The occurrence of micropollutants and dyes in water sources has sparked alarm due to their significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health. This study aims to utilize the tire pyrolyzed carbon (TPC) as a source of the adsorbent for removing Bisphenol A (BPA) and Methylene Blue (MB). The adsorbent was synthesized by chemical activation of TPC with KOH at 750 °C. The activated TPC was characterized for different physical and chemical characterization techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, XPS, and TPD and exhibits a higher adsorption capacity of 49.2 and 72.1 mg/g respectively for BPA and MB. The effect of initial concentration, dosage of adsorbent, and initial pH are evaluated for BPA and MB. The adsorption is mainly driven by hydrophobic, electrostatic, π-π interactions, and hydrogen bonding. The removal process follows the second order and Langmuir isotherms. The adsorbent shows excellent recyclability which makes it a potential source of removal of different water-borne pollutants. The production of activated carbon from tire waste is advocated for its economic and environmental benefits.

Clodronate (Clod), a first-generation bisphosphonate, acts as a natural analgesic inhibiting vesicular storage of the nociception mediator ATP by vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT). Epidermal keratinocytes participate in cutaneous nociception, accumulating ATP within vesicles, which are released following different stimulations. Under stress conditions, keratinocytes produce microvesicles (MVs) by shedding from plasma membrane evagination. MV secretion has been identified as a novel and universal mode of intercellular communication between cells. The aim of this project was to evaluate if two nociceptive stimuli, Capsaicin and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH), could stimulate MV shedding from human keratinocytes, if these MVs could contain ATP, and if Clod could inhibit this phenomenon. In our cellular model, the HaCaT keratinocyte monolayer, both Capsaicin and KOH stimulated MV release after 3 h incubation, and the released MVs contained ATP. Moreover, Clod (5 µM) was able to reduce Caps-induced MV release and abolish the one KOH induced, while the Dansylcadaverine, an endocytosis inhibitor of Clod uptake, partially failed to block the bisphosphonate activity. Based on these new data and given the role of the activation of ATP release by keratinocytes as a vehicle for nociception and pain, the \"old\" bisphosphonate Clodronate could provide the pharmacological basis to develop new local analgesic drugs.

Solid waste resulting from bauxite ore (red mud) was converted into useful products consisting in hydrogarnet together with zeolite. Red mud (RM) transformation from disposal material into new source was carried out using potassium hydroxide as an activator and hydrothermal process (HY) or vapor phase crystallization (VPC) approach. HY process was performed at 60, 90, and 130 °C whereas during the VPC method, red mud was contacted only with vapor from the distilled water heated at 60 and 90 °C. The results indicate the formation of katoite and zeolite L (LTL topology) with both approaches. All the synthetic products display magnetic properties. In addition, a preliminary investigation on arsenic removal from drinking water (from 59 to 86%), makes the synthetic materials appealing for environmental applications. Finally, the synthesis of a large amount of very useful newly-formed phases using vapor molecules confirms the efficiency of the innovative and green VPC process in waste material transformation.

Replacing petroleum-based plastics with biodegradable polymers is a major challenge for modern society especially for food packaging applications. To date, poly(lactic acid) represents 25 % of the total biodegradable plastics and it is estimated that, in the future, it could become the main contributor to the biodegradable plastics industry. Anaerobic digestion is an interesting way for the poly(lactic acid) end of life, even if its biodegradability is limited in mesophilic conditions. The aims of this study were to identify the best pre-treatment for maximizing the methane yield, minimizing the anaerobic digestion duration and limiting residual plastic fragments in the digestate. A systematic comparison was carried out between thermal, chemical, and thermo-chemical pre-treatment. Pre-treatment with 4 M KOH for 48 h at 35°C was effective in improving the mesophilic anaerobic digestion of the poly(lactic acid). Such pre-treatment allows obtaining 90 % of the theoretical methane potential, in 24 - 30 days. Importantly, such pre-treatment completely solubilized the poly(lactic acid), leaving no solid residues in the digestate. In addition, using KOH permits to avoid the sodication of the soil due to the digestate application as fertilizer.

Water being the most important fluid supporting the life as well as industry is getting sparse and polluted day by day. Activated carbon (AC) can be utilized in various applications of significant environmental impact and sustainable living such as carbon dioxide sensing and capturing, air purification, and water recycling. However, in the wake of the recent corona pandemic which resulted in global lockdown and took the entire world by shock, a cost-effective and simple synthesis of such a useful material remains dire need of time. Therefore, this paper describes a simple and cost-effective synthesis of activated carbon (AC) of high porosity and surface area derived from the pruning of conocarpus and azadirachta trees. In reference to the study under consideration, alongside numerous others, a furnace was employed to synthesize activated carbon. However, our approach utilized a more conventional methodology wherein the environmental parameters were not optimized. In furnace-based procedures, factors such as temperature, pressure, and humidity are meticulously regulated, contrasting with the conventional methodologies where such parameters lack optimal control. Consequently, employing a furnace does not constitute a cost-effective approach for the physical activation of organic samples thus proving a furnace is not imperative for physical activation. The synthesis was carried out by physical activation in the form of carbonization followed by chemical activation with potassium hydroxide (KOH). The influence of activated carbon from each pruning over filtration of water containing industrial dye was investigated. Activation temperature and impregnation ratio of 600-800 °C and 1:5 were selected respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) for all AC samples indicted the appearance of broad peaks at 2θ value of 20-30° which confirms the presence of carbon in the sample. The physical morphology arrangement by SEM analysis showed uneven arrangement of pores of conocarpus which indicated higher iodine number and hence higher adsorption capacity of 442.13 mg/g.

