The Antibacterial Drug Candidate SBC3 is a Potent Inhibitor of Bacterial Thioredoxin Reductase

Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem for public health and associated with increasing economic costs and mortality rates. Silver and silver-related compounds have been used for centuries due to their antimicrobial properties. In this work, we show that 1,3-dibenzyl-4,5-diphenyl-imidazol-2-ylidene silver(I) acetate/NHC*-Ag-OAc (SBC3) is a reversible, high affinity inhibitor of E. coli thioredoxin reductase (TrxR; K_i=10.8±1.2 nM). Minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) tests with different E. coli and P. aeruginosa strains demonstrated that SBC3 can efficiently inhibit bacterial cell growth, especially in combination with established antibiotics like gentamicin. Our results show that SBC3 is a promising antibiotic drug candidate targeting bacterial TrxR.     

Synthesis of Light Hydrocarbons from Biogas and Hydrogen: Investigation of a Fe-Mn-K/MgO Catalyst

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of the CO₂ in biogas aims at producing light hydrocarbons and increasing its calorific value for feeding into the grid. Fe catalysts with Mn and K as promoters are supposed to yield high amounts of light hydrocarbons. Using a Fe-Mn-K/MgO catalyst, a parameter screening and long-term experiments were carried out. The catalyst shows, within the examined range, the highest selectivity to C₂–C₄ hydrocarbons at 450 °C, 8 bar(a), and a gas hourly space velocity of 350 h⁻¹. Calcination of the catalyst resulted in a significant drop of activity and an almost complete loss of selectivity to hydrocarbons. Admixture of steam to the reactant gas lowers the tendency to carbon deposition but also promotes the water-gas shift reaction and results in lower yields of hydrocarbons.     

Amaranth functional cookies exert potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities

In this study, amaranth flour was used as an ingredient to prepare gluten-free cookies. The production process and attributes of amaranth cookies were characterised, and the potential use of amaranth flour as a functional ingredient was analysed. Cookies exhibited a non-uniform reddish brown colour and a cookie factor ratio of 4.5 ± 0.6. Storage studies indicated that after 3 weeks at room temperature cookies presented slight variations in the texture. Simulated gastrointestinal digestion of this product was able to release peptides capable of exerting potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activities, IC₅₀ values of 0.22 ± 0.04 and 0.23 ± 0.03 mg mL⁻¹ protein, respectively. This work demonstrates for the first time that food made with amaranth flour exerts potential antithrombotic and antihypertensive activity. In conclusion, these amaranth cookies could be an alternative way of incorporating potentially health beneficial products for people who choose a conscious diet, including coeliac or vegan consumers.     

Potential of pulsed electric field to control Aspergillus parasiticus,aflatoxin and mutagenicity levels: Sesame seed quality

Seed processing technologies are essential for seed safety and functionality through protection of physicochemical quality, pathogen inactivation, aflatoxin detoxification and alleviation of mutagenicity. Design of a pilot-scale unit of pulsed electric fields (PEF) to treat sesame seeds with respect to quality parameters, Aspergillus parasiticus inactivation and aflatoxin reduction as well as alleviation of aflatoxin mutagenicity were prompted in this study. PEF energy ranged from 0.97 to 17.28 J achieved maximum reductions of peroxide value and acidity number of 67.4 and 85.7%, respectively, and did not change color L*, a*, b* and hue values. A 60% reduction of A. parasiticus counts occurred at the maximum PEF energy. Aflatoxins G1, G2, B1, and B2 contents decreased by 94.7, 92.7, 86.9, and 98.7%, respectively. Except for the samples treated by 2.16 J with 100 μg/plate and by 6.80 J with 10 μg/plate, PEF treatment provided elimination of aflatoxin mutagenity. It is concluded that PEF treatment can be used to treat sesame seeds with preservation of physicochemical properties, inactivation of A. parasiticus and decomposition of aflatoxins with reduced mutagenicity.     

The design of multiple feedback topology Chebyshev low-pass active filter with average differential evolution algorithm

Neural Computing and Applications - This study presents the design of a tenth-order multiple feedback Chebyshev low-pass filter (MF-C-LPF). Component selection and gain calculation of filters are...     

Shape Factor Effect on Inclusion Sedimentation in Aluminum Melts

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - The quality requirements of aluminum products are steadily increasing, and the presence of non-metallic inclusions have a large impact on the quality of...