Design, synthesis, molecular modelling and biological evaluation of novel 6-amino-5-cyano-2-thiopyrimidine derivatives as potent anticancer agents against leukemia and apoptotic inducers

Herein, a novel series of 6-amino-5-cyano-2-thiopyrimidines and condensed pyrimidines analogues were prepared. All the synthesized compounds (1a-c, 2a-c, 3a-c, 4a-r and 5a-c) were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity by the National Cancer Institute (NCI; MD, USA) against 60 cell lines. Compound 1c showed promising anticancer activity and was selected for the five-dose testing. Results demonstrated that compound 1c possessed broad spectrum anti-cancer activity against the nine cancerous subpanels tested with selectivity ratio ranging from 0.7 to 39 at the GI50 level with high selectivity towards leukaemia. Mechanistic studies showed that Compound 1c showed comparable activity to Duvelisib against PI3Kδ (IC50 = 0.0034 and 0.0025 μM, respectively) and arrested cell cycle at the S phase and displayed significant increase in the early and late apoptosis in HL60 and leukaemia SR cells. The necrosis percentage showed a significant increase from 1.13% to 3.41% in compound 1c treated HL60 cells as well as from 1.51% to 4.72% in compound 1c treated leukaemia SR cells. Also, compound 1c triggered apoptosis by activating caspase 3, Bax, P53 and suppressing Bcl2. Moreover, 1c revealed a good safety profile against human normal lung fibroblast cell line (WI-38 cells). Molecular analysis of Duvelisib and compound 1c in PI3K was performed. Finally, these results suggest that 2-thiopyrimidine derivative 1c might serve as a model for designing novel anticancer drugs in the future.

Review on fate, transport, toxicity and health risk of nanoparticles in natural ecosystems: Emerging challenges in the modern age and solutions toward a sustainable environment

In today's era, nanoparticles (NPs) have become an integral part of human life, finding extensive applications in various fields of science, pharmacy, medicine, industry, electronics, and communication. The increasing popularity of NP usage worldwide is a testament to their tremendous potential. However, the widespread deployment of NPs unavoidably leads to their release into the environmental matrices, resulting in persistence in ecosystems and bioaccumulation in organisms. Understanding the environmental behavior of NPs poses a significant challenge due to their nanoscale size. Given the current environmental releases of NPs, known negative consequences, and the limited knowledge available for risk management, comprehending the toxicity of NPs in ecosystems is both awaiting and crucial. The present review aims to unravel the potential environmental influences of nano-scaled materials, and provides in-depth inferences of the current knowledge and understanding in this field. The review comprehensively summarizes the sources, fate, transport, toxicity, health risks, and remediation solutions associated with NP pollution in aquatic and soil ecosystems. Furthermore, it addresses the knowledge gaps and outlines further investigation priorities for the sustainable control of NP pollution in these environments. By gaining a holistic understanding of these aspects, we can work toward ensuring the responsible and sustainable use of NPs in today's fast-growing world.

Sustainable management of food waste; pre-treatment strategies, techno-economic assessment, bibliometric analysis, and potential utilizations: A systematic review

Food waste (FW) contains many nutritional components such as proteins, lipids, fats, polysaccharides, carbohydrates, and metal ions, which can be reused in some processes to produce value-added products. Furthermore, FW can be converted into biogas, biohydrogen, and biodiesel, and this type of green energy can be used as an alternative to nonrenewable fuel and reduce reliance on fossil fuel sources. It has been demonstrated in many reports that at the laboratory scale production of biochemicals using FW is as good as pure carbon sources. The goal of this paper is to review approaches used globally to promote turning FW into useable products and green energy. In this context, the present review article highlights deeply in a transdisciplinary manner the sources, types, impacts, characteristics, pre-treatment strategies, and potential management of FW into value-added products. We find that FW could be upcycled into different valuable products such as eco-friendly green fuels, organic acids, bioplastics, enzymes, fertilizers, char, and single-cell protein, after the suitable pre-treatment method. The results confirmed the technical feasibility of all the reviewed transformation processes of FW. Furthermore, life cycle and techno-economic assessment studies regarding the socio-economic, environmental, and engineering aspects of FW management are discussed. The reviewed articles showed that energy recovery from FW in various forms is economically feasible.

