Quantum dots as a promising agent to combat COVID-19

Approximately every 100 years, as witnessed in the last two centuries, we are facing an influenza pandemic, necessitating the need to combat a novel virus strain. As a result of the new coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 [SARS-CoV-2] outbreak in January 2020, many clinical studies are being carried out with the aim of combating or eradicating the disease altogether. However, so far, developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) detection kits or vaccines has remained elusive. In this regard, the development of antiviral nanomaterials by surface engineering with enhanced specificity might prove valuable to combat this novel virus. Quantum dots (QDs) are multifaceted agents with the ability to fight against/inhibit the activity of COVID-19 virus. This article exclusively discusses the potential role of QDs as biosensors and antiviral agents for attenuation of viral infection.     

Lipophilicity and bio‐mimetic properties determination of phytoestrogens using ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography

This paper presents lipophilicity and bio‐mimetic property determination of 15 phytoestrogens, namely biochanin A, daidzein, formononetin, genistein, genistein‐4,7‐dimethylether, prunetin, 3,4,7‐trihydroxyisoflavon, 4,6,7‐trihydroxyisoflavon, 4,6,7‐trimethoxyisoflavon, daidzin, genistin, ononin, sissotrin, coumestrol and coumestrol dimethylether. High‐performance liquid chromatography with fast gradient elution and Caco‐2 cell line were used to determine the physicochemical properties of selected phytoestrogens. Lipophilicity was determined on octadecyl‐sylane stationary phase using pH 2.0 and pH 7.4 buffers. Immobilized artificial membrane chromatography was used for prediction of interaction with biological membranes. Protein binding was measured on human serum albumin and α‐1‐acid‐glycoprotein (AGP) stationary phases. Caco‐2 assay was used as a gold standard for assessing in vitro permeability. The obtained results differentiate phytoestrogens according to their structure where aglycones show significantly higher lipophilicity, immobilized artificial membrane partitioning, AGP binding and Caco‐2 permeability compared with glucosides. However, human serum albumin binding was very high for all investigated compounds. Furthermore, a good correlation between experimentally obtained chromatographic parameters and in silico prediction was obtained for lipophilicity and human serum albumin binding, while the somewhat greater difference was obtained for AGP binding and Caco‐2 permeability.     

Stereoselective Insertion of Benzynes into Lawsones: Synthesis of Biologically Important Benzannulated Bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes

An ideal stereoselective insertion of in situ generated benzynes into lawsones through domino formal [2+2]-cycloaddition followed by rearrangement is disclosed. The reaction allowed for the preparation of biologically important benzannulated bicyclo[3.3.0]octanes in good yields and with excellent selectivities by using simple substrates and conditions.     

XANES/EPR Evidence of the Oxidation of Nickel(II) Quinolinylpropioamide and Its Application in Csp3−H Functionalization

An in situ generated oxidation species of nickel quinolinylpropioamide intermediate was produced. Characterization by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and EPR provides complementary insights into this oxidized nickel species. With aliphatic amides and isocyanides as substrates, a nickel-catalyzed facile synthesis of structurally diverse five-membered lactams could be achieved.     

Biosynthesis of Pd/MnO2 nanocomposite using Solanum melongena plant extract and its application for the one‐pot synthesis of 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles from aryl halides

In this work, for the first time, Solanum melongena plant extract was used for the green synthesis of Pd/MnO₂ nanocomposite via reduction osf Pd(II) ions to Pd(0) and their immobilization on the surface of manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) as an effective support. The synthesized nanocomposite were characterized by various analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of Pd/MnO₂ nanocomposite was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the one‐pot synthesis of 5‐substituted 1H‐tetrazoles from aryl halides containing various electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing groups in the presence of K ₄ [Fe (CN) ₆ ] as non‐toxic cyanide source and sodium azide. The products were obtained in good yields via a simple methodology and easy work‐up. The nanocatalyst can be recycled and reused several times with no remarkable loss of activity.     

Palladium nanoparticles‐decorated triethanolammonium chloride ionic liquid‐modified TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2/IL‐Pd): A highly active and recoverable catalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction in aqueous medium

In this work, an easily obtained procedure was successfully implemented to prepare novel palladium nanoparticles decorated on triethanolammonium chloride ionic liquid‐functionalized TiO₂ nanoparticles [TiO₂/IL‐Pd]. Different methods were carried out for characterizations of the synthesized nanocatalyst (HR‐TEM, XPS, XRD, FE‐SEM, EDX, FT‐IR and ICP). TiO₂/IL‐Pd indicated good catalytic activity for the Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling reaction of arylboronic acid with different aryl halides in aqueous media at ambient temperature. The recycled catalyst was investigated with ICP to amount of Pd leaching after 6 times that had diminished slightly, Thus, was confirmed that the nanocatalyst has a good sustainability for C–C Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction. The catalyst can be conveniently separated by filtration of the reaction mixture and reused for 6 times without significant loss of its activity. It supplies an environmentally benign alternative path to the existing protocols for the Suzuki–Miyaura reaction.     

A bound on the Wasserstein-2 distance between linear combinations of independent random variables

We provide a bound on a distance between finitely supported elements and general elements of the unit sphere of ${?}^2\left({\mathbb{N}}^1\right)$. We use this bound to estimate the Wasserstein-2 distance between random variables represented by linear combinations of independent random variables. Our results are expressed in terms of a discrepancy measure related to Nourdin–Peccati’s Malliavin–Stein method. The main application is towards the computation of quantitative rates of convergence to elements of the second Wiener chaos. In particular, we explicit these rates for non-central asymptotic of sequences of quadratic forms and the behavior of the generalized Rosenblatt process at extreme critical exponent.     

Stevia rebaudiana targeting α-amylase: An in-vitro and in-silico mechanistic study

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the fastest growing metabolic disorder in the world. Recently, more attention is paid to the study of natural products due to side effects of synthetic drugs. Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) is considered an encouraging starting point for the antidiabetic lead development. In the present study, the in vitro α-amylase inhibitory activity of the extracts of S. rebaudiana is investigated. In order to understand the molecular mechanism and future pharmacophore development, in silico study of secondary metabolites isolated from S. rebaudiana was carried out. Results indicated that water extract shows highest α-amylase inhibitory activity as compared to other extracts. Moreover, compound 20 (rebaudioside A) which has been previously reported and isolated from water extract showed the impressive binding profile with α-amylase. Therefore, our study suggests that S. rebaudiana could be used in the development of therapeutic drugs for the treatment of diabetes.