Profiling the Lipophilic Fractions of Pithecellobium dulce Bark and Leaves Using GC/MS and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant,Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities

Pithecellobium dulce has been used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments owing to its restorative properties. The biological activities and chemical profiles of the lipophilic fraction of P. dulce bark and leaves were assessed herein. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) and unsaponifiable matter (USM) were prepared and analyzed by GC/MS. A total of 40 compounds were identified in the bark saponifiable fraction, whereas 9 compounds were annotated in the leaves. Palmitic acid methyl ester was the major compound identified accounting for 41.48 % of the bark and 19.03 % of the leaves composition. Besides, linolenic acid methyl ester (22.40 %) and linoleic acid (12.69 %) were annotated in the leaves saponifiable fraction. A total of 63 compounds were detected in the bark USM and 4 compounds were identified in the leaves. Phytol represented the major component in the leaves (52.57 %) followed by lupeol (20.68 %) and lupenone (8.60 %). Meanwhile, n‐dodecane dominated in the bark USM accounting for 24.69 % of the total composition. The leaves and bark lipophilic fractions revealed moderate antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Both extracts showed no antifungal activity. No cytotoxicity was observed for both lipophilic fractions. P. dulce offers a good source of antioxidant compounds that can be introduced to food and pharmaceutical industry.     

Characterization of Aqueous Dispersions and Gels Made of Sodium Caseinate and Basil Seed Gum: Phase Behavior,Rheology, and Microstructure

The interactions between sodium caseinate (NaCas) and basil seed gum (BSG) in the presence of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) were investigated. The phase behavior of the mixed aqueous dispersions and their gels revealed a homogeneous mixture, obtained at the higher concentrations of both CaCl₂ and BSG. The Herschel-Bulkley model sufficiently fitted the flow behavior of the mixture solution data. Apparent viscosity increased significantly (p < 0.05) by increasing the concentration of BSG, where the addition of CaCl₂ had no significant effect on the viscosity of the samples (p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was an increase in thixotropy due to the higher concentrations of BSG and CaCl₂. Based on the frequency sweep test, at the low frequencies, a more gel-like behavior was observed in the case of the higher concentrations of either BSG or CaCl₂. The rheological and SEM data suggested that the stronger structure of NaCas-BSG gel in the presence of the higher concentrations of CaCl₂ was related to the induction of complex formation between the two biopolymers.

     

Urinary and air biomonitoring of occupational exposure to benzene in oil pit workers

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the personal exposure to benzene and its relationship with biomonitoring and quantitative risk assessment among the personnel working and living near oil pits. This study was conducted in one of oil subsidiary companies in Kharg in 2017. Airborne benzene exposure was evaluated over 8-h periods during work-shift by using personal active samplers. Urinary O-Cresol levels were determined using GC-FID for separation and detection. The highest mean concentration of airborne benzene was at monitoring location, A (0.53?ppm), monitoring location H (0.59?ppm) in the spring, monitoring location M (0.72?ppm) and monitoring location P (0.8?ppm) in the summer, which was more than suggested by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. No direct linear relationship was found between the concentration of airborne benzene, age, work experience, urinary creatinine, and O-Cresol in this study (p?>?.05). No significant difference was observed between urinary O-Cresol and benzene in occupational groups and different seasons (p?>?.05). The highest mean quantitative risk of cancers was observed in summer (1.21?±?0.47). According to the results of this study, urinary biomarker O-Cresol is not a suitable measure for evaluating exposure to environmental benzene.     

Azotobacter: A potential bio-fertilizer for soil and plant health management

Stressor (biotic as well as abiotic) generally hijack the plant growth and yield characters in hostile environment leading to poor germination of the plants and yield. Among the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, Azotobacter spp. (Gram-negative prokaryote) are considered to improve the plant health. Various mechanisms are implicated behind improved plant health in Azotobacter spp. inoculated plants. For example, acceleration of phytohormone like Indole-3-Acetic Acid production, obviation of various stressors, nitrogen fixation, pesticides and oil globules degradation, heavy metals metabolization, etc. are the key characteristics of Azotobacter spp. action. In addition, application of this bacteria has also become helpful in the reclamation of soil suggesting to be a putative agent which can be used in the transformation of virgin land to fertile one. Application of pesticides of chemical origin are being put on suspension mode as the related awareness program is still on. As far as the limitations of this microbe is concerned, commercial level formulations availability is still a great menace. Present review has been aimed to appraise the researchers pertaining to utility of Azotobacter spp. in the amelioration of plant health in sustainable agroecosystem. The article has been written with the target to gather maximum information into single pot so that it could reach to the dedicated researchers.     

Deciphering the genetic diversity of Avicennia officinalis L. across the salinity gradient in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh

Wetlands Ecology and Management - Mangroves adaptive plasticity in the changing environmental conditions is of vital importance for conservation management. Genetic diversity of mangrove brings...     

