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  1. Fulltext Crown damage and the mortality of tropical trees
    Arellano G, Medina NG, Tan S, Mohamad M, Davies SJ
    New Phytol, 2019 01;221(1):169-179.
    PMID: 30067290 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15381
    What causes individual tree death in tropical forests remains a major gap in our understanding of the biology of tropical trees and leads to significant uncertainty in predicting global carbon cycle dynamics. We measured individual characteristics (diameter at breast height, wood density, growth rate, crown illumination and crown form) and environmental conditions (soil fertility and habitat suitability) for 26 425 trees ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height belonging to 416 species in a 52-ha plot in Lambir Hills National Park, Malaysia. We used structural equation models to investigate the relationships among the different factors and tree mortality. Crown form (a proxy for mechanical damage and other stresses) and prior growth were the two most important factors related to mortality. The effect of all variables on mortality (except habitat suitability) was substantially greater than expected by chance. Tree death is the result of interactions between factors, including direct and indirect effects. Crown form/damage and prior growth mediated most of the effect of tree size, wood density, fertility and habitat suitability on mortality. Large-scale assessment of crown form or status may result in improved prediction of individual tree death at the landscape scale.
    Matched MeSH terms: Wood/chemistry
  2. Adductomics: a promising tool for the verification of chemical warfare agents' exposures in biological samples
    Golime R, Chandra B, Palit M, Dubey DK
    Arch Toxicol, 2019 06;93(6):1473-1484.
    PMID: 30923868 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02435-4
    Humans are constantly exposed to a wide range of reactive and toxic chemicals from the different sources in everyday life. Identification of the exposed chemical helps in the detection and understanding the exposure associated adverse health effects. Covalent adducts of proteins and DNA formed after xenobiotics exposure may serve as readily measurable indicators of these exposures. Measuring the exposed chemicals with focus on adducts resulting from the nucleophilic interactions with blood proteins is useful in the development of diagnostic markers. Particularly, the most abundant proteins such as albumin and hemoglobin acts as dominant scavengers for many reactive chemicals in blood and can serve as excellent diagnostic candidates to determine the type of chemical exposure. This review focuses on the potential application of an adductomics approach for the screening of bimolecular adducts of chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Recent incidents of CWAs use in Syria, Malaysia, and the UK illustrate the continuing threat of chemical warfare agents in the modern world. Detection of CWAs and their metabolites in blood or in other body fluids of victims depends on immediate access to victims. Concentrations of intact CWAs in body fluids of surviving victims may decline rapidly within a few days. Certain CWAs, particularly nerve agents and vesicants, form covalent bonds with certain amino acids to form CWA-protein adducts. Proteins that are abundant in the blood, including albumin and hemoglobin, may carry these adducts longer after the original exposure. We searched MEDLINE and ISI Web of Science databases using the key terms "adductomics" "adducts of CWAs," "CWAs adducts detection in the biological samples," "protein adducts of CWAs," alone and in combination with the keywords "detection" "intoxication" "exposure" "adverse effects" and "toxicity." We also included non-peer-reviewed sources such as text books, relevant newspaper reports, and applicable Internet resources. We screened bibliographies of identified articles for additional relevant studies including non-indexed reports. These searches produced 1931 citations of which only relevant and nonduplicate citations were considered for this review. The analysis of biomedical samples has several purposes including detecting and identifying the type of chemical agent exposed, understanding the biological mechanism, assists in giving adequate treatment, determining the cause of death and providing evidence in a court of justice for forensic investigations. Rapid advances in the mass spectrometry to acquire high-quality data with greater resolution enabled the analysis of protein and DNA adducts of xenobiotics including CWAs and place the rapidly advancing 'adductomics' next to the other "-omics" technologies. Adductomics can serve as a powerful bioanalytical tool for the verification of CWAs exposure. This review mostly describes the protein adducts for nerve agents and vesicants, outlines the procedures for measuring adducts, and suggests the evolving (or future) use of adducts in the detection and verification of CWAs.
    Matched MeSH terms: DNA Adducts/chemistry*
  3. Fulltext Unsupervised bivariate data clustering for damage assessment of carbon fiber composite laminates
    May Z, Alam MK, Mahmud MS, Rahman NAA
    PLoS One, 2020;15(11):e0242022.
