Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. J Environ Manage. 2023 Oct 28;349:119429. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119429. 
Online ahead of print.

Combination of coagulation and adsorption technologies for advanced wastewater 
treatment for potable water reuse: By ANN, NSGA-II, and RSM.

Zahmatkesh S(1), Karimian M(2), Chen Z(3), Ni BJ(4).

Author information:
(1)Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Ingenieríay Ciencias, Puebla, Mexico; 
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, INTI International University, 71800, 
Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
(2)Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning, University of 
Eyvanekey, Iran.
(3)Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and 
Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2007, 
Australia.
(4)School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The University of New South 
Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia. Electronic address: bingjieni@gmail.com.

To reuse water and reduce water pollution, such as chemical oxygen demand (COD), 
total suspended solids (TSS), PO4, NTU, and NO3, advanced wastewater treatment 
technologies (a combination of coagulation (FeCl3) and adsorption (Activated 
Carbon (AC))) are attractive. Considering that water reclamation can help 
provide an irrigation system for crops and domestic purified water, removing 
organic matter and nutrients prior to wastewater reuse is fundamental. In order 
to remove contaminants like organic matter and nutrients from wastewater, 
advanced wastewater treatment processes are recommended. The purpose of this 
paper is to investigate various doses of AC and FeCl3 in wastewater treatment 
and study the optimum conditions for the removal of COD, TSS, PO4, NTU, and NO3. 
Furthermore, the evaluated FeCl3'/AC's optimum functioning pH ranges from 6.5 to 
8.0, and their optimum working times range from 2.5 to 5.5 h. The optimum 
concentrations of AC were 0.1-25 g/L and 0.1-5 g/L of FeCl3. The most 
significant COD elimination rate (98%), the highest TSS elimination efficiency 
(94%), NTU elimination performance (99%), PO4 elimination (99%), and NO3 
elimination (67%), among the investigated FeCl3 and AC. Secondly, the effects of 
operational variables such as AC, FeCl3, time, and solution pH were modeled, 
optimized, and evaluated using response surface techniques based on the 
D-Optimal design. Input from the response surface approach findings was used to 
develop an artificial neural network-based prediction model and Non-dominated 
Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II).

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119429
PMID: 39491942

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors 
declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal 
relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this 
paper.


2. J Antibiot (Tokyo). 2024 Oct 29. doi: 10.1038/s41429-024-00773-9. Online ahead
 of print.

Antimicrobial activity of α/β hybrid peptides incorporating tBu-β(3,3)Ac(6)c 
against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Sarkar AR(#)(1)(2), Kumari J(#)(2)(3), Rathore A(2)(3), Chowdhary R(1)(2), 
Manhas R(3), Firdous S(2)(3), Mahapa A(4)(5), Rai R(6)(7).

Author information:
(1)Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of 
Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
(2)Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, Uttar 
Pradesh, India.
(3)Infectious Diseases Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, 
Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
(4)Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, Uttar 
Pradesh, India. avisek.mahapa@iiim.res.in.
(5)Infectious Diseases Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, 
Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, Jammu and Kashmir, India. avisek.mahapa@iiim.res.in.
(6)Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of 
Integrative Medicine, Canal Road, Jammu, 180001, Jammu and Kashmir, India. 
raj@iiim.res.in.
(7)Academy of Scientific & Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, Uttar 
Pradesh, India. raj@iiim.res.in.
(#)Contributed equally

The incorporation of β-amino acids into peptides is a promising approach to 
develop proteolytically stable therapeutic agents. Short α/β hybrid 
peptides containing tBu-β3,3Ac6cː H2N-Lys-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P1; 
H2N-Orn-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P2; H2N-Arg-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P3; 
LA-Lys-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P4; LA-Orn-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P5; 
LA-Arg-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P6; LAu-Lys-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P7; 
LAu-Orn-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P8; and LAu-Arg-tBu-β3,3Ac6c-PEA, P9 were prepared. 
The antimicrobial efficacies of all the peptides were evaluated against ESKAPE 
pathogens, along with a small panel of multi-drug resistant (MDR) clinical 
isolates of S. aureus. Among all the peptides, P4, P6, and P7 showed significant 
efficacies against P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and MRSA with an MIC value ranging 
from 6.25 to 12.5 μM. Further, in vitro, anti-staphylococcal assessment with 
their antimicrobial synergy of the peptides P4, P6, and P7 was carried out 
against MRSA, due to its better efficacy. The peptides P6 and P7 exhibited MRSA 
biofilm inhibition of 70% and 77%, respectively, at 4×MIC concentration. At its 
MIC concentration, about 19% hemolysis was observed for P4, P6, and P7.

© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the Japan Antibiotics Research 
Association.

DOI: 10.1038/s41429-024-00773-9
PMID: 39472525


3. Toxics. 2024 Oct 12;12(10):740. doi: 10.3390/toxics12100740.

Comparative Remediation of Arsenic and Antimony Co-Contaminated Soil by Iron- 
and Manganese-Modified Activated Carbon and Biochar.

Han J(1), Zhao C(2), Yang M(3), Ye M(1), Li Y(1), Zhou K(1), Zhang J(1), Song 
P(1).

Author information:
(1)College of Resources and Environment, Key Laboratory of Agricultural 
Environment, National Engineering Research Center for Efficient Utilization of 
Soil and Fertilizer Resources, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, 
China.
(2)Shandong Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration, Jinan 250013, 
China.
(3)Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, 
Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Nanjing 210042, China.

At present, soil contaminated with arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) is escalating 
at an alarming rate, which is harmful to human health. In this study, Fe- and 
Mn-modified activated carbon (AC) and biochar (BC) were prepared and compared 
for the remediation of As- and Sb-contaminated soil. The effects on the 
speciation of As and Sb, soil pH, organic matter (SOM), and enzyme activity with 
various dosages and remediation times were investigated. The results showed that 
on the whole, the best stabilization effect of As and Sb was achieved with 3% 
FeMnBC. Furthermore, with increases in time and dosage, the immobilization 
effect on As and Sb was more significant. Fe/Mn-modified AC and BC enhanced soil 
pH, with 3% MnAC being particularly effective; 3% AC and 3% FeMnAC demonstrated 
the most pronounced enhancement in SOM. The modified carbon materials exhibited 
a dramatic increase in enzymatic activity. In particular, urease activity showed 
an increasing trend, and catalase activity first decreased and then increased 
over 30 days. Among the treatments, 3% MnAC showed the most significant 
enhancements in catalase and urease activities, whereas 1% FeMnBC had the most 
pronounced effect on increasing sucrase activity. This study provides 
theoretical support for the remediation of soil co-contaminated with As and Sb 
by Fe/Mn-modified AC and BC.

DOI: 10.3390/toxics12100740
PMCID: PMC11511182
PMID: 39453161

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.


4. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2024 Oct 16:1-5. doi: 10.2460/javma.24.05.0345. Online
ahead  of print.

Accuracy of urinary dipstick for glucose and protein determination in canine 
cerebrospinal fluid.

Ottoboni AR(1), Ribeiro LS(1), Sousa Filho GD(1), Gonçalves PAO(2), Matta DH(2), 
Damasceno AD(1), Martins DB(1), Castel A(3), Torres BBJ(1).

