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The solid acids such as ZrO2, Al2O3 and ZrO2-Al2O3 containing different ZrO2 loadings (10–80 mol%) were prepared by solution combustion method (SCM) and characterized for their total surface acidity by NH3-TPD/n-butylamine back titration method and crystallinity by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) technique. These solid acids were evaluated for their catalytic activity in the synthesis of novel O-acetylated products from substituted phenols, pyridine alcohols and aryl alcohols with acetic anhydride (AA) as an acetylating agent. The reaction conditions were optimized by varying the catalyst, molar ratio of the reactants, reaction temperature and amount of the catalyst. All the solid acids used in this study exhibited good catalytic activity in the reaction. In particular, ZrO2-Al2O3 containing 80 mol% of ZrO2 was found to be highly active in the acetylation reaction with high yield of acetylated products. Triangular correlation between the surface acidity, crystallinity and catalytic activity of solid acids was observed. These solid acids were found to be reactivable and reusable. Keywords: ZrO2-Al2O3, Solid acid, Solution combustion, Novel acetylated compounds, O-acetylation

The solid-state reaction technique was employed to fabricate Sn doped Cu3SbSe4 samples. The effect of doping on structural and thermoelectric properties of Cu3SbSe4 samples is represented in the present communication. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of all the samples show that they have tetragonal structure (space group $$I\bar{4}2m$$ ). It is observed that doping Sn at Sb site acts as acceptor dopant which enhances hole concentration. The temperature dependent electrical resistivity (ρ(T)) is observed to decrease with increase in Sn concentration up to x = 0.03, thereafter ρ(T) increases with the increase in x concentration. To explore the conduction mechanism, we have employed small poloron hopping (SPH) model to the ρ(T) data and the results indicate that SPH is operative in the high temperature regime for all samples. The data of Seebeck coefficient (S(T)) confirms that holes are the majority charge carriers for pristine as well as doped samples. The analysis of S(T) data reveals that all the samples have a narrow band gap. The contribution from electron thermal conductivity is found to be less than 1%, thus the total conductivity is mainly because of phonon thermal conductivity. The highest value of dimensionless figure of merit (ZT = 0.127) was achieved at 374 K for the sample Cu3Sb0.99Sn0.01Se3 which is slightly higher than that of the pristine sample (ZT = 0.115). The highest value of compatibility factor (0.98 V−1) was observed for the sample Cu3Sb0.98Sn0.02Se3 at 374 K.

We investigated whether a standardized saw palmetto extract (SP, mixture of supercritical extract and ethanol extract at a ratio of 9.5 to 0.5) can relieve the symptoms of andropause, including metabolic syndrome, and decreases in muscle endurance and spermatogenesis, in old rats. Twenty-four-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats received oral supplementation of SP at 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg body weight (bw) for 4 weeks. We found that SP supplementation reduced body weight gain by decreasing visceral and epididymal fat weights and the levels of serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein/very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, SP supplementation increased muscle endurance, sperm counts, and testosterone biosynthesis through hormonal regulation. In Leydig cells under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress, SP treatment directly induced testosterone biosynthesis by activating the mRNA expression of the genes encoding 17,20-desmolase and 3

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-smo-10.1177_20503121211002590 for Supplementation of green coffee bean extract in healthy overweight subjects increases lean mass/fat mass ratio: A randomized, double-blind clinical study by HV Sudeep and K Shyam Prasad in SAGE Open Medicine

Sb doped Cu2Sn1−xSbxSe3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) compounds have been fabricated by spark plasma sintering technique for the investigation of their thermoelelctric properties in the temperature range 10–400 K. The conduction mechanism of electrical resistivity reveals that small polaron hopping model is valid in the high-temperature regime and variable range hopping model in low-temperature regime. The positive values of Seebeck coefficient (S) for Cu2Sn1−xSbxSe3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) samples in the entire temperature range indicates that the majority charge carriers are holes. The electronic thermal conductivity (κe) was estimated by Wiedmann-Franz law and found that the contribution of κe to the total κ is