Implication of nanotechnology to reduce the environmental risks of waste associated with the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest global public health outbreak in the 21^st century so far. It has contributed to a significant increase in the generation of waste, particularly personal protective equipment and hazardous medical, as it can contribute to environmental pollution and expose individuals to various hazards. To minimize the risk of infection, the entire surrounding environment should be disinfected or neutralized regularly. Effective medical waste management can add value by reducing the spread of COVID-19 and increasing the recyclability of materials instead of sending them to landfill. Developing an antiviral coating for the surface of objects frequently used by the public could be a practical solution to prevent the spread of virus particles and the inactivation of virus transmission. Relying on an abundance of engineered materials identifiable by their useful physicochemical properties through versatile chemical functionalization, nanotechnology offers a number of approaches to address this emergency. Here, through a multidisciplinary perspective encompassing various fields such as virology, biology, medicine, engineering, chemistry, materials science, and computer science, we describe how nanotechnology-based strategies can support the fight against COVID-19 well as infectious diseases in general, including future pandemics. In this review, the design of the antiviral coating to combat the spread of COVID-19 was discussed, and technological attempts to minimize the coronavirus outbreak were highlighted.

Novel 2-Thiouracil-5-Sulfonamide Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Biological Evaluation as Antioxidants with 15-LOX Inhibition

New antioxidant agents are urgently required to combat oxidative stress, which is linked to the emergence of serious diseases. In an effort to discover potent antioxidant agents, a novel series of 2-thiouracil-5-sulfonamides (4-9) were designed and synthesized. In line with this approach, our target new compounds were prepared from methyl ketone derivative 3, which was used as a blocking unit for further synthesis of a novel series of chalcone derivatives 4a-d, thiosemicarbazone derivatives 5a-d, pyridine derivatives 6a-d and 7a-d, bromo acetyl derivative 8, and thiazole derivatives 9a-d. All compounds were evaluated as antioxidants against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), lipid peroxidation, and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) inhibition activity. Compounds 5c, 6d, 7d, 9b, 9c, and 9d demonstrated significant RSA in all three techniques in comparison with ascorbic acid and 15-LOX inhibitory effectiveness using quercetin as a standard. Molecular docking of compound 9b endorsed its proper binding at the active site pocket of the human 15-LOX which explains its potent antioxidant activity in comparison with standard ascorbic acid.

Carbon footprint of dairy manure management chains in response to nutrient recovery by aerobic pre-treatment

Aerobic pre-treatment of liquid dairy manure has previously been reported as an effective nutrient export and emissions mitigation approach. The first objective of this study was to experimentally determine the optimal intermittent aeration ratio for nutrient recovery from liquid dairy manure through an on-site pilot-scale reactor to partially reduce the required energy for the aerobic process. The second objective was to theoretically investigate the total carbon footprints of direct manure spreading on croplands and permanent manure storage in open anaerobic lagoons in response to nutrient removal by the optimal determined intermittent aerobic treatment ratio. Four scenarios (S) were included; S1 was the traditional scenario of manure spread on croplands without the aerobic pre-treatment, S2 was the modified scenario of manure spread on croplands that included the aerobic pre-treatment, S3 was the traditional scenario of manure storage in lagoons, and S4 was the modified scenario of manure storage in lagoons that included the aerobic pre-treatment. The results showed that comparable nutrient removal efficiencies could be obtained with a 5:1 intermittent aeration ratio. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were recovered were 41.5 ± 1.3% and 37.0 ± 4.0%, respectively, in ammonium sulfate and phosphorus-rich sludge, while 55.3 ± 1.4% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was removed. The estimated total carbon footprint for S1, S2, S3, and S4 were 24.4, 37.9, 45.3, and 45.9 kg _CO2-eqton^-1, respectively. However, the total carbon footprint of S2' and S4', which used renewable-based energy to run the reactor instead of fossil-based energy used in S2 and S4, were estimated to 29.5 and 37.5 kg _CO2-eqton^-1, respectively. Clearly, applying the aerobic pre-treatment increased the total carbon footprint of all cases except S4', in which the total carbon footprint was mitigated by -17.2%. Accordingly, the aerobic pre-treatment is only recommended in the case of S4' from a carbon footprint point of view although it is an effective nutrient recovery technology.

