Omar Qutachi

The farming and rearing of freshwater fishes is increasing in scale in response to growing global food demands, but notably also through the increasing popularity of sport angling and expansion of ornamental hobbyist practices globally. Alongside rises in numbers of fish and the intensity of their rearing, increases in aquatic and ecosystem stressors have expedited the emergence and motility of many pathogenic diseases. Cyprinids are the most popular species for culturing, and although largely considered hardy, are susceptible to a diverse array of pathogens. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and ornamental koi carp (Cyprinus rubrofuscus) are valued for their ease of cultivation, fast growth rates, and variety of genetic appearances. Vaccination programmes have become a mainstay of industrial aquaculture where financially viable, but their use in fish reared as companion animals or for sport angling is not cost-effective and despite the magnitude and growth of these markets, much less is known about current threats and trends in this area of aquaculture. Here, we review the bacterial, viral, and fungal infections commonly found within carp bred for angling and ornamental aquaculture in the United Kingdom and Europe, alongside current threats such as antimicrobial resistance and the potential impact of climate change on temperature-dependent infections. We highlight the evolution of diagnostic techniques, alternative therapies to reduce antibiotic dependence, and the environmental impact of available treatments as priority areas for cyprinid research. Additionally, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutics in this area, as innovation is currently lacking.

Opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections from surface wounds remain a persistent threat to aquaculture, resulting in significant economic losses and reduced stock welfare. Topical wound sealants are widely employed in recreational aquaculture applications, yet no market regulation or efficacy data exist to support their usage. The broader biological/environmental impacts of these products also remain poorly characterized. This study provides the first quantitative assessment of the antibacterial, antifungal and cellular toxicity of a panel of commercially available topical ‘carp care’ formulations. Our data highlights highly variable to no functional growth inhibition or killing of microbial pathogens, significant inherent cyprinid cellular toxicity, and lack of submerged wet adhesion in all products tested. We show for the first time that commercial propolis solutions are ineffective against the four main pathogenic microorganisms affecting carp. Propolis formulations were also found to induce apoptosis and ROS generation in cyprinid cells in vitro, and permeabilise intact carp skin, questioning the foundation of propolis formulations in topical wound-care treatments for carp rearing/angling. We show improved efficacies can be attained through natural compound implementation, with increased antibacterial and antifungal effects, inherent regenerative benefits to cyprinid fibroblasts, and improved human and environmental safety profiles. This research demonstrates the widespread lack of efficacy in currently commercially available wound sealants for carp; of those tested here, many popular formulations are in fact inherently toxic to carp cells, and also have a permeabilizing effect on intact carp skin due to carrier solvent effects, providing a route for secondary infection; most show no activity against any common carp pathogens; and all uniformly lacked wet adhesion. This work provides a framework standard for the future development of topical wound-care formulations for carp and highlights the need for better dialogue between trade and academia when designing novel wound-care products.

Background: Coumarins and their derivatives excel in chemical diversity, coupled with a wide variety of biological potentials, and tend to be beneficial to the health of the human body. One of these derivatives that has sparked the attention of medicinal chemistry specialists in recent decades is benzo-fused coumarins, which have demonstrated their potential as antioxidants, antimicrobials, antidiabetics, antithrombotics, and many more. Objective: This paper discusses the medicinal importance of benzo-fused coumarins derived from natural or synthetic sources. Conclusion: The researchers documented that benzo-fused coumarin's basic structure is a promising framework that opens up the chance of discovering innovative applicants with advanced therapeutic potentials.

The purpose of this study was to apply the Quality by Design (QbD) approach to the electrospinning of fibres loaded with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) indomethacin (INDO) and diclofenac sodium (DICLO). A Quality Target Product Profile (QTPP) was made, and risk assessments (preliminary hazard analysis) were conducted to identify the impact of material attributes and process parameters on the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of the fibres. A full factorial design of experiments (DoE) of 20 runs was built, which was used to carry out experiments. The following factors were assessed: Drugs, voltage, flow rate, and the distance between the processing needle and collector. Release studies exhibited INDO fibres had greater total release of active drug compared to DICLO fibres. Voltage and distance were found to be the most significant factors of the experiment. Multivariate statistical analytical software helped to build six feasible design spaces and two flexible, universal design spaces for both drugs, at distances of 5 cm and 12.5 cm, along with a flexible control strategy. The current findings and their analysis confirm that QbD is a viable and invaluable tool to enhance product and process understanding of electrospinning for the assurance of high-quality fibres.

The development of patient-friendly alternatives to bone-graft procedures is the driving force for new frontiers in bone tissue engineering. Poly ( dl -lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and chitosan are well-studied and easy-to-process polymers from which scaffolds can be fabricated. In this study, a novel dual-application scaffold system was formulated from porous PLGA and protein-loaded PLGA/chitosan microspheres. Physicochemical and in vitro protein release attributes were established. The therapeutic relevance, cytocompatibility with primary human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and osteogenic properties were tested. There was a significant reduction in burst release from the composite PLGA/chitosan microspheres compared with PLGA alone. Scaffolds sintered from porous microspheres at 37 °C were significantly stronger than the PLGA control, with compressive strengths of 0.846 ± 0.272 MPa and 0.406 ± 0.265 MPa, respectively (p < 0.05). The formulation also sintered at 37 °C following injection through a needle, demonstrating its injectable potential. The scaffolds demonstrated cytocompatibility, with increased cell numbers observed over an 8-day study period. Von Kossa and immunostaining of the hMSC-scaffolds confirmed their osteogenic potential with the ability to sinter at 37 °C in situ.