Phytogenic nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and their roles in physiology and biochemistry of plants.

Researchers are swarming to nanotechnology because of its potentially game-changing applications in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. This fast-growing, cutting-edge technology is trying different approaches for synthesizing nanoparticles of specific sizes and shapes. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully synthesized using physical and chemical processes; there is an urgent demand to establish environmentally acceptable and sustainable ways for their synthesis. The green approach of nanoparticle synthesis has emerged as a simple, economical, sustainable, and eco-friendly method. In particular, phytoassisted plant extract synthesis is easy, reliable, and expeditious. Diverse phytochemicals present in the extract of various plant organs such as root, leaf, and flower are used as a source of reducing as well as stabilizing agents during production. Green synthesis is based on principles like prevention/minimization of waste, reduction of derivatives/pollution, and the use of safer (or non-toxic) solvent/auxiliaries as well as renewable feedstock. Being free of harsh operating conditions (high temperature and pressure), hazardous chemicals and the addition of external stabilizing or capping agents makes the nanoparticles produced using green synthesis methods particularly desirable. Different metallic nanomaterials are produced using phytoassisted synthesis methods, such as silver, zinc, gold, copper, titanium, magnesium, and silicon. Due to significant differences in physical and chemical properties between nanoparticles and their micro/macro counterparts, their characterization becomes essential. Various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques have been employed for conformational details of nanoparticles, like shape, size, dispersity, homogeneity, surface structure, and inter-particle interactions. UV-visible spectroscopy is used to examine the optical properties of NPs in solution. XRD analysis confirms the purity and phase of NPs and provides information about crystal size and symmetry. AFM, SEM, and TEM are employed for analyzing the morphological structure and particle size of NPs. The nature and kind of functional groups or bioactive compounds that might account for the reduction and stabilization of NPs are detected by FTIR analysis. The elemental composition of synthesized NPs is determined using EDS analysis. Nanoparticles synthesized by green methods have broad applications and serve as antibacterial and antifungal agents. Various metal and metal oxide NPs such as Silver (Ag), copper (Cu), gold (Au), silicon dioxide (SiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), copper oxide (CuO), etc. have been proven to have a positive effect on plant growth and development. They play a potentially important role in the germination of seeds, plant growth, flowering, photosynthesis, and plant yield. The present review highlights the pathways of phytosynthesis of nanoparticles, various techniques used for their characterization, and their possible roles in the physiology of plants.

Impaired efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin against intestinal nematodes in adult horses in Iran.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of fenbendazole and ivermectin on strongyles and Parascaris sp. infecting adult riding horses in three regions with different climates. During 2021 and 2022 fecal specimens were randomly collected from 483 horses older than three years in 31 equestrian clubs in Hamedan (n = 217), Yazd (n = 146) and Tabriz cities (n = 120). Eggs were counted by McMaster technique, and the strongyle larvae were identified using coproculture, PCR and sequencing. Horses with strongyles and Parascaris egg counts ≥150 were enrolled in fecal egg count reduction (FECR) examination following treatment with ivermectin or fenbendazole. In total, 26.5% of examined horses were positive with at least one parasite. Infection rates varied in three cities i.e., 25.8% in Hamedan, 28.8% in Yazd, 25% in Tabriz. Fifty-seven horses had FECR measured. FECR below <90% was observed for IVM-strongyle in two horses in Tabriz, for FBZ-strongyle in two horses in Tabriz and two horses in Hamedan, for IVM-Parascaris in one horse in all three cities, and for FBZ-Parascaris in one horse in Yazd. Furthermore, FECR 90-100% was observed in IVM-Parascaris and FBZ -Parascaris groups in Tabriz. Data herein presented demonstrate different degrees of resistance of strongyles and Parascaris infecting horses in Iran against both ivermectin and fenbendazole. Since non-principled use of anthelminthics is common among horse owners, urgency of test-and-treatment strategy should be educated and implemented by policy-making organizations. Evaluating efficacy of different anthelminthics and choosing the most effective treatment in each region is suggested.

Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Responses to Different Doses of Gamma Radiation.

BACKGROUND: The effects of radiation on the cellular compartments of the tumor microenvironment (TME) might be essential in radiotherapy outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the effects of the different doses of gamma irradiation on viability, ABCA1 and MMP-9 expression in adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) as a critical part of TME. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this experimental study, ASCs were extracted from five healthy donors and irradiated with different doses of 5, 10 and 30 Gy of gamma. Then, RNA was extracted from irradiated ASCs and cDNA was synthesized. The viability of ASCs was determined at 24, 48, 72 and 168 h after irradiation using trypan blue staining. The expression of ABCA1 was checked by quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR technique and the expression of MMP-9 protein was evaluated by western-blot. RESULTS: Based on our findings, 10 Gy and 30 Gy but not 5 Gy of gamma irradiation significantly decreased the viability of ASCs after 24, 48, 72 and 168 h compared to the non-irradiated cells (P< 0.05). However, a dose of 5 Gy increased ABCA1 in ASCs significantly compared to 10 Gy and 30 Gy (P=0.01 and P=0.02, respectively). In addition, the analysis of western blot data showed that 5 Gy of gamma irradiation significantly increased the expression of MMP-9 in ASCs (P=0.019). CONCLUSION: It is concluded that various doses of gamma radiation elicit differential ASCs responses that may lead to different tumor cell reactions to the radiotherapy through bystander effects.

