Assessment of the direct agglutination test, fast agglutination screening test, and rK39 dipstick test for the sero-diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in Syria

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performances of 3 serological assays (direct agglutination test [DAT], fast agglutination screening test [FAST], recombinant protein [rK39] dipstick) test for use in primary care, for the diagnosis visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Syria. METHODS: We utilized 267 serum samples obtained during 2007 from patient groups confirmed and suspected VL, confirmed cutaneous leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis from endemic areas in Syria and control samples, and applied the 3 serological tests in the Damascus University, Damascus and Health laboratories at the same time, on these samples. RESULTS: Our data show that the tests were very sensitive, where the DAT was the most specific followed by FAST, then rK39 dipstick. CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed that all the tests performed well, and proved to be very important sero-diagnosis tools for visceral leishmaniasis.     

Trivalent Ions and Their Impacts on Effective Conductivity at 300 K and Radio-Protective Behaviors of Bismo-Borate Glasses: A Comparative Investigation for Al,Y, Nd,Sm, Eu

We aimed to determine the contribution of various trivalent ions like Al and rare-earths (Y, Nd, Sm, Eu) on resistance behaviors of different types of bismo-borate glasses. Accordingly, eight different bismuth borate glasses from the system: 40Bi₂O₃–59B₂O₃–1Tv₂O₃ (where Tv = Al, Y, Nd, Sm, and Eu) and three glasses of (40Bi₂O₃–60B₂O₃; 37.5Bi₂O₃–62.5B₂O₃; and 38Bi₂O₃–60B₂O₃–2Al₂O₃) compositions were extensively investigated in terms of their nuclear attenuation shielding properties, along with effective conductivity and buildup factors. The Py-MLBUF online platform was also utilized for determination of some essential parameters. Next, attenuation coefficients, along with half and tenth value layers, have been determined in the 0.015 MeV–15 MeV photon energy range. Moreover, effective atomic numbers and effective atomic weight, along with exposure and energy absorption buildup factors, were determined in the same energy range. The result showed that the type of trivalent ion has a direct effect on behaviors of bismo-borate glasses against ionizing gamma-rays. As incident photon energy increases, the effective thermal conductivity decreases rapidly, especially in the low energy range, where photoelectric effects dominate the photon–matter interaction. Sample 8 had the minimum heat conductivity at low photon energies; our findings showed that Eu-reinforced bismo-borate glass composition, namely 40Bi₂O₃–59B₂O₃–1Eu₂O₃, with a glass density of 6.328 g/cm³ had superior gamma-ray attenuation properties. These outcomes would be useful for the scientific community to observe the most suitable additive rareearth type and related glass composition for providing the aforementioned shielding properties, in terms of needs and utilization requirements.     

Application of Bi12ZnO20 Sillenite as an Efficient Photocatalyst for Wastewater Treatment: Removal of Both Organic and Inorganic Compounds

This work aims to synthesize and characterize a material that can be used as an effective catalyst for photocatalytic application to remove both organic and inorganic compounds from wastewater. In this context, sillenite Bi₁₂ZnO₂₀ (BZO) in a pure phase was synthesized using the sol–gel method. Before calcination, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis was done to determine the temperature of the formation of the sillenite phase, which was found to be 800 °C. After calcination, the phase was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and then refined using the Rietveld refinement technique. The results prove that BZO crystals have a cubic symmetry with the space group I23 (N°197); the lattice parameters of the structure were also determined. From the crystalline size, the surface area was estimated using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, which was found to be 11.22 m²/g. The formation of sillenite was also checked using the Raman technique. The morphology of the crystals was visualized using electron scanning microscope (SEM) analysis. After that, the optical properties of BZO were investigated by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL); an optical gap of 2.9 eV was found. In the final step, the photocatalytic activity of the BZO crystals was evaluated for the removal of inorganic and organic pollutants, namely hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) and Cefixime (CFX). An efficient removal rate was achieved for both contaminants within only 3 h, with a 94.34% degradation rate for CFX and a 77.19% reduction rate for Cr(VI). Additionally, a kinetic study was carried out using a first-order model, and the results showed that the kinetic properties are compatible with this model. According to these findings, we can conclude that the sillenite BZO can be used as an efficient photocatalyst for wastewater treatment by eliminating both organic and inorganic compounds.     

