Nanotechnology has recently appeared as an important study subject in modern material sciences. Greener synthesis of nanoparticles has gained the attention of many scientists because of its integral characteristics such as effectiveness, eco‐friendly, and low cost. In the present study by following the green synthesis approach, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were formed for the very first time by using Senecio chrysanthemoides leaf extract as a reducing agent. The UV‐Vis spectrophotometer was used to study the synthesized ZnO NPs, and the specific peak was found to be at 349 nm. The characteristic Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) peak was found to be at 449 cm^-1 which displays the peak of ZnO molecules. The surface morphology of the ZnO NPs was determined via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) study showed that the synthesized ZnO NPs are present at the weight percentage of 66.38%. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum confirmed the hexagonal phase wurtzite structure, with the average particle size of 31 nm, and demonstrated the crystalline structure of ZnO NPs. Additionally, to all these experiments, we compared the anti‐inflammatory properties of biogenic ZnO NPs to a standard drug. Biosynthesized ZnO NPs have revealed an effective anti‐inflammatory activity at a higher concentration (100 mL^-1) and showed 73% inhibition in comparison with diclofenac sodium drug. Zinc oxide was shown to be compatible with diclofenac sodium, according to the results. The ZnO NPs produced using the greener synthesis process have the potential to be used in a broad range of fields and also used as a good anti‐inflammatory agent.

This work investigated the photochemical degradation of malachite green (MG), a cationic triphenylmethane dye used as a coloring agent, fungicide, and antiseptic. UV photolysis was ineffective in the removal of MG as only 12.35% degradation of MG (10 mg/L) was achieved after 60 min of irradiation. In contrast, 100.00% degradation of MG (10 mg/L) was observed after 60 min of irradiation in the presence of 10 mM H₂O₂ by UV/H₂O₂ at pH 6.0. Similarly, complete removal (100.00%) of MG was observed at 30 min of the reaction time by UV/H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ employing [MG]₀ = 10 mg/L, [H₂O₂]₀ = 10 mM, [Fe²⁺]₀ = 2.5 mg/L, and [pH]₀ = 3.0. For the UV/H₂O₂ process, the degradation efficiency was higher at pH 6.0 than at pH 3.0 as the k_obs values were 0.0873 and 0.0690 min⁻¹, respectively. However, UV/H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ showed higher reactivity at pH 3.0 than at pH 6.0. Chloride and nitrate ions slightly inhibited the removal efficiency of MG by both UV/H₂O₂ and UV/H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ processes. Moreover, three degradation products (DPs) of MG, (i) 4-dimethylamino-benzophenone (DABP), (ii) 4-amino-benzophenone (ABP), and (iii) 4-dimethylamino-phenol (DAP), were identified by GC-MS during the UV/H₂O₂ treatment. These DPs were found to demonstrate higher aquatic toxicity than the parent MG, suggesting that researchers should focus on the removal of target pollutants as well as their DPs. Nevertheless, the results of this study indicate that both UV/H₂O₂ and UV/H₂O₂/Fe²⁺ processes could be implemented to alleviate the harmful environmental impacts of dye and textile industries.

Argasid ticks have the vectorial potential for transmitting disease-causing pathogens to avian hosts, resulting in economic losses that may not be fully estimated. Borrelia species are the responsible agents of borreliosis in poultry, animals and humans. Our previous studies have reported a high prevalence of Argas persicus infesting domestic fowls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. However, molecular screening and genetic characterization of Borrelia spp. in A. persicus have been neglected in Pakistan. In this study, we focused on the molecular epidemiology and genetic characterization of Borrelia spp. associated with A. persicus ticks infesting domestic fowls and ducks, and Carios vespertilionis infesting bats in selected districts of KP. Overall, 1818 ticks, including females (415; 23%), males (345; 19%), nymphs (475; 26%) and larvae (583; 32%), were collected from 27 locations in nine districts (Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda, Chitral, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Bajaur and Hangu) from domestic fowls, ducks and their shelters, and bats. A subset of 197 ticks was selected for DNA extraction and PCR to amplify fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase (cox) gene for ticks and flagellin B (flaB) for the detection and genetic characterization of associated Borrelia spp. Among these, only Borrelia anserina DNA was detected in 40 ticks (27.2%) of different life stages, where highest prevalence was found in female ticks (18; 45%), followed by nymphs (12; 30%), larvae (7; 17.5%) and males (3; 7.5%). Tick infestation in shelters (1081; 77%) was higher than on hosts (323; 23%). The resultant cox amplicons of A. persicus showed 100% identity with the same species reported from Pakistan, China, Iran, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Egypt and C. vespertilionis show 100% identity with the species reported from Pakistan, China, Japan, Kenya, Vietnam, Spain, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Hungry, and clustered with the aforementioned species in the phylogenetic tree. The obtained Borrelia sequences showed 100% identity with B. anserina and revealed a close resemblance to the relapsing fever group and clustered in a monophyletic clade with B. anserina from India, Iran and Brazil in a phylogenetic tree. These results establish the first molecular characterization of B. anserina in A. persicus infesting domestic fowls and ducks in the region, as well as their shelters. To effectively control zoonotic consequences, country-wide surveillance research should be encouraged to screen soft ticks infesting various birds for associated pathogens.

Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy is an attractive and novel therapeutic approach to treat microbial infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have the potential to specifically target and kill the microorganism while showing no effect toward mammalian cells. In the current study, antimicrobial peptide (GGG(RW)3), an analogue of MP-196, was conjugated to a zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) photosensitizer (PS) for photoinactivation assay to enhance the bacterial killing efficacy of the peptide. The AMPs showed selectivity toward the Gram-positive strain of bacteria. We observed that the conjugate ZnPc-GGG(RW)3 also displayed a photoinactivation effect against the Gram-positive strains of S. aureus. The results showed that ZnPc-GGG(RW)3 induced a 6-log reduction (i.e., 99.999% cell killing) in Gram-positive S. aureus at a light dose of 22 J/cm² upon illumination under red light, while the peptide did not exhibit such a significant effect when tested alone at the same concentration. The conjugate also showed 50% inhibition of the bacterial strain in the dark at a higher concentration. Furthermore, the addition of potassium iodide salt to the PS at lower concentrations also significantly killed the Gram-negative E. coli strain and killed the E. coli strain with up to a 5-log reduction at a light dose of 22 J/cm² under red light illumination. We demonstrated the efficacy of antimicrobial peptide (GGG(RW)3 enhanced by conjugation to a ZnPc photosensitizer.

Ferene is the most commonly used chromogenic agent for the determination of serum iron in blood. In this work we have successfully synthesized Ferene-S-conjugated silver nanoparticles (Ferene-S-AgNPs) for the first time characterized by UV-visible, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time Of Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry techniques. Particle size of the synthesized nanoparticles was determined by atomic-force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques with size ranges from 10–90 nm in diameter. Ferene-S-AgNPs were explored for their chemosensing potential with various metal ions such as Sb³⁺, Pb²⁺, Ca²⁺, Fe²⁺, K⁺, Co²⁺, Ba²⁺, V⁵⁺, Cu⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe³⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Al³⁺, and Cr³⁺. Ferene-S-AgNPs were found to show selective quenching effects and slight bathochromic shifts to the surface plasmon resonance absorption band after treatment with Fe²⁺. Furthermore, the developed chemosensor also exhibited substantial selectivity towards Fe²⁺ in the presence of other competitive ions. We observed that Ferene-S-AgNPs mimic the selectivity of the parent compound of Ferene towards Fe²⁺. The system obeyed Beer’s law over concentration ranges of 110–190 nM. The detection limit was found to be 110 nM.