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In the current study the potential use of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Ephedra alata aerial parts as biological control agent against pathogenic bacteria and especially Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistant isolated from auricular infections was evaluated. Chemical tests and spectrophotometric methods were used for screening and quantification of phytochemicals. The assessment of the antioxidant activity was accomplished by DPPH and ABTS radicals scavenging assays. Extracts were evaluated for their antibacterial efficacy by diffusion and microdilution methods. Biofilm inhibition was tested using XTT assay and the cytotoxicity of extracts was carried out on Vero cell line. The GC-FID analysis revealed that E. alata was rich in unsatured fatty acids. In addition, the aqueous extract had the highest flavonoid and protein contents (30.82 mg QE /g dry extract and 98.92 mg BSAE/g dry extract respectively). However, the methanolic extract had the highest phenolic, sugars and tannins. The antioxidant activity demonstrated that the aqueous extract exhibited the strong potency (IC50 ranged between 0.001 and 0.002 mg/mL). Both extracts displayed antimicrobial activity on Gram negative and positive strains. They were effective against S. aureus isolated from auricular infections. The tested extracts were able to inhibit biofilm formation with concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, no cytotoxic effect on Vero cells line was demonstrated for the extracts. Overall, our findings highlight the potential use of E. alata extract as a novel source of bioactive molecules with antioxidant, antibacterial and antiobiofilm effects for the control of infectious disease especially those associated to S. aureus methicillin resistant.

The olive growing in Tunisia has an economic dominance and agricultural importance. However, the huge extraction of olive oil generates a large quantity of olive mill wastewater (OMW), which is discharged to the surroundings. The highly polluting potential (organic load) of OMW threatens the environment and requires an urgent solution. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a green extraction method that can be applied to purify OMW and, at the same time, to isolate a high quality oil from this wastewater. In order to explore and to valorize the compositions of Olive mill wastewater (OMW), extraction in different solvents (supercritical CO2, hexane) was carried out and chemical composition of the extracted oils were established by GC-FID. The Tunisia OMW were collected from two different zones namely Sousse and Sfax. In this work, we have investigated the effects pressure (P) and temperature (T) on the yield and the quality of oil. The suitable conditions for the extraction of oil from lyophilized OMW by Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) were found to be the pressure of 30 MPa and the temperature of 60 °C. In order to simulate the process, the model of broken and intact cells (Sovova’s model) was applied. The model well represented the experimental data. Oil yields ranged from 21.3 % to 33.87 % depending on the extraction solvent used. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were the major compounds of the oils, based on the fatty acid analysis. Chromatographic analysis revealed that the chemical compositions vary from one region to another, extraction solvent as well as the conditions of pressure and temperature.

Oncogenic mutant K-Ras promotes cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and survival by assembling signaling complexes. To date, the functional and structural roles of K-Ras mutations within these complexes are incompletely understood despite their mechanistic and therapeutic significance. Here, we review recent advances in understanding specific binding between K-Ras and the calcium sensor calmodulin. This interaction positively and negatively regulates diverse functions of K-Ras in cancer, suggesting flexibility in K-Ras/calmodulin complex formation. Also, structural data suggest that oncogenic K-Ras likely samples several conformational states, influencing its distinct assemblies with calmodulin and with other proteins. Understanding how K-Ras interacts with calmodulin and with other partners is essential to discovering novel inhibitors of K-Ras in cancer.

Background and Objectives. It has been shown that Myrtus communis and Marrubium vulgare have antibacterial activity against bacterial and fungal strains of different diseases. This study aimed to evaluate in vitro the antibacterial activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Myrtus communis and Marrubium vulgare leaves against selected periodontal pathogens. Materials and Methods. Clinical strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Eikenella corrodens and two reference strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans were tested. The antibacterial activity of each studied plant extract was evaluated using agar diffusion and broth microdilution assays. Results. Both aqueous and methanolic extracts of M. communis exhibited high antibacterial activity against periodontal pathogens as compared to M. vulgare extracts. At concentrations of 2.5-0.32 mg/disc, inhibition zones of the methanolic extract of M. communis ranged from 19.66 ± 0.57 to 12.33 ± 0.57 mm. The methanolic extract of M. vulgare showed at concentrations of 5-0.63 mg/disc inhibition zones ranging from 15.66 ± 0.57 to 12 ± 0.00 mm. Its aqueous extract at concentration of 0.63 mg/disc showed no antimicrobial activity against the clinical and reference strain of A. actinomycetemcomitans. Conclusion. This study showed that methanolic and aqueous extracts of M. communis and M. vulgare have in vitro an antibacterial activity against periodontal pathogens. They could be use as ingredients of an oral antimicrobial agent for prevention or treatment of periodontal diseases. Further research on isolating the compounds from these plant extracts and their toxicity effect could be conducted.

Phosphate sludge (PS) is an industrial by-product produced in huge quantities by the phosphate beneficiation plants in Morocco. In order to valorize this by-product, it was examined for its potential use as a soil fertilizer. The physicochemical properties, elemental and mineral content, morphological structure, and component stability of raw PS were investigated. In addition, pathogenicity, phytotoxicity, and the capacity of PS to promote plant growth in deficient sandy soil have been studied. The obtained results showed that PS was characterized by low values of moisture (2.10%), electrical conductivity (EC) (0.77 mS/cm), and organic matter (OM) (0.61%), with a slightly alkaline pH (8.20). Nevertheless, this material carried interesting content of fertilizing elements such as phosphorus (P2O5) of 20.01%, calcium (CaO) of 39.72%, and magnesium (MgO) of 2.33%. Thus, PS did not present any pathogenic or phytotoxic risk with a high increase in tomato plant growth than the control of only soil. In conclusion, the results of this study could provide the primary practical guidance for the PS application in deficient soils characterized by sandy texture.

