Catalytic reduction of toxic dyes over nickel oxide nanoparticles supported on CMK-3 catalyst.

In the current paper, a NiO nanoparticles-loaded mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) catalyst, denoted as NiO/CMK-3, has been successfully synthesized using a facile strategy. The as-prepared material has been characterized through XRD, Raman spectroscopy, low-temperature N2 physisorption measurements, FTIR, FE-SEM, TEM, and XPS. The as-fabricated NiO/CMK-3 catalyst manifested a superior activity in the NaBH4-assisted reduction of methylene blue (MB) dye to its colorless leuco form. Remarkably, over 99% of 25 mg L-1 MB was reduced by 7.5 mM/L NaBH4 using 0.1 g L-1 NiO/CMK-3 within 3 min at room temperature. Furthermore, the kinetics study confirmed the appropriateness of the pseudo-first-order kinetic model for elucidating the kinetics of MB reduction by the catalyst. Importantly, the NiO/CMK-3 catalyst maintained almost constant catalytic activity even after 5 times of reuse in MB reduction, demonstrating its superior stability and reusable ability. So, NiO/CMK-5 appears as a promising heterogeneous catalyst for the effective remediation of dye-containing wastewater.

Pushing the limits of PLA by exploring the power of MWCNTs in enhancing thermal, mechanical properties, and weathering resistance.

The present study focuses on enhancing the mechanical, thermal, and degradation behavior of polylactic acid (PLA) by adding carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with different concentrations of 0.5, 1, 3, and 5%. The CNTs were prepared using catalytic chemical vapor deposition, and the prepared PLA/CNTs nanocomposite films were characterized using techniques such as FT-IR, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, SEM, and XRD. The distinct diffraction patterns of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at 2θ angles of 25.7° and 42.7° were no longer observed in the prepared nanocomposites, indicating uniform dispersion of MWCNTs within the PLA matrix. The presence of MWCNTs enhanced the crystallinity of PLA as the CNT loading increased. Mechanical tests demonstrated that incorporating CNTs positively influenced the elongation at the break while decreasing the ultimate tensile strength of PLA. The PLA-3%CNTs composition exhibited the highest elongation at break (51.8%) but the lowest tensile strength (64 MPa). Moreover, thermal gravimetric analysis confirmed that the prepared nanocomposites exhibited greater thermal stability than pure PLA. Among the nanocomposites, PLA-5% CNTs exhibited the highest thermal stability. Furthermore, the nanocomposites demonstrated reduced surface degradation in accelerated weathering tests, with a more pronounced resilience to UV radiation and moisture-induced deterioration observed in PLA-3% CNTs.

Facile Synthesis of ZnS/1T-2H MoS2nanocomposite for Boosted adsorption/photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visiblelight.

Facile solvothermal techniques were used to manufacture ZnS/1T-2H MoS2 nanocomposite (ZMS) with outstanding adsorption-photocatalytic activity. The formed catalyst was characterized by different tools; XRD, HR-TEM, EDX, FTIR, Raman, N2adsorprion/desorption, Zeta potential, PL,and XPS. The analysis provided the formation on mixed phase of metallic 1Tand 2H phases. ZMS has a high porosity and large specific surface area, and it has a high synergistic adsorption-photocatalytic degradation effect for MB, with a removal efficiency of ≈100% in 45 minutes under visible light irradiation. The extraordinary MB removal efficiency of ZMS was attributed not only to the high specific surface area (49.15 m2/g) and precious reactive sites generated by ZMS, but also to the formation of 1T and 2H phases if compared to pristine MoS2 (MS). The best adsorption affinity was induced by the existance of 1T phase. The remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity of ZMS nanocomposite can be ascribed to the 2D heterostructure which enhances the adsorption for pollutants, provides abundant reaction active sites, extends the photoresponse to visible light region.

In vitro neurogenesis from neural progenitor cells isolated from the hippocampus region of the brain of adult rats exposed to ethanol during early development through their alcohol-drinking mothers.

