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Wool is the most widely used proteinic natural fiber in the clothing industry by virtue of its versatile properties. Unfortunately, wool, as a natural fiber, is more susceptible to attack by microorganisms and moths, which may cause harm to the fiber and human health. That is why the antimicrobial and mothproof finishing of natural textiles is of prime importance to the textile and clothing industry. Herein, wool fabric was treated with the synthesized 6-aminocoumarin adopting the pad-dry-cure technique with or without a cross-linker. The treated wool fabric was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . The treated wool fabric was also tested for moth-proofing performance against Tineola Bisselliella through assessing the fabric weight loss. Various analyses were conducted to assign the alteration in the structure of the treated wool fibers, viz., urea-bisulfite solubility, carboxylic content, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy displayed the surface of wool fabric before and after treatment. Some physical and mechanical properties were also assessed. Results revealed that treated wool fabric showed a bacterial resistance to Gram +ve and Gram -ve bacteria, in addition to its improved resistance to moth larvae attack without deterioration in the fabric's inherent properties.

Ruthenium complexes incorporating 2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine ligands have emerged as promising candidates due to their versatile biological activities including DNA-binding, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. In this study, three new 4'-functionalized bis(terpyridine) Ru(II) complexes were synthesized. These complexes feature one ligand as 4-(2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine-4'-yl) benzoic acid and the second ligand as either 4'-(2-thienyl)-2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine, 4'-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine, or 4'-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-2,2' : 6',2''-terpyridine. Besides the chemical characterization by 1 H and 13 C NMR, mass spectrometry, and absorption and emission spectroscopy, the complexes were tested for their biological activity as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial agents. Moreover, the toxicity of the Ru(II) complexes was assessed and benchmarked against diclofenac potassium and ibuprofen using a haemolysis assay. Biological evaluations demonstrate that these ruthenium complexes exhibit promising therapeutic potential with reduced haemolytic activity compared to standard drugs. They demonstrate substantial anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of albumin denaturation along with moderate cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. These findings highlight the multifaceted biomedical applications of 4'-functionalized bis(terpyridine) Ru(II) complexes, suggesting their potential for further development as effective and safe therapeutic agents., (© 2024 The Authors. ChemMedChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

This study identifies the secondary metabolites from Alternaria alternate and evaluates their ACE-2: Spike RBD (SARS-CoV-2) inhibitory activity confirmed via immunoblotting in human lung microvascular endothelial cells. In addition, their in vitro anti-inflammatory potential was assessed using a cell-based assay in LPS-treated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Two novel compounds, altenuline (1), phthalic acid bis (7'/7'' pentyloxy) isohexyl ester (2), along with 1-deoxyrubralactone (3) alternariol-5-O-methyl ether (4) and alternariol (5) were identified. Molecular docking and in vitro studies showed that compounds 2 and 4 were promising to counteract SARS-CoV-2 attachment to human ACE-2. Thus, they are considered promising natural anti-viral agents. SwissADME in silico analysis was conducted to predict the drug-like potential. Immunoblotting analysis confirmed that the tested compounds (1-4) demonstrated downregulation of ACE-2 expression in the endothelial cells from the lungs with variable degrees. Furthermore, the tested compounds (1-4) showed promising anti-inflammatory activities through TNF-α: TNFR2 inhibitory activity and their inhibitory effect on the proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) in LPS-stimulated monocytes. In conclusion, our study, for the first time, provides beneficial experimental confirmation for the efficiency of the A. alternate secondary metabolites for the treatment of COVID-19 as they hinder SARS-CoV-2 infection and lower inflammatory responses initiated by SARS-CoV-2. A. alternate and its metabolites are considered in developing preventative and therapeutic tactics for COVID-19., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Moharram et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant mortality and morbidity for millions of people. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus is capable of causing severe and fatal diseases. We evaluated the antiviral properties of Aspergillus tamarii SP73-EGY isolate extract against low pathogenic coronavirus (229E), Adeno-7- and Herpes-2 viruses. The extract showed a high selectivity index (SI = 43.4) and a significant inhibition of 229E (IC 50  = 8.205 μg/ml). It was stronger than the drug control, remdesivir (IC 50  = 38.2 μg/ml, SI = 7.29). However, the extract showed minimal efficacy against Adeno-7- and Herpes-2-Viruses (IC 50  = 22.52, 47.79 μg/ml, and SI = 6.75, 5.08, respectively). It exhibited profound efficacy against the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 (IC 50  = 8.306 μg/ml, SI = 42.2). Kojic acid, the primary component of the extract, showed substantial antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 (IC 50  = 23.4 μg/ml, SI = 5.6), Remdesivir (IC 50  = 4.55 μg/ml, SI = 61.45). Therefore, the extract demonstrated the most notable antiviral characteristics against coronavirus infection. Co-infecting microorganisms may contribute to immune system deterioration and airway injury caused by SARS-CoV-2. The extract showed significant efficacy against E. coli and P. aeruginosa, with an inhibition range of 3.5-10 mm at a concentration of 200 mg/ml. A molecular docking study showed that hexadecanoic, Kojic, octanoic acids, and 4(4-Methylbenzylidene)cyclohexane-1,3-dione have stronger binding affinity to the SARS-CoV-2 M pro than Remdesivir. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to examine the structural stability and flexibility of these complexes. This confirmed the high binding affinities of Kojic acid and 4(4-Methylbenzylidene)cyclohexane-1,3-dione, thereby proving their potential as novel anti-SARS-CoV-2., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The rising incidence of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) has been leading to the development of alternative antifungal therapies. This study aimed to develop a topical chitosan-oleic acid nanoparticle (CH-OA-NP) cream loaded with lemon peel essential oil (LPEO) for VVC treatment. The characterization of the optimal nanoparticle formulation (F4: 10 g/L CH, 2:1 OA/LPEO ratio) showed high encapsulation efficiency, stability, and controlled release. Moreover, it was characterized regarding its particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and chemical/morphological profile. LPEO-related compounds (e.g., eriodictyol) were identified through LC-ESI-QqTOF-HRMS in the cream matrix, suggesting the preservation of LPEO potential bioactivities after formulation. In silico docking of 12 LPEO metabolites revealed that compounds such as citronellic acid exerted inhibitory effects against several inflammation-associated enzymes (e.g., 14-α-Demethylase). In vitro antimicrobial tests demonstrated remarkable activity against Candida albicans , Gram-negative (e.g., Escherichia coli ), and Gram-positive (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus ) bacteria. In vivo studies in a rat model of VVC revealed significant antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects of the LPEO-CH-OA-NP cream (5% and 10%), leading to reduced MDA, MPO, and IL-1β levels and increased GSH activity. This novel formulation potentially offers a promising alternative therapy for VVC, addressing the current antifungal therapies' limitations, counteracting drug resistance.

