Search

Drought is one of the most emerging threat that causes a severe reduction in cotton plant growth and development. Being cotton is a major cash crop has great threat to prevailing drought events in Pakistan. A field experiment was conducted in Kharif season 2018 at Research Area of MNS-University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan to assess the role of foliar applied kaolin and jasmonic acid on vegetative growth, gas exchange and reproductive traits of cotton under normal irrigated and artificial water deficit conditions. The experiment was laid -out in a factorial randomized complete block design with split – split plot arrangement. Main plots were allocated for irrigation levels, sub-plots for two -cotton genotypes viz. NIAB − 878 and SLH − 19 while sub – sub plots for treatments of kaolin and Jasmonic acid. Water deficit stress was created by skipping irrigation at flowering for 21 days. Foliar sprays of Kaolin (5%, w/v) and Jasmonic acid (100 μM) were applied alone or in combination at 60 days after planntinon both to normal irrigated and water-stresse skip irrigation while irrigation water alone was sprayed in control plots. Both cotton genotypes responded variably to normal irrigated and skip conditions. Skipping irrigation for up to 21 days at flowering caused a significant decrease in leaf relative water content, SPAD values, net photosynthetic rate and seed cotton yield in both the genotypes. Seed cotton yield showed an overall decline of 24.7% in skip over Normal irrigated crop. The genotype NIAB − 878 produced maximum seed cotton yield of 3.304 Mg ha−1 in normal that dropped to 2.579 Mg ha−1 in skip, thus showing an average decline of 21.9 %. Similarly, SLH − 19 produced 2.537 Mg ha−1 seed cotton under normal that dropped to 1.822 Mg ha−1 in skip, showing an average decline of 28.2%. The Application of Kaolin and JA Jasmonic acid, either applied individually or in combination, improved vegetative and reproductive development of both cotton varieties in normal and skip regimes. However, combined kaolin and Jasmonic Acid application proved to be more beneficial in terms of seed cotton production and other parameters studied.

In our work, the removal of cationic and anionic dyes from water was estimated both experimentally and computationally. We check the selectivity of the adsorbent, Zn–Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH) toward three dyes. The physical and chemical properties of the synthesis adsorbent before and after the adsorption process were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR, HRTEM, and FESEM analysis, particle size, zeta potential, optical and electric properties were estimated. The effect of pH on the adsorption process was estimated. The chemical stability was investigated at pH 4. Monte Carlo simulations were achieved to understand the mechanism of the adsorption process and calculate the adsorption energies. Single dye adsorption tests revealed that Zn–Fe LDH effectively takes up anionic methyl orange (MO) more than the cationic dyes methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG). From MO/MB/MG mixture experiments, LDH selectively adsorbed in the following order: MO > MB > MG. The adsorption capacity of a single dye solution was 230.68, 133.29, and 57.34 mg/g for MO, MB, and MG, respectively; for the ternary solution, the adsorption capacity was 217.97, 93.122, and 49.57 mg/g for MO, MB, and MG, respectively. Zn–Fe LDH was also used as a photocatalyst, giving 92.2% and 84.7% degradation at concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L, respectively. For visible radiation, the Zn–Fe LDH showed no activity.

Chlorella vulgaris is a green microalga, extensively used as a food supplement. It is a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, antioxidants, beta carotene, and minerals. Rigid cell wall hinders its wider acceptability as a food additive. In this report, we have used cell wall free Chlorella extract in controlling opportunistic human pathogens. Opportunistic microbes are commensals but become pathogenic due to several intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Several recent studies have shown the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains. So as an alternative strategy we used Chlorella extract to study its efficacy as an effective agent against these pathogens. Our result suggests the extract is effective against Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, and Enterococcus. The zone of inhibition for Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus faecalis is equivalent to Ofloxacin a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It is also equally effective for opportunist fungal pathogens particularly towards Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis and to some extent Candida parapsilosis. However, it is indifferent to multi-drug resistant Candida auris. The zone of inhibition is 40-50% as compared to fluconazole a known antifungal drug. Combining both antifungal and antibacterial susceptibility assay, it was concluded that Chlorella vulgaris is having antimicrobial properties. So, we are suggesting apart from having a good source of food supplement, Chlorella powder can be used as a health booster and could be an effective therapy in controlling opportunistic infections.

Psix saccharicola (Mani) and Trissolcus semistriatus (Nees) are the most abundant eggs parasitoids of the stink bug, Acrosternum arabicum Wagner, in pistachio orchards and have the potential to contribute to their suppression. However, treatment of orchards with broad-spectrum insecticides may greatly reduce populations of these beneficial natural enemies. Therefore, we conducted risk assessments and evaluated sublethal impacts of two insecticides routinely used in pistachio orchards: the organophosphate fenitrothion and a formulated mixture of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam and the pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin on parasitism success, emergence and sex ratio of P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus. Based on the values of their risk quotients (RQ), which are derived from toxicity data, the two insecticide products would be classified as slightly-to-moderately toxic although an alternative metric, the safety factor (SF), showed them to be highly risky. Assessments of sublethal effects on adult wasps showed that insecticide exposure significantly reduced their ability to successfully parasitize stink bug eggs, and exposure of adult females reduced the emergence, survival, and proportion of females of their progeny, which could disrupt biological control for an extended period of time. Analysis of the decreased emergence and parasitism for P. saccharicola and T. semistriatus in accordance with the standards of the International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC) indicate that fenitrothion is slightly harmful to both parasitoid species whereas the mixture of thiamethoxam + lambda-cyhalothrin is moderately harmful. These findings will be useful for integrating insecticides and egg parasitoids into a comprehensive integrated pest management program for managing stink bugs populations in pistachio orchards.

