Inhibition of growth of Leishmania donovani promastigotes by newly synthesized 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogs

AbstractLeishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, is transmitted by sand flies and replicates intracellularly in their mammalian host cells. The emergence of drug-resistant strains has hampered efforts to control the spread of the disease worldwide. Forty-four 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives and related compounds were tested in vitro for possible anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigotes of L. donovani. Micromolar concentrations of these agents were used to study the inhibition of multiplication of L. donovani promastigotes. Seven compounds were identified with potential antigrowth agents of the parasite. Compound 4a was the most active at 50μM followed by compound 3a. These compounds could prove useful as a future alternative for the control of visceral leishmaniasis

Stereoselective HPLC assay of donepezil enantiomers with UV detection and its application to pharmacokinetics in rats

Abstract This investigation describes a new precise, sensitive and accurate stereoselective HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of donepezil enantiomers in tablets and plasma with enough sensitivity to follow its pharmacokinetics in rats up to 12 h after single oral dosing. Enantiomeric resolution was achieved on a cellulose tris (3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate) column known as Chiralcel OD, with UV detection at 268 nm, and the mobile phase consisted of n-hexane, isopropanol and triethylamine (87:12.9:0.1). Using the chromatographic conditions described, donepezil enantiomers were well resolved with mean retention times of 12.8 and 16.3 min, respectively. Linear response (r > 0.994) was observed over the range of 0.05-2 g/ml of donepezil enantiomers, with detection limit of 20 ng/ml. The mean relative standard deviation (R.S.D.%) of the results of within-day precision and accuracy of the drug were ≤10%. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) between inter-and intra-day studies for each enantiomers which confirmed the reproducibility of the assay method. The mean extraction efficiency was 92.6-93.2% of the enantiomers. The proposed method was found to be suitable and accurate for the quantitative determination of donepezil enantiomers in tablets. The assay method also shows good specificity to donepezil enantiomers, and it could be successfully applied to its pharmacokinetic studies and to therapeutic drug monitoring

Quality of Type 2 Diabetes Management in the States of The Co-Operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf: A Systematic Review

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a growing, worldwide public health concern. Recent growth has been particularly dramatic in the states of The Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), and these and other developing economies are at particular risk. We aimed to systematically review the quality of control of type 2 diabetes in the GCC, and the nature and efficacy of interventions. We identified 27 published studies for review. Studies were identified by systematic database searches. Medline and Embase were searched separately (via Dialog and Ovid, respectively; 1950 to July 2010 (Medline), and 1947 to July 2010 (Embase)) on 15/07/2009. The search was updated on 08/07/2010. Terms such as diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent, hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and Gulf States were used. Our search also included scanning reference lists, contacting experts and hand-searching key journals. Studies were judged against pre-determined inclusion/exclusion criteria, and where suitable for inclusion, data extraction/quality assessment was achieved using a specifically-designed tool. All studies wherein glycaemic-, blood pressure- and/or lipid- control were investigated (clinical and/or process outcomes) were eligible for inclusion. No limitations on publication type, publication status, study design or language of publication were imposed. We found the extent of control to be sub-optimal and relatively poor. Assessment of the efficacy of interventions was difficult due to lack of data, but suggestive that more widespread and controlled trial of secondary prevention strategies may have beneficial outcomes. We found no record of audited implementation of primary preventative strategies and anticipate that controlled trial of such strategies would also be useful

Effectiveness of school-based nutrition interventions promoted in the League of Arab States: a systematic review.

