EDXRF,FTIR, and XRD characterization of low calcium oxalate urinary stones collected from arid area

Low calcium oxalate urinary stones from the kidney, bladder, and ureter have been collected from the arid area (Taif, Saudi Arabia). After careful washing and drying of the collected stones, the samples were converted into a contamination-free homogenous fine powder with a particles' size smaller than 50 μm. The processed urinary stone powders were studied using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), laboratory setup and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The activated function groups, quantitative phase analysis, and the semi-quantitative elemental analysis of the present urinary stones were identified. Seventeen elements were measured in most of the urinary stone samples. The significant elements are Ca, P, S, Cl, Zn, K, Fe, and Cu, whereas other elements were found alternatively in a few number of urinary stone samples. It was recognized that Ca exists with low concentration, which indicates the presence of different calcium phases even with low percentages. In 33% of the urinary stones, the phosphorus (P) was not measured, but there were high concentrations of sulfur (S) and low concentrations of Ca up to 2.15 ± 0.05%. The ATR-FTIR results indicate that the most compounds of the present urinary stones were urea and cystine combined with low ratios of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate compounds. The quantitative phase analysis of the XRD of selected samples proves the presence of the cystine, urea, and calcium oxalate phases with different weight percent.     

Measurement of optical and electrical properties of silicon microstructuring induced by ArF excimer laser at SF6 atmosphere

The irradiation of ArF excimer laser (193 nm) on Si wafer (〈1 1 1〉, n-type, arsenic-doped, 0.01 Ω cm) in SF₆ atmosphere, from vacuum to 1000 mbar, creates a regular self-assembled microstructure owning to a great number of microconical spikes covered with SiF₂ (fluorosilyl) layer containing sulfur impurities. The geometry of microstructure as well as the layer thickness varies with the gas pressure and the laser parameters, particularly duration, pulse energy and the dose. In this work, the electrical properties of the layer on the microstructured silicon have been investigated based on electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The measured impedance significantly changes regarding to the unirradiated samples. It was shown that the corresponding electrical conductance and the dielectric constants of the layer are strongly dependent on the gas pressure and UV dose. The layer thickness was also determined in terms of SF₆ pressures.     

EDXRF analysis of suspended particulate matter (SPM) from residential and industrial areas in Cairo,Egypt

Due to the remarkable increasing of the mass concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) as an air pollution indicator in Greater Cairo‐Egypt, regular sampling during autumn 2014 and winter 2014/2015 seasons has been performed from industrial and residential areas. It was found that the average mass concentrations of the SPM collected from residential and industrial areas are equal to 531 ± 198 and 912 ± 230 μg/m³, respectively. These quantities are much higher than the maximum allowance level, especially for the industrial area. By utilizing three secondary targets, energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence working under vacuum environment was used for elemental analysis of 19 elements namely; Na, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Se, Br, Rb, and Sr. The present optimized selective excitation energy dispersive x‐ray fluorescence analysis has considerably enhanced the analytical range with respect to our previous similar studies, including low Z elements such as Na, Al, S, and Cl and attaining lower detection limits in the range of ng/m³. Remarkable high elemental concentrations were determined for most of the detected elements from the industrial area samples, strongly indicating the influence of the industrial and anthropogenic activities. The average percentages of the mass concentration of the detected inorganic elements account only for 3.2% and 10.5% of the total mass concentration collected from the residential and industrial areas, respectively, thus directly indicating that the content of organic pollutants in SPM is the dominant contribution.     

