The contamination of water systems with pharmaceutical products and synthetic chemicals is one of the most significant environmental concerns. Current research emphasizes on the design and development of materials able to remove a large variety of chemicals from wastewater effluents and natural water compartments. In this context, adsorption is considered a promising alternative as it removes a wide variety of organic and inorganic compounds and generates less toxic products than many other remediation methods. The present work is devoted to the preparation of an activated carbon from agricultural waste for the adsorption of paracetamol in aqueous solution. Adsorption kinetics and isotherms were studied in aqueous solution at self-equilibrium pH. Pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were tested to determine adsorption kinetic parameters. Empirical models are used to model the isotherm (Langmuir and Freundlich) with the aim of calculating the maximum sorption capacity of coal (ACW), and establishing a mechanism for the adsorption process. Pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models proved adequate for interpreting experimental results. Thermodynamic parameters characterizing adsorption showed that the process is spontaneous (ΔG° < 0) and exothermic (ΔH°< 0), with a physical interaction between the adsorbate and adsorbent (ΔH°<20 kJ/mol).

In light of the results obtained in the course of this work, we can conclude that the carbon synthesized in this way is an excellent adsorbent material with a high affinity for paracetamol. It also offers a number of advantages, such as low cost and good availability of the raw material, as well as easy access to the charcoal via a simple preparation process.

As a complex disease, skin cancer is a major public health challenge. Recent advances in nano-delivery systems have broadened the possibilities for the development of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Furthermore, nanovesicles offer a precise, targeted, and effective approach for delivering therapeutic molecules.

The goal of the researchers in this field is to improve the effectiveness of therapy, safeguarding active compounds from degradation, and minimizing side effects. The implementation of the advanced formulations in clinical practice has been slow, mainly due to the difficulty in managing skin cancer therapeutically.

This evaluation investigated how dual-loaded liposomes and similar nanosystems, administered through various routes, can enhance the effectiveness of skin cancer treatment. The characterization of the developed formulations considered factors such as the average particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of the co-loaded nanosystems, along with the encapsulation efficiency of the molecules and the drug release profile. Furthermore, the dual-loaded nanosystems were also evaluated through in vitro and in vivo studies. The use of nanosystems was suggested, featuring characteristics like biocompatibility, the ability to encapsulate both lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs, and enhanced retention and permeability effects. Additionally, liposomal formulations increased the efficacy and safety of drug delivery. The nanosystems enabled simultaneous delivery of drugs, potentially leading to better results by lessening side effects and enhancing synergy.

Therefore, the significant potential of co-delivery nanosystems was shown as a very promising approach to improve skin cancer treatment, emphasizing the synergistic impact.

Scadoxus multiflorus, a fleshy herbaceous plant with a large bulb, is traditionally used in ethno-medicine for to manage malaria and treat ulcers and as a cardiotonic stimulant. This study aimed to conduct a phytochemical screening and evaluate the antiplasmodial activity of its aerial parts. The plant material was extracted with methanol using a maceration process, and the crude extract was partitioned into hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and butanol fractions. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, saponins, phenols, and cardiac glycosides in the crude extract and fractions. Quantitative analysis revealed that phenolic compounds were the most abundant in the crude extract (198.32 mg/g), while alkaloids were the least abundant (51.14 mg/g). The n-hexane fraction, however, had the highest tannin content (215 mg/g). Acute toxicity testing, following the OECD's 2008 guidelines, showed that the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) was greater than 5000 mg/kg, indicating the extract's safety. Its antiplasmodial activity was evaluated using both suppressive and curative models in Plasmodium berghei-infected albino mice. The extract at 1000 mg/kg significantly suppressed parasitemia by 58.8% in early infection (in the suppressive test) and reduced parasitemia by 61.8% in established infection (in the curative test). Chloroquine, the standard drug, at 5 mg/kg produced higher parasite suppression (84.52%) and curative effects (84.50%) compared to those of the extract. These results suggest that methanol extract of the aerial parts of Scadoxus multiflorus possesses antiplasmodial activity, supporting its traditional use in malaria management.

