Given the paucity and toxicity of available drugs for leishmaniasis, coupled with the advent of drug resistance, the discovery of new therapies for this neglected tropical disease is recognised as being of the utmost urgency. As such antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been proposed as promising compounds against the causative Leishmania species, insect vector-borne protozoan parasites. Here the AMP temporins A, B and 1Sa have been synthesised and screened for activity against Leishmania mexicana insect stage promastigotes and mammalian stage amastigotes, a significant cause of human cutaneous disease. In contrast to previous studies with other species the activity of these AMPs against L. mexicana amastigotes was low. This suggests that ama

Abstract As a part of our ongoing project on the design and synthesis of new 4-thiazolidinone derivatives with antimicrobial activity, four new 4-thiazolidinone derivatives carrying bromo, nitro, methyl, and chloro groups on the benzene ring were synthesized by starting with the 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin moiety, linking coumarin with various phenyl isothiocynate to form the thiourea group, and then cyclizing the derivatives, characterized by IR and 1HNMR, and assayed in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and fungi. Overall, 2-(4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-chromen-3-yl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl) thiazolidin-4-one to be the most powerful individuals in the series. Based on the observed data, it can be sta

Background: The discriminative power of the classical WHO parameters in relation to male fertility is quite low, because they only address few aspects of sperm quality and function. This has led investigators to focus their attention on the male gamete and in particular its genome.Objective: To explore which of the sperm DNA damage parameters measured by comet assay are more reliable, and their relations with the standard semen parameters.Methods: Study was done on 40 infertile men selected from couples attending the Institute of Embryo Reasearch and Infertility Treatment at Al-Kadhimiya City/ Baghdad in the period between February 2009 and May 2009, with a history of infertility of ≥1 years; and 15 healthy volunteers of proven fertili

Guanine has a variety of roles in chemistry, from its basic function in the storing and transferring genetic information to its usages in synthetic chemistry and other fields. Because of its distinct structure and biological importance, it is a fundamental component of contemporary study in organic chemistry and molecular biology. In this review, we focused on covering the synthetic pathways of various derivatives of guanine from the year 2000 until the present. As a result of the guanine molecule containing multiple functional groups, this gives us the ability to prepare several guanines such as O6-alkylating guanines, O6-benzylguanines, 8-aza-O6-benzylguanines, 9-substituted guanines, guanine-azo derivatives, guanine Schiff bases, guanin

Background: The treatment of schizophrenia typically involves the use of olanzapine (OLZ), a typical antipsychotic drug that has poor oral bioavailability due to its low solubility and first-pass effect.  Objective: To prepare and optimize OLZ as nanoparticles for transdermal delivery to avoid problems with oral administration. Methods: The nanoprecipitation technique was applied for the preparation of eight OLZ nanoparticles by using different polymers with various ratios. Nanoparticles were evaluated using different methods, including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), entrapment efficiency (EE%), zeta potential and an in vitro release study. The morphology was evaluated by a field emission scanning electron microscope (F

The present study aimed to synthesize selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) using aqueous extract of black currant as a reducing agent. The green synthesized black currant selenium nanoparticles (BCSeNPs) were identified by color change. The characterization of SeNPs was achieved by Ultraviolet-visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X–ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). These tests were used to detect: stability, morphology, size, crystalline nature, and functional groups present on the surface of BCSeNPs. The results revealed appearance of the brick-red color indicating the specific color of selenium nanoparticles, and UV-Vis spectroscopy showed band absorbanc

 The microdrilling and nanodrilling holes are produced by a Q-switched Nd :YAG laser (1064 nm) interaction with 8009 Al alloy using nanoparticles. Two kinds of nanoparticles were used with this alloy. These nanoparticles are tungsten carbide (WC) and silica carbide (SiC). In this work, the microholes and nanoholes have been investigated with different laser pulse energies (600, 700 and 800)mJ, different repetition rates (5Hz and 10Hz) and different concentration of nanoparticles (90%, 50% and 5% ). The results indicate that  the microholes and nanoholes have been achieved when the laser pulse energy is 600 mJ, laser repetition rate is 5Hz, and the concentration of the  nanoparticles (for the two types of n

Magnetic plaster kiln dust (MPKD) was synthesized as a unique, low-cost composite reused of byproduct plaster kiln dust (PKD), which is considered a source of air pollution. The FESEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, VSM, and BET tests were used to characterize the MPKD. The characterization revealed that the MPKD was nanotubes non-agglomerated and super-paramagnetic with a high specific surface area (102.7 m²/g). Compared with the specific area of other materials (composites), the MPKD could be considered a promising substance in the field of water/wastewater treatment.