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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused largescale morbidity and mortality and a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. Healthcare workers (HCWs) require adequate protection to avoid onward transmission and minimize burden on the healthcare system. Moreover, HCWs can also influence the general public into accepting the COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, determining COVID-19 vaccine intention among HCWs is of paramount importance to plan tailor-made public health strategies to maximize vaccine coverage. A structured questionnaire was administered in February and March 2021 among HCWs in Saudi Arabia using convenience sampling, proceeding the launch of the vaccination campaign. HCWs from all administrative regions of Saudi Arabia were included in the study. In total, 674 out of 1124 HCWs responded and completed the survey (response rate 59.9%). About 65 percent of the HCWs intended to get vaccinated. The intention to vaccinate was significantly higher among HCWs 50 years of age or older, Saudi nationals and those who followed the updates about COVID-19 vaccines (p &lt, 0.05). The high percentage (26 percent) of those who were undecided in getting vaccinated is a positive sign. As the vaccination campaign gathers pace, the attitude is expected to change over time. Emphasis should be on planning healthcare strategies to convince the undecided HCWs into accepting the vaccine in order to achieve the coverage required to achieve herd immunity.

Objective: The present study assessed physico-chemical, techno-functional, thermal and textural characteristics of propolis samples (n = 30) collected from four Northern zones of India. Methods: The propolis samples were analyzed according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) official protocols for their ash, moisture, and protein content. Soxtech, Fiber tech, Hunter LAB Colorimeter, TA.XT2i Texture Analyzer, Thermo gravimetric Analyzer, Discovery DSC 25 have been used to assess the crude fat, fibre content, colour, texture and thermal properties, respectively. Results and conclusions: Physico-chemical properties of propolis differed significantly (p

Zerovalent Iron Nanoparticles (MC-ZVI NPs) were synthesized from Musa coocinea peel extract as reducing and stabilizing agent using a novel synthesis technique. The synthesis of MC-ZVI NPs was confirmed using UV-vis spectroscopy showing a sharp absorption peak at 341 nm. Further the chemical and structural characterization of MC-ZVI NPs were performed using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Dynamic Light Scattering technique (DLS). FTIR analysis revealed the presence of phytochemical molecules associated with the MC-ZVI NPs. SEM analysis revealed the synthesized MC-ZVI NPs were in spherical shaped, while DLS analysis confirmed the synthesis of poly dispersed and non-homogenous MC-ZVI NPs. The antimicrobial efficacy of MC-ZVI NPs synthesized using Musa coccinea peel extract was tested against bacterial (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Bacillus subtilis) and fungal (Aspergillus niger) pathogens. But MC-ZVI NPs exhibited maximum of 19 mm zone of inhibition against B. subtilis and A. niger. Further the free radical scavenging activity MC-ZVI NPs was confirmed using DPPH, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, FRAP assay showing displayed effective antioxidant activity. Thus, the present idea will give a fast and cost effective approach to synthesize MC-ZVI NPs with antimicrobial property for application in biomedical purposes.

Objectives: The present work aims at the synthesis of metal-doped and undoped titania photocatalysts for the degradation of methylene blue and neutral red dyes. Methods: Un-doped and metal-doped titania photocatalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment, calcined at 673 K, and were evaluated by SEM, XRD, and XPS techniques for their phase composition. Results and conclusions: XPS studies of photo catalysts confirmed the presence of transition metal ions of Co, Ni, and Zn as dopants along with titania. XRD analysis indicated that all the synthesized photocatalysts were in the anatase phase. The morphology of prepared photocatalysts was confirmed through SEM analysis. The synthesized nanoparticle’s photocatalytic nature was examined through testing their degradation potentials of methylene blue and neutral red dyes under UV light irradiation. Under optimized conditions, like pH, contact time, initial dye concentration and catalyst amount metal-doped titania photocatalysts showed higher photodegradation efficiency than the pure parental material. Among the metal doped titania best results were obtained with Ni doped titania as 90% and 95% degradation were observed for neutral red and methylene blue dyes respectively. This photocatalyst can therefore be used successfully to degrade the selected dyes present in industrial effluents.

