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A two-dimensional covalent organic framework (2D-COF), COFTHB, was synthesized via a Schiff base condensation of terephthaldehyde and 1,4-hydrazonmethylbenzene under green, room-temperature conditions. COFTHB exhibits a mesoporous structure (pore size = 3.68 nm), excellent chemical stability, and high thermal stability up to 629 °C. It demonstrated superior antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative ( Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli ) and Gram-positive ( Enterococcus faecalis , Staphylococcus aureus ) bacteria compared to hydrazonmethyl benzene and a model compound (M). Molecular docking simulations revealed the interactions of COFTHB with various proteins, while Density Functional Theory (DFT) (WB97XD/6-311G) analysis of COFTHB, HB (1,4-bis( Z )-hydrazonomethyl benzene), and the model compound provided insights into their electronic properties, reactivity, and resonance effects through Frontier Molecular Orbitals (FMO), Electrostatic Potential (ESP), and Molecular Electrostatic Potential (MEP) analyses. These results suggest COFTHB as a promising platform for antibacterial applications in water treatment.

Chitosan is widely known for its unique properties such as nontoxicity, biodegradability, antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It has been used widely in medicine, beverage purification, wastewater treatment, food, and allied industries. The most prevailing method for producing chitosan involve deproteinization, demineralization, decolorization and de-acetylation of chitin. Frequently, during the intermittent intervals of these processes (deproteinization, and demineralization), the products are washed to neutrality, dried before the next phase (discontinuous processes). In this work, we introduce a time and energy saving economic process of demineralization of the deprotenized snail shells through elimination of the drying stage. The yield, moisture content and degree of deacetylation of chitosan produced from the two processes were examined. The chitosan produced from the two processes had similar surface structure and matching FTIR bands. The higher chitosan yield of this energy saving process makes it more economic.

The preservation of meat via sustainable methods and packaging is an area of continued interest driven by the need to address food security. The use of biomaterial films and coatings has gained significant attention due to their non-toxicity and biodegradability compared with conventional synthetic films. Starch and chitosan are sustainable sources for the preparation of films/coatings owing to their relatively low cost, natural abundance derived from numerous sources, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and antimicrobial, antioxidant, and film-forming attributes. These remarkable features have notably increased the shelf life of meat by inhibiting lipid oxidation and microbial activity in food products. Furthermore, recent studies have successfully incorporated binary biopolymer (starch and chitosan) systems to combine their beneficial properties upon composite formation. This literature review from 2020 to the present reveals that chitosan- and starch-based films and coatings have potential to contribute to enhanced food security and safety measures whilst reducing environmental issues and improving sustainability, compared with conventional synthetic materials.

This study exploited the solvent extraction and mechanical agitation techniques for the remediation of soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The removal of pollutants from diesel contaminated site through ethanol, hexane, and ethanol-hexane mixtures was evaluated. 50 g dried contaminated soil was placed in a Soxhlet extractor and 250 ml solvent (ethanol, or hexane, or ethanol-hexane mixture) was added with extraction occurring at different temperatures of 30, 35, 45, 50, and 60 °C for 16 h. Mechanically agitated method was carried out by weighing out an equal amount of 50 g of the contaminated soil, thoroughly washing with 250 ml of ethanol, hexane, and equal ratio of ethanol to hexane. Qualitative analysis recovered PAHs was done by Agilent series gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector. The chromatographic evaluations of the solvent extraction of the contaminated soil showed that more of the polluted compounds were removed when hexane was the solvent. The maximum yield of extracted diesel by the solvent hexane was 11.84% at 60 °C. Extracted diesel removal was also directly proportional to periods of extraction.

Mild steel is utilized as a prominent metal in the construction of equipment's such as pipes and storage tanks in the oil and gas industry. It is vulnerable to a high rate of corrosion attack which has led to great losses and damages in the industry. The effect of corrosion attack on mild steel have continued to create a global interest on a means of controlling it. Different research have reported different ways of preventing corrosion, one of which involves the application of inhibitors on these structures. Previous research works have demonstrate the use of corrosion inhibitors as an effective means of reducing corrosion rate. This research study was to explore the efficiency of the binary mixture of castor and sesame oil as an organic corrosion inhibitor at different concentration of brine, volume of binary inhibitor and time. Minitab 17 was used as an optimization tool for the experimental procedure. The highest corrosion rate of 42.20 mm/yr was observed at 0.7 M brine solution, 19 mL volume of the binary inhibitor, over a period of 21 days. The lowest corrosion rate (3.01 mm/yr) was observed at 0.7 M brine solution, 23 ml of binary inhibitor and at 13 days. The results shows that the binary mixture of both castor and sesame oil is an effective and efficient organic inhibitor used in controlling corrosion.

Recently, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have gained significant attention as a promising material for the elimination of various organic pollutants due to their distinctive characteristics such as high surface area, adjustable porosity, high removal efficiency, and recyclability. The efficiency and selectivity of COFs depend on the decorated functional group and the pore size of the chemical structure. Hence, this review highlights the adsorption removal mechanism of different organic contaminants such as (pharmaceutical and personal care products, pesticides, dyes, and industrial by-products) by COFs from an aqueous solution. Spectroscopic techniques and theoretical calculation methods are introduced to understand the mechanism of the adsorption process. Also, a comparison between the performance of COFs and other adsorbents was discussed. Furthermore, future research directions and challenges encountered in the removal of organic contaminants by COFs are discussed.

BackgroundAndrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) and androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSI) are associated with deleterious physical effects, which exercise may mitigate; however, exercise has never been studied in patients initiating treatment with ADT and an ARSI. Our objective was to determine whether supervised exercise prior to and during initial therapy could mitigate adverse effects of ADT plus enzalutamide.MethodsWe conducted a single center trial in patients with recurrent prostate cancer treated with ADT and enzalutamide. We randomized 26 patients to 16 weeks of supervised exercise (aerobic and resistance), starting 4 weeks before initiation of ADT and enzalutamide, or usual care. The primary endpoint was change in peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) as a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Secondary endpoints were functional capacity, maximal strength, body composition, patient-reported outcomes, safety, and feasibility. Analysis of covariance was used to compare outcomes for groups at Week 17 adjusted for baseline values.ResultsThe usual care group (N = 13) showed declines from baseline to week 17 in both absolute CRF (−0.31 L/min, −10.9%; p < 0.01) and relative CRF (−3.2 mL/kg/min, −8.9%; p = 0.04); worse fatigue (p = 0.01); and worse quality of life (p = 0.01). At week 17, the exercise group (N = 13) demonstrated improved absolute CRF (between-group change +0.20 L/min, p = 0.05), leg strength (+48.6 kg, p < 0.01) and functional capacity (+21.0 m, p = 0.01) at week 17.ConclusionsThis is the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating a clinically significant decline in CRF in patients initiating ADT and enzalutamide. We show the effectiveness of short-term supervised exercise to mitigate declines in absolute CRF, and improve maximal leg strength and functional capacity.ClinicalTrials.gov IdentifierNCT02256111

Background A subset of men with metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) responds to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and there is an unmet need to predict those most likely to benefit. We characterized circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for expression of immune checkpoint ligands in men with mPC as a non-invasive biomarker of immune evasion and immunotherapy benefit. Methods Three cohorts of patients were enrolled: 1) men with mCRPC starting abiraterone acetate/prednisone or enzalutamide (pre-ARSI), 2) men with mCRPC who were progressing on enzalutamide or abiraterone acetate/prednisone (post-ARSI), and 3) men with newly diagnosed metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) starting androgen deprivation therapy. CTCs were captured using the CellSearch® system and stained for PD-L1, PD-L2, B7-H3, and CTLA-4 at baseline, on treatment, and disease progression. Summary statistics on mean CTCs per cohort, as well as rates of ligand positivity were used to analyze CTCs by cohort and by timepoint. Results Men in all cohorts and timepoints had prevalent CTC B7-H3 expression (> 80%). We found evidence for CTC PD-L1 expression across disease states, in which > 1 positive CTC or > 50% of CTCs were positive for PD-L1 in 40 and 30% of men with mHSPC, respectively, 60 and 20% of men with mCRPC pre-ARSI, and 70 and 30% of men with mCRPC post-ARSI. CTC PD-L2 expression was present in 20–40% of men in each disease state, while CTC CTLA-4 expression was rare, present in 20% of men with mCRPC pre-ARSI and 10% of men with mCRPC post-ARSI or with mHSPC. CTC immune checkpoint expression was heterogeneous within/between men and across disease states. Conclusions We have identified that CTCs from men with mPC heterogeneously express immune checkpoints B7-H3, PD-L1, PD-L2, and CTLA-4, and the detection of these immune checkpoints may enable monitoring on immunotherapy.

BackgroundMen with progressive neuroendocrine or aggressive-variant metastatic prostate cancer (NEPC/AVPC) have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options, and immunotherapy has not been tested in such patients.MethodsWe conducted an open label single center phase 2 trial (NCT03179410) of men with progressive NEPC/AVPC either defined by histology or AVPC criteria. Avelumab (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) was administered until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included ORR, radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), overall survival, and safety. Correlative studies included longitudinal peripheral blood immune phenotyping. The study was limited by the small number of patients enrolled and by the early termination due to COVID-19.ResultsA total of 15 men with AVPC/NEPC were enrolled. The median age was 71 (range 51–85 years), and men had received a median of two prior therapies (range 1–3). Median PSA was 54 ng/dl (range 0–393), and 73% of men had liver metastasis. The ORR with avelumab in this setting by iRECIST or RECIST 1.1 was 6.7%, including one patient (6.7%) with a complete remission (CR), 20% with stable disease, and 67% with progressive disease. The patient with the CR had an MSH2 somatic mutation and MSI-high NEPC with central nervous system metastases, and his CR remains durable off all therapy for 2 years. The median rPFS was 1.8 months (95% CI 1.6–3.6 months), and median overall survival was 7.4 months (85% CI 2.8–12.6 months). Safety was consistent with the known profile of avelumab. Phenotyping of peripheral immune subsets suggest enhanced CXCR2-dependent myeloid and T-cell responses in this extraordinary responder.ConclusionsWhile the study was terminated early due to slow enrollment at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and lower than anticipated objective response rate, PD-L1 inhibition with avelumab monotherapy showed poor efficacy in patients with microsatellite stable NEPC/AVPC. Immune profiling revealed enhanced CXCR2 positive immune cell activation in the one extraordinary responder, suggesting potential mechanisms for further immunotherapy development in this population.

The optimum conditions for the fermentation of a local legume known as African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) into a vegetable protein based food condiment or spice (Iru) were developed using Levenberg-Marquardt (or Powell) method (using PSI software) with three (3) variables namely; inoculum concentration (bacillus subtilis), temperature and the fermentation duration. P. biglobosa seeds were fermented at various temperature of 40 - 70 °C for five days (120 hours) with different concentrations of Inoculum. The proximate analysis shows that fermentation increased the percentage protein. Protein had the highest composition with about 51 % after 72 hours at the lowest fermentation temperature of 40°C.