Crotalaria shuklae Arjun Prasad Tiwari & Anis Ahmad Ansari (Fabaceae) - a New Species from India

A new species Crotalaria shuklae Arjun Prasad Tiwari & Anis Ahmad Ansari is described from Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India with detailed description, illustration, photographs, etc., for easy identification in field

Graphene Oxide Coated Zinc Oxide Core–Shell Nanofibers for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance and Durability

Recently, heterogeneous structured semiconductor photocatalysts have received significant interest in promoting global cleaning from the environmental pollution. Herein, we report the synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) wrapped zinc oxide (ZnO) core–shell nanofibers (ZnO@G CSNFs) by the simple core–shell electrospinning and subsequent annealing for efficient photocatalytic performance and stability. The heterostructured catalyst consisted of ZnO forming an enclosed core part while the GO was positioned on the surface, serving as a protective shell. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to confirm the synthesis of the desired product. Enhanced photocatalytic activity ZnO@G CSNFs was found compared to the corresponding ZnO NFs. Similarly, incorporation of GO into the ZnO nanofiber in a core–shell format significantly suppressed the photocorrosion. This study highlights the usefulness of using GO as the coating material to boost the photocatalytic performance of ZnO-based photocatalysts

Documentation of ethnomedicinal knowledge among the tribes of Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Central India

The paper provided ethnomedicinal uses of 33 plant species belonging to 33 genera and 26 families used by the tribal communities of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (AABR), Central India. These plants are mostly used to cure seminal weakness, jaundice, antidote, kidney stones, skin disease, liver and spleen enlargements, etc. Part of the plant used, dosage, mode of drug preparation and administration in different ailments and diseases are described. Ethnomedicinal survey was conducted in the remote villages of AABR during the period 2007-2010. The plants species have been arranged alphabetically with their family, local name and ethnomedicinal uses

Documentation of ethnomedicinal knowledge among the tribes of Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Central India

345-350The paper provided ethnomedicinal uses of 33 plant species belonging to 33 genera and 26 families used by the tribal communities of Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (AABR), Central India. These plants are mostly used to cure seminal weakness, jaundice, antidote, kidney stones, skin disease, liver and spleen enlargements, etc. Part of the plant used, dosage, mode of drug preparation and administration in different ailments and diseases are described. Ethnomedicinal survey was conducted in the remote villages of AABR during the period 2007-2010. The plants species have been arranged alphabetically with their family, local name and ethnomedicinal uses. </span

A Review on the Technological Advances and Future Perspectives of Axon Guidance and Regeneration in Peripheral Nerve Repair

Despite a significant advance in the pathophysiological understanding of peripheral nerve damage, the successful treatment of large nerve defects remains an unmet medical need. In this article, axon growth guidance for peripheral nerve regeneration was systematically reviewed and discussed mainly from the engineering perspective. In addition, the common approaches to surgery, bioengineering approaches to emerging technologies such as optogenetic stimulation and magnetic stimulation for functional recovery were discussed, along with their pros and cons. Additionally, clear future perspectives of axon guidance and nerve regeneration were addressed

Comparative Study of Corrosion Inhibition Efficacy of Alkaloid Extract of Artemesia vulgaris and Solanum tuberosum in Mild Steel Samples in 1 M Sulphuric Acid

Two different types of alkaloids are successfully extracted from two plants Artemisia vulgaris (AV) and Solanum tuberosum (ST) in the laboratory and used as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel samples. The corrosion inhibition potential of these alkaloids is determined by weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization measurement methods. Based on the weight loss measurement study of a sample immersed for 6 h in 1000 ppm inhibitor solution of AV and ST alkaloids, the corrosion inhibition efficiency is found to be 92.58% and 90.79%, respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization measurement shows 88.06% and 83.22% corrosion inhibition efficiency for AV and ST alkaloids, respectively, for the sample immersed for 1 h in 1000 ppm inhibitor solution. These promising efficiency and suitable immersion time effect can lead to the development of good green inhibitors

