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Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics with multifunctional features are highly desired in domestic and outdoor applications. However, the short coating longevity and hazardous reagents significantly reduce their commercial-scale applications. Herein, we introduce CeO 2 nanoparticles and stearic acid (SA) to develop a fluorine-free, durable superhydrophobic cotton fabric that mimics the lotus effect. The pristine cotton fabric is treated with APTES-functionalized CeO 2 nanoparticles by immersion followed by a dip and drying treatment with a 2% myristic acid solution. This sequential process creates a stable superhydrophobic cotton fabric (SA/CeO 2 -cotton fabric) with a water contact angle of 158° and a water sliding angle of 5°. The results are attributed to the combined effect of CeO 2 nanoparticles and stearic acid that enhances surface roughness and reduces surface sorption energy. APTES facilitates the durable attachment of CeO 2 nanoparticles and stearic acid to the cotton fabric. The modified cotton fabric is characterized by advanced analytical tools, demonstrating enhanced superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning, and antiwater absorption properties. Additionally, it exhibits remarkable UV-blocking (UPF 542) and antibacterial properties. The designed superhydrophobic cotton fabric unveils good mechanical, thermal, and chemical durability. The proposed strategy is simple, green, and economical and can be used commercially for functional fabric preparation.

The present review focuses on the widely used graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 )-tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) nanocomposite in photocatalytic applications. These catalysts are widely employed due to their easy preparation, high physicochemical stability, nontoxicity, electron-rich properties, electronic band structure, chemical stability, low cost, earth-abundance, high surface area, and strong absorption capacity in the visible range. These sustainable properties make them predominantly attractive and unique from other photocatalysts. In addition, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) is synthesized from nitrogen-rich precursors; therefore, it is stable in strong acid solutions and has good thermal stability up to 600 °C. This review covers the historical background, crystalline phases, density-functional theory (DFT) study, synthesis method, 0-D, 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D materials, oxides/transition/nontransition metal-doped, characterization, and photocatalytic applications of WO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 . Enhancing the catalytic performance strategies such as composite formation, element-doping, heterojunction construction, and nanostructure design are also summarized. Finally, the future perspectives and challenges for WO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 composite materials are discussed to motivate young researchers and scientists interested in developing environment-friendly and efficient catalysts., Competing Interests: Authors declare no competing interests., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

In this work, CoNiWO 4 nanocomposite was used as an electrochemical sensor for the simultaneous electrochemical detection of tramadol and serotonin. The nanocomposite was synthesized using a hydrothermal method and characterized via XRD, SEM, TGA, Zeta, UV, and FTIR. The sensor was developed by depositing CoNiWO 4 -NPs onto the glassy carbon electrode surface. Tramadol and serotonin were detected by employing cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and chronoamperometry. Analytes were detected at different pH, concentrations, and scan rates. The prepared sensor showed a 0-60 µM linear range, with a LOD of 0.71 µM and 4.29 µM and LOQ of 14.3 µM and 2.3 µM for serotonin and tramadol, respectively. Finally, the modified electrode (CoNiWO 4 -GCE) was applied to determine tramadol and serotonin in biological samples., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Methemoglobinemia (MetHb, Fe 3+ ) is a chronic disease arising from the unequal distribution of oxyhemoglobin (HbFe 2+ , OHb) in the blood circulatory system. The oxidation of standard oxyhemoglobin forms methemoglobin, causing cyanosis (skin bluish staining). Methemoglobin cannot bind the pulmonary gaseous ligands such as oxygen (O 2 ) and carbon monoxide (CO). As an oxidizing agent, the biochemical approach (MetHb, Fe 3+ ) is modified in vitro by sodium nitrite (NaNO 2 ). The silver-doped iron zinc oxide (Ag@Fe 3 O 4 /ZnO) is hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by analytical and spectroscopic techniques for the electrochemical sensing of methemoglobin via cyclic voltammetry (CV). Detection parameters such as concentration, pH, scan rate, electrochemical active surface area (ECSA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are optimized. The linear limit of detection for Ag@Fe 3 O 4 /ZnO is 0.17 µM. The stability is determined by 100 cycles of CV and chronoamperometry for 40 h. The serum samples of anemia patients with different hemoglobin levels (Hb) are analyzed using Ag@Fe 3 O 4 /ZnO modified biosensor. The sensor's stability, selectivity, and response suggest its use in methemoglobinemia monitoring., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Phosphorylated metabolites are linked to metabolism, and the dysregulation of metabolic reactions brings cancer. Dysregulated levels lead to hyperactivation of glycolytic and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Abnormal concentrations are the indicators of energy-related disorders. In this work, Zeolite-loaded Mg-Al-Ce hydroxides (Zeolite@MAC) are prepared by co-precipitation and characterized through FTIR, XRD, SEM, BET, AFM, TEM, and DLS. Magnesium-Aluminum-Cerium-Zeolite particles enrich phosphate-containing small molecules. These ternary hydroxides carried out the main adsorption mechanism, which swapped the surface hydroxyl group ligands for phosphate and the inner-sphere complex of CePO 4 . XH 2 O. Cerium plays a significant role in the complexation of phosphate, and adding Mg and Al further helps disperse Ce and increase the surface charge on the adsorbent. ΑTP and AMP are the standard molecules for parameter optimization. Zeolite@MAC enriches phosphorylated metabolites followed by their desorption via UV-vis spectrophotometry. MS profiles for healthy and lung cancer serum samples are obtained for phosphorylated metabolites. Characteristic phosphorylated metabolites have been detected in lung cancer samples with high expression. The role of phosphorylated metabolites is explored for abnormal metabolic pathways in lung cancer. The fabricated material is sensitive, selective, and highly enriched for identifying phosphate-specific biomarkers., Competing Interests: 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, (© 2023 The Authors.)