AIMS: This study was aimed to determine whether ethanol exposure during early development altered neurogenesis in the brain of adult rats. METHODS: Pregnant rats were given either ethanol-mixed or mannose-mixed (for control) rodent liquid diet ad libitum. Ethanol drinking continued during pregnancy and nursing. After weaning, the pups (AC(o): pups from control mothers, AE(o): pups from ethanol exposed mothers) received normal diet and water ad libitum for 11 weeks. Then the rats were anesthetized, their brains were collected and the hippocampal samples were processed for isolation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). AC(o) NPCs and AE(o) NPCs were sequentially grown in media containing different growth factors that induced proliferation and differentiation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Neuronal maturation was significantly delayed in ethanol-exposed rats. AC(o) NPCs, up to day 7 of culture, exhibited high beta-catenin-probe binding, an increase in Ca(2+) when exposed to gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) and lack of response to glutamate (Glu) exposure. beta-Catenin-probe binding and the stimulatory effects of GABA declined thereafter. AC(o) NPCs, at culture day 29, exhibited high beta-catenin-probe binding, lack of response to GABA and elevated Glu-induced increase in Ca(2+i). Cultures of AE(o) NPCs showed an amplified stimulatory effects of GABA, attenuated stimulatory effects of Glu and attenuated the delayed (culture day 29) increase in the expression of Wnt proteins and beta-catenin-probe binding. This suggests a significant alteration in neurogenesis and synapse formation in adult rats exposed to ethanol at early development through their alcohol-drinking mothers.

Insomnia in children: when are hypnotics indicated?

Insomnia in children is a nonspecific impairing symptom that may be the result of normal developmental changes, psychosocial duress, a sleep disorder, a psychiatric disorder, other medical disorders, substance misuse, or an adverse effect of medication. Careful clinical assessment of insomnia in children may include the use of symptom rating scales, laboratory testing, or other medical assessment. Short- and long-term treatment of insomnia in children involves management of etiological factors and associated syndromes. Controlled treatment studies of pediatric insomnia are limited to <10 published studies of psychosocial and/or psychopharmacological treatment in young children. Directive parent education and behavior modification techniques have been effective in short-term treatment of insomnia in young children, and may be the preferred treatment of extrinsic insomnia, as well as an important adjunctive treatment of any insomnia symptoms. Two benzodiazepines [flurazepam and delorazepam (chlordesmethyldiazepam)], one antihistamine (niaprazine) and one phenothiazine [alimemazine (trimeprazine)] have been shown to be effective in the short-term treatment of insomnia in young children, although none of these agents have US Food and Drug Administration approval for pediatric insomnia. Short-acting benzodiazepines may have a role in the brief treatment of pediatric insomnia associated with an anxiety or mood disorder, psychosis, aggression, medication- induced activation, or anticipatory anxiety associated with a medical procedure. However, tachyphylaxis and risk of misuse preclude the long-term use of benzodiazepines for the treatment of insomnia in children. Newer hypnotics, which appear better tolerated than the benzodiazepines in studies of adults, may have a role when combined with psychosocial treatments of pediatric insomnia. Treatment of intrinsic pediatric insomnia may additionally involve chronotherapy or medical management.

Incremental cost-effectiveness of supplementary immunization activities to prevent neonatal tetanus in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of supplementary immunization activities to prevent neonatal tetanus in the Loralai district of Pakistan. The supplemental immunization activities were carried out in two phases during 2001-03. METHODS: A state-transition model was used to estimate the effect of routine vaccination with tetanus toxoid as well as vaccination with tetanus toxoid during supplementary immunization activities. The model follows each woman in the target population from birth until the end of her childbearing years, using age-specific fertility data and vaccination history to determine the number of births at risk for neonatal tetanus. Recently published data on the incidence of neonatal tetanus from Loralai were used to determine the number of cases occurring with and without supplementary immunization activities. Data on the costs of the activities were collected from the UNICEF office in Balochistan and from the Provincial Health Department. FINDINGS: Using base-case assumptions we estimated that the supplementary immunization activities would prevent 280 cases of neonatal tetanus and 224 deaths from neonatal tetanus between 2001 and 2034. Implementation of the supplementary activities was relatively inexpensive. The cost per tetanus toxoid dose delivered was 0.40 U.S. dollars. In the base-case analysis the cost per death averted was 117.00 U.S. dollars (95% confidence interval (CI) = 78-205 U.S. dollars) and the cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted was 3.61 U.S. dollars (95% Cl = 2.43-6.39 U.S. dollars). CONCLUSION: Compared with similar analyses of other interventions, the cost per DALY averted is a favourable cost-effectiveness ratio. However, if routine diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccination coverage in the Loralai district had been higher (at a coverage rate of about 80%) the cost-effectiveness of the intervention would have been even more favourable, at 2.65 U.S. dollars per DALY averted.