Metronidazole is antimicrobial drug for human and animal use, The more characteristic side effect associated with use high dose of metronidazole is neurotoxic signs, some of these signs that recorded in animal represented by ataxia and tremor, there is limited information is available on the pharmacological profile of metronidazole in birds The aim of our study explain some of its neurological effect in chicks by its interaction with one of organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos that have well-known excitatory effect on nervous system. Median Lethal Doses (LD50) of metronidazole and chlorpyrifos were determined depending on up and down method. The intraperitoneal and oral LD50 of metronidazole were 516.9 mg/kg, 3061.8 mg/kg respectively. The oral LD50of chlorpyrifos was 13.705 mg/kg, intraperitoneal treatment of metronidazole with Oral treatment of chlorpyrifos in ratio 1:1, 1: 0.5, and 0.5:1, respectively of LD50at the same time increased LD50for metronidazole and chlorpyrifos and the isobolographic analysis showed that the points of interaction occurred above the diagonal line connecting between LD50 of each; while oral treatment of metronidazole and chlorpyrifos in ratio 1:0.5 LD50at the same time decreased LD50for metronidazole and chlorpyrifos and the point of interaction was above the diagonal line connecting between LD50 of each in conclusion we found that isobolografhic analysis for metronidazole and chlorpyrifos in different percentages and routs of treatment reveal to antagonist effect despite the similarity in the toxic signs.

The complexes of Co (II), Ni (II), Cu (II) and 5, 8-dihydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone were prepared in an effective way of low cost and high yield using simple inexpensive catalyst (urea hydrogen peroxide) and a base t-BuOK. The polymetallic chelates of naphthazarin with cobalt (II), nickel (II) and copper (II), {[(C10H6O4)3 (Co)2 4H2O] 3H2O, [(C10H6O4)3 (Ni)2 4H2O]1½H2O, [(C10H6O4)3 (Cu)2] 4H2O} have been crystallographically defined and analysed applying the diffractograms data on the systems involved. The X-ray data helped settle on the cubic P lattices of all the polymetal chelates in preference to cubic F cubic I. The study further included the calculations on the interplaner spacing (dA), density, unit cell (aA) in which it had been found that dA gets decreased with increasing value of n. The (aA) for polycobalt chelate was the highest followed by polycopper and polynickel chelates, and the density values on these polymetal chelates assumed the similar order. The molecular weights of these chelate complexes show aligns with their formula weights.

The anti-inflammatory activity and the phytochemical analysis of Lilium polyphyllum showed that the plant does possess a large of phytochemicals which can be used solely or in combination to over the problem of inflammation. The analysis was carried out by using three solvent systems, in which it had been found that water extract possess more anti inflammation property followed by ethanol and less activity were found associated with DCM extract. The HPLC, GC-MS, 1HNMR and 13CNMR analysis showed the presence of various important phytochemicals viz, Methyl 2-furoate, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, Methyl piperate, Piperine, 7, 10-Hexadecadienoic acid methyl ester, Palmitic acid, Methyl palmitate, which are responsible wither individually or in combination for the property in reference.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to investigate the difference in negative scale score in schizophrenic male patients that received vitamin E-fortified risperidone and those receiving risperidone treatments alone. METHODS: This study was a pre- and post-test experimental design which compared two groups; a group of men with schizophrenia who were given risperidone treatment with added Vitamin E and another group of men with schizophrenia who were given only risperidone treatment. The study was conducted at the outpatient clinic of Prof.dr. M. Ildrem Mental Hospital Medan, North Sumatra within August to November 2019. The study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, North Sumatera University. The instrument used to assess negative scale on the subjects is PANSS. RESULTS: We found that statistical analysis using corrected Mann–Whitney U-test obtained p < 0.001 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was a strongly significant difference in negative scale Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores on 4th and 8th weeks in the group which received risperidone treatment with additional Vitamin E compared to the other group that received risperidone alone.

Nickel cobalt layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH)-based materials have recently emerged as catalysts for important electrochemical applications. However, they frequently suffer from low electrical conductivity and agglomeration, which in turn impairs their performance. Herein, we present a catalyst design based on integrated, self-supported nickel nanotube networks (Ni-NTNWs) loaded with NiCo-LDH nanosheets, which represents a binder-free, hierarchically nanostructured electrode architecture combining continuous conduction paths and openly accessible macropores of low tortuosity with an ultrahigh density of active sites. Similar to macroscale metallic foams, the NTNWs serve as three-dimensionally interconnected, robust frameworks for the deposition of active material, but are structured in the submicron range. Our synthesis is solely based on scalable approaches, namely templating with commercial track-etched membranes, electroless plating, and electrodeposition. Morphological and compositional characterization proved the successful decoration of the inner and outer nanotube surfaces with a conformal NiCo-LDH layer. Ni-NTNW electrodes and hydroxide-decorated variants showed excellent performance in glucose sensing. The highest activity was achieved for the catalyst augmented with NiCo-LDH nanosheets, which surpassed the modification with pure Ni(OH)2. Despite its low thickness of 20 µm, the optimized catalyst layer provided an outstanding sensitivity of 4.6 mA mM−1 cm−2, a low detection limit of 0.2 µM, a fast response time of 5.3 s, high selectivity and stability, and two linear ranges covering four orders of magnitude, up to 2.5 mM analyte. As such, derivatized interconnected metal nano-networks represent a promising design paradigm for highly miniaturized yet effective catalyst electrodes and electrochemical sensors.