The structural, electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties of electron beam (EB) irradiated PrMnO3 manganites were investigated in the present communication. X-ray diffraction data reveals that all samples are single phased with orthorhombic distorted structure (Pbnm). Furthermore, the diffracted data are analyzed in detail using Rietveld refinement technique. It is observed that the EB dosage feebly disturbs the MnO6 octahedra. The electrical resistivity of all the samples exhibits semiconducting behavior. Small polaron hopping model is conveniently employed to investigate the semiconducting nature of the pristine as well as EB irradiated samples. The Seebeck coefficient (S) of the pristine as well as the irradiated samples exhibit large positive values at lower temperatures, signifying holes as the dominant charge carriers. The analysis of Seebeck coefficient data confirms that the small polaron hopping mechanism assists the thermoelectric transport property in the high temperature region. The magnetic measurements confirm the existence of paramagnetic (PM) to ferromagnetic (FM) behavior for the pristine and irradiated samples. In the lower temperature regime, coexistence of FM clusters and AFM matrix is dominating. Thus, the complex magnetic behavior of the compound has been explained in terms of rearrangement of antiferromagnetically coupled ionic moments.

We report an enhancement in the thermoelectric performance of Cu2SnSe3 alloy on Pb doping, owing to a sharp increase in its power factor. The powder XRD pattern of all samples of Cu2Sn1−xPbxSe3 (0≤x≤0.03), prepared using solid state reaction, exhibited a cubic structure with a space group of F43m. The results show that temperature dependent electrical resistivity, ρ(T) increases with increasing temperature thereby demonstrating that the samples display heavily doped semiconducting nature, which could be satisfactorily described by small polaron hopping model in the whole temperature range of measurement for all the samples. Both the resistivity and the Seebeck coefficient are reduced with 2 vol% Pb doping. The thermal conductivity of all the samples reduces with increasing temperature. Despite a decrease in Seebeck coefficient the power factor shows an increase on Pb doping, owing to a sharp surge in the electrical conductivity which results in an enhanced ZTmax ~0.64 at 700 K for an optimized composition of Cu2Sn0.98Pb0.02Se3, which is nearly twice the value of the corresponding undoped counterpart.

Quorum sensing (QS), a cell-to-cell communication mechanism present in many bacterial species plays a key role in regulating the virulence factor and biofilm formation in many pathogens, which causes severe public health risk. Therefore, interfering with QS mechanism offers an attractive strategy to combat bacterial infections. In the present study, anti-QS activity of a novel resveratrol formulation, Resveramax™, was detected using Chromobacterium violaceum biosensor bioassay and the effect of Resveramax on QS-regulated phenotypes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 was assessed by standard protocols. Molecular docking analysis of resveratrol, the major active constituent of Resveramax, with LasR receptor protein was performed to evidence the QS-inhibitory potential of Resveramax. Results showed that Resveramax specifically inhibited the QS-mediated violacein pigment production in C. violaceum; pyocyanin production, proteolytic activity, swarming motility and biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa PAO1 in a concentration-dependent manner. Biofilms treated with Resveramax showed increased susceptibility to antibiotics when compared with the antibiotic treatment alone. Molecular docking analysis proved that resveratrol binds more rigidly with LasR receptor protein with docking score of -8.55 kJ/mol. These findings suggest that Resveramax could be used as novel QS-based antibacterial/anti-biofilm agent for the management of bacterial infections.