Environmental degradation and energy shortage are the two biggest problems facing the world right now. Because of the limited supply of non-renewable sources, the production of environment-friendly energy and its storage has gained significant importance. Pseudocapacitors have lately caught the interest of energy specialists due to their greater energy/power density and prolonged cycle life. In this work, binding-free SnTe/SnSe (STSS) electrodes deposited onto Ni foam (NF) as the conductive substrate have been developed by a facile hydrothermal route for supercapacitor applications. Several analytical tools were utilized to study the morphological, structural and textural characteristics. The electrochemical results obtained from a three-electrode system suggest that the STSS electrode material exhibits great specific capacitance ( C s ) of 1276 F g -1 , specific energy ( E d ) of 46.45 W h kg -1 and specific power ( P d ) of 256 W kg -1 @ 1 A g -1 . The results of C dl indicate that the STSS (31.28 mF) has a larger C dl value than those of SnTe (23.22 mF) and SnSe (26.35 mF). The analysis of electrochemical stability indicates that the STSS displays structural stability over 5000 cycles with a maximum capacitance retention of 96%. The Nyquist plot profile displayed a smaller R ct value for STSS (0.89 Ω) than SnSe (1.13 Ω) and SnTe (1.97 Ω). The symmetric behavior of STSS was determined in 2.0 M potassium hydroxide. The results reveal that this material has a specific capacitance of 537.72 F g -1 and specific energy of 78.32 W h kg -1 . These findings suggest that the STSS electrode might serve as a potential candidate for supercapacitors and other energy-saving equipment., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Metformin (MET) is an anti-diabetic drug employed as the first-line therapy for patients of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Overdosage of drugs leads to severe outcomes, and its monitoring in biofluids is vital. The present study develops cobalt-doped yttrium iron garnets and employs them as an electroactive material immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the sensitive and selective detection of metformin via electroanalytical techniques. The fabrication procedure via the sol-gel method is facile and gives a good yield of nanoparticles. They are characterized by FTIR, UV, SEM, EDX, and XRD. Pristine yttrium iron garnet particles are also synthesized for comparison, where the electrochemical behaviors of varying electrodes are analyzed via cyclic voltammetry (CV). The activity of metformin at varying concentrations and pH is investigated via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and the sensor generates excellent results for metformin detection. Under optimum conditions and at a working potential of 0.85 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/3.0 M KCl), the linear range and limit of detection (LOD) obtained through the calibration curve are estimated as 0-60 μM and 0.04 μM, respectively. The fabricated sensor is selective for metformin and depicts a blind response toward interfering species. The optimized system is applied to directly measure MET in buffers and serum samples of T2DM patients., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Storing grains remain vulnerable to insect pest attack. The present study developed a biopesticide using biomolecules and their encapsulation in nanoparticles. A 25 kDa cysteine protease extracted from seeds of Albizia procera (ApCP) was encapsulated in graphene quantum dots (GQDs). The insecticidal activity of ApCP, with or without GQDs, against two stored grain insect pests, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Rhyzopertha dominica (Fabricius) was explored. Insects were exposed to three concentrations 7.0, 3.5 and 1.7 mg of ApCP per a gram of wheat flour and grains. The insecticidal activity of ApCP encapsulated with GQDs was improved compared to that of ApCP without GQDs for both insect pests. The number of eggs and larvae of T. castaneum was reduced by 49% and 86%, respectively. Larval mortality was increased to 72%, and adult eclosion of T. castaneum was reduced by 98% at a 7.0 mg/g concentration of ApCP with GQDs compared to that of ApCP without GQDs. Exposure to 7.0 mg/g ApCP with GQDs, the number of R. dominica eggs and larvae was reduced by 72% and 92% respectively, larval mortality was increased by 90%, and eclosion was reduced by 97%. The extraction, purification, characterization, quantification and encapsulation of ApCP with GQDs were also studied. Cysteine protease nanocarriers have the potential to control stored grain insect pests.