Novel coumarin derivatives were synthesised and tested for their cytotoxicity against human cancer cells (PC-3 and MDA-MB-231). Compounds 5 , 4b , and 4a possessed potent cytotoxic activity against PC-3 cells with IC 50 3.56, 8.99, and 10.22 µM, respectively. Compound 4c displayed cytotoxicity more than erlotinib in the MDA-MB-231 cells with IC 50 8.5 µM. Moreover, compound 5 exhibited potent inhibitory activity on EFGR with IC 50 0.1812 µM, as well as PI3Kβ inhibitory activity that was twofold higher than LY294002, suggesting that this compound has a dual EGFR and PI3Kβ inhibiting activity. Docking aligns with the in vitro results and sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying dual targeting. Furthermore, compound 5 decreased AKT and m-TOR expression in PC-3 cells, showing that it specifically targets these cells via the EGFR/PI3K/Akt/m-TOR signalling pathway. Simultaneously, compound 5 caused cell cycle arrest at S phase and induced activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, surpassed only by heart disease. Moreover, bacterial infections remain a significant global health burden, contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality, especially among hospitalized patients. EGFR has emerged as a prime therapeutic target due to its pivotal role in driving uncontrolled cell growth and survival across numerous cancer types. In addition, DNA gyrase represents a promising target for the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Therefore, we aimed to design and synthesize new multi-target quinoline hybrids (7-17e) capable of acting as anti-proliferative and antimicrobial agents by inhibiting EGFR and microbial DNA gyrase, respectively. The inhibitory potential of the synthesized compounds was determined using in vitro and in silico approaches. The antiproliferative activity of the synthesized quinoline-oxadiazole derivatives 7-17e was assessed against two cancer cell lines, namely, hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7). The assessed compounds 7-17e showed considerable cytotoxic activity activities against HepG2 and MCF-7 with IC 50 values of 0.137-0.332 and 0.164-0.583 μg mL -1 , respectively, in comparison to erlotinib as the positive control, which showed an IC 50 value of 0.308 and 0.512 μg mL -1 , respectively. Moreover, an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibition assay was conducted on the most prominent candidates. The results showed good IC 50 values of 0.14 and 0.18 μM for compounds 8c and 12d, respectively, compared to lapatinib (IC 50 value of 0.12 μM). Furthermore, the minimum antimicrobial inhibitory concentration was evaluated for the most prominent candidates with S. aureus , E. coli , and C. albicans . Compounds 17b, 17d and 17e displayed the most potent inhibitory activity, exhibiting 4-, 16- and 8-fold more activity, respectively, than the reference neomycin. Hence, we can conclude that the afforded compounds can be used as lead dual anticancer and antimicrobial candidates for future optimization., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Indole-based heterocyclic scaffolds have become increasingly important in medicinal chemistry due to their notable pharmacological and biological properties. Their role in the discovery and development of innovative drugs for treating various diseases highlights their value. This study aimed to synthesize C3-indole derivatives linked to various heterocyclic scaffolds, including thiophenes, thiazolidine-4-ones, and 1,3,4-thiadiazoles, via the reaction of ethylthioacetanilide 2 with different α-haloketones.The structures of the target compounds were established using 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The synthesized compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity against different microbes: S. aureus ATCC 6538 (Gram-positive bacteria), E. coli ATCC 25933 (Gram-negative bacteria), C. albicans ATCC 10231 (yeast), and fungi (A. niger NRRL-A326). Thiophene 6a, thiazolidine-4-one 8, and compound 10d exhibited the highest antimicrobial activities. The molecular docking study showed that compounds 2, 4, 6a, and 6c had good binding energy and favorable binding modes of interactions with the DNA gyrase B enzymes (PDB: 3 U2D) and (PDB: 1S14). The results showed that the NH group of the indole in compounds 2 and 4, together with the nitrile group (CN), played an important role in inhibiting DNA gyrase B of S. aureus, PDB: 3 U2D. Furthermore, the NH of the indole ring, together with the ethylamino group of compound 2, was crucial in inhibiting DNA gyrase B of E. coli, PDB: 1S14. These findings may encourage researchers to develop more effective C3-indole derivatives in their search for antimicrobial drugs., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Quorum sensing (QS) is a bacterial cell-to-cell communication mechanism that plays an essential role in bacterial pathogenesis. QS governs bacterial behavior and controls biofilm formation, which in turn contributes to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, identifying and synthesizing novel compounds to overcome QS and inhibit biofilm formation are essential. Coumarins are important plant-derived natural products with wide-ranging bioactivities and extensive applications, including antibacterial, antifungal, anticoagulant, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Additionally, coumarins are capable of QS rewiring and biofilm formation inhibition, leading to higher susceptibility to antimicrobial agents and less antibiotic resistance. Therefore, in this review, we aim to provide an overview of QS and biofilm formation. This review also discusses the role of natural and synthesized coumarins in controlling QS, inhibiting biofilm formation, and inducing synergy in antibiotic-coumarin combinations. Hence, this review emphasizes the potential of coumarin compounds to act as antibacterial agents and demonstrates their ability to alleviate antibiotic resistance.

Inflammation serves as an intricate defense mechanism for tissue repair. However, overactivation of TLR4-mediated inflammation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can lead to detrimental outcomes such as sepsis, acute lung injury, and chronic inflammation, often associated with cancer and autoimmune diseases. This study delves into the anti-inflammatory properties of "Aspergillus unguis isolate SP51-EGY" on LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Through real-time qPCR, we assessed the expression levels of pivotal inflammatory genes, including iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6. Remarkably, our fungal extracts significantly diminished NO production and showed noteworthy reductions in the mRNA expression levels of the aforementioned genes. Furthermore, while Nrf2 is typically associated with modulating inflammatory responses, our findings indicate that the anti-inflammatory effects of our extracts are not Nrf2-dependent. Moreover, the chemical diversity of the potent extract (B Sh F) was elucidated using Q-TOF LC-HRMS, identifying 54 compounds, some of which played vital roles in suppressing inflammation. Most notably, compounds like granisetron, fenofibrate, and umbelliprenin were found to downregulate TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 through the NF-κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, "Aspergillus unguis isolate SP51-EGY", isolated from the Red Sea, Egypt, has been unveiled as a promising TLR4 inhibitor with significant anti-inflammatory potentials, presenting novel insights for their potential therapeutic use in inflammation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A new series of chromone and furochromone-based sulfonamide Schiff's base derivatives 3-12 were synthesized and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, E. coli, C. albicans, and A. niger using agar diffusion method. Compound 3a demonstrated potent antimicrobial activities with MIC values of 9.76 and 19.53 μg/mL against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans, which is 2-fold and 4-fold more potent than neomycin (MIC = 19.53, 39.06 μg/mL respectively). To improve the effectiveness of 3a, it was encapsulated into chitosan nanoparticles (CS-3aNPs). The CS-3aNPs size was 32.01 nm, as observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) images and the zeta potential value was 14.1 ± 3.07 mV. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading capacity (LC) were 91.5 % and 1.6 %, respectively as indicated by spectral analysis. The CS-3aNPs extremely inhibited bacterial growth utilizing the colony-forming units (CFU). The ability of CS-3aNPs to protect skin wounds was evaluated in vivo. CS-3aNPs showed complete wound re-epithelialization, hyperplasia of the epidermis, well-organized granulation tissue formation, and reduced signs of wound infection, as seen through histological assessment which showed minimal inflammatory cells in comparison with untreated wound. Overall, these findings suggest that CS-3aNPs has a positive impact on protecting skin wounds from infection due to their antimicrobial activity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Highly solid-state fluorescent dyes based on phenothiazine bearing sulfa-drug derivatives were successfully prepared and fully characterized by NMR, mass spectra, and elemental analysis. The prepared phenothiazine dyes bearing sulfadiazine and sulfathiazole 4-(((10-hexyl-10 H-phenothiazin-3-yl)methylene)amino)-N-(pyrimidin-2yl) benzenesulfonamide (PTZ-1) and 4-(((10-hexyl-10 H-phenothiazin-3-yl) methylene) amino)-N-(thiazol-2-yl)benzenesulfonamide (PTZ-2), showed strong emission in polycrystalline form, and significant emission in solution was observed. The quantum yield of the prepared dyes varied and decreased by increasing the solvent polarity, with the maximum recorded value being 0.63 and 0.6 in dioxane. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and the effect of the solvent polarity on absorption and emission spectra were investigated. The dyeing application of polyester fabrics using the prepared phenothiazine-based dyes was studied, showing very good affinity to dyed fabrics. The antibacterial affinity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria for the dye powder as well as the dyed PET fabric was investigated, with PTZ-2 showing better affinity against bacteria compared to PTZ-1. This multifunctional property highlights the potential uses of PTZ-1 and PTZ-2 for advanced applications in biomedicine and optoelectronics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Coumarins are heterocycles of great interest in the development of valuable active structures in chemistry and biological domains. The ability of coumarins to inhibit biofilm formation of Gram positive bacterium (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram negative bacterium (Escherichia coli) as well as the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has been previously described. In the present work, new hybrid coumarin-heterocycles have been synthesized via the reaction of coumarin-6-sulfonyl chloride and 6-aminocoumarin with different small heterocycle moieties. The biological efficacy of the new compounds was evaluated towards their ability to inhibit biofilm formation and their anti-inflammatory properties. The antimicrobial activities of the newly synthesized compounds were tested against Gram positive bacterium (S. aureus ATCC 6538), Gram negative bacterium (E. coli ATCC 25922), yeast (Candida albicans ATCC 10231) and the fungus (Aspergillus niger NRRL-A326). Compounds 4d, 4e, 4f, 6a and 9 showed significant MIC and MBC values against S. aureus, E. coli, C. albicans, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) with especial incidence on compound 9 which surpasses all the other compounds giving MIC and MBC values of (4.88 and 9.76 µg/mL for S. aureus), (78.13 and 312.5 µg/mL for E. coli), (9.77 and 78.13 µg/mL for C. albicans), and (39.06 and 76.7 µg/mL for MRSA), respectively. With reference to the antibiofilm activity, compound 9 exhibited potent antibiofilm activity with IC 50 of 60, 133.32, and 19.67 µg/mL against S. aureus, E. coli, and MRSA, (respectively) considering the reference drug (neomycin). Out of all studied compounds, the anti-inflammatory results indicated that compound 4d effectively inhibited nitric oxide production in lipopolysaccharide-(LPS-) stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells, giving NO% inhibition of 70% compared to Sulindac (55.2%)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This work aims to enhance the performance of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite by using cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) as reinforcement and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as conducting and antimicrobial reagents. Firstly, rGO was loaded onto CuNPs using an eco-friendly microwave method. Different techniques characterized the components and prepared composites, which indicated the incorporation of cellulose nanocrystals and rGO@CuNPs within the polyvinyl alcohol matrix. Utilizing the clear zone of inhibition, the antibacterial test was quantified. Compared to the neat composite, the rGO@CuNPs loaded polyvinyl alcohol/ cellulose nanocrystal composites exhibited no bacterial growth against S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. However, all composites did not have antifungal activity against A. niger. The combination of conductivity and interfacial polarization is the reason for the abrupt increase of permittivity with decreasing frequency. Besides, adding rGO@CuNPs improved the electrical conductivity. DC-Conductivity increased about a decade after adding cellulose nanocrystal to polyvinyl alcohol, then another decade after adding CuONPs. The electric loss modulus representation shows a systematic shift in the peak position towards higher frequencies, decreasing the so-called conductivity relaxation time. This is the main reason for the enhancement of conductivity. The systematic attenuation of peaks' height with increasing conductivity is still unclear., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Laccase-producing fungus (MY3) was successfully isolated from soil samples collected from Mansoura Governorate, Egypt. This fungal isolate has shown a high laccase production level over other isolated fungi. The identity of this isolate was determined by the molecular technique 18SrRNA as Curvularia lunata MY3. The enzyme purification was performed using ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by Sephacryl S-200 and DEAE-Sepharose column chromatography. The denatured enzyme using SDS-PAGE had a molar mass of 65 kDa. The purified laccase had an optimum temperature at 40 °C for enzyme activity with 57.3 kJ/mol activation energy for 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) oxidation. The enzyme had an optimum pH of 5.0, and it has shown a high stability at the acidic range (4.5 to 5.5). Mn 2+ and Mg 2+ ions enhanced the enzyme activity, while most of the enzyme activity was inhibited by Hg 2+ . Some compounds such as 2-mercaptoethanol, L-cysteine, and sodium azide at a concentration of 10 mmol/L had shown a high suppression effect on the enzyme activity. The enzyme strongly oxidized ABTS and syringaldazine and moderately oxidized DMP and guaiacol. The antimicrobial activity of the purified enzyme towards three pathogenic strains (Escherichia coli ATCC-25922, Staphylococcus aureus NRRLB-767, and Candida albicans ATCC-10231) was evaluated for the potential use as an antimicrobial therapeutic enzyme., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aspergillus terreus has been reported to produce many bioactive metabolites that possess potential activities including anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities. In the present study, we report the isolation and identification of A. terreus from a collected soil sample. The metabolites existing in the microbial ethyl acetate extract were tentatively identified by HPLC/MS and chemically categorized into alkaloids, terpenoids, polyketides, γ-butyrolactones, quinones, and peptides. In addition, a new triglyceride (1) and a diketopiperazine derivative namely asterrine (4), together with two known butyrolactone (2-3) were purified from the extract. The chemical skeleton of the purified compounds was established by comprehensive analysis of their ESI/MS, 1 and 2D-NMR data. The extract and compounds 3,4 exhibited a strong inhibitory activity for the binding of ACE2 to SARS-CoV-2 spike-protein receptor with IC 50  7.4, 9.5, and 8.5 µg/mL, respectively. In addition, the extract, 1 and 2 displayed a potent anti-inflammatory effect with IC 50  51.31 and 37.25 pg/mL (Il-6) and 87.97, 68.22 pg/mL (TNF-α), respectively, in comparison to LPS control. In addition, the extract and compound 4 displayed an antimicrobial effect towards S. aureus by MIC 62.5 and 125 μg/mL, while the extract exhibited a potent effect against C. albicans (MIC of 125 μg/mL). Collectively, our data introduce novel bioactivities for the secondary metabolites produced by the terrestrial fungus Aspergillus terreus., (© 2023. