Argyrodite-Li6PS5Cl/Polymer-based Highly Conductive Composite Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Batteries.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) that incorporate the argyrodite-Li6PS5Cl (LPSCl) electrolyte hold potential as substitutes for conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the mismatched interface between the LPSCl electrolyte and electrodes leads to increased interfacial resistance and the rapid growth of lithium (Li) dendrites. These factors significantly impede the feasibility of their widespread industrial application. In this study, we developed a composite electrolyte of the LPSCl/polymer to enhance the contact between the electrolyte and electrodes and suppress dendrite formation at the grain boundary of the LPSCl ceramic. The monomer, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), is utilized for in situ polymerization through thermal curing to create the argyrodite LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte. Additionally, the ball-milling technique was employed to modify the morphology and particle size of the LPSCl ceramic. The ball-milled LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte demonstrates slightly higher ionic conductivity (ca. 2.21 × 10-4 S/cm) compared to the as-received LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte (ca. 1.65 × 10-4 S/cm) at 25 °C. Furthermore, both composite electrolytes exhibit excellent compatibility with Li-metal and display cycling stability for up to 1000 h (375 cycles), whereas the as-received LPSCl and ball-milled LPSCl electrolytes maintain stability for up to 600 h (225 cycles) at a current density of 0.4 mA/cm2. The SSB with the ball-milled LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte delivers high specific discharge capacity (138 mA h/g), Coulombic efficiency (99.97%), and better capacity retention at 0.1C, utilizing the battery configuration of coated NMC811//electrolyte//Li-Indium (In) at 25 °C.

Advances in Diagnosis and Therapeutics in Recurrent Autoimmune Pericarditis in Pregnancy.

Pericarditis in pregnancy is uncommon, and there is a paucity of data regarding the safety and efficacy of conventional therapy. We describe a complex case of recurrent pericarditis in the setting of pregnancy and newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus and discuss the challenges in managing this subset of patients.

Consumers' purchase decision in the context of western imported food products: Empirical evidence from Pakistan.

It is essential to identify consumer purchase behavior to establish and implement effective marketing strategies by Western food chains in Pakistan. By identifying motives, firms can offer extra-value products to their current and potential clients. Thus, this study seeks to understand what drives Pakistani consumers to buy imported Western food. This quantitative study uses A standardized structured questionnaire to collect data from 375 Karachi residents. The researchers use a convenient sampling strategy and analyze the data using PLS-SEM modeling through Smart-PLS 4.0. The findings of this research demonstrate that subjective norms, religiosity, product attributes, brand trust, customer satisfaction, and lifestyle significantly and positively influence consumer purchase intention. The findings also show that consumer purchase intention, lifestyle, and subjective norms significantly and positively correlate with purchase behavior. Finally, the study concludes that purchase intention significantly and positively mediates between exogenous and endogenous variables (purchase behavior). This research has significant theoretical and managerial implications. Local and international marketing professionals who wish to investigate the expanding consumer market in Pakistan can find the study's findings extremely useful. In addition, the outcomes of this research enrich the existing body of consumer behavior literature, which is helpful for future researchers.

Safe administration of Crotalidae equine immune F(ab')2 antivenom in a patient who suffered anaphylaxis from Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab antivenom.

Allergic reactions to Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab and Crotalidae immune F(ab')2 are uncommon but potentially life-threatening. It is unknown whether cross-reactivity reactions exist between these two antivenoms. We report a case of a patient who suffered anaphylaxis from Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab but subsequently was safely administered Crotalidae immune F(ab')2 after a presumed Agkistrodon contortix (copperhead) envenomation. This single case supports the safety of Crotalidae immune F(ab')2 administration in patients with a history of anaphylaxis to Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab treatment.

The role of green innovation on environmental and organizational performance: Moderation of human resource practices and management commitment.

