Physicochemical Evaluation and Pharmacological Screening of Fernando Adenophylla Steenis Fruits.

The current study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties of Fernandoa adenophylla. Powder studies were carried out to estimate the quantitative physicochemical characteristics of the crude drug, including moisture content, ash content, and extractive values. Using a Soxhlet apparatus and different analytical grade solvents, 3 sample extracts of a crude drug were made. To evaluate the potentially toxic nature, an acute oral toxicity study was performed as per OECD guideline no. 423. Sample extracts were tested and analyzed by ANOVA for pharmacological potential (analgesic, antipyretic, and antidiabetic) using Wister-Albino rats. Where physicochemical analysis indicated purity, quality, and presence of organic/inorganic materials in crude drug extracts, no sign of mortality was found up to 2000 mg/kg of body weight of Fernandoa adenophyllas extracts. Analgesic activity was observed in all sample extracts, whereas only chloroform and ethanolic extracts expressed antipyretic and antidiabetic potential. Ethanolic extract was found to be most potent in pharmacological potential as 200mg/kg extract dose exhibited %age pain inhibition of 55.12% and reduced body temperature from 39.78±0.03°C to 37.22±0.02°C in hyperthermic rats. A decrease in blood glucose levels up to 57.88% was observed on the 21st day of the treatment with 500mg/kg ethanolic extract.

Controlled, partially exfoliated, self-supported functionalized flexible graphitic carbon foil for ultrasensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

This paper reports on an ultrasensitive and label-free electrochemical immunosensor for monitoring the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SARS-CoV-2 SP). A self-supported electrode, which can simultaneously serve as an antibody immobilization matrix and electron transport channel, was initially fabricated by a controlled partial exfoliation of a flexible graphitic carbon foil (GCF). Mild acidic treatment enabled the partial oxidation and exfoliation (down to a few layers) of the flexible GCF; this also provided a high percentage of oxygen functionality and an enhanced surface roughness. The substrate electrode was further functionalized with ethylenediamine (EDA) to provide a suitable platform with even a higher surface roughness, for the covalent immobilization of an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody. The change in the current response for the [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- redox couple, induced by the binding of SARS-CoV-2 SP to the antibody immobilized on the electrode surface, was used to determine the SARS-CoV-2 SP concentration. The immunosensor thus prepared could detect SARS-CoV-2 SP within 30 min with high reproducibility and specificity over a wide concentration range (0.2-100 ng/mL). Detection limits of 25 pg/mL and 27 pg/mL were found in a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4), and diluted blood plasma, respectively. The immunosensor was also employed to detect SARS-CoV-2 SP in artificial human saliva.

Conductive Gels for Energy Storage, Conversion, and Generation: Materials Design Strategies, Properties, and Applications.

Gel-based materials have garnered significant interest in recent years, primarily due to their remarkable structural flexibility, ease of modulation, and cost-effective synthesis methodologies. Specifically, polymer-based conductive gels, characterized by their unique conjugated structures incorporating both localized sigma and pi bonds, have emerged as materials of choice for a wide range of applications. These gels demonstrate an exceptional integration of solid and liquid phases within a three-dimensional matrix, further enhanced by the incorporation of conductive nanofillers. This unique composition endows them with a versatility that finds application across a diverse array of fields, including wearable energy devices, health monitoring systems, robotics, and devices designed for interactive human-body integration. The multifunctional nature of gel materials is evidenced by their inherent stretchability, self-healing capabilities, and conductivity (both ionic and electrical), alongside their multidimensional properties. However, the integration of these multidimensional properties into a single gel material, tailored to meet specific mechanical and chemical requirements across various applications, presents a significant challenge. This review aims to shed light on the current advancements in gel materials, with a particular focus on their application in various devices. Additionally, it critically assesses the limitations inherent in current material design strategies and proposes potential avenues for future research, particularly in the realm of conductive gels for energy applications.

Antibiotic Resistance in Plant Pathogenic Bacteria: Recent Data and Environmental Impact of Unchecked Use and the Potential of Biocontrol Agents as an Eco-Friendly Alternative.

