Liquid Radioactive Wastes Treatment: A Review

Radioactive wastes are generated during nuclear fuel cycle operation, production and application of radioisotope in medicine, industry, research, and agriculture, and as a byproduct of natural resource exploitation, which includes mining and processing of ores, combustion of fossil fuels, or production of natural gas and oil. To ensure the protection of human health and the environment from the hazard of these wastes, a planned integrated radioactive waste management practice should be applied. This work is directed to review recent published researches that are concerned with testing and application of different treatment options as a part of the integrated radioactive waste management practice. The main aim from this work is to highlight the scientific community interest in important problems that affect different treatment processes. This review is divided into the following sections: advances in conventional treatment of aqueous radioactive wastes, advances in conventional treatment of organic liquid wastes, and emerged technological options

Nicotine metal complexes: synthesis, characterization and bioactivities of some main group and some transition metals

A number of some main group and transition metal nicotine complexes were synthesized and fully characterized using detailed structural and spectroscopic analysis techniques such as elemental analysis, molar conductivities, magnetic susceptibilities, IR, Raman and NMR techniques. Moreover, scanning electron micrographs and thermogravimetric analyses were also done. Cytotoxic activities of the binary nicotine metal complexes were tested and evaluated against HepG2 (human hepatocellular carcinoma), HPC3 (human prostate cancer), and HCT116 (human colorectal carcinoma) tumor cell lines. The antioxidant activities were examined by free radical scavenging assay. The antimicrobial activities of the synthesized complexes were evaluated against Escherichia coli (gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (gram-positive) microbes. The relationship between the chemical structure of the synthesized complexes and their biological influence as antimicrobial drugs was studied and evaluated.                     KEY WORDS: Nicotine metal complexes, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2020, 34(3), 501-521. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v34i3.

Bioactivities of holmium(III) and gadolinium(III) complexes of thymoquinone

Chemotherapeutic agents which are the main stay in cancer treatment are toxic with numerous contrary side effects. A number of chemical, physical, and computational techniques were applied to synthesize and elucidate the structural and functional characterization of the new designed bioligands and their metal complexes. Besides, several biological techniques for developing therapeutics and diagnostics agents of these new designed materials were used. The trivalent holmium(III) and gadolinium(III) metal complexes of thymoquinone (TQ) were synthesized. Toxicities and other bioactivites were undertaken with existing drug combinations and more effective tumor models will be established. The molecular structures of TQ-metal complexes were elucidated based on particular spectral approaches. The NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain enhancer of activated B Cells) luciferase, elastase release, superoxide anion (O2•−) generation, and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) free-radical scavenging activities of TQ and its synthesized complexes were elucidated and discussed. The core research is to use coordination and organometallic chemistry to design new bioligands and binary, ternary, mixed ligand, multi metal multi ligand complexes pursing a bio target continuously with structure-activity relationships (SARS).                     KEY WORDS: Thymoquinone, Holmium, Gadolinium, Bioactivities   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2021, 35(1), 87-96. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v35i1.

Experience of safety monitoring in the context of a prospective observational study of artemether-lumefantrine in rural Tanzania: lessons learned for pharmacovigilance reporting

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>To identify and implement strategies that help meet safety monitoring requirements in the context of an observational study for artemether-lumefantrine (AL) administered as first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in rural Tanzania.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Pharmacovigilance procedures were developed through collaboration between the investigating bodies, the relevant regulatory authority and the manufacturer of AL. Training and refresher sessions on the pharmacovigilance system were provided for healthcare workers from local health facilities and field recorders of the Ifakara Health Demographic Surveillance System (IHDSS). Three distinct channels for identification of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) were identified and implemented. Passive reporting took place through IHDSS and health care facilities, starting in October 2007. The third channel was through solicited reporting that was included in the context of a survey on AL as part of the ALIVE (<b>A</b>rtemether-<b>L</b>umefantrine <b>I</b>n <b>V</b>ulnerable patients: <b>E</b>xploring health impact) study (conducted only in March-April 2008).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Training was provided for 40 healthcare providers (with refresher training 18 months later) and for six field recorders. During the period 1^stSeptember 2007 to 31^stMarch 2010, 67 AEs were reported including 52 under AL, five under sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, one under metakelfin, two after antibiotics; the remaining seven were due to anti-pyretic or anti-parasite medications. Twenty patients experienced SAEs; in 16 cases, a relation to AL was suspected. Six of the 20 cases were reported within 24 hours of occurrence.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Safety monitoring and reporting is possible even in settings with weak health infrastructure. Reporting can be enhanced by regular and appropriate training of healthcare providers. SMS text alerts provide a practical solution to communication challenges.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Experience gained in this setting could help to improve spontaneous reporting of AEs and SAEs to health authorities or marketing authorization holders.</p

