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Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s affect millions of people and are uniformly untreatable. A significant unmet need exists for faster and higher throughput approaches to modeling neurodegenerative diseases and identifying candidate small molecule therapies. Herein, I present a new chemical biology approach to identifying small molecules candidates for modeling and treating neurodegenerative diseases, using pontocerebellar hypoplasia type 1B and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as test cases. The approach combines in silico rational design, in vitro biophysical testing, and in vivo assays in zebrafish to yield a powerful discovery platform for small molecule models and therapies for neurodegenerative disease.

This study aims at investigating the effect of the substrate material on growth mechanism and also microstructure of Ta2O5 thin films. For this purpose, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and interferometry analyses were implemented to reveal the influence of silicon wafer and amorphous BK7 glass substrates on the nucleation and growth mechanisms of Ta2O5 thin films deposited via the radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. Results indicated that those films with finer morphologies had relatively higher nucleation densities. Compared with BK7 glass substrate, crystals formed on the silicon wafer were shown to be finer and had lower mean areas in more nucleation sites. Moreover, optical properties and morphological characteristics of the films on the silicon substrates had much more endurance after the annealing treatment. It was observed that shift in the transmission spectra of the deposited films after the treatment was insignificant, implying high packing density of the films. However, a 6-nm shift in the transmission spectra indicated low density and high porosity of the films. Finally, atomic force microscopy analysis along with the light scattering measurements confirmed the formation of a low-roughness film on the silicon wafer substrates.

The goal of this study was to create highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using strontium doped zinc oxide-reduced graphene oxide (Sr-doped ZnO/rGO) nanocomposites. As photo-anodes of DSSCs, ZnO, ZnO/rGO (with weight percent rGO in composites: 0, 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%) and Sr-doped ZnO/rGO (with Zn1-xSrxO nanoparticle stoichiometry: x = 0, 0.02, 0.04, 0.06 and 0.08) nanocomposites were designed and characterized. AFM, FESEM, XRD, EDS, XPS, PL, and FTIR analyses were used to investigate the morphology and structure properties of prepared nanocomposites. UV–vis spectroscopy and photo-electrochemical measurements were used to investigate the efficiency of prepared photo-anodes. The efficiency (η) and short-circuit photocurrent density (JSC) of DSSCs based on Zn0.92Sr0.08O/rGO nanocomposite were 7.98 % and 18.4 mA cm−2, respectively. The results showed that doping Sr on ZnO/rGO nanocomposites resulted in a wide bandgap energy and increased the values of η, JSC, IPCE, and photo-anode electron transportability. These findings suggest that Sr-doped ZnO/rGO nanocomposites can provide a novel approach for increasing photo-electrochemical activity in ZnO-based DSSCs.

DNA repair is an important pathway for the protection of DNA molecules from destruction. DNA damage can be produced by oxidative reactive nitrogen or oxygen species, irritation, alkylating agents, depurination and depyrimidination; in this regard, DNA repair pathways can neutralize the negative effects of these factors. Melatonin is a hormone secreted from the pineal gland with an antioxidant effect by binding to oxidative factors. In addition, the effect of melatonin on DNA repair pathways has been proven by the literature. DNA repair is carried out by several mechanisms, of which homologous recombination repair (HRR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) are of great importance. Because of the importance of DNA repair in DNA integrity and the anticancer effect of this pathway, we presented the effect of melatonin on DNA repair factors regarding previous studies conducted in this area.

In this work, a novel functionalized magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles grafted with carboxymethyl β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) is utilized for adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The grafting reaction was performed via carbodimide method by using 1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The as-prepared nanoadsorbents were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TEM, XRD, TGA, and VSM. The grafting CM-β-CD on the Fe3O4@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles enhances the ion adsorption capacity due to the strong abilities of the enormous –OH and –COOH functional groups in CM-β-CD to adsorb Pb(II) ions. The effects of factors such as the concentration of β-CD, contact time, initial ion concentration, adsorbent dosage, adsorption kinetics, and isotherms on the adsorption behavior were studied properly. The results depicted that the nanoadsorbents had good adsorption with the maximum adsorption capacity of 170 mg g−1 at 25 °C and pH 6.0. All the equilibrium adsorption kinetics of Pb(II) are fitted well to the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption data were also found to follow the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. In summary, the experimental Pb(II) ion adsorption data showed the prepared nanocomposites would be as promising adsorbents to remove various heavy metals from wastewater.

Background: Several drugs are currently in use to treat fungal infections; however, recent studies indicate that the consumption of these drugs is associated with serious complications. This study was done to examine the chemical composition and antifungal effects of Nectaroscordum tripedale against several yeast strains. Methods: The antifungal activity of N. tripedale extract on Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans, C. glabrata was examined via the assessment of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) according to the broth micro dilution technique (M27-A3 protocol). By means of gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), the major constituents of this extract were identified. Results: The findings exhibited that N. tripedale extract represents not only fungistatic but also fungicidal activity with an average MIC and MFC of 12.5 to 66.6 μg/ml, respectively, for tested yeasts. The results also demonstrated that decadienal (11.1%), hexadecanoic acid (10.3%), and heptadecane (9.5%), were the major constituents of this extract. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated the preliminary anti-yeast effects of this plant and suggest the use of N. tripedale for yeast infections in the traditional medicine. This study for the first time showed N. tripedale as a new antifungal patent to treat the candidiasis and other yeast infections; however, more studies are required to assess the precise anti-candida effects of this plant against other Candida spp. as well as in human subjects.