UNASSIGNED: Fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS) cases are not exiguous for the world. However, their spike as a postCOVID sequelae has alarmed the world, especially India. Adding to the woes is the high mortality rate and poor prognosis associated with acute invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (AIFR) in such immunocompromised patients. In such a scenario, early and precise diagnosis of AIFR is what a patient and physician banks upon. KOH and histopathology are the two frontline investigations for the diagnosis of FRS. Our study aimed at analyzing the cases of FRS by histopathology and comparing these with KOH.
UNASSIGNED: Prospective longitudinal study including suspected postCOVID FRS patients over a period of 1.5 months. Their clinical, histopathological, and KOH findings were then correlated.
UNASSIGNED: About 72.5% clinically suspected fungal infection specimens were found to be positive for fungal elements on histopathology. Of these, only 30 cases were positive by KOH mount. Maximum patients belonged to 40-70 years of age; males (67%) more than females. Sites involved were paranasal sinuses (100%), nasal (88%), and orbital (25%). Histopathology revealed mucormycosis (100%) and aspergillosis (16%). Angioinvasion was identified in 38% of the mucormycosis cases.
UNASSIGNED: In a state of crisis, when the gold standard for fungal identification i.e., culture can take as many as 21 days for final report and early and judicious antifungal treatment is sine qua non of recovery, histopathology has proved to be better than KOH as far as early and precise diagnosis of fungal elements and their invasion is concerned.

Waste calcium carbide slags (CS), which are widely applied to desulfurisation, are not typically used in denitration. Herein, to well achieve waste control by waste, a facile and high-efficiency denitration strategy is developed using KOH to modify the calcium carbide slags (KCS). Various KCS samples were investigated using a series of physical and chemical characterisations. The performance test results showed that the KOH concentration and reaction temperature are the main factors affecting the denitration efficiency of KCS, and CS modified with 1.5 mol/L KOH (KCS-1.5) can achieve 100% denitration efficiency at 300°C. Such excellent removal efficiency is due to the catalytic oxidation of the oxygen-containing functional groups derived from the KCS. Further studies showed that KOH treatment significantly increased the concentration of oxygen vacancies, nitro compounds, and basic sites of CS. This study provides a novel strategy for the resource utilisation of waste CS in the future.

The development of coal-based activated carbon for supercapacitors provides a robust and effective approach toward the clean and efficient use of coal, and it also offers high-quality and low-cost raw materials for energy storage devices. However, the one-step activation method for preparing coal-based activated carbon has problems, such as difficulty in introducing surface-functional groups and high KOH dosage. In our work, activated carbon was prepared through an effective strategy of oxidation and KOH activation with a low KOH content by employing coal-based carbon dots as raw material. The influence of temperature during the KOH activation of carbon dots on a specific surface area, pore structure, and various quantities and types of surface-functional groups, as well as on the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors, was systematically studied. The as-prepared sample, with the alkali-carbon ratio of 0.75, processes a large specific surface area (1207 m2 g-1) and abundant surface-functional groups, which may provide enormous active sites and high wettability, thus bringing in high specific capacitance and boosted electrochemical performances. The oxygen and nitrogen content of the activated carbon decreases while the carbon content increases, and the activation temperature also increases. The as-prepared activated carbon reaches the highest specific capacitance of 202.2 F g-1 in a 6 M KOH electrolyte at a current density of 10 A g-1. This study provides new insight into the design of high-performance activated carbon and new avenues for the application of coal-based carbon dots.

Porous-activated carbons have drawn great attention due to their important role in CO2 capture. Ni(NO3)2/KOH, as co-catalysts under different temperatures, were studied to obtain porous graphitized carbon from Sargassum horneri feedstock. The results indicated that the properties of the porous graphitized carbon generated at 850 °C were greatly enhanced, showing a large specific surface area of 1486.38 cm3·g-1 with narrowly distributed micropores (~0.67 nm) and abundant functional groups, which endowed high CO2 uptake; moreover, the high CO2 uptake was mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of Ni(NO3)2 and KOH, both in chemical modification and pore formation. The fitted values of the four kinetic models showed that the double exponential model provided the best description of carbon adsorption, indicating both physical and chemical adsorption. It is worth noting that carbon could be reused four times in the adsorption/desorption procedure in this research with good stability. This work focuses on the high-value-added comprehensive utilization of macroalgae, which not only is important for high-performance adsorbent preparation but also has positive benefits for the development and utilization of macroalgae resources.

UNASSIGNED: During the present surge of COVID-19 positive cases, concurrent multifold increase in the incidence of mucormycosis cases has resulted into significant morbidity and mortality. We retrospectively evaluated the clinicopathological features along with microbiological examination findings in histologically diagnosed cases of rhino-orbital mucormycosis.
UNASSIGNED: All the H and E and special stained slides of included mucormycosis cases were retrieved from the records and were evaluated with microbiological findings including screening KOH mount examination and culture results.
UNASSIGNED: Out of 16 cases with available details, 10 cases had the previous history of diabetes mellitus. The most frequent single site of involvement was maxillary sinus (7/25) followed by nasal cavity, orbit, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses. While comparing the histological diagnosis with KOH mount findings and culture results, 15 cases revealed consistent results.
UNASSIGNED: A high clinical suspicion, monitoring, early diagnosis, and timely management can improve the morbidity and mortality of this life-threatening complication.