Removal performance and inhibitory effects of combined tetracycline, oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine, and norfloxacin on anaerobic digestion process treating swine manure

Combined veterinary antibiotics (CVAs) belonging to different antibiotics classes could cause exacerbated impacts on the anaerobic digestion (AD) process of swine manure. Four different antibiotics "two tetracyclines: tetracycline (TC) and oxytetracycline (OTC), one fluoroquinolones: norfloxacin (Norf), and one sulfonamides: sulfadiazine (SDZ)" were combined to evaluate their removal performances and its inhibition effects on AD. Results indicated that CVAs removal decreased from 84.3 to 63.7 %, with an increase in the initial concentration from 12.5 to 50 mg L^-1, where the removal of CVAs occurring in the order OTC > TC > Norf > SDZ. An average of 9.5, 7.5, 9.5, and 32.1 % of the spiked TC, OTC, SDZ, and Norf were remained in the sludge, respectively. With 50 mg L^-1 of CVAs, a competitive adsorption phenomenon was found to have a notable impact on biodegradation microorganisms' activity leading a 73.1 % decrease in CH₄ production. CVAs caused a temporal inhibition to the acidogenic activity followed by partial inhibition to methanogenic by 66.8 %, and IC₅₀ was 38.5 mg L^-1. Moreover, CVAs resulted in acetate accumulation, while 26 % and 48 % lower in TS and COD removal, respectively, were observed. A significant reduction in the relative abundance of bacteria and archaeal genera was also mentioned. The findings of this research would provide a more in-depth understanding of AD's performance in treating swine manure contaminated with combined antibiotics.

A pilot system integrating a settling technique and a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland for the treatment of polluted lake water

An integrated system was tested at pilot-scale for treating polluted water from the Marriot Lake in Egypt, comprising a settling technique followed by three parallel horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HFCWs) units operating under a continuous flow mode; one HFCW unit was planted with Typha angustifolia and contained a perforated pipes network for enhanced passive aeration (CWA), one unit was planted without the perforated pipe network (CWR) and one served as a Control unit (unplanted and without perforated pipes). Changes in physicochemical parameters, BOD₅, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus), microbial community, and trace metals at different hydraulic retention times (HRT; 0.5-6 h) and hydraulic loading rates (HLR; 750, 1000, 1250, and 2000 L/m²/d) were monitored. The CWA unit had an overall better performance than the CWR unit, while both planted units outperformed the Control unit. CWA showed the highest performance at HLR of 1000 L/m²/d and 4-6 h-HRT with 95.3% removal for turbidity, 83% for BOD₅, 99.3% for ammonia nitrogen (NH₄-N), 70.8% for Total Nitrogen (TN), and 66.7% for Total Phosphorus (TP), while higher NO₃-N and NO₂-N effluent concentrations were observed. Trace metals levels were significantly reduced and accumulated in plant tissues. Microbial communities' densities fluctuated in the CWA unit. The integrated system with the settling stage and the planted CWA unit was proved to achieve a high removal efficiency and reached the national discharge limits, thus representing a novel nature-based solution for the sustainable remediation of polluted lake water.

Selecting the optimal nutrients recovery application for a biogas slurry based on its characteristics and the local environmental conditions: A critical review

Digestate (effluent of biogas plants) became the main bottleneck for biogas industry expansion because it often exceeds the capacity of surrounding croplands as fertilizer. Nutrients recovery from digestate is a promising solution for closing nutrients cycles and generating high value-added byproducts. In fact, numerous nutrients recovery technologies were reported and utilized for that purpose. However, each technology has optimum working conditions, while digestates have different characteristics due to the different substrates, digestion conditions, and handling methods. On the other hand, no protocol has been reported yet for selecting the optimal nutrients recovery technology or sequenced technologies for different digestates regarding their characteristics and the surrounding environmental conditions. In this study, an interactive flowchart was suggested and discussed for selecting the most appropriate technology or sequential techniques among the different alternatives. The whole digestate utilization technologies, solid-liquid separation technologies, liquid and solid processing technologies were included.

