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Background: Identification of molecules having dual capabilities to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia and oxidative stress is one of the therapeutic approaches to treat diabetes mellitus. In this connection, a library of benzofuran-linked chalcone derivatives were evaluated for their dual action. Methods: A series of substituted benzofuran-linked chalcones (2–33) were synthesized and tested for α-amylase inhibitory as well as 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino- bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activities. Results: All compounds showed α-amylase inhibitory activity ranging from IC50 = 12.81 ± 0.03 to 87.17 ± 0.15 μM, compared with the standard acarbose (IC50 = 13.98 ± 0.03 μM). Compounds also demonstrated radical scavenging potential against DPPH and ABTS radicals. Conclusion: The identified compounds may serve as potential leads for further advanced research.

OBJECTIVES: To determine patient satisfaction in terms of various services such as ease of getting care, in-patient admission, waiting for check-up, staff interaction, medical care, cost of care, and cleanliness in a Tertiary Care Government Hospital. METHODOLOGY: The study design was cross sectional observational. A total of 200 patients meeting our inclusion criteria were enrolled through convenient sampling techniques in this research study. A well-designed questionnaire was used for data collection of admitted patients. RESULTS: Out of 200 patients, 96 (48%) male and 104 (47%) female patients were interviewed. 72% were satisfied with clinical care services, 14% had mixed views while 14% patients were not satisfied at all. CONCLUSION: Patients in general showed their satisfaction in some of the aspects, however, keeping in view the burden a public sector hospital absorbs on a daily basis, and it was imperative to receive unsatisfactory feedback from patients in most of the aspects. Thus, the results of my study recommend to the health care leaders to take practical steps to bring further improvement by developing a proper mechanism for the uplift of public sector hospitals.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most chronic metabolic disorders. Since past few years, our research group had synthesized and evaluated libraries of heterocyclic compounds against α and β-glucosidase enzymes and found encouraging results. The current study comprises of evaluation of indane-1,3-dione as antidiabetic agents based on our previously reported results obtained from closely related moiety isatin and its derivatives. Objective: A library of twenty three indane-1,3-dione derivatives (1-23) was synthesized and evaluated for α and β-glucosidase inhibitions. Moreover, in silico docking studies were carried out to investigate the putative binding mode of selected compounds with the target enzyme. Methods: The indane-1,3-dione derivatives (1-23) were synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation of different substituted benzaldehydes with indane-1,3-dione under basic condition. The structures of synthetic molecules were deduced by using different spectroscopic techniques, including 1H-, 13C-NMR, EI-MS, and CHN analysis. Compounds (1-23) were evaluated for α and β-glucosidase inhibitions by adopting the literature protocols. Result: Off twenty three, eleven compounds displayed good to moderate activity against α- glucosidase enzyme, nonetheless, all compounds exhibited less than 50% inhibition against β- glucosidase enzyme. Compounds 1, 14, and 23 displayed good activity against α-glucosidase enzyme with IC50 values of 2.80 ± 0.11, 0.76 ± 0.01, and 2.17 ± 0.18 μM, respectively. The results have shown that these compounds have selectively inhibited the α-glucosidase enzyme. The in silico docking studies also supported the above results and showed different types of interactions of synthetic molecules with the active site of enzyme. Conclusion: The compounds 1, 14, and 23 have shown good inhibition against α-glucosidase and may potentially serve as lead for the development of new therapeutic representatives.

Benzimidazole scaffolds are known to have a diverse range of biological activities and found to be antidiabetic and antioxidant. In this study, a variety of arylated benzimidazoles 1–31 were synthesized. Except for compounds 1, 6, 7, and 8, all are new derivatives. All compounds were screened for α-amylase inhibitory, 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities. In vitro screening results revealed that all molecules demonstrated significant α-amylase inhibition with IC50 values of 1.86 ± 0.08 to 3.16 ± 0.31 μM as compared to standard acarbose (IC50 = 1.46 ± 0.26 μM). However, compounds showed significant ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging potentials with IC50 values in the range of 1.37 ± 0.21 to 4.00 ± 0.10 μM for ABTS and 1.36 ± 0.09 to 3.60 ± 0.20 μM for DPPH radical scavenging activities when compared to ascorbic acid with IC50 values of 0.72 ± 0.21 and 0.73 ± 0.05 μM for ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging potentials, respectively. Structure–activity relationship (SAR) was established after critical analysis of varying substitution effects on α-amylase inhibitory and radical scavenging (ABTS and DPPH) potentials. However, molecular docking was also performed to figure out the active participation of different groups of synthetic molecules during binding with the active pocket of the α-amylase enzyme.