In southern Iran, intensive tillage operations and residue removal have been the major cause of declining crop productivity and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE). A 2-year field experiment (2016–2017) ...

Background: Studies showed that biogenic selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have a number of pharmacological properties, such as antimicrobial ones. Objective: The present investigation assesses the efficacy of biogenic selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) as a new patent against latent toxoplasmosis in a mice model. Methods: Male BALB/c mice were orally treated with SeNPs at the doses of 2.5, 5, 10 mg/kg once a day for 14 days. On the 15th day, the mice were infected with the intraperitoneal inoculation of 20-25 tissue cysts from the Tehran strain of Toxoplasma gondii. The mean numbers of brain tissue cysts and the mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-12, IL-10, IFN-γ, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in mice of each tested group were measured. Moreover, serum clinical chemistry factors in treated mice were examined to determine the safety of SeNPs. Results: The mean number of the brain tissue cysts was significantly (P0.05) was observed in the clinical chemistry parameters among the mice in the control subgroups compared with groups treated with SeNPs. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed a new patent in the treatment of toxoplasmosis; so that taking the biogenic selenium nanoparticles in concentrations of 2.5-10 mg/kg for 2 weeks was able to prevent severe symptoms of the toxoplasmosis in a mice model. This indicated the prophylactic effects of SeNPs with no considerable toxicity against latent toxoplasmosis. However, more studies are required to elucidate the correct anti-Toxoplasma mechanisms of SeNPs.

An approach to the α,β-unsaturated acyl azolium has been developed that exploits N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) and acyl fluorides, without additional oxidants, bases, or preactivated pro-nucleophi...

The main objective of this 2-year study was to investigate the effects of nitrogen resources (nitrogen-free, NO3−, NH4+, and NH4NO3 each 150% in modified Hoagland solution) and plant growth regulators (PGR-free (6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP, 200 µM), 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA, 200 µM) and BAP + NAA each one 200 µM) on the absorption and transmission of elements from root to leaves and also study the biosynthesis of steviol glycosides in stevia leaves. The results demonstrated that the highest absorption of nutrient elements including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium was observed in the plant cultivated under NO3− and NAA treatment. However, the combination of NH4NO3 and BAP significantly increased the steviol glycosides more than that of other treatments. This suggests that stevia requires low amounts of nutrient uptake for the biosynthesis of steviol glycosides. The results also showed that the levels of free carbohydrate and starch were increased in root and leaf under NO3− and with BAP + NAA treatments. An increase in free carbohydrate biosynthesis and transferring it to the root is completely vital to prevent sodium uptake and assist in the absorption of essential nutrients. These results suggest that the application of NO3− could increase the nutrient uptake whereas the optimal uptake of the essential elements and the highest amounts of steviol glycosides occur in the treatment of NH4NO3 along with BAP.

Background: Targeting Cancer Stem-Like Cells (CSLCs) can provide promising new therapeutic strategies to inhibit cancer progression, metastasis and recurrence. Salinomycin (Sal), an antibacterial ionophore, has been shown to inhibit CSCs specifically. Recently, it has been reported that Sal can destabilize TAZ, the hypo pathway transducer in CSLCs. Objective: Here, in the current study, we aimed to assess the differential toxicity of Sal in esophageal CSLCs and its relation to TAZ gene expression. Methods: The esophageal cancer cell line, KYSE-30, was used for the enrichment of CSLCs. The expression of TAZ was knocked down using specific siRNA transfection and then the cytotoxicity of Sal was measured using XTT assay. The qRT-PCR method was used for gene expression assessment and the sphere formation ability was monitored using light microscopy. Result: Our findings showed that esophageal CSLCs over-express stemness-associated genes, including SOX2, OCT4 as well as TAZ (~14 fold, P value=0.02) transcription coactivator. We found Sal can selectively inhibit KYSE-30 CSLCs viability and sphere formation ability; however, TAZ knockdown does not change its differential toxicity. Conclusion: Overall, our results indicated that Sal can selectively decrease the viability of esophageal CSLCs in a TAZ-independent manner.

In this work, novel magnetic nanocomposite adsorbents were prepared by crosslinking β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) onto chitosan backbones by using epichlorohydrin as a crosslinker and in the presence of Fe...

High energy electromagnetic radiation or heavy charged particles are extensively used for medical treatment of certain cancers. Precise prediction or measurements of energy deposition of any types of radiation on tissue is critical in radiation therapy. In this research, the sensitivity of optical fiber dosimeters specifically doped with phosphor (P), Germanium (Ge) and Erbium (Er) are analyzed using Co-60 source at 169 cGy/min. The sensors are calibrated and the values of radiation induced attenuation (RIA) are evaluated at different temperatures. Nondestructive method of laser bleaching is shown superior to thermal bleaching for sensor recovery. The error in P- doped and Er- doped fiber sensors are estimated to be 6 and 4%, respectively. The fastest recovery is assigned to Er- doped fiber. The results show that Er- doped optical fiber sensor can perform ultrahigh sensitive low dosimetry of gamma- ray for medical application. The results of the present work can provide implications for further enhancement of radiation sensing for real- time dosimetry.