New approach in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance using biosensor technology: a review

Biosensors are analytical tools that transform the bio-signal into an observable response. Biosensors are effective for early detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection because they target viral antigens to assess clinical development and provide information on the severity and critical trends of infection. The biosensors are capable of being on-site, fast, and extremely sensitive to the target viral antigen, opening the door for early detection of SARS-CoV-2. They can screen individuals in hospitals, airports, and other crowded locations. Microfluidics and nanotechnology are promising cornerstones for the development of biosensor-based techniques. Recently, due to high selectivity, simplicity, low cost, and reliability, the production of biosensor instruments have attracted considerable interest. This review article precisely provides the extensive scientific advancement and intensive look of basic principles and implementation of biosensors in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, especially for human health. In this review, the importance of biosensors including Optical, Electrochemical, Piezoelectric, Microfluidic, Paper-based biosensors, Immunosensors, and Nano-Biosensors in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 has been underscored. Smartphone biosensors and calorimetric strips that target antibodies or antigens should be developed immediately to combat the rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2. Wearable biosensors can constantly monitor patients, which is a highly desired feature of biosensors. Finally, we summarized the literature, outlined new approaches and future directions in diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 by biosensor-based techniques.

Determination of Tetracycline, Oxytetracycline, Sulfadiazine, Norfloxacin, and Enrofloxacin in Swine Manure Using a Coupled Method of On-Line Solid-Phase Extraction with the UHPLC-DAD

The use of various veterinary antibiotics (VAs) in animal husbandry raises serious concerns about the development of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics such as tetracycline, oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine, norfloxacin, and enrofloxacin are the most frequently used antimicrobial compounds in animal husbandry and generate large eco-toxicological effects; however, they are still difficult to determine in a complex matrix such as swine manure. This study has developed an effective method for detecting five VAs in swine manure using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detector (UHPLC-DAD) coupled with on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE). The results show that the mobile phase of ACN/0.01 M oxalic acid was the optimum at pH 3.0. VAs in a swine manure matrix were extracted using solid extraction buffer solution (T3) with 97.36% recovery. Sensitivity, accuracy, and precision were also evaluated. The validity study showed good linearity (R2 > 0.99). Limit of detection (LOD) was found to be from 0.1 to 0.42 µg mL-1 in the liquid fraction and from 0.032 to 0.58 µg g-1 dw in the solid fraction. The corresponding values of the limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.32 to 1.27 µg mL-1 for the liquid fraction and from 0.096 to 1.77 µg g-1 dw for the solid fraction. Therefore, the proposed method showed the potential applicability for detecting different antibiotic compounds from swine manure samples.

Nutrients recovery from fresh liquid manure through an airlift reactor to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions of open anaerobic lagoons

Open anaerobic lagoons are widely used for liquid manure storage and treatment, with excess greenhouse gas (GHG) and odor emissions. In this study, liquid manure was valorized through hybrid nitrogen and phosphorous recovery as value-added products using an airlift reactor. Also, the organic load of liquid manure was reduced before discharging into anaerobic lagoons, which simultaneously mitigated GHG emissions. The results showed that 14.5% of total nitrogen (TN) was recovered as ammonium sulfate, while 38.8% of TN and 79.3% of total phosphorus (TP) were recovered as phosphorus-rich sludge. After the pre-treatment in the reactor, the odor could be controlled effectively due to a 94.2% decrease in total VFAs. In addition, 59.0% of COD was removed, which decreased the theoretical modeled GHG emissions by 51.7% compared to the traditional direct discharging. The application is promising for upgrading anaerobic lagoons of liquid manure.