Investigation of some factors affecting the removal performance of the synthesized composite ion exchanger based on polyacrylonitrile and inorganic species is reported in this paper. The influence of pH, time, concentration of metal ions (Cs+, Co2+, Eu3+), drying temperature of the synthesized sorbent, reaction temperature on the removal percentage of cesium, cobalt, and europium ions using polyacrylonitrile–Ti(IV) tungstophosphate composite was studied. The elimination of hazardous ions—cesium, cobalt, and europium from aqueous waste was enhanced by the increase of time, pH and reduced with increasing of the concentration of metal ions, and drying of the synthesized composite. Freundlich, Langmuir, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D–R) models were used to analyze the sorption isotherms. The experimental data fitted well with Freundlich isotherm equation. The kinetic of cesium, europium, and cobalt ions sorption on polyacrylonitrile–titanium tungstophosphate composite has been studied. Thermodynamic parameters—activation energy Ea, entropy ∆S*, and diffusion coefficients (Di) have been calculated. The particle diffusion mechanism was indicated by low activation energy values and the negativity of ∆S* refer to the stability of the exchange matrix. The reaction rate increased with increasing the sorption process temperature and with decreasing particle size and drying temperature.

Ramularia blight, caused by Ramularia foeniculi Sybille’s a highly destructive fennel disease and may cause complete failure of the crop. The use of chemicals especially mancozeb to manage Ramularia blight increases the load of residues in seed and reduces the export and market price. Removal of lower yellow leaves would not only help in reducing the load of Ramularia pathogen but, also increase the aeration in fennel crop. To manage this disease, field trial was conducted for three consecutive kharif seasons (2017-18, 2018-19 & 2019-20) with agronomical practices i.e. removal of lower yellow leaves at different stages and different spraying schedules of chlorothalonil 75WP. Removal of lower yellow leaves at 50 % flowering stage and grain filling stage with two sprays of chlorothalonil 75WP @ 0.15% (20 g/ 10 lit. water) first spray at just appearance of disease and second spray at15 days after first spray was found effective not only in terms of management of disease (10.91 % disease incidence), yield (2078 kg/ha) and quality aspects but also reduced the load of fungicide on seed which promote the export. Thus, limited use (2 sprays) of chlorothalonil with the removal of lower yellow leaves helps to meet out the quality standards for export promotion with respect to residual limits in the said commodity.

The aim of this study is to use new drugs capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to develop new radiopharmaceuticals for non-invasive brain imaging. Quetiapine (QTP) and cyclobenzaprine (CBP), as two 5-HT2A receptor antagonists, were successfully labeled with radioactive iodine (125I) using Chloramine-T (CAT) as an oxidizing agent via electrophilic substitution reactions. After studying the parameters affecting the labeling yield (substrate amount, CAT amount, pH of the reaction mix., reaction time and temperature), the highest radiochemical yields of125I-QTP and 125I-CBP were found to be 94.5 % ± 1.0 and 91.7 % ± 0.6, respectively, at pH 2. The biodistribution and the SPECT/CT image showed that the maximum uptake of radioiodinated-QTP by the mouse brain was 10.2% and 10.9% at 120 minutes post-injection, while the radioiodinated-CBP was 7.7% and 12.4% at 240 minutes post-injection. The results have shown that radioiodinated-QTP and radioiodinated-CBP are novel radiopharmaceuticals and may be used for brain imaging.

Hepatic encephalopathy depicts the cluster of neurological alterations that occur during acute or chronic hepatic injury. Hyperammonemia, inflammatory injury, and oxidative stress are the main predisposing factors for the direct and indirect changes in cerebral metabolism causing encephalopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible synergistic effect between aminoguanidine (AG; 100 mg/kg, p.o.) and l-carnosine (CAR; 200 mg/kg, p.o.) on hepatic encephalopathy that was induced by thioacetamide (TAA; 100 mg/kg, i.p.) administered three times weekly for six weeks. Behavioral changes, biochemical parameters, histopathological analysis, and immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies were conducted 24 h after the last treatment. Combining AG with CAR improved TAA-induced locomotor impairment and motor incoordination evidenced by reduced locomotor activity and decline in motor skill performance, as well as ameliorated cognitive deficits. Moreover, both drugs restored the levels of serum hepatic enzymes and serum and brain levels of ammonia. In addition, the combination significantly modulated hepatic and brain oxidative stress biomarkers, inflammatory cytokines, and cleaved caspase-3 expression. Furthermore, they succeeded in activating nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) activity and ameliorating markers of hepatic encephalopathy, including hepatic necrosis and brain astrocyte swelling. This study shows that combining AG with CAR exerted a new intervention for hepatic and brain damage in hepatic encephalopathy due to their complementary antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects and hypoammonemic effects via Nrf2/HO-1 activation and NO inhibition.

The research objective is to design intranasal (IN) brain targeted CLZ-loaded polymeric nanomicellar systems (PNMS) aiming to improve central systemic CLZ bioavailability. Direct equilibrium method was used to prepare CLZ-PNMS using two hydrophobic poloxamines; Tetronic® 904 (T904) and Tetronic® 701 (T701) and one hydrophilic poloxamer; Synperonic® PE/F127 (F127). Optimization is based on higher percent transmittance, solubilizing efficiency, and in vitro release after 24 h with smaller particle size was achieved using Design-Expert® software. The optimized formula was further evaluated via TEM, ex vivo nasal permeation in addition to in vivo biodistribution using radiolabeling technique of the optimized formula by Technetium-99m (99mTc). The optimized formula M5 has small size (217 nm) with relative high percentage of transmittance (97.72%) and high solubilization efficacy of 60.15-fold following 92.79% of CLZ released after 24 h. Ex vivo nasal permeation showed higher flux of 36.62 μg/cm2.h compared to 7.324 μg/cm2.h for CLZ suspension with no histological irritation. In vivo biodistribution results showed higher values of radioactivity percentage of the labeled optimized formula (99mTc–M5) in brain and brain/blood ratio following IN administration of 99mTc–M5 complex which were greater than their corresponding values following intravenous route. It is obvious that nasal delivery of CLZ-PNMS could be a promising way to improve central systemic CLZ bioavailability.