The effect of Sb doping on the thermoelectric properties of Cu 2 SnSe 3 was investigated. The Cu 2 Sn 1 ⿿ x Sb x Se 3 (0 ⿤ x ⿤ 0.04) compounds were prepared by solid state synthesis. The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the samples showed a cubic structure (space group F 4 ¯ 3 m ). The electrical resistivity decreased with increase in Sb content up to x = 0.02, then it increased with further increase in x . The electrical resistivity data follows variable hopping model at low temperatures. The Seebeck coefficient for all the samples is positive and analysis of data confirms that the variable hopping process is operative at low temperatures. The thermal conductivity is found to decrease with increase in Sb concentration, presumably due to point-defect scattering as a result of Sb substitution. The highest value of figure of merit at 400 K is equal to 0.0137 for the sample Cu 2 Sn 0.99 Sb 0.01 Se 3 which is about eight times greater than that of the pristine sample.

Objective: In this study, we have demonstrated that supplementation of a complex of chlorogenic acid isomers (CGA-7TM) could significantly mitigate the risk of obesity in healthy overweight subjects. Method: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study, healthy overweight (body mass index ⩾ 25 to 2) male and female subjects ( N = 71) were randomly allocated to receive 500 mg CGA-7 or placebo daily for 12 weeks. Changes in body weight and body mass index were recorded alongside vital signs and anthropometric measurements at week 4, 8 and 12. Body composition was assessed at baseline and the end of treatment using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Safety analysis included serum biochemical and haematological assessments and measurement of vital signs. In addition, any adverse or serious adverse events were recorded during the study. Results: Sixty subjects completed the study. Mean body weight and body mass index were significantly reduced in CGA-7 group as compared to placebo ( p < 0.001). CGA-7 group showed significant changes in body fat (%), fat mass and lean mass in comparison with placebo group (1.38% ± 1.4% vs −0.22% ± 0.86%, 1.97 ± 1.44 kg vs −0.39 ± 1.31 kg; 0.81 ± 1.20 kg vs −0.13 ± 0.97 kg, p < 0.001). Consumption of CGA-7 significantly improved the serum lipid profile. Importantly, CGA-7 consumption in humans had no adverse effects and was well tolerated during the study. The blood biochemical and haematological parameters marginally varied in the treatment groups throughout the study. Conclusion: To conclude, this study provides scientific validation of the functionality of green coffee bean extract and recommends the safety of the supplementation in healthy individuals.

In this study, we report low and mid temperature range thermoelectric properties of Sb-substituted Cu2SnSe3 compounds. The Cu2Sn1−xSbxSe3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) alloys were prepared using conventional solid-state reaction followed by spark plasma sintering. The crystal structure was characterized using XRD and it reveals that all the samples exhibit cubic structure with space group $$\stackrel{-}{4}3m$$. The electrical transport characteristics indicate degenerate semiconducting behavior. Electrical resistivity was found to follow small polaron hopping (SPH) model in the entire temperature range of investigation. The Seebeck coefficient data reveals that the majority of charge carriers are holes and the analysis of Seebeck coefficient data gives negative values of Fermi energy indicating that the Fermi energy is below the edge of valence band. The electronic contribution (κe) for total thermal conductivity is found to be less than 1%. The maximum ZT value of 0.64 is observed for the sample with x = 0.03 (at 700 K) which is approximately 2.3 times that of the pristine sample.

