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Polymers Jun 2024The development of eco-friendly, mechanically stable, and biocompatible materials for medical packaging has gained significant attention in recent years. Halloysite...
The development of eco-friendly, mechanically stable, and biocompatible materials for medical packaging has gained significant attention in recent years. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) have emerged as a promising nanomaterial due to their unique tubular structure, high aspect ratio, and biocompatibility. We aim to develop a novel soybean oil-based thermoset bio-resin incorporating HNTs and to characterize its physical and functional properties for medical packaging. Soybean oil was epoxidized using an eco-friendly method and used as a precursor for preparing the thermoset resin (ESOR). Different amounts of HNTs (0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 wt.%) were used to prepare the ESOR/HNTs blends. Various characteristics such as transparency, tensile strength, thermal resistance, and water absorption were investigated. While incorporating HNTs improved the tensile strength and thermal properties of the ESOR, it noticeably reduced its transparency at the 1.0 wt.% level. Therefore, HNTs were modified using sodium hydroxide and (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and ESOR/HNTs blends were made using 1.0 wt.% of modified HNTs. It was shown that modifying HNTs using NaOH improved the transparency and mechanical properties of prepared blends compared to those with the same amount of unmodified HNTs. However, modifying using (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) decreased the transparency but improved the water absorption of prepared resins. This study provides valuable insights into the design of HNT-based ESOR blends as a sustainable material for medical packaging, contributing to the advancement of eco-friendly packaging solutions in the healthcare industry.
PubMed: 38931966
DOI: 10.3390/polym16121616 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Virtualization plays a critical role in enriching the user experience in Virtual Reality (VR) by offering heightened realism, increased immersion, safer navigation, and...
Virtualization plays a critical role in enriching the user experience in Virtual Reality (VR) by offering heightened realism, increased immersion, safer navigation, and newly achievable levels of interaction and personalization, specifically in indoor environments. Traditionally, the creation of virtual content has fallen under one of two broad categories: manual methods crafted by graphic designers, which are labor-intensive and sometimes lack precision; traditional Computer Vision (CV) and Deep Learning (DL) frameworks that frequently result in semi-automatic and complex solutions, lacking a unified framework for both 3D reconstruction and scene understanding, often missing a fully interactive representation of the objects and neglecting their appearance. To address these diverse challenges and limitations, we introduce the Virtual Experience Toolkit (VET), an automated and user-friendly framework that utilizes DL and advanced CV techniques to efficiently and accurately virtualize real-world indoor scenarios. The key features of VET are the use of ScanNotate, a retrieval and alignment tool that enhances the precision and efficiency of its precursor, supported by upgrades such as a preprocessing step to make it fully automatic and a preselection of a reduced list of CAD to speed up the process, and the implementation in a user-friendly and fully automatic Unity3D application that guides the users through the whole pipeline and concludes in a fully interactive and customizable 3D scene. The efficacy of VET is demonstrated using a diversified dataset of virtualized 3D indoor scenarios, supplementing the ScanNet dataset.
PubMed: 38931621
DOI: 10.3390/s24123837 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Boronic acids form diester bonds with cis-hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates. The formation of these adducts could impair the physical and chemical properties of...
Boronic acids form diester bonds with cis-hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates. The formation of these adducts could impair the physical and chemical properties of precursors, even their biological activity. Two carbohydrate derivatives from d-fructose and d-arabinose and phenylboronic acid were synthesized in a straightforward one-step procedure and chemically characterized via spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction crystallography. Additionally, an acute toxicity test was performed to determine their lethal dose 50 (LD) values by using Lorke's method. Analytical chemistry assays confirmed the formation of adducts by the generation of diester bonds with the β-d-pyranose of carbohydrates, including signals corresponding to the formation of new bonds, such as the stretching of B-O bonds. NMR spectra yielded information about the stereoselectivity in the synthesis reaction: Just one signal was found in the range for the anomeric carbon in the C NMR spectra of both adducts. The acute toxicity tests showed that the LD value for both compounds was 1265 mg/kg, while the effective dose 50 (ED) for sedation was 531 mg/kg. However, differences were found in the onset and lapse of sedation. For example, the arabinose derivative induced sedation for more than 48 h at 600 mg/kg, while the fructose derivative induced sedation for less than 6 h at the same dose without the death of the mice. Thus, we report for the first time two boron-containing carbohydrate derivatives inducing sedation after intraperitoneal administration. They are bioactive and highly safe agents. Further biological evaluation is desirable to explore their medical applications.
