A receptor in the form of (E)-(4-(thiophen-2-yl)phenyl)-N-(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)methanimine Schiff base L was synthesized through the reaction of 4-amino-4H-1,2,4-triazol with 4-(2-thiazol)benzaldehyde. The resulting Schiff base L was characterized by physicochemical techniques such as elemental analysis, UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), mass spectrometry, and NMR. The Schiff base L receptor was exploited as an optical chemical sensor for nickel (II) metallic cationic concentration determination. The chemosensor demonstrated a consistent absorption intensity change at 385 nm related to the nickel (II) concentration in the range of 0-50 mu M with a calibration sensitivity of 0.0052 Abs/mu M in addition to calibration linearity (R2 = 0.9839) and possessing a response time of less than 5 mins. Other cations, Fe2 + Cu2+, Co2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Mn2+, Mg2+, Cr2 + Ag+, Ca2+, Al3+, Li+, Na+, K+, Nd3+, Dy3+, Sm3 + and Tb3+, did not show any considerable change in absorbance intensity, except in the case of Pb2 + and Gd3+, where interference was observed. The mole-ratio method was used to determine the formula for the resulting Ni2 + -ligand complexation, and the Ni2+:ligand mole ratio was 1:1. In vitro antimicrobial activity of the Schiff base L exhibited a bactericidal effect against staphylococcal strains regardless of their different virulence characteristics.

BACKGROUND:There have been varying reports on the potential occurrence and severity of changes to menstruation including the median cycle length, days of bleeding, bleeding heaviness, and menstrual pain, following receipt of COVID-19 vaccinations. We aimed to assess potential postvaccination menstrual changes in women residing in the Middle East.METHODS:We implemented a cross-sectional online survey-based study. Data about the participants' demographic characteristics, menstruation experience, and vaccination status were collected and analyzed among six Arab countries.RESULTS:Among 4942 menstruating females included in this study, females who had received one or more doses of COVID-19 vaccination reported a higher frequency of back pain, nausea, tiredness, pelvic pain with periods, unprescribed analgesics use, and passage of loose stools. They also reported higher scores describing average and worst menstrual pain. Fully vaccinated females reported heavier flow and more days of bleeding.CONCLUSION:Our findings indicate that COVID-19 vaccine may have an effect on menstruation in terms of menstrual pain and bleeding heaviness. The evidence needs to be further investigated in longitudinal studies.

(2-((p-tolylimino)methyl)phenol) Schiff base as ligand ( L ) reacts with Ln(NO3)3.6H2O; Ln = with 1:3 molar ratio Three neutral lanthanides Schiff base coordination complexes La, Lb and Lc had a general formula [Ln III(L O')3(NO3)3]; Ln = Nd ( a ), Tb ( b ) and Dy ( c ). Through the reaction, ligand ( L) was converted into 2-((p-tolyliminium)methyl)phenolato) ( L' ) zwitterionic tautomer, three units of L' whose phenolato oxy-gen donor atoms are kO-bonded to Ln(III), whereas the coordination sphere of Ln(III) is surrounded by three k2OO'-bonded nitrate ions produce nine-coordinated LnO9 unit exhibits a distorted tricapped trigo-nal prismatic structure.In vitro antimicrobial activity showed effectiveness of Lc by a comparative study of MIC values against Candida albicans and Staphylooccus aureus ATCC 29213 which was identified to exhibit higher antimicro-bial activity than the free ligand.The magnetic properties of La, Lb and L c have been investigated using SQUID (Superconducting Quan-tum Interference Device) magnetic susceptibility measurements.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A single-crystal X-ray diffraction investigation verified the chemical structure of (E)-ethyl-4-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene amino)benzoate ( 1 ). Schiff base 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P 1 over line with unit cell dimensions of a = 5.961(2), b = 7.499(3), c = 17.112(6) A and unit cell angles of alpha = 95.565(12), beta = 94.192 (13), gamma = 104.689(13) & DEG;. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations utilizing the B3LYP level of theory and the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set have validated the reported experimental geometries and spectroscopic data (UV-vis, FT-IR, H-1 NMR) for 1 and 2-((E)-(4H-1,2,4-triazole-4-ylimino)methyl)-4-bromophenol ( 2 ), whereby Schiff base 2 corresponds to a literature known compound. The optimized geometry generated from DFT simulations was used to compute the molecules' vibrational frequencies. The experimentally observed frequencies are compared to the DFT calculated ones. TD-DFT simulations were also used to study the compounds' molecular electronic structures. The results of UV-vis spectroscopy, both experimental and computed, support the synthesis of the target compounds. The calculations of the molecular electrostatic potential surfaces of compounds 1 and 2 were performed. According to the calculated molecular electrostatic potential results, the reactive sites of 1 and 2 were determined. The compounds showed bactericidal activity against selective Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacte-ria except for 2 with no candidacidal activity compared to 1 . In vitro cytotoxicity of 1 and 2 was screened for MCF-7 and fibroblasts cell lines by MTT assay. Results showed that 1 is more cytotoxic than 2 on MCF-7 but nontoxic on fibroblasts indicating that 1 has potential for further development in the search of safe and potent anticancer agent. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vaccination to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a promising measure to overcome the negative consequences of the pandemic. Since university students could be considered a knowledgeable group, this study aimed to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among this group in Jordan. Additionally, we aimed to examine the association between vaccine conspiracy beliefs and vaccine hesitancy. We used an online survey conducted in January 2021 with a chain-referral sampling approach. Conspiracy beliefs were evaluated using the validated Vaccine Conspiracy Belief Scale (VCBS), with higher scores implying embrace of conspiracies. A total of 1106 respondents completed the survey with female predominance (n = 802, 72.5%). The intention to get COVID-19 vaccines was low: 34.9% (yes) compared to 39.6% (no) and 25.5% (maybe). Higher rates of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance were seen among males (42.1%) and students at Health Schools (43.5%). A Low rate of influenza vaccine acceptance was seen as well (28.8%), in addition to 18.6% of respondents being anti-vaccination altogether. A significantly higher VCBS score was correlated with reluctance to get the vaccine (p < 0.001). Dependence on social media platforms was significantly associated with lower intention to get COVID-19 vaccines (19.8%) compared to dependence on medical doctors, scientists, and scientific journals (47.2%, p < 0.001). The results of this study showed the high prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its association with conspiracy beliefs among university students in Jordan. The implementation of targeted actions to increase the awareness of such a group is highly recommended. This includes educational programs to dismantle vaccine conspiracy beliefs and awareness campaigns to build recognition of the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

