SAID SHEHATA

Barium hexaferrite (BHF) presents significant potential for different technological applications. By doping BHF with different substitution cations, a range of samples exhibiting diverse electrical and magnetic properties can be created. Gadolinium (Gd3+) was used as an isovalent substitution for Fe3+. On the other hand, Zirconium (Zr4+), Zinc (Zn2+) and Nickel (Ni2+) were used as heterovalent substitutions for Fe3+ as tetravalent and divalent elements. The structure, surface morphology characteristics and magnetic behavior of the samples were investigated. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), and Raman spectroscopy analysis (RSA) were used to evaluate the microstructure and establish the presence of the hexagonal phase as the main phase for the prepared samples. The average crystallite sizes obtained from XRD measurements ranged from 29 to 44 nm, while the grain sizes estimated through FE-SEM varied between 56 and 94 nm. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine quantitative elemental composition and the change in valencies due to substitution. The analysis used Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM) to study the different magnetic properties of the samples. The composition BaFe11.5Gd0.5O19 exhibited a minimum saturation magnetization of 38.753 emu/g, characterized by an average ionic radius of the B-sub-lattice measuring 0.938 Å, a minimum crystallite size of 29.577 nm, and a maximum coercivity value of 4639.5 Oe. While the composition BaFe11.5Zr0.5O19 with a B-sub-lattice average ionic radius of 0.56 Å has the maximum saturation magnetization of 57.226 emu/g with the minimum coercivity of 2061 Oe. The high-frequency response of the BHFNPs demonstrates that they are capable of functioning in the frequency range of 8.5–13.17 GHz. The barium hexaferrite (BHF) powders synthesized in the present study exhibit high saturation magnetization, high coercivity, minimal magnetic loss, high chemical stability, and significant magnetic anisotropy, making them a strong candidate for high-frequency applications such as communication devices, and electromagnetic shielding.

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected zoonotic disease that causes significant economic losses in livestock and poses health risks to humans, necessitating improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This study investigates CE in donkeys using a multifaceted approach that includes molecular identification, gene expression analysis, serum biochemical profiling, histopathological and immunohistochemical examination, and in vitro drug efficacy evaluation. Molecular analysis of hydatid cyst protoscolices (HC-PSCs) from infected donkey livers and lungs revealed a high similarity to Echinococcus equinus (GenBank accession: PP407081). Additionally, gene expression analysis indicated significant increases (P < 0.0001) in interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and interferon γ (IFN-γ) levels in lung and liver homogenates. Serum biochemical analysis showed elevated aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and globulin levels, alongside decreased albumin compared to non-infected controls. Histopathological examination revealed notable alterations in pulmonary and hepatic tissues associated with hydatid cyst infection. Immunohistochemical analysis showed increased expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), indicating a robust inflammatory response. In vitro drug evaluations revealed that Paroxetine (at concentrations of 2.5, and 5 mg/mL) demonstrated the highest efficacy among repurposed drugs against HC-PSCs, resulting in the greatest cell mortality. Colmediten followed closely in effectiveness, whereas both Brufen and Ator exhibited minimal effects. This study identifies Paroxetine as a promising alternative treatment for hydatidosis and provides a framework for investigating other parasitic infections and novel therapies.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) results from irreversible kidney damage and is primarily linked to glomerular diseases and congenital anomalies in children. Patients with CKD experience increased oxidative stress. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a synthetic form of cysteine that breaks down into glutathione, which acts as an antioxidant. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of NAC on hematological and cardiac indices in children with kidney failure undergoing hemodialysis.