The economic impact of phytopathogenic bacteria on agriculture is staggering, costing billions of US dollars globally. Pseudomonas syringae is the top most phytopathogenic bacteria, having more than 60 pathovars, which cause bacteria speck in tomatoes, halo blight in beans, and so on. Although antibiotics or a combination of antibiotics are used to manage infectious diseases in plants, they are employed far less in agriculture compared to human and animal populations. Moreover, the majority of antibiotics used in plants are immediately washed away, leading to environmental damage to ecosystems and food chains. Due to the serious risk of antibiotic resistance (AR) and the potential for environmental contamination with antibiotic residues and resistance genes, the use of unchecked antibiotics against phytopathogenic bacteria is not advisable. Despite the significant concern regarding AR in the world today, there are inadequate and outdated data on the AR of phytopathogenic bacteria. This review presents recent AR data on plant pathogenic bacteria (PPB), along with their environmental impact. In light of these findings, we suggest the use of biocontrol agents as a sustainable, eco-friendly, and effective alternative to controlling phytopathogenic bacteria.

High-Performance Battery-Type Supercapacitors Based on Self-Oriented Growth of Nanorods/Nanospheres Composite Assembled on Self-Standing Conductive GO/CNF Frameworks.

MnOx-based materials have limited capacity and poor conductivity over various voltages, hampering their potential for energy storage applications. This work proposes a novel approach to address these challenges. A self-oriented multiple-electronic structure of a 1D-MnO2-nanorod/2D-Mn2O3-nanosphere composite was assembled on 2D-graphene oxide nanosheet/1D-carbon nanofiber (GO/CNF) hybrids. Aided by K+ ions, the MnO2 nanorods were partially converted to Mn2O3 nanospheres, while the GO nanosheets were combined with CNF through hydrogen bonds resulting in a unique double binary 1D-2D mixed morphology of MnO2/Mn2O3-GO/CNF hybrid, having a novel mechanism of multiple Mn ion redox reactions facilitated by the interconnected 3D network. The morphology of the MnO2 nanorods was controlled by regulating the potassium ion content through a rinsing strategy. Interestingly, pure MnO2 nanorods undergo air-annealing to form a mixture of nanorods and nanospheres (MnO2/Mn2O3) with a distinct morphology indicating pseudocapacitive surface redox reactions involving Mn2+, Mn3+, and Mn4+. In the presence of the GO/CNF framework, the charge storage properties of the MnO2/Mn2O3-GO/CNF composite electrode show dominant battery-type behavior because of the unique mesoporous structure with a crumpled morphology that provides relatively large voids and cavities with smaller diffusion paths to facilitate the accumulation/intercalation of charges at the inner electroactive sites for the diffusion-controlled process. The corresponding specific capacity of 800 C g-1 or 222.2 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 and remarkable cycling stability (95%) over 5000 cycles at 3 A g-1 were considerably higher than those of the reported electrodes of similar materials. Moreover, a hybrid supercapacitor device is assembled using MnO2/Mn2O3-GO/CNF as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode, which exhibits a superior maximum energy density (∼25 Wh kg-1) and maximum power density (∼4.0 kW kg-1). Therefore, the as-synthesized composite highlights the development of highly active low-cost materials for next-generation energy storage applications.

Kinetics and mechanism of the anilinolysis of aryl phenyl isothiocyanophosphates in acetonitrile.

Kinetic studies on the reactions of Y-aryl phenyl isothiocyanophosphates with substituted X-anilines and deuterated X-anilines were carried out in acetonitrile at 55.0 °C. The free-energy relationships with X in the nucleophiles were biphasic concave upwards with a break region between X = H and 4-Cl, giving unusual positive ρX and negative ßX values with less basic anilines (X = 4-Cl and 3-Cl). A stepwise mechanism with rate-limiting bond breaking for more basic anilines and with rate-limiting bond formation for less basic anilines is proposed based on the positive and negative ρXY values, respectively. The deuterium kinetic isotope effects involving deuterated anilines (XC6H4ND2) showed primary normal and secondary inverse DKIEs for more basic and less basic anilines, rationalized by frontside attack involving hydrogen-bonded four-center-type TSf and backside attack TSb, respectively. The positive ρX values with less basic anilines are substantiated by the tight TS, in which the extent of the bond formation is great and the degree of the bond breaking is considerably small.

Synthesis of Magnetic Iron Oxide-Incorporated Cellulose Composite Particles: An Investigation on Antioxidant Properties and Drug Delivery Applications.