Green innovation is an essential and burning topic for environmental and organizational performance. Therefore, this research aims to examine the effect of green innovation on environmental performance, which leads to organizational performance. Another objective is to measure the impact of two dimensions of green innovation, such as green process & green product measures, on green innovation. The second prime aim of this research is to evaluate the moderation of management commitment & human resource practices in an association between green innovation and organizational & environmental performance. A total of 320 employees provided their perspectives on a self-administrated questionnaire from the textile industry of Pakistan. We have employed SEM-based multivariate modeling to examine the data. This research has measured the reflective indicators measurement model through confirmatory factor analysis, an obvious choice of structural equation modeling to examine observed and unobserved variables and indicators using PLS-SEM (partial least square-structural equation modeling). The research findings reveal a positive & significant effect of product & process innovation on green innovation. Further, green innovation significantly impacts environmental and organizational performance. A two-way interaction (moderation) of human resource practices & green innovation does not have a cogent moderating effect on organizational & environmental performance. However, management commitment has a significant moderation between green innovation & organizational performance. A three-way interaction (moderated moderation) model finds a substantial effect on organizational attainment but an insignificant impact on environmental performance. The research outcomes significantly contribute and suggest that practitioners and policymakers must institutionalize green innovation practices in their organizations to enhance their organizational and environmental performance. HR practitioners play a vibrant role in creating green norms and organizational culture. The study findings also suggest that management commitment to green innovation advocates organization-level transformations toward adopting green practices.

Synthesis and Characterization of Gel Polymer Electrolyte Based on Epoxy Group via Cationic Ring-Open Polymerization for Lithium-Ion Battery.

The polymer electrolytes are considered to be an alternative to liquid electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries because of their high thermal stability, flexibility, and wide applications. However, the polymer electrolytes have low ionic conductivity at room temperature due to the interfacial contact issue and the growing of lithium dendrites between the electrolytes/electrodes. In this study, we prepared gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) through an in situ thermal-induced cationic ring-opening strategy, using LiFSI as an initiator. As-synthesized GPEs were characterized with a series of technologies. The as-synthesized PNDGE 1.5 presented good thermal stability (up to 150 °C), low glass transition temperature (Tg < −40 °C), high ionic conductivity (>10−4 S/cm), and good interfacial contact with the cell components and comparable anodic oxidation voltage (4.0 V). In addition, PNGDE 1.5 exhibited a discharge capacity of 131 mAh/g after 50 cycles at 0.2 C and had a 92% level of coulombic efficiency. Herein, these results can contribute to developing of new polymer electrolytes and offer the possibility of good compatibility through the in situ technique for Li-ion batteries.

Lithium Salt Catalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerized Solid-State Electrolyte with Comparable Ionic Conductivity and Better Interface Compatibility for Li-Ion Batteries.

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have drawn extensive attention owing to increasing demands in applications from portable electronic devices to energy storage systems. In situ polymerization is considered one of the most promising approaches for enabling interfacial issues and improving compatibility between electrolytes and electrodes in batteries. Herein, we observed in situ thermally induced electrolytes based on an oxetane group with LiFSI as an initiator, and investigated structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, contacting interface, and electrochemical performances of as-prepared SPEs with a variety of technologies, such as FTIR, 1H-NMR, FE-SEM, EIS, LSV, and chronoamperometry. The as-prepared SPEs exhibited good thermal stability (stable up to 210 °C), lower activation energy, and high ionic conductivity (>0.1 mS/cm) at 30 °C. Specifically, SPE-2.5 displayed a comparable ionic conductivity (1.3 mS/cm at 80 °C), better interfacial compatibility, and a high Li-ion transference number. The SPE-2.5 electrolyte had comparable coulombic efficiency with a half-cell configuration at 0.1 C for 50 cycles. Obtained results could provide the possibility of high ionic conductivity and good compatibility through in situ polymerization for the development of Li-ion batteries.

N-([1,1'-biaryl]-4-yl)-1-naphthamide-based scaffolds synthesis, their cheminformatics analyses, and screening as bacterial biofilm inhibitor.

