Ferroptosis: A New Road towards Cancer Management

Ferroptosis is a recently described programmed cell death mechanism that is characterized by the buildup of iron (Fe)-dependent lipid peroxides in cells and is morphologically, biochemically, and genetically distinct from other forms of cell death, having emerged to play an important role in cancer biology. Ferroptosis has significant importance during cancer treatment because of the combination of factors, including suppression of the glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4), cysteine deficiency, and arachidonoyl (AA) peroxidation, which cause cells to undergo ferroptosis. However, the physiological significance of ferroptosis throughout development is still not fully understood. This current review is focused on the factors and molecular mechanisms with the diagrammatic illustrations of ferroptosis that have a role in the initiation and sensitivity of ferroptosis in various malignancies. This knowledge will open a new road for research in oncology and cancer management.     

Antibacterial Effects of Flavonoids and Their Structure-Activity Relationship Study: A Comparative Interpretation

According to the latest report released by the World Health Organization, bacterial resistance to well-known and widely available antibacterial drugs has become a significant and severe global health concern and a grim challenge to tackle in order to cure infections associated with multidrug-resistant pathogenic microorganisms efficiently. Consequently, various strategies have been orchestrated to cure the severe complications related to multidrug-resistant bacteria effectively. Some approaches involved the retardation of biofilm formation and multidrug-resistance pumps in bacteria as well as the discovery of new antimicrobial agents demonstrating different mechanisms of action. In this regard, natural products namely alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, anthraquinone, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, etc., have been suggested to tackle the multidrug-resistant bacterial strains owing to their versatile pharmacological effects. Amongst these, flavonoids, also known as polyphenolic compounds, have been widely evaluated for their antibacterial property due to their tendency to retard the growth of a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant bacteria. The hydroxylation of C5, C7, C3′, and C4′; and geranylation or prenylation at C6 have been extensively studied to increase bacterial inhibition of flavonoids. On the other hand, methoxylation at C3′ and C5 has been reported to decrease flavonoids’ antibacterial action. Hence, the latest information on the antibacterial activity of flavonoids is summarized in this review, with particular attention to the structure–activity relationship of this broad class of natural compounds to discover safe and potent antibacterial agents as natural products.     

A novel chaos control strategy for discrete-time Brusselator models

This article deals with the dynamical analysis of discrete-time Brusselator models. Euler’s forward and nonstandard difference schemes are implemented for discretization of Brusselator system. We investigate the local dynamics related to equilibria of both discrete-time models. Furthermore, with the help of bifurcation theory and center manifold theorem, explicit parametric conditions for directions and existence of flip and Hopf bifurcations are investigated. A novel chaos control method is implemented in order to control chaos in discrete-time Brusselator models under the influence of flip and Hopf bifurcations. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate theoretical discussion and effectiveness of newly introduced chaos control strategy.     

Framing the novel aspects of irreversibilty in MHD flow of Williamson nanomaterial with thermal radiation near stagnation point

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Here, MHD stagnation point flow of non-Newtonian fluid over a stretchable surface is considered. Process of modeling is characterized for basic...     

Self pulsations and self Q-switching in Ho3+, Pr3+:ZBLAN fibre lasers at 2.87 μm

The temporal characteristics of the output of a single-clad Ho³⁺, Pr³⁺-co-doped ZBLAN fibre laser pumped by a Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm has been found to exhibit a range of cw, self pulsation and self Q-switching output dynamics, dependent on the excitation and fibre conditions. An interpretation is considered based on stimulated Brillouin scattering and the effect of the excited state absorption (ESA). For long fibre (∼13 m) and for uni-directional pumping, the output was a continuous wave (cw), but for bi-directional pumping, a significant decrease in the stability of the output is observed and the output displayed well developed self pulsations. A train of self Q-switched pulses with mean pulse duration of 767 ns, a peak pulse power of about 2.8 W and an average power of 183 mW and with more than 80% pulse-to-pulse stability has been observed when pumped with 4.4 W into each end of the fibre. Self pulsation phenomena are also observed in unidirectional pumping for shorter fibre lengths of ∼9.2 m at high pump power and for 1.5 m fibre length at all pumps power. PACS 42.55.Wd; 42.60.Gd; 42.60.Mi     

Impact of graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs) on the structural and functional conformations of hepcidin peptide

Graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNMs) are widely used in various industrial and biomedical applications. GBNMs of different compositions, size and shapes are being introduced without thorough toxicity evaluation due to the unavailability of regulatory guidelines. Computational toxicity prediction methods are used by regulatory bodies to quickly assess health hazards caused by newer materials. Due to increasing demand of GBNMs in various size and functional groups in industrial and consumer based applications, rapid and reliable computational toxicity assessment methods are urgently needed. In the present work, we investigate the impact of graphene and graphene oxide nanomaterials on the structural conformations of small hepcidin peptide and compare the materials for their structural and conformational changes. Our molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed conformational changes in hepcidin due to its interaction with GBMNs, which results in a loss of its functional properties. Our results indicate that hepcidin peptide undergo severe structural deformations when superimposed on the graphene sheet in comparison to graphene oxide sheet. These observations suggest that graphene is more toxic than a graphene oxide nanosheet of similar area. Overall, this study indicates that computational methods based on structural deformation, using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, can be used for the early evaluation of toxicity potential of novel nanomaterials.     

Extraction and separation of zirconium from hafnium by using nano-structured supramolecular solvent microextraction method

In the present study, a simple versatile extraction method based on supramolecular solvent microextraction followed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry was developed for the extraction, separation and determination of zirconium (Zr) from hafnium (Hf). Zr and Hf were complexed with bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl) phosphinic acid, to obtain hydrophobic complex, and extracted into supramolecular solvent phase. The effective parameters on the supramolecular solvent microextraction efficiency were studied and optimized by using two different optimization methods: one variable at a time and central composite design. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range of 0.3–200.0 and 2.0–200.0 µg L^?1, detection limits (S/N = 3) of 0.1 and 0.6 µg L^?1, and precisions (n = 5) of 3.2–4.9% and 3.0–5.1% were obtained for Zr and Hf, respectively. Finally, the proposed method has been successfully applied for the extraction and separation of these cations in zirconium ore sample.     

Relations between kinetic parameters of different column models for liquid chromatography applying core-shell particles

This article presents analytical solutions of the general rate model (GRM), the lumped kinetic model (LKM), and the simpler equilibrium dispersive model (EDM) for core-shell particles and linear adsorption isotherms. The solutions in the Laplace domain are applied to derive analytical expressions for the temporal moments of these models. The results provide relations between the model specific kinetic parameters by matching one or more of the temporal moments. Several case studies are considered for illustration. The results show that simpler models are in many cases as good as the most detailed GRM if their kinetic parameters fulfill the matching relations. Thus, it is possible to reliably predict elution profiles using the simpler models. The derived analytical expressions can also be utilized to efficiently estimate model parameters from experimentally observed elution profiles to further optimize core-shell particles and to identify suitable column sizes and operating conditions.     

NMR Reveals That a Highly Reactive Nonheme FeIV=O Complex Retains Its Six-Coordinate Geometry and S=1 State in Solution

The [Fe^IV(O)(Me₃NTB)]²⁺ (Me₃NTB=tris[(1-methyl-benzimidazol-2-yl)methyl]amine) complex 1 has been shown by Mössbauer spectroscopy to have an S=1 ground state at 4 K, but is proposed to become an S=2 trigonal-bipyramidal species at higher temperatures based on a DFT model to rationalize its very high C−H bond-cleavage reactivity. In this work, ¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to determine that 1 does not have C₃-symmetry in solution and is not an S=2 species. Our results show that 1 is unique among nonheme Fe^IV=O complexes in retaining its S=1 spin state and high reactivity at 193 K, providing evidence that S=1 Fe^IV=O complexes can be as reactive as their S=2 counterparts. This result emphasizes the need to identify factors besides the ground spin state of the Fe^IV=O center to rationalize nonheme oxoiron(IV) reactivity.     

Titanium-dioxide-mediated photocatalysis reaction of three selected pesticide derivatives

The photocatalysis reaction of three selected pesticide derivatives, namely methoxychlor (1), chlorothalonil (2) and disulfoton (3), has been investigated in an acetonitrile/water mixture in the presence of titanium dioxide and oxygen. The change as a function of irradiation time has been monitored using the UV spectroscopic analysis technique. An attempt has been made to identify the product formed during the photooxidation process through GC/MS analysis technique. The photolysis of methoxychlor (1) led to the formation of methoxychlor olefin (4) and 4,4-dimethoxybenzophenone (9), whereas chlorothalonil (2) gave rise to 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol (17) as the only product. On the other hand, the photolysis of disulfoton (3) under analogous conditions gave disulfoton sulfoxide (25) and phosphorodithioic acid (21). All the products have been identified by comparing the molecular ion and mass fragmentation peaks of the products with those reported in the library. A probable mechanism for the formation of the products has been proposed.