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Skin aging is a normal process that might be accelerated or delayed by altering the balance between antioxidants and free radicals due to increase in the exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS) into skin cells via UV radiation. Antioxidants can neutralize the harmful effects of ROS, and secondary plant metabolites might help protect against UV radiation. In this study, punicalagin was extracted from pomegranate, and concentrations of total polyphenolics and flavonoids were determined, and antioxidant activities were measured. Punicalagin was loaded onto niosomes, and its morphology and release were studied. An in vitro study was performed on human fibroblast cell line HFB4 cells with aging induced by H O and UV radiation. Cell cycle arrest was studied, and different genes ( , and ) involved in the skin aging process were selected to measure punicalagin's effect. Punicalagin succeeded in reducing the growth arrest of HFB4 cells, activated production of the and genes, maintained collagen level, and lowered . Punicalagin increased human concentration in skin cells. Punicalagin is promising as a natural antioxidant to protect human skin from aging.

Mohamad EA, Aly AA, Khalaf AA, et al. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:3151-3162. The Editor and Publisher of Drug Design, Development and Therapy wish to retract the published article. Concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the HPLC chromatograms presented in Figure 1, where the values of the peaks did not appear to correspond with the values shown along the x-axis. The authors did respond to our queries and explained that their laboratory does not have access to an HPLC device and the HPLC experiments were performed by a third-party. They further explained that errors had been made during calculations of the retention times, but they were unable to explain how this occurred. In addition, discrepancies remained in the retention times of the corrected HPLC chromatograms the authors provided, and there was a lack of adequate data associated with these experiments. The Editor determined that the explanation for the calculation errors and availability of original data were both insufficient and had concerns over the reliability of the reported findings. The Editor requested for the article to be retracted and the authors were notified of this. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as \"Retracted\".

This paper has been retracted. Mohamad EA, Aly AA, Khalaf AA, et al. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2021;15:3151-3162. The Editor and Publisher of Drug Design, Development and Therapy wish to retract the published article. Concerns were raised regarding the integrity of the HPLC chromatograms presented in Figure 1, where the values of the peaks did not appear to correspond with the values shown along the x-axis. The authors did respond to our queries and explained that their laboratory does not have access to an HPLC device and the HPLC experiments were performed by a third-party. They further explained that errors had been made during calculations of the retention times, but they were unable to explain how this occurred. In addition, discrepancies remained in the retention times of the corrected HPLC chromatograms the authors provided, and there was a lack of adequate data associated with these experiments. The Editor determined that the explanation for the calculation errors and availability of original data were both insufficient and had concerns over the reliability of the reported findings. The Editor requested for the article to be retracted and the authors were notified of this. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as \"Retracted\".

Three years after the pandemic, we still have an imprecise comprehension of the pathogen landscape and we are left with an urgent need for early detection methods and effective therapy for severe COVID-19 patients. The implications of infection go beyond pulmonary damage since the virus hijacks the host's cellular machinery and consumes its resources. Here, we profiled the plasma proteome and metabolome of a cohort of 57 control and severe COVID-19 cases using high-resolution mass spectrometry. We analyzed their proteome and metabolome profiles with multiple depths and methodologies as conventional single omics analysis and other multi-omics integrative methods to obtain the most comprehensive method that portrays an in-depth molecular landscape of the disease. Our findings revealed that integrating the knowledge-based and statistical-based techniques (knowledge-statistical network) outperformed other methods not only on the pathway detection level but even on the number of features detected within pathways. The versatile usage of this approach could provide us with a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind any biological system and provide multi-dimensional therapeutic solutions by simultaneously targeting more than one pathogenic factor.

