Biological activities of gastropods secretions: snail and slug slime.

Gastropods, a mollusk class including slugs and snails, represent an extraordinarily diverse and ecologically significant group of organisms featuring the largest class of invertebrates. They can be classified as aquatic and terrestrial animals having coiled shells, although some species have reduced or absent shells. Their unique body structure includes a muscular foot for locomotion, a visceral mass containing essential organs, and a distinct head region with sensory organs such as tentacles and eyes. They are used to secrete a complex mixture of glycoproteins, enzymes, peptides, mucus and other bioactive compounds, namely slime, which represents a tool to allow locomotion, protection, and interaction within different habitats. The biological activities of the slime have attracted considerable interest due to their diverse and potentially valuable properties ranging from defense mechanisms to potential therapeutic applications in wound healing, antimicrobial therapy, management of inflammation, and neurological disorders. This review aims at exploring the beneficial effects of snail and slug slime focusing, in particular, on the improvement of the biological processes underlying them. Continued exploration of the intricate components of these slimy secretions promises to discover new bioactive molecules with diverse applications in various scientific and industrial fields.

Molecular Modeling Study of Novel Lancifolamide Bioactive Molecule as an Inhibitor of Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1), and Anti-proliferative Proteins.

Combretaceae, an immense family involving species (500) or genera (20), originates in tropical and subtropical regions. This family has evinced medicinal values such as anti-leishmanial, cytotoxic, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiprotozoal, and antifungal properties. Conocarpus lancifolius (C. lancifolius) methanol extract (CLM) was prepared, then compound isolation performed by open column chromatography, and compound structure was determined by spectroscopic techniques (13C NMR, IR spectroscopy, 1H-NMR, mass spectrometry UV-visible, and 2D correlation techniques). Molecular docking studies of ligand were performed on transcriptional regulators 4EY7 and 2GV9 to observe possible interactions. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of secondary metabolites including steroids, cardiac glycosides, saponins, anthraquinones, and flavonoids. The isolated compound was distinguished as lancifolamide (LFD). It showed cytotoxic activity against human breast cancer, murine lymphocytic leukemia, and normal cells, human embryonic kidney cells, and rat glioma cells with IC50 values of 0.72 µg/mL, 2.01 µg/mL, 1.55 µg/mL, and 2.40 µg/mL, respectively. Although no cytotoxic activity was noticed against human colon cancer and human lung cancer, LFD showed 24.04% inhibition against BChE and 60.30% inhibition against AChE and is therefore beneficial for Alzheimer's disease (AD). AChE and LFD interact mechanistically in a way that is optimum for neurodegenerative disorders, according to molecular docking studies. Methanol and dichloromethane extract of C. lancifolius and LFD shows antibacterial and antifungal activity against antibiotic resistance Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus mutans, Brevibacillus laterosporus, Salmonella Typhi, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans, respectively. LFD shows antiviral activity against HSV-1 with 26% inhibition IP. The outcomes of this study support the use of LFD for cognitive disorders and highlight its underlying mechanism, targeting AChE, DNA-POL, NF-KB, and TNF-α, etc., for the first time.

Investigating role of ammonia in nitrogen-doping and suppressing polyselenide shuttle effect in Na-Se batteries.

Sodium-ion battery (SIB) has attracted extensive research attention owing to its high theoretical capacity and low cost. Herein, we synthesize bio-waste-derived activated carbon (BAC) through a facile synthesis process followed by selenium loading (using melt-infusion method) to form BAC@Se composites. The synthesized BAC and its composite BAC@Se revealed excellent rate performance, great cycling stability, and good reversibility. The BAC revealed a maximum specific capacity of 257 mAh/g at 20 mA/g current density. The BAC@Se showed the maximum specific capacity of 701 mAh/g at 50 mA/g current density (equivalent to a specific energy of about 1051 WhKg-1/75 WKg-1) and good rate performance with 226 mAh/g specific capacity at a high current density of 2500 mA/g. Moreover, the composite revealed good cycling stability by retaining 348 mAh/g capacity at 500 mA/g after 500 cycles. The excellent electrochemical properties were attributed to the unique design of composites, which not only provided the physio-chemically trapped selenium but also ensure the fast kinetics of Na ions through interconnected 3-D channels and high restrain against the dissolution of polyselenides into an electrolyte. This work may shed light on recycling different bio-wastes into energy materials for energy storage devices.

