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Interfacing the output of severe accident analysis with the input of radiological consequence analysis is an important and mandatory procedure at the beginning of Level 3 PSA. Such interfacing between the severe accident analysis code MELCOR and MACCS, one of the most commonly used consequence analysis codes, is relatively tractable since they share the same chemical groups, and the related interfacing software, MelMACCS, has already been developed. However, the linking between MAAP, another frequently used code for severe accident analyses, and MACCS has difficulties because MAAP employs a different chemical grouping method than MACCS historically did. More specifically, MAAP groups by chemical compound, while MACCS groups by chemical element. An appropriate interfacing method between MAAP and MACCS has therefore long been requested by users. This study suggests a way of extracting relevant information from MAAP results and providing proper source term information to MACCS by an appropriate treatment. Various parameters are covered in terms of magnitude and manner of release in this study, and special treatment is made for a bypass scenario. It is expected that the suggested approach will provide an important contribution as a guide to interface MAAP and MACCS when performing radiological consequence analyses.

Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) is crucially involved in pain modulation and perception, and TRPM8 antagonists have been proposed as potential therapeutic approaches for pain treatment. Previously, we developed two TRPM8 antagonists and proposed them as drug candidates for topical and systemic pain treatment. Here, we describe the design and synthesis of these two TRPM8 antagonists (27 and 45) and the rational approach of modulation/replacement of bioisosteric chemical groups, which allowed us to identify a combination of narrow ranges of pKa and LogD values that were crucial to ultimately optimize their potency and metabolic stability. Following the same approach, we then pursued the development of new TRPM8 antagonists suitable for the topical treatment of ocular painful conditions and identified two new compounds (51 and 59), N-alkoxy amide derivatives, that can permeate across ocular tissue and reduce the behavioral responses induced by the topical ocular menthol challenge in vivo.

Polygonatum sibiricum (P. sibiricum) rhizomes are widely used as a tonic and functional food, and are often processed to enhance their tonic function by repeated steaming and drying. As the most important constituent, the polysaccharide from P. sibiricum rhizomes (PSP) has demonstrated various activities, but the alteration of structural characteristics and activities of the purified PSPs during steaming process was rarely investigated. To well understand the effect of steaming process on the polysaccharides of P. sibiricum, neutral polysaccharides from P. sibiricum rhizomes (PSP0 ~ PSP9) after steaming were first isolated and purified, and then the chemical properties and antioxidant activities were determined. The results showed that the molar ratios of monosaccharides in PSPs were different. The molecular weights of PSPs were increased significantly after the fourth steaming. Morphological studies showed that the surface of PSPs became much tighter during the steaming process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra displayed the polysaccharides had similar backbones and chemical groups. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of PSPs was measured through radical scavenging tests. It was found that the radical scavenging activity of PSPs was elevated strikingly after steaming, and increased gradually with numbers of steaming process. The biological and chemical variance of PSPs revealed considerable segregation of PSP0, PSP1 ~ PSP4 and PSP5 ~ PSP9. In conclusion, our results proposed the fourth time as the optimal number of steaming to extract functional polysaccharide from P. sibiricum rhizomes.

Today’s shortage of effective antimicrobial agents can be overcome by using antimicrobial peptides, which are produced naturally by a wide range of organisms, including microorganisms, plants, and mammals. Among these chemical groups, peptaibols are the well-known compounds with various biological activities, including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, antimycoplasmic, antitrypanosomal, and others. In this review, we summarize today’s knowledge on the sources, direct surface applications, and the mode of action of the peptaibols with anticancer and antifungal activity produced by filamentous fungi.

A novel approach, concentration-ordered NMR spectroscopy (CORDY), is being proposed based on the principle that the ratio of the NMR peak area to its associated number of spins is proportional to the concentration of the assigned compound. Besides, prior information of chemical shift distribution and line shape characteristics of different chemical groups is utilized to shrink the solution space. CORDY generates a pseudo-two-dimensional NMR spectrum with chemical shifts in one axis and concentrations in the other, resulting in both separation and quantitation of components in complex samples. The method was validated by application to three samples-a model mixture containing six amino acids, sugar-free Red Bull, and human urine. It was demonstrated that CORDY could successfully separate the components with up to 2 orders of magnitude in the concentration dimension for the samples used in the current study. In addition, a combination of CORDY and DOSY (CORDY-DOSY) has been found to be more efficient in resolving the molecules with similar concentrations or self-diffusion coefficients.

