mM Of pH Research Articles

Itaconic acid inhibits nontuberculous mycobacterial growth in pH dependent manner while 4-octyl-itaconic acid enhances THP-1 clearance of nontuberculous mycobacteria in vitro.

Increasingly prevalent, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections affect approximately 20% of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Previous studies of CF sputum identified lower levels of the host metabolite itaconate in those infected with NTM. Itaconate can inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis (MTB) in vitro via the inhibition of the glyoxylate cycle enzyme (ICL), but its impact on NTM is unclear. To test itaconic acid's (IA) effect on NTM growth, laboratory and CF clinical strains of Mycobacterium abscessus and Mycobacterium avium were cultured in 7H9 minimal media supplemented with 1-10 mM of IA and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). M. avium and M. abscessus grew when supplemented with SCFAs, whereas the addition of IA (≥ 10 mM) completely inhibited NTM growth. NTM supplemented with acetate or propionate and 5 mM IA displayed slower growth than NTM cultured with SCFA and ≤ 1 mM of IA. However, IA's inhibition of NTM was pH dependent; as similar and higher quantities (100 mM) of pH adjusted IA (pH 7) did not inhibit growth in vitro, while in an acidic minimal media (pH 6.1), 1 to 5 mM of non-pH adjusted IA inhibited growth. None of the examined isolates displayed the ability to utilize IA as a carbon source, and IA added to M. abscessus isocitrate lyase (ICL) decreased enzymatic activity. Lastly, the addition of cell-permeable 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI) to THP-1 cells enhanced NTM clearance, demonstrating a potential role for IA/itaconate in host defense against NTM infections.

Modeling the influence of propionic acid concentration and pH on the kinetics of Salmonella Typhimurium

Salmonella Typhimurium is a foodborne pathogen often found in the poultry production chain. Antibiotics have been used to reduce S. Typhimurium contamination in poultry aviaries and improve chicken growth. However, antibiotics were banned in several countries. Alternatively, organic acids, such as propionic acid (PA), can control pathogens. This study determined the PA minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and mathematically modeled S. Typhimurium growth/inactivation kinetics under the influence of PA at different pH values (4.5, 5.5, and 6.5) which are within the pH range of the chicken gastrointestinal tract. The PA MIC against S. Typhimurium was pH-dependent, resulting in 5.0, 3.5 and 9.0 mM undissociated PA at pH 4.5, 5.5, and 6.5, respectively. The Baranyi and Roberts and the Weibull model fit growth and inactivation data well, respectively. Secondary models were proposed. The validated model predicted 3-log reduction of S. Typhimurium in 3 h at 68.2 mM of undissociated PA and pH 4.5. The models presented a good capacity to describe the kinetics of S. Typhimurium subjected to PA, representing a useful tool to predict PA antibacterial action depending on the pH.

Performance of bacterial mediated mineralization in concrete under carbonation and chloride induced corrosion

Prevention of concrete structures from early deterioration under aggressive environments is a major challenge. The present study investigated the performance of bacterial-treated concrete structures under harsh conditions such as carbonation and chloride exposure. Improvement in the mechanical strength and reduction in penetration properties was recorded in bacterial-treated specimens. The maximum carbonation depth of 18.27 mm and reduction of pH (8.6) were recorded in control specimens during carbonation exposure (5% CO2) for 120 days, whereas significant resistance against CO2 diffusion and much-reduced carbonation depth was observed in BAC specimen (9.28 mm) and BSC (11.13 mm) specimens. Due to accelerated carbonation conditions, further increment in mechanical strength and reduced penetration was observed in control and bacterial treated specimens due to microstructure densification caused by carbonation reaction products. During chloride exposure (5% NaCl) for 120 days, the control specimen showed the initiation of rebar corrosion with Ecorr and Icorr values of −522.2 mV/SCE and 0.34 μA/cm2, respectively. However, bacterial-treated reinforced specimens (BARC and BSRC) significantly resisted the penetration of chloride ions. At the end of chloride exposure, BARC and BSRC specimens showed lower Ecorr values of −203.4 mV/SCE and −301.4 mV/SCE and Icorr values of 0.03 μA/cm2 and 0.02 μA/cm2, respectively. These results suggested that the biogenic treated concrete specimens resisted from the deterioration effects of chloride and carbonation exposure and improved their durability properties.