Electrochemical intercalations of divalent ions inside Ni/Zn co-doped cobalt sulfide nanoparticle decorated carbon spheres with superior capacity.

Among post-lithium ion batteries, magnesium ion batteries (MIBs) are receiving growing attention due to their divalent nature, intrinsic low cost, dendrite free cycling, and atmospheric stability. However, their realization is constrained because of the absence of suitable cathodes that can accommodate Mg2+ with fast reversibility. To bypass the sluggish movement of Mg2+ ions inside the cathode and utilize the full advantage of the Mg anode, a Mg2+/Li+ hybrid ion battery (MLIB) is introduced here with rationally designed porous Ni/Zn co-doped CoS2@C spheres as the cathode material. The Ni/Zn-CoS2@C cathode with high porosity and electrical conductivity showed an appreciable specific capacity of 158 mA h g-1 at 20 mA g-1 for MIBs, which was significantly boosted up to 667 mA h g-1 at a current density of 50 mA g-1 by employing Mg2+/Li+ hybrid electrolytes. Their specific capacity and the corresponding energy density (614 W h Kg-1) are the highest among MLIBs and comparable to those of lithium ion batteries. Furthermore, MLIBs displayed significant cycling stability by retaining the maximum specific capacities of 324.6 and 230 mA h g-1 at 100 and 500 mA g-1, respectively after 100 cycles. The excellent electrochemical properties of the synthesized cathodes are attributed to their high porosities and electrical conductivities, the synergistic effect of doped species and their capability to accommodate both Mg2+ and Li+ ions without side reactions. Various ex situ characterization tools were employed to develop further understanding of the intercalation chemistries and mechanisms of both Mg2+ and Li+ ions inside host materials.

Synthesis of ternary metal oxides as positive electrodes for Mg-Li hybrid ion batteries.

Rechargeable magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) have emerged as promising energy storage systems owing to their highly stable magnesiation and de-magnesiation processes and high theoretical energy density. However, MIB technology is restricted by sluggish Mg2+ ion transportation inside the host cathode due to large impedance. Herein, a rechargeable Mg-Li hybrid ion battery (MLIB) is presented to achieve fast Mg2+ ion stripping/plating at a magnesium anode and Li+ ion intercalation/de-intercalation in a ternary transition metal oxide cathode. The (NiMnCo)3O4 multi-shelled hollow spheres prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method followed by thermal treatment were employed as a positive electrode in a Mg-Li hybrid ion battery, with a magnesium metal anode and all-phenyl-complex based dual ion electrolytes. The resulting prototype MLIB delivered a reversible capacity of 550 mA h g-1 at a current density of 50 mA g-1, which is significantly higher compared with reported MLIBs. Furthermore, the prototype MLIB exhibited an affordable specific energy (368 W h kg-1) and cycle life (a capacity of 277 mA h g-1 was retained even after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1). The significant improvement in the electrochemical performance of the MLIB is achieved via rational design of the (NiMnCo)3O4 cathode with a reduced Li+ ion diffusion length and stable deposition/dissolution of Mg at the anode without the occurrence of side reactions. Furthermore, ex situ XRD, SEM, ICP and EIS techniques were used to understand the reaction kinetics of guest ions inside the (NiMnCo)3O4 hollow sphere cathode.

Surface modification of tin oxide through reduced graphene oxide as a highly efficient cathode material for magnesium-ion batteries.

Among post-lithium ion technologies, magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) are receiving great concern in recent years. However, MIBs are mainly restrained by the lack of cathode materials, which may accommodate the fast diffusion kinetics of Mg2+ ions. To overcome this problem, herein we attempt to synthesize a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) encapsulated tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles composites through an electrostatic-interaction-induced-self-assembly approach at low temperature. The surface modification of SnO2 via carbonaceous coating enhanced the electrical conductivity of final composites. The SnO2-rGO composites with different weight ratios of rGO and SnO2 are employed as cathode material in magnesium-ion batteries. Experimental results show that MIB exhibits a maximum specific capacity of 222 mAhg-1 at the current density of 20 mAg-1 with a good cycle life (capacity retention of 90%). Unlike Li-ion batteries, no SnO2 nanoparticles expansion is observed during electrochemical cycling in all-phenyl-complex (APC) magnesium electrolytes, which ultimately improves the capacity retention. Furthermore, ex-situ x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies are used to understand the magnesiation/de-magnesiation mechanisms. At the end, SnO2-rGO composites are tested for Mg2+/Li+ hybrid ion batteries and results reveal a specific capacity of 350 mAhg-1 at the current density of 20 mAg-1. However, hybrid ion battery exhibited sharp decay in capacity owing to volume expansion of SnO2 based cathodes. This work will provide a new insight for synthesis of electrode materials for energy storage devices.

