The role of organisms' size in microplastic pollution monitoring: Insights from Mytilaster lineatus and Amphibalanusimprovisus.

Marine organisms can serve as valuable bioindicators, providing insights into the spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments. While barnacles and mussels have shown promise as bioindicators of MP pollution in coastal environments, recent studies have questioned the efficacy of bivalves in this role. To address this, our research investigated the suitability of Mytilaster lineatus and Amphibalanus improvisus as biomonitors of MP pollution in the Caspian Sea through a comprehensive survey of these filter-feeding organisms.

Flame retardant and superoleophilic polydopamine/chitosan-graft (g)-octanal coated polyurethane foam for separation oil/water mixtures.

The discharge of crude petroleum oils and their derivatives poses serious environmental challenges, which can be mitigated through oil/water separation. In this study, polyurethane (PU)/polydopamine (PDA)/chitosan-graft (g)-octanal foam was prepared by immersing of PU foam in PDA and chitosan-g-octanal solutions. The fabricated PU foam exhibited thermal stability, flame retardancy, and hydrophobicity/superoleophilicity.

Biosynthesis of Calcite Nanocrystal by a Novel Polyextremophile Bhargavaea cecembensis-Related Strain Isolated from Sandy Soil.

Urease-producing bacteria are abundant in soils, which can precipitate calcium carbonate nanocrystals by enzymatic hydrolysis of urea in the presence of calcium ions. This process is known as microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), and it has received much attention in recent years as an eco-friendly technology. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to isolate local extremophile bacterial strains capable of producing calcium carbonate.

Routine COVID-19 testing may not be necessary for most cancer patients.

Cancer patients are at risk for severe complications or death from COVID-19 infection. Therefore, the need for routine COVID-19 testing in this population was evaluated. Between 1st August and 30th October 2020, 150 cancer patients were included.

Evaluating the Radiosensitization Effect of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles on Human Breast Adenocarcinoma Cell Line and Fibroblast.

Background: Nanohydroxyapatite (nHAP) exhibit anti-proliferative effects on various cancer cells. However, to date, there are only a few studies on the radiosensitization effect of nHAP. The present study aimed to investigate the possible enhancement of the radiosensitization effect of nHAP on human breast adenocarcinoma cancer (MCF-7) and fibroblast.

Investigating the Relationship between Magnesium levels and Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnant Women.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as one of the three main types of diabetes mellitus (DM). It is established that GDM is associated with exceeding nutrient losses owing to glycosuria. Magnesium (Mg), as one of the essential micronutrients for fetus development, acts as the main cofactor in most enzymatic processes.

Synthesis of anticorrosion nanohybrid films based on bioinspired dopamine, L-cys/CNT@PDA through self-assembly on 304 stainless steel in 3.5% NaCl.

Nanohybrid films containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were successfully coated on 304-stainless steel (304ss) for anti-corrosion use. The nanocompositewas made by a self-assembly of poly (dopamine), wrapped with MWCNTs (CNT@PDA) through a mussel inspired method. In order to enhance the corrosion protection, an inner layer of L-cysteine, an adhesive amino acid to 304ss surface through thiol (-SH) functional group were constructed through a dip-coating process.

Preparation and characterization of marine mineralized ASC nanocomposites through biomineralization.

Mineralized collagen provides new solutions in the manufacture of porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. In this research, the use of biomimetic mineralization, the process of mineralization of acid soluble collagen (ASC) type I extracted from white fish (Rutilus frisii kutum) scales, in a body simulated fluid (SBF) in the presence and absence of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS) was thoroughly investigated. The formation of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) nanocrystals in mineralized nanocomposites was detected by XRD, TGA, and FT-IR techniques.

Application of FT-IR spectroscopy on breast cancer serum analysis.

Breast cancer is regarded as the most malignant tumor among women throughout the world. Therefore, early detection and proper diagnostic methods have been known to help save women's lives. Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, coupled with PCA-LDA analysis, is a new technique to investigate the characteristics of serum in breast cancer.

A novel metabolite (1,3-benzenediol, 5-hexyl) production by Exophiala spinifera strain FM through dibenzothiophene desulfurization.

Sulfur dioxide which is released from petroleum oil combustion causes pollution over the atmosphere and the soil. Biodesulfurization can be used as a complementary method of hydrodesulfurization, the common method of petroleum desulfurization in refineries. Many studies have been carried out to develop biological desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) with bacterial biocatalysts.

The use of antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles in the treatment of municipal wastewater.