In a short runtime process (about 6 minutes), with isocratic method without need of reconditioning before the next run, a mixture of some molecules containing 4-aminophenol (4APh), phenol, 3-nitrosalicylic acid (3NSA), and mesalamine (5-aminosalicylic acid) (MLZ), were separated and detected by means of HPLC/UV-Vis system. The resolutions of the separated and sharp peaks referring to the mentioned compounds were at least more than 2, and the tailing factor (TF) was about 1, even in 1 µg/l (ppm) concentration. In order to optimize the method, the effects of the pH, eluent percentage, flow rate, and buffer concentration, and wavelength on the chromatogram were investigated. Also, the results of the validation processes showed that the method trustable to be used in laboratories.

Introduction: There are extensive people exposures to paraquat (PQ) herbicide resulting in human health hazards. Aim of the Work: To compare the beneficial neuroprotective effects of hesperidin and benfotiamine on paraquat (PQ)-induced spinal cord neurotoxic effects in rats. Materials and Methods: Rats were divided into 4 groups as following: control, paraquat (PQ 20.8 mg/kg, oral gavage (e.g.)), paraquat + benfotiamine (50 mg/kg, oral gavage (e.g.)) and paraquat + hesperidin (40 mg/kg, oral gavage (e.g.)). PQ is given as the previous dose. Rats are treated 6 days per week. Results: There was a significant increased mean value of malondialdehyde associated with a significant reduction in the content of reduced glutathione and antioxidant enzymes activities associated with a significant increase in Serum phosphorylated neurofilament-H, neurospecific enolase and s100 levels were recorded and significant spinal cord histopathological changes in paraquat treated group as compared to their corresponding values in the control group and immunohistochemical examination confirmed these results. Upon supplementation with benfotiamine and hesperidin to paraquat treated rats, there was a significant decrease in the mean values of malondialdehyde associated with a marked increase in the content of reduced glutathione and antioxidant enzymes activities associated with a significant decrease in Serum phosphorylated neurofilament-H, neurospecific enolase and s100 levels were also recorded with significant improvement of spinal cord architecture when compared with the paraquat treated group. Conclusion: The use of benfotiamine and hesperidin produced a significant protection against all of the above-mentioned changes.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) based nanofibers (NFs) represented a novel class of bioactive wound dressings that have a vital role in wound management due to their unique properties as an extracellular-matrix and accelerating wound healing. Novel L-arginine-loaded citric acid crosslinked PVA-HA NFs were fabricated by electrospinning and proposed for potential wound healing purposes. However, poor mechanical properties of HA NFs might limit its biological usage, thus this study aims to develop reinforced PVA/HA NFs by incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as nanofiller and loading L-arginine as wound healing accelerator. Results revealed that incorporation of CNCs into PVA/HA significantly improved mechanical and swelling properties of NFs, compared to CNC-free NFs. Biological performance of NFs was evaluated on normal human skin melanocyte (HFB-4) and lung fibroblast (WI38) cell-lines. PVA/HA/CNC/L-arginine NFs exhibited excellent hemocompatibility, high protein adsorption, outstanding proliferative and adhesive potential on HFB-4 cells expressed by high wound gap-closure 99.9% after 48 h of exposure. Released arginine from PVA/HA/CNC NFs showed sustained release about 46.5% and ~90% after 24 h and 48 h, respectively. Briefly, PVA/HA/CNCs/L-arginine showed adequate antibacterial activity especially against Klebsiella pneumonia, as an acute popular pathogen causing a skin infection. These results indicate that PVA/HA/CNC/L-arginine could act as promising and multifunctional wound dressings.

Abstract High level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is considered one of the main causes of global warming. Electrochemical conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels has promising potential to be implemented into practical and sustainable devices. In order to efficiently realize this strategy, one of the biggest efforts has been focused on the design of catalysts which are inexpensive, active and selective and can be produced through green and up-scalable routes. In this work, copper-based materials are simply synthesized via microwave-assisted process and carefully characterized by physical/chemical/electrochemical techniques. Nanoparticle with a cupric oxide (CuO) surface as well as various cuprous oxide (Cu2O) cubes with different sizes is obtained and used for the CO2 reduction reaction. It is observed that the Cu2O-derived electrodes show enhanced activity and carbon monoxide (CO) selectivity compared to the CuO-derived one. Among various Cu2O catalysts, the one with the smallest cubes leads to the best CO selectivity of the electrode, attributed to a higher electrochemically active surface area. Under applied potentials, all Cu2O cubes undergo structural and morphological modification, even though the cubic shape is retained. The nanoclusters formed during the material evolution offer abundant and active reaction sites, leading to the high performance of the Cu2O-derived electrodes. Graphic abstract

Purpose Adefovir dipivoxil (AD), a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor is effective against Hepatitis B virus. Its poor oral bioavailability leads to frequent administration causing severe adverse effects. Thereby the entrapment of AD within lipid nanoparticulate systems is a way of increasing AD oral bioavailability as a result of improving intestinal permeability with efficient liver-targeted delivery together with higher drug stability during storage. Methods AD-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (AD-NLCs) were prepared via solvent emulsification diffusion technique adopting 24 full factorial design to study the effect of lipid percentage, presence of egg yolk lecithin, surfactant type and percentage on entrapment efficiency (E.E.%), particle size and percent in-vitro drug released after 8 h (Q8hrs). Results Formula (F12) showed E.E.% of 90.5 ± 0.2%, vesicle size of 240.2 ± 2.5 nm and Q8hrs of 58.55 ± 9.4% was selected as the optimum formula with desirability value of 0.757 based on highest EE%, lowest P.S. and Q8hrs. Further evaluation of the optimized formula using radioiodinated rose bengal (RIRB) in thioacetamide induced liver damage in Swiss Albino mice revealed a higher liver uptake of 22 ± 0.01% ID/g (percent injected dose/g organ) and liver uptake/Blood (T/B) ratio of 2.22 ± 0.067 post 2 h of I.V injection of RIRB compared to 9 ± 0.01% ID/g and 0.64 ± 0.017 in untreated group, respectively. Conclusion NLCs could be successfully used as oral drug delivery carriers of the antiviral drug Adefovir Dipivoxil to the liver with higher stability and oral bioavailability. Graphical abstract.

