Displaying publications 3521 - 3540 of 10390 in total

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  1. Exploring Promising Immunomodulatory Potential of Natural and Synthetic 1,3-Diphenyl-2-propen-1-one Analogs: A Review of Mechanistic Insight
    Safdar MH, Hasan H, Afzal S, Hussain Z
    Mini Rev Med Chem, 2018;18(12):1047-1063.
    PMID: 29173165 DOI: 10.2174/1389557517666171123212039
    The immune system is an intricate and coordinated nexus serving as a natural defense to preclude internal and external pathogenic insults. The deregulation in the natural balance of immunological functions as a consequence of either over expression or under expression of immune cells tends to cause disruption of homeostasis in the body and may lead to development of numerous immune system disorders. Chalcone moieties (1,3-diphenyl-2-propen-1-one) have been well-documented as ideal lead compounds or precursors to design a wide range of pharmacologically active agents to down-regulate various immune disorders. Owing to their unique structural and molecular framework, these α, β-unsaturated carbonyl-based moieties have also gained remarkable recognition due to their other multifarious pharmacological properties including antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, antibacterial, anti-tuberculosis, and anticancer potential. Though a great number of methodologies are currently being employed for their synthesis, this review mainly focuses on the natural and synthetic chalcone derivatives that are exclusively synthesized via Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction and their immunomodulatory prospects. We have critically reviewed the literature and provided convincing evidence for the promising efficacy of chalcone derivatives to modulate functioning of various innate and adaptive immune players including granulocytes, mast cells, monocytes, macrophages, platelets, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and T-lymphocytes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry; Antifungal Agents/chemistry; Antimalarials/chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry; Biological Products/chemistry; Chalcone/chemistry
  2. Chemical constituents and medical benefits of Plantago major
    Adom MB, Taher M, Mutalabisin MF, Amri MS, Abdul Kudos MB, Wan Sulaiman MWA, et al.
    Biomed Pharmacother, 2017 Dec;96:348-360.
    PMID: 29028587 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.09.152
    The medicinal benefits of Plantago major have been acknowledged around the world for hundreds of years. This plant contains a number of effective chemical constituents including flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolic acid derivatives, iridoid glycosides, fatty acids, polysaccharides and vitamins which contribute to its exerting specific therapeutic effects. Correspondingly, studies have found that Plantago major is effective as a wound healer, as well as an antiulcerative, antidiabetic, antidiarrhoeal, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antibacterial, and antiviral agent. It also combats fatigue and cancer, is an antioxidant and a free radical scavenger. This paper provides a review of the medicinal benefits and chemical constituents of Plantago major published in journals from year 1937 to 2015 which are available from PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar.
    Matched MeSH terms: Anti-Inflammatory Agents/chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/chemistry; Flavonoids/chemistry*; Hypoglycemic Agents/chemistry; Plant Extracts/chemistry*; Plants, Medicinal/chemistry*
  3. A biological inspired fuzzy adaptive window median filter (FAWMF) for enhancing DNA signal processing
    Ahmad M, Jung LT, Bhuiyan AA
    Comput Methods Programs Biomed, 2017 Oct;149:11-17.
    PMID: 28802326 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2017.06.021
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Digital signal processing techniques commonly employ fixed length window filters to process the signal contents. DNA signals differ in characteristics from common digital signals since they carry nucleotides as contents. The nucleotides own genetic code context and fuzzy behaviors due to their special structure and order in DNA strand. Employing conventional fixed length window filters for DNA signal processing produce spectral leakage and hence results in signal noise. A biological context aware adaptive window filter is required to process the DNA signals.

    METHODS: This paper introduces a biological inspired fuzzy adaptive window median filter (FAWMF) which computes the fuzzy membership strength of nucleotides in each slide of window and filters nucleotides based on median filtering with a combination of s-shaped and z-shaped filters. Since coding regions cause 3-base periodicity by an unbalanced nucleotides' distribution producing a relatively high bias for nucleotides' usage, such fundamental characteristic of nucleotides has been exploited in FAWMF to suppress the signal noise.

