Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are toxic to microorganisms and can potentially kill multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nanoparticles can be synthesized in many ways, such as physical or chemical methods. Recently, it has been found that plant molecules can perform the same reduction reactions necessary for the production of nanoparticles but in a much more efficient way. Results: Here, green chemistry was employed to synthesize AgNPs using leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus. The effects of different parameters such as temperature, pH, and the volume of plant extract were also tested using their absorbance pattern at different wavelengths. The Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) changed with the changes in parameters. Changes in temperature from 20 °C to 60 °C have changed the highest absorbance from 0.972 to 3.893 with an SPR of 470 nm. At higher pH (11.1), the particles become highly unstable and have irregular shapes and sizes. The peak shifts to the right at a lower pH level (3.97), indicating a smaller but unstable compound. We have also investigated the effect of the volume of plant extracts on the reaction time. The sample with the highest amount of plant extract showed the most absorbance with a value of 0.963 at λmax, calculated to be 470 nm. The total formation of the AgNPs was observed visually with a color change from yellow to brownish-black. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to monitor the quantitative formation of AgNPs, showing a signature peak in absorbance between 400 and 500 nm. We have estimated the size of the nanoparticles as 47 nm by comparing the experimental data with the theoretical value using Mieplot. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed enhanced antibacterial activity against several multidrug-resistant bacteria, determined based on the minimal inhibitory concentration and zone of inhibition. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that an aqueous extract of C. citratus can synthesize AgNPs when silver nitrate is used as a precursor, and AgNPs act as antimicrobial property enhancers, which can be used to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Hence, mass production and green synthesis of AgNPs from C. citratus will be able to increase the overall health of the general population. Moreover, it will enormously reduce the costs for drug development and provide employment options in the remotely located source areas. Finally, our findings will influence further studies in this field to better understand the properties and applications of AgNPs and ultimately contribute to improving planetary health by increasing immunity with high biocompatibility and less drug toxicity.

The gastrointestinal tract of every healthy human consists of a unique set of gut microbiota that collectively harbors a diverse and complex community of over 100 trillion microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, archaea, protozoa and fungi. Gut microbes have a symbiotic relationship with our body. The composition of the microbiota is shaped early in life by gut maturation, which is influenced by several factors. Intestinal bacteria are crucial in maintaining immune and metabolic homeostasis and protecting against pathogens. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota is associated not only with intestinal disorders but also with extraintestinal diseases such as metabolic and neurological disorders. In this review, the authors examine different studies that have revealed the possible hypotheses and links in the development of neurological disorders associated with the gut microbiome.

Background Due to the development of superbugs as a result of unprescribed and frequent use of antibiotics in recent years, an alternate form of medicine had to be introduced. In light of this global threat, researchers all over the world have been gravitating towards herbal medicines. In order to find out new ways of saving the planet using medicinal plants, ethnobotanical studies must be carried out. Concerning this, an ethnobotanical study has been done in this paper to identify potential medicinal plants in Rangamati, Bangladesh. Results For the ethnobotanical survey, randomized 104 people were interviewed and 62 different plant species were found to treat 19 different kinds of diseases and 84% of people reported to be completely recovered. Furthermore, among the 19 diseases found, the majority of them were common cold, abdominal pain or gastric, diarrhea, and dysentery. From the 62 different plant species, Heptapleurum hypoleucum, used for the treatment of diarrhea, was selected for conducting further studies due to its heavy use as reported by the tribal people. In this study, the aqueous, ethanol, and methanol extracts of Heptapleurum hypoleucum were subjected to microbial susceptibility assays using the agar well diffusion method. The test microorganisms were Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, and Escherichia coli. Among these, the most susceptible organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (21 mm) and Salmonella typhi (19 mm) in the ethanolic extract. Also, the methanolic extract showed an inhibition zone of 13 mm against E. coli, which was more than that of the antibiotic’s (11 mm). Phytochemical screening of the plant revealed that it contains alkaloids, phenols, steroids, and flavonoids, but lacks saponins and tannins. Conclusion To combat the rising threat of antibiotic resistance, ethnoscience needs to be consolidated with modern biotechnological techniques to make the most use of the vast amount of natural resources. The findings of this study indicate that Heptapleurum hypoleucum, an ethnobotanical medicinal plant, has shown comparable antimicrobial activity with commercial antibiotics against several diarrhea-causing pathogens and also contains several medically important phytochemicals.

Purpose: This review features a generalized overview of dengue outbreaks, dengue pathogenesis, symptoms, immune response, diagnosis methods and preventive measures which facilitates the better understanding of the global expansion and concerns relating to the disease. Recent Findings: A recent study showed that natural killer cells of the infected person become activated soon after the infection which may help in treatment and vaccine development. A research team has also produced synthetically engineered mosquitoes that can prevent the transmission and dissemination of the dengue virus by the activation of an antibody. Furthermore, a mutation in the protein envelope of the dengue virus leads to variation in shapes, developing resistance towards the vaccine. Summary: The increasing number of reported cases indicated the worldwide distribution of the mosquito vectors, which was further facilitated by the growth in the shipping and commerce industries. The immune system, through activation of the innate and adaptive immune responses, facilitates the recruitment of an array of leukocytes which help neutralize the virus. However, the 4 different viral serotypes increases the risk of a life-threatening secondary infection due to the varying serotypes. Apart from the laboratory standard PRNT method, several other dengue detection methods such as ELISA, RT-LAMP and several optical, microfluidic and electrochemical methods have been developed. Since Dengvaxia® (CYD-TDV) has its own set of drawbacks and limitations, several companies have been investing for the production of more potential vaccines that are currently in trial.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are two most prevalent age-related dementias that severely affect a large number of elderly people around the globe. Poor understanding of pathogenesis of these neurological diseases imposes challenge to discover therapeutic measures and effective diagnosis methods. In this study, a network-based approach was utilized to identify potential common molecular signatures and therapeutic agents for AD and PD. Protein-protein interaction analysis revealed NCK1, UBC, CDH1, CDC20, ACTB, PSMA7, PRPF8, RPL7, XRCC6 and HSP90AB1 as the best proteome signatures. Different regulatory transcriptional signatures i.e., YY1, NFKB1, BRCA1, TP53, GATA2, SREBF2, E2F1, FOXC1, RELA and NFIC and post-transcriptional signatures i.e., hsa-mir-186-5p, hsamir-92a-3p, hsa-mir-615-3p, hsa-let-7c-5p, hsa-mir-100-5p, hsa-mir-93-3p, hsa-mir-5681a, hsamir-484, hsa-mir-193b-3p and hsa-mir-16p-5p were identified from other interaction network. Drug-gene interaction study revealed possible therapeutic agents which may reverse the AD and PD condition. The scientific approach of this study should contribute to identify potential biomarkers, drug targets and therapeutic agents against AD and PD which should in turn advance the present efforts of scientists to secure effective diagnosis and therapeutic options. However, further in vivo and in vitro experiments might be required to validate the outcomes of this study.