The conversion of carbon dioxide into value-added products using sunlight, also called artificial photosynthesis, represents a remarkable and sustainable approach to store solar energy, transformin...

The cucumber moth (CM), Diaphania indica (Saunders) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a major lepidopteran pest of cucurbitaceous plants that caterpillars feed on vegetative tissue of the plants and thereby cause loss of crops. Previous work has shown that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by host plants attract gravid CM females for oviposition, but the compounds responsible for this attraction had not been identified. The purpose of the present study was to identify attractive volatiles/mixtures of components to CM. VOCs from four host plants (cucumber, squash, melon, and watermelon) were collected with solid-phase microextraction fibers and identified by GC–MS. The electroantennography (EAG) response of gravid CM female antennae to host plant VOCs was determined, and also the behavioral responses to selected VOCs were tested in a wind tunnel. From a total of 22 components that were identified, only four (xylene, α-pinene, limonene, and (E)-β-ocimene) were present in all four host plant species. However, these four components seem to play a minor role in CM attraction as shown by EAG and behavioral (wind tunnel) experiments. Benzenoids and terpenoids were the main VOCs for the four host plants. The strongest EAG responses were elicited by four aliphatic compounds ((Z)-6-nonenal, octanal, (E)-2-octen 1-ol, and 1-hexanol) and two benzenoids (benzyl alcohol, and benzaldehyde). In wind tunnel experiments, the most flight responses were recorded for three blends consisting of four compounds [(E, Z)-2,6-nonadienal, (E)-2-nonenal, (Z)-6-nonenal, and 4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT)] + (1) benzaldehyde, and benzyl alcohol, (2) β-caryophyllene, and (3) benzyl alcohol. However, only blends composed of (1) benzyl alcohol and DMNT or (2) benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde, and DMNT elicited landing responses. These findings indicate that mixtures mimicking cucumber volatiles attract gravid CM females, which could in further steps be used to develop lures for control management of CM.

Arsenic contamination of water sources is a global problem, affecting numerous (especially developing) countries across the world. Exposure to exorbitantly high concentrations reaching 400 parts per billion of arsenic in water sources lead to numerous health complications, including the development of respiratory, neurological, and cancerous diseases. This study focused on developing an innovative, low-cost, and gravity-driven filtration system using a novel iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded polyurethane (PU) foam by which people in developing countries may have easy access to an effective, affordable, and easily fabricated filtration system. After successfully synthesizing the new iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded PU foam, effectiveness of the foam was tested by developing a filtration system consisting of vertical polyvinyl-chloride tubing inserted with 10 and 20 cm of PU foams. Samples of arsenic-contaminated water with known concentrations of 100 and 200 ppb were run through each of the systems numerous times for one and five run cases. The system with 20 cm of PU foam and five runs successfully filtered out around 50–70% of the arsenic from the 100 and 200 ppm samples. The filtration process was quite fast (and hence practical) with each run completing in 5–10 minutes' time. Future research is expected to improve this promising start.

Background: Several nanosystems are currently being utilized to enhance the targeting efficiency of several cancer chemotherapeutic agents. This study was designed to improve tumor accumulation of ...

Background DAXX is a transcription repressor that has been implicated in several types of cancers, but its role in the development of gastric cancer remains unknown. Methods We analysed the expression of DAXX in 83 pairs of gastric cancer samples, including neoplastic and adjacent tissues, and correlated the expression levels with clinical stages. We also investigated the molecular mechanisms by which DAXX downregulation promotes cancer growth using both in vitro and in vivo models. Results DAXX was downregulated in advanced gastric cancer samples. The expression of DAXX inversely correlates with that of cancer stem cell markers CD44 and Oct4 in gastric cancer lines. DAXX overexpression in gastric cancer cells inhibited migration, invasion and epithelial– mesenchymal transition (EMT). The inhibition of EMT was achieved through the repression of SNAI3, a key inducer of EMT, by recruiting HDAC-1 into the nucleus. Using a xenograft mouse model, we demonstrated that the MKN45 cells formed smaller tumours when DAXX was overexpressed. Wild-type AGS cells were not able to form tumours in nude mice, but in contrast, formed visible tumours when DAXX was silenced in the cells. Conclusion We for the first time demonstrated that DAXX functions as a tumour suppressor in gastric cancer by inhibiting stem cell growth and EMT.

One of the aspects of increase of earlier damage and failure of traffic load, especially in clayey regions, is the deficiency of pavement subgrade. To prevent such damage, strengthening of the pavement by improving the subgrade layer is essential. Many investigators have carried out research on the subgrade layer, especially when containing clay particles, using several types of additives (stabilizers). Soil Stabilization is a method of improving the engineering properties of soil and therefore making it more stable. Generally, stabilization includes pre-consolidation, compaction and numerous other similar methods. However, stabilization is usually related to the processes which modify the soil composition itself for enhancement of its properties. Soil stabilization of pavements is usually designed based on the assumption that specified levels of quality will be achieved for each soil layer in the pavement system. Each layer must resist shearing within the layer, avoid excessive elastic deformations that would result in fatigue cracking within the layer or in overlying layers, and prevent excessive permanent deformation through densification. Engineers are responsible for selecting or specifying the correct stabilizing method, technique, and quantity of material required. Usually, the technology provides an alternative provision structural solution to a practical problem. The simplest stabilization processes are compaction and drainage. The other process is by improving gradation of particle size and further improvement can be achieved by adding binders to the weak soils. This study showed that lime activated by sodium chloride in combination with sugar cane ash could be effectively used to improve soft clay with low soaked CBR value and high plasticity. Therefore, from the environmental point of view, it was recommended that sugar cane ash can partially replace lime in clay stabilization to form material with cementitous properties

