Climate variability, population growth, and agricultural expansion increasingly strain groundwater resources in arid and hyper-arid regions. In West Mallawi, El-Minya Governorate, Egypt—where annual rainfall is less than 10 mm—the Middle Eocene and Oligocene–Pleistocene aquifers serve as the main sources of domestic and agricultural water. This study aims to support sustainable groundwater management by comparatively assessing their hydrochemical characteristics, water quality, and potential health risks. In 2024, 86 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for physicochemical parameters, hydrochemical facies, and water quality indices. The deeper Middle Eocene aquifer exhibited higher total dissolved solids (TDS) and greater mineralization than the shallower Oligocene–Pleistocene aquifer. Hydrochemical facies analysis revealed predominant sulfate–chloride–sodium water types, influenced by evaporite dissolution, cation exchange, and prolonged water–rock interaction. Water Quality Index (WQI) evaluations indicated that most Oligocene–Pleistocene samples ranged from “good” to “poor,” whereas many Middle Eocene samples were classified as “poor” to “unsuitable” for drinking, with similar trends observed for irrigation suitability. Health risk assessment highlighted elevated hazard levels in the Middle Eocene aquifer, emphasizing the need for targeted treatment, routine monitoring, and strengthened groundwater management strategies. This comparative approach provides new insights into the vulnerabilities of aquifers under extreme arid conditions and offers evidence-based guidance for sustainable resource management.

This study assesses groundwater quality in the western desert peripheries of El Minya Governorate, Egypt, through hydrochemical analysis, multivariate statistics, water quality indices (WQI), and health risk assessment. Twenty-four groundwater samples were collected and analyzed in July 2024. Results revealed high salinity (EC: 937–11,900 µS/cm), TDS (561–7140 ppm), and hardness (300–2000 ppm), exceeding WHO standards. Dominant hydrochemical facies include SO₄·Cl–Ca·Mg (56%), (SO₄·Cl–Na (33%), and 13% of sample located in the suture line, driven by evaporite dissolution and ion exchange. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that salinity-related variables (Na⁺, Cl⁻, TDS) explained 50.8% of data variance. WQI results indicated that 25% of samples were "very poor" or "unfit for consumption," with the highest WQI value reaching 158. Agricultural evaluation found 7 samples unsuitable for irrigation, though most samples were suitable for cattle, but not always for poultry. Health risk assessment of Hofmeister ions showed that > 90% of samples exceeded safe intake limits for Ca, Na, Cl, and Mg. These levels pose risks for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal osteodystrophy (ROD). Overall, groundwater quality is significantly compromised by natural and anthropogenic influences, necessitating urgent treatment, monitoring, and sustainable management strategies.

Palynological organic matter (POM) of the Neogene succession from the Sidi Salim-1 well, located in the onshore Nile Delta, Egypt (Eastern Mediterranean), suggests a wide range of environments, from deltaic to offshore marine. These environments were discriminated by the overall palynofacies composition, including indicative dinoflagellate cysts, mainly Spiniferites and Selenopemphix. Near-shore marine environment was interpreted for the Middle Miocene (Langhian–Serravallian) Sidi Salim Formation. Deltaic to shallow marine environments were suggested for the Qawasim (Miocene) and Kafr El Sheikh (Pliocene) formations, while the distant (offshore) marine setting was established in the Pliocene Abu Madi Formation. This deeper environment, of the Abu Madi Formation, can be used to confirm a previous documentation of an Early Pliocene progressive drowning of an incised valley, related to the Messinian Salinity Crises (MSC) events, by the late Messinian sea level drop in the Mediterranean. Suboxic to anoxic conditions existed during deposition of the investigated well succession. Anoxia was confirmed by the occurrence of imprints of pyrite crystals across much of the well succession. The occurrence of abundant Poaceae pollen may suggest widespread dry grassland vegetation during deposition of the Neogene sedi-ments of the well. In a regional context, the Neogene environments in the Nile Delta area vary according to the relative position of the investigated sediments, due to structural, palaeogeographic and basinal settings. The recovered palynofacies fluctuated between amorphous organic matter (AOM)-dominated and phytoclast-dominated categories, mostly of the kerogen type II, which is capable of producing oil and gas. The visual assessment of the spore coloration index (SCI) of thin-walled trilete spores in the well section, shows values ranging between 5 and 8, confirming a thermally mature organic matter and,consequently,can be potential source rocks.

