New Insights on the Photochromism of 2-(2‘,4‘-Dinitrobenzyl)pyridine

The photochromic behavior of 2-(2‘,4‘-dinitrobenzyl)pyridine (α-DNBP) has been followed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films and benzene solutions to clarify the behavior of a precursor state, previously identified in studies on crystalline α-DNBP at low temperatures. In PMMA films, photolysis at temperatures ≤50 K led to the concurrent formation of a NH tautomer and a colorless intermediate, which was stable for several hours. On irradiation at low temperatures and warming the sample, the colorless intermediate was seen to react to produce the NH tautomer in a higher yield than that found in the direct photolysis. Further information on this intermediate has come from flash photolysis studies in benzene solution, in which a new transient absorption has been observed at 335 nm and assigned to this species. This decays within a few microseconds at room temperature to form an OH tautomer, which then interconverts to the NH tautomer. The precursor state is not quenched by oxygen or naphthalene. From consideration of the kinetic and spectral data, it is suggested that this new species corresponds to a nonrelaxed tautomeric form of the OH state of α-DNBP

Ozone generation in a wire-to-cylinder corona discharge ozonizer fed with mixtures of O2 and N2

The generation of ozone in a coaxial wire-cylinder corona discharge reactor has been experimentally investigated using variable proportions (5% to 90%) of oxygen in nitrogen. The experiments have been carried out under negative polarity and using different gas flow rates (50 cm3/min to 200 cm3/min). The obtained results show that the corona current exhibits a certain dependence with the percentage of oxygen in the gas mixture, which may influence the rate of ozone production. Moreover, the evaluation of the ozone yield has revealed a non-linear dependence of this magnitude with the concentration of oxygen. The maximum ozone yield was obtained when the percentage of oxygen in the gas mixture was about 70%

Comprehensive Analysis of Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Potential, and Antibacterial Activity of <em>T. polium</em>

\ua9 2024 by the authors.This study aims to thoroughly examine the chemicals and effects of the ethanol extract from T. polium’s upper parts. We used the Soxhlet method for extraction, resulting in an extract with a significant yield of 20.6%. Qualitative analysis identified a variety of compounds, such as tannins, saponins, reducing compounds, terpenoids, quinones, and alkaloids. In quantitative analysis using the colorimetric method, we found the extract was rich in total flavonoids (20.78 mg equivalent QE/g DW extract) and total polyphenols (227.43 mg equivalent GAE/g DW extract). To assess antioxidant potential, we used the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method, with ascorbic acid and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as standards. The extract showed moderate activity in both the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and FRAP methods at concentrations of 65 \ub5g/mL and 21 mg/mL, respectively. Additionally, we tested the ethanolic extract against various bacteria using the disk diffusion technique on agar medium. The results indicated that the T. polium extract had moderate effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, as well as Gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633. We further investigated the composition of the ethanolic extract through LC-MS/MS analysis, establishing a detailed profile of phenolic compounds, with six flavonoids identified as the main polyphenolic constituents. This thorough evaluation provides insights into the potential therapeutic uses of T. polium

Serotypes and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates from Invasive Pneumococcal Disease and Asymptomatic Carriage in a Pre-vaccination Period, in Algeria

In Algeria, few data is available concerning the distribution of pneumococcal serotypes and respective antibiotic resistance for the current pre-vaccination period, which is a public health concern. We identified the most frequent Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroup/types implicated in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD; n = 80) and carriage (n = 138) in Algerian children younger than 5 years old. Serogroup/types of 78 IPD isolates were identified by capsular typing using a sequential multiplex PCR. Overall, serotypes 14, 19F, 6B, 23F, 18C, 1, 5, 7F, 19A, and 3 (55% of PCV7 serotypes, 71.3% of PCV10, and 90% of PCV13) were identified. Additionally, 7.5% of the non-vaccine serotypes 6C, 9N/L, 20, 24F, 35B, and 35F, were observed. In the case of S. pneumoniae asymptomatic children carriers, the most common serogroup/types were 6B, 14, 19F, 23F, 4, 9V/A, 1, 19A, 6A, and 3 (42.7% of PCV7 serotypes, 44.2% of PCV10, and 58% of PCV13). For 6.1% of the cases co-colonization was detected. Serotypes 14, 1, 5, and 19A were more implicated in IPD (p 2μg/ml). Resistance to cefotaxime was higher in isolates from meningitis (40.5%); however, resistance to erythromycin and co-trimoxazole (>40%) was more pronounced in no-meningeal forms. Overall, our results showed that PCV13 conjugate vaccine would cover up to 90% of the circulating isolates associated with IPD in Algeria, highlighting the importance of monitoring the frequency of S. pneumoniae serogroups/types during pre- and post-vaccination periods

A mutation of the human EPHB2 gene leads to a major platelet functional defect.