Magnesium/Lithium-Ion Hybrid Battery with High Reversibility by Employing NaV3O8·1.69H2O Nanobelts as a Positive Electrode.

Recently, magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) have been under remarkable research focus owing to their appealingly high energy density and natural abundance of magnesium. Nevertheless, MIBs exhibit a very limited performance because of sluggish solid-state Mg2+ ion diffusion and high polarizability, which hinder their progress toward commercialization. Herein, we report a Mg2+/Li+ hybrid-ion battery (MLIB) with NaV3O8·1.69H2O (NVO) nanobelts synthesized at room temperature working as the positive electrode. In the hybrid-ion system, Li+ intercalates/deintercalates along with a small amount of Mg2+ adsorption at the NVO cathode, whereas the anode side of the cell is dominated by Mg2+ deposition/dissolution. As a result, the MLIB exhibits a much higher rate capability (i.e., 446 mA h g-1 at 20 mA g-1) than the previously reported MLIBs. MLIB maintains a high specific capacity of 200 mA h g-1 at 80 mA g-1 for 150 cycles, showing excellent stability. Moreover, the effect of different Li-ion concentrations (i.e., 0.5-2.0 M) in the electrolyte and cutoff voltage (ranging from 2 to 2.6 V) on the specific capacities are investigated. The current study highlights a strategy to exploit the Mg2+/Li+ hybrid electrolyte system with various electrode materials for high-performance MIBs.

Low-Cost Room-Temperature Synthesis of NaV3O8·1.69H2O Nanobelts for Mg Batteries.

Potentially safe and economically feasible magnesium batteries (MBs) have attracted tremendous research attention as an alternative to high-cost and unsafe lithium ion batteries. In the current work, for the first time, we report a novel room-temperature approach to dope the atomic species sodium between the vanadium oxide crystal lattice to obtain NaV3O8·1.69H2O (NVO) nanobelts. The synthesized NVO nanobelts are used as electrode materials for MBs. The MB cells demonstrate stable discharge specific capacity of 110 mA h g-1 at a current density of 10 mA g-1 and a high cyclic stability, that is 80% capacity retention after 100 cycles, at a current density of 50 mA g-1. Moreover, the effects of cutoff voltages (ranging from 2 to 2.6 V) on their electrochemical performance were investigated. The reason for the limited specific capacity of MBs is attributed to the trapping of Mg ions inside the NVO lattices. This work opens up a new pathway to explore different electrode materials for MBs with improved electrochemical performance.

Synthesis of a highly efficient 3D graphene-CNT-MnO2-PANI nanocomposite as a binder free electrode material for supercapacitors.

Graphene based nanocomposites have been investigated intensively, as electrode materials for energy storage applications. In the current work, a graphene-CNT-MnO2-PANI (GCM@PANI) nanocomposite has been synthesized on 3D graphene grown on nickel foam, as a highly efficient binder free electrode material for supercapacitors. Interestingly, the specific capacitance of the synthesized electrode increases up to the first 1500 charge-discharge cycles, and is thus referred to as an electrode activation process. The activated GCM@PANI nanocomposite electrode exhibits an extraordinary galvanostatic specific capacitance of 3037 F g-1 at a current density of 8 A g-1. The synthesized nanocomposite exhibits an excellent cyclic stability with a capacitance retention of 83% over 12 000 charge-discharge cycles, and a high rate capability by retaining a specific capacitance of 84.6% at a current density of 20 A g-1. The structural and electrochemical analysis of the synthesized nanocomposite suggests that the astonishing electrochemical performance might be attributed to the growth of a novel PANI nanoparticle layer and the synergistic effect of CNT/MnO2 nanostructures.