Nanotechnology holds great potential in advanced water and wastewater treatment to improve treatment efficiency. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have received considerable attention due to their unique antibacterial activities toward various microorganisms that are commonly found in the environment. In the present study, ZnO NPs were synthesized through both mechano-chemical and sol-gel methods.

Electrophoretic pattern and antibacterial activity of proteins from vicia faba seed extract.

Antibiotic resistance makes Antimierobial peptides (AMPs) agents an alternative for treatment of pathogenic diseases. They are isolated from various invertebrate animals, vertebrates and plants. The present study shows the electrophoretic pattern of protein and peptides from Vicia faba seed and reports our first attempt to study the antibacterial activity of Vicia faba seed extract.

Density functional theory study of nitrogen-14 nuclear quadrupole coupling parameters of L-histidine: hydrogen-bonded system.

The calculations of nitrogen-14 nuclear quadrupole parameters, nuclear quadrupole coupling constant, χ, and asymmetry parameter, η, of L-His were done in two distinct environments: one as a free fully optimized molecule, an isolated molecule with the geometrical parameters taken from X-ray, and the other in the orthorhombic and monoclinic solid states. The most probable interacting molecules with the central molecule in the crystalline phase were considered in the hexameric clusters to include hydrogen-bonding effects in the calculations. The computations were performed with PW91P86/6-31++G** and B3LYP6-31++G** methods using the Gaussian 98 program.

Deuteron quadrupole coupling in benzene: librational corrections using a temperature-dependent Einstein model, and summary. The symmetries of electric field gradients and conditions for eta = 1.

Librational corrections are added to previous single-crystal and polycrystalline measurements of the deuteron quadrupole coupling constant in benzene. The results are related to gas-phase and liquid-crystal measurements and to theoretical values. A 'temperature-dependent Einstein model' is introduced for the purpose.

Density functional theory investigation of hydrogen bonding effects on the oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen electric field gradient and chemical shielding tensors of anhydrous chitosan crystalline structure.

A systematic computational investigation was carried out to characterize the 17O, 14N and 2H electric field gradient, EFG, as well as 17O, 15N, 13C and 1H chemical shielding tensors in the anhydrous chitosan crystalline structure. To include the hydrogen-bonding effects in the calculations, the most probable interacting molecules with the target molecule in the crystalline phase were considered through a hexameric cluster. The computations were performed with the B3LYP method and 6-311++G(d,p) and 6-31++G(d,p) standard basis sets using the Gaussian 98 suite of programs.

A study on the intermolecular hydrogen bonds of alpha-glycylglycine in its actual crystalline phase using ab initio calculated 14N and 2H nuclear quadrupole coupling constants.

alpha-Glycylglycine in its actual crystalline phase is studied by ab initio calculated nuclear quadrupole coupling constants. These physical quantities are computed for 2H and 14N in the hydrogen bonds. The type of hydrogen bond is the N-H.

A systematic investigation of hydrogen-bonding effects on the 17O, 14N, and 2H nuclear quadrupole resonance parameters of anhydrous and monohydrated cytosine crystalline structures: a density functional theory study.

A systematic computational study was carried out to characterize the 17O, 14N, and 2H nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) parameters in the anhydrous and monohydrated cytosine crystalline structures. To include the hydrogen-bonding effects in the calculations, the most probable interacting molecules with the central molecule in the crystalline phase were considered in the pentameric clusters of both structures. To calculate the parameters, couples of the methods B3LYP and B3PW91 and the basis sets 6-311++G** and CC-pVTZ were employed.

Stereoselective esterase from Pseudomonas putida IFO12996 reveals alpha/beta hydrolase folds for D-beta-acetylthioisobutyric acid synthesis.

Esterase (EST) from Pseudomonas putida IFO12996 catalyzes the stereoselective hydrolysis of methyl dl-beta-acetylthioisobutyrate (dl-MATI) to produce d-beta-acetylthioisobutyric acid (DAT), serving as a key intermediate for the synthesis of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. The EST gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli; the recombinant protein is a non-disulfide-linked homotrimer with a monomer molecular weight of 33,000 in both solution and crystalline states, indicating that these ESTs function as trimers. EST hydrolyzed dl-MATI to produce DAT with a degree of conversion of 49.

Glomerular diseases in Iranian children: clinico-pathological correlations.

Glomerular disease constitutes an important part of renal disease. The purpose of this study was to describe and correlate the types of glomerular diseases reported in native kidney biopsy specimens and their clinical presentations in Iranian children. The medical records and pathological diagnoses of patients with glomerular disease whose native kidney biopsy specimens were received by our hospital during a 10-year period were reviewed.