Catalyst-Tuned Electrophilic Chlorination of Diverse Aromatic Compounds with Sulfuryl Chloride and Regioselective Chlorination of Phenols with Organocatalysts.

In this work, we demonstrate that diverse aromatic compounds can be selectively chlorinated through the fine-tuning of the reactivity of sulfuryl chloride (SOCl) by organocatalysts. Acetonitrile has been identified to activate SOCl most strongly, thus enabling even chlorination of -xylene with high yields. 1,4-Dioxane effects chlorination of oxidation-labile aromatic compounds such as -cresol and 2-naphthol with high yields, 95% and 85%, respectively.

Pulmonary delivery of favipiravir inhalation solution for COVID-19 treatment: characterization, stability, cytotoxicity, and antiviral activity using real time cell analysis.

Favipiravir, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor, is used to treat patients infected with influenza virus and most recently with SARS-CoV-2. However, poor accumulation of favipiravir in lung tissue following oral administration has required an alternative method of administration that directly targets the lungs. In this study, an inhalation solution of favipiravir at a concentration of 2 mg mL was developed and characterized for the first time.

Development of propolis and essential oils containing oral/throat spray formulation against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

A broad range of evidence has confirmed that natural products and essential oils might have the potential to suppress COVID-19 infection. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an oral/throat spray formulation for prophylactic use in the oral cavity or help treatment modalities. Based on a reference survey, several essential oils, a cold-pressed oil, and propolis were selected, and cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of each component and the developed spray formulation were examined against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection using Vero E6 cells.

Protein Scaffold-Based Multimerization of Soluble ACE2 Efficiently Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Infection In Vitro and In Vivo.

Soluble ACE2 (sACE2) decoys are promising agents to inhibit SARS-CoV-2, as their efficiency is unlikely to be affected by escape mutations. However, their success is limited by their relatively poor potency. To address this challenge, multimeric sACE2 consisting of SunTag or MoonTag systems is developed.

Determination of PCDD/F and DL-PCB pollution levels, source appointment and risk assessment of surface sediments in dam lakes in Istanbul, Türkiye.

The current situation of the water resources of Istanbul, which is one of the important metropolises of Europe, should be known and constantly monitored by the reasons of the rapid increase in the city population, the acceleration of production-related industrial activities, the expansion of the city with construction activities, and the decrease in precipitation. The purpose of this study was to reveal the situations of surface sediments collected from Istanbul water reservoirs in terms of PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs, to identify possible sources, and to conduct their ecological risk assessment. Total PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs concentrations varied between 28.

Acute inhibition of hospital and medical laboratory wastewater on activated sludge.

Sustainable operation is an essential challenge in many municipal wastewater treatment plants. Among many types of wastewater mixed in a sewer, healthcare wastewaters need special attention due to their hazardous substance content, which can be toxic to activated sludge. This study compared the acute inhibitory effects of healthcare wastewaters (HW) and medical laboratory wastewater (MLW) on conventional activated sludge (CAS) and membrane bioreactor (MBR).

Poly(L-lactic acid)/poly(ethylene oxide) based composite electrospun fibers loaded with magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide nanoparticles.

Two types of MgAl layered double hydroxide nanoparticles, MgAl LDH, at Mg:Al ratio of 2:1 and 3:1were prepared and used as inorganic fillers to improve the mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid)/poly(ethylene oxide) (PLA/PEO) electrospun composite fibers. Their detailed structural characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) techniques. Spectroscopic, thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of the electrospun composite fibers, and cell proliferation on their surface, were examined.

Pegylated metal-free and zinc(II) phthalocyanines: synthesis, photophysicochemical properties and photodynamic activities against head, neck and colon cancer cell lines.

In this study, a series of peripherally and non-peripherally tetra-substituted metal-free and zinc(II) phthalocyanines were successfully prepared in good yields by cyclotetramerization of the phthalonitrile derivative bearing a tetraethylene glycol methyl ether group at 3- and 4- positions. All newly synthesized compounds were characterized using spectroscopic methods, such as FT-IR, NMR, mass and UV-Vis spectroscopy. To determine the therapeutic potential of the synthesized phthalocyanines, the effects of the substitution pattern (peripheral and non-peripheral) and central metal atom on the photophysicochemical properties were investigated.

Treatability of hazardous substances in industrial wastewater: case studies for textile manufacturing and leather production sectors.

Hazardous substances used and produced by different industrial activities pose a potential risk to the environment and to human health. Different physicochemical and/or biological processes are used in industrial wastewater treatment; these methods, however, may not be effective in removing these substances. This study was carried out to comparatively evaluate the removal of hazardous substances through conventional wastewater treatment processes that are used by major industries in Turkey.

Controlling the Crystallographic Orientation of Graphite Electrodes for Fast-Charging Li-Ion Batteries.

In this study, we report a new design paradigm for an electrode preparation method that drastically improves the fast-charging capabilities of a graphite (Gt) anode by controlling the crystallographic orientation. The crystallographic orientation of the Gt electrode is achieved under a dynamic magnetic field using commercially available neodymium magnets. When the slurry of the Gt electrode is tape casted using the conventional method with no magnetic field, the crystallographic orientation is dominated with (002) planes along with other random planes.

A review on the application of nanoporous zeolite for sanitary landfill leachate treatment.

This review deals with low-cost nanoporous zeolites for the treatment of sanitary landfill leachate. Organic contaminants and ammoniacal nitrogen are significant parameters in landfill leachate treatment. Adsorption processes are regarded as promising alternative treatment options in this respect.

Spatial distribution, source identification and ecological risk assessment of POPs and heavy metals in lake sediments of Istanbul, Turkey.