The present study focuses on the effect of experimental parameters (pH, temperature, gel mass, metal concentration, contact time) on the performance of lead adsorption by polyacrylamide hydrogels. The results obtained showed that the retention of Pb2+ ions is closely linked to these parameters. The adsorbent gels equilibrate with the metal solution after 180 minutes, and the maximum adsorption capacity is 442.31 mg/g. In addition, the adsorption obeys the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm. Desorption of the micropollutant retained by the hydrogel was also studied using 0.1 M of HCl solution. The desorption was rapid, and the efficiency exceeded 90% after a contact time of 90 minutes.

Monte-Carlo simulations and the nearest neighbour approach have been employed in the present study to investigate the structural properties of aqueous solutions of LiCl salt at ambient conditions. ...

Cellulose (Cell) and cellulose acetate (CA) are attractive durable materials; they can acquire various properties through modification in order to obtain valuable industrial products. First, a series of novel fluorinated cellulose carbamate and fluorinated CA carbamate have been synthesized. The introduction of fluoro-groups onto cellulose and CA chain backbone was achieved by the one-pot grafting method using diisocyanate as a coupling agent, which can be considered as a green procedure. The compounds prepared were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) measurements. The results obtained from these analytical techniques confirm that modification occurs successfully. Second, the solubility behavior and biodegradation process of these new fluorinated materials have been studied. The results show that these new materials exhibit better solubility compared to cellulose, but this solubility decreases compared to that of CA. The phenomenon of biodegradation was studied using two methods, the rate of biodegradability was determined. The results of this part show that the biodegradation of fluorinated materials decreases compared to that of the starting materials. These novel materials are biodegradable, can substitute currently used industrial non-biodegradable products and be promising agents for several uses, such as bioplastics, drug carriers, etc. A sustainable development and an increased use of green chemistry principles are among the essential objectives of this work.

The sapN gene, encoding the extracellular subtilisin SAPN, a serine alkaline protease from Melghiribacillus thermohalophilus Nari2AT, was isolated, sequenced, and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)pLysS using pUT57 and pTrc99A vectors and in E. coli BL21-AI™ using the Gateway™ pDEST™ 17 vector. Conversely, three cassettes encoding pre-pro-subtilisin (rSAPN/SP-Pro-M), pro-subtilisin (rSAPN/Pro-M), and the mature-subtilisin (rSAPN/M) were hyperexpressed in Pichia pastoris SMD1168 and X33 using the pPICZαC vector. rSAPNs were purified, characterized, and compared to wild-type SAPN. The deduced amino acid sequences exhibited high similarity with subtilisins from Bacillus strains. The highest sequence identity (96 %) was observed with the Bacillus licheniformis MP1 protease, with a 10-residue difference. Compared to SAPN and untagged rSAPNs, (His)6-tagged enzymes showed the highest activity and stability at alkaline pH and high temperature, the highest hydrolysis degree on crab and shrimp by-products, and the best catalytic efficiency. It was found that His6-rSAPN/SP-Pro-Ms expressed in P. pastoris strains was more active than those produced in E. coli. To initiate structure-function relationships, a 3D-model of the Pro-SAPN was built based on the available structures of common subtilisins. These data constitute a pivotal first step toward the creation of new efficient rSAPNs with enhanced catalytic properties and high potential for biotechnological and industrial uses.

Two different extremophilic films were used as natural biosorbents to remove Cu(II), Ni(II), and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. Surface area, scanning electron microscopy imaging, and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the surfaces of the biosorbents. The results indicated high affinity of the biosorbents to remove Pb(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II), with adsorption rates ranging from 73.6 to 100% for both biosorbents. The biosorbents succeed in removing the metal ions from aqueous mixtures in the following order: Pb(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II). The maximum removal rates of metal ions were achieved at pH 6, contact time of 150 min, biosorbent dose of 2.5 g/L, and metal ion concentration of 50 mg/L. The isothermal studies showed that both Langmuir and Freundlich models well expressed the adsorption process. Kinetically, the pseudo-second-order reaction better expressed the type of reaction than the pseudo-first-order reaction.

In this work, Henna leaves extract (HLE) and its principal derivatives of Lawsone and Gallic acid are examined as green corrosion inhibitors. Our contribution is to quantify the effectiveness of HL...

