In this research we developed two triphenylamine (TPA)-linked conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), TPA-TAB and TPA-TBN, through Suzuki couplings of tris(4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)phenyl)amine (TPA-BO) with the aryl bromides tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)benzidine (TAB-Br₄) and 2,7,10,15-tetrabromotetrabenzonaphthalene (TBN-Br₄), respectively. These CMPs, which have substantial surface surfaces and outstanding thermal stability, could be employed as electrode materials in supercapacitor (SC) devices. In a three-electrode SC, the TPA-TAB CMP exhibited ultrahigh specific capacitance (684 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹) and long-term stability, with a capacitance retention of 99.5% after 5000 cycles (at 10 A g⁻¹). Moreover, a two-electrode symmetric SC incorporating TPA-TAB CMP presented a capacitance of 117 F g⁻¹ and a high retention of 98% when subjected to 5000 cycles at 10 A g⁻¹. This exceptional performance resulted from was achieved through the use of redox-active TPA units and a large BET surface area (490 m² g⁻¹). Accordingly, such TPA-CMPs appear to have promise for use in charge and energy storage applications.

Mathematical modeling of a cancer treatment and drug delivery at the macroscale requires evaluating the leakage of solute flux into the targeted tumor or healthy tissue. This study provides a 2D model for the blood and nanoparticle transport in a single vessel surrounded by a tumor. In the vessel, the blood flow is described by Navier-Stokes equations which are coupled to advection–diffusion equation and energy equation for the fluid and nanoparticle transport. Impacts of the Brownian motion and thermophores parameters together with a thermal radiation are examined. Constant vascular fluid velocity across the vessel walls are assumed, and two phase nanofluid model is considered to represent the nanoparticle concentration. The solution methodology is depending on the finite volume method and features of the blood velocity, temperature and nanoparticle concentration are presented graphically. The major outcomes reveal that the blood temperature within the vessel is enhanced as the nanoparticle extravasation coefficient is increasing, while the concentration of the nanoparticles around the tumor is reduced.

Heat transfer in the biological tissue during/after thermal therapy is dominated by the blood perfusion in the tissue. In this study we introduce a mathematical model to simulate the heat and nanoparticle transport in the tissue in the presence of a vertical vessel at the microscale. This model incorporates the effects of the nanoparticle Brownian motion, nanoparticle transport due to thermophoresis and heat transfer by radiation. We consider the nanoparticles and the interstitial fluid extravasate from the vessel into the surrounding tissue through a uniform distribution of pores at the vessel wall . We introduce similarity transformations to convert the governing equations into a system of ODEs, which we solve numerically using MATLAB. The model predictions show a significant influence of the vessel pore size on the heat transfer in the tissue. On the other hand, the nanoparticle transport across the tissue depends on the …

In this work, tuning oxygen tension was targeted to improve hydrogen evolution. To achieve such target, various consortia of the chlorophyte Coccomyxa chodatii with a newly isolated photosynthetic purple non-sulfur bacterium (PNSB) strain Rhodobium gokarnense were set up, sulfur replete/deprived, malate/acetate fed, bicarbonate/sulfur added at dim/high light. C. chodatii and R. gokarnense are newly introduced to biohydrogen studies for the first time. Dim light was applied to avoid the inhibitory drawbacks of photosynthetic oxygen evolution, values of hydrogen are comparable with high light or even more and thus economically feasible to eliminate the costs of artificial illumination. Particularly, the consortium of 2n− (n = 1.9 × 10⁵ cell/ml, sulfur deprived) demonstrated its perfection for the target, i.e., the highest possible cumulative hydrogen. This consortium exhibited negative photosynthesis, i.e., oxygen uptake in the light. Most hydrogen in consortia is from bacterial origin, although algae evolved much more hydrogen than bacteria on per cell basis, but for only one day (the second 24 h), as kinetics revealed. The higher hydrogen in unibacterial culture or consortia results from higher bacterial cell density (20 times). Consortia evolved more hydrogen than their respective separate cultures, further enhanced when bicarbonate and sulfur were supplemented at higher light. The share of algae relatively increased as bicarbonate or sulfur were added at higher light intensity, i.e., PSII activity partially recovered, resulting in a transient autotrophic hydrogen evolution. The addition of acetic acid in mixture with malic acid significantly enhanced the cumulative hydrogen levels, mostly decreased cellular ascorbic acid indicating less oxidative stress and relief of PSII, relative to malic acid alone. Starch, however, decreased, indicating the specificity of acetic acid. Exudates (reducing sugars, amino acids, and soluble proteins) were detected, indicating mutual utilization. Yet, hydrogen evolution is limited; tuning PSII activity remains a target for sustainable hydrogen production.