In this study, a novel proton-conducting polymer electrolyte membrane based on a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) (1:1) mixed with different ratios of graphene oxide (GO) and plasma-treated was successfully synthesized. Dielectric barrier dielectric (DBD) plasma was used to treat the prepared samples at various dose rates (2, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 min) and at fixed power input (2 kV, 50 kHz). The treated samples (PVA/PVP:GO wt%) were soaked in a solution of styrene and tetrahydrofuran (70:30 wt%) with 5 × 10 −3  g of benzoyl peroxide as an initiator in an oven at 60 °C for 12 h and then sulfonated to create protonic membranes (PVA/PVP-g-PSSA:GO). The impacts of graphene oxide (GO) on the physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties of plasma-treated PVA/PVP-g-PSSA:x wt% GO membranes (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) were investigated using different techniques. SEM results showed a better dispersion of nanocomposite-prepared membranes; whereas the AFM results showed an increase in total roughness with increasing the content of GO. FTIR spectra provide more information about the structural variation arising from the grafting and sulfonation processes to confirm their occurrence. The X-ray diffraction pattern showed that the PVA/PVP-g-PSSA:x wt% GO composite is semi-crystalline. As the level of GO mixing rises, the crystallinity of the mixes decreases. According to the TGA curve, the PVA/PVP-g-PSSA:x wt% GO membranes are chemically stable up to 180 °C which is suitable for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Water uptake (WU) was also measured and found to decrease from 87.6 to 63.3% at equilibrium with increasing GO content. Ion exchange capacity (IEC) was calculated, and the maximum IEC value was 1.91 meq/g for the PVA/PVP-g-PSSA: 0.3 wt% GO composite membrane. At room temperature, the maximum proton conductivity was 98.9 mS/cm for PVA/PVP-g-PSSA: 0.3 wt% GO membrane. In addition, the same sample recorded a methanol permeability of 1.03 × 10 −7  cm 2 /s, which is much less than that of Nafion NR-212 (1.63 × 10 −6  cm 2 /s). These results imply potential applications for modified polyelectrolytic membranes in fuel cell technology.

•We investigated subcortical arousal systems during transient shifts in attention.•Massive fMRI datasets covering four sensory modalities were analyzed.•We observed early transient signals in midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus.•Pons, hypothalamus, basal forebrain and basal ganglia show less consistent activity.•Cortical and subcortical modality-specific activity was also observed. Subcortical arousal systems are known to play a key role in controlling sustained changes in attention and conscious awareness. Recent studies indicate that these systems have a major influence on short-term dynamic modulation of visual attention, but their role across sensory modalities is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated shared subcortical arousal systems across sensory modalities during transient changes in attention using block and event-related fMRI paradigms. We analyzed massive publicly available fMRI datasets collected while 1561 participants performed visual, auditory, tactile, and taste perception tasks. Our analyses revealed a shared circuit of subcortical arousal systems exhibiting early transient increases in activity in midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus across perceptual modalities, as well as less consistent increases in pons, hypothalamus, basal forebrain, and basal ganglia. Identifying these networks is critical for understanding mechanisms of normal attention and consciousness and may help facilitate subcortical targeting for therapeutic neuromodulation.

Background Generally, brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) require calibration before usage to ensure efficient performance. Therefore, each BCI user has to attend a certain number of calibration sessions to be able to use the system. However, such calibration requirements may be difficult to fulfill especially for patients with disabilities. In this paper, we introduce a probabilistic transfer learning approach to reduce the calibration requirements of our EEG–fTCD hybrid BCI designed using motor imagery (MI) and flickering mental rotation (MR)/word generation (WG) paradigms. The proposed approach identifies the top similar datasets from previous BCI users to a small training dataset collected from a current BCI user and uses these datasets to augment the training data of the current BCI user. To achieve such an aim, EEG and fTCD feature vectors of each trial were projected into scalar scores using support vector machines. EEG and fTCD class conditional distributions were learnt separately using the scores of each class. Bhattacharyya distance was used to identify similarities between class conditional distributions obtained using training trials of the current BCI user and those obtained using trials of previous users. Results Experimental results showed that the performance obtained using the proposed transfer learning approach outperforms the performance obtained without transfer learning for both MI and flickering MR/WG paradigms. In particular, it was found that the calibration requirements can be reduced by at least 60.43% for the MI paradigm, while at most a reduction of 17.31% can be achieved for the MR/WG paradigm. Conclusions Data collected using the MI paradigm show better generalization across subjects.