Aims:: To utilize in silico-based approach for investigating the ability of PEGylated rapamycin as a competitive inhibitor to Galectin-3 for curing various diseases or that may provide an attractive strategy for treatment of a wide variety of tumors. Background:: Galectin-3 (Gal-3) signaling protein is a unique member of lectin family present at the cell surface, intracellularly in both the nucleus and cytoplasm and extracellularly in the general circulation. Circulating Gal-3 is present in both normal and cancer cells. High levels of circulating Gal-3 have been proven to be associated with inflammation and fibrosis in several acute and chronic conditions, which include neurological degeneration, inflammatory and immune responses, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, heart failure, atherosclerosis, response to infection, wound healing, liver, lung, and kidney disease. Gal-3 is known to regulate many biological activities including cell adhesion, angiogenesis, growth, apoptosis, migration, and metastasis. Rapamycin has been examined alone or in combination with other drugs for treatment of various cancers in clinical studies. Although it has shown promising therapeutic effects, its clinical development was interrupted by poor aqueous solubility and limited preferential distribution. To overcome these limitations, RA has been chemically modified to hydrophilic analogues, such as everolimus (EV). However, all these approaches can only partially increase the solubility, but has little effect on the blood distribution and pharmacokinetics. Therefore, it is necessary to explore other RA conjugates to improve aqueous solubility and tissue distribution profile. Recently we reported that RP-MPEG inhibits the growth of various cancer cell lines by acting on mammalian target of RP (mTOR) receptor site and it can be used for gastric cancer. Objective:: To construct various molecular weight RP-MPEG by replacing MPEG chain in 40-O-(2- hydroxyethyl) position of the EV and analyze their binding affinity to Gal-3. Methods:: The chemical structures of various molecular weight RP-MPEG were built using ChemSketch software. The molecular docking study was performed to find the best probable structure of RP-MPEG for competitive inhibition of the CRD, based on the interaction score. For that purpose, the 3D structures of RP and EV were obtained from NCBI PubChem compound database, where the structural protein-co-crystallized ligand complex of Gal-3 (TD2, as a native ligand) was retrieved from RCSB Protein Data Bank. All structures of the selected compounds, served as molecules for molecular modeling, were optimized through MOE.2014 software before docking. Hydrogen atoms and partial charges were added to the protein. Protein minimization was performed in gas solvation with the side chains, keeping it rigid and the ligand flexible. The selected site was isolated and minimized, followed by protonating the protein. The 3D ligands were minimized using MMFF94x with cutoffs of 10 to 12 Å. The hydrogens and charges were fixed, and the RMS gradient was set to 0.001 kcal/mol. The docking results were analyzed to identify and assess the binding affinity of these compounds to CRD using drug discovery software. Results:: Our results indicated that RP-MPEG with MW 1178.51 g/mol has a logP value of 3.79 and has possessed the strongest binding affinity toward CRD of Gal-3 with a docking score of -6.87. Compared with TD2, there were additional close contacts for RP-MPEG (MW 1178.51 g/mol), coming from three hydrogen bonds with Asp148, Arg162, and Arg144 which suggest that this ligand is a strong competitive inhibitor among the other molecules for Gal-3. Conclusion:: RP-MPEG with the MW 1178.51 g/mol could be a promising blocker for various biological action of Gal-3 includes profibrotic activity, modulation of immune responses and inflammatory responses to cancer that contributes to neoplastic transformation, angiogenesis and metastasis. Other:: The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the binding affinity (according to their mean and standard errors) were estimated with 2.5 and 97.5 percentile as the lower and upper bounds.

In this work, we study the elimination of three bivalent metal ions (Cd2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+) by adsorption onto natural illitic clay (AM) collected from Marrakech region in Morocco. The characterization of the adsorbent was carried out by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of physicochemical parameters on the clay adsorption capacity for ions Cd2+, Cu2+, and Pb2+, namely the adsorbent dose, the contact time, the initial pH imposed on the aqueous solution, the initial concentration of the metal solution and the temperature, was studied. The adsorption process is evaluated by different kinetic models such as the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich. The adsorption mechanism was determined by the use of adsorption isotherms such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. Experiments have shown that heavy metals adsorption kinetics onto clay follows the same order, the pseudo-second order. The isotherms of adsorption of metal cations by AM clay are satisfactorily described by the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacities obtained from the natural clay, using the Langmuir isotherm model equation, are 5.25, 13.41, and 15.90 mg/g, respectively for Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) ions. Adsorption of heavy metals on clay is a spontaneous and endothermic process characterized by a disorder of the medium. The values of ΔH are greater than 40 kJ/mol, which means that the interactions between clay and heavy metals are chemical in nature.

The study aims to evaluate the effect of endomycorrhizal inoculum (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi), phospho-compost and phosphate sludge in single (M, PC, PS) or dual combinations (PC+M, PS+M, PS+PC) compared to agricultural and Mamora soils (A and S) on the growth, flowering, and yield of tomato plants. Among the studied treatments, the substrates containing 5% of phospho-compost combined with endomycorrhizal inoculum (PC+M) gave the most positive effect followed by phospho-compost (PC) and endomycorrhizal inoculum (M). In response to PC+M substrate, tomato plant height, the number of leaves and flowers attained 90 cm, 30, and 25, respectively. In substrates PC and M, tomato plants showed a height of 85 and 75 cm, leaves number of 30 and 19 leave/plant and number of flowers of 21, and 19 flower/plant. An optimal yield with (12 fruits/plant) was recorded in tomato plants grown on the substrate amended with bio-inoculant (AMF) and phospho-compost at a rate of 5%. In terms of qualitative parameters, the highest fresh and dry weight of aerial plant parts and root system were recorded in tomato plants grown in culture substrate incorporating 10 g of endomycorrhizal inoculum and 5% of phospho-compost reaching respectively103.4 g, 34 g 90.1 g, 28.9 g as compared to 87, 51, 23 and 24.1 g noted by tomato plants on the substrate with phospho-compost (5%) (PC). The highest mycorrhization parameters (frequency (F), intensity of mycorrhization (M), average arbuscular content (A), average vesicular content (V), average intraradicular spore content (S)) were found in the roots of tomato plants growing on substrates amended with 5% phospho-compost plus 10 g of endomycorrhizal inoculum, with percentages of 100% F, 61% M, 40.67% A, 18.36% V, and 56.9% S.