Durable Lithium/Selenium Batteries Enabled by the Integration of MOF-Derived Porous Carbon and Alucone Coating.

Lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries are a promising energy storage system in electric vehicles due to their high capacity and good kinetics. However, the shuttle effect issue, caused by polyselenide dissolution from the Se cathode, has hampered the development of Li-Se batteries. Herein, we developed a facile preparation of porous carbon from a metal-organic framework (MOF) to confine Se (Se/CZIF) and protect the Se/CZIF composite with an alucone coating by molecular layer deposition (MLD). The optimal alucone coated Se/CZIF cathode prepared exhibits a one-step reversible charge/discharge process in the carbonate electrolytes. The inhibition of polyselenide dissolution is credited with the improved electrochemical performance, formation of thin and stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layers, and a reduction in charge transfer resistance, thus improving the overall performance of Li-Se batteries.

Enhanced reversibility and electrochemical window of Zn-ion batteries with an acetonitrile/water-in-salt electrolyte.

An acetonitrile/water-in-salt (AWIS) hybrid electrolyte was developed for Zn-ion batteries. Compared to conventional aqueous electrolytes, the AWIS hybrid electrolyte prolonged the lifespan of Zn|Zn cells from 150 to 2500 h and increased the upper cut-off voltage from 1.8 to 2.2 V for Zn-MnO2 batteries. This new AWIS hybrid electrolyte is expected to enhance the energy and power density of Zn-based batteries for large-scale grid storage.

A facile and low-cost Al2O3 coating as an artificial solid electrolyte interphase layer on graphite/silicon composites for lithium-ion batteries.

Graphite/silicon (G/Si) composites are considered as possible alternative anode materials to commercial graphite anodes. However, the unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on G/Si particles results in rapid capacity decay, impeding practical applications. Herein, a facile and low-cost Al2O3 coating was developed to fabricate stable artificial SEI layers on G/Si composites. The amorphous Al2O3 coating with a thickness of 10-15 nm was synthesized by a simple sol-gel method followed by high-temperature annealing. The Al2O3 coated G/Si anode delivers an initial discharge capacity of 540 mAh g-1 at 25 °C and has improved Coulombic efficiency and cycling stability. After 100 cycles, the capacity retention is 76.4%, much higher than the 56.4% of the uncoated anode. Furthermore, the Al2O3 coating was found to be more effective at improving the stability of G/Si at a higher temperature (55 °C). This was explained by the Al2O3 coating suppressing the growth of SEI on Si/G and thus reducing the charge transfer resistance at the G/Si-electrolyte interface. It is expected that the Al2O3 coating prepared by the sol-gel process can be applied to other Si-based anodes in the manufacture of practical high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Molecular-layer-deposited tincone: a new hybrid organic-inorganic anode material for three-dimensional microbatteries.

A new hybrid organic-inorganic film, tincone, was developed by using molecular layer deposition (MLD), and exhibited high electrochemical activity toward Li storage. The self-limiting growth behavior, high uniformity on various substrates and good Li-storage performance make tincone a very promising new anode material for 3D microbatteries.

Genetic determinants of obesity heterogeneity in type II diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Although obesity is considered as the main cause of Type II diabetes (T2DM), non-obese individuals may still develop T2DM and obese individuals may not. METHOD: The mRNA expression of PI3K/AKT axis from 100 non-obese and obese participants with insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance states were compared in this study toward the understanding of obesity heterogeneity molecular mechanism. RESULT: In present study, there was no statistically significant difference in gene expression levels of IRS1 and PTEN between groups, whereas PI3K, AKT2 and GLUT4 genes were expressed at a lower level in obese diabetic group compared to other groups and were statistically significant. PDK1 gene was expressed at a higher level in non-obese diabetic group compared to obese diabetic and non-obese non-diabetics groups. No statistically significant difference was identified in gene expression pattern of PI3K/AKT pathway between obese non-diabetics and non-obese non-diabetics. CONCLUSION: The components of PI3K/AKT pathway which is related to the fasting state, showed reduced expression in obese diabetic group due to the chronic over-nutrition which may induced insensitivity and reduced gene expression. The pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the absence of obesity in non-obese diabetic group could be due to disturbance in another pathway related to the non-fasting state like gluconeogenesis. Therefore, the molecular mechanism of insulin signalling in non-obese diabetic individuals is different from obese diabetics which more investigations are required to study insulin signalling pathways in greater depth, in order to assess nutritional factors, contribute to insulin resistance in obese diabetic and non-obese diabetic individuals.

The treatment of cardiovascular disease continuum: focus on prevention and RAS blockade.

The cardiovascular disease continuum is a sequence of events, which begins with a host of risk factors consisting of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, smoking and visceral obesity. If left untreated, it will inexorably progress to atherosclerosis, CAD, myocardial infarction, left ventricular remodeling, LVH, left ventricular enlargement, and eventually end-stage heart failure and death. Treatment intervention at any stage of its course will prevent or delay its further progression. However, the best results are expected to be achieved when treatment is initiated at the beginning, or at an early stage of its course. A Pub-Med/MEDLINE search was conducted for relevant English language, randomized clinical trials and epidemiologic studies for the years 1995-2009 using the terms, cardiovascular continuum, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, renal disease, stroke, and blockers of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). A total of 34 pertinent studies were selected for review. This concise review will focus on prevention and the aggressive treatment of the existing cardiovascular risk factors with emphasis on the blockers of RAS, and demonstrate that RAS blockers are the best drugs for its treatment.