This paper reports the antifungal properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) on Candida albicans ATCC 1023 through the study of growth inhibitory effects of ZnO NPs on C. albicans and the effect of the nanoparticles on the surface of C. albicans. The growth inhibitory effects of ZnO NPs (5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 µg/mL) on C. albicans at 24 h were determined through the reduction in suspension turbidity and colony count. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was carried out to establish the functional groups associated with the interaction of ZnO NPs on the yeast cell wall, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis was utilised to determine the surface accumulation of ZnO NPs on the yeast cells and the consequential morphological alterations on C. albicans. The results exhibited a significant (p < 0.05) growth inhibition for all tested concentrations except for 5 µg/mL of ZnO NPs at 24 h as compared to negative control. FTIR analysis revealed the possible involvement of alcohol, amide A, methyl, alkynes, amide I and II, and phosphate groups from the cell wall of C. albicans in the surface interaction with ZnO NPs. Finally, SEM-EDX revealed a considerable accumulation of ZnO NPs on the yeast cells and consequential morphological alterations on C. albicans, including the damage of hyphae, pitting of the cell wall, invagination, and rupture of the cell membrane. The current study demonstrated that ZnO NPs possess antifungal properties against C. albicans in a dose-dependent manner, and the surface interaction of ZnO NPs on fungal cells caused alterations in cell membrane integrity that might have resulted in cell death.

The tribological properties of the sponge gourd outer skin fiber (SGOSF)-reinforced epoxy composites filled with tamarind seed powder were investigated using a pin-on-disc dry sliding wear testing machine. The fiber and filler contents were kept constant (30 and 7.5 wt%). The fibers were treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which increases the bonding strength that has been identified by scanning electron microscope (SEM). A filler content of 7.5 wt% has better hardness due to the embedment of filler with treated fiber and epoxy. Therefore, the SGOSFs/epoxy with 7.5 wt% tamarind filler was chosen for the study of tribological characterization. The lowest specific wear rate of 2.565 × 10 ⁻⁴ mm ³ ·N m ⁻¹ was obtained using the design of expert optimization technique for the control factors such as a load of 44.99 N, a sliding distance of 1,701.39 m, and a sliding velocity of 3.36 m·s ⁻¹ using a ramp plot at the desirable level of 1. For the gripping material application, the highest coefficient of friction value of 0.51 was obtained by maintaining the specified input parameters, such as a load of 42.15 N, a sliding distance of 1,874.86 m, and a sliding velocity of 4.99 m·s ⁻¹ using a ramp plot at the desirable level of 0.927. SEM images were used to investigate the failure mechanism of the worn surfaces, which substantiates the failure of the pure matrix layer on the surface even at low load, followed by the formation of a rarely breakable adhesive layer.

The major goal of this investigation was to prepare carvedilol nanocrystals (CRL-NCs) for better solubility, stability, and bioavailability. Using polyvinyl pyrolidine K-30 (PVP) and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as stabilisers, CRL-NCs were effectively synthesised by emulsion-diffusion, followed by the high-pressure homogenization (HPH) method. The A_L classes of phase solubility curves with ideal complexes produced with stabilisers were estimated by thermodynamic parameters. The docking study was performed with the active site of a β-1 adrenoreceptor protein, and the CRLs docking score was revealed as −23.481 Kcal/mol⁻¹. At 25 and 37 °C, the optimum interaction constant was determined for PVP (144 and 176 M⁻¹) and SDS (102 and 121 M⁻¹). The average particle size (PS) of the produced stable CRL-NCs is 58 nm, with a zeta potential of −27.2 ± 2.29 mV, a poly dispersibility index of 0.181 ± 0.012, a percentage yield of 78.7 ± 3.41, drug content of 96.81 ± 3.64%, and entrapment efficiency of 83.61 ± 1.80%. The morphological data also reveals that the CRL-NCs were nearly sphere shaped, with distinct and smooth surfaces. CRL-NCs were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the results show no chemical structural alterations, even when PS was reduced. NCs accelerate their in vitro dissolution release rate by about three times faster than CRL-MCs (microcrystals). When kept at 4 °C, the CRL-NCs exhibit good physical stability for six months. As a result, the CRL-NCs created via emulsion-diffusion followed by HPH with stabilisers can be used to increase the solubility, stability, and bioavailability of poorly soluble or lipophilic drugs.

Incessant utilization of chemical fertilizers leads to the accumulation of minerals in the soil, rendering them unavailable to plants. Unaware of the mineral reserves present in the soil, farming communities employ chemical fertilizers once during each cultivation, a practice that causes elevated levels of insoluble minerals within the soil. The use of biofertilizers on the other hand, reduces the impact of chemical fertilizers through the action of microorganisms in the product, which dissolves minerals and makes them readily available for plant uptake, helping to create a sustainable environment for continuous agricultural production. In the current investigation, a field trial employing Arachis hypogaea L was conducted to evaluate the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to enhance plant growth and development by solubilizing minerals present in the soil (such as zinc and phosphorus). A Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) included five different treatments as T1: Un inoculated Control; T2: Seeds treated with a liquid formulation of P. aeruginosa; T3: Seeds treated with a liquid formulation of P. aeruginosa and the soil amended with organic manure (farmyard); T4: Soil amended with organic manure (farmyard) alone; T5: Seeds treated with lignite (solid) based formulation of P. aeruginosa were used for the study. Efficacy was determined based on the plant's morphological characters and mineral contents (Zn and P) of plants and soil. Survival of P. aeruginosa in the field was validated using Antibiotic Intrinsic patterns (AIP). The results indicated that the combination treatment of P. aeruginosa liquid formulation and organic fertilizer (farmyard) (T3) produced the highest biometric parameters and mineral (Zn and P) content of the groundnut plants and the soil. This outcome is likely attributed to the mineral solubilizing capability of P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, the presence of farmyard manure increased the metabolic activity of P. aeruginosa by inducing its heterotrophic activity, leading to higher mineral content in T3 soil compared to other soil treatments. The AIP data confirmed the presence of the applied liquid inoculant by exhibiting a similar intrinsic pattern between the in vitro isolate and the isolate obtained from the fields. In summary, the Zn and P solubilization ability of P. aeruginosa facilitates the conversion of soil-unavailable mineral form into a form accessible to plants. It further proposes the utilization of the liquid formulation of P. aeruginosa as a viable solution to mitigate the challenges linked to solid-based biofertilizers and the reliance on mineral-based chemical fertilizers.

COVID 19 Pandemic is caused by the viral pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Scientific fraternity worldwide swiftly developed various types of vaccines for the prevention and as mitigation measures for curbing the pandemic. Traditional inactivated vaccines, mRNA vaccines (protein subunits such as spike proteins), and viral vector vaccines (non-replicating vectors with protein subunits) have been approved by World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency use. The emergence of many mutated variants has been a worrying factor in the fight against the pandemic. There has been continuous research in the quest for more therapeutics, especially vaccines to curb and stop the pandemic. According to WHO, there are 194 vaccines in pre-clinical trials belonging to various types out of which sixteen is DNA vaccines. In this review, we have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the DNA vaccines for Covid - 19. This article tried to explore the available information on DNA vaccines and their current status against Covid – 19 which are in pre-clinical trials.