    PMID: 33186372 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242022
    Damage assessment is a key element in structural health monitoring of various industrial applications to understand well and predict the response of the material. The big uncertainty in carbon fiber composite materials response is because of variability in the initiation and propagation of damage. Developing advanced tools to design with composite materials, methods for characterizing several damage modes during operation are required. While there is a significant amount of work on the analysis of acoustic emission (AE) from different composite materials and many loading cases, this research focuses on applying an unsupervised clustering method for separating AE data into several groups with distinct evolution. In this paper, we develop an adaptive sampling and unsupervised bivariate data clustering techniques to characterize the several damage initiations of a composite structure in different lay-ups. An adaptive sampling technique pre-processes the AE features and eliminates redundant AE data samples. The reduction of unnecessary AE data depends on the requirements of the proposed bivariate data clustering technique. The bivariate data clustering technique groups the AE data (dependent variable) with respect to the mechanical data (independent variable) to assess the damage of the composite structure. Tensile experiments on carbon fiber reinforced composite laminates (CFRP) in different orientations are carried out to collect mechanical and AE data and demonstrate the damage modes. Based on the mechanical stress-strain data, the results show the dominant damage regions in different lay-ups of specimens and the definition of the different states of damage. In addition, the states of the damage are observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. Based on the AE data, the results show that the strong linear correlation between AE and mechanical energy, and the classification of various modes of damage in all lay-ups of specimens forming clusters of AE energy with respect to the mechanical energy. Furthermore, the validation of the cluster-based characterization and improvement of the sensitivity of the damage modes classification are observed by the combined knowledge of AE and mechanical energy and time-frequency spectrum analysis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Composite Resins/chemistry*
  4. Fulltext Antioxidant Activity, and Volatile and Phytosterol Contents of Strobilanthes crispus Dehydrated Using Conventional and Vacuum Microwave Drying Methods
    Chua LYW, Chua BL, Figiel A, Chong CH, Wojdyło A, Szumny A, et al.
    Molecules, 2019 04 09;24(7).
    PMID: 30970652 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24071397
    The preservation of active constituents in fresh herbs is affected by drying methods. An effective drying method for Strobilanthes crispus which is increasingly marketed as an important herbal tea remains to be reported. This study evaluated the effects of conventional and new drying technologies, namely vacuum microwave drying methods, on the antioxidant activity and yield of essential oil volatiles and phytosterols. These drying methods included convective drying (CD) at 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C; vacuum microwave drying (VMD) at 6, 9, and 12 W/g; convective pre-drying and vacuum microwave finish drying (CPD-VMFD) at 50 °C and 9 W/g; and freeze-drying (FD). GC–MS revealed 33 volatiles, and 2-hexen-1-ol, 2-hexenal, 1-octen-3-ol, linalool, and benzaldehyde were major constituents. The compounds β-sitosterol and α-linolenic acid were the most abundant phytosterol and fatty acid, respectively, in fresh S. crispus. The highest phenolic content was achieved with CD at 60 °C. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained with CD at 40 °C and VMD at 9 W/g. On the contrary, the highest total volatiles and phytosterols were detected with CD at 50 °C and VMD at 9 W/g, respectively. This study showed that CD and VMD were effective in producing highly bioactive S. crispus. A suitable drying parameter level, irrespective of the drying method used, was an important influencing factor.
    Matched MeSH terms: Acanthaceae/chemistry*
  5. Biodiesel synthesis from oil palm empty fruit bunch biochar derived heterogeneous solid catalyst using 4-benzenediazonium sulfonate
    Lim S, Yap CY, Pang YL, Wong KH
    J Hazard Mater, 2020 05 15;390:121532.
    PMID: 31843399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121532
    In this research, biomass from oil palm empty fruit bunch was used as the carbon precursor and sulfonated by 4-benzenediazonium sulfonate (4-BDS) to produce solid acid catalyst. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized and the performances were tested in esterification of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) for biodiesel production. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed that clear porous and rough carbon surface was successfully developed after calcination which favored the attachment of sulfonic groups. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) result showed that the catalyst was thermally stable up to 600 °C. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) proved that SO and SO3H sulfonic groups were successfully attached to the carbon catalyst. From the catalytic activity tests, the results showed that the catalyst which was calcined at 200 °C and sulfonated with 15:1 sulfanilic acid to AC ratio was the optimum catalyst as it provided the highest biodiesel yield. Further investigation showed that the reaction time of 7 h and 20 wt.% of catalyst loading were reported as optimum esterification conditions which provided the highest biodiesel yield at 98.1 %.