Acrylamide concentration in food products collected from the Tehran market was investigated by the aid of a dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) system coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Also, the dietary exposure distribution and related potential risk for acrylamide ingestion were estimated by the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS). The highest and lowest mean concentration of acrylamide was detected in coffee and roasted nuts samples as 549 and 133 μg/kg, respectively. The mean acrylamide dietary exposure values for children (3–10 years), adolescents (11–17 years), adults (18–60 years), and seniors (61–96 years) were estimated to be 1.81, 1.02, 0.61, and 0.53 μg/kg body weight (BW)/day, respectively. In all age groups, except children, the estimated exposure in men and boys was higher than that in women and girls. Bread, despite containing low acrylamide content groups (157 μg/kg while compared with other, except roasted nuts), showed with the highest contribution rate in all age groups due to its high consumption rate. The estimated incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) for all age groups was noted as greater than 10−4 indicating serious risk to the population. Moreover, the margin of exposure (MOE) values based on carcinogenicity showed health concern to all age groups (

The steroid hormones, including brassinosteroids, regulate plant growth under stress. It is hypothesized that 24-epibrassinosteroids (24-EBR) can affect safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) biochemical properties, crop yield, and oil content under drought stress. The objective of our study was to determine the response of three safflower genotypes (Goldasht, Faraman, and Sina) to exogenous 24-EBR (0 and 10-7 M) under drought stress, including 85, 65, and 45% of field capacity in 2015. Stress decreased chlorophyll-a, chlorophyll-b, total chlorophyll, carotenoid, relative water content (RWC), seed yield, and oil percentage. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and proline contents increased in response to either drought stress or 24-EBR. Genotypes behaved significantly different under stress. 24-EBR significantly increased plant chlorophyll contents and oil percentage, and it significantly reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content via increasing the proline and carotenoid contents under stress. 24-EBR can increase safflower oil and seed yield under drought stress.

Background and Objectives: Citrus fruits and their constituents especially naringin (NR), a natural predominant flavanone, have a wide range of pharmacological activities without toxicity against cancer cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effects of orange peel extract (OPE) and naringin (NR) on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. Methods: Amount of phenol, flavonoid and antioxidants in OPE was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu procedure, aluminum chloride colorimetric and DPPH assays, respectively. Effects of NR and OPE on viability, wound healing assay and DNA fragmentation using DAPI were investigated. Data were analyzed by ImageJ software and GraphPad Prism 6.0 at significance of 0.05. Results: Total amount of phenols, flavonoids and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl was 2.83, 2.143 and 60.76 g/100g of OPE. Amount of NR in the dried OPE was estimated to be 5.260 (µg/gr) using high-performance liquid chromatography. Treatment of ESCC cells with OPE or NR decreased viability y of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, both OPE and NR were able to decrease cell migration and increase DNA fragmentation. Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that OPE and NR have anticancer effects on ESCC cells but the anticancer effects of OPE was better than that of NR alone. Keywords: Orange peel extract, Naringin, Migration, Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

One of the most prevalent malignancies is esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Substance P (SP), as one of the peptides released from sensory nerves, causes the enhancement of cellular excitability through the activation of the neurokinin-1 (NK1) receptor in several human tumor cells. Aprepitant, a specific, potent, and long-acting NK1 receptor antagonist, is considered as a novel agent to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in malignant cells. Since the antitumor mechanism of aprepitant in ESCC is not completely understood, we conducted this study and found that aprepitant induced growth inhibition of KYSE-30 cells and arrested cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Aprepitant also caused apoptotic cell death and inhibited activation of the PI3K/Akt axis and its downstream effectors, including NF-κB in KYSE-30 cells. Besides, quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR analysis showed a significant down-regulation of NF-κB target genes in KYSE-30 cells, indicating a probable NF-κB-dependent mechanism involved in aprepitant cytotoxicity. Thus, the present study recommends that SP/NK1R system might, therefore, be considered as an emerging and promising therapeutic strategy against ESCC.

Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen which could produce during food processing via Maillard reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars at elevated temperatures. In this study, microextraction technique was developed for the quantitative analysis of acrylamide in 24 types of roasted nuts and seeds including almond, pistachio, peanut and hazelnut and roasted seeds including sunflower, pumpkin and watermelon. Dispersive liquid liquid microextraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (DLLME–GC–MS) used for acrylamide determination in samples. Critical parameters in analysis step were studied and optimized using central composite design. The risk assessment estimation was done by Monte Carlo Simulation. The detection limit and quantitation limit of offered technique were calculated 0.6 and 2 µg/kg, respectively. The recovery percent for acrylamide in samples was higher than 95%. Relative standard deviation was obtained 8.9% (n = 6). The method was showed good linearity (R2 = 0.998) in the range of 5–500 µg/kg. According to the results, acrylamide level in roasted nuts and seeds is variable between 33.36 and 250.90 µg/kg. The highest mean value of acrylamide was found in roasted almond at concentration 176.88 µg/kg and the lowest amount of acrylamide was detected in roasted hazelnuts at concentration 90.61 µg/kg. Divergences in acrylamide amounts in samples were attributed to differences in their composition, roasting time and temperature used in their manufacture. Our results showed that dietary acrylamide exposure through intake of roasted nuts and seeds, is relatively low and the risk of carcinogenicity is considerable.

