Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii is best known for its treatment efficacy against different gastrointestinal diseases. This probiotic yeast can significantly protect the normal microbiota of the human gut and inhibit the pathogenicity of different diarrheal infections. Several clinical investigations have declared S. cerevisiae var. boulardii a biotherapeutic agent due to its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-carcinogenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory properties. Oral or intramuscular administration of S. cerevisiae var. boulardii can remarkably induce health-promoting effects in the host body. Different intrinsic and extrinsic factors are responsible for its efficacy against acute and chronic gut-associated diseases. This review will discuss the clinical and beneficial effects of S. cerevisiae var. boulardii in the treatment and prevention of different metabolic diseases and highlight some of its health-promising properties. This review article will provide fundamental insights for new avenues in the fields of biotherapeutics, antimicrobial resistance and one health.

Plant bioactive compounds, particularly apigenin, have therapeutic potential and functional activities that aid in the prevention of infectious diseases in many mammalian bodies and promote tumor growth inhibition. Apigenin is a flavonoid with low toxicities and numerous bioactive properties due to which it has been considered as a traditional medicine for decades. Apigenin shows synergistic effects in combined treatment with sorafenib in the HepG2 human cell line (HCC) in less time and statistically reduces the viability of tumor cells, migration, gene expression and apoptosis. The combination of anti-cancerous drugs with apigenin has shown health promoting potential against various cancers. It can prevent cell mobility, maintain the cell cycle and stimulate the immune system. Apigenin also suppresses mTOR activity and raises the UVB-induced phagocytosis and reduces the cancerous cell proliferation and growth. It also has a high safety threshold, and active (anti-cancer) doses can be gained by consuming a vegetable and apigenin rich diet. Apigenin also boosted autophagosome formation, decreased cell proliferation and activated autophagy by preventing the activity of the PI3K pathway, specifically in HepG2 cells. This paper provides an updated overview of apigenin’s beneficial anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer effects, making it a step in the right direction for therapeutics. This study also critically analyzed the effect of apigenin on cancer cell signaling pathways including the PI3K/AKT/MTOR, JAK/STAT, NF-κB and ERK/MAPK pathways.

The demand of functional foods is on the rise, and researchers are trying to develop nutritious dairy products by using well-characterized strains of bacteria. In this study, we identified locally isolated strains of Lactobacillus fermentum from Bubalus bubalis (Nilli Ravi buffalo) milk and evaluated their potential as probiotics in food products like fermented milk. Fifteen Lactobacillus strains were initially isolated, and only four strains (NMCC-2, NMCC-14, NMCC-17, and NMCC-27) were examined for morphological and biochemical characterizations due to their ability of gas production in Durham tubes. Moreover, these strains were selected for further probiotic characterizations due to their extreme morphological resemblance with lactic acid bacteria for their antimicrobial activity, enzymatic potential, autoaggregation capability, hydrophobicity, and acid and bile tolerance. All selected isolates showed significant probiotic potential. However, NMCC-14 and NMCC-17 strains showed maximum probiotic potential. The isolates (NMCC-2, NMCC-14, NMCC-17, and NMCC-27) were identified as Lactobacillus fermentum utilizing 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The in vivo safety study of NMCC-14 (dose: 10¹⁰ CFU/day/mice; 21 days, orally) showed no histological dysfunctions in a mouse model. Pathogenic bacterial enzymes reduced the beneficial bacterial load in the host gastrointestinal tract. These results suggest that the NMCC-14 strain is safe and can be potentially used as a probiotic. Moreover, fermented milk was prepared by using the NMCC-14 strain. The results revealed that NMCC-14 strain-based fermented milk had significantly (p < 0.05) higher protein content (4.4 ± 0.06), water-holding capacity (WHC), and dynamic viscosity as compared to non-fermented milk. The results suggest that L. fermentum NMCC-14 is safe and nontoxic; hence, it can be a beneficial supplement to be used for the development of dairy products to be subjected to further clinical testing.

Water treatment technologies are striving to retain their ecological and economic viability despite the rising demand, conventional infrastructure, financial constraints, fluctuating climatic patterns, and highly stringent regulations. This study evaluates the lifecycle environmental impact of urban water treatment systems within the two densely populated South Asian municipalities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The scope of this study includes a process-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the entire water treatment system, particularly the resources and materials consumed during the operation of the treatment plant. The individual and cumulative environmental impact was assessed based on the treatment system data and an in-depth lifecycle inventory analysis. Other than the direct emissions to the environment, the electricity used for service and distribution pumping, coagulant use for floc formation, chlorine gas used for disinfection, and caustic soda used for pH stabilization were the processes identified as the most significant sources of emissions to air and water. The water distribution consumed up to 98% of energy resources. The highest global warming impacts (from 0.3 to 0.6 kg CO₂ eq./m³) were assessed as being from the coagulation and distribution processes due to extensive electricity consumption. Direct discharge of the wash and wastewater to the open environment contributed approximately 0.08% of kg-N and 0.002% of kg-P to the eutrophication potential. The outcome of this study resulted in a thorough lifecycle inventory development, including possible alternatives to enhance system sustainability. A definite gap was identified in intermittent sampling at the treatment systems. However, more stringent sampling including the emissions to air can provide a better sustainability score for each unit process.

Sugarcane accounts for around 80% of global sugar production. However, the sugar industry is known for producing significant amounts of organic wastewater with a high COD (5000–8000 mg/L) that severely pollutes the environment. A lab-scale trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of a horizontal subsurface flow wetland planted with Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis in removing pollutants from sugar industry wastewater. The wetland system was subjected to rigorous testing, operating at a high flow rate of 2.166 gallons per day and exposed to a high organic loading rate (3800 mg/L COD and 2470 mg/L BOD), as well as elevated levels of inorganic nitrogen, sulfate, and phosphate (100 mg/L, 80 mg/L, and 10 mg/L, respectively). Our findings indicate significant removal efficiencies, with the wetland system achieving removal rates of 88% for COD, 97% for BOD, 96% for total nitrogen, and 95% for sulfate. Remarkably, the system exhibited enhanced removal efficiency when exposed to domestic wastewater compared to tap water, owing to the abundance of microbial populations. Moreover, toxicity assessments conducted on the treated water revealed no adverse effects on the germination of wheat seeds and on the survival of fish over a week-long observation period. In conclusion, our study underscores the promising potential of horizontal subsurface flow wetlands as an effective and sustainable approach for mitigating the adverse environmental impacts associated with sugar industry wastewater. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in devising strategies to promote environmental sustainability and safeguard vital ecosystems in the Sindh region of Pakistan and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an overwhelming surge in research investigating different aspects of the disease and its causative agent. In this study, we aim to discern research themes and trends in the field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses over the past decade. We examined 904 papers in the field authored by researchers from 87 countries. Despite the low reported incidence of COVID-19 in 2023, researchers are still interested in the application of WBE to SARS-CoV-2. Based on network visualization mapping of 189 keyword co-occurrences, method optimization, source, transmission, survival, surveillance or early-warning detection systems, and variants of concern in wastewater were found to be the topics of greatest interest among WBE researchers. A trend toward evaluations of the utility of new technologies such as digital PCR and WBE for other respiratory viruses, particularly influenza, was observed. The USA emerged as the leading country in terms of research publications, citations, and international collaborations. Additionally, Science of the Total Environment stood out as the journal with the highest number of publications and citations. The study highlighted areas for further research, including data normalization and biosensor-based data collection, and emphasized the need for international collaboration and standardized methodology for WBE in future research directions.