Design, synthesis and potential anti-proliferative activity of some novel 4-aminoquinoline derivatives

Novel nineteen compounds based on a 4-aminoquinoline scaffold were designed and synthesized as potential anti-proliferative agents. The new compounds were N-substituted at the 4-position by aryl or heteroaryl 1-9, quinolin-3-yl 10, 2-methylquinolin-3-yl 11, thiazol-2-yl 12, and dapsone moieties 13, 14 and 18. Bis-compounds 15, 16 and 19 were also synthesized to assess their biological activity. All the newly synthesized comounds were tested for in vitro antiproliferative activity against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Seventeen of the novel compounds showed higher activity than the reference drug doxorubicin. The corresponding 7-(trifluoromethyl)-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)quinolin-4-amine 1, N-(7-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl)quinolin-3-amine (10), 2-methyl-N-(7-trifluorome-thyl)quinolin-4-yl)quinolin-3-amine (11) and N-(4-(4-aminophenylsulf-onyl)phenyl)-7-chloroquinolin-4-amine (13) were almost twice to thrice as potent as doxorubicin

Geographical differences in semen characteristics of 13 892 infertile men

Objective: To assess the relationship between geographical differences and all semen parameters, across 13,892 infertile men of 84 diverse nationalities, recruited at a specialised tertiary hospital that represents the main healthcare provider in Qatar. Male infertility is an important and global public health problem. Despite this, there is a significant scarcity of epidemiological male infertility and semen analysis research in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as geographical comparisons with other parts of the world. Patients and methods: Retrospective study of semen findings of 13 892 infertile men assessed at the Male Infertility Unit at Hamad Medical Corporation, in Qatar between January 2012 and August 2015. Based on country of origin, patients were categorised into those from the MENA region (n = 8799) and non-MENA patients (n = 5093). The two groups were compared across demographic features and semen characteristics: age, sperm volume, sperm total motility, sperm progressive motility (PMot), abnormal sperm forms (ABF), and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF). Results: The whole sample's mean (SD) age was 35.7 (0.7) years, sperm concentration was 32.3 (0.25) × 106 sperm/mL, total motility was 45.4 (0.2)%, sperm PMot was 25.1 (0.2)%, and ABF was 79.9 (0.2)%. Overall, 841 patients had azoospermia (6.05%), 3231 had oligospermia (23.3%), 4239 had asthenospermia (30.5%) and 6772 had teratospermia (48.7%). SDF (1050 patients) was abnormal in 333 patients (31.7%). MENA patients were significantly younger than their non-MENA counterparts and had a greater semen volume. Non-MENA patients had significantly higher sperm counts, total motility and PMot, and lower ABF. SDF showed no statistical difference between the two groups. MENA patients had significantly higher prevalence of oligospermia, asthenospermia, and teratospermia; and lower prevalence of normal sperm concentration, normal motility, and normal morphology. Throughout the 4 years of the study, MENA patients constantly had significantly lower sperm counts; generally lower sperm total motility percentage and generally lower quality sperm morphology. We compared patients by age (≤40 and >40 years): in the patients aged ≤40 years, the same results as for the overall study were reproduced; in the >40-years group, the same results were reproduced with the exception of morphology, which was not significantly different between the MENA and non-MENA patients. Conclusion: Semen quality is generally lower in male infertility patients from the MENA region compared to non-MENA regions. © 2018 Arab Association of UrologyScopu

Oxidation–reduction potential and sperm DNA fragmentation, and their associations with sperm morphological anomalies amongst fertile and infertile men

Objective: To assess seminal oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) in male infertility and their relationships with sperm morphology in fertile and infertile men. Patients and methods: Prospective case-control study comparing the findings of infertile men (n = 1168) to those of men with confirmed fertility (n = 100) regarding demographics and semen characteristics (conventional and advanced semen tests). Spearman rank correlation assessed the correlation between ORP, SDF, and different morphological indices. Means of ORP and SDF were assessed in variable levels of normal sperm morphology amongst all participants. Results: Infertile patients had a significantly lower mean sperm count (32.7 vs 58.7 × 10 6 sperm/mL), total motility (50.1% vs 60.4%), and normal morphology (5.7% vs 9.9%). Conversely, infertile patients had significantly higher mean head defects (54% vs 48%), and higher ORP and SDF values than fertile controls. ORP and SDF showed significant positive correlations and significant negative correlations with sperm head defects and normal morphology in infertile patients, respectively. ORP and SDF were significantly inversely associated with the level of normal sperm morphology. Using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, ORP and SDF threshold values of 1.73 mV/10 6 sperm/mL and 25.5%, respectively, were associated with 76% and 56% sensitivity and 72% and 72.2% specificity, respectively, in differentiating <4% from ≥4% normal morphology. Conclusion: A direct inverse relationship exists between seminal ORP and SDF with various levels of normal sperm morphology. Using ORP and SDF measures in conjunction with standard semen morphology analysis could validate the result of the fertility status of patients. © 2017 Arab Association of UrologyScopu