    RESULTS: Along with adaptive response of FAWMF, a strong correlation between median nucleotides and the Π shaped filter was observed which produced enhanced discrimination between coding and non-coding regions contrary to fixed length conventional window filters. The proposed FAWMF attains a significant enhancement in coding regions identification i.e. 40% to 125% as compared to other conventional window filters tested over more than 250 benchmarked and randomly taken DNA datasets of different organisms.

    CONCLUSION: This study proves that conventional fixed length window filters applied to DNA signals do not achieve significant results since the nucleotides carry genetic code context. The proposed FAWMF algorithm is adaptive and outperforms significantly to process DNA signal contents. The algorithm applied to variety of DNA datasets produced noteworthy discrimination between coding and non-coding regions contrary to fixed window length conventional filters.

    Matched MeSH terms: DNA/chemistry*
  4. Optically stimulated Al2O3:C luminescence dosimeters for teletherapy: Hp(10) performance evaluation
    Hashim S, Musa Y, Ghoshal SK, Ahmad NE, Hashim IH, Yusop M, et al.
    Appl Radiat Isot, 2018 May;135:7-11.
    PMID: 29353759 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2018.01.010
    The performance of optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs, Al2O3:C) was evaluated in terms of the operational quantity of HP(10) in Co-60 external beam teletherapy unit. The reproducibility, signal depletion, and dose linearity of each dosimeter was investigated. For ten repeated readouts, each dosimeter exposed to 50mSv was found to be reproducible below 1.9 ± 3% from the mean value, indicating good reader stability. Meanwhile, an average signal reduction of 0.5% per readout was found. The dose response revealed a good linearity within the dose range of 5-50mSv having nearly perfect regression line with R2 equals 0.9992. The accuracy of the measured doses were evaluated in terms of operational quantity HP(10), wherein the trumpet curve method was used respecting the 1990 International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) standard. The accuracy of the overall measurements from all dosimeters was discerned to be within the trumpet curve and devoid of outlier. It is established that the achieved OSL Al2O3:C dosimeters are greatly reliable for equivalent dose assessment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Aluminum Oxide/chemistry*
  5. A review of mathematical modeling and simulation of controlled-release fertilizers
    Irfan SA, Razali R, KuShaari K, Mansor N, Azeem B, Ford Versypt AN
    J Control Release, 2018 02 10;271:45-54.
    PMID: 29274697 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.12.017
    Nutrients released into soils from uncoated fertilizer granules are lost continuously due to volatilization, leaching, denitrification, and surface run-off. These issues have caused economic loss due to low nutrient absorption efficiency and environmental pollution due to hazardous emissions and water eutrophication. Controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) can change the release kinetics of the fertilizer nutrients through an abatement strategy to offset these issues by providing the fertilizer content in synchrony with the metabolic needs of the plants. Parametric analysis of release characteristics of CRFs is of paramount importance for the design and development of new CRFs. However, the experimental approaches are not only time consuming, but they are also cumbersome and expensive. Scientists have introduced mathematical modeling techniques to predict the release of nutrients from the CRFs to elucidate fundamental understanding of the dynamics of the release processes and to design new CRFs in a shorter time and with relatively lower cost. This paper reviews and critically analyzes the latest developments in the mathematical modeling and simulation techniques that have been reported for the characteristics and mechanisms of nutrient release from CRFs. The scope of this review includes the modeling and simulations techniques used for coated, controlled-release fertilizers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Delayed-Action Preparations/chemistry
  6. Fulltext Energy-saving method for technogenic waste processing
    Dikhanbaev B, Gomes C, Dikhanbaev AB
    PLoS One, 2017;12(12):e0187790.
