ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has generated a lot of non-degradable biohazardous plastic waste across the globe in the form of disposable surgical and N95 masks, gloves, face shields, syringes, bottles and plastic storage containers. In the present work we address this problem by recycling plastic waste to single system white light emitting carbon dots (CDs) using a pyrolytic method. The synthesized CDs have been embedded into a transparent polymer to form a carbon dot phosphor. This CD phosphor has a broad emission bandwidth of 205 nm and is stable against photo degradation for about a year. A white LED with CRI â¼70 and CIE co-ordinates of (0.25, 0.32) using the fabricated CD phosphor is reported. Further our phosphor is scalable and is environmentally sustainable, and will find wide application in next generation artificial lighting systems.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has generated a lot of non-degradable biohazardous plastic waste across the globe in the form of disposable surgical and N95 masks, gloves, face shields, syringes, bottles and plastic storage containers. In the present work we address this problem by recycling plastic waste to single system white light emitting carbon dots (CDs) using a pyrolytic method. The synthesized CDs have been embedded into a transparent polymer to form a carbon dot phosphor. This CD phosphor has a broad emission bandwidth of 205 nm and is stable against photo degradation for about a year. A white LED with CRI ∼70 and CIE co-ordinates of (0.25, 0.32) using the fabricated CD phosphor is reported. Further our phosphor is scalable and is environmentally sustainable, and will find wide application in next generation artificial lighting systems. Recycling of plastic waste to white LEDs.
ABSTRACT
In 2020, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. As of the date of this writing, a total of 116 M cases has been diagnosed worldwide leading to 2.5 M deaths. The number of mortalities is directly correlated with the rise of innate immune cells (especially macrophages) in the lungs that secrete inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß and IL-6) leading to the development of "Cytokine Storm Syndrome" (CSS), multi-organ-failure and death. Given that currently the treatment of this condition is rare and release of effective vaccine might be months away, here, we review the plants and their pharmacologically active-compounds as potential phytopharmaceuticals for the virus induced inflammatory response. Experimental validation of the effectiveness of these natural compounds to prevent or reduce the cytokine storm might be beneficial as an adjunct treatment of SARS-CoV-2.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Cytokine Release Syndrome/prevention & control , Phytotherapy/methods , Plant Extracts/therapeutic use , Plants, Medicinal/chemistry , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/virology , Cytokine Release Syndrome/immunology , Cytokines/immunology , Cytokines/metabolism , Humans , Macrophages/drug effects , Macrophages/immunology , Macrophages/metabolism , Plants, Medicinal/classification , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , Virulence/drug effects , Virulence/immunologyABSTRACT
The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) imposed public health emergency and affected millions of people around the globe. As of January 2021, 100 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 along with more than 2 million deaths were reported worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 infection causes excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines thereby leading to the development of "Cytokine Storm Syndrome." This condition results in uncontrollable inflammation that further imposes multiple-organ-failure eventually leading to death. SARS-CoV-2 induces unrestrained innate immune response and impairs adaptive immune responses thereby causing tissue damage. Thus, understanding the foremost features and evolution of innate and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is crucial in anticipating COVID-19 outcomes and in developing effective strategies to control the viral spread. In the present review, we exhaustively discuss the sequential key immunological events that occur during SARS-CoV-2 infection and are involved in the immunopathogenesis of COVID-19. In addition to this, we also highlight various therapeutic options already in use such as immunosuppressive drugs, plasma therapy and intravenous immunoglobulins along with various novel potent therapeutic options that should be considered in managing COVID-19 infection such as traditional medicines and probiotics.