The ephrin transmembrane receptor family of tyrosine kinases is involved in platelet function. We report the first EPHB2 variant affecting platelets in 2 siblings (P1 and P2) from a consanguineous family with recurrent bleeding and normal platelet counts. Whole-exome sequencing identified a c.2233C>T variant (missense p.R745C) of the EPHB2 gene. P1 and P2 were homozygous for this variant, while their asymptomatic parents were heterozygous. The p.R745C variant within the tyrosine kinase domain was associated with defects in platelet aggregation, αIIbβ3 activation, and granule secretion induced by G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists and convulxin, as well as in thrombus formation on collagen under flow. In contrast, clot retraction, flow-dependent platelet adhesion, and spreading on fibrinogen were only mildly affected, indicating limited effects on αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling. Most importantly, Lyn, Syk, and FcRγ phosphorylation, the initial steps in glycoprotein VI (GPVI) platelet signaling were drastically impaired in the absence of platelet-platelet contact, indicating a positive role for EPHB2 in GPVI activation. Likewise platelet activation by PAR4-AP showed defective Src activation, as opposed to normal protein kinase C activity and Ca2+ mobilization. Overexpression of wild-type and R745C EPHB2 variant in RBL-2H3 (rat basophilic leukemia) cells stably expressing human GPVI confirmed that EPHB2 R745C mutation impaired EPHB2 autophosphorylation but had no effect on ephrin ligand-induced EPHB2 clustering, suggesting it did not interfere with EPHB2-ephrin-mediated cell-to-cell contact. In conclusion, this novel inherited platelet disorder affecting EPHB2 demonstrates this tyrosine kinase receptor plays an important role in platelet function through crosstalk with GPVI and GPCR signaling

Biological control of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma harzianum against Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae induced wilt in tomato plants

Abstract Background Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and Trichoderma harzianum are effective bioagents against Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae in tomato plants. The objective of the research was to evaluate the in vivo antagonistic activity of AMF and T. harzianum against Verticillium and Fusarium wilt by enhancing the growth and resistance of tomato plants. A completely randomized experimental design was used, consisting of twelve treatments with nine replicates for each treatment. The treatments included combinations of AMF and T. harzianum inoculation, infection or non-infection by F. oxysporum and V. dahliae, while also considering individual and combined treatments. Mycorrhization rates, growth parameters, disease severity, disease progression, and the impact on disease mitigation were evaluated. Results The study revealed the superiority of AMF over T. harzianum, resulting in a significant enhancement in the overall extent of mycorrhizal colonization in tomato plants co-inoculated with T. harzianum. Moreover, AMF treatments and the AMF + T. harzianum consortium contributed to the improvement in growth among all plants infected with V. dahliae and F. oxysporum. Both AMF and T. harzianum significantly reduced the progression of Fusarium wilt, resulting in reductions of 45.14 and 44.91%, respectively, than the untreated plants infected with F. oxysporum (initial disease severity of 75.54%). T. harzianum demonstrated greater efficacy in reducing V. dahliae infection, with a reduction of 34.45% compared to 28.26% for AMF, starting from an initial disease severity of 69.85%. Thus, T. harzianum demonstrated greater effectiveness in controlling disease, particularly Verticillium wilt. Conclusion The target application of disease control methods in tomato plants revealed the effectiveness of both AMF and T. harzianum in mitigating Fusarium wilt. Furthermore, T. harzianum demonstrated a higher level of effectiveness against Verticillium wilt. These findings emphasize the potential of AMF and T. harzianum as sustainable alternatives in agriculture, providing a viable option to decrease dependence on fungicides

Determinants of Legacy Persistent Organic Pollutant Levels in the European Pond Turtle ( Emys orbicularis

International audienceMany banned persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remain for decades in the aquatic environment and can have harmful effects on long-lived predators because of their high bioaccumulation and biomagnification potentials. We investigated the occurrence and levels of 18 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and 16 organochlorine pesticides in European pond turtles (n = 174) from April to July 2018 in the Camargue wetland, France. Although the Camargue was highly contaminated in previous decades, plasma occurrence and levels of POPs were very low: we were able to quantify only 3 of the 34 compounds we analyzed in >10% of the turtles. The burdens from POPs did not differ between males and females and were uncorrelated with sampling date and body mass. We observed differences in POP burdens between turtles from the 2 sampling sites. One possible explanation is that the sampling sites were in different agricultural hydraulic systems: plasma occurrence and levels were higher for PCB-52 and hexachlorobenzene in turtles captured in drainage channels and for PCB-153 at the site that receives irrigation. Finally, the occurrence and levels of PCB-153 in turtles increased with age, likely because of bioaccumulation and much higher exposure 20 to 30 yr ago than now