluted Hotspot: Environmental Implication of Unplanned Industrial Development

In Rayer Bazaar, different industries like tannery, plastic, textile, battery recycling industry etc. are increasing rapidly without considering the environmental issues and deterioration. Since chromium (Cr) pollution of this area has been widely investigated due to the presence of tannery industries, this study was focused on examining other environmental factors. Field visits and analytical results of semi-quantitative and quantitative analysis as well as three dimensional excitation emission matrix spectroscopy (3DEEM) of water, soil and vegetative tissues indicated that, the area is highly polluted in term of different environmental parameters and metal content. The extremely high lead (Pb) content of the soil (1171.7 mg/kg in summer, 2157.1 mg/kg in winter) and blackish materials of vegetative tissues (6585.6 mg/kg in summer, 1974.1 mg/kg in winter) indicates excessive lead deposition of this area that makes it a lead polluted hotspot. One of the possible sources of the extremely high lead concentration is adjacent battery recycling industry and/or other industries surrounding this area. So it is urgent to take necessary steps to find out immediate options for possible mitigation

Utilization of Banana (Musa sapientum) Peel for Removal of Pb2+ from Aqueous Solution

Biosorption is a convenient process for heavy metal remediation. In this study, banana peel was experimented to eliminate lead (Pb2+) from an aqueous solution following batch experiments. The functional groups of banana peel were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption mechanism was studied by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model and determined the separation factor from the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The adsorption of Pb2+ on dried banana peel had been studied at different adsorbent doses, pH, initial concentration of Pb, contact time, temperature, and agitation speed. After adsorption, Pb2+ was measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Maximum adsorption had taken place at pH 5 for adsorbent dose 45 g L-1. The optimum contact time and agitation speed was 30 minutes and 150 rpm, respectively for the initial Pb concentration of 100 ppm at 25°C. Both, Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models shows the best fitting (r2 = 0.9978 and 0.9595) for Pb2+ adsorption. The maximum Pb2+ adsorption capacity was 2.1 mg g-1. The findings indicate that the banana peel waste could be a potential adsorbent for heavy metal removal. Moreover, the waste management problem could be solved in an eco-friendly manner by utilizing it for the eradication of Pb2+ from wastewater

Binding of collagen gene products with titanium oxide

Titanium is the only metal to which osteoblasts can adhere and on which they can grow and form bone tissue in vivo, resulting in a strong bond between the implant and living bone. This discovery provides the basis for the universal medical application of Ti. However, the biochemical mechanism of bond formation is still unknown. We aimed to elucidate the mechanism of bond formation between collagen, which constitutes the main organic component of bone, and TiO2, of which the entire surface of pure Ti is composed. We analysed the binding between the soluble collagen and TiO2 by chromatography with a column packed with Ti beads of 45 mu m, and we explored the association between collagen fibrils and TiO2 (anatase) powders of 0.2 mu m. We ran the column of chromatography under various elution conditions. We demonstrated that there is a unique binding affinity between Ti and collagen. This binding capacity was not changed even in the presence of the dissociative solvent 2M urea, but it decreased after heat denaturation of collagen, suggesting the contribution of the triple-helical structure. We propose a possible role of periodically occurring polar amino acids and the collagen molecules in the binding with TiO2

Natural Dietary Compounds in the Treatment of Arsenic Toxicity

Chronic exposure to arsenic (As) compounds leads to its accumulation in the body, with skin lesions and cancer being the most typical outcomes. Treating As-induced diseases continues to be challenging as there is no specific, safe, and efficacious therapeutic management. Therapeutic and preventive measures available to combat As toxicity refer to chelation therapy, antioxidant therapy, and the intake of natural dietary compounds. Although chelation therapy is the most commonly used method for detoxifying As, it has several side effects resulting in various toxicities such as hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and other adverse consequences. Drugs of plant origin and natural dietary compounds show efficient and progressive relief from As-mediated toxicity without any particular side effects. These natural compounds have also been found to aid the elimination of As from the body and, therefore, can be more effective than conventional therapeutic agents in ameliorating As toxicity. This review provides an overview of the recently updated knowledge on treating As poisoning through natural dietary compounds. This updated information may serve as a basis for defining novel prophylactic and therapeutic formulations