Preparation and use of maize tassels’ activated carbon for the adsorption of phenolic compounds in environmental waste water samples

The determination and remediation of three phenolic compounds bisphenol A (BPA), ortho-nitrophenol (o-NTP), parachlorophenol (PCP) in wastewater is reported. The analysis of these molecules in wastewater was done using gas chromatography (GC) × GC time-of-flight mass spectrometry while activated carbon derived from maize tassel was used as an adsorbent. During the experimental procedures, the effect of various parameters such as initial concentration, pH of sample solution, eluent volume, and sample volume on the removal efficiency with respect to the three phenolic compounds was studied. The results showed that maize tassel produced activated carbon (MTAC) cartridge packed solid-phase extraction (SPE) system was able to remove the phenolic compounds effectively (90.84–98.49 %, 80.75–97.11 %, and 78.27–97.08 % for BPA, o-NTP, and PCP, respectively) . The MTAC cartridge packed SPE sorbent performance was compared to commercially produced C18 SPE cartridges and found to be comparable. All the parameters investigated were found to have a notable influence on the adsorption efficiency of the phenolic compounds from wastewaters at different magnitudes

Serum Selenium Levels in Acute Gastroenteritis of Possible Viral Origin

Selenium, as an essential micronutrient, is required for the proper functioning of the immune system and its deficiency affects the occurrence, virulence, or disease progression of some viral infections. We conducted a study to determine the serum selenium levels of children with acute gastroenteritis of possible viral origin and the effect of the serum selenium levels on the severity and the morbidity of the disease. The study was performed prospectively on 109 children aged 2-24 months with diarrhea of less than 8 days' duration admitted to the Diarrheal Disease Training and Treatment Unit. Blood samples were taken for selenium measurement on admission and 7-10 days after the end of the disease. Forty-three healthy children formed the control group. The mean serum selenium level on admission (62.41+/-13.06 mug/dl) was significantly lower than the mean of the second samples 7-10 days after the end of the diarrhea (81.73+/-17.10 mug/dl). The mean of the control group was 74.36+/-10.75 mug/dl, which was lower than the mean of the second samples but higher than the first sample. The frequency of vomiting and purging on admission and at the control visit, duration of diarrhea on admission, total duration of diarrhea, dehydration, breastfeeding, sex of the patients, and severity score of the disease did not alter the serum selenium levels. No correlation was detected between serum selenium levels and the parameters above. Further studies about the changes in selenium status during infectious diseases and the effect of selenium status on related mortality and morbidity are required to determine if there is need for supplementation.WoSScopu

Effect of Ottoman Viper (Montivipera xanthina (Gray, 1849)) Venom on Various Cancer Cells and on Microorganisms

WOS: 000334174300009PubMed ID: 23381026Cytotoxic and antimicrobial effects of Montivipera xanthina venom against LNCaP, MCF-7, HT-29, Saos-2, Hep3B, Vero cells and antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial and fungal species: Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, E. coli O157H7, Enterococcus faecalis 29212, Enterococcus faecium DSM 13590, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, S. typhimirium CCM 5445, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 6957 and Candida albicans ATCC 10239 were studied for evaluating the potential medical benefit of this snake venom. Cytotoxicity of venom was determined using MTT assay. Snake venom cytotoxicity was expressed as the venom dose that killed 50 % of the cells (IC50). The antimicrobial activity of venom was studied by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and disc diffusion assay. MIC was determined using broth dilution method. The estimated IC50 values of venom varied from 3.8 to 12.7 or from 1.9 to 7.2 mu g/ml after treatment with crude venom for 24 or 48 h for LNCaP, MCF-7, HT-29 and Saos-2 cells. There was no observable cytotoxic effect on Hep3B and Vero cells. Venom exhibited the most potent activity against C. albicans (MIC, 7.8 mu g/ml and minimal fungicidal concentration, 62.5 mu g/ml) and S. aureus (MIC, 31.25 mu g/ml). This study is the first report showing the potential of M. xanthina venom as an alternative therapeutic approach due to its cytotoxic and antimicrobial effects