Many techniques are used for the treatment of wastewater, including physical, chemical, biological, physiochemical, and biophysical methods. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), a chemical approach, are a key procedure for wastewater treatment. AOPs are applied to nonbiodegradable effluents, using less energy and chemicals while producing a completely biodegradable intermediate sample that can then undergo additional treatment to completely remove all organic matter. The AOPs can be chemical, photochemical, sonochemical, or electrochemical. Photochemical reactions accelerate the breaking down of organic pollutants using a photocatalyst that absorbs light and serves as a catalyst for chemical operations. There are a lot of photocatalysts that are used in water purification, such as TiO[sub.2], ZnO, ZrO[sub.2], CdS, CeO[sub.2], ZnS, FeO, Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3], SnO[sub.2], and WO[sub.3], and most of them are at the nanoscale. This article analyzes and covers the main aspects of using Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3] nanoparticles for the purification of water and wastewater. It covers the application of Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3] nanoparticles in the treatment of water and wastewater and the mechanisms of solar photodegradation of iron oxide (Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3]) photocatalysts. It shows the Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3] nanoparticle synthesis methods and introduces the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. The review makes comparisons between the photocatalytic membrane reactor and the suspended system, as well as upcoming challenges and opportunities related to using Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3] nanoparticles in these processes. This provides researchers with a different perspective on the photocatalysis outcomes that might be attained when the Fe[sub.2]O[sub.3] photocatalysts are incorporated into various treatment systems.

Background Medications are commonly found in every household. In Syria, where healthcare infrastructure faces significant challenges, improper storage can lead to reduced medication efficacy and increased health risks. Additionally, inappropriate disposal practices pose serious environmental concerns, especially in a region already grappling with environmental degradation. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, and practices of Syrian individuals regarding the appropriate storage and disposal of home medications . Method A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 22 to October 20, 2023, using an online survey distributed via social media apps (WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram) in Syria. The questionnaire, adapted from a similar study in Saudi Arabia, was translated to Arabic using the forward–backward translation technique. A convenience sampling technique was used. Inclusion criteria were participants over eighteen with expired or unused medications at home. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were performed using SPSS version 27, with statistical significance defined as p  < 0.05. Results A total of 2,217 responses were analyzed, with the majority of participants being female (79%) and aged between 21–30 years (56%). The study found that 90.7% of respondents dispose of expired medications in the garbage, while 95% keep medications in their original containers. Additionally, 30% consult pharmacists for storage instructions, and 64% read storage information on medication leaflets. Logistic regression analysis revealed that males were less likely to check expiration dates before use (OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40–0.84) and periodically (OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54–0.85). Participants aged 31–40 years were less likely to check expiration dates periodically (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.31–0.68), while those with children under six years old were more likely to do so (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01–1.67). Males were also less likely to read storage instructions (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.50–0.76) but more likely to ask pharmacists about them (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.01–1.57). There was no significant difference in these practices between medical professionals and the general population. Conclusion This study reveals gaps in the practices related to the storage and disposal of medications among the Syrian public. The findings suggest a need for targeted public education and awareness programs to improve these practices and reduce the associated health and environmental risks.

Many techniques are used for the treatment of wastewater, including physical, chemical, biological, physiochemical, and biophysical methods. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), a chemical approach, are a key procedure for wastewater treatment. AOPs are applied to nonbiodegradable effluents, using less energy and chemicals while producing a completely biodegradable intermediate sample that can then undergo additional treatment to completely remove all organic matter. The AOPs can be chemical, photochemical, sonochemical, or electrochemical. Photochemical reactions accelerate the breaking down of organic pollutants using a photocatalyst that absorbs light and serves as a catalyst for chemical operations. There are a lot of photocatalysts that are used in water purification, such as TiO2, ZnO, ZrO2, CdS, CeO2, ZnS, FeO, Fe2O3, SnO2, and WO3, and most of them are at the nanoscale. This article analyzes and covers the main aspects of using Fe2O3 nanoparticles for the purification of water and wastewater. It covers the application of Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the treatment of water and wastewater and the mechanisms of solar photodegradation of iron oxide (Fe2O3) photocatalysts. It shows the Fe2O3 nanoparticle synthesis methods and introduces the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. The review makes comparisons between the photocatalytic membrane reactor and the suspended system, as well as upcoming challenges and opportunities related to using Fe2O3 nanoparticles in these processes. This provides researchers with a different perspective on the photocatalysis outcomes that might be attained when the Fe2O3 photocatalysts are incorporated into various treatment systems.