    PMID: 29281646 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187790
    Dumps of a mining-metallurgical complex of post-Soviet Republics have accumulated a huge amount of technogenic waste products. Out of them, Kazakhstan alone has preserved about 20 billion tons. In the field of technogenic waste treatment, there is still no technical solution that leads it to be a profitable process. Recent global trends prompted scientists to focus on developing energy-saving and a highly efficient melting unit that can significantly reduce specific fuel consumption. This paper reports, the development of a new technological method-smelt layer of inversion phase. The introducing method is characterized by a combination of ideal stirring and ideal displacement regimes. Using the method of affine modelling, recalculation of pilot plant's test results on industrial sample has been obtained. Experiments show that in comparison with bubbling and boiling layers of smelt, the degree of zinc recovery increases in the layer of inversion phase. That indicates the reduction of the possibility of new formation of zinc silicates and ferrites from recombined molecules of ZnO, SiO2, and Fe2O3. Calculations show that in industrial samples of the pilot plant, the consumption of natural gas has reduced approximately by two times in comparison with fuming-furnace. The specific fuel consumption has reduced by approximately four times in comparison with Waelz-kiln.
    Matched MeSH terms: Metals/chemistry
  7. Carbon dioxide (CO2) biofixation by microalgae and its potential for biorefinery and biofuel production
    Kassim MA, Meng TK
    Sci Total Environ, 2017 Apr 15;584-585:1121-1129.
    PMID: 28169025 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.172
    Carbon dioxide (CO2) using biological process is one of the promising approaches for CO2 capture and storage. Recently, biological sequestration using microalgae has gained many interest due to its capability to utilize CO2 as carbon source and biomass produced can be used as a feedstock for other value added product for instance biofuel and chemicals. In this study, the CO2 biofixation by two microalgae species, Chlorella sp. and Tetraselmis suecica was investigated using different elevated CO2 concentration. The effect of CO2 concentration on microalgae growth kinetic, biofixation and its chemical composition were determined using 0.04, 5, 15 and 30% CO2. The variation of initial pH value and its relationship on CO2 concentration toward cultivation medium was also investigated. The present study indicated that both microalgae displayed different tolerance toward CO2 concentration. The maximum biomass production and biofixation for Chlorella sp. of 0.64gL-1 and 96.89mgL-1d-1 was obtained when the cultivation was carried out using 5 and 15% CO2, respectively. In contrast, the maximum biomass production and CO2 biofixation for T. suecica of 0.72gL-1 and 111.26mgL-1d-1 were obtained from cultivation using 15 and 5% CO2. The pH value for the cultivation medium using CO2 was between 7.5 and 9, which is favorable for microalgal growth. The potential of biomass obtained from the cultivation as a biorefinery feedstock was also evaluated. An anaerobic fermentation of the microalgae biomass by bacteria Clostridium saccharoperbutylacenaticum N1-4 produced various type of value added product such as organic acid and solvent. Approximately 0.27 and 0.90gL-1 of organic acid, which corresponding to acetic and butyric acid were produced from the fermentation of Chlorella sp. and T. suecica biomass. Overall, this study suggests that Chlorella sp. and T. suecica are efficient microorganism that can be used for CO2 biofixation and as a feedstock for chemical production.
    Matched MeSH terms: Carbon Dioxide/chemistry*
  8. Observation and explanation of two-dimensional interconversion of oximes with multiple heart-cutting using comprehensive multidimensional gas chromatography
    Kulsing C, Nolvachai Y, Wong YF, Glouzman MI, Marriott PJ
    J Chromatogr A, 2018 Apr 20;1546:97-105.
