Background: Acrylamide (AA) is a carcinogenic compound that causes severe
reproductive impairments and represents a high environmental risk factor.
Thymoquinone (TQ) has a unique antioxidant activity and has been widely used
as a protective agent against various types of toxicity.
Objective: To evaluate the protective effects of TQ against AA-induced reproductive
toxicity in female rats.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 40 female albino rats (120-150 gr,
8-10 wk) were sorted into 4 groups, (n = 10/each), vehicle group (received a daily oral
administration of 0.5 ml saline [9%]); AA group (received a daily oral administration
with freshly prepared AA, 20 mg/kg body weight) for 21 days which is less than the
lethal dose LD50 of AA in rats (20 mg/kg body weight); AA+TQ group (received a daily
oral administration of TQ, 10 mg/kg body weight) after AA intoxication for 21 days, and
TQ group (received a daily oral administration of TQ only, 10 mg/kg body weight) for
21 consecutive days. Reproductive hormones, carcinogenic biomarkers, and oxidative
stress markers were measured. The histological assessment showed the protective
effect of TQ against AA-induced ovarian injury. Network pharmacology analysis and
molecular docking approach were carried out to determine the binding affinity of TQ
with cyclooxygenase 2.
Results: TQ administration significantly enhanced the functional capacity of the ovary
at hormones, oxidative biomarkers, and tumor markers at a significant level of p < 0.001.
Besides, TQ protects the ovary of AA-treated rats from the severe degeneration effect.
Conclusion: TQ showed a promising protective effect against AA-induced reproductive
toxicity in female rats.

This study aimed to assess the renal protective efficacy of the Copper II albumin Complex (Cu-II-Album Complex) compound against aflatoxin-B1 (AFB1) in rats. Forty adult male albino rats were divided into four groups (10 rats/group): group-1 served as a negative control, the remaining groups received an oral dose of (50µg/kg) of the AFB1 daily for 3-weeks according to the following protocol: one group did not receive any treatment (group-2), while the remaining two groups received 0.05g/kg of Cu-II-Album Complex either every other day (group-3) or intoxicated with AFB1 for 3-weeks then treated daily with Cu-II-Album Complex for another 3-weeks. Serum urea and creatinine, renal histopathology, indicators of kidney repair, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), antioxidant gene inducer (nuclear factor erythroid-2; Nrf2), and metabolic homeostasis indicator (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma; PPARγ) were evaluated. The Cu-II-Album Complex significantly reduced serum urea, creatinine levels, and renal NF-κB and significantly increased the renal Nrf2 and PPARγ expression. The AFB1 induced renal degenerative changes were significantly reduced in the alternative treatment with Cu-II-Album Complex. In conclusion, the Cu-II-Album Complex is an effective renal protective agent against AFB1 as indicated by maintaining the renal functions and histology and upregulating the expression of the kidney antioxidant genes and renal metabolic homeostasis indicator.

We report here the structural, optical, photoluminescence (PL), and magnetic investigation of Zn_1-x-yFe_xM_yO nanoparticles. The lattice constants and crystallite size are decreased by Fe, followed by a further decrease up to (Fe+M) = 0.30. A compressive stress is approved and the size of particle is between 180 and 277 nm and follows the sample order of ZnO, (Fe+Cu), (Fe+Ni), and Fe. Although a single value of energy gap (E_g) is found for pure and Fe-doped ZnO, two values of E_g (E_gh and E_gl) are found for the co-doped samples. The E_g is generally increased by Fe, followed by a further increase for the Cu-series, whereas it is decreased for the Ni-series. The refractive indices n_K and n_T proposed by different methods are generally decreased by Fe, followed by a further decrease for both series. Although Fe doped ZnO depressed the density of carriers (N/m^*), it increased again for the co-doped samples. The residual dielectric constant ϵ_L is decreased by Fe, followed by an increase for the Cu-series, but it is decreased for the Ni-series. The loss factor tan δ increases slightly with Fe, followed by an increase for the Ni-series, but it decreases in the Cu-series. A significant depression of optical conductivity σ_opt by Fe was obtained, followed by a further decrease which is higher for the Cu-series. The PL shows four visible emissions. Interestingly, an IR emission at about 825 nm is only obtained for the co-doped samples. Furthermore, the blue emission (I_blue) was higher than UV (I_UV), [(I _blue/I_UV) > 1], but it is greater for the Ni series than the Cu. Although ZnO exhibits diamagnetic behavior, the Fe and co-doped samples exhibit ferromagnetic with higher magnetization for the Ni-series than the Cu. The current results recommend the co-doped samples in nanoscale  for some of advanced devices.

Zr/Nb₆ multilayers of 6 nm periodicity, with well-composition-modulated structures, were prepared by magnetron sputtering. Their microstructure and scratch properties were investigated using HAADF-STEM, XRD, AFM, and triboindenter. The Zr/Nb interfaces have various orientations along the growth direction. The hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (E) are measured as 6.6 GPa, and 176.3 GPa, respectively, resulting in a high ratio of H/E, compared to other multilayer systems such as Ta/Co and Ag/Cu, which indicates superior tribological performance. The coefficient of friction (COF) was 0.27, and the elastic recovery was observed along the scratch path. Extensive large molecular dynamics simulations (MD) were conducted to investigate the impact of different Zr/Nb interface orientations on the friction/wear behavior of Zr/Nb₆ multilayers. The primary cause of plastic deformation of the Nb layer was dislocations and BCC twinning, while Zr layers deform via dislocations and intrinsic stacking faults. The Zr/Nb₆ exhibited better tribological properties, such as lower COF, higher scratch hardness, and improved wear resistance compared to their single-crystal counterparts. The Pitsch-Schrader interface showed the lowest COF value, whereas Rong–Dunlop and Zhang-Killy orientations exhibited better wear resistance. The interface structure was analyzed, and its blocking strength was discussed. These findings contribute to understanding the relationship between Zr/Nb interface and wear performance and tailoring them to achieve desired properties for specific applications.

