Protective Effects of Green Tea Supplementation against Lead-Induced Neurotoxicity in Mice

The use of natural products as therapeutic agents is rapidly growing recently. In the current study, we investigated the protective effects of green tea supplementation on lead-induced toxicity in mice. Forty albino mice were divided into four groups as follows: A: control group; B: green tea receiving group; C: lead-intoxicated group; and D: lead-intoxicated group supplemented with green tea. At the end of the experiment, the animals were tested for neurobehavioral and biochemical alterations. Green tea was analyzed through Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. We found that supplementation with green tea ameliorated the lead-associated increase in body weight and blood glucose. Green tea supplementation also changed the blood picture that was affected due to lead toxicity and ameliorated lead-induced dyslipidemia. The group of mice that were supplemented with green tea has shown positive alterations in locomotory, anxiety, memory, and learning behaviors. The GC/MS analysis revealed many active ingredients among which the two most abundant were caffeine and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, mono(2-ethylhexyl) ester. We concluded that green tea supplementation has several positive effects on the lead-induced neurotoxicity in mice and that these effects may be attributed to its main two active ingredients.     

Unusual rearrangement in the reactions of phenylmalonic acid dihydrazide with 1, 3‐Diketones

Phenylmalonic acid dihydrazide reacted with 2,4‐pentanedione to give, unexpectedly, 5,7‐dimethyl‐1,3‐dioxo‐2‐phenyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrazolo[1,2‐a]pyrazole‐4‐ylium 5. The structure of the product is confirmed by X‐ray crystallography.     

Study of the Production of Hydrogen and Light Hydrocarbons by Spark Discharges in Diesel, Kerosene, Gasoline, and Methane

Reforming liquid fuels into hydrogen and light hydrocarbons is desirable for improving the combustion characteristics of the fuels and the production of reducing agents for applications such as the removal of nitrogen oxides. In this study, diesel, kerosene, gasoline and methane were reformed by spark discharges between needle and plate electrodes at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The gaseous products from liquid fuels comprised 65–70 % hydrogen and 30–35 % light hydrocarbons having two carbon atoms per molecule (i.e., C2s), or three carbon atoms per molecule (i.e., C3s). The product gases were 90 % hydrogen and 10 % C2s in the case of methane reforming. The energy efficiency for the production of gaseous products was highest in the case of gasoline at 3.8 mol/kWh, followed by kerosene, diesel and methane at 3.2, 3.0, and 2.4 mol/kWh, respectively. These results were found to be comparable to those reported by others for the reforming of pure hydrocarbons by plasmas in liquids. The liquid fuels turned black due to the formation of carbonaceous products, some of which could be filtered out as solid carbon particles, but others remained dissolved and imparted color to the treated liquid.     

Synthesis of Mono-Amino Substituted γ-CD: Host–Guest Complexation and In Vitro Cytotoxicity Investigation

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligosaccharides which can trap hydrophobic molecules and improve their chemical, physical, and biological properties. γ-CD showed the highest aqueous solubility with the largest cavity diameter among other CD types. The current study describes a direct and easy method for nucleophilic mono-aminos to be substituted with γ-CD and tested for their ability to host the guest curcumin (CUR) as a hydrophobic drug model. The mass spectrometry and NMR analyses showed the successful synthesis of three amino-modified γ-CDs: mono-6-amino-6-deoxy-cyclodextrine (γ-CD-NH₂), mono-6-deoxy-6-ethanolamine-γ-cyclodextrine (γ-CD-NHCH₂CH₂OH), and mono-6-deoxy-6-aminoethylamino)-γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD-NHCH₂CH₂NH₂). These three amino-modified γ-CDs were proven to be able to host CUR as native γ-CDs with formation constants equal to 6.70 ± 1.02, 5.85 ± 0.80, and 8.98 ± 0.90 mM⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, these amino-modified γ-CDs showed no significant toxicity against human dermal fibroblast cells. In conclusion, the current work describes a mono-substitution of amino-modified γ-CDs that can still host guests and showed low toxicity in human dermal fibroblasts cells. Therefore, the amino-modified γ-CDs can be used as a carrier host and be conjugated with a wide range of molecules for different biomedical applications, especially for active loading methods.     

The Binary Mixtures of Lambda-Cyhalothrin,Chlorfenapyr, and Abamectin,against the House Fly Larvae,Musca domestica L.