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The limited usage of chitosan as a dye adsorbent is attributed to its compact structure and low swelling ability, despite its exceptional properties. The present study aimed to prepare novel chitosan/pyrazole Schiff base (ChS) adsorbents enriched with greenly synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles. The preparation of ZnO-NPs was carried out through a green approach using the Coriandrum sativum extract. The presence of ZnO-NPs at the nanoscale was validated through TEM, DLS and XRD analyses. FTIR and 1 H NMR confirmed the successful preparation of the Schiff base and its ZnO-NPs adsorbents. The incorporation of ZnO-NPs improved the thermal, swelling and antimicrobial properties of the chitosan Schiff base. In addition, a significant improvement in the adsorption of Maxilon Blue dye from its aqueous solution by the Schiff base/ZnO-NPs adsorbent was achived. The prepared ChS/ZnO-NPs adsorbent has the potential to be used as an alternative to conventional adsorbents for the removal of dyes from wastewater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Microbial DNA gyrase is regarded as an outstanding microbial target. Hence, 15 new quinoline derivatives ( 5 - 14 ) were designed and synthesized. The antimicrobial activity of the afforded compounds was pursued via in vitro approaches. The investigated compounds displayed eligible MIC values, particularly against G-positive Staphylococcus aureus species. Consequently, an S. aureus DNA gyrase supercoiling assay was performed, using ciprofloxacin as a reference control. Obviously, compounds 6b and 10 unveiled IC 50 values of 33.64 and 8.45 μM, respectively. Alongside, ciprofloxacin exhibited an IC 50 value of 3.80 μM. Furthermore, a significant docking binding score was encountered by compound 6b (-7.73 kcal/mol), surpassing ciprofloxacin (-7.29 kcal/mol). Additionally, both compounds 6b and 10 revealed high GIT absorption without passing the blood brain barrier. Finally, the conducted structure-activity relationship study assured the usefulness of the hydrazine moiety as a molecular hybrid for activity either in cyclic or opened form., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Prostate cancer (PCa) ranks as one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies worldwide. Toxicity, lack of clinical efficacy, and development of resistance phenotypes are the main challenges in the control of prostate malignancies. Notably, castration-resistance prostate cancer (CRPCa) is a highly aggressive and metastatic phenotype of the disease with a poor prognosis and very limited therapeutic options. Herein, we report the isolation and genotypic identification of a soil-derived fungus Aspergillus neoniveus using the PCR-based internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region amplification approach. HPLC/MS investigation of the metabolic profile of the ethyl acetate extract from the fungal biomass revealed tentative identification of forty-five compounds belonging to various chemical classes including γ-butyrolactones, alkaloids, phenolics, and quinoids. Furthermore, the chromatographic purification of microbial extract enabled the identification of nervonic acid methyl ester ( 1 ) for the first time from endophytic fungi, as well as acetyl aszonalenin ( 2 ), and butyrolactone II ( 3 ) for the first time from A. neoniveus . The chemical frameworks of the isolated compounds were identified via extensive spectral analysis including 1 and 2D NMR and MS. The X-ray crystal structure and absolute configuration of acetyl aszonalenin ( 2 ) were also determined. Additionally, screening of in vitro anticancer activity of the fungal extract revealed its potential antiproliferative and anti-migratory activities against five different prostate cancer cells (PC3, PC-3M, DU-145, CWR-R1ca, and 22Rv1), including different cells with the castration-resistance phenotype. Moreover, the isolated metabolites significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and colonization of human prostate cancer cells at low micromolar levels, thus providing credence for future investigation of these metabolites in relevant anti-prostate cancer animal models. Furthermore, computational target prediction tools identified the cannabinoid G-protein coupled receptors type 1 (CB1) as a potential biological target mediating, at least in part, the anticancer effects of acetylaszonalenin ( 2 ). Moreover, molecular modeling and docking studies revealed a favorable binding pose at the CB1 receptor orthosteric ligand pocket aided by multiple polar and hydrophobic interactions with critical amino acids. In conclusion, the Aspergillus neoniveus- derived prenylated indole alkaloid acetylaszonalenin has promising anticancer activity and is amenable to further hit-to-lead optimization for the control of prostate malignancies via modulating CB1 receptors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Fayek, Ebrahim, Elsayed, Abdel-Aziz, Kariuki and Moharram.)

Despite the outstanding characteristics of alginate, it suffers from bad UV-barrier, water barrier, and antimicrobial properties limiting its wide usage in food packaging. For this concern, Box-Behnken design (BBD) was applied to prepare an alginate-based edible coating of the best optimized UV-shielding properties upon the incorporation of both Aloe vera (AV) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs). The optimized minimum UV-transmittance was 4.96% when the optimized compositions of alginate (1.05 g), AV (2.95 g), and ZnO-NPs (4.93 wt%) were used. FTIR was used to verify the successful edible coating preparation while the wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to identify the interactions between the film's components. The incorporation of both AV and ZnO-NPs significantly improved alginate's thermal, water vapor permeability (WVP), mechanical and antimicrobial properties. In addition, the films incorporated with both AV and ZnO-NPs exhibited excellent UV-barrier properties compared with neat alginate. The optimized alginate film incorporated with both ZnO-NPs and AV significantly extended the shelf-life of tomato fruits up to 16 days without any defects. Due to the outstanding physical, UV-shielding, and antimicrobial properties of the optimized alginate/AV/ZnO-NPs film, it could be used potentially in food packaging industries., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The target of our current work was designed to prepare titanium oxide doped silver nanoparticles (Ag/TiO 2 NPs) and their impact on the functionalization of cotton fabrics. Additionally, the effect of Ag/TiO 2 NPs was compared with the individually prepared silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs). In this work, AgNPs were prepared in the solid state using arabic gum as efficient stabilizing and reducing agent. Then, two concentrations of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were used to functionalize the cotton fabrics by pad-dry-cure treatment in the presence of fixing agent to increase the durability of treated cotton fabrics against vigorous washing cycles. The findings implied that the as-prepared nanoparticles were successfully synthesized in nano-size with spherical shape and homogeneity. The efficacy of the functionalized cotton fabrics with those nanoparticles were evaluated in terms of multifunctional properties including antimicrobial and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) and the mechanical features before and after many washing cycles; 10, 15 and 20 times. The resultant also proved that Ag/TiO 2 NPs-treated cotton fabrics exhibited the greater values of both