One-third of all food produced for human use is discarded as waste, resulting in environmental pollution and impaired food security. Fruit peels have bioactive compounds that may be used as antimicrobials and antioxidants, and the use of fruit peels is considered an alternative way to reduce environmental problems and agro-industrial waste. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical, mineral, extraction yield, total phenolic, total flavonoids, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of several peel fruits, including Citrus sinensis (orange) and Punica granatum (pomegranate). The results revealed that pomegranate peel powder contains the highest amounts of ash, fiber, total carbohydrates, Ca, Fe, Mg, and Cu, while orange peel contains the highest amounts of moisture, protein, crude fat, P, and K. Furthermore, the aqueous and methanolic pomegranate peel extracts yielded higher total phenolic and total flavonoids than the orange peel extract. The identification and quantification of polyphenol compounds belonging to different classes, such as tannins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids in pomegranate peel and flavonoid compounds in orange peel were performed using UPLC-MS/MS. In addition, GC-MS analysis of orange peel essential oil discovered that the predominant compound is D-Limonene (95.7%). The aqueous and methanolic extracts of pomegranate peel were proven to be efficient against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria linked to human infections. Sponge cake substituting wheat flour with 3% pomegranate peel and 10% orange peel powder had the highest total phenolic, flavonoid compounds, and antioxidant activity as compared to the control cake. Our results concluded that pomegranate and orange peel flour can be used in cake preparation and natural food preservers.

In the present study, Zingiber officinale is used for the synthesis of Zingiber officinale capped silver nanoparticles (ZOE-AgNPs) and compares the antimicrobial efficacy and compressive strength of conventional glass ionomer cement (GIC) combined with ZOE-AgNPs, lyophilized miswak, and chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) against oral microbes. Five groups of the disc-shaped GIC specimens were prepared. Group A: lyophilized miswak and GIC combination, Group B: ZOE-AgNPs and GIC combinations, Group C: CHX and GIC combination, Group D: ZOE-AgNPs + CHX + GIC; Group E: Conventional GIC. Results confirmed the successful formation of ZOE-AgNPs that was monitored by UV-Vis sharp absorption spectra at 415 nm. The X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) results revealed the formation of ZOE-AgNPs with a mean size 10.5–14.12 nm. The peaks of the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were appearing the involvement of ZOE components onto the surface of ZOE-AgNPs which played as bioreducing, and stabilizing agents. At a 24-h, one-week and three-week intervals, Group D showed the significantly highest mean inhibitory zones compared to Group A, Group B, and Group C. At microbe-level comparison, Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus were inhibited significantly by all the specimens tested except group E when compared to Candida albicans. Group D specimens showed slightly higher (45.8 ± 5.4) mean compressive strength in comparison with other groups. The combination of GIC with ZOE-AgNPs and chlorhexidine together enhanced its antimicrobial efficacy and compressive strength compared to GIC with ZOE-AgNPs or lyophilized miswak or chlorhexidine combination alone. The present study revealed that The combination of GIC with active components of ZOE-AgNPs and chlorhexidine paves the way to lead its effective nano-dental materials applications.

