Development of a portable SERS tool to evaluate the effectiveness of washing methods to remove pesticide residue from fruit surface.

Background: Pesticides are widely used in agriculture to control pests and enhance crop yields. However, post-harvest, there are growing concerns about the potential health risks posed by pesticide residues on produce surfaces. Analyzing these residues is challenging due to their typically low concentrations and the potential interference from the complex matrix of the produce's surface.

Gastroprotective effect of an aqueous suspension of black cumin Nigella sativa on necrotizing agents-induced gastric injury in experimental animals.

Background/aim: Previous studies on "Black seed" or "Black Cumin" Nigella sativa (NS) have reported a large number of pharmacological activities including its anti-ulcer potential. These studies employed either fixed oil, volatile oil components or different solvent extracts. In folkloric practices, NS seeds are taken as such, in the form of coarse dry powder or the powdered seeds are mixed with water.

Antiparasitic, nematicidal and antifouling constituents from Juniperus berries.

A bioassay-guided fractionation of Juniperus procera berries yielded antiparasitic, nematicidal and antifouling constituents, including a wide range of known abietane, pimarane and labdane diterpenes. Among these, abieta-7,13-diene (1) demonstrated in vitro antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum D6 and W2 strains (IC(50) = 1.9 and 2.

Flavonoids and terpenoids from Helichrysum forskahlii.

Three new flavonoids, namely helichrysone A (1), helichrysone B (2) and helichrysone C (3) were isolated from the aerial parts of Helichrysum forskahlii, together with 10 known flavonoids, three triterpenes, and one sesquiterpene. The structures of the new flavonoids 1-3 were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectral data. In addition, the antimicrobial activities of the isolated compounds were determined.