Terminalia brownii is a leafy deciduous tree spirally arranged and crowded at the end of branches, The plant is widely distributed in Northern part of Nigeria and some part of Africa like Congo, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia and Tanzania. It is mostly used traditionally in the treatment of gastric ulcers, epilepsy, colitis, jaundice, fungal infection, diarrhea, malaria, hepatitis and allergic reactions. The aim of the study is to isolate secondary metabolites from the ethyl acetate fraction of Terminalia brownii. The plant material was extracted using cold maceration method with 70% methanol. The crude methanol extract was subjected to partitioning using n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol to give the respective fractions. The ethyl acetate fraction was subjected to extensive column chromatographic techniques using silica gel and Sepahdex LH20. The structure of the compound isolated was elucidated with the aid of physical and chemical tests, UV, IR, 1D, 2D NMR analysis, and literature data. Column chromatographic separation of ethyl acetate fraction led to the isolation of a yellowish amorphous substance as 4’-hydroxy-3-methoxy-4-prenyloxy chalcone (geranylated chalcone). The plant is a rich source of secondary metabolites. The compound was reported for the first time from the plant and contribute to the taxonomy of the plant..

Introduction

Nanotechnology has successfully invaded medical science, especially in drug delivery field. Despite the huge advances achieved in the field of nanomedicines on laboratory scale, a limited number of nanotechnology-based drugs are available in the global market​. This is because hazardous chemicals are frequently used in conventional nanoparticle synthesis methods. The goal of this study was to investigate novel, easily scalable, environmentally friendly methods to prepare drug-loaded nanoparticles on a pilot-scale without using toxic organic solvents. Additionally, to locally design, develop, and optimize prototype pilot scale equipment for nanoparticle synthesis as a means of creating a bridge between laboratory and industrial scales.

Methods

Carbamazepine-loaded transfersomes (CZTs), a type of lipid-based nanoparticles, were prepared on a small scale using the modified scalable heating method that avoids organic solvents usage and high energy procedures (green synthesis) in a specially designed homemade vessel replicating Mozafari’s containing baffles forming many turbulences leading to formation of nanosized particles​. A three-factor, three-level Box-Behnken design was employed to optimize process and formulation factors. Furthermore, the optimized formulation was synthesized on both a small-scale and pilot-scale via the modified heating method.

Results

The small-scale beaker simulating Mozafari’s was successfully scaled up to a pilot-scale tank of large capacity (13 Liters) compared to the small-scale beaker of capacity 50 milliliters only. Consistent results were observed for the optimized formula on both small and pilot-scale showing a mean size of 323.12±0.3 nm and 341.5±1.4 respectively, a high entrapment efficiency (EE) of 76.12±1.1% and 75.01± 0.5% respectively, and a sustained release profile.

Conclusion

CZTs optimized formulation was successfully fabricated on both small- and pilot-scale using a simple, scalable, green, modified heating method. Box–Behnken surface analysis proved to be an efficient tool to optimize the CZTs formulations. CZTs fabricated on the two scales possessed comparable results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWOMPJhLTDQ

Soil stabilisation is crucial for enhancing the strength and bearing capacity of earth roads, particularly in regions where soils lose stiffness when saturated with moisture. Traditional stabilisers like Portland cement have been used, but emerging technologies such as alkali activation offer promising alternatives. However, the high energy requirements of alkali activators raise concerns about their environmental impact. This study investigates the feasibility of using agro/industrial wastes as alkali activator replacements for soil stabilisation and the effect of mineralogy on the performance of the binders. Materials from various regions were sourced, including wood ash and rice husk ash from Fursa rice mill, Kano, and kaolin from Bokkos, Plateau State in Nigeria. Soil samples from Abuja were also collected. Characterisation of source materials determined geotechnical properties and mineralogical/elemental oxide compositions. Initial trials determined optimal mix ratios for developing waterproofing binders. Optimised mixes were then introduced into soils at varying proportions (0-15% by dry weight) at moisture contents corresponding to the optimum moisture content of respective soils. Unconfined compressive strength tests were conducted after 24 hours and 7 days of curing at room temperature, both in dry and soaked conditions. Two-way ANOVA analysis revealed that the mineralogical composition of soils significantly influenced the strength and density of treated soils at a 5% confidence level. Additionally, alkali-activated modifiers significantly improved soil strength, with curing time showing minimal effect on soil behaviour. These findings underscore the potential of utilising waste materials for developing sustainable soil stabilisation solutions, aligning with the global transition toward a circular economy as well as showing the significance of mineralogy on the performance of the binder.

The aim of this work is to study the structural and elastic properties of the spinel CuGa2O4. The quantum DFT approximation used in this study was applied to Copper Gallium Oxide with a space group Fd3̅m (227) and crystallized in a cubic structure, with unit-cell parameters: a = 8.4996, c = 5.8172 Å. Structural characteristics of a material can be investigated without making physical measurements by optimizing the first-principles computation. This is achieved by utilizing the CASTEP code based on the pseudo-potential plane-wave within the Material Studio software. Known as Copper Gallium Oxide, this compound falls under the category of spinel oxides. It is a type of mixed metal oxide where copper (Cu2+) and gallium (Ga3+) ions are combined with oxygen (O2-) ions.

