Antarctica and its surrounding environment are considered untouched and thought that it is free from microplastics (MPs) pollution. However, recent studies and science projects have reported MPs in both water and sediment in the South Polar Regions. The reports state that the MP’s pollution occurs in this region due to fishing, tourism, and research activities by the nearby countries and nature's circulation is also part of it. The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) has received attention on MP’s pollution and initiated research on it. MPs are tiny plastic particles with a size of less than 5 mm. It has two types, 1. Primary MPs have been manufactured directly for various applications like cosmetics and scrubbing etc 2. The secondary MPs are generated by photochemical degradation of large plastics.Although several studies have been done there is a quite gap in our understanding of the concentration, characteristics, and impact of plastics on the ecosystem of the Antarctic Region. The impact of MP’s pollution in this region may be very high. The presence of MP is a serious issue that is affecting not only the aquatic environment but also humans. It is an alarming situation that causes environmental damage. The main objective of this paper is to review MP's introduction, occurrence, sources, harmful effects, and detection methods. This review highlighted the various methodologies and analyses like density separation, microscope observation of MP’s properties Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectrometer respectively, and urged for more research in the future and gave several recommendations to maintain the pristine region near Antarctica.

Anthropogenic activities are the main cause of climate change globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized that heating and precipitation are the reason for climate change due to anthropogenic actions over the past 30 years and claim 150,000 lives annually. Climate change is also affecting the atmospheres of polar regions. Numerous diseases are linked with climate change like cardiovascular mortality and respiratory illnesses. Due to climate change, lack of long-term and high-quality data sets, variations in drug resistance and immunity, the amplification or the resurgence of diseases, as well as many socio-economic factors, are uncertain.Potentially susceptible regions consist of the temperate latitudes, the regions near the Indian and Pacific oceans are affected due to the heavy rainfall where the heat of the cities could increase life-threatening climatic proceedings. The association between climate and health poses a risk to health under future guesses. Over the current decades, warming has contributed to increased mortality and morbidity in various provinces of the globe. The current study reviews the potential effects of climate change on temperature, human health, air quality, food & nutrition, livelihoods, and livestock & fisheries in detail.

Number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 exceeded 5 million as of May 21, 2020. Global average of the case fatality rate of COVID-19 is about 7% so far. There exist variations in case fatality rates among countries. Particularly, Singapore and Qatar have exceptionally low case fatality rates with 0.1% while France’s rate is almost 20%. Since no magic bullet treatment for COVID-19 exists, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 strains specific to Singapore in this study to identify a clade with low pathogenicity. Variant analysis revealed that a clade with variants ORF1ab L3606F, A4489V, S2015R, T2016K, and N P13L is common in Singapore. Based on our analysis of variants and historical case statistics, the clade is dominant in a recent surge. Therefore, we suggest that low case fatality rate of Singapore possibly is attributed to the clade. Although contribution of each variant to the low pathogenicity is not clear, L3606F alone does not accomplish such low pathogenicity from the comparison with case fatality data from Japan, where L3606F is dominant. Further investigation is necessary to conclude to validate this finding.

Microplastics have been detected as widespread in an aquatic environment at the microscale, also known as plastic debris. They have continuously increased due to the increase in population, production of synthetic plastics and poor waste management. They are ubiquitous and slowly degrade in soil and water. They are emerging contaminants that have received attention from research communities and public audiences over the last few years. They have high stability and can absorb several other pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, etc. After entering the environment, they can accumulate and persist for a long time. They can create a serious threat to freshwater ecosystems and human health. These particles can cause physical damage to freshwater organisms. Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, visual identification, density separation, microscopic method, chemical method, thermos-analytical method and hyperspectral imaging method are the commonly known approaches for identification and quantification of microplastics. The noticed concentration of microplastics depends on the analysis method, sampling location and technique. The authors reviewed the sources, health impact, transport and treatment of microplastics in freshwater environments in detail. This study will provide the baseline data for the researchers to do more research on microplastic pollution in the future.

Microplastics (MPs) are small pieces of plastics. They are ubiquitous in the environment and can enter the freshwater environment from surface run-off and wastewater effluent (treated and untreated), industrial effluent, degraded plastic waste, and atmospheric deposition. They are not usually destroyed but convert into one phase to another. They are a source of air pollution, occurring in dust and airborne fibrous particles. Mostly MPs are non-biodegradable while some MPs are biodegradable, which can be decomposed in the presence of ultraviolet (UV) light or by the action of microorganisms. Popular methods: chemical, spectroscopic, and thermo-analytical are available for the determination of the chemical composition and size of plastic particles. This chapter discusses the uses, health hazards, sources, and transport of MPs particles.