The anticorrosive performance of two acrylic polymers (PANa) and (PAA) on smild steel in the 0.1 M hydrochloric acid medium was investigated using numerous techniques, such as weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDAX), and DFT simulation. The obtained results through all tested methods are in good agreement. The polarization curves revealed that PANa and PAA belonged to mixed-type inhibitors. The influence of temperature on the corrosion of mild steel in 1.0 M HCl was also studied. The adsorption of PANa and PAA on mild steel surface in the studied medium follows the Langmuir isotherm. Scanning electron spectroscopy and Energy-dispersive X-ray analyses were carried out in order to study the mechanism which controls the corrosion inhibition of mild steel. Theoretical calculations realized using density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamic (MD), and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations explored the most reactive sites of the investigated polymers.

A recombinant Serratia sp. W3 lipase (rSmL) was expressed in E. coli and purified to homogeneity. The kinetic properties, regio-selectivity, and interfacial performances of rSmL were compared with those of the native lipase (nSmL). rSmL has a molecular mass of 67 kDa and a specific activity of 3530 U mg−1 which is around 12-fold higher than that of nSmL (300 U mg−1) when using olive oil as the substrate. Both rSmL and nSmL were able to hydrolyze the ester bond at the sn-1 and sn-3 positions but exhibited a clear regio-preference towards the sn-3 position of the surface-coated triglycerides (TG), which were esterified with α-eleostearic acid at the sn-1/3 position or dicaprin isomers spread as monomolecular films. Molecular modeling and docking of TG into the active site of rSmL indicated that this regio-preference may be due to steric hindrance, created by the residues Ile308 and Trp311, with distances between the sn-1 reactive carbon and the catalytic Serine residue ranging from 3.15 to 5.47 A. In contrast, the sn-3 positioning within the enzyme catalytic pocket resulted in shorter distances, ranging from 2.79 to 4.15 A, therefore facilitating the hydrolysis at the sn-3 position.

The current study focused on evaluation of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) and the oxytetracycline as antioxidant and antiapoptotic potentialities on New Zealand White rabbits (NZW) performance, physiological homeostasis, hemato-biochemical indices and stabilized DNA structure resembling in 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8OH2dG) level. For this purpose, four groups (each one compromise of 6 animals) of weaned NZW rabbits aged four weeks were randomly divided as follows: The 1st group preserved as normal control (C) treated with tap water; 2nd group (OXY) treated with daily oral dose of Oxytetracycline 200 mg/kg BW/day; 3rdgroup (PPE) treated with daily oral dose of 130 mg/kg BW/day of PPE; 4th group OXY + PPE treated with daily oral dose of 100 mg/kg BW/day of OXY + 65 mg/kg BW/day of PPE. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. Concerning growth parameters, results showed that treatment with PPE and its combination with OXY enhanced body weight and ameliorate the negative effect on liver and kidney function with minimal side effects. In addition PPE elevate antioxidant parameters. However, OXY decreases the growth parameters (live body weight and body weight gain), total protein, albumin, globulin and A/G ratio levels and induces markedly increases in AST, ALT, creatinine, cortisol, and liver 8OH2dG concentrations. In conclusion, present study aimed to investigate the common side effects of oxytetracycline when compared with natural pomegranate peel extract and suggests that PPE and its combination with OXY at half dose of each ameliorate side effects of oxytetracycline, accelerate body weight and normalize physiological homeostasis.

The current study was carried out to investigate the effect of Long-term betaine supplementation on performance of Saidi lambs during growing period. Twenty-four local Egyptian lambs (Saidi) with 7 months of age and average body weight of 25 ±1.36 kg were used. Lambs were allocated to one of the three experimental treatments of eight replicates (control group, low betaine supplementation (LBS); supplemented with 1500 mg betaine /kg concentrate mixture or high betaine supplementation (HBS); supplemented with 2500 mg betaine /kg concentrate mixture) at RCBD design. Concentrate mixture was fed to cover 80% of the daily requirements while the other 20% was supplied by offering wheat straw ad libtum.

Hydroxytyrosol (HXT) (also known as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol,) is a biophenol extracted from olive. HXT is known for its high antioxidant significance effect. In this work, we focused on the study of the behavior of the solubility of HXT in binary solvent mixtures (ethanol + water) as well as the thermodynamic proprieties. The solubility of HXT in water, ethanol and in binary solvent mixtures (ethanol + water) was measured at five different temperatures from (293.15 to 318.15) K. The enthalpy of fusion and the melting point of HXT were experimentally determined since they are essential for the study of the of solubility and crystallization process. Thermodynamic properties of dissolution of the HXT (Gibbs energy (ΔsolG°), molar enthalpy of dissolution (ΔsolH°), and molar entropy of dissolution (ΔsolS°)) are predicted using the van’t Hoff analysis, the Gibbs equation, and the measured solubilities data. The preferential solvation has been determined using the inverse Kirkwood–Buff integral (IKBI) theory.