Naphthamides have pharmacological potential as they express strong activities against microorganisms. The commercially available naphthoyl chloride and 4-bromoaniline were condensed in dry dichloromethane (DCM) in the presence of Et3 N to form N-(4-bromophenyl)-1-naphthamide (86%) (3). Using a Pd(0) catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling reaction of (3) and various boronic acids, a series of N-([1,1'-biaryl]-4-yl)-1-naphthamide derivatives (4a-h) were synthesized in moderate to good yields. The synthesized derivatives were evaluated for cytotoxicity haemolytic assay and biofilm inhibition activity through in silico and in vitro studies. Molecular docking, ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion), toxicity risk, and other cheminformatics predict synthesized molecules as biologically active moieties, further validated through in vitro studies in which compounds (4c) and (4f) showed significant haemolytic activity whereas (4e) exhibited an efficient biofilm inhibition activity against Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis. When forming biofilms, bacteria become resistant to various antimicrobial treatments. Currently, research is focused on the development of agents that inhibit biofilm formation, thus the present work is valuable for preventing future drug resistance.

UV-Cured Cross-Linked Astounding Conductive Polymer Electrolyte for Safe and High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries.

UV-cured cross-linked polymer electrolytes are promising electrolytes for safe Li-ion batteries (LIBs) application due to their excellent conduction ability, low glass-transition temperature (Tg), and high discharge capacity. Herein, we have prepared novel fluorosulfonylimide methacrylic-based cross-linked polymer electrolyte membranes for LIBs via UV-curing process, which is a well-known, easy, low-cost, fast, and reliable technique. The synthesized UV-reactive novel methacrylate monomer with directly attached fluorosulfonylimide functional group methacryloylcarbamoyl sulfamoyl fluoride (MACSF) was used as a precursor for UV curing along with poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI). The results demonstrated that the cross-linked membrane with an optimized amount (30 wt %) of MACSF monomer (noted as CPE-3) showed the best performance. The nonflammable fluorosulfonyl group (a hydrophilic group of MACSF monomer) in the polymer matrix formed a wide channel, as a result of which Li ion can migrate easily via forming an ionic linkage. The CPE-3 electrolyte exhibited a low Tg (-79 °C), excellent phase separation, high conductivity (σ) (ca. 3.5 × 10-4 and 8.50 × 10-3 S·cm-1 at 30 and 80 °C, respectively), and high flame retardancy. The battery performance of half-cell (LiFePO4/CPE-3/Li) and full cell (LiFePO4/CPE-3/graphite) with CPE-3 electrolyte were attractive: discharge capacities (155 and 152 mAh/g) with the capacity retentions of 96.17 and 95.17% after 500 cycles at 0.1 C rate for half-cell and full-cell LIBs, respectively.

Highly Proton Conductive Sulfonyl Imide Based Polymer Blended from Poly(arylene ether sulfone) and Parmax-1200 for Fuel Cells.

Thermally and chemically stable, sulfonyl imide-based polymer blends have been prepared from sulfonimide poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SI-PAES) and sulfonimide Parmax-1200 (SI-Parmax-1200) using the solvent casting method. Initially, sulfonimide poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SI-PAES) polymers have typically been synthesized via direct polymerization of bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfonyl imide (SI-DCDPS) and bis(4-fluorophenyl) sulfone (DFDPS) with bisphenol A (BPA). Subsequently, SI-Parmax-1200 has been synthesized via post-modification of the existing Parmax-1200 polymer followed by sulfonation and imidization. The SI-PAES/SI-Parmax-1200 blend membranes show high ion exchange capacity ranging from 1.65 to 1.97 meq/g, water uptake ranging from 22.8 to 65.4% and proton conductivity from 25.9 to 78.5 mS/cm. Markedly, the SI-PAES-40/SI-Parmax-1200 membrane (blended-40) exhibits the highest proton conductivity (78.5 mS/cm), which is almost similar to Nafion 117® (84.73 mS/cm). The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fenton's test confirm the excellent thermal and chemical stability of the synthetic polymer blends. Furthermore, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study shows a distinct phase separation at the hydrophobic/hydrophilic segments, which facilitate proton conduction throughout the ionic channel of the blend polymers. Therefore, the synthetic polymer blends represent an alternative to Nafion 117® as proton exchangers for fuel cells.

Synthesis of Cu-Doped Mn3O4@Mn-Doped CuO Nanostructured Electrode Materials by a Solution Process for High-Performance Electrochemical Pseudocapacitors.