Despite recent advances, Chagas disease is still a public health issue that requires more efforts in order to develop efficient and safe drugs. Plants and fungi are the main source for semi-synthetic natural-inspired new molecules to treat human illness. In the present work, we summarize the main findings of natural-derived and semi-synthetic alkaloids against Trypanosoma cruzi. Over the last 10 years, at least seven alkaloids groups with structural modifications, including 130 molecules and almost 100 semi-synthetic compounds derived from natural alkaloids, including hybrids molecules, modifications of aliphatic chain extension, chemical groups, and heteroatoms, were analyzed for its toxicity over parasites and mammalian cells. According to the available data, there are a good number of promising natural and/or semi-synthetic alkaloids that would meet the criteria to become candidates in the drug discovery process against Trypanosoma cruzi parasites. Main scaffolds that deserve special attention are natural quinolones, isoquinolines, and semi-synthetic hybrids molecules.

Lentinus squarrosulus is a mushroom widely used in Gabon for its culinary and medicinal properties. The bioactive potential of mushrooms might be attributable to the presence of several pharmaceutically important mycocompounds that need to be ascertained scientifically. A study of the therapeutic potential of L. squarrosulus, the species of lignicolous fungus exploited in Gabon, was carried out on the basis of a chemical screening performed on three extracts in order to highlight different important chemical groups. This chemical screening was followed by a study of the fungus's antioxidant activity and prediction of its additional pharmacological activities. Chemical screening revealed that three extracts (aqueous, hydroethanolic, and ethanolic) of L. squarrosulus were almost free of tannins and were poor in total flavonoids and moderately rich in reducing sugars. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts were rich in total polyphenols, whereas aqueous and hydroethanolic extracts were rich in alkaloids. The aqueous extract was rich in saponosides and the hydroethanolic extract was rich in coumarins. The dosage of phenolic compounds confirmed the fungus's richness in total polyphenols, especially for aqueous and ethanolic extracts, its poverty in flavonoids and absence of tannins in ethanolic and hydroethanolic extracts. Regarding antioxidant activities, the results obtained for diphenyl picryl hydrazyl trapping tests showed that the different extracts tested had antioxidant activity ranging from low to moderate (0.12 ≤ antioxidant activity index [IAA] ≤ 0.6); the greatest activity was obtained with ethanolic extract (IAA = 0.6). Hence, we conclude that L. squarrosulus extracts can be used as easily accessible sources of natural antioxidants for potential preventative therapies.

Predicting ecological effects of contaminants remains challenging because of the sheer number of chemicals and their ambiguous role in biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships. We evaluate responses of experimental pond ecosystems to standardized concentrations of 12 pesticides, nested in four pesticide classes and two pesticide types. We show consistent effects of herbicides and insecticides on ecosystem function, and slightly less consistent effects on community composition. Effects of pesticides on ecosystem function are mediated by alterations in the abundance and community composition of functional groups. Through bottom-up effects, herbicides reduce respiration and primary productivity by decreasing the abundance of phytoplankton. The effects of insecticides on respiration and primary productivity of phytoplankton are driven by top-down effects on zooplankton composition and abundance, but not richness. By demonstrating consistent effects of pesticides on communities and ecosystem functions and linking pesticide-induced changes in functional groups of organisms to ecosystem functions, the study suggests that ecological risk assessment of registered chemicals could be simplified to synthetic chemical classes or types and groups of organisms with similar functions and chemical toxicities., The effects of pesticides on individual species could propagate into additional community-wide and ecosystem-level effects. Here the authors use a mesocosm experiment to test how a diverse array of herbicides and insecticides disrupt aquatic community structure and ecosystem function.

