Design, synthesis and antitumor evaluation of novel pyrazolopyrimidines and pyrazoloquinazolines

A series of N-aryl-7-aryl-pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidines 18a–u and N-aryl-pyrazolo[1,5-a] quinazolines 25a–c were designed and synthesized via the reaction of 5-aminopyrazoles 11a–c with enaminones 12a–g or 19, respectively. The new compounds were screened for their in vitro antitumor activity toward liver (HepG-2) and breast (MCF-7) human cancer cells using 3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide MTT assay. From the results, it was found that all compounds showed dose-dependent cytotoxic activities against both HepG-2 and MCF-7 cells. Two compounds 18o and 18a were selected for further investigations. Cell cycle analysis of liver (HepG-2) cells treated with 18o and breast (MCF-7) cells treated with 18a showed cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and pro-apoptotic activity as indicated by annexin V-FITC staining.publishedVersio

STR-990: SUSTAINABLE GROUTED HELICAL PILES: MATERIALS AND PERFORMANCE

Cementitious materials are widely used as a construction material all over the world. However, cement industry has high environmental impact such as the release of CO2 and the consumption of natural resources for its manufacturing energy. Therefore, reducing cement consumption is vital to achieve sustainable green construction practices. In this study, the effects of using treated oil sand waste (TOSW) as a partial replacement of cement in grouted helical pile applications were investigated. Fresh and hardened properties of the green grout incorporating different percentages of TOSW were evaluated. In addition, a model scale grouted helical pile with the green grout was tested to characterize its performance. The experimental results show that the properties of TOSW grout mixes were comparable to conventional grout and satisfy the strength and construction requirements of grouted piles. Moreover, tested grouted helical pile using the developed mixture exhibited similar geotechnical performance as those installed using conventional grout mix. Hence, TOSW can be implemented in grouted helical pile applications, which would assist in achieving sustainable construction

POSSIBLE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF SODIUM SALICYLATE NANOEMULSION AND GINGER ON CISPLATIN‑INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS (BIOCHEMICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY)

Objective: To describe the preparation and characterization of nanoemulsion of sodium salicylate loaded butane tetracarboxylic acid (Bt-Sc-NPs). It also investigates the possible protective effects of Bt-Sc-NPs and\or medicinal plant ginger to evaluate the changes of liver functions, oxidative stress and histopathological investigations against cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: Serum was used to determine alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), δ-glutamyl transferase (δGT), serum human laminin (LN) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase1 (TIMP1). Liver tissue samples collected from the rats were used for the measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1). Results: The beneficial effects of Bt-Sc-NPs with its anti-inflammatory effect and the medicinal ginger with its antioxidant effect were observed. Injection of rats with cisplatin significantly increased serum ALT, AST, ɤGT, TIMP1 and LN. It also increased cisplatin-induced oxidative stress by a significant elevation in liver MDA, NO content; however, a significant decrease of PON1 content. While protection with Bt-Sc-NPs or ginger significantly improved these parameters. In addition, combination of both Bt-Sc-NPs and ginger significantly induced a decrease in serum ALT, AST, ɤGT, TIMP1 and LN. It also reduced cisplatin-induced oxidative stress by the significant reduction in liver MDA, NO content and elevation of PON1 content much more than protection with Bt-Sc-NPs or ginger alone. Conclusion: Bt-Sc-NPs were synthesized using nanoemulsion with the help of homogenization and ultra-sonication waves. Combination with both of Bt-Sc-NPs and ginger showed a hepatoprotective role in ameliorating cisplatin‑induced hepatotoxicity due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects

Some biological responses of the diatom Nitzschia closterium (W. Smith) to copper and zinc

Some biological responses of the marine diatom Nitzschia closterium to copper and zinc were studied. The species was isolated from the Gulf of Suez and grown in liquid culture with enriched filtered seawater over a maximum period of 10 days. The results indicated that low concentrations of copper (1 and 5 μg.l-1) and zinc (10, 20 and 50 μg.l-1) stimulated the growth, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll-a,c and carotenoids), total soluble proteins as well as 02-evolution in photosynthesis and dark respiration (02uptake) of the diatom as compared with the control culture. Whereas, higher concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 300 μg.l-1 copper and 100, 200, 300, 400 and 600 μg.l-1 zinc inhibited the above metabolic processes of the organism (taking into consideration that the culture treated with 10 μg.l-1 zinc produced the same O2-uptake as in the control culture). Statistically, there exists reverse correlation between the different concentrations of copper and zinc and the metabolic processes of Nitzschia closterium as proved with linear regression equations

Magnetic resonance imaging of head and neck vascular anomalies: pearls and pitfalls