antimicrobial and UPF properties with enhancement in the tensile strength and elongation features. Thus, the combination between these two nanoparticles through doping reaction is suitable for imparting superior antimicrobial properties against the four tested microbial species (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger) and good UPF properties. Depending on the promising obtained results of the multi-finishing fabrics, these nanoparticles of Ag/TiO 2 NPs can be applied for the production of an efficient medical clothes for doctors, nurses and bed sheets for patients in order to kill and prevent the spread of bacteria and then, reduce the transmission of infection to others., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The objective of this study was to prepare and evaluate Nystatin (NYS) loaded transfersomes to achieve better treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Nystatin transferosomes were formulated utilizing thin film hydration method. A 3 2 full factorial design was employed to evaluate the effect of different formulation variables. Two independent variables were chosen; the ratio between lecithin surfactant (X 1 ) was set at three levels (10-40), and the type of surfactants (X 2 ) was set at three levels (Span 60, Span 85 and Pluronic F-127). The dependent responses were; entrapment efficiency (Y 1 : EE %), vesicles size (Y 2 : VS) and release rate (Y 3 : RR). Design Expert® software was utilized to statistically optimize formulation variables. The vesicles revealed high NYS encapsulation efficiency ranging from 97.35 ± 0.03 to 98.01 ± 0.20% whereas vesicle size ranged from 194.8 ± 20.42 to 400.8 ± 42.09 nm. High negative zeta potential values indicated good stability of the prepared formulations. NYS release from transfersomes was biphasic and the release pattern followed Higuchi's model. The optimized formulation (F7) exhibited spherical morphology under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In-vitro and in-vivo antifungal efficiency studies revealed that the optimized formula F7 exhibited significant eradication of candida infestation in comparison to free NYS. The results revealed that the developed NYS transfersomes could be a promising drug delivery system to enhance antifungal efficacy of NYS., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The applications of edible coatings stemmed exclusively from alginate in food packaging are restricted due to their inherent deficient antimicrobial, barrier, and UV-barrier properties. In this work, we aimed to design smart alginate-based coatings for active food packaging through the addition of both aloe vera (AV) and garlic oil (GO). The interactions between the film components were verified by FTIR and XRD. Thermal and mechanical properties were improved by the presence of AV and GO. The presence of AV and GO did not significantly influence the transparency of alginate films. The films exhibited a significant UV-shielding to all UV regions. Water vapor permeability was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced either through the incorporation of AV or GO. The antimicrobial properties of the prepared films were considerably improved by the presence of AV and GO. The shelf-life of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was extended when coated with the alginate film incorporated with AV and GO. Owing to the outstanding UV-shielding, mechanical, thermal, and antimicrobial properties, the alginate/AV/GO active coatings could potentially be implemented in the food packaging industry., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: One of the most preventable errors of a surgeon's career is operating on the incorrect surgical site (ICSS). No study in any specialty has ever investigated the incidence of ICSS events in lower-income countries. This study focuses on identifying the occurrence of these events along with an analysis of potential causes leading to these unfortunate events., Methods: The authors distributed a survey to neurosurgical colleagues from around the world. These surgeons were first asked to identify details about their practice and incidence and personal experience with ICSS in their own careers. At the end of the survey, they responded to questions about their knowledge of safety checklists., Results: In this study there was a 63.4% response rate. When combined with those who participated through various social media platforms, there were 178 responses. The incidence rate for every 10,000 cases performed was found to be 22.8 in the cranial group, 88.6 in the cervical group, and 158.8 in the lumbar procedural group. This study identified that 40% of participants had never learned or experienced the ABCD time-out strategy and that 60% of surgeons did not use intraoperative navigation or imaging in their practices. The error has never been disclosed to the patient in 48% of the ICSS cases., Conclusions: Due to a lack of application of safety checklist protocol, there is an increased occurrence of ICSS events in lower-income countries. The results of this study demonstrate the necessity of investing time and resources dedicated to avoiding preventable errors., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An efficient and simple protocol for the synthesis of a new class of diverse bis(indolyl)pyridines analogues of the marine alkaloid nortopsentin has been reported. A one-pot four-component condensation of 3-cyanocarbomethylindole, various aldehyde, 3-acetylindole, and ammonium acetate in glacial acetic acid led to the formation of 2,6-bis(1 H -indol-3-yl)-4-(substituted-phenyl)pyridine-5-carbonitriles. Additionally, 2,6-bis(1 H -indol-3-yl)-4-(benzofuran) pyridine-5-carbonitriles were prepared via a one-pot four-component condensation of 3-cyanocarbomethylindole, various N -substituted-indole-3-aldehydes, 2-acetylbenzofuran, and ammonium acetate. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit biofilm formation against the Gram-positive bacterial reference strains Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and the Gram-negative strain Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Some of the new compounds showed a marked selectivity against the Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Remarkably, five compounds 4b , 7a , 7c , 7d and 8e demonstrated good antibiofilm formation against S. aureus and E. coli . On the other hand, the release of reducing sugars and proteins from the treated bacterial strains over the untreated strains was considered to explain the disruption effect of the selected compound on the contact cells of S. aureus and E. coli . Out of all studied compounds, the binding energies and binding mode of bis-indole derivatives 7c and 7d were theoretically the best thymidylate kinase, DNA gyrase B and DNA topoisomerase IV subunit B inhibitors.

Anise oil was prepared in its nanoemulsion form to facilitate the penetration of microbial walls, causing microbe mortality. The penetration occurred easily owing to the reduction in its size (nm). Nanoemulsions with different concentrations of anise oil were prepared using lecithin as an emulsifying agent with the aid of an ultra-sonification process. Their morphological and chemical properties were then characterized. The promising constituents were l-Menthone (11.22%), Gurjunene (6.78%), Geranyl acetate (4.03%), Elemene (3.93%), Geranyl tiglate (3.53%), geraniol (3.48%), linalool (0.17%) as well as camphene (0.12%). Different concentrations of prepared anise oil in micro and nanoemulsions were tested as antimicrobial agents against Gram-positive bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus ), Gram-negative bacteria ( Escherichia coli ), yeast ( Candida albicans ) and fungi ( Asperigillus niger ). The findings illustrated that the anise oil-based nanoemulsion exhibited better results. Different biochemical and biological evaluations of anise oil nanoemulsions were conducted, including determining killing times, antioxidant activities (using three different methods), and total phenolics. A trial to estimate the mode of action of anise oil-based nanoemulsion as an antimicrobial agent against S. aureus and C. albicans was performed via studying the release of reducing sugars and protein and conducting scanning electron microscopy.