Utilization of lithium incorporated mesoporous silica for preventing necrosis and increase apoptosis in different cancer cells

Abstract There are many molecules used as a drug carrier. TUD-1 is a newly synthesized mesoporous silica (SM) molecule possess two important features; consists of mesoporous so it is very suitable to be drug carrier in addition to that it has the ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. However, the effect of TUD-1 appears to act as cell death inducer, regardless of whether it is necrosis or apoptosis. Unfortunately, recent studies indicate that a proportion of cells undergo necrosis rather than apoptosis, which limits the use of TUD-1 as a secure treatment. On the other hand, lithium considered as necrosis inhibitor element. Hence, the current study based on the idea of producing a new Li-TUD-1 by incorporated mesoporous silica (TUD-1 type) with lithium in order to produce a new compound that has the ability to activate apoptosis by mesoporous silica (TUD-1 type) and at the same time can inhibit the activity of necrosis by lithium. Herein, lithium incorporated in TUD-1 mesoporous silica by using sol–gel technique in one-step synthesis procedure. Moreover, lithium incorporated in TUD-1 with different loading in order to form different active sites such as isolated lithium ions, nanoparticles of Li2O, and bulky crystals of Li2O. The ability of the new compounds to induce apoptosis and prevent necrosis was evaluated on three different types of cancer cell lines, which are; liver HepG-2, breast MCF-7, and colon HCT116. The obtained results show that Li-TUD-1 has the ability to control necrosis and thus reduce the side effects of treatments containing silica in the case of lithium added to them, especially in chronic cases. This opinion has demonstrated by the significant increase in the IC50 value and cell viability compared to control groups. Consequently, the idea is new, so it needs more develop and test with materials that have a more apoptotic impact than silica to induce apoptosis without induction of necrosis

The Spike Protein of SARS-coV2 19B (S) Clade Mirrors Critical Features of Viral Adaptation and Coevolution

Pathogens including viruses evolve in tandem with diversity in their animal and human hosts. For SARS-coV2, the focus is generally for understanding such coevolution on the virus spike protein, since it demonstrates high mutation rates compared to other genome regions, particularly in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Viral sequences of the SARS-coV2 19B (S) clade and variants of concern from different continents were investigated, with a focus on the A.29 lineage, which presented with different mutational patterns within the 19B (S) lineages in order to learn more about how SARS-coV2 may have evolved and adapted to widely diverse populations globally. Results indicated that SARS-coV2 went through evolutionary constrains and intense selective pressure, particularly in Africa. This was manifested in a departure from neutrality with excess nonsynonymous mutations and a negative Tajima D consistent with rapid expansion and directional selection as well as deletion and deletion&ndash;frameshifts in the N-terminal domain (NTD region) of the spike protein. In conclusion, we hypothesize that viral transmission during epidemics through populations of diverse genomic structures and marked complexity may be a significant factor for the virus to acquire distinct patterns of mutations within these populations in order to ensure its survival and fitness, explaining the emergence of novel variants and strains

Liquid Radioactive Wastes Treatment: A Review

Radioactive wastes are generated during nuclear fuel cycle operation, production and application of radioisotope in medicine, industry, research, and agriculture, and as a byproduct of natural resource exploitation, which includes mining and processing of ores, combustion of fossil fuels, or production of natural gas and oil. To ensure the protection of human health and the environment from the hazard of these wastes, a planned integrated radioactive waste management practice should be applied. This work is directed to review recent published researches that are concerned with testing and application of different treatment options as a part of the integrated radioactive waste management practice. The main aim from this work is to highlight the scientific community interest in important problems that affect different treatment processes. This review is divided into the following sections: advances in conventional treatment of aqueous radioactive wastes, advances in conventional treatment of organic liquid wastes, and emerged technological options