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe typical MRI features of the head and neck vascular anomalies and the possible diagnostic pitfalls.Patients and methods: Patients with extracranial vascular anomalies of the head and neck, who underwent MRI examinations between January 2013 and January 2016, were included in the study. Precontrast and postcontrast T1-WI,T2-WI, with and without fat saturation were acquired. When indicated, a noncontrast MR angiography was performed. Dynamic postcontrast MRI techniques were available in six children.Results: The study included 33 patients (age ranged from 10 to 20 years, mean: 49 months). MRI confirmed the clinical diagnosis in equivocal cases, and provided proper determination of lesion extension and/or associated intracranial anomalies. The study included 10 cases of vascular tumors (hemangioma), whereas the remaining 23 cases had the diagnosis of vascular malformations (one patient with arteriovenous malformation, one with capillary malformation, seven with venous, nine with macrocystic lymphatic, and five with microcystic lymphatic malformations).Conclusion: Vascular anomalies in the head and neck are mostly diagnosed on clinical basis; however, when the history is uncertain or the diagnosis is equivocal, a well-tailored MR examination can be a single valuable diagnostic tool providing structural and functional information.Keywords: children, head and neck, hemangioma, lymphatic malformation, magnetic resonance angiography, venous malformatio

A Mechanistic Study of Carbonic Anhydrase Enhanced Calcite Dissolution

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) has been shown to promote calcite dissolution (Liu, 2001, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2001.tb00531.x; Subhas et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703604114), and understanding the catalytic mechanism will facilitate our understanding of the oceanic alkalinity cycle. We use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly observe calcite dissolution in CA‐bearing solution. CA is found to etch the calcite surface only when in extreme proximity (~1 nm) to the mineral. Subsequently, the CA‐induced etch pits create step edges that serve as active dissolution sites. The possible catalytic mechanism is through the adsorption of CA on the calcite surface, followed by proton transfer from the CA catalytic center to the calcite surface during CO2 hydration. This study shows that the accessibility of CA to particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) in the ocean is critical in properly estimating oceanic CaCO3 and alkalinity cycles

Production of Biodiesel from Locally Available Spent Vegetable Oils

The depletion of fossil fuels prompted considerable research to find alternative fuels. Due its environmental benefits and renewable nature the production of biodiesel has acquired increasing importance with a view to optimizing the production procedure and the sources of feedstock. Millions of liters of waste frying oil are produced from local restaurants and houses every year, most are discarded into sewage systems causing damage to the networks.  This study is intended to consider aspects related to the feasibility of the production of biodiesel from waste frying oils which will solve the problem of waste frying oil pollution and reduce the cost of biodiesel production.This research studies the conversion of locally available spent vegetable oils of different origins and with different chemical compositions into an environmentally friendly fuel. The biodiesel production requirements by base catalyzed trans-esterification process for the different feed stocks are determined according to the measured physical properties. The quality of the produced biodiesel is compared to petro diesel in terms of established standard specifications

Toxic Effects of Trichloroethylene on Rat Neuroprogenitor Cells

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a common volatile organic solvent which is considered as an ubiquitous environmental pollutant. It is claimed to be a developmental neurotoxicant. Our group evaluated previously its impact on three-dimensional neurospheres in vitro. The current work aims to investigate the neurotoxic effects of a lower concentration of TCE on the same system. To perform the experiment, neural progenitor cells were obtained from the brains of nine newborn rats. Afterward, these cells were cultured in both growth and differentiation media to get the neurospheres. Cell cultures were divided into two groups: group 1 (control), group 2 (exposed to 0.25 μM TCE). Neurospheres were photographed at different durations and assessment of the morphological changes such as proliferation and differentiation of neurospheres was done. In addition, cell viability, apoptosis, and necrosis were analyzed using flow cytometry to clarify the mechanism of involved cytotoxicity. The results revealed that TCE-treated neurospheres showed significantly decreased proliferation on days 7 and 14. These cells failed to show the neurogenic differentiation seen in the neurospheres of the control group. Furthermore, a highly significant decrease in viability and a significant increase in the number of apoptotic cells were observed in the treated cells in comparison to the control group. The present work confirmed that TCE, at very low doses relevant to daily life exposure in humans, caused neurotoxic effects in 3D neurosphere model through the affection of neural proliferation and differentiation as well as disturbance of cell viability and apoptosis

A Mechanistic Study of Carbonic Anhydrase Enhanced Calcite Dissolution

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) has been shown to promote calcite dissolution (Liu, 2001, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2001.tb00531.x; Subhas et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1703604114), and understanding the catalytic mechanism will facilitate our understanding of the oceanic alkalinity cycle. We use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to directly observe calcite dissolution in CA‐bearing solution. CA is found to etch the calcite surface only when in extreme proximity (~1 nm) to the mineral. Subsequently, the CA‐induced etch pits create step edges that serve as active dissolution sites. The possible catalytic mechanism is through the adsorption of CA on the calcite surface, followed by proton transfer from the CA catalytic center to the calcite surface during CO2 hydration. This study shows that the accessibility of CA to particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) in the ocean is critical in properly estimating oceanic CaCO3 and alkalinity cycles