Now recognized as a global health crisis, obesity has been linked to an increased risk of many types of cancer, including those of the breast, colon, rectum, uterus, gallbladder, and ovary. Obesity and cancer share several characteristics at the cellular, molecular, and epigenetic levels. Obesity is characterized by chronic inflammation of the adipose tissue (AT), resulting in genotoxic stress that further induces metabolic complications and contributes to the initiation and progression of cancer. The excessive accumulation of AT provides adipokines and lipids to engage tumor cells with stromal and immune cells to infiltrate carcinomas and secrete a plethora of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors within the tumor microenvironment (TME) that contribute to carcinogenesis. Obesity also alters the metabolic reprogramming of immune cells, including macrophages, neutrophils, and T cells, thereby providing a suitable environment for the growth and progression of cancer. Obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation also perturbs the gut microbiome, which produces metabolites that can further increase the risk of cancer progression. This review will discuss links between obesity and cancer progression, including several crucial pathways that bridge the crosstalk between obesity-associated changes in AT inflammation, immune cells, adipokines, chemokines, and tumor cells to support cancer progression. We will also discuss our insights into the mechanisms by which obesity-driven factors influence metabolic reprogramming and touch base on how obesity mediates microbiome dysbiosis to alter metabolite and affect cancer progression. Altogether, this review highlights the crossroads of the obesity-cancer axis, describes its salient features, and presents possible therapeutic approaches for obesity-related cancers.

Aims: Providing safe drinking water is an ongoing global concern. Coagulation is an essential process in water treatment. However, most of the coagulants are chemical in nature and have negative impacts on human health and the environment. This study investigated the production of myco-coagulant in solid-state fermentation using a fungal strain. Methodology and results: A scale-up was performed using the tray method to investigate the influence of substrate thickness (from 2-30 mm) on myco-coagulant production. The results revealed that the turbidity removal efficiency of myco-coagulant in kaolin suspension was found to be increasing with the increase in thickness of the coco peat substrate. However, the myco-coagulant extracted from the media with a thickness of 30 mm was able to remove the highest turbidity by 96%. Three different subculturing methods for mycelium inoculation were evaluated. The surface inoculation approach produced better results than other inoculation processes. The effect of initial turbidity values (50-300 NTU) on turbidity removal was studied too. The myco-coagulant was found to be the most suitable for high-turbidity water (300 NTU) with turbidity removal of 52%. Subculturing of fungus from solid-state to solid-state was also studied, which showed that the strategy was just as effective as an inoculum-based subculture. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Excellent bio-coagulation activity has been shown for the myco-coagulant that was isolated from the fungus strain. Subculturing using existing substrates will be more economical than subculturing using fresh inoculum. This strategy saves time, labour and cost of the coagulant production.

Objective: To analyze the phytochemical constituents responsible for the plausible antioxidant effect of methanolic extract of the seed, pulp and peel of Baccaurea ramiflora Lour. Methods: Fresh seed, pulp, and peel of Baccaurea ramiflora fruits were extracted with methanol (MEBRse, MEBRpu, MEBRpe) and evaluated by phytochemical analysis for their content of innumerable metabolites (primary and secondary) viz. carbohydrates, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, phenols, terpenoids, flavonoids, proteins, and fixed oils. The antioxidant efficacy was assessed through different assay methods viz. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and reducing power capacity (RPC). Estimation of total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) was also done to confirm the presence of these phytochemicals. Results: It was revealed from the phytochemical analysis of MEBRse that alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, phenols, and flavonoids were present, while that of MEBRpu showed the existence of carbohydrates, proteins, alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, saponins, flavonoids, and fixed oils. Presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, phenols, tannins, flavonoids, and terpenoids were found in the MEBRpe. A significant antioxidant activity was revealed by the MEBRpu [EC