Photocatalytic Activity of Silicon Nanowires Decorated with PbS Nanoparticles Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition for Efficient Wastewater Treatment

The present work aims to study the photocatalytic properties of nanohybrids composed of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) decorated with PbS nanoparticles (NPs). The elaborated material was intended to be utilized in wastewater treatment. The SiNWs were elaborated from the Metal Assisted Chemical Etching route (MACE), while the PbS NPs were deposited at room temperature onto SiNWs using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The influence of decorating SiNWs (having different lengths) with PbS-NPs on their structural, morphological, optoelectronic, and photocatalytic properties was scrutinized. PbS/SiNWs nanohybrids exhibited enhanced photocatalytic degradation towards Black Amido (BA) dye for 20 µm SiNWs length and 0.2% of BA volume concentration. These optimized conditions may insinuate that this nanocomposite-like structure is a promising efficient photocatalytic systems contender, cost-effective, and recyclable for organic compound purification from wastewaters.     

Wasp Venom Biochemical Components and Their Potential in Biological Applications and Nanotechnological Interventions

Wasps, members of the order Hymenoptera, are distributed in different parts of the world, including Brazil, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and Argentina. The lifestyles of the wasps are solitary and social. Social wasps use venom as a defensive measure to protect their colonies, whereas solitary wasps use their venom to capture prey. Chemically, wasp venom possesses a wide variety of enzymes, proteins, peptides, volatile compounds, and bioactive constituents, which include phospholipase A2, antigen 5, mastoparan, and decoralin. The bioactive constituents have anticancer, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects. However, the limited quantities of wasp venom and the scarcity of advanced strategies for the synthesis of wasp venom’s bioactive compounds remain a challenge facing the effective usage of wasp venom. Solid-phase peptide synthesis is currently used to prepare wasp venom peptides and their analogs such as mastoparan, anoplin, decoralin, polybia-CP, and polydim-I. The goal of the current review is to highlight the medicinal value of the wasp venom compounds, as well as limitations and possibilities. Wasp venom could be a potential and novel natural source to develop innovative pharmaceuticals and new agents for drug discovery.     

Enhancement of Gamma-ray Shielding Properties in Cobalt-Doped Heavy Metal Borate Glasses: The Role of Lanthanum Oxide Reinforcement

The direct influence of La³⁺ ions on the gamma-ray shielding properties of cobalt-doped heavy metal borate glasses with the chemical formula 0.3CoO-(80-x)B₂O₃-19.7PbO-xLa₂O₃: x = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mol% was examined herein. Several significant radiation shielding parameters were evaluated. The glass density was increased from 3.11 to 3.36 g/cm³ with increasing La³⁺ ion content from 0 to 2 mol%. The S5 glass sample, which contained the highest concentration of La³⁺ ions (2 mol%), had the maximum linear (μ) and mass (μ_m) attenuation coefficients for all photon energies entering, while the S1 glass sample free of La³⁺ ions possessed the minimum values of μ and μ_m. Both the half value layer (T_1/2) and tenth value layer (TVL) of all investigated glasses showed a similar trend of (T_1/2, TVL)_S1 > (T_1/2, TVL)_S2 > (T_1/2, TVL)_S3 > (T_1/2, TVL)_S4 > (T_1/2, TVL)_S5. Our results revealed that the S5 sample had the highest effective atomic number (Z_eff) values over the whole range of gamma-ray energy. S5 had the lowest exposure (EBF) and energy absorption (EABF) build-up factor values across the whole photon energy and penetration depth range. Our findings give a strong indication of the S5 sample’s superior gamma-ray shielding characteristics due to the highest contribution of lanthanum oxide.     

Combating violence against children: Jordanian pre-service early childhood teachers’ perceptions towards child abuse and neglect

Early childhood teachers play major roles in defying child abuse and neglect and alleviating its detrimental effects on young children. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring how Jordanian pre-service early childhood teachers define and perceive violence against children and their role in child abuse detection and prevention. Furthermore, the study aimed at identifying pre-service early childhood perceived preparation needs in child abuse and neglect. To achieve the study purposes, an interpretive qualitative approach was utilised. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 pre-service early childhood teachers who completed a compulsory course in child abuse at the time of the study. Thematic analysis was applied to data through which findings were confined to three themes corresponding to the research questions: violence and abuse defined; perceived preparation needs; and perceived roles in child protection. Several implications and recommendations for educators and teacher preparation programmes were offered and discussed based on the findings of this study.     