Quinones are a huge class of compounds capable with affluent and captivating chemistry. p-Benzoquinone (pBNZ) or 1,4-Benzoquinone is a quinone compound which is the key structural motif of numerous biologically active molecules including synthetic and natural products that craft interest in its biological exploration to assess their prospective therapeutic implication. It acquires immense therapeutic potential with least side effects based on the different substitutions on this core molecule. This moiety has a marvelous capability to regulate a varied range of different cellular pathways that can be investigated for various selective activities. p-Benzoquinones have been a requisite core for the development of novel therapeutic molecules. In this standalone review, emphasis has been given on the various synthetic and pharmacological approaches along with structure activity relationship studies that emphasized on the chemical groups responsible for evoking the pharmacological potential of p-benzoquinone derivatives. The review is focused on the chemical, pharmaceutical and medicinal aspects of synthetic and natural benzoquinone derivatives that are seen in large classes of important compounds. The natural occurrences of p-benzoquinone derivatives with different pharmacological significance are also reported in this review.

The problem of the development of adverse reactions as a result of the use of diagnostic and medicinal products (drugs) in medicine is becoming increasingly important. Patients more often note reactions to local anesthetics (LA) – 43.2 %, antibiotics – 18.8 %, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – 9.7 %, other drugs – 28.4 %. LA include two chemical groups: esters of benzoic acid (Ester-type anesthetics), which are potentially allergens, and amides (Amide-type anesthetics), which have virtually no allergenic potential. Based on the history for doctor is often difficult to assess the risk of allergic reactions, so if in the past the patient had a side effect of LA, then these drugs should be skin and provocative tests, having obtained the informed consent of the subject to conduct them. Skin prick tests are used for initial diagnosis in patients with suspected LA allergy. If the results of the pre-test and intradermal test are negative, a subcutaneous challenge test with LA is performed. Skin testing for suspected hypersensitivity (НS) of the delayed type begins with application (patch) tests and only with a negative result using an intradermal test with LA. Laboratory methods for diagnosing НS to LA are used much less often than skin and provocative tests, because for many drugs the appropriate methods have not been developed, as well as because it is a time-consuming and expensive method of diagnosis. Therapeutic tactics in the event of НS to LA include providing patients with emergency care in the development of anaphylaxis and treatment of other clinical manifestations of HS reactions in accordance with existing international and domestic protocols. Epinephrine, oxygen therapy, colloid/crystalloid infusions, antihistamines, systemic and topical corticosteroids, protease inhibitors, inhaled β2-agonists, leukotriene receptor antagonists, etc. are most commonly used for this purpose.

Background: Bioisosteric replacement is widely used in drug design for lead optimization. However, the identification of a suitable bioisosteric group is not an easy task. Methods: In this work, we present MolOpt, a web server for in silico drug design using bioisosteric transformation. Potential bioisosteric transformation rules were derived from data mining, deep generative machine learning and similarity comparison. MolOpt tries to assist the medicinal chemist in his/her search for what to make next. Results and Discussion: By replacing molecular substructures with similar chemical groups, MolOpt automatically generates lists of analogues. MolOpt also evaluates forty important pharmacokinetic and toxic properties for each newly designed molecule. The transformed analogues can be assessed for possible future study. Conclusion: MolOpt is useful for the identification of suitable lead optimization ideas. The MolOpt Server is freely available for use on the web at http://xundrug.cn/molopt.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:30:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 The objective of this investigation was to determine the composition and fatty acids profile of pequi (Caryocar villosum (Alb.) Pers.) oil, as well as its functionality in cardiovascular health, thermogravimetric-differential, calorimetric and spectroscopic behavior. The methodology used followed the standards established by the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS). The results show oil with high nutritional value with predominance of unsaturated fatty acids (70%), especially oleic acid (52.67%) and linoleic acid (15.20%). The oil functionality indexes were expressed as cardiovascular protectors with low atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes (0.38 and 0.75) with a high hypocholesterolemic ratio (2.58). The oil pattern in the spectral bands 2980 to 2870cm-1 confirmed the predominance of unsaturated fatty acids with prominent peaks corresponding to double bonded chemical groups bands. The oil behavior under progressive temperature rises in an air atmosphere, supports the potential applications of this fruit by-product, that exhibits high thermal and oxidative stability with reduced mass loss at temperatures (267 °C and 376 °C) above those habitually used in food and industrial uses. These data show that unconventional fruits can increase and diversify the number of ingredients that can be used in food preparations and in the food, pharmaceutical, dermocosmetic, biofuel and other industries. Universidade Federal de Lavras – UFLA Faculdade de Nutrição Universidade Federal do Pará – UFPA, Campus Universitário Guamá Departamento de Tecnologia Bioquímico-Farmacêutica Universidade do Estado de São Paulo – USP

