国家研究中心

Embankments reinforced with piles and geosynthetic is one of the improvement techniques that provides a good solution for rapid construction of highways and roads over poor grounds (e.g., soft clay, peat, loose sand, etc.). In this paper, a case history of highway project, which was constructed rapidly on weak soil deposits in Alexandria, Egypt, is presented. Moreover, because of the complexity of the problem of soil-structure interaction associated with reinforced pile embankment, finite element method (FEM) PLAXIS 2D subroutine was utilized to simulate the problem and to investigate the response of the embankment during construction, operation, and seismic event. The numerical modeling results revealed that, the proposed system of piled-embankment reinforced with geosynthetic founded on a soft clay has a substantial impact on reducing both of vertical settlements and construction time significantly. The numerical model predicted a reduction in total vertical settlement from 250 mm to 90 mm (i.e., 64% reduction percentage) compared to the calculated values of the unreinforced embankment numerical model. Furthermore, the proposed treatment method gave acceptable stability results in terms of safety factors for static (FOS=3.9) and seismic (FOS=2) states compared to the unreinforced embankment which failed to give the minimum required safety factors by design standards and regulations.

The rational design of hybrid molecules with dual therapeutic actions offers a promising approach in anticancer drug development. In this study, four novel hybrid conjugates (3a, 3b, 5a, and5b) were synthesized by coupling sulfa drugs (sulfadiazine and sulfamethoxazole) with azo dye moieties via bioactive linkers-paracetamol and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde. The compounds were fully characterized by FT-IR,H-1 NMR,C-13 NMR, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, and HPLC, confirming high purity (>98%). The hybrids exhibited potent antioxidant activity and stronger inhibition of anti-inflammatory enzymes (COX1, COX2, 5-LOX) compared to their analogues. Notably,3band5bshowed significant cytotoxicity against Caco2 (IC50 = 11.2 and 15.1 mu M) and MCF-7 (IC50 = 19.2 and 33.4 mu M) cancer cell lines. Mechanistic studies revealed that these compounds significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of inflammation-and tumor progression-related genes (IL6, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, and COX2) in Caco2 cells, as confirmed by qRT-PCR, highlighting their dual effects on tumor cell proliferation and the inflammatory tumor microenvironment. Molecular docking predicted strong binding affinities toward COX1 and COX2, particularly for3band5b, consistent with experimental results.In silicoADME analysis indicated favorable drug-like properties, suggesting that these compounds may serve as promising preliminary candidates for further pharmacological and toxicological evaluation as dual-target therapeutic agents against colorectal cancer.

Wastewater contamination from pharmaceuticals and pathogens poses an urgent global challenge that conventional water treatment processes struggle to address effectively. This research reports the multifunctionality of Ni-doped titania (Ni@TiO2) decorated with green nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCD), as a visiblelight photocatalyst for drug degradation and as an antibacterial agent. To overcome the limitations of titaniabased catalysts, a dual-modification strategy is proposed. The dual presence of NCD and Ni introduces localized energy levels that successfully narrow the TiO2 bandgap, promoting charge carrier separation and photoelectron transfer and optimizing photocatalytic behavior. Besides, the NCDs act as electron sinks and photoinduced electron transfer mediators, promoting charge separation and transfer at the heterojunction interface and extending charge-carrier lifetime. The presence of NCD and the Ni addition into Ni@TiO2/NCD (NCD = 4% wt) composite achieved high paracetamol degradation (approximate to 99%, TOC removal of 98%), ceftriaxone (70%), and vancomycin (75%) after 180 min of irradiation. Antibacterial activity of Ni@TiO2/NCD (NCD = 4% wt) was proved, reducing the viability of S. aureus by 96.71% and 68.37%, and E. coli by 95.41% and 68.23%, at 1000 and 500 mu g/mL, respectively. Finally, MIC values and residual antibacterial activity of water containing photocatalytically treated antibiotics prove the great performance of the developed composite system in achieving multiple functions, emphasizing its potential in wastewater treatment and infection control.

A series of Mn(I)-based photoinduced carbon monoxide releasing molecules (1-4) with the general formula of fac-[MnX(CO)3(N-N)]0/+(X = Br and diphenyl(2-pyridyl)phosphine; N-N = 2,2'-Bipyridine and 1,10-phenan-throline) was synthesized and evaluated for their potential CO-releasing properties and anticancer potential against four malignant and normal cell lines. Cytotoxicity screening showed selective activity toward human acute monocytic leukaemia cells (THP-1) cells, with higher activity observed under the dark conditions indicating that the complexes rather than CO release are primarily responsible for the observed in vitro anticancer activity. Lipophilicity has been shown to alter biological activity, with higher membrane permeability increasing cytotoxic effects. Among the tested complexes, the bromide complexes exhibited stronger cytotoxicity, while the corresponding phosphine compounds showed improved selectivity and reduced toxicity toward normal cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that these compounds target mitochondria, inducing dose-dependent modulation of mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species production. Additionally, the bromide complexes induced a significant G2/M cell-cycle arrest.

It is anticipated that cancer will continue to be the world's top cause of death, underscoring the critical need for novel treatments that specifically prevent tumor growth while protecting healthy cells. In this investigation, new triazoles and iminophosphorane derivatives were designed and synthesized smoothly via reactions of 4-azidobenzenesulfonamide with selected examples of organophosphorus reagents including stabilized phosphoniumylides, trialkylphosphites, tris(dialkylamino)phosphines, and Japanese reagent. The reactions are simple to run, occur under mild conditions producing the target products in good yields. The mechanisms of product formation were proposed and illustrated. The spectroscopic methods were used to confirm the structures of the produced substances. Compounds 14a, 14d, and 6 demonstrated greater selectivity toward cancer cells in comparison to the MDCK normal cell line (SI = 6.9, 5.6 and 4.9, respectively) and the strongest inhibitory impact against the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line (IC50 = 8.2, 8.8, and 9.4 mu M, respectively) among the tested derivatives. These values were superior to those of doxorubicin (IC50= 13.2 mu M; SI = 4.4). Mechanistic studies revealed that the three compounds inhibited carbonic anhydrase CA IX, CA XII, and COX-2 enzymes in the micromolar range. Notably, compound 14d was the most potent, with IC50 values of 0.099, 0.170, and 0.050 mu M against CA IX, CA XII, and COX-2, induced significant G2/M cell cycle arrest, and markedly promoted apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. Molecular docking studies and in vitro data revealed that compounds 14a, 14d, and 6 interact with the enzyme active sites similarly to the reference inhibitors celecoxib and acetazolamide. Molecular dynamics simulations of the top docking pose of the most potent compound 14d confirmed the stability of its interactions with CA IX, CA XII, and COX-2. In addition, in silico toxicological profiling and metabolite assessment revealed no significant genotoxicity-related alerts or nitrosamine-associated structural liabilities for the most active compounds.