Chemical fingerprinting and quantitative monitoring of the doping drugs bambuterol and terbutaline in human urine samples using ATR-FTIR coupled with a PLSR chemometric tool

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is prohibited in sports competitions according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations. Here, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled with a partial least squares regression (PLSR) chemometric tool was used for the detection of the misuse of such substances. Bambuterol and its metabolite terbutaline have been included in the list of prohibited doping agents. Therefore, we used bambuterol and terbutaline as models for the accurate and simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of bambuterol and terbutaline in human urine samples. The method was straightforward and once the urine samples were collected, they could be directly applied to the surface of the ZnSe prism (ATR unit) to get the results within one minute. A calibration set with a partial factorial design was used to develop the PLSR model that could be used to predict the concentration of unknown samples containing the two drugs. The developed method was carefully validated and successfully applied to the urine sample analysis of human volunteers. The drugs were quantified at nanogram level concentrations. A side-by-side comparison of the proposed method with the routine GC-MS method was performed to demonstrate the challenges and opportunities of each method.

ATR-FTIR spectroscopy coupled with chemometric tools could be a suitable alternative to the traditional techniques for quantification of the performance enhancing drugs such as bambuterol and terbutaline in urine samples in and out of competition.     

Synthesis of homo- and hetero-metallic cobalt and zinc nano oxide particles by a calcination process using coordination compounds: their characterization,DFT calculations and capacitance behavioural study

Nano cobalt and porous zinc–cobalt oxide particles were synthesized using the concept of coordination compounds of the type [M(ii)L,L′] (where M(ii) = Co(ii) & Zn(ii) L= 4-hydroxy benzaldehyde and L′ = piperazine) and were thoroughly characterized. Because the precursors are coordination compounds possessing specific geometry in the crystal lattice, uniform and appropriately sized homo- and heterometallic nanocrystals of Co₃O₄ and ZnO·Co₃O₄ were obtained after a thermal process. The homo and hetero composite particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT IR spectroscopy and electrochemistry. The paramagnetic chemical shift of the methyl protons in DMSO due to the nanoparticles was studied by NMR spectroscopy, which indicated that the cobalt particles were ferromagnetic. The structural design modification and surface area of Co₃O₄ was improved by adding the ZnO component. DFT calculations were done to validate the nano structure. Supercapacitance ability of the nanoparticles was studied by cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical calculations were performed to determine the microelectronic characteristics of the material. The specific capacitance was estimated at 207.3 and 51.1 F g⁻¹ for the ZnO·Co₃O₄ and Co₃O₄ electrodes, respectively. Clearly, ZnO·Co₃O₄ exhibited a much higher specific capacitance than the Co₃O₄ nanocrystal, which was attributed to better conductivity and higher surface area. The capacitance activity showed multifold enhancement due to the porous nature of Zn oxide in the heterometallic nano ZnO·Co₃O₄ composite.

Pictorial depiction of appropriately sized homo and hetero nanocrystals of Co₃O₄ and ZnO·Co₃O₄ and the optimized structures of [Co₃O₄]₄ [ZnO]₄ DMSO adduct.     

Caffeine Sources and Consumption among Saudi Adults Living with Diabetes and Its Potential Effect on HbA1c

Information regarding the spread and effect of coffee and caffeine intake by individuals with type II diabetes remains unclear. This study aims to identify the amount and sources of habitual caffeine intake by individuals with type II diabetes and to investigate its association with other health outcomes, especially HbA1c. This is a cross-sectional survey involving 100 people medically defined as having type II diabetes comprising both genders, recruited from a care centre. All participants completed a caffeine semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (C-FFQ) to estimate their caffeine consumption, a two day 24-h recall, and a detailed questionnaire. The average caffeine intake was calculated from all sources and the differences in mean by gender were tested using a regression model (adjusted to important confounders). Regression models were used to verify the association between average caffeine intake on HbA1c and other health outcomes with adjustment for important confounders. A p value < 0.05 represented statistical significance. Arabic coffee (gahwa) and tea were the most common sources of caffeine among Saudi adults living with diabetes. Average caffeine intake for the whole sample was 194 ± 165 mg/day, which is 2.3 ± 2 mg/kg. There was an inverse association between caffeine intake and age: difference in mean −3.26 mg/year (95%CI: −5.34, −1.18; p = 0.003). Males had significantly higher consumption of caffeine compared to females: difference in mean 90.7 mg/day (95%CI: 13.8, 167.6; p = 0.021). No association was found between average caffeine intake and HbA1C or any other cardiovascular risk factors. This information can help public health practitioners and policy makers when assessing the risk of caffeine consumption among this vulnerable group.