A simple uric acid assay by using 3‐hydroxytyramine as a chromogenic colorimetric sensor in human serum samples: Density functional theory supported mechanistic approach

A simple, fast, sensitive, convenient, and economical accurate enzymatic colorimetric sensor is developed for the quantification of the clinically important biomarker uric acid (UA) in human serum samples. The method is based on the quantification of UA using 3-hydroxytyramine (3-HT) as a chromogenic substrate by using peroxidase (POD) and uricase (UOx). UOx catalyzes the oxidation of UA where H2O2 is generated in-situ to produce allantoin and CO2. The POD in oxidative coupling of peroxide in presence of 3-HT, forms an intense orange-colored product with λmax = 500 nm. The reaction was carried out in a citric acid-tripotassium-citrate buffer (12.5 mM) of pH = 6.8 at room temperature. Computational calculations were done by Gaussian-16 employing the B3LYP functional basis set. The standard curve for UA was found to be linear between 12.3–297.3 and 3.07–396.5 μM by rate and fixed time method, respectively. The LOD and LOQ for UA were 1.5 and 2.9 μM, respectively. Within-day and day-to-day precision was 1.50–3.07 and 3.10–4.16% (n = 7), respectively. The accuracy ranges for UA concentrations of 24.7, 198 and 297.3 μM were 87%–101.50%, 90%–105%, and 89%–107%, respectively. The UA recovery range by the proposed method was 98.00%–100.47% with a mean recovery of 99.5% and has A good correlation coefficient of 0.981 with the standard method.

Concomitant Effect of Quercetin and Its Copper Complex in the Development of Sustained-Release Nanoparticles of Polycaprolactone, Used for the Treatment of Skin Infection.

The study aimed to improve the treatment of impetigo with naturally occurring quercetin and its copper-quercetin (Cu-Q) complex by preparing sustained-release (SR) nanoparticles of polycaprolactone (PCL). The solvent evaporation method was used for the copper-quercetin (Cu-Q) complex formation, and their PCL nanoparticles (PCL-NPs, Q-PCL-NPs, and Cu-Q-PCL-NPs) were prepared by the high-pressure homogenization method. Synthesis of nanoparticles was confirmed by their physicochemical and antibacterial properties of quercetin against Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria. The percentage loading efficiency of quercetin and release in 100 mM of phosphate buffer pH 7.4 and 5.5 at 37 °C was found to be more than 90% after 24 h with the zero-order release pattern. Minimum inhibitory concentration of nanoparticles was found to increase threefold in the case of Cu-Q-PCL-NPs may be due to the synergistic antibacterial behavior. Scanning electron microscopy showed spherical nanoparticles, and surface roughness was confirmed by atomic force microscopy analysis. Fortunately, no sign of irritation on rat skin even at 3%, was seen. In vitro antioxidant assay by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl reduction was found to be ≤80 ± 0.02% which confirmed their scavenging activity. Interestingly, for the ex vivo study, the tape-stripping model was applied against Staphylococcus aureus containing rats and showed the formation of the epidermal layer within 4-5 days. Confirmation of antibacterial activity of pure quercetin, from Cu-Q complex, and their SR release from Q-PCL-NPs and Cu-Q-PCL-NPs was considered an effective tool for the treatment of skin diseases and can be used as an alternative of already resistant ciprofloxacin in impetigo.

Alkaline Salt Tolerance of the Biomass Plant Arundo donax

Soil alkalinization and salinization have increased worldwide due to extreme and/or prolonged drought periods as well as insufficient irrigation. Since crops generally react to soil salinity and high pH with decreased yield, the cultivation of tolerant biomass plants represents a reasonable alternative. Thus, we aimed to characterize the tolerance of the biomass plant Arundo donax to alkaline salt stress, induced by irrigation water containing NaHCO3 and Na2CO3 mixture (1:1) at 80 mM and 200 mM of final concentration and pH 10. In terms of physiological parameters such as transpiration, chlorophyll content, photosystem II quantum efficiency, relative water content, and water saturation, the plants were resistant to the stress treatment. The negative impact on the water regime was only measured at 200 mM salt. The K/Na ratio decreased in parallel with Na accumulation. Plants also accumulated Zn, whereas a decrease in the concentration of most other elements (Ca, Cu, K, Mg, Ni, S, Si, and Sr) was detected. Antioxidative defence directed by multiple symplastic enzymes contributed to the high physiological tolerance to the applied stress. In conclusion, the cultivation of Arundo donax as a biomass crop appears to be a feasible alternative in areas affected by salinity or alkaline salt accumulation.