    PMID: 29548566 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2018.02.035
    Real-time interconversion processes produce unconventional peak broadening in gas chromatography (GC), and can be used to generate kinetic and thermodynamic data. In this study, an unusual separation situation in comprehensive two dimensional GC where two dimensional interconversion (i.e. a raised plateau in both first and second dimension, 1D and 2D) was observed in analysis of oxime isomers. This resulted in a characteristic and unusual rectangular peak shape in the two dimensional result. A related theoretical approach was introduced to explain the peak shape supported by simulation results which can be varied depending on concentration profiles and kinetics of the process. The simulated results were supported by experimental results obtained by a comprehensive heart-cut multidimensional GC (H/C MDGC) approach which was developed to clearly investigate isomerisation of E/Z oxime molecules in both 1D and 2D separations under different isothermal conditions. The carrier gas flow and oven temperature were selected according to initial results for 1D interconversion on a poly(ethyleneglycol) stationary phase, which was further used in both 1D and 2D separations to result in broad zones of oxime interconversion in both dimensions. The method involved repetitive injections of oxime sample, then sampling contiguous fractions of sample into a long 2D column which is intended to promote considerable interconversion. Comprehensiveness arises from the fact that the whole sample is sampled from the 1D to the 2D column, with the long 2D column replacing the short 2D column used in classical comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography, where the latter will not promote sufficient interconversion. Data processing and presentation permits a 'rectangular' distribution corresponding to the separated compounds, characteristic of this experiment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Oximes/chemistry*
  9. Chemotherapeutic Role of Polyphenols Present in Ocimum sanctum
    Khatoon S, Kalam N, Balasubramaniam VR, Shaikh MF, Ansari MT
    Anticancer Agents Med Chem, 2022;22(20):3325-3342.
    PMID: 35578854 DOI: 10.2174/1871520622666220516142839
    Ocimum sanctum is a sacred herb of India and is commonly known as 'Tulsi' or 'Holy Basil' in regional languages of the country. Various parts of O. sanctum are recognised to have remarkable therapeutic efficacy, and are therefore used in Indian traditional medicine system, Ayurveda. Scientific studies have shown that O. sanctum has a range of pharmacological activities. The presence of a substantial amount of polyphenols in O. sanctum could be the reason for its excellent bioactivity. Polyphenols are used to prevent or treat oncologic diseases due to their anti-cancer effects, which are related to activation of apoptotic signaling, cell cycle arrest, binding ability with membrane receptors, and potential effects on immunomodulation and epigenetic mechanisms. The poor bioavailability of polyphenols restricts their clinical use. The application of nanonization has been implemented to improve their bioavailability, penetrability, and prolong their anticancer action. The present review analyses the recent preclinical studies related to the chemo-preventive and therapeutic potential of polyphenols present in O. sanctum. Moreover, the current article also examines in-depth the biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in the antineoplastic actions of the considered polyphenols.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Extracts/chemistry
  10. Global patterns and driving factors of plant litter iron, manganese, zinc, and copper concentrations
    Peng Y, Fornara DA, Wu Q, Heděnec P, Yuan J, Yuan C, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2023 Jan 20;857(Pt 3):159686.
    PMID: 36302428 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159686
    Plant litter decomposition is not only the major source of soil carbon and macronutrients, but also an important process for the biogeochemical cycling of trace elements such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu). The concentrations of plant litter trace elements can influence litter decomposition and element cycling across the plant and soil systems. Yet, a global perspective of the patterns and driving factors of trace elements in plant litter is missing. To bridge this knowledge gap, we quantitatively assessed the concentrations of four common trace elements, namely Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu, of freshly fallen plant litter with 1411 observations extracted from 175 publications across the globe. Results showed that (1) the median of the average concentrations of litter Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu were 0.200, 0.555, 0.032, and 0.006 g/kg, respectively, across litter types; (2) litter concentrations of Fe, Zn, and Cu were generally stable regardless of variations in multiple biotic and abiotic factors (e.g., plant taxonomy, climate, and soil properties); and (3) litter Mn concentration was more sensitive to environmental conditions and influenced by multiple factors, but mycorrhizal association and soil pH and nitrogen concentration were the most important ones. Overall, our study provides a clear global picture of plant litter Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu concentrations and their driving factors, which is important for improving our understanding on their biogeochemical cycling along with litter decomposition processes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Soil/chemistry
  11. Extra-modification of zirconium dioxide for potential photocatalytic applications towards environmental remediation: A critical review
    Hassan NS, Jalil AA, Khusnun NF, Bahari MB, Hussain I, Firmansyah ML, et al.