The unique immunomodulation and immunosuppressive potential of Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSCs) make them a promising therapeutic approach for autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (T1D). The immunomodulatory effect of MSCs is exerted either by cell-cell contact or by secretome secretion. Cell-cell contact is a critical mechanism by which MSCs regulate immune-responses and generate immune regulatory cells such as tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) and regulatory T cell (Tregs). In this study, we primed WJ-MSCs with TNF-α and IFN-γ and investigated the immunomodulatory properties of primed WJ-MSCs on mature dendritic cells (mDCs) and activated T cells differentiated from mononuclear cells (MNCs) of T1D patient’s. Our findings revealed that primed WJ-MSCs impaired the antigen-mediated immunity, upregulated immune-tolerance genes and downregulated immune-response genes. We also found an increase in the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and suppression of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Significant upregulation of FOXP3, IL10 and TGFB1 augmented an immunosuppressive effect on adaptive T cell immunity which represented a strong evidence in support of the formation of Tregs. Furthermore, upregulation of many critical genes involved in the immune-tolerance mechanism (IDO1 and PTGES2/PTGS) was detected. Interestingly, upregulation of ENTPD1/NT5E genes express a strong evidence to switch immunostimulatory response toward immunoregulatory response. We conclude that WJ-MSCs primed by TNF-α and IFN-γ may represent a promising tool to treat the autoimmune disorders and can provide a new evidence to consider MSCs- based therapeutic approach for the treatment of TID.

Background: A major focus of nanotechnology concerns is the expansion of the optimization of nanomaterials in purity, size and dispersity. Methods: In the current work, a two-step AgNP synthesis process was optimized at the mycelia-DI water suspension and AgNP formation reaction levels. Results: Biomass filtrate from the fungal strain Tritirachium oryzae W5H was able to reduce silver nitrate into AgNPs after a 72 h reaction, as indicated by the development of intense brown color and by UV-vis spectra. The biosynthesis ability of AgNPs was markedly better in the presence of a single carbon and nitrogen source in the culture medium compared to multiple sources of carbon and nitrogen. The optimization results of AgNP formation were indifferent between the two steps and were 20 g biomass, 40°C, pH 7.0, 96 h and 1.0 mM AgNO3. The TEM images of the prepared AgNPs illustrated the presence of 7-75 nm, monodispersed and spherical- to ovular-shaped Ag nanoparticles. Conclusion: The present work highlights the importance of investigating the process parameters by which the reductant mycelia-free filtrate was prepared. In addition, we explored the promising antibacterial action of the prepared AgNPs against bacterial infections.