Cu-doped Mn3O4 and Mn-doped CuO (CMO@MCO) mixed oxides with isolated phases together with pristine Mn3O4 (MO) and CuO (CO) have been synthesized by a simple solution process for applications in electrochemical supercapacitors. The crystallographic, spectroscopic, and morphological analyses revealed the formation of all of the materials with good crystallinity and purity with the creation of rhombohedral-shaped MO and CMO and a mixture of spherical and rod-shaped CO and MCO nanostructures. The ratio of CMO and MCO in the optimized CMO@MCO was 2:1 with the Cu and Mn dopants percentages of 12 and 15%, respectively. The MO-, CO-, and CMO@MCO-modified carbon cloth (CC) electrodes delivered the specific capacitance (C s) values of 541.1, 706.7, and 997.2 F/g at 5 mV/s and 413.4, 480.5, and 561.1 F/g at 1.3 A/g, respectively. This enhanced C s value of CMO@MCO with an energy density and a power density of 78.0 Wh/kg and 650.0 W/kg, respectively, could be attributed to the improvement of electrical conductivity induced by the dopants and the high percentage of oxygen vacancies. This corroborated to a decrease in the optical band gap and charge-transfer resistance (R ct) of CMO@MCO at the electrode/electrolyte interface compared to those of MO and CO. The net enhancement of the Faradaic contribution induced by the redox reaction of the dopant and improved surface area was also responsible for the better electrochemical performance of CMO@MCO. The CMO@MCO/CC electrode showed high electrochemical stability with a C s loss of only ca. 4.7%. This research could open up new possibilities for the development of doped mixed oxides for high-performance supercapacitors.

A two-step approach for improved exfoliation and cutting of boron nitride into boron nitride nanodisks with covalent functionalizations.

The synthesis of boron nitride nanodisks (BNNDs) with reducing the size and having fewer disk layers, and low optical band gap (E g) is essential for practical applications in electronics and optoelectronic devices. So far, the large-scale preparation of hydroxyl (-OH) and hydroperoxyl (-OOH) functionalized boron nitride nanosheets and BNNDs with reduced E g is still a challenge. This research demonstrates the scalable and solution process synthesis of hydroxyl (-OH) and hydroperoxyl (-OOH) functionalization of BNNDs at the edges and basal planes from pristine hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by the combination of modified Hummer's method and Fenton's chemistry. Modified Hummer's method induces exfoliation and cutting of the h-BN into BNNDs with a low percentage of -OH functionalization (6.90%), which is further exfoliated and cut by Fenton's reagent with improved -OH and -OOH functionalization (ca. 17.25%). The combination of these two methods allows us to reduce the size of the OH/OOH-BNNDs to ca. 200 nm with the number of disk layers in the range from ca. 6-11. Concurrently, the E g of h-BN was decreased from ca. 5.10 to ca. 3.58 eV for OH/OOH-BNNDs, which enables the possible application of OH/OOH-BNNDs in semiconductor electronics. The high percentage of -OH and -OOH functionalizations in the OH/OOH-BNNDs enablesg them to disperse in various solvents with high long-term stability.

Study of transesophageal echocardiography in young patients (<40 years) with acute arterial ischemic stroke: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The aim is to study cardiac abnormalities as detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in young patients (<40 years) presenting with acute ischemic arterial stroke. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in young patients aged <40 years presenting with acute arterial ischemic stroke without any valvular heart disease, prosthetic valve, or previously diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF). TEE was performed in all eligible patients preferably within the first week of the onset of ischemic arterial stroke. All patients with normal TEE underwent holter to rule out paroxysmal AF. RESULTS: Totally, 40 young patients were included in the study. Mean age was 35.17 (SD [standard deviation] ± 2.99) years. TEE abnormalities were noted in total 13 (32.5%) patients, of which patent foramen ovale was the most common cardiac abnormality in eight (20%) patients followed by left atrial appendage clot in three (7.5%) and atrial septal aneurysm in two (5%) patients. One patient (2.5%) was observed with atrial septal aneurysm along with a sieved septum. All the patients with normal TEE underwent holter, and four of 27 (14.8%) of these patients were noted to have paroxysmal AF. CONCLUSION: Cardiac abnormalities on TEE and holter were detected in 42.5% of the young patients with idiopathic arterial stroke. TEE abnormality was noted in 33% (13/40), whereas AF on holter was seen in 14.8% (4/27) with normal TEE. Thus, probable cardioembolic stroke was responsible for acute ischemic stroke in 42.5% (17/40) of young patients in the absence of valvular heart disease, prosthetic valves, and persistent/permanent AF.