Investigating and modeling the toxicity of arsenate on wheat root elongation: Assessing the effects of pH, sulfate and phosphate

Excessive arsenic in soil and groundwater will not only seriously affect the growth of plants, but also endanger human health through the food chain. However, there are few studies on the effects of metalloid speciation and anion competition on the toxicity of arsenate [As(Ⅴ)]. To investigate the effects of accompanying anions and pH on the toxicity of As(Ⅴ) on wheat root elongation, wheat roots were exposed to the concentrations of As(Ⅴ) in the solution ranged from 0 to 500 mM and different levels of pH (4.5–8.0) and different accompanying anions (H2PO4-, SO42-, NO3- and Cl-) for five days. The root length of wheat was measured and the biotic ligand model (BLM) was developed to predict the potential toxicity of As(V) speciation to wheat roots. The results illustrated that EC50 of total As(V) (EC50{As(Ⅴ)T}) values increased from 6.88 to 33.9 μM with increasing pH values from 4.5 to 8.0, suggesting that increasing pH alleviated As(Ⅴ) toxicity. The EC50{AsO43-} and EC50{HAsO42-} values increased from 0.001 to 4342 μM and from 0.0214 to 27.4 μM, respectively, while the EC50{H2AsO4-} and EC50{H3AsO4} values sharply decreased from 6.62 to 2.68 μM and from 41.8 μM to 5.34 nm, respectively, when pH increased from 4.5 to 8.0. The toxicity of As(Ⅴ) decreased as the H2PO4- and SO42- activities increased but not when the activities of NO3- and Cl- increased, indicating that SO42- and H2PO4- showed competitive effects with As(Ⅴ) on the binding sites. Based on BLM theory, the stability constants were obtained: logKAsO4BL= 3.70; logKHAsO4BL= 4.08; logKH2AsO4BL= 4.77; logKH3AsO4BL= 6.50; logKH2PO4BL= 2.09 and logKSO4BL= 1.86, with fAsBL50%= 0.30 and β = 1.73. Results implied that BLM performed well in As(Ⅴ) toxicity prediction when coupling toxic species AsO43-, HAsO42-, H2AsO4-, and H3AsO4, and the competition of SO42- and H2PO4- for binding sites. The current study provides a useful tool to accurately predict As(V) toxicity to wheat roots.

CuxNiyCo-LDH nanosheets on graphene oxide: An efficient and stable Fenton-like catalyst for dual-mechanism degradation of tetracycline

A highly efficient and stable heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst was fabricated via growing CuxNiyCo-containing layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets onto graphene oxide (GO) (CuxNiyCo-LDH/GO) by a facile co-precipitation method. The Cu2.5Ni0.5Co-LDH/GO with higher crystallinity and a larger specific surface area exhibited the highest catalytic activity in the degradation of tetracycline (TC). The TC degradation and mineralization efficiencies achieved 96.5% and 80.4%, respectively, in 40 min under the optimum conditions (60 mg/L of catalyst, 10 mM of H2O2 and pH = 10.2). The catalyst also exhibited excellent reusability with the degradation of TC remaining above 95% after 5 successive cycles. A dual-mechanism of TC degradation was proposed: attacked by ·OH primarily generated by catalyst surface and direct oxidation through the C-O-M bonds as the electron donor, leading to a high H2O2 utilization in the system. The degradation pathway of TC was also proposed based on the detected intermediates, and the overall toxicity of TC was effectively alleviated in Cu2.5Ni0.5Co-LDH/GO system according to toxicity prediction.