Aryl hydrazones bearing thiazolyl coumarin hybrids 1–32 were prepared by following 'one-pot' two-steps reaction scheme. Various arylaldehydes were reacted to thiosemicarbazide under acidic condition to form aryl thiosemicarbazone intermediates which in turn treated with 3-bromoacetyl coumarin under basic condition to afford thiazolyl coumarin hybrids 1–32. All hybrids were recognized by EI- and HREI-MS and 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 1–32 were screened for in vitro inhibitory activity against urease enzyme and displayed good to moderate inhibitory potential in the ranges of IC50 = 16.29 ± 1.1–256.30 ± 1.4 µM. Worth stating that compound 21 (IC50 = 16.29 ± 1.1 µM) was identified as more potent urease inhibitor than the standard acetohydroxamic acid (IC50 = 27.0 ± 0.5 µM). Derivatives 19 (IC50 = 77.67 ± 1.5 µM) and 30 (IC50 = 71.21 ± 1.6 µM) were found to be moderately active. Structure–activity relationship revealed that -F, -Cl, -OH, and -OMe groups and their respective positions on aryl ring are playing important role in urease enzyme inhibition. Molecular docking studies identified important interaction between the ligand (active hybrids) and urease active site.

N-Aryl-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline carbothioamide analogues 1-22 were synthesized by a simple one-step reaction protocol and subjected to in vitro urease inhibition studies for the first time. All compounds 1-22 were found active and showed significant to moderate urease inhibitory potential. Specifically, analogues 1, 2, 4, and 7 were identified to be more potent (IC50 = 11.2 ± 0.81-20.4 ± 0.22 μM) than the standard thiourea (IC50 = 21.7 ± 0.34 μM). The structure-activity relationship showed that compounds bearing electron-donating groups showed superior activity. Molecular docking study on the most active derivatives revealed a good protein-ligand interaction profile against the corresponding target with key interactions, including hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, and π-anion interactions.

Youth enters universities to engage in reasonable occupations in the future. Different organizations demand employees who have high emotional intelligence (EI) as well as good organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Universities struggle to nurture these skills among the students . The present study explored the association between students' EI and their OCB . The study was descriptive and 650 students from two universities of Punjab were selected as a sample through simple random sampling. A questionnaire-based on two self-reporting scales was developed as a survey instrument to measure students' EI and OCB . The collected data were examined employing descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. Results demonstrated that university students possessed a high level of EI and OCB. Moreover, students' EI was directly correlated with their OCB. The study exhibits that expressions of emotions intelligently together with the expressions of OCB eventually enhance students' academic performance that is subsequently improving the performance of the universities.

Purpose of the study: The study aimed to discover the learning strategies of distance learners and their relationship with their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Methodology: The study followed a quantitative correlational research design. The study sample comprised 550 female and male students enrolled as distance learners at the university level. The tool of learning strategies MSLQ was adopted from Pintrich et al. (1991) and the scale of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was adopted from Lepper et al. (2005). The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Main Findings: The findings of the inquiry concluded that the learning strategies of distance learners were directly associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Applications of this study: This study is applicable to assess the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of distance learners enrolled at the university level. Moreover, this study is helpful to understand the relationship between the motivation of learners and their learning styles. Novelty/Originality of this study: Much of the research work has been done in the mainstream education sector, but there is a shortage of empirical data on the relationship between the learning styles of distance learners and their motivation. Thus, this research could be a torchbearer in this area.

Purpose of the study: This research study explores the relationship between life satisfaction, self-esteem, and academic performance of university students. Methodology: A quantitative approach was used to explore the relationship among life satisfaction, self-esteem, and academic performance of university students. In this study, a survey method was employed to collect quantitative data on life satisfaction, self-esteem, and academic performance from 575 students studying in three different public universities of Punjab (Pakistan). A self-esteem scale as a survey instrument initially developed by Rosenberg (1965) and a life satisfaction scale developed by Gilligan and Huebner (2002) were used to collect data. A third scale was developed by the researchers to measure the students’ academic performance. The assembled data were statistically examined using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation by using SPSS 20th Version. Results: Findings of the study reveal that the level of life satisfaction among university students is comparatively higher than the presence of self-esteem and academic performance. Findings of the study show significant positive associations of university students’ academic performance with their life satisfaction and self-esteem. Applications of this study: This study helps strengthen the factors that promote university students’ academic performance. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of this study is to explore the relationship among life satisfaction, self-esteem, and academic performance of university students for strengthening different dimensions of life satisfaction and self-esteem which ultimately promote university students’ academic performance.