Medical textiles have played an increasingly important protection role in the healthcare industry. This study was aimed at improving the conventional cotton gauze for achieving advanced biomedical specifications (coloration, UV-protection, anti-inflammation, and antimicrobial activities). These features were obtained by modifying the cotton gauze fabrics via in-situ precipitation of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HAp NP), followed by in-situ photosynthesis of silver (Ag) NPs with ginger oil as a green reductant with anti-inflammation properties. The HAp-Ag NPs coating provides good UV-protection properties. To further improve the HAp and Ag NPs dispersion and adhesion on the surface, the cotton gauze fabrics were modified by cationization with chitosan, or by partial carboxymethylation (anionic modification). The influence of the cationic and anionic modifications and HAp and Ag NPs deposition on the cotton gauze properties (coloration, UV-protection, antimicrobial activities, and water absorption) was thoroughly assessed. Overall, the results indicate that chemical (anionic and cationic) modification of the cotton gauze enhances HAp and Ag NPs deposition. Chitosan can increase biocompatibility and promotes wound healing properties of cotton gauze. Ag NP deposition onto cotton gauze fabrics brought high antimicrobial activities against Candida albicans, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and improved UV protection., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Edible films based on chitosan biguanidine hydrochloride and CMC were optimized for the minimum water vapor permeability (WVP) using the 3-level factorial design. Titanium oxide nanoparticles (nTiO 2 ) were incorporated in different contents into the optimized film (O wvp ). FTIR and 1 H NMR confirmed the successful preparation of films. FE-SEM showed that nTiO 2 was homogeneously distributed, with a size of about 25.78 nm for the film containing 5 wt% of nTiO 2 . XRD was used to study the film's crystallinity, and calculate the crystallite size of nTiO 2 using Debye-Scherrer Equation. Thermal stability, by TGA, was improved while the water vapor permeability was reduced upon increasing the nTiO 2 content. Color measurements showed that the nTiO 2 incorporation didn't significantly affect the transparency. Elongation at break was decreased upon nTiO 2 incorporation while tensile strength and Young's modulus were increased with increasing nTiO 2 up to 3 wt% then begin to decrease. The nanocomposites exhibited significant UV-barrier properties and enhanced antimicrobial activity especially at high contents of nTiO 2 . Shelf-life studies on green bell pepper coated with the nanocomposite films showed excellent resistance to mass loss and spoilage during storage. The obtained data confirm the efficiency of the prepared nTiO 2 nanocomposite films to extend the shelf-life of food., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This work aims to prepare multifunctional edible coating based on alginate and Aloe vera (AV) optimized to minimum water vapor permeability (WVP) using Box-Behnken design. Titanium oxide nanoparticles (nTiO 2 ) were incorporated into the optimized film at different contents. FTIR confirmed the structures, while XRD confirmed nTiO 2 incorporation with a size ranging from 20.38 to 28.81 nm. The UV-shielding was enhanced either in the presence of AV or nTiO 2 . Thermal stability by TGA was improved upon increasing the nTiO 2 content. WVP was significantly decreased from 21.53 g mm/m 2  day kPa for calcium alginate to 7.18 g mm/m 2 day kPa in the presence of AV and nTiO 2 (5 wt%). Color measurements showed non-significant changes in the film's transparency after AV and nTiO 2 incorporation. Mechanical and antimicrobial properties were improved in the presence of nTiO 2 . Shelf-life studies on tomatoes showed significant resistance to mass loss and spoilage when coated with (alginate/AV) film containing 5 wt% of nTiO 2 ., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Zinc crosslinked supramolecular hydrogels from O-carboxymethyl chitosan biguanidine were successfully prepared. The structures of the prepared hydrogels were verified by 1 H NMR, FTIR and XRD. FE-SEM verified the porous structure of hydrogels especially at high contents of Zn 2+ ions. The integral procedure decomposition temperatures calculated from TGA curves showed that the thermal stability was increased upon increasing the content of Zn 2+ ions. Cytotoxicity assays confirmed that the amounts of Zn 2+ ions released from hydrogels were below the toxic level towards a breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The prepared hydrogels exhibited a significant microbial inhibition towards different species of bacteria and fungi, particularly at high Zn contents. Based on the obtained interesting data, the prepared zinc/O-carboxymethyl chitosan biguanidine could be used in drug delivery and biomedical applications., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Marine endophytic fungi from under-explored locations are a promising source for the discovery of new bioactivities. Different endophytic fungi were isolated from plants and marine organisms collected from Wadi El-Natrun saline lakes and the Red Sea near Hurghada, Egypt. The isolated strains were grown on three different media, and their ethyl acetate crude extracts were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogenic bacteria and fungi as well as their antioxidant properties. Results showed that most of the 32 fungal isolates initially obtained possessed antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The most potent antimicrobial extracts were applied to three different cellulose containing fabrics to add new multifunctional properties such as ultraviolet protection and antimicrobial functionality. For textile safety, the toxicity profile of the selected fungal extract was evaluated on human fibroblasts. The 21 strains displaying bioactivity were identified on molecular basis and selected for chemical screening and dereplication, which was carried out by analysis of the MS/MS data using the Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking (GNPS) platform. The obtained molecular network revealed molecular families of compounds commonly produced by fungal strains, and in combination with manual dereplication, further previously reported metabolites were identified as well as potentially new derivatives.

This study aimed to identify the bioactive compounds of the ethyl acetate extract of Aspergillus niger SH2-EGY using GC-MS and to evaluate their protective role against aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 )-induced oxidative stress, genotoxicity and cytotoxicity in rats. Six groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated orally for 4 weeks included the control group, AFB 1 -treated group (80 μg/kg b.w); fungal extract (FE)-treated groups at low (140) or high dose (280) mg/kg b.w and the groups treated with AFB 1 plus FE at the two tested doses. The GC-MS analysis identified 26 compounds. The major compounds found were 1,2,3,4,6-Penta-trimethylsilyl Glucopyranose, Fmoc-L-3-(2-Naphthyl)-alanine, D-(-)-Fructopyranose, pentakis (trimethylsilyl) ether, bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, trimethylsilyl ether-glucitol, and octadecanamide, N-(2- methylpropyl)-N-nitroso. The in vivo results showed that AFB 1 significantly increased serum ALT, AST, creatinine, uric acid, urea, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-fetoprotein, interleukin-6, Malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, Bax, caspase-3 and P53 mRNA expression, chromosomal aberrations and DNA fragmentation. It decreased serum TP, albumin, HDL, Bcl-2 mRNA expression, hepatic and renal TAC, SOD and GPx content and induced histological changes in the liver and kidney. FE prevented these disturbances in a dosage-dependent manner. It could be concluded that A. niger SH2-EGY extract is safe a promising agent for pharmaceutical and food industries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to determine the bioactive compounds of Bacillus sp. MERNA97 extract and to evaluate their efficacy against the oxidative damage, genotoxicity, chromosomal aberration and DNA fragmentation in rats treated with AFB 1 . Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups and treated for 6 weeks and included the control group, AFB 1 -treated group (80 μg/kg b. w), the groups treated with Bacillus extract (BE) at low (2 mg/kg b.w) or high (4 mg/kg b.w) dose and the groups treated with AFB 1 plus BE at the two doses. Blood and tissues samples were collected for different assays. The GC-MS results revealed the isolation of 44 compounds belong to different classes. The in vivo results showed that AFB 1 disturbs all the biochemical parameters, oxidative stress markers, cytokines gene expression chromosomal aberration and DNA fragmentation along with the histological changes in the liver tissue. BE at the two tested doses induced a significant improvement in all parameters tested and the histological picture in a dose dependent manner. It could be concluded that the extract of Bacillus sp. MERNA97 isolated from the marine environment in the Red Sea is a promise as a source of novel compounds with therapeutically benefits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chitosan biguanidine hydrochloride (CBg) was prepared as a novel multifunctional biodegradable polymer with antimicrobial and excellent water-solubility properties, and used as a crosslinker to prepare carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/alginate (A)/CBg edible coating. FTIR confirmed the successful preparation of CBg and CMC/A/CBg films. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction showed that the amorphous structure of CMC/A had some degree of order after CBg addition. The film thickness and solubility were decreased after CBg addition due to the formation of a dense crosslinked structure. CBg addition significantly improved the thermal properties of the films as detected from the calculated IPDT values from TGA curves. Water vapor permeability was reduced to 54% of the value of CMC/A when CBg was added by15 wt%. The addition of CBg didn't change the transparency of CMC/A films. The mechanical properties and antibacterial properties were significantly enhanced after the addition of CBg. CMC/A/CBg were coated on tomato fruits, and the shelf-life studies showed that the storage weight loss was significantly reduced, and the spoilage was inhibited after coating. These results suggest that CMC/A/CBg edible coating might be a promising candidate in food preservation industries., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aims to prepare binary edible films made from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and chitosan biguanidine hydrochloride (CBg) activated with frankincense oil (FO). The interactions between CMC, CBg and FO were confirmed by FTIR. XRD showed that the addition of FO led to decreasing the crystallinity of CMC/CBg films. The water vapour permeability was reduced upon increasing the FO content. The presence of FO made the films brighter and didn't change their transparency as detected from the color measurements. The films exhibited better mechanical properties in the presence of FO as detected from the improved values of both tensile strength and elongation at break. The prepared films exhibited excellent antibacterial activity especially at high content of FO (5%). CMC/CBg/FO films might be used potentially in the production of edible films due to their excellent physical and antibacterial properties., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Novel antimicrobial copolymers resulted from free radical copolymerization of gelatinized corn starch in aqueous solution with different amounts of 4-acrylamidobenzoic acid monomer using ammonium persulfate (APS)/sodium bisulfite (NaHSO 3 ) as a redox initiator. The grafting copolymerization was evidenced by FTIR, 1 HNMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction. The thermal stability was improved after the grafting reaction as detected from IPDT values calculated from the thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of changing grafting parameters (initiator concentration, monomer concentration, reaction time and temperature) on graft copolymerization were studied by measuring the grafting percentage (%G), grafting efficiency (%GE) and homopolymer percentage (%H). The optimum grafting conditions were determined as follows: Initiator concentration [I] = 3 × 10 -2  mol/L, monomer concentration [M] = 0.25 mol/L, reaction temperature = 65 °C and reaction time = 2 h. The prepared copolymers exhibited swelling ability in both water and 0.9% saline solution. The antimicrobial study revealed a high degree of inhibition against different strains of Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi when compared with neat starch., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Chitosan nanoparticles (CS-NPs) and chitosan/polyacrylic acid hydrogel nanoparticles (CS/PAA-HNPs) were obtained by ionic gelation with tripolyphosphate anions and copolymerization of CS with acrylic acid (AA), respectively. The prepared NPs were loaded by different concentrations of copper (1, 2 and 3% with respect to CS) to obtain chitosan/copper nanocomposites (CS/Cu-NCs) and chitosan/polyacrylic acid/copper hydrogel nanocomposites (CS/PAA/Cu-HNCs). The prepared NPs and their NCs were characterized by different techniques. The swelling properties and copper release from CS/Cu-NCs and CS/PAA/Cu-HNCs were evaluated. The antibacterial activity of the prepared samples against bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), fungi, and yeast were investigated. The results displayed that the copper release, as well as the swelling percentage of CS/PAA/Cu-HNCs, were higher than that of CS/Cu-NCs. Furthermore, the impact of using CuSO 4 , CS/Cu-NCs, and CS/PAA/Cu-HNCs as a different source of copper on chlorophyll content, vegetative growth, minerals content, and the yield of onion plants during two seasons 2016 and 2017 were studied. It was found that the yield, plant growth, and nutrient content of onion bulbs were improved using CS/PAA-HNPs, which was loaded with 75 ppm copper, as foliar spray for onion plants., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Biodegradable bi-functional cellulose derivatives were synthesized to remove widespread underground water cations such as; Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Fe 2+ , Pb 2+ , and Cu 2+ . Firstly, graft copolymerization of cellulose with binary monomers such as acrylic acid (AA), and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) with acrylamide (Am) were achieved using potassium persulfate as initiator. Then, cellulose/clay composites were prepared by graft copolymerization of cellulose using different montmorillonite concentrations such as 3, 6 and 9% weight/cellulose weight. The obtained Biodegradable grafted cellulose and their composites were used as adsorbents for the removal of Ca, Mg, Fe, Pb, and Cu ions individually from aqueous solutions. A possible reaction mechanism was deduced and the products were characterized by Fourier transfer infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal degradation by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results obtained from this study revealed that as the content of clay increases, the uptake of cations increasing and the removal order of the composites were Pb 2+  > Mg 2+  > Fe 2+  > Cu 2+  > Ca 2+ . The biodegradability of grafted cellulose was increased by the addition of clay., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The cellulose-based antimicrobial hydrogel was prepared from seed and husk cellulosic fibers of olive industry residues by load silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) onto grafted acrylamide monomer (Am) cellulosic fibers. The grafting approach was the free radical mechanism by utilizing ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as initiator in aqueous medium and N,N methylene bisacrylamide (MBAm) as a cross linker. The effect of different grafting conditions on the properties of produced hydrogels has been studied by determining the grafting parameters, i.e. concentration of Am, MBAm, grafting time and temperature to optimize grafting yield (G %), grafting efficiency (GE %), and swelling %. Characterizations of the obtained hydrogels were performed through monitoring swelling behavior, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM, and EDX. AgNPs were grown into the prepared hydrogel. Hydrogel/AgNPs were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The hydrogel loaded AgNPs exhibit high efficient antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Bionanocomposites hydrogel based on conducting polymers were successfully fabricated from chitosan/polyacrylic acid/polypyrrole (CS/PAA/PPy) as well as the magnetite nanoparticle (Fe 3 O 4 -NPs) was prepared via co-precipitation method. In addition, different ratios of Fe 3 O 4 -NPs were added to the prepared bionanocomposites to enhance the antimicrobial and the electrical conductivity of the prepared conductive hydrogel. Furthermore, the morphology, the swelling percent, antimicrobial activity and the dielectric properties of the prepared conducting bionanocomposites hydrogel were investigated. The antibacterial activities of the experienced microbes were improved with the increasing the loading of Fe 3 O 4 -NPs in conducting Bio-nanocomposites hydrogel. Moreover, the DC-conductivity was examined and our resulted indicated that the DC-conductivity was enhanced by increasing the loadings of Fe 3 O 4 -NPs compared to that of the pure CS/PAA as well as CS/PAA/PPy., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This work aims to study the effect of a vinyl-modified montmorillonite (VMT) on the physical and antimicrobial properties of chitosan-graft-polyacrylic acid superabsorbent (Ch-g-PA). Ch-g-PA was first optimized using Box-Behnken design to obtain the maximum equilibrium swelling, and the model was efficient to express the experimental swelling data (R 2  = 0.999). VMT was further added to the optimized Ch-g-PA in different contents 0, 4, 7 and 10 wt%. FTIR confirmed the successful synthesis of the copolymers and their nanocomposites. Morphology and the average pores size were studied using SEM. Wide angle X-ray diffraction showed the formation of exfoliated nanocomposites after VMT addition. Thermal stability studied by TGA was greatly enhanced in the presence of VMT. The swelling kinetics by Voigt-based viscoelastic model showed that the equilibrium swelling was increased by increasing the VMT up to 7 wt% then decreased after further incorporation. The superabsorbents exhibited salt and pH-responsive properties and showed a pH-reversibility at two buffer solutions (pH = 2 and pH = 9). Moreover, the prepared superabsorbents exhibited a strong bacterial and fungal killing ability which becomes more pronounced upon increasing the VMT content. The obtained results encourage the usage of the prepared copolymer nanocomposites in many fields as antimicrobial superabsorbents of improved physical properties., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Novel bioactive edible films based on sodium alginate (A) and chitosan biguanidine hydrochloride (CG) with different weight percents were successfully prepared. 13 C NMR and 1 H NMR confirmed the successful guanidylation of chitosan. Fourier transform infrared confirmed the successful reaction between CG and A. The interaction between CG and A was confirmed through the reduction of the crystalline peaks of both CG and A as detected from their wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that CG enhanced the thermal stability of films as detected from the calculated integral procedure decomposition temperature (IPDT) values. CG incorporation improved the mechanical properties of dry and wet samples. A/CG films exhibited a reduced water vapor permeability and good color properties. The antibacterial study proved that the prepared films showed a remarkable antibacterial killing ability. These results revealed that A/CG films could be an alternative candidate to be used as antibacterial edible films in food industries., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have become known as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent. The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs is dependent on the particle size and the dispersion status. In this study, a simple and effective approach is developed for sequestering the biosynthesized AgNPs in silica composites during the gel formation of MCM-41. Composites with different Ag concentrations of 0.034% (Ag1@MCM-41), 0.151% (Ag2@MCM-41), and 0.369% (Ag3@MCM-41) are synthesized and then heated at 400 °C to produce Ag1@MCM-41H, Ag2@MCM-41H, and Ag3@MCM-41H, respectively. The samples are characterized by flame atomic absorption spectrometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, N 2 physisorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The AgNPs are confirmed to be highly dispersed in the amorphous silica framework. The antimicrobial activity of the AgNP-silica samples is investigated against Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , and Candida albicans using the cup-plate and the plate-count techniques. The results show an excellent antimicrobial effect of these samples against the studied microorganisms. Importantly, the AgNP-silica samples are found to be stable up to 58 months under ambient conditions. These stable and powerful antimicrobial composites provide a more practical and effective strategy for combating biomedical pathogens and public health threats., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Cancer is a leading cause of death in several countries. In the search for new anticancer drugs, marine organisms have played an important role in the discovery of lead compounds and the development of new pharmaceuticals for their wide diversity of chemical structures and biological activities. In the present study, the cytotoxicity on colorectal cancer cells HCT116 exerted by marine fungus Aspergillus sp. 2C1-EGY extracts associated with the soft coral Sinularia sp. was investigated; the sub-fractions Fr 2c and Fr 2d had significantly high cytotoxic activity (88 and 85%, respectively). Moreover, the major hexadecanoic, octadecanoic, and octadecenoic acids as well as their methyl esters were isolated. GC/MS analysis revealed the identification of 46 major and minor compounds, from which 19 saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and eight fatty acid esters were identified.