    J Environ Manage, 2023 Feb 01;327:116869.
    PMID: 36455446 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116869
    Photocatalytic degradation is a valuable direction for eliminating organic pollutants in the environment because of its exceptional catalytic activity and low energy requirements. As one of the prospective photocatalysts, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) is a promising candidate for photoactivity due to its favorable redox potential and higher chemical stability. ZrO2 has a high rate of electron-hole recombination and poor light-harvesting capabilities. Still, modification has demonstrated enhancements, especially extra-modification, and is therefore worthy of investigation. This present review provides a comprehensive overview of the extra-modifications of ZrO2 for enhanced photocatalytic performance, including coupling with other semiconductors, doping with metal, non-metal, and co-doping with metal and non-metal. The extra-modified ZrO2 showed superior performance in degrading the organic pollutant, particularly dyes and phenolic compounds. Interestingly, this review also briefly highlighted the probable mechanisms of the extra-modification of ZrO2 such as p-n heterojunction, type II heterojunction, and Z-scheme heterojunction. The latter heterojunction with excellent electron-hole space separation improved the photoactivity. Extensive research on ZrO2's photocatalytic potential is presented, including the removal of heavy metals, the redox of heavy metals and organic pollutants, and the evolution of hydrogen. Modified ZrO2's photocatalytic effectiveness depends on its band position, oxygen vacancy concentration, and metal defect sites. The opportunities and future problems of the extra-modified ZrO2 photocatalyst are also discussed. This review aims to share knowledge regarding extra-modified ZrO2 photocatalysts and inspire new environmental remediation applications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Zirconium/chemistry
  12. Absence of significant association of trace elements in nails with urinary KIM-1 biomarker among residents of Addis Ababa in Upper Awash Basin, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
    Dessie BK, Mehari B, Osman M, Gari SR, Desta AF, Melaku S, et al.
    Biometals, 2022 Dec;35(6):1341-1358.
    PMID: 36163536 DOI: 10.1007/s10534-022-00448-8
    The Akaki River in the Upper Awash Basin, which flows through Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, has been highly polluted by sewage from factories and residential areas. A population-based cross-sectional study was used to assess the association between trace elements and kidney injury from residents living in polluted areas downstream (Akaki-Kality) versus upstream (Gullele) in Sub-Cities of Addis Ababa. A total of 95 individuals (53 from Akaki-Kality and 42 from Gullele) were included in the study. Kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), lead, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, lead, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, chromium and nickel were evaluated in residents' urine and nail samples. A large proportion (74%) of the sample population contained KIM-1, including 81% residents in Akaki-Kality and 64% residents in Gullele. KIM-1 was, however, not significantly different (p = 0.05) between the two Sub-Cities, with median of 0.224 ng/mL in Akaki-Kality and 0.152 ng/mL in Gullele. Most of the analyzed elements, except Pb, As, Cd and Co, were found in all of the nail samples, with median (µg/g) in the range of 442‒714 Fe, 97.0‒246 Zn, 11.6‒24.1 Mn, 4.49‒5.85 Cu, 1.46‒1.66 Cr and 1.22‒1.41 Ni. The high incidence of KIM-1 indicates a potential for long term renal tubular damage among residents of the Sub-Cities. The concentrations of the elements in nails were, however, not significantly associated (p = 0.05) with the corresponding levels of KIM-1 in urine. Hence, the observed KIM-1 might be related to exposure to toxic substances or factors other than those included in this study.
    Matched MeSH terms: Nails/chemistry
  13. Comparative analysis of an anthraquinone and chalcone derivatives-based virtual combinatorial library. A cheminformatics "proof-of-concept" study
    Moshawih S, Hadikhani P, Fatima A, Goh HP, Kifli N, Kotra V, et al.
    J Mol Graph Model, 2022 Dec;117:108307.