Study on the nonradical pathways of nitrogen-doped biochar activating persulfate for tetracycline degradation

Tetracycline (TC) is a kind of refractory pollutant and widely exists in environment, and it is urgent to develop effective methods for TC treatment. In this study, nitrogen-doped biochar (N-BCX) was successfully synthesized and was used to activate persulfate (PS) to degrade TC. The materials were characterized by XPS, Raman spectrum, SEM, BET and FT-IR. SEM and BET results showed that the catalyst had an obvious pore structure and large specific surface area, which increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature. Nitrogen doping could increase the content of graphite-N in biochar; the defect edge of the material increased, further formed the graphitization structure, and enhanced the catalytic performance of the material. TC (20 mg/L) could be completely removed within 120 min under the optimal conditions of 200 mg/L of catalyst dosage, 2 mM of PS dosage and initial pH of 7. The results of EPR, quenching experiments and electrochemical experiments showed that the degradation of TC in the system did not depend on the action of radicals, the electron transfer between TC and PS on the surface of biochar maybe the main pathway. Efficient and environmentally friendly nitrogen-doped biochar can provide a reference for the related antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Razvoj HILIC-PDA-CAD metode za određivanje sadržaja magnezijuma, piridoksina i tiamina u dijetetskom suplementu primenom metodologije ugradnje kvaliteta u analitičku metodu

In this research, Analytical Quality by Design (AQbD) methodology was used to develop the HILIC-PDA-CAD method for the determination of magnesium, pyridoxine and thiamine content in a dietary supplement. Experiments were conducted on the Dionex Ulitimate 3000 HPLC system with PDA and CAD detectors. Separations were performed on the ZIC-HILIC PEEK column (100 × 4.6 mm, 5 mm) with a mixture of acetonitrile, acetone and ammonium acetate/ammonium formate aqueous solution (48:12:40, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. The detection was performed at 220 nm. The optimal settings of CAD were defined with the one-factor-at-a-time approach: evaporation temperature 50°C, filter constant 10 s, pressure gas 60 psi. The influence of qualitative (salt type) and quantitative factors (pH and salt concentration) on the magnesium retention factor, k Mg and the selectivity factor between pyridoxine and chloride anion, a B6/Cl-, was tested using the I-optimal design. The design space was defined by Monte Carlo simulations and model coefficients' errors were propagated with the aim of identifying the conditions that meet the following criteria: k Mg <4 and a B6/Cl->3.5, with the probability p=95%. From the derived 2D-Design Space graph, 95 mM of ammonium formate pH 4.4 was selected as the optimal composition of the aqueous phase. The method was validated and its reliability in routine application was confirmed.

Effect of production system and inhibitory potential of aroma volatiles on polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activity in tomatoes.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) are key enzymes associated with shelf life and defense responses. Thus, the activity of PPO and POD enzymes is usually assessed to check the quality of food samples and to understand the physiological responses of plants to different stresses. However, the outcomes of PPO and POD activity assessment studies are highly dependent on assay conditions. Hence, in this study, we initially optimized PPO and POD extraction and high-throughput 96-well plates-based enzymatic activity assessment methods to evaluate the inhibitory potential of tomato volatile compounds. Later, we explored the effects of net-house and open-field growing on the PPO and POD activity in tomato fruits of eight cultivars. We found 150 mM of catechol and pH 7.0 were the optimal conditions for the maximum activity for the PPO assay. Conversely, 24 mM guaiacol with 12 mM H2 O2 and pH 6.0 was the best condition for the POD assay. Thermal inactivation studies confirmed that tomato POD is more resistant to heat than PPO. We found that the production systems had a considerable genotype-specific impact on tomato PPO and POD activity. Moreover, amongst the volatiles that were studied, β-damascenone and d-limonene showed 50% PPO inhibition at 40 and 80 mM, respectively. The results of this study can be used to improve the shelf-life of fresh tomato fruit and its products. The findings also underscore the significance of PPO and POD enzymes as physiological trait markers in the tomato crop and fruit quality improvement programs. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

High efficiency heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst biochar modified CuFeO2 for the degradation of tetracycline: Economical synthesis, catalytic performance and mechanism

The heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts biochar modified CuFeO2 (CuFeO2/BC) were fabricated by hydrothermal method without additional chemical reducing agent. The systematic characterization demonstrated that higher CuFeO2 particles dispersion and larger BET surface area of CuFeO2/BC catalyst contributed to higher catalytic activity towards the tetracycline (TC) degradation compared to pure-phase CuFeO2. The optimum conditions for TC removal were 598.63 mg L-1 of CuFeO2/BC-1.0, 57.63 mM of H2O2 and pH = 6.27 according to the result of a response surface methodology based on the central composite design. The CuFeO2/BC-1.0 exhibited an excellent reusability and good stability by recycling degradation. The OH was evidenced to the main active radical by scavenging experiments and electron spin resonance. The XPS revealed that the high catalytic efficiency was attributed to the synergistic effect of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Cu2+/Cu+ redox cycles, and the degradation intermediates of TC and toxicity analysis were evaluated.

Green Analytical Methods of Antimalarial Artemether-Lumefantrine Analysis for Falsification Detection Using a Low-Cost Handled NIR Spectrometer with DD-SIMCA and Drug Quantification by HPLC.

Two green analytical approaches have been developed for the analysis of antimalarial fixed dose tablets of artemether and lumefantrine for quality control. The first approach consisted of investigating the qualitative performance of a low-cost handheld near-infrared spectrometer in combination with the principal component analysis as an exploratory tool to identify trends, similarities, and differences between pharmaceutical samples, before applying the data driven soft independent modeling of class analogy (DD-SIMCA) as a one-class classifier for proper drug falsification detection with 100% of both sensitivity and specificity in the studied cases. Despite its limited spectral range and low resolution, the handheld device allowed detecting falsified drugs with no active pharmaceutical ingredient and identifying specifically a pharmaceutical tablet brand name. The second approach was the quantitative analysis based on the green and fast RP-HPLC technique using ethanol as a green organic solvent and acetic acid as a green pH modifier. The optimal separation was achieved in 7 min using a mobile phase composed of ethanol 96% and 10 mM of acetic acid pH 3.35 (63:37, v/v). The developed method was validated according to the total error approach based on an accuracy profile, was applied to the analysis of tablets, and allowed confirming falsified drugs detected by spectroscopy.

Almond skin extract mediated optimally biosynthesized antibacterial silver nanoparticles enable selective and sensitive colorimetric detection of Fe+2 ions

The safety of drinking water is one of the most important public health issues as very high concentrations of metal like iron acts as a useful surrogate for other heavy metals. The present study demonstrates the use of almond skin extract (ASE) for simple and rapid synthesis of antibacterial silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the development of a highly selective and sensitive colorimetric method for the detection of Fe+2 in water samples. The optimization of various biogenic synthesis parameters showed ASE:AgNO3 ratio of 4:1,1 mM of AgNO3, pH 6 and incubation for 10 min at 70 °C were the optimum conditions. The test of antibacterial activity against widely used, representative Gram-negative and positive bacteria showed that AgNPs exhibit good activity against all five tested bacterial strains and comparatively were more effective against Gram-negative bacteria. Further, the test of AgNPs as a colorimetric probe for the detection of 20 different metal ions demonstrated that AgNPs were highly selective and sensitive towards the detection of Fe+2. The study of sensitivity of Fe+2 detection showed 245 ppm as the Limit of detection whereas, the intra-day recovery of Fe+2 in the range of 87.2–100.1 % with %RSD in the range of 4.2–6.5 % and inter-day recovery of Fe+2 in the range of 92.02–96.59 % with %RSD in the range of 2.9–3.8 % demonstrated the excellent precision and accuracy of the assay method. Thus, our AgNPs based selective and sensitive assay can be applied to the analysis of iron in drinking water samples.