    Matched MeSH terms: Diazonium Compounds/chemistry
  6. Phytochemical survey of Malaysian plants preliminary chemical and pharmacological screening
    Nakanishi K, Sasaki S, Kiang AK, Goh J, Kakisawa H, Ohashi M, et al.
    Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo), 1965 Jul;13(7):882-90.
    PMID: 5867816
    Matched MeSH terms: Chemistry, Pharmaceutical*
  7. Phytochemicals and Potential Therapeutic Targets on Toxoplasma gondii Parasite
    Abdullahi SA, Unyah NZ, Nordin N, Basir R, Nasir WM, Alapid AA, et al.
    Mini Rev Med Chem, 2020;20(9):739-753.
    PMID: 31660810 DOI: 10.2174/1389557519666191029105736
    Identification of drug target in protozoan T. gondii is an important step in the development of chemotherapeutic agents. Likewise, exploring phytochemical compounds effective against the parasite can lead to the development of new drug agent that can be useful for prophylaxis and treatment of toxoplasmosis. In this review, we searched for the relevant literature on the herbs that were tested against T. gondii either in vitro or in vivo, as well as different phytochemicals and their potential activities on T. gondii. Potential activities of major phytochemicals, such as alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoids and tannins on various target sites on T. gondii as well as other related parasites was discussed. It is believed that the phytochemicals from natural sources are potential drug candidates for the treatment of toxoplasmosis with little or no toxicity to humans.
    Matched MeSH terms: Alkaloids/chemistry; Antiprotozoal Agents/chemistry; Flavonoids/chemistry; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry; Terpenes/chemistry; Phytochemicals/chemistry*
  8. Online sample preconcentration techniques in nonaqueous capillary and microchip electrophoresis
    John AS, Sidek MM, Thang LY, Sami S, Tey HY, See HH
    J Chromatogr A, 2021 Feb 08;1638:461868.
    PMID: 33453653 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461868
    One of the major drawbacks of electrophoresis in both capillary and microchip is the unsatisfactory sensitivity. Online sample preconcentration techniques can be regarded as the most common and powerful approaches commonly applied to enhance overall detection sensitivity. While the advances of various online preconcentration strategies in capillary and microchip employing aqueous background electrolytes are well-reviewed, there has been limited discussion of the feasible preconcentration techniques specifically developed for capillary and microchip using nonaqueous background electrolytes. This review provides the first consolidated overview of various online preconcentration techniques in nonaqueous capillary and microchip electrophoresis, covering the period of the last two decades. It covers developments in the field of sample stacking, isotachophoresis, and micellar-based stacking. Attention is also given to multi-stacking strategies that have been used for nonaqueous electrophoresis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Electrolytes/chemistry
  9. The impact of gallium content on degradation, bioactivity, and antibacterial potency of zinc borate bioactive glass
    Rahimnejad Yazdi A, Torkan L, Stone W, Towler MR
    J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater, 2018 Jan;106(1):367-376.
    PMID: 28152268 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.33856
    Zinc borate glasses with increasing gallium content (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 Wt % Ga) were synthesized and their degradation, bioactivity in simulated body fluid (SBF), and antibacterial properties were investigated. ICP measurements showed that increased gallium content in the glass resulted in increased gallium ion release and decreased release of other ions. Degradability declined with the addition of gallium, indicating the formation of more symmetric BO3 units with three bridging oxygens and asymmetric BO3 units with two bridging oxygens in the glass network as the gallium content in the series increased. The formation of amorphous CaP on the glass surface after 24 h of incubation in SBF was confirmed by SEM, XRD, and FTIR analyses. Finally, antibacterial evaluation of the glasses using the agar disc-diffusion method demonstrated that the addition of gallium increased the antibacterial potency of the glasses against P. aeruginosa (Gram-negative) while decreasing it against S. epidermidis (Gram-positive); considering the ion release trends, this indicates that the gallium ion is responsible for the glasses' antibacterial behavior against P. aeruginosa while the zinc ion controls the antibacterial activity against S. epidermidis. The statistical significance of the observed trends in the measurements were confirmed by applying the Kruskal-Wallis H Test. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 367-376, 2018.