Heat stress aggravates oxidative stress,apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in the cerebellum of male C57 mice

Molecular Biology Reports - The current study was set to assess the effect of heat stress exposure on oxidative stress, apoptosis, and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers in the cerebellum of male...     

Radiation dose and cancer risks from radiation exposure during abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) scans: comparison of diagnostic and radiotherapy treatment planning CT scans

In the present study, radiation doses and cancer risks resulting from abdominopelvic radiotherapy planning computed tomography (RP-CT) and abdominopelvic diagnostic CT (DG-CT) examinations are compared. Two groups of patients who underwent abdominopelvic CT scans with RP-CT (n = 50) and DG-CT (n = 50) voluntarily participated in this study. The two groups of patients had approximately similar demographic features including mass, height, body mass index, sex, and age. Radiation dose parameters included CTDI_vol, dose–length product, scan length, effective tube current, and pitch factor, all taken from the CT scanner console. The ImPACT software was used to calculate the patient-specific radiation doses. The risks of cancer incidence and mortality were estimated based on the BEIR VII report of the US National Research Council. In the RP-CT group, the mean ± standard deviation of cancer incidence risk for all cancers, leukemia, and all solid cancers was 621.58 ± 214.76, 101.59 ± 27.15, and 516.60 ± 189.01 cancers per 100,000 individuals, respectively, for male patients. For female patients, the corresponding risks were 742.71 ± 292.35, 74.26 ± 20.26, and 667.03 ± 275.67 cancers per 100,000 individuals, respectively. In contrast, for DG-CT cancer incidence risks were 470.22 ± 170.07, 78.23 ± 18.22, and 390.25 ± 152.82 cancers per 100,000 individuals for male patients, while they were 638.65 ± 232.93, 62.14 ± 13.74, and 575.73 ± 221.21 cancers per 100,000 individuals for female patients. Cancer incidence and mortality risks were greater for RP-CT than for DG-CT scans. It is concluded that the various protocols of abdominopelvic CT scans, especially the RP-CT scans, should be optimized with respect to the radiation doses associated with these scans.

     

An economic assessment framework for decommissioning of offshore wind farms using a cost breakdown structure

The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment - As wind power generation increases globally, there will be a substantial number of wind turbines that need to be decommissioned in the coming...     

Liquid–liquid phase separation of Tau by self and complex coacervation

The liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of Tau has been postulated to play a role in modulating the aggregation property of Tau, a process known to be critically associated with the pathology of a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer''s Disease. Tau can undergo LLPS by homotypic interaction through self‐coacervation (SC) or by heterotypic association through complex‐coacervation (CC) between Tau and binding partners such as RNA. What is unclear is in what way the formation mechanisms for self and complex coacervation of Tau are similar or different, and the addition of a binding partner to Tau alters the properties of LLPS and Tau. A combination of in vitro experimental and computational study reveals that the primary driving force for both Tau CC and SC is electrostatic interactions between Tau‐RNA or Tau‐Tau macromolecules. The liquid condensates formed by the complex coacervation of Tau and RNA have distinctly higher micro‐viscosity and greater thermal stability than that formed by the SC of Tau. Our study shows that subtle changes in solution conditions, including molecular crowding and the presence of binding partners, can lead to the formation of different types of Tau condensates with distinct micro‐viscosity that can coexist as persistent and immiscible entities in solution. We speculate that the formation, rheological properties and stability of Tau droplets can be readily tuned by cellular factors, and that liquid condensation of Tau can alter the conformational equilibrium of Tau.     

Role of mechanosignaling on pathology of varicose vein

Varicose veins are the most common vascular disease in humans. Veins have valves that help the blood return gradually to the heart without leaking blood. When these valves become weak, blood and fluid collect and pool by pressing against the walls of the veins, causing varicose veins. In the cardiovascular system, mechanical forces are important determinants of vascular homeostasis and pathological processes. Blood vessels are constantly exposed to a variety of hemodynamic forces, including shear stress and environmental strains caused by the blood flow. In varicose veins within the leg, venous blood pressure rises in the vein of the lower extremities due to prolonged standing, creating a peripheral tension in the vessel wall thereby causing mechanical stimulation of endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle. Studies have shown that long-term increased exposure to vascular wall tension is associated with the overexpression of HIF-1α and HIF-2α and increased levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9, thereby reducing venous contraction and progressive venous dilatation, which is involved in the development of varicose veins. Following the expression of metalloproteinase, the expression of type 1 collagen increases, and the amount of type 3 collagen decreases. Therefore, collagen imbalance will cause the varicose veins to not stretch. Loss of structural proteins (type 3 collagen and elastin) in the vessel wall causes the loss of the biophysical properties of the varicose vein wall. This review article tries to elaborate on the effect of mechanical forces and sensors of these forces on the vascular wall in creating the mechanism of mechanosignaling, as well as the role of the onset of molecular signaling cascades in the pathology of varicose veins.