Istanbul needs to be protected and constantly monitored water resources due to its increasing population and the decrease in precipitation. This study aims to comprehensively reveal surface sediments collected from reservoirs that supply water to Istanbul concerning POPs (PAHs, PCBs, and OCPs) and heavy metals; to identify possible sources of PAHs, and conduct their ecological risk assessment. Pollution indices in this study were used as contamination degree (CD) contamination factor (CF), geoaccumulation index (I), pollution load index (PLI) and Sediment Quality Guidelines (SQGs).

A study of inline chemical coagulation/precipitation-ceramic microfiltration and nanofiltration for reverse osmosis concentrate minimization and reuse in the textile industry.

Reverse osmosis concentrate (ROC) is one of the major drawbacks in membrane treatment technologies specifically due to the scale-forming ions. It is important to remove these ions from ROC to enhance total water recovery and reuse in the textile industry that is the largest water-consumer and polluter industry. In this work, coagulation/high pH precipitation (CP) integrated with ceramic microfiltration (CMF) was studied as a pre-treatment method followed by nanofiltration (NF) to increase the efficiency of water recovery.

The neutralization effect of montelukast on SARS-CoV-2 is shown by multiscale in silico simulations and combined in vitro studies.

Small molecule inhibitors have previously been investigated in different studies as possible therapeutics in the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the current drug repurposing study, we identified the leukotriene (D4) receptor antagonist montelukast as a novel agent that simultaneously targets two important drug targets of SARS-CoV-2. We initially demonstrated the dual inhibition profile of montelukast through multiscale molecular modeling studies.

Effects of hazelnut supplemented diet on doxorubicin-induced damage of reproductive system in male rats.

The present study was objected to investigate the effect of hazelnut supplemented diet on the levels of oxidative stress and fertility parameters against doxorubicin-induced testicular and epididymal tissue damage of male rats. Rats were randomly divided into four groups (each n = 8), namely control group (CG), doxorubicin group (DG), doxorubicin + hazelnut group (DHG), and doxorubicin + vitamin E group (DEG). This is the first study designed using DHG.

Highly sensitive and selective rGO based Non-Enzymatic electrochemical sensor for propamocarb fungicide pesticide detection.

In this study, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared using a green ultrasonic microwave assisted method and investigated rGO based non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor for detecting a synthetic fungicide as a propamocarb (PM) pesticide. The rGO-based sensor exhibited rapid response within 1 min, low detection limit of 0.6 μM and wide linear range of (1-5) μM with a high sensitivity of 101.

Ceramic membrane overview and applications in textile industry: a review.

The importance of water recovery and reuse is increasing day by day. Therefore, the use of advanced technologies is applied for the treatment and recovery of textile wastewater. The fact that ceramic membranes are resistant to the challenging characteristics of textile wastewater makes the use of ceramic membranes useful.

Spatial distribution and source identification of persistent organic pollutants in the sediments of the Yeşilırmak River and coastal area in the Black Sea.

Surface sediments from the Yeşilırmak River and the near coastal area in the Black Sea were collected using sediment traps to assess the spatial distributions of persistent organic pollutants and find their potential sources. Analyses were carried out to determine the concentrations of the persistent organic pollutants of seventeen polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, seven polychlorinated biphenyls, and eight organochlorine pesticides using high-resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry systems. Analysis showed that the three main components of persistent organic pollutants (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organochlorine pesticides) primary sources are industrial activities.

Mouse Models of Asthma: Characteristics, Limitations and Future Perspectives on Clinical Translation.

Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous inflammatory airway disease primarily characterized by airway obstruction, which affects up to 15% of the population in Westernized countries with an increasing prevalence. Descriptive laboratory and clinical studies reveal that allergic asthma is due to an immunological inflammatory response and is significantly influenced by an individual's genetic background and environmental factors. Due to the limitations associated with human experiments and tissue isolation, direct mouse models of asthma provide important insights into the disease pathogenesis and in the discovery of novel therapeutics.

In vitro biological and antimicrobial properties of chitosan-based bioceramic coatings on zirconium.

Ca-based porous and rough bioceramic surfaces were coated onto zirconium by micro-arc oxidation (MAO). Subsequently, the MAO-coated zirconium surfaces were covered with an antimicrobial chitosan layer via the dip coating method to develop an antimicrobial, bioactive, and biocompatible composite biopolymer and bioceramic layer for implant applications. Cubic ZrO, metastable CaZrO, and Ca(PO) were detected on the MAO surface by powder-XRD.

Changes in Compositional Properties during Fruit Development and On-Tree Ripening of Two Common Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivars.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the variations in some major primary (sugars and organic acids) and secondary (phenolics, β-carotene) metabolite contents during fruit development and ripening in two important apricot cultivars (Hacıhaliloğlu and Kabaaşı). The changes in the compositional properties of two apricot cultivars were monitored during fruit development with one-week intervals from 56 to 119 days after blossom. During fruit development, the contents of organic acids and phenolics decreased whereas that of sucrose and sorbitol increased.

Assessment of HS and BTEX concentrations in ambient air using passive sampling method and the health risks.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) may be a source of nuisance in neighbouring places due to hydrogen sulphide (HS) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) emissions. In this study, samples were collected from WWTP workplace ambient air and outdoor ambient air around one of the largest WWTPs in Istanbul with a capacity of 250,000 m/day to evaluate the effects of HS and BTEX emissions. Samples were collected in three seasons for 15-day durations: winter (November 2015), spring (May 2015), and summer (August 2016).

CRISPR-Cas13 System as a Promising and Versatile Tool for Cancer Diagnosis, Therapy, and Research.

Over the past decades, significant progress has been made in targeted cancer therapy. In precision oncology, molecular profiling of cancer patients enables the use of targeted cancer therapeutics. However, current diagnostic methods for molecular analysis of cancer are costly and require sophisticated equipment.