    Matched MeSH terms: Glass/chemistry*
  10. Fulltext Attachment of Salmonella strains to a plant cell wall model is modulated by surface characteristics and not by specific carbohydrate interactions
    Tan MS, Moore SC, Tabor RF, Fegan N, Rahman S, Dykes GA
    BMC Microbiol, 2016 09 15;16:212.
    PMID: 27629769 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-016-0832-2
    BACKGROUND: Processing of fresh produce exposes cut surfaces of plant cell walls that then become vulnerable to human foodborne pathogen attachment and contamination, particularly by Salmonella enterica. Plant cell walls are mainly composed of the polysaccharides cellulose, pectin and hemicelluloses (predominantly xyloglucan). Our previous work used bacterial cellulose-based plant cell wall models to study the interaction between Salmonella and the various plant cell wall components. We demonstrated that Salmonella attachment was favoured in the presence of pectin while xyloglucan had no effect on its attachment. Xyloglucan significantly increased the attachment of Salmonella cells to the plant cell wall model only when it was in association with pectin. In this study, we investigate whether the plant cell wall polysaccharides mediate Salmonella attachment to the bacterial cellulose-based plant cell wall models through specific carbohydrate interactions or through the effects of carbohydrates on the physical characteristics of the attachment surface.

    RESULTS: We found that none of the monosaccharides that make up the plant cell wall polysaccharides specifically inhibit Salmonella attachment to the bacterial cellulose-based plant cell wall models. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that Salmonella cells can penetrate and attach within the tightly arranged bacterial cellulose network. Analysis of images obtained from atomic force microscopy revealed that the bacterial cellulose-pectin-xyloglucan composite with 0.3 % (w/v) xyloglucan, previously shown to have the highest number of Salmonella cells attached to it, had significantly thicker cellulose fibrils compared to other composites. Scanning electron microscopy images also showed that the bacterial cellulose and bacterial cellulose-xyloglucan composites were more porous when compared to the other composites containing pectin.

    CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that the attachment of Salmonella cells to cut plant cell walls was not mediated by specific carbohydrate interactions. This suggests that the attachment of Salmonella strains to the plant cell wall models were more dependent on the structural characteristics of the attachment surface. Pectin reduces the porosity and space between cellulose fibrils, which then forms a matrix that is able to retain Salmonella cells within the bacterial cellulose network. When present with pectin, xyloglucan provides a greater surface for Salmonella cells to attach through the thickening of cellulose fibrils.

    Matched MeSH terms: Carbohydrates/chemistry; Cell Wall/chemistry; Cellulose/chemistry; Glucans/chemistry; Pectins/chemistry; Xylans/chemistry; Plant Cells/chemistry
  11. Fermentation of blueberry juices using autochthonous lactic acid bacteria isolated from fruit environment: Fermentation characteristics and evolution of phenolic profiles
    Li S, Tao Y, Li D, Wen G, Zhou J, Manickam S, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2021 Aug;276:130090.