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are nanoparticles that consist of a nanometer-sized core of graphene with diverse chemical groups on its boundary. Due to their advantageous properties, they are considered to be a promising material for optoelectronics, bioimaging, or photovoltaics. Despite considerable efforts that have been focused on unraveling the mechanism of their photoluminescence, many fundamental details are still unclear. Here, we report on a single-particle multimodal study that provides new insight into the photoluminescence properties of emission centers of GQDs in various local chemical environments. In particular, we show that the properties that are associated with emission centers of GQDs are significantly more sensitive to the structure of the particle itself than to a nonuniform local chemical environment. A better understanding of the dependence of GQDs' emission states on the complex local chemical environment is an important step toward finding new ways of controlling the optical properties of GQDs and of optimizing their use in various applications.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate acaricide resistance in Rhipicephalus microplus on a ranch in Brazil. Adult immersion tests were performed using commercial formulations containing orga...

This research aims to contribute to the discussion of ceramic objects found at the Monte Castelo shellmound, an archaeological site located at south-west Amazonia, Brazil. This paper provides the results of a preliminary characterization of eighty-four pottery samples using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and dating by thermoluminescence (TL). The results showed the existence of three different chemical groups whose dates range from 3000 to 1500 BP. confirming changes in clay sources during that period. These results agree with previous studies about the technological changes and continuities in the Bacabal phase, one of the oldest ceramic cultures of South America.

To gain knowledge about cause-effect relationships for the adhesion of ice on surfaces with different chemical groups, we wanted to study the effect of thin polymer layers on the ice adhesion strength. To minimize the effect of roughness, smooth substrates that have generally relatively low ice adhesion strengths were chosen. To be able to obtain highly reproducible values for the region of low ice adhesion and to measure small differences of ice adhesion at surfaces with different chemical compositions, a new measuring system for the determination of the ice adhesion strength which is based on a modified spin-coater was developed. We show its technical potential on the basis of first results on pure silicon wafers and selected hydrophilic polymer layers. Furthermore, we investigated the effect of the water quality on the ice adhesion strength. The obtained data are discussed in the context of physicochemical properties of the layers and of the chemical characteristics of the used polymers.

In order to facilitate the application of wood vinegar in the mushroom industry, a framework was developed to reveal the individual and interactive effects of chemical groups in wood vinegars on Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium growth. By a series of refining and separating methods, the crude wood vinegar samples were processed and separated into six subgroups with distinctive component concentrations in each. Adding the wood vinegar subgroups into the culturing medium resulted in differences in mycelium growth. Analysis of variance was performed on the differences to evaluate the effects of seven chemical groups on mycelium growth. The enhancing effects of groups of chemicals were (ranked by effect) alcohols > esters > aldehydes; the inhibiting groups of chemicals were phenols > ketones > acids. The principle inhibitory chemicals in the wood vinegars were most likely 1,2-benzenediol, 2-methyl phenol, and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol. The synergistic effects between acids and phenols and between acids and ketones were confirmed. By these effects, the inhibiting chemicals interacted synergistically as mycelium growth promoters.

Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality particularly in hospital settings. In addition, treatment is very challenging due to the scarcity of effective therapeutic options. Thus, there remains an unmet need to identify new therapeutic agents capable of treating C. difficile infections. In the current study, we screened two FDA-approved drug libraries against C. difficile. Out of almost 3,200 drugs screened, 50 drugs were capable of inhibiting the growth of C. difficile. Remarkably, some of the potent inhibitors have never been reported before and showed activity in a clinically achievable range. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of the active hits clustered the potent inhibitors into four chemical groups; nitroimidazoles (MIC(50)= 0.06 − 2.7 μM), salicylanilides (MIC(50)= 0.2 − 0.6 μM), imidazole antifungals (MIC(50)= 4.8 − 11.6 μM) and miscellaneous group (MIC(50)= 0.4 − 22.2 μM). The most potent drugs from the initial screening were further evaluated against additional clinically-relevant strains of C. difficile. Moreover, we tested the activity of potent inhibitors against representative strains of human normal gut microbiota to investigate the selectivity of the inhibitors towards C. difficile. Overall, this study provides a platform that could be used for further development of potent and selective anticlostridial antibiotics.

