Synthesis,Characterization and Nanoformulation of Novel Sulfonamide-1,2,3-triazole Molecular Conjugates as Potent Antiparasitic Agents

Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a highly prevalent parasite that has no gold standard treatment due to the poor action or the numerous side effects. Focused sulfonamide-1,2,3-triazole hybrids 3a–c were wisely designed and synthesized via copper catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition approach between prop-2-yn-1-alcohol 1 and sulfa drug azides 2a–c. The newly synthesized click products were fully characterized using different spectroscopic experiments and were loaded onto chitosan nanoparticles to form novel nanoformulations for further anti-Toxoplasma investigation. The current study proved the anti-Toxoplasma effectiveness of all examined compounds in experimentally infected mice. Relative to sulfadiazine, the synthesized sulfonamide-1,2,3-triazole (3c) nanoformulae demonstrated the most promising result for toxoplasmosis treatment as it resulted in 100% survival, 100% parasite reduction along with the remarkable histopathological improvement in all the studied organs.     

Characterisation of fatty acids and bioactive compounds of kachnar (Bauhinia purpurea L.) seed oil

Information concerning the exact composition of kachnar (Bauhinia purpurea) seed oil is scare. In the present contribution, a combination of CC, GC, TLC and normal-phase HPLC were performed to analyse lipid classes, fatty acids and fat-soluble bioactives of kachnar seed oil. n-Hexane extract of kachnar oilseeds was found to be 17.5%. The amount of neutral lipids in the crude seed oil was the highest (ca. 99% of total lipids), followed by glycolipids and phospholipids, respectively. Linoleic, followed by palmitic, oleic and stearic, were the major fatty acids in the crude seed oil and its lipid classes. The ratio of unsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acid, was higher in neutral lipid classes than in the polar lipid fractions. The oil was characterised by a relatively high amount of phytosterols, wherein the sterol markers were β-sitosterol and stigmasterol. β-Tocopherol was the major tocopherol isomer with the rest being δ-tocopherol. In consideration of potential utilisation, detailed knowledge of the composition of kachnar (B. purpurea) seed oil is of major importance.     

Development and application of vanadium oxide/polyaniline composite as a novel cathode catalyst in microbial fuel cell

Polyaniline (Pani), vanadium oxide (V₂O₅), and Pani/V₂O₅ nanocomposite were fabricated and applied as a cathode catalyst in Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) as an alternative to Pt (Platinum), which is a commonly used expensive cathode catalyst. The cathode catalysts were characterized using Cyclic Voltammetry and Linear Sweep Voltammetry to determine their oxygen reduction activity; furthermore, their structures were observed by X‐ray Diffraction, X‐ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, and Field‐Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results showed that Pani/V₂O₅ produced a power density of 79.26 mW/m², which is higher than V₂O₅ by 65.31 mW/m² and Pani by 42.4 mW/m². Furthermore, the Coulombic Efficiency of the system using Pani/V₂O₅ (16%) was higher than V₂O₅ and Pani by 9.2 and 5.5%, respectively. Pani–V₂O₅ also produced approximately 10% more power than Pt, the best and most common cathode catalyst. It declares that Pani–V₂O₅ can be a suitable alternative for application in a MFC system. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distributed opportunistic scheduling for MIMO underlay cognitive radio networks

Cognitive radio networks have emerged to improve the utilization of the scarce spectrum. In this paper, we propose a distributed resource allocation algorithm that allocates resources opportunistically to the secondary users in a multiple‐input multiple‐output environment. In order to reduce the complexity and cost, antenna selection schemes are employed to allow the secondary communication using a single radio frequency chain. The proposed algorithm is proved theoretically and using simulations, to give a performance very close to that of a centralized one with lower delay and overhead. Furthermore, we introduce two techniques for the proposed algorithm based on the allowable data rates referred to as limited and maximum rates. We derive closed‐form expression for the consumed power and tight upper bounds for the average throughput achieved by each technique. A comparison between the proposed techniques is also provided. Both simulations and analytical results show that the proposed algorithm achieves high throughput with low complexity. Moreover, the results show that the tightness of the bounds improves with the diversity order. Finally, the proposed techniques are compared with two suggested random schemes to investigate their effectiveness. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sustained delivery of hydrocortisone acetate by CS/N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone/CaCO3 microparticle hybrid hydrogels

The goal of this research is to develop a composite hydrogel system for sustained release of therapeutic agents. The hybrid hydrogels were prepared by radiation crosslinking on aqueous solution of Chitosan (CS)/N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NVP) with different loads of CaCO₃ in the presence of hydrocortisone acetate (HCA), an anti‐inflammatory drugs. Physical characteristics of CS/NVP/CaCO₃ were studied using X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectrophotometery (IR). The porous structure of resulted hydrogel was confirmed by SEM micrographs. The effect of doses and calcium carbonate amount on the swelling of the hydrogels was investigated. The ability of the prepared CS/NVP/CaCO₃‐based hybrid hydrogels to be used as drug carriers for anti‐inflammatory‐specific drug delivery system was estimated using HCA as a model drug. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1176–1183, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

HPLC Determination of Spectinomycin in Feed Premixes and Dosage Forms Using 1-Naphthyl Isocyanate Precolumn Derivatization with UV Detection

A new, simple, and sensitive HPLC method was developed for the determination of spectinomycin hydrochloride in dosage forms and feed premixes through derivatization with 1-naphthyl isocyanate. The separation was achieved on a C₁₈ column using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/water (50:50 v/v, pH 3.2) in a flow rate of 1 mL/min with UV detection at 230 nm. The factors influencing the derivatization reaction yields were carefully studied and optimized. The method was linear over the concentration range of 10–100 μg/mL with a limit of detection 0.25 μg/mL and limit of quantitation 1.75 μg/mL. The developed method was successfully applied to the analysis the drug in the commercial dosage forms and spiked feed premix samples; the average recoveries were 99.79 and 99.56, respectively. The analytical performance of the method was fully validated and the results were satisfactory. A proposal of the reaction pathway was presented.     

Suboptimal compliance with periconceptual folic acid in an Irish hospital population

A time-series study of homicide and suicide rates by each method in England and Wales from 1950 to 1985 showed that the sociological correlates of these rates depended upon the method used for killing. This raises the possibility that murder and suicide may not be unitary phenomena, but rather that murder and suicide by particular methods are distinct deviant acts and should be studied separately.