Highlights • This was the first systematic review concerning organotin in food. • Among the various organotin, TBT was reported more than others. • The overall mean of TBT in seafoods more than permissible maximum level., Organotin compounds in low doses have toxic effects. These components may contaminate food. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the type and level of organotin in food that are mainly contaminated with these compounds, as well as common detection methods. The research studies with keywords Organotin, Tributyltin, TBT, Food, Detection, Contamination, and Pollution were searched in PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases, regardless of publication time. Two author independently investigated the publications. A number of 123 studies were obtained and only 9 articles were finally selected according to exclusion and inclusion criteria. Studies were selected which organotin components were detected in the food matrix. The important data were extracted. Meta-analysis was calculated for the amount of TBT in seafood. The most important of these compounds are TBT, TPhT, Dibutyltin (DBT) and di-n-octyltin (DOT). Surveys were conducted on three continents, Europe, America and Asia. Contaminated foods reportedly included seafood and edible oils, according to studies. TBT was investigated more than other tin components in food. The overall average estimate for TBT in seafood was estimated at 182.33 ng/g that This amount was more than maximum limit. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to treat the wastewater so that these harmful compounds do not reach the water of sea.

In this study, we investigated whether the nanofibers produced by natural‐synthetic polymers can probably promote the proliferation of co‐cultured adipose‐derived stem cells/human fibroblast cells (ADSs/HFCs) and synthesis of collagen. Nanofiber was fabricated by blending gelatin and poly (L‐lactide co‐ɛ‐caprolactone) (PLCL) polymer nanofiber (Gel/PLCL). Cell morphology and the interaction between cells and Gel/PLCL nanofiber were evaluated by FESEM and fluorescent microscopy. MTS assay and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction were applied to assess the proliferation of co‐cultured ADSs/HFCs and the collagen type I and III synthesis, respectively. The concentrations of two cytokines including fibroblast growth factor‐basic and transforming growth factor‐β1 were also measured in culture medium of co‐cultured ADSs/HDCs using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay assay. Actually, nanofibers exhibited proper structural properties in terms of stability in cell proliferation and toxicity analysis processes. Gel/PLCL nanofiber promoted the growth and the adhesion of HFCs. Our results showed in contact co‐culture of ADSs/HFCs on the Gel/PLCL nanofiber increased cellular adhesion and proliferation synergistically compared to non‐coated plate. Also, synthesis of collagen and cytokines secretion of co‐cultured ADSs/HFCs on Gel/PLCL scaffolds is significantly higher than non‐coated plates. To conclude, the results suggest that Gel/PLCL nanofiber can imitate physiological characteristics in vivo and enhance the efficacy of co‐cultured ADSs/HFCs in wound healing process.

A simple and efficient one-pot process for the synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthene and 2,2′-arylmethylene bis(3-hydroxy-5,5-dimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1-one) derivatives via the Knoevenagel–Michael cascade reactions of aromatic aldehydes and dimedone catalyzed by Bronsted acidic ionic liquids (BAILs) in solvent-free and aqueous conditions is described in this study. These heterocycles were prepared in the presence of Bronsted acidic ionic liquids as a suitable, economical, readily synthesized and eco-friendly catalyst. This method offers several advantages such as high yields, simplicity of the workup, low cost, short reaction times, green conditions and use of a reusable catalyst.

Ferula assa-foetida gum oleoresin (FAGO) is traditionally used for treatment of different ailments. The subject of this article was to evaluate the chemical composition and antibacterial effects of the different types of bitter FAGO essential oils in the natural habitat of Southwest Iran. α-pinene (38.2%), and (Z)-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (12.4%) were the main components of F. assa-foetida tear type essential oil, with high antibacterial, anti-biofilm and cytotoxic activities, followed by paste and mass types, respectively. α-pinene (27.8%), and (Z)-propenyl-sec-butyl disulfide (24.2%) were identified as main components of paste type. α-pinene (33.4%), β-pinene (16.3%), and (Z)-propenyl sec-butyl disulfide (16.1%) were the main components of asafoetida mass type gum oleoresin essential oil. FAGO essential oil specially tear one could serve as suitable candidate for further studies.

The prevalence of aflatoxins (AFB1) in Iranian wheat flours was determined by immunoaffinity chromatography (HPLC). A total of 180 wheat flour and 60 wheat bran samples including three types of flo...