Purpose of the study: This research study aims to measure the entrepreneurial attitude of female university students and investigates the factors contributing to the development of entrepreneurial attitude among female students in Pakistan. The core objective of the study was to develop entrepreneurial attitudes among females and make them capable to adopt small-scale businesses. Methodology: A quantitative approach was employed to measure the entrepreneurial attitude of female students and further exploring different factors affecting the attitude of female students towards adopting the business as a career option. In this study, a survey method was used in which quantitative data on female students’ entrepreneurial attitude and different affecting factors were collected from 2576 female students from eight public sector universities located in Punjab province. The entrepreneurial attitude scale was used as a survey instrument originally developed by Ali, Topping, and Tariq (2011) and further modified by the researchers to measure the entrepreneurial attitude of female students. A factor-based scale was developed to measure the effect of these factors on female students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression techniques by using SPSS 16th Version. Results: Findings of multiple regression analysis exhibits that the role of education is the best contributor to the female students’ entrepreneurial attitude. The other contributing factors are family support, technological assistance, business environment, and social support but their contribution is small whereas government initiatives and legal provisions were not supportive for developing entrepreneurial attitudes among female students. Applications of this study: This study can be useful for arranging entrepreneurial career development programs for the development of the entrepreneurial attitude among female students and make them capable to start their entrepreneurial endeavours. Novelty/Originality of this study: The novelty of this study was to investigate the effects of different familial, social, educational, political, environmental, and legal factors on female students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of female university students about their social and educational careers and factors that may promote or hinder their efforts to achieve their targets. Method: Mixed method research design was followed to achieve the research objectives. Three thousand female university students were selected following a multiphase sampling technique to participate in the close-ended questionnaire that was used to collect the quantitative data in the first phase of data collection. Forty female students were randomly selected from the already selected pool of students in the second phase of data collection. An interview schedule was used to collect qualitative data from these 40 students. The qualitative data were analyzed with the help of NVivo following a thematic analysis approach Main Findings: The results showed that the female university students are ready to move forward in their education and contribute effectively in the social spheres of life. Various educational, social, academic, and financial factors that hinder achieving their goals are also identified. Applications of the Study: The results help to make educational activities more systematic, modern, and target-oriented. Novelty/Originality of the Study: The activity contributes to identifying solutions to problems that are associated with the female students’ empowerment and engagement in social and economic activities.

A variety of dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives (1–37) were synthesized via “one-pot” three-component reaction scheme by treating aniline and different aromatic aldehydes with isatoic anhydride in the presence of acetic acid. Chemical structures of compounds were deduced by different spectroscopic techniques including EI-MS, HREI-MS, 1H-, and 13C-NMR. Compounds were subjected to α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities. A number of derivatives exhibited significant to moderate inhibition potential against α-amylase (IC50 = 23.33 ± 0.02—88.65 ± 0.23 μM) and α-glucosidase (IC50 = 25.01 ± 0.12—89.99 ± 0.09 μM) enzymes, respectively. Results were compared with the standard acarbose (IC50 = 17.08 ± 0.07 μM for α-amylase and IC50 = 17.67 ± 0.09 μM for α-glucosidase). Structure–activity relationship (SAR) was rationalized by analyzing the substituents effects on inhibitory potential. Kinetic studies were implemented to find the mode of inhibition by compounds which revealed competitive inhibition for α-amylase and non-competitive inhibition for α-glucosidase. However, in silico study identified several important binding interactions of ligands (synthetic analogues) with the active site of both enzymes.

Functionalized quinazolinone derivatives 1–30 were synthesized by two-step reaction. First, anthranilic acid was treated with substituted phenyl isothiocyanate to synthesize 3-aryl-2-thioxo-2,3-dihydroquinazolinone derivatives 1–8 which in turn reacted with different bromoacetophenone derivatives to obtain fully functionalized quinazolinone derivatives 9–30. Both reactions were catalyzed by triethylamine. All the products were characterized by EI-, HREI-MS, 1H-, and 13CNMR spectroscopic techniques. All compounds were subjected to their in vitro α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Results showed that except compound 1–3, 5, 7, and 22, all compounds were found potent and showed many folds increased α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition as compared to standard acarbose (IC50 = 750.0 ± 10.0 µM). Compound 13 (IC50 = 85.0 ± 0.5 µM) was recognized as the most potent analog of the whole series, with ninefold enhanced inhibitory potential than the standard acarbose. Compounds 1–9, 11, 12, 22, and 26 were structurally known compounds, while remaining all are new. Kinetic study on compound 13 showed that the compound is following a competitive-type inhibition mechanism. Furthermore, in silico studies have also been performed to better rationalize the interactions between synthetic compound and active site of the enzyme.

