Oxadiazole‐2‐thiol Adsorption on Gold Nanorods: A Joint Theoretical and Experimental Study by Using SERS,XPS, and DFT

The chemisorption of 1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2‐thiol (ODT) on gold nanorods has been investigated by using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and density functional theory (DFT). Although most of the SERS spectra have remarkable similarity to the normal Raman spectra of the pure analyte, the adsorption of ODT on a gold surface leads to a drastic change in its Raman spectrum and distinct vibrational features are obtained with gold nanorods and spherical nanoparticles. Simulated Raman spectra for hybrid systems that consist of an oxadiazole moiety coordinated to a Au₂₀ gold cluster provided valuable information about the coordination mode and enabled us to assign vibration modes.     

Polluting resource extraction and climate risk

Using a fossil fuel extraction model that treats the atmosphere as a depletable resource, we study the optimal price of carbon in the presence of endogenous uncertainty around a climatic regime shift. We find that the optimal carbon tax should account an uncertainty-adjusted cost term associated with the environment's scarcity. This term is shown to be sensitive to the natural sequestration rate of the atmosphere and to the probability surrounding a climate tail event. Our analysis also shows that in the presence of uncertainty, the shadow price of the environment should grow at a faster rate. Lastly, compared to the endogenous uncertainty case, we find that if the probability surrounding a regime shift is exogenously given, this shadow price should even grow at a higher rate.     

A gold@silica core–shell nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensor for label-free glucose detection

The gold nanostar@silica core–shell nanoparticles conjugated with glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme molecules have been developed as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) biosensor for label-free detection of glucose. The surface-immobilized GOx enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of glucose, producing hydrogen peroxide. Under laser excitation, the produced H₂O₂ molecules near the Au nanostar@silica nanoparticles generate a strong SERS signal, which is used to measure the glucose concentration. The SERS signal of nanostar@silica∼GOx nanoparticle-based sensing assay shows the dynamic response to the glucose concentration range from 25 μM to 25 mM in the aqueous solution with the limit of detection of 16 μM. The sensing assay does not show any interference when glucose co-exists with both ascorbic acid and uric acid. The sensor can be applied to a saliva sample.     

Electrochemical Determination of the KRAS Genetic Marker for Colon Cancer with Modified Graphete and Graphene Paste Electrodes

The determination of KRAS was performed using electrochemical sensing devices based on graphite and graphene pastes, modified with a phthalocyanine-boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) and azulenes dyes. The limits of quantification for KRAS were 1.54?×?10^?4?µg/mL using the sensor based on the phthalocyanine-BODIPY dye and graphite, 2.64?×?10^?7?µg/mL using the sensor based on 2,6-bis((E)-2-(furan-2-yl)vinyl)-4-(4,6,8-trimethylazulen-1-yl)pyridine/TiO₂Pt/reduced graphene oxide, and 3.84?×?10^?3?µg/mL using the sensor based on 2,6-bis((E)-2-(thiophen-3-yl)vinyl)-4-(4,6,8-trimethylazulen-1-yl)pyridine/TiO₂Pt/reduced graphene oxide. Recovery measurements demonstrated the suitable analytical performance of these sensors for the early detection of colon cancer by the analysis of whole blood samples.     

Synthesis,characterization, antibacterial evaluation, 2D-QSAR modeling and molecular docking studies for benzocaine derivatives

Molecular Diversity - Possible application of incorporating a well-known drug (benzocaine) with cyanoacetamide function to get a powerful synthon ethyl 4-cyanoacetamido benzoate. This synthetic...     

Development and Validation of a Method for Quantification of Favipiravir as COVID-19 Management in Spiked Human Plasma

In the current work, a simple, economical, accurate, and precise HPLC method with UV detection was developed to quantify Favipiravir (FVIR) in spiked human plasma using acyclovir (ACVR) as an internal standard in the COVID-19 pandemic time. Both FVIR and ACVR were well separated and resolved on the C18 column using the mobile phase blend of methanol:acetonitrile:20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 3.1) in an isocratic mode flow rate of 1 mL/min with a proportion of 30:10:60 %, v/v/v. The detector wavelength was set at 242 nm. Maximum recovery of FVIR and ACVR from plasma was obtained with dichloromethane (DCM) as extracting solvent. The calibration curve was found to be linear in the range of 3.1–60.0 µg/mL with regression coefficient (r²) = 0.9976. However, with acceptable r², the calibration data’s heteroscedasticity was observed, which was further reduced using weighted linear regression with weighting factor 1/x. Finally, the method was validated concerning sensitivity, accuracy (Inter and Intraday’s % RE and RSD were 0.28, 0.65 and 1.00, 0.12 respectively), precision, recovery (89.99%, 89.09%, and 90.81% for LQC, MQC, and HQC, respectively), stability (% RSD for 30-day were 3.04 and 1.71 for LQC and HQC, respectively at −20 °C), and carry-over US-FDA guidance for Bioanalytical Method Validation for researchers in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Furthermore, there was no significant difference for selectivity when evaluated at LLOQ concentration of 3 µg/mL of FVIR and relative to the blank.     

A Review of Human Coronaviruses’ Receptors: The Host-Cell Targets for the Crown Bearing Viruses

A novel human coronavirus prompted considerable worry at the end of the year 2019. Now, it represents a significant global health and economic burden. The newly emerged coronavirus disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the primary reason for the COVID-19 global pandemic. According to recent global figures, COVID-19 has caused approximately 243.3 million illnesses and 4.9 million deaths. Several human cell receptors are involved in the virus identification of the host cells and entering them. Hence, understanding how the virus binds to host-cell receptors is crucial for developing antiviral treatments and vaccines. The current work aimed to determine the multiple host-cell receptors that bind with SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses for the purpose of cell entry. Extensive research is needed using neutralizing antibodies, natural chemicals, and therapeutic peptides to target those host-cell receptors in extremely susceptible individuals. More research is needed to map SARS-CoV-2 cell entry pathways in order to identify potential viral inhibitors.