Spinel-structured CuGa2O4 mixed oxide, with a narrow band-gap of 1.5 eV, exhibits intriguing properties. These characteristics have motivated investigations into its potential applications, notably its magnetic, dielectric, and optical traits, as well as its promise in the field of photocatalytic pollutant degradation. In this study, CuGa2O4’s geometrical optimization was performed using a semi-local generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) for exchange-correlation functional. After optimization, records of bandgap and DOS were analyzed to understand its electronic properties. The electronic properties of CuGa2O4 were determined by examining the electronic band structure and density of states, which are indicative of CuGa2O4 being a narrow-gap semiconductor with a direct band gap. Additionally, we determined the elastic constants, bulk, shear, and Young’s moduli, Pugh ratio, Poisson’s ratio, and universal anisotropy. All studied compositions of this compound show structural stability

Copper (II) extraction from polluted soil is crucial for environmental remediation. This study employed the Response Surface Method (RSM) to optimize the recovery of Copper (II) from contaminated soil. The effects of pH, stirring rate and ratio of solid to liquid and concentration of sulphuric acid on Copper (II) recovery from the contaminated soil were investigated. A quadratic model was developed to predict the recovery efficiency, and the optimal conditions were identified. Results showed that the maximum Copper (II) recovery of 98% was achieved, and it was found that the ideal values for the solid-to-liquid ratio, pH, sulphuric acid concentration, and stirring speed were 6. 5 g/100 mL, 300 rpm, and 0.25 mol/L, respectively. The elemental analysis by XRF showed that the contaminated soil is composed mainly of 10.5% Al2O3, 54.2 SiO2, 1.93 P2O5, 2.90 CaO, 2.14 TiO2, 23.5 Fe2O3, 0.26 ZrO2 and 3.11%CuO. Moreover, FTIR revealed the presence of Si-O-(Si) and Si-O-(Al) vibrations. The CCD model accurately predicted the recovery efficiency, with an R² value of 0.98. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Centrale composite design in optimizing Copper (II) recovery from contaminated soil, providing a valuable approach for soil remediation and sustainable management. According to the results of these experiments, the leaching rate rose as the pH, stirring speed, acid concentration, and solid-to-liquid ratio decreased.

Three-dimensional printing on textile fabrics was first suggested around 10 years ago, leading to an increasing amount of research on this topic. While first approaches aimed at offering new design possibilities, the mechanical properties that can be achieved by these polymer/textile composites are more the focus of recent investigations. For such technical applications, adhesion between both parts of the composite is crucial. While most studies have concentrated on fused deposition modeling (FDM) on textile fabrics so far, the adhesion of these polymers on textiles is still problematic. For this reason, recently, resin-based 3D printing on textile fabrics has been investigated. The possibility to print on textiles by stereolithography (SLA) was already shown a few years ago and has been further investigated since. PolyJet modeling (PJM) was reported as another method for direct printing on textiles only recently. This presentation shows the first study of PJM printing on different fabrics with the medical resin MED610. While a high textile surface roughness increases the printed material’s adhesion, high hydrophobicity reduces it. In addition, first experiments on the impact of different textile substrates on the porosity of the MED610 surface are reported, which may support the tailoring of the porosity for the composites’ potential use in tissue engineering and similar biotechnological applications.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were modified to work as an adsorbent in order to remove nickel (II) from an aqueous solution. The structure and properties of CNCs were characterised using FTIR and SEM. Statistics show that the response surface model approach performs well. Four operational variables were studied: The initial concentration of the Nickel (II) solution in mg/L, the pH, the contact period in minutes, and the adsorbent dose in mg/100 mL. The removal percentage (%) indicatedthe result. After 60 minutes of contact time, a beginning concentration of 50 mg/L, an adsorbent dose of 15 mg, and an initial pH of 2, the adsorption capacity was 300 mg/g. FTIR examination revealed the following functional groups: hydroxyl groups (OH), which peaked around 3300-3500 cm⁻¹, and carboxyl groups (COOH), which peaked around 1700 cm⁻¹.The AAS was used to determine the remaining concentration in the solutions. With maximum removal capacities of 80–98% at initial concentrations of 175–250 mg/L, the results demonstrated that the modified CNCs hydrogel exhibited high Nickel(II) removal efficiencies. It was found that the adsorption process was massively affected by pH. The adsorption capacity is generally larger at lower pH values because protons are more readily available and can compete with nickel ions for adsorption sites. The elimination of Ni(II) ions from the solution is most effective when the pH is kept between 2-5.