Arab countries are doubly burdened with undernutrition as well as overweight and obesity. To provide guidance to those looking to address concerns of obesity and overweight among children in this region, the current review bridges an existing knowledge gap and systematically characterizes and evaluates the available scientific evidence pertaining to school-based nutrition interventions completed to date across the Arab world. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and relevant keywords, terms and phrases, a search of the literature across 14 databases for school-based nutrition interventions implemented in this region was conducted. Out of 1568 articles from 14 databases, 38 full-text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Further assessment for eligibility excluded 23 articles and included one article from hand-searching references, leaving 16 articles in the final analysis. Most articles (n = 7) with the implementation of 5 months or longer found strong positive and significant impacts on limiting sweets consumption, increased dietary knowledge, self-efficacy, breakfast and fruit and vegetable consumption, among others. We also found evidence (n = 5) that teachers trained by experts such as dietitians and pediatricians can effectively implement nutrition interventions that achieve the intended outcomes. Training teachers to implement theory-based nutrition and health promotion curricula serves as a potential solution to improving nutrition knowledge, health behaviors and dietary practices among children living in Arab countries. Appropriately designed and implemented nutrition interventions can positively impact nutrition knowledge, health and diet-related behaviors in children and adolescents in this region

Adoption of antenatal care conversation mapping among health care providers in Saudi Arabia: Application of the diffusion innovation theory.

AIM: To measure the factors influencing on the adoption of antenatal care conversation mapping among health care providers in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), using the diffusion innovation theory. METHODS: 88 healthcare providers (Riyadh) were recruited using a non-probability convenient sampling technique were trained on how to use a newly developed antenatal care conversation map. Data was collected by self-administrated questionnaire on health education services, adoption of conversation map and diffusion of innovation variables. The JMP statistical software from SAS version 14 was used to perform data analysis. RESULTS: Printable tools were most common as used by 72.7% of participants and 83.0% of them did not hear about conversation map. The total mean score of diffusion of innovation variables showed was in general high. The total mean score of relative advantage and observability was high in participants aged between 40 to less than 50 years, while the total mean score of compatibility, complexity, and trialability was high in participants aged from 50 years and more. Significant differences were obtained in both compatibility and trialability considering the health educators specialty, p = 0.03 and p = 0.027 respectively. The linear correlations between diffusion of innovation variables was significantly positive (p-value <0.01). CONCLUSION: All of diffusion of innovation variables were positive as per the opinion of the participants. Applying the conversation map on other health topics in Saudi Arabia and other Arabic-speaking countries is warranted. Measuring and evaluating the adoption rate of conversation mapping among health care providers on other health topics should be explored

Chemical characterisation and the anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and antibacterial properties of date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Date fruit, Phoenix dactylifera L. has traditionally been used as a medicine in many cultures for the treatment of a range of ailments such as stomach and intestinal disorders, fever, oedema, bronchitis and wound healing. Aim of the review: The present review aims to summarise the traditional use and application of Phoenix dactylifera date fruit in different ethnomedical systems, additionally the botany and phytochemistry are identified. Critical evaluation of in vitro and in vitro studies examining date fruit in relation to anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and antimicrobial activities are outlined. Key Findings: The ethnomedical use of Phoenix dactylifera in the treatment of inflammatory disease has been previously identified and reported. Furthermore, date fruit and date fruit co-products such as date syrup are rich sources of polyphenols, anthocyanins, sterols and carotenoids. In vitro studies have demonstrated that date fruit exhibits antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic activity. The recent interest in the identification of the numerous health benefits of dates using in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed that date fruit and date syrup have beneficial health effects that can be attributed to the presence of natural bioactive compounds. Conclusions: Date fruit and date syrup have therapeutic properties, which have the potential to be beneficial to health. However, more investigations are needed to quantify and validate these effects

Cetylpyridinium Bromide/Polyvinyl Chloride for Substantially Efficient Capture of Rare Earth Elements from Chloride Solution