Rotation in a Smoking Cessation Clinic Improves Nicotine Dependence Treatment Provided by First-Year Internal Medicine Trainees.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Over 70% of smokers visit a physician annually, and physicians are well-positioned to assist patients in smoking cessation. Residency offers the ideal setting to train physicians in best practices for treatment of nicotine dependence. We hypothesized that experiential learning during a smoking cessation medical clinic (SCMC) rotation would be associated with an improvement in smoking cessation practice of internal medicine (IM) interns in outpatient primary care and inpatient settings. METHODS: This was a prospective study performed at a large university-affiliated hospital. Forty IM interns rotated through SCMC. After a lecture on nicotine addiction and treatment, interns treated SCMC patients under direct supervision of an attending pulmonologist. Interns' smoking cessation practices before and after SCMC rotation were evaluated through chart review over 1 year. Upon study completion, a survey to assess confidence was administered. Paired t tests measured changes in rates of identifying smokers, offering pharmacological treatment and counseling. RESULTS: A total of 5,622 outpatient and 683 inpatient charts of interns' encounters with patients were reviewed. Following SCMC rotation, there was an increase in identifying active smokers (7.1% versus 18.7%), prescribing therapy for smoking cessation (6.5% versus 18.0%), and providing counseling (30.9% versus 42.3%) to outpatients. For inpatients, there was an increase in nicotine replacement during admission (12.9% versus 37.4%) and prescription of therapy upon discharge (5.7% versus 16.1%). Interns reported confidence in providing appropriate counseling and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: SCMC experience positively impacted smoking cessation treatment by IM interns, causing a measurable change in their practice.

Volumetric and acoustical behaviour of sodium saccharin in aqueous system over temperature range (20.0-45.0)°C.

Densities and ultrasonic velocity values for aqueous solutions of sodium saccharin (SS) has been measured as a function of concentration at 20.0-45.0 °C and atmospheric pressure using DSA-5000 M. The density and ultrasonic velocity values have been further used to calculate apparent molar volume, apparent specific volume, isentropic apparent molar compressibility and compressibility hydration numbers and reported. The values for apparent molar volume obtained at given temperatures showed negative deviations from Debye-Hückel limiting law and used as a direct measure of the ion-ion and ion-solvent interactions. The apparent specific volumes of the solute were calculated and it was found that these values of the investigated solutions lie on the borderline between the values reported for sweet substances. The sweetness response of the sweeteners is then explained in terms of their solution behaviours. Furthermore, the partial molar expansibility, its second derivative, (∂(2)V°/∂T(2)) as Hepler's constant and thermal expansion coefficient have been estimated.

Solution behaviour and sweetness response of D-Mannitol at different temperatures.

The solution properties of d-Mannitol (DM) were studied to explore sweetness response and molecular interactions in aqueous solutions at different temperatures. The density (ρ) and ultrasonic velocity (µ) were measured at 20-45°C using density sound velocity metre (DSA 5000M). The results obtained were used to compute apparent and partial molar volume, apparent specific volumes, partial molar expansibility, apparent molar isentropic compressibility and compressibility hydration number. The partial molar volume (ΦV°) indicates hydrophilic interactions dominating in aqueous solution of DM. The quality of taste has been determined from apparent specific volumes (ASV) data at 20-45°C and 0.04-0.89 mol kg(-1).The apparent molar isentropic compressibility (ΦK(s)) and hydration number (nH) conferred pre-dominance of solute-solvent interactions, whereas partial molar expansibility (ΦE°) and related standards predicted structure making behaviour of DM. This study may provide new insights in elucidation of mechanistic differences between sweeteners and their mode of interactions.

Studies on molecular interactions of some sweeteners in water by volumetric and ultrasonic velocity measurements at T=(20.0-45.0°C).

Densities and ultrasonic velocity values for aqueous solutions of two sweeteners viz., maltose monohydrate and acesulfame-K have been measured as a function of concentration at 20.0-45.0°C and atmospheric pressure. Solutions of acesulfame-K were treated as electrolyte, while maltose was considered as non-electrolyte. The apparent molar and specific volumes, their isentropic apparent molar and specific compressibilities, as well as their compressibility hydration numbers have been calculated and reported. Negative deviations from Debye-Huckel limiting law of apparent molar volume for acesulfame-K was obtained at given temperatures and can be used as a direct measure of the ion-ion and ion-solvent interactions. Furthermore, apparent specific volumes of the solutes were calculated and it was found that these values of the investigated solutes lie on the borderline between the values reported for sweet substances. The partial molar expansibility, its second derivative values, (∂(2)V(0)/∂T(2)) and thermal expansion coefficient have been estimated.