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Alcohol abuse is dangerous to one's health and contributes to disorders such as neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity worldwide. Twenty-five male albino rats, each weighing 200 ± 10 g, were divided into five groups. For 4 weeks, rats in the control group were given only a regular chow diet and ad libitum. Rats in the alcohol group received an oral gavage of alcohol at a dose of 40 mg/kg body weight each day. Rats in the alcohol and avocado extract group received oral gavage doses of 250 mg/kg b. wt./day of avocado extract and 40 mg/kg b. wt. of alcohol. Rats in the alcohol and mustard seed extract group received oral gavage doses of 250 mg/kg/day of mustard seed extract and 40 mg/kg/day of alcohol, respectively. Rats were given alcohol and a mixture of avocado and mustard seed extract at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight each day by oral gavage for 4 weeks. Our results showed increased levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipid peroxidation in the liver and brain tissues, decreased glutathione content, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase. In rats consumed excessive alcohol, there was an increase in the activity of the tumor marker α-l-fucosidase in sera. Additionally, the liver and brain tissues of the alcoholic group showed decreased cytochrome c oxidase activity. Furthermore, changes in the expression levels of the genes for brain α-secretase and liver alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) were observed. The administration of extracts from avocado and mustard seeds improved the state of oxidative stress and restored antioxidant enzyme activity. The expression levels of brain α-secretase and liver ADH genes were almost fully recovered at the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stated objective of the present research investigation was to use a simultaneous nanodrug delivery approach to optimize the therapeutic effectiveness of anticancer drugs against breast cancer cells. For this purpose, Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles with two anticancer drugs; methotrexate (MTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) denoted as DOX/MTX@PLGA NPs was developed by nanoprecipitation method. The developed polymeric DOX/MTX@PLGA NPs exhibited hydrodynamic particle diameter of 170.6 ± 10.0 nm with a poly dispersity index (PDI) of 0.17 and zeta potential value of -9.2 ± 0.31 mV, and spherical geometry analyzed by TEM. Furthermore, the nanoparticles exhibited a pH-responsive drug release profile, outstanding encapsulation efficiency, excellent colloidal stability across various physiological media and pH responsive drug release profile. Additionally, polymeric nanoparticles demonstrated higher cell uptake, in-vitro cytotoxicity, and a high rate of apoptosis in comparison to free DOX and MTX through a synergistic effect, likely as a result of their small particle size. In conclusion, our work presents a novel and distinct approach for boosting the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer drugs by delivering drugs to breast cancer cells simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles (Mg(OH)2 NPs) using plant extracts are known to be a practical, economical, and an environmentally friendly approach. In this work, Mg(OH)2 NPs were synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Tinospora cordifolia, a medicinal plant commonly found in India. The synthesized Mg(OH)2 NPs were characterized using various spectroscopic techniques. The ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption peak of the Mg(OH)2 NPs was detected at 289 nm, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis confirmed the presence of various functional groups, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the well-crystallized structure of the Mg(OH)2 NPs. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses depicted spherical morphology and an average particle size (PS) of 27.71 nm. The energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis confirmed the presence of C, O, and Mg elements, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) survey spectrum confirmed the elements for the Su 1 s peak at 280.2 eV. The dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis displayed an average PS of 54.3 nm, and the Zeta potential (ZP) was of 9.89 mV. The fabricated Mg(OH)2 NPs displayed notable antibacterial activity against S. epidermidis, E. coli, and S. aureus. In addition, these NPs exhibited strong antioxidant properties (> 75%) based on DPPH, ABTS, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) assays. Further, the same NPs exerted a potent anti-inflammatory activity (> 65%) based on COX-1 and COX-2 evaluations. The anti-Alzheimer' disease (AD) potential of Mg(OH)2 NPs was assessed through effective inhibition (> 70%) of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activities. Molecular docking (MD) studies confirmed that caryophyllene has higher binding affinity with AChE (−5.3 kcal/mol) and BuChE (−6.4 kcal/mol) enzymes. This study emphasizes the green synthesis of Mg(OH)2 NPs using T. cordifolia as a plant source and highlights their potential for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most recent research and developments are driven by colossal permittivity (CP) materials due to their potential use in modern microelectronics and high-energy density storage applications. Even though, to date, many CP materials have been discovered, the task of developing them with the required high performance remains highly challenging. We present a tangible example, polycrystalline ZnO ceramic, that presents a highly frequency-stable CP (> 104) as well as a low dielectric loss (~ 0.3) over a broad temperature range from 278 to 433 K. Multifunctional polycrystalline ZnO nanoceramics are prepared through one-pot hydrothermal route and sintered at 300 °C and 600 °C. The highly magnified scanning electron microscopic images reveal excellent grain growth at high temperature. Temperature-dependent impedance spectroscopy is employed for pellet sintered at (600 °C) to explore different conduction mechanisms at various temperature ranges. The distribution of relaxation times (DRT) method is used to design the best equivalent circuit model for fitting impedance data. The non-Debye behavior of real permittivity (ɛ′) is well explained by fitting with