Staphylococcus aureus is a cause of high mortality in humans and therefore it is necessary to prevent its transmission and reduce infections. Our goals in this research were to investigate the frequency of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and assess the relationship between the phenotypic antimicrobial sensitivity patterns and the genes responsible for resistance. In addition, we examined the antimicrobial efficiency and application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against MRSA isolates. Seventy-two nasal swabs were taken from patients; MRSA was cultivated on Mannitol Salt Agar supplemented with methicillin, and 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted in addition to morphological and biochemical identification. Specific resistance genes such as ermAC, aacA-aphD, tetKM, vatABC and mecA were PCR-amplified and resistance plasmids were also investigated. The MRSA incidence was ~49 % among the 72 S. aureus isolates and all MRSA strains were resistant to oxacillin, penicillin, and cefoxitin. However, vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, mupirocin, and rifampicin were effective against 100% of MRSA strains. About 61% of MRSA strains exhibited multidrug resistance and were resistant to 3-12 antimicrobial medications (MDR). Methicillin resistance gene mecA was presented in all MDR-MRSA strains. Most MDR-MRSA contained a plasmid of > 10 kb. To overcome bacterial resistance, AgNPs were applied and displayed high antimicrobial activity and synergistic effect with penicillin. Our findings may help establish programs to control bacterial spread in communities as AgNPs appeared to exert a synergistic effect with penicillin to control bacterial resistance.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESβL) producing E. coli pose a significant medical challenge. It has spread worldwide, making it as the source of a variety of urinary tract and wound infections. Recently, nanosilver has been widely utilized in the medicinal applications. We aimed at fabricating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and observing how they affected the ESβL-producing E. coli isolated from different human anatomical regions. Under optimal circumstances, AgNPs were biosynthesized using Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from raw milk and they were wholly characterized. The AgNPs were occurred to be crystalline and have a stable structure. AgNPs are hexagonal and spherical in form with no considerable agglomeration, according to TEM-results. The particle diameters varied between 13.2 and 36.8 nm. AgNPs and AgNPs-cotton clothing for wound treatment and self-sterilizing coats were displayed to have an antimicrobial action versus ESβL-producing E. coli. AgNPs, and their application i.e., AgNPs-wound dressing, shown a considerable antibacterial efficiency against ESL-producing E. coli. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of AgNPs against ESβL-producing E. coli ranged from 7 to 9 μg mL−1, while the MIC of AgNPs with ampicillin was 1.25–4 g mL−1. This is mostly due to the AgNPs plus ampicillin have a synergistic efficiency, increasing the antibacterial effectiveness of AgNPs by 2–4 times. Our findings implied that the generated AgNPs might be applied as a nano-drug individually or combined with ampicillin against ESβL-producing E. coli.

Caries lesions during cement repairs are a severe issue, and developing a unique antimicrobial restorative biomaterial can help to reduce necrotic lesion recurrence. As a result, Thymus vulgaris extract was used to biosynthesize copper nanoparticles (TVE-CuNPs) exhibiting different characteristics (TVE). Along with TVE-CuNPs, commercial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and metronidazole were combined with glass ionomer cement (GIC) to test its antibacterial efficacy and compressive strength. FTIR, XRD, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and TEM were applied to characterize the TVE-CuNPs. Additionally, AgNPs and TVE-CuNPs were also combined with metronidazole and GIC. The modified GIC samples were divided into six groups, where groups 1 and 2 included conventional GIC and GIC with 1.5% metromidazole, respectively; group 3 had GIC with 0.5% TVE-CuNPs, while group 4 had 0.5% TVE-CuNPs with metronidazole in 1.5%; group 5 had GIC with 0.5% AgNPs, and group 6 had 0.5% AgNPs with metronidazole at 1.5%. An antimicrobial test was performed against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) by the disc diffusion method and the modified direct contact test (MDCT). GIC groups 4 and 6 demonstrated a greater antimicrobial efficiency against the two tested strains than the other groups. In GIC groups 4 and 6, the combination of GIC with two antimicrobial agents, 1.5% metronidazole and 0.5% TVE-CuNPs or AgNPs, enhanced the antimicrobial efficiency when compared to that of the other groups with or without a single agent. GIC group specimens combined with nanosilver and nanocopper had similar mean compressive strengths when compared to the other GIC groups. Finally, the better antimicrobial efficacy of GIC boosted by metronidazole and the tested nanoparticles against the tested strains may be relevant for the future creation of more efficient and modified restorations to reduce dental caries lesions.