    PMID: 33740651 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130090
    In this study, 4 Lactobacillus plantarum strains and 5 Lactobacillus fermentum strains adapting well to the unfavorable fruit system were isolated under different fruit environments. The fermentation ability of these autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains in blueberry juice, and the influence of microbial metabolism on juice composition were explored. After 48 h of fermentation, the viable cell counts exceeded 10.0 log CFU/mL, malic acid content decreased from 511.47 ± 10.50 mg/L to below 146.38 ± 3.79 mg/L, and lactic acid content increased from 0 mg/L to above 2184.90 ± 335.80 mg/L. Moreover, the metabolism of these strains exerted a profound influence on the phenolic composition of juice. Total phenolic content in blueberry juice increased by 6.1-81.2% under lactic acid fermentation, and the antioxidant capacity in vitro enhanced by at least 34.0%. Anthocyanin content showed a declining trend, while the profile of non-anthocyaninic phenolics exhibited complex changes. The increments of rutin, myricetin and gallic acid contents through 48 h lactic acid fermentation exceeded 136%, 71% and 38%, respectively. Instead, the contents of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and caffeic acid decreased with fermentation. Overall, Lactobacillus plantarum LSJ-TY-HYB-T9 and LSJ-TY-HYB-T7, and Lactobacillus fermentum LSJ-TY-HYB-C22 and LSJ-TY-HYB-L16 could be the suitable strains to produce fermented fruit juices, including blueberry in practical applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Fruit/chemistry
  12. Fulltext The Association between Tea Consumption and Nasopharyngeal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Okekpa SI, S. M. N. Mydin RB, Ganeson S, Gopalan S, Musa MY
    Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2020 08 01;21(8):2183-2187.
    PMID: 32856842 DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2020.21.8.2183
    Heated debates have been on-going about tea consumption and the incidence of cancer, especially in head and
    neck cancer types. This study aimed to review the association between tea consumption habits and nasopharyngeal
    cancer (NPC). Methods: This review was carried out in accordance with the PRISMA-P protocol. Literature search
    for journal articles that published studies on the relationship between tea consumption and NPC was performed via
    databases, such as Elsevier, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer Link, Google, and Google Scholar, for 10 years from
    2008 to 2018. Relevant studies were obtained by applying the pre-determined keywords, such as nasopharyngeal cancer,
    tea consumption and NPC, risk factors of NPC and benefits of tea consumption. Results: A total of 126 articles was
    retrieved. These articles were subjected to eligibility assessment. Six articles remained after applying the inclusion
    criteria. Results suggest that habitual tea consumption reduces NPC. Tea consumption significantly reduces NPC with
    all the studies having a p-value ≤0.05. Meta-analysis showed statistical association between tea consumption and NPC
    risk with OR=0.865 at 95% CI (0.806-0.929). Conclusion: This study suggests that habitual tea consumption could
    be associated with prevention of NPC development. Additional studies are needed to further understand the molecular
    role of bioactive compound and potential health benefit of tea consumption in NPC prevention.
    Matched MeSH terms: Tea/chemistry*
  13. Fulltext Thermal Charging Optimization of a Wavy-Shaped Nano-Enhanced Thermal Storage Unit
    Ghalambaz M, Mehryan SAM, Hajjar A, Shdaifat MYA, Younis O, Talebizadehsardari P, et al.
    Molecules, 2021 Mar 09;26(5).
    PMID: 33803488 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26051496
    A wavy shape was used to enhance the thermal heat transfer in a shell-tube latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit. The thermal storage unit was filled with CuO-coconut oil nano-enhanced phase change material (NePCM). The enthalpy-porosity approach was employed to model the phase change heat transfer in the presence of natural convection effects in the molten NePCM. The finite element method was applied to integrate the governing equations for fluid motion and phase change heat transfer. The impact of wave amplitude and wave number of the heated tube, as well as the volume concertation of nanoparticles on the full-charging time of the LHTES unit, was addressed. The Taguchi optimization method was used to find an optimum design of the LHTES unit. The results showed that an increase in the volume fraction of nanoparticles reduces the charging time. Moreover, the waviness of the tube resists the natural convection flow circulation in the phase change domain and could increase the charging time.
    Matched MeSH terms: Copper/chemistry*
  14. Fulltext Soil nitrogen concentration mediates the relationship between leguminous trees and neighbor diversity in tropical forests
    Xu H, Detto M, Fang S, Chazdon RL, Li Y, Hau BCH, et al.
    Commun Biol, 2020 06 19;3(1):317.
    PMID: 32561898 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1041-y
    Legumes provide an essential service to ecosystems by capturing nitrogen from the atmosphere and delivering it to the soil, where it may then be available to other plants. However, this facilitation by legumes has not been widely studied in global tropical forests. Demographic data from 11 large forest plots (16-60 ha) ranging from 5.25° S to 29.25° N latitude show that within forests, leguminous trees have a larger effect on neighbor diversity than non-legumes. Where soil nitrogen is high, most legume species have higher neighbor diversity than non-legumes. Where soil nitrogen is low, most legumes have lower neighbor diversity than non-legumes. No facilitation effect on neighbor basal area was observed in either high or low soil N conditions. The legume-soil nitrogen positive feedback that promotes tree diversity has both theoretical implications for understanding species coexistence in diverse forests, and practical implications for the utilization of legumes in forest restoration.
