A deep delve into the chemistry and biocompatibility of halloysite nanotubes: A new perspective on an idiosyncratic nanocarrier for delivering drugs and biologics.

HNTs have garnered a substantial amount of scientific interest over the years owing to its green nature, unique surface chemistry and the ability to load any guest molecule. These nanostructures are biocompatible and are thus perfect nanocarriers for the delivery of drugs and therapeutic biologics. However, in order to fully achieve its potential as a nanocarrier, several nuances to its surface chemistry and release kinetics must be kept in mind.

Environmental damages due to war in Ukraine: A perspective.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is the most prominent conflict in Europe since the Second World War and has several geopolitical, economic, infrastructure, and health implications. The war has serious negative consequences on people and the planet. The damage to industrial and commercial infrastructure can contaminate water sources, which can be hazardous for human and ecosystem health.

Risk assessment of selected pharmaceuticals on wildlife with nanomaterials based aptasensors.

Pharmaceuticals have improved human and veterinary health tremendously over the years. But the implications of the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment on terrestrial, avian, and aquatic organisms are still not fully comprehended. The bioaccumulation and biomagnifications of these chemicals through the food chain have long-term effects on the wildlife.

Food forensics: Techniques for authenticity determination of food products.

The need for reliable and precise analytical techniques for food authentication and traceability has increased in recent decades due to the excessive competition for the production of competitive food products which leads to a high chance of food fraud. In this article, applications of several analytical techniques such as DNA-based techniques, spectrometric techniques, spectroscopic techniques, chromatographic techniques, lateral flow immunoassays, and neutron and proton based nuclear analytical techniques for forensic food analysis have been discussed. These sophisticated techniques are capable to analyze the food samples rapidly and permit the identification of specific parameters which are useful for investigations of food frauds in various legal issues.

Chitosan functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes as a receptive surface for laccase and copper to perform degradation of chlorpyrifos in aqueous environment.

Chitosan (CTS) functionalized Halloysite Nanotubes (HNT) have been used as receptive nano-supports for the grafting of copper (Cu) and laccase (Lac) for the degradation of chlorpyrifos. The developed nanocomposite Lac@Cu-CTS-HNT showed 83.4% Lac immobilization which was further characterized by TEM, SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD, DSC and TGA.

Development, characterization and in vitro-in vivo evaluation of Farnesol loaded niosomal gel for applications in oral candidiasis treatment.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to formulate and characterize the farnesol loaded niosomes comprising gel formulation and perform their in vitro-in vivo evaluation for applications in the treatment of oral candidiasis infections.

Methods: Various gelling systems were evaluated for their rheological and stability properties. The formulation was statistically optimized using experimental design method (Box-Behnken).

Understanding intricacies of bioinspired organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers: A quest to achieve enhanced biomolecules immobilization for biocatalytic, biosensing and bioremediation applications.

The immobilization of biomolecules has been a subject of interest for scientists for a long time. The organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers are a new class of nanostructures that act as a host platform for the immobilization of such biomolecules. It provides better practical applicability to these functional biomolecules while also providing superior activity and reusability when catalysis is involved.

Design, development and in-vitro/in-vivo evaluation of intranasally delivered Rivastigmine and N-Acetyl Cysteine loaded bifunctional niosomes for applications in combinative treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The present investigation explores the potential of novel dual drug-loaded niosomes for nasal delivery of Rivastigmine (RIV) and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) to the brain. The dual niosomes showed a particle size of 162.4 nm and % entrapment efficiencies of 97.

Environmental perspective of COVID-19.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused concerns globally. On 30 January WHO has declared it as a global health emergency. The easy spread of this virus made people to wear a mask as precautionary route, use gloves and hand sanitizer on a daily basis that resulted in generation of a massive amount of medical wastes in the environment.

Physicochemical and biological assessment of silver nanoparticles immobilized Halloysite nanotubes-based resin composite for dental applications.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Silver nanoparticle immobilized Halloysite Nanotubes (HNT/Ag) fillers on physicochemical, mechanical, and biological properties of novel experimental dental resin composite in order to compare with the properties of corresponding composites containing conventional glass fillers.

Methods: Dental resin (Bis-GMA/TEGDMA with ratio 70/30) composites were prepared by incorporation of varied mass fraction of HNT/Ag. Experimental composites were divided into six groups, one control group and five experimental groups containing mass fraction 1 to 10.

Physicochemical and biological assessment of flowable resin composites incorporated with farnesol loaded halloysite nanotubes for dental applications.

The aim of this study was to fabricate flowable resin composites, by incorporating Farnesol loaded Halloysite Nanotubes (Fa-HNT) as a filler and evaluate their physicochemical as well as biological properties. Chemical and morphological characterization of antibacterial filler, Fa-HNT were performed using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The antibacterial filler was mixed into composite material consisting of methacrylate monomers and dental glass fillers at concentrations of 1-20% (wt.