Cole–Cole formalism. The change in the conduction mechanism is estimated around 343 K, and an adiabatic polaronic model is used to estimate activation energies of cations through different electroactive regions. The correlate barrier hopping (CBH) model is applied to measure electrical trapping parameters (like binding energy, hopping distance, barrier height, etc.) at various temperatures. Our finding presents a systematic approach toward frequency-independent ZnO ceramics with a stable colossal permittivity which can potentially be applied to develop energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence implicating theta rhythms in declarative memory encoding and retrieval, together with the notion that both retrieval and consolidation involve memory reinstatement or replay, suggests that post-learning theta rhythm modulation can promote early consolidation of newly formed memories. Building on earlier work employing theta neurofeedback, we examined whether theta-frequency transcranial alternating stimulation (tACS) can engender effective consolidation of newly formed episodic memories, compared with beta frequency stimulation or sham control conditions. We compared midline frontal and posterior parietal theta stimulation montages and examined whether benefits to memory of theta upregulation are attributable to consolidation rather than to retrieval processes by using a washout period to eliminate tACS after-effects between stimulation and memory assessment. Four groups of participants viewed object pictures followed by a free recall test during three study-test cycles. They then engaged in tACS (frontal theta montage/parietal theta montage/frontal beta montage/sham) for a period of 20 min, followed by a 2-h break. Free recall assessments were conducted after the break, 24 h later, and 7 days later. Frontal midline theta-tACS induced significant off-line retrieval gains at all assessment time points relative to all other conditions. This indicates that theta upregulation provides optimal conditions for the consolidation of episodic memory, independent of mental-state strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of organic solid waste worldwide has turned into a problem that requires comprehensive treatment on all fronts. The amount of agricultural waste generated by agro-based industries has more than triplet. It not only pollutes the environment but also wastes a lot of beneficial biomass resources. These wastes may be utilized as a different option/source for the manufacturing of many goods, including biogas, biofertilizers, biofuel, mushrooms and tempeh as the primary ingredients in numerous industries. Utilizing agro-industrial wastes as good raw materials may provide cost reduction and lower environmental pollution levels. Agro-industrial wastes are converted into biofuels, enzymes, vitamin supplements, antioxidants, livestock feed, antibiotics, biofertilizers and other compounds via solid-state fermentation (SSF). By definition, SSF is a method used when there is little to no free water available. As a result, it permits the use of solid materials as biotransformation substrates. Through SSF methods, a variety of microorganisms are employed to produce these worthwhile things. SSFs are therefore reviewed and discussed along with their impact on the production of value-added items. This review will provide thorough essential details information on recycling and the use of agricultural waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An opportunistic human pathogenic bacterium, Chromobacterium violaceum resists the potency of most antibiotics by exploiting the quorum sensing system within their community to control virulence factor expression. Therefore, blocking the quorum sensing mechanism could help to treat several infectious caused by this organism. The quorum sensing receptor (CviR) of C. violaceum was used as a model target in the current investigation to identify potentially novel quorum sensing inhibitors from Cladosporium spp. through in silico computational approaches. The molecular docking results confirmed the anti-quorum sensing potential of bioactive compounds from Cladosporium spp. through binding to CviR with varying docking scores between – 5.2 and – 9.5 kcal/mol. Relative to the positive control [Azithromycin (– 7.4 kcal/mol)], the top six metabolites of Cladosporium spp. had higher docking scores and were generally greater than – 8.5 kcal/mol. The thermodynamic stability and binding affinity refinement of top-ranked CviR inhibitors were further studied through a 160 ns molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. The Post-MD simulation analysis confirmed the top-ranked compounds' affinity, stability, and biomolecular interactions with CviR at 50 ns, 100 ns, and 160 ns with Coniochaetone K of the Cladosporium spp. having the highest binding free energy (– 30.87 kcal/mol) and best interactions (two consistent hydrogen bond contact) following the 160 ns simulation. The predicted pharmacokinetics properties of top selected compounds point to their drug likeliness, potentiating their chance as a possible drug candidate. Overall, the top-ranked compounds from Cladosporium spp., especially Coniochaetone K, could be identified as potential C. violaceum CviR inhibitors. The development of these compounds as broad-spectrum antibacterial medicines is thus possible in the future following the completion of further preclinical and clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising demand for olive oil worldwide led to an increase of oil production, causing an undesired side-effect such as the huge quantity of olive mill wastewater (OMWW) and leaf waste, which represent a serious problem in agriculture. The present work aims to recycle these wastes and use them as fertilizer in nurseries for young olive trees. Hence, three treatments of OMWW were used: i) Photocatalytic treatment (PT) by silicon dioxide nanoparticles; ii) Biological treatment (BT) by olive leaves and iii) a combination of both biological and photocatalytic treatments (CT). The obtained results showed that BT and PT, when used separately, reduced the phenolic content (PC) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), compared to raw OMWW. Interestingly, by combining both treatments, the removal rate of PC and COD reached 78% and 66%, respectively. Following the amendment of young olive trees by treated OMWW, plants growth and morphology, photosynthetic