Integration of facies analysis with organic microfossils (mainly dinoflagellate cysts) provides insights into the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the onshore part of the Douala sub-basin of Cameroon. Nine lithofacies were identified, grouped in three main facies agglomerate/conglomerates, sands/sandstones and clay facies were identified. These facies reflect periodic proximal to distal sediment inputs, under changing water level, most likely controlled by climate and tectonics. The recovered dinoflagellate cysts were essentially composed of Cerodinium granulostriatum, Glaphyrocysta microfenestrata, Lejeunecysta sp. and Senegalinium laevigatum, along with Longapertites marginatus, Spinizonocolpites echinatus and Spini- zonocolpites baculatus as significant terrestrial pollen. The dinoflagellate cysts were indicative of a shallow marine environment, affected by freshwater influx, under fluctuating dysoxic-anoxic, suboxic-anoxic and oxic states. These paleoenvironmental characteristics are consistent with the Upper Cretaceous sedimen- tary cycle of the Douala sub-basin, which terminated during the Maastrichtian, with a rapid and differen- tial marine regression. The recovered organic-walled palynomorphs were a powerful biostratigraphic tool in the correlation of Campanian-Maastrichtian in the area and surroundings.

Based on well-preserved palynomorphs a biostratigraphic assessment of the Miocene to Pleistocene succession
in the NDO B-1 well, Nile Delta area, Egypt, is presented. Terrestrial pollen and spores are relatively more abundant
and diverse in their spectra than the marine dinoflagellate cysts, which has enabled their semi-quantitative
estimation. Dinoflagellate cysts are investigated on a qualitative basis. Two informal spore-pollen zones and
seven informal zones based on dinoflagellate cysts are suggested and calibrated by planktonic foraminifera and
calcareous nannoplankton zones in the well; on a local scale they can be useful in the Nile Delta area. The results
were compared with the Cenozoic palynomorph associations in the Mediterranean and Paratethyan realms. The
dinoflagellate cyst taxa around the Messinian–Zanclean boundary in the well log lack characteristic brackish
Paratethyan taxa, which is probably due to a disconnection or limited water circulation between the Paratethys
and the eastern Mediterranean at the Messinian–Zanclean boundary or related to a stratigraphic bias.

One of the main causes propelling the development of new insecticidal active agents is the exponential rise in resistance to traditional chemical pesticides. One approach to solving this issue is to investigate novel types of insecticidal substances with unique ones. In this paper, various series of 6,7,8,9-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinolines were synthesized starting from 7-acetyl-4-cyano-1,6-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-8-aryl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3(2H)-thiones 2a–c. Thus, compounds 2a–c were reacted with some halogeno reagents, namely: N-aryl-2-chloroacetamides 3a–f, N-(naphthalen-2-yl)-2-chloroacetamide (3g), N-(4-phenylthiazol-2-yl)-2-chloroacetamide (3h), and N-(benzthiazol-2-yl)-2-chloroacetamide (3i), in the presence of anhydrous sodium carbonate, to give the target compounds, 1-amino-N-substituted-6,7,8,9-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinoline-2-carboxamides 4a–i, 5a–c, 6, and 7, respectively. Compounds 4f,g,i, 6, and 7 underwent a Paal–Knorr reaction upon treatment with 2,5-dimethoxytetrahydrofuran in boiling glacial acetic acid, to give the corresponding 1-(1-pyrrolyl)-6,7,8,9-tetrahydrothieno[2,3-c]isoquinoline-2-carboxamide derivatives 8f,g,i, 9, and 10. Using elemental and spectral investigations, the structures of every chemical were described. The insecticidal activity of a majority of recently synthesized compounds against the nymphs and adults of A. craccivora was assessed, and encouraging findings were found.

The search for new bioactive substances with microbiological activity is dictated by the increasing resistance of the drugs used in clinical practice against various pathogenic microorganisms. In this respect, particular attention is paid to the modified dendrimers with biologically active substances and their metal complexes. This work describes synthesizing and characterizing a new copper complex of first-generation polypropylene imine (PPI) dendrimer, modified with 4-sulfo-1,8-naphthalimide. The new metallodendrimer [Cu₂(E)(NO₃)₄] has been characterized by IR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Two copper ions were found to form a complex with the dendrimer ligand. Cotton fabrics were treated with the dendrimer ligand (E), its monomer structural analog (M), and metallodendrimer. The microbiological activity of the three compounds and the treated cotton fabrics with them has been tested in the dark and after light irradiation against bacterial strains: Gram-positive B. cereus and Gram-negative P. aeruginosa. The results showed that the metallodendrimer was slightly more effective than the dendrimer ligand E and monomer M, and their activity was enhanced after light irradiation. The increase in antimicrobial activity after light irradiation was due to the generation of highly reactive singlet oxygen, which damages bacteria’s cell membrane, leading to their inactivation. The similar activity against both types of bacteria indicates that all three compounds can be classified as broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. The virucidal effects of the studied compounds were also tested against human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV5) and human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV-S2) after 30 min/60 min. The newly synthesized compounds showed no activity against HAdV-5, but the activity against HSV-2 viruses increases with the prolongation of their interaction.