Titania-grafted magnetic sporopollenin is synthesized by the liquid-phase deposition (LPD) technique, characterized by SEM, EDX, and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry, and used for the selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides. The material is low cost because of easier availability of pollens and has rich surface chemistry which enables strong attachment of titania onto magnetic sporopollenin. The material shows higher selectivity of 1:1000 with β-casein spiked in BSA. Higher sensitivity of 10 fmol is recorded for phosphopeptides from standard β-casein digest. Twenty phosphorylated peptides are enriched from milk digest and four endogenous phosphopeptides from diluted human serum. The magnetic property of titania-coated magnetic sporopollenin facilitates the fast and effective isolation of phosphopeptides from complex mixtures through external magnet. The material is finally applied to tryptic digest of rat brain cell lysate for phosphopeptide enrichment where 2718 phosphopeptides are identified by using LC-MS/MS with C18 column. Titania-coated magnetic sporopollenin captures both mono-phosphorylated (2489) and multi-phosphorylated peptides (229) due to strong affinity of TiO 2 with phosphates. TiO 2 -coated magnetic material also shows better enrichment efficiency in comparison to commercial TiO 2 . Graphical abstract.

Cholinesterases (ChEs) play a vital role in regulating cholinergic transmission. Inhibition of ChEs is thought to be an emerging and useful therapeutic target for neurodegenerative disorders through restoration of acetylcholine (ACh) levels in the brain (e.g. Alzheimer's disease). To increase the chemical diversity of cholinesterase inhibitors, a series of quinoline chalcones derivatives were tested against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) isoenzymes. All tested compounds (4a-1; 5a-s) exhibited inhibitory activities against AChE and BChE to a considerable extent. Molecular docking studies were performed by using homology models on both AChE and BChE isoenzymes with the aim of exploring probable binding modes of the most potent inhibitor. In order to evaluate drug likeness of newly tested molecules, we carried out in-silico ADME evaluation. All compounds displayed favourable ADME findings which predict good oral bioavailability of these derivatives. Due to an excellent ADME profile the tested compounds were predicted to be safer which can be considered as novel cholinesterase inhibitors., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The contamination of soil with heavy metals is a major environmental problem worldwide. The combined use of plants and their associated microbes has gained popularity in recent years for their potential to remediate heavy metal-contaminated soil. In the current study, the effect that augmentation of soil with plant growth-promoting endophytes has on the phytostabilization of chromium (Cr)-contaminated soil was investigated. Three potential endophytic bacterial strains (Enterobacter sp. HU38, Microbacterium arborescens HU33, and Pantoea stewartii ASI11) were inoculated individually as well as in combination to Leptochloa fusca and Brachiaria mutica vegetated in Cr-contaminated soil. The accumulation of Cr in the root and shoot of the plants was determined. Moreover, bacterial persistence in the rhizosphere and endosphere was determined. Augmentation with potential endophytes significantly increased root length (24-45%), shoot height (39-64%), chlorophyll content (20-55%), and the overall biomass (32-61%) of the plants. Although L. fusca and B. mutica showed potential to accumulate Cr in their root and shoot, endophytic augmentation increased uptake, translocation, and accumulation of Cr in the roots and shoots of both plant species. However, L. fusca showed more potential to phytostabilize Cr as compared to B. mutica. Furthermore, the potential endophytes showed more survival and persistence within the roots than in the rhizosphere and shoot interior. This study provides useful evidence of endophyte-assisted phytoremediation to be the most sustainable and affordable approach for in situ remediation of Cr-contaminated soil.

Schiff bases are the biologically privileged scaffolds in organic chemistry, commonly synthesized from the condensation reaction of carbonyl functional group with amines. Naturally occurring and synthetically prepared Schiff bases are active molecules with many pharmacological activities like antibacterial, anti-cancer, anti-fungal, anti-malarial, antioxidant and many more. This review article summarizes pharmacological developments in the recent few years and gives a brief overview of their therapeutic potential.