Comparative Study of Corrosion Inhibition Efficacy of Alkaloid Extract of <i>Artemesia vulgaris</i> and <i>Solanum tuberosum</i> in Mild Steel Samples in 1 M Sulphuric Acid

Two different types of alkaloids are successfully extracted from two plants Artemisia vulgaris (AV) and Solanum tuberosum (ST) in the laboratory and used as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel samples. The corrosion inhibition potential of these alkaloids is determined by weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization measurement methods. Based on the weight loss measurement study of a sample immersed for 6 h in 1000 ppm inhibitor solution of AV and ST alkaloids, the corrosion inhibition efficiency is found to be 92.58% and 90.79%, respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization measurement shows 88.06% and 83.22% corrosion inhibition efficiency for AV and ST alkaloids, respectively, for the sample immersed for 1 h in 1000 ppm inhibitor solution. These promising efficiency and suitable immersion time effect can lead to the development of good green inhibitors

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen (HBsAg) Positivity in KAHS Teaching Hospital, Jumla

Background: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is a foremost global health problem. In context to Nepal, the prevalence of HBV infection is found to be low, 0.9% (1.1% in males and 0.5% in females), though high prevalence of ≥8% is shown among the population in the mountainous region by several studies. The epidemiology of HBV infection in the population of Jumla is not well-known. This study aimed to find out the seroprevalence of HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients visiting Karnali Academy of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital (KAHS-TH), Jumla, Nepal. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in people visiting KAHS-TH, Jumla for testing HBsAg from 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2019. The samples collected were tested for HBsAg by using the Rapid HBsAg test kit. All positive cases were further tested by Chemiluminescence (CLIA) method for HBsAg. The data entry was done in Microsoft Excel. After transferring the data into SPSS version 16, data analysis was done. Results: In this study, 1704 individuals were screened during the study period, out of which, 53 (3.11%) were HBsAg positive.  Among the HBsAg positive cases, 22 (4.34%) were males and 31 (2.58%) were females. The highest prevalence (8.1%) was observed in the age group of 40– 45 years. But the prevalence rate is zero in 0-5 years age group and above 65 years of age. Conclusion: The HBV infection was higher in Jumla as compared to an overall prevalence of Nepal. Males were more infected than females and the middle age group were at the high-risk group of HBV infection

The Encapsulation of Bioactive Plant Extracts into the Cellulose Microfiber Isolated from <i>G. optiva</i> Species for Biomedical Applications

Agricultural waste-based cellulose fibers have gained significant interest for a myriad of applications. Grewia optiva (G. optiva), a plant species, has been widely used for feeding animals, and the small branches’ bark is used for making rope. Herein, we have extracted cellulose fibers from the bark of G. optiva species via chemical treatments (including an alkaline treatment and bleaching). The gravimetric analysis revealed that the bark of G. Optiva contains cellulose (63.13%), hemicellulose (13.52%), lignin (15.13%), and wax (2.8%). Cellulose microfibre (CMF) has been synthesized from raw fibre via chemical treatment methods. The obtained cellulose fibers were crosslinked and employed as the matrix to encapsulate the bioactive plant extracts derived from the root of Catharanthus roseus (C. roseus). The microscopic images, XRD, FTIR, and antibacterial/antioxidant activity confirmed the encapsulation of natural extracts in the cellulose microfiber. The microscopic images revealed that the encapsulation of the natural extracts slightly increased the fiber’s diameter. The XRD pattern showed that the extracted cellulose microfiber had an average crystalline size of 2.53 nm with a crystalline index of 30.4% compared to the crystalline size of 2.49 nm with a crystalline index of 27.99% for the plant extract incorporated membrane. The water uptake efficiency of the synthesized membrane increased up to 250%. The antimicrobial activity of the composite (the CMF-E membrane) was studied via the zone inhibition against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and the result indicated high antibacterial activity. This work highlighted G. optiva-derived cellulose microfiber as an optimum substrate for antimicrobial scaffolds. In addition, this paper first reports the antimicrobial/antioxidant behavior of the composite membrane of the C. roseus extract blended in the G. optiva microfiber. This work revealed the potential applications of CMF-E membranes for wound healing scaffolds