Lateral meningocele with asymmetric canal stenosis: A case study

Lateral meningocele is a very rare disorder of unknown aetiology typified by the presence of protrusions of the arachnoid and the dura matter extending laterally through inter- or intra-vertebral foramina. We report here the case of a 52-year old male with abnormality of spine when presented with low back pain. The patient did not appear to have any neurological disorder. A computerized tomography (CT) scan was acquired from T12 to mid sacrum with multiplanar reformations. The results showed the presence of a left sided paraspinal cystic lesion projecting from the left neural foramen and extending into the left psoas muscle suggesting a lateral meningocele. In addition, a broad based central and left paracentral disc protrusion was also observed resulting in asymmetric canal stenosis. The patient is on regular follow-up while undergoing palliative treatment.     

Resolution of epoxide enantiomers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by chiral stationary-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Enantiomers of nine K-region and one non-K-region epoxides of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been resolved by high-performance liquid chromatography with chiral stationary phases either ionically or covalently bonded to gamma-aminopropylsilanized silica. Resolution of enantiomers was confirmed by ultraviolet-visible absorption, circular dichroism, and mass spectral analyses. This method has been applied to the determination of optical purity and absolute configuration of the K-region epoxides formed in the metabolism of 1-methylbenz[a]anthracene, 7-methylbenz[a]anthracene, and 12-methylbenz[a]anthracene by rat liver microsomes.     

Resolution and absolute configuration of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene 5,6-epoxide enantiomers

The enantiomers of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) 5,6-epoxide were directly resolved by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with an ionically bonded chiral stationary phase. The absolute configurations of the resolved enantiomers were determined by comparison of circular dichroism spectra of the methanolysis products formed from the epoxide enantiomers with that of a DMBA trans-5,6-dihydrodiol enantiomer of known absolute stereochemistry. DMBA 5R,6S-epoxide is hydrated by rat liver microsomal epoxide hydrolase predominantly (95%) to a 5S,6S-dihydrodiol. The results indicate that the 5S,6S-dihydrodiol formed from the metabolism of DMBA by microsomes prepared from the livers of 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats is predominantly derived from a 5R,6S-epoxide intermediate.     

Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Modeling and Characterization Based on Experimental Results

A grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system operates under fluctuated weather condition has been modeled and characterized based on specific test bed. A mathematical model of a small-scale PV system has been developed mainly for residential usage, and the potential results have been simulated. The proposed PV model based on three PV parameters, which are the photocurrent, I_L, the reverse diode saturation current, I_o, the ideality factor of diode, n. Accuracy of the proposed model and its parameters evaluated based on different benchmarks. The results showed that the proposed model fitting the experimental results with high accuracy compare to the other models, as well as the I-V characteristic curve. The results of this study can be considered valuable in terms of the installation of a grid-connected PV system in fluctuated climatic conditions.     

Discovery of 1-arylcarbonyl-6,7-dimethoxyisoquinoline derivatives as glutamine fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) inhibitors

Through high throughput screening and subsequent hit identification and optimization, we synthesized a series of 1-arylcarbonyl-6,7-dimethoxyisoquinoline derivatives as the first reported potent and reversible GFAT inhibitors. SAR studies of this class of compounds indicated significant impact on GFAT inhibition potency by substitutions on the A-ring and C-ring. The ketone group was found to be necessary for high potency. Compound 28 (RO0509347) demonstrated potent GFAT inhibition (IC(50)=1μM) with a desirable pharmacokinetic profile in rats, and showed significant efficacy in reducing the glucose excursion in an OGTT test in ob/ob mice.     

New Synthesized Tri-Peptide as Inhibitor of Krait (Bungarus Sindanus) Venom Acetylcholinesterase

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - In the current study, the cyclopeptide alkaloid discarine D-derived tri-peptides fragments were synthesized and then investigated for...     

Enhancement of Treatment Efficiency of Recalcitrant Wastewater Containing Textile Dyes Using a Newly Developed Iron Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 Heterogeneous Catalyst

Fenton oxidation, an advanced oxidation process, is an efficient method for the treatment of recalcitrant wastewaters. Unfortunately, it utilizes H₂O₂ and iron-based homogeneous catalysts, which lead to the formation of high volumes of sludge and secondary pollutants. To overcome these problems, an alternate option is the usage of heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, a heterogeneous catalyst was developed to provide an alternative solution for homogeneous Fenton oxidation. Iron Zeolite Socony Mobile-5 (Fe-ZSM-5) was synthesized using a new two-step process. Next, the catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis and tested against a model wastewater containing the azo dye Acid Blue 113. Results showed that the loading of iron particles reduced the surface area of the catalyst from 293.59 to 243.93 m²/g; meanwhile, the average particle size of the loaded material was 12.29 nm. Furthermore, efficiency of the developed catalyst was evaluated by performing heterogeneous Fenton oxidation. Taguchi method was coupled with principal component analysis in order to assess and optimize mineralization efficiency. Experimental results showed that under optimized conditions, over 99.7% degradation and 77% mineralization was obtained, with a 90% reduction in the consumption of the developed catalyst. Furthermore, the developed catalyst was stable and reusable, with less than 2% leaching observed under optimized conditions. Thus, the present study proved that newly developed catalyst has enhanced the oxidation process and reduced the chemicals consumption.