Aims: To Determine antioxidant value and chemical groups in selected medicinal plants used for conditions associated with Herpes simplex and Herpes zoster infections in Mukhwa sub-location, Kakamega County, Kenya. Study Design: A qualitative ethnobotanical survey for plant identification and chemical analysis for antioxidant assay and chemical group detection. Place and Duration of Study: Plant samples were collected in Mukhwa sub-location in September 2014. Sample processing and chemical group detection was carried out at the Center of Traditional Medicine and Drug Research of Kenya Medical Research Institute. Antioxidant assay was carried out at the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences of the Kenya Medical Training College. Methodology: All 12 Community Health Workers, comprising 7 females and 5 males, were interviewed for identification of plant species. Antioxidant assay was carried out using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) reduction assay and detection of flavonoids, terpenoids, alkanoids, saponins and phenols carried out using physicho-chemical methods. Results: Caesalpinia decapetala, Garcinia buchananii and Entada abyssinica, were the most potent sources of antioxidant with the concentration giving 50% DPPH reduction (RSa50) of 50, 20 and 10 µg/ml, respectively. The most abundant chemical groups were; alkaloids in Schkuhria pinnata, terpenoids in E. abyssinica, flavonoids in G. buchananii, the latter also contained the highest amount of phenols. Conclusion: The findings of antioxidant and chemical groups in selected medicinal plants support their use for HIV conditions.

Despite advances in genetic and proteomic techniques, a complete portrait of the proteome and its complement of dynamic interactions and modifications remains a lofty, and as of yet unrealized objective. Specifically, traditional biological and analytical approaches have not been able to address key questions relating to the interactions of proteins with small molecules, including drugs, drug candidates, metabolites, or protein post-translational modifications. Fortunately, chemists have bridged this experimental gap through the creation of bioorthogonal reactions. These reactions allow for the incorporation of chemical groups with highly selective reactivity into small molecules or protein modifications without perturbing their biological function, enabling the selective installation of an analysis tag for downstream investigations. The introduction of chemical strategies to parse and enrich subsets of the “functional” proteome has empowered mass spectrometry (MS)-based methods to delve more deeply and precisely into the biochemical state of cells and its perturbations by small molecules. In this Primer, we discuss how one of the most versatile bioorthogonal reactions, “click chemistry,” has been exploited to overcome limitations of biological approaches to enable the selective marking and functional investigation of critical protein/small-molecule interactions and post-translational modifications in native biological environments.

Sphingolipids contain in their polar heads chemical groups allowing them to establish a complex network of H-bonds through different –OH and –NH–groups with other lipids in the bilayer. In the recent years the specific interaction of sphingomyelin with cholesterol has been examined, largely in the context of the “lipid raft” hypothesis. Formation of sphingomyelin - Ceramide complexes, proposed to exist in cell membranes in response to stress, has also been described. In addition, data demonstrating direct Cholesterol-Ceramide interaction are becoming available. Finally, a more recent emphasis on the variability of sphingolipids is advancing our knowledge in the field, as more studies are performed on different variants of sphingolipids, such as deoxysphingolipids, and reports on the effects of the N-acyl chain length or unsaturation are becoming available. This could be of importance in the currently growing field of developing ceramide-related therapeutic drugs or treatments for different illnesses, being the most relevant the cancer-related therapies.; Esfingolipidoek, beren buru polarrean dauzkaten talde polarren bidez, geruza bikoitzean existitzen diren beste lipido batzuekin sare konplexu bat eratzeko ahalmena daukate. Sare konplexu honen eraketa, -OH eta -NH- taldeekin hidrogeno-zubiak eratuz lortzen dute hain zuzen ere. Azken urteotan, lipido-urmaelaren hipotesiaren barruan, esfingomielinaren eta kolesterolaren arteko elkarrekintza espezifikoa asko ikertzen ari da, eta ikerketa honen emaitza da, estres-egoeren aurrean, zelulen mintzetan, esfingomielina-zeramida konplexuak sortzen direla proposatu izana. Gainera, kolesterol-zeramida elkarrekintzak ere gertatzen direla erakusten duten artikuluak gero eta ugariagoak dira. Existitzen diren esfingolipido moten inguruan jartzen ari den arretak gaiaren inguruko jakinduria handitzera garamatza. Izan ere, azkenaldian, deoxiesfingolipidoak bezalako esfingolipido aldakorren eta N-azil katearen luzerak edota lipidoen asegabetze-mailek daukaten efektuaren inguruko ikerketa gehiago egiten ari dira. Aldakortasun horiek garrantzitsuak izan daitezke zeramidarekin lotutako droga terapeutiko edota gaixotasun ezberdinen tratamenduak garatzeko; horien artetik garrantzitsuenak minbiziarekin lotutako terapiak dira.