Biodegradable Nanoparticles Loaded with Levodopa and Curcumin for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Levodopa (L-DOPA) remains the gold-standard drug available for treating PD. Curcumin has many pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-amyloid, and antitumor properties. Copolymers composed of Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) and biodegradable polyesters such as Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) can self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs). This study describes the development of NH₂–PEO–PCL diblock copolymer positively charged and modified by adding glutathione (GSH) on the outer surface, resulting in a synergistic delivery of L-DOPA curcumin that would be able to pass the blood–brain barrier. Methods: The NH₂–PEO–PCL NPs suspensions were prepared by using a nanoprecipitation and solvent displacement method and coated with GSH. NPs were submitted to characterization assays. In order to ensure the bioavailability, Vero and PC12 cells were treated with various concentrations of the loaded and unloaded NPs to observe cytotoxicity. Results: NPs have successfully loaded L-DOPA and curcumin and were stable after freeze-drying, indicating advancing into in vitro toxicity testing. Vero and PC12 cells that were treated up to 72 h with various concentrations of L-DOPA and curcumin-loaded NP maintained high viability percentage, indicating that the NPs are biocompatible. Conclusions: NPs consisting of NH₂–PEO–PCL were characterized as potential formulations for brain delivery of L-DOPA and curcumin. The results also indicate that the developed biodegradable nanomicelles that were blood compatible presented low cytotoxicity.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Chelating Hyperbranched Polyester Nanoparticles for Cd(II) Ion Removal from Water

Chelating hyperbranched polyester (CHPE) nanoparticles have become an attractive new material family for developing high-capacity nanoscale chelating agents with highly branched structures and many functional groups in the main chains and end groups that can be used to remove heavy metals from water. In this study, a hyperbranched polyester with a particle size of 180–643 nm was synthesized with A₂+B₃ interfacial polymerization, using dimethylmalonyl chloride as the difunctional monomer (A₂) and 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane (THPE) as the trifunctional monomer (B₃). FTIR and NMR were used to characterize the CHPE and confirm the structure. The CHPE nanoparticles were generally considered hydrophilic, with an observed swelling capacity of 160.70%. The thermal properties of the CHPE nanoparticles were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) with 1% mass loss at temperatures above 185 °C. The XRD of the CHPE nanoparticles showed a semi-crystalline pattern, as evident from the presence of peaks at positions ~18° and 20°. The nature of the surface of the CHPE was examined using SEM. Batch equilibrium was used to investigate the removal properties of the CHPE nanoparticles towards Cd(II) ions as a function of temperature, contact time, and Cd(II) concentration. The Cd(II) ion thermodynamics, kinetics, and desorption data on the CHPE nanoparticles were also studied.     

Therapeutic Effect of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Erodium glaucophyllum Extract against Oral Candidiasis: In Vitro and In Vivo Study

Oral candidiasis (OC) is a fungal infection caused by an opportunistic fungi Candida albicans, which is found in the normal flora of healthy people. In this study, we examined the anti-candidal effect of green synthesized silver nanoparticles using leaf extract of Erodium glaucophyllum (EG-AgNPs) against C. albicans in vitro and in vivo. EG-AgNPs were synthesized for the first time using E. glaucophyllum extract and characterized by imaging (transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-VIS spectroscopy, zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A mouse model of OC was used for in vivo study. The agar well diffusion method showed the anti-candidal activity of EG-AgNPs against C. albicans with MIC 50 µg/mL. EG-AgNPs inhibited the dimorphic transition of C. albicans and suppressed the formation of biofilm by 56.36% and 52%, respectively. Additionally, EG-AgNPs significantly inhibited the production of phospholipases and proteinases by 30% and 45%, respectively. EG-AgNPs cause cytoplasm disintegration and deterioration of cell wall as imaged by SEM and TEM. Interestingly, EG-AgNPs did not display any cytotoxicity on the human gingival fibroblast-1 HGF-1 cell line at MIC concentrations. Topical treatment of the tongue of the OC mouse model with EG-AgNPs showed significant reduction in candidal tissue invasion, less inflammatory changes, and no tissue modification, in association with marked low scare and hyphal counts as compared to control group. In conclusion, our data demonstrated the potent inhibitory action of EG-AgNPs on the growth and morphogenesis of C. albicans in vitro and in vivo. Thus, EG-AgNPs represent a novel plausible therapeutic approach for treatment of OC.     

