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Owing to the over usage of fossil fuels, energy demand increases significantly, and so an alternative to the fossil fuel is highly recommendable. Hydrogen fuel is considered as a better replacement due to its efficiency and eco-friendly nature. Water electrolysis is the highly recommendable method to produce the high pure hydrogen and in continuation, finding the efficient and non-noble metal electrocatalysts are highly desirable to have commercial production. Transition metal phosphates are having many advantages, which include their abundance in nature, less cost, and commercially viable. Herein, one simple synthetic strategy is proposed for the production of porous cobalt phosphate nanoparticles (NPs) by a simple wet chemical route. The synthesized cobalt phosphate NPs have subjected to the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline medium (1 M KOH), which showed a lesser overpotential of 299 mV at 10 mAcm −2 current density and showing excellent stability over 12 h. Owing to this excellent outcome, the designed cobalt phosphate NPs could be utilized for other energy related applications in near future.

Despite the widespread use of hormone replacement therapy, various reports on its side effects have generated an increasing interest in the development of safe natural agents for the management of postmenopausal discomforts. The present randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study investigated the effect of 90-day supplementation of a standardized extract of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) (FenuSMART™), at a dose of 1000 mg/day, on plasma estrogens and postmenopausal discomforts. Eighty-eight women having moderate to severe postmenopausal discomforts and poor quality of life (as evidenced from the scores of Greene Climacteric Scale, short form SF-36® and structured medical interview) were randomized either to extract-treated (n = 44) or placebo (n = 44) groups. There was a significant (p < 0.01) increase in plasma estradiol (120%) and improvements on various postmenopausal discomforts and quality of life of the participants in the extract-treated group, as compared with the baseline and placebo. While 32% of the subjects in the extract group reported no hot flashes after supplementation, the others had a reduction to one to two times per day from the baseline stages of three to five times a day. Further analysis of haematological and biochemical parameters revealed the safety of the extract and its plausible role in the management of lipid profile among menopausal women. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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An octanuclear copper(II) complex, [Cu8L4(OH)3](ClO4)·3H2O·C7H12, has been prepared and structurally characterized (H3L = a pentadentate Schiff-base ligand). The complex, which has a lateral-type metallamacrobicyclic core with a cavity, shows chemically significant noncovalent interactions with the solvent molecules. While the inner core is hydrophilic showing hydrogen-bonding interactions with the water molecules, the C7H12 molecule is placed near the hydrophobic environment created by the methyl groups of the Schiff-base ligands.

The need for more cost-effective compounds is imperative because the demand for prebiotic compounds is ever on the rise. The focus of this study is the purification of the endoxylanase from B20 and its application in a cost-effective production of the prebiotic xylooligosaccharide (XOS) syrup having a high concentration of oligosaccharides. The extracellular endoxylanase was purified using ammonium sulphate fractionation, DEAE anion exchange, and Sephacryl gel filtration chromatography. The enzymatically produced XOS was used in the preparation of XOS syrup adopting the method of ultrafiltration with 10 and 3 kDa molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) membranes. Culture-dependent technique for the bacterial enumeration using selective probiotic microorganisms in an analysis was employed to confirm the prebiotic nature of XOS syrup. The molecular mass of the purified xylanase (XylB) was found to be approximately 85 kDa with the optimum pH and temperature of 6.5 and 60 °C, respectively. XylB hydrolyzed the xylan and produced short-chain xylooligosaccharides (XOS). At the end of the two-step ultrafiltration process, the hydrolysate was refi ned to form XOS syrup (44.4%) consisting of XOS with a degree of polymerization (DP) between 2 and 5, and>5. Among all the tested probiotic strains, exhibited maximum growth in the presence of 0.5% XOS syrup with a specific growth rate of 1.2 h. Through this study, we have identified a method to produce XOS syrup that can be used as an effective prebiotic supplement for the growth of several probiotic strains. Human gut probiotics was used as a model system for analysis of prebiotic oligosaccharide XOS, but for further confirmation of the prebiotic activity, feeding studies using animal models are needed to be carried out.

BackgroundDiabetes is rapidly rising all over the world at an alarming rate and has changed from a mild disorder to major causes of mortality and morbidity in the youth and middle-aged people, and the prevalence is seen especially in six inhabited continents of the globe. The present study aims to explore the antidiabetic, lipid lowering effect of Cassia auriculata L. flowers in alloxan-induced diabetes.MethodsDiabetes was induced using alloxan monohydrate in experimental rats and subsequent therapeutic effects of C. auriculata extract and standard drug glibenclamide were monitored. Bioassay-directed fractionation using silica gel column chromatography was performed until pure fractions were isolated. The effect of the treatment was analyzed by hematological parameters and enzyme assays. The pure compounds were confirmed with thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography pattern and further subjected for characterization.ResultsThe alterations in blood glucose were monitored throughout the study. There was a gradual fall in blood glucose and significant changes were observed in lipid profile and metabolic enzyme after treatment with C. auriculata. Bioassay fractionation represented that the C2 subfraction produced a dose-dependent fall in blood glucose and lipid profile and upon further purification yielded two pure compounds. The structure of the pure compound was elucidated using Fourier transform infrared, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectral data.ConclusionThe present study clearly indicated the significant antidiabetic effect of C. auriculata and lends support for its traditional usage without evident toxic effects.