Ethnic differences in nifedipine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics: Comparison of middle eastern arabs with other populations

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O.Box 2457, Riyadh 11451. Military Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects of oral nifedipine were studied in five healthy male Middle Eastern Arab subjects and their results were compared with those reported for other populations. Each subject received a single 2* 10-mg dose under fasting conditions and plasma concentrations were determined by a specific HPLC method. Heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also monitored. The elimination half-life, maximum plasma concentration and time to maximum plasma concentration were found to be 3.20±0.21 h, 230.4±36.4 ng/ml and 0.95±0.23 h, respectively. Mean residence time (MRT) and operative clearance (CL/F) were determined to be 3.82±0.67 h and 0.30±0.06 L/h.kg, respectively. Plasma concentrations in Middle Eastern Arab subjects were similar to those reported for South Asians, Japanese and Nigerians, but they were significantly higher than in Caucasians. The AUC and normalized AUC were 2.8 and 3.4 folds greater in Middle Eastern Arab subjects than in Caucasians. The hemodynamic effects of nifedipine were comparable in all ethnic groups studied. In conclusion, Middle Eastern Arab patients should be initiated with a lower dose than would be administered to Caucasians

Photocatalytic Reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue and Antifungal Activity of Ag/TiO2 Composites Synthesized via the Template Induced Route

Water treatment through photocatalysts has become an important topic regarding environmental protection. In the present study, silver and TiO2 (Ag/TiO2) composites for photocatalysts were effectively synthesized by adopting the template induced method. The prepared samples were characterized using XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, and EDX. The constructed samples’ particle size and shape were evaluated using a SEM, and the XRD patterns showed anatase crystalline phases. Their morphologies were controllable with changing concentration of reactants and calcination temperature. The synthesized composites act as catalyst in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) under solar irradiation. In both of these activities, the best result has been shown by the 0.01 Ag/TiO2 composite. Methanol is used as the hole scavenger in the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). While the pH factor is important in the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). According to observations, S. macrospora and S. maydis were each subject to 0.01 Ag/TiO2 nanocomposites maximum antifungal activity, which was 38.4 mm and 34.3 mm, respectively. The outcomes demonstrate that both photocatalytic and antifungal properties are effectively displayed by the constructed material

Design of a highly efficient heterostructure of transition metal tellurides with outstanding photocatalytic and antimicrobial potential

This work aimed to synthesize an effective material having greater potential to reduce water pollution caused by industrial waste and exhibit efficient antibacterial potential. The transition metals (Manganese-Mn, Zinc-Zn) and post transition metal (Tin-Sn) reacted with TeO2 in a stoichiometric ratio by adopting a solid-state reaction. The crystallite size of the synthesized compounds MnTeO3 (D1), ZnTeO3 (D2), and SnTe3O8 (D3) was measured by the Debye-Scherrer formula by extracting data from the FWHM. D1 and D2 exhibit the orthorhombic structure whereas D3 has a simple cubic structure and crystalline size was measured by FWHM i.e., 221 nm, 458 nm, and 153 nm. Catalytic degradation efficiency for the removal of MB dye was found to be in the range of 66%-73%. Additionally, these substances have strong antimicrobial action alongside both bacteria and fungi, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus with maximal zone inhibitions of 35.0 mm and 12.5 mm for each kind of bacterium. The highest antifungal activity of Mn integrated was estimated to be 37.2 mm versus Aspergillus niger and 15.1 mm alongside Coccidioides. According to the findings, the manufactured material has effective photocatalytic and antimicrobial activities

Construction of Te-ZnO@S-g-C3N4 Heterojunction Nanocomposites for the Efficient Removal of Methylene Blue, Antifungal Activity, and Adsorption of Cr(VI) Ion

Heterojunctions have proven to be effective catalysts for removing organic pollutants and heavy metals from wastewater. The following study is also about the formation of 2D heterojunction tellurium-doped zinc oxide composite with sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Te-ZnO@S-g-C3N4) by adopting a low-cost, simple, and ecofriendly coprecipitation technique. Thiourea was calcined to prepare S-g-C3N4 using the thermal degradation method. The characterization of synthesized photocatalysts was carried out by using SEM-EDX, FTIR, and XRD. The results obtained showed that the incorporation of tellurium caused an alteration in the wurtzite structure of ZnO. SEM-EDX analysis validated the purity of the synthesized samples due to the absence of any additional peaks. The decrease in the bandgap was also noted by the formation of composites. Using methylene blue as a reference dye, the UV-vis spectrophotometer was utilized to calculate the absorbance for photocatalytic degradation behavior. As a result of tellurium doping into the ZnO lattice, photocatalytic oxidation/reduction was improved, according to the results. 3Te-ZnO NPs showed the best degradation rate among dopant series, while an excellent overall degradation rate was noted by fabricated composite 3Te-ZnO@40S-g-C3N4. The best doped ZnO and composites were also used as sorbents for the abstraction of heavy metal (Cr(VI)) from water via adsorption. A definite rise in the removal efficiency percentage of chromium ions was observed by using these sorbents. The overall photo degradation rate and adsorption behavior noted were in ZnO<Te-ZnO<Te-ZnO@S-g-C3N4 order. When compared to ZnO, Te-ZnO, SCN, and Te-ZnO@40SCN, the 3Te-ZnO@40SCN NCs have outstanding antifungal potential. The improved dispersibility and interaction of 3Te-ZnO@40SCN with membrane and intracellular proteins of fungi may be the cause of the greater effect of Te-ZnO@40SCN