Maintaining crop productivity under limited irrigation water requires some new strategies. This study investigated the influence of drought stress and the application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) including jasmonic acid, brassinosteroids, and putrescine on photosynthetic performance of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill). The results indicated that fennel exhibited active osmoregulation which prevented a sharp decrease in relative water content. Fennel successfully maintained high leaf chlorophyll index, Net photosynthesis rate, and transpiration under mild stress, however, severe stress reduced the photosynthetic parameters by 22%, 24%, and 50%, respectively. Drought stress increased chlorophyll a fluorescence when fennel plants exposed to the stress condition. Vk and Wk parameters related to the donor side of photoinhibition of photosystem II (PSII) increased by 44% when severe drought stress imposed at the vegetative stage and 34% when occurred during the flowering. The elevation of Vk and Wk indicated a failure in water splitting in PSII. The VJ and VI parameters of acceptor sides increased by 16% and 22%, respectively when drought stress imposed at the vegetative phase and to 19% and 30%, when drought stress occurred during reproductive phase. Using PGRs resulted in reduced VJ, VI, Vk, and Wk, suggesting that some degree of recovery of damages occurred. All three PGRs stimulated biomass production and on average, plants yielded roughly 1.6 fold higher than the control plants. The influences of PGRs were mainly independent of drought stress level.

Cereal products as the main group of food diet have most important effect on human health. Acrylamide as a dangerous toxic compound has highly potential to be form in carbohydrates and proteins-rich foods at high temperature. In this research, we have successfully analyzed the amount of acrylamide in the important group of cereal products. Efficient, sensitive and selective microextraction technique has been applied to extract acrylamide from cereal samples. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry has been employed as powerful analytical instrument in the quantitation step. Parameters on the extraction procedure were studied and optimized using central composite design. The calibration curves showed high linearity (R2 = 0.998) in the range of 1–500 ng g−1. Limit of detection and limit of quantitation were obtained 0.6 ng g−1 and 2 ng g−1, respectively. The average acrylamide levels for wafer, traditional flat bread, biscuit, cracker, cake, cookie and industrial leavened bread were 233.94, 218.26, 200.67, 190.50, 186.39, 156.10 and 100.22 ng g−1 respectively. The acrylamide content in all tested sample was higher than 100 ng g−1. Wafer samples showed the highest amount of acrylamide. The composition of cereal sample and baking time and temperature have directly affected on acrylamide level in sample.

Objectives: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon with a length-to-diameter ratio greater than 106 with the potential uses as medical diagnostic or therapeutic agents. In vitro studies have revealed that gadolinium (Gd) nanoparticle-catalyzed single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) possess superparamagnetic properties, which enable them to be used as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Our study synthesized Gd-CNT for use as MRI contrast agents. Methods: To reduce the toxicity and solubility of CNTs, it was functionalized, and after loading with Gd was coated with polyethylene glycols (PEG). We then synthesized different concentrations of Gdn3+@CNTs-PEG and Gadovist® to be evaluated as MRI contrast agents. Results: The analysis showed that the Gd concentration in Gadovist® was 12.18% higher than synthesized Gdn3+@CNTs-PEG, but the mean signal intensity of the Gdn3+@CNTs-PEG was approximately 3.3% times higher than Gadovist®. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that synthesized Gdn3+@CNTs-PEG has the potential to be used as an MRI contrast agent in vitro, but in vivo assessment is necessary to determine the bio-distribution, kinetic, and signal enhancement characteristics.

The development of microdischarges and the inception dynamics of subsequent microdischarges in an electrode arrangement consisting of a metal pin and a hemispherical dielectric-covered electrode, operated in air with a small toluene admixture, is studied. The discharge is operated with sinusoidal high voltage. A gated ICCD camera and a current probe enable the recording of images and current pulses of the single microdischarges, respectively, while the spatio-temporally resolved development is measured with a multi-dimensional time-correlated single photon counting technique. The overall discharge dynamics changes significantly if a concentration of 35 ppm toluene is added to dry air. A lower high voltage amplitude than in dry air is needed for stable discharge operation. This can be explained by the lower ionization energy of toluene compared to molecular oxygen and nitrogen. The microdischarge development is the same with or without admixture, i.e. a positive (cathode directed) streamer mechanism is observed. Lower mean power is dissipated into the discharge when toluene is admixed. The main effect caused by toluene admixture is the suppression of high-energy microdischarges in case of the cathodic pin half-cycle of the sinusoidal high voltage. The influence on the inception voltage by additional ionization mechanisms and volume memory effects, the consumption of energetic electrons for toluene decomposition reactions, and the modification of the surface by plasma treatment are discussed as possible reasons.

The impact of varying the co-doping concentration of a mesogenic and a non-mesogenic monomer in the reactive mixtures used to create a copolymer network LCs was investigated. Use of copolymer has been found to improve the response properties in the obtained liquid crystal composites. The polymer network in the studied copolymer network LCs was examined by scanning electron microscopy and the response times in various samples were investigated. Samples were prepared with various reactive mixtures, each of which had a constant concentration of mesogenic monomer, various concentrations of non-mesogenic monomer, and the same amount of photoinitiator. These reactive mixtures were filled in home assembled test cells with planar alignment and then exposed to UV light. With increasing concentration of the non-mesogenic monomer, the response properties of the resulting copolymer network LC were improved. Usually, if the overall polymer content in a polymer network LC is increased, the threshold voltage is also increased. However, both threshold voltages and response times were lowered and the response properties were thus improved in the studied copolymer network LCs. This unexpected behavior could be traced back to inducing a grainy polymer morphology of the copolymer network by using a non-mesogenic monomer.