Silver nanoflowers (Ag1 and Ag2 NFws) were prepared using combined solid state–polyol reduction methods. The nanoflowers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. A new mechanism of Ag NFw formation, based on microstructural investigation, is described. According to this mechanism, Ag1 NFws have a lower free surface energy and are more flexible than Ag2 NFws. Both Ag1 and Ag2 NFws were radiolabeled by adsorption of iodine-125 with the maximum radiochemical yield of 95.6 ± 0.5 and 58.4 ± 0.3%, respectively. The stability and biodistribution of 125I-Ag1 NFws were studied. Ag1 NFws were shown to be localized in the septic inflamed muscle to a greater extent than in a normal muscle. Ag1 NFws show promise as a theranostic agent.

Dairy products samples were contaminated with variable amounts of heavy metals. Drinking water used to mix infant powdered formula may add cadmium and lead significantly to the concentrations in the ready-made products. The presence of heavy metals in human’s diet even in low level, can lead to presence of these metals in human’s body by considerable concentration. Metals that cannot be metabolized (as cadmium and lead), persisted in the body and exerted their toxic effectby combining with one or more reactive group essential for normalphysiological function and cellular disturbance or clinical manifestations may be appeared. Hence, seventy random samples of some dried milk products (infant powdered milk based formulae) were collected from different markets and pharmacies in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. These samples were collected in their original containers and packets, and transported to the laboratory for estimation of lead (pb), cadmium (cd) and selenium (se) levels. The digest, blanks and standard solutions were aspirated by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (VARIAN, model AA240 FS, Australia). The percentage of positive samples for lead, cadmium and selenium was 60, 51.4 and 100%, respectively, in the first type and 48.6, 40 and 100%, respectively, in the second type. The results of positive samples that exceeded the MPL for lead, cadmium and selenium showed in the first type 76.2, 72.2 and 17.1%, respectively, and in the second type 82.4, 57.1 and 2.9%, respectively. The values ​​of the quantities measured weekly (EWI) for lead, cadmium and selenium were in the first type according to the averages 7.546, 4.312 and 0.973 mg / kg of body weight, respectively, while the second type was 3.675, 1.652 and 0.553 mg / kg of body weight.

Utilization of rice husks in Indonesia in general is still very limited. Utilization of silica contained in rice husk ash, which has been used, among others, in the manufacture of sodium silicate. Silica compounds themselves can be used in and manufacturing basic materials for electronic and ceramic equipment, glass, rubber, cosmetic products, and pharmaceuticals. The addition of Mg can increase the silica content (SiO2) in rice husk ash. The best results show an effective Mg ratio of Mg addition to increase silica content is 1: 1. produces the highest amount of silica which is 58.12% of the rice husk ash with a size of 140 mesh

The solubility of methane (CH4) in ionic liquids (ILs) is required in order to develop processes involving CH4, such as methane conversion and CO2/CH4 separation from natural gas or biogas processes. Nevertheless, the solubility of CH4 in ILs is still very rarely achieved and, consequently, fundamental knowledge about the factors that govern the solubility are still poorly understood. Therefore, this work aims to extend the solubility data of CH4 in various ILs and to gain some insights into the factors at a molecular level that play a role in the solubility process through experimental and computational modelling using Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvent (COSMO-RS). The solubility of CH4 in 17 commercial ILs was measured experimentally at four different temperatures (298.15 to 343.15 K) and pressures up to 8 MPa. The large number of ILs studied allows the study of the impact of the cation and anion head group and the alkyl chain length on the solubility of CH4. From the experimental solubility data collected, Henry's law constant (KH) values were calculated. The results show that the solubility of CH4 increases with decreasing temperature and increasing pressure. The solubility of CH4 can also be enhanced by increasing the alkyl chain length of the IL cation or anion. Despite the inability of COSMO-RS to make quantitative predictions, the model is able to predict accurately the impact of the IL cation head group, anion, and alkyl chain length on the solubility of CH4. Good correlation between the electrostatic – misfit energy, HE,MF, of CH4 and the experimentally calculated KH values was obtained (R2 = 0.932). This correlation indicates, for the first time, that the electrostatic – misfit energy arising from the repulsive interaction of CH4 plays a dominant role in determining its solubility in ILs. In addition, it is shown that the IL size and van der Waals forces only have marginal influences on the solubility of CH4. The experimental and computational modelling results in this work could pave the way to designing ILs as a medium for gas absorption and separation involving CH4.

A new dinuclear uranyl salen coordination compound, [(UO2)2(L)2]·2MeCN [L = 6,6'-((1E,1'E)-((2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diyl)bis(azaneylylidene))-bis(methaneylylidene))bis(2-methoxyphenol)], was synthesized using a multifunctional salen ligand to harvest visible light for the selective photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to MeOH. The assembling of the two U centers into one coordination moiety via a chelating-bridging doubly deprotonated tetradentate ligand allowed the formation of U centers with distorted pentagonal bipyramid geometry. Such construction of compounds leads to excellent activity for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2, permitting a production rate of 1.29 mmol g-1 h-1 of MeOH with an apparent quantum yield of 18%. Triethanolamine (TEOA) was used as a sacrificial electron donor to carry out the photocatalytic reduction of CO2. The selective methanol formation was purely a photocatalytic phenomenon and confirmed using isotopically labeled 13CO2 and product analysis by 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The spectroscopic studies also confirmed the interaction of CO2 with the molecule of the title complex. The results of these efforts made it possible to understand the reaction mechanism using ESI-mass spectrometry.