    Matched MeSH terms: Soil/chemistry*
  15. Preclinical Evidence for the Pharmacological Actions of Glycyrrhizic Acid: A Comprehensive Review
    Rehman MU, Farooq A, Ali R, Bashir S, Bashir N, Majeed S, et al.
    Curr Drug Metab, 2020;21(6):436-465.
    PMID: 32562521 DOI: 10.2174/1389200221666200620204914
    Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Family: Fabaceae) is one of the important traditional medicinal plant used extensively in folk medicine. It is known for its ethnopharmacological value in curing a wide variety of ailments. Glycyrrhizin, an active compound of G. glabra, possesses anti-inflammatory activity due to which it is mostly used in traditional herbal medicine for the treatment and management of chronic diseases. The present review is focused extensively on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and potential effects of Glycyrrhizic Acid (GA). A thorough literature survey was conducted to identify various studies that reported on the GA on PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar.
    Matched MeSH terms: Glycyrrhiza/chemistry*
  16. Fulltext Modified gel preparation for distinct DNA fragment analysis in agarose gel electrophoresis
    Lee SV, Bahaman AR
    Trop Biomed, 2010 Aug;27(2):351-4.
    PMID: 20962737
    Agarose gel electrophoresis is the standard method that is used to separate, identify, and purify DNA fragments. However, this method is time-consuming and capable of separating limited range of fragments. A new technique of gel preparation was developed to improve the DNA fragment analysis via electrophoresis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Sepharose/chemistry
  17. A dual-action chitosan-based nanogel system of triclosan and flurbiprofen for localised treatment of periodontitis
    Aminu N, Chan SY, Yam MF, Toh SM
    Int J Pharm, 2019 Oct 30;570:118659.
    PMID: 31493495 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2019.118659
    This study aimed to develop a dual action, namely anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, nanogels (NG) for the treatment of periodontitis using triclosan (TCS) and flurbiprofen (FLB). Triclosan, an antimicrobial drug, was prepared as nanoparticles (NPs) using poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL), while flurbiprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug, was directly loaded in a chitosan (CS) based hydrogel. The entwinement of both NPs and hydrogel loaded systems resulted in the NG. The characterisation data confirmed that the developed formulation consists of nanosized spherical structures and displays pH-dependent swelling/erosion and temperature-responsiveness. Besides, the NG exhibited adequate bioadhesiveness using the chicken pouch model and displayed antibacterial activity through the agar plate method. An in-vivo study of the NG on experimental periodontitis (EP) rats confirmed the dual antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects which revealed an excellent therapeutic outcome. In conclusion, a dual action NG was successfully developed and proved to have superior therapeutic effects in comparison to physical mixtures of the individual drugs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry; Flurbiprofen/chemistry*; Triclosan/chemistry*; Hydrogels/chemistry; Chitosan/chemistry*; Nanoparticles/chemistry
  18. Antibacterial efficacy of quaternized chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanofiber membrane crosslinked with blocked diisocyanate
    Wu JY, Ooi CW, Song CP, Wang CY, Liu BL, Lin GY, et al.
    Carbohydr Polym, 2021 Jun 15;262:117910.
    PMID: 33838797 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.117910
    N-[(2-hydroxyl-3-trimethylammonium) propyl] chitosan chloride (HTCC), which is a type of chitosan derivative with quaternary ammonium groups, possesses a higher antibacterial activity as compared to the pristine chitosan. The nanofiber membranes made of HTCC are attractive for applications demanding for antibacterial function. However, the hydrophilic nature of HTCC makes it unsuitable for electrospinning of nanofibers. Hence, biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was proposed as an additive to improve the electrospinnability of HTCC. In this work, PVA/HTCC nanofiber membrane was crosslinked with the blocked diisocyanate (BI) to enhance the stability of nanofiber membrane in water. Microbiological assessments showed that the PVA/HTCC/BI nanofiber membranes possessed a good antibacterial efficacy (∼100 %) against E. coli. Moreover, the biocompatibility of PVA/HTCC/BI nanofiber membrane was proven by the cytotoxicity test on mouse fibroblasts. These promising results indicated that the PVA/HTCC/BI nanofiber membrane can be a promising material for food packaging and as a potential wound dressing for skin regeneration.