The house fly Musca domestica L. is one of the medical and veterinary pests that can develop resistance to different insecticides. Mixing insecticides is a new strategy for accelerating pest control; furthermore, it can overcome insect resistance to insecticides. This study aims to evaluate three insecticides, chlorfenapyr, abamectin, and lambda-cyhalothrin, individually and their binary mixtures against 2nd instar larvae of M. domestica laboratory strain. Chlorfenapyr exhibited the most toxic effect on larvae, followed by abamectin then the lambda-cyhalothrin. The half-lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) values were 3.65, 30.6, and 94.89 ppm, respectively. These results revealed that the high potentiation effect was the mixture of abamectin/chlorfenapyr in all the mixing ratios. In contrast, the tested combination of lambda-cyhalothrin/abamectin showed an antagonism effect at all mixing ratios against house fly larvae. The total protein, esterases, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and cytochrome P-450 activity were also measured in the current investigation in the larvae treated with chlorfenapyr. Our results indicate that GST may play a role in detoxifying chlorfenapyr in M. domestica larvae. The highest activity of glutathione-S-transferase was achieved in treated larvae with chlorfenapyr, and an increase in cytochrome P-450 activity in the larvae was observed post-treatment with Abamectin/chlorfenapyr.     

Near‐Infrared Triggered Decomposition of Nanocapsules with High Tumor Accumulation and Stimuli Responsive Fast Elimination

A near‐infrared (NIR) induced decomposable polymer nanocapsule is demonstrated. The nanocapsules are fabricated based on layer‐by‐layer co‐assembly of azobenzene functionalized polymers and up/downconversion nanoparticles (U/DCNPs). When the nanocapsules are exposed to 980 nm light, ultraviolet/visible photons emitted by the U/DCNPs can trigger the photoisomerization of azobenzene groups in the framework. The nanocapsules could decompose from large‐sized nanocapsule to small U/DCNPs. Owing to their optimized original size (ca. 180 nm), the nanocapsules can effectively avoid biological barriers, provide a long blood circulation (ca. 5 h, half‐life time) and achieve four‐fold tumor accumulation. It can fast eliminate from tumor within one hour and release the loaded drugs for chemotherapy after NIR‐induced dissociation from initial 180 nm capsules to small 20 nm U/DCNPs.     

Genesis and Mechanism of Some Cancer Types and an Overview on the Role of Diet and Nutrition in Cancer Prevention

Cancer is a major disease with a high mortality rate worldwide. In many countries, cancer is considered to be the second most common cause of death after cardiovascular disease. The clinical management of cancer continues to be a challenge as conventional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, have limitations due to their toxicity profiles. Unhealthy lifestyle and poor dietary habits are the key risk factors for cancer; having a healthy diet and lifestyle may minimize the risk. Epidemiological studies have shown that a high fruit and vegetable intake in our regular diet can effectively reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancers due to the high contents of antioxidants and phytochemicals. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that phytochemicals exert significant anticancer effects due to their free radical scavenging capacity potential. There has been extensive research on the protective effects of phytochemicals in different types of cancers. This review attempts to give an overview of the etiology of different types of cancers and assesses the role of phytonutrients in the prevention of cancers, which makes the present review distinct from the others available.     

Hydrothermally synthesized highly efficient binary silver strontium sulfide (AgSrS) for high-performance supercapattery applications

The increasing demand for sustainable energy has diverted researchers’ intentions toward electrochemical storage devices. This research aims to combine supercapacitors’ characteristics with batteries to create high-performance hybrid energy storage devices. The hydrothermal approach is used to synthesize silver sulfide (Ag₂S), strontium sulfide (SrS), and their composite silver strontium sulfide (AgSrS). XRD is used to evaluate the crystallinity, SEM is used to study the surface morphology, and XPS is used to determine the elemental composition of AgSrS. The BET measurements show a higher surface area of 22.23 m²g⁻¹ for AgSrS. The highest achieved specific capacity with AgSrS is 494.5 C g⁻¹ (137.36 mAh-g⁻¹). The best-tuned material, AgSrS, is then used as the anode in a powered hybrid device with activated carbon (A.C.) as the cathode terminal. This device provides an energy of 26.32 Wh-kg⁻¹ at a power of 800 W kg⁻¹. The device was also put through a durability test, which included 5000 consecutive cycles. After 5000 cycles, a columbic efficiency of 82% was achieved, with 96% capacity retention. This research shows that the composite material AgSrS can be utilized commercially for hybrid energy storage devices in the future.