The use of polymer-based polyphosphazene is increasing in biomedical industry due to their degradable nature, and their specific role can further be tailored by substituting the chloro groups in the linear precursor with suitable nucleophiles. In this study, we aimed to synthesize a novel degradable polymer based on polyphosphazene by derivatizing the linear poly(dichlorophosphazene) precursor with diethyl amine and 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethanol. The structure of the synthesized polymer, poly[bis(2(2-methoxyethoxyethoxy diethylamino)phosphazene] (PMEEDEAP) was elucidated with 1H NMR and 31P NMR. The molar mass distribution and molecular weight of the synthesized polymers were assessed by employing GPC. The hydrolytic degradation, in vitro, of the polymer was carried out in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) with pH ~ 7.0 and at 37 °C. The polymer showed a weight loss of 95% in 5 weeks. Current studies showed that the synthesized degradable polymer may further be subjected to in vivo studies and employed as a potential candidate for biomedical applications, i.e., controlled-drug delivery and tissue engineering. In addition, the experimental data were analyzed by graphical and statistical methods, and it was found that the weight loss of PMEEDEAP is linear function of time, i.e., $$ w_{t} = - 1 \times 10^{-3} \;t_{{\text{hr}}} + 1.068. $$ The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) is found to be 0.978, which indicates that the workability of the model is good.

Background: Migraine is a recurrent neurovascular disor-der which lowers the quality of life. Middle-aged women are more susceptible to migraine than men. It is either migraine with aura (MA) or migraine without aura (MO). Molecular genetic studies of migraine have investigated many polymor-phisms possibly associated with migraine particularly rs4846049 and A1298C polymorphisms. Methylenetetrahy-drofolate Reductase (MTHFR) gene 677CT polymorphism is one of the proposed genetic changes affecting migraine.Aim of Study: This study aimed at assessing its role in migraine in Egyptian population and its relation to the clinical manifestations of the disease and to find a possible link to effectiveness or resistance to 677CT treatment protocols.Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on (180) subjects who were divided into two groups: Group I (patients, group) which included (120) adult patients with migraine recruited from Headache Clinic in Ain Shams University Hospitals and were diagnosed with migraine according to ICHD diagnostic criteria 3rd edition beta version (2013), and Group II (control group) which included (60) age-and sex-matched apparently healthy subjects. MTHFR 677CT poly-morphism was assessed using Restriction Fragment Length Polymerase Chain Reaction (RFLP-PCR) technique.Results: The study demonstrated a significant association between MTHFR gene polymorphism (C677T) and migraine (p 0.05).Conclusion: The study demonstrates a significant associ-ation between MTHFR gene polymorphism (677CT) and occurrence of migraine and its preceding and accompanying clinical manifestations in Egyptian population, attack severity and increased risk of disease occurrence. Unfortunately, MTHFR gene polymorphism (677CT) showed no statistical association with analgesic treatment dose.

Febuxostat is non-purine, selective inhibitor of xanthine oxidase for treatment of gout. It exhibits poor bioavailability. The goal of the present study was to enhance the oral bioavailability of Febuxostat through β-Cyclodextrin nanosponges, subsequently reduce the dose and side effects. Nanosponges were formed by cross-linking β-Cyclodextrin with carbonate bonds using different molar ratio (1:4, 1:6, 1:8 and 1:10 β-Cyclodextrin: crosslinker). Drug was incorporated by solvent evaporation method. Nanosponge formulations were evaluated and formulations that released (≥ 30%) at first hour followed by controlling the release (≥ 75%) at 6 h were further evaluated and tableted by direct compression. The optimum tablet formulations based upon drug release were investigated for accelerated stability testing and for comparative bioavailability with a marketed product. SEM illustrates porous and sponge like structure. DSC and FTIR studies confirmed the formation of nanosponges and encapsulation of Febuxostat within it. The zeta-potentials were high (− 21.5 to − 32.3 mV). The particle sizes were between 224.7 and 305.6 nm. The in vitro release study showed a biphasic release pattern. Oral bioavailability of selected formulation and marketed product showed enhanced Cmax (1655.0 ± 18.5 vs. 1592.7 ± 95.9 ng/mL) and AUC0−∞ (14,576.7 ± 1681.7 vs. 6449.7 ± 677.1 ng h/mL). The relative bioavailability was found to be 217.9%. Nanosponges is a feasible approach to improve the oral bioavailability of Febuxostat.

Signal generation techniques for visual detection of analytes have received a great deal of attention in various sensing fields. These approaches are considered to be advantageous when instrumentation cannot be employed, such as for on-site assays, point-of-care tests, and he althcare diagnostics in resource-constrained areas. Amongst various visual detection approaches explored for non-invasive quantitative measurements, ratiometric fluorescence sensing has received particular attention as a potential method to overcome the limitations of intensity-based probes. This technique relies on changes in the intensity of two or more emission bands (induced by an analyte), resulting in an effective internal referencing which improves the sensitivity of the detection. The self-calibration, together with the unique optophysical properties of nanoparticles (NPs) have made the ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobes more sensitive and reliable, which in turn, can result in more precise visual detection of the analytes. Over the past few years, a vast number of ratiometric sensing probes using nanostructured fluorophores have been designed and reported for a wide variety of sensing, imaging, and biomedical applications. In this work, a review on the NP-based ratiometric fluorescent sensors has been presented to meticulously elucidate their development, advances and challenges. With a special emphasis on visual detection, the most important steps in the design of fluorescent ratiometric nanoprobes have been given and based on different classes of analytes, recent applications of fluorescent ratiometric nanoprobes have been summarized. The challenges for the future use of the technique investigated in this review have been also discussed.