A fucoidan, sulfated polysaccharide, was extracted from the brown seaweed Cystoseira schiffneri during 4 harvest periods (December, April, July, and September) and studied for its structural and chemical properties. The Cystoseira schiffneri fucoidan (CSF) showed important variation in sulfate content ranging from 7.8% in December to 34.8% in July. This was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies showing characteristic signals of sulfated polysaccharides. Molecular mass of the CSF varied as a function of season from 3,745 in December to 26,390 Da in July. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy showed that CSF fractions were “mannogalactofucans” composed mainly of mannose, fucose, and galactose with low levels of other monosaccharides. Moreover, interesting in vitro antioxidant activities that depend on the harvest season were noted for CSF. Thus, the present work might contribute to establish criteria for extracting bioactive fucoidans from an endemic Tunisian seaweed C. schiffneri., A novel fucoidan, mannogalactofucan, was extracted from the brown seaweed Cystoseira schiffneri. Mw of extracted fucoidans increased from 3,745 at December to 26,390 Da at July. The fucoidans showed interesting in vitro antioxidant activities that depend on the harvest season.

This study was carried out to investigate the ameliorative effect of L-carnitine on monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced testicular toxicity in male mice. Sixty adult male mice were randomized into 6 groups (n = 10). In addition, to the control male mice group (Gp1) that orally administered distilled water, Gp2 mice received 150 mg/kg/day L-carnitine for 35 days. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) was orally administered to male mice at doses of 0.3 and 0.6 mg/g body weight individually (Gp3 & Gp4) and in combination with 150 mg/kg body weight of L-carnitine for 35 days (Gp5 & Gp6). The morphometric parameters, histopathological findings and immunohistochemical studies for PCNA, Ki-67 and Claudin-1 of the testis tissue demonstrated that L-carnitineattenuated and ameliorated the alterations in testicular tissues caused by MSG exposure. Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicated that treatment of male mice with L-carnitine banned MSG-induced testicular toxicity by improving testicular structure status.

Rationale: Ca 2+ -induced Ca 2+ release (CICR) in normal hearts requires close approximation of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) within the transverse tubules (T-tubules) and RyR (ryanodine receptors) within the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum. CICR is disrupted in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, which is associated with loss of T-tubules and disruption of cardiac dyads. In these conditions, LTCCs are redistributed from the T-tubules to disrupt CICR. The molecular mechanism responsible for LTCCs recruitment to and from the T-tubules is not well known. JPH (junctophilin) 2 enables close association between T-tubules and the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum to ensure efficient CICR. JPH2 has a so-called joining region that is located near domains that interact with T-tubular plasma membrane, where LTCCs are housed. The idea that this joining region directly interacts with LTCCs and contributes to LTCC recruitment to T-tubules is unknown. Objective: To determine if the joining region in JPH2 recruits LTCCs to T-tubules through direct molecular interaction in cardiomyocytes to enable efficient CICR. Methods and Results: Modified abundance of JPH2 and redistribution of LTCC were studied in left ventricular hypertrophy in vivo and in cultured adult feline and rat ventricular myocytes. Protein-protein interaction studies showed that the joining region in JPH2 interacts with LTCC-α1C subunit and causes LTCCs distribution to the dyads, where they colocalize with RyRs. A JPH2 with induced mutations in the joining region (mut PG1 JPH2) caused T-tubule remodeling and dyad loss, showing that an interaction between LTCC and JPH2 is crucial for T-tubule stabilization. mut PG1 JPH2 caused asynchronous Ca 2+ -release with impaired excitation-contraction coupling after β-adrenergic stimulation. The disturbed Ca 2+ regulation in mut PG1 JPH2 overexpressing myocytes caused calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II activation and altered myocyte bioenergetics. Conclusions: The interaction between LTCC and the joining region in JPH2 facilitates dyad assembly and maintains normal CICR in cardiomyocytes.

Echium arenarium Guss is a Mediterranean plant traditionally used in healing skin wound and it was reported exhibiting potent antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiparasitic activities. However, antitumoral activities of this plant have not yet been explored. Here we investigated for the first time, root (EARE) and aerial part (EAAPE) extracts of E. arenarium Guss to examine cytotoxicity and apoptosis activation pathway on U266 human multiple myeloma (MM) cell line. We demonstrated that EARE and EAAPE decreased U266 cell viability in a dose dependent manner. Based on 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, EARE was significantly two times more efficient (IC50 value 41 μg/ml) than EAAPE (IC50 value 82 μg/ml) considering 48 h of treatment. Furthermore, after 24 h of exposure to 100 μg/ml of EARE or EAAPE, cell cycle showed remarkable increase in sub-G1 population and a decrease of U266 cells proportion in G1 phase. In addition, EARE increased cell percentage in S phase. Moreover, analysis revealed that EAAPE or EARE induced apoptosis of U266 cells after 24 h of treatment. Interestingly, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspase 3/7 were demonstrated in treated U266 cells. Phytochemical analysis of E. arenarium extracts showed that EARE exhibited the highest content of total phenolic content. Interestingly, six phenolic compounds were identified. Myricitrin was the major compound in EARE, followed by luteolin 7-O-glucoside, resorcinol, polydatin, Trans-hydroxycinnamic acid, and hyperoside. These findings proved that an intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway probably mediated the apoptotic effects of E. arenarium Guss extracts on U266 cells, and this will suggest several action plans to treat MM.

In atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors, there is a crossover from indirect to direct band gap as the thickness drops to one monolayer, which comes with a fast increase of the photoluminescence signal. Here, we show that for different alloy compositions of WS2(1−x)Se2x this trend may be significantly affected by the alloy content and we demonstrate that the sample with the highest Se ratio presents a strongly reduced effect. The highest micro-PL intensity is found for bilayer WS2(1−x)Se2x (x = 0.8) with a decrease of its maximum value by only a factor of 2 when passing from mono-layer to bi-layer. To better understand this factor and explore the layer-dependent band structure evolution of WS2(1−x)Se2x, we performed a nano-angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study coupled with first-principles calculations. We find that the high micro-PL value for bilayer WS2(1−x)Se2x (x = 0.8) is due to the overlay of direct and indirect optical transitions. This peculiar high PL intensity in WS2(1−x)Se2x opens the way for spectrally tunable light-emitting devices.

The isolation and identification of beneficial bacteria from the active phase of composting is considered to be a key bio-quality parameter for the assessment of the process. The aim of this work was the selection and identification of beneficial bacteria from a co-composting experiment of vegetable waste (VW), olive oil mill waste (O2MW), and phosphate sludge (PS). Phosphate-solubilizing strains were isolated from the thermophilic phase using Pikovskaya (PVK) solid medium supplemented with tricalcium phosphate Ca3(PO4) (TCP) as the sole source of phosphorus (P). Therefore, the selected isolate Alcaligenes aquatilis GTE53 was tested to tolerate abiotic stresses (different levels of temperature, variable pH, high salinity and water stress). The isolate was also assessed for indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores synthesis, nitrogen fixation, phenol degradation and pathogens inactivation. The quality of the co-composting process was also investigated by monitoring the physico-chemical parameters. The obtained results showed that A. aquatilis GTE53 displayed a higher solubilization index of 2.4 and was efficiently dissolved, up to 162.8 and 247.4 mg·mL−1 of inorganic phosphate from PS and phosphate rock (PR), respectively. A. aquatilis GTE53 exhibited siderophores and IAA release, along with atmospheric nitrogen fixation. In addition to that, A. aquatilis GTE53 showed a high resistance to heat and tolerance to acidic and alkaline pH, high salinity and water stress. Moreover, A. aquatilis GTE53 could degrade 99.2% of phenol from a high-concentrated medium (1100 mg·L−1 of phenol) and can inactivate the most abundant pathogens in industrial wastes: Escherichia coli, Streptococcus sp., Salmonella sp., and Fusarium oxysporum albedinis. Analysis of temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, indicated successful co-composting. An efficient transformation of P to the available form and a great abatement of polyphenols, were also recorded during the process. The findings of this study will help to advance the understanding of A. aquatilis GTE53 functions and will facilitate its application to promote beneficial microbial organisms during composting, thus obtaining a high-quality product.

The fresh tomato is a very perishable product in arid regions for that the drying is an indsipendable technique to preserve this product and used at all times, in this study the fresh tomatoe was sampled from different farms in Adrar and subjected to the drying method using an indirect dryer solar. The dried tomatoes were screened for microbiological and physicochemical analysis including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Typhi, anaerobic sulfito- redactors, molds and yeasts in addition, the value of pH, water activity, dry matter, and assay of ash. The obtained results showed the presence of mesophilic aerobic total bacteria, and coliform total, the absence of Salmonella Typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and spores of anaerobic sulfito reducting and some colonies of yeasts, for the pH value, activity water, dray matter and assay of ash, the results were (4.10), (0.41), (9.63%) and (5.71%) respectively, which do not affect the final quality of the dried products and satisfactory to norms imposed by the commercial legislation of Algerian. On the other hand, the isothermal sorption is indispensable step to mastering the process of drying tomatoes, and to know the distribution and the intensity of the water connections in the products as a result, this experimental study aims to determine the physicochemical components' and the desorption isotherms curves for tomato harvested from the Touat region, in South-West Algeria, using the saturated salt solution method. The experiment is carried out for three temperature values 40℃, 50℃ and 60℃, to study the influence of the temperature on the equilibrium curves of the product and finally to describe the isothermal moisture desorption for tomato product for three temperatures using known models of GAB, GAB, modified BET who showing the best models isotherms sorption to model at and predict hygroscopic behavior during drying and storage. The results of this research can be used to determine characteristic drying curves and to have optimal storage conditions.

The present work aimed to investigate the effect of an autochthonous mycorrhizal consortium in enhancing olive tree tolerance against Verticillium dahliae. The bio-protective effect of this consortium “Rhizolive” on olive “Picholine Marocaine cultivar” infected with V. dahliae was assessed through monitoring disease symptoms development and through measuring the activities of enzymes involved in basal defense and secondary metabolism. The results revealed that “Rhizolive consortium” significantly (p

Magnesium alloys have been widely used in biodegradable applications due to it tends to corrode inside the human body and combined with its initial mechanical property. Current research revealed that the structural stability of the implant is disturbed and lost rapidly due to the increased rate of degradation of magnesium inside the human body. Because of that, non-traditional machining method such as electrical discharge machining (EDM) die sinking process is implemented to create an intricate form with a high tolerance of magnesium alloy. The advantages of EDM are that it allows a versatile adaption of implant behaviour in machining complex 3D structures along with high corrosion resistant properties of electrochemical surface treatment. Various material types with different parameters are investigated to determine the influence of input process parameters on the energy saving, and machining characteristics included surface roughness, material removal rate, and tool wear rate. In addition to improving the machining performance especially in energy-saving, input on the machining parameter needs to be considered due to interaction with added conductive particles which would affect the size of discharge energy. The objective of this paper is to summarize the findings in research of EDM’s energy-saving and machining characteristics on magnesium alloy and to explore challenging issues that need to be resolved for future references and recommendations.