machinery and antioxidant capacity were improved compared to those amended with raw OMWW, with the best values observed under CT. In conclusion, CT allowed the bioremediation of two olive by-products that are useful as biofertilizer for olive young plants in a short period of time and at low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of asprosin in the regulation and mechanisms of oxygen transport in the blood and the gas transmitter system in men with different body mass index. The indicators of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as the oxygen transport function of the blood and the concentration of gas transmitters, nitrogen monoxide and hydrogen sulfide in it, were determined. A higher concentration of asprosin was found in individuals with an increased body mass index and grade I obesity. With an increased content of asprosin, there is a decrease in the main indicators of blood oxygenation and an increase in the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen. An increase in the concentration of nitrogen monoxide and a decrease in hydrogen sulfide were revealed at a high content of asprosin, which may be important for the formation of the mechanisms of oxygen transport in the blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision trees are a popular classification model in machine learning due to their interpretability and performance. Decision-tree classifiers are traditionally constructed using greedy heuristic algorithms that do not provide guarantees regarding the quality of the resultant trees. In contrast, a recent line of work employed exact optimization techniques to construct optimal decision-tree classifiers. However, most of these approaches are designed for datasets with binary features. While numeric and categorical features can be transformed into binary features, this transformation can introduce a large number of binary features and may not be efficient in practice. In this work, we present a SAT-based encoding for decision trees that directly supports non-binary data and use it to solve two well-studied variants of the optimal decision tree problem. Furthermore, we extend our approach to support cost-sensitive learning of optimal decision trees and introduce tree pruning constraints to reduce overfitting. We perform extensive experiments based on real-world and synthetic datasets that show that our approach obtains superior performance to state-of-the-art exact techniques on non-binary datasets and has significantly smaller memory consumption. We also show that our extension for cost-sensitive learning and our tree pruning constraints can help improve the prediction quality on unseen test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cladosporium spp. have been reported for their great diversity of secondary metabolites which represent as a prominent base material for verifying the biological activities. Several bioactive compounds which have antimicrobial, cytotoxic, quorum sensing inhibitory and phytotoxic activities have been isolated from Cladosporium species. Most of them are still needed to be explored for their anticancer properties. Therefore, the present study is focused on screening and identifying the bioactive compounds of Cladosporium spp. for their anticancer activity via the integrated approaches of Molecular Docking (MD), Molecular Dynamics Simulation (MDS) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) studies. A total of 123 bioactive compounds of Cladosporium spp. were explored for their binding affinity with the selected breast cancer drug target receptor such as estrogen receptor alpha (PDB:6CBZ). The Molecular Docking studies revealed that amongst the bioactive compounds screened, Altertoxin X and Cladosporol H showed a good binding affinity of − 10.5 kcal/mol and − 10.3 kcal/mol, respectively, with the estrogen receptor alpha when compared to the reference compound (17 β -Estradiol: − 10.2 kcal/mol). The MDS study indicated the stable binding patterns and conformation of the estrogen receptor alpha-Altertoxin X complex in a stimulating environment. In addition, in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) study suggested that Altertoxin X has a good oral bioavailability with a high LD 50 value of 2.375 mol/kg and did not cause any hepatotoxicity and skin sensitization. In summary, the integrated approaches revealed that Altertoxin X possesses a promising anticancer activity and could serve as a new therapeutic drug for breast cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The conditions related to the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine have endangered the mental health of people in the community, especially psychiatric patients. This study aims to determine the mental health services usage of outpatient psychiatric patients who attended a public mental health clinic in Tehran, during the quarantine. The study sample consisted of 387 patients with an active record in the mental health clinic. They were selected using systematic random sampling. Data was gathered with the telephone interviews using the researcher-made checklist. The data were then collected and analyzed. Results: Participants in this study included 141 male and 264 female patients. One-hundred forty-two patients (36.7%) felt better during this period, and the rest got worse or did not make a difference. Among the patients who felt the need to visit, 144 (47.2%) referred for services, of which 81.7% had visited in person. Among the applicants, 84 (56%) succeeded in receiving the service. A total of 53.5% of patients had used at least one face to face, telephone, or online visit. Among them, women are compared to men (p = 0.002), educated people to low education (p < 0.001), and adults to children and the elderly (p = 0.02), and Tehran residents to foreigners (p = 0.01) used significantly more services. Conclusions: Experience with pandemic quarantine conditions has shown that face-to-face use of these services faces significant barriers. In this situation, the expansion of online services can help improve the condition of patients and should be on the agenda of mental health policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is known as the intermediate stage between normal cognitive aging and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Although elderly with SCD usually perform close to normal in standardized tests, the detailed function of attention networks in this group has not been studied yet. Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of attention networks, as a possible indicator of cognitive disorder, in older individuals with subjective memory complaint and MCI. Method: The attention network test (ANT) was used to examine and compare the performance of three attention networks of alerting, orientation, and executive control in 17 elderly with SCD, 30 multiple domain amnestic MCI subjects, and 15 healthy controls. Results: Although the orienting network had almost the same performance in all groups (p = 0.25), the performance of alerting (p = 0.01) and executive control networks (p = 0.02) were significantly different among the three groups: the SCD group performed poorly in both networks compared with the controls and did not differ significantly from the MCI group (p ≥ 0.05). However, controlling for general age-related slowing abolished the group difference in executive control index. More importantly, our results showed that alerting network that was affected in SCD group had high sensitivity in differentiating this group from controls (0.94%). Conclusion: Our data suggest that despite normal performance in neuropsychological tests, the SCD elderly may face significant degrees of attention processing problems, especially in maintaining alerting to external stimuli which might be helpful in diagnosing individuals at risk and designing proper attention-based interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel functionalized 2-amino-4-(4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)-5-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)-6-(trifluoro-methyl)-4H-pyrans and 2-amino-4-(4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)-5-(thiophene-2-carbonyl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)-4H-pyrans have been synthesized by one-pot three-component reaction of 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carbaldehyde with three active methylene cyanoacetic acid derivatives and 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoropentane-2,4-dione or 1,1,1-tri-fluoro-5-(thiophen-2-yl)pentane-2,4-dione in distilled water at 60–70°C without a catalyst. The described methodology displayed excellent yields and simple workup procedure. The synthesized compounds were assessed for their in vitro anticancer activity against human breast cancer (MCF-7), liver cancer (HepG-2), and colon cancer cell lines (HCT-116). One of the compounds, 2-amino-4-(4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)-5-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)-6-(trifluoromethyl)-4H-pyran-3-carbonitrile, exhibited excellent anticancer activity versus all tested cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 0.7 to 1.4 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile, green, one-pot, and catalyst-free synthesis of a series of novel functionalized 4-(4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)pyrano[2,3-c]pyrazoles and 5-(4-oxo-4H-chromen-3-yl)pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidines was achieved. The proposed method involves a one-pot three-component reaction of readily available starting materials, 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carbaldehyde, malononitrile, and cyclic active methylene compounds in water as solvent. The target compounds were assessed for their in vitro anticancer activity against human prostate (PC-3), ovary (SKOV3), and cervical cancer (HeLa) cell lines by using sulforhodamine B assay (SRB) with doxorubicin as reference drug. Some of the synthesized compounds exhibited acceptable anticancer properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite, doped with different concentrations of vanadate ions, has been fabricated using the co-precipitation method. The general formula of the studied compositions is [Ca10(VO4)x (PO4)6-x(OH)2], where 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0 with step 0.2. The structural properties of the obtained compositions were investigated thoroughly using the XRD technique. It was found that the crystallite size deteriorated following the additional vanadate ions upon different models of calculations including Sherrer's-Deby, uniform deformation (UDM), uniform stress deformation (USDM), and uniform energy deformation model (UEDM). For instance, it plunged from 84.5 to 33.6 nm according to the UDM, and from 79.0 to 21.0 nm upon UEDM for the lowest and the highest additional vanadate ions, respectively. In addition, the lattice distortion has provoked from − 0.177×10–3 to 1.370×10–3 for x = 0.0 and x = 1.0, respectively. The morphological features were investigated using FESEM and it was illustrated that grains size enlarged from 0.25 to 0.47 µm for the minimum and the maximum additional vanadate ions, respectively. Moreover, the mechanical properties have been conducted using the ultrasonic technique. In detail, the theoretical hardness increased from 2.1 to 22.7 GPa and then deteriorated to 13.0 GPa, while the measured ones increased from 0.206 to 0.229 GPa and plunged to 0.222 GPa for x = 0.0, 0.8, and 1.0, respectively. The cell viability was tested using human fibroblast cells and exhibited around 92.04±5% at x = 0.0 jumping to 101.4±4% at x = 1.0, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold and Selenium ions have been incorporated into hydroxyapatite (HAP) using the co-precipitation technique at different contributions of Au(III). The obtained compositions were inspected via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Structural parameters showed that Au content has a noticeable role in altering HAP lattice. TEM images display that the grain width decreased from 30 nm in 0.0Au/Se-HAP to 15 nm in 0.8Au/Se-HAP. The c/a ratio denoted a slight distortion in lattice after Au(III) contribution. Moreover, the roughness average increased from 26.3 nm reaching 32.4 nm for the lowest and the highest additional Au(III) contents. The compositions of 0.4Au/Se-HAP and 0.6Au/Se-HAP showed low crystallinity with surface defects, subsequently the highest percentage in cell viability. Furthermore, the indirect bandgaps become narrow with increasing additional Au(III) contribution starting from 6.45 to 6.40 eV. The refractive index shows a decreasing trend from 1.61 to 1.59 with increasing the Au(III) content. Cell viability starts from 94.0 ± 5% in 0.0Au/Se-HAP composition and increases gradually to more than 98.2 ± 4% for 0.6Au/Se-HAP. This work might boost more exploration of Au/Se-HAP as a promising material for biomedical utilizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To reveal the mechanisms behind the dual effects of Crataegus aronia (C. aronia) aqueous extract on platelet aggregation by focusing on function, regulation, expression, and signaling of platelets P2Y12 receptors. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats (120 ± 10 g) were classified as control received the vehicle, C. aronia (200 mg/kg), and C. aronia (2,000 mg/kg)-treated rats. After treatments for consecutive 7 days, hematological and molecular experiments were conducted to detect alterations in platelet aggregation, thromboxane B2 (THXB2) and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) content; protein levels of P2Y12, p-Akt, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), phosphorylated vasodilator-stimulated-phosphoprotein (p-VASP), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), P-selectin, and etc. in platelets were determined by Western blot; mRNA expressions of P2Y12 and some inflammatory markers were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: At a concentration of 200 mg/kg, C. aronia inhibited platelet aggregation through multiple interconnected mechanisms including downregulation P2Y12 synthesis and expression, stimulating intracellular cAMP levels and protein levels of p-VASP, inhibiting platelets THXB2 release and protein levels of P-selectin. Also, it inhibited platelets level of ROS and of NF-κB, a major signaling pathway that stimulates the expression of P2Y12 and THXA2 synthesis. Opposite findings were seen in platelets of rats received C. aronia at a concentration of 2,000 mg/kg. Interestingly, co-administration of N-acetylcysteine prevented all hematological and molecular alterations exerted by the high dose of the extract and inhibited platelet aggregation. Conclusion: Oral administration of C. aronia at low dose inhibits platelet aggregation by reducing THXB2 release, expression of P-selectin and activating cAMP and Akt signaling through two major mechanisms including downregulation of P2Y12 and inhibition of ROS-induced activation of NF-κB, an effect that is observed to be in the opposite direction with its high dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect reciprocity is a mechanism for the evolution of cooperation based on social norms. This mechanism requires that individuals in a population observe and judge each other's behaviors. Individuals with a good reputation are more likely to receive help from others. Previous work suggests that indirect reciprocity is only effective when all relevant information is reliable and publicly available. Otherwise, individuals may disagree on how to assess others, even if they all apply the same social norm. Such disagreements can lead to a breakdown of cooperation. Here we explore whether the predominantly studied 'leading eight' social norms of indirect reciprocity can be made more robust by equipping them with an element of generosity. To this end, we distinguish between two kinds of generosity. According to assessment generosity, individuals occasionally assign a good reputation to group members who would usually be regarded as bad. According to action generosity, individuals occasionally cooperate with group members with whom they would usually defect. Using individual-based simulations, we show that the two kinds of generosity have a very different effect on the resulting reputation dynamics. Assessment generosity tends to add to the overall noise and allows defectors to invade. In contrast, a limited amount of action generosity can be beneficial in a few cases. However, even when action generosity is beneficial, the respective simulations do not result in full cooperation. Our results suggest that while generosity can favor cooperation when individuals use the most simple strategies of reciprocity, it is disadvantageous when individuals use more complex social norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It had been documented in many studies that pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by low infectivity rates, low mortalities, and benign disease course. On the other hand, influenza type A viruses are recognized to cause severe and fatal infections in children populations worldwide. This study is aimed to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza infections. Methods: A retrospective study comprising 107 children hospitalized at Abha Maternity and Children Hospital, Southern region of Saudi Arabia, with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza infections was carried out. A complete follow-up for all patients from the hospital admission until discharge or death was made. The clinical data and laboratory parameters for these patients were collected from the medical records of the hospital. Results: Out of the total enrolled patients, 73 (68.2%) were diagnosed with COVID-19, and 34 (31.8%) were diagnosed with H1N1 influenza. The median age is 12 months for COVID-19 patients and 36 months for influenza patients. A relatively higher number of patients with influenza had a fever and respiratory symptoms than COVID-19 patients. In contrast, gastrointestinal symptoms were observed in a higher number of COVID-19 patients than in influenza patients. A statistically significant increase in white cell counts is noted in COVID-19 but not in influenza patients (P < 0.05). There are no obvious variations in the mean period of duration of hospitalization between COVID-19 and influenza patients. However, the total intensive care unit length of stay was longer for influenza compared to COVID-19 patients. Conclusions: A considerable number of children infected with COVID-19 and H1N1 influenza were noted and reported in this study. There were no significant variations in the severity of the symptomatology and laboratory findings between the two groups of patients. Significant differences between these patients in some hospitalization factors and diagnosis upon admission also were not observed. However, more severe clinical manifestations and serious consequences were observed among pediatric patients hospitalized with influenza infections than among those with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Retraction Note to: Anti-tumor effect of PEG-coated PLGA nanoparticles of febuxostat on A549 non-small cell lung cancer cells" has been retracted by the Editor-in-Chief of 3 Biotech. Concerns were raised about similarities between figures in this article and figures in two other articles by Alhakamy et al. The authors of the retracted article have admitted to using the image incorrectly and have been unable to provide the original data for validation. Some of the authors disagree with the retraction, while others have not responded to correspondence about it. [Extracted from the article]