In recent years, polymer-supported magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MIO-NPs) have gained a lot of attention in biomedical and healthcare applications due to their unique magnetic properties, low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. In this study, waste tissue papers (WTP) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were utilized to prepare magnetic iron oxide (MIO)-incorporated WTP/MIO and SCB/MIO nanocomposite particles (NCPs) based on in situ co-precipitation methods, and they were characterized using advanced spectroscopic techniques. In addition, their anti-oxidant and drug-delivery properties were investigated. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed that the shapes of the MIO-NPs, SCB/MIO-NCPs, and WTP/MIO-NCPs were agglomerated and irregularly spherical with a crystallite size of 12.38 nm, 10.85 nm, and 11.47 nm, respectively. Vibrational sample magnetometry (VSM) analysis showed that both the NPs and the NCPs were paramagnetic. The free radical scavenging assay ascertained that the WTP/MIO-NCPs, SCB/MIO-NCPs, and MIO-NPs exhibited almost negligible antioxidant activity in comparison to ascorbic acid. The swelling capacities of the SCB/MIO-NCPs and WTP/MIO-NCPs were 155.0% and 159.5%, respectively, which were much higher than the swelling efficiencies of cellulose-SCB (58.3%) and cellulose-WTP (61.6%). The order of metronidazole drug loading after 3 days was: cellulose-SCB < cellulose-WTP < MIO-NPs < SCB/MIO-NCPs < WTP/MIO-NCPs, whereas the sequence of the drug-releasing rate after 240 min was: WTP/MIO-NCPs < SCB/MIO-NCPs < MIO-NPs < cellulose-WTP < cellulose-SCB. Overall, the results of this study showed that the incorporation of MIO-NPs in the cellulose matrix increased the swelling capacity, drug-loading capacity, and drug-releasing time. Therefore, cellulose/MIO-NCPs obtained from waste materials such as SCB and WTP can be used as a potential vehicle for medical applications, especially in a metronidazole drug delivery system.

Advancements in Biomass-Derived Activated Carbon for Sustainable Hydrogen Storage: A Comprehensive Review.

The increasing global energy demand, which is being driven by population growth and urbanization, necessitates the exploration of sustainable energy sources. While traditional energy generation predominantly relies on fossil fuels, it also contributes to alarming CO2 emissions. Hydrogen has emerged as a promising alternative energy carrier with its zero-carbon emission profile. However, effective hydrogen storage remains a challenge. When exposed to hydrogen, conventional metallic vessels, once considered to be the primary hydrogen carriers, are prone to brittleness-induced cracking. This has spurred interest in alternative storage solutions, particularly porous materials like metal-organic frameworks and activated carbon (AC). Among these, biomass-derived AC stands out for its eco-friendly nature, cost-effectiveness, and optimal adsorption properties. This review offers a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the synthesis, characterization, and hydrogen storage capabilities of AC. The unique benefits of biomass-derived sources are highlighted, as is the pivotal role of chemical and physical activation processes. Furthermore, we identify existing challenges and propose future research directions in AC-based hydrogen storage. This compilation aims to serve as a foundation for potential innovations in sustainable hydrogen storage solutions.

New Challenges and Prospective Applications of Three-Dimensional Bioactive Polymeric Hydrogels in Oral and Craniofacial Tissue Engineering: A Narrative Review.

Regenerative medicine, and dentistry offers enormous potential for enhancing treatment results and has been fueled by bioengineering breakthroughs over the previous few decades. Bioengineered tissues and constructing functional structures capable of healing, maintaining, and regenerating damaged tissues and organs have had a broad influence on medicine and dentistry. Approaches for combining bioinspired materials, cells, and therapeutic chemicals are critical in stimulating tissue regeneration or as medicinal systems. Because of its capacity to maintain an unique 3D form, offer physical stability for the cells in produced tissues, and replicate the native tissues, hydrogels have been utilized as one of the most frequent tissue engineering scaffolds during the last twenty years. Hydrogels' high water content can provide an excellent conditions for cell viability as well as an architecture that mimics real tissues, bone, and cartilage. Hydrogels have been used to enable cell immobilization and growth factor application. This paper summarizes the features, structure, synthesis and production methods, uses, new challenges, and future prospects of bioactive polymeric hydrogels in dental and osseous tissue engineering of clinical, exploring, systematical and scientific applications.