PubMed: 38931447
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060781 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Atherosclerosis is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases. A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 and ADAM17 have been identified as important...
Atherosclerosis is one of the most important causes of cardiovascular diseases. A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)10 and ADAM17 have been identified as important regulators of inflammation in recent years. Our study investigated the effect of inhibiting these enzymes with selective inhibitor and propolis on atherosclerosis. In our study, C57BL/6J mice ( = 16) were used in the control and sham groups. In contrast, ApoE mice ( = 48) were used in the case, water extract of propolis (WEP), ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP), GW280264X (GW-synthetic inhibitor), and solvent (DMSO and ethanol) groups. The control group was fed a control diet, and all other groups were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 16 weeks. WEP (400 mg/kg/day), EEP (200 mg/kg/day), and GW (100 µg/kg/day) were administered intraperitoneally for the last four weeks. Animals were sacrificed, and blood, liver, aortic arch, and aortic root tissues were collected. In serum, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TGs), and glucose (Glu) were measured by enzymatic colorimetric method, while interleukin-1β (IL-1β), paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase-A2 (Lp-PLA2) were measured by ELISA. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), myeloperoxidase (MPO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interleukin-12 (IL-12) levels were measured in aortic arch by ELISA and ADAM10/17 activities were measured fluorometrically. In addition, aortic root and liver tissues were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically (ADAM10 and sortilin primary antibody). In the WEP, EEP, and GW groups compared to the case group, TC, TG, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, PLA2, MPO, ADAM10/17 activities, plaque burden, lipid accumulation, ADAM10, and sortilin levels decreased, while IL-10 and PON-1 levels increased ( < 0.003). Our study results show that propolis can effectively reduce atherosclerosis-related inflammation and dyslipidemia through ADAM10/17 inhibition.
Topics: Animals; ADAM10 Protein; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Propolis; Inflammation; Dyslipidemias; Mice; Male; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases; Atherosclerosis; Cholesterol, Dietary; Diet, High-Fat; Membrane Proteins; Disease Models, Animal
PubMed: 38931216
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121861 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Androgen production primarily occurs in Leydig cells located in the interstitial compartment of the testis. In aging males, testosterone is crucial for maintaining... (Review)
Review
Androgen production primarily occurs in Leydig cells located in the interstitial compartment of the testis. In aging males, testosterone is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and strength, bone density, sexual function, metabolic health, energy levels, cognitive function, as well as overall well-being. As men age, testosterone production by Leydig cells of the testes begins to decline at a rate of approximately 1% per year starting from their 30s. This review highlights recent findings concerning the use of natural polyphenolics compounds, such as flavonoids, resveratrol, and phenolic acids, to enhance testosterone production, thereby preventing age-related degenerative conditions associated with testosterone insufficiency. Interestingly, most of the natural polyphenolic antioxidants having beneficial effects on testosterone production tend to enhance the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein () gene in Leydig cells. The STAR protein facilitates the entry of the steroid precursor cholesterol inside mitochondria, a rate-limiting step for androgen biosynthesis. Natural polyphenolic compounds can also improve the activities of steroidogenic enzymes, hypothalamus-pituitary gland axis signaling, and testosterone bioavailability. Thus, many polyphenolic compounds such as luteolin, quercetin, resveratrol, ferulic acid phenethyl ester or gigantol may be promising in delaying the initiation of late-onset hypogonadism accompanying aging in males.
Topics: Male; Humans; Hypogonadism; Antioxidants; Polyphenols; Testosterone; Leydig Cells; Animals; Aging; Phosphoproteins; Resveratrol
PubMed: 38931170
DOI: 10.3390/nu16121815 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024An investigation of phenolic glycosides extracted from germplasm revealed that arbusculoidin (benzyl 1--β-d-glucopyranosyl-1-hydroxy-6-oxo-2-cyclohexenyl carboxylate)...