Nano-interfacial decoration of Halloysite Nanotubes for the development of antimicrobial nanocomposites.

In recent times, incorporation of Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) with various antimicrobial agents as interfacial materials between these nanotubes and pathogenic microorganisms, for the development of antimicrobial nanocomposites with enhanced antimicrobial activities has gained researcher's interest. The main benefits given by HNT to these nanocomposites include enhanced thermal and mechanical stability of the antimicrobial nanocomposites and also prolong durability and release of the antimicrobial agents in a sustained manner. The exceptional structure of these aluminosilicate minerals based nanotubes (hollow tubular lumen with huge surface area) and oppositely charged surface molecules assist in attaching various molecules on both, the internal surface as well as on the outer surface of these nanotubes.

Hyaluronic acid: A review on its biology, aspects of drug delivery, route of administrations and a special emphasis on its approved marketed products and recent clinical studies.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a large non-sulphated glycosaminoglycan that is an important component of extracellular matrix (ECM) and a biodegradable polymer. Due to a variation in its molecular weight, HA derivatives can be utilized to make different formulations like fillers, creams, gels and drops. HA based drug research has seen a recent surge largely due to some properties like mucoadhesion, biocompatibility and ease of chemical modification.

Halloysite nanotubes as a nature's boon for biomedical applications.

The arena of biomedical science has long been in quest of innovative mediums for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The latest being the use of nanomaterials for such applications, thereby giving rise to the branch of nanomedicine. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally occurring tubular clay nanomaterials, made of aluminosilicate kaolin sheets rolled several times.

Application of Box-Behnken Design in the Preparation, Optimization, and In Vitro Evaluation of Self-Assembly-Based Tamoxifen- and Doxorubicin-Loaded and Dual Drug-Loaded Niosomes for Combinatorial Breast Cancer Treatment.

This study was developed with the objective to prepare self-assembled niosomes to support sufficient entrapment and sustained drug release of the drugs having different solubility and mechanisms. In the current work, Tamoxifen- and Doxorubicin-loaded niosomes were prepared for combinatorial breast cancer treatment with statistical optimization by Box-Behnken experimental design. Atomic force microscopy revealed a spherical shape morphology of the niosomes.

Surface modified halloysite nanotubes: A flexible interface for biological, environmental and catalytic applications.

Halloysite Nanotubes (HNTs) are clay minerals that possess unique chemical composition and a tubular structure due to which, they have recently emerged as a potential nanomaterial for umpteen applications. Over the years, the myriad applications of HNT have been realized through the surface modification of HNT, which involves the modification of nanotube's inner lumen and the outer surface with different functional compounds. The presence of aluminum and silica groups on the inner and outer surface of HNT enhance the interfacial relationship of the nanotube with different functional agents.

Rural environment study for water from different sources in cluster of villages in Mehsana district of Gujarat.

Water pollution and water scarcity are major environmental issues in rural and urban areas. They lead to decline in the quality of water, especially drinking water. Proper qualitative assessment of water is thus necessary to ensure that the water consumed is potable.

Nanotechnology-based recent approaches for sensing and remediation of pesticides.

Pesticides are meant to control and destroy the pests and weeds. They are classified into different categories on the basis their origin and type of pest they target. Chemical pesticides such as insecticides, herbicides and fungicides are commonly used in agricultural fields.

Fabrication routes for one-dimensional nanostructures via block copolymers.

Nanotechnology is the field which deals with fabrication of materials with dimensions in the nanometer range by manipulating atoms and molecules. Various synthesis routes exist for the one, two and three dimensional nanostructures. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have enabled the usage of block copolymers for the synthesis of such nanostructures.

Multifarious applications of atomic force microscopy in forensic science investigations.

Forensic science is a wide field comprising of several subspecialties and uses methods derived from natural sciences for finding criminals and other evidence valid in a legal court. A relatively new area; Nano-forensics brings a new era of investigation in forensic science in which instantaneous results can be produced that determine various agents such as explosive gasses, biological agents and residues in different crime scenes and terrorist activity investigations. This can be achieved by applying Nanotechnology and its associated characterization techniques in forensic sciences.

Emerging Strategies and Applications of Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly.

Layer-by-layer self-assembly is an approach to develop an ultrathin film on solid support by alternate exposure to positive and negative species with spontaneous deposition of the oppositely charged ions. This paper summarizes various approaches used for fabrication of layer-by-layer self-assembly as well as their utility to produce various devices. The layer-by-layer technique is basically used for formation of multilayer films.

Azeotropic mixture used for development and validation of Lornoxicam in bulk and its tablet dosage form by spectrophotometric method.

A novel, safe, economic and sensitive method of spectrophotometric estimation has been developed using Azeoptropic mixture (water:methanol: 60:40, v/v) for the quantitative determination of Lornoxicam, a practically water-insoluble drug. Hence, Lornoxicam stock solution was prepared in Azeoptropic mixture. Lornoxicam showed maximum absorbance at 383 nm.