Application of Nanoparticles for Environmental Remediation

In the last decades, numerous research studies have been focused on the mitigation of different classes of contaminants by varying types of NPs. Treatment mechanisms were controlled by properties of contaminants (e.g., organic vs inorganic, molecular size, and hydrophobicity, etc.), NPs (e.g., surface charge, area, pore size, and surface functional groups, etc.), and aqueous water (e.g., organic matter types, pH, ionic strength, surfactants, and temperature). Therefore, this chapter includes (1) a literature summary for the removal of contaminants by carbon- and metal-based NPs, (2) a discussion on the controlling mechanisms for the mitigation of contaminants by carbon- and metal-based NPs, and (3) an evaluation on the application and implication of carbon- and metal-based NPs in environmental studies. This chapter also identifies future research needs and challenges on the application of carbon- and metal-based NPs for environmental remediation.

Virtual reality: a powerful technology to provide novel insight into treatment mechanisms of addiction

Due to its high ecological validity, virtual reality (VR) technology has emerged as a powerful tool for mental health research. Despite the wide use of VR simulations in research on mental illnesses, the study of addictive processes through the use of VR environments is still at its dawn. In a systematic literature search, we identified 38 reports of research projects using highly immersive head-mounted displays, goggles, or CAVE technologies to provide insight into treatment mechanisms of addictive behaviors. So far, VR research has mainly addressed the roles of craving, psychophysiology, affective states, cognition, and brain activity in addiction. The computer-generated VR environments offer very realistic, dynamic, interactive, and complex real-life simulations requesting active participation. They create a high sense of immersion in users by combining stereoscopic three-dimensional visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile perceptions, tracking systems responding to user movements, and social interactions. VR is an emerging tool to study how proximal multi-sensorial cues, contextual environmental cues, as well as their interaction (complex cues) modulate addictive behaviors. VR allows for experimental designs under highly standardized, strictly controlled, predictable, and repeatable conditions. Moreover, VR simulations can be personalized. They are currently refined for psychotherapeutic interventions. Embodiment, eye-tracking, and neurobiological factors represent novel future directions. The progress of VR applications has bred auspicious ways to advance the understanding of treatment mechanisms underlying addictions, which researchers have only recently begun to exploit. VR methods promise to yield significant achievements to the addiction field. These are necessary to develop more efficacious and efficient preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Alleviates Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease and the Related Mechanisms: A Mini-Review

After long-term use of levodopa, Parkinson's patients almost inevitably develop dyskinesia, a kind of drug side effect manifesting as uncontrollable choreic movements and dystonia, which could be crippling yet have limited therapeutic options. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is the most widely studied non-invasive neuromodulation technology to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Many studies have shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation has beneficial effects on levodopa-induced dyskinesia and is patient-tolerable, barely with reported adverse effects. Changes in brain connectivity, neuroplasticity, neurotransmitter, neurorestoration, and blood flow modulation could play crucial roles in the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation for levodopa-induced dyskinesia. The appearance of new modes and application for emerging targets are possible solutions for transcranial magnetic stimulation to achieve sustained efficacy. Since the sample size in all available studies is small, more randomized double-blind controlled studies are needed to elucidate the specific treatment mechanisms and optimize treatment parameters.

Antibiotic Treatment, Mechanisms for Failure, and Adjunctive Therapies for Infections by Group A Streptococcus

Group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) is a nearly ubiquitous human pathogen responsible for a significant global disease burden. No vaccine exists, so antibiotics are essential for effective treatment. Despite a lower incidence of antimicrobial resistance than many pathogens, GAS is still a top 10 cause of death due to infections worldwide. The morbidity and mortality are primarily a consequence of the immune sequelae and invasive infections that are difficult to treat with antibiotics. GAS has remained susceptible to penicillin and other β-lactams, despite their widespread use for 80 years. However, the failure of treatment for invasive infections with penicillin has been consistently reported since the introduction of antibiotics, and strains with reduced susceptibility to β-lactams have emerged. Furthermore, isolates responsible for outbreaks of severe infections are increasingly resistant to other antibiotics of choice, such as clindamycin and macrolides. This review focuses on the challenges in the treatment of GAS infection, the mechanisms that contribute to antibiotic failure, and adjunctive therapeutics. Further understanding of these processes will be necessary for improving the treatment of high-risk GAS infections and surveillance for non-susceptible or resistant isolates. These insights will also help guide treatments against other leading pathogens for which conventional antibiotic strategies are increasingly failing.

Drinking water quality assessment of river Ganga in West Bengal, India through integrated statistical and GIS techniques

An attempt has been made to assess the water quality status of the lower stretch of river Ganga flowing through West Bengal for drinking using integrated techniques. For this study, 11 parameters at 10 locations from Beharampur to Diamond Harbour over nine years (2011–2019) were considered. The eastern stretch of Ganga showed a variation of WQI from 55 to 416 and SPI from 0.59 to 3.68 in nine years. The result was endorsed through a fair correlation between WQI and SPI (r2 > 0.95). The map interpolated through GIS revealed that the entire river stretch in the year 2011, 2012, and 2019 and location near to ocean during the entire period of nine years were severely polluted (WQI > 100 or SPI > 1). Turbidity and boron concentration mainly contribute to the high scores of indices. Further, the origin of these ions was estimated through multivariate statistical techniques. It was affirmed that the origin of boron is mainly attributed to seawater influx, that of fluoride to anthropogenic sources and other parameters originated through geogenic as well as human activities. Based on the research, few possible water treatment mechanisms are suggested to render the water fit for drinking.

Auricular Acupressure Combined with Self-Help Intervention for Treating Chronic Tinnitus: A Longitudinal Observational Study

More research, including a randomized controlled trial, is needed to further investigate the the combined treatment and gain better understanding of the treatment mechanisms.