Leukemia is amongst the cancers accountable for substantial mortality around the world. Tomentosin is a bioactive compound with a pharmacological significance, and its anticancer property against human leukemia MOLT-4 cell line has never been reported. Hence, the objective of this study was to explore the anticancer activity of tomentosin in MOLT-4 human leukemia cells. In the current investigation, the cytotoxic effects of tomentosin ensuing potent toxicity (IC50 : 10 µM) in MOLT-4 cells after incubation at 24 h have been presented. Furthermore, tomentosin triggered intracellular reactive oxygen species production and showed the induction of intrinsic/mitochondrial pathways in treated MOLT-4 cells, revealing a significant cytotoxicity activity. Also, fluorescent microscopic studies using acridine orange/ethidium bromide and propidium iodide staining confirmed the occurrence of apoptosis in tomentosin-treated MOLT-4 cells. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction presented a negative regulation of cyclin D1 and BcL-2 expression and a positive regulated BAX and caspase-3 messenger RNA expression in tomentosin-treated MOLT-4 cells. Tomentosin further inhibited the inflammatory transcription factors such as nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and IL-6. Additionally, inhibition of the m-TOR/PI3K/AKT protein expression by tomentosin in MOLT-4 cells was confirmed. Overall, these findings lead to a conclusion that tomentosin induces apoptosis in MOLT-4 cells through caspase-facilitated proapoptotic pathway, and inhibition of the NF-κB-stimulated Bcl-2 facilitated the antiapoptotic pathway.

This study deals with the green synthesis of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) nanoparticles using a leaf extract of Abutilon indicum (L.) Sweet as a reducing and capping agent. Different characterization techniques were used to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction technique confirmed the purity and crystallinity of the Cr2O3 nanoparticles. The average size of the nanoparticles ranged from 17 to 42 nm. The antibacterial activity of the green synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated against four different bacterial strains, E. coli, S. aureus, B. bronchiseptica, and B. subtilis using agar well diffusion and a live/dead staining assay. The anticancer activities were determined against Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cancer cells using MTT and a live/dead staining assay. Antioxidant activity was investigated in the linoleic acid system. Moreover, the cytobiocompatibility was analyzed against the Vero cell lines using MTT and a live/dead staining assay. The results demonstrated that the green synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles exhibited superior antibacterial activity in terms of zones of inhibition (ZOIs) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria compared to plant extracts and chemically synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles (commercial), but comparable to the standard drug (Leflox). The green synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles exhibited significant anticancer and antioxidant activities against MCF-7 cancerous cells and the linoleic acid system, respectively, compared to chemically synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles. Moreover, cytobiocompatibility analysis displayed that they presented excellent biocompatibility with Vero cell lines than that of chemically synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles. These results suggest that the green synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles&rsquo, enhanced biological activities might be attributed to a synergetic effect. Hence, green synthesized Cr2O3 nanoparticles could prove to be promising candidates for future biomedical applications.

In this study, the botanical pesticide Suaeda maritima (L) leaf extract was evaluated against the yellow stem borer (YSB), Scirpophaga incertulas Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), and bacterial leaf blight disease Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), of rice. S. maritima leaves were powdered and subjected to various organic solvents, like petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and methanol based on the polarity, in which ethyl acetate extract of S. maritima produced significant mortality rate against the YSB larvae in a dose dependent manner and also affected the development and feeding activity of the larvae. The extracts also displayed an effective disease control against bacterial blight of Xoo. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis of the ethyl acetate extract revealed the presence of nine vital compounds. We have observed the extract is safe to non-target organisms, as they did not cause any toxicity to the earthworm Eisenia foetida. Therefore, these findings suggest that S. maritima can be used as effective pest control agent against disease and pest of rice.

Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide and non-toxic bioactive polymer with a wide variety of applications due to its functional properties such as ease of modification, and biodegradability. In this investigation, magnetic cores (Fe

In recent years, silver nanoparticles have been used as modern chemotherapeutic drugs to treat several cancers such as pancreatic, breast, prostate, and blood cancers. No previous reports demonstrated the in vitro anti-human pancreatic cancer effects of the novel chemotherapeutic drug formulated by silver nanoparticles containing Berberis thunbergii leaf (AgNPs). The synthesized AgNPs were characterized using different techniques including UV-vis. and FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and TEM. All techniques approved the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The SEM and TEM exhibited a uniform spherical morphology and an average size of about 15 nm for the biosynthesized nanoparticles, respectively. The 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde,2,2-diphenyl-1- pikrilhydrazil (DPPH) test revealed similar antioxidant potentials for B. thunbergii leaf aqueous extract, AgNPs, and butylated hydroxytoluene. AgNPs inhibited half of the DPPH molecules in the concentration of 108 μg/mL. To survey the anti-human pancreatic cancer activities of AgNO3 , B. thunbergii leaf aqueous extract, and AgNPs, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used on common human pancreatic cancer cell lines. AgNPs had very low cell viability and anti-human pancreatic cancer effects dose-dependently against PANC-1, AsPC-1, and MIA PaCa-2. The IC50 values of the AgNPs were 259, 268, and 141 μg/mL against PANC-1, AsPC-1, and MIA PaCa-2 cell lines, respectively. It is thought that the AgNPs obtained can be used as an anticancer drug for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in humans after acceptance of the above findings in clinical study trials.