This study aims to examine the influence of untreated coal waste (UCW) and treated coal waste (TCW) as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on the environmental, mechanical, durability, and microstructural characteristics of mortar mixes. UCW preparation procedure consists of sequential steps of crushing and grinding. Afterward, UCW is thermally activated through incinerating at 750°C to be promoted to TCW. Experimental work includes mixing mortar mixtures by partially replacing cement with the coal waste binders (UCW and TCW) at different incorporation levels of 4, 8, 12, and 16% of cement weight. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test was applied to investigate the environmental impacts of coal wastes. TCLP test results pointed out that heavy metals including Manganese, Cadmium, Lead, and Chromium could successfully entrap in the cement matrix. The compressive and flexural strengths as mechanical characteristics of mortar mixtures were determined at 3, 7, 28, 90, and 180 curing days. Moreover, the mortar specimens were immersed in 3% sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 60 and 150 days. Durability results showed that the H2SO4 attack resistance of binary cement mortars containing 4% coal waste binders was better than the plain mortar. Based on the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, ettringite was found as the main hydration product of binary cement after 28 days; however, the existence of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) in the cement matrix of mixes after 90 days explains the more compact microstructure attained by using coal waste as cement replacement materials compared to control mixtures.

Anesthetics are deemed necessary for all major surgical procedures. However, they have also been found to exert neurotoxic effects when tested on various experimental models, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Earlier studies have implicated mitochondrial fragmentation as a potential target of anesthetic-induced toxicity, although clinical strategies to protect their structure and function remain sparse. Here, we sought to determine if preserving mitochondrial networks with a non-toxic, short-life synthetic peptide—P110, would protect cortical neurons against both inhalational and intravenous anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity. This study provides the first direct and comparative account of three key anesthetics (desflurane, propofol, and ketamine) when used under identical conditions, and demonstrates their impact on neonatal, rat cortical neuronal viability, neurite outgrowth and synaptic assembly. Furthermore, we discovered that inhibiting Fis1-mediated mitochondrial fission reverses anesthetic-induced aberrations in an agent-specific manner. This study underscores the importance of designing mitigation strategies invoking mitochondria-mediated protection from anesthetic-induced toxicity in both animals and humans.

CO2 geological storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers is currently one of the most economical methods to mitigate CO2 emissions, mainly because of available geological data from oil and gas exploration and production in the last decades as well as abandoned wellbore facilities. Four main factors dictate the safe and economical CO2 storage and selection of a suitable storage site: while wellbore and cap rock integrity are critical to the security of stored CO2, storage capacity and CO2 injectivity are among the main factors driving the cost of storage per ton of CO2. Low or reduced CO2 injectivity at injection wellbore can significantly increase the compression costs of the project. In worst-case scenarios, a blockage can increase injection pressures above rock fracture pressure, thus critically jeopardising further injection in the same well. The global abundance, high storage capacity and potentially low chemical reactivity of sandstone reservoirs make them great candidates for CO2 geological storage sites. The matrix of siliciclastic rocks is mainly made of quartz grains, and there is negligible chemical reactivity in contact with carbonic acid formed during the injection. However, the most common cementing agents in these rocks (e.g. calcite, dolomite and, to some extent, clays) react with carbonic acid. These reactions lead to mechanisms like cement dissolution, mineral deposition, and sand fine migration (sand mobilisation). Depending on the volumetric percentage of the binding cement, its geometrical distribution within the matrix and pore (and throat) size distribution of the rock, fine migration and binding cement dissolution can enhance or impair CO2 injectivity [1,2]. Despite numerous studies regarding the effect of CO2 injection on fine migration and injectivity, there is still no consensus regarding the impact of intergranular cement dissolution on CO2 injectivity. In this study, we have focused on the effect of binding cement dissolution on pore morphology in a typical sandstone (Berea) and demonstrating how the observations of CO2 injectivity change at the core scale alone could be misleading and explain some apparent discrepancies reported in the literature. We cut three slices of this core for X-ray micro-computed tomography (MicroCT) imaging. The first slice was cut from the original clean core. After performing a coreflood experiment with carbonated water through the rest of the core, two other pieces were cut from the inlet and outlet of the core. To represent the extreme dissolution conditions (lowest pH) during CO2 injection, a batch of North Sea brine fully saturated with CO2 was prepared and injected through the core at typical reservoir conditions (50°C and 2.6×107 Pa). Three 3D models are reconstructed from images of the prepared rock slices to represent the pore structure of the rock before injection and the inlet and outlet of the core subjected to CW injection. Avizo (a commercial software) is used to calculate the permeability and velocity fields in these models. The comparison of results from micro-CT imaging and the coreflood experiment shows how single-scale studies (either core or pore-scale) of CO2 injectivity can lead to a misleading conclusion about the effect of fine migration on permeability at larger scales.