A review targeting veterinary antibiotics removal from livestock manure management systems and future outlook

Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) contamination has been considered as a worldwide environmental and health concern in recent decades. This paper reviewed the variability of contents of VAs and their release from the animal breeding industry into the surrounding environment along with the performance of the manure treatment technologies. The data collected revealed that VAs were mostly excreted in animal feces and observed in manure, soil, water, and sediment. The findings illustrate the disparity of VAs in excretion rates, consumption, and their residues in the environment with relatively high distribution for tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and sulfonamides. Anaerobic digestion has a capacity to remove of 73% VAs while manure composting and constructed wetlands can remove 84.7%, and 90% VAs. Due to the profound effect of antibiotics on the environment, further research and intensive management strategies for livestock manure need to be designed to improve the removal efficiency and manure management technologies.

Effect of design and operational parameters on nutrients and heavy metal removal in pilot floating treatment wetlands with Eichhornia Crassipes treating polluted lake water

Though having an economic and ecological impact on Marriott Lake management in Egypt, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is an aquatic floating macrophyte with a known phytoremediation potential. In order to assess its remediation potential, pilot floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) with E. crassipes were built in duplicates to evaluate the removal of nutrients and heavy metals from the polluted lake water. The experimental design included units with different water depths (15, 25, and 35 cm; D₁₅, D_25, and D₃₅, respectively) and plant coverage (90, 70, 50, and 0%; P₉₀, P₇₀, P_50, and P₀, respectively). The pilot FTWs were monitored over a 7-day operation cycle to identify the optimum combination of design (plant coverage, water depth) and operation (hydraulic retention time; HRT) parameters needed for maximum BOD₅, TN, NH₄-N, and TP removal. NH₄-N removal reached 97.4% in the D₂₅P₅₀ unit after 3 days, BOD₅ 75% in the D₁₅P₉₀ after 3 days, TN 82% in the D₂₅P₇₀ after 4 days, and TP 84.2% in the D₃₅P₇₀ after 4 days. The open-water evaporation rate was higher than the evapotranspiration rate in the planted units, probably due to the warm climate of the study area. Metals were also sufficiently removed through bioaccumulation in plant tissues in the order of Fe > Pb > Cu > Ni (62.5%, 88.9%, 81.7%, and 80.4% for D₂₅P₅₀, D₂₅P₇₀, D₂₅P₅₀, and D₂₅P₉₀, respectively), while most of the assimilated metal mass was translocated to the plant roots. The biochemical composition of the plant tissue was significantly different between the shoot and root parts. Overall, the FTW with 70% E. crassipes coverage, 25-cm water depth, and an HRT of 3-5 days was identified as the optimum design for effective remediation of the polluted Marriott Lake in Egypt.

A novel horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland planted with Typha angustifolia for treatment of polluted water

Rapid population growth and urbanization has put a lot of stress on existing water bodies in most developing countries such as the Marriott Lake of Egypt. Three constructed wetland configurations including Typha angustifolia planted with enhanced atmospheric aeration by using perforated pipes networks (CWA), planted without perforated pipe network (CWR), and a control non-planted and without perforated pipes wetland (Control) were used in the study. Changes in physicochemical properties and microbial community over four seasons and hydraulic loading rate (HLR) (50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 L day^-1 m^-1) were monitored using influent from Marriott Lake in Egypt. Overall, the removal performance followed the sequence CWA>CWR>control. Turbidity removal of 98.4%; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) removal of 83.3%; chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 95.8%; NH₃-N removal of 99.9%; total nitrogen (TN) removal of 94.7%; NO₃^--N and NO₂^--N increased; total P (TP) removal of 99.7%, Vibrio sp. of 100%, Escherichia coli 100%; total bacterial count of 92.3%; and anaerobic bacteria reduction of 97.5% were achieved by using CWA. Seasonal variation and variation in HLRs had significant effect on performance. The modified planted CWA system enhances the removal of pollutants and could present a novel route for reducing the cost associated with integrating artificial aeration into wetlands.