Sonocatalytic degradation of methylene blue with TiO2 pellets in water

A series of experiments were carried out to study the degradation of methylene blue by the irradiation of ultrasound onto TiO(2) in aqueous solution. A statistically significant decrease in the concentration of methylene blue was observed after 60 min irradiation. While the reduction was 22% of the initial concentration without H(2)O(2), addition of H(2)O(2) significantly enhanced the degradation of methylene blue for the TiO(2) containing system (85% reduction of the initial concentration). The addition of H(2)O(2) had no effect on the methylene blue degradation when the system contained Al(2)O(3). The degradation ratio of methylene blue was dependent on the amount of TiO(2) and also the specific surface area of TiO(2) in the solution. The effects of radical scavenging agents on the degradation of methylene blue were also investigated for the system with TiO(2). It was found that the radical scavenging agents dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol, and mannitol suppressed the degradation, with DMSO being the most effective. The effect of pH on the degradation of methylene blue was further investigated. An U-shaped change in the concentration of methylene blue in the presence of TiO(2) was observed along with the change in pH values (pH 3-12), and the highest degradation ratio was observed at around pH 7. In conclusion, ultrasound irradiation of TiO(2) in aqueous solution resulted in significant generation of hydroxyl radicals, and this process may have potential for the treatment of organic dyes in wastewater.     

Synthesis of oxime phosphoranes from reaction between triphenylphosphine and acetylenic esters in the presence of oxime derivatives

A new one-pot, simple and effective procedure is presented for the preparation of O-containing phosphorus ylides by the Michael addition reaction of N-methylpyrrole-2-carbaldehydoxime, pyridin-2-carbaldehydoxime or acetophenonoxime with acetylenic esters.     

Egyptian herbal tea infusions' antioxidants and their antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against cancer cells

The antioxidant, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activities against different human cancer cells were investigated in local and recently introduced plants of Mentha sp., Rosmarinus officinalis L. (ROL) and Origanum majorana L. (OML). ROL exhibited the highest antioxidant activities (IC₅₀ 8.4 ± 0.2 μg/mL) followed by OML and mint species such as Mentha suaveolens ‘apple mint’ and Mentha longifolia L. exhibiting moderate antioxidant activities. HPLC analysis of leaf extract revealed that rosmarinic acid is the main component followed by caffeic acid. Herbal leaf extracts varied in their proliferation inhibition and cytotoxicity against HeLa, MCF-7 and Jurkat cancer cells in a dose-dependent matter. The highest antiproliferative inhibition and cytotoxic activity were detected in ROL and OML followed by mint. Local herbs might have a potential role as anticancer natural medicines in addition to their high antioxidant activities due to the presence of different phenolics in their aqueous tea extracts.     

Phototherapeutic Effect of Low‐Level Laser on Thyroid Gland of Gamma‐Irradiated Rats

One inescapable feature of life on the earth is exposure to ionizing radiation. The thyroid gland is one of the most sensitive organs to gamma‐radiation and endocrine disrupters. Low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used to stimulate tissue repair, and reduce inflammation. The aim of this study was to gauge the value of using Helium–Neon laser to repair the damaged tissues of thyroid gland after gamma‐irradiation. Albino rats were used in this study (144 rats), divided into control, gamma, laser, and gamma plus laser‐irradiated groups, each group was divided into six subgroups according to time of treatment (total six sessions). Rats were irradiated once with gamma radiation (6 Gy), and an external dose of laser (Wavelength 632.8 nm, 12 mW, CW, Illuminated area 5.73 cm², 2.1 mW cm^?2, 120 s, 1.4 J, 0.252 J cm^?2) twice weekly localized on thyroid region of the neck, for a total of six sessions. Animals were sacrificed after each session. Analysis included thyroid function, oxidative stress markers, liver function and blood picture. Results revealed improvement in thyroid function, liver function and antioxidant levels, and the blood cells count after LLLT.     

Novel nanocomposite membranes prepared with PVC/ABS and silica nanoparticles for C<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>6</Subscript>/CH<Subscript>4</Subscript> separation

Composite membranes based on polyvinyl chloride and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer have been prepared and then filled with 2–8 wt % of silica nanoparticles. Membranes were fabricated by solution casting method using dimethylacetamide. The performance of prepared membranes were studied for methane and ethane at the feed pressure of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 bar at 35°C. By increasing the percentage of ABS, permeability of methane and ethane increased. In addition, by adding the silica nanoparticles in the membrane, permeability of gas increased in all cases. The highest gas pair selectivity for C₂H₆/CH₄ could be obtained from PVC/BS (20 wt %) which loaded with 8 wt % of silica nanoparticles. The results of this study suggest that high performance gas separation nanocomposite membranes can be attained by adopting a judicious combination of blending technique for polymeric membrane, optimized loading percentage, and feed operating conditions.