Indole-3-acetamides (1–24) were synthesized via coupling of indole-3-acetic acid with various substituted anilines in the presence of coupling reagent 1,1-carbonyldiimidazole. The structures of synthetic molecules were elucidated through different spectroscopic techniques including electron ionization-mass spectroscopy (EI-MS), 1H-, 13C NMR, and high-resolution EI-MS (HREI-MS). These compounds were screened for their antihyperglycemic and antioxidant potentials. All compounds displayed good to moderate inhibition against α-amylase enzyme with IC50 values ranging between 1.09 ± 0.11 and 2.84 ± 0.1 μM compared to the standard acarbose (IC50 = 0.92 ± 0.4 μM). Compound 15 (IC50 = 1.09 ± 0.11 μM) was the most active compound of the series and exhibited good inhibition against α-amylase; in addition, this compound also exhibited good antioxidant potential with IC50 values of 0.35 ± 0.1 and 0.81 ± 0.25 μM in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays, respectively. The binding interactions of synthetic molecules with the enzyme’s active site were confirmed via in silico studies. The current study had identified a number of lead molecules as potential antihyperglycemic and antioxidant agents.

Background: A number of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including aspirin, indomethacin, ibuprofen, flufenamic acid, and phenylbutazone are being clinically used to treat inflammatory disorders. These NSAIDs are associated with serious side effects such as gastric ulceration, nephrotoxicity, and bleeding. Therefore, the identification of potent and safe therapy for inflammatory disorders is still of great interest to the medicinal chemist. Methods: A series of varyingly substituted benzoyl, acetyl, alkyl ester, and sulfonate ester substituted coumarins 1-64 were screened for the inhibition of ROS, generated from zymosan activated whole blood phagocytes, using luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence technique. Results: Among all tested compounds, 8 (IC50 = 65.0 ± 3.1 μM), 24 (IC50 = 41.8 ± 1.5 μM), 26 (IC50 = 10.6 ± 2.8 μM), 28 (IC50 = 20.9 ± 1.5 μM), and 41 (IC50 = 4.6 ± 0.3 μM) showed good anti- inflammatory potential as compared to standard antiinflammatory drug ibuprofen (IC50 = 54.3 ± 1.9 μM). Specifically, compounds 24, 26, 28, and 41 showed superior activity than standard antiinflammatory drug. Furthermore, compounds 12 (IC50 = 219.0 ± 1.4 μM), 14 (IC50 = 216.5 ± 6.2 μM), 16 (IC50 = 187.4 ± 2.2 μM), and 20 (IC50 = 196.2 ± 2.0 μM) showed moderate ROS inhibitory activity. Limited SAR study revealed that the hydroxy-substituted compound showed better ROS inhibition potential in case of 3-benzoyl and 3-ethylester coumarin derivatives. Whereas, chloro substitution was found to be important in case of 3-acetyl coumarin derivatives. Similarly, in case of sulfonate ester, chloro, and nitro groups especially at positions -4 and -3 of ring “R” played vital role in ROS inhibition. Furthermore, cytotoxicity of all active compounds was also checked on NIH-3T3 cell line. Compounds 12, 14, and 20 were found to be non-cytotoxic. Whereas, 8, 16, 24, 26, 28, and 41 were found to be very weak cytotoxic as compared to standard cycloheximide (IC50 = 0.13 ± 0.02 μM). Conclusion: Identified ROS inhibitors offer the possibility of additional modifications that could give rise to lead structures for further research in order to obtain more potent, and safer antiinflammatory agent.