    PMID: 36096064 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2022.108307
    A Laplacian scoring algorithm for gene selection and the Gini coefficient to identify the genes whose expression varied least across a large set of samples were the state-of-the-art methods used here. These methods have not been trialed for their feasibility in cheminformatics. This was a maiden attempt to investigate a complete comparative analysis of an anthraquinone and chalcone derivatives-based virtual combinatorial library. This computational "proof-of-concept" study illustrated the combinatorial approach used to explain how the structure of the selected natural products (NPs) undergoes molecular diversity analysis. A virtual combinatorial library (1.6 M) based on 20 anthraquinones and 24 chalcones was enumerated. The resulting compounds were optimized to the near drug-likeness properties, and the physicochemical descriptors were calculated for all datasets including FDA, Non-FDA, and NPs from ZINC 15. UMAP and PCA were applied to compare and represent the chemical space coverage of each dataset. Subsequently, the Laplacian score and Gini coefficient were applied to delineate feature selection and selectivity among properties, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated the diversity between the datasets by employing Murcko's and the central scaffolds systems, calculating three fingerprint descriptors and analyzing their diversity by PCA and SOM. The optimized enumeration resulted in 1,610,268 compounds with NP-Likeness, and synthetic feasibility mean scores close to FDA, Non-FDA, and NPs datasets. The overlap between the chemical space of the 1.6 M database was more prominent than with the NPs dataset. A Laplacian score prioritized NP-likeness and hydrogen bond acceptor properties (1.0 and 0.923), respectively, while the Gini coefficient showed that all properties have selective effects on datasets (0.81-0.93). Scaffold and fingerprint diversity indicated that the descending order for the tested datasets was FDA, Non-FDA, NPs and 1.6 M. Virtual combinatorial libraries based on NPs can be considered as a source of the combinatorial compound with NP-likeness properties. Furthermore, measuring molecular diversity is supposed to be performed by different methods to allow for comparison and better judgment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques/methods
  14. Fulltext Chitosan and its derivatives as polymeric anti-viral therapeutics and potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 nanomedicine
    Tan RSL, Hassandarvish P, Chee CF, Chan LW, Wong TW
    Carbohydr Polym, 2022 Aug 15;290:119500.
    PMID: 35550778 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2022.119500
    The coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 has a global impact on the lives and livelihoods of people. It is characterized by a widespread infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), where infected patients may develop serious medical complications or even face death. Development of therapeutic is essential to reduce the morbidity and mortality of infected patients. Chitosan is a versatile biomaterial in nanomedicine and exhibits anti-microbial, anti-cancer and immunomodulatory properties. This review highlights the progress in chitosan design and application pertaining to the anti-viral effects of chitosan and chitosan derivatives (hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium, sulfate, carboxymethyl, bromine, sialylglycopolymer, peptide and phosphonium conjugates) as a function of molecular weight, degree of deacetylation, type of substituents and their degree and site of substitution. The physicochemical attributes of these polymeric therapeutics are identified against the possibility of processing them into nanomedicine which can confer a higher level of anti-viral efficacy. The designs of chitosan for the purpose of targeting SARS-CoV-2, as well as the ever-evolving strains of viruses with a broad spectrum anti-viral activity to meet pandemic preparedness at the early stages of outbreak are discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Antiviral Agents/chemistry
  15. Utilization of cockle shell powder as an adsorbent to remove phosphorus-containing wastewater
    Nayeem A, Mizi F, Ali MF, Shariffuddin JH
    Environ Res, 2023 Jan 01;216(Pt 2):114514.