Geochemical and Spatial Distribution of Topsoil HMs Coupled with Modeling of Cr Using Chemometrics Intelligent Techniques: Case Study from Dammam Area,Saudi Arabia

Unconsolidated earthen surface materials can retain heavy metals originating from different sources. These metals are dangerous to humans as well as the immediate environment. This danger leads to the need to assess various geochemical conditions of the materials. In this study, the assessment of topsoil materials’ contamination with heavy metals (HMs) was conducted. The material’s representative spatial samples were taken from various sources: agricultural, industrial, and residential areas. The materials include topsoil, eolian deposits, and other unconsolidated earthen materials. The samples were analyzed using the ICP-OES. The obtained results based on the experimental procedure indicated that the average levels of the heavy metals were: As (1.21 ± 0.69 mg/kg), Ba (110.62 ± 262 mg/kg), Hg (0.08 ± 0.18 mg/kg), Pb (6.34 ± 14.55 mg/kg), Ni (8.95 ± 5.66 mg/kg), V (9.98 ± 6.08 mg/kg), Cd (1.18 ± 4.33 mg/kg), Cr (31.79 ± 37.9 mg/kg), Cu (6.76 ± 12.54 mg/kg), and Zn (23.44 ± 84.43 mg/kg). Subsequently, chemometrics modeling and a prediction of Cr concentration (mg/kg) were performed using three different modeling techniques, including two artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, namely, generalized neural network (GRNN) and Elman neural network (Elm NN) models, as well as a classical multivariate statistical technique (MST). The results indicated that the AI-based models have a superior ability in estimating the Cr concentration (mg/kg) than MST, whereby GRNN can enhance the performance of MST up to 94.6% in the validation step. The concentration levels of most metals were found to be within the acceptable range. The findings indicate that AI-based models are cost-effective and efficient tools for trace metal estimations from soil.     

Genus Smenospongia: Untapped Treasure of Biometabolites—Biosynthesis,Synthesis, and Bioactivities

Marine sponges continue to attract remarkable attention as one of the richest pools of bioactive metabolites in the marine environment. The genus Smenospongia (order Dictyoceratida, family Thorectidae) sponges can produce diverse classes of metabolites with unique and unusual chemical skeletons, including terpenoids (sesqui-, di-, and sesterterpenoids), indole alkaloids, aplysinopsins, bisspiroimidazolidinones, chromenes, γ-pyrones, phenyl alkenes, naphthoquinones, and polyketides that possessed diversified bioactivities. This review provided an overview of the reported metabolites from Smenospongia sponges, including their biosynthesis, synthesis, and bioactivities in the period from 1980 to June 2022. The structural characteristics and diverse bioactivities of these metabolites could attract a great deal of attention from natural-product chemists and pharmaceuticals seeking to develop these metabolites into medicine for the treatment and prevention of certain health concerns.     

Antioxidant,Antibacterial, and Antifungal Activities of the Ethanolic Extract Obtained from Berberis vulgaris Roots and Leaves

This work assessed the phenolic and flavonoid components and their antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial effects in the ethanolic extract of barberry leaf and roots. The antibactericidal activity of root and leaf extracts against pathogenic bacteria was tested using agar diffusion and microdilution broth production for the lowest inhibitory concentration (MIC). Berberis vulgaris root and leaf extracts inhibited Staphylococcus aureus ATCC9973, Escherichia coli HB101, Staphylococcus enteritis, and Escherichia coli Cip812. The disc assay technique was used to assess the bactericidal activity of the extracts versus both pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Hydro alcoholic extract was more effective against bacterial than fungal strains. The results showed that Berberis vulgaris leaf and roots extract had similar antifungal activities. Berberis vulgaris root extract inhibited the mycelial growth of Penicillium verrucosum, Fusarium proliferatum, Aspergillus ochraceous, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. Berberis vulgaris root extract has excellent antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal effects. Berberis vulgaris exhibited antimicrobial activity in vitro, and MIC showed that Berberis vulgaris parts efficiently affected pathogens in vitro. In conclusion, both Berberis vulgaris roots and leaves have considerable antibacterial activity and can be used as a source of antibacterial, antioxidant, and bioactive compounds to benefit human health.