A large population of dogs creates a demand for effective drugs to protect them from arthropods, which have a negative influence when they attack animals. Arthropods can be vectors of pathogens of dangerous infectious and invasive diseases, including anthroponoses. Thus, ixodic ticks can cause oppression, dermatitis, intoxication, anemia, reducing the body's resistance and can be vectors of pathogens of viral, bacterial, protozoan diseases of animals and humans. The most common and dangerous protozoosis of dogs is babesiosis. Ixodic ticks are biological vectors of genus Babesia. In order to prevent babesiosis it is recommended to use acaricides for animals. To inhibit the development of drug resistant populations of arthropods, it is recommended to use a combination of active substances. The aim of the work was to study the effectiveness of the combined insectoacaricidal preparation «AcaroKILL» against ixodic ticks. Research material and methods. The research was conducted in April-May 2020 in Kharkiv region, on the basis of the research laboratory of the Department of Parasitology at Kharkiv State Zooveterinary Academy, veterinary clinic «911». The research was conducted on domestic dogs aged 4 to 8 years. The study was conducted using general and special methods, which included analysis of animal conditions and clinical and parasitological examination of animals. The drug was used according to the manufacturer's instructions. Efficiency of the drug was determined by indicators of animal safety, duration of acaricidal action. Results of research and discussion. The results of the research showed that the complex preparation «AcaroKILL» containing a combination of active substances from different chemical groups had a pronounced acaricidal effect lasting up to 30 days. Negative effect of the preparation on experimental animals was not established. The preparation «AcaroKILL» can be recommended for the control of ixodic ticks according to the instructions, observing the precautions using it. Рrospects for further research is to study the effectiveness of «AcaroKILL» against other arthropods.

Biomaterial surfaces tend to adhere only under dry conditions, preventing them from being used in underwater environments such as body fluids. Therefore, biomaterial surfaces with underwater adhesion ability have received increasing attention. In nature, some organisms can adapt to different environments by evolving appendages with underwater adhesion capability and unique functions. Most of these outstanding functions are derived from special micro/nanostructures and/or chemical compositions of these organisms. Thus, modification of biomaterials surfaces with similar microstructures and chemical groups would help promote underwater adhesion. In this review, we discuss (1) the mechanisms of underwater adhesion; (2) surface modification strategies for underwater adhesion, including mussel-inspired, interlocking, bio-structured surface, and specific adhesion strategies; and (3) the challenges and potential of developing surface-modified, multiscale biomaterials with underwater adhesion.

This paper presents a study of the anxiolytic activity of compounds that belong to two classes of chemical groups: derivatives of 11H-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro[1,3]diazepino[1,2-a]benzimidazole (BIF) and derivatives of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (AZH). The study has revealed that the studied compounds exhibit different degrees of tranquilizing action. The most potent anxiolytics were compounds BIF-66 and AZH-57. These compounds hold promise for an in-depth study of their neuropsychotropic profile.

The study deals with the Islamic pottery from Termez (southern Uzbekistan), with a special focus on the wares dated to the 9th-12th centuries. The city was a major urban settlement, along one of the routes of the Silk Road. Ceramics, both glazed and unglazed, were produced in several workshops located in the lower city (shahristan) and its suburbs (rabad). Glazed and unglazed wares, including cooking pots, two pottery moulds and two sphero-conical vessels from two excavated areas at Termez are examined by X-ray Fluorescence, X-ray Diffraction, and petrographic thin section analysis. Clayey sediments from different areas of the site are incorporated as a local reference for comparison. The aim is to examine the provenance of the vessels and to determine the production techniques. The results reveal that all the vessels were produced by using calcareous clays and most of them exhibit similar geochemical composition; nevertheless, several chemical groups and petrographic fabrics were identified. XRD points that firing temperatures were generally between 800 and 1000-1100°C, being the latter prevalent. The results of this study are remarkable since archaeometric researches on Central Asian pottery are still few.