    PMID: 36216117 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114514
    The paper demonstrates the capability of using cockle shells as an adsorbent for phosphorus removal from simulated petrochemical wastewater, focusing on the actual condition of the petrochemical facultative pond. In this study, the physicochemical properties of shell powder were determined, such as the functional groups, surface morphology, crystalline structure, and surface area using FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRD, and BET. It was observed that the optimum conditions for effective phosphorus removal are under the presence of rotational speed (125 rpm), higher dosage (7 g/L), and larger surface area (smaller particle size) of the shell powder. Fine powder achieved up to 52.27% of phosphorus removal after 40 min compared to coarse powder which could only give 16.67% removal. Additionally, calcined shell powder demonstrated a higher phosphorus removal rate, i.e., up to 62.37%, compared to raw shell powders. The adsorption isotherm was studied using Langmuir and Freundlich models, but the isothermal data fit better for the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.9836). Overall, this study has successfully generated a greener and low-cost adsorbent.
    Matched MeSH terms: Waste Water/chemistry
  16. Nanoreinforced Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering: Biomaterials that are Compatible with Load-Bearing and Electroactive Tissues
    Mehrali M, Thakur A, Pennisi CP, Talebian S, Arpanaei A, Nikkhah M, et al.
    Adv Mater, 2017 Feb;29(8).
    PMID: 27966826 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201603612
    Given their highly porous nature and excellent water retention, hydrogel-based biomaterials can mimic critical properties of the native cellular environment. However, their potential to emulate the electromechanical milieu of native tissues or conform well with the curved topology of human organs needs to be further explored to address a broad range of physiological demands of the body. In this regard, the incorporation of nanomaterials within hydrogels has shown great promise, as a simple one-step approach, to generate multifunctional scaffolds with previously unattainable biological, mechanical, and electrical properties. Here, recent advances in the fabrication and application of nanocomposite hydrogels in tissue engineering applications are described, with specific attention toward skeletal and electroactive tissues, such as cardiac, nerve, bone, cartilage, and skeletal muscle. Additionally, some potential uses of nanoreinforced hydrogels within the emerging disciplines of cyborganics, bionics, and soft biorobotics are highlighted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Hydrogels/chemistry*
  17. Phytoremediation of cadmium from soil, air and water
    Li G, Yan L, Chen X, Lam SS, Rinklebe J, Yu Q, et al.
    Chemosphere, 2023 Apr;320:138058.
    PMID: 36746249 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138058
    Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) pose a great threat to ecosystems and long-term exposure causes adverse effects to wildlife and humans. Cadmium induces a variety of diseases including cancer, kidney dysfunction, bone lesions, anemia and hypertension. Here we review the ability of plants to accumulate cadmium from soil, air and water under different environmental conditions, focusing on absorption mechanisms and factors affecting these. Cadmium possess various transport mechanisms and pathways roughly divided into symplast and apoplast pathway. Excessive cadmium concentrations in the environment affects soil properties, pH and microorganism composition and function and thereby plant uptake. At the same time, plants resist cadmium toxicity by antioxidant reaction. The differences in cadmium absorption capacity of plants need more exploration to determine whether it is beneficial for crop breeding or genetic modification. Identify whether plants have the potential to become hyperaccumulator and avoid excessive cadmium uptake by edible plants. The use of activators such as wood vinegar, GLDA (Glutamic acid diacetic acid), or the placement of earthworms and fungi can speed up phytoremediation of plants, thereby reducing uptake of crop varieties and reducing human exposure, thus accelerating food safety and the health of the planet.
    Matched MeSH terms: Soil/chemistry
  18. Acidophilic microorganisms in remediation of contaminants present in extremely acidic conditions
    Razia S, Hadibarata T, Lau SY
    Bioprocess Biosyst Eng, 2023 Mar;46(3):341-358.