An investigation of phenolic glycosides extracted from germplasm revealed that arbusculoidin (benzyl 1--β-d-glucopyranosyl-1-hydroxy-6-oxo-2-cyclohexenyl carboxylate) and its enolic 6-glycoside isomer, isoarbusculoidin, are widespread across the Salix family. An analysis of natural hybrid species and progeny from a willow breeding programme demonstrated that the putative biosynthetic pathway leading to the salicinoid family of phenolic glycosides runs in parallel to a "benzyl"-based pathway to arbusculoidin. The introduction of a known Diels-Alder reaction trait from , as well as an acylation trait, into progeny containing both salicyl- and benzyl- pathways caused the formation of all possible hetero-cyclodimers from mixtures of reactive dienone (acyl)glycosides that participated in cross-over reactions. In addition to providing access to new analogues of the anti-cancer dimer miyabeacin, the analysis of the breeding progeny also indicated that these dienone (acyl)glycosides are stable in planta. Although the immediate biosynthetic precursors of these compounds remain to be defined, the results suggest that the (acyl)glycosylation reactions may occur later in the pathway than previously suggested by in vitro work on cloned UGT enzymes.
PubMed: 38931042
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121609 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024In this study, the optimal microwave-assisted sol-gel synthesis parameters for achieving TiO nanoparticles with the highest specific surface area and photocatalytic...
In this study, the optimal microwave-assisted sol-gel synthesis parameters for achieving TiO nanoparticles with the highest specific surface area and photocatalytic activity were determined. Titanium isopropoxide was used as a precursor to prepare the sol (colloidal solution) of TiO. Isopropanol was used as a solvent; acetylacetone was used as a complexation moderator; and nitric acid was used as a catalyst. Four samples of titanium dioxide were synthesized from the prepared colloidal solution in a microwave reactor at a temperature of 150 °C for 30 min and at a temperature of 200 °C for 10, 20, and 30 min. The phase composition of the TiO samples was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms were used to determine the specific surface area and pore size distributions using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. The band-gap energy values of the TiO samples were determined by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The distribution of Ti and O in the TiO samples was determined by SEM-EDS analysis. The effects of adsorption and photocatalytic activity of the prepared TiO samples were evaluated by the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) as an emerging organic pollutant (EOP) under UV-A light (365 nm). The results of the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized TiO nanoparticles were compared to the benchmark Degussa P25 TiO. Kinetic parameters of adsorption and photocatalysis were determined and analyzed. It was found that crystalline TiO nanoparticles with the highest specific surface area, the lowest energy band gap, and the highest photocatalytic degradation were the samples synthesized at 200 °C for 10 min. The results indicate that CIP degradation by all TiO samples prepared at 200 °C show a synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation in the removal process.
PubMed: 38930999
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29122935 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024In-depth insights into the oligomers of carbon dots (CDs) prepared from small-molecule precursors are important in the study of the carbonization mechanism of CDs and...
In-depth insights into the oligomers of carbon dots (CDs) prepared from small-molecule precursors are important in the study of the carbonization mechanism of CDs and for our knowledge of their complex structure. Herein, citric acid (CA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) were used as small-molecule precursors to prepare CDs in an aqueous solution. The structure of oligomers acquired from CA and EDA in different molar ratios and their formation process were first studied using density functional theory, including the dispersion correction (DFT-D3) method. The results showed that the energy barrier of dimer cyclization was higher than that of its linear polymerization, but the free energy of the cyclized product was much lower than that of its reactant, and IPCA (5-oxo-1,-2,3,5-tetrahydroimidazo [1,2-a]pyridine-7-carboxylic acid) could therefore be obtained under certain conditions. The oligomers obtained from different molar ratios of EDA and CA were molecular clusters formed by short polyamide chains through intermolecular forces; with the exception of when the molar ratio of EDA to CA was 0.5, excessive CA did not undergo an amidation reaction but rather attained molecular clusters directly through intermolecular forces. These oligomers exhibited significant differences in their surface functional groups, which would affect the carbonization process and the surface structure of CDs.
