Publications by authors named "Said Mansour"

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by symptoms that include social interaction deficits, language difficulties and restricted, repetitive behavior. Early intervention through medication and behavioral therapy can eliminate some ASD-related symptoms and significantly improve the life-quality of the affected individuals. Currently, the diagnosis of ASD is highly limited.

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The most rapidly expanding type of solar cells are the Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs), because of its high device performance, ease of synthesis, high open-circuit voltage, and affordability. Despite these advantages, the development of perovskite-based solar cells continues to be impeded by the issues with perovskite stability and the utilization of the hazardous heavy element lead (Pb). The study emphasizes on the bifacial structure that maintains the conventional absorber layer and electron transport layer (ETL) in the optimized PSC structure.

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Lipids are key factors in regulating membrane fusion. Lipids are not only structural components to form membranes but also active catalysts for vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release, which are driven by soluble -ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) proteins. SNARE proteins seem to be partially assembled before fusion, but the mechanisms that arrest vesicle fusion before Ca influx are still not clear.

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Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods and ZnO nanostructures composited with silver (Ag) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been synthesized by a simple impregnation-calcination method and have been shown to be suitable for use as antimicrobial agents. The preparation method used for composite materials is very simple, time-effective, and can be used for large-scale production. Several analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), have been used to characterize the prepared ZnO-Ag-MWCNT composite materials.

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Article Synopsis
  • Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an advanced imaging technique that reveals detailed structures within cells, but requires specific preparation methods for biological samples, particularly blood.
  • The text presents a comprehensive protocol tailored for preparing blood samples for TEM, allowing for effective visualization of the ultrastructures of blood immune cells.
  • It also outlines key cellular characteristics that help differentiate various immune cells like neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes, aiding in the study of changes in these cells during different health conditions.
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This study aims to prepare an ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) using copper sulfate as a template and potassium persulfate as an initiator to selectively adsorb copper ions (Cu) from aqueous solutions and in an attempt to also test its applicability for removing strontium ions (Sr). The prepared polymer was denoted by IIP-Cu. Various physical and chemical characterizations were performed for the prepared IIP-Cu.

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Cholesterol is essential for neuronal activity and function. Cholesterol depletion in the plasma membrane impairs synaptic transmission. However, the molecular mechanisms by which cholesterol deficiency leads to defects in vesicle fusion remain poorly understood.

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With the pressing need of having reliable materials for carbon dioxide capture, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown promising performance due to their flexible sign and tunable functionality by applying reticular chemistry principles. One of the main characteristics of practical MOFs is to design thermally robust candidates for sustainable functionality. Here, we introduce a comprehensive methodology for examining the thermal stability of MOFs by combining theoretical calculations and affordable experimental methods to fully describe their performance under thermal variations.

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Plastic waste comprises 15% of the total municipal solid waste and can be a rich source for producing value-added materials. Among them, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) account for 60% of the total plastic waste, mainly due to their low-end and one-time-use applications. Herein, we report reusable oil sorbent films made by upcycling waste PE and PP.

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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane vesicles released from cells to the extracellular space, involved in cell-to-cell communication by the horizontal transfer of biomolecules such as proteins and RNA. Because EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), circulating through the bloodstream and reflecting the cell of origin in terms of disease prognosis and severity, the contents of plasma EVs provide non-invasive biomarkers for neurological disorders. However, neuronal EV markers in blood plasma remain unclear.

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The spontaneous formation of biological substances, such as human organs, are governed by different stimuli driven by complex 3D self-organization protocols at the molecular level. The fundamentals of such molecular self-assembly processes are critical for fabrication of advanced technological components in nature. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a promising 3D printing method with self-healing property based on molecular self-assembly-monolayer principles, which is conceptually different than the existing 3D printing protocols.

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The accomplishment of seawater electrolysis to produce green hydrogen energy needs an efficient and durable electrocatalyst with high selectivity and corrosion resistance. Here we report a free-standing amorphous nanostructured oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst with microvoids developed by embedding Gd-doped MnO nanosheets in a CuO-Cu(OH) nanostructure array (Gd-MnO@ CuO-Cu(OH). The surface oxygen vacancies modulated the electronic structure of the catalyst and offered active sites with optimal chemisorption energy to OER intermediates.