A new sorbent cetylpyridinium bromide/polyvinylchloride (CPB/PVC) was prepared and tested to extract rare earth elements (REEs) from their chloride solutions. It was identified by FTIR, TGA, SEM, EDX, and XRD. The impact of various factors such as pH, RE ion initial concentration, contacting time, and dose amount via sorption process was inspected. The optimum pH was 6.0, and the equilibrium contact time was reached at 60 min at 25 °C. The prepared adsorbent (CPB/PVC) uptake capacity was 182.6 mg/g. The adsorption of RE ions onto the CPB/PVC sorbent was found to fit the Langmuir isotherm as well as pseudo-second-order models well. In addition, the thermodynamic parameters of RE ion sorption were found to be exothermic and spontaneous. The desorption of RE ions from the loaded CPB/PVC sorbent was investigated. It was observed that the optimum desorption was achieved at 1.0 M HCl for 60 min contact time at ambient room temperature and a 1:60 solid: liquid phase ratio (S:L). As a result, the prepared CPB/PVC sorbent was recognized as a competitor sorbent for REEs. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The authors express their gratitude to Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2022R13), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hydrogen and Carbon Nanotubes from Pyrolysis-Catalysis of Waste Plastics: A Review

More than 27 million tonnes of waste plastics are generated in Europe each year representing a considerable potential resource. There has been extensive research into the production of liquid fuels and aromatic chemicals from pyrolysis-catalysis of waste plastics. However, there is less work on the production of hydrogen from waste plastics via pyrolysis coupled with catalytic steam reforming. In this paper, the different reactor designs used for hydrogen production from waste plastics are considered and the influence of different catalysts and process parameters on the yield of hydrogen from different types of waste plastics are reviewed. Waste plastics have also been investigated as a source of hydrocarbons for the generation of carbon nanotubes via the chemical vapour deposition route. The influences on the yield and quality of carbon nanotubes derived from waste plastics are reviewed in relation to the reactor designs used for production, catalyst type used for carbon nanotube growth and the influence of operational parameters

Bimetallic carbon nanotube encapsulated Fe-Ni catalysts from fast pyrolysis of waste plastics and their oxygen reduction properties

Carbon-based bimetallic electrocatalysts were obtained by catalytic pyrolysis of waste plastics with Fe-Ni-based catalysts and were used as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts in this study. The prepared iron-nickel alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in oxidized carbon nanotubes (FeNi-OCNTs) are solid products with a unique structure. Moreover, the chemical composition and structural features of FeNi-OCNTs were determined. The iron-nickel alloy nanoparticles were wrapped in carbon layers, and the carbon nanotubes had an outer diameter of 20–50 nm and micron-scale lengths. FeNi-OCNT with a Fe/Ni ratio of 1:2 (FeNi-OCNT12) exhibited remarkable electrochemical performance as an ORR catalyst with a positive onset potential of 1.01 V (vs. RHE) and a half-wave potential of 0.87 V (vs. RHE), which were comparable to those of a commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst. Furthermore, FeNi-OCNT12 exhibited promising long‐term stability and higher tolerance to methanol than the commercial 20% Pt/C catalyst in an alkaline medium. These properties were attributable to the protective OCNT coating of the iron-nickel alloy nanoparticles

Venous hemodynamics in neurological disorders: an analytical review with hydrodynamic analysis.

Venous abnormalities contribute to the pathophysiology of several neurological conditions. This paper reviews the literature regarding venous abnormalities in multiple sclerosis (MS), leukoaraiosis, and normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). The review is supplemented with hydrodynamic analysis to assess the effects on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and cerebral blood flow (CBF) of venous hypertension in general, and chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in particular.CCSVI-like venous anomalies seem unlikely to account for reduced CBF in patients with MS, thus other mechanisms must be at work, which increase the hydraulic resistance of the cerebral vascular bed in MS. Similarly, hydrodynamic changes appear to be responsible for reduced CBF in leukoaraiosis. The hydrodynamic properties of the periventricular veins make these vessels particularly vulnerable to ischemia and plaque formation.Venous hypertension in the dural sinuses can alter intracranial compliance. Consequently, venous hypertension may change the CSF dynamics, affecting the intracranial windkessel mechanism. MS and NPH appear to share some similar characteristics, with both conditions exhibiting increased CSF pulsatility in the aqueduct of Sylvius.CCSVI appears to be a real phenomenon associated with MS, which causes venous hypertension in the dural sinuses. However, the role of CCSVI in the pathophysiology of MS remains unclear