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This work focuses on the influence of ozone pretreatment on the fractionation and solubilization of sugarcane bagasse and soda bagasse pulp fibers in sodium hydroxide/urea solution, as well as the application of regenerated cellulose for producing edible films. The methodology involved pretreating lignocelluloses with ozone for 20 to 120 min before dissolving in sodium hydroxide/urea solution. The influence of the pretreatment conditions on cellulose dissolution yield was investigated. Regenerated cellulose films were then formed, with and without the addition of 2 % chitosan. Mechanical, physical, structural, thermal, and antimicrobial attributes were determined as a function of ozonation conditions of raw materials and chitosan content. The findings exhibited positive effects of short ozonation on enhancing mechanical strength, cohesion, and hydrophobicity. The prolonged ozonation of 120 min demonstrated optimal improvements in continuity, swelling, and antibacterial resistance of obtained films. Incorporating chitosan enhanced tensile performance, stiffness, and vapor barriers but increased moisture absorption. Tailoring the activation of biomass through ozone pretreatment and chitosan addition resulted in renewable films with adjustable properties to meet diverse packaging requirements, particularly for fruit protective coatings, ensuring the preservation of post-harvest quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Obesity has known detrimental effects on breast cancer (BC) development and progression. However, it's essential to consider the obesity phenotype based on metabolic health. This study aims to evaluate the impact of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) from women with metabolically healthy or unhealthy normal weight, overweight, and obesity on MDA-MB-231 cell migration, invasion, and apoptosis., Methods: Plasma EVs were isolated from different obesity phenotypes in women. EVs were characterized and EVs uptake by MDA-MB-231 cells was assessed. MDA-MB-231 cell lines were treated with EVs obtained from various studied groups, and migration, invasion, MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity, Bax and Bcl-2 mRNA expression, p-53 and Thr55 p-p53 protein expression, and apoptosis were assessed., Results: EVs from obese individuals, regardless of phenotype, increased invasion and MMP-2 activity compared to healthy normal-weight EVs. Normal-weight EVs led to higher invasion under unhealthy conditions. BC cell migration was enhanced by EVs from healthy obese individuals compared to healthy normal-weight EVs. EVs from unhealthy obese women exhibited significantly lower p53/p-p53 levels and reduced apoptosis compared to healthy obese groups., Conclusion: It appears that EVs from both normal-weight women with unhealthy conditions and those with obesity or overweight, irrespective of metabolic status, worsened the cancerous behavior of TNBC cells. Therefore, considering metabolic health, in addition to BMI, is crucial for understanding obesity-related disorders., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the participants in this study have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Oxidative stress plays an important role in both the initiation and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Rotenone, an environmental toxin, induces oxidative stress and impact mitochondrial dynamics, including fission and fusion. Thymoquinone (TQ) has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics in vitro and in vivo. TQ scavenges free radicals so prevents cell damage against oxidative agents. To evaluate the efficacy of TQ in the management of PD, male Wistar rats (8-10 months) received rotenone. Pre-treatment with TQ (7.5 and 15mg/kg/day, po) one hour prior to the rotenone injection, changed motor tests results (rotarod, rearing and bar tests). Dopamine levels of dopaminergic areas in the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST) measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. Western blot analysis employed to determine the protein contents of Parkin and Drp1 (dynamin-related protein-1) in these areas and in order to identify tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells, Immunohistochemical assays performed. The results indicated that TQ significantly prevented rotenone-induced motor defects and changes in the Parkin, Drp1, dopamine and TH levels in both studied areas. These findings show that TQ effects on ameliorating the PD symptoms induced by rotenone might be associated with the neuroprotective and antioxidant effects of this compound., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)