Every year, a huge amount of water is polluted by various sources, out of which coal fly ash (CFA) is one of the major pollutants. CFA has a large number of toxic metals, which reaches water bodies by coming in contact with water or rain. Due to heavy-metal contamination, water becomes unfit for drinking for human beings, which in long term may cause several disorders. Thus, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) recovered from waste, such as CFA, could be the most promising material for treating wastewater, due to their low-cost, recyclable nature and magnetic property. The synthesis of IONPs from CFA involves three sequential steps. The first step involves extraction of ferrous materials from CFA, followed by acidic treatment of ferrous materials to obtain acidic leachate, and lastly the precipitation of iron oxides by an alkali. The particle size of the synthesized IONPs varied from 30–70 nm and purity was about 90–93%, as confirmed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron diffraction spectroscopy (EDS). Further, the synthesized IONPs were used for the remediation of various heavy metals, especially Pb and Cr ions from 20% CFA aqueous solutions. The heavy-metal removal efficiency of IONPs varied from 40–70%. The developed method suggests heavy-metal removal from wastewater by using an economical and greener route.

The most significant issues that humans face today include a growing population, an altering climate, an growing reliance on pesticides, the appearance of novel infectious agents, and an accumulation of industrial waste. The production of agricultural goods has also been subject to a great number of significant shifts, often known as agricultural revolutions, which have been influenced by the progression of civilization, technology, and general human advancement. Sustainable measures that can be applied in agriculture, the environment, medicine, and industry are needed to lessen the harmful effects of the aforementioned problems. Endophytes, which might be bacterial or fungal, could be a successful solution. They protect plants and promote growth by producing phytohormones and by providing biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. Endophytes produce the diverse type of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, quinones, chinones, phenolic acids etc. and are known for various therapeutic advantages such as anticancer, antitumor, antidiabetic, antifungal, antiviral, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antioxidant activity. Proteases, pectinases, amylases, cellulases, xylanases, laccases, lipases, and other types of enzymes that are vital for many different industries can also be produced by endophytes. Due to the presence of all these bioactive compounds in endophytes, they have preferred sources for the green synthesis of nanoparticles. This review aims to comprehend the contributions and uses of endophytes in agriculture, medicinal, industrial sectors and bio-nanotechnology with their mechanism of action.

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Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the second most frequent infection in the geriatric population, related to an increased likelihood of hospitalization. The current study aimed to determine the spectrum of antimicrobial susceptibility for community-acquired urinary pathogens among geriatric patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried at Khartoum state Hospitals, Sudan. Data were collected using questionnaires. Urine cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility were performed, serum levels of IgG were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Result: The overall prevalence of UTI in geriatric was 55%. Gram-negative isolates were significantly highly frequent (67.6%), Escherichia coli was predominant pathogens (46%) followed by Enterococcus faecalis (13%), and Staphylococcus aureus (10%). High resistance to Ampicillin (80-100%) and low susceptibility to co-trimoxazol and Norfloxacin was revealed in Gram-negative isolates, whereas Gram-negative bacteria showed susceptibility to Amikacin, Gentamicin, Netilmicin, and Piperacillin from (60-100%). The result of IgG antibodies by ELISA suggests that the Esherichia coli antigen may be an antigen with wide cross-reactivity, suitable for use as an objective test to identify Enterobacteriaceae urinary infection. Conclusion: High frequency of significant bacteriuria particularly Gram-negative isolates were revealed in the geriatric population, with an increase of gram-negative isolates and bacterial antibiotic resistance was very common.