A 600-Million-Year Carbonate Clumped-Isotope Record from the Sultanate of Oman

Carbonate clumped-isotope thermometry is a promising technique that has the potential to help decode the significance of the variability of both physical and geochemical compositions of ancient carbonate rocks. This study utilizes a 600-million-year record of marine carbonate rocks from the subsurface and surface of the Sultanate of Oman to explore how burial and exhumation affected the carbonate clumped-isotope thermometer. Samples span 6 km of burial depth, and include calcite and dolomite mineralogies and a range of carbonate rock textures. We find evidence for two broad patterns in the physical and geochemical behavior of carbonate rocks during burial. The first group of carbonates yield water δ^(18)O_(VSMOW) compositions slightly enriched or equal to an expected “ice-free” seawater composition of –1.2‰ and display good to fair textural preservation suggesting that cementation and lithification occurred within tens of meters of the sediment–water interface. Temperatures from the second group sit on the present-day geotherm, yield highly enriched water δ^(18)O_(VSMOW) compositions, and display fair to poor textural preservation. We find no evidence for solid-state reordering in paired analyses of calcites and dolomites. Our results contribute to a growing body of work that indicates that the seawater δ^(18)O_(VSMOW) composition has not changed significantly over 600 Myr and was not –6‰ in the Ediacaran

A 600-Million-Year Carbonate Clumped-Isotope Record from the Sultanate of Oman

Carbonate clumped-isotope thermometry is a promising technique that has the potential to help decode the significance of the variability of both physical and geochemical compositions of ancient carbonate rocks. This study utilizes a 600-million-year record of marine carbonate rocks from the subsurface and surface of the Sultanate of Oman to explore how burial and exhumation affected the carbonate clumped-isotope thermometer. Samples span 6 km of burial depth, and include calcite and dolomite mineralogies and a range of carbonate rock textures. We find evidence for two broad patterns in the physical and geochemical behavior of carbonate rocks during burial. The first group of carbonates yield water δ^(18)O_(VSMOW) compositions slightly enriched or equal to an expected “ice-free” seawater composition of –1.2‰ and display good to fair textural preservation suggesting that cementation and lithification occurred within tens of meters of the sediment–water interface. Temperatures from the second group sit on the present-day geotherm, yield highly enriched water δ^(18)O_(VSMOW) compositions, and display fair to poor textural preservation. We find no evidence for solid-state reordering in paired analyses of calcites and dolomites. Our results contribute to a growing body of work that indicates that the seawater δ^(18)O_(VSMOW) composition has not changed significantly over 600 Myr and was not –6‰ in the Ediacaran

Measurement of the branching fractions of the B+ -> eta l(+)nu(l) and B+ -> eta ' l(+)nu(l) decays with signal-side only reconstruction in the full q(2) range

The branching fractions of the decays B+ -> eta l(+)nu(l) and B+ -> eta'l(+)nu(l) are measured, where l is either an electron or a muon, using a data sample of 711 fb(-1) containing 772 x 10(6)B (B) over bar pairs collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e(+)e(-) collider. To reduce the dependence of the result on the form factor model, the measurement is performed over the entire q(2) range. The resulting branching fractions are B(B+ -> eta l(+)nu(l)) = (2.83 +/- 0.55((stat.)) +/- 0.34((syst.))) x 10(-5) and B(B+ -> eta'l(+)nu(l)) = (2.79 +/- 1.29((stat.)) +/- 0.30((syst.))) x 10(-5).journal articl

Epidemiology of respiratory infections among adults in Qatar (2012-2017).