A study was carried out on soil samples collected from coastal area of Red Sea and from El-Souda Mountains, KSA. Biological, physical and chemical properties of each soil type had been investigated using X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV–Vis-spectrophotometer, conductivity bridge, AgNO3 titration, electronic pH meter, well diffusion and hydrometer methods. It was found that the Red Sea coastal soils contain major components of Ca (39.74%) in (site 1) at 3 meters height, whereas the sandy soil (site 2) has Si (47.61%) at 4 m height. Site 3 at 2640 m height has Si (29.62%), whereas site 4 at 2928 m height has high amount of Fe (62.25%). Except soils of site 2, all other sites are fall into the grains category of a micrometer scale. The pH value of the soil extract was decreased gradually from (7.75 ± 0.08) in site 1 to (6.52 ± 0.09) in site 4. Electrical conductivity was found to be very high in site 1 (9.84 ± 0.03 mS) and less in site 2 (2.35 ± 0.01 mS) and in sites 3 and 4 were very low. Chloride amount was very high in site 1 (2929 ± 1.52 ppm) and in site 2 (692 ± 1.54 ppm) and no traces found in sites 3 and 4. Site 4 had the highest amount of clay 80%. XRD pattern showed there was a remarkable difference in crystalline nature, phase identification and in grain size. Synthesized nanoparticles from all soils showed promising antimicrobial activities against all tested pathogenic microbial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the progress in using silver nano products in many fields, including medicine, food, and industry, their effects on the environment need more attention. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effect of silver/saponin nanocomposites (Ag/S NCs) for the first time on the aquatic environment by using freshwater clam, Caelatura aegyptiaca, as a fundamental bioindicator in the freshwater system. Following the preparation and characterization of Ag/S NCs by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer, UV–Vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and acute toxicity study, we exposed the clam to three different doses of Ag/S NCs (12.5, 25 and 50 mg L−1) for consecutive 6 days. All Ag/S NCs concentrations caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde and nitric oxide while induced a notable decrease in glutathione and catalase levels in all studied organs. Moreover, the histological alternations were observed in gills, labial palp, and foot tissues, particularly at dose 50 mg L−1. From the results of our work, we concluded that toxicity of Ag/S NCs on freshwater clam leads to an oxidative stress response as well as histopathological changes. Besides, we assumed that Coelatura aegyptiaca could be used as a sensitive bioindicator for monitoring water pollution caused by different nanoparticles. Therefore, we do recommend performing further studies by using fresh clam to provide a better assessment for our aquatic environment to prevent water pollution locally and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malathion is a potent organophosphate insecticide that inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme. Our experimental objective was to investigate the beneficial effects of diallyl sulphide (DAS) and thymoquinone (TQ) against malathion-induced oxidative stress in rat cerebral, hepatic, and renal tissues. For 30 days, rats received corn oil alone (negative control) or malathion by intragastric gavage (200 mg/kg daily), either alone (positive control) or combined with oral DAS (200 mg/kg daily) or TQ (10 mg/kg daily) (treatment groups). Later, blood samples were collected via direct cardiac puncture and tissue samples were obtained for biochemical analysis. Malathion administration was associated with significant increases (p < 0.05) in the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, γ-glutamyl transferase, cholesterol, urea, creatinine, and 8-OHdG (DNA damage biomarker), as well as significant (p < 0.05) decreases in the serum levels of total proteins, albumin, triglycerides, and AChE. Moreover, it significantly increased the tissue concentrations of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide and reduced tissue glutathione concentration and activities of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase). Treatment of malathion-intoxicated rats with DAS or TQ significantly minimized these biochemical and oxidative effects with more frequent reversal to normal ranges of serum biomarkers, tissue oxidative markers, and antioxidant enzymes in the TQ group. In conclusion, treatment with DAS or TQ ameliorated the biochemical and oxidative effects of malathion, probably through reducing the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen radicals, as well as enhancing the antioxidant defense mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish were separately exposed to 1/2 LC50/96 h values of bulk-Zn and nano-Zn for 7, 14, and 28 days. The induction of micronuclei (MN) and other eight nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes showed marked time and size dependence. The frequencies of all nuclear anomalies were progressively elevated (p < 0.05) with increasing the time of exposure to both bulk-Zn and nano-Zn. Throughout the study periods, fish exposed to nano-Zn showed the maximum elevation in all studied nuclear anomalies. Based on the fragmented DNA values, both Zn forms induced tissue-specific DNA damage as following gills > liver > muscles. Moreover, nano-Zn exposed groups revealed a maximum percentage of DNA damage among all studied groups, especially after 14 days. The percentage of DNA damage was decreased in all tissues on the 28th day, which reflected the presence of an effective repair mechanism. Finally, nano-Zn exhibited more genotoxic effects than that of its bulk counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, febuxostat (FBX)-loaded PEG-coated PLGA nanoparticles (FBX–PLGA–PEG) were developed and its anticancer activity on lung cancer cells was