    Matched MeSH terms: Quaternary Ammonium Compounds/chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry; Cross-Linking Reagents/chemistry; Polyvinyl Alcohol/chemistry*; Isocyanates/chemistry*; Chitosan/chemistry*; Nanofibers/chemistry*
  19. Toxicity of Carbon Nanotubes: Molecular Mechanisms, Signaling Cascades, and Remedies in Biomedical Applications
    Saleemi MA, Hosseini Fouladi M, Yong PVC, Chinna K, Palanisamy NK, Wong EH
    Chem Res Toxicol, 2021 01 18;34(1):24-46.
    PMID: 33319996 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00172
    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the most studied allotropic form of carbon. They can be used in various biomedical applications due to their novel physicochemical properties. In particular, the small size of CNTs, with a large surface area per unit volume, has a considerable impact on their toxicity. Despite of the use of CNTs in various applications, toxicity is a big problem that requires more research. In this Review, we discuss the toxicity of CNTs and the associated mechanisms. Physicochemical factors, such as metal impurities, length, size, solubilizing agents, CNTs functionalization, and agglomeration, that may lead to oxidative stress, toxic signaling pathways, and potential ways to control these mechanisms are also discussed. Moreover, with the latest mechanistic evidence described in this Review, we expect to give new insights into CNTs' toxicological effects at the molecular level and provide new clues for the mitigation of harmful effects emerging from exposure to CNTs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nanotubes, Carbon/chemistry
  20. Study of Antioxidant, Antiproliferative and DNA Damage Protecting Activities of Cinnamomum cassia Extracts Obtained by Sequential Extraction
    Rad SK, Movafagh A
    Recent Pat Food Nutr Agric, 2021;12(1):45-57.
    PMID: 32807070 DOI: 10.2174/2212798411666200817120307
    BACKGROUND: Cinnamomum cassia (C. cassia) is an evergreen tree in China and Southern and Eastern Asia. In traditional medicine, cinnamon is widely used due to its many bioactivity effects.

    OBJECTIVE: The present novel study aims to evaluate and make a comparison of antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of different extractions of C. cassia bark using seven solvents having different polarities. Solvents polarity gradients start with the solvent of lower polarity, n-hexane, and end with water as the highest polar solvent. Among the extracts, acetone extract contains the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents; therefore, it is assessed for the ability to protect DNA from damage.

    METHODS: The extracts are evaluated for total phenolic, flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities, using FRAP, DPPH, superoxide, and hydroxyl and nitric oxide radicals scavenging assays. DNA damage protecting activity of the acetone extract is studied with the comet assay. Each of the extracts is studied for its antiproliferative effect against, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231(breast cancer), and HT29 (colon cancer), using MTT assay.

    RESULTS: The acetone extract exhibited the highest FRAP value, phenolic and flavonoids contents when compared to the other extracts and could protect 45% mouse fibroblast cell line (3T3-L1) from DNA damage at 30 μg/ml. The lowest IC50 value in DPPH, superoxide, and hydroxyl radicals scavenging was noticed in the ethyl acetate extract. IC50 value obtained for the hexane extract was the lowest compared to the other extracts in scavenging nitric oxide radicals. The hexane extract showed the highest antiproliferative effect against cancer cells followed by the chloroform extract. The ethyl acetate extract inhibited the proliferation of only MCF-7 by IC50 of 100 μg/ml, while the other extracts exhibited no IC50 in all the cancer cells.

    CONCLUSION: C. cassia showed promising antioxidant and anticancer activities with significant DNA damage protecting effect.

    Matched MeSH terms: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry; Antioxidants/chemistry; Flavonoids/chemistry; Phenols/chemistry; Plant Extracts/chemistry; Plant Bark/chemistry; Cinnamomum aromaticum/chemistry*
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