Scaffold varied dihydropyrimidone derivatives 1–20 were evaluated for their selective urease inhibitory kinetics potential. Compounds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 12 were found to be the most promising urease inhibitors and showed the inhibition (Ki values) within the range of 9.9 ± 0.5 to 18.3 ± 0.4 µM. Lineweaver–Burk plot, Dixon plot and their secondary replots confirm that all these molecules have followed competitive mode of inhibition. Docking arrangements (MOE) revealed that all the ligands bind in the active site and therefore compete with substrate urea. Molecular docking studies of all compounds have confirmed the binding interactions of various ligands with the amino acid residues as well as Ni atoms of active site. Furthermore, these compounds 1–20 were also tested for their cytotoxicity against human neutrophils and plants and were found to be non-toxic.

Generalized trust is the most common and natural concept. It plays an important role in society. It depends on the performance of public institutions. Generalized trust in public institutions creates a positive environment in society. The major purpose of the current study was to analyze the generalized trust of university students in public institutions. 600 students were randomly selected as a sample from four public universities of Punjab. The questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire demonstrated Cronbach Alpha Coefficients of more than .70. Findings revealed that generalized trust of students was higher on the military institution, but overall, students showed distrust in these institutions such as police, parliament. Results also showed that fighting terrorism, corruption, political pressure, poverty, lack of education are major problems faced by public institutions.

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aspirin, indomethacin, flufenamic acid and phenylbutazone are used to treat most of the inflammatory disorders. These NSAIDs are also associated with serious side effects including gastric ulceration, nephrotoxicity, and bleeding, mainly due to acidic nature. Hence, there is a need to identify highly potent and safer treatment for inflammatory disorders. Methods: Herein, synthetic hydrazinyl thiazole substituted coumarins and chromones 1-48 were evaluated for ROS inhibitory activity. ROS were generated from zymosan activated whole blood phagocytes. Results: Among all tested compounds, compounds 1 (IC50 = 38.3 ± 7.1 μM), 2 (IC50 = 5.7 ± 0.2 μM), 5 (IC50 = 28.3 ± 3.5 μM), 23 (IC50 = 12.5 ± 3.1 μM), 27 (IC50 = 32.8 ± 1.1 μM), 39 (IC50 = 20.2 ± 1.6 μM), and 42 (IC50 = 43.2 ± 3.8 μM) showed potent ROS inhibition as compared to standard ibuprofen (IC50 = 54.3 ± 1.9 μM). Whereas, compounds 3 (IC50 = 134.7 ± 1.0 μM), 16 (IC50 = 75.4 ± 7.2 μM), 24 (IC50 = 102.4 ± 1.0 μM), and 31 (IC50 = 86.6 ± 1.5 μM) were found to be moderately active. Compounds 1, 2, 5, 23, 27, 39, and 42, having potent ROS inhibitory activity were also screened for their nitric oxide (NO) inhibition. Cytotoxicity was also checked for all active compounds on NIH-3T3 cell line. Cyclohexamide (IC50 = 0.13 ± 0.02 μM) was used as standard. Conclusion: Identified active compounds from these libraries may serve as lead candidates for future research in order to obtain a more potent, and safer anti-inflammatory agent.

Novel ibuprofen derivatives 1–19 including ibuprofen hydrazide 1, and substituted thiourea derivatives 2–19 were synthesized and characterized by EI-MS, FAB-MS, HREI-MS, HRFAB-MS, 1H-, and 13C-NMR spectroscopic techniques. The synthetic molecules 1–19 were examined for their in vitro urease inhibition and were found to display a diversified degree of inhibitory potential in the range of IC50 = 2.96–178 μM as compared to the standard thiourea (IC50 = 21.32 ± 0.22 μM). Out of nineteen, thirteen derivatives 2–4, 6, 7, 9, 11–15, 17, and 18 demonstrated remarkable inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 2.96 ± 1.11 to 16.1 ± 1.07 μM, compound 5 exhibited moderate inhibition with IC50 value of 37.3 ± 0.41 μM, whereas, compounds 1, 8, and 10 demonstrated weak inhibition against urease enzyme. Almost all structural features are participating in the activity; however, limited structure–activity relationship was discussed on the basis of different structural features, i.e., different functional groups and their positions at aryl part. In addition, molecular docking study was performed in order to understand the ligands binding interactions with the active site of urease enzyme.