    PMID: 36602611 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-022-02844-3
    Acidophiles are a group of microorganisms that thrive in acidic environments where pH level is far below the neutral value 7.0. They belong to a larger family called extremophiles, which is a group that thrives in various extreme environmental conditions which are normally inhospitable to other organisms. Several human activities such as mining, construction and other industrial processes release highly acidic effluents and wastes into the environment. Those acidic wastes and wastewaters contain different types of pollutants such as heavy metals, radioactive, and organic, whose have adverse effects on human being as well as on other living organisms. To protect the whole ecosystem, those pollutants containing effluents or wastes must be clean properly before releasing into environment. Physicochemical cleanup processes under extremely acidic conditions are not always successful due to high cost and release of toxic byproducts. While in case of biological methods, except acidophiles, no other microorganisms cannot survive in highly acidic conditions. Therefore, acidophiles can be a good choice for remediation of different types of contaminants present in acidic conditions. In this review article, various roles of acidophilic microorganisms responsible for removing heavy metals and radioactive pollutants from acidic environments were discussed. Bioremediation of various acidic organic pollutants by using acidophiles was also studied. Overall, this review could be helpful to extend our knowledge as well as to do further relevant novel studies in the field of acidic pollutants remediation by applying acidophilic microorganisms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Acids/chemistry
  19. Fulltext A Comprehensive Review of the Pharmacological Properties and Bioactive Components of Retama monosperma
    El Yadini A, Elouafy Y, Amiri-Ardekani E, Shafiee M, Firouzi A, Sasani N, et al.
    Molecules, 2023 Feb 10;28(4).
    PMID: 36838696 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041708
    Retama monosperma L. (Boiss.) or Genista monosperma L. (Lam.), known locally as "R'tam", is a spontaneous and annual herb that belongs to the Fabaceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean regions, specifically in the desert areas and across the Middle Atlas in Morocco. This plant has been extensively used in folk medicine and it is rich in bioactive compounds, including polyphenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Current research efforts are focusing on the development of novel natural drugs as alternatives to various organic and non-organic chemical products from Retama monosperma. In addition, extract, and isolated compounds obtained from different parts of the chosen plant have been described to exhibit multiple biological and pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, anti-helminthic, disinfectant, diuretic, and hypoglycemic effects. The plant-derived extract also acts as an antimicrobial agent, which is highly efficient in the treatment of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. Its antiproliferative effects are associated with some mechanisms, such as the inhibition of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In light of these assessments, we critically highlight the beneficial effects of the flowers, stems, seeds extracts, and isolated compounds from R. monosperma (L.) Boiss in human health care, industrial, and other applications, as well as the possible ways to be employed as a potential natural source for future drug discovery.
    Matched MeSH terms: Plant Extracts/chemistry
  20. Fulltext Occurrence of endocrine disruptors in Malaysia's water systems: A scoping review
    Khairul Hasni NA, Anual ZF, Rashid SA, Syed Abu Thahir S, Veloo Y, Fang KS, et al.
    Environ Pollut, 2023 May 01;324:121095.
    PMID: 36682614 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121095
    Contamination of water systems with endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is becoming a major public health concern due to their toxicity and ubiquity. The intrusion of EDCs into water sources and drinking water has been associated with various adverse health effects on humans. However, there is no comprehensive overview of the occurrence of EDCs in Malaysia's water systems. This report aims to describe the occurrence of EDCs and their locations. Literature search was conducted electronically in two databases (PubMed and Scopus). A total of 41 peer-reviewed articles published between January 2000 and May 2021 were selected. Most of the articles dealt with pharmaceuticals (16), followed by pesticides (7), hormones (7), mixed compounds (7), and plasticisers (4). Most studies (40/41) were conducted in Peninsular Malaysia, with 60.9% in the central region and almost half (48.8%) in the Selangor State. Only one study was conducted in the northern region and East Malaysia. The Langat River, the Klang River, and the Selangor River were among the most frequently studied EDC-contaminated surface waters, while the Pahang River and the Skudai River had the highest concentrations of some of the listed compounds. Most of the risk assessments resulted in a hazard quotient (HQ) and a risk quotient (RQ)  1 in the Selangor River. An RQ > 1 for combined pharmaceuticals was found in Putrajaya tap water. Overall, this work provides a comprehensive overview of the occurrence of EDCs in Malaysia's water systems. The findings from this review can be used to mitigate risks and strengthen legislation and policies for safer drinking water.
    Matched MeSH terms: Rivers/chemistry
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