This study was conducted to assess the compatibility of aspirin with selective amino acids by studying the effect of amino acids on the solubility of aspirin, so that the attention could be paid towards the use of proteinous foods along with aspirin. Two different types of dissolution media, i.e., 0.5% solution of each amino acid and 100 mL of distilled water (100 mL each), were prepared. Then, 1 g of aspirin was added in both media and shaked gently. Ten milliliters of sample was withdrawn at different time intervals, i.e., 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min and analyzed spectrophotometrically at 265 nm. It is evident from results that the absorbance of aspirin increased with the addition of amino acids and this increase was significant (p < 0.05). Absorbance after adding amino acid like glycine, tyrosine, glutamic acid, tartaric acid and aspartic acid was observed to be 2.98, 2.96, 2.92, 3.23 and 3.28, respectively, as compared to that of aspirin alone. The increase in absorbance of aspirin in the presence of tartaric acid and aspartic acid was non-significantly (p > 0.05) greater than that in the presence of other amino acids like glycine, tyrosine and glutamic acid. The absorbance of aspirin in the presence of tartaric acid and aspartic acid was 3.23 and 3.28, respectively, while the absorbance of aspirin in the presence of glycine, tyrosine and glutamic acid was 2.98, 2.96 and 2.92, respectively. This study elaborates that the solubility of aspirin increases with concomitant administration of amino acids, thus the use of amino acids (proteinous foods) with aspirin should be prohibited or low dose of aspirin should be recommended in such situation.

In the title compound, C(18)H(17)N(3)O(4), the furyl and phenyl rings are inclined at almost right angles [85.77 (7) and 63.25 (7)°, respectively] to the central imidazo[1,2-a]pyridinyl unit. The structure displays both inter- and intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonding.

In the title compound, C(19)H(18)FN(3)O(4), the fused pyridine and pyrimidine rings adopt half-chair conformations. The structure displays intra-molecular N-H⋯O and inter-molecular N-H⋯F hydrogen bonding.

Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) is a widespread and powerful technique for mass analysis allowing the soft ionization of molecules such as peptides, proteins and carbohydrates. In many applications, an energy absorbing matrix has to be added to the analytes in order to protect them from being fragmented by direct laser beam. LDI-MS in conjunction with matrix is commonly referred as matrix-assisted LDI (MALDI). One of the striking disadvantages of this method is the desorption of matrix molecules, which causes interferences originating from matrix background ions in lower mass range (< 1000 Da). This has been led to the development of a variety of different carbon based LDI sample supports, which are capable of absorbing laser light and simultaneously transfering energy to the analytes for desorption. Furthermore carbon containing sample supports are used as carrier materials for the specific binding and preconcentration of molecules out of complex samples. Their subsequent analysis with MALDI mass spectrometry allows performing studies in metabolomics and proteomics. Finally a thin layer of carbon significantly improves sensitivity concerning detection limit. Analytes in low femtomole and attomole range can be detected in this regard. In the present article, these aspects are reviewed from patents where nano-based carbon materials are comprehensively utilized.

Biomarkers play a key role in preclinical screening and diagnosis of a disease. Various support materials are utilized for this task, in combination with MALDI-TOF-MS. The way to effectively bind serum contents and their profiling is well-elaborated by the material-enhanced laser desorption ionization (MELDI) approach. In this particular work, focus is placed on the development of a strategy to identify low molecular weight serum peptides. Poly(GMA/DVB) is derivatized in a way to achieve an affinity termed as immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC). Iminodiacetic acid (IDA) is used as a chelating ligand, whereas copper (Cu2+) acts as a metal ion for complexing peptides and proteins out of blood serum. Polymer binds the serum compounds over a broad mass range, which includes low mass peptides and high mass albumin (66 kDa). Bound contents are eluted from material by an acetonitrile/trifluoroacetic acid mixture, which proves the reversible nature of metal and amino acid linkage. Polystyrene/divinyl benzene (PS/DVB) monolithic capillary column is used for fractionation through RP-HPLC, prior to the target spotting. The tandem TOF fragment ion mass spectra of each fraction is acquired and used to search against the Swiss-Prot database, using the Mascot search engine for the identification of peptides.

60]fullerene derivatives (dioctadecyl methano[60]fullerene, [60]fullerenoacetic acid, and IDA-[60]fullerene) were prepared and subjected to a comprehensive characterization study including protein binding properties and capacity. These fullerene derivatives were successfully applied as material-enhanced laser desorption/ionization (MELDI) carrier materials. It is shown that diverse functionalities result in characteristic human serum peak patterns (m/z 2000-20 000) in terms of signal intensity as well as the number of detectable masses. In addition, the fullerene derivatives clearly provided differences in the low molecular weight mass region (m/z 1000-4000) after elution of the adsorbed serum constituents, and [60]fullerenoacetic acid was the most effective carrier material. Novel high-speed, monolithic, high-resolution capillary columns, prepared by thermally initiated copolymerization of methylstyrene (MSt) and 1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane (BVPE) were employed for eluate separation and target spotting. Thus, serum compounds in the low-mass range were successfully fractionated and subjected to MALDI-MS/MS analysis. This contribution, hence, proposes a new "top-down" strategy for proteome research enabling protein profiling as well as biomarker identification in the low-mass range using selective enrichment, high-resolution separation, and offline MALDI-MS/MS evaluation.