Highly Conductive and Flexible Gel Polymer Electrolyte with Bis(Fluorosulfonyl)imide Lithium Salt via UV Curing for Li-Ion Batteries.

A series of new self-standing gel polymer electrolytes (SGPEs) were fabricated by ultraviolet (UV) curing and investigated for application in flexible lithium-ion batteries. Compared with traditional gel polymer electrolytes (combine with solvents or plasticizers), these new SGPEs were prepared simply by curing different weight ratios of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) with a methacrylic linear monomer, poly (ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA). Noticeably, there were no solvents or plasticizers combined with the final SGPEs. Owing to this, the SGPEs showed high flexibility and strong mechanical stability. Some paramount physicochemical and electrochemical characters were observed. The SGPEs demonstrated good thermal stability below 150 °C and an extremely low glass transition temperature (Tg) (around -75 °C). Moreover, plastic crystal behaviors were also identified in this study. Ultimately, the SGPEs demonstrated excellent ionic conductivity at room temperature, which proves that these new SGPEs could be widely applied as a prospective electrolyte in flexible lithium-ion batteries.

Remarkable Conductivity of a Self-Healing Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolyte, Poly(ethylene-co-acrylic lithium (fluoro sulfonyl)imide), for All-Solid-State Li-Ion Batteries.

Single-ion conducting polymer electrolyte (SICPE) is a safer alternative to the conventional high-performance liquid electrolyte for Li-ion batteries. The performance of SICPEs-based Li-ion batteries is limited due to the low Li+ conductivities of SICPEs at room temperature. Herein, we demonstrated the synthesis of a novel SICPE, poly(ethylene-co-acrylic lithium (fluoro sulfonyl)imide) (PEALiFSI), with acrylic (fluoro sulfonyl)imide anion (AFSI). The solvent- and plasticizer-free PEALiFSI electrolyte, which was assembled at 90 °C under pressure, exhibited self-healing properties with remarkably high Li+ conductivity (5.84 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 25 °C). This is mainly due to the self-healing behavior of this electrolyte, which induced to increase the proportion of the amorphous phase. Additionally, the weak interaction of Li+ with the resonance-stabilized AFSI anion is also responsible for high Li+ conductivity. This self-healed SICPE showed high Li+ transference number (ca. 0.91), flame and heat retardancy, and good thermal stability, which concurrently delivered ca. 88.25% (150 mAh g-1 at 0.1C) of the theoretical capacitance of LiFePO4 cathode material at 25 °C with the full-cell configuration of LiFePO4/PEALiFSI/graphite. Furthermore, the self-healed PEALiFSI-based all-solid-state Li battery showed high electrochemical cycling stability with the capacity retention of 95% after 500 charge-discharge cycles.

Simple, low-cost, sensitive and label-free aptasensor for the detection of cardiac troponin I based on a gold nanoparticles modified titanium foil.

This research demonstrated the electrochemical modification of low-cost titanium (Ti) metal substrate with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for the aptamer-based detection of cardiac troponin I (cTnI). AuNPs were deposited onto Ti sheets by the potential-step deposition method with high density and homogeneity as well as good crystallinity. It was then applied as a transducer to immobilize a thiol-functionalized DNA aptamer via the self-assembled monolayer mechanism for the specific binding of cTnI. This was verified through electrochemical and morphological analyses. The aptasensor could detect cTnI in a linear range of 1-1100 pM with a detection limit of ca. 0.18 pM. The aptasensor showed high sensitivity and specificity to cTnI over other interfering compounds with good recoveries in the diluted human serum samples.

Synthesis of Sulfonation Poly(N-propylsulfonicacid isatin biphenylene) for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Containing SiO2 Nanocomposite Membrane.

