Plant-mediated nanoparticles
are gaining popularity due to biologically
active secondary metabolites that aid in green synthesis. This study
describes a simple, environmentally friendly, dependable, and cost-effective
production of silver nanoparticles utilizing
Cucumis sativus
and
Aloe vera
aqueous leaf extracts. The aqueous
leaf extracts of
Cucumis sativus
and
Aloe
vera
, which worked as a reducing and capping agent, were
used to biosynthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The formation
of surface plasmon resonance peaks at 403 and 405 nm corresponds to
the formation of colloidal Ag nanoparticles. Similarly, the Bragg
reflection peaks in X-ray diffraction patterns observed at 2θ
values of 38.01°, 43.98°, 64.24°, and 77.12° representing
the planes of [111], [200], [220], and [311] correspond to the face-centered
cubic crystal structure of silver nanoparticles. Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy confirms that bioactive chemicals are responsible
for the capping of biogenic silver nanoparticles. The size, structure,
and morphology of AgNPs with diameters ranging from 8 to 15 nm were
examined using transmission electron microscopy. Water contamination
by azo dyes and nitrophenols is becoming a more significant threat
every day. The catalytic breakdown of organic azo dye methyl orange
(MO) and the conversion of
para
-nitrophenol (PNP)
into
para
-aminophenol using sodium borohydride was
evaluated using the prepared biogenic nanoparticles. Our nanoparticles
showed excellent reduction ability against PNP and MO with rate constants
of 1.51 × 10
–3
and 6.03 × 10
–4
s
–1
, respectively. The antibacterial activity of
the nanomaterials was also tested against four bacteria:
Staphylococcus
aureus
,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Enterobacter
, and
Streptococcus pneumoniae
. These biogenic AgNPs
displayed effective catalytic and antibacterial characteristics by
reducing MO and PNP and decreasing bacterial growth.
Pulmonary mucormycosis is a relatively rare pulmonary fungal disease, which is difficult to diagnose early and lacks effective treatment. It is seen in patients with hematological malignancies, diabetes mellitus, and immunocompromised states. The diagnosis depends primarily on the detection of fungi in lung tissue. Here, we present a case of a 52-year-old male who has type 2 diabetes mellitus and a past history of treated pulmonary tuberculosis. Clinical diagnosis is difficult in pulmonary mucormycosis, and early diagnosis is needed for this life-threatening infection. Histopathological examination of a resected cavity confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis. This report highlights the difficulty of diagnosis and the importance of histological examination in detecting mucormycosis which will help for early management.
Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has shown a significant impact on the psychological well-being of health care workers. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological health of health care workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. During the months of November and December, 283 health care workers completed a survey containing measures of depression, anxiety and stress (using Depression Anxiety and Stress-21 scale [DASS-21]) and questions regarding potential predictors such as the role of COVID-19 perception, availability of mental health support and work-related factors. Pearson X2 test revealed factors associated with the presence of significant psychiatric symptoms.
Result
Among the participants, 17.3% screened positive for depression, 26.2% for anxiety and 17.3% for stress. Nurses reported significantly more depression, anxiety and stress than doctors. Those who received mental health support reported significantly lesser depression, anxiety and stress. Those who felt that quality of life was heavily impacted due to COVID-19 reported significantly high depression, anxiety and stress.
Conclusions
Poor psychological well-being was prevalent in health care workers; however, mental health measures have been shown to significantly reduce the mental health burden in health care workers.
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