Background: Egypt has the highest prevalence of the world hepatitis C virus (HCV) load. Hence, the problem of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) is considered a huge burden on the community. Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is the only source of donation in Egypt till now. Survival rates had shown significant improvement in the past decades. This study provides analysis of the mortality rates and possible predictors of mortality following LDLT. It also aids in developing a practical and easy-to-apply risk index for prediction of early mortality., Patients and Methods: This study is a retrospective study that was designed to analyze data from 128 adult patients with ESLD who underwent LDLT in the Liver Transplantation Unit at Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. Early and late mortality were identified. All potential risk factors were tested using univariate regression for association with early and late mortality. Significant variables were then entered into a multivariable logistic regression model for identifying the predictors for mortality., Results: Sepsis was the most common cause of early mortality. Early mortality and 1-year mortality were 29 (23%) and 23 (18%), respectively. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, intraoperative packed red blood corpuscles (RBCs), and duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay were found to be independently associated with early mortality., Conclusion: A MELD score >20, intraoperative transfusion >8 units of packed RBCs, and ICU stay >9 days are three independent predictors of early mortality. Their incorporation into a combined Risk Index can be used to improve outcomes of LDLT., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The use of biodegradable polymers is of great importance nowadays in many applications. Some of the most commonly used biopolymers are polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) due to their superior properties and availability. In this manuscript, we use a facile and green modification method of organoclay (OC) by antimicrobial natural rosin which is considered as a toxicity-free reinforcing material, thus keeping the green character of the material. It increases the interlayer spacing between the clay platelets. This was proven by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and found to impart antimicrobial properties to PLA/PBAT blends. The morphology of the resulting blends was conducted using scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM), and evidence of exfoliation and intercalation was observed. The thermal properties of the blends were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and a detailed study of the crystallization of both PLA and PBAT was reported showing cold crystallization behavior of PLA. The final effect on mechanical and antimicrobial properties was also investigated. The obtained results reveal excellent possibility of using expanded OC modified PLA/PBAT polymer blends by adding a green material, antimicrobial natural rosin, for food packaging and biomembranes applications.

Marine organisms have been considered as the richest sources of novel bioactive metabolites, which can be used for pharmaceutical purposes. In the last years, the interest for marine microorganisms has grown for their enormous biodiversity and for the evidence that many novel compounds isolated from marine invertebrates are really synthesized by their associated bacteria. Nevertheless, the discovery of a chemical communication Quorum sensing (QS) between bacterial cells and between bacteria and host has gained the researchers to expand the aim of their study toward the role of bacteria associated with marine invertebrates, such as marine sponge. In the present paper, we report the evaluation of biological activities of different extracts of bacteria Vibrio sp. and Bacillus sp. associated with marine sponges Dysidea avara and Ircinia variabilis, respectively. Moreover, we evaluated the biological activities of some diketopiperazines (DKPs), previously isolated, and able to activate QS mechanism. The results showed that all extracts, fractions, and DKPs showed low scavenging activity against DPPH and superoxide anion, low cytotoxic and anti-tyrosinase activities, but no antimicrobial and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities. One DKP [cyclo-(trans-4-hydroxy-L-prolyl-L-leucine)] has the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity even than the standard acarbose.

Polyaniline (PANI) with/without polystyrene (PS), was successfully manufactured in the occurrence of dispersed pulp fibers via the oxidative polymerization reaction of aniline monomer to produce conductive paper sheets containing PANI, PANI/PS composites. Additionally, sliver nitrate (Ag-NO3) was added by varied loadings to the oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer to provide sliver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) emptied into the prepared paper sheets. The prepared paper sheets were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR), the mechanical properties of the prepared paper sheets were evaluated. Moreover, the electrical conductivity and biological studies such as cellulases assay, Microorganism & culture condition and detection of the released of Ag-NPs were evaluated. Furthermore, the prepared paper sheets were displayed good antibacterial properties contrary to gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Consequently, the prepared paper sheet may be used as novel materials for packaging applications., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of liver disease and the consequent complications of cirrhosis. However, there is no precise biomarker to predict the patients at high risk of developing progressive disease. We showed previously the implication of low molecular mass polypeptide-7 (LMP-7) single nucleotide varia- tions in the response to combined pegylated IFN and ribavirin therapy in patients infected with HCV genotype 4. In this study, we examined the possible relationship between LMP-7 genotypes and both the degree of liver fibrosis and the transition from end stage of fibrosis to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)., Methods: LMP-7 single nucleotide variation at codon 49 (substitution from A to C) was determined using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in leucocyte DNA from healthy subjects (n = 36) and HCV-chronically infected patients of genotype 4 either with different grades of liver fibrosis (n = 77) or with hepatocellular carci- noma (n = 25). Chronic HCV-infected patients having liver fibrosis were categorized into two groups based on the degree of fibrosis, early fibrosis (F0-F2, n = 37) and late fibrosis (F3-F4, n = 40)., Results: Our results demonstrated that patients with the LMP-7 CA/AA genotypes were more likely to have advanced fibrosis scores than those bearing the CC genotype, although LMP-7 polymorphism does not seem to contribute to the progression from the late stage of fibrosis to hepatocellular carcinoma., Conclusions: These results suggest that LMP-7 polymorphism is a candidate prognostic marker in mathematical models designed for predicting the progression of HCV-related liver disease. Nevertheless, the mechanism whereby LMP-7 leads to the progression of liver fibrosis remains to be determined.