Boosting the Electrochemical Performance of Polyaniline by One-Step Electrochemical Deposition on Nickel Foam for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

Energy generation can be clean and sustainable if it is dependent on renewable resources and it can be prominently utilized if stored efficiently. Recently, biomass-derived carbon and polymers have been focused on developing less hazardous eco-friendly electrodes for energy storage devices. We have focused on boosting the supercapacitor's energy storage ability by engineering efficient electrodes in this context. The well-known conductive polymer, polyaniline (PANI), deposited on nickel foam (NF) is used as a positive electrode, while the activated carbon derived from jute sticks (JAC) deposited on NF is used as a negative electrode. The asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is fabricated for the electrochemical studies and found that the device has exhibited an energy density of 24 µWh/cm2 at a power density of 3571 µW/cm2. Furthermore, the ASC PANI/NF//KOH//JAC/NF has exhibited good stability with ~86% capacitance retention even after 1000 cycles. Thus, the enhanced electrochemical performances of ASC are congregated by depositing PANI on NF that boosts the electrode's conductivity. Such deposition patterns are assured by faster ions diffusion, higher surface area, and ample electroactive sites for better electrolyte interaction. Besides advancing technology, such work also encourages sustainability.

5-Fluorouracil and Curcumin Combination Coated with Pectin and Its Strategy towards Titanium Dioxide, Dimethylhydrazine Colorectal Cancer Model with the Evaluation of the Blood Parameters.

Colorectal cancer is considered the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of death globally. It has been proven that titanium dioxide nanoparticles produce oxidative stress and can lead to chronic inflammation, which could turn into diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, and so on. To evaluate the effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) curcumin (CUR) conjugate coated with pectin on colorectal cancer induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) and dimethylhydrazine (DMH), male rats were administered TiO2-NPs (5 mg/kg) orally and DMH (1 mg/kg) peritoneally for 70 days and treated with 5-FU (60 mg/kg) and CUR (240 mg/kg) conjugate (1:4 ratio) coated with pectin. The bodyweight of the animals was evaluated, and the blood sugar level was calculated. Further blood and plasma analyses were conducted. Hematological parameters, antioxidant parameters, and biochemical estimation were taken into consideration. The TiO2-NPs level in the blood and colorectal region was also calculated. With the induction of colon cancer using TiO2-NPs and DMH, a significant increase in the body weight of the animals was seen; eventually, with treatment, it was reduced. The bodyweight increase was due to an increase in the blood sugar level. There were also significant changes in the hematological parameters and biochemical estimation reports when comparing those of the positive control, negative control, and treated groups. No significant effect on biochemical estimation reports was seen. Conclusions: These reports suggest that 5-FU CUR conjugate coated with pectin helps in the management of colorectal cancer induced by TiO2-NPs and DMH.

Wrinkled Flower-Like rGO intercalated with Ni(OH)2 and MnO2 as High-Performing Supercapacitor Electrode.

This study reports a simple one-step hydrothermal method for the preparation of a Ni(OH)2 and MnO2 intercalated rGO nanostructure as a potential supercapacitor electrode material. Having highly amorphous rGO layers with turbostratic and integrated wrinkled flower-like morphology, the as-prepared electrode material showed a high specific capacitance of 420 F g-1 and an energy density of 14.58 Wh kg-1 with 0.5 M Na2SO4 as the electrolyte in a symmetric two-electrode. With the successful intercalation of the γ-MnO2 and α-Ni(OH)2 in between the surface of the as-prepared rGO layers, the interlayer distance of the rGO nanosheets expanded to 0.87 nm. The synergistic effect of γ-MnO2, α-Ni(OH)2, and rGO exhibited the satisfying high cyclic stability with a capacitance retention of 82% even after 10 000 cycles. Thus, the as-prepared Ni(OH)2 and MnO2 intercalated rGO ternary hybrid is expected to contribute to the fabrication of a real-time high-performing supercapacitor device.

Polymer Composites with Quantum Dots as Potential Electrode Materials for Supercapacitors Application: A Review.

Owing to the nanometer size range, Quantum Dots (QDs) have exhibited unique physical and chemical properties which are favourable for different applications. Especially, due to their quantum confinement effect, excellent optoelectronic characteristics is been observed. This considerable progress has not only uplifted the singular usage of QDs, but also encouraged to prepare various hybrid materials to achieve superior efficiency by eliminating certain shortcomings. Such issues can be overcome by compositing QDs with polymers. Via employing polymer composite with QDs (PQDs) for supercapacitor applications, adequate conductivity, stability, excellent energy density, and better specific capacitance is been achieved which we have elaborately discussed in this review. Researchers have already explored various types of polymer nanocomposite with different QDs such as carbonaceous QDs, transition metal oxide/sulphide QDs etc. as electrode material for supercapacitor application. Synthesis, application outcome, benefits, and drawbacks of these are explained to portray a better understanding. From the existing studies it is clearly confirmed that with using PQDs electrical conductivity, electrochemical reactivity, and the charge accumulation on the surface have prominently been improved which effected the fabricated supercapacitor device performance. More comprehensive fundamentals and observations are explained in the current review which indicates their promising scopes in upcoming times.