Background: Withania somnifera is an Indian medicinal herb known for the multipotential ability to cure various therapeutic ailments as described in the ayurvedic system of medicine. Objective: In the present study, we have evaluated the antiproliferative activity of a standardized W. somnifera root extract (Viwithan) against different human and murine cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: The cytotoxicity of Viwithan was determined using thiazolyl blue tetrazolium blue assay and crystal violet staining. The apoptotic changes in B16F1 cells following treatment with Viwithan were observed by acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining and DNA fragmentation assay. The binding affinity of withanolides in Viwithan with antiapoptotic proteins B-cell lymphoma 2, B-cell lymphoma-extra large, and myeloid cell leukemia 1 (MCL-1) were studied using in silico approach. Results: The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of Viwithan against liver hepatocellular carcinoma, Henrietta Lacks cervical carcinoma cells, human colorectal carcinoma cell line, and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells were 1830, 968, 2715, and 633 μg/ml, respectively. Interestingly, Viwithan was highly effective against B16F1 cells with an IC50 value of 220 μg/ml after 24 h treatment. The morphological alterations of apoptotic cell death were clearly observed in the AO/EB-stained cells after treatment with Viwithan. Viwithan induced late apoptotic changes in treated B16F1 cells as evident by the ladder formation of fragmented DNA in a time-dependent manner. The findings of molecular docking showed that withanolides present in Viwithan have a more binding affinity with the antiapoptotic proteins, particularly MCL-1. Conclusion: We have reported for the first time that Viwithan with 5% withanolides has a potent cytotoxic effect, particularly against B16F1 murine melanoma cells among the different cancer cell lines tested. SUMMARY The present study reports for the first time that Viwithan, a standardized 5% Withania somnifera root extract, has potent cytotoxicity against B16F1 murine melanoma cellsWe have investigated the in vitro cytotoxicity of Viwithan in different human and murine cancer cells. Interestingly, we found that Viwithan was particularly very effective against B16F1 melanoma cells with a half maximal inhibitory concentration value of 220 μg/mlThe microscopic observations following acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining and DNA fragmentation assays clearly indicated that Viwithan might initiate late apoptosis in B16F1 cellsThe binding affinity of withanolides in Viwithan with antiapoptotic proteins of B-cell lymphoma 2 family was predicted using AutoDock tool. The results from in silico studies indicated a plausible synergistic effect of withanolides attributing to the Viwithan-induced apoptosis through suppression of intrinsic pathway for carcinogenesis. Abbreviations used: MTT: Thiazolyl blue tetrazolium blue; DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide; BSA: Bovine serum albumin; DMEM: Dulbecco's minimum essential medium; NCCS: National Centre for Cell Science; PBS: Phosphate-Buffered Saline; HepG2: Liver hepatocellular carcinoma; HeLa: Henrietta Lacks cervical carcinoma cells; HCT-116: Human colorectal carcinoma cell line; EAC: Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells; IC50: Half maximal inhibitory concentration; AO/EB: Acridine orange/Ethidium bromide; BCL-2: B-cell lymphoma 2; BCL-XL: B-cell lymphoma-extra large; MCL-1: Myeloid cell leukemia 1; PDB: Protein Data Bank; ANOVA: Analysis of variance.

Coffee is commonly consumed beverage in the world and it has been suggested to have beneficial effect. Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are main ingredient of coffee beans which has been extensively used in nutraceuticals and medicine. Recently, various therapeutic effects of chlorogenic acids have been investigated. However, there are limited studies to investigate its anticancer properties. In the present study, we have used chlorogenic acid complex (CGA7) a decaffeinated water soluble green coffee bean extract to evaluate its cytotoxic effect on human and mouse cancer cell lines by using different approaches. From our results we found CGA7 treatment induces cell death in a dose and time dependent manner in different cancer cell lines. Further, CGA7 induced apoptosis was characterized by DNA fragmentation, PARP-1 cleavage, caspase-9 activation, and down regulation of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic protein and up regulation of pro-apoptotic protein BAX. Overall findings indicated that CGA7 complex a potent anticancer molecule found in green coffee beans could be a safe bioactive ingredient for prevention of cancer.

Background: Helianthus annuus L. (sunflower) is well known for its edible oil, sunflower seed has been used as folk remedy for several diseases including cancer. Materials and Methods: In this study, SUNCA, a standardized extract enriched with chlorogenic acid (CGA) from sunflower seed was investigated for in vitro antidiabetic activity using α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay. Further, for preventing obesity, we demonstrated anti-adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 cell culture system and on body weight gain and adiposity in rat fed high-fat diet (HFD). Results:SUNCA showed significant inhibitory activity toward digestive enzymes such as α-amylase and α-glucosidase. On the other hand, SUNCA significantly inhibits lipid accumulation during adipogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. The treatment with 100 μg/kg b.w of SUNCA apparently prevented the body weight gain and the increase of triglyceride and total cholesterol level in rat fed an HFD for 6 weeks. Further immunoblotting studies reveal that SUNCA significantly down-regulates the expression of transcription factors peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma and CCAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha, both in adipocytes and adipose tissues. Conclusion: The findings reported here provide the therapeutic potential of SUNCA, a standardized extract from Helanthus annus L.