Author information:
(1)1Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, 
Goiás, Brazil.
(2)2Instituto de Matemática e Estatística, Universidade Federal de Goiás, 
Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
(3)3Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, St-Hyacinthe, QC, 
Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the precision of urinary dipstick (UD) to assess protein 
and glucose concentrations in canine CSF samples compared to the standard 
methods.
METHODS: Cerebrospinal fluid protein and glucose were measured in 22 samples 
from dogs with neurological diseases affecting the CNS using UD and biochemistry 
(pyrogallol red and glucose oxidase reaction, respectively). Results were 
converted into scores to allow comparison between methods. The proportion of 
divergence between methods and its CI were calculated. The sensitivity (Se), 
specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value 
(NPV), and accuracy (Ac) of UD were determined for 2 cutoff levels of CSF 
protein (15 and 30 mg/dL) and glucose (40 and 100 mg/dL).
RESULTS: The proportion of divergence between methods was 64% (95% CI, 44% to 
84%) for CSF protein (representing 14 of 22 erroneous samples), of which 92.9% 
(13 of 14) had a UD score lower than biochemistry. For CSF glucose, 73% (16 of 
22 erroneous samples; 95% CI, 54% to 91%) had divergence between methods, of 
which 87.5% (14 of 16) had a UD score higher than biochemistry. Urinary dipstick 
had better results when the cutoff level was 15 mg/dL for protein (Se, 78.9%; 
Sp, 66.7%; PPV, 93.7%; NPV, 33.3%; Ac, 77.3%) and 40 mg/dL for glucose (Se, 
89.5%; Sp, 33.3%; PPV, 89.5%; NPV, 33.3%; Ac, 81.8%) concentrations.
CONCLUSIONS: Urinary dipstick was unreliable in estimating canine CSF protein 
and glucose concentrations.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The UD underestimated protein and overestimated glucose 
levels in the canine CSF, which could have a significant diagnostic impact and 
should discourage its use as a bedside test.

DOI: 10.2460/javma.24.05.0345
PMID: 39413828


5. J Clin Med. 2024 Sep 10;13(18):5367. doi: 10.3390/jcm13185367.

Functional Connectome Controllability in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment 
after Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Dorsolateral 
Prefrontal Cortex.

Papallo S(1), Di Nardo F(1), Siciliano M(1), Esposito S(2), Canale F(1)(2), 
Cirillo G(3), Cirillo M(1), Trojsi F(1)(2), Esposito F(1).

Author information:
(1)Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences (DAMSS), University of 
Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
(2)First Division of Neurology and Neurophysiopathology, University Hospital, 
University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
(3)Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University 
of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown 
therapeutic effects in neurological patients by inducing neural plasticity. In 
this pilot study, we analyzed the modifying effects of high-frequency (HF-)rTMS 
applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of patients with mild 
cognitive impairment (MCI) using an advanced approach of functional connectome 
analysis based on network control theory (NCT). Methods: Using local-to-global 
functional parcellation, average and modal controllability (AC/MC) were 
estimated for DLPFC nodes of prefrontal-lateral control networks 
(R/LH_Cont_PFCl_3/4) from a resting-state fMRI series acquired at three time 
points (T0 = baseline, T1 = T0 + 4 weeks, T2 = T1 + 20 weeks) in MCI patients 
receiving regular daily sessions of 10 Hz HF-rTMS (n = 10, 68.00 ± 8.16 y, 4 
males) or sham (n = 10, 63.80 ± 9.95 y, 5 males) stimulation, between T0 and T1. 
Longitudinal (group) effects on AC/MC were assessed with non-parametric 
statistics. Spearman correlations (ρ) of AC/MC vs. neuropsychological (RBANS) 
score %change (at T1, T2 vs. T0) were calculated. Results: AC median was reduced 
in MCI-rTMS, compared to the control group, for RH_Cont_PFCl_3/4 at T1 and T2 
(vs. T0). In MCI-rTMS patients, for RH_Cont_PFCl_3, AC % change at T1 (vs. T0) 
was negatively correlated with semantic fluency (ρ = -0.7939, p = 0.045) and MC 
% change at T2 (vs. T0) was positively correlated with story memory (ρ = 0.7416, 
p = 0.045). Conclusions: HF-rTMS stimulation of DLFC nodes significantly affects 
the controllability of the functional connectome in MCI patients. Emerging 
correlations between AC/MC controllability and cognitive performance changes, 
immediately (T1 vs. T0) and six months (T2 vs. T0) after treatment, suggest NCT 
could help explain the HF-rTMS impact on prefrontal-lateral control network, 
monitoring induced neural plasticity effects in MCI patients.

DOI: 10.3390/jcm13185367
PMCID: PMC11432536
PMID: 39336854

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.