One-step hydrothermal synthesis of Cu-doped MnO2 coated diatomite for degradation of methylene blue in Fenton-like system

In this work, we have synthesized Cu-doped MnO2@diatomite successfully though a one-step hydrothermal approach. Meanwhile, application for degradation of methylene blue in Fenton-like system was investigated. The compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), Inductively Coupled Plasma analysis (ICP) and UV–vis spectroscopy measurements, beam scanning electron microscope (FIB/SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The observations revealed that copper was indeed intercalated into layered structure of MnO2 and Density functional theory (DFT) calculations predicted that Cu2+ intercalated MnO2@diatomite brought about the narrowing of band gap and the enhancing of charge mobility during catalysis. Electron Density Difference of CuMnD demonstrated excellent oxidation ability to dissociate H2O2 and generate hydroxyl radical (OH) to degrade the MB. Moreover, the proper copper doping of sample is more easily to form oxygen defect, which generate more surface hydroxyl groups as reaction sites for surface adsorption. In addition, the degradation efficiency of CuMnD was tremendously influenced by the initial pH, H2O2 dosage and copper content of catalyst. Ultimately, 0.02-25-CuMnD along with molar ration of Cu/Mn with 0.4402 showed the best degradation efficiency which was about 96.2% within 4 h with 16.5 mM of H2O2 and pH 2.06.

Continuous pH monitoring in wounds using a composite indicator dressing — A feasibility study

PurposeModern burn care strives for new means to guarantee optimised wound healing. Several studies have shown a correlation between the pH value in a (burn) wound and successful wound healing. A multitude of devices to monitor pH is available, all requiring direct wound contact and removal of the dressing for pH monitoring. The aim of this feasibility study was to create a sterile and easy to handle method for pH monitoring while simultaneously using an advanced wound dressing. Materials and methodsDressing sheets of biotechnologically generated nanofibrillar cellulose (epicitehydro) were chemically functionalised with the indicator dye GJM-534. pH-donors with increasing pH were subsequently applied to the created indicator dressing. To investigate temporal resolution and continuous monitoring we used circular pH-donors with different pH (7 and 10) and decreasing diameters that were placed on another dressing sheet. Clinically relevant spatial resolution was checked by a wound bed simulation with small areas (8 mm) of higher pH (10) on a field of lower pH (7) and vice versa. ResultsThe indicator dressing showed a gradual colouring from yellow to dark orange with increasing pH in steps of 0.3. After conversion of digital pictures to greyscale values, a sigmoidal distribution with a pKa-value of 8.4 was obtained. A ring-like pattern with alternating colour change corresponding to the pH was observed in the continuous monitoring experiment and the wound bed simulation delivered excellent local resolution. ConclusionSince the pH of a (burn) wound can have a significant influence on wound healing, a pH indicator was successfully linked to an advanced, temporary, alloplastic wound dressing material. We were able to show the possibility of pH monitoring by the dressing itself. Additional testing, including studies with large case numbers for optimisation are necessary before clinical implementation.

Reactive oxygen and iron species monitoring to investigate the electro-Fenton performances. Impact of the electrochemical process on the biodegradability of metronidazole and its by-products

In this study, the monitoring of reactive oxygen species and the regeneration of the ferrous ions catalyst were performed during electro-Fenton (EF) process to highlight the influence of operating parameters. The removal of metronidazole (MTZ) was implemented in an electrochemical mono-compartment batch reactor under various ranges of current densities, initial MTZ and ferrous ions concentrations, and pH values. It was found that under 0.07 mA cm−2, 0.1 mM of ferrous ions and pH = 3, the efficiency of 100 mg L−1 MTZ degradation and mineralization were 100% within 20 min and 40% within 135 min of electrolysis, respectively. The highest hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical concentrations, 1.4 mM and 2.28 mM respectively, were obtained at 60 min electrolysis at 0.07 mA cm−2. Improvement of the biodegradability was reached from 60 min of electrolysis with a BOD5/COD ratio above 0.4, which was reinforced by a respirometric study, that supports the feasibility of coupling electro-Fenton and biological treatment for the metronidazole removal.

Enhanced Oxidation of Azo Dye Using Ag-SiO2 Nanoparticle and Peroxydisulfate and Kinetic Study

Present work investigates the capability of oxidative treatment process in the presence of nano silver doped on silicate particles for decolorization of a widely used azo dye, C.I. Direct Blue 129 (DB129) in water samples. Solutions with initial concentration of 20 mgL-1 of dye, within the range of generic concentration in textile wastewaters, were treated under ambient conditions of initial pH of 6.7 and temperature of 25oc. The operational parameters evaluation including dye and peroxydisulfate concentration, initial pH, nanoparticles dosage and reaction time was studied in an endeavor to reach the higher dye removal efficiency. Subsequently, a removal more than 90% of dye was attained by applying the optimal operational conditions as follow: 0.4 g of catalyst, 20 mgL-1 of dye, 5 mM of peroxydisulfate and initial pH of 6.7 in 35 min. Moreover, kinetic study for various parameters in several conditions for treatment process was investigated. Pseudo- first-order reaction rate constants were calculated for the systems. The morphology and crystal structure of Ag-SiO2 nanoparticles were characterized by means of Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM).