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) have emerged as highly versatile materials, garnering significant attention in recent years due to their unique structural and functional properties. This study presents the development and synthesis of a CMP based on Py-TBNBZ, achieved via a well-established [4 + 4] Schiff base reaction. The reaction involves two primary building blocks: 4,4′,4″,4‴-(pyrene-1,3,6,8-tetrayl)tetrabenzaldehyde (PyBZ-4CHO) and 4,4′,4″,4‴-(dibenzo[g,p]chrysene-2,7,10,15-tetrayl)tetraaniline (TBNBZ-4NH₂). The structural and morphological characteristics of the synthesized Py-TBNBZ CMP material were systematically analyzed using advanced experimental techniques, confirming the successful formation of a robust framework. The Py-TBNBZ CMP prepared in this study showed a BET surface area (S_BET) of 497 m² g⁻¹. Thermal analysis indicated a decomposition temperature (T_d10) of 476 °C and a notable char yield of 74 wt%, as confirmed through BET and TGA measurements. One of the most notable features of the Py-TBNBZ CMP is its strong fluorescence, which enabled its application in chemical sensing. The material exhibited exceptional sensitivity and selectivity, allowing for the detection of K⁺ and Fe²⁺ ions and precise pH monitoring over a broad pH range (pH 2–10). The underlying sensing mechanisms were investigated and elucidated. Additionally, the Py-TBNBZ CMP demonstrated remarkable adsorption capabilities for hazardous gas vapors, including ammonia (NH₃) and hydrogen chloride (HCl), underscoring its potential for environmental remediation. The flexibility of the Py-TBNBZ CMP distinguishes it from other CMPs and porous materials, enabling superior performance, enhanced applicability, and improved operational efficiency. This work highlights the advanced capabilities of Py-TBNBZ CMP and contributes to the ongoing development of innovative materials for adsorption, environmental protection, and next-generation sensing technologies.

Herein, new Pyrrolo[3,4-d] isoxazolidines hybrid with furan were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrone 2 with N-substituted maleimides 3a-j. The synthesized compounds were screened in vitro cytotoxic assay against four cancer cell lines namely, HeLa, HEPG-2, HCT-116 and MCF-7 using doxorubicin (DOX) as a reference using MTT assay. The results demonstrated that compounds 4b and 4j exhibited the highest antitumor activity with IC₅₀ =6.22–16.44  μM in comparable to DOX (IC₅₀ = 4.17–5.57μM). The most active hybrids 4b and 4j were further subjected to multi-targeting assays against EGFR, VEGFR-2, and Topo II. They showed good to moderate inhibitory activities. In addition, flow cytometric analysis of 4b and 4j inhibited cell population of MCF-7 cells in the S phase. Compound 4b, and 4j were further evaluated using molecular docking and dynamics simulations (20 ns) and the EGFR, TOPII, or VEGFR-2 receptor protein. All the data sets accurately predict the strongest binding affinity for the selected compounds, as evidenced by the highest free binding energy from MM/GBSA calculations and significant amino acid steric interactions. Furthermore, the RMS/RMSF/Rg/SASA dynamics parameters show the formed complexes demonstrate satisfactory stability. The ADMET properties indicate that the selected new ligands have shown a promising drug-like profile and can be considered potential candidates for future anti-cancer therapies, with perspective validating their anticancer activity by in vitro studies.

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy is one of the effective strategies for facing the resistance of pathogenic microorganisms of traditional antibiotics. In connection with this, new effective compounds are being sought, increasing their biological activity upon irradiation. In this work, a new polypropylene imine (PPI) from the first generation was synthesized and modified with 1,8-naphthalimide, to which a sulfonyl chloride group (D1) was introduced at the C-4 atom, from which after interaction with glucosamine, a dendrimer containing a sulphonamide group (D2) was obtained. The photophysical characteristics of dendrimer D2 were investigated in five organic solvents of different polarity and aqueous media. It was found that the absorption and fluorescence maxima are slightly affected by the polarity of the solvents. Excimer and monomeric fluorescence were also recorded with dendrimer D2 in an aqueous solution. Dendrimer D2 was deposited on the surface of the cotton fabric, and its release from the cotton fabric was studied for 4 h in a phosphate buffer at 37 °C. The antimicrobial activity of dendrimer D2 was investigated in meat-peptone broth (MPB) against Gram-positive B. cereus and Gram-negative P. aeruginosa and on cotton fabric compared in the dark and after irradiation with sunlight. It has been found that after irradiation with light, the activity of D2 and cotton fabrics is enhanced due to their antimicrobial photodynamic activity. Additionally, light can be utilized to self-sterilize cotton fabrics when treated with D2.