MODELLING OF BACTERIAL SULPHATE REDUCTION IN ANAEROBIC PONDS : KINETIC INVESTIGATIONS

peer reviewedaudience: researcher, professional, student, popularization, otherThe aim of the study was first to develop a simple and practical model of anaerobic digestion including sulphate-reduction in anaerobic ponds. The basic microbiology of our model consists of three steps, namely, acidogenesis, methanogenesis, and sulphate reduction. This model includes multiple reaction stoichiometry and substrate utilization kinetics. The second aim was to determine some kinetic parameters associated with this model. The values of these parameters for sulfidogenic bacteria are used in the anaerobic pond model to describe the sulphate reduction processes and to evaluate the risk of odour generation

Association of depressive symptoms with incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 over 2 years among healthcare workers in 20 countries: multi-country serial cross-sectional study

Background: Long-term deterioration in the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs) has been reported during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Determining the impact of COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates on the mental health of HCWs is essential to prepare for potential new pandemics. This study aimed to investigate the association of COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates with depressive symptoms over 2 years among HCWs in 20 countries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a multi-country serial cross-sectional study using data from the first and second survey waves of the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) global study. The HEROES study prospectively collected data from HCWs at various health facilities. The target population included HCWs with both clinical and non-clinical roles. In most countries, healthcare centers were recruited based on convenience sampling. As an independent variable, daily COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates were calculated using confirmed cases and deaths reported by Johns Hopkins University. These rates represent the average for the 7 days preceding the participants' response date. The primary outcome was depressive symptoms, assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A multilevel linear mixed model (LMM) was conducted to investigate the association of depressive symptoms with the average incidence and mortality rates. Results: A total of 32,223 responses from the participants who responded to all measures used in this study on either the first or second survey, and on both the first and second surveys in 20 countries were included in the analysis. The mean age was 40.1 (SD = 11.1), and 23,619 responses (73.3%) were from females. The 9323 responses (28.9%) were nurses and 9119 (28.3%) were physicians. LMM showed that the incidence rate was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.008, standard error 0.003, p = 0.003). The mortality rate was significantly and positively associated with depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.049, se = 0.020, p = 0.017). Conclusions: This is the first study to show an association between COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates with depressive symptoms among HCWs during the first 2 years of the outbreak in multiple countries. This study's findings indicate that additional mental health support for HCWs was needed when the COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates increase during and after the early phase of the pandemic, and these findings may apply to future pandemics. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04352634

Experimental synthesis, biological evaluation, theoretical investigations of some novel benzoxazolinone based Schiff under eco-environmental conditions as potential antioxidant agents

International audienceIn this paper, we have developed a new, non-hazardous and eco-friendly access route for the synthesis of a novel Schiff bases containing 2-oxo-3H-benzoxazole scaffold 4(a-f) by lemon juice as natural catalyzed acid under solvent-free conditions. The chemical structures of the new synthesized compounds were elucidated on the basis of the FT-IR, 1 H and 13 C-NMR spectroscopic techniques and all molecules were isolated with moderate yields after shorter reaction times. Furthermore, a preliminary study on the in vitro antioxidant activity of some synthesized compounds was investigated. The biological activity results revealed that highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity was observed for compound 4e with an IC 50 of 2.13 μg.mL −1 , more active than the standard ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 2.16 μg.mL −1). In-silico studies based on density functional theory (DFT) were realized to rationalize the biological activity with the structural and electronic properties of the 6-imino-2-oxo-3H-benzoxazoles. We using the molecular docking simulation to study the affinity and the possible binding mode of complexed ligand-protein. The synthesized molecules were tested to cross the clinical test by the ADMET prediction, these results indicated that the compounds 4(a-f) have excellent drug-likeness properties

One‐Pot Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis, in Vitro Anti‐inflammatory Evaluation and Computer‐Aided Molecular Design of Novel Sulfamide‐Containing Bisphosphonates Derivatives

International audienceAn eco-friendly and one-step microwave-assisted green synthesis of new functionalized bisphosphonates derivatives was described by a three-component reaction of aromatic sulfamide with triethyl orthoformate and diethyl phosphite. The synthesized compounds were characterized by 1 H, 13 C, 31 P NMR and IR analysis. Some of these compounds were tested for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity and showed moderate inhibition compared to diclofenac as standard drug. Furthermore, to rationalize the observed biological data, several in silico approaches have been used to explain Structure-Activity Relationship study (SAR) based on DFT calculation, molecular docking, pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles of sulfamide-containing bisphosphonates derivatives as anti-inflammatory drugs. The results of the in vitro and in silico activities prove that the compound 4 b have the ideal structural requirements for further development of novel anti-inflammatory agents