evaluated. FBX–PLGA–PEG were prepared by nanoprecipitation technique and characterized for particle size, size distribution, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro drug release study. The optimized formulations were used to evaluate cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle, and caspase activity in A549 lung cancer cells. The optimized formulation showed spherical particle with average particle size of 180 ± 4.72 nm, particle-size distribution 0.223 ± 0.003, entrapment efficiency (70 ± 2.56%), and drug release (99.1 ± 2.33%) at 12 h. MTT cytotoxicity assay showed better cytotoxic potential of FBX-NPs than FBX solution against NSCLC A549 cells. The lower IC50 of FBX-NP (52.62 ± 2.52 µg/mL) compared to FBX (68.0 ± 4.12 µg/mL) are suggestive of a potential cytotoxic effect of nano-formulation compared to the drug itself. Furthermore, flow cytometry analysis showed significantly higher percentage of total apoptotic cells in FBX-NPs (10.38 ± 1.57%) as compared to FBX solution (2.76 ± 0.17%) showed strong proapoptotic potential of FBX nano-formulation. The increased caspase activity and percent of cells at G2/M phase of cell cycle increased for FBX nanoparticles were more effective than FBX solution in increasing caspase activity and percent of cells at G2/M phase of cell cycle. Our studies with FBX nanoparticles exhibited promising outcome which could be used as a strategies to combat lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated if the cardioprotective effect of acylated ghrelin (AG) against doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiac toxicity in rats involves inhibition of Fas/FasL-mediated cell death. It also investigated if such an effect is mediated by restoring Ca+2 homeostasis from the aspect of stimulation of SERCA2a receptors. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (20 rats/each) as control, control + AG, DOX, and DOX + AG. AG was co-administered to all rats consecutively for 35 days. In addition, isolated cardiomyocytes were cultured and treated with AG in the presence or absence of DOX with or without pre-incubation with [d-Lys3]-GHRP-6 (a AG receptor antagonist), VIII (]an Akt inhibitor), or KT-5720 (a PKA inhibitor). AG increased LVSP, dp/dtmax, and dp/dtmin in both control and DOX-treated animals and improved cardiac ultrastructural changes in DOX-treated rats. It also inhibited ROS in control rats and lowered LVEDP, intracellular levels of ROS and Ca2+, and activity of calcineurin in LVs of DOX-treated rats. Concomitantly, it inhibited LV NFAT-4 nuclear translocation and downregulated their protein levels of Fas and FasL. Mechanistically, in control or DOX-treated hearts or cells, AG upregulated the levels of SERCA2a and increased the activities of PKA and Akt, leading to increase phosphorylation of phospholamban at Ser16 and Thr17. All these effects were abolished by d-Lys3-GHRP-6, VIII, or KT-5720 and were independent of food intake or GH/IGF-1. In conclusion, AG cardioprotection against DOX involves inhibition of extrinsic cell death and restoring normal Ca+2 homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) has been considered as a prodromal stage of Alzheimer disease (AD). Subtle changes in specific aspects of executive function like inhibitory control have been found in MCI. Aims: We examined attentional and inhibitory control with the aim to distinguish between amnestic MCI patients and healthy controls. Method: Using neuropsychological, behavioral, and oculomotor function experiments, we examined executive function in 59 normal control, 49, multiple domain amnestic MCI (a-MCI) subjects, and 21 early stage AD patients using eye tracking and Simon task as measures of attentional control, to determine which saccade and behavioral tasks were sensitive enough to identify a-MCI. Saccades were investigated in gap and overlap pro-saccade and anti-saccade tasks. Results: Scores on the Simon task were inversely correlated with general cognitive status and can distinguish a-MCI from controls with excellent specificity (AUC = 0.65 for reaction time and 0.59 for false responses). More importantly, our results showed that saccadic gains were affected in a-MCI and were the most sensitive measures to distinguish a-MCI from normal participants AST gap task AUC = 0.7, PST gap task AUC = 0.63, AST overlap task (AUC = 0.73). Moreover, these parameters were strongly correlated with neuropsychological measures. Using tests in parallel model, improved sensitivity up to 0.97. Conclusion: The present results enable us to suggest eye tracking along with behavioral data as a possible sensitive tools to detect a-MCI in preclinical stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated if JAK/STAT signaling pathway mediates doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cell death and fibrosis in left ventricles (LVs) of rats and examined if acylated ghrelin affords protection by modulating this pathway. Male rats (120 ± 5 g) were divided into 6 groups (10 rats each) as follows: control; control + AG (10 ng/kg, s.c.); DOX (an accumulative dose 15 mg/kg, i.p.); DOX + AG, DOX + AG + AG490, a JAK2 inhibitor (5 mg/kg, i.p.); and DOX + AG + [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6; an AG receptor antagonist (3.75 mg/kg, i.p.). All treatments were carried out for 35 days. In rats' LVs, DOX significantly impaired the systolic and diastolic functions, enhanced levels of ROS and MDA, reduced levels of GSH and Bcl-2, and increased mRNA and protein levels of collagen I/III and TGF-β and cleaved caspase-3. In addition, although DOX did not affect JAK1 or JAK2 activity, it significantly increased protein levels of IL-6, decreased STAT3 and p-STAT3 (Tyr701&Ser727), and increased STAT1 and p-STAT1 (Tyr701&Ser727) levels, with a concomitant decrease in ERK1/2 activity and an increase in P38 activity. However, without affecting IL-6 and JAK1/2, AG reversed all of the observed alterations with a significant increase in the levels and activities of JAK2. Similar effects of AG were also seen in control rats. Interestingly, all the beneficial effects afforded by AG were abolished by AG490 and AG + [D-Lys3]-GHRP-6. In conclusion, DOX-induced cardiac toxicity involves stimulation of IL-6, P38, and STAT1 signaling levels whereas the protective effect afforded by AG involves the activation of ERK1/2 and JAK2/STAT3 and inhibition of STAT1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimates of long-term land surface temperature (Ts) and near-surface air temperature (Ta) at finer spatio-temporal resolutions are crucial for surface energy budget studies, for environmental applications, for land surface model data assimilation, and for climate change assessment and its associated impacts. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors onboard the Aqua satellite provide a unique opportunity to estimate both temperatures twice daily at the global scale. In this study, differences between Ta and Ts were assessed locally over regions of North America from 2009 to 2013 using ground-based observations covering a wide range of geographical, topographical, and land cover types. The differences between Ta and Ts during non-precipitating conditions are generally 2–3 times larger than precipitating conditions. However, these differences show noticeable diurnal and seasonal variations. The differences between Ta and Ts were also investigated at the global scale using the AIRS estimates under clear-sky conditions for the period 2003–2015. The tropical regions showed about 5–20 °C warmer Ts than Ta during the day-time, whereas opposite characteristics (about 2–5 °C cooler Ts than Ta) are found over most parts of the globe during the night-time. Additionally, Ts estimates from the AIRS and the MODIS sensors were inter-compared. Although large-scale features of Ts were essentially similar for both sensors, considerable differences in magnitudes were observed (> 6 °C over mountainous regions). Finally, Ta and Ts estimates from the AIRS and MODIS sensors were validated against ground-based observations for the period of 2009–2013. The error characteristics notably varied with ground stations and no clear evidence of their dependency on land cover types or elevation was detected. However, the MODIS-derived Ts estimates generally showed larger biases and higher errors compared to the AIRS-derived estimates. The biases and errors increased steadily when the spatial resolution of the MODIS estimates changed from finer to coarser. These results suggest that representativeness error should be properly accounted for when validating satellite-based temperature estimates with point observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated if resveratrol (RES) can protect against cadmium chloride (CdCl2)-induced memory loss and Tau protein hyperphosphorylation in rats and explored its effect on AMPK/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Rats (n = 10/group) were divided into seven groups as: control; control + DMSO; control + LY294002, a selective PI3K inhibitor (0.25 µg/100 g, i.p); control + RES (300 mg/kg, orally); CdCl2 (5 mg/kg, orally); CdCl2 + RES and CdCl2 + RES + LY294002. All treatments were carried out for 30 consecutive days on a daily basis. RES improved both short and long-term memory as analyzed by novel object recognition task and significantly increased brain levels of glutathione in both control and CdCl2-treated rats. It also inhibited ROS levels of malondialdehyde in the brains of CdCl2-treated rats. In both groups, RES decreased the phosphorylation rate of Tau at Ser199 and Ser296. Concomitantly, it significantly increased protein levels of p-GSK3β (Ser9) and p-PP2A and decreased p-GSK3β (Tyr216). Also, RES activated PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in both control and CdCl2 treated rats by increasing levels of p-PI3K (Tyr607) and p-Akt (Ser473). This was concomitant with significant increase in the levels of AMPK and p-AMPK, known upstream regulators of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Interestingly, all the above listed beneficial effects of RES, except their effect on AMPK/p-AMPK, were completely abolished in CdCl2 + RES + LY294002-treated rats. In conclusion, in addition to its antioxidant potential, RES inhibits Tau phosphorylation in rat's brain by activating PP2A protein and AMPK/PI3K/Akt-induced inhibition of GSK3β. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These authors contributed equally: Satish Anandan and Hittanahallikoppal Gajendramurthy Gowtham. Correction to: I Scientific Reports i https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22038-x, published online 27 December 2022 The original version of the Article contained an error in the Author Information section. [Extracted from the article]

Diazinon (DZN) is an organophosphorus insecticide widely used in agriculture. It has a variety of harmful effects on humans. Asparagus and chamomile have antioxidant properties and are used as antidotes of DZN in this study. Thirty-five adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into: control group; DZN group: subdivided into two subgroups which received ¼ LD 50 and ½ LD 50 dose of DZN for 30 days; DZN and asparagus extract group: subdivided into two subgroups which received ¼ LD 50 and ½ LD 50 dose of DZN respectively and treated with asparagus extract (300 mg/kg b. wt.) after 15 min of DZN administration; DZN and chamomile extract group: subdivided into two subgroups receiving DZN respectively and treated with chamomile extract (300 mg/kg b. wt.). The results herein showed that the antioxidant enzyme changes associated with the exposure to DZN are dose dependant in cerebrum, cerebellum and spinal cord tissues. The tumorigenicity of DZN was represented by the significant increase of arginase and the alpha- l -fucosidase in sera of all DZN groups. In addition, the molecular changes were investigated by the changes in Cu/Zn-dependent superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes that were altered after administration of DZN to rats. Present findings suggest that oral administration of aqueous extracts of asparagus or chamomile is able to restore the total antioxidant capacity, as demonstrated by the increase of superoxide dismutase activity, glutathione content and their relative enzymes in the investigated tissues. Due to their antioxidant activities, asparagus and chamomile are potential candidates as anti-neurotoxic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a high-resolution multi-proxy lacustrine record of climate change during the last interglacial period, based on oxygen isotopes in diatom silica, diatom assemblages and pollen-climate transfer functions from the Ribains maar in France. Absence of a cold event interrupting the warm interglacial climate; Confirmation that the last interglacial period in southwestern Europe was a time of climatic stability.