In this quantitative examination of melanin was detected in 41 isolates of fumigatus. It was found that the significance of the difference in which the production of melanin (p ˂ 0.001) was the range of melanin extracted from fumigatus between (1.2 - 3.1 mg/mL). The isolates AFU1, AFU14, AFU29, AFU30, and AFU41 indicated that the maximum production ranged between (2.9-3.1 mg/mL). 2 hours at 100°C. It has similarities with standard melanin characters, and the same chemical characters of melanin extracted from the hymen of Bjerkandara adusta have been achieved according to a study (14) meaning there is similarity with standard melanin. The overlay of IR spectra of synthetic melanin extracted from fungal cultures showed a high degree of similarity. Purification of melanin from A. fumigatus. Wave numbers shown in 3381, 2927, 1867, 1531, 1404, 1073 and 651 cm-1 The wave range can be traced to the following chemical groups: 3381 cm-1 attributed to OH bonds, 2927 cm-1 to HC or HC = 0 bonds 1404 (C-CH3), and 651 cm -1 to (acyclic) CH2 bonds.

A consideration of the antibacterial efficacy of metal-based nanoparticles, from the point of view of their physicochemical properties, suggests that such efficacy arises from the protein coronas that form around them, and that the contents of the coronas depend on the chemical groups found on the nanoparticle surfaces. We offer a new perspective and new insights, making use of our earlier observations of the physicochemical properties of nanoparticle surfaces, to propose that the nanoparticle serves as a mediator for the formation and activation of the protein corona, which attacks the bacterium. That is, the nanoparticle enhances the body’s natural defenses, using proteins present in body fluids.

Au Nord de la Cote d’Ivoire, Vitellaria paradoxa (karite) est une plante medicinale couramment utilisee contre de nombreuses pathologies. Le present travail a pour objectif de determiner les principaux constituants chimiques et d’evaluer l’activite antioxydante des extraits aqueux et hydro-ethanolique (70 %) d’ecorces de tiges de cette plante. Les differents groupes chimiques ont ete mis en evidence par la technique de coloration et de precipitation en tubes. La methode de reduction du radical 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyle (DPPH) a permis d’evaluer le pouvoir antioxydant des extraits. Le criblage phytochimique a revele la presence de principaux groupes chimiques suivants: alcaloides, anthraquinones, polyphenols totaux, terpenes et sterols, saponines et tanins. Le test de DPPH a montre une activite antioxydante importante des deux extraits, comparee a celle de la Vitamine C (CI50 =0,80±0,7 μg/mL) avec des CI50 respectives de 0,42±0,3 μg/mL pour l’extrait aqueux et 0,87±0,7 μg/mL pour l’extrait hydro-ethanolique. Ces resultats pourraient justifier l’utilisation traditionnelle de V. paradoxa pour le traitement de diverses pathologies dans de nombreuses regions de l’Afrique de l’Ouest. In North of Cote d ’Ivoire, Vitellaria paradoxa (Shea tree) is a medicinal plant commonly used against many pathologies. The objective of this work is to determine phytochemical constituents and to evaluate antioxidant activity of aqueous and hydro-ethanolic extracts (70%) of Vitellaria paradoxa. Different chemical groups were highlighted by the tube staining and precipitation technique and the 2, 2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method allowed the evaluation of the antioxidant power of the extracts. Phytochemical tests revealed the following chemical groups: alkaloids, anthraquinones, total polyphenols, terpenes and sterols, saponins and tannins. The DPPH test showed significant antioxidant activity of the two extracts compared to Vitamin C (IC50 = 0.80 ± 0.7 μg/mL) with IC50 respectively 0.42 ± 0.3 μg/mL for the aqueous extract and 0.87 ± 0.7 μg/mL for the hydro-ethanolic extract. These results could justify the traditional use of V. paradoxa in the treatment of various pathologies in many parts of West Africa.