Background: In the developing nations, the growing demand for infrastructure necessitates a steadyproduction of bricks, rendering brick kilns indispensable. Despite their economic relevance, thepollutants emitted from these kilns contribute substantially to environmental degradation and poseserious health hazards to both workers and nearby residents.Workers in these environments arefrequently exposed to high concentrations of gaseous and particulate pollutants, which are known toproduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and damage DNA.Prolonged exposure to these pollutants canoverwhelm the body’s natural defense systems, leading to oxidative stress, which may lead to DNAdamage and increased genotoxicity.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels ofoxidative stress and the potential for genotoxic effects in people exposed to pollutants while working inbrick kilns.Material & Methodology: Samples of peripheral blood were collected from 110 workersexposed to brick kiln environments and 110 non-exposed individuals (controls).Superoxide dismutase,catalase, carbonylated proteins, and the thiobarbituric acid assay were used to measure oxidativeindicators.Genotoxicity was measured through micronucleus (MN) assay .Results: The exposed groupshowed increased MDA, nitrite levels. In contrast, antioxidant defense markers such as reducedglutathione (GSH) and catalase showed a declining trend, indicating depletion of the cellular antioxidantsystem under continuous exposure to pollutants. The evidence of chromosomal damage and genomicinstability was confirmed by the micronucleus assay results, which showed a considerably higher MNfrequency in exposed workers compared to controls.Conclusion: The results show that, in comparison tocontrols, those who work in brick kiln conditions have considerably greater levels of oxidative stress andincreased DNA damage.

IntroductionThis study clarifies the taxonomic identity of Bacillus paralicheniformis MHN12 and maps the genetic foundations of its beneficial traits. It also provides functional insights into the salinity-stress response and paves the way for the development of MHN12 as a potential bioinoculant to enhance crop stress resilience and productivityMethodsThe endophytic strain MHN12, isolated from Vigna radiata, was initially identified as Bacillus licheniformis based on its 16S rRNA sequence. To ascertain its identity and ensure accurate taxonomic classification, a comparative genomic analysis based on genome relatedness indexes and secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters was conducted, involving MHN12 and 22 other B. paralicheniformis strains.Results and discussionThere were high similarities among the strains and antiSMASH revealed the presence of biosynthetic gene clusters specifically fengycin and bacitracin in MHN12 encoded by the genomes of B. paralicheniformis but absent in B. licheniformis. The whole genome analysis of B. paralicheniformis MHN12, focusing on identifying genes contributing to its potential to promote plant growth and abiotic stress tolerance was also performed. Genes linked to chemotaxis, motility, polysaccharide synthesis, plant growth promoting traits, antimicrobial and stress mitigation compounds were annotated. This highlights MHN12's potential to efficiently colonize plants, stimulate their growth, and protect them from environmental stresses and pathogens. In vitro assays also supported the genomic data, demonstrating MHN12's ability to synthesize enzymatic antioxidants and exopolysaccharides (EPS) while retaining plant growth promoting traits under salinity stress. Gas chromatography (GC)-based analysis revealed modulation of plasma membrane lipids aiding MHN12 to combat salt stress.

BACKGROUND:Celiac disease (CeD), a multifactorial disorder, develops when gluten, the toxic environmental inducer, interacts with CeD susceptibility genetic markers, resulting in a chronic enteropathy. Several extra-intestinal complications may also arise in cases of delayed management. There persists a growing demand to develop non-dietary adjuvant therapeutic options that can help relieve symptoms and improve patients' quality of life. AIM:The present study conducted a bioinformatic approach to look into the potential of using Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a well-established probiotic, as gluten-digesting bacteria and provide the basis for future therapeutic developments. METHODS:Complete genome assemblies of forty-nine L. rhamnosus strains were subjected to annotation using RAST and a pan genome analysis with BPGA. Genes for peptidases were identified using BlastKOALA and Prokka, followed by domain analysis using the NCBI-CD search tool to screen for gluten-digesting activity. RESULTS:Genome annotation of all the strains under study highlighted the presence of sixty-one peptidases in L. rhamnosus. Domain analysis further revealed that nine of these peptidases, including aminopeptidase N, neutral endopeptidase, oligoendopeptidase F, dipeptidyl-peptidase 5, proline iminopeptidase, Xaa-Pro dipeptidyl-peptidase, aminopeptidase C, aminopeptidase E, and PII-type proteinase, shared domains with already established gluten-digesting enzymes, suggesting their potential role in degrading toxic gliadin peptides. CONCLUSION:The current in silico analysis indicates that this well-known probiotic species, in addition to showcasing a plethora of beneficial properties, may also hold great potential in terms of reducing gluten toxicity. With further studies, L. rhamnosus can prove to be a promising candidate in CeD treatment and management.