Analytical Method Validation for Determination of Tuberculostatics in Fixed Dose Combination by Capillary Electrophoresis

The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed a standard therapeutic protocol for tuberculosis using associations of drugs formulated in fixed and appropriated doses according to the disease’s phase and weight range of patients. This guidance aimed to reduce the occurence of new cases and to minimize the developlment of resistance to the drugs involved in this therapy. In this associations, isoniazide and rifampicin are always present. Due to this demand, pharmaceutical industry searchs continually keeping the quality of antituberculosis products in order to fulfill the requirements of sanitary registration and the legal responsibility with safety, quality and efficacy of medications. Therefore, it is necessary the practice of a system that joins the good manufacturing and laboratory practices in which the validation studies compose a primary role of this process. At the same time, to fight such a disease like tuberculosis, which is funded by the public health system, the availability of analytic methodologies that are reliable, short time, low cost and less pollutant show to be extremely important to the public budget, particularly in Brazil, that has achieved the sixth position of world drugs market. As Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) is an analytic tool that has been rapidly growing in the last decades for being a technique of high performance, low cost, low volume samples, low organic solvents consumption and low environmental impact, this study validated a methodology for the analysis of isoniazide and rifampicin in tablets of Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) by CE. The conditions of CE were: capillary of fused silica covered with pollyimide of 64.5 cm of total length (56 cm of effective length) and 50 µm of internal diameter; 20 kV voltage; 25°C cassette temperature; Diode Array Detector (DAD) scan monitoring the wavelength of 200 nm; inserting samples by hydrodynamic of pressure of 25 mbar/3s of sample, followed of 25 mbar/2s of electrolyte. Electrolyc solutions containing 60 mM of sodium borate pH 9.85. The analytic methodology proved to be useful for quantitative determination of isoniazide and rifampicin in FDC tablets. It was proved that the working range is linear for the concentration interval of 200 to 700 µg/mL and 500 to 1000 µg/mL for isoniazide and rifampicine, respectively. The matrix of 2 in 1 tablet does not interfere the results for the analysis of isoniazide and rifampicine. Repeatability of rifampicine and isoniazide of 3.17 % and 2.64 %, respectively were acceptable when compared by the acceptance criterion of 3.30 % for variation coefficient of repeatability calculated by Horwitz equation. Intermediate precision of isoniazide and rifampicine of 1.41 % and 1.67 %, respectively were acceptable when compared to the variation coefficient of reprodutibility of 1.97 % and 1.67 % for isoniazide and rifampicine, respectively, calculated by Horwitz equation. Recuperation range of 92.16 – 95.00 % for isoniazide and 97.59 – 98.41 % for rifampicine were acceptable for the criterion of acceptance of the International Conference Harmonization.

The Effects of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Sorbent Sizes on Plumbum (II) Ion Sorption

Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) contributes more than 50% of oil palm biomass wastes in Malaysia. This provides tremendous opportunities for value-added product generation from recycling and utilizing its latent capacity. In this work, the performance of physically-pretreated OPEFB fibers without any chemical treatment for Pb2+ removal from aqueous system was evaluated. Three different size ranges (1-5 cm, 0.5-2 mm and 0.005-0.02 mm) of raw sorbent, pH (4-10) and contact time (2-150 min) for Pb2+ batch adsorption were tested. The kinetic data were evaluated by the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion model. The experimental data were well described by the pseudo-second-order model with r2=0.997. Adsorption efficiency was size-dependent with about 38% sorption increase at 0.005-0.02 mm, and reached 94% efficiency, achieved 47.49 mg/g capacity with 500 ppm Pb2+ at pH 7.5, in 60 min. The eco-friendly, low cost sorbent can be applied as green, effective adsorbent in waste water remediation.