Nutritional modifications can potentially impact the reproductive performance and ultimately the economic results of dairy herds. The objectives were to investigate the effects of feeding a high starch (HS) diet and body condition score (BCS) at calving on reproductive responses and uterine health in Holstein dairy cows. One hundred seventy-four multiparous cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental diets from 16 until 50 days in milk (DIM; n = 87 per group); normal starch (228 g/kg diet DM; NS) or high starch (270 g/kg diet DM; HS) diets. Each dietary treatment group was further subdivided based on BCS at calving as normal BCS (BCS ≤ 3.5; NBCS; n = 45) and high BCS (BCS ≥ 3.75; HBCS; n = 42). Transrectal ultrasonography was carried out at 10 DIM, and thereafter twice weekly until the onset of ovarian cyclicity or d 50 DIM. Feeding HS diet significantly affected the proportion of cows cycling by 30 and 40 DIM. Number of services per conception and calving interval (CI) were significantly improved in cows fed the HS compared to the NS diet (2.08 vs. 2.51 and 427.14 vs. 445.30 days for cows fed HS and NS diets, respectively). In summary, feeding higher starch diets from 16 till 50 DIM could be an effective strategy to improve the economic variables related to reproduction in dairy cows.

Anesthetics, although necessary for many modern procedures, exert neurotoxic effects in various experimental models; the underlying mechanisms, however, remain unknown. In the absence of this information, any in vivo mitigation strategy would be challenging. To help address these gaps, we sought to determine whether preserving mitochondrial network integrity with a non-toxic, short-life synthetic peptide, P110, could protect cortical neurons against both inhalational and intravenous anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity. This study provides the first direct comparative account of three key general anesthetics (desflurane, propofol, and ketamine) under identical conditions and demonstrates their impact on cellular viability, neurite outgrowth, and synaptic network assembly on neonatal rat cortical neurons. Further, we discovered that the inhibition of Fis1 receptor-mediated fission reverses anesthetic-induced aberrations in an agent-specific manner. Our data thus underscore the importance of a reductionist approach, offering unique opportunities to explore non-toxic, mitochondria-based therapeutic tools for mitigating anesthetic-induced harm to the developing brain.

Diclofenac (DCF) is among the compounds that are highly resistant to biological degradation processes and have low removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants. In the current study, DCF removal was examined by using the O3/UV/S2O8 process. All experiments were carried out in a 2-liter lab-scale semi-continuous reactor. DCF concentration was measured by HPLC analytical method. The study began with the optimization of pH, and the effects of other operating parameters, including pH, ozone concentrations, drug, persulfate, and natural organic matter (Humic acid) on the degradation were investigated. The mineralization of diclofenac was also investigated. The results showed the removal efficiency of 89% and a persulfate concentration of 200 mg/L, pH = 6, DCF = 8 mg/L, and reaction periods 30 min in the O3/UV/S2O8 process. Humic acid was selected as a scavenging compound, which decreased the removal DCF rate from 89% to 76%. So, sulfate radical-based technologies show promising results for the removal of these particular pharmaceuticals from the wastewater treatment plant.

Stevia is a herbaceous plant containing non-sugar sweeteners that could be regarded as a successor to sugar for diabetics. However, there are some problems with the cultivation of stevia, especially in the greenhouse, including unbranching and low sweetening agents. To overcome this issue, an experiment was designed to increase not only the branching and leaf production but also the sweetness. Therefore, a novel strategy using abscisic acid (0, 50, 100, 150 μM), its inhibitor, i.e. fluridone (0, 50, 100, 150 μM) and decapitation of plant apical meristems was applied. Results showed that when stevia was decapitated, dormant buds responded to the application of abscisic acid and fluridone. Under these conditions, axillary buds were developed to branches. As well leaf, total dry weight, soluble sugars and steviol glycosides (SGs) were significantly increased. In addition, the interaction of abscisic acid (50 and 100 μM) and fluridone (50 μM) had the highest positive effects on plant growth and steviol glycosides production rather than their sole applications. Results also indicated that decapitation removed a terminal dominance over a limited period of time and the terminal dominance was re-established with the growth of the terminal branches, whereas the influence of 50 µM fluridone on stevia was long term and the number of shoots was greater. Since stevia is a costly sweetener, the results of this study could be used in greenhouses, where the cultivation of stevia seems to be reasonable in terms of economic aspects.

Enterococcus faecium strains are commonly resistant to vancomycin and β-lactams. In addition, E. faecium often causes biofilm-associated infections and these infections are difficult to treat. In this context, we investigated the activity of dosing regimens using daptomycin (DAP) (8, 10, 12, and 14 mg/kg of body weight/day) alone and in combination with ceftaroline (CPT), ampicillin (AMP), ertapenem (ERT), and rifampin (RIF) against 2 clinical strains of biofilm-producing vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm), namely, strains S447 and HOU503, in an in vitro biofilm model. HOU503 harbors common LiaS and LiaR substitutions, whereas S447 lacks mutations associated with the LiaFSR pathway. MIC results demonstrated that both strains were susceptible to DAP and resistant to CPT, AMP, ERT, and RIF. The 168-h pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) CDC biofilm reactor models (simulating human antibiotic exposures) were used with titanium and polyurethane coupons to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic combinations. DAP 12 and 14 achieved bactericidal activity against S447 but lacked such effect against HOU503. Addition of ERT and RIF enhanced DAP activity, allowing DAP 8 and 10 plus ERT or RIF to produce bactericidal activity against both strains at 168 h. While DAP 8 and 10 plus CPT improved killing, they did not reach bactericidal reduction against S447. Combination of AMP, CPT, ERT, or RIF resulted in enhanced and bactericidal activity for DAP against HOU503 at 168 h. Our data provide further support for the use of combinations of DAP with AMP, ERT, CPT, and RIF in infections caused by biofilm producing VREfm. Further research involving DAP combinations against biofilm-producing enterococci is warranted.