‘Green’ synthesis of nanoparticles from microorganisms and plants is a sustainable alternative to the conventional chemo-physical methods because of its environment-friendliness. Microorganisms take up extracellular and intracellular pathways to manufacture nanoparticles. This study was aimed at optimization of the parameters influencing the biosynthesis of Cu/CuONPs (Copper/Copper oxide nanoparticles) by Pantoea agglomerans CPHN2 using OFAT (One-factor-at-a-time) approach. The optimum biotransformation was achieved at 5 mM concentration of CuSO4, 32 h incubation time, 6 h reaction time, equal mixing ratio of supernatant and CuSO4, 7 pH, and 23 °C temperature. Biosynthesized Cu/CuONPs along with those formed chemically, were characterized using UV–Visible spectrophotometer, resulting in a characteristic peak between 550 and 650 nm. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) reported that Z-average and Zeta potential of Cu/CuONPs were 291.9 nm and − 21 mV for biosynthesized and 179 nm and − 6.49 mV for chemosynthesized NPs. HR-TEM (High Resolution-Transmission Electron Microscopy) revealed hexagonal NPs in size range of 5–35 nm. In addition, FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectrum elucidated different peaks attributed to the Cu/CuONPs, alkynes, O–H, and N–H bonds, of the molecules involved in synthesis and stabilization of biosynthesized NPs. Antimicrobial assay conducted in the presence of 100 µg/ml solution of biosynthesized Cu/CuONPs led to 66.01, 68.31, and 55.73

Nanoparticles (NPs) possess unique properties due to their higher surface-to-volume ratio and reactivity. Negative environmental impact and high cost of traditional modes of synthesis have driven the shift towards utilization of microbes and plants for synthesising NPs, referred as the biological or ‘Green’ synthesis. This study reported extracellular synthesis of copper NPs (CuNPs) using the supernatant of Bacillus licheniformis CPJN13S. The parameters affecting this process were optimized by OFAT approach and were reported to be 5 mM concentration of copper sulfate (CuSO4), 32 h incubation period, 18 h reaction time, 20:20 filtrate/substrate ratio, 7 pH, and 37 °C temperature. CuNPs produced a characteristic UV-Visible absorption peak between 550–650 nm, Z-average of 305.3 nm and zeta potential value of −24.7 mV. SEM and HR-TEM revealed hexagonal shape of NPs having average size of 12.4 nm. XRD peaks obtained at 2θ positions of 45.52°, 56.52°, and 75.34° matched to diffraction from Cu. Antimicrobial assay conducted using 100 μg/mL CuNPs led to highest inhibition of 20.4% (Bacillus subtilis MTCC No. 441) and 43% (Staphylococcus aureus MTCC No. 737), at 21 h and 27 h, respectively. The results suggest that biological synthesis can serve as the eco-friendly alternative of physical and chemical modes of synthesizing CuNPs and can be used to develop highly effective antibacterial agents.

IAA synthesis by endophytes plays an important role in establishing a successful relationship between bacteria and plants. There are multiple pathways of IAA biosynthesis, IPyA pathway being widespread among endophytes. A total of five bacterial endophytes, Pseudomonas lini PRN1, Bacillus sp. PHR5, Ochrobactrum sp. PHR6, Bacillus sp. AJhN4 and Pantoea agglomerans CPHN2, were used in the present study. Out of these, three isolates Bacillus sp. PHR5, Ochrobactrum sp. PHR6, and Bacillus sp. AJhN4 were screened and optimized for IAA production by varying physicochemical parameters using OFAT. The presence of IAA in crude extracts was confirmed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) using IAA as standard. The highest IAA producing isolate was further used for scale-up of IAA production. Maximum production of 947 µg/ml IAA was obtained with 10

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy with typical symptoms of weight loss, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, vomiting, or constipation. Many shreds of evidence show that CeD is hereditary in origin and various biochemical pathways have been connected to its etiology. Numerous genes from different physiological pathways have been investigated in the last few decades, however a comprehensive analysis is required to address the gaps and provide a more integrated understanding of how these genetic factors contribute to the pathogenesis of disease. Present study attempts to summarize the historical and up-to-date findings to understand the role of genetics in Celiac disease. The literature was searched from sources such as PubMed and Google Scholar to analyze studies conducted on celiac disease from the years 1995 to 2024. Term maps were created to examine the frequency of studies related to various terms to understand the major focus of the studies till date. The study also concise the different genetic polymorphisms studied in a table to understand the role of genetics in celiac diseases. Early studies on celiac disease primarily focused on its pathophysiology, prevalence, and general aspects, with limited attention to genetics. However, recent studies have increasingly emphasized the genetic basis of the disease and highlighting the involvement of various pathways like inflammation, T-cell differentiation and activation, epithelial barrier function, stress and apoptosis pathways. However, present study indicate that most current research predominantly focus on cytokines, specifically the TNF alpha gene. Consequently, there is a need for additional research to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the genetics of celiac disease.