Recent advancements in separation and membrane technologies have shown a great potential in removing oil from wastewaters effectively. In addition, the capabilities have improved to fabricate membranes with tunable properties in terms of their wettability, permeability, antifouling, and mechanical properties that govern the treatment of oily wastewaters. Herein, authors have critically reviewed the literature on membrane technology for oil/water separation with a specific focus on: 1) membrane properties and characterization, 2) development of various materials (e.g., organic, inorganic, and hybrid membranes, and innovative materials), 3) membranes design (e.g., mixed matrix nanocomposite and multilayers), and 4) membrane fabrication techniques and surface modification techniques. The current challenges and future research directions in materials and fabrication techniques for membrane technology 

Impaired wound healing is one of the most critical complications associated with diabetes mellitus. Infections and foot ulcers are major causes of morbidity for diabetic patients. The current treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, commonly used antibiotics, is associated with the development of bacterial resistance. Hence, novel and more effective natural therapeutic antibacterial agents are urgently needed and should be developed against the pathogenic bacteria inhabiting diabetic wounds. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of fig latex on pathogenic bacteria and its ability to promote the healing process of diabetic wounds. The pathogenic bacteria were isolated from patients with diabetic foot ulcers admitted to Assiut University Hospital. Fig latex was collected from trees in the Assiut region, and its chemical composition was analyzed using GC‒MS. The antibacterial efficacy of fig latex was …

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs) were homogeneously embedded into chitosan (CTS), denoted as CdS@CTS, via an in situ hydrothermal method. The intact structure of the synthesized materials was preserved using freeze-drying. The materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution TEM, scanning TEM, dispersive energy X-ray (EDX) for elemental analysis and mapping, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis, UV–vis spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The synthesis procedure offered CdS QDs of 1–7 nm (average particle size of 3.2 nm). The functional groups of CTS modulate the in situ growth of CdS QDs and prevent the agglomeration of CdS QDs, offering homogenous distribution inside CTS. CdS@CTS QDs can also be used for naked-eye detection of heavy metals with high selectivity toward copper (Cu²⁺) ions. The mechanism of interactions between Cu²⁺ ions and CdS@CTS QDs were further studied.

Despite all the progress made to enrich the existing bank of drugs used to treat and cure Alzheimer and cancer patients, there is still a need to research and develop new bioactive candidates with superior efficacy but minimal side effects. In this context, a new series of anti-butyrylcholinesterase (anti-BChE), anti-tyrosinase and cytotoxic succinimide linked quinaldine conjugates 3a-i was designed and synthesized starting from 8-hydroxyquinaldine. The condensation of quinoleine-hydrazide 2 with electrophilic species such as aromatic and nonaromatic anhydrides provided the new compounds 3a-i. These synthesized heterocycles were characterized by spectroscopic means (¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and ESI-HRMS). Their anti-butyrylcholinesterase, anti-tyrosinase and cytotoxic (cervical cancer cell (HeLa) and lung cancer cell (A549)) activities have been evaluated in vitro. Compounds 3e and 3 g were found to be more anti-BChE than Galanthamine. Compounds 3d, 3e and 3 g exerted better anti-tyrosinase activity than kojic acid. Also, 3a, 3f and 3 g showed interesting cytotoxic potential towards HeLa cell lines. These results were supported by the molecular docking analysis (structure–activity relationship (SAR)) to estimate and discuss possible interactions between these derivatives and active sites of proteins butyrylcholinesterase (PDB: 4B0P), tyrosinase (PDB: 2Y9X) and cytotoxic (topoisomerase IIα enzyme (PDB: 5GWK)).

Metal-organic framework (MOFs) based photocatalysis has received great attention recently as a promising technology for sustainable environmental applications. Herein, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) activation with a copper-based metal-organic framework-derived catalyst (CuO@C) was applied for the photodegradation of a widely used analgesic paracetamol drug (PCM) under an energy-efficient visible light-emitted diode (LED) as a light source for the first time. The incorporation of CuO@C with H₂O₂ offered a photo-Fenton-like reaction that accelerated the PCM photodegradation, where 95% of paracetamol was degraded in 60 min. Interestingly, a novel N-curve pH trend was observed due to an independent boost of the PCM degradation at extreme pH_i 9.9. The redeposition of Cu to the CuO@C surface is likely the critical mechanism for minimizing Cu leaching and maintaining good catalyst reusability. Eight intermediates were identified and two of them were newly reported. Surprisingly, no dimerization route was observed as previously reported in other processes. Additionally, a mineralization degree of 68% was achieved which proved the merit of the CuO@C/H₂O₂/visible LED process for practical applications. This work can provide new insights on the application of Cu-based MOFs as rationale candidates for the remediation of emerging contaminants in wastewater by H₂O₂ activation.