Introduction: The adhesion of bacteria to implanted devices in the human body is a major risk factor that can affect the long-term success of these devices. Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) have few virulence factors which have been identified and reported including autolysin (AtlE), Polysaccharide Intercellular Adhesin (PIA), Fibrinogen Binding Protein (SdrG) and Lipase enzymes (GehC and GehD). These virulence factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of S. epidermidis. Aim: To investigate the role of some of the virulence factors of S. epidermidis in the adhesion to three different types of intravascular cannulae used in hospitals. Materials and Methods: Three different types of most commonly used intravascular cannulae in hospitals were tested in this study. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Siliconized Polytetrafluoroethylene (SPTFE) and Vialon cannulae were incubated with different S. epidermidis strains, including the mutant strains that were deficient in a specific virulence factor, each separately. The virulence factors tested with each strain were AltE, PIA, SdrG and Lipase enzymes (GehC and GehD). The number of detached bacteria were determined by plating serial dilutions on agar plates. Experiments were repeated and expressed as means and standard deviations with at least three experiments. Results were computed and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version-20 program. Tabulated values were compared with a student’s t-test. Statistical significance was defined as p

This research was designed to evaluate the AgNPs synthesizing potential of methanol leaf extract of Justicia adhatoda and assessed their potential against multi-drug resistant microbes and in anticancer activity. The results obtained from this study showed that the methanol leaf extract of J. adhatoda has the potential to synthesized AgNPs, and it was initially confirmed by color (brown) change and observed sharp peak at 410 nm under UV-vis analysis. The FTIR analysis confirmed that the presence of functional groups involved in the fabrication of AgNPs. The XRD and EDX analyses confirm the crystalline structure and elemental composition of biofabricated AgNPs. The SEM and TEM analyses confirmed that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical and 5 to 20 nm in size. Furthermore, the synthesized AgNPs have outstanding antimicrobial activities against multi-drug resistant bacteria (S. pyrogens, E. coli, V. cholerae, S. aureus, and K. pneumoniae) and fungi (Penicillium sp., A. niger, C. albicans, Rhizobus sp., and A. flavus). Interestingly, the AgNPs showed remarkable anticancer activity (82.4%) against the cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) at the concentration of 100 µg mL-1 and LD50 value was found as 80 µg mL-1. These results concludes that J. adhatoda has the potential to synthesize AgNPs has remarkable biomedical applications.

We herein report the facile synthesis of ternary hybrid g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) via a simple physical mixing method. The synthesized g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO NCs were successfully characterized using different spectroscopic techniques such as X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-Visible (UV–Vis), steady-state photoluminescence (PL), and electron spin resonance (ESR). Antibacterial performance of the synthesized NCs was evaluated using agar well diffusion assay against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus salivarius, and Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity was determined against methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. Results demonstrated that the ternary hybrid g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO NCs showed an excellent Z-scheme photocatalytic degradation of MB and significant antibacterial performance against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as compared to Ag-ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), g-C3N4 nanosheets (NSs), g-C3N4@ZnO NCs and (5%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 60%, and 75%) g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO NCs. Moreover, the ternary hybrid g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO NCs exhibited tremendous stability and recyclability with a high degree of photocatalytic MB degradation for ten successive catalytic cycles. ESR experiment further revealed that the superoxide (.O2−) and hydroxyl (.OH) radicals were the leading species liable for MB deterioration. The superior photocatalytic activity and exceptionally improved antibacterial performance of the ternary hybrid g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO NCs attributed to the interface's synergic effect developed between Ag-ZnO NPs and g-C3N4 NSs. Hence, our current study recommends that the synthesized ternary hybrid g-C3N4@Ag-ZnO NCs could prove a valuable photocatalytic system for the degradation of organic pollutants and disinfectant for destroying the pathogenic bacterial species from wastewater.