Phytochemical-Assisted Synthesis of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Evaluation of Their Catalytic Activity.

In this study, magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) were synthesized using Baccaurea ramiflora leaf extracts and characterized by visual observation, UV-Vis, FTIR, XRD, FESEM, and EDS. The UV-Vis spectrum showed continuous absorption at 300-500 nm, confirming the formation of Fe3O4 NPs. FTIR revealed that compounds containing the O-H group act as reducing agents during Fe3O4 NPs formation. Agglomerated spherical NPs were observed in the FESEM image. The prominent peak at ~6.4 keV in the EDS spectrum ascertained the existence of Fe, while the sharp peak at ~0.53 keV confirmed the presence of elemental oxygen. XRD patterns affirmed the crystalline nature. The size of as-synthesized NPs was observed to be 8.83 nm. The catalytic activity of Fe3O4 NPs for the reduction of methylene blue (MB) dye was monitored by UV-Vis. The maximum absorption peak of MB dye at 664 nm was almost diminished within 20 min, which revealed Fe3O4 NPs could be an excellent catalyst for wastewater treatment.

Locally Applied Repositioned Hormones for Oral Bone and Periodontal Tissue Engineering: A Narrative Review.

Bone and periodontium are tissues that have a unique capacity to repair from harm. However, replacing or regrowing missing tissues is not always effective, and it becomes more difficult as the defect grows larger. Because of aging and the increased prevalence of debilitating disorders such as diabetes, there is a considerable increase in demand for orthopedic and periodontal surgical operations, and successful techniques for tissue regeneration are still required. Even with significant limitations, such as quantity and the need for a donor area, autogenous bone grafts remain the best solution. Topical administration methods integrate osteoconductive biomaterial and osteoinductive chemicals as hormones as alternative options. This is a promising method for removing the need for autogenous bone transplantation. Furthermore, despite enormous investigation, there is currently no single approach that can reproduce all the physiologic activities of autogenous bone transplants. The localized bioengineering technique uses biomaterials to administer different hormones to capitalize on the host's regeneration capacity and capability, as well as resemble intrinsic therapy. The current study adds to the comprehension of the principle of hormone redirection and its local administration in both bone and periodontal tissue engineering.

Baghdadite: A Novel and Promising Calcium Silicate in Regenerative Dentistry and Medicine.

For several years, ceramic biomaterials have been extensively utilized to rebuild and substitute for body tissues. Calcium silicates have been proven to exhibit excellent bioactivity due to apatite formation and cell proliferation stimulation, in addition to degradability at levels adequate for hard tissue formation. These ceramics' excellent biological characteristics have attracted researchers. Baghdadite is a calcium silicate incorporating zirconium ions that enhances human osteoblast multiplication and development, increasing mineralization, and ossification. It has currently received much interest in academic institutions and has been extensively explored in the form of permeable frameworks, varnishes, bone adhesive and gap fillings, microparticles, and nanospheres, particularly in a wide range of biomedical applications. This review article aims to summarize and analyze the most recent research on baghdadite's mechanical characteristics, apatite-forming capability, dissolution pattern, and physiochemical qualities as a scaffold for dentofacial tissuè regeneration purposes.

Functional Thermoresponsive Hydrogel Molecule to Material Design for Biomedical Applications.

Temperature-induced, rapid changes in the viscosity and reproducible 3-D structure formation makes thermos-sensitive hydrogels an ideal delivery system to act as a cell scaffold or a drug reservoir. Moreover, the hydrogels' minimum invasiveness, high biocompatibility, and facile elimination from the body have gathered a lot of attention from researchers. This review article attempts to present a complete picture of the exhaustive arena, including the synthesis, mechanism, and biomedical applications of thermosensitive hydrogels. A special section on intellectual property and marketed products tries to shed some light on the commercial potential of thermosensitive hydrogels.

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.