Air pollution is a man-made environmental-related problem and has importance globally among all environmental issues. It is described as an atmospheric situation in which several components appear at high attention above their ambient level and generate a quantifiable effect on vegetation, animals, and people. Air pollution and its control are a universal problem and have become an issue of great trouble for us in current years. However, monitoring and measurement of the concentration of air pollutants are most difficult in assessment to monitoring other components in the environment. Air pollutants are transported to polar regions by different mechanisms such as long-range atmospheric transport or grasshopper effects and via anthropogenic activities. After reaching the polar regions, they settle down and remain as such for a long-time due to their persistent nature. They can distress the environment and wildlife of the polar regions. Generally, dangerous chemicals may cause a risk of well-being effects, whereas lethal pollutants focus on one physiological reaction. We reviewed the available information on air pollution (occurrence, sources, and harmful effects) in the polar regions.

Climate change is one of the widely acknowledged challenges faced by international communities in the 21^st century. It poses challenges to fundamental elements of our understanding of appropriate goals for socioeconomic policies, such as the connection of prosperity, growth, equity and sustainable development. Human activities-induced climatic changes have been widely perceived as threatening criteria for the long-term resilience of societies and communities throughout the world. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) reported that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation, is changing the climate of Earth. Despite contributing less towards the causes, poor citizens of developing countries bear a lot of its impacts. In particular, women and girls face a major impact and finally, they migrate due to the social gender division and scarcity of food. Studies on gender and climate change-induced migration are scarce. This study provides an overview of the induced impact of climate change on the livelihood, health and migration of women and girls. The aim of this study would significantly advance our understanding of the current inter-linkages between migration, displacement patterns and climate change impacts.

Information and telecommunications technology (ITT) have expanded into many aspects of modern life and have positively affected human life even in the most remote areas of developing countries. The rapid growth in ITT has led to an improvement in the capacity of computers but simultaneously to a decrease in the product’s lifetime as a result of which increasingly large quantities of e-waste are generated annually. It contains hazardous components that if it is not properly managed, can have adverse environmental and health effects. The management of e-waste poses significant challenges in developing countries. Due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, e-waste is burned or dumped in open areas. Informal and inefficient recycling practices are generally employed which further exacerbate pollution and health risks. So, the implementation of e-waste management, adequate recycling, and waste disposal facilities have become crucial concerns. This article reviews the concept of e-waste generation, challenges, disposal, and its impact on human health & environment in detail.

E-waste is considered the fastest-growing global waste stream and has become an emerging environmental challenge. The widespread usage of digital devices has generated a large amount of e-waste. According to the Ministry of Commerce, India annually generates ~14.5 lakh metric tons of e-waste and recycles only ~5 % of e-waste. Annually, the global production of e-waste has been expected to increase by 4–5 %. Advancements in IT and communication divisions have improved the usage of electronic equipment. Heavy metals such as (Pb), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), tin (Sn), and organic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are subsequently released from e-wastes and contaminates soil and water sources. These toxic compounds are hazardous to human health and the environment. They are capable of entering various biological systems and causing alterations in respiratory functions of the lungs, DNA damage, impaired functioning of the thyroid, and increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular ailments. Such concerns raise the quintessential need to manage e-waste to prevent future hazards. This manuscript critically reviews the sources, health and environmental impact, disposal techniques, recycling, and regulation of e-waste.

Solid waste has become a tenacious issue worldwide. It has been increasing exponentially due to urbanization and the increase in the population. Since the twentieth-century technological revolution, there have been significant changes in the composition of solid waste. It poses significant challenges for waste management systems worldwide. Waste management is the process of handling waste right from its creation to its final disposal, including transport, collection, treatment, and monitoring. The present solid waste management (SWM) system is affected by unfavorable institutional, economic, technical, legislative, and operational constraints. Poor waste management is affecting ecosystems and human health, damaging our finite natural resources, impeding human economic progress, and harming people's quality of life. Now, researchers are concerned about the environment's degradation, a decline in quality of life, and risks related to waste management grow as the volume of solid waste. So, they are focusing on sustainable waste management practices which will be crucial for creating a cleaner and healthier environment for future generations. This chapter focuses on the concept of solid waste, its types, management, and its effect on the health of humans and the environment.