Limited data is available about the etiology of influenza like illnesses (ILIs) in Qatar. This study aimed at providing preliminary estimates of influenza and other respiratory infections circulating among adults in Qatar. We retrospectively collected data of about 44,000 patients who visited Hamad General Hospital clinics, sentinel sites, and all primary healthcare centers in Qatar between 2012 and 2017. All samples were tested for influenza viruses, whereas about 38,000 samples were tested for influenza and a panel of respiratory viruses using Fast Track Diagnostics (FTD) RT-PCR kit. Among all ILIs cases, 20,278 (46.5%) tested positive for at least one respiratory pathogen. Influenza virus was predominating (22.6%), followed by human rhinoviruses (HRVs) (9.5%), and human coronaviruses (HCoVs) (5%). A detection rate of 2-3% was recorded for mycoplasma pneumonia, adenoviruses, human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and human metapneumovirus (HMPV). ILIs cases were reported throughout the year, however, influenza, RSV, and HMPV exhibited strong seasonal peaks in the winter, while HRVs circulated more during fall and spring. Elderly (>50 years) had the lowest rates of influenza A (13.9%) and B (4.2%), while presenting the highest rates of RSV (3.4%) and HMPV (3.3%). While males had higher rates of HRVs (11.9%), enteroviruses (1.1%) and MERS CoV (0.2%), females had higher proportions of influenza (26.3%), HPIVs (3.2%) and RSV (3.6%) infections. This report provides a comprehensive insight about the epidemiology of ILIs among adults in the Qatar, as a representative of Gulf States. These results would help in improvement and optimization of diagnostic procedures, as well as control and prevention of the respiratory infections.This study was supported by funds from Hamad Medical Corporation (grant # 16335/16) and Qatar University (grant # QUCG-BRC-2018/2019-1)

\u3cem\u3e Swietenia mahagoni \u3c/em\u3e Leaves Extract: Antifungal, Insecticidal, and Phytochemical Analysis

In this study, we investigated the antifungal properties of an acetone extract derived from the leaves of Swietenia mahagoni (SMAL) against two isolated fungi, Fusarium equiseti (OQ820153) and Rhizoctonia solani (OQ820152), from rice sheath. The extract was effective in inhibiting the growth of both fungi at the highest concentration tested, 3000 μg·mL−1. Laboratory tests on the LC20 of SMAL extract (49.86 mg·L−1) versus pyriproxyfen 10% EC (1.96 mg·L−1) were accomplished on Aphis gossypii Glover. The extract potently reduced the survival of the nymphs (49.58%) more than the other treatments. The longevity of nymphs treated with the extract had the highest prolongation at 9.67 days. The olfactory choice test exhibited the lowest aphid attraction percentage (23.33%). The HPLC of SMAL extract contained various phenolic compounds, and the most abundant found were catechin (752.64 µg·g−1), gallic acid, and chlorogenic acid, as well as flavonoids such as rutin (585.24 µg·g−1) and naringenin. A GC–MS analysis revealed n-hexadecanoic acid (37.1%) as the major compound, followed by oleic acid. These results suggest that SMAL extract has the potential to help plants fight against fungal and insect infections, making it a promising natural and renewable solution for long-term plant pest regulation

First determination of the spin and parity of the charmed-strange baryon Ξc (2970)+

We report results from a study of the spin and parity of Ξc(2970)+ using a 980 fb-1 data sample collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider. The decay angle distributions in the chain Ξc(2970)+→Ξc(2645)0π+→Ξc+π-π+ are analyzed to determine the spin of this charmed-strange baryon. The angular distributions strongly favor the Ξc(2970)+ spin J=1/2 over 3/2 or 5/2, under an assumption that the lowest partial wave dominates in the decay. We also measure the ratio of Ξc(2970)+ decay branching fractions R=B[Ξc(2970)+→Ξc(2645)0π+]/B[Ξc(2970)+→Ξc′0π+]=1.67±0.29(stat)-0.09+0.15(syst)±0.25(IS), where the last uncertainty is due to possible isospin-symmetry-breaking effects. This R value favors the spin-parity JP=1/2+ with the spin of the light-quark degrees of freedom sl=0. This is the first determination of the spin and parity of a charmed-strange baryon

Search for charged lepton flavor violating decays of ϒ (1S)

We present a search for the charged lepton-flavor-violating decays ϒ(1S) →ℓ±ℓ′∓ and radiative charged lepton-flavour-violating decays ϒ(1S) → γℓ±ℓ′∓ [ℓ,ℓ′ = e, μ, τ] using the 158 million ϒ(2S) sample collected by the Belle detector at the KEKB collider. This search uses ϒ(1S) mesons produced in ϒ(2S) → π+π− ϒ(1S) transitions. We do not find any significant signal, so we provide upper limits on the branching fractions at the 90% confidence level. [Figure not available: see fulltext.