Experimental synthesis, biological evaluation, theoretical investigations of some novel benzoxazolinone based Schiff under eco-environmental conditions as potential antioxidant agents

International audienceIn this paper, we have developed a new, non-hazardous and eco-friendly access route for the synthesis of a novel Schiff bases containing 2-oxo-3H-benzoxazole scaffold 4(a-f) by lemon juice as natural catalyzed acid under solvent-free conditions. The chemical structures of the new synthesized compounds were elucidated on the basis of the FT-IR, 1 H and 13 C-NMR spectroscopic techniques and all molecules were isolated with moderate yields after shorter reaction times. Furthermore, a preliminary study on the in vitro antioxidant activity of some synthesized compounds was investigated. The biological activity results revealed that highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity was observed for compound 4e with an IC 50 of 2.13 μg.mL −1 , more active than the standard ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 2.16 μg.mL −1). In-silico studies based on density functional theory (DFT) were realized to rationalize the biological activity with the structural and electronic properties of the 6-imino-2-oxo-3H-benzoxazoles. We using the molecular docking simulation to study the affinity and the possible binding mode of complexed ligand-protein. The synthesized molecules were tested to cross the clinical test by the ADMET prediction, these results indicated that the compounds 4(a-f) have excellent drug-likeness properties

Experimental synthesis, biological evaluation, theoretical investigations of some novel benzoxazolinone based Schiff under eco-environmental conditions as potential antioxidant agents

International audienceIn this paper, we have developed a new, non-hazardous and eco-friendly access route for the synthesis of a novel Schiff bases containing 2-oxo-3H-benzoxazole scaffold 4(a-f) by lemon juice as natural catalyzed acid under solvent-free conditions. The chemical structures of the new synthesized compounds were elucidated on the basis of the FT-IR, 1 H and 13 C-NMR spectroscopic techniques and all molecules were isolated with moderate yields after shorter reaction times. Furthermore, a preliminary study on the in vitro antioxidant activity of some synthesized compounds was investigated. The biological activity results revealed that highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity was observed for compound 4e with an IC 50 of 2.13 μg.mL −1 , more active than the standard ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 2.16 μg.mL −1). In-silico studies based on density functional theory (DFT) were realized to rationalize the biological activity with the structural and electronic properties of the 6-imino-2-oxo-3H-benzoxazoles. We using the molecular docking simulation to study the affinity and the possible binding mode of complexed ligand-protein. The synthesized molecules were tested to cross the clinical test by the ADMET prediction, these results indicated that the compounds 4(a-f) have excellent drug-likeness properties

One‐Pot Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis, in Vitro Anti‐inflammatory Evaluation and Computer‐Aided Molecular Design of Novel Sulfamide‐Containing Bisphosphonates Derivatives

International audienceAn eco-friendly and one-step microwave-assisted green synthesis of new functionalized bisphosphonates derivatives was described by a three-component reaction of aromatic sulfamide with triethyl orthoformate and diethyl phosphite. The synthesized compounds were characterized by 1 H, 13 C, 31 P NMR and IR analysis. Some of these compounds were tested for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity and showed moderate inhibition compared to diclofenac as standard drug. Furthermore, to rationalize the observed biological data, several in silico approaches have been used to explain Structure-Activity Relationship study (SAR) based on DFT calculation, molecular docking, pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles of sulfamide-containing bisphosphonates derivatives as anti-inflammatory drugs. The results of the in vitro and in silico activities prove that the compound 4 b have the ideal structural requirements for further development of novel anti-inflammatory agents

Toxic Effects of Rhamnus alaternus: A Rare Case Report

In Tunisia, there are about 478 species of plants commonly used in folk medicine. Medicinal plants and herbal remedies used are responsible for 2% of intoxications listed by Tunisian National Poison Center. Most cases are related to confusion between edible plants and toxic plants lookalikes or to an excessive consumption of therapeutic plants. We report the case of a 58-year-old man admitted to the Emergency Department of the Regional Hospital of Zaghouan (Tunisia), with renal failure and rhabdomyolysis. The patient reported having daily consumption of a homemade tea based on Mediterranean Buckthorn roots, during the last 6 months to treat type 2 diabetes. The aim of this work was to establish an association between the consumption of the herbal remedy and the occurrence of both renal failure and rhabdomyolysis. No similar cases have been reported in recent literature