Background: The lack of treatment options for patients with chemotherapy-resistant cancers is pushing the field toward the development of new therapies. 1,2,4,5-tetrazine derivatives are a class of heterocyclic compounds that exhibit a broad spectrum of antitumor activities. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the biological activity of four s-tetrazine derivatives by substitution of two chloride atom of 3,6-dichloro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine with long hydrophobic side chains. Methods: We analyzed the anti-proliferative effects of four s-tetrazine derivatives with MTT assay and their pro-apoptotic effect with AV/ IP flow cytometry analysis and Hoechst 33342 staining. Results: We demonstrated that 3,6-dichloro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (compound (1)) has a cytotoxic effect and induces apoptosis. Conclusion: 3,6-dichloro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine presents a new cytotoxic drug against metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 in vitro.

Essential oils possessing several therapeutic benefits are considered of a paramount importance in human life. They have been used since antiquity in flavour as condiments and in medicine as antimicrobial agents. Carrot is one of the main vegetables displaying numerous interesting nutritional and pharmacological benefits. The present study was undertaken to determine the interspecific chemical variability and evaluate the antibacterial effects of the essential oils from two Daucus carota subspecies; D. carota subsp. drepanensis (Lojac.) Heywood (EOCD) and D. carota subsp. hispidus (Ball) Heywood (EOCH) growing wildly in Tunisia. Analysis of both resulting essential oils using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) allowed to observe variations in contents of the main constituents. Thus, sixty-two volatiles representing respectively, 98.6% (EOCD) and 98.3% (EOCH) of the total essential oils were identified. Major constituents are (E)-methyl isoeugenol (58.7%) and elemicin (24.3%) for (EOCD) and α-cadinol (13.6%), premnaspirodiene (11.4%) and (E)-methyl isoeugenol (11.4%) for (EOCH). Both essential oils were individually tested against the pathogenic strains: Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 1408, Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. The inhibitory effect of D. carota subs. hispidus essential oils was detected over all the strains studied, the MIC ranged from 1.25 to 2.50 mg mL−1.

Drought stress is one of the most prevalent environmental factors limiting faba bean (Vicia faba L.) crop productivity. β-aminobutyric acid (BABA) is a non-protein amino acid that may be involved in the regulation of plant adaptation to drought stress. The effect of exogenous BABA application on physiological, biochemical and molecular responses of faba bean plants grown under 18% PEG-induced drought stress were investigated. The results showed that the application of 1 mM of BABA improved the drought tolerance of faba bean. The application of BABA increased the leaf relative water content, leaf photosynthesis rate (A), transpiration rate (E), and stomatal conductance (gs), thereby decreased the water use efficiency. Furthermore, exogenous application of BABA decreased production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage levels, leading to less cell membrane damage due to oxidative stress. Regarding osmoprotectants, BABA application enhanced the accumulation of proline, and soluble sugars, which could improve the osmotic adjustment ability of faba bean under drought challenge. Interestingly, mended antioxidant enzyme activities like catalase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase and their transcript levels may lead to counteract the damaging effects of oxidative stress and reducing the accumulation of harmful substances in BABA-treated faba bean plants. In addition, exogenous BABA significantly induced the accumulation of drought tolerance-related genes like VfMYB, VfDHN, VfLEA, VfERF, VfNCED, VfWRKY, VfHSP and VfNAC in leaves and roots, suggesting that BABA might act as a signal molecule to regulate the expression of drought tolerance-related genes.

Developing environmentally friendly products is a modern science and an important task for today's chemistry and technology scholars. In the present research work, two new green chemical compounds, namely 1-benzoyl-6,6 dimethyl-2-phenyl-5,7 dioxaspiro[2.5]octane-4,8 dione (BMP) and 1-benzoyl-6,6-dimethyl-2-(4-nitrophenyl)-5,7-dioxaspiro[2.5]octane-4,8-dione (BMNP), have been synthesized and characterized. Their inhibition properties were investigated in hydrochloric acid solution (1.0 M HCl), for mild steel (MS) corrosion in different temperatures from 303 to 333 K, using, on the one hand, the experimental methods being electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, weight loss, as well as potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) techniques, and on the other hand, utilizing quantum chemical study, and Monte Carlo simulations. BMP and BMNP effect on the surface of MS have even been accentuated by scanning electron microscope. Experimental and theoretical results show that the two spirocyclopropane derivatives are good inhibitors in hydrochloric acid solution against the MS corrosion, and their inhibitory efficiencies (η%) are reaching values up to 91% and 95%, respectively, at a concentration of 10−3 M. BMNP is more effective than BMP owing to the NO2 grouping which has resulted in a clear augment in the propensity for corrosion inhibition. The PDP curves reveal that BMP and BMNP are mixed type inhibitors. Adsorption of inhibitors onto the steel surface was described well by Langmuir isotherm. To fully understand the mechanism of BMP and BMNP inhibition toward the MS surface in 1.0 M HCl solution, Monte Carlo simulations and density functional theory were carried out and discussed.