PubMed: 38930988
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29122920 -
The Grafting of Hydroxyaromatic Organics within Layered Perovskites via a Microwave-Assisted Method.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024A new series of inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite materials were prepared by microwave-assisted grafting reactions. Simple carboxylic acids, acetic acid, and propionic...
A new series of inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite materials were prepared by microwave-assisted grafting reactions. Simple carboxylic acids, acetic acid, and propionic acid, as well as hydroxyaromatic carboxylic acids, 3,5-dihydroxy benzoic acid (DBA), 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid (HPA), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA), and 4-hydroxy-4-biphenyl carboxylic acid (HBCA), were reacted with the Dion-Jacobson double-layered perovskite, HLaNbO and its alcoxy derivatives. Grafting was found to not occur with simple carboxylic acids, while those molecules with hydroxyls were all attached to the perovskite interlayers. Reactivity of the hydroxyaromatic carboxylic acids varied with the different layered perovskite hosts where reactions with HLaNbO did not occur, and those with n-propoxy-LaNbO were limited; the greatest extent of reactivity was seen with n-decoxy-LaNbO. This is attributed to the larger interlayer spacing available for the insertion of the various hydroxyaromatic carboxylic acid compounds. The loading exhibited by the grafting species was less than that seen with well-known long-chain alkoxy grafting groups. It is expected that the width of the molecules contributes to this where, due to the benzyl groups, the interlayer volume of the grafted moieties occupies a larger horizontal fraction, therefore minimizing the loading to the below half. X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies found that grafting of the n-decoxy-LaNbO intermediates with the series of hydroxyaromatics resulted in a reduction in crystallinity along with a disruption of the layer structure. Raman data on the series show little variation in local structure except for HBCA, where there appears to be a lengthening of the Nb-O apical linkage and a possible reduction in the distortion of inner-layer NbO octahedra. The optical properties of the hydroxyaromatic carboxylic acid grafted perovskites were also investigated using diffuse-reflectance UV-Vis spectroscopy. The band gaps of DBA, HPA, and HBA were found to be similar to the parent (E ≈ 3.4 eV), while the HBCA was significantly less by ca. 0.6 eV. This difference is attributed to electron withdrawal from the perovskite block to the HBCA ligand, leading to a lower band gap for the HBCA compound. The methods described herein allow for the formation of a new series of inorganic-organic hybrid materials where the products are of interest as precursors to more complex architectures as well as models for band gap modification of metal oxide photocatalysts.
PubMed: 38930953
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29122888 -
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The selective hydrogenation of the biomass platform molecule furfural (FAL) to produce furfuryl alcohol (FA) is of great significance to alleviate the energy crisis....
The selective hydrogenation of the biomass platform molecule furfural (FAL) to produce furfuryl alcohol (FA) is of great significance to alleviate the energy crisis. Cu-based catalysts are the most commonly used catalysts, and their catalytic performance can be optimized by changing the preparation method. This paper emphasized the effect of calcination atmosphere on the performance of a Cu/AlO catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of FAL. The precursor of the Cu/AlO catalyst prepared by the ammonia evaporation method was treated with different calcination atmospheres (N and air). On the basis of the combined results from the characterizations using in situ XRD, TEM, NO titration, H-TPR and XPS, the Cu/AlO catalyst calcined in the N atmosphere was more favorable for the dispersion and reduction of Cu species and the reduction process could produce more Cu and Cu species, which facilitated the selective hydrogenation of FAL to FA. The experimental results showed that the N calcination atmosphere improved the FAL conversion and FA selectivity, and the FAL conversion was further increased after reduction. Cu/AlO-N-R exhibited the outstanding performance, with a high yield of 99.9% of FA after 2 h at 120 °C and an H pressure of 1 MPa. This work provides a simple, efficient and economic method to improve the C=O hydrogenation performance of Cu-based catalysts.
PubMed: 38930819
DOI: 10.3390/molecules29122753