Objectives A field trial was carried out in Kashmir valley to determine the persistence of fenazaquin 10EC (Magister) in Red Delicious variety of apple at recommended (0.004%) and double the recommended (0.008%) application rates. Methods The spray was conducted one month prior to harvest. The plants treated with simple tap water were treated as control. Samples were collected at 0, 3, 7, 10, 15, 20 days and harvest. The procedure followed for extraction and cleanup was that of Luke et al. (1985) modified by Sharma (2007) and the final analysis was carried out on a Varian 450 (Walnut Creek, CA, USA) gas chromatograph (GLC) equipped with Thermionic Specific detector (TSD). Results After computation of data, the initial deposit was recorded as 3.18 ± 0.03 μg g − 1 and 6.98 ± 0.08 μg g − 1 at two concentrations, respectively. Fenazaquin (0.004%) dissipated to 96.91 per cent in 20 days after application and was not detectable beyond this period. Fenazaquin (0.008%) however, persisted upto 30 days recording 95.84 per cent dissipation at that time. Conclusions The progressive dissipation of fenazaquin (0.004%) and fenazaquin (0.008%) residues down to their tolerance limits suggested a waiting period of 18.55 and 30.49 days with a half-life period of 3.62 and 4.12 days, respectively. The terminal residue of fenazaquin at the lower rate was below maximum residue limit (MRL) set by European Union, however above MRL at the higher rate.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Up to date, there has been no specific cure to treat the disease. Indonesia is one of the countries that is still fighting to control virus transmission. Yet, at the same time, Indonesia has a rich biodiversity of natural medicinal products that potentially become an alternative cure. Thus, this study examined the potency of a natural medicinal product, Sulawesi propolis compounds produced by Tetragonula sapiens, inhibiting angiotensin-converting activity enzyme-2 (ACE-2), a receptor of SARS-CoV-2 in the human body. In this study, molecular docking was done to analyze the docking scores as the representation of binding affinity and the interaction profiles of propolis compounds toward ACE-2. The results illustrated that by considering the docking score and the presence of interaction with targeted sites, five compounds, namely glyasperin A, broussoflavonol F, sulabiroins A, (2S)-5,7-dihydroxy-4′-methoxy-8-prenylflavanone and isorhamnetin are potential to inhibit the binding of ACE-2 and SARS-CoV-2, with the docking score of −10.8, −9.9, −9.5, −9.3 and −9.2 kcal/mol respectively. The docking scores are considered to be more favorable compared to MLN-4760 as a potent inhibitor.

Over the past few years, the photogenic fabrication of metal oxide nanoparticles has attracted considerable attention, owing to the simple, eco-friendly, and non-toxic procedure. Herein, we fabricated NiO nanoparticles and altered their optical properties by doping with a rare earth element (lanthanum) using Sesbania grandiflora broth for antibacterial applications. The doping of lanthanum with NiO was systematically studied. The optical properties of the prepared nanomaterials were investigated through UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-DRS) analysis, and their structures were studied using X-ray diffraction analysis. The morphological features of the prepared nanomaterials were examined by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, their elemental structure was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectral analysis, and their oxidation states were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the antibacterial action of NiO and La-doped NiO nanoparticles was studied by the zone of inhibition method for Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus sublitis. It was evident from the obtained results that the optimized compound NiOLa-04 performed better than the other prepared compounds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the phytosynthetic fabrication of rare-earth ion Lanthanum (La3+)-doped Nickel Oxide (NiO) nanoparticles and their anti-microbial studies.

Objectives Alcohols oxidation is one of the important organic transformation in fine chemical industries. Prevailing processes are hazardous due to involvement of stoichiometric oxidants and homogeneous catalysts. In the present work, oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol was carried out using unconventional, affordable, and feasible heterogeneous catalysts. Method Copper-titania (Cu-Ti) nanoparticles were prepared and supported on functionalized multi walled carbon nanotubes (F-CNTs). Various instrumental techniques such as X-ray Diffractometery (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) Analysis and Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) surface area analyzer were used to characterize the synthesized catalysts. Both catalysts; Cu-Ti and Cu-Ti/F-CNTs were evaluated for their potencies in conversion of cinnamyl alcohol (CnOH) to cinnamaldehyde (CnHO). Different derivatives of CnOH (with attached electron withdrawing and donating groups) were also oxidized in presence of prepared catalysts to determine the substituents effect and get maximum yield. The prepared catalyst was used five times to determine its reuseablity. Results The presence of copper and titania in the synthesized catalyst structure was confirmed through XRD and EDX analysis. The agglomeration level was confirmed from SEM analysis. Little reduction in surface area on parental carbon nanotubes was observed due to deposited metals. Appreciable yield of CnHO were obtained at the optimal reaction conditions: temperature = 70 °C, catalyst amount = 0.1 g, pO2 = 760 Torr, substrate solution concentration and volume = 1 mmol CnOH/10 mL ethanol, stirring speed = 900 rpm, and time interval = 60 min. The conversion rate was improved to 100% through attachment of electron donating groups at ortho and para position of parental compound benzene ring. No appreciable decrease in activity of catalyst were observed after 4th cycle. Conclusion Cu-Ti/F-CNTs showed excellent catalytic activity, selectivity, true heterogeneous nature, low cost, and recyclability, hence it could be used as a potent catalyst for CnOH to CnHO conversion.