A convenient and facile CuCl2·2H2O catalyzed one-pot synthetic strategy was designed for the conversion of readily available dimedone into highly functionalized N-arylhydrazinecarbothioamide based indazole derivatives. The product yields were found to be moderate to good without purification requirements. Structural features of the synthetic compounds were confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques such as 1H NMR, 13C NMR, EI-MS, FAB-MS, HREI-MS, and HRFAB-MS. The reaction intermediates were also quenched and characterized. Plausible reaction mechanisms were also discussed. Keywords: One-pot synthesis, Dimedone, Indazole, Carbothioamides

Women’s empowerment is a concept describing the promotion of women doing things independently and in their own interests, being more conducive to their future and physical and mental development; this includes participation in different outdoor activities, including sports. This qualitative study presents data collected from 18 young female students at sports and physical education universities in Southern Punjab (SP) in Pakistan, selected using a snowball sampling technique. The current study explores their gendered and lived experiences of playing sports and engaging in physical activities in patriarchal systems by emphasizing the concept of women’s empowerment in the context of feminism in sports theory. The findings suggest that the participants faced typical gender stereotypes in their families and communities, which position sports and physical activities as being not feminine. The chances for women to participate in sports and physical activities decrease as they grow up. However, the participants used a range of strategies to advance their interests and academic careers in sports and physical activities by resisting and incorporating dominant discourses of women’s participation in sports and physical activities, which also has implications in the internal and external policy domains at the local and national levels. The participants displayed great resilience and optimism, empowering them to enter the male-dominated domains, and thus we labeled them as change agents.

Introduction: Antioxidants are known to prevent oxidative stress-induced damage to the biomolecules and thus, delay the onset of cancers and many age-related diseases. Therefore, the development of novel and potent antioxidants is justified. Method: During this study, we synthesized symmetrical Bis-Schiff bases of carbohydrazide 1-27, and evaluated their in vitro antioxidative activity and cytotoxic activity. Results: Among synthesized compounds, six compounds 20 (IC50 = 12.89 ± 0.02 μM), 16 (IC50 = 14.32 ± 0.43 μM), 17 (IC50 = 18.52 ± 0.83 μM), 19 (IC50 = 22.84 ± 0.62 μM), 24 (IC50 = 35.1 ± 0.82 μM) and 15 (IC50 = 40.03 ± 1.06 μM) showed an excellent 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, better than the standard butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA) (IC50 = 44.6 ± 0.6 μM). Likewise, two compounds 16 (IC50 = 4.3 ± 1.3 μM) and 20 (IC50 = 6.6 ± 1.6 μM) showed oxidative burst scavenging activity better than the standard drug ibuprofen (IC50 = 11.2 ± 1.9 μM). Some synthesized compounds showed good to moderate toxicity against prostate cancer (PC-3) cell lines. Conclusion: This study has identified potent antioxidants and good cytotoxic agents with the potential to further investigate.

A microwave-assisted diazotization reaction of ciprofloxacin was used for the analysis of ciprofloxacin in pharmaceutical samples. The ciprofloxacin was diazotized with phenol using acidified sodium nitrite in a domestic microwave oven. Faster microwave heating and microwave effects were found to be very effective for the process of diazotization. The microwave-assisted reaction was initiated in an acidic media and the colored product was stabilized in a slightly basic medium using a NaOH solution as a neutralizer. The product was found to exhibit the maximum absorbance at 440 nm. All of the experimental conditions like the concentration of reagents, microwave power and reaction time were optimized. The optimum concentrations for phenol, sodium nitrite, HCl and NaOH were found to be 140 ppm, 300 ppm, 0.006 M and 0.006 M respectively. The optimum reaction time was found to be 2 min and a medium high power of the microwave was found to be most effective. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 1.08 and 3.61 mg L-1 respectively. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of ciprofloxacin in pharmaceutical samples. This new spectrophotometric method for the analysis of ciprofloxacin is fast, sensitive, easy and cost effective.

The maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (as reflected by variable to maximum chlorophyll a fluorescence, Fv /Fm ) is regarded as one of the most important photosynthetic parameters. The genetic basis underlying natural variation in Fv /Fm , which shows low level of variations in plants under non-stress conditions, is not easy to be exploited using the conventional gene cloning approaches. Thus, in order to answer this question, we have followed another strategy: we used genome-wide association study (GWAS) and transgenic analysis in a rice mini-core collection. We report here that four single-nucleotide polymorphisms, located in the promoter region of β-glucosidase 5 (BGlu-5), are associated with observed variation in Fv /Fm . Indeed, our transgenic analysis showed a good correlation between BGlu-5 and Fv /Fm . Thus, our work demonstrates the feasibility of using GWAS to study natural variation in Fv /Fm , suggesting that cis-element polymorphism, affecting the BGlu-5 expression level, may, indirectly, contribute to Fv /Fm variation in rice through the gibberellin signaling pathway. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of our novel observation.