Reactions of 2-methylchromones with cyanoacetamides and ethyl cyanoacetate. synthesis of 6-(2-hydroxyaryl)-4-methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3- carbonitriles and 7-hydroxy-6-imino-9-methyl-6h-benzo[c]chromene-8-carbonitriles

Although 2-methylchromones react with cyanoacetamide and N-methyl cyanoacetamide in the presence of sodium ethoxide in refluxing ethanol to produce 6-(2-hydroxyaryl)-4-methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitriles, their reactions with ethyl cyanoacetate under the same conditions took an entirely different course and gave 7-hydroxy-6-imino-9-methyl-6H-benzo[c] chromene-8-carbonitriles. © 2013 HeteroCorporation

Does therapeutic plasma exchange have a role in resistant cytokine storm state of COVID-19 infection?

Introduction: Among the main causes of mortality in COVID-19 patients is cytokine storm (CS) state. Few treatment options with variable efficacy results are available for its management. We aimed to illustrate the efficacy of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) treatment in COVID-19 patients with resistant CS.Material and methods: This research is a prospective pilot study which included ten COVID-19 positive patients with CS state with no response after two doses of tocilizumab. Each patient received three to five TPE sessions according to his/her response. Respiratory status {oxygen (O2) requirements and data of mechanical ventilation} and laboratory markers (IL-6, CRP, ferritin, D dimer, LDH) were assessed before and after TPE. We reported mortality at 28 day of illness.Results: Six males and four females were enrolled in the study with a mean age of (52.9 years). Seven patients (70%) were on mechanical ventilation (MV). After TPE, oxygenation parameters and most laboratory markers improved significantly in all patients (p < 0.05). Four patients survived and were discharged (40%). One was on MV and three were not. The four patients had better hypoxic index (PaO2/FiO2 ratio) (˃100 vs <100), started TPE sooner after tocilizumab failure (2–3 vs 5–6 days), needed fewer TPE sessions (3 vs 4–5, p = 0.03), and less duration in ICU (6.5 vs 12.5 days) compared to those who did not benefit.Conclusions: In patients with CS state who did not respond well to tocilizumab and steroids, TPE could be a good option. Larger randomized clinical trials are needed to support its use.Clinical trials registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT0445734

Comparative Investigation of the Physicochemical Properties of Chars Produced by Hydrothermal Carbonization, Pyrolysis, and Microwave-Induced Pyrolysis of Food Waste

This work presents a comparative study of the physicochemical properties of chars derived by three thermochemical pathways, namely: hydrothermal carbonization, HTC (at 180, 200 and 220 °C), pyrolysis, PY, (at 500, 600 and 700 °C) and microwave assisted pyrolysis, MW (at 300, 450 and 600 W). The mass yield of HTC samples showed a decrease (78.7 to 26.7%) as the HTC temperature increased from 180 to 220 °C. A similar decreasing trend in the mass yield was also observed after PY (28.45 to 26.67%) and MW (56.45 to 22.44%) of the food waste mixture from 500 to 700 °C and 300 to 600 W, respectively. The calorific value analysis shows that the best among the chars prepared by three different heating methods may be ranked according to the decreasing value of the heating value as: PY500, MW300, and HTC180. Similarly, a decreasing trend in H/C values was observed as: PY500 (0.887), MW300 (0.306), and HTC180 (0.013). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses revealed that the structure of the three chars was distinct due to the different temperature gradients provided by the thermochemical processes. The results clearly show that the suitable temperature for the HTC and PY of food waste was 180 °C and 500 °C, respectively, while the suitable power for the MW of food waste was 300 WFunding: This research was funded by National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (MAAR-IFAH), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Award Number 14-ENV665-02.Scopu

Physicochemical properties and combustion kinetics of food waste derived hydrochars

In this work, simulated food waste (15% white bread, 15% palm dates (without seeds), 5% boiled egg (without shells), 20% spent tea leaves, 20% spent coffee ground, and 25% banana peel in parts weight) was subjected to hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) at 180, 200 and 220 °C for 120 min. The mass yield and energy yield of the resultant hydrochars viz. HTC180, HTC200, and HTC220 were 69.46, 68.50, 65.35% and 88.91, 87.68, 84.30%, respectively. Among the hydrochars produced, HTC220 had the highest heating value (HHV: 23.61 MJ/kg), while the food waste had a HHV of 18.17 MJ/kg. Activation energy for the combustion of food waste and HTC220 was determined by modelling the thermogravimetric data using the Arrhenius equation and was found to be in the range of 29.98 to 33.51 kJ/mol and 16.52 to 25.47 kJ/mol, respectively. The densification ratio for the three hydrochar samples varied slightly (1.28–1.29). The results indicate that the hydrochar produced from food waste could be a potential to substitute coal combustion.King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology - grant no. 14-ENV665-02

Rhamnolipids nano-micelles as a potential hand sanitizer

COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2, which continues to cause global health and economic problems since emerging in China in late 2019. Until now, there are no standard antiviral treatments. Thus, several strategies were adopted to minimize virus transmission, such as social distancing, face covering protection and hand hygiene. Rhamnolipids are glycolipids produced formally by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and as biosurfactants, they were shown to have broad antimicrobial activity. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of rhamnolipids against selected multidrug resistant bacteria and SARS-CoV-2. Rhamnolipids were produced by growing Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain LeS3 in a new medium formulated from chicken carcass soup. The isolated rhamnolipids were characterized for their molecular composition, formulated into nano-micelles, and the antibacterial activity of the nano-micelles was demonstrated in vitro against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive drug resistant bacteria. In silico studies docking rhamnolipids to structural and non-structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 was also performed. We demonstrated the efficient and specific interaction of rhamnolipids with the active sites of these proteins. Additionally, the computational studies suggested that rhamnolipids have membrane permeability activity. Thus, the obtained results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 could be another target of rhamnolipids and could find utility in the fight against COVID-19, a future perspective to be considered