In the present study, forward modeling of high-speed finish milling process has been solved using soft computing. Two different approaches, namely neural network (NN) and fuzzy logic (FL), have been developed to solve the said problem. The performance of NN and FL systems depends on the structure (i.e. number of neurons in the hidden layer, transfer functions, connection weights, etc.) and knowledge base (i.e. rule base and data base), respectively. Here, an approach is proposed to optimize the above-mentioned parameters of NN and FL systems. A binary coded genetic algorithm (GA) has been used for the said purpose. Once optimized, the NN and FL-based models will be able to provide optimal machining parameters online. The developed approaches are found to solve the above problem effectively, and the performances of the developed approaches have been compared among themselves and with that of the results of existing literature.

Mangiferin, a polyphenolic xanthone glycoside from Mangifera indica, is used as traditional medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases. The present study was aimed to develop and validate a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the quantification of mangiferin from the bark extract of M. indica. RP-HPLC analysis was performed by isocratic elution with a low-pressure gradient using 0.1% formic acid: acetonitrile (87:13) as a mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.5 ml/min. The separation was done at 26°C using a Kinetex XB-C18 column as stationary phase and the detection wavelength at 256 nm. The proposed method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification, and robustness by the International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines. In linearity, the excellent correlation coefficient more than 0.999 indicated good fitting of the curve and also good linearity. The intra- and inter-day precision showed < 1% of relative standard deviation of peak area indicated high reliability and reproducibility of the method. The recovery values at three different levels (50%, 100%, and 150%) of spiked samples were found to be 100.47, 100.89, and 100.99, respectively, and low standard deviation value < 1% shows high accuracy of the method. In robustness, the results remain unaffected by small variation in the analytical parameters, which shows the robustness of the method. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of mangiferin with M/Z value of 421. The assay developed by HPLC method is a simple, rapid, and reliable for the determination of mangiferin from M. indica. SUMMARY The present study was intended to develop and validate an RP-HPLC method for the quantification of mangiferin from the bark extract of M. indica. The developed method was validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantification and robustness by International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. This study proved that the developed assay by HPLC method is a simple, rapid and reliable for the quantification of the mangiferin from M. indica. Abbreviations Used: M. indica: Mangifera indica, RP-HPLC: Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, M/Z: Mass to charge ratio, ICH: International conference on harmonization, % RSD: Percentage of relative standard deviation, ppm: Parts per million, LOD: Limit of detection, LOQ: Limit of quantification.

The development of thin-walled cannulas which can be introduced by percutaneous technique into femoral artery and vein has revived interest in emergency cardiopulmonary support (CPS). To assess possible blood damaging effect due to the small-bore cannulas, 8 in vitro perfusions were performed with two parallel pump circuits: one circuit with a 17 F arterial and a 21 F venous cannula, one circuit without cannulas (control). The circuits were filled with 61 of bovine blood and run for 6 hours at a temperature of 37 degrees C and a flow of 4 l/min. Serial blood samples were taken before and during the experiment. There was a significantly higher level of free plasma haemoglobin (pl Hb) and a decreased number of leukocytes (Lc) after 6 hours of perfusion in the group with percutaneous cannulas as compared with control (pl Hb: 63.2 +/- 0.3 vs. 26.3 +/- 4.1 mumol/l, p0.05, Lc: 2.4 +/- 0.6 vs. 4.6 +/- 0.8 x 10(9)/l, p0.05, mean +/- se).percutaneous cannulas are associated with an increased blood trauma. If extended cardiopulmonary support is considered (more than several hours), percutaneous cannulas should be replaced by large-bore cannulas.