Chemical fungicides have been used to control fungal diseases like Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. These fungicides must be restricted because of their toxicity and the development of resistance strains. Therefore, utilizing natural nanoscale materials in agricultural production is a potential alternative. This work aimed to investigate the antifungal properties of a nanocomposite (nano-chitosan-coated, green-synthesized selenium nanoparticles) against the plant pathogenic fungus S. sclerotiorum. Chemical reduction was used to produce selenium nanoparticles from citrus peel extracts, and ionotropic gelation was used to produce chitosan nanoparticles. The nanocomposite has been produced using selenium nanoparticles stabilized by chitosan and cross-linked with sodium tripolyphosphate. Transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize all produced nanostructures. The in vitro antifungal activity and minimum inhibitory concentration of all bulk and nanostructures are investigated at (0.5, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100) ppm concentrations. Scanning electron microscopy was used to detect structural deformations in the fungal mycelium. The findings support the successful synthesis and characterization of all nanoparticles. Lemon peel extract produced smaller, more stable, and distributed selenium nanoparticles (42.28 ± 18.5 nm) than orange peel extract (85.7 ± 140.22 nm). Nanostructures, particularly nanocomposite, have shown a considerable increase in antifungal efficacy compared to bulk structures. At a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.5 ppm, the nanocomposite exhibited 100% inhibitory activity. The nanocomposite with a concentration of 0.5 ppm exhibited the lowest average fungal biomass (0.32 ± 0.05 g) among all tested nanostructures. Fungal hyphae treated with 0.5 ppm of nanocomposite within 18 h of treatment revealed substantial damage and deformation. These results provide new insights into the nanocomposite as an eco-friendly and promising antifungal agent against other plant pathogenic fungi.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) poses a persistent challenge in the beef cattle industry, impacting both animal health and economic aspects. Several risk factors make an animal susceptible to BRD, including bacteria such as Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni, and Mycoplasma bovis. Despite efforts to characterize and quantify these bacteria in the nasal cavity for disease diagnosis, more research is needed to understand if there is a pathobiont abundance threshold for clinical signs of respiratory disease, and if the results are similar across feedlots. This study aims to compare the nasal microbiome community diversity and composition, along with the abundance of four bacterial pathogens and associated serotypes, in apparently healthy and BRD-affected beef cattle. Nasal swabs were collected from four beef feedlots across the US, covering the years 2019 to 2022. The study included post-weaned beef cattle with diverse housing conditions. Quantification of BRD-associated pathogens effectively distinguished BRD-affected from apparently healthy beef cattle, surpassing the efficacy of 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the nasal microbiome community. Specifically, H. somni, M. bovis, and M. haemolytica had higher abundance in the BRD-affected group. Utilizing the abundance of these pathobionts and analyzing their combined abundance with machine learning models resulted in an accuracy of approximately 63% for sample classification into disease status. Moreover, there were no significant differences in nasal microbiome diversity (alpha and beta) between BRD-affected and apparently healthy cattle; instead, differences were detected between feedlots. Notably, this study sheds light on the beef cattle nasal microbiome community composition, revealing specific differences between BRD-affected and apparently healthy cattle. Pathobiont abundance was increased in some, but not all farms. Nonetheless, more research is needed to determine if these differences are consistent across other studies. Additionally, future research should consider bacterial-viral interactions in the beef nasal metagenome.