Centaurea damascena a member of Asteraceae family was investigated for its aerial part essential oil composition and antibacterial activities. A total of 35 components were characterized with the presence of oxygenated terpenes that represents more than 86 % of the total essential oil components. The composition was dominated by 11.45 % fokienol, 8.8 % thymol, 8.21 % alpha-terpineol, 7.24 % chrysanthemic acid, 7.13 % terpinen-4-ol and 6.59 % borneol with a high degree of polymorphism in the occurrence of these compounds as compared with the different species of Centaurea. The antibacterial activity was assessed by using the disc diffusion methods and the minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) using microdilution method. The essential oils from Centaurea damascena possessed antibacterial activity against eight out of ten tested microorganisms at 5 mu g/mL. While same oil showed only inhibitory activity at 20 mu g/mL against Klebsiella pneumoniae (BL) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (BL). The MIC of essential oils of C. damascena ranged from 15-1000 mu g/mL. A synergetic effect against E. coli and K. pneumoniae was observed when 5 mu g/mL oils were used with some of the ineffective antibiotics such as gentamicin for E. coli and vancomycin, ampicilin and chloramphenicol for K. pneumoniae. The activity of the antibiotic cefixime was increased by 26 % against K. pneumoniae after combination with the oil suggesting using it as potential adjuvant in the antibiotic treatment of pneumonia caused by K. pneumoniae and other ailments caused by oil-susceptible bacteria.

A number of novel bicinnolines containing piperazine moieties, 4a–o, were synthesized via polyphosphoric acid‐catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of the respective acyl amidrazone derivatives (3a–o). On the other hand, the amidrazones (3a–o) were prepared by reaction of N′,N″‐(biphenyl‐4,4′‐diyl)bis(2‐oxopropane hydrazonoyl chloride) (2) with the appropriate cyclic sec‐amines in the presence of trimethylamine in absolute ethanol. Structures of the newly synthesized compounds were confirmed by NMR and mass spectral data. The antitumor activity of compounds 4a–o was evaluated in vitro on human breast cancer MDA‐231 by a cell viability assay. Results revealed that compounds 4k, 4n, and 4o exhibit potential cytotoxic effects (>70%) on the cancer cells. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of compounds 4a–o was evaluated against three clinical microbial strains: Escherichia coli (Gram‐negative bacteria), Staphylococcus aureus (Gram‐positive bacteria), and Candida albicans (fungi/yeast). Results revealed that compounds 4e and 4k exhibit good activity against all three strains included in the study and that compound 4d displays excellent activity against S. aureus strain with a minimum inhibitory concentration value of 0.187 mg/mL.

A selected set of N1-(4-chloro-9-ethylcarbazol-3-yl)amidrazones (7a-n) has been synthesized by reacting the respective hydrazonoyl chloride 5 derived from 3-amino-9-ethylcarbazole (3), with an appropriate sec-cyclic amine (6a-n) in ethanol in the presence of triethylamine. Unexpectedly, aromatic ring chlorination occurred at C-4 of 3 during its conversion to 6 as evidenced by analytical and spectral data and further confirmed by single crystal X-ray structure determination of the amidrazone 7n. Compounds 7a-n were tested for their in vitro antibacterial activity. Among the tested bacterial strains, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was the most susceptible to 7f and Bacillus cereus to 7b both with a minimum inhibitory concentration value of 1.56 mu g mL(-1). Compounds 7c, 7f, and 7h could be useful as lead structures for further development of new antibacterial agents against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens.

Antimicrobial activity; Antifungal activity; Cytotoxicity; Schiff bases Abstract Six Schiff bases were prepared by reacting 3,30-diaminodipropylamine with different benzaldehyde derivatives. The structures of these compounds were confirmed through different spectroscopic methods such as H-NMR, C-NMR and mass spectrometry. The prepared compounds were evaluated in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against a number of pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida by the twofold serial dilution method. These compounds showed bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal activities against Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, compound 3c exhibited significant anticandida activity with an MIC of 24 lg/ml and is, therefore, considered as a promising and potential antifungal agent; further modification can be done on the structure of the compound for a better drug candidate in the future. a 2013 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.

Aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of Achillea fragrantissima L. (Asteraceae) grown in Jordan were screened for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiplatelet, anti-proliferative and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition efficacy. Total phenols and flavonoids were determined colorimetrically. The radical scavenging activities were evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity assays. High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLCMS) analysis resulted in the identification of 7 phenolic compounds in the hydro-alcoholic extract and 4 compounds in the aqueous extract; quercetin 3-β-D-glucoside was the main component for both extracts. Antimicrobial activities were determined by antimicrobial susceptibility testing such as agar well-diffusion method, minimum inhibition concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. Gram positive bacteria showed sensitivity to hydro-alcoholic extract in the agar-well diffusion test. No significant activity was observed against gram negative bacteria and Candida albicans. Hydro-alcoholic extract had a bactericidal activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus cereus at high concentrations (MIC 12.5 mg/ml) rather than inhibitory effect. In vitro antiplatelet activity was tested on human whole blood using an electrical impedance method. At concentrations (50, 100, and 200 μg/ml), no effect on platelet aggregation was noticed. Anti-proliferative activity was investigated using the MTT assay. At concentrations up to 200 μg/ml, extracts did not possess cytotoxic activity against the MCF-7 cells. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory capacity of A. fragrantissima extracts was tested using TLC assay method, and neither aqueous, nor hydroalcoholic extracts showed AChE inhibition. The present investigation supported the traditional use of A. fragrantissima in the Jordanian folk medicine as an antimicrobial active representative of the genus Achillea. A. fragrantissima extracts should be further studied for their potential use in preventing/treating diseases in which oxidative stress is a part of the pathophysiology.