Plants have the ability to decrease the pollution level from the environment by absorbing inorganic/organic pollutants through their roots. After that, these pollutants are translocated or accumulated in less toxic forms in various parts of plants. This ability of plants is known as phytoremediation. It is an eco-friendly, and cost-effective approach for controlling environmental pollution. It can provide a sustainable way to improve the economics of developing countries. However, the biomass formed during this process can re-contaminate the environment through secondary pollutants. The contamination due to heavy metals (HMs) has become an environmental challenge globally. Metals such as cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), etc. can enter the water and soil largely through anthropogenic activities as well as other natural processes. After that, these metals pose a severe threat to living organisms. Due to their non-biodegradable nature, these metals can remain as such for a long time. These metals can initiate oxidative pressure in plants as a result affects agricultural production and yield. To mitigate this problem, phytoremediation has come forward as a safe, affordable, and ecologically sustainable solution than conventional physicochemical decontamination methods. Initially, several edible crops had been identified for the remediation. But at the present time, scientists are focusing on non-edible crops like aromatic/medicinal plants. There is no risk of food contamination by using these plants. This chapter describes the classification & uses of Tulsi and the phytoremediation mechanism of plants in detail.

Enzymes are biological molecules produced by living entities for carrying out biological processes. The application of enzymes for waste treatment has been gaining pace commercially to solve concerns related to agricultural residues, wastewater, replacement of synthetic processes with natural ones, etc. The application of enzymes for waste management has been an environmentally reliable and sustainable process. Treatment of waste with enzymes such as xylanase, proteases, hydrolases, cellulose, peroxidases, chitinases, laccases, etc. has been studied to be effective. These enzymes act upon the waste products and transform them into biodegradable forms that can be recycled, reused and converted to value-added products. They have wide applications and utility as it has been an effective approach, economically cheaper and sustainable techniques. Application of such enzymes for waste management would be beneficial for reducing the quantity of waste, diminishing the negative effects of waste and pollution on the environment, and would be beneficial in bio-converting the waste products into alternate sources of energy. The current chapter focuses on different types of enzymes, their applications for waste management, and their limitations. This chapter also emphasizes the usage of some prominent microorganisms, their secreted enzymes and their proposed mechanisms of action involved with the degradation of the waste products.

Nanoscience is a rapidly growing science stream that has been one of the cost-effective and energy-efficient approaches with wide applications. Water pollution is a major issue that is increasing continuously due to anthropogenic activities and several organic and inorganic contaminants. To overcome this issue, nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully used to treat water. These NPs possess many beneficial applications in many fields like agriculture, cosmetics, photoconductors, environmental biotechnology, glass and alloy production, solar cells, nanomedicine and drug deliveries, biosensors, food industries, etc. The properties comprising high surface area, greater chemical reactivity, and mechanical properties play a vital role in imparting such beneficiary properties. As a result, there has been an increasing demand for the synthesis of NPs. However, excess usage of NPs further creates toxic by-products. Therefore, scientists and researchers are now focussing on the biogenic synthesis of NPs. The biological routes of NP synthesis have been crucial because they are eco-friendly and environmentally safe. This chapter highlights the usage of different approaches and biogenic sources for the production of NPs. It also discusses the recent advancement in the use of biogenic NPs with respect to applications for wastewater treatment.

Since a few decades, the world has been facing severe global challenges with context to water, food, agriculture science, energy resources, healthcare, medicines, diseases, etc. One of the causes of these challenges is excessive human activities. So, there has arisen a necessity to tackle these challenges using sustainable solutions so as to minimize the effect of human interference. Nanotechnology (NT) has gained pace as a new technique that provides cost-effective, efficient, and eco-friendly solutions to such challenges. The advantages of the usage of NT have increased in every field of science. As compared to traditional methods, NT possesses wider use and benefits as it is designed at the nano levels and also keeps the environment clean. It is the science of tiny particles that has an important role to play in international efforts in sustainability. The innovation of NT is revolutionary and therefore subsequently will cover a wider space in terms of scientific achievements. Technology saves time, money, and human resources. This paper discusses and highlights the usage of NT with respect to its application, knowledge, and sustainable development. It also gives a broad view of the approaches, properties, and applications of NT in various sectors including the treatment of water bodies, agricultural science, drug delivery systems, medicines, and energy saving.

New coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) treatments and vaccines are under development to combat the COVID-19 disease. Several approaches are being used by scientists for investigation including 1) various small molecule approaches targeting RNA polymerase, 3C-like protease, and RNA endonuclease and 2) exploration of antibodies obtained from convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. The coronavirus genome is highly prone to mutations that lead to genetic drift and escape from immune recognition; thus, it is imperative that sub-strains with different mutations are also accounted for during vaccine development. As the disease has grown to become a pandemic, new B-cell and T-cell epitopes predicted from SARS coronavirus have been reported. Using the epitope information along with variants of the virus, we have found several variants which might cause drifts. Among such variants, 23403A>G variant (p.D614G) in spike protein B-cell epitope is observed frequently in European countries such as the Netherlands, Switzerland and France.

Air pollution has been a major environmental issue worldwide from the last few decades. It is a man-made issue that has a serious harmful impact on the environment and the health of humans. There are different sources of emission, but industrial processes and motor vehicles contribute to a chief part of air pollution. It has acute as well as chronic effects on the health of humans and affects different organs. It is thought the main environmental risk factor in the incidence and progression of several diseases such as lung cancer, asthma, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Long-term exposure to air pollution has different toxicological impacts on humans such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, neuropsychiatric complications, eye irritation and skin diseases. As per the study by the World Health Organization (WHO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals are the major air contaminants. These pollutants are different in their properties, composition and time of disintegration. The aim of this study is to review the different sources, types, impacts, challenges and mitigation of air pollution in detail.

Cancer is a disease caused by the abnormal growth of cells in different parts of body is one of the top causes of death globally. Microarray gene expression data plays a critical role in the identification and classification of cancer tissues. Due to recent advancements in Machine Learning (ML) techniques, researchers are analyzing gene expression data using a variety of such techniques to model the progression rate & treatment of cancer patients with great effect. But high dimensionality alongside the presence of highly correlated columns in gene expression datasets leads to computational difficulties. This paper aims to propose the use of ML classification techniques- Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) & Random Forest (RF) for classifying five types of cancer (breast cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer and prostate cancer) based on high dimensional microarray gene expression data. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction, and principal component scores of the raw data for classification. Six distinct categorization performance measures were used to evaluate these approaches; RF method provided us with higher accuracy than LDA method. The method and results of this article should be helpful to researchers who are dealing with many genes in microarray data.

Mango flowering phenostages were recorded under global warming conditions to assess the relationship between environmental cues and flowering time shifts and their consequences on reproductive success. Phenological transition to floral destiny was studied in relation to standard metrological week and weather parameters. Shifting of phenostage was recorded in Bud swelling, which is important for the shoot transitioning from vegetative to flowering meristem. Variations were also recorded for panicle elongation and early anthesis. The critical temperature for Bud burst stage was estimated for Dashehari, Langra, Amrapali and Chausa while Chausa had the propensity for late flowering correlated with higher temperature. The shifting of phenological calendar in response to weather parameters was obvious and needed a bigger range of yearly data for arriving at the climatic drives. In general, the results revealed that flower intensity was positively correlated with temperature, sunshine hours and evaporation while humidity showed a negative correlation. Hermaphrodite Flower % is an important attribute affecting fruit set and yield and was found most variable in the two years in the case of the three alternate bearing cultivars. In conclusion, it can be inferred that weather parameters prevailing in subtropics affect flowering intensity and consequently its fate i.e.; fruit yield.

The metabolic syndrome, first introduced by Hermann Haller in 1975, was sometimes also known as insulin resistance syndrome, syndrome X, and plurimetabolic syndrome. In 1989 it was rechristened by Kaplan as "Deadly Quartet" based on a consolidation of central obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, and systemic hypertension. Metabolic syndrome is positively associated with a pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic state, attributed to increased pro-thrombotic and inflammatory markers activity. Moreover, Metabolic syndrome is frequently associated with increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperuricemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic kidney disease. Despite concerted endeavors worldwide, the complexity of the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome is still not clearly understood. Currently, therapeutic possibilities are confined to individual therapy of hyperglycemia, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, hyperuricemia, regular physical exercise, and a restricted diet.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health issue worldwide that affects the world economy. The concern associated with this issue increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The misuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic will have catastrophic implications for the control of AMR. In 2019, the coronavirus illness COVID-19 first appeared in China. COVID-19 infection is a surface-to-surface communicable disease. It is considered the most vital global health disaster of the century. It has rapidly spread around the world and is the greatest challenge for humankind. This chapter discusses the origin, symptoms, transmission, treatment, and recommendations of the COVID-19 disease.

