Ahmad Waheed

The mental health disorders, specifically depression, have been increasing rapidly (Herrman et al., 2022; Santomauro et al., 2021). Depression is a mental health condition that causes sadness, feel...

Myo-inositol oxygenase (MIOX) plays an essential role in metabolic pathways and cell processes, controls oxidative stress response mechanisms, and balances osmotic stress in aquatic organisms. Molecular docking and structural analysis of the MIOX gene have been accomplished in this work. The MIOX gene has a length of 3608 bp, which encodes 286 amino acids (AA). The secondary structure revealed α-helical and random coils containing 40.56% alpha helices, 38.81% random coils, 14.69% extended strands, and 5.94% beta turns. The subcellular localization results showed that 56% of the MIOX gene is found in cytoplasm and then 10% in lysosome. The Ramachandran plot analysis showed that 90.2% of residues fall in the most favored region and 9.8% in the additional allowed region. Virtual screening of ligands and molecular docking of inositol (CID-892) and D-glucuronic acid (CID-94715) showed the highest docking score values of − 4.015 and − 3.563, respectively. The Potential Energy OPLS3e was − 1632.608 and − 1545.687. Inositol and D-glucuronic acid interacted with different residues of MIOX protein. However, a greater binding affinity of MIOX was observed with inositol than with D-glucuronic acid. This signifies the biochemical role of inositol that helps in determining the enzymatic efficiency. So, this study offers insights into protein modeling, molecular docking, and virtual screening of ligands against the MIOX receptor, revealing aspects of drug design and preventive approaches for fish salinity tolerance.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of copper carbonate (CuCO₃) nanoparticles in promoting wound healing in diabetic and non-diabetic mice. Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent and serious condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels due to insufficient insulin production or the body’s impaired response to insulin. This condition frequently leads to complications such as diabetic wounds, which are difficult to heal due to poor circulation and neuropathy, posing significant challenges in patient care. Standardized wounds were created on the dorsal area of mice, divided into four groups (Non-Diabetic Control, Non-Diabetic CuCO₃-treated, Diabetic Control, and Diabetic CuCO₃-treated), and wound areas were measured over 14 days. Mice treated with CuCO₃ nanoparticles exhibited faster wound healing compared to their respective control groups, regardless of diabetic status. Molecular docking revealed that CuCO₃ showed favorable negative docking scores with selected receptor proteins such as VEGF (-6.946 kcal/mol), TGF-β (-5.314 kcal/mol), FGF (-4.926 kcal/mol), MMP9 (-4.355 kcal/mol), HIF-1α (-4.811 kcal/mol), and PKC-β II (-5.370 kcal/mol). It shows the best binding affinity with VEGF that promotes angiogenesis to the wound site. These findings with in-silico computational modeling demonstrate the potential of CuCO₃ nanoparticles to enhance wound healing in both diabetic and non-diabetic conditions, highlighting their promise in developing effective therapies for diabetic wound management.

Microorganisms have a crucial role in processing food and preservation, as well as enhancing the nutritional and sensory qualities of food products. Microorganisms are utilized as additives for altering the nature of a substance and have a significant role in fermentation. Molds (e.g., Penicillium roqueforti and Geotrichum candidum), yeasts (e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and lactic acid bacteria are used to increase the shelf life of foodstuffs and the nutritional quality of processed foods in the fermentation process. Acetic acid bacteria and lactic acid bacteria are used in applied microbiology to increase the flavor of different manufactured foods. Further, bacteria, in the form of probiotics, are involved in the processing of food. Various strains of different bacteria are used as probiotics to increase the quality and preservation of foodstuffs. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are used to produce prebiotics and postbiotics as well. This article discusses the many ways that microorganisms may be added to food and supplements such as probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and symbiotics in order to fulfill the world's food demand and make up for the scarcity of arable land. It also discusses the future prospects and challenges of this field.

Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” is an opportunistic, free-living protozoan responsible for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare but almost invariably fatal infection of the central nervous system. This thermophilic amoeba thrives in warm freshwater environments such as lakes, hot springs, and poorly maintained swimming pools. It can survive under high temperatures, making it more prevalent in regions with warm climates and developed countries, including Australia, Europe, and the United States. This review summarizes current evidence on the global prevalence, clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and treatment strategies related to N. fowleri infections. Epidemiological data indicate that approximately 26.4% of global freshwater sources contain Naegleria species, with the highest prevalence recorded in the Americas at 33.2%. Infected individuals typically present with acute symptoms such as severe headache, high fever (101–105°F), neck stiffness, seizures, altered mental status, and coma, with disease progression often resulting in death within one to two weeks of symptom onset. Despite advances in supportive care and antimicrobial therapy, the case fatality rate remains over 90%. Conventional diagnostic methods include microscopy, culture, serology, imaging, and molecular techniques such as real-time PCR; however, delays in diagnosis often hamper timely treatment. Therapeutic regimens traditionally involve a combination of antifungal and antimicrobial agents, including amphotericin B, azoles, azithromycin, and miltefosine. Although amphotericin B is considered the gold standard due to its potent amoebicidal activity at concentrations as low as 0.01 μg/ml, its poor solubility and high toxicity can cause significant adverse effects such as nephrotoxicity, hematologic complications, and systemic symptoms like headache, vomiting, and fever. Additionally, in vitro studies have shown that N. fowleri may develop resistance to miltefosine at concentrations up to 40 μg/ml. This review underscores the critical need for early and accurate diagnostic tools, safer and more effective therapeutic alternatives, and greater public awareness to prevent exposure and improve patient survival. Further research is urgently required to develop novel treatment options and reduce the devastating impact of this neglected but deadly pathogen.

The widespread disposal of alkaline battery waste (ABW) poses significant environmental risks, particularly in aquatic ecosystems where heavy metals can accumulate and disrupt biological functions. This study evaluates the acute toxicity and sub-lethal effects of ABW exposure on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), a key species in aquaculture and freshwater food chains. The 96-h LC₅₀ of ABW for Nile tilapia was determined to be 25.64 mg/L. Experimental fish were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (10 and 40% LC₅₀) of ABW for 30 days, and multiple physiological and biochemical biomarkers were assessed. Growth performance parameters, including weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR), were significantly reduced in exposed groups. Elevated cortisol and blood glucose levels indicated heightened physiological stress, while liver function enzymes (alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)) activity exhibited significant increases, reflecting hepatic impairment. Histopathological analyses of liver, gill, and muscle tissues revealed necrosis, hemorrhage, and myolysis, indicative of tissue damage due to ABW exposure. Molecular docking studies further demonstrated potential interactions of ZnO and MnO₂ with antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and catalase (CAT)), suggesting oxidative stress as a contributing factor to observed toxic effects. These findings highlight the potential environmental hazards of ABW and emphasize the urgent need for proper waste management strategies to mitigate aquatic ecosystem contamination. Graphical Abstract

This review article investigates the intricate relationship between nutrigenomics and neurological disorders, highlighting how genetic variations affect an individual’s response to nutrients. The study delves into the role of diet-related oxidative stress and the gut-brain axis in the progression and management of brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, stroke, migraines, and depression. The review encompasses various clinical trials and introduces new trends and techniques, including omics and artificial intelligence, in identifying and managing neurological disorders. The main findings emphasize that personalized diet recommendations, tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup, can significantly improve cognitive health and manage neurological conditions. The study concludes that further research in the field of nutrigenomics is essential to advancing personalized nutrition strategies for better neurological functioning, ultimately linking diet, genes, and brain health.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based therapies’ design, production, and delivery is a novel and promising approach. This review provides an overview of the current applications and challenges of AI for CAR-based therapies and suggests some directions for future research and development. This paper examines some of the recent advances of AI for CAR-based therapies, for example, using deep learning (DL) to design CARs that target multiple antigens and avoid antigen escape; using natural language processing to extract relevant information from clinical reports and literature; using computer vision to analyze the morphology and phenotype of CAR cells; using reinforcement learning to optimize the dose and schedule of CAR infusion; and using AI to predict the efficacy and toxicity of CAR-based therapies. These applications demonstrate the potential of AI to improve the quality and efficiency of CAR-based therapies and to provide personalized and precise treatments for cancer patients. However, there are also some challenges and limitations of using AI for CAR-based therapies, for example, the lack of high-quality and standardized data; the need for validation and verification of AI models; the risk of bias and error in AI outputs; the ethical, legal, and social issues of using AI for health care; and the possible impact of AI on the human role and responsibility in cancer immunotherapy. It is important to establish a multidisciplinary collaboration among researchers, clinicians, regulators, and patients to address these challenges and to ensure the safe and responsible use of AI for CAR-based therapies.