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

Photodetector based on Rutile and Anatase TiO₂ nanostructures/n-Si Heterojunction

The importance of specifying proper aggregate grading for achieving satisfactory performance in pavement applications has long been recognized. To improve the specifications for superior performance, there is a need to understand how differences in aggregate gradations within the acceptable limits may affect unbound aggregate base behavior. The effects of gradation on strength, modulus, and deformation characteristics of high-quality crushed rock base materials are described here. Two crushed rock types commonly used in constructing heavy-duty granular base layers in the State of Victoria, Australia, with three different gradations each were used in this study. The gradations used represent the lower, medium, and upper gradation li

Failure in asphalt mixture and distress in pavement are major issues to roads infrastructure. Selecting an appropriate chemical composition of asphalt cement is a key component in avoiding these issues. This work aimed to investigate the effect of the chemical composition of different polar fractions on the rheological and physical properties of asphalt cement. Four types of asphalt cement with penetration grades of 20/30, 40/50, 60/70 and 85/100 were divided into four fractions. Complex shear modules, rutting resistance and rotational viscosity of the asphalt cement were determined by using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer and a Rotation Viscometer, respectively. The results show that an increase in the asphaltene content and Gastel index resulte

A simple low-cost approach at various exposure times was utilized to generate cold plasma in the aim to fabricate AuNPs. UV-Visible spectra and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the nanoparticles (XRD). Surface Plasmon resonance was observed in the synthesized AuNPs at 530, 540, and 533 nm. For all samples, the patterns of XRD show very intensive peaks implying the fcc crystalline structure of AuNPs. The average crystallite size of AuNPs is ranging between 20-30 nm. The observation of morphology by FESEM revealed the spherical formation of AuNPs. Doses of 100 and 200 ppm of AuNPs were adapted to investigate their effect on the blood-mixture with and without a 20-second of cold plasma exposure. The WBC components in the blood

The adsorption of Malonic acid, Succinic acid, Adipic acid, and Azelaic acid from their aqueous solutions on zinc oxide surface were investigated. The adsorption efficiency was investigated using various factors such as adsorbent amount, contact time, initial concentration, and temperature. Optimum conditions for acids removal from its aqueous solutions were found to be adsorbent dose (0.2 g), equilibrium contact time (40 minutes), initial acids concentration (0.005 M). Variation of temperature as a function of adsorption efficiency showed that increasing the temperature would result in decreasing the adsorption ability. Kinetic modeling by applying the pseudo-second order model can provide a better fit of the data with a greater correla

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Coriandrum Sativum is a native of Mediterranean region and is grown in North Africa, central Europe, and Asia as culinary herb and medicament. In addition to the other health-supporting reputation, coriander has hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and aphrodisiac effects. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of Coriandrum Sativum on process of spermatogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Coriandrum sativum was given daily to mature male rats in a dose of 50mg/ 100g body weight for 14 days. 10% formalin fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections were performed for histological and morphometrical studies. RESULTS: Histological study showed wider seminiferous tubules & increased spermatocytes population with an increased sperm density

A new, Simple, sensitive and accurate spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) drug in pure and dosage forms. This method based on the reaction of sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) with 1,2-napthoquinone-4-sulphonic acid (NQS) to form Nalkylamono naphthoquinone by replacement of the sulphonate group of the naphthoquinone sulphonic acid by an amino group. The colored chromogen shows absorption maximum at 460 nm. The optimum conditions of condensation reaction forms were investigated by (1) univariable method, by optimizing the effect of experimental variables (different bases, reagent concentration, borax concentration and reaction time), (2) central composite design (CCD) including the effect of