For a very long time, herbal treatments have served as remedies for various humans and animals. Natural compounds typically have multiple pharmacological actions because they interact with various biological targets. This characteristic could be exploited to effectively treat disorders with complex physiopathological causes, such as endometriosis. Endometriosis is the proliferation, infiltration, and recurrent bleeding of endometrioid tissue, including stroma and glands, outside the uterine cavity, forming nodules or masses. It affects women of reproductive age and is characterized by persistent inflammation and estrogen dependence, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. Although the precise pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear, current treatments mainly include medication and surgery. Pharmacotherapy typically relies on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormonal agents, which may cause adverse effects such as gastrointestinal disturbances, hepatic and renal dysfunction, and thrombosis when used as a long-term treatment. Surgical removal of lesions is possible but often followed by recurrence rates of 21.5% after 2 years and up to 50% within 5 years. Therefore, alternative or complementary therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. This review summarizes current evidence on bioactive plant extracts, both crude and refined, and their mechanisms of action against endometriosis, highlighting their multi-target therapeutic potential and underscoring the need for further pre-clinical and clinical studies to develop effective, safer natural treatment strategies.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), characterized by strong bonds between organic ligands and metal ions, exhibit high porosity, large surface area, and exceptional chemical stability when carefully designed. In this study, a novel MOF comprising lead ions and ligands derived from 2-carboxybenzaldehyde and 4-aminobenzoic acid was synthesized using a sonochemical approach. This innovative method enabled the rapid formation of highly porous crystals with a BET surface area of 1181.45 m2 g1 and a total pore volume of 2.27 cm3 g−1 at P/P₀ = 0.3023. Comprehensive characterization techniques, including thermal analysis, SEM, EDX, PXRD, and FT-IR, confirmed the successful formation of the MOF structure. The synthesized MOF was utilized to fabricate an enhanced Ni-MOF electrode, demonstrating superior electrochemical performance for capacitor applications. The electrode achieved a specific capacitance of 402 F g−1 at 1 mA cm−2 and maintained excellent cycling stability, with 87.9% capacitance retention over 4000 cycles at 5 A g−1. These results underline the potential of the synthesized MOF in advancing energy storage technologies, particularly in developing high-performance and durable electrochemical capacitors.

BackgroundEarly cancer detection is vital for successful clinical outcomes and for advancing public health. It is crucial to detect cancer early for prevention and better treatment. Electrochemical sensors have been developed for disease detection, especially cancer-based on biomarkers, due to their sensitivity, selectivity, affordability, and rapid response. Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer originating from neural crest stem cells and is the most prevalent extracranial tumour in infants.
Method
The current study discusses the development of an electrochemical sensor for the detection of homovanillic acid (HVA), a tumour biomarker for neuroblastoma and other dopamine-related disorders. The electrochemical oxidation of HVA was investigated utilizing a carbon paste electrode modified with a nickel-based monoligand complex (ML/Ni–MOFs/CPE).
Results
This modification significantly improved the electrode's sensitivity and electrocatalytic efficiency. Under optimized conditions, the sensor displayed a linear DPV response within the concentration range of 0.1 μM to 70.0 μM and achieved a low detection limit of 0.08 μM. Morphological and elemental analyses were carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). These characterizations confirmed the uniform dispersion of nickel anchored onto the MOF sheets. Electrochemical performance was further evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The ML/Ni–MOFs/CPE electrode exhibited a markedly enhanced HVA oxidation peak current compared with the bare CPE, indicating improved electron transfer kinetics. The electrode demonstrated high reproducibility (RSD < 2 %) and stability, along with good selectivity against common interferents such as creatinine, ascorbic acid, uric acid, and glucose. Application to spiked human urine samples yielded recovery values between 93.25 % and 97.60 %, confirming its analytical accuracy and reliability in biological matrices. The modified electrode retained over 90 % of its initial response after 60 days of storage under ambient conditions, demonstrating outstanding stability and durability.
Significance
These findings highlight the potential of the proposed ML/Ni–MOFs/CPE sensor as a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable platform for HVA detection. Its robustness and successful application to urine samples highlight its potential for clinical diagnostics and early neuroblastoma diagnosis, supporting future integration into portable and point-of-care testing systems.

This study presents a novel finite element formulation to predict the geometrically nonlinear response of conical shells under a wide range of practical loading conditions. The formulation expresses the discretized equilibrium equations in terms of the first Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor and its conjugate gradient of the virtual displacements, is based on the kinematics of Love-Kirchhoff thin shell theory and the Saint-Venant-Kirchhoff constitutive model, and captures the follower effect of pressure loading. The formulation takes advantage of the axisymmetric nature of the shell geometries by adopting a Fourier series to characterize the displacement distributions along the circumferential direction while using Hermitian interpolation along the meridional direction. Comparisons with general shell models show the accuracy of the formulation under various loading conditions with a minimal number of degrees of freedom, resulting in a significant computational efficiency compared to conventional general-purpose shell solutions.