Polymer containing isatin was synthesized by super acid-catalyzed carbon-carbon coupling reaction. Propylsulfonic acid was grafted on isatin unit by substitution reaction with potassium salt of 3-bromo-1-propanesulfonic acid. The sulfonic acid composition was regulated at 25~80 mol% of propylsulfonic acid in order to achieve expected ion exchange capacity of maximum 2.0 meq/g. The copolymers were of high molecular weight (inherent viscosity, ηinh = 1.2 dL/g) to afford a tough membrane by solution casting. Composite membranes were prepared by sulfonated polymer and SiO2 nanoparticles (20 nm, 4~10% wt). All these composite membranes were casted from the solution of sulfonated polymer in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) to afford 25 µm. The structural properties of the synthesized polymers were investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The membranes were studied by ion exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, dimensional stability and proton conductivity assessment by comparing with Nafion®. As increasing the IEC values, the small hydrophobic components induced high proton conductivities and proton diffusion coefficients. These kinds of membranes without ether linkages showed low water swelling as well.

Hypervalent iodine-guided electrophilic substitution: para-selective substitution across aryl iodonium compounds with benzyl groups.

The reactivity of benzyl hypervalent iodine intermediates was explored in congruence with the reductive iodonio-Claisen rearrangement (RICR) to show that there may be an underlying mechanism which expands the reasoning behind the previously known C-C bond-forming reaction. By rationalizing the hypervalent iodine's metal-like properties it was concluded that a transmetallation mechanism could be occurring with metalloid groups such as silicon and boron. Hypervalent iodine reagents such as Zefirov's reagent, cyclic iodonium reagents, iodosobenzene/BF3, and PhI(OAc)2/BF3 or triflate-based activators were tested. A desirable facet of the reported reaction is that iodine(I) is incorporated into the product thus providing greater atom economy and a valuable functional group handle for further transformations. The altering of the RICR's ortho-selectivity to form para-selective products with benzyl hypervalent iodine intermediates suggests a mechanism that involves hypervalent iodine-guided electrophilic substitution (HIGES).

A glassy carbon electrode modified with poly(2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine) for simultaneous detection of dihydroxybenzene isomers.

2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) was electropolymerized on the surface of an anodized glassy carbon electrode by cyclic voltammetry. The anodized electrode has a highly electroactive surface due to the creation of chemically functionalized graphitic nanoparticles, and this facilitates the formation of poly-DNPH via radical polymerization. Poly-DNPH displays excellent redox activity due to the presence of nitro groups on its backbone. These catalyze the electro-oxidation of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CT). The peak-to-peak separation is around 109 mV, while a bare GCE cannot resolve the peaks (located at 165 and 274 mV vs. Ag/AgCl). Sensitivity is also enhanced to ∼1.20 and 1.19 µA·cm-2·µM-1, respectively. The sensor has a linear response that covers the 20-250 µM concentration range for both HQ and CT, with 0.75 and 0.76 µM detection limits, respectively, at simultaneous detection. Commonly present species do not interfere. Graphical abstract A novel conducting poly(2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine)-modified anodized glassy carbon electrode (pDNPH/AGCE) was developed by electrochemical method. The electro-catalytic activity of pDNPH/AGCE sensor was investigated for the selective and simultaneous electrochemical detection of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CT), which revealed high sensitivities and low detection limits with excellent stability.

Beneficial Effects of Capparis Spinosa Honey on the Immune Response of Rats Infected with Toxoplasma Gundii.

OBJECTIVES: The Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an intracellular opportunistic protozoan parasite that infects approximately one-third of the human population worldwide. Honey has long been used for treatment of many diseases in folk medicine. Honey has exhibited significant anthelmintic, nematicidal and anti-protozoal activities.This study was conducted to investigate the immunological patterns in rats infected with T. gondii who were treated orally with supplemented 15% Capparis spinosa honey (Saudi Arabia) for a period of 28 days. METHODS: Immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin G, and cytokines were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). In addition, the mortality and the morbidity rates were assessed. RESULTS: Oral administration of Capparis spinosa honey as a natural food additive was experimentally shown to increase the antibody titer; furthermore, compared with the rats in the control group, the levels of the sera cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-1 and IL-6) were consistently higher at day 7 post-infection in the infected rats treated with oral supplements of Capparis spinosa honey. CONCLUSION: Orally administered supplements of Capparis spinosa honey increased both the antibody titer and the cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-1 and IL-6) levels in rats infected with T. gondii.