We report on a simple electrochemical system able to capture gaseous carbon dioxide from a gas mixture and convert it into syngas. The capture/release module is implemented via regeneration of NaOH and acidification of NaHCO3 inside a four-chamber electrochemical flow cell employing Pt foils as catalysts, while the conversion is carried out by a coupled reactor that performs electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide using ZnO as a catalyst and KHCO3 as an electrolyte. The capture module is optimized such that, powered by a current density of 100 mA/cm2, from a mixture of the CO2–N2 gas stream, a pure and stable CO2 outlet flow of 4–5 mL/min is obtained. The conversion module is able to convert the carbon dioxide into a mixture of gaseous CO and H2 (syngas) with a selectivity for the carbon monoxide of 56%. This represents the first all-electrochemical system for carbon dioxide capture and conversion.

Currently, there are many membrane separation technologies that have been attracted growing interest in dyes removal from water streams and wastewater. In this chapter, we focus on nanofiltration (NF). In comparison with the available membrane techniques, NF is deemed to be the most promising technique due to its higher dye rejection, lower energy consumption, and higher antifouling properties. However, the challenge for feasible NF membranes with enhanced permeate flux, selectivity, and higher antifouling properties is remaining in the commonly used polymeric NF membranes. Therefore, numerous methods have been recently adopted by incorporating specific fillers into the polymeric membranes to fill in these gaps. We investigate the recent types of NF modified membranes based on their merits and limitations. Furthermore, the models of spiral wound NF for dyes removal are presented to explain the underlying mechanisms. Hence, this chapter may help the decision-makers to select the suitable membrane technology for the dye treatment removal using NF-based membranes.

Neurocutaneous syndrome, a newly discovered toxicity disorder, is characterized by neurological sensations, pain, depleted energy, and memory loss as well as itchy cutaneous lesions that may invite various opportunistic infections. Components in the calcium hydroxide dental sealants Dycal, Life and Sealapex have been identified as sources of the observed symptoms. Sulfonamide and neurological toxicity issues are discussed, and three case histories are presented. Additional notes on zinc oxide, Fynal, IRM, and Sultan U/P sealers are also included. Diagnostic and management protocols at the Parasitology Center, Inc., are proposed.

In breast cancer, there has been evidence of atypical activation of signal transduction and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3). Thymoquinone (TQ) exerts its anti-neoplastic effect through diverse mechanisms, including STAT3 inhibition. The tumor suppressor, microRNA-125a-5p was reported to be downregulated in various breast cancer cells. Therefore, we investigated the influence of TQ and/or doxorubicin on microRNA-125a-5p and its correlation with STAT3 activation as well as tumor growth in mice bearing solid Ehrlich tumors. We found that TQ markedly suppressed inducible and constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 in tumor tissue without affecting STAT5. Moreover, it attenuated tumor growth, downregulated STAT3 downstream target proteins, and increased the apoptotic activities of caspase-3 and -9. Interestingly, TQ-elicited synergism of doxorubicin anti-neoplastic activity was coupled with upregulation of tumoral microRNA-125a-5p. Taken together, the current findings raise the potential of TQ as a promising chemomodulatory adjuvant to augment mammary carcinoma sensitivity to doxorubicin.

As part of the immune response, leukocytes can directly transmigrate through the body of endothelial cells or through the gap between adjacent endothelial cells. These are known, respectively, as the transcellular and paracellular route of diapedesis. What determines the usage of one route over the other is unclear. A recently proposed tenertaxis hypothesis claims that leukocytes choose the path with less mechanical resistance against leukocyte protrusions. We examined this hypothesis using numerical simulation of the mechanical resistance during paracellular and transcellular protrusions. By using parameters based on human lung endothelium, our results show that the required force to breach the endothelium through the transcellular route is greater than paracellular route, in agreement with experiments. Moreover, experiments have demonstrated that manipulation of the relative strength between the two routes can make the transcellular route preferable. Our simulations have demonstrated this reversal and thus tentatively confirmed the hypothesis of tenertaxis. Graphic abstract Supplementary Information The online version supplementary material available at 10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00096-9.

In this paper we describe our study results in metal contact effect on light absorption in a 2D Silicon grating structure. Light power absorption is calculated using FDTD method and we found that by adjusting metal material and the grating width, we can tune light absorption in 850 nm wavelength. By using gold metal contacts, we could achieve 0.21 peak absorption compared to 0.069 peak absorption in bulk Silicon. The calculation also shows that most of the light in NIR spectrum is absorbed by the metal contacts, rising a possibility of using IPE method to further increase the devise photoresponsivity.

Background: In the current work, the removal of cationic and anionic dyes from water was studied both experimentally and computationally. We examine the selectivity of the adsorbent, Zn–Fe layered double hydroxide (LDH) toward three cationic and anionic dyes. Methods: The chemical and physical properties of the prepared adsorbent before and after adsorption were investigated using FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, zeta potential, energy dispersive X-ray, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, particle size, HRTEM, and FESEM analysis; optical and electric properties were estimated. The influence of pH on the adsorption process was estimated. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to understand the adsorption mechanism and compute the adsorption energies.Significant Findings: Single dye adsorption tests revealed that Zn–Fe LDH effectively takes up anionic methyl orange (MO) more than the cationic dyes methylene blue (MB) and malachite green (MG). From MO/MB/MG mixture experiments, LDH selectively adsorbed in the following order: MO>MB>MG. The adsorption capacity of a single dye solution was 230.68, 133.29, and 57.34 mg/g for MO, MB, and MG, respectively; for the ternary solution, the adsorption capacity was 217.97, 93.122, and 49.57 mg/g for MO, MB, and MG, respectively. Zn–Fe LDH was also used as a photocatalyst, giving 92.2% and 84.7% degradation at concentrations of 10 and 20 mg/L, respectively.