Controlling corrosion of metals such as mild steel (MS), which is extensively employed in various industrial fields, is a topic of great interest for researchers and scientists. At the same time, designing highly effective and environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitors is most desired yet still challenging. In this context, this study focuses on the use of a new corrosion inhibitor namely (E)-N′-(4-(2-(methyl(pyridin-2-yl)amino)ethoxy)benzylidene) isonicotinohydrazide (INH) as efficient, sustainable inhibitors for MS corrosion in acidic medium (1.0 M HCl). Different chemical, electrochemical and theoretical approaches were used to study and give new insights into the mechanism of corrosion protection of MS by the synthesized isonicotinohydrazide derivative. Experimental results disclosed that this compound could effectively control and reduce the corrosion of MS through physicochemical adsorption, which follows the Langmuir isotherm model. Potentiodynamic polarization technique (PDP) showed that the studied inhibitor affects both anodic and cathodic reactions; thus, it demonstrated that it is a mixed-type inhibitor. Moreover, surface characterization of metal by scanning electron microscope confirms that our inhibitor is subject to strong adsorption over the iron surface. Besides experimental techniques, theoretical approaches like DFT calculations, molecular dynamics simulation and radial distribution function were used to give precise information about the mechanism of corrosion inhibition and unveiled factors controlling the performance of the investigated inhibitor.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality index, functional groups changes, and antimicrobial activity of ozonized pomegranate seeds oil (OPSO). Results have shown that peroxide and acidity ...

The strain in hybrid van der Waals heterostructures, made of two distinct two-dimensional van der Waals materials, offers an interesting handle on their corresponding electronic band structure. Such strain can be engineered by changing the relative crystallographic orientation between the constitutive monolayers, notably, the angular misorientation, also known as the “twist angle”. By combining angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with density functional theory calculations, we investigate here the band structure of the WS2/graphene heterobilayer for various twist angles. Despite the relatively weak coupling between WS2 and graphene, we demonstrate that the resulting strain quantitatively affects many electronic features of the WS2 monolayers, including the spin-orbit coupling strength. In particular, we show that the WS2 spin-orbit splitting of the valence band maximum at K can be tuned from 430 to 460 meV. Our findings open perspectives in controlling the band dispersion of van der Waals materials.

The exploitation of phosphate mines generates an important quantity of phosphate sludge that remains accumulated and not valorized. In this context, composting with organic matter and rhizospheric ...

Poor corrosion resistance of mild steel (MS) is a serious concern in many industrial applications. Application of corrosion inhibitors is a possible solution to combat steel corrosion. As yet, there is very little research reported focusing on hydrazone derivatives as corrosion inhibitors, here we present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the adsorption of three newly synthesized hydrazones (HDZs), namely, (E)-N′-(4-(dimethylamino)benzylidene)-2-((2,3-dimethylphenyl)amino)benzohydrazide (HDZ-1), (E)-2-((2,3-dimethylphenyl)amino)-N′-(4-methylbenzylidene)benzohydrazide, (HDZ-2) and (E)-N′-benzylidene-2-((2,3-dimethylphenyl)amino)benzohydrazide (HDZ-3) on the MS surface in 1 M HCl. The interaction of HDZs and the metal surface was investigated using electrochemical techniques, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), DFT and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. XPS shows that inhibitor molecules form a stable layer on steel surface through chemical and physical interactions. HDZs adsorption onto the steel surface was found to follow Langmuir model. Furthermore, electrochemical measurement results demonstrated that our developed inhibitors act as of mixed-type (anodic and cathodic), with HDZ-1 showing the highest polarization resistance and lowest corrosion current density. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the surface morphology of the steel samples. The new hydrazones showed significantly improved steel corrosion resistance, which provides opportunities to explore the inhibitive activity of structurally similar compounds. Keywords: Mild steel, Corrosion inhibition, HCl, Hydrazone derivative, Modelling studies

In this paper a numerical modeling was carried out to study the problem of plane elasticity in a medium cracked by the method of the extended finite elements (XFEM) in a thin cracked plate made of aluminum using the software Abaqus 6.13.This method improved the capability of the classical finite element method especially the crack propagation problems. Furthermore, the extended finite elements method has been used to simulate tensile and fracture behavior of the study materials. Based on variation in size and shape of crack, the results obtained will be compared with those obtained experimentally, this comparison shows a good agreement.

Marine species have gained significant attention as potential source for a broad spectrum of bioactive proteins. Fish phospholipases A2 (PLA2) have attracted renewed interest due to their excellent properties in lipid digestion. Herein, we report for the first time the catalytic properties of two intestinal secreted PLA2 (sPLA2) identified from Diplodus sargus (IDsPLA2) and Sparus aurata (ISaPLA2). The highest sequence identity was obtained with recently isolated Sparidae digestive PLA2 (45%) and Human pancreatic PLA2 (42%). IDsPLA2 and ISaPLA2 were overexpressed in E. coli as inclusion bodies, refolded and purified. Both enzymes have improved thermostability compared to mammalian pancreatic sPLA2 since they are active and stable at 55 °C, with specific activities of 320 and 190 U mg−1 measured on phosphatidylcholine, respectively. Interestingly, IDsPLA2, but not ISaPLA2, revealed weak toxicity towards macrophages and suggests its involvement in cell membrane degradation. ISaPLA2 was found to be more active than IDsPLA2 when using the monolayer technique at 20 mN m−1. Structural models of both enzymes revealed their differences. In silico docking of phospholipids with both models allowed proposing key amino-acids in substrate binding and selectivity. Overall, these results provide insight into the enzymatic and structural properties of two novel sPLA2 with potential for future applications.