Biosynthesis of reusable and recyclable CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs and its antioxidant and antibacterial activities: a highly stable magnetically nanocatalyst for excellent reduction of organic dyes and adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

For the first time, through a fast, eco-friendly and economic method, the aqueous extract of the leaf of Euphorbia corollate was used to the green synthesis of the highly stable CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone nanocomposites (NCs) as a potent antioxidant and antibacterial agent against Pseudomonas aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenic bacteria. The biosynthesised NCs were identified using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy and UV-vis analytical techniques. Also, the radical scavenging activity using (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the NCs. The stability of nanocatalyst was monitored using the XRD and SEM analyses after 30 days from its synthesis. Furthermore, its excellent catalytic activity, recycling stability, and high substrate applicability were demonstrated to the adsorption of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of the light crude oil from Shiwashok oil fields and destruction of methylene blue and methyl orange as harmful organic dyes at ambient temperature using UV-vis spectroscopy. Moreover, the green CuO@Magnetite@Hen Bone NCs were recovered and reused several times without considerable loss of its catalytic activity.

Natural iron ore as a novel substrate for the biosynthesis of bioactive-stable ZnO@CuO@iron ore NCs: a magnetically recyclable and reusable superior nanocatalyst for the degradation of organic dyes, reduction of Cr(vi) and adsorption of crude oil aromatic compounds, including PAHs.

For the first time, stable ZnO@CuO@iron ore nanocomposites (NCs) were green synthesized using magnetic iron ore as a natural substrate through an eco-friendly, simple and cost-effective method. The biosynthesized nanocatalyst was characterized using the SEM, EDS, elemental mapping, point analysis, XRD, FT-IR, polarized microscopy and UV-vis analytical techniques. The XRD and SEM methods confirmed the excellent stability of the nanocatalyst, even for 6 months. Also, the antioxidant ability of the green-synthesized NCs using a DPPH method was assessed per gallic acid and in contrast with ascorbic acid. Furthermore, their antibacterial activities against the common pathogenic bacteria of Pseudomonas aureus, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were evaluated at different concentrations compared to chloramphenicol as a positive control. Moreover, the superior catalytic activity of the ZnO@CuO@iron ore NCs was investigated during a series of reactions, including the adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) of heavy crude oil (HCO) obtained from the Shaikhan oil field, the destruction of some organic dyes at room temperature, including methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO), thymol blue (TB), bromothymol blue (BTB), phenol red (Ph.R), methyl red (MR), solochrome black T (SBT) and eriochrome black T (EBT) and finally the reduction of Cr(vi) at ambient temperature using UV-vis spectroscopy. Finally, the magnetic NCs could be simply recovered and reused several times without considerable loss of catalytic activity.

A New Ursane-type Triterpenoid and Other Constituents from the Leaves of Crataegus azarolus var. aronia.

A new ursane-type triterpene acid, named azarolic acid (1), along with four known phenolic compounds and four known triterpene acids, was isolated from the crude EtOAc extract of the leaves of Crataegus azarolus var. aronia L. The structure of 1 was determined from 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. Euscaphic acid showed high anti-vasoconstriction effects on aortic rings, supporting the use of this medicinal plant in cardiovascular disease.

Correlation between Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness and Luminal Diameter with Body Mass Index and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the correlation between carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and luminal diameter (LD) with body mass index (BMI) and other cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional study took place between June 2013 and March 2014 in the Radiology Department of Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil, Iraq. Non-randomly selected subjects ≥20 years old (n = 140) were divided into BMI groups and evaluated for the following cardiovascular risk factors: gender, age, hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), smoking, alcohol consumption, blood pressure, serum total cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels. IMT and LD of the extracranial carotid arteries were measured by B-mode ultrasonography. RESULTS: The mean IMT was 0.8 ± 0.3 mm, ranging from a total mean of 0.7 mm in the normal BMI group to 1.0 mm in the extremely obese group. A significant correlation was found between IMT and BMI (P = 0.04), but not between BMI and LD (P = 0.3). No significant difference in mean IMT or LD was seen between genders. Significant correlations were found between IMT and age, HTN, DM, high serum cholesterol and TG levels (P <0.001). An increase of one BMI unit caused a 0.009 mm increase in IMT and an increase of one year in age caused a 0.011 mm increase in IMT. CONCLUSION: Age, obesity, HTN, DM, high serum cholesterol and TG levels were found to have an impact on carotid IMT, which is a strong marker for the early development of atherosclerosis.