Neisseria meningitidis is a human nasopharyngeal commensal capable of causing life-threatening septicemia and meningitis. Many meningococcal surface structures, including the autotransporter proteins NalP and MspA, are subject to phase variation (PV) due to the presence of homopolymeric tracts within their coding sequences. The functions of MspA are unknown. NalP proteolytically cleaves several surface-located virulence factors including the 4CMenB antigen NhbA. Therefore, NalP is a phase-variable regulator of the meningococcal outer membrane and secretome whose expression may reduce isolate susceptibility to 4CMenB-induced immune responses. To improve our understanding of the contributions of MspA and NalP to meningococcal-host interactions, their distribution and phase-variable expression status was studied in epidemiologically relevant samples, including 127 carriage and 514 invasive isolates representative of multiple clonal complexes and serogroups. Prevalence estimates of >98% and >88% were obtained for mspA and nalP, respectively, with no significant differences in their frequencies in disease versus carriage isolates. 16% of serogroup B (MenB) invasive isolates, predominately from clonal complexes ST-269 and ST-461, lacked nalP. Deletion of nalP often resulted from recombination events between flanking repetitive elements. PolyC tract lengths ranged from 6-15 bp in nalP and 6-14 bp in mspA. In an examination of PV status, 58.8% of carriage, and 40.1% of invasive nalP-positive MenB isolates were nalP phase ON. The frequency of this phenotype was not significantly different in serogroup Y (MenY) carriage strains, but was significantly higher in invasive MenY strains (86.3%; p<0.0001). Approximately 90% of MenB carriage and invasive isolates were mspA phase ON; significantly more than MenY carriage (32.7%) or invasive (13.7%) isolates. This differential expression resulted from different mode mspA tract lengths between the serogroups. Our data indicates a differential requirement for NalP and MspA expression in MenB and MenY strains and is a step towards understanding the contributions of phase-variable loci to meningococcal biology.

Bacterial biofilms are densely packed microorganisms surrounded by secreted polymers responsible for many chronic infectious diseases as well as for contamination of clinical and industrial environments. The aim of this study was to assess the potential antimicrobial activity of zinc-, copper- and silver-doped mullite ceramics disks against biofilm producing clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis,Streptococcus mutans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It also aimed to compare their effect in preventing the initial bacterial adhesion and the accumulation and maturation of biofilm on the disk surfaces. The antibacterial activities of the metal-doped mullites against biofilm were found dependent on mineral concentration and the incubation time. Silver-mullite disks showed high potential for controlling early and late biofilms against the studied microorganisms. Copper-mullite disks had exerted better activity in reducing theP. aeruginosa adherence and biofilm growth as compared with the Gram positive bacteria. However, these disks failed to show antibacterial activity against S. mutansplanktonic or biofilm grown after 24 h incubation. Interestingly, zinc-mullite disks enhanced the growth of S. aureus and S. epidermidis in suspension or biofilm. Key words: Mullite ceramic, metal-doped mullite, bacterial adherence, biofilm.

Six Schiff bases were prepared by reacting 3,3′-diaminodipropylamine with different benzaldehyde derivatives. The structures of these compounds were confirmed through different spectroscopic methods such as 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectrometry. The prepared compounds were evaluated in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against a number of pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida by the twofold serial dilution method. These compounds showed bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal activities against Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, compound 3c exhibited significant anticandida activity with an MIC of 24μg/ml and is, therefore, considered as a promising and potential antifungal agent; further modification can be done on the structure of the compound for a better drug candidate in the future.

A new series of 6-substituted-4-methyl-3-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)cinnolines 8–10 were synthesized as potential antifungal agents via intramolecular cyclization of the respective 1-(2-arylhydrazono)-1-(4-arylpiperazin-1-yl)propan-2-ones 5–7, mediated by polyphosphoric acid (PPA). The amidrazones themselves were synthesized via direct interaction of the appropriate hydrazonoyl chlorides 4a–d with the corresponding N-substituted piperazine in the presence of triethylamine. The structures of the new prepared compounds were confirmed by elemental analyses, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and ESI-HRMS spectral data. The antitumor, antibacterial, and antifungal activity of the newly synthesized compounds was evaluated.