Background: Diabetic patients are more likely to experience morbidity and mortality as a result of microvascular complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, and stroke. There are many synthetic anti-diabetic agents available which are expensive and have undesirable pathological effects. Thus, it is essential to look for cost-effective, natural, and safe antidiabetic agents. The aim of this study was to screen phytoconstituent and evaluate the in-vitro and in-silico α-amylase inhibitory activity of ethanolic extract of Adhatoda vasica leaves. Method: The extraction of Adhatoda vasica leaves was performed with ethanol through Soxhlet extraction process. Different concentrations (0.1 mg/ml to 1 mg/ml) of ethanolic extract, Acarbose, and Sitagliptin, were prepared and all concentrations were evaluated for α-amylase inhibitory activity through the spectrophotometric method. Molecular docking (AutodockVina 1.2.0) and toxicity profiling (SToPToX web server) studies were performed. Results: The plant extract showed highest inhibition of α-amylase (56.763±0.0035) at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. This inhibitory activity was supported by the in-silico study. Vasicoline (C5) and quercetin (C9), active constitute of plant Adhatoda vasica, showed the best binding energy of 8.3 and 8.0 Kcal/mol respectively with α-amylase enzyme (PDBID: 4W93). Toxicity study revealed the safety profile of plant extract. Conclusion: It was concluded that Adhatoda vasica leaves possess some bioactive compounds which are responsible for controlling blood glucose levels and its identification, purification, and isolation may lead to the development of newer therapeutic agent with lesser side effects.

The study examines malnutrition's triple burden, including anaemia, overweight, and stunting, among children aged 6-59 months. Using data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), the study identifies risk factors and assesses the contribution at different levels to existing malnutrition burden. A random intercept multilevel logistic regression model and spatial analysis are employed to identify child, maternal, and household level risk factors for stunting, overweight, and anaemia. The study finds that 34% of children were stunted, 4% overweight, and 66% anaemic. Stunting and anaemia prevalence were higher in central and eastern regions, while overweight was more prevalent in the north-eastern and northern regions. At macro-level, the coexistence of stunting, overweight, and anaemia circumstantiates the triple burden of childhood malnutrition with substantial spatial variation (Moran’s I: stunting-0.53, overweight-0.41 and anaemia-0.53). Multilevel analysis reveals that child, maternal, and household variables play a substantial role in determining malnutrition burden in India. The nutritional health is significantly influenced by a wide range of determinants, necessitating multilevel treatments targeting households to address this diverse group of coexisting factors. Given the intra-country spatial heterogeneity, the treatment also needs to be tailor-made for various disaggregated levels.

The holistic approach of One Health, which sees human, animal, plant, and environmental health as a unit, rather than discrete parts, requires not only interdisciplinary cooperation, but standardized methods for communicating and archiving data, enabling participants to easily share what they have learned and allow others to build upon their findings.Ongoing work by NCBI and the GenomeTrakr project illustrates how open data platforms can help meet the needs of federal and state regulators, public health laboratories, departments of agriculture, and universities. Here we describe how microbial pathogen surveillance can be transformed by having an open access database along with Best Practices for contributors to follow. First, we describe the open pathogen surveillance framework, hosted on the NCBI platform. We cover the current community standards for WGS quality, provide an SOP for assessing your own sequence quality and recommend QC thresholds for all submitters to follow. We then provide an overview of NCBI data submission along with step by step details. And finally, we provide curation guidance and an SOP for keeping your public data current within the database. These Best Practices can be models for other open data projects, thereby advancing the One Health goals of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable (FAIR) data.

Delayed cancer detection is one of the common causes of poor prognosis in case of many cancers including the cancers of the oral cavity. Despite improvement and development of new and efficient gene therapy treatments, very little has been done to algorithmically assess the impedance of these carcinomas. In this work, we attempt to annotate viable attributes in oral cancer gene datasets for identification of gingivobuccal cancer (GBC). We further apply supervised and unsupervised machine learning methods to the gene datasets revealing key candidate attributes for GBC prognosis. Our work highlights the importance of automated identification of key genes responsible for GBC that could perhaps be easily replicated to other forms of oral cancer detection.