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The assessment of blood glucose levels is necessary for the diagnosis and management of diabetes. The accurate quantification of serum or plasma glucose relies on enzymatic and nonenzymatic methods utilizing electrochemical biosensors. Current research efforts are focused on enhancing the non-invasive detection of glucose in sweat with accuracy, high sensitivity, and stability.

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The accumulation and aggregation of α-synuclein (α-syn) is the main pathologic event in Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. α-Syn-seeded fibril formation and its induced toxicity occupy a major role in PD pathogenesis. Thus, assessing compounds that inhibit this seeding process is considered a key towards the therapeutics of synucleinopathies.

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Aggregated α-synuclein (αSyn) protein is a core pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Both PD and DLB demonstrate the presence of diverse intracellular α-synuclein (αSyn) species, including C-terminally truncated αSyn (C-αSyn), although it is unknown how C-αSyn species contribute to disease progression. Using recombinant C-αSyn and PD and DLB brain lysates as seeds in the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, we explored how C-αSyn may be involved in disease stratification.

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We report on the optical and morphological properties of silica thin layers deposited by reactive RF magnetron sputtering of a SiO target under different oxygen to total flow ratios [(O) = O/Ar, ranging from 0 to 25%]. The refractive index (), extinction coefficient, total transmission, and total reflectance were systematically investigated, while field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and three-dimensional (3D) average roughness data construction measurements were carried out to probe the surface morphology. Contact angle measurements were performed to assess the hydrophilicity of our coatings as a function of the oxygen content.

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The oxidation of Au/Ag alloy thin films using radio-frequency oxygen plasma was studied in this work. It was demonstrated that there is a phase separation occurring between silver and gold. In addition, it was shown that the preferential oxidation of silver resulted in a solid-state diffusion of silver toward the surface where it oxidized and formed nanoporous microspheres.

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Objectives: Alloyed metallic nanoparticles of silver and copper are effective against intracellular infection. However, systemic toxicity may arise due to the non-specific delivery of the nanoparticles. In addressing the issue, this study deals with the targeting of silver-copper-boron (ACB) nanoparticles to infected osteoblasts, which could decrease systemic toxicity and form the basis of targeting specific markers expressed in bone infections.

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Using different chromatographic methods, four new compounds were isolated from the aerial parts of (Chenopodiaceae) along with 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoic acid (SCM-3). The structures of the new compounds were established as 6'-hydroxy-10'-geranilanyl naphtha-1-oate (SMC-1), 4,4,8β,10β-Tetramethyl-9β-isobutanyl decalin-13-ol-13-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (SCM-2), 6'-(2-hydroxynaphthalen-3-yl) hexanoic acid (SCM-4) and 1'-(2-Methoxy-3-naphthyl)-4'-(2''-methylbenzoyl)--butane (SMC-5) by IR, EIMS and NMR (1 & 2D) analyses. All compounds (50 μg/mL) were tested for cell proliferative potential on cultured human liver cell HepG2 cells by MTT assay.

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Polymeric-based nanocomposite coatings were synthesized by reinforcing epoxy matrix with titanium nanotubes (TNTs) loaded with dodecylamine (DOC). The performance of the developed nanocomposite coatings was investigated in corrosive environments to evaluate their anti-corrosion properties. The SEM/TEM, TGA, and FTIR analysis confirm the loading of the DOC into the TNTs.

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Natural products from medicinal plants represent major resource of novel therapeutic substances for combating serious diseases including cancers and microbial infections. The genus (Family: Labiatae) represents a large and widespread group of species with a diversity of traditional uses in treatment of various ailments. Therefore, this research study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of three species growing in Saudi Arabia namely Hocst.

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Background: Medicinal plants have been founded as traditional herbal medicine worldwide. Most of the plant's therapeutic properties are due to the presence of secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, glycosides, tannins and volatile oil.

Methods: The present investigation analyzed the High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) fractions of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Aqueous, Chloroform, Ethanol and Hexane) against multidrug resistant human bacterial pathogens (Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa).

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Background: Plant-derived products have an imperative biological role against certain pathogenic organisms and were considered to be a major source of modern drugs. Rural people residing in developing countries are relying on traditional herbal medical system due to their strong believe and minimum access to allopathic medicines. Hence, ethnomedicinal knowledge is useful for the maintenance of community's based approaches under this medical system.

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