In order to investigate the effects of some plant growth regulators on photosynthetic pigments and growth of fennel plants, a greenhouse experiment was conducted based on the randomized complete block design with three replicates in 2017. Treatments were the application of methyl jasmonate (25, 50, 100 and 200 μM), putrescine (0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mM) and 24-Epibrassinolide at 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 μM and distilled water as a control. The results indicated that application of 0.5 Mm putrescine, exhibited significant effects on the chlorophyll a (62%), b (104%), total chlorophyll (72%), carotenoids (51%), flavonoids (51%), anthocyanin content (-14%), phenolic compounds (13%) and maximum quantum efficiency (17%) in dark condition and in light condition. Application of 24-Epibrassinolide resulted in a significant increase of chlorophyll a and total chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenol content, maximum quantum efficiency in the dark condition and photochemical quenching of fluorescence. The highest chlorophyll content and carotenoids were observed in treated plants with 0.1 µM 24-Epibrassinolide, while the maximum phenol content was obtained by application of 0.01 µM 24-Epibrassinolide. The application of methyl jasmonate significantly affected the major chlorophyll and accessory pigments (except phenol) of fennel. Plants treated with 50 µM methyl jasmonate exhibited higher concentrations of chlorophyll a (3.25 mg per g FW-1), total chlorophyll (4.35 mg per g FW-1), carotenoids (0.87 mg per g FW-1) and flavonoids (4.75 µg per g FW-1). A significant dry weight increased after the application of methyl jasmonate and it can be concluded that the most effective treatment in this regard for fennel plants was 50 µM methyl jasmonate.

Objectives: Biofilm formation is one of the important features of Staphylococcus epidermidis, particularly in nosocomial infections. We aimed to investigate the biofilm production by phenotypic methods and the presence of ica genes in S epidermidis. Methods: A total of 41 S epidermidis isolates were recovered from different clinical specimens. Biofilm formation was evaluated by microtiter plate, tube method and Congo red agar method. The presence of icaA and icaD genes was investigated by PCR. Validity of methods (sensitivity and specificity), and metrics for test performance (positive/negative predictive value, and positive/negative likelihood ratio) were determined. Results: By both microtiter plate and tube method, 53.6 of S epidermidis isolates were able to produce biofilm, whilst only 24.4 of isolates provided a biofilm phenotype on Congo red agar plates. icaA and icaD genes were found in 100 and 95.1 of isolates, respectively. Biofilm phenotypes accounted for 4.8 by microtiter plate assay, despite the absence of the ica gene. Congo red agar and PCR exhibited a lower sensitivity (18 and 45.5, respectively) for identifying the biofilm phenotype in comparison to microtiter plate. Conclusion: The microtiter plate method remains generally a better tool to screen biofilm production in S epidermidis. In addition, the ability of S epidermidis to form biofilm is not always dependent on the presence of ica genes, highlighting the importance of ica-independent mechanisms of biofilm formation. The use of reliable methods to specifically detect biofilms can be helpful to treat the patients affected by such problematic bacteria. © 2018 Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mutations of EXOSC3 have been linked to the rare neurological disorder known as Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia type 1B (PCH1B). EXOSC3 is one of three putative RNA-binding structural cap proteins that guide RNA into the RNA exosome, the cellular machinery that degrades RNA. Using RNAcompete, we identified a G-rich RNA motif binding to EXOSC3. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and microscale thermophoresis (MST) indicated an affinity in the low micromolar range of EXOSC3 for long and short G-rich RNA sequences. Although several PCH1B-causing mutations in EXOSC3 did not engage a specific RNA motif as shown by RNAcompete, they exhibited lower binding affinity to G-rich RNA as demonstrated by MST. To test the hypothesis that modification of the RNA-protein interface in EXOSC3 mutants may be phenocopied by small molecules, we performed an in-silico screen of 50 000 small molecules and used enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs) and MST to assess the ability of the molecules to inhibit RNA-binding by EXOSC3. We identified a small molecule, EXOSC3-RNA disrupting (ERD) compound 3 (ERD03), which ( i) bound specifically to EXOSC3 in saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance (STD-NMR), ( ii) disrupted the EXOSC3-RNA interaction in a concentration-dependent manner, and ( iii) produced a PCH1B-like phenotype with a 50% reduction in the cerebellum and an abnormally curved spine in zebrafish embryos. This compound also induced modification of zebrafish RNA expression levels similar to that observed with a morpholino against EXOSC3. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a small molecule obtained by rational design that models the abnormal developmental effects of a neurodegenerative disease in a whole organism.